ABDUCTED: Elf answering to ELF-is. Last seen 2011

OK ALL YOU CLEVER ELVES, who started your escapades early in November.

Do you THINK we don't hear about all of the wonderful mischief you have concocted?

Your pranks are filling up Pinterest, your "children" are bragging at school.

http://pinterest.com/bgall/christmas-elf-on-a-shelf/

Meanwhile, I am scrambling around in all of the buckets in my garage for any sign of you.
Panic is setting in as I am remembering that you were last spotted
in Colorado last year as we spent the week out there....
At least I am thinking you graced our presence there!

but I really am not sure.

And I am remembering you weren't that REGULAR easy to find ELF-is
(the name my daughter continues to call you, in her letters, on notes by her bed)....

So I ask, WHY on a holiday FILLED with plenty to do,
do we pack on another thing to coordinate?

Yes I know, he does it all himself! But hey! He DOES NOT CLEAN UP!

Parents need the ELF THAT DOES GOOD DEEDS AROUND THE HOUSE
fueled by KIDS WITH HUGE HEARTS AND APPRECIATION for
what PARENTS do!

And at Christmas, the time we should be remembering Jesus,
we have a TREE to get and decorate (I have to say it is my favorite thing!)

Does the Christmas tree have anything to do with Jesus?

And then there is that dude, Santa~
who really has little to do with the reason for the season~
and possibly evolved from Father Christmas riding a goat!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus

But hey! real or not, he is everywhere! even in my brownies!

and NOW A DANG ELF that eats my boxes and spills cereal,
who is missed because he is NOT destroying the laundry room,
not squirting toothpaste everywhere, not playing in the potty.

So I thought~ should I dig into the stories behind these things?

Come to find out~ as A LOVER OF THE BROWN LIQUID THAT CLOGS
MY ARTERIES~  COCA COLA is behind the creation of the
American SANTA CLAUSE.

http://robwrite.hubpages.com/hub/The-Real-Story-Behind-SANTA-CLAUS

and the Christmas Tree?

I have to say this link is written by a biblical scholar, a bit dry in tone but hey!
Who KNEW the tree's message was so varied and so powerful?

The evergreen, that withstood the winter when a child was born in a manger.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/thepastinthepresent/storybehind/whychristmastrees.html


The presents beneath are another issue~ isn't the GIFT of LIFE and the gift of time
with family, LIKE ON THANKSGIVING ~ ENOUGH?

http://www.thelaboroflove.com/articles/why-do-we-give-gifts-at-christmas

As I wrap up this blog post with all of the new knowledge I have about this season
we call Christmas Time~
I am relieved that as new events evolve, new traditions are introduced,
I am reminded that

the most special reason for this season is LOVE~ the GREATEST gift of all...

and with that, the satisfaction of family member's joy as
they open their gifts, as they sip hot cocoa beneath a beautifully decorated tree filled with
hundreds of little mementos that remind us of great times together,
of the rare beautifully thought out cards we still receive from friends near and far,
of the angel trees with wishes still being fulfilled, of the churches singing praises
to our king.

We anticipate the giggles when they open the fridge to find
 (hopefully by FRIDAY according to my Amazon.com elf package tracking!)
not only that Christopher Lumpkis or POPKINS
or whatever version of the ELF that we can't find LOCALLY

but his new friend (YES THERE IS A FEMALE ONE NOW)

CHANDA BELL!

based on her CREATOR.  (an author loves a good success story now~)

all cozied up in the cream cheese.

Move over Rudolph!
 Elf on the Shelf even has an event NEXT WEEK
so you can make him a HOUSE
DECEMBER 18 at the library in Crestline!

AND YES there are different KINDS...SOFT, HARD, DIFFERENT BOOKS
and only the children probably know the skinny on THAT~
http://www.elfontheshelf.com/AboutUs/TheTeam.aspx

http://www.elfontheshelf.com/en-us/home.aspx
http://www.imaginatives.com

CHEERS TO NEW TRADITIONS!
AND MAY THE BEST ELF MISCHIEF WIN!

Be sure to share your ELF-IS experiences with me! I would love to post some!

AND REMEMBER~ DECEMBER 25 IS ALL ABOUT ONE THING.....
Merry CHRISTmas!

The rest of the days! are all about the FUN!

And if you want to read a bit about that date, which is really NOT the
guaranteed day of Christ's birth,
find it here~
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas

I will say, according to history, CHRISTMAS IS A GIFT TO OUR ECONOMY~

Maybe the story like THE MIDDLE'S this week where we make gifts and
sit around and sing songs together is not a bad idea AFTER all...
no elf, no tree, no presents, no Christmas cards.

But then, THAT would just be ANOTHER DAY....

I think I will STICK WITH THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE!

Blessings to YOU and your family!

Allison Adams


And if you haven't gotten ENOUGH information~
here is a link to an alternative view on CHRISTMAS.
Don't let it cramp your CHRISTmas spirit.

http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory.htm

CHRISTMAS GIVING

Christmas is my very favorite holiday.

There are so many things more important than the receiving of gifts.

