Summer Art Challenge 2020: Self Portraits

There is something about summer (even in the midst of a pandemic) that I really just love.  It's more quiet and relaxed.  There's more time for creativity and rest.  It's been pretty great.  In many ways, my kids are experiencing the same summer they normally have despite society kind of hunkering down where we live.  This means we are doing art and lots of it.  This week we moved along in our Summer Art Challenge to Self Portraits. 

Self Portraits are always fun because kids get a chance to draw themselves.  They get to play with making shapes to form their eyes, decide if they want eye lashes or not (my boys decided that despite their long, beautiful eye lashes drawing them looked like a girl. . .. boys!). 

We started out with just a simple video tutorial on how to draw ourselves from the chest up (I'll link it at the bottom).  The kids had to push pause every now and then so they could do what she asked them to do, but it worked.  They turned out great!   We used pencils to draw and crayons to color.  Super simple. 

Later in the week, we took a different approach to Self Portraits.  We did it Abstract style.  I really wanted to keep with the same simple pencil and crayon approach as we did with our earlier self portraits, but change it up again.  We talked about what we had learned last year when we studied Picasso and then got to see a lot of his creations at the National Art Gallery.  We talked about bold colors, strange shapes, and how they don't look realistic at all. 

We used another tutorial (this time not a video) found on Pinterest (why recreate the wheel?).  It was simple and left room for lots of vibrant colors.  This one was super easy also, but we decided that the colors popped more when we outlined everything in black . . . such a simple thing, but an incredible difference. 

And that's a wrap for this week's Summer Art Challenge.  Have you been taking time to get creative?  I can't tell you how much it does a heart good in the midst of all the crazy!  Plus, I love the memories and conversations that are made from these art times! 

If you are doing them, I'd love to hear from you.  Feel free to tag @outoftherightbrain on facebook or @jolieklassen on instagram. . . or use the hashtag #ootrbsummerartchallenge.

It's a joy to my heart to be able to blog here, but also I get so much encouragement seeing what you all are creating! 

Have a great weekend!

Links:

Self Portrait Video Tutorial

Abstract self Portrait tutorial

More Picasso Art

Connection Time {July 2020}

Hi all!  Welcome to my July Connection Time, where we all go grab a coffee, tea, sparkling water, glass of wine, or whatever you want to drink and well. . . we sit and we chat.  One of my favorite things to do is gather around the table with friends and coffee and just talk about life.  It's one of the things that energizes my soul and right now it's something we need more than ever.  We are all living fairly isolated lives. . . in some areas you might be opening up.  We are at a point where things are closing back up due our numbers.  In fact, where I live there are so many angry people and some how or another, masks became a point of anger and dissension and i just have no clue.  It's actually kind of sucky.  (that's all I am going to say about that. . . this is not the place for angry comments about masks)

But. . .

Oh my goodness, it felt good to just get away and take a break.  Adventures are good for the soul (especially if you are an enneagram 7 like me!).  I haven't done one of these since the school year ended, because quite frankly I was tired and we decided we needed to get out of town (that will be a whole post on its own). 

So. . . How are you all doing?  California friends. . . are you hanging in there?  Are you finding ways to get creative?  How are you nurturing your soul during this time?  Let's chat!

First, a few thoughts:

:: We are doing something with our front door area to adjust to some new ways we are approaching ministry.  It's pretty exciting.

::  I've been making iced tea with some teaology tea my sister bought me.  It's pretty amazing. 

:: The She Reads Truth summer study is on fire!  If you aren't doing this and are looking for a good summer study, I can't recommend this one enough!  

:: I just bought these masks from madewell and a new pattern to make my own! Bring on a fall of cute masks.  And let's just be real. . . I want to go wander Target and Hobby Lobby. 

We're going to start with the usual questions and feel free to answer one or some when you're done reading through mine.  I'd love to hear from you. . . and really. . . the best encouragement for me are comments!

