Who knew that when I decided hundreds and hundreds and HUNDREDS of days ago that I wanted to draw every day in 2016, that I’d actually do it? Not me, that’s for sure.
Yesterday was day 335 of my #IGYTsketch adventure, and with 31 sketches left to create, I’m pleased as punch (why not Judy?) that I’ve continued to put pen or brush to paper for 11 months straight. Well, almost… I have missed days, and played catch up – which is silly, because actually there are no creativity police out there!
The point is, I’ve kept going, not because I have to, but because creating has become part of my life. It makes me happy, relaxes and challenges me and puts me in touch with something bigger than myself. Art opens me up.
I have had great ideas that I couldn’t quite pull off, and drawn more leaves than you could poke a stick at in a deciduous wood. I’ve drawn by the beach, at work, at home, in bed, in cafes, anywhere I’ve found myself.
It’s all very Jack Dawson a la Titanic – I have air in my lungs, a pencil, a scrap of paper and now I’m here with you fine folks!
Let’s take a little screenshot trip down memory lane, shall we? I posted all my sketches on Instagram, using the natty hashie #IGYTsketch, which I modified to include the month.
To kick the year off, I sketched along with one of my now favourite artists and illustrators, Lisa Congdon.
Lisa taught a month long class online through CreativeBug, and it was a great way to find my feet with the daily habit of creating. Love, love, loved watching her videos and seeing how my brain and hand translated what she drew.
I think the absolute BEST thing about drawing 335 pictures (so far) and posting them online this year has been the way that’s connected me with other artists. I have met so many sensationally talented, lovely people through creating, it’s really helped me feel like part of something bigger, even though I’ve spent most of this year at home by myself.
I bang on about people’s generosity and kindness a lot on this blog – I know – but it’s because that’s my experience of life online and off. Whether I’m writing or sharing art, people are overwhelmingly kind and encouraging. That’s RAD.
Thank you so much people of the interweb. I have needed you this year and you’ve been here for me.
I hope I’ve returned the kindnesses I’ve received, in some small way.
Let’s continue our screenshot tour through the past five months, shall we?
When I look through these snapshots of each month, I remember lots of the days I drew these things – flowers and abstracts, huts and shells and things from the IKEA catalogue, and SO many leaves, and I feel so damn grateful that I signed up for that little online creativity course Inspiration Information, I think back in July 2014.
I had NO IDEA where that one decision could lead me. No idea whatsoever. I believed wholeheartedly that I could not draw when I started that course. I was wrong!
Hmmm, seems to me that I need that reminder right now, and maybe you do too.
We don’t know what’s ahead of us. No matter how much we plan or make New Year’s resolutions or how secure we feel in the world, we just don’t know what’s next. And the limits we put on ourselves, sometimes they’re total bullshit.
That one decision, to sign up to a course that I think cost me $50, has altered my life. I was going to write, altered my creative life, but I don’t think it’s right to rope it off, to put one aspect of who I am over there, sectioned off from the other parts of me.
With 31 days left of 2016, I plan to keep giving you the sketch. I hope you’ll see something that makes you smile or triggers a memory or brightens your day.
I have made myself happy on crap days by picking up a pen and sketch book. I’ve looked up more than I ever have and seen more than I ever knew was around me, and within me this year, thanks to drawing and painting.
Not bad for a girl who spent 40+ years thinking she wasn’t artistic.
I wonder what you’re wrong about as far as your talents and capabilities. I know this, you’ll never know until you have a crack.
Got air in your lungs? Got a pencil and a scrap of paper?
You know what to do next.
As Jack said, make it count.
Much love to you,
Annette xx
Here’s my favourite sketch of the year, little me, drawn from one of my first memories.
Yesterday I went on a little adventure and so, good blogger that I am. I shall now regale you with the tale.
It was a freezing cold morning in Melbourne town, the temperature had dipped below zero, and yet, when my alarm went off, I gladly threw back the covers and readied myself for an outing.
What force could draw me from my cosy, cosy bed, out into the frosty morning light?
A meet-up! I was off to meet some of the people I’d done an online course with precisely one year ago.
You won’t be shocked to hear that the course was facilitated by author, blogger, maker, doer and be-er (may not be an actual word) of all things crafty and ace, Pip Lincolne. This course was called Inspiration Information and it was a month long adventure into unlocking your creativity.
