Advent Journeys and Gifts

I promised to update you of my journey this advent time of the idea and challenge of silence.
It is tough.
silence is golden....hard to find....
priceless though when it is discovered....and treasured.
My Advent journey had me reflecting on Mary's song.
The Eager Expectation, the waiting, the pregnant pause.
I have so often felt during these last few months empty handed and struggled with that feeling.
empty handed and yet,the almost silent whisper of hope...the realisation that if I am empty handed, then I am then ready to receive.
I love this verse from Mary's Song:
the promise in Luke 1 verse 53:
He has filled the hungry with good things.
I have hope, empty hands open,ready to receive the gift from Him.
Whatever it is.
My gift.
Uniquely wrapped for me.
The joy of waiting is here.
I am finally delighted I am temporarily empty handed.
Are you?

Advent Sunday and beyond

So it is here, Advent,to my surprise and maybe to you to? Advent Sunday before December 1st. I always think of it as being the 1st December with the mad dash for the window and the chocolates.
A time of waiting and expectation, I heard at church.
Recently on TV there was a documentary programme on 5 people embarking on a faith journey called the big silence. 5 people went on a 8 day silent retreat.
It was fascinating to watch as I saw a little of it. One guy said he heard God speak to Him and say:I've always been here,it is just that you haven't been listening. Powerful stuff.Powerful answers for the powerful questions.
The question is: will we wait?
Will we have the wait of silence, the pregnant pause before delivery at this time of advent?

The wait.
The silence.
The breakthrough moment.

The challenge given yesterday was to have a time of silence (for a period of time) waiting each day during advent.In the big Silence programme it was 20 minutes a day after they got home from retreat.

The rules?
TV off.
Phone off.
Radio off.
No talking.
No giggling.
Sit or be somewhere comfy.
Silence.
The waiting.
Waiting in expectation.
Eager expectation.
I wonder what will happen?
If we dare to be empty handed, and hold on a wait,what gift we will receive?

A bit like waiting for Christmas, really.
At least, I think this is how it is meant to be.

Anyone else in for a bit of eager expectation at this time of advent?
I am.

I will keep you posted.

Turn the Page Tuesday Great Summer Reads

The beauty of August is that I get a chance to read as I have the month off work. In between friends and family visits,that is!
I re-read GILEAD by Marilynne Robinson as I had frustratedly previously picked it up and put it down repeatedly. It was the 2005 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.It turned out to be a really beautiful story. A Dad, a church minister, the Reverend John Ames, writing to his son. I now want to get the second book - HOME - to read.
My second book, I picked up in a charity shop and quickly realised perhaps why its' previous owner had put it in the charity shop. I abandoned reading it and have it in a growing pile of items to take to the charity shop myself!

Book number 3,by Francine Rivers looks at the life of 5 women: Tamar,Ruth,Rahab,Bethsheba and Mary in the Bible. Beautifully written called UNVEILED. Sensitively and powerfully written and contains stories of hope and love and courageous women.

Know your strengths by Marcus Buckingham includes your own magic password for you to do an online test - it is not about your personality but rather your strengths - there are over 30 and it comes up with your top 5. The ethos of the book is about us as individuals harnessing and developing our strengths, rather than as often is the case to work on improving our weaknesses. The online test is run by Gallup. I did it a couple of years ago but it was interesting to see my results and read the book again.

My holiday find was pure delight.I walked into an amazing craft shop,stuffed full of quilting fabrics and funky knickknacks to browse over. It was the words LAYER CAKE that drew me in. Imagine! Me with my love of cake and discovering a connection between cake and quilting! I made a quilt when I was 17 - just the patchwork bit, so the quilting bit is my new challenge. Layer Cake, Jelly Roll and Quilt Charms by Pam and Nicky Lintott is both beautiful and inspiring.It seems as if quilting has become a little easier these days. The hexagonal quilt I hand made with paper pattern magazine cutouts is apparently a thing of the past. I have had fun looking through this and now am the proud owner of a now seemingly huge pile of fabrics to begin my winter project - a quilt.

