At Christmas.

I hope you all had a very Happy Holiday.
Will update soon. Busy being Merry :)

silent night.

From this.


To this.


To this.


To this.


To this.


To this.


To this.


As the year comes to a close, and we all turn in, to spend time with loved ones and revel in the peace this season brings, I feel truly blessed. While making a gift for several family members, I was browsing the many saved snap shots of my little one, and was just marveling at the life I was having the privilege of seeing unfold before me. She has changed and grown so much in the last almost 3 years. During the daily hustle and bustle you don't take time to slow down and realize the changes of time, the sweet baby cheeks thinning to girlishness, the close cropped baby soft hair, now shoulder length and with a precious curl at the end. With holiday music softly playing in the background and my precious girl tucked away for the night, I am sitting in my overstuffed comfy chair, taking a moment. Slowing completely down from my day. No to-do list right now. No where to be but here. Savoring each thing. From the refreshment of the ice water in my glass, to the warmth of a well worn sweater, taking a step back and enjoying the moment.

Christmas, is not far off now. There are still bits to be done, presents to be wrapped and family time to enjoy, but for now. I am choosing to bask in the glow of a beautifully lit tree, the pile of gifts already starting to stack up beneath.

Blessings to all those who happen across this blog. I hope that you will take time out of the rush and hustle of the season, and just revel in the beauty of the simple everyday.




Happy Holidays.

Baby It's Cold Outside.

Busy. Busy. Busy-ness.

That is what has been going on around here of late. Working on getting the house in tip top shape before the holidays get into full swing. This is my absolute FAVORITE time of the year! When a chilly wind starts blowing through, hot chocolate is served in huge mugs, and sweaters and scarves abound. The time of year that makes you want to cozy up close to a crackling fire with a good book and a cup-o-cheer :).

With Thanksgiving on it's way and visiting with loved ones that I don't get to see that often, holiday themed activities, Cookie Day (a family holiday- we get together every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas and spend the whole day making cookies, put a big pot of soup or chili on the stove, some crusty bread and stuff ourselves silly. But there are usually so many cookies that usually get distributed as gifts.)I can't help but feel the first twinkles of dare-I-say Holiday/Christmas merriment? Yeah I think I feel pretty comfortable saying that. Not to run over Thanksgiving and jump right into Christmas trees, but it's hard to ignore when all the telephone poles down main street in my little town already have their annual Holiday lights up....hmmmm...well if you can't beat em' join em', at least when it comes to celebrating the season!

So for now I will keep this post slightly short and sweet with a few things that are making me smile right now. Enjoy!


yum!

truth.

I have an unhealthy burlap addiction. It's not pretty. I must make this.

Layered Love.

Precious. I want a photo of Layla just like this this year.

Hope everyone has a very blessed weekend!

25 Trips Around the Sun.

Thank you.

Thank you for gifting me the last 25 years of my life.

Thank you for all the heart wrenching "dark night of the soul" type moments.

Thank you for all the rich ecstatically joyous moments.

All the HUGE things. All the teeny tiny things.

For all the things that I forget to say Thank You for, and for moments that will stay with me forever.

Thank you.

I just want to soak up every delicious moment of this day.

And live every one, no matter what with a heart full of love, a soul filled with joy, and an attitude of gratitude. Always.

To this 25th birthday and many many more to come. Thank you for all the blessings I am privileged to have and I cannot wait to see what this next amazing year will bring.

Happy Birthday to me :).

Your human-ness is showing.

It's funny how there are times when you feel like you've grown and changed and morphed into this enlightened, open person full of wisdom and then the universe lobs a curve ball your way to knock you down off your high horse right when you need it.

Thank goodness I have to the guidance to receive it with grace and not resist the constructive criticism. :)

I have been sitting with some emotions and thought processes that have come to my attention as of late. It's been a struggle to humble myself and admit (to myself) that there are things that I still need to dig into soulfully. I love how the universe leaves little messages through some of the most interesting avenues for me to find, like little jewels dropped along my pathway to lead me in the right direction.

