Welcome to the art of curiosity; my personal amble through the worlds of art, crafts, books & all manner of other curiosities. You'll find examples of my jewellery & art work plus an account of how I'm attempting to confound depression & my bipolarity by pursuing my creativity. There's a lot of whimsy too; my mind set is distinctly frivolous at times!

So, Dear Reader, won't you join me on my journey?

Showing posts with label Margot Potter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Margot Potter. Show all posts

Friday, 20 July 2007

Downcast!


It had to happen. I do not dazzle. I do not have Margot Potter's wit, glamour, sex appeal & lustre - she's darn intelligent too & was born to write as well as sparkle. I'm not jealous because I love Margot - she works SO extraordinarily hard & when she's President, everyone in the States will surely sing with delight!! But she is a perminent fixture on Top Momma where as I reside under a stone at the bottom of Blog Land's gadren.

The reason for this despondency: I've been booted off Top Momma because I'm not popular :-(

Woe is me! Woe is me! Woe is me! Woe is me!


I was handed a copy of a new book today: 'The Dialectical Behaviour Therapy ( i.e. DBT )Skills Workbook' - looks good. BUT! The school holidays have begun. How am I going to find the time and peaceful lucid moments in which to work on this?

I mean no disrespect to people without children, but why do some of them assume that children play happily together & do not need tending & that processing laundry for two adults, two children & a Lula is a mind-numbing activity which shrivels your brain to the size of a walnut. Brothers & sisters hate each other at the top of their voices during the day, but glue together at bedtime & refuse to be parted. There's also the matter of trying to keep a household running in a building site. We've had one wall removed & another is partly built - please don't ask. Why did he marry me? What was it about me that attracted a man who would eventually fall in love with a mallet?

I squeeze in as much work as I can, but nevertheless, finding enough quality time for work is a problem.

I tend to work at night, even though it breaks my doctor's cardinal rule about a regular sleep pattern. If I work until four in the morning, I can take full advantage of a head that clears at about eleven at night. I can survive on short bouts of sleeps for quite a long length of time, but eventually I pay for it.

What a dull & dismal entry too - how bored you must feel! When you have such feelings or think you are approaching the end of a nappy soaked road, have a go at what I occasionally do. Try it for one minute & progress as required. Pick up or pluck someone ( or something) & pretend to waltz around the room with them. Do not attempt to do this in a supermarket though - the management will not comprehend.

When the brood are whining that I haven't done this or that or are in ' full-on whinge & whine mode', I announce that I'm a mere human being and therefore fallible. A short silence ensues during which, they try to work out what fallible means. Eventually they walk away muttering rather than whinging - I can cope with muttering - and then they start to murder one another again. The 'good enough' idea is a superb piece of advice which I gleaned from the excellent, helpful, and comforting book called ''Families & How to Survive them' by Robyn Skinner % John Cleese. The idea of being a 'good enough' parent is manna!. It's pointless trying to be a perfect parent with a perfect child - these parnerships do not exist. Why not experiment by aiming to be a 'good enough' parent for a while- it cures some of the wilder guilts that afflict a parent.

Monday, 14 May 2007

using 'the art of curiosity' to find feel-good books!

Lime & Lilac Rustic Neck Tease

It is raining - again. Everything is lush & green - too green. The only colour comes from a potted rhododendron. Each year I promise myself that I will plant bulbs but as the time for sinking them into the earth occurs at the same time as my seemingly seasonal blip, this job never gets done. As usual I say to myself that things will be different this year. I wonder.

Jean introduced me to Margot Potter of 'the Impatient Beader' and the 'Impatient Blogger' fame . She is lovely - like Jean she's a doll & I'll put money on her achieving super star status within a few years. If you have not yet treated yourself to one of her books I beg you to buy one. Likewise I urge you to have a look at any of Kathy Cano-Murillo's books too. Margot & Kathy's books are 'feel-good' publications. Even if you don't do any of the projects ( except you will because they're irresistible), the illustrations are fabulous & their prose has a deliciously inviting & witty air. It's akin to having a best friend working by your side. My good friend Emma Ralph also has this knack. Go to your favourite book store & look for all three of these ladies - I predict that you will be hooked within seconds. If you have a stinker of a day, run home from the office & immerse yourself in their books. The tension & stress will disappear in seconds - it works for me. I hope it helps you too.