By: Ronni A. Hall,
on 1/8/2015
Design some magical trees.
FUN ASSIGNMENT: 4 Trees. Let’s play. What kind of trees are these? What kind of seeds does each one make? What kind of magical powers does each tree have? Does each tree have a story?
By: Ronni A. Hall,
on 11/26/2014
Belonging to yourself…
I used to have a post that was Sketchbook Saturday, because I draw like crazy on Saturdays. That’s probably why I love Saturdays so much. I’ve been feeling lately like my blog has lost its way a bit and has had less of me in it. And it dawned on my when I woke up this morning, “Hello! It’s YOUR blog!” So I am reclaiming it. And I want to play. And share. And invite you into my giant sandbox. Most of my stuff in my sketchbook has a purpose because I collect little pieces here and there for fun ways to teach. They make their way into books or classes, most the time. And hopefully, I will inspire you to make your own drawings.
the plight of the sensitive tummy
magical forest: what kind of seeds would each tree make?
fairy cupcakes made from magic
By: Ronni A. Hall,
on 6/20/2014
mini movie in progress
do you follow my YouTube channel?
By: Ronni A. Hall,
on 6/4/2014
I stopped making little films.
It hit me the other day when I felt the urge to make a little film for my social media client. The hunger to make one made itself known with familiar pangs and growls. It had been over a year since I gathered images and wrote a story and this confused me. Why did I stop?
Why do we stop doing what we love? “We lose permission” is the thought that came into my head when I asked this. When I was going to Grad School, I had permission and a structure which included definite expectations and assignments for the reward of a certificate. Most of these assignments involved making little videos to teach our message. I dove into the task with such lust that I knew this was my passion. I experimented with light animation, silly web shows, and personal stories in color pencil. I was always a storyteller, but now I had a vehicle that really matched me.
When school ended, I was left without permission. I needed to dive back into the work world and make money, and the films now seemed impractical. They needed to make a lot of money right away for them to be “worthwhile” and I didn’t know how. So I shut down that part of me.
A few months ago, I told a new friend what I did for a living. I hesitantly included creating little movies. “Oh, that’s a hobby then?” she said. I cringed down into the deep hollow of my stomach. “No,” I replied. “That’s my passion.” The words bursted out on their own before I could stuff them back in.
We stop painting, woodworking, writing songs. We stop crafting, jewelry-making, ceramics painting, doodling and drawing for fun. We become the “grown-ups” who are responsible, accountable, and serious, and if we have a teeny bit of time leftover, we let ourselves indulge. Many folks wait until they retire to have permission. All this withholding creates bitter, depressed, dried up people that take away the joy from the world.
Part of the creative process, whether by career or choice, is the PLAY stage. When scientists discover cures, they are first experimenting, which is their idea of playing. We experiment with tools, play, try out materials and techniques, and what comes out of that process can be very fruitful and helpful to others. When I made my FAIRY GUIDE I was playing in the garden. I wanted to learn about nature and healing. And what came out of those notes was a school that is over eight years old and international, and hopefully, helping many. Engaging in your creative passion is necessary. Nurturing your loves and where your creative impulses are taking you is following your intuition/gut, which is leading you to your greatest success (financially and/or emotionally) and where you need to be. It’s responsible.
I’m self-nurturing now by diving back into movie making. It feeds me like nothing else does. I feel filled up, joyful and 100% me. And it could lead to huge financial success in ways I haven’t even discovered yet, and/or it could just make me happy, and I deserve to be happy.
I give you permission to play, experiment, and dive down into your creative passion.
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You might enjoy my upcoming Fairy Healing the Feminine (which talks about self nurturing) or Telling Your Story creative class which both start June 27th.
By: Ronni A. Hall,
on 3/19/2014
I’ve been busy compiling the first lessons for the new storytelling and intuition class. We’re going to have a nice group. I’m very excited. It’s been awhile since I have been able to create a new class for the curriculum of Fairy and Empath Online School. For that little peek, lessons will include these fun sections:
a movie lesson of the week
Options to choose from for your homework
Written lesson and fun exercises
And….
lots more. Want to join us for this intriguing class so you can reach your intuition/soul by letting it tell its story?
