Jenny Doh

Monica Mouet :: 2012 Outstanding Sophomore Writer

A few days ago, I had been notified by the Creative Writing Conservatory at OCHSA (Orange County High School of the Arts) that Monica was going to receive an award at an awards ceremony that we needed to attend ... but that we needed to keep the award a secret from Monica. So as non-chalantly as possible, I rounded up The Mister and Monica and we went. (Andrew decided to stay home.)

Of all the awards, there is one for Outstanding Freshman writer, Outstanding Sophomore writer, Outstanding Junior writer, and Outstanding Senior writer ... the ones given out toward the end of the ceremony.

I had no idea which award she would be getting. But as the night progressed and she hadn't been called up for any of the other ones, it dawned on me that perhaps she might be named Outstanding Sophomore writer. And you know what? That's exactly what happened. Monica Mouet is OCHSA's 2012 Outstanding Sophomore Writer.

I'm not sure if anyone really understands how proud I am.

From the moment Monica came into this world, I knew she had a unique point of view and that she had the potential to express this point of view through the written word. Her words. They have already accomplished so much. And I know that whether she decides to use her skills to write arguments that affect public policy, or to develop clever characters in screenplays, or to create the next great American novel, or to move mountains, she'll do it.

My Monica.
My daughter.
Her words.

I can hardly wait to read the words she will continue to craft in the months and years ahead ... words that will entertain, challenge, persuade, and delight.

My daughter.
My heart.

Mind Readers

To make a book, it takes more than one person. It takes the effort of many. And if you're lucky, the many doesn't have to be too many ... just a few who have immense talent and commitment. I wanted to introduce two of those people on the CRESCENDOh team who make my work seamless.

Raquel Joya is our principal graphic designer. Our Creative Director extraordinaire. We've worked together for many years and I hardly have to say much in order to get an idea communicated. She listens but most importantly, she understands ... and she brings to life visions for how to make a book look great. I actually think she can read my mind ... as I utter a word or two and she says "got it."

Our principal writer and editor is Amanda Crabtree Weston. Meticulous, smart, and oh yeah, a mind reader as well. We've also worked together for many years and she's there to catch all of my fragmented sentences, thoughts, and ideas and work her magic to make it all flow ... always with a smile and commitment to quality.

These are just two of the many on the team who bring to life books like Hand in Hand ... a book that I am so proud of, and reflects the commitment that our entire team has to producing high quality content that is exquisite from cover to cover.

More to come. :)

Flowers Wrapped with Painted Paper

I'm a lucky girl to have received these lovely flowers from my friend recently ... a gesture of support and "you can do it" cheering on for some of my work projects ...

The flowers were wrapped with a piece of kraft paper that she had painted. It's genius, actually.

The flowers are still going strong, but when they are here no longer, I will have the best thing of all ... the beautiful painted paper. Maybe I'll cover a journal with it. We'll see.

Embracing 45.

Last night, as I was enjoying a quiet dinner to celebrate my 45th birthday with The Mister and the kids, there was a thought bubble hovering over my head that said: "It doesn't get better than this."

I mean really.
I never knew it would be so good by 45.

• In the morning, my kids and husband woke me up with a serenade, coffee, and pastry.
• In the card from my teen daughter and teen son, they wrote, among other things: "You know the correct ways of raising children, and we will never become 'stupids' or stray onto wrong paths of life."
• In the card from The Mister, he wrote, among other things: "You have gotten cuter."
• I had a GREAT workout with my super cool personal trainer, and then off I went to Jamba Juice to enjoy a peanut butter moo'd smoothie for lunch.
• After the smoothie, I spent most of the day figuring out how to write a pattern for a new crochet design with my stellar tech editor (for a new project coming later in 2013).

Family. Health. Meaningful work (with the smartest and most capable team) ...

So then after dinner at Lola Gaspar's, I told my family I wanted to go to the studio to check things out to prepare for Julie Balzer's class this Saturday. As we were approaching, I saw that the studio's door was slightly ajar and I thought: "OMG, somebody broke in!" And then as I approached, I saw a little pretty votive candle and I thought: "OMG, the interlopers are throwing a party in my studio!"

And then when the door was opened, I was greeted by my friends for a surprise party. OMG.

I've NEVER been so surprised.

Tracy Schultz made everyone laugh as she was placing the cake that Sarah Meehan had baked and got her hand caught on the cake, nearly causing it to fall off the table.

Other amazing treats were present ...

After it was over, I got home to work on some stuff, getting ready for the rest of the week and saw a new thought bubble hovering over me that said, "I'm one lucky girl."

I embrace 45. And next year, I'll embrace 46. I want never to complain about the years I've collected because without those years, I wouldn't have the experiences nor the relationships that I do.

This is as good as it gets.

Becoming Our Best While Looking Our Worst

The informality of family life is a blessed condition that
allows us to become our best while looking our worst.
{Marge Kennedy}

 

 For the past several days, I've been on vacation with my peeps: The Mister, Monica, and Andrew. The ones I love. The ones who know me. The ones with whom I bask in the informality of family life ... especially during family vacations where we bond and and laugh hard ... where passings of gas become amplified and therefore more hilarious, crusty eyes and bad hair become magnified and more ridiculously endearing ... as we have fun, become grounded, humbled, and bonded in closer quarters than usual and slower pace than normal.