For our blog a day assignment we were to add some pictures, perhaps relating to the holidays.

Here I provide a link to my many blogs and pages, all which have Christmas themes running through them.

www.facebook.com/fluffdesigners 
provides great ideas from pinterest and our own designs as we decorate client's homes for the
holidays.

We hope you will visit and get inspired!

A favorite is this video of my daughter reading my Christmas book
The 12 Days of Christmas Giving.

Hope you will snuggle up with a cocoa and some marshmallows and enjoy her reading
by the fire....she is seven.

Here I share a link to a source for remembering the reason for CHRISTmas and a tradition so that you might help your children and family understand.

It is from a fellow blogger's site. 25 Days of Scripture to help you remember the true meaning of Christmas.

THIS LINK WILL TAKE YOU TO PAGES YOU CAN PRINT AND CUT OUT:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yCHUG8GSA27D4i1qJ_GiY3fXhx0Xu7KOUDUx-pOHG1g/edit

Fluff! Designers

This fall I joined forces with two of my creative friends to form the 

LIFESTYLE DESIGN COMPANY

 that is all about the

Fluff!

the blog is www.fluffdesigners.blogspot.com

Lisa Marie McGillberry has had a company called “Choose Healthy Be Healthy” where she creates a healthy, custom designed menu and pantry stocking service for those wanting gluten free and healthy choices for their families. Lisa Marie has directed movies, acted and has a great eye for detail. 

While the new year approaches and HEALTH IS ON EVERYONES MIND, she will be available to

Fluff! your PANTRY! (meal planning)

Susan Wilkinson, married to Daniel, owner of Father Nature Landscapes , brings design experience for exterior and interior design (she has done design for some country music award winners she is too shy to mention and has a natural style). She was in broadcasting and will be our liaison for radio and television as well as design. Susan is Lisa Marie’s sister.

Fluff! your LANDSCAPE! (exterior and live greenery)

I was an interior design major at Bama and designed banks and medical facilities here in Birmingham for eight years back when my eighteen year old was a little peep. I qualified as one of less than 250 registered and licensed interior designers in the state of Alabama.  I have been missing that part of my life and looking forward to offering residential Fluff! as well as services to Fluff! and refresh tired commercial businesses. As an artist and photographer I can supply original works (some in the UAB collection) as well as represent other artists across the Southeast.

Our December focus is

Fluff! your Festivities (parties and holiday design)

We will all be involved in the transformation process of our projects and each brings unique perspective, creativity and talent in our various areas.

We will come in and Fluff! your home to make it ready for the holidays (by the hour) so you get the tree or we can. We can use your existing items in a new twist or add to what you have to make your home express who you are.

Call for a complimentary consultation at 205-914-2400. We charge by the hour for services and cost plus for items. You will have an itemized proposal before we start!

And for the links!  Pinterest BABY! It is my favorite source for visual stimulus!  

http://pinterest.com/allisonpadams/

Santa Taking in Some Sun and Fun

In case you were wondering what Santa is up to this weekend.

He is cruising on a Harley down in South Florida~

I took these in Key West a while back and thought I would have some FUN with them.

Have a GREAT Thanksgiving~ 

for when we get back from the weekend~

IT WILL BE ALL ABOUT CHRISTMAS 

AT THE ADAMS HOUSE~

IN FACT, I already have our tree (thanks Chad!)

Allison Adams

For those who LOVE Christmas and celebrate

JESUS as the REASON and

CHRIST the main part of CHRISTmas,

hope you will check out my book

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS GIVING

Available at Interiors By Kathy Harris Cahaba Heights

and A Tiny Kingdom in Mt. Brook Village

Visit

www.12daysofchristmasgiving.blogspot.com

for the story

The children are given twelve gifts wrapped under the tree to GIVE AWAY.

Written and Illustrated by

Allison Adams

$15 paperback/ $20 hardback

Can get them personalized by contacting the author

allisonpadams@aol.com

Photography

20 Days of BLOGGING 

Gone are the days of the old rolls of film where you shoot and shoot and hope something comes out that you can keep. I wish I could go back and re-live some trips with my digital camera. 

The memories are great, but now that I actually know how to select the ones that work, tweak them if they don't quite get there and DELETE if they stink, I would have loved to have those memories IN LIVING COLOR!

I recently took some photos of babies~ They make such great subjects!

Photography, another great source for all things CREATIVE~

(and on subject with my blog daily on creativity as well as today's about "what you are doing")

I am available to take photos on location where they are most comfortable~  

$50 fee to come to your house which includes access to one free photo for you to use.

A great way to capture that Christmas card photo or holiday gift idea~  

I also photograph your pet and create watercolor/ acrylic pet portraits.  

Creative A Day

I recently attended the SCBWI Conference (Southern Children's Book Writer's and Illustrator's). 

One of the most inspiring workshops was on illustration by Kevin Lewis with Disney/ Hyperion. He was so energetic. He loves his job. He works with illustrators all day every day to bring ideas to life. 

After the workshop I found myself intrigued with the idea of illustration. The portfolios were incredible, all by artists in Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. 