Outside my window  the sun in shining brightly.  It's summer and hot and we basically live inside or at our friend's pool right now.  This week the mornings have been kind of cool and so we've been out playing basketball before it really gets hot. 

I am thinking of ways to destroy the black widow living in my squash planter box.  He's huge and fast.  I'm thinking we need a blow torch?  Any thoughts?

From the kitchen there really isn't a whole lot going on. We are eating lots of ice cream.  There weren't a lot of options for dairy free on our trip (Weston was such a trooper!), but on the way home we ordered our favorite Salt and Straw and then made a Good Pop order.  Both orders have not disappointed and no one is complaining about the amount of ice cream in our freezer. 

I am wearing Fabletics yoga pants and an Under Armour shirt I picked up at the outlets in Park City.  I regret not buying another one. . . it's the perfect workout shirt! It's no longer available, but it is similar to this one.

I am creating I am working on a cross stitching project that is turning out so cute.  I also have some fabric staring at me so after we're done chatting, I am going to go cut out some fabric.

I am going to be getting my house ready for distance learning.  We had made the decision as a family a few weeks ago, but now it looks like the whole school district is heading that way.  Plus, back to school supply shopping is one of my favorite things. . . so I will be putting together some items that I think will be needed at home during this time.

I am reading books.  Actually, I am trying to get back into the habit I was in before vacation.  I just bought the book Hamilton so that should keep me busy for awhile. 

I am hoping that this pandemic ends.  That is all.  But at the same time, I hope and pray we come out stronger, better people because of it.  I was listening to this podcast before I left and they were talking about how they believe that God is changing the way ministry is done.  I fully believe that God is doing something big behind the scenes and I am living in anticipation to see how this all unfolds. 

I am hearing kids playing with Legos and I couldn't be happier.  No one is arguing and no one is whining. 

Around the House projects and lego creations are laid out.  The kids backpacks need to be unpacked.  No worries here. 

One of my favorite things is gathering once a week for Bible Study.  We meet in my front yard and sit in lawn chairs drinking cold drinks and watching the sunset.  We are going through the She Reads Truth men and Women of the Old Testament and it has been pretty fantastic. 

A few plans for the week a wine tasting trip, probably some ice cream eating, and local take out picking up.  Other than that, we are just hanging out at home working on our projects.  Maybe we will even watch Hamilton again!

What I am listening to we have the Hamilton soundtrack on repeat along with Adventures in Odyssey episodes in the afternoon while we create.  I'm also listening to the She Reads Truth podcast and am hoping to start watching this past February's IF conference and last year's IF lead. 

Now, it's your turn!  Grab your coffee and let's connect! You don't have to do them all! I can't wait to hear from you! You can even private message me if you don't want to make it public.  

Outside my window
I am thinking
From the kitchen
I am wearing
I am creating
I am going
I am reading
I am hoping
I am hearing
Around the House
One of my favorite things
A few plans for the week
What I am listening to 

I can't wait to hear from you! 

Summer Art Challenge 2020

It's halfway through July and I think I am finally finding my groove.  I think that a lot of my creativity was spent planning activities for my kiddos when school abruptly shut down back in March.  I was mentally tired.  So, when summer finally arrived I really wanted to do nothing. And then, we went on an adventure and I think my brain was reset (if that's even possible).  So now, we are home and taking advantage of every ounce of summer that we can. . . even in the middle of a pandemic. 

Every summer, the kids and I have tried to some sort of challenge for the summer.  We've done random Pinterest projects, STEM projects, and last year we did an art challenge where we studied 6 artists and their very different styles of art.  (I will link them at the bottom of the page).  This year, when going through some of my old teaching files from my pre-mom life, I found an art journal I had my class create, studying different techniques and skills of art.  And so, we are doing at least one a week.  This may just continue on in the fall, since we are not going back to the classroom, but are doing distance learning, so keep an eye out.  My goal is to highlight our projects weekly on the blog. 

