I recently received praise from a man at the coffee shop about my amazing children—their beauty, manners, vocabulary, personality…and the man who was complimenting them said, “Good job, Mom.”

“Thank you,” I replied. But I didn’t have time to tell him…

There are so many people who make up an endless web of support for my life as a mother, contributing time, financial support, taking my children on adventures, giving our family a borrowed cup of milk or sugar when we don’t have time to run to the store, a mug of coffee for a boost, wine for lunch (kidding), band-aids, birthday presents, laughs, and the ultimate gift of seeing my children in a different way that draws out new aspects of their potential.

It’s like Thich Nhat Hanh’s quote in his book, Peace is Every Step, “If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper.” He is describing the interbeing-ness of all things.

The borrowed cup of milk came from a cow that was birthed by a mother cow that was fed by a farmer who was fed by his mother who was sustained by an endless interconnected web of love and support…

Long Series #1064 by Stephan B. MacInnis (from the art trade)

I have just completed an international trade–one of the most satisfying trades of all my life. I traded art with an artist from Canada. We had found each other through WordPress, went through a back and forth process, came to a trade agreement and shipped each other pieces of abstract art across borders.

This little transaction has made me realize the power of the internet in a down to earth and thrilling way. Ah! The power of connecting over great distances and sharing visual treasures, audio gems and inspiring ideas. Double Ah! The power of sending analog material via the POSTAL SYSTEM. It’s so mind-blowing how we can drop a package in the mail and it can end up halfway around the world.

I haven’t received any handmade matter in the mail for a very long time, let alone Art—with real paint, brush marks, texture and soul all laid down on authentic paper. The internet has made mailing most communication obsolete. And sadly, we are missing out on that magical feeling of receiving a real package from a real person, made from their real hands and delivered by a human mail carrier.

I encourage you to make a trade. Trade a doodle, a small painting, a collage, a purse, a 7-inch record, a typed poem, a handwritten recipe, a scarf, a puppet, pottery, …and send it out. Send it out! And feel the magic!

You could add a link to your website or tagline in your email signature about your desire to trade–like Delanie Holton-Fessler, who has a link to “Barter” on her artist website.

We spend so much time online making a plethora of quasi-connections that, at the end of the day, can leave us feeling disconnected and more strange than ever. This simple act of trading art across borders has made me feel reconnected to humanity.

Do you trade things you make? What have you traded? What was your experience?

Photo: Long Series #1064 by Stephen B. MacInnis

Orange Bubble Print, Traded for handmade kid play pants

Delanie Holton-Fessler creates abstract works on paper that combine watercolor and printmaking techniques echoing the natural and urban landscape. Her work is the result of an intuitive process of layering colored washes and marks created from a brush, stencil or everyday objects like bottle caps and spools of thread.

Besides being a brilliant artist, what is particularly intriguing about Delanie Holton-Fessler is her active bartering. On her artist website she has a link to Barter in which she clearly outlines her bartering policies. Based on the principle that “people and relationships are more important than money,” her bartering wish list includes food, cloth diapers, car maintenance, painting services, eyeglasses, seeds, bedside tables, wine glasses, and…

There’s going to be a lot more bartering going on. It makes sense based on the simple fact that so many people are struggling financially. Things are falling apart, really. (My family went through a layoff last year.) Barter transactions will become increasingly common as we transition into a more heart-centered world. Barter is more than trade. It is an exchange of energy and it makes sense.

Watercolor on paper, by Delanie Holton-Fessler (from the 100 Days series)

As a mother of two, full-time elementary school art teacher working at one of the city’s poorer schools, and a highly transparent blogger for Drawing a Blank, the Denver, CO based artist is truly inspiring. During her 100 Days series, she created one amazing piece of art everyday for 100 days. This level of commitment alone is remarkable.

Current exhibition: Hooked on Colfax (3213 E. Colfax Avenue • Denver, Colorado)

WEB: http://www.delanieholton.com
BLOG: Drawing a Blank http://delanieholton.wordpress.com/
EMAIL: art@delanieholton.com

In 1918, nearly 100 years ago, German artist Kurt Schwitters said “… Everything had broken down and new things had to be made out of the fragments; and this is Merz. It was like a revolution within me, not as it was, but as it should have been.”