I am loving reading The Ivy Chronicles by Karen Quinn - funny,lighthearted novel as a newly become single Mum re-builds her life in NYC and sets up her new business as a kindergarten admissions advisor. Similar to a Marian Keyes novel perhaps. A fun read and - a brilliant bargain charity shop find.
Turn the Page Tuesday is the place to check for more fabulous reads and people to meet.
What have you read lately?

My Sunday Creative Reflections on a Tuesday

Sitting on the sofa, a blob day, time to relax, re-energize before returning to work tomorrow. Yikes!
Summer reflections are full in my head and somehow making their journey from head to heart as I process what I have done and loved and learned and anticipate what is next in my Luci journey....
Sunday Creative is a fabulous blogpost tobe inspired and what better word prompt for me for this next week.... ILLUMINATE.
God, illuminate my path.
I sooo loved visiting Anglesey, a tiny island off North Wales,UK this summer and loved watching the beginnings of the sun setting.
Beauty.
Peace.
Tranquility.
Fishermen and sailors returning home.
rock pools, sand, gulls,
Enjoy!





and have a look at other inspiring photos around the word ILLUMINATE this week!
I really fellin love with this place. My trip was waay too short.
I really wantto go back again to unwind all over again.
Can you blame me?

Open

Open.
Whenever I think of this word, I think of being open hearted.

Open doors, offering adventure

and seeing potential windows of opportunity.

What about you?
Have a look at this for more ideas and inspiration.
I did my art creation using black pen for the stone window and oil pastels for the bright colours in the scene in the window.

Wednesday Musings

When I was growing up, I would eventually appear downstairs for breakfast, trying to not be too late for leaving for school. My sleepy face must have always looked crestfallen, I guess. My Mum would cheerily say:"Don't worry Luci,it is Wednesday already, Half way through the week."
So, half way through the week it is and I am making a cake. I must have withdrawal symptoms, after the wedding cake. Besides, the Jamie Oliver's Nans Lemon Drizzle cake recipe was, as I already siad the other day, a little rubbish. So, new cake, it is.
We have had "the longest day" on Monday.
It seems hard to believe.
We haven't seemed to have enough sun to warrant the dark evenings beginning to return.
My days can evolve and be completely different to my plan some days.
Today, is the "big" world cup Wednesday match for England. I wonder how many sick days the nation will have, or how many leave work early?
Me?
I think I will go to the gym and swim and finish decorating a cake ready for the girls at housegroup tomorrow after I finish work.
Anna is leaving.
I can already picture Abbies sad face as she will sigh and say the now well known phrase: "Everybody leaves."
Wednesday, I am glad you are half way through the week and await to see what today holds.

Day 13 for the end of Creative Bootcamp

I am on a roll now with posting all the thoughts tumbling from my heart into my journal and the photos gathered form this bootcamp. I love this quote from Day 13
"Life beats you down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one."
There is the challenge to set some goals for maintaining creativity to feed the soul, listed as a few promises. Reminded me of promising to keep the Brownie Guide Law!

Anyway, some of the suggested promises I loved:

To be kind to my creative spirit.
(This last year I had the phrase to be kind to myself, so this is very much part of it for me.)

To cultivate relationships with people who share my creative interests.
(sounds fun and will help inspire, nurture and breathe creative life in order to grow.)

To call myself an artist.
(Ouch. The hard one. Right there. The challenge. The nail on the head. The one that makes me squirm.)

The creative prompt word: SMILE
I am sure he is smiling, don't you agree?





Creativity Bootcamp, thank you.
The End.

Or, just the beginning?

The fresh springboard into creativity.
Where future creativity begins.
by Luci, the artist.