The thing that I keep coming back to lately is letting my emotions wrap me in their hurricane and jerk me all over the place until the fallout is all that's left. I know there are trials and tests in life, usually in the areas that you struggle with the most because that is where you need the most growth. For me it is my patience. My compassion. My fuse can be so short sometimes. With the people that I love the dearest. I know this logically that when I let my emotions just run rough-shot all over my day and I REACT instantly instead of breathing into the emotion and recognizing it for what it is and letting it pass through, some definite damage can be done. And I don't like that about myself. It's an ugly part of me. When I speak a little to harshly to my husband over something trivial because of my insatiable desire to control my world (when that is fruitless and I know it...Great Spirit is that you laughing right now...yeah I though so...:), or when I reach my patience quotient for the day with my daughter when she is throwing a temper tantrum because her movie went off or because she's out of milk. These are my struggles. And I get sad looking back on these moments. Because I know how precious and fleeting they are. And it hurts my heart that, I could've handled it so much differently.

I know I am human. And as a human I am genetically programed to be imperfect. But squaring with yourself, taking a breath, and taking an honest assessment of your words and actions can really make you stop and think. I feel like sometimes, I am snappy, or irritable etc. because I have built up the wall that is the HUGE elephant in the room and if I act irritated or grouchy then others cannot see my vulnerabilities.

But I recognize them. And even though I am unsure if they will ever be conquered entirely. I strive to be more in touch with my heart. My emotions. More grounded in myself and real true life. My eyes are stinging right now with tears as I type this with gratefulness for what I have been blessed with. How little things can get in the way during a busy day when I should be thanking my husband for all that he does, and holding my daughter close even when she is fussy because soon she will be gone from my arms and a grown woman, living in this crazy beautiful world.

My birthday is coming soon. In a few weeks. I'll be 25. And I've told myself I am not allowed to have a quarter-life crisis ;). But I can definitely feel how someone could. I noticed my first laugh lines at the corners of my eyes. Very small ones. But they're there none the less. And it scared me. It's hitting me hard lately that I am truly and absolutely going to age. Then I started thinking about mortality. My mortality. And how there will be a time when I will not walk this earth. I will not smell the fresh rain, like the kind that fell this afternoon. Or touch my baby's soft hair and smell her sweet scent or hear her "I love you too mommmy's", see my husband's smile, my mother's hugs. And it wrenched my heart. But it also made me that much more acutely aware. How life can slip past you if you aren't paying attention.

Be present. Be here now. That is my focus. Because the days when I find myself living in each individual moment. Reading a book to my daughter, washing the dinner dishes, creating something beautiful for someone I love, sipping my coffee. It's like everything is brighter, clearer, more vibrant, more precious. So I take these moments. All of them. I soak in them and breathe them in because they will all too soon turn to memories.

Today appreciate each moment. Each bite of food. Each laugh. Each tear. Read that book to your child for the 50th time. Hug your loved ones extra long. Stop waiting for your life to being. Because you are in it. Live it out loud. Live from your soul and trust your heart.

It's a beautiful life. Doesn't it go by in a blink?...

I Choose.

"Aaaahhhhh..."

That is a sigh of a mama.
A sigh of contentment.
Little one is tucked away in bed finally asleep.
The husband is upstairs, snoozing away, exhausted from a long drill weekend.
And a momma in her craft room, surrounded by books waiting to be read, a fall craft project that I am in the middle of finishing and a steaming cup of tea.
Yea. This is the stuff.

I feel really good right now. In this moment. Very connected. Grounded which I haven't felt in a while. The frazzles I've had definitely could've been contributed to the Mercury retrograde that just wrapped itself up a few weeks ago. But tonight I feel like I am right where I should be.