  

Shortly after the conference, I ran across a request for an illustrator in the Birmingham area. I have illustrated two books of my own and done a number of covers for the Alabama State Bureau of Tourism and Travel Calendars and individual projects, but never an illustration job for hire.

I share these as a sample of how I have stretched all I know about illustration into something that became nothing short of an out of body experience. If you know my style, it is loose and colorful.

I have a number of others for this project, but out of respect for the author I will wait until he publishes to reveal the others, as well as a cover design. 

I will say, being creative does not just mean declaring, "Hey I paint!"

STRETCH yourself! Maybe your talent is hiding in a project to create a six foot gourmet gingerbread house with dripping icing in multi colors as your medium!  Maybe it is in trimming hedges to look like rudolph or santa, or carving ice sculptures!

I am blessed that we live in a world where the entrepreneur is still able to "make a living without a job". 

That is a book I bought back in the 1980's right out of college. I was laughed at for reading it. 

Where is that person now? He is doing more than one thing himself, after years of sticking to his "one thing" he told me I should find.

Artists are not made to stay inside a box. And sometimes, that box might just lead you down the street to a river. Yes, I am way out there, but you creative folks get the point!

May 2013 be your year of creativity!

Blessings!

Allison Adams

www.allisonpadams.com

Why I Love Being a WOMAN

Monday, Nov. 19 – Why Do You Love Being a Woman? That’s a simple question, but one that most likely has a complicated answer. So let’s write a blog post about it. 

This morning I hit the ground running with my two business partners in our new venture Fluff! Designers.

After a great meeting to plan a fun Christmas party for a client we veered off to everyone's favorite meeting place from coast to coast: "Starbucks".  There were college gals meeting up in sweats. There was a woman seriously asleep on her laptop (this was at 11:00 am). There was a line of men out the door, tapping their feet, one pacing in a four inch square so as to not lose his spot, another on the phone talking into his earpiece, looking like a madman bursting into laughter then serious face.

My girlfriends and I gathered at a round table. A scrambled mom came through with a baby on one hip as she juggled keys, a small wallet that she balanced on the table while still holding the hand of a toddler. She looked over at us, "please watch this and be sure it isn't stolen" she asked us over her shoulder as she herded them towards the bathroom.

As I had prepared thought for today's assignment by doing some quick morning journaling pages, the topic was on my mind. I wondered, would a man ever take a little siesta at a table in Starbucks?  Would a man ask someone to watch his wallet while he dashed to the john, completely trusting that we wouldn't take off with it? Would a man decide to gather at the table until the line died down (which it quickly did and we went right up to the counter to order as soon as we had unloaded files and a leather clipboard)?

As we sat there going over the schedule for setup and design for the party I shared with them my motivation to complete a blog a day through November. One said, "Oh I should do that!"

The man in my life wonders why.

And as we talked about our project, one threw out another project idea to add to the mix in January, the other an idea for some products to add. Then we bounced back to a recipe, then to talk about travel plans. Wow, I felt such a sense of relief. I have been living in the land of the man for quite some time. I think I forgot that I am not the only right brain~left brain that juggles numerous ideas as well as numerous "lives". 

My other female "sista" who is practically a younger "creating clone" of me (except way more organized) called to tell me some ideas she had for my small paintings and to check on me. When she called last night I had just melted my finger with hot glue (well not really, but hey, it hurt) and she had a BETTER idea for attaching those ribbons to the ornaments I was making.

I thought about how precious my "girl time" is. And not only is it enjoyable,  if spent on a regular basis according to research, will add seven years to a woman's life. 

When I told my friends today's topic while we were headed out the door, one simply replied as she flicked her long black curly locks over her shoulder as a man was opening the door for her to exit,

"What do I like about being a woman? Well certainly, NOT BEING A MAN."

Allison Adams

www.allisonpadams.com

Girlfriends In Paris

by Allison P Adams

available on notecards

or order your own custom design with YOUR girlfriends!

A Night OUT on the Town

I took this as a literal "NIGHT OUT/ NIGHT OFF" :)

This entire weekend I have celebrated BABIES.

Saturday night I went to a CHUGGIES AND HUGGIES shower. I remember those days when I was much younger and even the wedding showers were all "brew" themed.

I must be getting older because after time around the fire, a piñata, and treats from a hot dog truck (such a cute party idea) at this one, instead of karaokeing with the young crowd, we went home and went straight to sleep.

Today on Sunday (yes, I did skip yesterday's blog, but not off topic) I went to ANOTHER BABY SHOWER. Love was surely in the area about APRIL/ MAY for my friends, both due in January.

And to stay on TODAY'S THEME OF FAMILY, I will stick to the hope and promise for my sweet friends beginning theirs.

I remember my first little muffin as he tried to come out backwards. Thank GOD for epidurals. He took about eight hours to arrive, but a soon as I saw him I forgave him for all of the mashing those nurses did  on my belly to help push him into this world. We were mesmerized, he was all that mattered, all life stopped for at least a week as we cooed and gooed over him. We had started a family.