SIGN UP OVER HERE. Class starts on Friday.
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By: MP,
on 2/28/2014
by Sioux Roslawski
In March I'm going on a writing retreat. A self-made one. Two other writing friends and I are going to cram our laptops and our bodies into my car and head to Conception, Missouri. Specifically, to Conception Abbey...the place where monks create a blissful aura over all who stay there.
No teachers. No frills. No schedule. So if that's what it doesn't have, what does this writing retreat have?
Loads of uninterrupted writing time. A lack of distractions because I don't have to sweep or mop or do dishes. I don't have to cook. I don't have to run after my dog as he hunts for poopsicles to eat in the backyard. And no internet unless I go to the abbey's library (and their hours are limited).
This is what I need now. I'm in the finishing stages of my manuscript (first draft) and am hoping to have it finished by this retreat and get some feedback prior to going...so I can then slash and burn the unnecessary parts and build up what I need to bolster while I'm in Conception.
What I want from a retreat—at least this one—probably differs from what you would desire. However, I do think writers should dig deep to discover what they need from a retreat before signing up for one.
Can you create your own?
If your constructive writer friends can dole out great critique, perhaps you can plan a DIY retreat. Rent a cheap cabin. Beg one of the attendees to give up their basement for a night. Check out the retreat centers—they'll feed you and give you a bed, and the rest is up to the group.
Before packing your bags, agree to what is going to happen. Are there going to be scheduled critique sessions? Where is everybody—are some polishing while others need some inspiration to begin something new? And what distractions/nonwriting activities are going to happen—if any?
Big or Small?
You might benefit from a large regional or national retreat, where you'll be able to network with writers and make new connections. Or, you might be better off working with your writing guild/circle of friends and paying a locally-known writer to lead a small group. Survey what everyone is looking for and where they are. Is everyone working on memoirs and they need a gifted memoir writer to help them fine-tune their voice and create an unforgettable place? Or is everyone a novelist and they would each love to have a pitch-critique session with an editor/publisher?
Be Creative
If time and money are at a premium, think outside the box. Your local library might have a room that they'd let you use. Many art museums have education wings. You could reserve one, and when anyone needs a break from their writing, they could wander through the galleries for more inspiration.
So—don't retreat too deep into yourself and miss out on some productive experiences. Go on a retreat...and watch what happens.
* * *
By: Ronni A. Hall,
on 8/23/2013
Found this video on the Big Kids Magazine site that was too uplifting not to share. For your weekend.
By: Ronni A. Hall,
on 7/13/2013
What’s this? Did a fairy leave it behind? A yummy cupcake for us to enjoy?
We travel a little further and there’s a yummy cake to go with the cupcake! There must be some kind of festivities somewhere.
Someone dropped some yummies on the path. Let’s follow it.
What’s this? A cute, little hat? I wonder what’s ahead.
Shhhh! Let’s not disturb them. It’s a MAD HAT tea party for the Fairies! What fun!
————————————————————————
from the crazy mind of Designing Fairy, or possibly…from reality?
Go check out my fairy classes.
But the party isn’t over yet! Check out the other party-goers and kindred spirits here.
By: Ronni A. Hall,
on 4/4/2013
EPISODE 2: a story, NEW, about possibilities being born. Featured product involving fairies. And, creative idea involving visual journaling goals.
By: Rebecca,
on 3/6/2008
David Domke is Professor of Communication and Head of Journalism at the University of Washington. Kevin Coe is a doctoral candidate in Speech Communication at the University of Illinois. They are authors of the The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America. To learn more about the book check out their handy website here, to read more posts by them click here. In the post below they bid farewell to Mike Huckabee.
On Tuesday, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee finally gave up on his bid to win the GOP presidential nomination. Let us be among the first to say good riddance. (more…)
By: Rebecca,
on 2/14/2008
David Domke is Professor of Communication and Head of Journalism at the University of Washington. Kevin Coe is a doctoral candidate in Speech Communication at the University of Illinois. They are authors of the The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America. To learn more about the book check out their handy website here, to read more posts by them click here. In the post below they look at Huckabee’s recent attack on the press.
