Word of the Day: stultify

Hi there! Sunshine here with a new word for ya. It’s not new-new per se, but in an effort to keep our vocabulary fresh, we’ve got to use it or lose it, amiright?

I recently reread the Harry Potter series. When school is in session and I’m bogged down with projects, I get my HP fix by watching the movies which is all well and good. This summer, though, I’m taking advantage of the extra time on my hands to reread the books which have some very noteworthy differences. In fact, I’ve already ranted about how the folks at Warner Bros missed THE ENTIRE POINT of the series and chose to omit the very point of the story.

And the more you read about the slavery and injustice that exists in the foundations the wizarding world, the more parallels are drawn between it and our society. I can’t help but think that maybe if the true story were the common knowledge story, there might be some young person able to translate  that revolution into terms that our society can benefit from.

But I digress. Don’t get me started, I could do a whole series on the subject of elf rights, centaur legislation and the blatant ignoring of canon (Star Wars fans wouldn’t take that ‘ish!). Today, though, Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban – book and movie – can help us understand our word better.

Remember the bogart? The shape-shifting creature that takes on the form of what the viewer fears most? To defeat a bogart, one must use the spell, Ridickulous, whilst transforming the fear into something funny. This is a useful skill to have whether you’re a wizard or a muggle.

If I were face to face with a bogart, it’d probably turn into…a useless bachelor’s degree and a stack of art crap I made that nobody wants. Then, I’d step up to it, wand at the ready, and I’d stultify my fear by envisioning that same art degree useful and gleaming and that art in galleries or, better yet, in the homes of folks who love it.

The goal of working for oneself, making beauty to share with the world writ large is the sort of thing that occurs to me endogenously.

See what I did there? If you missed it, check out last month’s Word of the Day and tune in next time for more Wrays of Sunshine!

February Round-Up

It’s leap year, y’all. Do you have special February 29th traditions? And I still can’t believe it’s March already. Before we dive headlong into Springtime, let’s relive my birth month.

In February 2016 we:

Got to Meet: Dale

Meet: Dale

Then I was just basically hauling ass to get work done in blur of a frenzy of productivity and whatnot.

I got everything done in time to celebrate turning 30 with light sabers!

Spindrift Magazine put out a call for entries. Did you submit anything?! And I put out the word about the BUYART sales event which is coming up soon!

And now it’s time to March ahead! So far so good. In case you missed it, we’ve already the opportunity to Meet: E. R. Saba. Awesome.

 

 

 

June Monthlies

Whooo! I haven’t done a monthlies post in too long. TOO LONG! But they’re back! Boom, baby. Here’s what went down in June.

We took a closer look at the video I made for To the Death, with critique from my classmates and teacher as well as a self-evaluation. If you’re wondering I got a 3.8 on that assignment.

We took photography to the camera obscura level with Make: Pinhole Camera. You can do it, too!

More random illustrations, sunshine and a little mimery.

We stopped to celebrate our two-year wedding anniversary!

Then I found a stash of photos from the beautiful blossoming Japanese cherry blossoms.

After that I was all gung-ho for Solstice. We looked back and last year’s, we lingered on this year’s and are already looking forward to next year’s! Oh and I also posted a wee video of the Solstice Skaters.

I grew impatient with two different hair textures and got a little snippy. But I’m happily 99% Natural.

The joy of yummy comfort food was with me as we chowed down on Menu: Steak & Taters.

Steak & Taters https://wraysofsunshine.com/2015/06/24/menu-steak-taters/

 

 

Life: Change or Die came with the realness. Finally, after a year of intermittent pain and subsequent two-month wait for surgery, I made it through double laparoscopic hernia repair surgery. It was  IS painful. Seems like my everything hurts. From my side where they gave me a shot to prevent blood clots to my lips where the breathing tube was taped to the actual incision sites to my belly. And my hand from the IV. My arms and legs ache from picking up the slack where my core can’t. I cannot thank my sweet, sweet Honeybee enough for lifting me up physically and mentally. He has this amazing attention to detail that is so crucial in keeping me comfortable. Everything I could want is within my reach. Independence is my instinct, but it is not wise whilst in recovery. He reminds me that he is here to help.

