summer of welcome :: our sweetpea's arrived!

we're doing we'll welcoming our sweet Cora to our family life. thankful today for the gift of a visit & delicious zucchini chocolate chip bread. sunshine streaming in with the fan near. quiet moments gazing upon our sweetpea. 

for now we turn inward and grab sleep when able. happy to share a few of these moments with you here. could you sense the silence? i've felt myself drawing more and more inward preparing for this beautiful soul's birth.  and i've given myself the space needed to rest, prepare, and complete tasks. now I create space to nest and nurture. 

summer of welcome. hello, hello!   xo. 

peace. 

suzanne 

suzanne l. vinson

silvertreeart.etsy.com

colors of my day: 2.22.2013.

my friend aijung kim with her intuitive readings in the studio.  

love her golden moth illumination deck and the readings were great.   

i'm such a fan.  i could gush and gush.  

aijung's work is soulful, connective, and golden.  

visit her on etsy, folks.  

assembled the top of the baby's smaller quilt.  

i decided the larger one i've started isn't what i'll want to pack and carry 

with us as we'll be on the move a fair amount.  

a simple yellow sheet is the back of the quilt, bringing it into the front for the bias.  

 

i love, love, love the combination of colors.  these bring such delight and joy to the experience of creating.  it's been a quilt for soul care this week.  needed.  necessary.

lunch.  and dinner.  

gypsy soup.  

the best ever kale salad.  

local bread.  

rosemary pine nut shortbread ((not pictured)).

these days...

these days.

finding time to rest takes increasingly more effort.
and it is worth every moment.

my mind is so full from the sacred stories, introductions, and ministerial responsibilities as i chaplain part time in addition to all else.  it's good.  it's really good.

loving my beautiful, messy self.  seeing that my brokenness is just right.  that the spaces of healing and presence are enough.  i am enough.

stretching my arms wide open in yoga poses. feeling my heart open as i do so.  listening.  absorbing.

becoming more humble.

shedding.  shedding the negative self talk.  shedding the abusive relationships of the past and present.  shedding responsibilities that no longer hold real meaning or need my presence.

grieving.  still grieving the loss of friends.  the loss of colleagues.  my grandmother's loss after 10 years. oh, heart.  i'm here.

making.  art. love. life. food. kindness.

celebrating.  the moment.  what is.  what is not.

and... i am on the writing journey.  the book proposal has gone from submission to positive reviews from round one and has moved into round two a week ago or so.  i wanted to hold that before sharing.  it's good news... and i'll know more from the publisher in a month or two as to if i'll become a contracted author through their company or if they'll decline.  either way, the birthing has happened!  she's growing now.

that's a bit of what's happening.  in short bursts.  some days i'm truly giddy.  pinching myself that the air is crisp.  that lighting a candle and making bread dough can feed my soul.  that sweeping is as spiritual an act today as ever.  that my boys are beautiful, messy creatures just like me.  loving the four retreats ((one overnight, three one-day events)) in the works for the winter.

((deep breath.))  gratitude.

living a creative life.  loving my tribe.  so thankful for those who choose to keep company with me and i with them.

we are in this together.

peace. peace.
deep peace.

xo. suzanne

from my heart to yours :: a shop coupon that's more than a coupon.

my heart is full.  

appreciation. 

gratitude.

excitement. 

sometimes we're too busy to see it.  feel it.  live it.  

slowing down. 

knowing. 

breathing in.  breathing out. 

in abundant appreciation for those who have shown up

for us in the last few weeks, i'm showing up for you. 

if you're so inclined:  45% off wisdom cards + goods 

in the etsy shop.  24-36 hours only.  

((i'll know when to close the coupon code.)) 

sharewisdom

http://www.silvertreeart.etsy.com

use the cards as a gift for yourself.  

bake and take a loaf of bread, tucking in a note. 

ding dong ditch a neighbor or someone your car or feet are drawn to. 

send a wisdom card to someone who needs it.  

i find folks often receive exactly what they need. 

from my heart to yours.  

xo.

daily bread: good quotes no. 41.

