After the Nothing, #LoveWins

'Bout a week ago.

It has been one week since THE collision. We are physically f i n e... we all walked away, but we had to lose some things at the scene. Bruises, aches and scrapes quickly fade.

I don't know what happened, and you can keep asking me. I was asleep in the passenger's seat. I heard Farmer Guy exclaim, "Oh, no!"

While the surround s o u n d air-bags inflate the mix-tape stops in the space of complete s i l e n c e.

And then n o t h i n g.

Nothing about my elation that Minister Robert Muhammad retweeted my t w e e t about seeing him at l o v e airport. Nothing about the Minnesota Pho restaurant not having vegetarian offerings. Nothing about un-social media. Nothing about bills. Nothing about bickering. Nothing about f l a g s (loving Bree Newsome, btw). Nothing about posers. Nothing about terrorists. Nothing about politics. Nothing about work. Nothing about who can m a r r y whom. Nothing about the Meyer's amazing Cress and Lunar Chronicles. Nothing about smoke and mirrors.

Nuhting about Nuhting.

Maybe a lot, not all, but a lot of life is exactly that... Much a d o about nothing.

The only thought that I can sort of remember in the v a c u u m...

So, this is it.

Ase! So it was.

Sound f l o w e d once again into too much.

"Is everyone okay? Is everyone okay?" The level headed Sweetness questioned.

While the Manchild sprung into Power Ranger a c t i o n.

M o m e n t s into smoked fumes and jammed doors, we exited.

After the nothing, love b l e w through, above, and around the entire perimeter. #lovewins

Love

#lovewins #iamexcitedformygrandchildren #lovewins #freebree

Oh, and #freemindsfreepeople (#fmfp2015)!

Love Fete

The l o v e f e s t has officially ended. 

s e r v i c e & g i f t s 

Valentine's Day can be such a holiday of decadence, my daughter believes us to have crossed through decadence into p u r e gluttony. I remind her that we don't do seven deadlies. 

However, there were Edible Arrangements with chocolate covered strawberries and heart shaped pineapple slices, Italian cuisine carry-out from Luigis, movies galore. One being Charlie Countryman. I'm kinda obsessing over Shia Lebeouf at present. "I am not famous anymore." #iamsorry

There were dozens not thousands like Kimye, but dozens of r o s e s- pink, white and red. Frank Sinatra satellite serenaded us. 

Victoria's Secret made her d e b u t. TMI, I know. Skip paragraph if not interested. I really n e e d to publicly announce that by joining one of their clubs either PINK nation or the official store, you can randomly receive coupons in the mail for free unmentionables. 

Farmer Guy delivered chess pie, plain and chocolate! Can you hear points tally like at the end of an e x c e l l e n t round of Ms. PacMan? 

There were desserts! Boxed chocolate, tiramisu, chocolate cake, cheese cake and fried rice.  Don't judge, fried rice IS a dessert.

L. D. Eagle posted today that food was her love language... I totally get that. Hear, hear & Eagulls, Eagulls...Eagulls, Eagulls!!!

What's a love fest without l o v e  languages? We executed each one, and we could taste love wafting on farm cloud air.

Dr. Gary Chapman devised the love languages for us all to better understand and communicate love. I remember the analogy about the people speaking different languages, like when building the Tower of B a b e l. They may have been saying the same thing but they weren’t hearing the same thing.  It's not so easy to connect when we are communicating differently.

What's your love language? Find out now: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/ 

As with our online audience, we have to give love so they can hear it. 

These are the love languages:

• Words of Affirmation 

• Quality Time 

• Receiving Gifts 

• Acts of Service 

• Physical Touch 

Here's where we left off...

Receiving Gifts 

Remember that the way a person receives love is also how they give it.

• Crowdsourcing is critical here.  Contribute, or run a campaign.

• Give away. Online give aways. Swag in person give aways. Give stuff away.

• Give away really good tips on your blogs and posts. Content is king.

• Other nice gifts include memes, photos and videos.

Acts of Service

This is a fun one!