He lifts me out of bed and offers a walking stick for stability on the side he can’t hold. Through trial and error I determined it’s easier to shuffle sideways rather than lift each foot forward. Even with his help and moving at a snail’s pace the pain has brought me to tears every time I’ve walked. It’s all so very pitiful. I hate being weepy and weak. And I hate pain. It hurts.

Worry not, I’ve got a few posts saved up. They’re gonna post themselves and I’m gonna lay here and make as few movements as possible.

xo,

Sunshine

 

 

Wrays of Sunshine 2014 Year in Review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog. I thought it would be fun to share with you, since you made it possible.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,100 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 52 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

December to Remember

I’m not sure how it happens, but December is always a shocker for me. It’s not newly situated in our calendar, yet it baffles and befuddles me. This time of year everything just blows by in a blur. If it weren’t for these monthly round-ups I might just forget all the awesomeness.

Let’s recap.

We have a good the best time making things, that’s how I know Bethany is my crafting partner in crime.

I sought out the conquer both thirst and winter chills with my peanut butter hot chocolate with marshmallow cream. This beverage is seriously a work of art. I thought so, but it wasn’t until Honeybee got his lips around it did I realize the truth of what I’d done. Try it, you’ll like it! (Unless you have a peanut allergy. In that case probably sit this one out.)

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate w/ Marshmallow Cream https://wraysofsunshine.com/2014/12/03/peanut-butter-hot-chocolate-w-marshmallow-cream/

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate w/ Marshmallow Cream

With hot chocolate in mug, we moved on to my semi-unconventional gift-guide for the creative types in your life. Seems like every year I have a few stragglers that I just can’t think of what to get! Hopefully I helped with a few of yours.

I spent a crampy evening watching Muppet Christmas Carol and really got into the spirit. I made a snowflake tree for our picture window, hand-printed our cozy fireplace Christmas cards (with Cricut message) and created an alt-wreath to Make: Holiday Cheer. Fun! Jared, Matt and I had a marvelous time trimming our mini tree.

Make: Holiday Cheer

Make: Holiday Cheer

Make: Holiday Cheer http://wraysofsunshine.com/2014/12/14/make-holiday-cheer/

We next departed from the festivities for a minute to take a look at my hair. Never have I been more sure of the decision to document this transition. Seven months ago I was like, this is gonna take forever. But you know what? Time flies. 7 months already! And, more importantly, I’m happy to report amazing Curl Definition in the Face of Adversity. I’ve since retested the new method and my hair is hot fiyah. FIYAH. You can’t argue with fiyah. Fiyah is unreasonable. Just hot.

We check in on the decorations downtown and all around in On the Street & in the Hood

And, of course, we celebrated Christmas! From now ’till next year we’ll be taking our time enjoying family and getting in some serious chill. The holiday season, man. It’s joyous and wonderful but tiring, too.

See you all next year!

xo,

Sunshine

Gone Til November

If you were Wyclef you’d be back by now. Heh. See what I did there? November you next year, boo! It’s all over. But we can’t get all in a flurry for everything December brings without a shout-out to a great November.

At some point I paused to enjoy some beauty between raindrops. Then there was the moon and the incident, which we won’t go into. We clicked around the Boat Street Marina and had ourselves a time.

 

Then we got all bold and beautiful in the Printmaking Studio at my school. Even though printmaking can be painstakingly hard work, it’s my happy place.

We were unexpectedly nominated for the Liebster Award (!!!) and we shared the love. ❤ ❤ ❤

For eats this month I made my special cabbage soup. I had a chance to reminisce on my early Seattle days, when a head of cabbage and bacon was really all I could afford. Luckily cabbage soup has a high yield. Why? Cause caring is sharing, folks.

We did Thanksgiving on an intimate level this year, teeny tiny Cornish game hens! Twas perfect!

