I am often the receiver of all kinds of wonderful news in our household. Today’s top story: K informs me that his “poop looked like one of those things that opens cans…”
Exciting news.
Reply
Learning all the time.
So much learning going on! Seems everywhere I turn someone is learning something. Today I learned that my boys are really smart, and really sneaky. Especially a certain wee one. I learned that I could be the me that I truly am. I learned to let go just a teeny bit more. I learned that love is the most important thing of all. I learned that even though I take perfectly good recipes and twist them up, with often (but not always!) sour results, I should keep experimenting. Life IS an experiment.
Today little K was reading a LOT. It is so fun to watch kids pick things up all over the place, and then gradually you see it “click” together in their eyes, their minds. And E is apparently learning algebra. Yes, I know he’s six. But you know what? Their dad loves math, so he’s just always doing it with them. And he’s showing them what HE is learning NOW…and sharing the basics at the same time. And it is amazing because I’m watching E absorb things that I would have stepped in and said something like “he’s too young for that R, you’re going to confuse him.” Sure, he is confused plenty of times, BUT he is interested in it, or at least in giving R a chance to share it with him. And I do see him beginning to understand things that I wouldn’t have thought he’d be able to until later.
The daily stuff is a collection of moments.
I’m doing some cool stuff with Creative Indeed.
And R is the garden master.
OH and we all went to Talofofo Bay yesterday. ‘Twas fun indeed.
Photo journaling
Kenny boy.
Ev, whippin' it. Teehee.
Homeschooling...Robby's style.
Me in my makeshift studio
Mango on the mend....
"Spartocera" ?? On the sweet potato leaves
Fun Stuff
Lots of craftiness going on today!
Science fun: Baking soda in a pan or tray. Sprinkle on food coloring. Drip or pour vinegar and see what happens. =)
The boys really enjoyed this. Actually so did I, which surprised me a little bit. I am totally going to get some eyedropper type things to put a vinegar/food coloring mixture into…I imagine you could expand your range of “drawing” possibilities this way. Anyway I saw this on Pinterest and thought it would be pretty easy. And it was. =) We did it outside.
At some point in the late afternoon, we decided we would begin building a house of sticks for the “guys” (see example featured in photo…meet Goku) with wood glue and string, and possibly some cardboard or something…we’ll see. So far, *I* am building it and they are watching/playing around me. Goku, Red Ranger, Iron Man, and Black Ranger better enjoy their new digs. Actually, I am pretty excited about it. I used to build cardboard houses for my “girls?” when I was like 8 or something (those of you who know me well, know about my theory about everything happening when you are 
so this is kind of a fun project for me. Who knows what we will come up with! I am letting the boys dictate the design, I am simply their “machine” as I tend to be. A role I accept, for the sake of Gokus and Power Rangers everywhere.
A shot of “the learning center” corner of our home. A happy mess. =)
And then later K and I had some fun with Photobooth…alien style.
Fresh coconut, and a glimpse of the past
Yesterday was Mothers’ Day. We went up to Yigo to R’s auntie’s house for lunch. It was nice. Quiet, chill, relaxing. We ate yummy food (some fried fish, rice, tinola, pancit, chicken wings, and watermelon. OH and then R and his uncle cut open a couple coconuts and we drank the water and ate the meat. BEST snack ever.
And I was shocked to see this car when we drove up. It is R’s old car (a ’97 Pontiac Sunfire) that he had when I met him. It is his uncle’s now, and it is repainted and pretty much totally rehauled.
Awesomeness as of late!
Yippee, so many awesome things happening for us lately!
- The Guam Art Exhibit (GAX) was a success
- The garden is flourishing
- We have corn!
- Tomatoes GALORE
- Mangoes coming out of our ears! (I just imagined what that would feel like…)
- R just planted cucumbers and beans and more eggplant, oh and lettuce and chives (or green onions..?) too.
- Gorgeous surprise flowers that show up in the garden!
- I’ve been keeping the house in order…the kitchen is pretty well-maintained if I do say so myself…now if I could just work on some storage/organization in there I’ll be set!
- The Radiant Goddess eCourse is treating me BEAUTIFULLY!
- The Creative Goddess course has been phenomenal and a great push for me to create more than what I’m used to.
- I’ve been paying bills on time, keeping up with bookkeeping, and generally being financially responsible. Yay!