We created collages, we painted, we used pastels and pencils, we read books and watched documentaries and discovered old crochet projects. We created little studios on our dining room tables or in the living room. We talked about loads of creative people, from Patti Smith to Sister Mary Corita.
It really was inspiring and informative, every single time I logged in to the course, I was encouraged to try something new, and to disregard my inner critic’s sly words about things being childlike or wrong or not very good. Creativity is good, in and of itself. That’s what sticks with me.
We chose the NGV for our meeting place, which turned out to be absolutely perfect. Where better for a group of people who met exploring creativity, than the National Gallery of Victoria?
Tables were snagged, hugs were exchanged and we spent a couple of hours getting to know each other, face to face. Deanna organised the day, and she, Carolyn, Emily, Karen and I had a ball.
We talked about creativity, about books, about Pip (the general consensus being, we are PRO-PIP!), we talked about our families, kids, parents and parenting.
We talked about literary speed dating (who knew that was a thing?) and making space for creative pursuits.
We talked about drawing and dealing with cranky people, the tyranny of housework and being consumed by the mundane. I believe I uttered this decree: “Fuck skirting boards!”.
We talked about how creativity is part of our everyday lives.
The BEST part of the morning was how easy it was. We already knew each other from the online classroom and our Facebook group, but it was wonderful to translate that to chatting over coffees and chai teas.
As we sat chatting, I looked around at the interesting, diversely experienced women I was with, and thought about how enriched I am by the time I spend tap-tap-tapping on Facebook or here on the blog. To sign up to an online course about creativity may seem strange, but I think the old adage is true – you get out what you put in.
I am certain that each of us would say that Inspiration Information gave us amazing gifts. I wish I’d asked everyone that question now. Oh, why don’t I? Hey, if you read this girls, tell us what II meant to you in the comments please.
Inspiration Information Gals – Deanna, Carolyn, Emily, moi, Karen.
As we hugged and planned our next catch up, I decided to explore the gallery, as I hadn’t visited for a few years.
It was WONDERFUL.
If you’re in Victoria, or visiting, you must come. There’s so much inspiration and beauty, and diversity in the NGV collection.
Here are some of the works that caught my eye.
The Swamp (no. 2) by Brent Harris
Ste Sebastienne by Louise Bourgeois
I call this one Felt UFO Queen Victoria Light play NGV lines and light 18th & 19th century paintings
I lingered for a while in this space, it really is something to sit in front of a wall if works painted hundreds of years ago.
The victory of faith – st George Hare c 1890
Oh, these ladies are exquisite.
Falls of Schaffhausen – J.W.M. Turner
This Turner stopped me in my tracks, I actually turned around and came back to it… so, so beautiful. The photo does it very little justice. So much happening in the colours and brush strokes.
This was painted in 1845. Yesterday, 170 years later, it caught my eye as I passed it and drew me in.
That’s nothing sort of incredible.
The moral of the story here… create, you never know where it might lead you, or who will be drawn in by it 170 years from now.
Good morning. Drumroll please…… this is my 100th blog post, and my first blogiversary today. Wow!
Cake for everyone (which fits in nicely with #sundaybakingsunday)!
One year ago today I Give You The Verbs was born. I haven’t given birth to a child, but boy there were a lot of tears and feelings of helplessness, with a good measure of ‘I can’t do this!’ thrown in as IGYTV came into the world. But I did do it, and now we’re here.
I am really chuffed with this little space I’ve created. It isn’t the biggest or best blog out there, to which I say phew and not my goal! Let someone else fret over stats and content and usefulness and niches and targeted social media campaigns and all that jazz. I’m a happy hobbyist. I write this blog because I want to. It’s a creative endeavour, not a commercial one (but if you’re a publisher or agent reading this, let’s talk!)
I Give You The Verbs
This space is a non-competitive zone. I do not and will not buy into the idea that my blog is in competition with anyone else’s. I know others disagree, particularly if blogging is tied to creating an income stream, it’s a different beast, but I just do not give this notion of thousands of people bent over their laptops, elbows up, hoping to knock others out, any credence.
This is actually a topic that keeps coming up and it really makes me cranky, especially when I see it crippling new bloggers before they’ve even hit publish for the first time. Ugh!
