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Archive for inspired by spring

May. [printable calendar]

I don’t know about you, but the month of April was a complete blur! A hodgepodge of unnamed days, social distancing, distance learning, emergency projects, way too many things to think about — all within the limited view from the living room window and the back patio. My thinking has been just as much of a hodgepodge, just trying to keep up and balance everything, and my heart is torn between seeking out normalcy and indulging in the unique and haphazard opportunities of these unprecedented days. I still don’t know how that dual thinking will all shake out, but for today — May 1 — I’m planting a flag of reference at least in this Field Guide space… a calendar.

Who knew the calendar would be such a novel and increasingly out-matched tool? Almost all of our “normal” routines and events have dropped off the calendar these days, and the things we’re adding are mostly virtual with a few well-spaced work items and logistical necessities thrown in. The task of deciding what day it is has become an increasingly elusive one! Birthday celebrations and family date nights have become in-home “events” with a lighted candle, a new recipe, that project we’ve never found time to do — until now. Bedtimes and morning routines have grown fluid, a lot like summer time, but not exactly. As we head into week eight of this Covid-19 altered reality, I’m needing a reminder to stem the chaos. A reminder to capture the days in all their uniqueness. A reminder to seek out all that we have to learn and grow from this time. Welcome, May.

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A Blessing for May [printable calendar]

May is here with all its celebration and anticipation of summer! It’s a month when we get to celebrate the joys of motherhood in all its varieties and stages. For us, it’s a month when we celebrate my oldest son’s birthday. We’re entering the teens this year, and I willingly admit I’m a little teary about it. May also brings the end of the school year, which usually means a milestone of one kind or another. Leaving a grade, leaving a school, sometimes graduating from one goal to the next. We’re in full anticipation mode for a summer of fun and time together – “Mommy Camp,” we’ve started calling it. We’re looking forward to renewing our “Summer Jar” activities, and traveling to some of our favorite places with no particular schedules to meet. I’m always thankful in May for the blessing of owning my own business and the ability to orchestrate my own routine as I look forward to spending concentrated time with my crew. But, I guess this month seems to bring bittersweet changes, too, as we shift gears and prepare ourselves for new stages. This is the month we make some of our decisions about the next school year and its activities. It’s a month when I invariably begin to think more acutely about how quickly my kids are growing up, how precious these fleeting days are.

Today, as I was thinking about the beginning of a new month and what I wanted to practice paint for my daily “letters to my daughter” post, I settled on the word “May” and how it’s often the first word of blessings and special requests… May the Lord cause His face to shine upon you, May I have this dance, May the road rise up to meet you, May I help you…. With all the changes and anticipations and endings and beginnings of the month of May, there are a lot of blessing starters there. What a great pursuit for each day of this lovely month… what blessings can I start today? I added one to my monthly printable calendar for the month…May you dream big dreams and chase them. A letter to my daughter and to myself as I continue to fine-tune what it means to create, to be a business, to be a mom, to stick to a dream. I hope you’ll click to download the freebie, and find inspiration to share with its little cut-away art.

Bring on the April Showers [printable calendar]

I’m back in the studio today after a wonderful Easter holiday with my family. The long weekend also ushered in the start of April with some great spring weather! This month promises to be a busy one for us with school activities, a local conference on storytelling I’ll be attending, and fun community events. This weekend, I took a little time to set some priorities for new products I’ll be working on over the next few months, and make plans for refreshing a few of the ways I communicate with customers. Beginning a new month in celebration of the renewal and redemption of Easter has helped my heart embrace the hope and possibility of spring.

I took the old “April showers” adage as my inspiration for this month’s printable calendar, along with a childhood favorite song from Bambi. Rainy days have no end of inspiration when you hear every raindrop as the refrain of a beautiful tune. Click to download the calendar, and I hope you enjoy sharing the cut-away artwork when the month is over. This month, I’ve also included a free download of a larger version of the printable art. Enjoy!

grow . Wisteria’s Heart to Endure

The scent around our neighborhood is signaling that spring is here, even if the temperatures still can’t seem to make up their minds. It’s the distinct smell of wisteria and the cascading bluish purple blooms that flourish each year in our backyard, and the yards of our neighbors. This year’s blooms seem to be unusually full in our yard. The last year or so, I’ve let the prolific vine have a little more free reign through some of our trees, and in the mass of vines I’ve pulled together on metal stakes. It makes for a breath of sweetness every time the March winds blow.

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sketch journal . 042617

I’ve been nurturing the salvia around my studio bay window through the Spring, especially as we’ve started getting some days in the 80s. I’m trying to discipline myself to take note of the small, daily moments of beauty!

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