- Been keeping things simple
- Enjoying herbal remedies of all kinds
- Finished two custom pieces, and will be blessing them and shipping them out this week!
- Boys have been surfing. Always a good thing.
- R is just about done with another semester of school. Yay.
- Summer looks to be filled with travel possibilities, so many things going on!
- One of our chickens died (I know this isn’t awesome…we think it was because it was the runt, and maybe got suffocated or pecked at in the corner of the house…looks like he somehow got wedged under the wood part of the house =(…), but in general, the chickens are doing well. We need to get them in a bigger house now.
- Life is good.
My 6yo is now cooking his own breakfast.
He even puts pepper!!
Yes, I said cooking. E is scrambling his own eggs, from start to finish in the mornings now. We have an electric stove, so while gas stoves are what I grew up with and am used to, I am thankful that I don’t have to worry about him working with the flame. Best part about this? It means he’s making breakfast for him AND his little brother, while mom and dad are still getting up.
WIN.
This is amazing to me. I don’t think I scrambled my own eggs until I was like 12 or something. See, being a lazy parent comes in handy sometimes. “10 more minutes son, mommy is really tired,” (translated: mommy refuses to wake up and make you food yet because this bed is extremely comfy and I don’t want to move). He has taken matters into his own hands and is now our mini chef.
Stellar Upcomings
The latest message from Pam Eastlik, aka “The Star Lady”
Greetings Everyone!
We have an astounding two months coming up for sky gazing. Not only can
you see The Magic Half Hour during the first three weeks of May, we have a
partial solar eclipse on Monday, 21 May AND the once-in-a-lifetime
experience of the transit of Venus on 6 June. This e-mail is a little
longer than normal because of all the cool stuff happening in the sky. I
hope to see all of you either at public shows or possibly viewing the
transit. More on that later.
It’s an amazing couple of months! (Please note that you’ll probably get a
few more e-mails from the Planetarium over the next few weeks than you
usually get!)
Pam
1. May public shows
2. The Magic Half Hour
3. The Commuter Eclipse (21 May)
4. The transit of Venus (06 June)
5. A call for help.
1. May public shows
10, 11 and 12 May 2012
You’ll notice that there’s no show named above and there’s a reason. I
hope to produce a new show for May that features both the solar eclipse
and the transit of Venus and how to view them both safely. However, May
is traditionally my busiest time of year and I may not get it done. If I
don’t, we’ll see “The Magic Half Hour” at 6:30 p.m.
Regardless of which show we see, we’ll have the traditional Q&A session at
7:00 p.m. and then we’ll go outside to see The Magic Half Hour when it
gets dark enough to see it. And even if I don’t get the eclipse/transit
show done, I’ll provide all the information you need to see them both in
the Planetarium newsletter. So you’ll definitely want to mark this
month’s Planetarium shows on your calendar.
2. The Magic Half Hour
That astounding time when you can see eight of the ten brightest stars, 15
of the 20 brightest stars, the largest and smallest constellations and the
three most famous constellations ALL AT THE SAME TIME is in prime viewing
time in May. It occurs from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. from 1-7 May; 7:30 to 8:00
p.m. from 8-14 May; and 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. from 15-22 May. We also have
three planets up there too. Saturn is in the eastern sky near Spica, the
fifteenth brightest star, Mars is almost straight overhead all month and
Venus is impossible to miss in the western sky. Enjoy!
3. The Commuter Eclipse
We’re having a partial solar eclipse over Guam on Monday 21 May. I’m
calling it the Commuter Eclipse because it occurs between 7:00 a.m. and
9:14 a.m. with maximum eclipse at 8:07 a.m. Only about one quarter of the
Sun will be covered by the Moon so you’ll need some kind of viewing device
to see it. A safe, simple way is to walk outside and look under a tree.
The round circles you see are actually images of the Sun shining through
the leaves and during the Commuter Eclipse, they’ll have a ‘bite’ out of
them! I hope to get some stuff up on the website that will show you other
safe ways to view this eclipse. (www.guam.net/planet)
4. The transit of Venus
Venus will pass directly between the Earth and the Sun on Wednesday 6 June
2012. Guam is almost directly under the path of the transit and we’ll see
the whole thing. It will last about six and a half hours.
