Friday Fill-Ins #73

1. On my laziest day I like to Sleep in late, read, drink tea and take my dog on a long lazy walk!
2. Making jewelry makes me feel like I’m being productive.
3. I love little things, things made in miniature and big Pillows.
4. This summer I want to Go to the ocean.
5. Jehara   made me start my blog.
6. Red Cherries and orange cantaloupes are very yummy!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to Sleeping, tomorrow my plans include organizing and cleaning house and Sunday, I want to go to White Rock Lake!

I have been craving the ocean and water!  I hate living in Dallas, in the middle of nothing.  I want to be by the sea.  I have been feeling this angst lately.  Today, after running all of my errands I went to White Rock Lake.  I left my phone in the car, pulled out a blanket, my pastels and sketch pad, and the camera I borrowed from Olga.  I found a beautiful spot, somewhat off the beaten track.  I just spent the afternoon listening to the water,  watching the bikers and joggers, listening to the birds and just enjoying the earth. 

White Rock lake has some very beautiful trees, that contort and twist in a variety of directions.  The day become overcast, and the sun bounced playfully off of the clouds.

I stayed and enjoyed watching the sun go down, the fireflies came out and danced on the grass.  I tried to capture the fireflies on film, but all I got was grass!

The moon came out, and I watched a family of ducks head home for the evening.  The moon was beautiful, but it was shrouded with clouds. 

 I realized, even though I do not live by the ocean, I can still feel the same peace and joy!

Friday Fill In #71

Kwan Yin is a Goddess who stands at the meeting place of two great archetypal rivers: the very ancient Chinese Great Mother and the Bodhisattva of Compassion, who appears elsewhere as a masculine figure.

She is also one of those very rare deities who quietly belong to several religions at once.  Always changing, always Herself, her image can be seen on Buddhist shrines throughout the world as well as in Taoist places of worship.  Her calm gaze watches over countless ancestors on Confucianist shrines in China, Shintoist shrines in Japan, often found close to Her own.

As the Great Mother, Her compassion radiates in harmony with the blessings of Tibetan Tara,

African Yemaya

or South-American Virgén de Guadalupe.

All over the world, women have always prayed to the Great Mother for the healing of a sick child or to find solace from life’s troubles.  Always She hears, and Her Presence consoles the grieving, cools the burning brow, relieves the pain. Kwan Yin means “She who hears the cries of sentient beings.”

In Tibet, She becomes He: Chenrezig, “Loving Eyes”. One of his representations shows him with a thousand arms forming a mandala around him in his endeavour to help all sentient beings who call for His help.

In Her sanctuary, Kwan Yin awaits you.  In Her hands she holds the vessel of nectar which She pours on the world’s suffering.  The wheel of Her mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, revolves infinitely, emanating light in all directions.  Take the time to bow before Her and allow your heart to express its sincere wish.  Allow Her subtle presence to reach out to you.

It’s perfectly all right to ask for oneself, but isn’t it even sweeter to ask for a loved one?

All of the information in this post came from a wonderful site listed below:

Thirteen things I did not get from my mother.  1.  Protection - My mother did not protect me.  I was physically and sexually abused. 2.  Listen - My mother did not listen to me.  I told her about abuse that was happening, and she did nothing.  3.  Comfort - When I was hurt or sick, my mother never comforted me.  My mother would pull away from me when I tried to hug her.  4.  Honesty - My mother did not tell me the truth.  My mother was a compulsive liar.  She never told the truth, even when the truth would have been easier to tell. 5.  Knowledge - Knowledge of women stuff (hormones, sex, menstruation), you name it, my mother did not talk about it. 6.  Cooking - I always wanted to cook.  My mother never let me in the kitchen to try cooking.  7.  Possessions and food - My mother would not let me have what my siblings had, unless they had the chance to choose first.     8.  Support - My mother did not support me in anything that I did.  She did not go to plays, events, anything that had to do with me.  My mother is excellent at giving criticism.  I got lots of that. 9.  Religion - My mother practiced a warped version of Catholicism.  She tried to give me this one.  No thanks, I will pass on this one. 10.    Family - Because we lived in an abusive household, loyalty was expected, even if you were having the shit kicked out of you.  It was “the family” against the big bad world.  11.  House cleaning/ clutter - On the outside, our house looked very nice.  On the inside,  ohh baby, let me tell you, it was another story all together.  12.  Being true to yourself - Materialism, that in a word is what my mother was all about.  Labels, appearances, what other people think, being the best, being the richest, whatever, and if you were not you would lie about it.  My mother was all about keeping up appearances at all cost.  How you truly feel, and what you truly believe did not matter.  13.  Love - My mother did not teach me about love.  In fact, my mother often told me that she hated me and wished that I had never been born.  My mother blamed me for any and all problems in our family, and for problems she had with my dad.  So to summarize:  If you want to be a good mother, just give your child everything that I did not get.