Do you think those creative heroes of yours, who toil away diligently at their craft, are thinking about the other guy when they’re writing a novel, or creating a painting, or crafting a song? Their manager might be, their agent might be, but if you tried to write a great novel or song or anything of beauty while thinking about your ‘competition’ I reckon those projects would never see the light of day. Guess what? There’s room for everyone. Look at your bookcase or CD collection – there’s the proof, right there.
The plaint fact is, I get cranky at quite a lot of things… that’s how I’m wired, especially when I see people limiting or doubting themselves. I even got cranky in the middle of a video I made last night about my gorgeous blog’s birthday. I’m not going to bother with a #sorrynotsorry tag, I’m not into that silly I have to add a hashtag to my opinions (just in case I offend) stuff. I have opinions, and I own them. I’ve even completely changed my mind on some things over the years.
Sometimes I even ramble about these things on YouTube. Yep, I’m one of those bloggers.
See what happens! I get fired up and end up on Tangent Highway.
So let’s take the next exit off Tangent Hwy, and get back to my birthday/blogiversary.
What a fantastic thing it is to reach a little milestone and scramble up on a rock and look back at the year that’s just flown by. Yes there are stats I could recite, but I’m not going to do that. It’s not what this is about. It will never be what this is about.
As anyone who reads this blog knows, it has been a year with a few challenges for me, but more than that it has been a year where I’ve been able to unfurl my wings into new creative territory. How awesome is that?
A year ago I did not blog, or write regularly, I didn’t paint, I didn’t own oil pastels, I didn’t think I could paint or be creative in that way. Guess what? I was mistaken. I had boxed myself in to a certain type of creativity – my love for words. Now I know that most creative endeavours are just an effort away.
Is there something you’ve always wanted to try? Is it crochet or triathlon or learning Japanese? Here’s how to do it. Ready… HAVE A CRACK. Just try it.
Try it without expecting to be the best, fastest or most fluent. Try it without any of your ‘measuring’ sensors engaged. Just try it. Does it feel weird and hard? That’s okay. If you’re a bit like me it may feel like you want to throw something through a window as you bump into inevitable hurdles… take a deep breath, say a kind word to yourself, and just try again.
That’s basically what this blogging caper has been for me. So. Many. Hurdles. I can recall more than one occasion when l I was sitting in front my laptop and wanted to scream (and sometimes did) and throw that box of technological mumbo jumbo into the wall (glad I didn’t do that). So I had to give myself a talking to: Hey, Annette, have you done this before? No. So why don’t you put down your enormously unhelpful load of expectations and just TRY. I’m glad I listened to myself – and the many, many other encouraging voices I was surrounded by during the Blog With Pip course I did last February. Those ladies are the reason we’re here. Pipsters forever!
If you can embrace trying, teamed with a lot of encouraging self-talk, you’ll be astounded at what happens. Seriously.
And here we are, 100 posts later.
No walls with laptop shaped holes in them.
I’m still learning, still trying things, and when I need to, I remind myself I’m not in competition – not even with myself.
I want to give a special shout out to just two people today, which is a really difficult thing for me to put a limit on, but if I tried to name everyone who has encouraged me this post would go on for days and days. Just know this, YOU, the person reading right now, your time and attention to this blog means so much to me. When you hit the like button, or leave a comment, or join my #InstaTribe or follow IGYTV on Facebook…. every time, it means something special. It registers. You matter to me.
The two women I want to thank are women of integrity and passion. They are Australian bloggers and they are both decidedly lovely.
The first is Pip Lincolne; a do-er, blogger, author, creator, encourager, crafter, teacher, and a deadset inspiration. Pip is one of those people who is on the go a lot. She pours her heart into every endeavour she’s involved with. She’s sensitive, she’s strong, and smart and generous. Pip teaches the Blog With Pip course (alongside a lot of other cool courses), and it was under her tutelage that I learned how to get this blog from an idea to a reality. Pip answered my desperate emails in those early weeks (along with loads of other students’ cries for help), she helped me narrow down the best choice for my blog name and she even came up with my tagline. She’s my blog guru, and a woman I have enormous respect for.
