Creative Hearth

I have not done a Friday project in a while, and I realized I am very much needing inspiration and creativity in my life at this moment. I have some ideas floating around up there to encourage this process, and one of these is using my camera. I would like to share one of my ideas and open it up to you. Every day I am planning on taking a photo at the same exact time. I am looking to do this for a week but it may go on longer. We shall see. With this said. I hope you will join me in this creative venture and share some of your photos for this weeks Project Share Friday!

Why is it so hard to make summer vacation plans?? There are so many options and beautiful places to visit in the area yet we can not find our destination. We have had ideas and suggestions yet we can not seem to make the decision or find the right place that is affordable with the appropriate accommodations. A vacation is to relax and I am finding this process so stressful. How do you plan a vacation? 

This Project Share Friday is all about happiness. What makes you smile. Take a photo of what this is. AFTER you take the picture scroll down to the next step, but only do so until after you have taken the photo. 














Step 2: Look at the photo you took of what makes you smile and see what else might be in the picture. Did you leave something out? Would you like to add something? How would you change it if you could or would you keep it the same (perspective, light, composition, etc...? What was the perspective of where you took it from? 


Step 3: After answering the questions in Step 2. Did you find you were happy with your happiness or did you need to change it? Was it good enough or did you need more or less? 


Feel free to share your projects or keep the process to your self. If you would like to submit your photos you can send them directly to my email...suzanneseligson@aol.com and I will post them along with any comments you would like to share.


HAPPY PICTURE TAKING : )

Following the previous post for Venting Monday, which was from about a month or two ago I have still been suffering from allergies. It has been the rumor that this year is the most violent season for allergies, so I know I am not alone and there are many of us adults and children out there searching for remedies. I attempted a more natural remedy at the beginning going off of others recommendations, which did not seem to help. I then caved in after a persistent cough that left me with a stress fracture in my right ribs, and tried the over the counter and prescription allergy concoctions. I was MISERABLE, and the medications were making me coocoo! I continued to wait and wait as my ribs hurt more and more. And then this weekend I was visiting the herbal store, I have mentioned on this site before called chrissannthemum. The owner, also Art Therapist, gave me a mixture of cayenne, slippery elm, and golden seal to be used in my neti pot. I also purchased nettle and echinacea tinctures. The nettle is a very strong taste that needs to be diluted with grape juice and certainly one you need to get used to. And... she also has a friend who makes her own essential oils for the store. I have the lavender, which is the purest I have ever smelled, and my family members LOVE it too. Makes them so calm after a sniff. I still have a little bit of the dry cough lingering, but after 3 days I already can feel a change occurring. I will keep you all updated, but so far I am enjoying the natural remedies so far. 

I have been suffering for a week. How much I wanted to be outdoors enjoying this beautiful weather we are having here in North Jersey, and then I got hit with allergies. Itchy eyes, swollen eyes, itchy throat, mucus, dry cough. ARGH! 

To go along with my post following this for Fridays project share I am putting the idea out there to do something you are afraid of doing some time this week or every day this week. The fear could be anything from talking to a certain person you are afraid of in a different way, surrounding yourself in an environment you are uncomfortable with, being in water or climbing a height, sitting with bees swarming around you...Then reflect on the situation. How did it make you feel in the moment and after the moment had passed? Do you think you can face the fear again with less anxiety around it, none, more, or the same? Would you face it again? I am curious to see what I decide to face this week? How about you??

I had a very intense experience Sunday. I was in the back seat of our parked car giving Quinn an on the go lunch while Rob and Ayden were running in and out of local stores in the center of town when our car door opened and a strange man sat down in the drivers seat. As I looked up and saw this was not Rob entering the car my life as I know it became a scene from a movie or a story I had heard on the news where a woman and her child are abducted and missing. This was always a fear of mine as a child after hearing about a woman my parents had known that was taken in her car while pregnant and later found in her trunk killed. I usually always lock our car doors no matter where we are, but for some reason I did not do so today. So... as you can imagine what kind of thoughts were going through my head I immediately thought of my baby and how I was going to protect us. Was my fear going to cause me to fight or fight? I initially attempted to open our back door which had been child safety locked so then I got in the mans face and I screamed get the you know what out of my car NOW over and over!!!! The man turned around and apologized realizing he had gotten into the wrong car, his car was the same color and parked directly behind us. I was in such a tizzy as he apologized I did not care or even trust him and I continued to scream more profound words at him. There were many people walking around outside and no one noticed a thing. As the stranger drove away in his own car I locked the doors and sat there alone with Quinn. Allowing myself some time to collect and be alone again with my precious one. As I came down from the event that just took place I then stepped out of the car and took the time to bask in the reality that nothing detrimental had occurred and I was grateful. I felt so blessed that this was a mistake and nothing more. Being with my family again was a gift and I held each one of them tighter then usual that day, acknowledging how precious our lives are. 

This past year feels like a blur, a blessing, chaos, crazy, amazing, and overwhelming. There was a lot of love, laughter, joy, fear, anger, frustration, tears, smiles, happiness, energy, exhaustion, and fun. With all of these emotions at the end of the day it is all worth it. This is everything I have ever wanted and more. These boys are amazing little souls and I am so blessed to have been chosen to be their Mama. And, this sweet baby who is now 1, has brought so much into our lives that I am more then grateful for. He is our little buddha boy and I love him so.  

This song was playing on the radio this morning when I got in the car. Almost like the universe was talking to me telling me to slow down. Monday mornings are always a challenge for me. Getting back into the work week of routine, school, and obligations. Having millions of things to figure out these days from where to send Ayden to school next year, summer plans, a 1 year birthday party, and the never ending house work, and of course the daily list of chores. I seriously feel like my head is going to explode on days like today. I sometimes wish I had a magical ball that could just make these decisions for me. And then I look at my kids seeing them run around free with no responsibilities, both exploring, and being. It is so beautiful! Although I have all of these things to DO, I also need to remember life is short. These days are precious and so are we. I will get all of these things done. I just need to be patient and appreciate my role and job as a Mama right now. This is who I am and I am grateful for this.  

This is how we all felt up until yesterday. Here is to a fresh new week. Goodbye germs, goodbye falling snow, goodbye isolation. Hello sun, hello healthy people, hello outside world.


I also never posted Friday's project from this previous week. I will continue this last weeks project on change for this Friday.