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Thirteen Things about My Dog Cosmo.Here he is, on my bed watching T.V.  with his ball.     I think he is irritated with me for disturbing him!!!    1.  He loves me unconditionally 2.  His favorite movie is Uptown Girls with Brittany Murphy in it.  I think his real favorite actor is the Pig - Moo! 3.  He loves to watch TV. 4.  He hates the “Empire Today” commercials.  The ones where they sing that awful song “call 1-800 empire…”.  He hates this commercial so bad, that he literally attacks the T.V.  Who said Dogs couldn’t work in Marketing? 5.  He howls every time I say my nieces name. 6.  His favorite toy is his Blue Ball. 7.  His favorite pastime is to look out the window and watch the birds and the squirrels. 8.  He may only be a little dog, but his protective bark makes him sound like a German Shepard. 9.  He is a Lhasa Apso.    About the Breed:  Taken from http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/lhasaapso.htm  The land of Tibet was the home of the Lhasa Apso - the breed taking its name from the sacred city of Lhasa. For at least two thousand years the breed was only bred in Tibet by holy men and nobles. It was used as a watchdog in temples and monasteries, and was considered sacred, for when its master died, his soul was thought to enter the Lhasa Apso’s body. Although they were thought to bring good luck to their owners, Lhasa Apsos were virtually impossible to buy. Happily these very precious dogs, and the equally prized Tibetan Terrier, spread to other parts of the world, mainly because the Dalai Lama. Tibet’s ruler would present them to visiting foreign diplomats. The breed was first seen in Britain in the 1920’s and was introduced to the US in the 1930’s. 10.  He has a rather large arsenal of tricks:  He can give hugs, catch and toss a ball, sit, shake, give 5, on the side, in the hole, and he has soul!  Just to name a few. 11.  When I am at Jehara’s flat, if he sits on her beautiful ivory rug from West Elm he totally blends in, and I often trip over him. 12.  He is my little protector! 13.  I love him with all my heart!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Stuff your doodles, what a cool concept!  This small unique company makes your children’s designs (or yours) reality.

Doodle a monster, princess, animal, alien or whatever.  Send it to them and they make it.  What a cute idea.

  If I give her puppy dog eyes…   she will get my ball from under the dresser! 

It works every time.  Whoo Hoo!!   I have my ball, my favorite blue ball.

I found this from the holisticknitter

10 Superstitions, Traditions, and/or Personality Quirks

1.  Yes, I knock on wood.  I have to knock three times, always in threes, even numbers very unlucky!

2.  If you want something really badly, do not talk too much about it, do not tell people about it, if you do, it will never come to fruition.

3.  I believe in the rule of three!  What you do, good or bad comes back to you threefold. 

4.  Weathermen should watch the moon closely as a tilted moon pours water out in the form of rain.
5.  I learned this in a Feng Shui class:  If you leave the toilet lid up, all your money and prosperity go out of the house via the sewer.  Although I did think that this might be a clever way to make your man keep the toilet lid down! 

