How was Thanksgiving? I have a nice hangover but not from alcohol. Instead it’s that hangover caused by delicious food and lots of laughter and good fun. I feel like I worked out for days. Huh, if laughing is tiring me out perhaps its time for the gym. Hahah, nah! I hope your holiday was great.
CreativeNachos will have a major announcement next week. Now, I know today is Black Friday and some of you may want to get your shop on but I have a favor to ask. There will be some limited edition items available for purchase next week – WOOOHOOO- so if you haven’t gotten those holiday cards just yet, I ask you to wait just a few more days. I may have something you might like . For now, here’s a teeny, tiny preview.
In the comments here, tell me what do you think is happening to the naughty gingerbread man in this picture and the person to get it right OR get closest to the correct answer will receive a special holiday treat – 5 free holiday cards that I guarantee you’ll love. The contest ends on Monday, December 1st!
Gobble, gobble! This picture totally cracked me up. Sorry Charlie, I dig turkey!
It’s the day before Turkey Day, are you ready to eat and spend time with loved ones? I think I’ve been ready since last year. And it’s not just the eating that makes me long for Thanksgiving, although that’s a HUGE draw. It’s simply the fact that I like the lack of commercialism around this holiday. There aren’t 7 million commercials screaming at you to buy this or buy that in order to make your holiday a fun one. It’s simply a day to gather together to share the roof over your head, the food on your table and the love in your heart. How can you not dig that?
This Thanksgiving I’m thankful that my blog is fixed and you can post comments again!!! I’m thankful for my family who keeps me insane and my friends who listen when I share my insanity and love me anyway. I am thankful to you for coming here to listen to my craziness and for always being so supportive, insightful and funny. To the friends I knew before I started this and to those who I’ve met along the way, thanks for being in my life.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! (OH and YOU CAN POST COMMENTS NOW YAY!!!)
Before I begin, I just want to thank you all once again for coming to visit this space and for sharing with me. At this time, I am still unable to read my comments. So, if you commented on Friday or at any time throughout the weekend, I did not receive it which really burns me because I value the time you take to comment and always want to read anything you have to share.
It appears there is some issue with my blog. If it is not fixed today, I am seriously considering switching my blog hosting so if you have any recommendations, please let me know. In addition, I am still going to post and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Only – and I’m very sorry to ask because I know it adds one more step in a process – in order to share them, you will have to email me to let me know. My email address is Natasha@creativenachos.com. I’m so sorry about all this!
Ok, so instead of launching into a tirade about how angry I am at what’s going on with my blog, I thought as this is Thanksgiving week, we’d take the entire week to be thankful. Even though this is a busy, crazy time of the year, I think there are many reasons to slow down and take a look around to see the good things instead of all the “have to’s” or “have not’s”.
Today I find that I am thankful for two things. The first is a little, green turtle. This small bit of plastic brings the most incredible amount of happiness to my daughter. Last night after her bath, she misplaced it. We searched the house turning over everything and just when she thought all was lost (insert picture of little girl with head in hands saying, “Tu-tle again and again) we found him. Yes, he’d wandered under the couch. When she saw him, it was a moment I imagine similar to when my Mom first saw The Beatles, magical and unforgettable.
The second thing I am thankful for is creativity. While visiting the fabulous The Beadin’ Path store in Maine with two incredible women, Judy and Danielle, I stumbled upon these beads. I simply loved the colors. Then, a few weeks ago I had this image of the sun in my mind so I made this pendant, realized that the colors would be perfect with these beads and made this necklace. It makes me happy.
Hi everyone – if you having or want to comment on the post below, please email me at Natasha@creativenachos.com. I am have a technical issue with the comments that I am trying to solve now. Thanks! Can’t wait to hear the things you are thankful for today!!
Here we are again folks. A week has gone by and we find ourselves standing in the middle of another Thankful Friday thinking, “Man, I am so thankful for…” I’ll leave the end of that sentence up to you.
For now, here are the two things I am SO thankful for today.