Venus will appear as a small slowly moving dot on the face of the Sun and
you’ll definitely want to see it because there won’t be another one for
105 years in 2117 and you will probably miss it!
The transit starts at 8:13 a.m. here on Guam. That’s when the leading
edge of Venus makes visual contact with the edge of the Sun. This will
occur on the lower left side of the Sun at about the 8:00 position. At
8:31 a.m. Venus’ trailing edge contacts the Sun. After that, Venus will
slowly make its way across the Sun’s face. The edge of Venus will contact
the Sun’s edge again at 2:28 p.m. and will leave the Sun’s disc entirely
at 2:45 p.m.
There are several ways to view a transit and that brings us to our last
topic.
5. A call for help
The people who subscribe to this list are the Planetarium’s best friends
and I need some help for this transit. I’m thinking of setting up some
viewing stations here at the University, probably in the vicinity of the
Science Building. Do any of you have any suggestions about other more
appropriate places? Perhaps you might like to set up your own viewing
stations somewhere else. If you’re interested in volunteering to help on
that date or have your own viewing site, please let me know.
And that brings up the second call for help. A friend and I are going to
try to construct some reflection viewers using either dead refractor
telescopes or fuzzy binoculars that have grown mold on the lenses. They
need to be ‘dead’ because the Sun’s heat is very hard on the glue used to
mount the optics. If you have old binoculars or telescopes you’d like to
donate to the cause, please let me know.
I’m also looking to borrow #14 welder’s goggles for viewing the transit.
These are about the only safe method to actually view the transit by
looking directly at the Sun and not a projected image and I’d like to have
some on hand. They will be returned to you unscathed!
All comments, suggestions and offers of help are greatly appreciated. And
thank you for reading this incredibly LONG missive all the way through!!
Slowly… + Mango
With time, sleep, and a willingness to remain open, I’m feeling a bit better. I’m approaching things quietly. Tomorrow I will be continuing to work on a custom pair of paintings. I took the week off from painting, as I didn’t want to put that kind of energy into my work. Instead I worked on some healing art as a part of the Creative Goddess eCourse.
Also displayed my art at a small event this weekend at Agana Shopping Center. It felt good to be out in the community with my art. It was a reminder to get out a bit more.
R has been gardening like crazy, I need to take photos of his latest creations in the soil.
Today I cut up a whole bunch of mangos to freeze.
SO much on my mind!! But not much to say, lol.
Shell
Sad.
Motherhood has taken me to the darkest and loneliest places I’ve ever felt. Looking back on the last 7 years of my life…much of it has been spent either alone or feeling alone.
My healing painting just for Me
When you are an artist, sometimes you forget to make artwork…for YOU. So I am grateful for Goddess Leonie’s Creative Goddess ecourse, in case I haven’t mentioned before 
because she has pushed me (ever so gently complete with giggles) to do just this.
I'm actually smiling because when I got close to the painting my chin bumped it. I left the little smudge. =)
A few years ago, when my babies were babies still, I hit a really low point in my life, which means it led to a rising back up, in the form of me creating art again. Something I hadn’t done for quite some time, always feeling overwhelmed by just the daily tasks of taking care of young children. Finally I said F it, and pulled out my canvas and acrylics. Grabbed a brush, squirted paint all over the canvas and then swirled it around with my paintbrush. It was amazing! Felt so good! So free flowing, me moving that paint around with my brush ever so fast and then slow and then whimsical round and round we go. Voila, my “aura art” painting style was born. Was it something new? Never been done before? Um, definitely not. But was it FOR ME? YES.
Every once in awhile I’ll do another spiral painting, sometimes it is satisfying, other times I don’t like the way it looks. But the actual SWIRLING of the paint is what heals me. It’s like creating sand mandalas, the actual act of creating the spiral feels good and nurtures something deep within my soul.
Since we’ve finished up week 3, dubbed Healing Week, I’d like to share my painting that is JUST FOR ME, a healing piece that nurtures me and is filled with love and positive perfection, for me. It is a wonderfully selfish piece that is meant to sustain me, and I know as time goes on its power will grow.
a loving message scrolled as the foundation of the piece
a part of me wanted to leave it like this, a beautiful mess!
the spiral is formed
it gets messy again as the swirling builds
and more
the swirling refines...love
breathing in the peace
and putting my own healing energy back in
Painting Fun + Friends + Cuteness
I’ll let the photos do the talking.
