Saturday morning solitude

There is something about waking up before the sun and the children.  The quietness, the solitude, the chance to drink a cup of coffee in peace, regroup, and plan the day.  I do hear a little bit of grunting coming from one of the rooms. I think the little man is stirring now.

It's been an eventful week! My Mom arrived, her flight was only 20 minutes late, though those 20 minutes felt like an eternity.  My little man finally stopped eating baby food and has moved on to ALL regular food diet (finally!) AND he is potty trained during the day.  We (Mom & I) picked up my car. It made it's journey over the Pacific without any incident. I got a new license, a pretty Hawaiian license, lucky me.  I got to feel like a teenager all over again because for an out of stater to get a HI license, you are required to take a written drivers test. 

I finished a piece of artwork and entered it into a Spoonflower contest for Mardis Gras.  What a wonderful support of friends I am blessed with, who vote and encourage every day! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.This is my first fabric competition and I hope to do many more in the future.  It would be so wonderful to combine my loves of art and sewing. Here is a look at the fabric, if you wish to vote it is called "Mardis Gras potpourri by Quatapoch" Voting ends next Wednesday.

Our furniture, clothing, WASHER and DRYER and all my fabrics and crafty things will be delivered to the house on Tuesday. Can't express how excited I am about this! It'll be nice to get back into my routine of creating on a regular basis.

Yesterday was such a peaceful, quiet day. V was not feeling so well in the morning but with testing at school she was not to miss a day. So we opted to stay near home just in case I had to go get her early. We spent the day near the pool, with the warm sun and sweet island breeze and I sketched the day away.  Hoping to turn some of these into watercolors soon.

Well, the little ones are now up, coffee is finished time to start the day.  How amazing is it that this blog has become international! Interesting to see all the different countries that pop up on page views!

Until next time, have a blessed, creative day!

Passing time, anticipation and minor setbacks

My Mom is coming to visit!!!!! Can't even begin to express how excited I am.  How excited the little ones are too. So, with that said, I think I have seen every minute pass today just anticipating her arrival.  The girls will get home from school in 1 1/2 hours and then we'll hope in the car and climb the mountain, go through the mountain, breeze down the other side and pull up at the airport to get her.   Yay!!  You see, I've never actually had my Mom all to myself since I have been married. So this time together will be wonderful. She is an artist in all aspects of life and this place is going to reveal its magic to her, no doubt, because it has already revealed its magic to me.

Today, as I returned the garbage barrel back to the house, I could smell the neighbors making breakfast and the plumeria blossoms in the breeze. Do you know how blessed I feel when so many others are dealing with colder than cold temperatures back at home?  And so, when I start feeling antsy or upset about something, I need to keep reminding myself that I have a lot of good happening right now.

So on my docket of things....I started a piece last night that I will enter into a competition for Mardi Gras. I'm at the point right now that I need to decide about color, do I do watercolor or marker or colored pencil??  The pic shows it 1/2 way through my first process but I have since markered in all the details. Any suggestions on color? I've never actually experience Mardi Gras in person but from all the photos I've researched, I have an idea that bright bold colors would work best. This will possibly be put to fabric too, so I keep wondering if the bolder the color, the better the outcome on fabric.

I'm now down to 2 hours 49 minutes 'til Mom steps foot in HI.  Haha, I swear I'm not counting.

 I found a quote this morning that made me smile and I need to share it. It truly is a great perspective on an otherwise annoying situation.   I will take pleasure in knowing that I am one step ahead and I'm happy to be where I am.  I know who I am as a creator, as an artist and as a Mom. I get inspired by others as does everyone, but I know I find my own way in my own time. So eat your heart out, and please do keep following because you are making the biggest fool of yourself.

 

http://www.thatonerule.com/

Who knew that high school like drama would follow us into adulthood. But I'm too happy today to let this get me down. I just needed to write about it,  and not so candidly, to finally get it off my chest.

Now the little man and I, will figure out a way to pass the next couple of hours until we get to show Mom our little slice of paradise.  Oh, all our furniture and "stuff" will get to the island next week which means, a lot more creative days to come! I cannot wait. It's a wonderful day!! :)

Until next time, have a creatively blessed day!

Inspiration, Awe-magination

WOW, can I just say every day here in Hawaii is inspirational. I don't think I can stress it enough just how amazing this place is. I think I found where I want to retire. I always thought the perfect place to live would be somewhere with huge mountains and ocean views, this has it all. Not to mention the bold colors and warmer all year temperatures.

     When we first got orders to Hawaii, I wondered how I could feel about not seeing that first snow fall of the winter, cozying up with a cup of hot drink and a soft blanket (who are we kidding, with 3 kids that hardly happened anyway) but last week, as we strolled the beach at Pyramid beach, I thought, "Heck No, I am not going to miss the snow."  If the area was such that it got gray in the winter and lost the luscious colors, I long for snow for a change of pace and so everything looks new again.  But here, the colors stay green year round and the ocean with it's ever changing form is literally 10 minutes from home.  I told Bryce that I don't think I will miss the snow at all while we are here!