• Donate a part of your platform income to an organization that supports your vision or a really good fan.

• Participate in a blog tour and share other people's work. If someone you know has something wonderful going on share about it with your readers.

• Help a Reporter Out. Sign up with HARO if you have not already.

Physical Touch

Reach out touch them!

• Give shout outs.

• Go to events and meet folks. Online and offline - from google hang outs to meet ups.

•  Go off line and into the streets. Try to attend an event each season.

How else can we show love online? Drop me a line and let me know.

l o v e

free inspiration

h o w d y lovelies,

do you need w o r d s to brighten your w a y?
have a free book, and play!
it's f r e e until Tuesday!!!
y a y!

http://www.amazon.com/Inspiration-ebook/dp/B003D7KB1A

we will be sharing words at EPCC's 5th Annual Literary Feista this saturday from 11:30-5:30. p l e a s e leave review l o v e

g r a t i t u d e g a m e

Life is filled with mundane tasks. Waiting in traffic, riding on transit, stuffing envelopes, sanding hula hoops, chopping veggies and so on. 

Over here we practice word focus, and a good wood focus is g r a t i t u d e. When you focus on gratitude and breathe other words pop alive. Words that can make you weep. 

My thankful thoughts moved me to tears once while stuffing envelopes for a ginormous mail out. With each envelope I thought a thought of something that I give thanks. Somehow I landed off of the path of usual: health, family members, employment, and landed smack dab into experiences. Like eating lox in New York, baked beans in Boston, beignets in New Orleans then I took a turn to a Picasso museum in Switzerland. 

My chest welled. I am fortunate. Blessed, and highly favored. 

Start by counting tiles the next time you find yourself in the mundane and you need a life lift. Tiles are everywhere- on the floor, ceilings and walls. Give each tile a name of an article that you give thanks. So delicious!

Life IS fabulous!

l o v e

Where can you play the g r a t i t u d e game?

four times p i n k

Each year I repost this blog for remembrance. A couple of weeks ago my dear friend had a double mastectomy. Thanks to Angelina Jolie, we can all feel more hopeful about reconstruction and selfies. 

*Goal of the year---- MONTHLY BREAST SELF EXAMINATIONS! 

It's all pink again!

Last October, I don't remember.  

This year, each ribbon follows me and leaves pink traces behind my eyelids.  This year- the year of biopsies, the year of lumpectomy, the year my mother had a mastectomy.  
 
Adrea is in the habit of sending by post (that in itself is fabulous).  Sometimes the treats from my partner breathe through their packaging, forcing my children to rattle the contents.  That time they were pictureless word cards.  Each card presented one of the words we claim on post sized cards, business sized cards, or itty bitty cards.  They were gorgeous.  I traveled with them half across the state to share with my mother during the post chemo / pre-surgery / pre-radiation hospital moments. 
 
Mom twisted them around and palmed them.  I saw fear vanishing from her.  When the anesthesiologist entered, he began to share the process.  First, we will do this, then that, the important thing is to clear your mind.  
 
"We have words for that, Mom, from the 'nothing' series."
 
The doctor was intrigued.  I shared p i c t u r e l e s s with him- Clear Clouds, Memory Music, Invisible Icicles.  He deemed them appropriate and darling.  He modified my mother's instructions to a p i c t u r e l e s s place.  
 
In a childlike voice my mother asked for surgical tape.  When he returned she began praying and taping positive word cards on her body.  Then, my fear vanished.  This is l i f e and life is b e a u t i f u l.  
 
Each hospital employee, visitor, and friend that witnessed that moment became instantly radiant.  The words connected us, protected us, and let us breathe through those moments one moment at a time.

It's all pink again!

BTW, MaRose is doing f a b u l o u s l y!

playing with w o r d s

I have found (and research confirms) that exposure to positive words can help in building esteem. By manipulating positive words in the top three learning styles (tactile, auditory and visual) at least one of the exercises will speak to you.