"let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love. -rumi."

gratitude :: good food. soul food. soul friends.

so happy to have a new delicious, healthy salad for fall!  

mmm. 

 casey's eat more kale post on the richmond food collective blog. 

light whole wheat bread topped with pepitas and black sesame seeds.

a soup duo!

chicken soup.  butternut squash soup.  

a plate for the good, good salad + bread.

the chocolate pudding went fast!  

a favorite recipe for years :: dutch chocolate pudding.

wisdom shared.  

xo.

daily bread: good quotes no. 40.

some needed soul care.

every soul needs care.  what that care looks like varies from soul to soul.  yet there are certainly connections that some of us share.  today became a day for soul care.  

yesterday i led a retreat for some amazing educators at a local Catholic school.  i'm excited for those women and men.  i'm excited for those students and families.  excited.  there's a lot of goodness wrapped up in those soulful folks.  

after today became a little more open, i had planned to take jo to the pool for some r&r.  what became clear to me this morning was how much we needed home.  home time has been few and far between during our august adventures.  we needed the time. 

my love cleaned and waxed a toolbox made by his great grandfather.  i love seeing all the tools that go inside.  tools that his grandfather let him play with as a child.  tools our son looked over with great interest. 

i've been wanting to start some new dough for bread making.  easy.  the smell was so good.  there's something of a miracle taking place as it rises.  

i found myself in the garden after one of those mothering moments in which i needed a breath of fresh air.  instinctively, i walked into the back yard and was weeding without thought.  we've been together a lot, this sweet boy of mine and i.  and it's been good.  stepping into the yard to pull weeds is good, too.  good and theraputic.  

and after pulling weeds and tending the garden for a few hours, i loved showing up at the pool later this afternoon.  with reading and cold tea beside me.  i sat.  i cooled off.  and i received good care watching jo play. 

while i'd made plans on how i wanted to spend the day, i've found each plan foiled. i've needed to move without thinking.  to listen to what my body needs.  again and again.  even when i'd rather be doing something else.  i return to the space of home and find my soul receiving exactly what it needs in the moment.  

soul care.  

much. 

needed.  

now to tend to the body.  it needs more rest this evening than i'd realized.  finding a need to rehydrate after all that good gardening in the afternoon and days of hiking and camping and working.  still glad.  still finding myself in good space for soul care.  

these days: 100 in 100 is on!

100 in 100.  it's on. 100 square inches.  it was a thought, almost an inspired call.  i'm called to create.  i'm called to minister.  i'm called to share.  i made a comment about wanting to do 100 mixed media paintings in 100 days and the interest was instant.  i started the list of 100 calling it the 100 club.  some have chosen certain numbers to represent anniversaries or birthdays while others just want their piece, whatever the number it ends up being.  i'm creating each original work of art to be a color story of its own with vintage goodness layered between paint, oil pastels, pencil, and ink.

oh, my.  i'm already in love.  

10x10x2 on canvas.  ((awaiting words of wisdom.))

the first in the 100 club has requested a beautiful bit of wisdom "share joy relentlessly" with extra greens in the color story.  she may love this piece or another.

i find with this work that you'll know yours when you see it.  and i believe you will.  each of these will become a network of love and wisdom.  as you follow their creation here on the blog or on instagram ((@slsvinson)), you'll see what comes to life through color, texture, and word.

i am so very excited.  all this good work and energy is pouring from within.  there's so much bubbling out that i. must. share.  and this is where i feel called to share right. now.   with you...

you'll place your own story into the piece as you witness it, adding your own blessing/good energy/delight to the work itself.  you'll be breathing into these works your goodness.  can you imagine?  these will carry such goodness into homes, offices, or others spaces that aim to delight!

there's so much more to come!  i'll officially "begin" on july 1st, but i'm warming up before then with a few paintings.  these aren't all going to be created in the same day as they're started, though i want to aim to complete one each day.  there are so many layers that go into each piece they need time to rest.  ((much like daily bread.))

i'm still taking pre-registrations for the 100 in 100 for $100 each.  contact me to register at any point in this process.

daliy bread. yes.  that's what i'm kneading here.  let what rises come to you!  are you yeast that's causing the dough to rise?  will you help bring my daily bread to life?

oh, much. much. much more to come, lovelies.  much more.

xo.
s

daily bread: good quotes no. 39

life stories: on the art of listening. sitting still.

along with morning mindfulness, clearing space and returning items to their place, i am embracing the rhythms that surround me. i listen.  i learn.  

standing in the light of my truth.

i listen to my body and my spirit.  i aim to see what returns to routine in this winter-ish season.  with the weather so fickle, my hope is to embrace the season of winter from deep within.  this season of hibernation and slowness.  this season of comfort foods and blankets and mugs filled with hot goodness.  a season of sitting still and listening.