I've been sitting with things lately. Trying to not fight against the flow of life. If someone says something upsetting to me I don't let it hook me. I just let it flow. If Layla is grumpy and showing it, I let it flow. I remember that I don't have to let other's emotions and negativity become my own. I know that I fall down and make mistakes but I am becoming more and more aware of the lessons these stumbles bring forth.

I can feel a stirring. An awakening beginning that I always feel at this time of year. This is my time of year. I am a fall baby after all. But the cooling of the air, the falling leaves, the scent of wood smoke on the wind, the burnt orange, golden yellow, and deep burgundies of the sunset, all speak to my soul in some way. This season breathes fresh life into me when I feel just about to burn out from all the endless southern heat.

Lately I have had this message coming through to me, a message to take that leap of faith into the unknown. That there will be someone there to catch me. The leap to be free. To dive into the bliss of living a limitless life. To shake off the shackles and free that all that love and joy within me to live this life to the fullest and not let anything stop me. I has struggled in the past, in a victimized state of mind. Letting my relationships to my loved ones, my failures, my situations define and contain me. But I feel something has shifted. I know that I CHOOSE to be happy. To live a life filled with joy. To look at all that I am blessed with, with gratitude. To open my heart to all that abundance and unbridled possibility. It's exhilerating.

I talked to a friend the other day that I haven't talked to in years because of a disagreement that we had, and something that had hurt me deeply. We were very close at a point in our young lives, and she messaged me online just to say hello. And it was like the floodgates opened. I felt this nudge inside me..."talk to her." it said. And I listened. We've exchanged some short conversations so far but have plans to meet soon for a long overdue lunch to really catch up. Our lives have changed so much. We are both married, both have children, I have one, she two. It's just crazy how much time has gone by. And I told myself. I choose forgiveness. I choose joy. I choose daily gratitude. Moment by moment gratitude, in the throws of 2 year old fits over which movie my daughter wants to watch. I choose to be seen. For all my faults and imperfections. For all my beauty and amazing qualities. For my authentic self. For my heart. For my soul. For me.

Just me.

all good things.

Today I am grateful for...

-time to dive into a pile of books that I have been wanting to read, flipping through and just being in love with the words on the page.

-cleaning bit by bit throughout the week and not letting my perfectionism get in the way.

-appreciating creativity and how I have been crafting more and more lately. a habit that I will surely be continuing.

-hearing "hey mommy..." randomly from my little one, and her running to me, hugging me, and then running off to play.

-the boxes of fall decorations that are waiting for me tomorrow. Oh yes. It has begun.

-the smell of fall fully in the air today, the cooling down of the air and the leaves starting to change.

-cinnamon in my coffee.

-laughing so hard on my weekly lunch date with my dad I couldn't catch my breath. I love my time with my Daddy so much.

-the smell of clean laundry, fresh from the dryer.

-hope and possibility. how you can change your perspective at anytime and live a fuller, richer, more joyful life.

-taking the time to appreciate all the little things.

Dance in the wind.

I wanted to share a few things I have been sitting with for the last few days.

I think every mother (and probably every father) at one point or another tries to be "SuperMom" or "SuperDad". Trying to do the right thing, say the right thing, feed your child the right thing, use the right 'gentle parenting' methodology, discipline gently but firmly, all the while trying to keep a spotlessly clean house and fashionably dressed and have all your ducks in a row. You feel constantly like you are on a treadmill you can't get off.

At least that's the way I tend to feel from time to time. Then a realization, a rememberance comes out of the fog and whispers...

"just let go Jess..."

LET GO.

Stop trying to be and JUST BE. Stop trying to make your life into anything and just LIVE IT.

Enjoy it. Take deep breaths. Delight in every bite of food you take. Dance with your daughter to the radio. Read your favorite books until you fall asleep at night. Kiss your husband and feel all those butterflies you felt the first time you kissed him.

LET GO and LIVE.


This is somehting that I have been working with today and just thought that I would share it.

You hold the key to your happiness. The only person standing in your way is you.

Mantra of the day:

I am releasing control.
I am letting go and letting it be.
I am the light. I am the love. I am the flow.

friend.