Here are a few exercises that I recently did it the Museum of the Southwest.
http://www.mywesttexas.com/life/article_e89a1abf-b8fb-5db9-908c-ee079e6bc41a.html

“Be the word, you wish to see in the world!”

Exercise 1 / Visual
You are…
Materials needed: Something to write on, and something to write with.

Sit around a table with family, friends or familial f o l k s. Each person writes their name at top of paper. Pass the card to the left. Participants write two positive words that describe the person who’s name is at the top.
When each person receives their own card back, the exercise is complete. 

We have been known to carry our cards around with us, or keep them in sight as reminders.

Exercise 2 / Tactile
I want to be…
Materials needed: Scissors, Glue Sticks, Recycled magazines and newspapers, paper.
Collage
Think about words that can build identity. s t r o n g, s a f e, b e a u t i f u l, s m a r t...

A word can be specific for you or chosen at random from a word bank. You do have a word bank, by now? Strong, pretty, smart, loving, kind…

Thumb through the pages of magazines to find pictures that show that word as a visual representation. Cut images, arrange, and paste into a collage.

Also called “Be the word, you wish to see in the world!”

Exercise 3 / Auditory
Share Words
Find literature that expresses positive thought and high self esteem ideology. At least weekly share and read positivity text, and say loving words often. Need somewhere to start? Try pictureless ebooks, A is for Angel and A is for Apple.

http://www.amazon.com/Angel-ebook/dp/B003C1Q4ZE

l o v e

f r e e food!

What in the world do we do with q u i n o a or k a l e?

Find out for freeeeeeeeeeeeee!

food words to b r i g h t e n your day- from now until Sunday!

http://www.amazon.com/Walnut-ebook/dp/B0050PJJR0

love

See you this Saturday at #authorday Midland Downtown Farmers' Market!

What are we doing????

People always ask, "What exactly is this w o r d thing?"

Here's the short answer (I think), "I want a word, any word, your word to make you feel fabulous!" I have seen it happen over and over again, and I want to share with e v e r y o n e. That's all for n o w.

l o v e

Be the word you wish to see in this world!

What's your word?

uh-mazing!

This Hoopnotica journey has been uh-mazing!!! 

12 days after my Method One training in Dallas, I taught my very first class at an at - risk high school. Before that Friday, I planned, I read, I re-planned, I reread. I practiced and practiced. One thing I knew for sure was that hesitation and uncertainty would c r e a t e jokes for years from this crowd. 

When the day arrived I was ever so g r a t e f u l to have exactly seven Hoopnotica hoops (some gifted :)) for the P.E. class of six, and for me. I work at the school, but don't know the students as if I were still a teacher. I'm a desk administrator now- some of the kids I get to know, but sadly most I don't. In this class of six only one was familiar.  

We started with introductions, then a demo, and plenty of reminders to not touch the hoops, just watch the f a b u l o u s me. We have a plan... see the white board... it will go as planned. 

And it worked for five of them, but one of the students kept touching her hoop, and occasionally l a u g h i n g at random. The primary teacher stayed very close to this student and subtly reminded her to pay attention.  Time came for a mini first 'this is how to waist hoop lesson'. The same young lady with fierce intensity listened to each word I said, and watched my every move.  

She clapped her hands, squealed, "Ms, I want hoolie oop." 

As she spoke, I detected a possible learning deficiency.  "Hoops up... let's try."  

The students struggled to varying degrees, but not her. She hooped. She hooped hard. The other students admired her graceful hoopwork, and even cheered for her. She smiled, g i g g l e d, laughed. She was the best at something... finally.  

"Have you hooped before?"  

"No, but I want to."  

In disbelief after class I called her parent. The parent confirmed that her child had never h o o p e d, but always asked for one while perusing store aisles.  

*** 

Today marked the final hoop Friday of our term.  When she hoops, I'm reminded of angels with real h a l o s.  

