candice mclean

excited.about.a.new.project.

new project. i ordered project life designed by becky higgins and my box arrived. becky offers two editions. amber edition and turquoise edition. i ordered the turquoise edition. 

i'm in love with this project and anxious to get started. the kit contains everything you need for one year of documenting your life. within the kit (go see the link above... it's better detailed) you receive a 12x12 album, 12x12 divided clear page protectors, 12x12 paper, boxes of wonderful journaling cards (I LOVE THESE!), stickers, date stamp, clear acrylic twelve month dividers. you can use project life to document each day (365) or each week (52).

my goal. i plan to record important events from each week. i know me. i'm too busy to document every day. with four kiddos to document, i'd start to feel overwhelmed. i want this to be fun and not overwhelming. i'm keeping it simple and more importantly, i want to finish the album. so excited. one entire year of our sweet life documented in okinawa.

ideally i'd start in january, but i recently discovered this project (on ali's blog). luckily i take lots of photos so i'm good there. i need to sit down one day and record the facts to accompany the photos... think back and remember. i'll use facebook and my blog to help me document those memories. thankfully i journal here and there so it should not be too hard. for now... i'm starting with today and keeping current. that's my goal!

for wonderful inspiration... see ali's project life. she amazes me. i love her organization. her art. and she posts regularly each week. she shows images. gives details. and takes questions.

getting started. i laid out my contents. organized them so it made sense to me. my brain works that way. i opted to use an american crafts 12x12 album. i want to embellish the cover with my own funky designs. using the twelve month acrylic dividers, i decided on how many page protectors to place in each monthly section. i also ordered AC 10x12 divided clear page protectors and placed one in each monthly section. the album itself came with ten 12x12 clear page protectors. i had some extra of these to add to the album so again i added one to each monthly section. i may add more. we'll see. i don't want it to be too overstuffed. so my pages are organized and now i'm starting to fill in my first week.

have a great weekend!

loving myself

if you and i are friends on facebook, you'll notice a trend. i begin my day with a new quote. my process is deliberate. i look for quotes that speak to me. i think about what i'm struggling with in my day to day life and i try to find a little inspiration. a little hope.

so here's the quote i posted yesterday...

Don't rely on someone else for your happiness and self worth. Only you can be responsible for that. If you can't love and respect yourself - no one else will be able to make that happen. Accept who you are - completely; the good and the bad - and make changes as YOU see fit - not because you think someone else wants you to be different. --Stacey Charter

i had a facebook friend write me and she asked...

Just wondering, what made you post that quote today? Be honest. It is poignant on a day like today for me.

after i read her question... i pulled out my journal and began writing like a crazy mad woman. i had a lot to say. i rambled on and on. and today... i'm sharing some of it. rephrasing it... so it hopefully makes some kind of sense.

don't rely on someone else for your happiness and self worth. only you can be responsible for that.

guilty. i do this. when i am at my lowest low, i rely on others to make me happy. excited. and joyful again. it's a synergy i look for in my friendships. i give and i receive. and because of this, i am purposeful and thoughtful when selecting friends. i surround myself around people who are happy. positive. joyful. thankful. inspiring. creative.

accept who you are - completely; the good and the bad - and make changes as YOU see fit.

there are days where i allow my insecurities to take over. i question everything. i question who i am. self doubt conquers my mind and soul and i become paralyzed. paralyzed with fear. there are things that i know i can do better and when i fall short i beat myself up. i love myself less. a feel lost. and sometimes out of control. and one thing i hate most... is feeling out of control and helpless.

i am learning to accept who i am. i'm not the perfect mother. i need to be more patient. i'm not the perfect wife. i need to learn to compromise when needed but not sacrifice who i am in the process. i need to allow myself to make mistakes. as a mother. as a wife. and as an artist.

new discovery. the other day, i had a great conversation with a friend while we collected seashells and sea glass. she said something about herself that i loved. she said... i'm not always reasonable. and i got it. right there. it was like BAM... instant connection. truthfully, i'm not a reasonable person and i tend to rebel. it's who i am. i see a different path and though it may be more challenging, i'll follow it. i've always been that way ever since a child. ask my parents... they'll concur. yep independent thinker and doer. nonetheless, i've enjoyed my paths of discovery.

me...the artist. as an artist, it's hard to put yourself out there. my biggest fear... failure and ridicule. you never know how someone will interpret your art. your work. your vision. i trust that my audience will get it. love it. and when they don't... well it is like taking a stab to the heart. ouch. why do i care so much?

catering to others. i'm guilty of this as an artist. i've created for my audience. i've thought... what will they like? what do they want to hear or see? and in the end, i hate the process and the final result. trusting myself to create is one of the hardest things to do. i'm learning to listen to my voice. to be me. to embrace me.

graffiti + cake

10 silly girls + beach + graffiti + 10 mini cakes + birthday hats + silly string = a whole lotta fun!

the tide pools of okinawa

photos are from sunday. the kiddos and i wandered about maeda flats searching the tide pools. we collected a ton of shells and sea glass. we're filling up our apothecary jars. blessings.

 

through the viewfinder

fashionable outfits

checkout these adorable, chic and fun looks. and the best part... easy on the budget.

oldnavy.com

oldnavy.com

bananarepublic.com

bananarepublic.com

gap.com

love this cardigan... & it would look great paired with some boyfriend jeans, a tank and flip flops.

modcloth.com

sweet retro inspired dress. paired with flats... and voila!

modcloth.com

connor at maeda flats

on sunday we headed to the beach - maeda flats. we were in search of seashells and sea glass. the tide was extremely low which enabled us to wander through caves and explore the tide pools. very cool stuff. i filled two CF cards photographing the kiddos and the things we discovered.

connor - age nine. man... he keeps growing vertically. i'm curious to see just how tall he will grow. if the doctor's forecast is correct... 6'1". *wow*

love the plastic container that adorns his head. so connor. we filled four of those containers with some yumminess. more photos to follow tomorrow. ciao!

quote for the day."Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”  -- Robert Heinlein

my roan growing up

roan attended a disco inspired dance on friday with her friends ellie and bergen. here are some pics i grabbed quickly before they jumped in the car.

funny conversations

around here we have some funny little conversations. sometimes i write them down - for my journals or scrapbooks. so i thought... i'll share them with y'all. let's have a good chuckle together. in no particular order of importance...

leaving the parking lot i stepped on the gas a little harder then normal and had a little fishtail action but quickly recovered. connor's response... "mama you've got mad driving skills." we all burst out laughing.

connor and carys are in the living room. i'm in my bedroom on the computer and i can hear them talking. connor start's passing gas and laughs out loud and asks his sister carys... "can you smell my farts?" carys responds... "that's gross connor and mama said you are not allow to say farts. it's poots!"

i had a little fender bender about two weeks ago. roan blurts out... "mama you're going to jail! call daddy right now and have him come get us!" connor follows... "mama i don't want to go to jail and be forced to smoke cigarettes." under much stress (another whole blog post) i laugh hysterically for a nano second. japanese police officer not looking so amused.

y'all have a splendid day.

courage

Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.  -- Ralph Waldo Emerson