With John McCain looking to wrap up the Republican Party presidential nomination, challenger Mike Huckabee is just looking for a way to remain relevant. Earlier this week, Huckabee tried going on the attack against a familiar target: the press.
At a breakfast meeting with reporters from the Christian Science Monitor, Huckabee decried journalists’ focus on his religious background, saying: “There has been an attempt to ghettoize me for a very small part of my biography. The last time I was in the pulpit was 1991.” (more…)
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By: Pamela Ross,
on 1/28/2008
I'm home. Vermont was a dream come true. I didn't know how much I needed to kindle until I walked into the room and felt surrounded by soul comrades. My imagination is filled with so many images and reflections in this post-Kindling Words retreat state of mind. I wish I had a way to take it from here--pointing to head-- and put it here-- pointing to the screen. I believe we call this an info-dump in editorial circles.
Laurie Halse Anderson reached into a frightened place in my heart this weekend and found my faith again. She is my personal lightning bolt. May I be able to thank her one day for the gift of her words. To me and to us.
After our fireside readings Saturday night, we trudged through the soft snow to the traditional Kindling Words bonfire. My toes were cold despite my heavy boots and triple-layers of socks. But the companions and the music and the laughter and the spirit infused heat and light and love around the circle. I wrapped two pieces of paper into my gloved hands, closed my eyes, kissed the air and made offerings of these papers into the fire, praying for words to come true. My wishes danced slowly, sinking into the wood, and soon caught flame in the kindling. (It didn't hurt to be standing next to Jane Yolen while I made these wishes. Talk about a Fairy G-dmother in your midst.)
One wish was for me.
One was for all of you.
I shall return after I collect my thoughts.
Which are many.
Which are magical.
There's nothing better than being snowbound with writer friends. They bring out the best in me. Thank you, fellow Kindling friends, for dancing around the fire with me (and a special hug to Linda Sue Park for asking to sing Bruce's HUNGRY HEART with me... She knows the way to my heart, doesn't she?!) Long may the flames burn.
By: Rebecca,
on 1/25/2008
David Domke is Professor of Communication and Head of Journalism at the University of Washington. Kevin Coe is a doctoral candidate in Speech Communication at the University of Illinois. They are authors of the The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America. To learn more about the book check out their handy website here, to read more posts by them click here. Below Domke and Coe look at the effects of MLK’s legacy on the Democratic primaries.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day has now come and gone, but King’s presence is still being felt in the Democratic primary. (more…)
By: Rebecca,
on 1/16/2008
David Domke is Professor of Communication and Head of Journalism at the University of Washington. Kevin Coe is a doctoral candidate in Speech Communication at the University of Illinois. They are authors of the The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America. To learn more about the book check out their handy website here, to read more posts by them click here. In the article below Domke and Coe look ahead to the South Carolina primaries.
From the Motor City in Michigan to Sin City in Nevada, the 2008 presidential campaign is going national. But with all respect to voters in these states, the road to the White House—and for American politics generally—in the next few weeks goes through South Carolina. That’s because the Palmetto state is ground zero in today’s religious politics. (more…)
By: Rebecca,
on 1/15/2008
D. Michael Lindsay is a member of the sociology faculty at Rice University and is the author of Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite. In the post below he reflects on the Republican candidates. This post originally appeared on The Immanent Frame.
Mike Huckabee’s early success in the primary season shows that evangelicals have political muscles to flex in the post-George W. Bush era. Just as scribes across the country were ready to write Huckabee’s political obituary, he came out of nowhere and won the Republican Caucuses in Iowa by nine points over Mitt Romney. He also did better in New Hampshire than many pundits predicted, and with South Carolina and many other states up for grabs in the next few weeks, Huckabee’s political star will continue to rise—at least for a few more weeks. (more…)
By: Garden Painter Art,
on 1/11/2008
Good Morning:
Well...here it is January 11th already. They say "time flies when you're having fun", but I beg to differ. Time is passing me by swiftly and I can assure you I am not having any fun. The last six months have been the hardest and most depressing time in my life, yet, when I look back over the course of that time, it seems like just yesterday that everything fell apart. I have, and am continuing, to stop by my blog as often as time allows. I miss my blog world. It's full of caring and fun people, beautiful artwork and delicious recipes and photos. I have made friends through this electronic journaling system. Friends that email me their best wishes and even send me Christmas presents and Christmas cards. All of which were truly appreciated and helped me make it through this terrible holiday season.