The second is Nikki Parkinson: a champion supporter of women, style maven, author, blogger, a really hard working and generous lady, community fosterer and also a deadset inspiration. I have been following Nikki’s blog Styling You for quite a few years, and she’s always been so generous with her style advice and encouragement to me, as well as to thousands of other women. Do you know the #everydaystyle thing on social media? That’s Nikki’s! As for the power of Nikki’s encouragement of this endeavour, I can’t even tell you what it means to me. Nikki really sees people.
So to Pip and Nikki, I offer my sincere thanks. You both truly inspire me.
There are others my fingers are itching to add to the list… like Beth from BabyMac and Kayte from Woogsworld… ladies who write blogs that I love, ladies who have both taken time to encourage me online and reply to comments and messages, and who didn’t roll their eyes at me when I cried on them at ProBlogger. (I wasn’t fangirl crying on them, I was new blogger overwhelm crying, but it’s a known fact that I am not a smooth networker.)
Damnit! I added more than two. But that’s it. There’s no way I going to add the lovely Sonia from Sonia Styling or my New Zealand BWP buddy Rachel from The Chronic Ills of Rach to the list. No way. I said two, I slipped to four, but see, I didn’t even link to these last two…. oh wait, I did. #sorrynotsorry ha!
See what I mean, so many people to thank, and it’s NOT about “names” in the blogging world, it is about women who have encouraged me that I Give You The Verbs isn’t a completely pointless vanity project.
I’m going to leave you with this awesome piece of advice from Nikki of Styling You.
Styling You’s Best Advice
Nikki gave us this piece of advice in her session at ProBlogger last year, and I think it is absolutely foundational, not just for blogging, but for life. There’s such a temptation to be busybodying into what others are doing, how they’re doing it, why their party/business/marriage/blog seems more successful/fabulous/popular/cool than yours. Nikki told us to stop giving so much attention to what others are doing. Feed your own guests. Look after them, give your energy and attention to the people who are at your table.
Great advice, don’t you think?
So that’s my 100th post for I Give You The Verbs. Sheesh, I’m so proud of this space, of persevering, of taking chances in posting on days when I’ve been feeling really vulnerable. I’m humbled and amazed by the response my writing receives. Truly gobsmacked. I feel like I have spent a lot of time in the past twelve months saying thank you. I’ve needed people’s help and encouragement, and people have been so generous with both. So, I’m happy to say it again, thank you.
Here’s to my ‘baby’ I Give You The Verbs (aka IGYTV), and mostly here’s to you, the people who make this space what it is!
Here’s to trying, and playing and creativity.
Last year, I did some great creative courses run by the fabulous Pip Lincolne of Meet Me At Mike’s. I learned SO much great stuff, stuff that’s changed how I look at the world, and how I spend my time. You can read all about the courses Pip’s offering over the next few months here.
What has really struck me, as I reflect on my year of online learning, is how much of what I’m excited about and enjoying in my life now, wasn’t even on my radar 12 months ago.
One of the best things that came out of doing her course on boosting your creativity, Inspiration Information, was that I went out and bought art supplies. I’ve never done that outside of needing something for an assignment at primary school – anyone remember going to buy craft paper at the newsagent? That was in a time called ‘the olden days’ when children wrote out assignments on big coloured pieces of card, and stuck pictures from magazines on them. When Google was a big row of books at home called Encyclopedia Britannica. The good ol’ days!
Buying art supplies, then enjoying using them, even though I felt awkward at first, has been a real life lesson to me.
Just because I hadn’t painted since I was about 15, and I’d never thought I had much talent for it, it didn’t mean I couldn’t take up painting now and find it really enjoyable.
With Pip’s encouragement to just explore and PLAY, I have discovered that I really enjoy painting with watercolours. I’m no Picasso, and I still can’t draw an apple convincingly. Heck, I’d hardly even rank myself an amateur, but I am an enthusiast, and I think that’s something that often we consider ourselves ‘too busy’ to be.
I mean think about it, what do you do, as a grown-up, that’s just for fun, for play?
I can almost hear your response to that – ha, play, who has time for that? Between my job and running around with the kids and laundry and study and paying the mortgage…. who has time for play?
Playing is powerful. Playing is fun. Play makes you forget about the work stresses, the mortgage, the laundry, even if it is just for 10 or 15 minutes. Try it. Go on, your life isn’t so full that you can’t find 10 minutes just to play. And if it is, well, that’s a whole other blog post. At first, it may feel very strange, or even ‘self indulgent’. It is absolutely not! It is good for you.
