LIFE...This is My Journey

I look at my life in the sense of it being a journey.  I find myself striving to improve my soul and spirit daily.  I look for ways to improve my existence.  I take moments to listen, to hear and then to act.  I want to live now.  I strive for the experiences of today.  I believe....

I believe that I have an inner voice that I must listen too.  I believe that my life is ever changing in a world that remains the same.  I believe that my journey is mine.  I believe that there are those put into our lives to help us see life clearer.  I believe that we have a powerful force within each of us.  I yearn...

I yearn to find the joy in this life. I yearn to be a voice for good.  I yearn to be aware of my actions.  I yearn for knowledge.  I yearn to be accepted, to be loved.  I yearn to live each day to it's fullest with no regrets.  I know...

I know that my journey is what I make it.  I know that my decisions affect all those in my life.  I know that this life is not all that there is. I know that family is my driving force. I know that sometimes we let others down.  I know that we are only human.  I know that what I have done is what is right for me.  I will...

I will listen.  I will try to understand. I will acknowledge a higher power.  I will not fail.  I will choose to love.  I will, because that is me and I don't know any different.

I can't explain the whys? I don't have the answers.  I can't make you understand the inner clock that ticks within my soul.  I am who I am because He made me that way.  I can't make you understand.  I have to listen....

I have to listen to my life force, my spirit and my soul.  I have to listen to my family and their needs. I have to find the courage to make the changes necessary.  I have to not judge, not think I am better than others.  I have to understand, me, and only me first before I can be of any use to anyone else.

My journey has been......... powerful, uplifting, challenging, rewarding, defining, misunderstood, painful, soul wrenching, eye opening, transitioning and perfect.

I can only explain the last few years as an awareness of myself, my God, my love....my soul.  I talk with Cory and together we are discovering that within ourselves lives a connection to this life.  A drive that is strong...so strong, in fact that we know that we are not in control.  Our peace is rich in joy, in love and acceptance.  Acceptance of who we are, where we are, what this life  has in store for us.  An acceptance of our journey. An acceptance of our children just as they are.  Acceptance that we can make a difference.

Our lives are richly blessed, and for this , I am eternally grateful.

Thank you old friends, new friends and family.  You encourage me, inspire me and knock me off of my feet sometimes.  Keep up the good work.  Enjoy this life!

LEARNING....How to Make Puzzle Sticks

The title on my blog has 4 words that are all spelled with caps. They are : LEARNING, LOVING, LIFE AND LIVING.  My blog is still unfolding and will probably go through several transformations before I am done with it and satisfied..if that is possible..LOL

I have many different things that I like to write about and in trying to achieve a nice flow for the blog, I have decided to write and share on the 4 topics listed below.  I think this will make things easier for those that visit.  

This is a general idea of what may be in each of the catagories:

LEARNING:  Will be about learning new/old ideas  tutorials, art projects, etc...

LOVING:  Will be the warm fuzzy entries that uplift and motivate, inspire and encourage

LIVING:  Will be our adventures on the road while traveling full time in our RV, places we visit

LIFE: Will be everything else....

SOOOO...here is a tutorial....

I saw this project and fell in love with it.  I have lived in Utah for the past 5 years and I have been around all sorts of very artsy and talented woman that have made tons of home made crafts and toys for their kids.  I never saw this and thought that maybe someone else had not and would love it as much as I am. They are easy to make and easy to store.  

I had to buy the MOD PODGE,  disposable paint brush and the sticks.  Everything else I had at home.  I spent around $12.00 and will get around 10-15 puzzles. The amount depends on how large you make each puzzle.  I think this is a great activity for kids between 3-6, based on their abilities.

These are the supplies that I used: MOD PODGE, Sharpie, craft sticks (large), cutting board, disposable brush, paper cutter or scissors (not pictured), blow dryer and an Exact knife (not pictured) or a fabric cutter (round blade).

Find your pictures.  These can be printed off the internet, found in recycled books, post cards or pictures.  I used some old books.

Decide on your picture, line up your sticks to make sure you have enough for the picture and MOD Podge the back of the picture and lay onto of the sticks.  Try not to move sticks around.