Originally, I started this blog for two reasons...1) I love to write and journal and 2) To promote my artwork. By accident alone, it's turned into so much more than that. There's a community here. Groups of folks who promote each other's artwork and blogs. People who support each other during dark times. It's rather curious, to say the least, that you can get to know someone without physically touching them, hearing their voice or even smelling them. It's a modern day oddity, but it's a lovely reality all at once.
I recently had a look back at some of my old blog posts. They were full of flowers and lightness and color. How I miss those Spring mornings snapping photos of dew drops on my garden, with the intentions of showing those photos on my blog. It was my way of sharing the sights and sounds and smells of my garden with my blog friends.
How I miss stopping by my friends' blogs and enjoying their lives.
I had no intentions of blogging about my troubles this morning when I woke up. But, I feel so lonely and detatched from everyone and everything that my heart drew me here. So....I will share just a little of the last 6 months with you. Not so you will feel sorry for me, not so you will take pity on me. I don't want to be "poor poor Kim". But I will share a little with you because you're my friends and I need someone to talk to.
Alright, here it is. About six months ago, my mom took a fall. We already knew she had an end stage disease and was weak. This particular disease can cause Gastrointestinal bleeding, which is why my mom was weak. She was bleeding internally but didn't realize it. When she was released from the hospital, she was put on hospice care. My husband and I became responsible for the costs that she couldn't cover. She's a senior on a very limited budget and we have always helped her cover her extra. But the hospital copay and ambulance copay were more than we expected. It had to be paid before she could go onto hospice care. So...we paid it. The only money we had to pull from was our mortgage money. And that's when the landslide started. We went into default on the house and are still desperately trying to keep our home. We are on countless payment plans with our utilities and are constantly trying to keep our electricity on. Our home phone and cell phones have been turned off and we are using "Tracfones". They're little cell phones that you buy and pay seperately for your minutes. I've been forced to sell some of my dearest treasures and my husband is rabidly trying to find a better paying job. At the moment, we are struggling to keep our car insurance paid for so my husband can safely drive to work and back. Our house is quiet these days. Too quiet. Quiet with worry. My husband and I have had some personal struggles through our 20 years together, but never anything like this. There's so much resentment and panic and guilt. I feel guilty because I chose to stay home with my kids and homeschool them from the beginning. Had I taken a job many years ago, maybe we wouldn't be in this situation. My husband is guilt-ridden due to the fact that he feels like he can't support his own family.
It just seems like once you get into a position like this, you can't pull yourselves out. The later your bills are, the higher the penalties. We just missed having our water turned off this last Tuesday. I sold just enough art work on ebay to run to the water company and pay the bill in person. That money was suppose to be for food. It's a big hideous Merry Go Round from Hell.
So, we're struggling along within this all-consuming night-mare....and my mom calls me last Monday: she's fallen again. I knew that she had been weak over the last week or so and a little confused. I informed her hospice nurse, and we were keeping a close eye on her. She managed to fall in her bathroom and make her way back to her bed. I made my way over there to find her confused and pale. I called her hospice nurse and he came right over. She was dehydrated. We decided to call 911 and get her to the hospital to replenish her fluids. Another Emergency room co-pay, another hospital stay and another ambulance co-pay. She ended up by being severly dehydrated, has pnemonia and a urinary tract infection. Off to the pharmacy to buy her antibiotics. She's here now. Coming along fairly well, but weak. I'm having a really hard time taking care of her right now because I'm so overwhelmed and depressed I can hardly pull myself out of bed in the morning.