Our hearts poured out to Ferguson. Looking back, it makes perfect sense that my school would host a rally, but at the time, I was baffled by the amount of students (and police) who showed up. I managed to shoot a quick video as the peaceful assembly ended. UW rallies for Ferguson.

In this month’s natural hair news, I shared a startling realization regarding bad hair days. Eesh.

And, as if by some miracle, Seattle’s first snow happened! It’s one of those (perfect) snows when there’s no where I had to go (lucky!). I ran around outside in my robe snapping a few pictures and then hid under cover until the coffee kicked in.

Before I knew it November was a thing of the past. Winter is upon us! Batten down the hatches, people! Except your internet hatches, keep those open. And stay tuned for more Wrays of Sunshine in December.

xo,

Sunshine

October, We Barely Knew Ye

Oh, were you looking for October? Sorry, love. It’s gone. It’s already gone!

Presenting the month’s posts here at Wrays of Sunshine in a round-up format really helps me wrap my mind around how quickly the time flies. And October is a special edition because it’s my favorite time of year and it’s my Seattle-versary! Five years I’ve been exploring the wild, wild (Pacific North) West and it’s clear this city suits me. Five years I’ve been blogging the dream. I’m surrounded by and creating music and visual, sometimes wearable, art; appreciating the now while planning for the future. And I love it!

Early on I was on a mission to get busy and I’m happy to report the mission is accomplished. For now.

Actually it was while I was busy studying when I happened upon these beautiful words. Architecture is so such a powerful thing to appreciate and study. It costs so much and demands so much time and care that it really shows what mattered most to a country in time so far away. I try to imagine what life was like somewhere between the Tigris and Euphrates gossiping about whether this whole written word thing was gonna catch on. Can you imagine?

Then all of a sudden it was my 5 YEAR Seattlerversary which is a big holiday in my book because I’ve learned so much and have truly been welcomed by this city. To celebrate, I brought y’all along on a walk through Fremont with my Honeybee and me. It was good times, we took in all the fall color. Beware of spiders, though. They are not ‘uckin around.

This time of year I’m all about warm, yummy dinners. But warm and yummy don’t have to mean extra salt and msg (the flavor enhancer). I finally hammered down my own recipe that which is comparable to that box brand except entirely completely wholly better. I probably wouldn’t have been so motived to do this if there were a Popeye’s anywhere near here, jus’ saying. Dig my dirty rice, y’all!

CATFIGHTCRAFT

Over on the CATFIGHTCRAFT blog you can find my recipe for the Big Salad, advice for setting goals, and Bethany’s post about our Etsy shop update! We are constantly creating and refining and it’s so exciting, for real!

Then, like, all of a sudden time started flying on by and it got pret-ty quiet around here. Apologies, folks, but it’s hard out here for a pimp.

Jared, Honeybee and I carved punks and Halloween was a grand old time.

November. It’s upon us already! Don’t forget to fall back you guys. What are you doing with your extra hour?

xo,

Sunshine

September Monthlies

Fall is upon us. While I can hardly believe it’s September again (much less that it’s over), here’s to letting the good times roll. We started off with a style post at the KEXP Wall with some incredible photography by Nataliya Ivanova-Brown. Good times!

Then we ventured out of our comfort zone to see some nature. Lyons Ferry sits just a few miles outside Starbuck, Washington and on a gorgeous day, offers a splendid view.

Papa’s Garden is an all around great place to be. I shared some photos from our most recent trip, just as everything was blooming. So, so pretty.

I tried desperately to hang on to that last bit of summertime tradition with my cucumber sandwiches. So. Friggin. Yummy. Check out the Menu.

Cucumber Sandwiches https://wraysofsunshine.com/2014/09/22/menu-cucumber-sandwiches/

Cucumber Sandwiches

As you recall I was accepted to the University of Washington. Fall semester began and I shared some of my favorite back to school jams.

I shared my natural hair transitioning guide. It’s basically my new normal and I love it! Look at those shiny, happy curls.

