The Power of Pretend

Has it been over a month since I wrote to you my duckies? I am so terribly sorry. That is what happens though when you wander in Nevermoore. One can never tell when they will get back... Especially if there is tea to be had.

With Halloween fast approaching and the little one's running around trying to figure out what they will be for the Holiday. I am left with my thoughts and pondering of who determines what it is to be an adult? Certainly not me. To be an adult now is the same as it was to be an adult when I was little...You can do whatever you want.

Now I have diligently tried to lead you back down the road to becoming a kid again, with simple steps. In the end however it all boils down to one thing. You have to pretend again.

We all pretend to a certain degree. We daydream at work of the cute little cabana at the beach where we would sip on something cold...and for some of us it would always be 5'oClock somewhere. The mountains we would climb, the horses...(*ahem Unicorns*) we would ride off into the sunsets.

But this is not what I am referring to my darlings. What I mean is really pretend again! When you were a kid, did you ever want to something really awesome? I don't just mean a police man, or a firefighter...those are attainable with a little hard work...Well let's be honest! Anything we dream can be attainable with a little hard work.

Okay, so what I mean is did you ever want to be Batman? Or Superman able to fly and have laser vision? No....Some kind of mutant, like Jean Gray, or Wolverine?

 Guess what...The beauty of being an adult is that we can go back and revisit those things just like our kids do. And it will make play time all the more fun with them if Dad or Mom is a super-hero right beside them. Or a super villain that they can vanquish. (I mean come on... most of us in our childhood wished we could vanquish our parents, so why not have a little fun with it.)

This for me is what Nevermoore is built on, and will continue to be built upon. I hope to provide you with a world to escape through with books, and play food, and sketches that will capture your imagination again. I will be re-launching my Etsy store Friday 10/11/13. And hope you all will join me.

The blog will becoming more focused on the progress of new items for the store as well as my journey in and out of Nevermoore through the written word, and I am truly excited for you to meet the characters that run around in my head all day.  It is about time I give them a bit more leg room...it's getting a bit cramped up there.

Now you just have to remember that Pretend and Imagination is the secret. For if you can conquer these you truly have the Power...For this is where the Magic lies.

Walking among Giants

I took a trip to Washington state with my husband so he could start the process of being hired with a company in Tacoma, and we decided to make it a family trip as well.

On the way back we decided to stop at a couple of places as I've never been to the West Coast before. So we stopped at Multnomah Falls in Oregon, and drove through the Redwood National Forest in upper Cali on the way home.

Let me tell you. If you are questing for that childhood magic, go back to nature! If you are close enough to these huge wonders visit them as you will get that tiny kid feeling no matter how old you are, but not just that. There is a magic in the forest, and in nature that just cannot be described.

 

I stood at the base of the falls in wonder at how tall the waterfall was. Feeling the spray on my face and hearing the water crash against the mountain wall was literally so beautiful and majestic that I just wanted to cry at how happy I was.

We looked at the sign next to the falls, 1 mile to the top. I can do that I thought, I walked that about a week ago with the kids at Walmart (literally, I tracked it on my phone with my Charity Miles app which is wonderful, I encourage everyone to put this on their phone and use it.) You can keep track of how far you walk, run, or bike, and for every mile walked, ran, or biked Charity Miles will donate money to the charity of your choice, such as Feed America, Wounded Warriors, etc.

Back to the story though, about halfway up the mountain, I didn't think I could make it. My bum leg was giving me fits, and my knees felt like they had turned to powder about four bends back, but I had this amazing energy that kept pushing me, and I had to make it to the top. And it was so worth it at the top. We breaked, soaked up the beauty of the Columbia River pre falls, and basked in one another's company. We even managed to find two 4-leafed clovers among the shamrocks.

Though my legs felt like jello on the way back down the mountain, I felt so proud of myself that I hadn't let my injuries get the best of me, and I could feel that little spark inside my chest again, the one that I felt when I was a kid and had brought my mom flowers that I had picked in the forest. The one when you look up with your innocent eyes and her smile is just beaming back down at you.

But that wasn't the only child like wonder this day felt. Towards the end of the day I knew we were approaching the Redwoods, but the trees were still fairly small, so I kept picking at my husband about the trees don't look like they are getting any bigger to me!

Boy was I wrong. Darkness set in, but the trees were getting huge, and he (the Hubs) said they would be even bigger in the morning. I watched with my nose and hands pressed against the side window as tree trunks the size of my car whizzed by. OH! I could hardly contain myself. I was bouncing in my seat, and grinning from ear to ear.

Yet, as awestruck as I was already at the size of the tree's we drove through at dark, I was even more astounded by the ones we stopped to hug, and wander beneath the next day. These trees were huge, and over 3,200 years old. I felt as if I had fallen into Wonderland and had taken a sip of that liquid shrinking elixir.

