on giving our(SELVES) what we need

These past few weeks have seen me in  a strange place...overwhelmed + tired + emotional. I know that so much of that has seeped into my blog posts ...and into my family/mothering/partnering/friendships/e-mails/art etc. So...I just had to slow down, step outside of my life and into mySELF. Sometimes...it's just so difficult to do that, isn't it. Something so simple as listening to what we need...and then giving it to ourSELVES or reaching out and asking for help(I'm so terrible at this!!). For me...it was simply some down time...putting my camera and books away and unplugging from the computer for a few days. It was asking having an entire day for myself to...go into my studio in the morning rather than at 10 at night when I'm exhausted. It's having time to do my nails(!!!), sit and do absolutely nothing at all...and then... sit some more. It was about writing an article that I poured my heart and soul into and that left me feeling so vulnerable...but in such a good way (more on that soon!!!). It was about having the time to appreciate my life with a heart full of gratitude. It was about sitting in the morning sun and writing a few old fashioned letters. It's about soul-time + heart time + down time.

It was about nesting and turning our house into a home. The most important thing...is that our home is a safe, nourishing, creative environment. A place that reflects our love...that has a heart and soul.
This is an art wall that I just completed putting together...Tara's gorgeous art and colorings are everywhere in our home and we just adore looking at them! I picked up these Sanjay Patel prints a few weeks ago and simply love the very Indian prints but ...with a modern, graphic twist. They are sprinkled all over our home and Tara just can't get enough of them! I love mixing Indian/exotic with vintage/western ...everything!!!

It's about spending quality time with Tim + Tara . We have been baking gingerbread cookies, doing crafts and creating stories. This book right here is amazing! There are so many wonderful activities to foster creativity and storytelling in children (+ adults!!)...that fill up our souls with the most wonderful kinds of gifts.
Really...it's simply about giving ourSELVES permission to ask for (and receive) what we need. It's about asking our loved ones, our work and art...the world...can you give me what I need? Can you hear me? Can you see me? And knowing that giving and receiving are all part of the same circle...