Creativity...

I've been thinking a lot about creativity lately.

About inspiration, style, perfection and the beauty of imperfection.

I began a journey into watercolor painting this year.

After a few awful attempts (not awe-full...truly dreadful), I thought all was lost. Not my thing. 

But I didn't give up. 

I watched a bajillion videos on YouTube and Pinterest. They were very helpful!

One day I painted lavender - it looked just like lavender! Everyone, anyone can paint lavender. But that success gave me the gumption to keep going. 

Little by little, my painting has improved. 

Little by little, I've gained confidence.

Little by little, I've loosened my grip on perfection and embraced the irregularity of color and form.

Watercolor painting has become something I love to do. A relaxing way to start and end my day. I'll never be an arteeeest, but a few people, mostly family members, have asked for paintings...which is amazing.

Taking up something like painting (an art form I never thought I could or would do), has made me much more aware of my surroundings. 

I see differently.

Nature is even more beautiful.

God's creativity is even more evident...amazing.

This realization reminds me that God cares about every little detail. Not in a human perfectionistic kind of way, but in a loving, generous, "Here, let me remind you how much I care about every little thing." kind of way. 

That translates to my life as well. All the joys, hurts, and concerns in my life, He cares deeply about. If he cares about the color in the veins on a leaf lying on the sidewalk with 1,000 other leaves, He certainly cares about the details that we care about. 

What a loving Father!

If you haven't ventured into a creative practice of any kind, I encourage you to find something and give it a whirl. 

Creativity is not just the picking up of a paintbrush or baking a loaf of bread or planting a bonsai. A creative practice extends into how we see. How we take in the beauty around us. How we appreciate the creativity of others, and ultimately--most importantly, grows our relationship with God as we appreciate all He has created.

I believe God placed creativity in all of us. Whether it's the ability to put together an outfit, decorate a home, writing in any form, gardening, organizing, even organizing people to work together takes creativity, not to mention art in all forms and mediums. 

Here is my Christmas card this year...yes, I painted that, but don't look too closely. I'm still learning. I did not do the lettering. Thanks, Canva! :)

Have a beautiful, creative Christmas everyone!

The (en)courage(ment) Project - Book #3

I'm happy to announce the third installment of The (en)courage(ment) Project!

For those who weep.

My dad passed away in 2017. I've been navigating the journey of grief for over 5 years now. 

I didn't know what to expect from the grief journey. I'd never lost anyone so close to me. Every stage has been new and surprising. Thankfully, time really does ease the pain of loss ... but grief will always linger. It is the price of love.

One day, a few months after his passing, I found a book in an antique store: Little Talks for Those Who Weep. 

It was a comforting little volume filled with a pastor's thoughts and scripture. Nothing I didn't already know. Nothing new. Nothing particularly mind-blowing.

But it held reminders.

Gems from God's Word.

Encouragement to carry me through the rough patches.

Comfort.

It inspired me to create my own book of encouragement for those who weep...because not everyone can go on the hunt for a precious little antique book.

I hope my little book, filled with vintage photos, scripture, quotes, and my own thoughts about grief, will help you or someone you love navigate the journey. 

We can't skip over it.

We can't go around it.

We must go through it.

I've created a companion for those who weep.

May it be a blessing to your grieving heart.

A secret: Giving encouragement away fills the heart with joy ... easing the burden of grief. You can find this book in my Etsy shop ... you will receive two books for the price of one. Keep one and give the other away. 

Spread encouragement, reap joy!

Sourdough Motherhood

I've recently noticed the similarities between baking sourdough bread and motherhood.

Both require a slow, careful process.

In the throes of motherhood, a tantrum can send us off a cliff of overreaction. Schedules can rob a mom of patience. Exhaustion will shorten a temper in no time flat. All of those things (and more) suck the joy out of motherhood and pile on guilt.

And that brings me to the art of sourdough bread.

I tried making sourdough bread 1,532 times before I was successful. 

I wanted what I wanted when I wanted it (just like a 2-year-old...or a tired mama). 

But sourdough is a process. A two-day, slow, tender test of patience to produce a beautiful brown, chewy loaf of goodness. A successful loaf is always worth the time and attention it requires.

I failed 1,532 times because I rushed. I reacted. I was distracted. I didn't plan ahead. 

Mothering little ones takes the same kind of care.

Planning, preparation, tenderness, patience. 

"I don't have time for that!" 

Sloooow dooooown.

I finally wanted to succeed enough that I decided to take a breath and take it slow and plan for sourdough bread. With so many steps in the process, one must be disciplined (I don't like that word). But I realized another thing in the process...I enjoy watching and feeling what happens to a dough ball as the starter worked its' magic. It's interesting. It's satisfying. It's rewarding. The result was amazing. SO worth the time and attention. 

The same can be said of slowing down and paying attention to mothering. Listening to the little voices constantly seeking your attention, stopping what you're doing to watch the wonderful thing they can do, noticing how your slower reactions change the dynamic and encourage softness in them. 