Painting painting little L
Smudging with sage
is there ANYthing cuter?!
and then she realized I was following her cuteness
the middle stages of two paintings I'm working on
The usual. Life is good.
That’s what we’re up to!
Boys been going to surf class, playing, watching, gardening, playing more, running a lot, laughing a lot, eating a lot.
Garden garden garden, R has been getting a LOT done outside. Planting a ton of corn, eggplant, some okra, watermelon, peppers, sweet potato, transplanting, trimming, clearing, cardboard mulching, digging holes holes holes and more holes. Just add water.
R surfing, me painting. Cooking. Cleaning. Laundry.
Writing, brainstorming, networking, ritual-ing, reading, learning, teaching.
More painting!
And cleaning, always more cleaning.
Friends coming over to paint with me today. Yay!
Shell
Behold the Wonderous Star Apple
This thing is amazing! And weird too.
We were walking outside and we happened to check out the star apple tree we have in our yard. It’s a really tall tree, the leaves are often green on one side and turn a golden brown color on the underside. The way the leaves & branches hang down, it creates an umbrella. Lots of shade under this tree! Anyway, we noticed there were some that might be ripe, way up at the top. First R went up to check it out, then our friend K climbed up and got 3 star apples. R said something about “the skin has latex in it, don’t eat it or you’re mouth will turn to gum.” K and I tried to figure that out in our heads for awhile then K asked “what do you mean ‘turn to gum’?”
We cut one open and split it between us. The white middle part of the fruit just melts in your mouth, a sweet and soft delight. Heavenly! We were impressed, and as K said, he “got a little greedy” and ate some of the rind area. He immediately realized what R meant
by “your mouth will turn to gum.” K said it felt like he had popped a really big bubble gum bubble and it was stuck around his mouth. And it doesn’t come off very easily. You’ll be sorry if you eat the rind/skin that’s all I gotta say. I got a tiny bit around my mouth and it was NOT fun.
Eat the scrumdiddlyumptious middle part only!
This would be awesome to eat cold, make a sort of “pudding” with it or something, YUM.
Here’s the info off of wiki:
Chrysophyllum cainito is a
tropical tree of the family
Sapotaceae, native to the lowlands of Central America and
the West Indies. It grows rapidly and reaches 20 m inheight.
It has numerous common names including cainito, caimito, star apple, golden leaf tree,abiaba, pomme du lait, estrella, milk fruit and aguay. It is also known by the synonymAchras cainito. In Vietnam, it is called vú sữa (literally: breast-milk).
The leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple oval, entire, 5–15 cm long; the underside shines with a golden color when seen from a distance. The tiny flowers are purplish white and have a sweet fragrant smell. The tree is also hermaphroditic (self-fertile).
It has round, purple-skinned fruit that is often green
around the calyx, with a star pattern in the pulp. Sometimes there is a greenish-white or yellow variety of the fruit. The skin is rich in latex, and both it and the rind are not edible. The flattened seeds are light brown and hard. It bears fruit year around after it reaches about seven years of age.The fruits are delicious as a fresh dessert fruit; it is sweet and best served chilled. Infusions of the leaves have been used against diabetes and articular rheumatism. The fruit has anti-oxidant properties.,[1][2] The bark is considered a tonic and stimulant, and a bark decoction is used as an antitussive. The fruit also exist in three colors, dark purple, greenish brown and yellow. The purple fruit has a denser skin and texture while the greenish brown fruit has a thin skin and a more liquid pulp; the yellow variety is less common and difficult to find.
Animal magic.
You know, I just realized as I sat down to write this post, I don’t really have many words for the magical experience I’ve just had with my son and our dog.
All I know is that I am learning a LOT about forgiveness lately, and dogs are like the ultimate teachers (as are children) in this lesson. Please send some gentle healing vibes to our Lexi, she has a wound near her eye from this afternoon.
Here’s a happy healthy photo of her for healthy happy vibes.
Simply amazing healing.
I feel as refreshed as these beautiful orchids in the morning sun...
Goddess Leonie is an amazing guide through this spiritual journey. I am really feeling SO blessed and nourished throughout this Creative Goddess ecourse. It’s week three and it’s healing week. I just finished the meditation and I feel like I am walking on water, seriously. Every part of my body has been lit with pure divine energy, I feel alive.
