Distracted by Breakfast

I woke up early today with a list of random tasks I wanted to complete. Jarrod was still snug in bed. I should have grabbed a piece of toast & plopped myself into our living room chair with my laptop. Should have. Instead I was distracted by breakfast. This happens quite often on weekend mornings. This particular morning I paged through the new cookbook I had gotten for Christmas, Cook What You Love, by Bob & Melinda Blanchard (my heroes!), and was sucked in by the excerpt about breakfast in bed. I daydreamed of a bringing Jarrod breakfast in bed & him loving it. I forgot during this daydream that my favorite meal is breakfast - not Jarrod's. Maybe I should have made him lunch in bed. Ah well, breakfast is so much more fun to make than cheese sandwiches!

During my daydream I ended up making Orange-Currant Muffins (pg 18); however, I substituted raisins for the currants. We spread homemade apple butter from Leslie on them when they were still warm & enjoyed some fresh fruit on the side. I even pulled out the China to dine from, which offset the Scobby-Doo muffin papers!

Baby Scheunemann's Creativity.

I sporadically listen to podcasts from Accidental Creative. Multiple times Todd Henry, the owner of Accidental Creative, has made comments about his children being a creative inspiration. With my first child on the way I suddenly thought, "I am going to be able to tap into this new creative resource! How very exciting!"

When preparing for the birth of a child a new parent hears millions of suggestions on what to do, when to do it & exactly how to do it. When all of these suggestions are compiled you have yourself a list of rules on how to raise a child. Even with all these well intended suggestions no one can really prepare you for this new person you are about to meet. A new person. Someone with their own personality, their own quirks & most of all their own unhindered creativity. Todd & Ricardo Crespo discussed how "kids just create to create" during a recent interview (AC #138). And that "their lives haven't been filled with rules on how to be creative - they just express themselves." When do you think your child-like creativity was squashed? Or have you been able to hold onto a part of it as you have aged?

I'm excited to see the world through new eyes - eyes that haven't been hindered by creative rules & assumptions. And most of all, I'm excited to be inspired by Baby Scheunemann.

Christmas Postcards.

I'm so excited about our Christmas Postcards this year that I thought I would post them here for everyone to see. Jarrod wrote the poem & picked out the photo from Turkey Run State Park in Indiana. And I designed it. Teamwork by the Scheunemanns. Merry Christmas to all!

Blue Columbine.

I wrapped up this painting this past Saturday. Just in time since it needs to be dry for the buyer to take to Wisconsin for Christmas. The buyer had seen the Purple Columbine painting I did awhile back & requested the same composition only in blue. I feel that this photo doesn't give the inner pedals the attention they deserve. Creating depth while keeping the pedals a soft blue was quite a challenge; however, after applying a couple of pastel blue glazes using a fan brush the pedals came to life! I'm very happy with the final piece.

Suggested Reading.

Tribes - We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin
I just finished this book. A new view on the world of marketing. Quite enlightening. I suggest that you check it out. Or you can check out Accidental Creative's podcast with the author, Seth Godin. Enjoy!