. . . Endeavour . . . : Inspiration

Showing posts with label Inspiration. Show all posts

Finding My Christmas Spirit :: An Act of Desperation... Or Maybe One of Devotion

After my post about the wine festival a couple weekends ago and feeling so fab about our impending summer, looking forward to sunshine and barbeques, it got me thinking perhaps I've been a little distracted and haven't been focusing on the real message of Christmas. It's amazing that even after a year of living in the southern hemisphere I still struggle with the seasons being opposite of what I am so use to... it feels more like the 4th of July is just around the corner rather than the celebration of our savior's birth. So I decided to challenge myself to a few DIY projects around our house to bring in a little holiday cheer and cherish the season.

I can't say they've all been successful. In fact, if you saw this month's Ten on Ten post you caught a glimpse of how things have been going over here at Thirty3Gloucester.... For example, this fumble...

10 points to the first person who correctly identifies the materials used to create this sorry piece of holiday art.... Yep. If you guessed a scrap piece of sheet rock (or 'gib' for the NZ readers) that I stole from my husbands collection and chalk, you are correct.

I'm not really sure what came over me? Clearly I was caught in a moment of pure desperation, grasping for (literally) whatever I could find to imply my need for holiday cheer. God knows the Christmas carols Pandora keeps spitting out isn't cuttin' it, and really isn't evoking much other than frustration and feelings of great distance between this home and that of our loved ones so far away!

It finally dawned on me that many of these feelings are really my heart aching for some of my own holiday traditions that I'm missing out on for the second year in a row. Like pulling out and using the holiday dishes I've been collecting piece by piece for about 8 years now. And the ornament collection my parents started for me when I was a child, and continue to add to each year. I didn't realize how special a ritual it is for me to get that box out of storage every year, unwrap each one, reflecting on its history and then carefully placing it on our Christmas tree.

Perhaps I knew this before, but it seems I am clearly recognizing in this season how important the traditions of home really are. They are after all important elements that bind us to family and friends, hold us steady, keeping us connected while we're apart. So to help me relocate my center and redirect my heart back to the true miracle of Christmas, I decided to start a new little tradition and make myself an advent calendar, which tells the nativity story just a little day-by-day.

This really was an ultra easy DIY, perfect for someone like me who generally lacks the crafty, design gene and even more so, the patience to complete more intense craft projects. This one was a little time consuming, but that's where the 'act of devotion' comes in. Believe me, I didn't pull this all together in one sitting! (I got figity and had to take a beverage break.... and let's be honest, my pen ran out of ink about 3/4 of the way through...) So I spread it out over a couple days. It would have gone much quicker if I had a rubber stamp to make the wreath, but frankly I found it so therapeutic to sit with each card and go through the process of creating each one. On the back side of each card I wrote a piece of the nativity story, beautifully retold on these freebies that I found through a quick Pinterest search.

Now that it's complete and hung I am so glad I put in the time to make this calendar. In fact, I'm considering having the cards laminated so they'll last more than one or two seasons. I think it will be a great reminder to Drew and me of our first full year (second Christmas) in New Zealand and of the many acts of devotion it took to get us and keep us here. This project was also a great reminder that I need to continue to be present in each moment, enjoying every bit of the season we're in and all this chapter of our life has to offer us.

Wishing each of you a holiday season abundant with love, joy and laughter.
Merry Christmas from the Robinson family! Xoxo

Here's How To Make This Advent Calendar

Materials :

24 pieces of card stock cut to the size of your liking

1-2 white scrap-booking pens

1 glass jar with the appropriate diameter opening to fit the card stock

Butcher twine, hemp or string (I used hemp butcher's twine)

decorative clothes clips

Method:

1. Start by tracing the lip of the jar onto each card, leaving and opening at both the top and bottom.

2. Next, draw the leaves down the shaft of the twig. I imagined a sprig of thyme and tried to replicate it's shape.

3. Now, shade in each leaf, and add a few decorative berries at the bottom of the wreath in between where the twigs meet.

4. Then, number the cards from Day 1 to Day 24.

5. Turn the cards over and inscribe a piece of the nativity onto each card.

To hang:

1. Assemble the cards in order.

2. String the twine into place, fastening it with tape, tacs, or some other fancy method you come us with.

3. Add the clips, evenly spacing them across the twine.

4. Attach the cards to the clips in order of days 1-24.

Enjoy!

Ten on Ten :: November 2013 :: A Full Harvest

Happy Ten on Ten!

Finding life and beauty in the ordinary things of our day to day!

Happy Ten on Ten everyone! Sorry for my tardiness. I took a short little trip to Wanaka this week to visit a friend. I wasn't able to upload my set before heading out of town and then realized once I got there that I had really limited internet access.... Anyway, this month's 'Full Harvest' prompt was quite intriguing and really got me thinking about how hard Drew and I have worked over the past year to make Christchurch our new home...let alone how hard the community has worked to continue recovering from such a tragic natural disaster that happened nearly 3 years ago.

