colors of my day: 5.13.2012.

my love

for you 

just grows

and grows. 

a special card from my sweet boy. 

moments spent reading. 

a lovely bloom on my friendship peony.  

with a few ants.

a doodle during morning worship.  

the hands of two helped add images. 

 a cloud of smiles. and a treasure map.  

a day of love. 

i love you papercut, revisited.

i love you paper cut ©suzanne l. vinson, 2010-2012.

the large card download is a jpg card that can be printed on a 8.5 x 11 and folded in half.  the mini card download contains a jpg of 9 cards on a 8.5 x 11 piece of paper, even paper from the recycling bin or brown paper bags.  click on the image, choose "save as" and then print them up.  these are meant to be shared, so print them up and give them out. feel free to spread the word by linking folks here. enjoy!

((i've shared these a little differently this go-round, so do tell me if the resolution is poo.))  xo.

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.

life stories: hand stitching with love.

every so often i am given a request that just delights me. i love creating custom art for folks as it challenges me to think creatively. when my love brought his request to me to create a custom t-shirt for him, i was thrilled.

my love's school mascot is a pheonix. he teaches middle school boys and i'm so proud of the good work he does on a daily basis.

last year, he asked me to design a t-shirt for him with a phoenix. i wanted a little guidance on the style of pheonix & he returned with the above image as inspiration. i took time to envision the design, but i knew i wanted to create his shirt in reverse applique' using the two school colors.

as you'd expect, my sweet boy wanted one like his daddy-o's. i found the perfect shirt for him at my favorite local thrift store and used some of the same t-shirt from my love's reverse applique'.

creating reverse applique' t-shirts go pretty quickly for me. i'm preparing the t-shirts that will become favors for my boy's big 5 birthday in march. last year's shirts were a hit, and it's a tradtion i'd like to move into being. after all, you need at least 2 years to call it a tradition.

there are many traditions forming in our lives. i am happy to catalogue some in this space, sharing stories and imagery with you along the journey.

hearts.

i have your heart within mine. sometimes you trust me to listen to what's on your heart. you share your fears. you share your hopes. you share what's closest to your heart. your passions inspire. your tears bring my own heart tugs. i know that you are within my heart as i am yours.

each of these lovely hearts bring memories of those i love. i think of my mother who is the best seamstress i know, who is filled with such love for her grandchildren. i think of my grandmother who is learning to live life without my grandfather's physical presence. i think of my maternal grandfather who lives without my dear nanny. i think of mothers who dream of children, who fill their hearts with hopes and dreams of sweet ones. i think of children who long for their mother. i think of my friend sherry who i still miss terribly, somehow especially so this time of year. i think of stories that bring smiles and stories that bring tears.

my art connects to my heart. my art connects to my spirit. and i share it with others, because i believe it has the power and potential to connect with you. i keep thinking of a favorite postcard (that i must photograph and share) whose imagery involves hearts and lines. the lines are connecting each of the hearts on the page. in a different way, i'm trying to do the same. each heart becomes connected to the next. the stories and memories i place into these connect with yours as you see them, hold them, wear them, and on and on.

life stories: sacred steps with my love.

my life adventure isn't complete without these feet. his steps fall in line with mine. we travel together well, between the spaces of daily living in our home life, work life, and play. we travel well as we care for and teach our son to live well. we travel well as we celebrated our 7th anniversary mostly in the newark airport, then returning home to family. we deal well with life's mysteries and with change. we adapt well, together.

he stirs my soul. he grants me peace. he's my greatest encourager through this life journey creating space for art, ministry, and motherhood. he's never questioned me, except to ask when i'll take the leap, when i'll move in the direction of my heart.

my heart warms as i look at the steps of our life thus far. we're in it together, whatever mood, whatever circumstance. for each step, for each moment, i am thankful. i can't imagine it otherwise. standing in this sacred circle of giant's ring, i see the love. my love is my one-and-only-true-love (inspired by a beautiful, beautiful love of 25 years as my friend described her love). it's true. it's good. it's creative.

who do you create life with or hope to? what love-of-your-life stirs your soul and makes your heart sing, even when you have those moments of frustration and pooh?

life in our cozy home

six years of marital bliss are marked this sunday. of course i reflect on how much of our time has been with our sweet son jo. his presence gives us a great sense of wholeness and joy and life and fills us with love. my eyes well up with tears quickly these days as i know the days are fleeting. he's turning 4 in march. 3.75 is just too old! yet i love each moment with him and each developmental marking. we're treasuring those markings tonight and in the days to come as we assemble the annual jo jo book/calendar/album of sorts. each year it's different, and this year we celebrate so much.

as we look to the wintery weather mix this weekend, i'm reminded by what fills our home: the smells of baking, the sounds of play, and the laughter and conversation mingled together. we love being with one another. the next few weeks will be bliss as we are together in threes or in our larger family & friend groups. we gather together...and we celebrate the year that is coming to a close. but, not yet... not yet. each moment is a treasure that speaks. each breath is a gift.

