A New York Yankees apple was in order – a big thank you to all New Yorkers for embracing the Apple-A-Thon.
Since I was born in Princeton, NJ and my Dad grew up in Upper Montclair, NJ – listening to the Yanks with my grandfather, Willard who was a huge fan – I will root for the Yankees happily this year. My brothers, Red Sox fans and my husband a Colorado Rockies fan will have to – have to – approve this year.
His article explains in clear terms what happens in the body when Autoimmune Disease is triggered. I was stunned by the comments – I had to weigh in myself because people turned his article into a three ring circus of ways to “cure” us and all of the things we’ve done to bring these diseases on ourselves. These comments we feel deeply. Very deeply. Like arrows in our hearts.
It’s time for us to fight back – shoot those arrows back at them. One comment here and there won’t have an effect but if we bundle our shots together, we can change this perception.
The comments could wound me if I let them. I choose to not let them anymore.
Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. ~Charles Richards
Oy!
Every day is made use of even the ones where we rest, reflect, and chill! I remember the days on end when all I wanted was some relief of my symptoms. I know many of you are still in that place and I so wish it weren’t so. I still have those days although they are fewer between. I am feeling a huge responsibility to make sure that I express correctly how difficult most of the days with Spondylitis can be.
Please know I will do my best in my upcoming interviews. If you can express for me how you would say it – it would help me.
We all have them. We all get through them. I’ve discovered the great outlet of writing this past year. So – I wrote it all out and I feel so much better. I haven’t posted on The Fight Like A Girl Club website in a couple of months so my feelings and emotions of today came pouring out. If you get a chance – please check it out.
Until tomorrow.
Jenna
Day 347 was created in watercolor with a technique I love – create an object with water only and then lay in the color. The area that you place the water contains the color and keeps the line.
This apple that seems to never sleep is so gosh darned excited to get to the city that never sleeps!
I know I’ve been telling you all that information about the Apple-A-Thon is coming – and it is – but I’ve had a few details that have been harder to pull together than my insanely optimistic self thought they’d be. Doh! But what I’d love to tell you all is that I’ve designed an Apple A Day Art poster that I’m really excited about and will be a big part of the fundraising efforts for the event and through the month of October. Make sure to add your name to the “Contact Us” form here and pledge to get your art poster or one of the originals I paint during the 24 hour event.
I’ve promised my husband and my mother that I will try to unwind and get some sleep tonight. I am getting so excited that it’s been difficult lately. So good night good friends – please let me know via email or the contact me form if you think you might be joining us in The Big Apple for the event!
What an amazing modern day fairy tale Shrek is. An ogre who finds true love with a princess who is beautiful on the inside. Shrek goes on quite an adventure all in the hopes of getting his quiet, lonely life back to normal and having his swamp ousted of all the fairy tale creatures.
What Shrek finds much to his surprise is friends and love. It’s an irreverent tale of happiness and life lessons! One of my favorite scenes is when Shrek helps Donkey face his fears – a scene when his heart starts to truly soften.
Shrek helps Donkey over a rickety bridge and says…
“Come on, Donkey. I’m right here beside ya, okay? For emotional support, we’ll just tackle this thing together one little baby step at a time.”
Shrek gets Donkey distracted – he says “That’ll do, Donkey. That’ll do.” His way of saying each step Donkey takes is one more that will get them there together.
All this and the return of “I’m a Believer!” Quite a tale – one that’ll do for sure!
4. Check out the new and improved emails from – The Daily Apple! If you haven’t already done so, please sign up to receive apples in your inbox. The New Daily Apple will include information that I don’t post on my blog including art, health, and of course… apples!
Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn. ~Elizabeth Lawrence
August is marching on. I’ve started to feel the air change and the weight of the hot days lift. Last night the first hint of fall showed up with a blessed cool breeze that allowed me to snuggle under my down comforter.
I hope to take some time to stop and watch the season starting ever so slowly to change.
I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition. – Martha Washington
We all have a certain amount of situational awareness or (SA). I can predict some things with certainty. The cat will sit on top of the the dryer every night starting at about 8pm waiting for his evening meal, Doug will not put the salt & pepper shaker back in the cabinet but place them on the counter below, and if my Dad is in a waiting area in an airport with time before a flight – he WILL call me. I find it to be a crazy concept that we can predict much of anything in life but the concept of SA is “knowing what is going on around you so that you can decide what to do” is a given – having a concept for this makes me laugh. You can predict certain behaviors but you cannot possibly know everything that is going on – that is counter intuitive if you ask me. All we can do is decide what to do based on what we do know and are paying attention to. For all you scientists or philosophers or anyone who has an opinion on this please – tell me where I’m going wrong. And, Doug – explain it to us in terms of baseball… (check comments – he’s dying to explain to all of us SA in terms of baseball.)
Things that we feel are predictable help make life less chaotic. But, times come when we need to mix it up a bit. Change sides of the bed you sleep on, try a new hairstyle, or… purchase art supplies that you’ve always wanted to try but didn’t want to risk not liking. What I did today was unpredictable even to myself – I’m going to try it more often!
I went downtown this morning to meet my friend Nate and his new friend Justin for brunch and afterwards I was right around the corner from the art super store. I could have bought the same old, same old but I saw that they had some new watercolors. A brand that I’ve considered purchasing before but hadn’t because I would have had to order them online and I am very set in my watercolor ways. But, I bit the bullet and purchased 4 of the super expensive (Doug is now thinking – how super expensive) paints – just to see. I got home and started on my daily apple, excited to experiment with my new paints. And… well, I have mixed feelings. There was no way I could predict this – I just had to give it a go and although they didn’t “act” the way I expected I’m very glad I got them and I know that I will find a way to incorporate them in a way that works and is blessedly predictable. If that doesn’t end up happening at least I tried and know and can now make a situational decision.
I plan on looking for ways to break out of my usual and normal situation – I might not be able to predict the outcome but like Martha, I can feel confident that I’ll meet it with happiness no matter what because that circumstance I can determine!
Until tomorrow.
Jenna
Day 310 was created in a mixture of Danial Smith watercolors and my “usual” pallet as well as prismacolor pencils, graphite, and a gold sharpie! FUN
