Favorite Quotes

It is no secret that I LOVE quotes. It would be really hard for me to pick one or two favorites . . . because there are so many that I really like.  So here are a few of my favorites.

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.  ~ Anais Nin

Do or do not . . .there is no try. ~ Yoda

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial  into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision of tomorrow. ~ Melody Beattie

The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

When you realize there is nothing lacking the whole world belongs to you. ~ Lao Tzu

 

Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is. ~ Mary Anne Radmacher

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little at least we didn't get sick and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so let us be thankful. ~ Buddha

I could probably fill pages and pages with quotes that I LOVE. More for another post.

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 24. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

 

What The Ultimate Blog Challenge Taught Me

It seems I am behind in posts . . . again.This time it isn't because I'm sick. This time it is because of what taking this challenge has taught me.

I have learned that I do not want to be a post every day blogger. Well at least at this time. At first I was able to keep ahead of the posts and always had two ready to go. Time and inspiration hasn't always allowed me to keep up. There is nothing worse to me than sitting in front of the computer screen staring at that blinking cursor and not knowing what to write.

I have learned that consistency is the key to having a well followed and loved blog. I think for me 2 or 3 posts a week will be about right.

I have learned a new way to get followers for my blog through Facebook using the Networked Blog app.

I have now followed and subscribed to a few new blogs that I am enjoying and sharing with others.

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 23. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

Grateful for Fingers

Today I am grateful that I have all my fingers.  

While I was cooking dinner last night, I cut one of my fingers. Though it didn't need stitches, it's a pretty god cut. It is also on my non-dominant hand, but I do use it a lot during the day.

It's funny how something as small as that can affect your daily life. Thank goodness it is on the top part of my finger, otherwise many things would be next to impossible to do without a bit of pain and discomfort. 

I use my hands a lot during the day . . . typing, knitting, beading, etc. Even just having one finger out of commission can be a hassle, but I know my cut finger will heal quickly and I'll be back to normal activity soon. Today I am grateful that I have all my fingers.

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 22. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

I'll Paint You a Rainbow

I'll Paint You A Rainbow

By ~ Grace E. Easley  

I'll paint you a rainbow to hang on the wall, to brighten your heart when the gray shadows fall. On a canvas of joy outlasting the years, with a soft brush of sweetness to dry all your tears. I'll paint you a rainbow with colors of smiles That glow with sincerity over the miles. On a palette of words I will tenderly blend Tones into treasures of sunlight and wind. I'll paint you a rainbow that reaches so wide, Your sights and your sorrows will vanish inside, And deep in the center of each different hue, A memory fashioned especially for you. So lift up your eyes, for suspended above, A rainbow designed by the fingers of love . . . When I first started this blog I posted a lot of quotes and links to blog posts that I liked.  So I thought I'd get back to a bit of that by posting this poem. This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 21. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

What are you Waiting For? What is the Best That Could Happen?

What are you waiting for?

For the time to be right . . . the time will never be right.
To have enough money . . . what is enough money?
Until you are guaranteed success . . . not sure that can ever be guaranteed.
Until you are no longer afraid . . . I'm not sure that fear ever goes away. We just find ways to work with it.

So what are you waiting for? What is the best thing that could happen if you went ahead with your plans today?

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 20. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

Comfort Food ~ Smoked Salmon Mac and Cheese

Winter time gets me thinking about comfort food. Our family has them; I'm sure yours does too.

I've got a comfort candy bar even. Nothing beats a rough day better than a Snickers Bar. On days like that no other candy bar will do.

Some of my favorite comfort foods are mashed potatoes with or without gravy, meatloaf, tuna stuffed potatoes (though we no long re-stuff the potatoes) and a recent addition is Smoked Salmon Mac and Cheese.

My husband spends time in the summer fishing the Pacific Ocean and filling our freezer with salmon. We eat it barbecued, broiled, baked, in tacos, on buns and as fish and chips. He also smokes up a bunch of it. 

I love Mac and Cheese especially homemade. I used to make it all the time; so this year I decided to make it with some smoked salmon.  It has quickly become one of our comfort foods. Sorry no picture (once I pull it out of the oven it doesn't last long) or smell-o-blog.