Now, I know that families and folks have their ups and downs, and believe me, we've had our share of downs through the years, but nothing like this.
The hardest part for me is the fact that my faith has been shaken to the bone. I have never felt so betrayed by God before. I've had my heart broken many times through my life but never by God. I feel abandoned and alone and I don't think he is paying me any mind at all. I never realized how hard it would be to get up in the morning without God in your life. I reckon that's because I never thought he would leave me. People tell me he's still with me, but I don't feel it. I can't find him in anything I do anymore. There's a complete emptiness and silence. Even through past struggles, I could always feel him sort of hanging around, keeping me strong and hopeful. I do believe he's left me now and I want him to come back, but he doesn't seem to hear me. Is it in his glorious plan for my family, my children, to be homeless? Is it in his glorious plan for this family to fall apart? I can't make any sense out of any of this.
We are in the position that we're in because we helped my mom. Because we did what we thought we should. She has no one else to help her. I'm her daughter and I did the best I could. Now, my family is running the risk of losing everything. What kind of sense does that make?
Please, let me take this opportunity to apologize if I offended anyone with my ramblings about God. I surely didn't mean to. I am just a sad and desperate girl looking for answers and hope...
Thank you so much for continuing to stop by my blog. And thank you for understanding why I haven't been able to peek into your blog worlds as much as I would like to.
Maybe tomorrow I'll feel a little better. I have some pictures of my newest work to post, but I'm too tired for that right now.
Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art
By: Rebecca,
on 1/4/2008
David Domke is Professor of Communication and Head of Journalism at the University of Washington. Kevin Coe is a doctoral candidate in Speech Communication at the University of Illinois. They are authors of the The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America. To learn more about the book check out their handy website here. In the article below Domke and Coe reflect on the Iowa Caucuses.
The victories by Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee in the Iowa caucuses on Thursday make one thing clear: in America’s heartland, the God strategy works. Recent history suggests it won’t stop there. (more…)
By: Rebecca,
on 12/17/2007
Mitt Romney’s much-discussed speech about “Faith in America” made one thing crystal clear: he believes liberty is a gift from God. (more…)
By: Laurel Gaylord,
on 11/2/2007
By: Jenny Turner,
on 10/25/2007
Where does it begin and where does it end?
Right now, my heart is filled with dread and sorrow. My husband keeps me posted daily on the fires burning in California as we have authors over there. I look (as briefly as I can) at the photographs and videos he shows me, with a knot in my throat and my heart racing with fear. What does this have to do with me? I live in Maryland, where it is cold and wet right now. I'll tell you what it has to do with me, and with all of us. Human life!
I read a notice that said more than 560,000 people have been displaced from their homes. Animals and trees and all sorts of other living things are being destroyed at an alarming rate.
I sit here at my desk, safe, but still rocked with grief for all of the devastation. I am not a deeply religious person, but I hold firm to my faith that we will come through this and be stronger and more caring as a race. I shudder when I hear people shrug off the horror by simply announcing that it doesn't affect them. How can it not? Are you not human? Are these not our people being destroyed and tormented by this natural disaster?
I hope each and every one of you will take a moment and say a prayer, to whatever entity you hold sacred, on behalf of your "brothers and sisters." I hope you will not just sit in your safe house and ignore the fact that a part of our history is being burned away, impossible to replace. I hope you will make an effort as a human being to ease the suffering of those who lose and are affected by this.
Charity, is a bad word to many, but to me, it is a gift. It is an act of assistance to those in need. Victims of Katrina are still in need of charity, and now those in California are in need of charity. They don't ask for it, they NEED it. So take a moment and not only consider what you can offer to those who, even though they are not less fortunate in many regards--we know many of these people have more money than most of us will ever see--but consider what money cannot replace--need our faith, hope, and charity, but what you WILL do to help them.
Faith, hope, and charity begin here, and they NEVER end!
