Elsa Mora

What a Day! Here is the Story for You.

Dear friend,

Yesterday was one of those days that seemed to be part of a movie to me, like a suspense movie. The most crazy thing happened: I lost my wallet with some money but most importantly with my credit cards, drivers license, museums membership cards, supermarket cards, zoo membership card, and all sort of other cards. 

I left the wallet in the supermarket cart. I realized about my mistake about 15 minutes after I had left the supermarket and then I drove back immediately!!!! I found the cart in the same place where I left it, I found the little list of groceries but I didn't find my wallet. I asked the manager but they didn't have any lost object in storage.

So I called my bank to cancel the credit cards and then I drove directly to my local DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) to issue a new drivers license. Over there was really interesting, DMV's are great places for finding amazing characters, perfect to inspire many of my little dollies. One of the characters over there (his name could be something like Arrostino) gave me a form to fill out. I didn't have my social security #, I can't retain numbers like that in my brain so I had to call Bill's assistant and as always she was so fast! She found the # and gave it to me. Thank you forever Laurie!!!

Then the lady with the bright orange hair asked if I wanted to use the old photograph or if I wanted to take a new one, she asked this looking at my old photograph on the computer, which is probably the ugliest portrait of myself that I have ever seen in my whole life. I said: well, if it takes too long then let's keep going with the old one, who cares? (I do, I could hear her say in her brain) Ok, she said... sign here and it is $23 dollars. But I didn't have any money with me!!!! I had to ask her to keep the papers so I could go back home and find some money. I went back home and I did not find any cash so I asked my neighbor Sally for help. Thank you Sally!!!! I will pay you back after I write this story!

I drove back to the DMV and I saw the lady with the orange hair again (Anatamarinda is the name I gave her), she said: are you sure you don't want to take a new photo? There is no line over there now....OK, I said, because I knew that I was going to make her happy. She smiled so I went to the little place with the blue background and a new photo was taken. I am sure that it will be as ugly as the previous one. There is something about Departments of Motor Vehicles and portraits that doesn't quiet work. I am sure that you know what I mean.

So, after this, Anatamarinda told me that I was going to get my new driver's license on the mail in about 3 weeks! :o But in the mind time I could use the little paper that she gave me. Perfect! Now I am a legal driver again. So I drove back home, I sat for a minute in order to process the whole thing when I heard something: riiiiiiing!!! The phone (IT WAS MY BANK) 

phone:Hello, yes, is this Elsa Mora?

me: Yes, that's me

phone: We just wanted to let you know that your wallet is here and that you can pick it up before 5:00 PM

me: What!!!???? My wallet? But I didn't go there today!

phone: Well, it looks like someone was trying to use your ATM card over here...

me: OMG! 

So I run to the bank and there was Mister-Perfectly-dressed with my wallet. I was sooo happy. I could not believe that my old wallet was back in my hands with the one million membership cards! The only thing missing was the cash, because Mystery person decided to keep it as a souvenir.

So I went back home and sat again in order to process the whole thing all over again. In the end I came to the conclusion that life is that way, unexpected things happen all the time and you just do what you have to do. And it is also better to do what you have to do it with a positive mind. In the end it was kind of exciting, I enjoyed my time at the DMV, I loved how happy Mister-Perfectly- dressed was to deliver the wallet to its owner, I loved how my neighbor Sally was so happy to lend me her money... I was just happy to see that I wasn't alone, whatever happens to you there are always people out there to give you a hand.

The other thing that I learned is that my wallet is so heavy! Carrying a light bag for a few hours felt wonderful! I think that I will get rid of all the things that I don't need to carry with me Yay!!! 

Lots of love!

And take good care of your wallet please!!

Elsita :)

(And I am soooo happy that the little patters were well received yesterday!!! Thank you!!!! I have to end this post saying that yesterday was a good day, Yay!!)

So Happy to be Back!

Dearest friend,

I missed you so much in these weeks! You have been such an important part of my life since I started this blog in 2007. How lucky I am to have your friendship via this blog! When I am away from here is when I deeply realize how important your friendship and support is for me. Thank you so very much for being so wonderful, it really means a lot to me.