Why art?  First of all, I am in no way an artist.  I draw stick figures.  My circles are really wobbly blotchy round-ish things.  But despite my artistic shortcomings, art is everywhere and art is important.  It gives kids confidence and allows them to express themselves in ways that speech cannot.  It also is some great time with my kids when we sit around the table to create together.  We have amazing conversations and it's just a blast.  My boys are getting older and my oldest is now taller than me (sniff sniff), and I want to take advantage of every moment I can.  So, art time is also our designated us time, where they aren't in front of the tv, video games or  playing with legos.  It's one of my favorite times. 

This week we talked about two different topics:  Color and Media. 

Color is fun, because it begins with the color wheel.  I had a printable that I have no idea where I got it from, but the IKEA kids plates are the perfect size to trace a circle onto a piece of paper, then use a ruler to draw your lines.  (I'd probably do the circle and lines for the smaller kids and let the big kids take care of their own). 

The color wheel starts out with talking about the Primary Colors - Red, Yellow, and Blue.  We first painted those colors on every other triangle of the circle.  Then we talked about Secondary colors and actually used those two primary colors to mix paints and create the purple, orange, and green. 

The next lesson we did continued with color and taking it a step farther to make different shades and tints.  Shades are what happens to a color when small amounts of black are added into the color and tints are what happen when white is added slowly. 

(Sorry about it being upside down. . . oops!).  We started out with the primary colors, but added in the secondary color green.  You can really do this with all 6 colors if you wanted. We started out with a blotch of each original color and then 1 drop of black, mix, and blotch.  Then 2 drops and 3 drops.  Then we did the same thing for white. 

Media

Once we had finished studying color, we moved on to Media.  Media is really the different ways we can achieve the same design, but using different mediums.

For this project, we divided our paper into fourths.  I chose a rainbow and Ethan chose a grassy scene with birds and a sun and Weston kind of did what ever he felt like (partly because he started out with the solar system and it was going to take forever. . . he didn't have time for that!).  We started with oil pastels (if you don't have these, crayons are okay, too!) and drew our picture.  Then we moved on to paper scraps and made a collage.  Finally, we pulled out the acrylic paints and water colors and painted our picture. 

I absolutely loved how this came out and even though both boys took a different approach to the project they both turned out great and got to explore different forms of media.  I really want to mention that with art, it's okay if each kid steers from the original outcome and does there own thing.  They both achieved the same thing . . . in getting to see how different mediums work, but each one shows the personality of each child.  That is what is so much fun about art . . . there really is no wrong way! 

Are you taking time to get creative?  Are your kids?  I'd love to hear what you are doing and how you are keeping sane.  Feel free to tag @jolieklassen on instagram or @outoftherightbrain on facebook to share your creations!  Or feel free to leave a comment. . . this makes my day!

And as promised. . . links to previous summer challenges:

Summer Art Challenge 2019

Summer Stem Challenge 2018

Summer Pin Challenge 2017 - This is the last post from that series, but all previous are linked at the bottom of the post.

Also, as a bonus, we are also working on some STEM projects. . . but due to time, those will only be shared on instagram. Don't forget to follow me over there!

fiddle leaf fig love

I would never call myself a green thumb.  In fact, I have never been that great at keeping real plants alive.  Yet, each year I plant a garden with high hopes and every now and then something grows.  Several years ago, I decided to try my hand at a fiddle leaf fig tree.  I mean, it looks so cool in all those instagram home pictures.  Plus, I had just read The Nesting Place, by Myquellin Smith (aka the Nester) and she had mentioned that spending a little bit of money on a plant and dividing it by how long it lived is pretty inexpensive home decor.  So, when I heard that Lowes had some in stock, I rushed out and bought one! (I think it costed $30).  I figured it if lasted 3 months, that's 10 bucks a month for a pretty tree.

I thought I had high hopes that I would be able to keep this sucker alive for 2 months.  I was going to call that impressive.  I mean, I couldn't even keep a maidenhair fern alive for a few weeks! But, friends, I stand before you today (well, really I'm just sitting here at my computer) to tell you that this very same fiddle leaf I bought is 3 years old! 