Day 12 for Creativity Bootcamp

Creativity Bootcamp Day 12 had the creativity prompt: SMOOTH

So sit and enjoy a coffee, as you read some of the notes from my journal, following the journal prompt for Day 12.
We were asked to look at the dreams we have and look at the tiny baby steps we might take, as they might seem too big, for them to begin to achieve them. our dreams as children were limitless, perhaps silly and impractical but then as adults we just throw them all away. How can we remove some of the obstacles, smooth and make level the pathways for dreams to be fulfilled?
Some of the dreams I have for the future are still the marriage and family dream.
One of the things I wrote in my list for this year was to look at making my house bigger or to move to a bigger house. The impossible dream. And I love my house. But it is not big enough for children, currently. I had the fostering team come out and visit last year and they said it would need to be set up with my second bedroom set out as a spare room. Currently it is my spare room and office. Hmm. What would i do with all my stuff. I can't chuck it all out. Crafting, admin, stuff is all still needed but would need to go elsewhere. Loft? Maybe. Having spare bedrooms would then open up the opportunity for looking deeper into adoption/fostering possibilities.
Scary stuff and a risk. I go round in circles, thinking: Oh the mess of having my loft done and Can I afford it? Is my loft space suitable for a loft conversion? Will I have the energy, the capacity for children? What if I move or get my loft converted and then the adoption/fostering team turn me down?
This quote from Day 12 says:
" And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk took to blossom."
Over the last year and a half I have had the words of encouragement to enlarge my tent and to extend my borders and to think big. I think these are some of the tiny baby steps I need to do next.
What about you?
Think.
Dream.
Blossom.
Grow.
flourish.
It's time.
Seize the Day.
time to take a few risks.
To launch into my destiny.

Day 11 for Creativity Bootcamp

The creative word prompt for Day 11 was: HUSH
An opportunity to stop.
Think.
Pray.
Reflect.
Ponder.
Evaluate.
Renew.
Refresh.
Take Stock.
To Take A step Back.
Look.
To really look.
Rest.
Wait.
Relax.
These thoughts all seemed to flow with the journal prompt:
"We need creativity in order to break free from the temporary structures that have been set up by a particular sequence of experiences." Edward de Bono
The challenge for us to look back at key times of our lives and how they led to creativity. The springboards of new birth, growth, freedom when we break out of the mould. How have some of the directions I have taken led to this point.
The answer is that it has all happened in the unexpected twists and turns. Often key times of growth have been after significant changes, failings, hurts, times of silence. New directions born out of dead ends.
The opportunity that silence brings.
Space.
Breathing time.
The be still and know that I am God stuff.
The refiners fire where I come out as gold.
The no pain no gain experience.
The after when God seems to be on mute.
These are the times when creativity flows.

The suggestion was to write a timeline. Here are a few of my twists and turns of the last year or so:

1.The growth in myself, I have realised, of just this last week in seeing my ex husband after so many years, in being able to and realising that sometimes it is still OK to say NO, with the beauty of family, their kindness and the joy and satisfaction in designing and making the wedding cake for my (ex)niece.
2.Last year, when I was poorly with post viral fatigue, a few months off work caused me to listen to my heart cry for some outflow of my perhaps dormant and stifled creativity. I started blogging and joined in with Make Some Art Monday and now Creative Bootcamp.
3.With help and encouragement from the same friend, Rachel over at My Slightly Crazy World, who helped me start blogging, I also began scrapbooking.
4.My friend Rachel is part of our housegroup, where we love to laugh, share creative ideas and eat cake. I did a cake decorating course last year, as an evening course, with my friend Abbie from the same housegroup. It was such fun and gave me skills and confidence to do the cake. And we got to eat lots of cake!
5. We started the housegroup, shortly after I moved churches. Not an easy decision, but the church I had been going to since I moved here, had gone through some changes as people left. I needed friends as well as Spiritual input, so I followed my friends. We had all become friends through church and later a cafe we set up, ran, and sadly closed together. It was a painful time but our coffee and waffles were amazing.
6. One of the first big creative projects we have done as a housegroup has been the banners we did for church. It was amazingly powerful to reflect on all that had happened to us in that year and a half as we cut, sewed, stitched, meshed together all the colours and textures.

Such a rich tapestry of life.