I haven't quite been able to fully articulate all the emotions swirling around my heart and our little home lately... I have been so nervous about our residency application and waiting to hear the verdict about some medical reports (which will determine the outcome) that I have just been a stress case! And quite honestly, the sound of the constant construction taking place outside our front window has become more like nails on a chalkboard than faint background noise... so this month's prompt was such an awesome and welcome opportunity to reflect on little successes. In fact, I told Drew about the prompt and he decided to join me this month, which was such a treat! So I can't take credit for this entire set, but love that it was a chance for both of us to reflect on our commitments; our investment in each other and this place, and the hope that spring will bear great fruit. We just have to keep holding on and just keep clinging to faith!

{LipstickOnAPig} {Braces} {185EmptyChairs} {LifeAsUsual} {CoffeeOut-takes}{Wanted:$50MillionNZD} {RoadToRecovery} {Re:Start-TemporaryIsPermanent}{AmazingTheDifferenceAFewFlowersCanMake} {DaddiesAtWork}

Lake Tekapo

It's truly amazing the revitalizing impact 24 hours, open country road, alpine-spring fed hot pools, and a sleepy lakeside town situated at the foot of the southern alps can have on your mind, body, and spirit.

Awwe, yes… I am so happy September is over. I can confess with certainty that it was one of the most exhausting and trying months this little family has experienced so far…. I’m not complaining. Really. Quite frankly, I know its just life. And I know that many of these stresses are self-induced or merely consequences of the choices and sacrifices we’ve picked. However, I am recognizing that several of these milestones have been significant and should not be glazed over as though they’ve left no impact on our home.

I know I am being vague. Honestly, I have been writing and re-writing this post, trying to articulate some of the things we’ve been struggling with, but I keep running into a wall that just doesn’t feel right…. This happens to me sometimes when I write. Usually, what this tells me is that the details I think I would like to print probably aren’t the necessary items to share…. And really they aren’t the reason I want to write this blog anyway. What I want to capture from this season and share with you are the good things; the positive moments or lessons learned from our journey as a recently married couple working together to create a new home from scratch in a country as far across the globe as you can get from the security of everything familiar to us… Really, in this case, what I want to share with you is the vast and gorgeous landscape we encountered last weekend while we spent some much needed family time reconnecting and rejuvenating together.

This was our first over-night trip since moving to the South Island. Yes, Drew and I spent nearly 2 months traveling the North Island coast before settling in Christchurch last February, but since then we’ve been spending every single extra penny on either setting up our new house or securing residency, so we haven’t had time or money to do much exploring of the region we now call home.

Our residency application has finally been submitted (actually, we were recently notified that its now being processed - Yay!), and the medical expenses we’ve had to pay for my multiple recent and unexpected doctors visits are at a place where we can come up for air, so we decided it was the perfect time to indulge in a quick, romantic get-away to help us detox and relax.

Lake Tekapo is about a 4 hour drive south-west of Christchurch. It’s a sleepy pass-through town on the way to bustling and tourist infested Queenstown. It sits near the foot of the Southern Alps, is home to only about 300 residents, and is well known for a just few things - A secluded little set of hot pools fed by nearby alpine springs, which we immediately indulged in upon our arrival and were absolutely amazing! We decided next time we will be sure to budget more time at the Springs. The price you pay is for an all day pass so, really had we given ourselves more time we could have stayed far longer than we did. They have an onsite cafe and spa too, so if you get overheated or want to really indulge the senses you can easily make it an all day endeavor.

The historic stone church fondly known as the Church of The Good Sheppard has one of the best views of the surrounding mountains situated right on the lake-shore. I was surprised to learn that it is still a functioning church and offers several interdenominational services a month (we just missed the start time, so we’ll have to come back to experience it). Regardless, it was a great place for a little picnic and quick photo opp.

The lake itself is known for having extremely intense blue waters, an effect of a particular species of algae living in it. However, the cloud cover and lack of wind throughout our visit hid much of its intensity and instead created some beautiful reflections of the surrounding landscape. The water was so still. It looked like glass. The balcony of our little bungalow provided epic views of the lake all evening! Totally relaxing and mesmerizing!

Lake Tekapo is also known for stargazing. Yes. This town is known for stargazing. It is so far removed from any city lights that the night sky is supposedly one of the most majestic sights to behold. There’s an observatory in the town that offers night tours. However, at $125 a pop, we chose to pass! Perhaps next time we visit we'll splurge on the night tour. We did hear that its worth the money... but, considering the cloudy night sky we experienced that evening, I think we made a good choice to splurge on our little villa instead! It was totally worth it!

And although this early spring adventure was a mostly cloudy, somewhat stormy trip, we still managed to capture a few good camera shots and thoroughly enjoyed our short escape from the city noise and construction! Mission accomplished!

Apartment Therapy :: Session II

A little Thirty3Gloucester Inspiration for you this morning... Warm neutrals and a bit of whimsy woven together with simplicity.... as I've noted in the past, I am a girl who adores tons of natural sunlight.... and one who is obsessed with the contrast of wood against bare white walls. Love. I sure am lucky to have a husband who is open to my design tastes and one who is such a skilled woodworker that he can make my ideas a reality. :)

A simple, relaxed retreat to call home. At least, this is the vibe we hope to create in our new space. One that is soothing and welcoming. What do you think?