I have been working on a HUGE work event for months …and months and what feels like years….. and tonight it finally happened. It was a success – a big shout out to Archie who worked ridiculously hard on it. WE DID IT! Our organization raised a good deal which will go toward our programs for kids. YAY!!! And now it’s done; I’m so happy but talk about beat!! I could sleep for a week; actually make it more like a month. But before I turn in for some Zzzzzz’s I have to share an even bigger thanks for the Champion kicks I purchased on my way to the event when I couldn’t run in my heels. Why was I running you ask? Oh because on the day I was born, I came into the world early. It was 8:23am and that was the last time in my life that I was early for anything.
The heels I was wearing were made for sauntering, even strutting but not running because running = blisters. So, I ducked into Payless and grabbed these babies off the shelf. Yes, I know I looked like I was going to play soccer in my dress but I was comfortable; my feet were screaming, “Amen! Thank YOU, Thank YOU, Thank YOU!” I am so thankful I live in a world where I can make my feet and my entire being that happy. It was a luxury, a material thing I know, but it made my life a million times better and allowed me to get to the event in a lot less pain.
However, I have to tell you, I am most thankful for one the funniest things in the world. My daughter cannot say, M&M. She can eat them like a mad woman but she cannot say that name. Instead, she calls them, “Amens.” So, at home or in stores she’ll say, “Mommy, Amens, Amens, Amens.” We sound like the most religious family in the neighborhood. So, I give thanks for the massive amount of joy a little “Amen” brings to my life.
So, a little while back Kate of What Kate Did Next tagged me and I’m finally getting a chance to play. Sorry for the delay, Kate! It’s been ages since I played the game. I used to love it for the sheer delight found in wildly running away from the person you had just tagged who was always wildly trying to tag you back. I’ve never played blog tag so I’m kind of digging this new experience. I am supposed to share six random things and then tag six other people.
Isn’t it funny that I could be sitting around on my couch and share something completely random with you for no reason at all and yet when asked to come up with something, I draw a blank?
After giving it some thought, here’s what I came up with:
1. In 1995, for an entire year of my life I ate a Kit Kat every single day. I’m not joking. Then just as quickly as it started, it stopped. Have you ever experienced a craving like that for that long?
2. I was five the first time I journeyed to Ireland to visit family members and friends with my parents. One friend, Maurice, brought me around to the side of his house one morning to show me a little cubby at the bottom of a tree filled with sunlight that poured in a small hole at the top of the tree and down the trunk. He told that Peter Rabbit lived there and being an avid fan of said bunny, I 100% believed him. I went on believing this till I was – well, old enough not to want to admit to you that I grew up believing Peter Rabbit lived in Ireland. I’m happy to report I found out the truth about Santa much earlier than this. Have you ever believed a childhood story longer than you should have?
3. I have always loved dancing and my big claim to fame is that I did ballet dancing at Carnegie Hall. Do you have a pivotal, magical moment from a childhood activity you participated in?
4. I can count from 1-10 in Gaelic and Irish dance like a maniac. My Irish dancing is at its best when I have my sidekick Charlotte with me.
5. Once, after pulling off the highway for gas, my husband and I sat at a red light on a main road in Virginia and a huge bug – I’m not kidding it was practically the size of my head – flew into the car. Instead of simply trying to wave it back out the window like a sane person, I screamed at the top of my lungs, “NOT HERE” (whatever the hell that means) and jumped out of the car into traffic. Here’s where we are thankful for it being a red light or I would have gone – SPLAT – like Frogger when he got hit by trucks. My husband was laughing so hard that he almost couldn’t drive the car. I walked along the side of the road and met him at the gas station where he sat with tears of laughter streaming down his face. Are you convinced I am insane now?
6. A friend had started a new job and on the third day I called, disguised my voice and left him a voicemail stating that I was “Kathy” from the “Computer Center” and we were having a major problem because his emails were blocking our system. I asked him to call me when he got back to his desk and then I forgot about it – for a year! So, one year later we are all hanging out when I suddenly remember this and bring it up not realizing that I had never shared it before. He was stunned that it had been me and shared what happened next. It turns out he stood up at his cubicle and asked where the “Computer Center” was. Well, his co-workers quickly realized that someone had been having a bit of fun with him so they decided to as well. They told him that the Chinese restaurant on the corner gave free lunches to all the employees at his new company. Needless to say the day he went for his free lunch, he found out that was not true. And to think, it all started with one innocent phone call. I’m a practical joker – a nice one – and I now I tell people fairly quickly about what I have done. Are you a joker?