as we make our nest this weekend we'll enjoy the food we have rather than rush out for any "supplies". we'll taste fresh fudge & caramels (first attempt!!!) and drink hot cocoa. we'll eat soup & bread and (hopefully) play uno (provided we have all the cards in one place). and we'll BE together. that's the best of this year: BEING together.

over the past months i've talked about centering & presence. meditation & practice. i've mentioned many moments of organization & learning that have taken place. the last month i've been more quiet as i listen to the sacred center. i've been reflecting on what i REALLY want in life and what i have to others. do these match? answers arrive when i'm not asking the questions, but waiting. i'll continue to wait for answers, but more importantly i'll be present to myself, my sweet family, and to the moments that come to us--both in our nesting space and in the breathing space we create as we move from one city to the next.

postcards will come from our sometimes annual holiday tour of the south. 2009 isn't over yet. words will come. i continue to articulate for a kindred spirit post. something about the desire for those gifts me with them, and for that i'm thankful: for both the words & the presence of kindred spirits.

tonight i move into our space and create calm amidst the chaos of good, creative play that lingers in the floor. i'll warm up the yummy soup in the fridge, and i'll prop up my feet. hopefully the knitting needles will somehow end up in my hands. i'll enjoy the beautiful christmas tree and the many handmade and given ornaments. i'll consider opening the bubbly we received today just because. we continue our together time, inviting the snow. we will BE together. we are together and we are whole.

my dearest of friends

Lately I've been attempting to articulate the blessings of kindred spirits in life. I will let you know when those words come forth into a guest post on another blog, but until then, I'll celebrate my friend Black Betty. My friend BB has been a close friend since the 7th grade. She's the longest running friendship of my life, and will be until I die. Black Betty wrote a beautiful blog entry celebrating our friendship, see below. She's family. She and her family came to my home in VA over Thanksgiving for a day & night. What joy. She used her amazing skills to take photos of our family and some of me (as seen above). She's been a light in the dark over the last 20 years. I love you, huh. Thank you for celebrating our friendship, BB. My love goes to you as well.

See her work and the work of her business partner & creative spirit at frick frack foto!

From Black Betty's Blog:

Reverendartistmother and I have been friends for over twenty years now. She was the first friend I had when we moved to the Jackson area.

Since we were in 7th grade, I could see the artistic talent in her. She always had the cool handwriting, the cute graphics, the best ideas about decorating…and an easy way of showing herself artistically, either through tangible works or audible expression. She was soothing and easy going. It was like being hypnotized when she talked to you, but you should never think she was a pushover. Those eyes told another story; they had fire behind them. She could lure you in or push you out…all without a notice of ungraceful demeanor. She could tell you off and keep smiling, and I LOVED it. She was my quiet soul that ALWAYS stood in my corner.

Over the last fifteen years, we have lived our relationship long distance. Between school, jobs, families, kids, we have been separated longer than we have been together, but that hasn’t kept us from remaining friends. I have watched her develop her talents in ways I never dreamed of. She is a truly amazing woman, friend, artist, wife, daughter, mother…

I now have the honor of hanging HER artwork on the walls of my new house. It brings tears to my eyes when I think back to 8th grade and us swapping notes…looking at each other’s handwriting and trying to mimic it so the teacher wouldn’t know who was who. It brings joy to my heart to know that she is living her dream. She is actually doing what we all wish we could do. These pieces of art allow me to look into her soul and be close to her every day. She is always with me. Her spirit lives in my home and with my children…watching over them as she watched over me so many years ago.

I love you, girl and to depths that you will never know. I don't think there are enough words available to express how proud I am of you. May God continue to use your hands, mind, and body as an outlet from His soul…Amen.

handmade with love

love really moves through my hands into my work. i love that i am able to use these hands to create images, wears, and meals. i love that my hands can provide healing touches and caring embraces to others in need. what speaks to me most is the connection that others have in a group or individual who finds something special in the work of their hands as we journey together. these deep, spiritual connections are why i love what i do. they connect with the creative spirit and experience freedom & empowerment in what they create with their hands.

this weekend i'll be leading 4 workshops at a women's retreat. i'm looking forward to the time in outdoor spaces and the time with women. there will be over 1000 women over the 3 days, with an unknown number in my workshops. exciting. so many hands with so many stories. so much love and so much depth that will be expressed through art + spirit groups! my heart is full. each opportunity to share the work of my hands fills and feeds me, just as the work of my hands preparing the week's menu & creating meals feeds me (and i see the literal significance, too).

creating takes on so many forms in our lives. i am thankful for the good time with my son this weekend as my love was with family participating in the ritual of celebration & sending as a great uncle has died. i am thankful that my son and i had good, good time together and with the sweetest of friends. i am thankful for a meaningful all saints day in our church, sitting beside a sacred soul. i am thankful that this past weekend has fed me with energy for the coming weekend. the creative balance meets through bereavement work + retreat spaces + art + family. my awareness is on the energy that flows into me as i work in these spaces as well as the energy that flows from me in these spaces. the coming weekend will also bring a balance for my boy as he receives good attention from his father. we are indeed creative these days as knights, pumpkin carvers, granola bakers, and makers of safe, creative spaces.

i am thankful. may our gratitudes touch others this day.