a season of stillness.

as my friend & spiritual guide gena tells me: sit, sit, sit.  sitting still has been such a good practice.  yoga is good.  breathing is good.  lighting my candle is good.  some practices need set times while others need to occur spontaneously.  each meet a need within me.

each season of lent i enjoy adding a daily practice to my rhythms.  for this lenten season, i will sit.  i will sit for 20 minutes each day.  i will sit and listen.  i may be distracted, but i will hold myself to the light.

of course it makes complete sense to me that at a time where my business is picking up.  where my art is creating spaces of stillness and reflection for others.  where my schedule is filled.  i must make time to sit.  and i must honor the spaces where i sit.  as gena tells me, those spaces will be blessed.

i will also return to my daily practice of yoga, one that i've let slide here and there to take care of adding an extra meeting into the day and so on.  yoga has been a steady practice that creates a space for wholeness. that is my space for returning to a practice.

whether you give up or give to lent, what practices do you find yourself drawn to in this season?  

a short list of suggestions for lenten practices: 

eat whole foods.

write daily.

handwrite a card and mail it.  daily. 

drink more water. 

light a candle. sit or stand in the light of that candle for 3 to 5 to 7 minutes. 

make a gratitude list daily in a journal or on a scrap of paper.

bake and take something to share with another.  ((bread, brownies, a pie, etc.))

de-clutter one space, one item, or one bag a day. 

sit in a quiet place for 7 to 10 minutes.  ((you can sit in your car if there's no where else.))

write yourself a message a day.  celebrate your goodness.

lean into wisdom, listen to her gentle nudges.  

listen to others.  really listen. 

ding dong ditch. 

share kindness.  

plan & plant a spring garden.  

take a walk.

give up one myth daily.  ((inner critic: i'm not good enough, etc.)) 

give up sugary drinks.  

drink a cup of hot tea.  savor it.
practice yoga.
delight in the every day.
seek the sacred through a daily task: washing dishes, sweeping, folding laundry.

i give thanks this day of epiphany for tables, kindred spirits, and daily bread.

{this} moment.

i'm...

sitting.

thinking.

creating.

dreaming.

making room.


in {this} moment i'm gathering my wits and getting my body ready for the day. i've spread the yoga mat. i've made coffee. i've packed lunches. i've put the cutting board out to chop veggies.  i've risen with the sun ((perhaps a bit before)) and am moving around barefoot.

i settle into my sitting bones knowing that i've been using my shoulder muscles in the process of creating a lot lately.  yoga continues to bring strength to my body.

between the words are spaces.  between the posts are spaces.  i've been moving through these days with gratitude, love, and excitement.  there are spaces of fatigue and questioning, too.  during this unintentional blog break i've noticed where my energy exists and where it has shifted.  called to create is happening, but i've actually forgotten to post.  seriously forgotten.  in {this} moment i let it be and will get to it.  2011 will be the final year for called to create.

this blog.  my first.  my integrated self.  this blog will continue and receive centering.  i'll dream a bit about the posts i lean toward: life stories, stories from the kitchen, studio, & garden, photos galore ((i'm in need of a new iphone & photos have been so-so)), daily bread: good quotes, and more art+spirit ponderings.

i'm moving down a goal check list that will involve simplifying so that i can pour more of myself into the projects that mean the most to me.  i'm carrying over the good, healthy, centering practices in life into the spaces of the blog.  i think it's a natural flow, one for which i'll journey all of life.

know that i think of you and this space.  i'm finding my thoughts return to RAM and i'm thankful.  it's been 4 YEARS this month.  happy birthday, reverend artist mother!  

good food: creamy wild rice soup ((reposted.))

since i'm making this soup for our family tonight, i thought i'd share the recipe with you today.  as these days move into fall weather, a hearty bowl of this goodness is just what the body craves.  enjoy! 

creamy wild rice soup with fresh croutons
adapted from heidi swanson's Super Natural Cooking.

2 T. coconut oil
3 t. red curry paste (less if you don't like the spice)
1-2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 white (or yellow) onion, chopped
1 1/2 c. wild rice, rinsed
6 cups water
1 sweet potato, peeled & diced into 1/4 inch cubes
sea salt
2 1/2 t. turmeric
1 T. natural cane sugar
1 T. shoyu sauce (or good quality soy sauce)
1 (14 oz. can) coconut milk
squeeze of lemon juice (lime if you have it)

Heat 1 T. coconut oil in heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste, garlic, shallot, and onion. Saute' for 3 or 4 minutes, until onion begins to soften. Make sure the curry paste is evenly distributed.