This is a great blessing because it is putting me back in touch with my own ability to heal myself, not just once, but over and over again. To reconnect with that pure light energy…words can’t describe the overwhelming sense of peace and bliss that come through to me during these kinds of focused healing meditations. I remember when I was younger, I used to imagine similar healings upon myself, but I don’t think I had faith yet whether or not anything was taking effect. Now, I am certain, of the powerful healing that can occur when you focus your energy toward what it is you want to heal.
It has been a reminder to constantly shift my energy back to source, back to source, back to source. Follow bliss. Follow simplicity. Peace. Joy. Contentment. Beauty and appreciation. Magic. Back to source, back to source, back to source.
I have much visual inspiration swirling in my mind and heart as well, and I can’t wait to get started on my healing artwork. I love this, because while every artwork is a healing artwork, this one has specific focused energy that has been building in me through the meditation. I can see it finished, I can feel its healing already.
And yet I feel grounded in my bliss. This is the feeling I like to evoke in my everyday life, feeling grounded, whole, real, in my blissed out connection with source.
Pure joy in my heart.
Thank you.
A Recipe for Happiness
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Red and green, gifts and tasty delights…no not Christmas silly! AVOCADO season!!!!! Mixed with fresh greens from the garden, and oooh, I am in heaven. The picture says it all.
Transformation Arrow
So, I’m doing the Creative Goddess e-course, by goddess Leonie, and its week 2. I listened to the meditation, which was focused on meeting the goddess Kali, in order to face fears that are ready to be released/destroyed/transformed. The project is to create a transformation arrow.
We were to find a stick, and then decorate it however we felt called to, while being aware of what we’d like to release. Then we were told to destroy the arrow.
My transformation arrow, plain and simple on my window sill.
Its strange because my arrow is so simple. I was creating it in the moment that night. The energy was there, it felt quick and intense. I was processing some emotional stuff (see previous posts) and was moving through it powerfully. I didn’t paint my arrow, I didn’t want to wait for it to dry. I looked around to see what I had. You know, I didn’t even want to decorate it at all, I liked my stick plain and simple how I’d found it. But I grabbed a black permanent marker, and wrote on it “May all fears be transformed into love through love” and wrote other words on there like “release” “trust” “faith” “forgive” “love” etc. Then I covered it all in black lines except for the “handle” of the arrow. Very simple. And yet when we were told we’d need to destroy our creation, I wondered had I put enough energy into mine? Was it too simple that I wouldn’t really be releasing much? These were the thoughts that ran through my mind, but I trusted in the process. My arrow is my arrow, perfect as it is.
The next day (last night) I built a small fire to burn the arrow. I broke it into pieces and stuck it in the pile. I wrote all my fears and unwanted energies on a paper and stuck that into the middle of the pile of sticks. Then lit it and watched the transformation take place. It took time for the stick to really break down into ash.
I feel like I have definitely let go of something, though I imagine I will feel it more with time.
An intense process for sure. I’ve done plenty of releasing exercises and rituals before, but this one felt…I dunno, more “real”?
Shell
Faith in Me
I feel like in every moment I have a different perspective. There may be “general” default perspectives that I feel again and again, but they are felt in a new way each time. So much to say, so much feeling, I can’t quite keep up with myself.
Today I’m actually feeling quite in touch with the source energy inside me, and yet I feel disconnected with people around me. Is that possible? To feel disconnected from others, and yet connected to source…hmm.
I wrote a poem that I think speaks more clearly about how I’m feeling…
Faith in Me
It is one of those days
when I need to breathe…
where I question who I am.
I turn my focus toward me.
Space.
To think and reflect, and to put myself back
in a positive feeling space.
I used to think I was simply withdrawing
I don’t identify with those labels anymore.
I am just BEING.
Everyday being.
Every single day I am doing the best that I can,
even if that isn’t so great at all some days.
Some days I don’t want to speak with anyone,
and that IS OKAY for me.
Sometimes I want to curl up and cry, and sometimes I do.
Sometimes I feel like hitting someone or destroying something,
and thankfully I usually don’t.
Many days I feel joyful and filled to the brim
with gratitude, bliss, and gentle, peaceful contentment.
Many days I am living my highest purpose,
I can feel it.