Please excuse me for a minute while I do a happy dance. 

Okay, I think I'm good. 

Everyday I look at my friend Figgie, and mentally give her a high five. . . she deserves it!  I don't do much at all.  She's the one doing most of the work, standing there, oh so still, soaking in sweet rays of sun and drinking up water from her moist soil.

I've had a lot of questions about how I even managed to do it, so I thought I would jot down some things I have learned about how to take care of Fiddle Leaf Fig plants. I really  hope that this helps you to take a risk and try a house plant or not to get discouraged if you've already killed one. . . or two or even think your killing your current plant.  There's hope! 

:: Fiddle leaf fig plants are VERY finicky.  They don't like to be moved around a lot.  It puts them in a little bit of shock.  This means, don't put them next to a door that will open up and send a lot of air movement back and forth or put it right next to your air conditioner vent where it will blow air on to it.  They really just like to stay still. 

:: They like sunlight.  If you scroll back to the picture up at the top, I had originally had it in our family room next next to a rather large window.  But, because there is an awning over the patio just on the other side of that window, not as much indirect light came through.  After a few weeks there, Figgie really started to struggle.  So, I moved her to our front room where she lives in our front window.  There is the perfect amount of indirect light that she loves.  At Christmas, she gets moved to a wall farther away, but because it's winter and only temporary, she struggles, but survives. 

::  They love a moist soil and consistent watering.  I pour 2 cups of water in my plant's soil every Thursday (thirsty Thursday!).  If your leaves are turning brown, they aren't getting enough water or you are over watering.  But also don't freak out by occasionally losing older leaves from the bottom (eventually older leaves will fall off) and also when you move it. . . it goes into shock a little and may lose a leaf or two as a result. If you loose more than one or two leaves here and there, that's when you should worry.  In the above picture, there were some signs that I wasn't watering enough.  Once I started implementing Thirsty Thursdays, she did much better! 

A lot of hints are to water only when soil is dry to the touch.  Water well and consistently and only water when the soil is dry.  Experiment and see what works best for your plant.

:: Take care of those leaves!  Because it's just hanging out in your house collecting all the dust, those leaves need to be cleaned off every now and then.  I like to take a slightly damp rag and wipe them down every now and then.  This allows more sunlight to hit those gorgeous leaves! 

I also like to pour a little bit of milk in a cup and wipe the leaves with that.  This gives them some nourishment and helps them to thrive. 

Last month, I tried melted (and cooled) coconut oil (as recommended by Nesting with Grace) and it made my leaves so clean and green. . . it almost looked fake!  But, it's thriving!

:: Name your tree.  Spend some time talking to it and giving it some love and encouragement. (only part joking here).

I hope that this helps you take a risk and try fiddle leaf figs in your own home.  Let me know if you have any other questions or helpful hints.  I am by no means an expert and if you could see my most recent dead fern (I really just need to stop with the ferns), you would believe me when I say that I am not an expert.  But, I am trying and learning as I am going.  It's definitely a fun journey to be on and I love the natural color it brings to our home with out any foo-foo decor.  It's simple and fun all at the same time. 

Oooh! And before I forget, I should mention that one of the things that I has made me fall in love with houseplants is that they help purify the air within your home.  There is only so much your air filter can do and no matter how hard we try, impurities come into our house (I'm not going to get all science-y on you. . . that's my husband's job) and one of the best ways to clean that air is by having real plants in your home.  Plus, they really add so much natural beauty to your decor.  I am definitely on team house plant. . . even though some (read ferns!) don't always survive!

Have a great weekend!

10 things keeping me sane right now

Hi everybody!  Life in Quarantine has been a constant flow of emotions and man. . . is it a roller coaster! Last week,  Laura Tremaine, who is a blogger/podcaster suggested we write down the 10 things that are keeping us sane right now.  When I first saw it, I will admit, I was in a funk.  I was tired of being home, tired of oh, so many things. I kind of chuckled and brushed it away, but as I thought more and more about it. . . we are surviving. . . and I think pretty well, despite the occasional moments when we feel we are going to crack. 