SMOKED SALMON MAC & CHEESE

2 TBS butter

2 TBS flour

¼ cup onion

2 cups milk (whole is probably best, but non fat works)

Smoked Salmon – I didn't measure . . . whatever amount looks like enough

2 cups dry pasta – what ever you have on hand is fine

Cheddar Cheese or a combination of cheeses – I didn't measure

2-3 TBS bread crumbs – plain is best

2-3 TBS Parmesan cheese – I like Kraft (grated is probably better than shredded)

Cook pasta

In a separate pan add butter and onion and flour to make a rue . . . when well combined add milk slowly. Using a Whisk stir constantly over medium to medium high heat until it thickens. Add cheese a little bit at a time and stir to incorporate once all the cheese is combined add smoked salmon and stir well. Add to pasta that has been placed in a baking dish. In a frying pan melt 1 TBS butter and mix in bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Saute until a bit brown. Preheat oven to 350. sprinkle bread crumbs and cheese on top and then bake in oven until bubbly and a bit toasty on top.

What are your favorite comfort foods?

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 19. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

Giving up Control ~ Jesus Take the Wheel

Another music inspired post. I'll admit that I like to watch American Idol. I mostly enjoy the first part of the season with the auditions. I understand how hard it can be to go into a room and sing in front of judges; but not all of us were blessed with the voice of an angel. I remember watching the year that Carrie Underwood won. She has accomplished a lot since then . . . 2 albums and some great awards to her credit.

This is one of my favorite songs by her from her first album. I'm sure we all have moments in our lives where we just have to through our hands in the air and say that you need help. You can't do it all on your own anymore.

As I started to picture the trees in the storm, the answer began to dawn on me. The trees in the storm don't try to stand up straight and tall and erect. They allow themselves to bend and be blown with the wind. They understand the power of letting go. Those trees and those branches that try too hard to stand up strong and straight are the ones that break. Now is not the time for you to be strong, Julia, or you, too, will break. ~ Julia Butterfly Hill

Some think it's holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it's letting go. ~ Sylvia Robinson 

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 18. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

 

Stress Busters

To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace. ~ Milan Kundera

My daughter is a senior this year. This is the first year that she was not looking forward to going back to school in September. Senior year is huge. It is the final year of high school, the final year of being a "kid" and time of a lot of stress that the kids aren't used to.  

First she had a Culminating Project to choose and work on through out the year. Then she took her SAT's as the first step to going to college. Now she has college applications, financial aid applications and scholarships to apply for. This all on top of her usual studies, her daily tasks at home and she works a part time job. 

I think she and her other senior friends are a bit stressed and would probably prefer sitting with the dog on a hillside than any of the other tasks they have to complete.

So what do you do to beat Stress?  Here are some things on my list . . .

1. Crafting . . . any of the ones I enjoy, knitting, beading, quilting, etc.
2. Laying on the couch reading a book
3. A large cup of tea
4. A long soak in the tub (well, if I had one)
5. A walk on the beach
6. Meditation
7. Baking . . . the one type of cooking I like to do
8. Listening to music - whatever type that you really enjoy
9. Finding and Posting quotes on our Facebook page

 

Stress will only increase with your permission. If you desire more of it, do nothing. If you desire less of it, do something. If you’ve been doing nothing, doing something means everything! ~ Debra Costanzo

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 17. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

You Are Amazing . . . Just the Way You Are

Well you are . . .

I love this song.




"When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile,
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cause girl you're amazing
Just the way you are"

I think it is sad that we have to be reminded of this.  You are all Amazing . . . just the way you are.

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 16. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

The Memory of Trees

Heart of the Tree

I have spent all my life living in the Pacific Northwest. Trees are a huge part of the landscape here. I can't imagine living somewhere that there are only a few trees. In our yard alone we have about 10 evergreen trees. (edited: My husband read this post and informed me that we actually have like 30 trees in the yard. I didn't want to go out and actually count so I estimated). These trees are probably all around 40 years old and big. Our yard isn't huge but the trees line each side of our property. I also take lots of pictures of trees.

Here's the stump

My husband recently cut down one of the trees in the yard. It was a cottonwood and HUGE. It was probably about 30 years old. Unfortunately, one of its LARGE branches was dead; it was also only a few feet from our house. We live on the coast and have frequent wind storms. Gusts in the 60's are not unheard of; a few years ago a storm brought 90 mph winds. My husband has also recently redone all the siding and windows in our home. Which is why it was necessary to cut the tree down. I'm really sad to see it gone; as are the birds that made it their home. This spring we will be looking for a new tree to plant. Not quite sure where we will plant it yet, but it wont be right on top of the house.