Day 10 for Creativity Bootcamp

The creative prompt for Day 10 was: FULL BODIED


The challenge to dial up our senses, to think about the memories, what stands out the most for Day 10 I came up with quite the list. Here is a glimpse:
1. The smell of Summer: cut grass, meadows, fields with memories of daisychains, lazy walks, laughter.Chocolate, coffee, strawberries, cakes baking in the oven and freshly baked bread. I love the smells of spices and freshly dried linen.
2. The sound of rain when I am indoors, the crackle of logs on the fire, the sounds of the waves on the sand. An orchestra, a cathedral choir, funky live music and the chatter in a restaurant or bar.
3. The taste of Sunday Roast, cake of course, chocolate that melts in your mouth, fresh salad, fresh fruit, pineapples, cherries, bananas, curry.
4. The feel of silk, smooth stones, sand, water running through my fingers,the fur on my kitten, the warmth of a hug.
5. Views through woods, across oceans wide, meadows and countryside, seeing snowflakes fall. The shades of pink, blues and rich spices.
"The artists world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep." Paul Strand.
I love this quote from Meagan. How true and refreshingly simple. Inspiration on my doorstep or wherever I am. I just have to learn to see with fresh eyes, breathe deep and tap into the wonderful possibilities.
Opportunity and Adventure.
Bring it On!

Creativity Bootcamp Day 9

I had to laugh when I saw the creative prompt for day 9: DRIZZLE
Would you believe it, the sun was actually shining?
Not a drizzle in sight.
Nope.
Not a drop.
Sun, sun, sun.
Me: at work.
Came home and looked longingly at this:

and found this:

I must be missing cake.
I had to eat toast and drizzle honey, instead.

I made the lemon drizzle cake today, as it is now Saturday, as I write this up.
My thoughts?
Read this:

Dear Jamie,
I love your book but I have to say, that your Nan's Lemon Drizzle Cake is a bit rubbish. I will eat this one, but have to make another one now as this one is flat.
love from Luci

Creativity Bootcamp Days 7 and 8

Well, as I was at THE Wedding for the weekend, I was oblivious to the prompts for the weekend or the fabulous creativity going on over at Creativity Bootcamp. Ignorance is bliss, I hear you say?
Well, I did have chance to clear my head, wind the windows down and listen to lots of music loud, talk to God in the pour out my heart kinda way stuff, reflect, enjoy, cry, give thanks,laugh, think, ponder, dream, and refresh as I drove.
I came back and saw the journalling challenges to write, which I hadn't done, but sometimes a long drive is similar.
I also came back to see these beauties emerging in my garden.
They seemed to fit with the creative prompt word: ORNAMENT, (Meagan says: which by definition lends grace or beauty.)


The second creative prompt was the word: FLY
There are a lot of these around at the moment, with the world cup football happening.


I love this quote by one of my favourite authors, Meagan has included in the bootcamp challenge:
"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." Maya Angelou

Creativity Bootcamp Day 6

As I travelled south after work with the wedding cakes, in boxes, within boxes, surrounded by towels to be secure and all lain on a duvet for cushioning to add to the suspension in my car, Creativity Bootcamp Day 6 was well underway.
I had had time to check the prompt for the day: FLUID and snap this shot:

Dreams,
Like clouds,
Watch, wait, stare, hope,gaze,
Come away with me,
Float, soft, fluffy,
Like candy floss,
Escape,
Movement,
Freedom,
No constraints,
Always unique,
Never seen before,
Original clouds,
Never the same.
I love you sky clouds.
Let me dream with you.
I'll come away with you anytime.
Let's do it.
Dream.
Time to Dream.
Perchance to dream,
Again.
Anew.
Afresh.
Breath Life.
My creative soul.

Creativity Bootcamp Day 5

For more inspiring thoughts and creations for this Creativity Bootcamp, you can look here
My notes from my journalling follow along the threads of the challenge to write about our hopes and dreams and the expectations of life and a trip down memory lane with the music we loved growing up.
If I share with you some of my hopes and dreams I had growing up they included being married with children and serving God in some way. I dreamed of living in a house in the country with dogs and cats and a big family table for us all to sit around with friends gathered.
The trip down memory music lane was fun. I tried to be all neat and tidy and come up with a list of my top 5 or my top 10, but couldn't. I am not tidy, so my list is here: my top 14.
1. U2
2. Simple Minds
3. The Waterboys
4. Blondie
5. Eurythmics
6. Everything But the Girl
7. Depeche Mode
8. Madonna
9. Ultravox
10. Madness
11. The Police
12. Sting
13. Bruce Springsteen
14. Abba
Thinking and writing about some of my hopes and dreams with the prompt word: GROW was interesting too as I put the finishing touches to the wedding cake, last week ready for the wedding last weekend.
The wedding cake for my niece.
My "ex-niece" strictly speaking, I guess, as it is my ex-husband's family, where I would see my ex-husband for the first time in 16 years. I have stayed in good contact with the rest of my ex-family all these years and love them dearly, but not seen the ex for all this time. Weddings always bring back memories and are quite emotive events, aren't they? They are for me. A big trip down memory lane right there. Memories of hopes and dreams broken and shattered, tossed aside and trampled on, some still yet to be replaced and renewed.
And yet, the amazing reality and contrast perhaps, that the last 16 years have been with amazing growth, joy, peace, safety, love, kindness, increased friends and family, creativity, opportunities and adventures and new hopes and dreams too, for me. Wow.
My hopes and dreams have taken on whole new meanings and twists and turns.
Some I never thought would have been possible.
Some of it has been excrutiatingly painful, some wonderful moments of experiencing mourning into dancing, lovely surprises and some renewed dreams and rediscovering of gifts, talents and creativity.
New adventures, new possibilities, new promises and possibilities and surprises.
So, here is my tribute to the word Grow is right here in the wedding cake.
All 3 tiers.