MOD Podge on top of picture.  I went to the the very end of the sticks too.

In general, the MOD Podge will take about an hour to dry.  I used my blow dryer to speed this process up.  It took about 3-5 minutes to dry to the touch.  It will still need to sit for about 20 minutes to cure but I was able to cut the puzzle apart.

Once the puzzle was dry, I took my Sharpie and numbered the sticks.  This is not necessary but for me I thought it was a great way for her to learn to recognize her numbers.

I did not have an Exacto knife with me but I did have my quilting tools.  They worked great.  I turned the puzzle over and followed in the grooves between the sticks and cut the puzzle apart.

I added a key word to the back of each puzzle.  I know how puzzles go in my house and they may get mixed.  I wanted to be able to sort the puzzles without taking the time to do each puzzle.

When they are dried completely, I used a rubber band to secure them.

I toss them all into a bag.  

This is another idea I did.  We are learning letters.  I found these in one of her preschool books and decided to do A-D.  I added words on the side that start with that letter.  She is just starting to read.   I will do the whole alphabet if she is using these 4 letters.

This was my first one.  They take about 7-10 minutes to make and 20 minutes to cure....30 minutes total time for a whole lot of fun. You can do multiples at the same time...multi-tasking between the various stages.

When she returned home she was so excited to start putting them together.  

We also made a dragon craft for the Chinese New Year...This was her best friend the whole day!

LIFE...Why I Write soooo MUCH!

I have decided that I love to write.  I love to read what others have written too.  I am not an English major, have not written professionally and probably drive "real" writers insane with my mistakes and errors.  With that said, I have decided that everyday I am going to LISTEN to what I am thinking and put it into words.

I might research my thought and I might not.  I might ask other's opinions and I might not.  I might encourage you to do something and I might not.  I feel that with this process I am letting the ME inside come out and play.  I am giving the voice that lives in my heart and mind shine.

This experience has been an exciting process for me to discover,  I want readers but that is not my motivation.  I would love to write for other's (magazines, newsletters, etc...) but that is not the icing on the cake.  I have goals and that is what will drive me to be successful and if along the way I can encourage, uplift and motivate someone else on their journey..then that is the BONUS and the PAYBACK.

I don't have a particular subject for my blog, so my topics will be all over the place, but I can tell you that the underlying message will always be one of hope, seeking, giving, love and acceptance.  

I feel like life is falling into place and this will be a chance for me to grow as an individual and as a contributor to the journey that has been walked by many before.

I love to write, I love to share, I love to encourage, I love just being!

Please feel free to share any of the blog entries that you like, feel connected too or those that might mean something  to a friend, with others.

My blog address is:  http://adventurousbohemians.blogspot.com 

I welcome comments. I love discussions. Enjoy!

LOVING...2nd Chances!

Sometimes in this life we are given the opportunity to do things over.  Of course, there are many things that also happen along the way that we wish would never happen or occur more than once, but that is not what this entry is about.  It IS about the joy of getting that "2nd chance".  I have been blessed with several of these opportunities in my lifetime.  Below are three that have changed me forever.

The first that comes to my mind is the wonderful chance of being a Mom again with Isabella.  When you are young and trying to get it just right we sometimes forget to enjoy the ride.  At least I know I did.  Not always, but there were times that I was sooooo busy with everyone else and their needs that I some times WAS too busy for my kids, other than basic needs.  It helped that I had my hubby around a lot too.  I never felt guilty about being asked to do one more thing...because Dad was home with the kids.  With that said, when we found out I was pregnant with Isabella I was not exactly jumping for joy.  I was 38,  my photography business was hoping and I had pretty much accepted the fact that 2 kids is what we were going to have and I would be happy with that.  Well, obviously our family was not finished and we were blessed with a third baby.

Once my hormones settled down and I realized that I WAS happy for this new addition to our family, she has brought immense JOY into our lives.  I am grateful for this 2nd chance of parenting, of listening to the laugh of a baby, of feeling those hugs and kisses just because, for the sweetness that is there deep within her spirit and soul, for the constant reassurance that I am needed on every level and most of all for the chance for my big kids to get to be the best big brother and sister.  They are so patient, understanding and loving to Isabella.  Without this experience I would not get to see this side of my kids for a long time and I find it endearing as I watch the bond of family being created between my kids.