Today I just wanted to jump in here with Diego and say: WELCOME BACK AMIGOS!!!!!! (Diego was the main reason for my blog brake)

To make the story very short I can tell you that Bill and I are in conflict with LAUSD regarding where Diego is going to go to school next year. So we needed to find a lawyer and now she is helping us with this, it will take months before we're done with this process. Bill and I hope that we can win this case! Please wish us lots of good luck!

Diego is doing AMAZING, we couldn't be happier with all the progress that he has made in his current school thanks to his unique teacher, we love her and she adores Diego :) One of the best thing that could happen to a child is to have a great teacher.

But we will have lots of time to talk and share everything about what we have been doing lately. The best news is that I have so many visual things to share with you, new things that I have made. I am working on my two solo shows this year: One here in Los Angeles and one in Puerto Rico.

And I cannot leave without announcing the winner of the little papercut from the giveaway.

Taraaaaa!!!!!! And the winner is: MELISSA CROWE

Yay Melissa!!!! I will ship the piece to you as soon as I have your address.

And I will be back tomorrow!

Lots of love from the bottom of my heart!

Elsita :

Visit The Hidden Seed Today!

Interview :)

Dear Friend,

Today I am excited to tell you that I had the honor to be interviewed by DISCO UNDERWORLD, an inspiring digital magazine filled with profiles of diverse people from all over the world. Answering all the questions was a real pleasure. HERE is the direct link to my interview. In order to read it, just click on the arrows to pass the pages, it is very easy. And right at the end of the interview (in a pink box with this color) you have the option to vote for your friend Elsita. Thank you so much!

You should also check out the previous issues, there is a lot of inspiration in its pages :)

But I also wanted to let you know that my friend Kirsten is having a WONDERFUL GIVEAWAY THIS WEEK! Yay!!!! You're going to love the prizes! Hurry up to leave your comments!! Yay!!!!

Have a wonderful day!!

Elsita :)

And on The Hidden Seed today: My First Dress :)

La Vida!

Oh my dear friend!

Do you realize how fast life goes?

We wake up everyday with so much in our heads and such a long list of things to do. Then we go to bed at night feeling that we still need to do a lot more next day. And that's a cycle that never ends. It is like that everyday, every week, every year... Do you realize that this race has an end? It is a fact that one day we are going to stop the race because it is life's nature. So in the end what is life? Should we call it a race? Or: 

A. POWELL DAVIES:

Life is just a chance to grow a soul.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN:

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

ANNE WILSON SCHAEF:

Life is a process. We are a process. The universe is a process.

ANNIE DILLARD:

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.

CORITA KENT:

Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed.

DOROTHY THOMPSON:

Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.

ELBERT HUBBARD:

Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.

I love the last one so much :) It makes me smile because it is so right. Why don't we just slow down and smile? Let's run in slow motion :) That's what I try to do all the time but then I forget.

Thank you for letting me share these little ideas with you. It is good to remember them once in a while.

Lots of love to you! And-now-I-will-be-leaving-in-small-motion...

Elsita :)

On The Hidden Seed Today: The Traveler :)

Something is Cooking :)

Dear friend,

Here is a little secret for you: I am cooking something :) I will give you some clues: It is unexpected, it is for you because I would have never thought about doing it if I didn't know you. It is not something that you can eat and I am so excited about it. I am working on it and I cannot wait to share it with you when I am ready. Yay!! Let's keep the mystery because that way is more fun. I don't think that you're going to guess what it is but you can give it a try if you want :) Yay!!

Lots of love!!

Elsita :)

The Sense of Smell and a Little Confession :)

I have a list of BIG resolutions for this year and also a list of tiny resolutions. One of the resolutions in the tiny list is:

*Enjoy those little pleasures of life that involve you sense of smell :)

That's why I got these soaps and solid perfumes from dennisanderson on Etsy. They smell sooooo nice! It is amazing the power that smelling has in our brain. I love beautiful fragances because they transport me to the most amazing places. Fragances could be as visual as anything that we can see with our eyes and they could also be a great source of inspiration for any creative person.

Now a little confession: my very favorite smell in the whole world is the after shave cologne for men. Any kind, they just make me happy and I don't know exactly why, there is something extra-special about that kind of smell :)

I want to send a HUGE THANK YOU to the person who invented the after shave cologne for men. What a great invention!

Have a happy Tuesday!

Elsita :)

Great to be Back!!!