People may not get it. That’s okay. People might be bemused, and ask you why you’ve got the paint brushes out. That’s happened to me.
Here’s what you tell them – I’m playing.
Just let it hang there, ‘I’m playing’. No end game, no master plan, no ‘reason’ other than I’m just playing.
And I feel so good while I’m painting, it wakes up my creativity. And the good feelings continue after I’ve painted.
Once I could switch off my own ‘what for?’, and just allow myself to play, I was hooked!
I proudly play now, I paint! Paint is a verb.
I’ve decided to share a painting on the blog once a week, not for critique or praise (or to have eggs chucked at it), but simply to remind me to continue to play, to access that part of my brain that comes alive when I get out my paints and paper, wet the brushes and just dive in, with no idea what’s going to come next. It’s so relaxing, and enjoyable.
Maybe by the end of the year there will be some ‘improvement’, maybe there won’t. That’s not the point. The painting itself is.
So, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, here is work 1/2015.
1/2015
Don’t forget to play, okay?
It will make you happy, and who doesn’t want more of that!
Do you play? What do you do, create, practice? I’d love to hear about it.
Cheers,
Annette
You can check out my paintings on Instagram, I’ll be using the hashtag #paintisaverb.
PS Don’t forget to check out Pip’s online courses – right here – that’s not at all sponsored, I’m just a student and fangirl!
I’m confident my American friends won’t mind if I share a little of what’s making me smile and feel happy on this Thanksgiving Thursday, while they’re busily passing the steamed, candied, or roasted yams around.
It is a beautiful spring day here in Melbourne, so there’s that to be thankful for.
Here, in no particular order are 27 other things I’m thankful for, giddy over, tickled pink by or chuffed about:
1. Sunshine. Something about a sunny (but not hot) day, makes me so happy.
2. Blue skies with fluffy clouds. So uplifting and beautiful, don’t you think? Blue skies equal possibility and positivity.
3. Chocolate. I just scoffed a few squares and they’re working their magic on my tastebuds and mood!
4. Slow roasted roma tomatoes. The oven is doing a job on a tray of them right now. I bought a 1.7 kilogram bag of juicy tomatoes for $1.99 today. Come on, that’s something to be thankful for. Which leads me to…
5. Access to very affordable, super fresh fruit and vegetables. That made me so happy I nearly danced back to the car with my box of bargains this morning.
6. My job. I’m enjoying having something to do, and even the tiredness that comes after a day of trying to fill my brain with new facts, processes, procedures and names.
7. Paying my rent today, with money I earned. First time I’ve been able to do that in nine months. Felt so good. Thank you!
8. Bono.
9. Let me explain that one for you, I say Bono, not because he’s a rock-god, which he is, but because when I see him now, as I just did on a documentary about a photographer named Anton Corbijn, he reminds me of someone else I’m thankful to know.
10. That person is Eden Riley. Eden is a blogger, a poet, a mother, a wife, a legend and a barnacle. Eden’s blog is called Edenland and you can find it at www.edenriley.com. You should most definitely be following her if you aren’t already. Eden is in Uganda at the moment, for World Vision Australia, and her photos and posts about what she’s seeing and the people she’s meeting are something quite magical. That she’s there doing that makes me all kinds of thankful and happy. Go Eden!
11. My messy bedroom. A strange thing to be thankful for? Perhaps. But I know how good I’ll feel once I get in there and sort it out later, so it’s on the list.
12. This year of struggle and challenge. I wrote about a particular low point here yet I’m so damn thankful that this year panned out the way it did. All of it, the ups and the downs. I’m grateful.
13. This year of joy, reflection, quiet time and goodness. I have experienced so much kindness and goodness from people. I’ll always be thankful for that. You guys rock! Yes you, especially you, the ones I’ve never laid eyes on, who have been such vessels of kindness and encouragement to me. I’m not going to stop saying thank you.
14. Ms Pip Lincolne, bloggy cheery lass from Meet Me At Mike’s makes the list, because this year I’ve been her willing student, in Blog With Pip, Inspiration Information and Inspiration Information For Bloggers. Each course has taught me more than I anticipated and her tutelage has made this very blogging caper happen. Thanks Pip! Aside from being a great teacher, and a super talented lady, Pip is just happy being herself. Authentic, nothing more, nothing less. I like that about her.