Hello all :)

I promised birthday party pictures and they are soon to arrive but I had the urge to post this tonight.

Compassion.

I have been facing some shadows with certain family members of mine, and it's been a really rough road. It's a female member of my family who is very dear to me, and it's been very hard for me to try and stay positive and be compassionate towards this person because of this situation. Without giving to many details, because it's a very personal matter, I never realized how my relationship with this person and these trials effected me on such a massive scale.

Lately I have had this feeling.
This craving.
A deep primal urge for a female connection. For a circle, a tribe of women to be surrounded and supported by. To be my strength when I feel weak, and vice verse. Even just one, one true friend who would listen to me ramble, laughing over coffee while our children played, or just letting me cry and just hugging me.

I had this, in high school. When I was younger. A few certain friends and I were inseparable. But life and time have a funny way of putting spaces between you that you can feel like you can't get across. One went off to a different college and is still single and living the young mid 20's life. Another is also married with a little one, and working full time. Several others over time have fallen off after I got married and especially after Layla was born.

I feel like I haven't been able to reconnect in a way on a intimate level with them, although we do our best to keep in touch. Life just flies by and before you know it, you realize your list of friends has dwindled down to less than a few.

I am curious if there are other mothers, women, young women, older women who feel like this.

I feel like lately (and this could be hormones and PMS talking...lol), I could cry at the slightest bit of emotional connection, for the sheer relief of it. That feeling of being supported and cared for by another, of just love untainted. Truth has been moving me so much. Realness. A picture of a woman who obviously has conceived and birthed several children, her open, honesty, of her naked frame, the stretch marks the wrinkled loose skin, age, it literally made my breath catch in my throat.

We need more of this. More exposure. My raw unapologetic truth. We have been spoiled on perfection and it's boring and predictable. And sad. Give me real. Any day.

I send my intention out into the universe that a true female friend will be brought to me when the time is right. Someone to supplement my life. Someone who wants to be friends with me because they genuinely appreciate my company and feel enriched by being close to me as well.

I know these feelings stem from what is going on with said female family member, but I feel like really that just barely scratched the surface of a desire for a connection. The purity of true friendship, intimacy, joy in being around someone that you relate to on so many levels.

These are just some thoughts that have been running around in my mind of late. For those of you reading this, have you ever felt like this? And if you have a female friend in your life whether it be a sister, mother, daughter, or best girlfriend, tell her how much she means to you or better yet show her. I almost wrote to pick up the phone but no...GO. Go see her. Go hug her. Sometimes a hug can mean so much more than the sum of itself.

There are not enough hugs being given.

Give more hugs. And more compassion. And more truth.

Summer Days Short but Sweet

Layla enjoying an ice cream cone. Layla singing into the huge outdoor fan on the deck, hair blowing in the wind :). Little Miss Hollywood. Sweet cousins and their books.
You'll have to excuse the quiet around here.
These are what my days have been made up of lately.
love. love. love.

Layla's birthday is in 21 days so there is party planning going on as well :).
Previews of DIY'd birthday decor are coming soon...
Hope everyone has a fabulous week!

Nourishment.

Things that are nourishing my soul right now.

This lovely woman and her healing blog.

Spaces like these.






This book that I am nearly finished with. It has made so much sense and brought such a feeling of peace to my frazzled mama heart as of late.

creating with your hands.


Can I live in this for the rest of the summer?


Solitude.


What is nourishing you?

Kindness.

Kindness.

A word that can be so loaded. I believe that every person on the face of this earth, regardless of race, religion, sexual preference, etc., desires to feel kindness. Kindness and love. Warmth for another. Connectedness. To not be a alone.

How choices are made, lives changed, based on the loss or gift of kindness and love.

I feel a deep sadness in my heart and have for a while. I feel the pain of others so enormously. The tone of my brother's voice over the phone, calling from North Carolina, living on his own for the first time, the loneliness, the sadness from a recent loss in his life. The pain of watching a loved one struggle through a very difficult change in their life.