Along with Pablo Picasso, Schwitters was one of the progenitors of collage–assembling together diverse elements already in existence and making a dialectical montage. The act of repurposing is more relevant than ever. It is not to discount invention and progress,  but when things fall apart, there is great opportunity to cull through what we already know, fashion together something new, and bring it forth through our creative fire.

I am not a doomsayer or a gloom lover, (although I have been called “pensive”) I am just waking up to the reality that nobody knows when things will ease up, turn around, or get better. It probably won’t be for a long time.  And it will never be how it used to be. It seems like everyday I hear about someone else losing their job, another leader doing something corrupt, some big market crashing, and so on…and nobody is coming.

Hooray. Let’s Merz. Nobody is going to fix the world. We can only fix it from right where we are. Kurt Schwitters said, “I’m a painter and I nail my pictures together.”

Merz is not just for artists, it is a way of being and becoming and building.

What will you nail together? Look around at what speaks to you. There’s lots to work with.

And in case you do want to see some of the newest and best in collage art, check out the book, “Cutting Edges“

It’s a little ritual. Almost every morning, I go to my humble library that sits under my bedside table to choose a book and open randomly to soak up the truth or beauty from the page. The quote I glean becomes an ongoing meditation for the day ahead.  (Warning: this ritual can only be done with real books.)

Here are 5 books guaranteed to be chock-full of love nuggets along with particularly poignant or inspiring excerpts:

1. Original Self, by Thomas Moore

   Contemplate this quote when you are over-Facebooked:

   “Somebodies are out of touch with the nobody that would liberate them from the self project…Narcissism is a profound uncertainty as to whether you can get along not being somebody, but living in full cognizance of the soul grants solid identity no matter what is happening on the surface.”

2. Writings, by Agnes Martin

   Agnes Martin was not only an amazing artist, she was also a profound writer. Her writings tie together the longings and perceptions of the “artist’s mind” mingled with Buddhist teachings.

   “We are used to this fear and we know that when we are with anyone else, even a stranger, we do not have it. In solitude this fear is lived and finally understood.”

   (I photocopied this whole book page by page because you can’t even find a used copy for under $500.00.)

3.  Principles of Uncertainty, by Maira Kalman

   This book is “profusely illustrated, abounding with anguish, confusion, bits of wisdom, meandering, buckets of joie de vivre, and restful sojourns.” – from the inside jacket

   Seriously one of the coolest books ever!

4. The Places that Scare You, by renouned Buddhist teacher, Pema Chodron
   Continuing with the theme of “uncertainty”:

   “To the extent that we stop struggling against uncertainty and ambiguity, to that extent we dissolve our fear.”

5. A Thousand Names for Joy, by Byron Katie

   Byron Katie wrote this book based on selected passages from the Tao Te Ching.

   “Once you give yourself to love, you lose your whole world as you perceived it. Love leaves nothing but itself. It’s totally greedy; it has to include it all; it will not leave out even a shadow of itself. And everything else falls away and you’re like a tree losing its leaves in autumn, so beautifully.”

I had never compiled a list of faves before. It’s quite revealing.

What are your 5 favorite books and why? How do you start your day?

 
Image credit for old book: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1701

I admit it. I have been sober for almost two months now (53 days to be exact). I hope I don’t get fired for admitting this on Jennifer’s Review—a wine-related blog. But the truth is my life has changed for the better since I drained my last yummy Bota Box of Old Vine Zinfandel.

A glass or two or more was a nightly habit for quite some time. And there was always this nagging feeling that I ought to stop it. Well, since I quit, the benefits have been much greater than the consequences.

It’s not necessarily that the glasses of wine were preventing me from pursuing important things in my own life (although it does add up); it’s that quitting the bad habit has freed up space for something new. I hadn’t put it so succinctly into words until after I started reading a timely book given to me by a friend.

In The Four Desires, by yoga teacher, Rod Stryker, he recommends a two-part technique for gaining power in your life through letting go of bad habits. Part one, decide on a Departure Point, and part two, Seed the Gap. The Departure Point is basically the point where you break off from your bad habit. And in part two you become aware of and acknowledge the space that opens up in your mind and self when you leave off from your bad habit. In that “Gap” you “Seed” it with a clearly stated intention for your life.

