Pets...

I've been pet sitting all weekend and it's a lot like having grandchildren. You adore and love them for the weekend but I'm ready to get back to my routine and not have to get up to take care of the dogs. I'm ready for the owners to return! But it's really nice to enjoy the company of others pets and knowing you are providing assurance and love until they return. I still have four cats and I know I would welcome someone to adore them as much as I do if I were gone.

Sleep deprived...

I'm a person who needs eight hours of sleep and when I only get a couple hours like I did yesterday, it's a tough day for me. I completely forgot to post and I'm sure a multitude of other things I forgot I needed to do. My brain lacked sleep and I was functioning but nobody was home! Feeling better today with my sleep quote back... Aaahhhhh I do love my sleep!

Recycling...

http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/inspired/website-converts-excess-goods-to-good-deeds.html

One of my passions is recycling. I love to see others trash turn into someone's treasure. One struggle I have when I'm clearing out and getting rid of my "stuff" is trying to figure out who to offer it too. I have a hard time throwing away thing when I know that someone would love the item. There are many options for business and personal that will distribute your belonging to others and I don't allow as much time as I would like to making that happen, so everything sits in my garage waiting. But I am determined to work at that in the days to come. It will be put higher on my priority list, because clearing out and giving feels GREAT!

Our Brain...

"The human brain has the capacity to store everything that you experience"

Our brain is amazing! If it holds everything we have experienced then it's left up to us to give that experience meaning. It's so easy to give what seemed like a "bad" experience a bad meaning, instead of seeing the good. When I'm in the middle of those thoughts, it usually takes me awhile to sort out what meaning I want to assign it. The cup is either half full or half empty, it's whatever meaning we place on it. And sometimes I have to keep re-deciding the meaning before it sticks.

Made Me Smile...

I was in need of a little extra tender loving care today, so as I went out into the world to run some errand, I found things to smile about:

A birds song

Children's laughter

A kind man holding the door open for me

Sunshine

Flowers

Thank you world for the smile...

Road Trippin'...

Today my daughter and I decided to spend the day driving to Kernersville to visit the mobile http://www.sketchbookproject.com/where. It was so much fun! We both participated in the sketchbook project this past year and it was inspiring to see other peoples creative ideas from all over the globe. Plus it was surrounded by the beautiful Botanical Gardens http://www.cienerbotanicalgarden.org . All in all it was an awesome day.

Present Moment...

TRUST  in the present moment...

ALL

IS 

WELL

Library...

My son and I went to the library yesterday and we each walked out with a huge stack of books. It was so much fun. When my kids where growing up, the library was like our second home. They had a limit of 100 books you could check out, and between the four of us we almost always reached that limit. Most days now I just run in and get my book on hold and run back out, so it was nice to just take the time with my son to browse the rows of books and hang out in an old familiar place, filled with good memories.

Self Love...

"When you start to pursue an inspired life, it changes you. You don't fit in anymore to a world of negativity and complaint. Though you may feel like you don't fit in your old life, you will finally fit into your own skin. Then you will fit in everywhere. Self-love changes everything!

Words borrowed from~ Tama J. Kieves

Self-love really does change everything. The more I love myself the better the choices I make, honor who I am becoming, and honor those around me. I'm creating a new normal for myself and loving my "whole"self a little more with each passing day.... the more love I give yourself, the more love I can offer to others.

Those who need it the most...

"They say" that you should love "the miserable" because they need it the most. But sometimes it is very hard!!! I believe that we are ALL worthy of love but I also believe that there are different ways to love someone. I don't feel I need to subject myself to someone's constant unhappiness, but I can be kind and offer "love" when their around or I can send them "loving thoughts" when needed. I can allow them that uncomfortable space they need to make a change or not.

Balance...

When I'm creating something I find it hard to find balance in my life. I need to give my mind a break from the constant swirling of ideas and step away and be quiet. Balance also comes with giving myself limit's on how long to keep working on something. I end up working late, and then get to bed late, then sleep later then I want, and it's a cycle that doesn't leave me feeling good about anything.  But with awareness comes change...

Possibilities...

"The Creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Just imagine, from one acorn so many possibilities. Like when we are born ~ so many possibilities! Somewhere along the way I let the rules and "shoulds" of growing up clouded my picture of possibilities. But there is a saying " It's never to late to have a happy childhood."

"It's never to late"

A Father...

~Happy Father's Day~

Just because my father was not able to be a father for his own personal reasons and my children's father doesn't mean I can't wish all the other, giving, loving, fathers and father figures who are present in their children's lives the Happiest Fathers day possible. I can either be bitter and wonder "why me" ( which I have) or accept the way it is in my life. As I've gotten older I understand they did the best that could with the knowledge they had and I can love them for who they are and not the image of what I think they should be. 

Love like the sun...

"When people stand up and shine their light, it shines a light on other people's darkness. When someone is sending me negativity or hate, its not because I'm wrong or did something wrong, it's a projection of what's inside them onto me. And the same goes for me. When I'm in a negative or angry state, I tend to project that state onto others.

My aim in life is to try to love like the sun - which shines on everyone the same."

http://thedailylove.com

It's hard sometimes to remember whatever someone is saying to me is their own reflection from their interpretation. But the same is true for me to them. It's a good reminder as I go to a gathering of friends today to - love like the sun - which shines on everyone the same! And that would include myself. I find the more I can embrace and love myself the less I project onto others because I come from a place of pure love.