Now to tag some fun people – some old, some new and all fabulous.
Tag rules: Link to the person who tagged you. Post the rules on your blog. Write 6 random things about yourself. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted…
This weekend, my daughter and I spent some time playing. We made more paper hearts and stars and then we drew – first on paper and then on our toes. After I made little purple faces on both of our big toes, we made them dance as we sat on the floor giggling. My daughter even gave her toe some purple hair which made me think of purple clay. I took it out of its hiding spot and we rolled it in our hands, flattened it on the floor and then she squeezed it into an interesting shape which led to the creation of something cool that I am going to paint. We let our imagination run wild and something new was born; I couldn’t help but think of Albert Einstein’s quote, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
We can attain knowledge – lots of it if we like – but I think it takes imagination to make that knowledge spring to life. I mean, there are people who use knowledge to define the parameters of life, who live within the confines of the rules they have learned thereby using knowledge as bricks to build a castle around them. There are even those who use knowledge or withhold knowledge as a way to control others.
However, in order to teach, develop some new technological, medical, artistic or other breakthroughs or simply enrich our lives, we need to imagine a way to grow our knowledge. When we take knowledge and play with it – and I mean that quite seriously, when I use the word play – new things are born. The moment we allow our imaginations room to breathe, we can dream and make those dreams come true. In fact I might go so far as to say that knowledge can’t really exist without imagination because knowledge is acquired through discovery and there really can’t be discovery without playing and playing can’t happen without unleashing the imagination.
For example, if I did not allow myself to imagine the possibility that vanilla cookie dough ice cream with chocolate syrup, whipped cream and baby M&M’s might be wonderful, I would never have discovered the best taste my mouth and stomach have ever experienced.
Knowledge is important but knowledge without imagination makes me feel like …well, like the world is flat.
What do you think? What is something you recently imagined and brought to life?
Can you believe it? It’s that time again. Thankful Friday Part Deux has arrived and it’s time to think back over the week to see what things you are grateful for. I have two again.
Thursday was a rainy day in the big city which means that my pad turns into the Imagination Empire where towers are built and knocked down, boxes are turned into cars that race across the floor (aka Mommy pushes her little one across the floor in a diaper box) and toy bins are emptied of their contents and used as everything from forts to mountains that need to be scaled.
However, through a series of events that included my daughter picking up tiny bits of paper Mommy had left around after working on a project and Mommy pretending to make soup, we created “A Hearty Soup” together filled with colored hearts and stars. We filled the pot with tons of colorful, little bits before she lifted the pot in the air to turn it over. For a moment, I was gripped by that “adult” behavior, the one that makes me try to contain messes. But I soon regained my senses and let her pour them on the floor.
Now, there is not an inch of our house that is free from them. You could be sitting on the couch and look down to spot a heart pasted to your leg. She rolled over in bed and two hearts were underneath her. I spotted a star sitting before the bathtub; it looked like it was waiting for me to lift it and put it in water.
I love the fact that my house is filled with color that could surprise you at any moment. I’m so thankful for color, creativity, imagination, love and the odd rainy day.
I am also thankful for the Dove Blueberry Almond Milk Chocolate Bar some kind family member left in our fridge.
Welcome to Wednesday WooooHooooo! Let’s kick it 70’s style as we celebrate the 1st Birthday of CreativeNachos! Shake it, clap those hands and sing along. For a few minutes just let yourself go and pretend it’s New Years. That’s what I’m doing.
