something

I keep stoping by this blank page for a minute or two, but the words aren't coming. But I want to write something.

It is crazy + awesome + exhausting + exciting over here as the studio keeps coming together. Today brought two doors! Most of the ceiling! It is good good good. 

And there is chaos inside this little house as so much is just waiting to be moved into that new space. 

So we breathe. And we play. And we go to bed early. And we trust that soon the space will be ready and the school year will begin for Jon and Ellie will start a new adventure at daycare school for a couple of days a week and I will begin to find my way with new longer blocks of time for work + play...

Crazy + awesome + exhausting + exciting.

Yes.

self-kindness and the gift of patience

Today, I'm visiting Catherine Just's corner of blog world as part of her Soul*Full Tribe series. I wrote about how becoming a mother has pushed me to try to be just as patient with and kind to myself as I am with Ellie. I would love for you to read it over here.

May your day be full of many good things... 

here.

Ellie and I hang out while everyone else works hard

A few notes from here:

An update: Ellie is doing great off her medicine so far! This means she has been in sinus rhythm and is showing no signs of being in distress off the medication. We are waiting the results of her 24-hour heart monitoring (which happened earlier this week), and if all goes well, she will be off of it. For good! Being able to let her sleep for the first time since she was just a few weeks old is a whole new world to all of us. We don't have to wake her up to give her a dose anymore. (Whole. New. World.)

Studio excitement: My new studio is under construction! A few of the men in my life + my mom are making amazing things happen over here. I am so lucky. On Monday I will share some photos of how far things are. It is kind of unbelievable (as in they are even building the ceiling in a way that the garage door can still go up and down. I just keep shaking my head in wonder.) If you are following me on Instagram or over at Flickr, you've been getting a few glimpses of the goodness.

How are things over there? I'm thinking about you (yes you) and wondering...

Blessings,
Liz 

sprout goodness

I am delighted to share that the incredible Amanda Fall, editor and creator of Sprout magazine, has interviewed me in her current issue. This issue is all about Serenity, which is something I think we really have to create space for instead of just closing our eyes and wishing it will appear. I loved answering Amanda's questions in this interview and really felt like we had a beautiful, important conversation that I hope you will join in and become part of. 

I have been a fan of Sprout for a while. It is a gorgeous online magazine that is simply, truly full of goodness. There is artwork + photography alongside wisdom and whispered truths from women who are on their own paths of seeking the beauty and trueness of being present in their lives. (I see why Amanda said this issue was the one for me!) And there are poems throughout the pages. Yes. Poetry. I read several of the poems in this issue aloud quietly while my family slept down the hall and the words were like the blessings and balm I most needed right now. (I. Love. Poetry.) 

Each page of this issue is simply a reminder to breathe deeply, listen, and trust. I am downloading it to my iPad as I think it will be perfect for those nights my mind is having trouble resting and I need these reminders from other women who know and get it. Yes.

Learn more about Sprout and Amanda's mission of Persistent Green over here.

are you in?

this morning, i keep thinking about these words. about this truth. about how the universe brought you, brought me, here to this day, this place, this moment.

so let's do this...this moment, this day, this life.

are you in?

****

For more little reminders and love notes like this one, sign up for my weekly newsletter (where I also share stories of my real, true adventures in self-care and living with my heart open).

inspired

found heart along puget sound

a few people who have been inspiring me lately:

Jenna continues to share her stories about how roller derby makes her brave. This last one is so darn beautiful and true.

Andrea's words about how "we think we move through the world unseen" had me in tears of understanding. So thankful for this post.

Love how Effy came to realize that a small self-care move is enough. Yes, yes, yes! (And she shares a poem inspired by Poem It Out.)

Leonie's self-portraits are simply, profoundly taking my breath away each time I peek in to see what she has shared next.

Jen Louden's post about having lunch with your enemy is one I'm tucking away to read again and again throughout the next few months.

I'm seriously loving Gluten-Free Girl's first book right now. I love how this girl tells a story. And I have been reading her blog more often and am deeply inspired by her family. Here's a hint that you might want to know: It isn't just about being gluten-free. I'm not eating gluten-free right now, but the way she writes is infused with the senses in a way that pulls me in and invites me to want to get into the kitchen and then get out into the world and live.

As we get ready to "go back to school" around here in two weeks and find our way with a new schedule, I've been turning back to Amanda's ebook Zen & the Art of Being a Work-at-Home Mama. This book continues to remind me that I am not alone as I find my way with my family and my business. So thankful for the wisdom here.

What has you inspired over in your corner?

space between...

Tonight, I am reading from Mary Oliver's collection Thirst: Poems, and again, I am grateful for the way her poems just feel true. As though I am sitting beside a mentor who doesn't have to tell stories for hours but instead just says what she needs to say in a few lines. And then says, "Now go live."

Today was a long day. 

But I promised myself I would sit alone for a minute or two and just breathe deeply and try to find some softness in that space between the inhale and the exhale.

So I did that tonight while Jon gave Ellie her bath. 

And it did feel softer as I let a few pieces of the day slip off of me. 

And I had the thought that the softness feels a little quiet in that way one can feel when you just really need a good night's sleep and then someone who loves you to make pancakes in the morning.

Know what I mean?

In this moment, I wish for you a minute or two where you can close your eyes, let your shoulders drop away from your ears, your face relax, and then you can settle in to notice your breathing...to try to find the softness you need.

PS The photo at the top of this post arrived in the mail in the form of a postagram from my friend Donna. Seeing her tea beside my little book of poems made me simply happy. You can now order Five Days in April, a collection of poems, here.

gratitude.

 

a short poem note i uncovered in my studio yesterday

Thank you for your kind words and emails after you read my last post. Thank you for getting it. I am repeatedly reminded that letting people know you need support is such an important thing to do. My mom always says that "people don't know what they don't know." This simple truth applies to so many things, but it definitely applies to the idea that people often don't know you need support or a hug across the miles unless you let them know. (Remember this okay?)

Thank you for you...

Blessings,
Liz 

PS I've decided to keep the shop open through Saturday, so the sale will be extended until then. I continue to unearth more treasures in the studio that I'm adding as I find them. (Use coupon code AUGUST20 for 20% off.)