By: Rebecca,
on 10/18/2007
D. Michael Lindsay, author of Faith in The Halls of Power, spent long hours trying to get to the bottom of the Evangelical mind-frame. In the podcast below Lindsay explains how he got the interviews that shaped his book. Additionally, on Beliefnet, they are holding a Blogalogue (such a cool word right?) about Lindsay’s research with journalists Hanna Rosin and Jeff Sharlet, evangelical author Jerry Jenkins, and former Bush aide David Kuo. Read Lindsay’s first piece here.
By: Stephanie,
on 10/10/2007
The Surgeon General, Fortune 500 CEO’s, Politicians and Bono - powerful people that seem to exist in a different world with different rules. So how do they include their faith in their sometimes cut-throat professional worlds? In the second podcast from our interview with Michael Lindsay, he shares his interviewee’s takes on subjects ranging from medical ethics to making underwear ads less promiscuous - and finally lets us in on the strategy that is making the Evangelicals so successful in their rise to positions of power. The transcript of the audio is after the jump.
By: Rebecca,
on 10/3/2007
Last spring, just as OUP was beginning to buzz with excitement for our fall books, D. Michael Lindsay, the author of Faith In The Halls of Power, came and talked to us. For the next couple of weeks I am going to share some of what he said. It the podcast below Lindsay tells the story of what happened when Bud McFarlane woke up from his attempted suicide attempt. The transcript of the audio is after the jump.
By: Rebecca,
on 9/21/2007
The post below is by Theo Calderara, editor at OUP.
Evangelicals in politics get a lot of attention these days, much of it focusing on issues like abortion. But while everyone’s watching what James Dobson is doing in America, they’re missing what Rick Warren is doing in Africa.
Last night, Michael Lindsay spoke about his new book, Faith in the Halls of Power, at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. One of the many fascinating things the crowd heard is that while everyone thinks evangelicals have a lot of influence on domestic issues, they’re really making an impact abroad. (more…)
By: Rebecca,
on 9/17/2007
Students everywhere are heading back to school. But is school the way you remember it? In the post below D. Michael Lindsay, author of Faith In The Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined The American Elite, blogs about how faith has changed on campus, specifically evangelical faith. Read Lindsay’s other posts here.
Today, thousands of students will begin another year at Harvard, which begins its 369th year of classes. Since its founding, Harvard has been home to all kinds of religious believers, people of various faiths and of no faith at all. In recent decades, though, the nation’s leading university has diversified its student body geographically, ethnically, and racially. What’s surprising is how that diversity has changed Harvard’s religious makeup. (more…)
(hugs)
Things always seem the bleakest when you are dealing with $$ problems.
I am sure that your children and your mother are ever grateful for the sacrifices that you are making for them.
Does your church do any benevolence?
wow kim. your blog made me incredibly sad. i'm am glad that you have your blog friends to vent to. i wish i could help more. i really wish that you would consider coming back to bible study. the ladies in our group really, really care about you. it is supposed to be a safe place to discuss your feelings and any questions (or anger) about god with people who understand. i can't help but think about the old footprints in the sand story--when there are only one set of footprints in the sand it is when god is carrying you (even though you may not know it). that's what us friends are for- keeping you lifted up when you can't lift yourself up right now. talk to you soon?! or i will just keep sending messages to you through gary! :)
debbie
My prayers go out to you and your family Kim. Maybe try reading some scripture to feel the presence of God once again. God Bless You and your Mom. Be strong and keep the faith!
What a bummer. I'm wishing you will be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel soon. Breathe, focus on the present. Know that you are equipped with what you need to deal with whatever comes your way, but you must have a clear mind.
Kim, when life gets crazy, your faith is one the thing to hold on to. Have you read the footprints poem? I think it applies here. :o)
I emailed you from the doll group, but maybe you did not get my note?
My best wishes, positive energy and prayers from me to you.
Kim I am so sorry that you are going through this now. I love you and am praying for you and for your family. God loves you too, even if you can't always feel His presence. Just know He is there and trust in that. This too shall pass, and you will emerge the other end stronger for having endured this trial. I wish I could so much more to help you out. Just know that you are being carried about in prayer.
Marie
http://journals.aol.co.uk/mariealicejoan/MariesMuses/
My thoughts and prayers are with you all. It is a hard place to be where you are.