And last but not least, I introduced a business Bethany and I started called CatFightCraft. There, we share projects, recipes and our handcrafted home and fashion accessories. Making our first Etsy sale was a memory I’ll never forget. I was in the middle of sending a text message when I got the email and literally jumped in the air. Yah! Our production and techniques are growing by the day and I can’t wait to share more!

Fall is upon us! School is in session and my hands are busier than ever. Are you revving up for anything these days? Do tell!

xo,

Sunshine

August Happenings

It started off heavy with drudgery. A coworker of mine was out for two weeks recovering from shoulder surgery, so the first week of August was pretty quiet around here. I assure you, my ass was TIRED! But working those extra hours will help pay for projects and all sorts of good things, so it was worth it.

I was accepted to the University of Washington and toured the campus for our orientation. It was so lovely I had to share. Thank you for all the kind words!

You may know a certain boxed brand that claims to have the cheesiest, but I beg to differ. Try my Hearty Party Mac & Cheese and tell me what you think.

HeartyParty Mac&Cheese http://wraysofsunshine.com/2014/08/11/menu-hearty-party-mac-cheese/

For the first time ever on Wrays of Sunshine, I put together a poll to see what you suggest I do for this nightstand. The verdict was a 50/50 split between keeping the gold inlays and leaving it like it is. Guess you guys are as undecided as me. Right on. I’ll continue doing nothing until I’m passionate about changing it.

 

With some coaxing from friends and relatives I’ve worked up the courage to take you along with me on this natural hair journey first mentioned last month. I figure it’ll be awesome to go back years from now and chart the evolution of the curl. You’ll notice it’s up in the menu bar for quick finding. I was already two months deep, so this month makes three. After practically overdosing on Youtube videos and blogs, I emerged from the internet to share my favorite natural hair resources to date as well as some progress photos. I’ve yet to come up with a full on plan, but I’m thinking about it. One thing I do know is my hair is way happier already. It’s stronger, softer and just generally cooler so I feel like a winner. Thanks for all the support and love, you guys. You guys!

 

We wandered the International District and had a blast chowing down on cream puffs at Beard Papa’s. Can’t go wrong there. Then we pretty much scooted ourselves outta town and tried our best to appreciate the last of Seattle summer. The sun is setting at like 7 these days, a far cry from May and June’s 10pm daylight. That’s okay, though. With September comes fall, fall fashion, school, and loads more all new adventures.

See you there, stud!

Sunshine

 

 

July Monthlies

Yes, yes y’all and it don’t stop! July was fast and furious and awesome.

We started off the month with our Steamroller Printmaking event which was a thrilling success, mostly. Our final prints went off to be sold at Wallcott’s Decor & More, thanks again Louise!

Make: Relief Prints

Our Menu was hoppin! We ate Black Beans & Spiced Rice  Peanut Butter Bacon Jalapeños and had Creme Crumbles for dessert. And you can’t forget yummy delicious mojitos with mint fresh from the garden.

Black Beans & Rice

Creme Crumbles

Creme Crumbles https://wraysofsunshine.com/2014/07/03/menu-creme-crumbles/

Peanut Butter Bacon Jalapeños https://wraysofsunshine.com/2014/07/22/menu-peanut-butter-bacon-jalapenos/

Sunshine’s Mojito

Seattle celebrated the 4th of July with a gorgeous fireworks display to the tune of all local music. The wind cried Mary and I cried Jimi!

I shared some random views of Seattle sights, a little Gas Works Park here, a little library there, Pike Place Market, etc.

Seattle Public Library

I tried my hand at #tbt.

And I introduced a new feature, Links of Gratitude wherein I share what I’m most thankful for in life and on the internet. So far I like it. What do you think?

2 months ago I stopped using relaxers to permanently straighten my hair. I shared a few thoughts on the journey to natural.

Of course, it was a pleasure to Meet: Damien Cross, radio personality extraordinaire!

My most recent style post, is bangin’! Sunshine and sundresses and the amazing photography of Jared Wade=victory.

Another month down, but you know what that means. Wrays of Sunshine in August is going to be hot. See you there, sexy!

xo,

Sunshine