And I discovered again that that is where the magic lies, right there in that inability to contain excitement. The innocent pleasure in something magnificent that dazzles us. It could be the old gentleman sitting in the photo department who does a slight of hand magic trick with a plastic coin, or having tea time with George the Clown (my crocheted stuffed clown from childhood) in the garden, or standing beneath a tree that you cannot wrap your arms around, but it's there. We have to allow ourselves this pleasure, this simplicity without the addition that comes so many times when we are adults. We have to stop the negativity of ourselves the inner hate that say's "well, it was just a slight of hand trick that con-artists use, or it's just a stuffed toy, this is stupid."

We must enjoy the moment, and accept the innocence and simplicity of the moment in order to feel the magic. So take the time to meditate if you will, find a quiet spot, and tune yourself into yourself and find that inner child, and let the magic flow.

Unicorn Sneezes and Goblin Bogies

So with school and the holiday schedule I have fallen a bit behind in posting. I apologize, one day I will be consistent with this, I promise...just probably not any time soon as an overwhelming load of college will be crashing down on me next week again. :(

But not to be discouraged, as I will be trying desperately to keep you updated on how to keep yourself young with that childlike happiness, and magic.

So to start out April, why don't you do something you haven't done in a while, or at the very least, try something new. Which is what the family and I did a few days ago. We made some wonderful homemade squishy Slime.

 

Isn't it absolutely fabulous? The girls had great fun with how slimy it was, and the fact that if they squished a lid down over it the most wonderful "fart" noises came out. I've pinned instructions for it up under my Pinterest board Successful Kiddo Projects. 

 

Now while playing with this stuff I had an epiphany that goes with the items that I will be placing in my Etsy shop (hopefully before Christmas). What would be better than wonderful Unicorn sneezes and Goblin Bogies? And of course their is the re-moistening agent of Troll Drool! Delightful if I do say so myself. Okay, perhaps I am a bit odd you are thinking to yourself, but this is what I am talking about this is the kid in me. The things that as a child I would have loved playing pretend with. (Okay well perhaps I wouldn't have pretended to play with Goblin Bogies, but I bet there is a little boy out their somewhere chasing little girls with something gooey on the end of a stick yelling "run princess or the goblin will snot on you!")

 

But as I was saying. These will be up in my shop as soon as I do field testing on them to see how long they are good for. I mean we wouldn't want moldy Unicorn sneezes now would we?

 

I have quite a few ideas that I will be working on as I take another leave of absence from you my wonderful followers. But I will give you a bit of a sneak at what will be coming up:

 

Dragon, Griffon, and Wyvern Eggs, fairy food and semi-live stories on YouTube! Keep your eyes peeled for the next few months, because I plan to be super busy, and I hope you will be involved with my escapades. So until next time...

 

Remember to keep the magic alive and become a child again.

Addiction

Being born and raised in the sunny (albeit frequently liquid sunny) state of Florida I never understood the wonderful cold flakes falling from the sky known as snow. Then my family and I were shipped overseas to Germany with the military and I found the beauty of that powdery wonderful fluffy cold stuff. I lucked out and had a white Christmas while there, and have been addicted ever since.

Here in Arizona though snow is again a rarity, and is usually only seen on the mountains.

But at the beginning of last week on Monday we were treated to white flakes out of a fairly clear sunny sky. We went into my daughters doctors appointment being able to see somewhat green trees and parking lot and came out to find a white blanket covering everything.

So beautiful, I watch the snowflakes fall, so graceful in it's decent. But my thoughts are broken by the grumble of a curmudgeon.

"Oh Lord! Oh Lord! Look at this mess." The lady cried rushing to her vehicle.

Mess. I thought What mess? How can they go through their lives and not see the beauty and magic of snow? Do they not see the fairies that flitter amongst the branches? Wrapped in woollen coats tossing tiny snowballs at those passing by?

These of course are my instant thoughts as I watch the snow and here those Negative Nancy's (no offense if your name is Nancy) with their complaints and nay says.

Always in touch with my inner child I suppose whenever I see it fall. I love the snow it falls and I want to fall into it to make snow angels. I want to dump baskets of it on myself just to pretend its snowing. Build 10ft snowmen and have snowball fights till it's dark and I'm so cold I have to be thawed out by a gallon of hot chocolate, chicken noodle soup and a long hot soak in a tub filled to capacity with glorious white bubbles that remind me of that glorious snow.

Then I was treated again this week to a practical blizzard of rarity in our neighboring town. Went into a store for lunch with a cloudy sky, came out trying to avoid the onslaught of a fairy snowball attack. Of course once I was in the safety of the nice warm car I was immediately accosted by a snowball to the face by my loving husband, but despite trying to avoid being covered in snow outside. I truly reveled in it's beauty. It's rarity in this neck of the woods, (well cactus) so to speak.



Now the snow is gone, and as always I'm left wanting more.

So until it comes again I will find ways to experience that childlike wonder again. I will relive it over and over after looking at the photographs, and every once in a while throwing a bit of flour or powdered sugar up in the air to let it snow down on my head. ;)

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

So I know I posted recently that I would be letting you all in on what has been going on in my life recently. Well, this is still a bit hard, but I am going to insert a video here that I recently did for my class. It gives an overview of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, then I will comment below.