Babies bring promise, and a sense of purpose. When we create these magical little beings, all crisis at work, the environment, the to-do's, the cleaning, the laundry, go to the back burner.  At least they do for a tiny time, a tiny magical time before attempting to get them on schedule, figure out why they are crying, how to attach those diapers, and keeping them on a sleep/ feeding routine without the help of the nanny. I remember crying as she left through the front picket fence. It slammed shut behind her and my world fell apart. Until the next day, when I realized, I could do this!

Those are the triumphs we remember. The triumphs that come when we realize we can overcome anything, even playing second fiddle to something much smaller than we are who quickly consumes our world. I think someone brought me a little happy one afternoon (thanks Sonya) but for the most part, even now at age 19, he is center stage. I look back at how fast it all went by, like sand in my hands, the harder I grasped it, the faster it slipped away.

All three of our children are so different, with unique traits and gifts. It is something I love, to see all the things we desired to do, come naturally to them, each in unique ways. It is the way God designed life. The things we cannot do, they take the ball and run with. This from a woman who has tried to play guitar both left handed and right. Both ways I scriggle my tongue and can't figure out how to reach the frets. He picked it up and plays it about as well as that piano he is studying to master in college. His sister plays by ear and sings beautifully. The "baby" who is seven, doesn't play instruments and is one belt away for her black belt at seven and is more organized than I am, making herself lists each morning.

I look forward to the next chapter of our family, and I guess in the not too distant future these baby showers I am experiencing again with friends will be those for my children. Wow grandmother. That is a thought I will have to ponder over a glass of wine and lots of sleep. I am now able to sleep whenever I like (minus commotion from a dog or two). That is surely the luxury that does NOT come with babies.

SWEET DREAMS!

Allison

i even mastered the "diaper cake"~

What are YOU up to CURRENTLY?

Friday, Nov. 16 – Currently. Share with your readers what you’re into at the moment. Check out this post for ideas: http://www.writeousbabe.com/2012/11/currently.html

That is the topic for today's blog of the day, Day # 16 in a 30 day quest to COMPLETING THE TASK!

It has become easier, but with that question comes disdain that if you heard what I am really up to, you might not believe it.

Following the format Javacia has posted~ here are those answers. Try this for yourself!

CURRENTLY:

I AM
WATCHING~ not much television. I am still a bit overwhelmed by the election.  We watch Modern Family, Raymond, In the Middle and got into REVENGE a few weeks ago asking, "who lives like this?" to find that SOMETIMES...WE DO, whether we want to or not.

LISTENING TO: The sound of my printer, my dog snoring, the fire crackling, and my stomach rumbling as I dig into this Reese's cup.

PLANNING: Art projects to be put in a local business next week~ all for babies rooms.
Finishing the illustrations I am doing for a client's book. Four down and the cover to go!
Yet another "career" avenue for me!
A laid-back, Christmas for ourselves AFTER we hit the ground running on our upcoming projects for dinner parties, tree decoration and office decoration.  
www.fluffdesigners.blogspot.com

THINKING ABOUT:  Five days in the WOODS~ by a fire, with great friends and family~ a turkey and some dressing and PEACE AND QUIET (if you can drowned out the sound of kids on four wheelers)
Alabama and Auburn Football
Fishing and cooking up some fried goodies on Saturday
Ideas for wreaths and holiday decor (getting good ideas from the woods) and the article I am writing
for MagicCityPost.com
(Read my latest on CONFEDERATE MOTORCYCLES on the web this week at the link above)

LOOKING FORWARD TO:
I am looking forward to getting creative on these jobs we have upcoming with our new endeavor
Fluff! Designers.  We are decorating homes and businesses for Christmas. The first one on the books is a holiday dinner party. We have a number of "design my Christmas tree" requests.
Seeing our Norwegian exchange student Amalie in March at Seaside for SPRING BREAK. It has been three years!

MAKING ME HAPPY:
Writing every day has helped my mood, my energy, my motivation. I have gotten more create in every realm, including cookie decorating. The brain is a marvelous thing, the more it does, the more it wants to do, or so I find.
The idea that the holidays are coming up is making me happy.
Cold nights by the fire and my little Coco sitting with me watching Ann Kathryn dance around to Christmas music (yes we started that before Halloween) makes me happy. Shelton healthy and in a good mood makes me happy. Brent coming home for Thanksgiving (Bringing his roomate in the honors dorm from China~ Mo) makes me happy!

READING:  I am always reading. Every morning my kindle checks me off on about four or five different devotionals. That is somewhat like my writing. The more I do it the more I am able to. The days I skip I wish later I hadn't. I use Bible ap on kindle and phone. In carpool, I can always catch up and get a peaceful moment alone with God.

I have about four writing technique books open on kindle and am reading The book of Useless Information each day~ don't know why, but it clears my head before diving into my WRITING.

I am writing more than ever with the help of classes and workshops. It motivates me to be with like minded writers.

WANTING:
I added this one~ I am praying for peace for my family~ peace for America and divine leadership. I am wanting a vacation in Jan. to somewhere warm...and have that one planned, Championship or NOT.
To send hugs to Alica and Amalie~ our foreign daughters~ and their families during Thanksgiving~ the holiday they don't celebrate at home (Germany and Norway)

and NOW~ as the 3 pm bell is about to ring...off to take a child to a BIRTHDAY PARTY!