I want to continue to grow, don't you?

Creativity Bootcamp day 4

Creative Bootcamp is in Day 4. I had been working on the prompts and journalling challenges one day and posting it the next but somehow I woke early this morning to be mulling over the prompt for today all day.
And then didn't post it.
Then reality kicked in with time pressure of needing to finish and pack up the wedding cakes for the wedding last weekend.my life became work and wedding cake.
So, here I am, Saturday, a week after the wedding and finally sitting down to pull together all my journalled and photographed creative thoughts to share with you of the last few days.
Day 4 prompt:"HEAVY METAL"
It has felt a bit like doing the full metal challenge.
Let me explain why:
There has been a lot of soul searching and re-aligning going on in my heart and head with the journalling prompts during this creativity bootcamp. Yesterday, we were thinking about the things that kill and destroy creativity. Today, when I saw the creative prompt HEAVY METAL, I continued with my thoughts of the protection I wear around my heart/head/soul - some of it is good and needed. The extinguishing fiery arrows kind of armour - those negative thoughts, doubt, disbelief, words spoken but also how sometimes we (or I) shield myslef form possibilities and opprotunities.
I need to live and breathe afresh my creativity and throw off the things that hinder.
Welcome to my full metal challenge.
As part of processing this, I went for a walk. Wind, fresh air, sunshine is great for clearing some cobwebs.
The river and my local park, with the question from today's prompt: What inspires me?
Opportunities, the sense of adventure and possibilities.


Colour and fun.

Life and vibrancy and gentleness and peace found in a garden.


I love being inspired, don't you?
I also took a few pictures of some HEAVY METAL for my scrapbook pages.




I visited my local hobby carft, treated myslef to these beautiful scrapbook papers to use. One a bit grungy, reminding me of the heaviness, the cacophany of sound of heavy metal music with the beautiful contrast of the coordinating flowers of creativity and inspiration. I found them inspiring and can't wait to use them.

What inspires you?

Creativity Bootcamp Day 3

I said it was complicated.
MULTILAYERED was the word prompt for day 3.
I immediately thought of the film shrek and donkey chattering on about us all being like onions as we all have layers.
How true.
I am multilayered. Complicated, even.
As I am wrestling with peeling back the layers to reveal my true creative self, I am also aware of the layers I have added of protection, the negative thoughts, words that cause me to doubt or false protect.
Hmm.
The following quotes were given as part of our journalling prompts:
"Conformity is the jailor of freedom and the enemy of growth." John F Kennedy.
We have been challenged to think about the things that kill our creativity: negative thoughts, doubt can do it for me.
Inspiration comes quickly buzzing, bzz, bzz, thwap. dud.
Silence.
as I think: Nah, I could never do that.
Creativity dead right there.
I wrote in my journal a reminder to take every thought captive and a note to self to extinguish those fiery arrows that come to wound my creative heart and soul.
As I took some multilayered photos, I thought that perhaps I ought to turn the word MULTILAYERED into MULTIFACETED.




The many talents of Luci. The artist.
I will stick to one layer at a time, for now.
In the meantime, these are the funky striped, layered scrapbook papers I will use.

I have nearly finished all the prep for day 4!