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February 28, 2018

Currently: February 2018

 

Currently February 2018 on Shutterbean.com

Currently February 2018:

Aaaaaaand we close out another month.

Goodbye, February. You went by pretty fast!

And DANG, we finally got some cold weather here in the Bay area.

My Everyday Life: Week 7 on Shutterbean.com

The blossoms are popping off in our neighborhood in February and It’s DELIGHTFUL.

 

Currently February 2018 on Shutterbean.com

 

Inspired By:

My mother-in-law gifted me a course at  San Francisco Center for the Book for Christmas and I took a Brush Lettering class. I’ve been taking a few classes on Skillshare and wanted to give sign painting a try. I adore retro/hand-painted signs.

It WAS HARD and it was GOOD.

It made me remember how important it is to do things we are not good at.

To put ourselves in uncomfortable positions of not being good.

To learn from our peers.

To learn from our teacher.

Stepping outside of your comfort zone can help you reach new levels.

It was good practice.

Being around people who were so enthusiastic about what they were learning is exciting. I’m realizing that I find the most inspiration when I do things I didn’t think I’d do/meeting people I never expected to meet. There’s so much to learn in life and every experience can help inform the next.

My Everyday Life: Week 6 on Shutterbean.com

Will I do more brush painting? I’m not sure. But I know that I have learned new ways to start and end letters. I’ve learned an appreciation for hand-painted signs I see in my everyday life. And now, I’ll think of my Mother-In-Law and how encouraging she’s always been of my creativity whenever I see brush lettering out in the wild.  Thank you for helping me keep my sparkle alive, Linda! I know you’re reading this and I love you!

My Everyday Life: Week 7 on Shutterbean.com

Visit with my friend Lisa Solomon. She painted me and my Mom!

My Everyday Life: Week 6 on Shutterbean.com

Sip & Paint at Nimbus Arts– hosted by my friend Helen Jane!

Helen Jane and I are planning on teaching together soon. Stay tuned for that info.

I also took a gardening workshop with Kendra Smoot at Neve & Hawk.

My brain is happy with all the new skills it’s learning.

Watching:

Everything Sucks!

We finished it this week. I really loved it. I think it’s well done and THE SOUNDTRACK IS BRINGING ME BACK to high school. We read that next season (yay!) will have more Third Eye Blind songs. That band connects me and Casey so it’s going to be fun to watch.

Casey has been watching all of the American Pie movies while I work in bed.

WHAT A BLAST FROM THE PAST.

We’re getting all nostalgic this month.

Oh and we watched Beetlejuice with Cooper (who LOVED it).

Reading:

This is what I have currently checked out from the library:

Brunch is Hell  – it’s so funny and helpful!

Living with Plants  – because I live with quite a few!


Drawing in Black & White  – there are so many fun projects that I’d love to do with Cooper.

The Great Food Almanac – we have this on the coffee table right now and I like to browse through it when I’m drinking my coffee. Cooper and I are FACT junkies so this book is pretty great.

Simple Abundance– My mom gave this book to me when I was 19 and I’ve been finding a lot of comfort reading it almost daily. It still holds up after all of these years.

 

My Everyday Life: Week 6 on Shutterbean.com

Thinking About:

All the trips I wanna take.

All the things I wanna do.

My brain is daydreamy right now (like more than usual).

Without my Mother around everything is new. Life is different. I don’t know I want to happen.

I’m hoping to do more gardening this year. It makes me feel so happy to be outside in the dirt….watching things grow. Tending to your own garden instead of admiring other people’s gardens is the best way to direct energy!

Listening To:

A few songs we’re into right now:

Cooper’s favorite:

A good one to listen to with headphones on:

this song keeps coming on and I feel like it’s my Mom saying hello:

Oh! We also watched Beetlejuice with Cooper and I’ve been listening to the soundtrack while I work.

 

Dream Life:

I had a dream about my mother. She was in my bedroom looking at me. Her hair was a little lighter. I was confused that she was alive and I ran to her and HUGGED HER and told her how happy I was to see her and how much I’ve missed her. It brightened my day. I’ve been waiting for her to show up and there she was!

Other than that, I’m still dreaming of camp life.

Eating/Drinking:

Not well. I am focusing the least on what I’m eating right now. Food isn’t really exciting to me. It’s comfort….it’s quick…it’s attached to feelings. I have been eating them. I need to remember my good habits.

I need to feel inspired by food again. That usually happens when I get away from my routine at home.

Mama needs a plane ticket to somewhere.

A few afternoons a week I have a turmeric latte. 

If you've got an afternoon sugar craving, try this Turmeric Latte recipe to satisfy your sugar cravings. It's made with almond milk, coconut oil, turmeric & cinnamon. Find the recipe on Shutterbean.com!

That’s making me happy.