This Hoopnotica journey has been uh-mazing!  I have photos posted on my instagram teffaniewhite or @toimaginemore if you want to see the loving hoop notes I received from the class today. Or search #hoopnotica, #boyshooptoo 

 Keep Hoop Alive 

Join me at the Museum of the Southwest, Friday July 26, 10-3. We're hooping!

l o v e

f r e e inspiration!

h o w d y lovelies,

do you need w o r d s to brighten your w a y?
have a free book, and play!
it's f r e e until Saturday!!!
y a y!

http://www.amazon.com/Inspiration-ebook/dp/B003D7KB1A

we will be sharing words at the museum of the southwest this friday from 10-3. l o v e

Today is t i p t o p!

a l p h a l o v e

When we play with our abc’s we find beautiful, simple ways to expand our lives. In our dream to make feeling good simple and fun, we turned to the source of learning that we all have in common, no matter what culture, gender, age, creed. The abc’s unite us in ways that we have only begun to find. The possibilities are endless, and the fun, simple: infinite.

http://www.amazon.com/Teffanie-T.-White/e/B009H8BS48 

l o v e

s u n s h i n e

t h a n k y o u Mary DeSantis, writer of Out of the Lockbox!!!! 

for giving p i c t u r e l e s s a Sunshine Award, which is for “bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere.”

Like many such online honors, the Sunshine Award asks recipients to do a few things:

-Thank the person who gave you the award in your blog post.
-Answer a few questions (see below)
-Pass on the award to deserving and inspiring bloggers, inform them and link to their blogs.

Sunshine q u e s t i o n s????

Favorite Color: b l u e! All types - all kinds. I even had my first ten-speed painted blue like the sky. 

Favorite Animal: f e r a l ones.

Favorite Number: i have a few! 11, 7 and 13. 

Favorite Non-alcoholic Drink: green t e a. 

Facebook or Twitter: fb, fb, fb, instagram, fb.

Your Passion: w o r d s & hula h o o p i n g

Giving or Getting Presents: getting from the farmer guy. i'm not really g o o d  at choosing perfect presents. i'm planning to learn.

Favorite Day: s u n d a y 

Favorite Flowers: t u l i p s & w i l d

Finally, these are the fabulous authors I’m tagging for this award. 

Leslie Davis Guccione

Tiffany Airington-Hamm

Heidi Ruby Miller

Toni Spearman

Danielle Hinesly

Adrea L. Peters

love

h o p e

Helping people has been the primary intent of p i c t u r e l e s s books since Teffanie envisioned it years ago. We will donate part of our profits. We will give away books. We will give our time and energy to charities and people and organizations we believe in. We are partnering with others to create alphabets and projects that will further their causes and passions. It is our hope that we help. And so we will.

d r e a m

Desire. At p i c t u r e l e s s, we dive into our d r e a m s. Could a word, just one word, change a day? Bring a little lift to the dreary? We don’t doubt that discovering delightful d words is a pretty darn quick way to fulfilling our greatest desire: bringing delectable dancing deep within our reader’s hearts and minds.

smashwords got me going in c i r c l e s

Hula Hooping. I did it! I passed the Hoopnotica I curriculum. Shut - up! Super excited! So excited that I penned and published an alphabet book for hula hoopers! I want to share my j o y with you! 


This fabulous hooping alphabet - H is for Halo  is now available for free this week on Smashwords. Smashwords lets you download books to almost any e-reader. Hot!

to play with this new word list

• register in Smashwords 
• u s e  FREE code for YG72P
• e n j o y words  
• s h a r e
• r e v i e w  

We love posting pages of the pictureless books everywhere. 

You are fabulous! 

love

Look what Farmer Guy got me! A wooden hula hoop. Fabulous! Right? 

Kind of ready to sign - up for more classes. What do you think?

h OO p y Valentine's

Listening to "What's Going On?", Marvin Gaye on Sade Pandora thinking about the journey and its fabulous detours. This past summer while my son attended a pre-college program at Pratt Institute the girls detoured to Girl Month.

Girl month.

We listened to audio books.

We made s m o o t h i e s, salads and soups.

We cleaned.

We called our girlfriends.

We did spa treatments. We scrubbed. We s t e a m e d. We hair straightened with Agave.