It’s hard to believe that one year ago today I wrote my first post and shared it with you. I started this thing thinking I was starting something on my own. I was posting. I was writing. However, I quickly came to understand that I was far from alone. I was not composing essays and sending my thoughts out into a void, I was having a conversation with you. We talked about pj’s, bad hair, favorite smells and curious quirks. We shared our hopes, fears and dreams all on this creative playground. We met incredibly talented, everyday folks who talked about pursuing their dreams and shared advice in interviews in the hopes of inspiring others. Our conversations, our journey together has been fascinating.
Some of you have been with me since the beginning and some are newcomers to the Nacho fest but all of you have enriched my life. Through your comments I have learned a great deal about the compassion of others, the willingness to support one another, the love, care and hope people carry around in their heart everyday and how willing they are to share it. You have helped me to shift my perspective when I was stuck and made me laugh when I forgot how to. You’ve picked me up, cheered me on and inspired me to no end. I am deeply thankful to all of you for all that you have given when you comment.
In reading through my old posts, I found themes. For instance, I spent most of this year being uncomfortable in my own skin and that has been a gift. I have pushed myself harder and tried more new things this year than ever. I stopped over thinking my posts and started to just be myself. I stopped thinking of myself as alone and started thinking about how much fun it is to collaborate – especially on our nacho story.
As I step into the 2nd year of this blog, I start to think about what I want for the future. It is honestly like New Years only I’m not making resolutions; I’m making suggestions and hoping I follow through. I look to share more with you – not just of my words but of my artwork. I look to try more collaborative projects. I look to learn more from you.
Thank you for all your love and support. Tell me, do you have a favorite Nacho moment? And, if you’d like to pretend this is New Years for you too, what’s one new thing you’d like to do this year?
Much love and many hugs to all of you. Thanks for being an inspiring part of the journey of my life!
And do you know What Kate Did Next? She gave me a Kreativ Blog Award! (Insert wild cheering and applause here). Thank you, Kate Lord Brown! If you haven’t visited Kate’s blog you really need to check it out. Her writing is fresh, her ideas get you thinking, and her wit and down-to-Earth nature leave you wanting more. I swear one hit of Kate and you’ll be addicted, just like I am.
This award asks that you list six things that make you happy, then bestow it upon six creative individuals, who in turn share their six happy things, if they want to, and award it to six blogs they love, linking back and so on. I spent a TON of time thinking about this over the weekend and I have to say when you allow yourself time to pay attention to that which makes you happy, you might be surprised to find that there are loads of things. Allow me to share some with you.
I am happy today because:
My daughter said the words, “I love you” recently. Although it sounds more like “I lud you” it is the best sound I have ever heard in my life and every time she says it, my heart skips a beat.
My creative brain won’t shut off. A friend of mine recently pointed out that not everyone has these insane, creative spurts – they sometimes keep me up at night writing and sketching – and I should be happy that I am able to experience them. Every day they bring me one step closer to opening my shop.
My husband and I took a walk the other night, held hands, ate ice cream with yummy things like sprinkles and baby M&M’s and talked like we did when we first met. That feeling I get when we just enjoy one another fills me with happiness.
There was a moment yesterday as we were walking through the park when the leaves began to fall – bright yellow and brilliant red leaves. It was happening so slowly for a second it looked like it was snowing.
A huge, beautiful butterfly landed on an orange flower right in front of my daughter and me. We got to watch it for quite awhile – its wings moving in a motion that reminded me of breathing. We were both in awe.
A bowl of minestrone soup on a chilly day fills me with the same warm as a cup of cocoa and makes me smile inside and out.
Next comes the hard part. There are so many folks with fantastic blogs who inspire me and make me laugh and think. There are some that were even listed on Kate’s list as we all have become admirers of one another. It was extremely hard to choose but I’ve decided to give this award to a group of fabulous people that I have watched grow and bloom and who keep me moving forward and dreaming, even on days when I feel stuck!
Thank you for making Thursday’s more fun, for your incredible photos and sharing the Beedle process, hilarious and heartfelt mud, many teacakes, picking up your entire life to explore and share your discoveries in foreign lands like Egypt, and for making a beautiful mess. Thanks for always inspiring me by believing in you and making unforgettable art out of life.
. For now, here’s a teeny, tiny preview.