We've owned our house for probably about 15 years now and lived here for just about 10. We have yanked English Ivy off that tree, walked by it, leaned things on it and watched the birds play in it. It has seen wind storms, rain, snow, barbecues, the annual dandelion war and so many other of our memories. So this song is for the tree . . . meanwhile, we get to figure out what kind of tree to plant next.

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 15. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

Meditation

This was in a post from one of the blogs I read (Teeny Tiny Pieces)

May you know peace
May your heart remain open
May you feel safe, honored, and respected at this time
May you see the light of your own true nature, and see that as good
May you feel love, compassion, and human kindness
May you feel whole in body, mind, and spirit
~   Unknown

I attempt to meditate. Usually in the mornings before I get up or at night before I go to bed.  My struggle with meditation is not in the sitting still; I do that pretty well. My biggest challenge with meditation is quieting my brain. It is constantly jumping from one subject to the next. Making my lists of things to do the next day at the shop; orders to make, bookkeeping to do or even blog posts to write. If it isn't about my work; its about a craft. Which project do I want to work on next, how I'm going to fix the mistake I made 4 rows ago in my knitting . . . this could go on and on about what ever topic.

Meditation is not contemplation because it is not thinking at all – consistent, inconsistent, crazy, sane. It is not thinking at all; it is witnessing. It is just sitting silently deep within yourself, looking at whatsoever is happening inside and outside both. Outside there is traffic noise, inside there is also traffic noise -- the traffic in the head. So many thoughts – trucks and buses of thoughts and trains and airplanes of thoughts, rushing in every direction. But you are simply sitting aloof, unconcerned, watching everything with no evaluation. ~ Osho

I love this quote. I think we can sometimes take meditation too seriously. So seriously that we worry about all those thoughts, or traffic, as Osho calls it; "but you are simply sitting aloof, unconcerned, watching everything with no evaluation. That is the key. "It is witnessing" and "sitting silently deep within yourself, looking at whatsoever is happening inside and outside both."

Go easy on yourself when you are working on your meditation practice. I'm still learning how to make it a part of my every day life and sometimes get frustrated with the ongoing traffic my head. One of the things I'm working on this year is just letting those thoughts come and releasing them without judgment and evaluation.

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 14. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

Rites Quotidiens ~ Rituals of Every Day Life

So right now I'm reading French Women Don't Get Fat. So far I am really enjoying the book. All the things she says about weight gain/loss make sense to me. Some of them make weight loss sound sooooo easy. Things like eating more fruits and vegetables, exercising (not like a mad man or woman, but sensibly (20 minutes a day)), staying away from processed foods and enjoying the things we love like bread, baked goods and chocolate in small portions; just enough to satisfy.

One of her chapters talks about rituals and I'd like to share a bit of it with you.

Saint-Exupery's Let Petit Prince is a book all French people know ell. It can be read in an hour but is packed with timeless wisdom. In Le Petit Prince, the fox explains to the little prince, "Il faut des rites" ("We need rituals"). As the French know well, ritual is how we give meaning to different aspects of being alive, including the most elemental: birth, marriage, death and through it all, until the end eating. There are, of course, holiday rituals, like the galette des rois eaten on the twelfth night of Christmas to commemorate the three kings. But there are also rites quotidiens, the rituals of everyday life by which a civilization defines itself, like le pain quotidien, our daily bread, or even brushing our teeth. Whether aware of it or not, we spend  most of our wakening hours performing our daily rituals.

In a world in which everything continues to change ever faster, these rituals are a frame of reference as well as a source of comfort and reassurance. They are also key to our well-being, part of our cultural programming about what is right and good, the norms around which we form our own tastes. Americans have some superb gastronomic rituals. . . .

And . . .The French enjoy eating out in a special way, knowing that what they savor today may never again appear on the menu. they treat every meal as something special, and this is what you must learn to do.

What about your other rituals?  Do you meditate? How do your prepare your meditation space? Do you use sage to smudge your office, room or home? Do you cut the ends of the roast off because that is how your mom, aunt, grandma did it (not for any specific reason; but because it was the only way it would fit in the pan when grandma cooked it)?

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 13. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

1,000 Beautiful Things ~ Annie Lennox

One of my favorite CD's is Annie Lennox's Bare. I love her voice and these songs are beautifully written.  Here is a video from a live performance for AOL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHr9CJRhTP

My Partial list of Beautiful Things.