I’ve also been relying on old standbys like:

Thai Beef with Basil || shutterbean

Thai Basil Beef

Nom Nom Paleo's Cracklin' Chicken is weeknight staple! Find the recipe on Shutterbean.com

Cracklin Chicken

Grateful for:

I am grateful for the candy molds that I brought home from my Mom’s kitchen. It made me feel really good to be able to spread the love this Valentine’s Day. She would be proud of our Valentine’s Day cards, I’m sure!

Happy Valentine's Day from Tracy of Shutterbean.com

Self Portrait:

My Everyday Life: Week 7 on Shutterbean.com

March, we’re coming for you!

Currently February 2018 on Shutterbean.com

Also…here’s what February was like in 2017:

Currently February 2017 on Shutterbean.com

 

Thanks for reading Shutterbean!  If you’d like to check out more of my everyday life, follow me on Instagram and be sure keep in touch via Facebook, Twitter,  Bloglovin,  Pinterest, or subscribe via email to get new posts delivered to your inbox.

  • Patri Lara

    Tracy! I just wanted to say hola!
    And to tell you that just weeks after my dad passed away I had the same dream. It is so crazy, right?!
    I remember he knocked on my door and when I opened it, huged him so hard and then scolded him: Where have you been?!?!? We have been sick worried about you…
    Dreams are so weird, right? But every time I dream about him makes me super happy (it’s been 5 years since he passed)
    And this week I’ve been thinking about him even more than usuarl.. I don’t know why and reading your dream made me think of him again 😉
    Anyway, sending you hugs and love and kisses.
    Even though now it seems impossible, things will get better with time.
    Love,
    Patri

    • Kristin

      Such a great dream! As I told Tracy, I want to know how to get my dad to show up. After my brother-in-law died in an accident at 28, I did dream that he came to the door. I felt so awkward and embarrassed, thinking, “Oh my gosh, all this time we thought Bill was dead, but here he is!” I was sad when I woke up and realized it was a dream. Wish I’d thought to talk to him instead of getting all confused.

      • Cyndi Rickey

        I felt the same way a few weeks after my mom died, in my dream I got a phone call from her and I got so discombobulated about it I couldn’t remember speaking to her. It was comforting though. Just thought she called to let me know she was okay and healthy again.

        Tracy, glad you got a hug…peace & love to you, it’s hard. Been 17 years now for me and always will miss her. Greater the love, deeper the grief. You fill life with love, keep on showing up!

        • Tracy

          Thanks for your perspective, Cyndi. It makes me how many years I have to go without my Mom….sigh.

      • Tracy

        Dream life is always so peculiar! You never know what’s going to happen. Maybe try to think about your Dad/look at pictures of him before you go to bed so your sub conscious has some imagery to pull from.

    • Tracy

      YES YES YES

  • Shannon Y.

    I made your coconut carrot soup last night for the first (but definitely not the last!) time. And then I promptly emailed everyone in my family telling them to make it as well. Thanks for encouraging creativity and health through what we eat! This recipe is going to become a standby—so easy and I almost always have the ingredients on hand.

    • Tracy

      FABULOUS!!!!!!! It’s a good one. One of my favorite. I’m glad it’s a winner in your family circle. Much love, Shannon!

  • Robyn

    Come to Joy’s Drake on Cake class in May! I’m going and it would be so much fun to meet you too!

  • Hillary

    I think reading about your dream inspired one of my own. In it, I discovered that my grandmother was actually alive but about to pass. I had the opportunity to say goodbye.

    Inspired by: the perspective of age, not giving in to fear, embroidery
    Eating: dry cereal, lentils, chocolate covered espresso beans
    Reading: ??? can’t get into anything
    Wearing: new old pants and new-to-me wedges
    Wishing for: warmth, spring, no more snow, time alone

  • libby

    Tracy – I read Yarn Harlot blog and she lost her mother shortly before you, and is going through a lot of the same things. Her blog to day was similar to yours, about dreams of people who have died. I think you would like it, but get some tissues before you read it.

    http://www.yarnharlot.ca/

    Enjoy your blog.

  • Mari

    The class your mother in law gave you…..wonderful!!! I loved the calligraphy. Wish I could do that….I may go to Michaels and find a beginners book? it was inspiring to say the least. I hope u do keep up with that type of lettering…gorge.

    🙂 Mari

  • Susan

    I’ve been working on beginner brush lettering and beginner watercolors this year and I totally agree that it’s important to be brave enough to do something you are not good at. In the past I’ve tended to not either not try something new or quit it early if I couldn’t be great at it, but something switched last year and I am finding a new kind of joy in pushing myself.

    Also, my dad died last summer and my dreams are still mixed up. We lived quite a ways apart so wasn’t a part of my day to day life and I continue to be surprised when he shows up in my dreams.

  • Kristin

    beetlejuice will always be a personal favorite! the soundtrack is great, too!

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