I wish I could write and tell you all that everything is going perfect and honky-dory over here.  While we have our routine established and for the most part life is good, there are some days where I want to curl up and cry (for example, i was doing just fine today. . . until the cdc guidelines for schools next fall came out. . . ugh!).  We are mourning so much loss and missing a lot of things and there are so many unknowns that, at times, anxiety creeps in. 

I know that there are a lot of areas that are opening up and trying to resume normalcy, but where we live, sheltering in place will end next week.  The reality is stores will open, but beyond that I'm not really sure what will be different. There is so much anger and frustration out there, that no matter what anyone does it will be wrong.  Where a mask and you get insulted.  Don't where a mask and you get insulted.  SO.MUCH.MEAN!  Let's be better than this and show love and kindness!  Let's find ways to smile with our eyes and show love to others! 

In many ways, this post is also a reminder to myself of what I need to be doing.  In the midst of the quiet and our new (hopefully temporary) normal, I find that there are things that I have been doing to keep my sanity.

1.  Exercise. 

While I have not been able to work out like I would at the gym and I am very easily distracted around the house, I have been making sure we are moving each and every day.  Lately, bike rides have been our jam.  Everyday, just before lunch, the boys and I take a ride through our neighborhood.  It is good for our hearts and our souls. 

At the beginning, I was running in the mornings while listening to music and that was quite wonderful.  Unfortunately, my knee started yelling at me a lot so I stopped.  But, I honestly miss it. 

Exercise has been a serious source of energy and keeping my mental health in tact.  I have noticed that the days in which I am not as active, my heart and mind struggle. 

2.  God's Word. 

This has been a must.  I'm even leading a zoom study because I just love studying God's Word with women!  But seriously, scripture has been giving me life (which it really does!).  Even today, my heart was heavy with so many things, I was reminded of his faithfulness and his love when I slowed down and opened my Bible. 

3.  Reading.

I love to read and I will be the first to admit that sometimes I spend too much time on social media and forget to curl up to a good book.  I have several books open right now and it has been so nice to slow down and just read.  Last Saturday, I actually spent most of the day reading a book. I am not even sure when the last time I did that.  It felt so good. 

4.  Write things down. 

I am a list maker.  I make lists that are really long and I know I can't get to everything in one day.  But, the act of writing down my hopes for the day have really helped me focus and accomplish something.  I'll admit that sometimes I just end up hiding from my kids because my mere presence causes them to want to tell me random things that don't pertain to their homework and then homework never gets done.  I spend a lot of time just hiding in my office watching The Great in secret (so the kids can't hear!). 

Also, write down your prayers and thoughts in a journal.  Writing prayers down helps me focus my thoughts on what I want to pray and it helps me track how God is working in my life so I can look back and be reminded of his answers and his constant presence.  I want to look back at this time in our history and say that God's changed me. 

5.  Get outside.

We've been making sure we spend some time outside each day because the sun does us good!  We've been taking advantage of some great weather for bike rides and managed to hit a local trail and ride for a picnic.  We started out taking daily walks, but now we just ride everywhere.  Soon, that will be swapped out for swimming because next week we entering the triple digits and well. . . that's not fun! 

My husband and I have also been taking nightly walks around the neighborhood, while the kids read in bed before lights out.  This gives us some of that uninterrupted time that we lost when had to give up date nights.  The reality is that these short little walks are one of my favorite parts of the day. 

6.  Get out of the House.

This one goes along with get outside.  But, this one is a little different.  We noticed that the boys were also getting extra antsy just being stuck at home and only going outside for walks and bike rides.  So, every now and then we jump in the car and drive to a restaurant that we can order via drive thru.  Yesterday, they came with me on my weekly coffee run to pick up our dinner for later. 