My own pain. From events and memories that I didn't realize were still holding me bound. Things that I thought were fading into the dust of history. I feel as if I am grieving. Grieving for what could have been. For the things lost. Needing to cry these things out. The tears to be a balm for old wounds.

I know this post is vague but it's something that I needed to get out.

Hope everyone has a happy weekend and I send you all love.

And kindness.

What Layla has Been up to Lately.

playing in a kitchen cabinet



giving me "the face"


dancing near the window.



my precious angel girl.

I never realized how much my heart could love.

Right now she's singing along to Disney's Mulan and dancing in her jammies.
My heart is full.

I know there's got to be a blue sky waiting for me.

Hello all :)

Monday official start of the week. A lot of things have been brewing and stewing around here lately. A lot of digging, and figuring out where I am headed on this path to living my passion and making it happen. I am in the beginning stages. Planning, brainstorming and researching. Making up a game plan. I set a goal for myself at the beginning of the year that I would be selling my creations, my crafts, by New Year 2012. And that plan is still in motion. I am doing some research and this week plan to get cracking and crank out a few items (that I entirely plan to take photos of and post on here) and prepare to be sold. A local antique store here, owned by a friend of my mothers' is letting me set up a shelf for my items to be sold locally, so I am super stoked! Once I get everything set up I will take some photos of the layout at the store so you guys can check it out.

My brother was home for the weekend, and although I wish that I had pictures to post, sometimes aren't you just happy experiencing the moment instead of being behind the lens recording it? I love documenting life moments, sure, but sometimes I just like to soak it all up right then and there.

We hung out and watched "Easy A" and "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (our favorite). We quote movies to each other all the time. It's almost like our secret language, because half the time no one knows what we are talking about. We'll be laughing, and spouting of hilarious lines from movies or shows and everyone else around us is like ...."uhhh......"
:)

I am sad he had to go back home today. Back to Charlotte NC. Back to work. Back to being on his way to becoming an awesome chef. I am so proud of him for going after his dream, and doing it all on his own. He's going after what he wants and making it happen.

I think I'll take a page from his book this week and set the wheels in motion on this "Dream Train".

Here goes nothin!

Thoughts of the day.

one of my favorite pictures to remind me to lighten up! bwahahah.



1. Discovering over and over again, that I am being looked after by something much greater than myself. Pure love.

2. "Life is too sweet to be bitter." fave quote of the week (not sure who where it's from)

3. That there are individuals out there in the world, that are seeking joy, inner peace and living like they mean it just like me!

4. How the powers that be, gently nudge me when I start to forget myself, my beautiful authenticty, and if that doesn't work, they rough me up a little for good measure ;).

5. Nourishing literature that is full of things that are exactly what I need right now.

6. Moving my body whether in through downward dog, with a colorful hoop spinning round my middle, chasing my little girl all over the house, or dancing in my undies while getting dressed for the day, being in my skin and appreciating every scar, every dimple, every stretch mark because they all tell the story of who I am. Of where I've been. Of me.


7. Simple everyday life. My daughters giggles, the smell of my husbands t shirts, the window rolled down singing along to the radio, wind in my hair



8. Realizing as the end of a VERY exhausting week, that looking back, through all the daily ups and downs, I AM BLESSED.

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL.

Learning to Be.

Layla. Cooler than cool.



