Love, Art, and Cans of Pumpkin...

Mornin' everyone...

Bringing the sunshine into the studio today...it's almost March...!

I'd like to start off with some gratitude to a quite wonderful fiance - mine!  Meet Brandon...

Bit hard to see here...

That's more like it!

Brandon is amazing person, and a creator himself!  (I have him to thank for www.amyoes.com!)

(and that's love.)

He eats almost as much as me!

My biggest joy is centering my crafting around him

These are some mixed media paintings I made for our new house:

Brandon enlarged some prints of these to hang for our engagement party, and they turned out beautifully.  

We got a bit creative for the party - learning to ballroom dance...

...and it went pretty well!

...And since red is my lucky color, I got a bit crafty with my heels...

Oh the wonders some ribbon and a glue gun can do!

My DIY Guest Book!

There is nothing like creating in the name of what you love - who, what, wherever it is!

He's got quite the collection of mixed media cards from me so far!

So Brandon, just wanna say...Thanks!

And...

We're like eggs n' bacon - but kosher.

Finding Brandon was quite the reward after a pretty shaky road.  But, as one of my favorite quotes has reminded me over and over:  

“Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.”

And so to all those terrible feelings that I never thought would end, I wrote this poem:

Thank You

By Amy Oestreicher 2015

Silence bellows through the halls

Moon is still hung in the sky

Shadows casting on the walls

There’s a dread I can’t deny

Waking up for one more day

Circling through another round

Fretting as I make my way

Through my fear of staying down

When it’s rougher to zoom out

When upset’s hard to ignore

I remind myself what life’s about

And all the things I’m grateful for

Thank you, boredom, for the place

To sit with only and just me

To clear out enough empty space

To search my soul curiously

Thank you, anguish, for the pain

That brings me back to recollections

Allowing me to visit again

My past and make insightful connections

Thank you, stresses, for presenting

Challenges to overcome

Breathing you out is preventing

Me from freezing, going numb

Thank you, anxiety for bringing

Future thoughts up in a blur

Posing theories, ringing

High alert for events that could occur

Thank you, sadness for being

That tender place I’m called to care for

Because of you, I’m finally seeing

How you need me to be there for

Thanks, frustration, for activating

All emotions I don’t mention

As my stress is escalating

You force me to sit with tension

Thank you, anger, for igniting

Me with zeal and vibrant passion

You make life zip forward, lighting

Up a fire in your hot fashion

Thank you, fear, for alerting

Me of dangers in my head

You protect me from senseless hurting

Making me cautious instead

Thank you, scary emotions

For granting me the work to process

As I strive for higher notions

It’s important to sort out this mess

Every frustration serves to be

A catalyst to spark some feelings

That you suppress unconsciously

While you are yearning for true healing

So embrace those harder days

That bring up fear and doubt for you

These emotions pave you way

And point to what life’s about for you

So I’ll go to bed tonight

Grateful for the things I feel

Grateful for the pale moonlight

Shining on a world so real.

Wherever there is pain, there is a blessing somewhere.  All of my surgical scars are now just red marks - and as I said, red is my lucky color...

There are blessings everywhere - and as I mentioned, I often find gratitude in nature, most prominently in trees, who have always felt like my ancient, sacred, grandfatherly guardians.

The Hampshire campus is so beautiful in the not-winter time...

This Tree Poem by Joyce Kilmer always reminds me of the universal beauty that trees possess.  There is also a beautiful musical rendition of it here:  Tree Song

Now for the kitchen...

I had some cans of pumpkin laying around and it was perfect timing for Shabbat.

Pumpkin Challah

Pumpkin Roll

I'd say it was pumpkin well-used, but I wish I had a bit more for some of these pumpkin twists!

On another inspirational note, I love the blog from Artsy Shark.  In this feature, it interviews several artists with the wonderful question:

Why do we create?

(Feel free to answer and post a comment here!)

I've also taken on these Fun Art Challenges - I encourage you to check out the site and try a challenge yourself - why not?  Today I picked "Personify a word"

My word was "CONNECTION"

For an inspiring read, check out Friedrich Nietzsche On How To Find Your Best Self

(Or, if Cookie Monster is more your style, he has some profound philosophical musings in this "thought shower"...)

For a bit more music, here's a video of me and my wonderfully talented brother Matt singing one of my favorite jazz standards:  Misty

Before you go, take a visual cyber-trip before getting down to business this morning and check out the 25 Most Jaw-Dropping Places In America You've Never Heard About.

And if YOU are feeling ambitious in the kitchen later, try the BEST onion rings you'll ever make in your life.  Or...if you're feeling a bit lazy, there is always the best way to microwave a chocolate chip cookie.

Bundle up and stay warm today!!!

Brrrr....it's cold.  Even painting this made me cold.

By the way, all my blog posts are now on my My Pinterest page, for all your wonderful pin-pinning cyber list-makers out there...