The process in the book leading up to “Seeding the Gap” does take time and dedication, but I wanted to share the concept because it is genius, simple, inspiring, and could lead to real and lasting change if practiced sincerely and regularly. Everyone has a bad habit. And part of the fear of letting go is not knowing what to do instead. By replacing the urge with a clearly stated intention and connecting to your best self, you gain back your own power and move forward in your life.

I really do feel empowered, and honestly, things are clicking. It’s great to know I have a stockpile of bad habits I can use to leverage myself forward. And I guess once they are all exhausted, it either means I will be able to levitate or be the most boring person on earth.

What bad habit do you want to give up? What supremely inspiring intention will you choose to replace the urge?

This is quick post, but I wanted to let everyone know about a fun photography contest. I helped with the process so OF COURSE I have an interest in voting.

You can check out the contest here: http://www.finetuxedos.com/blog/formal-wear/photo-contest-vote-for-your-favorite-photo/

Tweet out your favorite … I already cast my vote on Twitter, but all the photos are good and it was hard to decide!

Happy Voting!

It’s time to recap my last week. As busy as it was, I managed to capture a few things that I thought I would share with you!

Later in the week I went to a local art event put on by Art Milwaukee. This event combined Art with Drinks … it was actually a Cocktail compeition to see who could come up with the best cocktail in Milwaukee. There were also Artists showcasing their work. One of those artists was an illustrator named Jason Crayton. He was doing sketches for people and I couldn’t resist … so here is his sketch of me!

You can find out more about Jason Crayton at one of these sites: http://jcray.deviantart.com or BehaveLikeaKid Blog

And then I took some more bad photos of the event with my phone…. but BONUS … I also tried my hand at the video function on my phone. Yep, it doesn’t get better and I’ll know which direction to hold my phone for video the next time. But I included a few photos and the video in a mash-up below. The smoking drink is pretty cool!

Yea … I don’t know how to “flip” the video … does your neck hurt?

Also, I know a lot of great writers, bloggers and successful people tend to carry around a notebook and write their amazing thoughts in it as them come to them. I’m not able to do that. The closest I came to carrying or writing down my thoughts ended up being on post-it notes and then my desk looked like this:

Since I still need to somehow record my thoughts as they happen, I decided to record my thoughts into my voice recorder on my phone. Here are some of those thoughts:

After Watching Morgan Freeman’s “Through the Wormhole“:
My voice recording Morgan Freeman’s Science Series It’s actually a very interesting documentary series … check it out when you have time!!
Thoughts on Glenn Beck Quiting:
My voice recording Glenn Beck Quits yea … I don’t know what else to say on this one …

I’m positive that successful people have those same thoughts….

Cheers to a great week!

JenniferReviews @gmail.com
@JenniferReviews

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I decided that after seeing some Googled phrases that brought people to my blog, I should maybe, probably start an advice column! I think I’ll do pretty good. I don’t have a degree in “head doctor” stuff, I don’t have a financial degree or a law degree, so I think that qualifies me for an advice column! Do you have any questions?

In the meantime – here are some starters for your entertainment.

Boonton, New Jersey arrived from google.com and asked: “are bolthouse smoothies as good as real fruit?”

No, fruit is as good as real fruit. It’s even better in it’s organic form on the side of a martini glass …. and apparently balanced on your belly. ??

Bridgeport, Connecticut arrived from google.com by asking: “it’s there fat in wine?”.

I am assuming you were looking for “Is there fat in wine?” … since your grammar is wrong, I find it only appropriate that you ended up on Jennifer’s Review because I throw out all grammar rules here. We WELCOME you!

Now for your answer: I read somewhere there is no fat in wine. Occasionally I’ll be fooled because I can sometimes taste a bacon / tobacco flavor in some wines … and I think … “waaiiiitttt….. this might be FAT!” but then the tasting room guy just ignores me and goes over to people that will actually BUY the wines being tasted. I hope I’ve helped you. You could also check out the site The Naked Scientists they’ve got a pretty neat interview there when you’re bored. Also, I just like linking to a site that has the word Naked in it …

Houston, Texas arrived from google.com and asked “How to win photography awards.”
Well … first of all, I’m sorry you ended up on my “This is why I DON’T win photography awards” blog post. So I’ll try and correct that.