Yay!!! I made it to December 1st alive!!!

Dear friend, I am happy to tell you that I am feeling so much better now. Bill's Mom has been such a great helper in these days. She not only helped me with the kids but she also decided to pick up the phone and set up and appointment with the Dr. for me. He was wonderful. I went through different tests and now I am waiting for the results. It looks like this is the time of the year where everybody goes to see the Dr. The laboratories have a lot of work to complete, that's why it's taking a little longer than usual to get the results. 

One of the things that my Dr. and I we discussed was that in Cuba I was exposed to lots of harmful chemicals for years when I was an art student. He wants to make sure that I don't have any weird microscopic dudes hidden in my blood. I had a heart test right there in the office with some machine and the instant result said that my heart is perfect! Yay!!! That made me very happy. I saw the little printed graphic and I couldn't understand anything but from the design point of view I can say that the drawing was very nice :)

So I am still very busy doing one million things but I have enough energy now to get up and function and that's great. One of the things that I am trying to learn is to write down what the priorities are everyday so I can do what's really important without stressing out about the rest. There is only a limited amount of things that a person can do in one single day and we have to keep that in mind so we don't burn out ourselves. 

And very soon I will see the eye Dr. I can't wait, I am almost sure that I need new eyes :) So, This little post was just to say that I am so happy to be back with you again!

I hope that you had a very Happy Thanksgiving!

See you tomorrow!

Elsita :)

See you soon!

Dear friend,

With this little post I wanted to let you know that I am going to be back with you on Monday, December 1st. My Mother in law is already here and she is going to help me out with all the things that I have to do and with the kids. They are sooo extremely happy that she is here. I am still very tired, I will try to recover in these days, I hope that this is just stress but if I still feel the same way after my Mother in law leaves then I will need to go to the Dr. for a general checkout. Maybe I just need to see the eye Doctor, I can't see very well, I haven't checked my eyes for years, maybe I just need new glasses. Maybe I have been pushing myself too much for too long and my body is asking for help :0 Today our Nanny noticed how fast my hair is turning white on the sides,  I suspect that this has a lot to do with all my concerns about Diego and his future. I am extremely positive as you know and I am a happy person but I am human and our little Diego and his future is in my mind every second. My mind is very positive anyway , and I know that in the end I will be back to normal as usual. Fortunately Diego is doing great, Natalie and Miro and Bill too, now I just have to make sure that I am well too :) . I will miss you a lot and I cannot wait to be back on Monday, December 1st. 

Wish me good luck and I send you a big hug and lots of love!

Elsita :)

Elsita :)

Today, a little confession :)

Message from Elsita :) And a very tiny giveaway!

Dear friend,

This post is to say good-bye for a few weeks. Life over here is calling for a blog brake and I am listening to the call because as I wrote in this post we should try to be good listeners :) Fortunately this will be only a temporary good-bye because I will be back on MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2008 YAY!!!! In all these weeks I will be doing one million things family-related and work-related. I have to say that I am very excited about my to-do-list, I will share everything with you when I am back. Right now we 're getting ready for an important meeting about our little man el Diego. We are going to meet his shadow for the first time and we are so excited for him. This will be the person that, as the word explains, will become Diego's shadow when he starts school in a few days. She will be with him every minute during his school hours and she will have an important impact in his life. Diego doesn't have any sense of personal safety yet, he would run to the street if he could, with all the cars passing by and he doesn't realize how dangerous it is. His shadow will make sure that he is safe but also she will teach him many new things. I am crossing my fingers for Diego! You now how we all have a natural shadow and it comes out the way it comes out and there is nothing to do about it but in Diego's case it is important that he has the perfect match as a shadow :) It will make a big difference in his new life. Please send us lots of good energy, I am taking a purse with a big pocket on the outside for all the good energy. I wish you lots of good things in these weeks, and the best health possible to deal with a month like September. I will be back with good things to share with you, including how Diego and his shadow are getting along.

Lots of love and see you on Monday, October 6, 2008!!!!!!
Elsita :)

But before I go I want to introduce you to mini-bunny :) This is one of the tiniest papercuts that I ever made and it could be yours. Mini-bunny is 1 1/2" tall and it looks sooo cute in person! If you like him just leave a comment in this post and I will announce the winner as soon as I come back on October 6.