I know I am being a "bad blogger", and not being as regular as I would like posting blogs about my daily goings on. And I do promise to put more effort into carving out time to do this. It truly is therapeutic for me, even though I don't think many people read all this, that was never what it was about anyway. I've been feeling a little "adrift" lately. That's the only way I know to describe it. I feel like a kite on a windy day. I feel this tremendous need for grounding and focus but it's just eluding me. Have you ever felt like you are trying to do a million things at once and not doing any of those things to the best of your ability? Yea. That's right about how I feel. I am working to amend this, all the while honoring where I am at right now. I am doing what I call "my therapy". It's sort of a crash course in soul nourishing, that I have set up for myself. It involves a lot of journaling, self accountability to my yoga practice, speaking positively to myself and those around me, crafting, and soul painting.
Not quite sure how long this process will last. But I hope to come out of it more actualized, calm, and grounded in myself.
Taking time to cherish the little moments, the precious spaces between. Which I will update and post about soon.
My husband's birthday is also this week.
25 years old.
It's hard to believe. We've grown from naive youngsters getting in way over our heads to going on 5 years of marriage with a little spritely fairy girl in tow. I plan to make him a birthday card this year and hopefully something else special. I'm sure he being so techno savvy gets weary of my humble hand made gifts, but I think they touch his secretly sappy heart.
It's funny how love can mold and change your soul, and how age and experience can change your perspective on the truly important things in life. I've found in my short almost 25 years that it's just this.
Live simple.
Show kindness.
Give love.
Be grateful.

I promise to return and post again soon, until then blessings to anyone who happened by here.

Taking time to come back to center and collect my thoughts and all the while dreaming up a juicy blog post to share. Will return soon with lovely goodness.

Mantra of the day:

" I am joyful. I am grateful. I am loved."

it's the little things.

layla in the tub.

I read on another wise-woman's blog that the way she has made blogging fun for her and able to be consistent, she has blogged moments.

That before she felt pressure to blog events, i.e Christmas, big family get togethers etc., but when she broke it down to just blogging moments, she found it was much easier and much more enjoyable. And that is what I would like to do. Start blogging moments. I have been struggling with the desire to be more consistent with blogging about my daily life and the little things that happen each day and not just events that I deem "read-able". I want to be able to look back through my blog and see things that would have otherwise been forgotten in the craziness of life, documented in full blazing color.

So that is what I am going to do. Start blogging moments. Reading Layla bedtime stories. Making brownies. The latest quote from a book I am reading. Through the quiet moments, through the loud, crazy, moments. Through the peaceful moments, and heart wrenching ones too. And all the happy ones in between.

Here's to moments. Each and every one.

Sick Bay. But not for long if I have anything to do with it!

I've been quiet as of late, due to my little one being sick. :(
Stomach bugs are the worst. Especially for babies that can't tell you how they feel, they just look at you with sad, exhausted eyes burning up with fever. Bless her heart. She sleeping right now so it's been the only time that I could have a minute to update. I have been excited to post in the last week, delving into more creative ideas and hopefully starting to document some crafting that I would like to do, but right now my most important job is to be there for my girl.

I'll post again when she's back to herself, happy and healthy and full of energy! (Which I am praying will be soon!) Like this!!!




Send us some loving, healing, light energy and prayers for a speedy recovery! They will be greatly appreciated!

Light and Love

My Angel Girl.

I Am Grateful. by: myself.

There's a song in my soul
and oh I am grateful
God I am grateful.
Breathe you in,
Kiss your sleepy eyes
And watch you sail into
a land of stars and dreams
and God I am grateful.
I am grateful.

As I hold you,
time breezes by
and trying to keep you
is like grasping for water
you just flow, life just flows
and Oh I am grateful.

I watch you and smile
with my sad mama eyes
but with joy in my heart
because you're mine.

Mother to daughter
and daughter to Mother
And I am grateful
Oh God I am grateful.

This is a poem that I wrote a few months back, scribbling furiously in my journal at a late hour after putting my daughter to bed. Watching her sleepy eyes close, holding her stuffed monkey close, chewing contentedly on her pacifier, breathing in her sweet baby smell, kissing her soft hair before laying her down, and wanting to cry and laugh all at the same time for the beautiful gift of being her mother.
I am SO grateful.

