AEDM Day 21 (catching up!)

Well, other than a photography exhibit  of about 25 images that I had at an Edward Jones office as part of the Edmonds Art Walk Thurs. night...

...the past few days were a great big snow covered, jammie wearin', movie watchin', chili eatin', birthday celebratin' blur, during which the most creative things I managed to do were to make alot of food and a silly birthday cake for my love...

...and take this gorgeous photo of our snow dusted yard!

BUT at "the last minute" (for me at least!), I suddenly realized that I had not yet purchased Thanksgiving cards for the several special people we always send to, and they really needed to get out in the mail TODAY (Fri.)...so I decided to make my own this year, using photographs I took of the always beautiful fall displays Mother Nature graces us with here in the Pacific Northwest!

I already have lots 'n lots of my photos made into cards which I have on hand to sell at local arts & craft fairs and the like, so I just picked some of my fall themed faves, prettied them up a bit with glitter paint and printed out two lovely and appropriate quotes to add to them.

I think they turned out quite pretty, and honestly, don't know why I even ever BUY cards at all since I have about a million and one of my own photo cards with a huge range of scenes & themes, so I SHOULD be making every card I send out!  Much more creative, personal and heartfelt, I believe...so that is a goal I will work on in the future...(after I use up the giant pile of store bought cards I already have! lol!) Yep, I am somewhat of a card freak, and still love sending the "real thing" over electronic ones!

And btw-the chili I made was AMAZING! I sort of "Laurie-fied" a recipe I saw online last week, and I must admit, it was so yummy that I expect it to become a staple of fall/winter eating in our house now!

Here is a not-too-precise guidline if you want to try it too:

1 large sweet potato, peeled & cut into cubes
1 can white corn
2 cans black beans
1 can diced tomatoes (i used some spicey ones from Trader Joes)
1 cup water or vegetable broth
& whatever quantities of various spices that suit your taste...i used cayenne pepper, garlic powder, white pepper & chili powder

I threw it all in a crock pot which simmered on high for about 5 hours & then on low for about another 3 hours...

MMMMM, did our house smell YUMMY!
The mixture of sweet & spicey flavors were so good together! I also served cornbread crackers with goat cheese along with it.

So there you have my attempt to catch up a bit on the past 6 days of creating!
I already have a few special Thanksgiving artsy projects in mind to work on over the next day or so , so maybe I can keep up better with this last week or so of AEDM!

As I said in my first post starting this month long creative adventure, to me, creativity comes  in so many various forms, and i strive to do some method of creating at least once a day, no matter how "large' or "small", because doing so assures a very:
Happy Me-Laurie Z!

Autumn Blessings

Have I mentioned lately how incredibly grateful I am for all of the amazing blessings that are so abundant in my life?

Probably not, since I have not even posted for many weeks now...

I had a rough few weeks back in August that really threw me off of my normal goofy, happy-go-lucky, calm, go with the flow track...
(Still not sure "why"...but I did have 21 of 33 peri-menopausal symptoms I found listed on a very informative website...
Or perhaps I was suffering from post-best-friend-amazing-10 day visit letdown...
Or the dual emotions of being excited/worried about my traveling gypsy son, who suddenly decided to set off with just a duffle bag to see the world (well, southern California and the desert of Phoenix, so far...!)
Or my increasing feeling of overwhelm from being far too involved in Swap-Bot...
I'm gonna go with any one or combination thereof, since I feel the need to have a "why"!

But then all of those down & out feelings I had been experiencing changed, seemingly with the onset of the change of seasons...

(and a wonderful 20 day long trip "home" to St. Louis to spend time with my amazing 2 year old grandson, beautiful daughter and great friends no doubt helped lift my mood!)

 But even after returning from that trip where I had such an incredible time, and (again) leaving behind my most cherished "babies" (for a few nore months), I have been feeling more on top of the world than ever...

Many others feel a sense of loss, doom, apprehension, anxiety or sadness as autumn and the quickly following winter season approaches...

But for me, it feels like a time of renewal, a time during which I feel closest to nature as I watch Mother Nature encouraging her children to prepare themselves for the possible difficulties ahead during the quiet solitude of harsher weather.

I find myself dreaming of future possibilities, of eagerly looking forward to a nesting period of sorts, of inner contemplation, increasing fortitude and a sense of calm acceptance and a chance to renew depleted reserves of peace and strength.

I spend more time outdoors...
watching leaves change color and twirl softly onto their winter bed of browning grass, listening to the hurried chatter of squirrels as they seek, find, gather and store their sustenance for the upcoming chill, and scan the clear sky blue sky to marvel at the graceful knowing of geese as they fly in their strikingly simple yet highly evolved V formations to warmer places.

So as the days shorten and the darkness lengthens, I feel more content, more settled, more peaceful, more aware of the bounty of blessings which have been bestowed upon me.

Here are just a recent few in photos that I wish to share with you...
(of course my loved ones are at the top of the list, but these are of other random recent happy-making things...)

pretty welcome home flowers from my sweet man...

our beautiful woods to stroll through...

yummy ( and cute!) pumpkin spice lattes...

our much adored hound babies...

delicious, nutritious food....

Mother Natures many-hued paintbrush...

fresh off the vine in our yard blackberries...in OCTOBER!

SURPRISE DATES!

a wonderous, thought-provoking book...

a brand new snuggly warm blankie (not complete w/o dog hairs, even unopened!)

something wonderful to look forward to when the PNW rains are threatening to drown our spirits...!

These are but a small number of the infinite blessings which surround me and fill my days...

As the harvest is gathered and the warm scents of autumn fills the air, what are YOU feeling?

Can you name a few blessings you are reaping during this bountiful season?

*oh yes...and...

 CANDY CORN! Even an almost empty bowl of this sugary goodness bad-for-me-ness brings out my happy inner child! (does anyone else eat only the yellow part because it tastes the best?!)

During this wonderful season, I am finding so many things that keep me...

HAPPY ME-LAURIE Z!