Even the days where I feel
like I am just laying low, chilling out,
resting, lazying, relaxing, or hiding from the world,
I trust that I am living the life
I am meant to live.
The ride is so not linear.
In fact it is infinitely filled with twists and turns,
curves, bumps, dips, quivers, backsteps, leaps forward,
alternate planes, dimensions, links, weaving,
oohs, ahhs, ‘oh no’s, gasps and sighs.
The intensity that I feel urges me
To simplify, chalk it all up to being
the wonderful, complex & wild ride
of a masterpiece we call life.
The thread that keeps me “alive” beyond physical
is having faith in me.
I trust.
I am.
Thank you.
Rough.
Rough two days. Yesterday was Easter and all the chaos at my parents house was a bit exhausting (can’t imagine how my mom felt!) and I think I’ve had my fill of people, lol. At the end of the day I ended up having a glass of wine. And then another. And another. Was not feeling good by the time we got home, and you know how that story goes.
I haven’t really been drinking much this year…but recently I’ve bought a bottle of wine 2 weeks in a row. Last night was a reminder of why I wanted to move in a different direction. R hasn’t really been drinking for…2 years now? I’m really proud of him, even though he is completely annoying when he gets on his podium about alcohol. I wish he’d simply trust that his example is having a positive effect on me, without the need for chastising, because well, it is. I’m inspired. Anyway, I got angry today when I felt like he was picking on me, when I already felt crappy. I already knew I made a mistake, and was paying for it.
Its hard because pretty much everyone in my family drinks to different extents, and its what I’m used to, but I’m really wanting to move farther away from alcohol. I don’t think I will give it up completely, but practicing a lot of abstinence feels right and necessary in my heart.
I’ve been nurturing myself today, as its been pretty rough. Thankfully, the Creative Goddess ecourse I’m doing gave me a HUGE transformative boost this afternoon. It was intense, but whoa. I can already feel a positive ripple effect coming through from the Kali meditation, and the transformation arrow project. I usually “don’t do” meditation, as I have a hard time sitting still, but Goddess Leonie is freakin’ awesome. I officially adore her.
Now I’m listening to Joss Stone radio on Pandora, while stretching on my bed AND writing here. I feel a cool evening breeze coming through my window and it feels SOO good…a nice contrast to the dead-still-heat we’ve had all day long. Maybe I will sleep outside tonight. Probably not, but nice to think about.
Shell
Busy Magic
Wow we’ve been busy! Had a lot of fun with Grandma D during her (too) short stay. R has been a garden superhero the last 2 days, putting in a lot of hours outside. Boys have been watching a mix of educational and (in my not-so-humble-opinion) crap on the iPad, surfing, building their “guys” houses out of blocks (I’m sure we’ll invest in “real” Legos one day), running around outside, scootering, biking, chasing the dogs, painting, fighting, doing math, eating, eating, and more eating.
Not much changes in the general scheme of things, huh?
I got a lot of other cool stuff done though!
Been painting up a storm (as shown in previous post), and have been integrating more biz stuff.
I made this video of a pervious painting I did:
I’ve been pretty “productive” all around. Have been taking care of the usual, water plants, feed chickens, laundry, dishes, tidy, feed boys, etc… and have also been getting lots of creative stuff done! The video above for one thing, and painting of course.
Also started a Pinterest board for Creative Indeed….HERE.
OOOH, almost forgot. I made an amazing pasta salad, for us for dinner, and a batch for Easter tomorrow at my parents’ house. YUMMMM. I will see if I can get a photo of it and the recipe up soon.
Alrighty, off to bed.
Shell
Evolution of an Artwork
Latest creations~ Session 1
Leaves from around the house, with acrylic paint on canvas
I am feeling grateful that I went with my heart on the decision to join Goddess Leonie’s Circle and to participate in the Creativity e-course.
It has given me the supportive boost that I need.
The painting on the left is a mixed-media project, a very special and close-to-the-heart piece. Layers, stories, meanings, within one work of art.