AND ALWAYS WANTING:

To hear what YOU are doing CURRENTLY!

ALLISON ADAMS
www.allisonpadams.com

HALF WAY TO BLOG FOR THIRTY DAYS!

Thursday, Nov. 15 – Why I Blog.  At this point you’ll be halfway through #bloglikecrazy. But are we crazy for blogging like crazy? What’s the point of blogging when the blogosphere is so saturated? Why do you blog? Feel free to check out this post for inspiration: http://www.writeousbabe.com/2012/11/am-i-crazy-for-blogging-like-crazy.html

Blogging a day has been so freeing! 

It blends my daily morning journaling exercise I was doing before with some order to it! Javacia provides a topic I am free to run with, or not. It gives me a chance to sort through my ideas on topics I might not have even considered thinking about. 

Today is blog #15 and through the journey I have met new bloggers in our area, and learned more fully about the diversity of opinion, especially on election day. We tend to live in our tight circles and as we get older it seems, we spread ourselves further from those that are not like us. 

This blog journey has opened a virtual neighborhood that includes many ages, stages in education, some just married, some just beginning a family, some independent, some liberal, some conservative. As we read each others blogs we realize that in each person is a unique makeup, a divine structure that makes this world a diverse place.

How refreshing to know most of all, that as we all have our opinions, each respects the others and in some cases, we are shown an alternative way to view a situation or topic.

It is half way time~ the 50 yard line of blogging and I am standing right above the spot of the coin toss!

I intend to make it to day #30 and who knows if I will continue each day after that, but I do know it has been a challenging yet rewarding journey. As the holidays creep in on me I will get a chance to see just how much discipline I have! 

Thanks Javacia! www.writeousbabe.com

ALLISON P ADAMS

WWW.ALLISONPADAMS.COM

MUNDANE MONDAY~

SOMEHOW~ I missed the MUNDANE MONDAY writer’s prompt.

It read like this: 

Monday, Nov. 12 – From Mundane to Magical. Sometimes we can find inspiration in the most mundane moments, such as the wisdom I gleaned from cleaning out my closet. (You can read that post here: http://www.soulinstereo.com/2011/06/monday-motivation-in-closet.html) Take some time to think back on life lessons you’ve learned while doing seemingly dull or ordinary tasks or while out enjoying nature. 

So I looked around for something MUNDANE.   (as I had not fully read the description of our assignment).

At the time I was at the beach.

I thought about taking a walk by the ocean. I noticed yellow tape at the edge of our dunes, and bulldozers, about a dozen or so, parading back and forth to level the sand being pumped from the ocean to build back the hurricane ravaged beaches. So I sat and watched them for a few minutes, amazed at how fast and furious they worked all through the night. No mundane THERE!

I thought of sitting on the deck counting seagulls flying by.  Next door, the house that burned down over two years ago was being re-built and the crew was in full swing (set on fire by teens who thought they would distract the cops while they robbed the houses at the DEAD end road......they got stuck in the sand with all their loot and were caught, then went to jail for arson). NO mundane THERE!

This week on the holiday weekend the owners of what has been a vacant lot decided to put the roof on what has turned out to be a three story towering sunset blocker with walkover to the beach. I went through it after the workers left. There have to be ten bedrooms in there, all with small windows. I don’t understand that at all. But the porches will certainly give them plenty of view. Fortunately, the view to our house is something like looking down from a small plane. They will be able to see my bald spot if ever I get one. NO mundane THERE.

I thought, I’ll sweep the floor or do some laundry. That is my definition of mundane. But as I noticed all the sand, the dog bones, the shreds of paper that my daughter used for a collage, the rubber squares aligned from the kitchen to the den that she was also playing with, I thought, about all of the fun we had collected over the long weekend. Certainly sweeping wouldn’t be mundane! It would be like a scavenger hunt. 

So I perused the kitchen for something mundane. There were Christmas tree shaped dolly Madison snacks, chips of every size and shape, shells glued to a piece of paper from yesterday’s crafts. Nothing mundane about that! And then I spotted the one thing that made me think “ahhhhh”. 

There was a bowl of tomatoes, some green, some red, that I had bought on the way home from Dallas, Georgia the weekend before. I had displayed them on the counter at home in Birmingham and then carefully packed them to enjoy at the beach. As Friday, Saturday, Sunday and then Monday rolled by, they still sat there in the bowl. 

I thought about the joy of the tomato, not so mundane, but nonetheless intriguing. These I knew had come from the ground in a little town outside of Atlanta. They had been carefully planted by hand, tiny seeds, watered, nurtured. As the plants grew, someone reached into the green cover and popped them from their resting place on the vine and carefully arranged them in small bins to be sold to people like me. 

I stood in the kitchen looking at a bright red one, like the ones I used to plant in my garden in Montgomery. I remembered taking the time to tear open the seeds at the corner of the packet, seeds I had purchased along with those of cucumbers, watermelon, squash and zinnias (my favorite) one summer. My son who is now in college was only three. My hands were covered in black earth, his enveloped inside my gloves to keep from getting dirty. He helped me squish each one into the ground and water each hole.