Myself...

As I'm working on my business blog I'm trying to write a bio about myself and where my passion for food came about. But resistance is popping up and I'm not sure why. It might be about reveling myself and that doesn't come easy for me, even if its talking about a passion of mine. My goal is to allow the resistance to be there and work on my bio anyway. Letting it rule my life is not an option, so if that is the case I MUST move through it and get to the other side.

Life Expands..

"LIfe shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage."

~Anais Nin

This is so true for me! As opportunities present themselves in my life, each one is an chance to step up in courage and say "yes." Even ones as simple as a friend who gave me a shirt she no longer wanted and she thought it looked like me. But it had some sparkles on it and my first instinct was to think "oh I will stand out, it's just not me." I took it home and with time to reflect, I see it as a small step to open up and be seen. And another friend wants to have a small ceremony to celebrate my new stage in life, and again my first thought was, " oh no, I don't want to be the center of attention in a group." Each one I am choosing to offer myself with courage and grace

Limelight...

I've spent most of my life in the shadows and I felt at the time I liked it that way. But life keeps calling me out into the light to be seen and I have to say it's something that is WAY out of my comfort zone and something I must continue to respond with a "yes - I'm all in!" I heard at the conference I went too, that the more I stretch myself and go beyond my comfort zone I will build a "new normal." So here I go... tip toeing out into the light every so slowly.

Allow...

"If you choose to see EVERYTHING has a miracle, then where you are right now is perfect. There is nowhere to run to; there is nothing else to do except be in this moment and allow what is to be. From that place of radical acceptance MAJOR change can happen. The first step in any transformational experience is acceptance and surrender to the present moment the way that it is. From that place we have the awareness, humility and POWER to change what is."

http://thedailylove.com

When I read this, this morning it seemed to bring relief. If I choose to believe, then where I am is perfect and I have nothing to do but be in this present moment and "allow" what is to be. It offered me a sense of freedom from my mind, that can often drift to unhealthy familiar places. Of words I tell myself that don't serve me anymore. And as any thing in life " I can choose" at anytime to change my thoughts and allow...

The Sales Pitch...

"You sell yourself on the idea that you are more than you previously believed yourself to be. "

Having your own business means selling yourself. For me that has to be one of the hardest parts. Whether it's zucchini your selling or yourself, you have to believe it what your doing - and I do! And then there's that "yes-but" and working through that feeling to get to the other side. I know when I accomplish one group I will be better then when I started and just a little more confident the next time. 

My mantra today is 

" I can do this! I believe in what I'm doing!  I can do this!"

Contagious...

"If I become happy and it makes you happy, it is like tipping the first domino so the next one falls and that happiness spreads."

~James Fowler, economic behaviorist, University of California-San Diego

If there is one thing I wouldn't mind being contagious it would be happiness. Like being in a room and someone starts laughing and you don't even know why but you find yourself starting to laugh until you cry. Then when I'm finished, my first response is "oh that felt good." Laughter is great medicine and for those few minutes I was in the present moment of "JOY."

Crayons...

http://www.dailyrandomfacts.com/miscellaneous-facts/ten-fun-facts-of-the-month

Just a random facts about crayons...

Crayola means "oily chalk". The name is derived from the french word "craie" or "chalk," and "ola, " an abbreviation for "oleaginous," or "oily"

Just thought you might want to know ~ a random fact!

Sketchbook...

http://www.sketchbookproject.com/projects/sketchbookproject

I'm excited to be thinking about what creative muse may spring onto the page when I get my sketchbook this year. I'm planning on ordering it soon, which will be nice instead of waiting until the last minute and then feeling the pressure to get it done on time. The first year only my daughter participated and then the next year we both did. I really didn't think I was going to do it again but I found myself looking forward to the creative process. I hope to remember to take pictures to share this time. 

Look in the mirror...

Being annoyed at someone I realized is not about them, it's about me. Something about the situation is making me uncomfortable and that person is only the mirror reflecting back what that is. Now it isn't always that clear at first but with a little quiet time it becomes clearer. Then my annoyance is gone and I can once again appreciate that other person for who they are and be grateful for another gift to look in the mirror of my life.

The Big City...

http://christinekane.com/events

It was a great conference! I left inspired and I meet so many like minded people. If you have a passion and want your own business I highly recommend her conference ( link above). I promise you won't be disappointed.

"I'm In"

Zzzzzzzzzz...

Will post about my amazing weekend tomorrow...

night night all...

Monday...

What I observed today...

Age is not a factor in success 

Many minds are better then one

Its only a limiting belief if I believe it

Excited to be home sweet home soon

When keeping an open mind great things can happen

Sunday...

What I observed today...

I was braver then yesterday

I stepped outside of my comfort zone

Met some great people

Shared meals

I'm a wealth of information and people want to hear what I have to say

Saturday...

What did I observe today?

I like Quiet time

I need the out doors to keep my sanity 

I can hang in a crowd if I have to but its out of my comfort zone

strangers can be kind

I'm passionate about my business

I have generous friends

I'm learning to show up for myself

until tomorrow...