15. My home. It’s my sanctuary, refuge and refueling station and I love it. I love it’s creaky floorboards and the way the breeze picks up the lace curtains in my hallway. I love having a place that is all mine, even if I don’t own it.
16. That I’m free to vote on Saturday in our state election. Even if I think there are only turds to choose between, the freedom and responsibility of making my voice heard is a privilege I am grateful for.
17. Painting. I am loving exploring the worlds of colour and effect that you can achieve with a brush, a palette, a sheet of paper and a cup of water.
18. Coffee. I love coffee. I’m thankful that in the not-too-distant future I should have enough money to get my beloved Nespresso machine fixed. Huzzah!
19. Gosh, this is getting a bit harder now – I’m thankful that I have so many things to be thankful for, and this list is making me ponder lots of them. Ha!
20. This quote. I totally agree. Do you? How’s your quest going?
21. My friends, those who had the patience to let me be evasive, insular, mistrustful and plain weird, as I worked my way to being loving and open with them. Thank you for biding your time and putting so much into wanting to be my friend. I love you for it.
22. The internet – specifically a few social media sites where I’ve found really great and inspiring people and perspectives. Thank you Instagram. Thank you Twitter, thank you often maligned Facebook. I still love you, whatever your wacky algorithms are doing to us and our demand to reach thousands of people for FREE.
23. My brain. It’s a crowded place, but I’m so thankful for the way I think, the ways I’ve come to think the way I do, for the mysteries and marvellous things it does for me everyday. Walking, seeing, my sense of smell, all that under the hood stuff. For instance – touch typing, I mean, wow, I can type so fast and don’t have to think about it at all now. Well done brain!
24. I love you Number 24. You’re my favourite one. I like your numberliness, your lines and curves, your evenness, your sequentiality. Mwah. I love it when I see you around the place. Street numbers, signs, menu items.
25. Music. I love, love, LOVE music. I love pop music, I love The Love Boat theme, I even love lipsyncing to Whitney Houston (watch it, you’ll LOVE it!). I adore Our Kylie, early Madonna, U2, The Doobie Brothers, Sting, The Beatles, I love so many different singers. Thank you musicians of the world for providing the soundtrack to my life.
26. Oh, I’m sad that I’m running out of numbers. I am thankful that I know how to be exceedingly SILLY. It is so good to just be a FOOL sometimes. See above lipsync for an example. Don’t take yourself so seriously okay? Pull a face, dance at the supermarket, nobody cares, and if anyone really gets upset by a bit of tomfoolery, you’re better off without them.
I’m really super grateful that I can think of way more than 27 things to be thankful for. How good is that?
27. Lastly, for today, I am thankful to you for reading my blog. It means so much to me. I am so happy to be a blogger. Truly. It’s so ace here. I don’t care about the talk about competitiveness and nastiness and the ‘popular’ kids – I just don’t buy into it. I don’t need to. I love my blog, I love the blogs I follow. Live and let blog, I say!
So, there are 27 things that make me say THANKS. I hope that you can think of 27 things that make you happy and grateful.
Feel free to share a few in the comments. I’d love to know what is making you joyful.
Did you know that the super cheery, crafty, all around ace face Pip Lincolne is a taker of stock? I don’t mean she pinches things, five-finger-discount style, no sirree Bob! Pip is totes upstanding and I’d venture has only ever pinched sweet, chubby babies on the cheeks, and even then, I bet they weren’t random babies in prams, but family babies, sweet babies of friends… pinched in a loving I’m your ace pal Auntie Pip way… anyway, I digress.
Pip does this great thing called Taking Stock and it’s a super helpful exercise if your brain is a bit clogged, or just to see what comes up as you go through her list of helpful prompts. Here’s Pip’s September list, and it’s a beauty. She’s doing lots of ace stuff lately – such a clever clogs lady.
I’ll pop a copy of the list at the bottom of the post, so you can join in too if you like. Feel free to post your own Pip inspired Taking Stock post on a blog you might have, or your Facebook wall, or even in the comments here if you like.
If you use Pip’s list, remember to give her a shout-out, credit where credit is due, it’s easy and nice to do!
So without further ado, here’s my spring stock take, the September issue:
Making : plans for a new online project, it’s a bit daunting, but it’s also exciting.