We road tripped. We spiked in Alpine. We shopped in Lubbock.

We worked out- girl look at that body.
Insanity, Zumba, Walking, Belly Dancing, Socacize, African Healing.

We ate c h o c o l a t e (good chocolate).

We fell in l o v e with Hugh Grant because we watched chick flicks.
Who knew that Julia and Jennifer had soooooo many movie credits?

When watching film, we integrated ab words (Of course, we played with words!). Like a drinking game, when the chosen word was said by a character- we hit the deck and did crunches. That got old quickly!

What else could we do that was ab - licious and fun?

It seemed like when I asked the q u e s t i o n, it appeared.

TE's exer-app updated on her FB page. You know the kind: TE just hula hooped for 10 minutes, and is now extra fabulous.

Hula Hooped? Really? And the point of that was what?
Jump roped for ten minutes... I got. Ran for ten minutes, uh yeah. Hula Hooped... mmmmm?

So I messaged her.
She responded.

The next night before the double feature, we went to the sporting good's store and bought a couple of hoops. With l i g h t s!

When ab words began. We hooped. We went to tennis courts and hooped instead. We replaced our morning Insanity class with hooping for obvious reasons. We just hooped.

It was then that I noticed an influx of elimination. TMI, but we love healthy number two elimination. I researched. Apparently the hoop massaging the c o r e and its internals did more than p u m p up the heart rate. Somehow my internet search lead me to a video of a beautiful masterful Black hoop artist, hoop dancing to "My Chick Bad".

I wanted to do that. We turned off the dvd and turned on the music. We tried.

Realization. People couldn't just DO that. I was gonna need a teacher.

Three months later, Farmer Guy handed me a b o x. A box with everything needed to become a licensed and certified Hula Hoop instructor from Hoopnotica! Shut-up!

Now I'm h o o k e d on hooping. So of course I needed beautiful hooping w o r d s! Introducing my new favorite p i c t u r e l e s s alphabet book.

H is for Halo available on Smashwords.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/284241
h OO p y Valentine's & Happy Hooping!

a n g e l

l o v e

t h r e e times p i n k

It's all pink again!

Last October, I don't remember.  

This year, each ribbon follows me and leaves pink traces behind my eyelids.  This year- the year of biopsies, the year of lumpectomy, the year my mother had a mastectomy.  
 
Adrea is in the habit of sending by post (that in itself is fabulous).  Sometimes the treats from my partner breathe through their packaging, forcing my children to rattle the contents.  That time they were pictureless word cards.  Each card presented one of the words we claim on post sized cards, business sized cards, or itty bitty cards.  They were gorgeous.  I traveled with them half across the state to share with my mother during the post chemo / pre-surgery / pre-radiation hospital moments. 
 
Mom twisted them around and palmed them.  I saw fear vanishing from her.  When the anesthesiologist entered, he began to share the process.  First, we will do this, then that, the important thing is to clear your mind.  
 
"We have words for that, Mom, from the 'nothing' series."
 
The doctor was intrigued.  I shared p i c t u r e l e s s with him- Clear Clouds, Memory Music, Invisible Icicles.  He deemed them appropriate and darling.  He modified my mother's instructions to a p i c t u r e l e s s place.  
 
In a childlike voice my mother asked for surgical tape.  When he returned she began praying and taping positive word cards on her body.  Then, my fear vanished.  This is l i f e and life is b e a u t i f u l.  
 
Each hospital employee, visitor, and friend that witnessed that moment became instantly radiant.  The words connected us, protected us, and let us breathe through those moments one moment at a time.

It's all pink again!

c a n v a s {free}

The c a n v a s series offers a creative way to teach art, to do art and to play and make the words come alive. First in the imagination, next, we hope on the page, or screen, in the sand, or on the icing of a cake! These words can then expand one’s knowledge, and thus, expand the pleasure of the art in a museum, the images on TV or in the movies, or of course, in reading a book. Knowing the words of art, make art come a l i v e ! c is for canvas f r e e until monday! love