During this vacation, we have enjoyed the beauty of California's central coast as we have feasted on steamed crab, soaked in the beauty of nature during day hikes, and just plain enjoyed the company and mutual acceptance of one another. Corny jokes and all.

 

 Whether we travel far from home or not too far from home, the best thing about our vacations is that we are together, as we enjoy the true blessing of being comfortably our true selves as we imagine, prepare, and receive support to become our best selves.

Good Night Irene :: Goodbye 2011

Thank you to my family, friends, team, and artists for an incredible 2011. Onward we go to 2012.

Top 10 Funniest People of 2011

It's that time again.
Time to reflect back on the year that has almost passed and think about the people who gave us the gift of laughter. To me, there is no better gift. This year's list has in some ways remained the same since last year's list, but changed in some interesting ways, with the inclusion of some new faces. Here it is.

#10 :: The Mister :: He's a great cook, we all know. But around the house, we all tease him for his nerdy tendencies. When he teases us back, it is a sight to behold. I love nerds.

#9 :: Amy Hanna :: She brings out the country hillbilly in me.

#8 :: Dori Barrett :: When we laugh, we laugh deep. She and Amy and I are going to start a band.

#7 :: Andrew Mouet :: On the one hand, he doesn't have much to say to people. Awkwardly so. On the other hand, when he starts talking about things he is interested in (like Dr. Who), he won't stop talking. Awkwardly and hysterically so.

#6 :: Linda Perez :: My trusted next door neighbor. Her one-liners about the happenings in our neighborhood makes my face freeze in laughter.

#5 :: Suze Weinberg :: I had the great pleasure of visiting with Suze at Donna Downey's Inspired event earlier in the year. She was the life and laughter of the party ... second only to #4 :: Margie Romney-Aslett. There was a point when I was in a room with these two women and I had to focus and meditate on the chair in front of me so that I wouldn't pee my pants and fall to the ground laughing.

#3 :: Shamanie Haneca :: When I visited her in Colorado last winter in the snow, she made me get into her car as she made it spin out of control. She's a crazy girl. During that visit, we were visited one evening by #2 :: Jeanne Oliver. As we stayed up visiting late into the night, these two would not stop singing. And rapping. Extemporaneously. That's just the way they roll. Here we are again at The Makerie 2011.

#1 :: Monica Mouet :: Practically every single day, this daughter of mine makes me roar with laughter. With her funny voices, her impersonations, her rants and raves about life. My belly aches ... in a good way, because of this smart, funny and keen observer of people and life.

So there you have it. The funniest people (in my life) of 2011.
I vote that we all enter 2012 with a goal to laugh. Until we pee our pants. Until milk comes out our noses. Until our bodies shake. Until it hurts. So good.

To laughter,
Jenny :)

 

 

Christmas 2011 :: Scenes of Blessings

This Christmas, the blessing I treasure most is being with the ones I love. Simply, easily, deeply.

As the morning turns into afternoon and then evening, and then soon a distant memory, there are scenes I want to record and remember about this Christmas ...

Beautiful flowers from friends Amanda and Christopher ...

Hilarious gift from Monica and Andrew ... a book titled Go the F*ck to Sleep ... one that humorously honors all parents who do the hardest job in the world every single night to get their young kids to go to sleep.

Meaningful gift by friends Sarah and Lane who are helping bring clean water to the world.

Powerful words of love professed from Monica and Andrew that bring me to my knees.

From our house to yours, Merry Christmas.

Love,

Jenny, Gerardo (The Mister), Monica, Andrew, Toby & Scout
Santa Ana • 2011

Craftapalooza 2011 • Part 1

I'm still recovering from the time I had with my friends last night in the studio. We had been wanting to create together for so long and finally we got the chance to do so. Each person was in charge of bringing a craft to lead so that by the end of the night, we would walk away with four fabulous projects.

The craft I led was based on the collaborative art journaling that I've enjoyed doing as of late. Each guest was given a standard sized Moleskine and a piece of Fabriano paper that we rotated around the table to get each of us to doodle and make marks on. Once that was done, we mounted the finished piece onto the journals.

We then did the same thing with a small Moleskine and a small piece of Fabriano paper and then mounted those on. The larger ones had stayed black and white and the little ones are when we introduced color into the mix but once we saw how lovely the colored ones turned out with the yummy Copic markers, we all went back and rotated the larger ones again to add color. These are my two journals ... I love how they have the marks of everyone on them.

Here's how Heather's journals turned out.Here's how Amy's journals turned out.

And here are Pam's journals, along with the rest of ours.

Have you tried collaborative art journaling yet? It's one of the funnest activities you'll ever do ... hope you try it out with your friends and family.

Stay tuned to see what else we created at our first annual Craftapalooza. ;)

Crocheted Hemp Yarn Heart Invitations

I stayed up late last night crocheting little hemp yarn hearts. So cute, right?

This morning, I decided that I would use them to create invitations for an upcoming crafty get-together with my girlfriends. I had told them that I would try and make invitations rather than just looking to our email exchanges as our que to get together. You know ... like the good old days ... real invitations in real envelopes with real stamps that get delivered to your home.

I kept it pretty simple. I tore ledger paper into quarters, typed the message, then taped the crocheted hearts onto them with a bit of tape. Then I free motion stitched the papers onto pieces of drill fabric.

So cute, right?

Wishing you days filled with crafty get-togethers, and perhaps the time to infuse good-old-fashioned invitations into the process.

Happy creating. :)