Life is A Verb

I am feeling this tremendous surge of life force running through me lately. The ebb and flow of inspiration is just awesome in every sense of the word. I have had huge undeniable urges to create and express myself through many art forms and mediums. I am really attracted to certain things that have just been jumping out at me. Colors, sounds, smells, textures, tastes EVERYTHING! It's such an amazing feeling! I truly feel on the verge of something truly wonderful! For so long I never could pin point what I specifically wanted to do with my life. I had so many interests and passions and felt as if I could never narrow it down. It is so nice to feel things become clearer. Like crystal clear water baby! WHOOOO! :D I want to CREATE and to CONNECT! Create something from my soul and connect with others through passions and joy of life! It literally makes me want to run down the street shouting, it makes me so excited! I feel as if I have done so much excavating and been on this soul journey of discovery for quite sometime and it feels like my authentic self is truly shining! I am listening to my inner wild woman wisdom! :) And it's beautiful. The goddess in me is singing! YAY!

So here are a few things that have been lighting my internal inferno lately :D Enjoy!




This woman and her mixed media marvelousness!

Kelly Rae Roberts! Please visit her blog at this address.




Studio spaces! eeek! Yay! also Kelly Rae Roberts!




storefronts that I imagine could one day be my own store :)







Style/Vibe (all Free People related)





Living Space

Love.Love.Love. <3

Oh and just for good measure, here's a gushy picture I came across the other day of my Lu-Lu.


Blessings to all.

Be Me :) CHECK!

Daily Zen Habits from Goddess Leonie at www.goddessguidebook.com :) She's awesome!


I find that if I make myself a "to-do" list for things that I need to accomplish or that I want to do, I am more apt to hold myself accountable and actually finish them! :) Funny how that is huh? lol. So here we go...

My "To-Do" list for the week.

1. Set an intention or mantra for the day when I wake in the morning.

2. Take care of yourself. Whether that is making a green smoothie for breakfast or taking 10 minutes of solitude to just breathe. Do whatever your body, mind and soul is calling to for fulfillment.

3. Be Mindful, and Compassionate. In word and action. What you say and don't say and what you do and don't do.

4. Try and keep my environment as peaceful and joyful as possible, but relax and allow for the flow of change. Go with it.

5. Paint with your new watercolors! :)

6. Keep reading, absorbing juicy inspirational goodness

7. Mail out package to far away friend!

8. Start sewing project! :D

9. Hoop whenever wherever the mood strikes!!! I am getting better and better the more I practice (which hasn't been often as of late! But I am improving which is awesome!) It is definitely something that feeds my soul! It's something that I do for me! FUN!

10. Yoga...happy sigh...enough said.

11. Meditate and take time to be still and turn inward. Remember my close friend during, who is losing someone she loves very dearly.

12. At the end of the day, journal and list at least 5 things that I am grateful for no matter how small :)! (this really puts me in perspective!)

I may not get to everything on my list this week, but it's surely something to shoot for. I hope that you guys are having an awesome start to your week.

Blessings!

And the World Was Still.

Oh boy and snow it did.





About 12 inches worth. The most snow I believe I have ever seen on the ground here in the upstate. Except for pictures of me as a baby, in my toboggan up to my knees in snow. Funny, now we have almost duplicate pictures of Layla in the snow with a toboggan on. I'll have to hunt that picture of me down and upload it.

It sure was beautiful. There is still ice and slushy spots to be had but most of it has moved on.




I have been feeling a bit tender as of late. I am not sure why. My emotions seem to be on full volume and I am having trouble balancing them. Yoga is helping tremendously. I feel so centered and grounded afterward. I am really happy to be getting back into my practice. I need to trust. Trust in the Great Spirit. Trust in myself. Feel my inner strength, at my core. I feel the desire to be seen right now, but to be seen and regarded gently. This week, if the mood so strikes you, reach out to someone. Even if its just a hand to hold or a hug. Let those you love, friends and family alike know that you are there for them no matter if they just need a quiet support from a distance, an understanding nod of "I know what you are going through". You never know how much that could brighten someone's day.



Blessings, love and light to you all, and have a wonderful week.