     Inspiration abounds here so, needless to say, I have been busy creating watercolors, sketches, and bracelets. Sunsets, inspirational. Ocean waves, inspirational. Rainy clouds, inspirational. Mountain backgrounds, inspirational. Flowers all around, inspirational. I feel completely blessed to have this opportunity to experience the most beautiful place on earth.

      I will be honest though, I do miss my "stuff" and I look forward to when it arrives here in Hawaii so I can make this house feel like our home.  I look forward to setting up each of the children's bedrooms. Cooking a proper meal with all my regular kitchen gadgets. Getting my big computer so I can upload, edit and share some of the amazing photos I have taken with my regular camera and not just these low quality phone pictures.

     In the process of getting settled here, I have had a couple of downs. Bryce is off to classes so the kids and I are here exploring without him. I lost a friend to petty online business stuff, which I don't want to get in to but it has bothered me deeply for a couple of months now and i finally cut the tie. All I will say about it is she has gone beyond the "inspired" mark and when it comes to being creative, I don't want a negative energy to envelop me, which is what this "friendship" was doing to me.

     And I've discovered that I am incredibly skiddish around creatures that are maybe 1,000 times smaller than me.  Yes...geckos and roaches are not my idea of indoor pets but for some reason, here in Hawaii they feel like I want them as my own personal pets.  But I tell you, they will not stop me from open every window of this house and enjoying the trade-winds that blow through.

North Shore Beach

     I anxiously await my Mom's arrival next week. I can't wait to show her this slice of Paradise in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

     So from here on out, only positives! Good energy, good thoughts, pure inspiration and art.

Rainbows and Sunshine

We're going on week 2 in paradise. It's been raining a whole lot and very windy, but even with "Rainbow Season" (thank you Ellen!) I'm enjoying our time here immensely.  Today the day started out overcast on one side of the house, almost clear on the other side of the house. I walked the girls to school and suddenly the clouds opened up and dumped a whole bunch of plant food on us (I mean rain) and off in the distance a beautiful, completely full rainbow greeted my walk home. It was lovely.

Reluctantly this week, I had to get back into the workout grind. So mustering up all my will power, I put out my yoga mat 2 days in a row and got to sweat my butt of to Jillian's Biggest Loser workout and her 30 day shred workout. I need to get a "beach body" to fit in around here, I'm far from having one. LOL.   Luckily, the sun was still shining when I finished up today so Fletch and I took a dip in the not so warm pool. I let him splash around for a bit as I took in a bit more sunshine before the clouds decided to hug her away again.

So now, we have several more hours ahead of us before the girls get home from school. I do miss my creative supplies but I am happy I at least have a couple of sketch books and pens/pencils with me.  I have been on Pinterest far too much the past few days building up my "inspiration" files. If you want to follow along, here is my link: http://pinterest.com/quatapoch/pins/

My girls started at their new schools yesterday. They were both pretty much happy when they got home yesterday. It was certainly cute to see them walking home together. And so fun to be near enough to school that they get to experience something I did when I was younger instead of constantly being a bus rider. I was a little uncertain about Mia's teacher but it turns out she was very sweet and very friendly and Mia was truly happy when she got home.  She said she made a friend which put my mind at ease.  Vera too was happy, but she did tell me her teacher yells (could be that she just speaks loudly and it's something she will need to get used to) she has to sit next to 2 boys at lunch because lunch is by last name now, not by class.  She said her spelling words are easy but we might have a little bit of work to do with math because they started division in her class already and so far, she is only used to multiplication.  Hopefully today is an even better day for them. I'm truly proud of them, they have been such troopers with all of our moves, having to make new friends and getting used to new schools.  They have been adapting nicely with each adventure they are presented and we haven't had too many emotional meltdowns.

Now, to work on potty training with the little guy so maybe he can go to preschool a few days a week. I know this is going to be a challenge because so far, there is absolutely NO interest. By this age, the girls were both potty trained. I can say for sure, raising a boy is SO different than raising girls.

Well...I am going to end here. I want to sit and "color" with Fletcher before lunch and nap time. Until next time, stay creatively happy!

here we are at sunset beach in the North Shore, waves were HUGE!

Soursop, Papaya, Kona Coffee and Tropical Life

I am happy to report that we a no longer a Nomad family. We took the long flights from Boston, to Salt Lake City to Honolulu and finally settled in our new home on New Year's Eve. The Navy has loaned us some wicker and floral furniture until our actual furniture arrives.  I'll take this uncomfortable furniture any day, beats staying in a sticky hotel right off a busy freeway any day.

layover in salt lake city, utah

The flights were uneventful. I am not fond of flying so for this, I am happy.  The girls were excellent on both legs of the trip. Fletcher, well, he was our wild card but much to my delight, he slept for 1/2 of both of the airplane rides which meant only 2.5 hrs and 3.5 hours of keeping him entertained so his loud screech or scream wouldn't startled any of the passengers near us. We went from some cold weather in Boston to arrive on a lush green, warm island. It was an amazing difference.