I'm so glad our kids are at the age where we can leave for little bits of time and they are fine at home.  Our oldest has his own {flip}phone and so we can keep track of them. This has allowed me to grab my favorite iced latte from our favorite local spot once a week.  I have been able to get out, have a few minutes of alone time, and just feel a little bit human.  I know it is just a latte, but the act of getting out of the house, alone has really helped my sanity. 

Today my husband and I snuck away to drop something by his office and ended up grabbing Starbucks on the way home.  It was something little, but we had a few minutes alone together and a little treat.  (side note: today was the first Starbucks I have had since before the Shelter in Place was mandated!). 

We have also planned picnics at local parks and hiking just to get out and have a little bit of an adventure.  It does the heart good to not be in the same place for long periods of time.

7.  Order take out.

We have been trying to get take out from some local places as well as some of our favorites.  It's nice to take a break from cooking and have someone else do it.  Plus, supporting local businesses is a great way to help your community's economy.  We usually do it on night's where we can do a movie night and just get all cozy in our family room. 

8.  Do a little shopping.

I know this sounds funny.  It's probably driving my hubby crazy, but one of my favorite things to do is to wander stores and shopping centers.  It's weird.  It's my jam.  I obviously can't do that and so, shopping online has been something I do every now and then I order something.  I don't know if it is the simple act of focusing on something else, but it helps. . . just a little.  Plus, it has been taking longer to shop things and so I have something to look forward to several weeks. 

9.  Finding new ways to do grocery shopping.

When this whole thing went down, shopping really stressed me out.  I was really worried about finding food that our whole family could eat and wondering if we were going to starve.  Obviously, we are just fine.  It turns out that during quarantine, nobody wants the dairy free/soy free stuff.  Jon started out doing all of the shopping, but that grew old and we wanted to see him.  So, we joined Thrive market and started ordering some things online (It's like Christmas when it gets delivered!) and started using instacart for some things.  Those things are game changers!

10.  Find ways to be creative and Spread some joy.

I'll be honest and say finding creativity during quarantine was hard.  Trying to balance what I wanted to do and working with the kids on school work was weird.  I had a difficult time finding balance.  We started out baking a lot. . . until we realized we needed to ration out our flour (my sourdough will survive this pandemic!).  Baking relieved so much stress and gave us something to enjoy! 

From baking we moved on to gardening and figuring out how we can bless others.  So, we played with succulents and made our own chalk and shared our baking with friends and tried to spread some joy in a season that is hard.  My kids wrote letters and we made cards and we sent them to people who just needed a snail mail hug. 

I've also been staring at a pile of fabric and several quilts that need to be worked on.  I've even started cross stitching again and I won't lie, I don;t think I am going to stop.  I often find myself sitting on my bed, stitching in hand, watching You've Got Mail or Sweet Home Alabama. 

I feel like right now, more than ever, there has been a battle for our minds.  This pandemic may feel very lonely and horrible at times and I wish very much that I could give each and every one of you a hug.  I am so thankful that God is always with us. . . even if we are entering into some deep valleys of emotion.  As we move into different phases of opening up, and we're all singing that Frozen song and opening up the gates, I just want to say continue offering grace and love.  Smile with your eyes to the best of your ability.  Don't judge or cause anyone to feel shame.  No matter what direction we all lean, to someone you are wrong.  Let's be lights and not add to the stress or shame of others. 

I'd love to hear from you. . . what are you doing to keep sane??

Let's Chat! {Another honest, quarantine conversation}

Today is Friday.  Just wanted to throw that out there in case you have forgotten what day it was.  I completely forgot to give one kid the code to get onto his zoom. . . I wish she sent them out to their school emails so it would just be easier.  But, it gets sent to dojo and well, I forgot.  There were a few other ways this morning went kind of down hill, but I have decided to not let them ruin my day.

There will be no crankiness or meltdowns today.  I can't deal with them right now. But despite of the crankiness, I really have to give a shout out to my kids because they have just rocked this quarantine life hard!  They dove right into learning at home with out skipping a beat and have done well at it.  I can't really blame them, though.  We are all starting to crack a little.  Some days are harder than others. But, when I sit back and look at this time during quarantine, I think that I am going to treasure it! 