My winning semi-self portrait

Texarkana, Texas arrived from google.com by asking, “how to order apothic red wine.”
This is an easy one. When you know the Apothic wine you want, run out into the street and say “HEY! Apothic me now!” and see what happens. If nothing, head over to your computer and go to this site: Apothic Wine – How to order your neighbors will appreciate it.

Feel free to leave your question in the comments below or email me at JenniferReviews @gmail.com – I’ll answer them!

I hope I’ve helped someone out there on the webs become more successful in their wine endeavors!

OH … and since we live in America … my disclaimer: This whole post is entirely for entertainment purposes and should never be tried at home or in the shower.

Cheers!

JenniferReviews @gmail.com
@JenniferReviews

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All of you, my reader’s, know what a Seth Godin fan I am. I read his blog post everyday. I mull over his thoughts and I always end up with a “you are SO right!” thought by the end of my reading.

You can imagine my excitement when Seth and his marketing genius-ness…es strategically told all his blog followers that if they donated to his charity the Acumen Fund (limited to a certain number of people) that you would recieve the book before it was released. He also encouraged us to give a review.

HELLOOOO….. my blog name has REVIEW in it! I love Seth’s thoughts …. was THIS not a calling for me!!?!?! I couldn’t click fast enough to donate. In fact, I went so fast that I didn’t have my credit card available when I went to Paypal.

Paypal.

When I realized my credit card was WAY OVER on the other side of the room which would involve movement on my part to get the card, which would mean I may not make it in the allotted amount of people who could donate to get the pre-pre-preview of his book to REVIEW (my blog name). I skipped to the transfer bank funds part of paypal.

Paypal.

I went through all the fab are you SURE you don’t want to use your credit card pop-ups designed to MAKE you use your credit card including the fact that they scare you into the thought that if you DON’T use your credit card, the world of your purchase may fall into a black hole and you’ll be left with a paypal debit and nothing to show for it. …. (big sigh) …. I clicked “yes use my bank account”. It’s a good time to tell you that I’ve had this paypal account since, like, when they were x.com and ebay was this little site no one heard of and still had a “I’m looking for..” free section on their site. My use of the bank transfer function is probably about that old too. Apparently it has an old, old, old, address of a former employer on it.

Paypal.

In January when I got a letter from Seth Godin indicating that I MADE IT in the limited number of people to get the book…… I almost FLEW out of my office window! I did my “I got the book, I got the book, I got the bboooo….oooooo……kkk….” dance! Delivery scheduled for January.

It’s February. People are reviewing, the book is out. I got no book.

Paypal.

Going back to check my paypal receipt I was horrified to see that the book was sent to an ancient address that has been deleted from my account entirely …. yet somehow it’s still attached to my bank transfer selection. There is no place to change it. I even read all the “help” stuff, watched the tutorials. nothing. so I called. After waiting on the phone ….. I was told they see the address and they don’t know how to delete it from the bank transfer section. WHAT?!?!?!?!? Do you NOT know what a calling this was for me PAYPAL!?!? REVIEW. is. in. my. blog. name!

Paypal.

So, I sent an email to the head of the department I used to work with. No one claims to have anything, even though the department name is written on the phantom paypal address.

I’m so dissappointed. This is not just my loss …. but you, the reader as well. So, I’m sure that the book is awesome … it’s already #55 on the Amazon book list according to my affiliate link below. You can read the reviews of the people that got the book here on Squidoo and purchase a book there as well.

Here’s the thing, if you are thinking of buying the book, I would appreciate the purchase through my affiliate link below … then I can buy the book myself. I can’t however use my OWN Amazon link to purchase because I think that’s an agreement no-no. So, whatever. Someone at my old office is reading the book I should have gotten. They better appreciate it. I bet they don’t have REVIEW in THEIR blog name!

I’ll be the bigger person, sip my wine and order from Amazon. Not my link of course. (big sigh) I think I also just got a Seth Godin “F” for failure to watch the details.

Paypal.

Cheers to the Acumen Fund!
Jennifer
@ThingsAll2Good

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