Kailua beach, first day here

 The first and second day here, the weather was pretty agreeable but since we have actually moved into the house, it's pretty much been raining and incredibly windy but yet, not too humid.  What I love is that you can drive up the Pali Highway, or head up the H3, drive through the tunnels and the other side of the island is sunny and a bit warmer. So the sun is never truly far away.  I am told this has been an unusually wet "rainy season"  so maybe in a few days it'll clear up again.




The house is really cool. It's mostly 1 floor but the master bedroom has it's own level.  From the master bedroom balcony, on a clear day, we can see the most amazing mountains. Watching the sun rise, you see the orange reflection on the mountains. It is absolutely inspiring.

Our master bedroom has such a green tropical view, and mountains just off in the distance

Our yard has beautiful lush trees, an Avocado tree, a Papaya Tree and a Soursop Tree (http://www.collective-evolution.com/2012/11/23/can-soursop-really-cure-cancer/) as well as a Kona coffee plant! We have had two Gecko's take up residence in the house already but they have disappeared from our view so maybe they decided we were too noisy.

Soursop tree in backyard

I walked the kiddos over to their new school yesterday. We searched the campus grounds for the front office and what a quaint little school! It's only a 1 minute walk from home, I told the girls they will probably hear Fletcher scream during recess time we are so close.  I filled out the 1,000 pieces of paper for enrollment but then we had to take a drive over to base to enroll in Tricare for this region and get TB shots for the girls. They are required before they are allowed to start school, so these lucky ducks get 2 extra days off and will probably start on Monday.

They are anxious and excited.  Such troopers.  It must be hard to get up and move every 2 years, have to make a new set of friends, find your way around a new school and worry if your teachers will be super nice. But they have such beautiful personalities that I am sure they will make friends quickly and as for teachers, I tell them to always be nice to their teachers because it's a tough job. I remind them that I sometimes get mad at them and I only have to deal with 3 kids...not 18+ children.

Well,  we have been on island now for 4 1/2 days and jet lag is still getting to me.  I've been trying to go to bed later each night but I still keep getting up very early in the morning.  At least it's not 3 a.m. like the first day here, at the hotel nonetheless.  At least now that we are home, I can relax, catch up on my posts, and have a cup of coffee before my chaos begins.

I am anxiously awaiting our HHG. I want to share pictures of our scenery but I'm so obsessed about editing that I wont upload them until I get my regular computer here. So until then, please keep coming back. I'll post more regularly now that we are connected to the interweb and I'll share photos from my phone until I can upload my pictures from my camera.

Have a beautiful, creative day!

In Between Homes

We officially moved out of Tennessee. I recently attempted to update my Facebook location as "homeless in America" but go figure, FB did not recognized my silly attempt at humor.  This is our 10th move in our 13 years of marriage. They are not getting any easier, if I must say, they actually seem to be getting harder.  3 kids now, means more furniture, more piles of messes and clutter, more to pack, donate, and junk.  I'm glad that the moving "out" part is over and I anxiously anticipate the moving "in" part at our new home in Hawaii.  But for now, I shall relish in my time at home with my parents and the daily visits of my younger brother.  Tomorrow, we embark on our new journey. A 14 hour traveling day with an 8 year old, 7 year old and rambunctious 2 year old. Should be fun! I look forward to sharing our adventures in Hawaii with all of you. I am a photo whore, so brace yourselves.

I am anxious to get to Hawaii and start feeling settled again. At least settled enough to be able to be creative again in more than just my sketchbook.  While here in New England for the holidays, my father gave me a nice instruction to watercolors. I cannot wait to explore the possibilities with this new medium, learn new techniques and create! I do miss my sewing machine(s!) and look forward to being reunited with them again.  And I most definitely look forward to finding some cool beachy bead shops and make some jewelry.  I have a little bit of ADD, so many things that I want to do and it's hard to just focus on one thing. Sometimes I feel like "Incredible Ned" by Bill Maynard when he says:




                           The art teacher smiled. She could understand Ned.
                      And she knew why those things had shown over his head.
                       “Ned’s an artist, she said. “That’s what Ned’s all about.
                      When your head’s full of pictures, they have to come out.”


Just like my head, my post today is scattered with random thoughts and musings.

So I will leave you with the things I cannot wait to dive into:

• unpacking our suitcases once and for all.
• basking in the warm sun that Hawaii will bless us with
• uploading my pictures from my Canon Rebel and doing some photo editing
• learning how to print out my artwork to sell on Etsy
• bead, charm shopping in Hawaii
• getting my sewing machine back so I can do some textile art that I can picture in my head
• learning and practicing my hand at watercoloring
• decorating the kiddos bedrooms (again!)
• making some beach and warm weather inspired jewelry. Who doesn't love a splash of turquoise in the middle of a cold long winter day
• seeing "our" new home
• Creating a new blog, learning how to make it looks whimsical and pretty like so many of the blogs that I highly admire look and creating meaningful, fun and dreamy tutorials to share.

Until then my friends, stay warm and Happy New Year to you and your families.