Shall see if more layers are to come. =)
Shell
I am the hummingbird…
Doing the best that I can, with what I have, in this place, this moment, in time…
In Dirt: The Movie, there is the story of the hummingbird, who during a raging forest fire threatening all the animals’ home, decided to start carrying drops of water from a nearby lake to the fire. The other animals looked on helplessly, feeling panicked, lost and defeated by the fire. The hummingbird felt a glimmer of hope, and an urge to protect what it cherished…it kept on, carrying drop by drop of water from the lake to the fire. Some of the animals cried out “what are you doing? you are so small, how can your little drops of water help anything?” The hummingbird, with tears of release in it’s little eyes, looked at the animals and said with passion, “I am doing the best that I can.” And it kept on. I imagine the hummingbird doing what it needed to do to feel good, and hoping that others would join in and create a collective force of love and hope.
Some days I feel ridiculous, like HOW is what I am doing going to make a difference? And I have to trust that this is all part of a very large and beautiful masterpiece that I cannot ever see from my one narrow perspective.
And then I feel grateful. And I keep on, like the hummingbird.
Shell
Busy adventurous day!
What a day!
After we were all officially up for the morning, we ate breakfast, watered the plants, fed the animals, I did dishes and laundry, and E was reading to grandma D. They were super excited about opening up their gifts from grandma D (2 Razor scooters), but they had to “earn points” by reading. E read 5 short books, and K practiced letter writing.
At 11am, we went on a field trip to the Hamamoto Tropical Fruit World with the Garden Day group. We enjoyed it, a worthwhile experience. I kind of wish it were a walking tour, only because the exhaust from the tractor pulling the “tour carts” was making me a bit nauseous throughout the ride. There were so many awesome trees though. I caught a few good photos.
After Fruit World we went to Jeff’s Pirates’ Cove for lunch. Always YUM. And since their yogurt machine wasn’t working, we headed to Yogurtland after that. Then home.
While grandma D and I rested, boys tested out new scooters and love their new smooth rides. We definitely need some elbow and knee pads. I can never find any their size though!
Took down dry laundry and hung up wet laundry. Dishes again.
Cleaned the kitchen, soup is on (R is making tinola, YUM. Basically a chicken soup with green papaya, lemongrass, onion, garlic, ginger. But he makes it GOOD. My official professional tinola maker. I’m in love! I can smell it right now as I type and it is luring me to head to the kitchen. Boys went to Chuckie Cheese’s with grandma, should be back soon.
OH YEAH!! This morning, I joined an online Goddess Circle. Yay me!
Shell
Stars on Guam
Reposting this message from the “Star Lady,” dear Pam Eastlik.
Greetings All!
Well, it’s April when we have the best stargazing skies in the world here
on Guam. In April and May, you can see eight of the ten brightest stars,
15 of the 20 brightest stars, the largest and smallest constellations AND
the three most famous constellations ALL AT THE SAME TIME. And this year
three of the planets will join the Magic Half Hour!This month’s public Planetarium show ‘The Magic Half Hour’ will tell you
all about it so keep reading. And I’ve also got news about a really nice
conjunction coming up this weekend. April is always a spectacular month
for stargazing. So get out there and look up!!Pam
1. Full Moon conjunction
2. April public Planetariums shows1. Moon and planet conjunction 7 April 2012
You can see Venus and Jupiter in the western sky after sunset for the rest
of the month and Mars is that red ‘star’ high above the eastern horizon
but a fourth visible planet will enter our early evening sky this weekend
and it will do so in a rather spectacular fashion.Full Moon is this Saturday 7 April and when it rises it will be keeping
company with two bright stars. The one very close and above it is Spica,
the 15th brightest star, but the one only two finger-widths to the left is
NOT a star. That’s Saturn, making its debut as our fourth evening planet.And if that’s not enough of a spectacle for you, go outside a few minutes
before 7:20 p.m. and find Canopus the second brightest star above the
southern horizon. At 7:20 p.m. a bright moving star will appear below it.
That’s not a star: it’s the International Space Station.The ISS will track across the southeastern sky and at 7:24 p.m. it will be
directly above the Moon, Saturn and Spica. They will be quite close to
the horizon at that time, but as a general rule, the full Moon is hard to
miss and you shouldn’t have any trouble finding all of them. It just
could be quite a show! Enjoy!2. April Public Planetarium shows
12, 13 and 14 April
The Magic Half Hour
6:30 p.m.
