creative thinking

4 / 9 / 14

Creative thinking. That’s what I was thinking about today. Ya – Pretty much all day. Now I should have been thinking about dusting. My house ~~really~~ needs it. But there is always time to dust. Later. Back to the creative thinking… This is a subject that I think I could go on and on ~~and on~~ about… but I am really gonna try and make this a quick post. No really… Don’t worry though, we will revisit this subject again. And again. So my friend, Dawn (@ Joyful Scribblings – check out her blog!), and I are going to another blogging conference (SNAP!) in two weeks. This particular conference is geared towards more creative thinkers; people who blog about the things that I am passionate about. Photography, Food & Entertaining, DIY (Do It Yourself)/Crafting… love, Love, LOVE! So we are participating in some of the fun & creative “extras” at the conference – One of them being a “decorate your door” contest! That brings me to the task at hand for today… finding some of the goodies for our door, as well as other supplies for the conference. OK. So I try to go into crafting places like Michael’s, JoAnn’s, Hobby Lobby, with a plan. Maybe even a list. But I seem to subconsciously check all of that at the door somehow. My soul is suddenly filled with the hope and promise of possibility thinking. Ideas flow through my veins at an almost overwhelming pace. “I could do this. Or that. Or this and that and…”. Right. You get my point.

Truth is, creativity is a huge part of my life. Not just in what I do, but in who I am. It affects my actions, thoughts, decisions. It permeates my photography, my cooking, my decorating. It is why my dining room chairs are mismatched (on purpose) and I hate to iron. Or dust. It is deeply woven into my relationships, how I make friends, how I raised my kids. It is why I have trouble focusing; why my “to do” list never shrinks. It is me. Or, a (very big) part of me, anyway.

So I stumbled across an article tonight, from The Huffington Post, entitled “18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently“. Here were a few of the things they listed:

They view all of life as an opportunity for self-expression.
They surround themselves with beauty.
They get out of their own heads.
They follow their true passions
They lose track of the time.
They constantly shake things up.

Found the article to be quite interesting, really. Kinda, sorta made me feel validated, in a way. Like something on paper; in print. Something they have officially “studied“… Nice. We’re always looking for answers, explanations, excuses (?) aren’t we. I’m a Taurus, so I’m stubborn. I’m the oldest child, so I’m ~~bossy~~ responsible. Yadda, yadda, yadda. So tonight my brain is absolutely exhausted from all this creative thinking. Doggonit. No time to dust. It will simply have to wait until tomorrow.

“And then she remembered something very important… She was not bothered by dust. She was, after all, creative.” the end

creatively comforting

12 / 13 / 13

There are days when we are just not meant to go outside. This morning seemed like one of them.

Around 8:30 AM, my daughter let the dogs out for their morning potty. The steps to the front porch and the sidewalk were a solid sheet of ice. One of the dogs could not make it back up the two brick steps of the front porch, so my daughter ventured out, slowly and cautiously, to attempt a rescue. In the process, she managed to strain every muscle in her back and arms attempting NOT to fall! OUCH! We decided, at that point, that the second dog was on her own to ~~make it~~ skate back inside. We stood at the door and watched her, opening the door every 30 seconds or so, to holler ~~HURRY UP!~~ words of encouragement… It was at this point that my neighbors garage door across the street went up. He started backing up, in a straight line, as one would normally do. As his tires hit the driveway, however, we watched, in slow motion, as his car proceeded to slide down the driveway sideways, half on the driveway, half in the front yard… landing in the street, facing the wrong way. It was at this point that I made the decision to forego my morning plans of a trip to the grocery store for dinner. Nope. I would simply make some sort of (delicious) concoction out of what we had on hand. Let those creative juices flow, baby….

About an hour later, I went to the refrigerator to evaluate what I had to work with here. Now those of you who know me well know that I really do love this game. I love the challenge of taking what I have leftover and making it into something. Edible. The problem comes in when you try to play this game two nights in a row. Last night I made some pasta and used up the chicken breasts and the last of the kale… so they were no longer options. I stood there for quite awhile… pondering the “hodge-podge” of what was left in the refrigerator. We had the last of a honey bake ham, leftover whole wheat pasta from last night, a bit of chicken broth, 2 avocados and some carrots. Hmmm…

My daughter and I eat dairy free, so creamy sauces are usually a no-no. However… there is more than one way to skin a cat – Right? (Just realized what a horrible saying that is! Ewww…! Who made that up; and why??) So the avocados went into the food processor along with a little chicken broth and a splash of dairy free milk. Voila – dairy free “creamy sauce”. I cut the remaining ham into small pieces, tossed in a large bowl along with the leftover pasta, the avocado sauce and a jar of one of my very favorite “staples” from Trader Joe’s, the tomato Bruschetta. Now it was time for a little taste test. The result? Creamy and delicious!! Definitely a “thumbs up”!!! Did you think that I forgot about the carrots? Didn’t. I’m going to oven roast those with a little garlic and rosemary when we are warming up the pasta tonight. (Don’t you just LOVE the smell of garlic??)

Good news: As it ends up, the perfect “comfort food” kinda meal for an icy cold winter day… We are gonna snuggle in for a toasty night by the fire with a glass of red wine and a movie classic… Either “White Christmas” or “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

Bad news: Tonight’s weather update – It’s supposed to start snowing here soon, and continue through most of the night. (More) Bad news: After two nights in a row of “creative refrigerator concoctions”, we are down to 4 eggs, almond butter, hummus and half of an apple. Let’s face it – If we get snowed in… we’re screwed.

my creativity meter

6 / 23 / 12

So today is my last (half) day at the Dallas Market. Heading back to the airport this afternoon to catch a flight to Nashville for a conference with my hubbie. My “roomies” are all still fast asleep, so I am in the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the tub with my laptop chatting with you… Not very comfortable, so this won’t be a long post – Ha!

Have had a great time here over the past three days, and I wish that I had an unlimited budget to spend on goodies for Creations… but that is not exactly the case. My very favorite showroom while I was here was one that sells all kinds of beautiful ribbons and adornments. My creativity meter went off the charts, and I am so inspired to go home and CREATE some goodies for you!! Things that I have been thinking about for a long time. Yep – it’s time to let those creative juices flow! Thanks, Donna, for creating such a beautiful and inspiring showroom. Your creativity has inspired MY creativity – and I thank you for that! (I will tell you more about my new friend, Donna, later… and the rest of the delighful crew! She deserves an entire blog post!)

OK – They are still snoring away in there (yes – literally!!!) so I am heading off to catch my last few hours of Market. Toodles…! live happy… laugh, love, dream, create