How are you all doing?  Are you feeling yourself starting to crack?  Loving every minute of it?  Or even falling into a dark pit of despair?  Be honest with yourself.  This quarantine life is far from easy.  I think that's why I keep doing these Friday chats. . . pretending we are sitting around a table with our favorite drink in hand is how I'd love to be spending my time right now. 

The highlight of my week was having an article featured over at Flourish Motherhood and I feel so privileged to get to stand with so many other amazing writers and write about patience.  If you want to hear about how a Barbie doll taught me about patience, click here.

We have 2 more weeks of school where the kids actually are doing work.  So, we are working on finishing up projects, books, and getting ready to have a mind break before we start our summer challenge.  I am not entirely sure what we will be tackling this year . . . so if you have any ideas, please let me know.  This last week, both 5th grade classes and all of their teachers, and administration had a big zoom scavenger hunt.  It was fun for him and it was nice to be able to get some fun with his buddies instead of spending an hour talking work.

Let's continue this chat with my prompts. . . cause this brain is really scattered today. 

Outside my window the sun is shining and there is a soft breeze.  The weather has been perfect this week and quite honestly we are soaking it all in before we jump back into full blown summer mode. 

I am thinking about what our Summer challenge will be and what projects to tackle.  I am also dreaming of finishing the bathroom so very soon!  (last few things come in the mail today!) 

From the kitchen right now. . . not much.  This was a really hard week in a few ways and honestly, I've struggled getting a lot done.  I did make a great summer pasta salad for dinner last night: some random pasta, cut up some fresh zucchini, broccoli, red onion, and red peppers that I had laying around and tossed it with the Primal Kitchen Italian Dressing.  Everyone gobbled it up! 

I am wearing my new Fabletics yoga pants!  I love them!  My order took forever to get here, but totally worth it!  I wasn't sure how I would like their stuff, but I am glad I signed up for their VIP membership.  I also got a pair of joggers, which I now want more because they are amazing!

I am creating a cross stitch little sampler and staring at a pile of fabric hoping that inspiration will come.  I've really struggled with the creative part of quarantine.  My focus has been off and I have found myself readjusting to having the kids home and being at their disposal when they need help.  Sometimes, I just hide. . . and read. . . and pray. 

I am going to go find adventure tomorrow.  We need to get out of the house and just go do something in our area that is not our neighborhood or backyard.  We will find it and we will conquer. 

I am reading It's all under control, by Jennifer Dukes Lee.  It is perfect for right now and I'll be honest. . . she struggles with control.  Today, I was reading about the importance of waiting and I just couldn't help by think about this quarantine situation we find ourselves in.  We are in a period of waiting. . . we are waiting for life to get back to some kind of normal . . .jobs to restart, stores to open.  My kids have already decided to belt out that song from Frozen about opening up the gates! Anyways, we are all waiting.  Lee mentions in chapter 11 that, "the work God does in the waiting room often proves to be more important than the end result."  I was really challenged by that because as much as I want life to resume normalcy, I really REALLY don't want to miss out on what he's doing through this waiting/slow down period.

I am hoping that COVID-19 drama stops.  It's really bad. 

I am hearing the clatter of Lego's.  I have lego builds all around the house from many, MANY daily challenges.  I don't mind.  Nobody is coming over. . . ha ha ha!

Around the House school work is strewn on tables.  Legos creations are displayed. Plants are growing.  And the Amazon truck just delivered my faucets for the bathroom and our vanity light came yesterday.  It might have taken over a year, but it looks like the front bathroom is finally getting finished!  Woot! Woot!

One of my favorite things are bike rides and the cooler temperatures.  I am finding myself sitting outside reading books and doing my Bible study. 

A few plans for the weekend are to find some sort of adventure to get our hearts in the right place and teach my kids how to play scrabble.  Bring it!