Quality Time with the Star Lady
7:00 p.m.In Guam in April and May there’s a half hour when you can see eight of the
brightest stars. I call it the Magic Half Hour and this week it occurs
fairly late at night so I’ve got a deal for you! Come to April’s public
shows and you’ll learn exactly how to find all this astounding wonder and
when the Magic Half Hour occurs in your personal sky. We’ll show you the
bright stars, the famous constellations and other stellar wonders.At 7:00 p.m., it’s Quality Time with the Star Lady when she answers your
space-related questions. But what we’re really doing is stalling for time
until it gets dark enough that we can go out and look what I call The Big
Planetarium. How many of the real stars, constellations and planets will
we see? Mark April’s public Planetarium shows on your calendar today
Hooray!
We love it when Grandma D visits. She’s here for 2 days and we hope to make the best of it! E said last night that he will wake up at 4am to go pick up grandma at the airport. Just as he hoped, my alarm went off and he shot up, and said “I’m going.”
Now everyone is back to sleep except E and I. We’ve eaten breakfast (at about 6am) and now we are off to water the plants and feed the animals.
We are hoping to join our Garden Day friends at the Hamamoto Fruit World. There is also an Easter basket weaving workshop at 9 that we have the option of attending. We shall see!
My maggot initiation.
So I finally gave in and got maggots out of the compost for the chickens. R usually takes care of this but for some reason I’ve been in charge of chicken feeding yesterday and today. Not sure I like where this trend is going…but I successfully fed them heaps of creepy crawly juicy compost maggots today. I am a proud mama hen. I didn’t even gag. And I “don’t do” maggots.
The chickens were marvelously happy too, so that made it worth it. Seeing them chow down excitedly for different things is quite a fun experience. They LOVE tomatoes, sunflower seeds too. They like fish. Maggots (ultimate winner for sure)!! Yogurt and granola (don’t ask). I fed them some millet today, they pecked and ate some, but also left some. They usually get some random oats and rice and things. Yesterday they got gourmet bbq cassava. Lucky ducks–I mean chickens.
Today’s learning.
Basic chores.
Watering all the plants, checking on the plants, naming the plants, looking for bugs or fungi.
Feeding the chickens and dogs.
Bike riding & scootering, exploring in safari clothes, “hunting”, hide n seek, battle with “bow staff.” *sigh* Boys.
Clean up kitchen. Plan meals for the day.
Getting ready for surf class.
Later will be doing any math/reading/writing the boys want to work on. Every will probably choose multiplication table practice drills, Kenny will probably want to do some basic adding and subtracting. We’ll be reading The Canary Caper at some point too.
aaaand we watched this:
Trust. And self-validation.
So I’ve been shifting my perspective a little bit, thanks to this new blog. I’ve had many conversations with friends about the need for validation and instant gratification that the whole social media & networking revolution has brought about. Seeking outside approval. There is a fine line, and I’ve walked both sides of the line. I know what it feels like to genuinely want to share something, put it out to the world and have people nod their heads, give high fives and kisses of approval and admiration. There is the informational stuff “thought you might be interested in this…” and the business promotional stuff “announcing the latest event update…” but on the small-scale individual sharing stuff…there is a lot of us just simply wanting to show off.
And thats okay. We want to show people that we are doing good and awesome things. Sometimes people do it in a way that is negative, or that hurts others. That’s not cool, and I don’t walk that path. But I’ve seen it.
Bottom line I think is trust. Trust in what you are doing. Trust in your life. Trust that you are enough, AS IS. All the awesomeness is indeed awesome…but you are awesome without the extra stuff too. We all are.
So I realized that I have my own version of this need for approval. I notice that I check for comments quite frequently, and am sometimes saddened when there are none. I remind myself that it has nothing to do with whether or not people love me or pay attention to me. It has to do with me feeling good about myself and my life all on its own. Without the outside approval. Anyway, people are BUSY these days. *I* am busy. I am not reading and commenting on everyone’s blogs or Facebook posts. Only what happens to come through my life filter.
Again. TRUST. All is well. Everyone is on their own unique and perfect-for-them path. Including me. =)
OH. And I also realized that its important for me to remember why I started this blog. It was on an impulse. It was because I had lots to say and needed to put it somewhere. Its the “public” version of my journal. Whether or not anyone is actually reading is not what is important. What is important for me is the release of my thoughts to a tangible place. Who knows what the ultimate purpose of this blog is?
Just more thinking out loud here. I had a moment of “why bother sharing” this morning. So decided to share about it. Ha.
Ooh! I think I’ve just been inspired for a post on Creative Indeed.