When I moved to Birmingham I had two tomato plants by the pool. The vines grew up the fence and every once in a while I would see a glimpse of red through the leaves. That vine was right by the diving board, which would explain why I never got a chance to pick any of those. I saw them squished, tossed, splattered across the yard then eaten by the birds. Kids and gardens, nothing mundane THERE either.

So when I decided to slice those tomatoes that were so red and juicy, the seeds slid across the knife towards the plate. I slapped a wad of mayonnaise onto the top of it, scooped it up and ate it like I would a plum or an apple.

AAAAHHHHH GROSE, came from behind me as my daughter realized what I was eating.

Even eating tomatoes escapes the mundane at my house.

Allison Adams

www.allisonnpadams.com

Allison is participating in a daily blog challenge. If you tweet, follow it or join in at #bloglikecrazy to read other participant’s entries. Also  she is taking part in ART EVERY DAY MONTH #AEDM2012. Check out those as well or visit www.creativeeveryday.comwww.creativeeveryday.com

to get involved.

Legacy~ A Daily Blog Post for #bloglikecrazy

Tuesday, Nov. 13 – Legacy. The pastor of my church has been talking about legacy for the past month. Regardless of your religious beliefs I think we should all be thinking about the kind of legacy we want to leave behind. So how do you want to be remembered and what are you doing about it today? Javacia #bloglikecrazy

Legacy

I look around at all of the things I have wanted to do, the projects, the books undone, the artwork I am yet to try, the scrap book started, the photo albums, the journals (from the time I was five). 

Unfortunately right now my legacy would be a mess of stuff to sort through or throw out.

We all have a unique makeup and a legacy, according to Charles Wale’s book called Designed for Fulfillment on Redemptive Gifts. His book, has not only given me freedom to realize I was destined and designed in a unique design as everyone is.

 According to just a few of the answers to my personality questionnaire I was designed to

1. be a fighter for the underdog, and have a large range of emotions,
2. be intuitive about people sometimes to my detriment as judgemental and am committed to truth,
3. be a visionary and have more creative ideas than I could ever possibly achieve, (that one was a relief)
4. demonstrate zeal, passion, impulsiveness and verbal expressiveness.

If you have ever found you are not like those around you and have apologized for being different, perhaps you should dig deeper into your personality. 

MAYBE you were destined to be the way you are for a reason! How refreshing to find that while I was unlike those around me, there is a definite plan for those traits and a reason for those that are not so desirable as well as a plan for me to work through them so that I can fulfill my little portion of purpose on this earth.

I don’t know what my legacy is and I don’t know if I am supposed to specify it. If I do that, I might miss something much better!

I encourage you to dig deeper into who you are, why you have those unique fingerprints that NO OTHER ON EARTH has. When you find that, your legacy will fall in line and there will be no reason to think or dwell on it.

After all, as human as the world is, you can go through life with TONS of good intentions, but if they are hurt, they will never see what you were trying to do. They will only see you, and your legacy, through their own filters.

It is not our place to try to direct that....only let it play out as God intends.

So for now, I am still excavating deeper into who I am while I am here. The legacy is yet to be seen.

Allison Adams

as part of #bloglikecrazy with daily prompts 

www.allisonpadams.com

Play in the DOUGH

CREATIVITY BLOG LIKE CRAZY A DAY

doesn't ALWAYS have to be about PAINTING

Get out your crescent rolls and play in them!

(hot dog inside makes it even yummier with a dab of mustard!)

Make the kids smile at a crocodile!

How do I know it is indeed a croc?

I don't! Who cares!

But I know the kids were smiling!

This post is for the one I won't be making tomorrow ! Just saying!

Mom~ Dad

Today I updated my FINE ART AMERICA PAGE

with some creative samples of my photography.


One fun one was a picture of a tree with the words "dad MOM" carved in it which is located
at JH Ranch out in California.

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/tree-at-jh-ranch-falls-allison-adams.html
FOR PHOTO CLICK HERE

I have been there once with my daughter, back a few years ago.

It speaks volumes to many and in so many ways.

Many of the kids are there with their dads and moms to celebrate their approach into becoming
a young man or young lady on an adventure designed to form bonds and opportunities to share
love that might have been hidden, misplaced or there but not recognized.

Many come to celebrate the nurturing relationships.

Many come to try to tape together some portion of a broken marriage or begin a quest to
find the marriage lost.

This place is timeless. It is magical. It is mysterious in that the Holy Spirit surrounds it and protects it and those who venture here.

Lately a partnership between Ariel Israel and JH Ranch is training up Israeli youth to become the future leaders of Israel, led by a Christian camp in the hills of northern California with roots that run deep into Birmingham, Alabama.

I watched history as the leaders  prayed with Mayor Ron Nachman for healing. That was over four years ago. He is still planting, alongside his friends at JH Ranch, "trees on the hillsides of Israel".

