Painted Garden Rocks

Today my daughter and I painted rocks for her garden as markers for the various vegetables she is planning to grow.  We chose several rocks from our back yard, made ourselves some tea, then set ourselves up with paints and brushes and scrolled through Pinterest looking for inspiration.  There were so many ideas (isn't there always on Pinterest?) that it was difficult at first to decide.

garden rocks in various shapes and sizes (wash and dry the rocks)

Finally we decided to paint all the rocks black as a base coat for a consistent look

We used acrylic paint

and tried to find rock shapes that suited our subject matter

Here is our final harvest of garden rocks.  

This was a really lovely way to spend a dull and chilly afternoon together.  It was a fun and easy activity that let us be creative with what we had on hand, without a big time commitment and only a few paint brushes to clean up afterwards.  Within a couple of hours we had everything completed and her garden will look pretty all summer long. 

Thank you for stopping by My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Wishing each of you a beautiful day,

Sandra

Shrinking and Expanding

Outwardly my world (and probably yours too) has shrunk, I have less freedom and limited interactions, my days are spent at home.  What could feel like the constraint of a too small itchy wool sweater, actually feels snug and comforting, like the swaddling of a baby, safe, snug and cocooned.  While the outer parameters of my life shrink, inwardly I have time to stretch, to breathe.  I have spaces in the margins of my days.  

Prayer shawl in progress

This is no small joy.  With time to meditate regularly, to pray more deeply and to improve my yoga practice, my inner world is expanding.  There is no fixed schedule, no rushing.  Our meals are all home cooked, we've made our own bread and homemade ice cream.  We expanded a small garden for vegetables and have sewn some masks for our family members.  We have story time after breakfast most days and sometimes we nap after lunch.  There is time for ourselves for sitting and thinking and there is time for one another for listening and sharing ideas.  Last night my granddaughter taught me some dance moves and I showed her how to do the Twist to Chubby Checkers' hit song.  There is time to laugh.

One day the quarantine will end, schedules will fire up and restrictions will be watered down.  My daughter and her children will return to school, I will return to work, I will finally be able to see my daughter who lives in another province, it will be a time of rejoicing.  Those on the front lines will finally have the rest and freedom that they deserve.  May I never take for granted everything they have done to keep us safe.

Eventually the quarantine will be a memory woven into the fabric of our lives.  Do I want it to be over? Absolutely, but until then I believe there are many gifts to be discovered, unwrapped and appreciated right now that would never have been possible without these current circumstances.

Thank you for stopping in at My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

May your day be filled with beautiful gifts,

Sandra

Reflection

Not too many years ago I went through a difficult season in my life when everything I thought I knew and understood about my life began to unravel.   Initially I scrambled to make sense of it and to hold on to what was familiar all the while assuring myself that I was okay with "everything".   Funny thing that human tendency to want to guard the status quo even at the expense of our core values, with a "devil you know" justification.  It was through this season of denial that I experienced a LOT of anger and fear.

Jump forward five years and I'm so grateful that I chose to release my grasp on the script I had written for my life, how it was "supposed to happen". With the wisdom of a trusted therapist, I chose instead to live according to my value of honesty over security, authenticity over appearances and the scary unknown over security... come what may.

And things did come, I got sick... really sick.  Alone in my hospital bed, too weak to walk, no appetite and sleeping endlessly I sensed God reminding me of a promise He gave me in 1997 when I first placed my faith in Jesus as my Saviour, He gave me a verse that I still cling too "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5).  If I'm honest, by that point I was too hurt, angry and sick to care about anyone's promises.  Thankfully many others were praying for me when I could not pray at all.  I was also surrounded by my AWESOME tribe (you all know who you are!).  Slowly and very gradually my health improved, the doctors had a diagnosis so we knew what we were dealing with. Yes, it is a chronic condition but my attending physician now says that I am his "miracle patient"!!!

I believe that most of my suffering years ago came as a result of holding so tenaciously to my version of  how things were "supposed" to turn out.  I'm so extremely thankful that I let go of the limited vision I had for my future and allowed God to show me His abundant plans for my life. 

Thank you for stopping in at My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

May you have the courage to live your truth,

Sandra

Chalk on a Sidewalk

A couple of weeks ago my grandchildren were chalking on the sidewalk in front of our home.  They were leaving messages to encourage our neighbours to "wash your hands", "smile", they drew rainbows and hearts.  I picked up a piece of chalk and wrote out, "Be kind, Be patient, Be good to yourself and to others" on a section of sidewalk. 