What I am listening to we love the Disney Hits playlist on Apple Music.  We've also been listening to Hamilton (also. . . July 3rd!!. . . we are ready!) and I am loving Ellie Holcomb's new song.

I hope that you know that whatever you are feeling, you are not alone.  If you are feeling like you are about to crack or you are falling into a deep, dark pit, please PLEASE reach out to someone.  Do something that brings you joy.  Find someone to pray with you.  Have a zoom coffee date with someone.   Remember, you are not alone.  We have a God that promises to never leave us and even when he feels silent. . . he's right there holding your hand! 

Now, it's your turn!  Grab your coffee and let's connect! You don't have to do them all! I can't wait to hear from you! You can even private message me if you don't want to make it public.  

Outside my window
I am thinking
From the kitchen
I am wearing
I am creating
I am going
I am reading
I am hoping
I am hearing
Around the House
One of my favorite things
A few plans for the week
What I am listening to 

Quarantine Succs {free printable}

 

The world is full of unrest.  There is so much anxiety, anger, and fear out their that I think we all need to take a moment and breathe.  Between crazy virus bug, life sheltering-in-place, and now crazy killer hornets making an appearance, it is enough to make us all get a little tight in the chest.  (I know because I just described how I've been feeling and I can't be the only one!)

Take a moment right now and just breathe. 

Maybe even jot down some things you are thankful to God for. 

Don't worry, I'll wait. 

Okay. 

Don't you feel a little bit better? 

It the midst of everything that is going on in the world, I find myself wanting to spread some joy.  Reader friends, I think that's what the world is missing right now . . .some joy!  Many of us are stuck at home and it's easy to fall in the "ME" trap.  What are my fears?  What are my needs?  Where can I find flour or yeast? When am I going back to work?  We need to set aside our fears, worries, and frustrations and think of others.  I don't know about you, but we really miss our people. And I am 100 percent sure our people are missing their people. We are all missing people, things, events. With holidays, like Mother's Day and graduations coming, it's enough to drive us all a little mad.  It's sad and depressing, but let's start spreading joy to the people around us and maybe. . . just maybe. . . we might be filled with the joy by giving. 

Just as quarantine was starting, my parents dropped off a box full of succulent clippings ready for me to plant.  As I planted them and got my succulent garden cleaned out from the wet winter, I noticed a bunch of baby succulents.  I knew I didn't have enough planters to get all of my clippings, I was inspired!  About a week into quarantine, Facebook and Instagram ads kept showing me one for a company that sent succulent and candle boxes to loved ones saying "quarantine succs."  Now, there was now way I could spend the 30-50 dollars these boxes cost for neighbors and friends, but i could do something.  My mom had mentioned the idea of taking some succulent pots to her neighbors to encourage them (If you know my mom. . . this is totally something she would do, too!  She is the most generous and giving person I know!).  I completely hijacked her idea. . . because she's a genius! 

I ordered these terra cotta pots on amazon, and surprisingly they showed up that week (it's been hit or miss on what we can get now and what we have to wait for).  I grabbed some soil from my garden and potted a bunch.  But, they still needed fun tags with that snazzy slogan I had seen on those social media ads, so I got to work and made some fun tags.  I printed them out on white cardstock and just cut them out with some scissors (I know, really fancy!) and glued them to some Popsicle sticks I found in the kids art closet.  Easy Peazy!

Then we drove around dropping them by some sweet friend's houses.  It was fun for us, because we got out of the house. . . we called it our quarantine adventure! It did our hearts good to think of others during this time.  So, I making my printable free to you so that you, too, can spread some joy to your friends, neighbors, office mates.  Let's spread some joy! 

You can find the the FREE PRINTABLE LINK HERE. I'd love to see how you use them.  Don't forget to tag @outoftherightbrain on facebook or @jolieklassen on instagram so I can see how you use my printable.  Also, remember this is for personal use only.  Please don't sell or claim as your own.  Thanks! 

Succulent art work is from Clara & Co.