I do not know who carved that tree. I do not know if it was because they were a couple there together to remind themselves of their Godly role over those they birthed.  I do not know if it was a kid who missed their parents. Or perhaps a mom and dad playfully signing in as they approached the falls and vowed to jump over the impressive drop into the rolling water.

All I know is it spoke to me. A sadness I have to say that my children have only chaos when they think of their mom and dad. After over eight years there is bitter hatred, competition, strife and confusion, enough to have them say they do not want weddings.

I know that if a couple of Christians and a man from Ariel, Israel can form a bond, even our family mess can be healed, one day, in the name of our children.

Tomorrow I will carve in a tree, "to my babies who I love so much that I can forgive" so that when they see "Mom", they can think of my love and when they see "dad" they can think of him. We are no longer together after nineteen years, but they are forever ours.

BLOG LIKE CRAZY~ AND GET CREATIVE EVERY DAY!

I have created a 

NOVEMBER

CREATIVITY CHALLENGE 

WEDDING CEREMONY 

and you are invited!

It begins right after 

the Veteran's Day weekend.

With rainbow FLAMES in the sky, 

and an earthquake that shook my 2 liter coke Friday night here on the Gulf Coast in Alabama,
http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/local_news/mobile_county/dauphin-island-rattled-by-minor-earthquake

there have been crazier things than creativity overload!

Earlier this month I signed on for the National Novel Writing Month Challenge
and am at 5000 words,
a bit behind those who started on the first, but chugging along....
http://nanowrimo.org

So when I got my daily email this morning from CREATIVE EVERY DAY and the 

ART EVERY DAY CHALLENGE

I THOUGHT....HEY!

WHY NOT join the Creativity a Day and my

BLOG LIKE CRAZY CHALLENGES together into one
CREATIVE MARRIED BATCH OF BLOGGING FUN!?

So not only will I be continuing blogging each day,
(I did skip a day! in the car, no internet
every gal needs a vacation~)

I will be blogging about creativity
so I hope you will check back each day to see what we are creating!

Today, with the doors open and a 72 degree breeze off the gulf (a strong one at that) my daughter and I painted some Christmas Angels.  (she is 7 and warmed up with some flowers and sun)

Creativity can be as easy as spelling your initials with your food, just in case you don't have
paints handy!

Have some FUN!  It is what life is all about!

Blessings!

Allison Adams

www.allisonpadams.com

Gals with GUNS

BLOG A DAY Post

Today I am scaring myself that I have blogged for 8 days solid on various topics posted by #bloglikecrazy 

The subject today is fitness....as you know, fitness for me is a trip to get a coke from the fridge so my topic is off subject for the first time.

Today I am thinking about all of the hoopla made about the Republican party being at Hoover Tactical Firearms election night. I have to admit, I have been a pistol toting mama since my Realtor days in the questionably safe occupation while living in Montgomery. I carried a loaded 38 Special on a holster to my showings, only once walking behind a man with my hand on it. He was shifty and I was alone there with him.

In those days we had one man shot and killed during an open house and a couple of women tied up and stripped, locked in the bathroom at their open house and their Lexus’ stolen. It was not a good time to be in Real Estate. 

Mayor Folmer’s wife set up a gun safety class for women in Alabama. I went through that course and was amazed that the recommendations by all of the police were, “if there is a car in your driveway, someone comes in anyway, shoot to kill. And the younger they are the more dangerous.” 

He was referring also to the gang activity and the fact that the young kids had little fear or remorse. That was before the days of kids from all neighborhoods sporting heroin and these super drugs that are making our youth feel even more invincible (thus the recent slew naked men on rampages).

That was probably fifteen years ago and I have since become less cautious although our area Walmart sees muggings and shootings at least a few times a week (at least the ones I hear about). On Southside, as Birmingham slides back into the top FIVE of most dangerous cities to live in, we have to wonder if there will ever be a day of peace. 

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mlj45jggj/5-birmingham-ala/

 I have been re-thinking the shelving of my friend, Mr. Wesson. I recently even designed a purse to conceal him, which I hope to be creating soon. A recent design session with three handguns on a table in one of the most creative spaces home to Ed and Fred Foster.

As an American I feel honored to have the right to carry a weapon. 

I was raised in the country and am not afraid of guns. Guns do not kill people. People kill people. And if I am ever confronted with someone who comes as a threat to myself or my family, I will go down shooting.

A recent article in the paper shows that nearly 10,000 women in Mobile County alone, let alone  in the state of Alabama are licensed to carry a concealed weapon.  In every restaurant and every shopping center, there is probably someone carrying a weapon (legally). We have no idea about those not registered who are carrying. As of today, I am one of those.

http://blog.al.com/live/2012/10/armed_in_alabama_more_than_990.html
Article on Mobile County concealed weapons

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/10/armed_in_jefferson_and_shelby.html

Next weekend starts gun season for hunting.  (I have been using those since I can remember, but not much for deer. I killed an eight point in college and after that, I decided I liked shooting from a lens better. This weekend my husband bought my seven year old a rifle and took her to the range to shoot it while I was at my writing workshop in Georgia. Guns are a part of the Southern life and tradition.