Rushing through the sourdough process produced hard and heavy loaves. Rushing through motherhood produces hard, heavy days.

I made that loaf in the picture. You'll notice that it's not the most beautiful loaf you've ever seen. That's okay. Perfection is a myth. We're all doing our best around here.

I didn't mother my kids perfectly, either. No one can. But we can always keep learning and trying and working to do better.

So be encouraged, mama. Allow yourself more time. 

Cut some things out of the schedule (just do it). 

Remove distractions (that phone). 

Take a breath. 

Slow down. 

Pay attention to the process and enjoy the sweet, warm goodness of sourdough motherhood.

Happy Mother's Day!

 

This is my mom....and me and my siblings.

She's smiling, but I'll bet she's exhausted. Three kids aged 5 years and under. This photo represents some of the hardest years of mothering.

I had three kids aged five years and under too. First I had boy/girl twins, then 5 years later another daughter. I love, love, loved being a mom of littles, but there were many moments when I lost my joy...all the joy of motherhood. Oooooh, honesty there.

Can I be more honest with you? That's normal. I felt overwhelmed. I felt like I couldn't stand another minute of seemingly senseless tears and tantrums. I wanted to turn in my Mom card and sit on a beach anywhere but where I was at that moment. 

Let me repeat. That's normal.

Since becoming a Nana, I've grown to understand a lot about those years. In the coming posts, I'll share those things with you. 

But now, with Mother's Day a couple of days away, I want to encourage you with this:

You can do it. You are a good mom. A perfect mom? Nope. No one is. Look away from social media and accept that you are exactly who God picked for your kids. You are the perfect mom for them. No one else, no matter if they fix fancy snacks, or keep their laundry washed, or have a clean car, or if their kid's hair is styled perfectly...no one else can do for your kids what you can, and no one else knows what they need as completely as you do. Rest in that this weekend. You are enough for them. 

And they love you.

You are doing good, important work and growing right along with your kids.

These images are from my (en)courage(ment) book for moms.

More encouragement coming soon...

Happy Mother's Day to my mom and to all the moms out there.

I see you!

Summer's Coming!

 

Summer is coming!

You know what that means, mamas.

It means the kids will be home, forgetting all they learned in school. But you can help by encouraging them to write.

Or maybe you homeschool and need some fresh writing prompts to inspire your kids.

I can help! I created a writing prompt book just for kids ages 6-12. It's full of fun prompts to keep your kids writing during the sultry days of summer.

If you want a book you can hold in your hands, you can find it here.

If you want an instant download, a pdf, you can find that here.

Moms have reported to me that their kids love the prompts and have fun using them. They are wholesome, with some prompts that are faith-based and no hint of current social issues. 

Get yours today!

**Use coupon code THANKYOU to save 10%**

Let Me Re-Introduce Myself...

I am Heather Morse Alexander.

Wife, mom of three, nana of two boys, with another boy due in December, disciple of Jesus, encourager, writer, artist, bookworm, vintage photo hoarder, flea market enthusiast, gardener, baker, plant lover, antique shop peruser, coffee drinker, and beachcomber. 

I've recently combined four of my favorite things: Encouraging, writing, art and vintage photos. They all combined into what I like to call The Encouragement Project.

So far, I've produced two (en)courage(ment) books. 

This one is a general encouragement book for everyone because we all need encouragement. Am I right?

This one is for new moms...or moms of littles. Moms probably need encouragement the most!

I have also written a middle-grade novel that I am currently in the process of querying. I love the creativity and work of writing a book, but querying makes me shrink like a wool sweater in the dryer. I am determined to do it, though. (Prayers appreciated!)

Two topics that I'm incredibly interested in writing about on this blog are motherhood and grandparenting. I love both so much, and now that I am a Nana, I am seeing mothering from a completely different angle, and it is amazing and enlightening. Stay tuned for posts about that.

I hope you enjoy what you find here.  Welcome!

Connection

 

The above photo is a collection of what I'm calling Connection Cards.

Connection has become exponentially important over the past two years. 

Face to face chats, pen to paper communication, or a good old fashioned phone call...that's connection.

Connection is life. Without it, we wither. 

About a year ago I left social media. 

Here's one of my biggest take-aways:

When I was on social media, and I'd see one of my "friends" out in the real world, we had little to talk about - we'd already shared our highlights online. We'd quickly exchange small talk and go about our day. "Gee it was good to see so-and-so," I'd think.

Now, we stop and share what's going on in our lives. We catch up. I really don't know how they are and what they've been up to - and I'm curious. I'm interested. I want to know! It's a real-time face-to-face "like" - much more satisfying than a number on a screen.

Curiosity is a big piece of connection. I feel like that's been lost over the past decade. We already know the highlights, so we don't ask anything, we've lost a lot of the skills of conversation and dare I say, how to be real-time interested in another's life. 

So, I present Connection Cards...available in my Etsy shop. www.artbyheather.etsy.com

They're a place to start...write a little note to someone and brighten their day. Connect.