6.  Always re-enter your house through the same door you left to promote good luck.

7.  You need to eat black eyed peas on new years day to bring good luck.  A nice southern, Texas tradition/superstition.

8.  Never take a broom with you from an old house to a new one!  This is bad luck.  Always acquire a new broom.

9.  If your ear is burning, then someone is talking about you.  To determine whether what they are saying is good or bad, remember this rhyme, - Left for love, Right for spite!

10.  I believe Black Cats are good luck, even if they cross my path!   - Early Christians, fearing the old religions changed black cats from being a symbol of goodness, to one of bad luck.  In ancient Egypt, the Goddess Bast was a black, female cat.  Christians, wanting to rid society of all traces of other religions, convinced the ignorant that black cats were demons in disguise and should thus be destroyed.  In the process, they also destroyed the kindly ladies who cared for the cats, believing them to be witches.  Being demons, a black cat crossing your path would create a barrier of evil, cutting you off from God and blocking the entrance to heaven.  Hooey, what hooey!!!!

1. What is your occupation? Teacher, Artist

2. What color are your socks right now? I am not wearing socks.  I Hate wearing socks, unless I absolutely have to.  My BFF/Sister G always used to nag at me to wear socks.  Sorry G, i still do  not wear them. 

3. What are you listening to right now? I am listening to Desert Wind sing “Kali Ma”

http://payplay.fm/desertwind6

4. What was the last thing that you ate? Cheese and Bean Pupusas from my student from El Salvador. 

 5. Can you drive a stick shift? No….  I have always wanted to learn.  No one has had the courage to teach me…

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Why purple, of course!

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My friend Danica

 
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I stole it from izzybellas’s blog, and yes, I do.

 
9. Favorite drink? Regular Coke

10. What is your favorite sport to watch? yuck, sports on television, boring, boring, boring.  If I had to choose, it would be American Football.

 
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes, many times

12. Pets? My dog Cosmo, and my fish: Fishy Wishy

13. Favorite food? Any and every type of food from Latin America/South America.

14. Last movie you watched? Lady in the Water…  very interesting movie.

15. Favorite Day of the year? the days I get to see my sister, her beautiful daughter, and her prince charming husband.  They live in Virginia, so that is not often. 

16. What do you do to vent anger? Break glass…  hehehehe  …  remember Jehara?????  Usually, I paint, draw, use pastels, clay, something artistic to express my emotions. 

17. What was your favorite toy as a child? My Sasha Dolls and My Merlin.

 
18. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Fall

19. Hugs or kisses? Hugs

20. What kind of pie? I am a southerner…  Pecan Pie!!!  yummy yummy yummy

21. Do you want your friends to email you back? I’m not going to email it, I’ll post it on my blog.
22. Who is most likely to respond? I don’t know
23. Who is least likely to respond? No clue

 
24. Living arrangements? Looking for a new place!

25. When was the last time you cried? Today, while thinking about how much I NEED TO SEE MY SISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

26. What is on the floor of your closet?hehehe  everything….

 
27. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending/tagging this to? I’m going to tag anyone who wants to play on my blog.
28. The friend you have known the shortest amount of time that you are sending/tagging this to? See # 27

 
29. Favorite smell? Vanilla, Apples, Oranges, Lavender, cinnamon

30. What inspires you? Passion, Creativity, Compassion

31. What are you afraid of?  My nearest and dearest dying

32. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? I am a vegetarian, no meat for me!

 
34. Favorite cat breed? Siberian - they are supposed to be okay for those with allergies, and they are beautiful!  I have always wanted a cat, but never had one.

33. Favorite car? The one that’s paid for.  Ditto Izzy

35. Number of keys on your key ring?5 plus the electric thingymagig for the door at the school.

 
36. How many years at your current job? It is brand spanking new.

37. Favorite day of the week? depends on the day

38. How many provinces have you lived in? I’ve never lived in a province-I’m a lame American…Ditto Izzy
39. How many countries have you been to? 7, and there are sooooo many more places I want to visit!