Stir in the wild rice and 5 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, and cook, covered, for about 40 minutes or until the rice starts to soften, split, and show its fluffy insides. Taste it.

Prepare your croutons. Here you see sliced daily bread of ours, but I also used Heidi's suggested sweet potato croutons for the other half of this soup. To make: heat the other 1 T. coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cubed potatoes (or bread) and toss with a pinch or two of sea salt to coat with oil. Cook a few minutes, turn, cook until the sides have been browned. When cooked through and crunchy, place on your silpat or on a paper towel.

When the rice is tender, stir in the turmeric, sugar, shoyu, coconut milk, the remaining cup of water, and 1 t. salt. Stir, return to a simmer, and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle. 

Remove and finish with your squeeze of lemon or lime juice. Taste for salt.

To serve, top with a lovely mound of croutons. Delicious.

*I think adding a leafy green like kale would be a nice addition. I'll try further variations on additional batches, as this is a new favorite.

daily bread: good quotes no. 38

photo by frick frack foto.

daily bread: good quotes no. 37

a fantastic quote written by the ever wonderful SARK.

life stories: in the garden.

there's so much goodness in our small plot of earth.  

i love seeing the sedum multiplying year after year. 

 i love finding the earthworms in my son's hands, under his trowel.  

i love, love the helloborus blooming a glorious display 

(lenten rose in the top right) along the front of the house. 

i love spaces and gardens that abound in other places.  

a garden of beautiful colors and tones that we can delight in.  

a garden of toys (barbarians and romans, i believe) 

that my son has his dear heart set upon. 

there are sacred gardens that we tend.  

story gardens.  

gardens that give our bodies and souls food for the  feast.  

as i work in my own garden i am doing so 

mindful of the space of this year's FEAST. 

 if you love the spirituality of baking bread, 

the space of good food and great conversations around table. 

 if you love feasting upon good, feisty women: come.  

you are invited to attend, welcome at the table.

daily bread: good quotes no. 36

It seems clear to me now that my mother did very sacred work in her kitchen.  She presided over our dinner table and offered us a sustaining and life-giving sacrament, the product of her love and her creative energy. Such work becomes sacred, I now think, when we focus creative energy into doing something, or making something, that contributes to the health and healing, to the well-being and wholeness, of ourselves and others.  

~ Sarah Hall Maney

life stories: seeking the creative balance ((reposted))

life stories: seeking the creative balance was originally published on 19 October 2009.  i revisit this post today as i continue to seek creative balance. i'll be highlighting some past posts and creating markers of where i am today.  these posts come from the need to mark these moments in life, just as i was speaking of approaching my sweet boy's fifth birthday.  in my sixth year of motherhood, my 13th or 14th year of ministry (i'll have to do the math),  eighth year of bereavement group facilitation, seventh year of marriage, i feel called to pause, to sit and to listen. to have that internal dialogue and share it here with you.

new routines have become a part of my daily rhythm. lessons come, but with time between to ingest. among my favorite new routines are those from days past, now picked up again. i've come to believe that to achieve balance, you must begin with your body. both what you do with your body and what you put into your body. using concentric circle imagery, these attitudes toward balance are stacked on another, flowing together in the pursuit of wholeness and peace:

be-ing. attention is given to how breath & presence through previous posts. so, so important. to be in my own skin. to be still and aware. breathing deeply brings so much awareness to my moments. the present moment is here and i am aware.

breath work + exercise. daily pilates and/or walking. when i didn't give myself enough time to exercise before heading out to set up for an art show last thursday, my energy & attention wasn't so hot. i exercised a little later in the day, but wasn't quite myself come the evening's bereavement support group. my body's rhythm was "off". learning, i built in more time on friday morning before dashing to the show. there's new rhythm to my body's workings: my attention, my appetite, and my energy. over the last 6 weeks, exercise has said: "i'm here to stay. you've made room, and there's no turning back." while i've said for years that i couldn't run/jog because i didn't know how to breathe. now i'm learning: deep breathing in meditation plays into the way i breathe in exercise. connections.