Now that gives you a bit about the disorder and what it entails. I did mention briefly in the video that I have been diagnosed with PTSD.

I haven't told many people about this because I feel extremely guilty about having PTSD. I never went to war, and I have guilt over that as well. For me I have difficulty accepting that I am a veteran because I never saw war. It doesn't help when hard core service men and women also flat out tell you that you are not a real soldier unless you deploy. So this adds to the weight that I feel.

Not only do I feel guilty about having the PTSD, on top of the guilt felt for not going down range, my form of PTSD is a bit odd because my brain will not only remember my training, but then start adding in additional dangers.

My PTSD is associated with my initial military training (Basic Training). While many of you are thinking that it's no big deal it was to me. I treated ever scenario and training session as if my life, and the lives of my fellow soldiers were on the line. That is a very traumatic ordeal to go through for someone who had been sheltered her entire life from the negatives and ugly side of the world.

I went from the magic of dancing with fairies, riding unicorns in rainbows, and trying to find mermaids in the ocean to being taught how to take that magic light and sparkle out of someone else's eyes. And while many of you may think that sounds dramatic that is exactly how it felt for me, and how it is.

I am currently going through therapy to alleviate this situation, and the flashbacks that I have. I have gotten better, I am at least able to watch movies that are military related now. True I practically cry through the whole thing but it is getting better, I am able to cry through it instead of trying to grasp for a weapon I no longer carry as protection.

I am not writing this for you to feel sorry for me or for you to give me sympathy. I am writing to let you know why sometimes I'm away for undetermined amounts of time. I'm writing as a way to no longer be ashamed of the hidden wounds people never see. Above all, I am writing because I want people to understand that this can happen to anyone, and a reminder to treat others as you would want to be treated. We do not know what trials another has had to endure, or what demons they battle.

Please be good to one another. And if you need help, please seek it, DO NOT feel ashamed of what you are struggling with.

 

http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/where-to-get-help.asp

 

 

 

Video works cited:

Aggravated Assault. Digital image. Criminal Defense and Contract Disputes. Matthew E. Becker, Esq., 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

Car Accident Wallpaper. Digital image. Wallpaper Asylum. N.p., 29 Jan. 2012. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

Creagan, Edward T. "Vet's and Families Cope with Post-traumatic Stress." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 22 Nov. 2011. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

Digital image. Emotional Abuse. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

"Frequently Asked Questions about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (Formerly NARSAD). The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.

 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Veterans (Infographic). Digital image. LiveScience.com. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Deparment of Defense, 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

 

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." PubMed Health. Ed. A.D.A.M. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 13 Feb. 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.

Safeguard Their Smiles. Digital image. Redbook. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

Shelby. Prevent House Fires! Digital image. Prepare University. N.p., 7 July 2012. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

Smiling Soldier Picks Up an Iraqi Child. Digital image. - Acclaim Stock Photography. N.p., 2002-2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Causes." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 08 Apr. 2011. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.

Grinchmas, bringing the wonder back to Christmas time

I'll be the first to admit that I have become anything but "enchanted" by the season this year. The public pushing of plastic toys by and before Halloween has even passed seems to kill the magic that Christmastime should bring.

 

However as I drove to a Christmas party "with much dismay" to my Grinch-like heart my daughter began to sing in a small voice in the back seat. The tiny voice like a heater slowly began to thaw the ice of my heart. Then we were there, and since I am a shy person at best I tucked my way off in a corner and watched. The children giggled, and wrestled on the floor and piano music was being played in the background. It was there that I realized with my over analyzing adult brain, that the wonderment of Christmas was there in those tiny little souls, and that once you become an adult... well sometimes magic has to be made it doesn't just happen.

Magic is very similar in nature to writing, drawing, and crafting/art of any magnitude when you feel the blah's sneak in you have to counter-act them. With the above mentioned block if you will can be countered by almost anything:

• Taking a nap
• Taking a walk
• Visiting a gallery
• Talking with other people (some of us like to hobbit away in our holes, but we really do need human interaction)

Christmas time is no different, so when you feel a case of the Bah-Humbugs creeping up make the magic happen:

• Take a drive and look at Christmas lights
• Sing a silly Christmas song
• Make salt dough or felt ornaments
• **Remember what it was like to be a CHILD at Christmas**

That last one is important! once you remember what Christmas was like as a child, embrace it because that's where the magic is. Always listen to your inner child. If your walking by a snowbank, and your inner child says "Hey, lets make a snow angel!" listen, just do it. Make that snow angel and not care what anyone thinks.

When we were children we didn't care what anyone though of how we sung, or what we drew. Our sole purpose in life was to be happy, and make others that way as well. So my daughter sang in her off key voice, and like a couple of kids ourselves, my husband, daughters, and I chimed in with her and were happy.

No matter what happens where this Christmas season finds you, I ask you to please find the wonderment and magic and become happy.

Spend time with the ones you love and find Peace within your Heart. The magic lives within...



 

 Rekindle it's flame and burn brightly.

 

 

image courtesy of: http://www.theletter4.com/2011/12/christmas-printables.html