I have made the decision that my family comes first.  No matter what.  I gave up lots of busy work, busy committees and extras this past year to focus on my kids.  With my older ones getting big so fast and time flying by, I realized I did not want my time spent away from my kids.  This was a huge factor in our decision to hit the road full time and experience this life and not "go" through life with a routine that is always there when we are ready to do that again.  There are second chances but not many DO OVERS!

This second chance was going to be cherished and spent a little bit differently than the first time around with my kids.  I think that my older kids have turned out fantastic and they probably never missed a thing.....I HOPE at least..LOL

Second Chances, they can be a blessing.

One second chance that I am so grateful for is the reuniting with my sister.  Unfortunately it took the death of our Grandma to reconnect with someone I had missed for a long time.  The details don't matter, other than to say that I was young, immature and dealing with too many "things" to understand what was truly important.  I had my priorities out of whack.  I followed my reasoning and rule book instead of listening to my heart.  I am grateful for second chances and the opportunity I have had to be reconnected to a sister that I missed and love very much!

My last second chance that I am thankful for is the opportunity that I have had to rediscover, for myself, the love that I know God has for me.  It took me walking away from something that I loved, cherished and gave 110 percent too, to feel that love of God again...a second chance.  I had fallen into a rut of going through the motions, slowly becoming something that I was not. I had to dig deep and listen to the spirit within myself to finally say "enough is enough" and just let go.  It was not easy!  I believe with all of my fiber that I was led to have this experience and that I could not deny it anymore if I were to have the opportunity to BE once again and FEEL his love.  This is not the right blog to talk in length about my experience but know that looking in hind sight and seeing the pieces of MY puzzle fall into place, brings a new sense of spiritualness, love, openness, acceptance and empowerment to the sweet spirit that lives within this heart, mind, soul and body that I have been given to enjoy this life.

Second chances are all around us.  Are you willing to give them a try? Are you willing to listen to those promptings that might give you some of the greatest experiences that your life has yet to offer?  I know that I was and am always looking.  I may not have always understood or immediately desired that second chance,  but looking back.....it's all very powerful!


Second Chances, will you have one today?  Enjoy your day!

LIVING...Reasons For Traveling

I love this!  It is from the book, Letters to My Son by Kent Nerburn.  

This is the magic of travel. Any travel. You leave your home secure in your own knowledge and identity. But as you travel, the world in all its richness intervenes. You meet people you could not invent; you see scenes you could not imagine. Your own world, which was so large as to consume your whole life, becomes smaller and smaller until it is only one tiny dot in time and space.

Slowly the memories of the familiar recede from your mind and you find yourself adrift in the experience of the world around you. Your thoughts and concerns change. Your emotions focus on new people and events. The world makes its claim on your heart and mind, and you are free, at least momentarily, from the concerns of your everyday life.

When you move on, you will have grown. You will realize that the possibilities of life in this world are endless, and that beneath our differences of language and culture we all share the dream of love and being loved, of having a life with more joy than sorrow.

And when you have tragedies or great changes in your life, how else will you truly understand that there are a thousand, a million ways to live, and that your life will go on to something new and different and every bit as worth as the life you are leaving behind. These lessons and more will have etched a new element in your character. You will know the cutting moments of life, where fear meets exhilaration...

…because I have traveled, I can see other universes in the eyes of strangers. Because I have traveled, I know what parts of me I cannot deny and what parts of me are simply choices that I make. I know the blessings of my own table and the warmth of my own bed. I know how much of life is pure chance, and how great a gift I have been given simply to be who I am.

…..That is why we need to travel. If we don't offer ourselves to the unknown, our senses dull. Our world becomes small and we lose our sense of wonder. Our eyes don't lift to the horizon; our ears don't hear the sounds around us. The edge is off our experience, and we pass our days in a routine that is both comfortable and limiting. We wake up one day and find that we have lost our dreams to protect our days.