Two mornings later I stepped out early to walk my dog and found a note in a plastic sleeve on my balcony (see below).  I was so completely moved by the note and the sentiment of how a few simple words, chalked on a sidewalk had impacted a mom and daughter. 

Later that day I saw a woman and young girl on my driveway who seemed to be peeking up at the balcony, I opened my window and said hello and it was indeed the woman who had left the note.  She explained again how the words had turned their day around and wanted to let us know.  Since my grandchildren are very close in age to her daughter we promised that when the quarantine is over we would get together.

What a lovely reminder of the impact that a few encouraging words can have on us and on our neighbours. 

Thank you for stopping by My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

May you have a wonderful day,

Sandra

Pondering

 It is the beginning of week three.  I'm not sure why I write or to whom but I need to express my gratitude, to say thank you to thousands of people I do not know and will never meet who are exhausted and frightened, either because they are exposed to risks daily in the essential services they provide or because they are isolated and uncertain.  Thank you for serving and meeting our needs for medical attention, food and transportation and thank you to you who respect the quarantine and remain isolated despite your uncertainty and loneliness. 

My granddaughter lost in thought

I wonder if we will be changed by our experiences and how.  Will this propel us to somehow seek better ways of being or will we slip back into old thought patterns?  I guess what will matter is how we think as individuals, our belief system, how we process our reality, and how deeply we are personally affected by the situation.  Lord only knows....

I pray for you my reader, thank you for your efforts, I pray that you might have a quiet mind and courage for today.

Thank you for stopping in at My Turquoise Kettle Life.

Wishing you well,

Sandra

Gentleness for Today

I'm in isolation at home with one of my daughters and my grandchildren.  We are so blessed, we are healthy, we have food, we have each other.  My job is not adaptable to working from home so I'm just home.  Some days I think what a great opportunity to accomplish all the tasks that I generally push to the end of my to-do list and some days I think, "This comfy chair gives me a great view of the drizzly weather and the occasional person venturing out to walk a dog."
Sometimes I feel happy and energetic and sometimes I need a nap.

Sometimes all I can manage is a nap

I think my daughter and I came to the conclusion that gentleness is the way to go.  Naturally with children there is a schedule that needs to be (loosely) adhered to but in many ways I think its important to be extra gentle with ourselves and others.  There has been a huge shift in each of our lives and that takes time to adjust to.  None of us will do this perfectly.  I'm trying to do it with patience, grace and gratitude. I'm successful about as often as I am unsuccessful.  I'm trying.  I'm learning.  I'm messing up and trying again.

What seems to help is my meditation practice and of course prayer.  If you're reading this know that I'm praying for you - for all your pressing needs and for a gentleness of spirit to carry you through today and the days to come.

Thank you for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Wishing you a gentle day,

Sandra

Children's Painting Project

I hope that this post finds you well.  Are you mostly confined to your home, have extra time on your hands and younger ones underfoot?  If so this post may inspire you to spend a sunny afternoon as we did today, exercising our creativity.

Several months ago my dear neighbour Suzanne gave me a few "shadow box" canvases. My granddaughter, who is nine, and I pulled one out today, set up an area to get a bit messy and assembled all our supplies: magazines for cutting, glue, acrylic paint, brushes etc. Please remember that acrylic paint can stain fabrics, so cover up.

The idea was to find a landscape image to fit in the recessed square in the center of the canvas and then to extend the landscape outwards using her imagination. 

we fixed the image to the canvas using matte medium but glue would work too.

Using a pencil, my granddaughter extended the landscape up, to the sides and down.

 Once she had a rough drawing, she began with acrylic paints filling in sky, treetops and a river.

Our kitten Pepper watches the creative process.

Whoa Pepper! Haha.... beware of leaping kittens!

Filling in the surrounding landscape, the painting begins taking shape.

And voila!  A completed masterpiece.

This was a fun way to spend a couple of hours. 

As a less messy alternative or for a younger artist, this project could be easily adapted to a magazine image glued to the center of a sturdy piece of paper and filled in using watercolours, pencil or wax crayons. 

Like a blank canvas, each of us can choose how we colour our experiences.  Let's choose optimism, cooperation and faith as often as we can.

Thank you for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Wishing you a day of happy colours,

Sandra