I feel sorry for the person who ever tries to take THAT right away. That might just call for some kind of mess! And I feel sure it will involve many going down to defend their right to bear arms! Personally I hope I never have to use one to defend myself.

Tuesday nights are LADIES NIGHT at Hoover Tactical Firearms so if you are just wondering about it all, drop in and check it out. I think it will only cost you ten bucks to rent a gun and you will have a heck of a good time. 

Closets

Wednesday, Nov. 7 – Who What Wear

My closet has been a bone of contention during my entire life.  In my early college days, it consisted of a shared space constricted between bi-fold doors. Every time I moved it grew or changed, things got lost, borrowed.

When I married my first husband the closet was always an issue. I had buckets under beds, took up most of the space in every place we lived. We moved every year for the first ten years of our marriage. I dragged all of the clothes along. Looking back I wonder what I would have experienced had e-bay been around.  I might have just sold it all in little like groupings and started over, re-inventing my self each year.

At year eight in Montgomery and eleven years of marriage, we bought a house with a closet room full of mirrored doors. I finally had the closet. It was the place and era of the ball. Montgomery is known for formal occasions. I loved to get glammed up and party like a rock star the first of the eight years we lived there but as with anything else, it began to lose its glitter.

By the time we left there for a totally opposite lifestyle to the Gulf Coast, we had a three and five year old. The clothes I dragged to a small closet not unlike the one I started in had solid core doors instead of bi-fold, and a safety hazard when opened and closed. I wouldn’t get rid of any of those clothes either.

I remember the day the closet came crashing to the ground. I was taking a nap and heard clattering. 

“Wow, so sweet, all that banging! He is finally putting together that shelf for the kids,” I thought before noticing the doors wide open and a bar of clothing jutting towards me.

That incident sparked the argument and the year we decided to go to counseling to try to keep our fifteen year marriage together. We even moved into another house in town with a bigger closet. (The first one was my family’s vacation home we vowed to be in for six months before three years crept along.)

 Shortly after we moved to the new home, at the advise of my sister who was visiting, (she re-invents her closet every season), I agreed to throw out the old. We laughed until our sides hurt reliving the events to which we wore some really cheesy looking stuff. I think I had her bridesmaid dress still in there from when she had married seven years earlier. There were at least two of the seven year cycles of fashion in that new closet that then housed my things pretty comfortably.

That day a new person I then called a friend was there. She dug through my things, asking if she could have a long black leather jacket I was tired of (man I wish I had that thing now, it was thick and looked like something from Deliverance but it was warm!), a worn Louis Vuitton bag I decided at my sister’s suggestion to toss as we were not even able to remember if that one was black market or real. Yes, I have to admit, I had that phase too.

We threw out quite a bit and I lugged about five trash bags of clothes to a consignment store on the gulf coast. I never got a cent of money for those. I will blame it on the fact that a hurricane and mild tropical storm that wouldn’t leave soon washed through and water damage consumed the place. I am sure it had nothing to do with the dated styles.

My marriage soon went out with the tossed clothing and I vowed to begin again with a new style and leave most of it behind.

I moved to Birmingham, a single mom with a pretty small closet, but wow at the space! I came to find that a man with more suits than I have can take up room in any closet, large or small. 

I also found that the gal who was coveting my loot was also after my husband. Thanks to her, the fifteen year marriage was ended without all of the threatened battles being waged by the other side. So now she inherited my stuff, all of the problems that marriage had before (will leave that vague but with a sigh of relief), and last I heard, a very small closet.

So now I stand here in my closet. I have had some friends come help me sort through it probably twice in the eight years I have lived here (the longest I have ever been in one place in my life since high school). There are a few ball type gowns I have held on to. There are some suits I know I wore in those Montgomery career and museum board/Jr. League days. There are some shoes I feel sure are wanting to be released but I am the firm believer that if they still fit and I like them, why toss them! 

This year’s fringe phase makes me covet the old fringe jacket I tossed about ten years ago. It was authentic hippy fringe, suede and sassy. And yes, sixteen year old daughter, I would have been “that mom” and worn it.

My closet now is open and large. (I designed this one from scratch with three rows of bars, although one did fall off the wall this spring. That was the winter coat one). Three bars high allows for spring, summer and winter to live all in the same space. The shoes? There will never be enough shelves for my shoes, although I probably wear ten percent of them. But if God forbid I EVER need a red one, a teal kitten heel? I have one!

The highlight of my creative mood swing is to get out my InStyle and peruse the pages to find that in my closet lives something similar to a few of the items in the “gotta have” section. I didn’t go shop for it, I didn’t order it online, I dug around and found it! 

Although today after a week of 30 degree weather last week and approaching 80 degrees today, I am a bit perplexed. I was happy to see the colored jeans I sported (and somehow I am still the same size) ten years ago are in. But with the change in the climate the cute sweater I was going to wear was replaced with a quick find as I dashed to check my child out who is sick. I might be said to resemble a sorbet today, lime sherbert!

Either way, there has got to be some value in appreciation to a man, particularly a husband, that he doesn’t have to outfit his wife with new things every week! He just has to be sure he takes her somewhere special so she can wear it!

Allison Adams

www.allisonpadams.com