I think it is very well stated and I am grateful that I have been given this opportunity to travel around the United States.  It does open your eyes to amazing things.  

LEARNING...Paper, glue and Scissors= SO MUCH FUN!

Our family loves art.  We enjoy going to museums, art shows and farmer markets to see what creative things people are creating and thinking up.  We have tried through the years to expose our kids to lots of different types of art.  Rye is a fantastic artist with pencil and the computer, Drake creates a lot of 3D imaging with his computer and Isabella loves paper, glue and scissors.

Each day Isabella and I think of something for her to make out of these supplies.  We go to google, do a search on the item and then view the "images".  We don't always make exactly what we see but it does spur a lot of ideas and then we run with it.

Today it was all about hearts.  With good reason it is the first day of February.  We made this fun heart girl and she has spent the morning talking to it, singing to it and it has become her best friend today.  Such a great imagination!

This is what we started with...

...and after some consideration by Isabella, it definitely needed wings.  LOL

She was so happy with her art project.  This is also a great way to save the memory of the art but not necessarily the project itself.  I can't keep every piece because I don't have room to store.  We do display it for as long as she wants and then it finds a new home.

She was fascinated with rainbows for a whole week.  We made this by using little squares glued onto a large arc shape.  Cotton balls were used for the clouds.

Then a week of learning about stars and then frogs. We just learn about what she is interested in and she loves it.

This is Rye's art work.  These characters are Rye and Drake...she is amazing!

This is Rye and her friends as characters.  This is my favorite one that she has done.

This is Rye as her character.

This is how Rye's starts every project she does.  She will sketch it first on paper and then puts it onto her computer and digitally colors, enhances and creates it.  I love these hand drawn pieces of art sometimes better than the color.   This is a sketch of Drake falling off of the couch, it is side ways (sorry) but you get the idea.

This is Rye's friend Maddie.  If you send Rye requests she will turn you into a character.  It's pretty fun.

LEARNING...Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies---YUMMY

Waking up this morning and looking outside and seeing the snow blowing sideways, I knew it would be a great day to make something warm and yummy.  Having our hotel room smell like baked goods is wonderful.

I had some older banana's, just enough chocolate chips and pecans to make these cookies.  They are like eating a small slice of banana bread in every cookie.  The batch made enough for us to share with the front desk downstairs.  I loved sharing homemade goods with our neighbors back in Utah and every other state that we have lived in. So for me, it is only natural that we share with others while we are on the road.  I love how appreciative people are and it brings a smile to my face to see their smiles widen with delight.

It's a small token of friendship to give a neighbor a treat but the rewards are great.  I believe that if you give to others it will come back ten times.  Call it Karma, if you will.  Cory and I have tried to live our lives by following this creed.  It brings us joy to help others and we have always been blessed over and over. We hope that our kids know how important it is to share what you have with others.

I got this recipe off of the site Recipes.com and I think it is very tasty.  I made the recipe exactly has written and did not take any liberties to alter the contents.  I will do this sometimes to try and make it low fat or gluten free.  I did not have the supplies to do that this time.  Let me know if you try this and change the recipe to meet your families eating habits.  I love to cook!

Banana Chocoalte Chip Cookies:

2.5 cups of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup of soft butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup of smashed banana's
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 chopped pecans

Beat butter and sugar until blended, add eggs and vanilla.  Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to butter mixture.  Mix well and add chips and pecans.  Bake at 400 for 11-15 minutes (depends on your oven).  Place on cookie rack to cool.   Enjoy!

It's that time again to clean out the fridge.  I have never taken a picture of my fridge so I thought I would this morning.  I wonder what my friends can tell about our family from looking at our fridge. This would be an interesting conversation.  I think I will post it on my FB page to see what the comments will be.

Isabella loved her Hello Kitty table cloth that we bought for her big day.  When I took it off she was waving it around and I got this idea to have her use it as a dress for the day.  She loved it.  I am always looking for ways to recycle and reuse.  This is a very simple thing but it did allow us to reuse something that would have otherwise gone straight to the trash after a single use.