Oh Happy Day!

Today is the day that my dear friend, Cindi Huss arrives for a few days of making art. We have talked about taking some time together for a long time. Our "Artist Retreat" has taken some unexpected turns and has toned down from the original idea. I trust that it is unfolding just as it should. Here's proof of my optimism:

The fabric paint I ordered was delayed. The arrival date shifted to a date when it would be too late to use it. Disappointed though I was, I knew we had more projects than time so shrugged it off. It arrived yesterday! In plenty of time. Now we only have to use Hermione Grangers time warp to have time enough to use it! 

As if that isn't enough, tomorrow is the Mad Tea Party. My post will be up bright and early. Be sure to visit all the wonderful parties going on!

The Gift of Laughter and Books - Self Care Saturday

Laughter is one of the most powerful self care strategies I can think of. Others might prefer face masks or manicures. A good ole belly laugh that makes me snort and pound on the table while tears stream down my face…now that's the kind of self care I love best. It is extra good if I'm with a good friend. 

So today I indulged. I could tell you about the lovely lunch with my family at a nice restaurant. I could tell you about stopping for the first ice cream of the season from the local cone maker. The best part of the day, however, was the company and the sense of humor and the uncontrollable laughter. 

Ok, so books were a plus. I'm a librarian. 

Almost forgot to mention one of the things that led to hilarity were the Mother's Day socks I received. One pair looks like library check out cards from years gone by and the other was a pair for banned book week. One of the socks has the titles of commonly banned books. The other has words crossed out…censored right off the sock. Perfect gift. 

What makes you laugh? What is your favorite kind of laugh? Who can you feel comfortable to laugh messy with? 

100th Post Party

This is the 100th post on Reclaiming my Boho Mojo. It seemed like  a landmark worth commemorating, but how to mark the event? 

Looking back on the reasons for reviving this blog, several reasons stood out: 

- to connect with others
- to create community

Posting more often has become more routine. Connecting with others and creating community are things I need to expand. 

So to celebrate this 100th post, I plan to visit 100 blogs or websites and leave comments. Hopefully this will help cement the habit of responding to the inspiration I find in the work of others instead of thinking I'll come back to it when I have more time. 

Resting - Self Care Saturday

Today I allowed myself to sleep late, laze about and recharge. Lately I've been driving so much the car feels like an extension of my body. Last Saturday I vowed I would not get in my car and I did not. What a great feeling that was! This week I decided that I would do that again. 

So this Self Care Saturday is all about not pushing, not forcing, not allowing the voices of doubt tell me that I should be doing something when I knew full well that I needed to rest. 

Tomorrow I will drive. I will push. I will rise to the occasion. Today…today is for me. 

Blog Header

I've been wanting a blog header that reflects my message for a long time. Don't think I haven't played around at making one. Each one has been a disappointment…until tonight. I love my new blog header and hope you do too. 

If you have created a blog header or a banner for your internet platforms, how did you go about it? How many tries did it take you until you felt satisfied? Are you still playing? I'd love to know your thoughts. 

Artcademy March Blog Challenge - Day 1 - Spring

Artcademy is hosting a March Blog Challenge and I thought it would be just the thing to jumpstart me into blogging regularly once again - something I have been wanting to do. 

Today's challenge:

What does spring mean to you? Share your thoughts, pictures, and events that make you think of spring.

To be honest, I am thinking about Spring a lot lately. Yesterday I felt Spring in the air, gently whistling to me in the sweet sounds that birds make in Spring. There may be tons of snow on the ground and more falling from the sky, but Spring is just around the corner. 

I found myself looking at the snow drifts and imagining the bulbs that are waiting under those blankets of snow. This much snow and cold will mean glorious flowers this spring. 

Today I asked my daughter what her favorite Spring flowers were. She answered by asking me. To be honest, my favorite flowers are the late Spring variety - violets, lilacs and lily of the valleys. I am very fond of narcissus and tulips and love how they herald in the season. 

Looking through my photos of springtime I found some of my favorite gardens and got excited for the lovely season to come. 

Here's Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum in Bristol, RI.

This was taken during their Daffodil Days. The daffodils here are huddled around trees as if looking for sanctuary from the cold wind that whips off of Narraganset Bay. Being there at this time of year is refreshing. Quite like drinking a class of ice water when you are parched. Spring fulfills it's promises at Blithewold. 

Later come the cherry blossoms down by the Water Garden. How could I have left cherry blossoms off of my list of favorite spring flowers? They could be at the top of the list depending on the day. 

Fiddle Head Ferns are so delightful to look at ….and to eat! 

The daffodils above were photographed at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, MA. The field of daffodils is gargantuan! This photo only captures a small fragment of the field. 

Thinking about the warm of Spring and these lovely places to enjoy the season, I am quite excited. Perhaps I'll have to look at my calendar and write some flower viewing trips in before the days become claimed by something much less worthy and much more practical. 

Hope you do the same. 

(Note: All photographs taken in years past. Currently there is plenty of snow on the ground and enough falling out of the sky to warrant at least a two hour delay for tomorrow. Ask I bundle myself up I remind myself that the flowers this year will be spectacular. )

Being Happier

 

I started this blog after reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Actually it was the second time I had read it. I decided that more happiness was something I could live with. Also, found that I loved blogging and wanted to add more visuals to my blog Purple Glasses Club, a blog about school libraries, children's books and technology. I bought a great camera and started taking tons of photos, none of them matching my professional writing. A happiness blog seemed just the ticket. 

While my life has transformed in ways I could not have imagined and I have blogged rather sporadically, I still love posting my happy things. There have been so many posts I meant to write, so many beautiful photos I intended to share, but the thinking and dreaming, the mulling subjects of joy and delight over I my brain has added greatly to my own happiness. It may be selfish, but I do not regret claiming joy even when it is destined to be my lonely satisfaction.

Recently I stumbled across an app that ramps up my joy reflection perfectly. Happier is an app the whole purpose of which is recording and sharing happiness. A note on the app indicates that research has determined that people who write down 3 things they are grateful for each day are happier than those that do not.

It's like Twitter for happiness. Instead of liking or retweeting, you smile at posts. Every time you post a happy event confetti streams down. I won't bother to tell you what happens when you post 3 times in a day, you'll want to discover that for yourself.

So I'm thinking of short happy thoughts to add to my list because I just love seeing the confetti.