listening to my inner wisdom. do you have those moments where you're aware, so aware of a choice you should make, or a move you should pursue? then, for some reason you don't go with that wisdom. well, each time i find that i learn to trust my inner wisdom. each chance to listen is a deepening of understanding. hopefully i'll find more balance with wisdom's call.

attending to my 'gut instincts'. while i think i was once one to say exactly what i thought, to be with those who were most in tune with me, and to attend to my own needs, i'd lost some of that over time. i think we clergy can forget ourselves in the pursuit of caring for others. in this attempt to find wholeness, i've had to strip off some of the layers of caring what others think. i've needed to move into borrowing something of Empty Space Coaching's question: "does it love me?" while heather explores this question surrounding food, i'm exploring it around people and attitudes. does everything or everyone have to love me? no. should i expect to surround myself with only love? well, given the choice i would, but is it even possible? not everything or everyone will love me. but here's the trick: i only want to hold onto the images, people, and comments that do love me. the negative thoughts, critical comments that don't produce good energy or deepening thoughts or welcomed work within shouldn't hang around. nope, nada. gone. even those comments that i may have mis-understood and held onto are getting tossed or challenged. i'll just ask that person if that's what he/she meant (something i heard as negative or uncaring) and move on.

friends. i love surrounding myself with my friends, but as friendships change and i adapt to new rhythms, i'm learning that's OK. i have not been investing as much energy into calling, scheduling, & running around. there's need for balance in relationships, and i've been noticing when it's not present. i don't mind work, but a new way of working is in order. so i'm making efforts to balance energy-giving with energy-receiving relationships. we'll see where these go.

food. i'm eating good food, but only what i need. i'm not as hungry. i'm more disciplined in the types of foods i am eating, and in the timing in which i eat. my husband and i talk about the power of a good breakfast. wow! you mean what nutritionists say is true? maybe so.

by caring for myself, giving myself time for exercise, breakfast (i skipped this most of the time), sweeping the floor (yes, it's on the list), and all the projects between i'm feeling good. i'm feeling closer to wholeness, closer to my core self. it's a good feeling.

there's a search for balance and re-balance. a search for wholeness and peace. while each day brings promise, i am aware of life's challenges, too. many of my sweet friends & clergy friends say that my facebook/twitter comments are so upbeat and cheerful. we'll see how that goes through the gray days of winter. for now, these crisp fall days bring hope. i feel good and i want to share those good feelings and energy with others.

time for self, family, and art + spirit restores me to the core of me. i'm ready for those friends who just "drop by" and brighten my day. i'm ready with tea and baked bread (some days) and mostly, i'm ready for the good times ahead. i'm getting to know myself all over again. i just hope that as you know me, well, like anyone, i hope to be accepted and loved for who i am. i will be hopeful and upbeat all the while the same truth-teller and pastoral support that i am.

life stories: always remembering.

there are times when we break bread together, sharing our stories, hopes, and hurts. there are times when we drink together, doing the same and also adding laughter and love.

i've been thinking a bit about confession & communion through deitrich bonhoeffer's life together as i've prepared a creative worship service for VA ministers attending an overnight retreat.

i think about how we hold ourselves back from others, whether in protection, fear, or routine. i think about how we carry hurts and wounds far longer than we ought. i think about the places for healing that shape us in our lives of caring for others. healing that takes place through tree branches, light, and color. my mind wanders over the landscape of memory to recall those i have hurt, held myself arm's length of, those i've misunderstood.

changing the vantage point, the space where i view the road traveled, i am given hope. we are all becoming. in the spaces of living, of being present, we are blooming into being. we are given the chance to become new again and again.

each day i awake to possibility. when i listen to inner wisdom, when i am present to myself, when i am fully attentive to the present moment, when i am seeking, when i am centering, when i am becoming mindful of those around me, i am living fully. there will always be difficult moments. there will be argumentative folks, negative folks, disagreeing folks. there will always be the other choice, the other road, the other response. breathe in, breathe out. move on.

again and again we return to breaking the bread, sharing the meal together with stories, hopes, and hurts. we share the cup and add laughter and love. we offer ourselves to one another and we are fully present to this moment, this body, this space. we can become for ourselves and one another the healing that we each need.

my theology always returns to a theology of presence. who are you present to in this moment?

draw in a deep breath, breathing in love for yourself. draw in a deep breath, exhaling the love from within sharing it to those that surround you.