Cooking : I think I’m going to keep cooking frittatas – I celebrated #FrittataFriday last week, and it was delicious, and it lasted me until today too – super tasty bargain! And I’m baking every Sunday, rockin’ the #sundaybakingsunday hashtag on Instagram, and loving that people are joining in. Yay for baking type people!
Drinking : instant coffee – woe is me! This is because my beloved Nespresso machine has broken down and I can’t afford to fix it.
Reading: blogs, SEEK, and lots of fun and interesting things on Facebook. Haven’t cracked open a book in a while.
Wanting: cheese. And some clarity on the job hunt – I’m just not getting any offers and it is kind of a mystery and a bummer.
Looking: out windows, as I sit in cafes or the library and enjoy free wi-fi. Spring is so beautiful isn’t it?
Playing: the new U2 album, I’m so happy to hear new stuff from them, I think they are a super talented bunch of fellas.
Deciding: which bills to pay first, there isn’t enough money coming in to pay everyone.
Wishing: that $1,200 would fall out of the sky so I could pay those pesky bills. A girl can dream can’t she?
Enjoying: Sunshine, spring, dappled light, blogging, the library. So many things.
Waiting: to see if I can get the project I’d like to start out of my head and into the world, and if anyone wants to be part of it.
Liking: this BabyMac post and the concept of rocking Eden’s world during #fucktober – please consider taking part!
Wondering: just how much mail Eden will get, knowing that the blogging community is awesome and she’s sure to be inundated.
Loving: longer days, kindness, optimism.
Pondering: encouraging bloggers, how to find a job, what’s around the corner.
Considering: writing about hard, very personal topics, like depression and oncoming trains.
Watching: Project Runway: Under The Gunn, The Block, and two very moving episodes of Australian Story about adoption. Hoping: that people will talk about their experiences of adoption more as a result of those episodes of Australian Story.
Marvelling: at the fact that I went into the garden yesterday and got the crazy prolific jasmine under control. Who even am I?
Needing: a job, an income, an opportunity, someone to give me a chance.
Smelling: jasmine wafting through the house.
Wearing: my new 17Sundays skirt, which I love. #teamstripes
Following: I’m not much of a follower, other than on social media, where I follow LOTS of great people and blogs.
Noticing: that sunshine makes me happy.
Knowing: that I will find my place in the workforce again. It is just taking longer than I expected.
Thinking: about adoption, how it impacts people for their whole lives, and how the ripples never end.
Admiring: people with get-up-and-go, people forging their own path, people who see the world as a place for adventures.
Sorting: it’s still on to the to-do list, but I’ve got to sort out my budget for the next few months.
Buying: not much at all. Today I bought a coffee, and I really shouldn’t have. But I did, because, coffee.
Getting: buoyed by encouraging words, friends online, positivity.
Bookmarking: the ProBlogger website, I’d like to download some more #pbevent sessions while I can.
Disliking: the political climate of #TeamAustralia, racism, casting people you don’t understand as ‘other’ and therefore suspect.
Opening: the pantry and the fridge, creating meals from things on hand. So satisfying.
Giggling: at the memory of mucking around with bloggy friends at #pbevent – we laughed SO HARD while taking silly photos.
Feeling: happy, good! There may be some challenges, but they don’t overwhelm the fact that I have so much to be thankful for.
Snacking: on crackers and cheese, while I still can! There’s about half a thumb of the block left. Mmmm, cheese.
Coveting: Cheese, cash, a YES – knowing that I will be okay anyway, and that the YES is coming. It is, isn’t it?
Wishing: I could stop thinking about cheese. Is there a support group for that?
Helping: I try and spread positivity and encouragement, I think that helps.
Hearing: The hum of conversation and people’s daily activity – such good sounds.
So that’s the state of play in my world.
Life is GOOD. Not without a few challenges, but there’s no hall pass for dealing with reality is there? Well maybe there is (for a time) if you’re a squillionaire, but we all still lay down at the end of the day, alone with our thoughts, and we all look at ourselves in the mirror everyday. I can honestly say I like the girl I see looking back at me. She’s a glass-half-full person, she’s smart and kind and funny and resourceful, and she is now going to stop referring to herself in the third person.
So, here’s a blank list for you to fill in if you want to. It’s a great exercise! It might surprise you…
I Give You The Verbs 