1. My Daughter
2. My Husband
3. Sunrise and Sunset
4. The crashing Ocean waves
5. Driftwood
6. Wildlife - deer, heron, eagles, raccoons, egrets, owls, ducks
7. Rainbows
8. Forests
9. Mountains
10. Snow
11. The Beach

I'm pretty sure I could go on for a while making my list of beautiful things . . . but what about you?  What is on your list of 1,000 Beautiful Things?

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 12. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

Happiness is the Hunger to Give

"Unhappiness is the hunger to get; happiness is the hunger to give. . . . If the individual should set out for a single day to give happiness, to make life happier, brighter and sweeter, not for himself but for others, he would find a wondrous revelation of what happiness really is." ~ William Jordan

What more can be said about this quote. I think it says it all.

So what are you going to do today to give happiness, "to make life happier, brighter and sweeter" for someone else?

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 11. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

Sad . . .

Sad . . . I started out this challenge doing pretty well (maybe trying to do 2 blogs was too much). I was a couple of posts ahead of the game and then . . . I got SICK.

I HATE being SICK (I don't use the word "hate" lightly). I know that no one really likes being sick. But I rarely get this sick. I spent 3 days in bed and then thought I was better. Then ended up spending another 3 days in bed; worse than the first time.  I rarely get sick and when I do it is usually only for a couple of days 2 or 3 tops. Not this time. This crud really knocked me down. I feel 100% better, but still not up to 100%. Back on my feet though and working my way through.  Hopefully I wont be coughing up a lung anytime soon (but it sure feels like I might :-) ).

It looks like I've got some catching up to do 5 posts for this blog and 5 or 6 for Coastal Serenity's blog.  I'm going to do my best to catch up, since you have to get up when you get knocked down. Wish me luck.

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 10. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

Our Favorite Blogs

Still feeling cruddy . . . and lacking ideas for posts.  I had until recently been ahead of the game with my blog posts and they came really easy.

Today I'm going to share some of my favorite blogs. Not all of them are on topic with what I usually post, but they are all ones I read pretty regularly.

Zen Habits ~ From the About page "Zen Habits is about finding simplicity in the daily chaos of our lives. It’s about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what’s important, create something amazing, find happiness."  Zen Habits is written by Leo Babauta.

mnmlist ~ Another blog by Leo Babuta. From the about page "It’s about minimalism, and why it’s important today. It’s about stuff, and how it has come to overwhelm us. It’s about distractions and commitments and a neverending task list. It’s about the culture of more, of bigger, of consumption. It’s about how less is the answer."  Both of these blogs are uncopyrighted which means that Leo Babauta, has released all claims on copyright and has put all the content of this blog into the public domain. No permission is needed to copy, distribute, or modify the content of this site. Credit is appreciated but not required.

Seth Godin's Blog ~ Seth's blog has a lot of posts about marketing.  As do many of his books. 

Tip Nut ~ Tip Nut is a fun blog. They have patterns for different crafts and recipes for food, gardening ideas and all sorts of good stuff.  

Be More With Less ~ "Be more with less is a blog about simplifying your life and really living. Here, you can learn how to create a life with more savings and less no debt, more health and less stress, more time and less stuff, and more joy with less obligation."

Up From Splat ~ "This is a site about turning the downs in life into springboards to the ups in life.  It’s about finding power in the low points and creating more and more high points. It’s about focus.  It’s about triumph."

I could probably go on and on. I have about 40 blogs that I subscribe to.  I love most of them even if I don't read every post. With the Ultimate Blog challenge I have started following several more blogs a few of them I'm sure will become some of my new favorites.

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 9. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

My Favorite Quote Resources

So I've got a nasty cold.  Headache, sore throat, stuffed up nose . . . the works.  So coming up with today's post (plus 2 more for Coastal Serenity and maybe even tomorrow's posts too) is going to be interesting. So I'm going to go with one of the Blog Challenge ideas a Resource List.

I love quotes; I have from the time I was a teenager and really became an avid reader. I used to keep notebooks of my favorite quotes from the books I read . . . I don't know what happened to those notebooks.  I have a file on my computer for quotes that I really love.  But for my daily posts on Be Positively Inspired I go to several different websites.

My newest favorite is Gaiam.  They have quotes organized by topics or authors.  They also have blog posts on all sort of topics like wellness, green living, personal growth, relationships and much more.  

I also love Quote Garden. Quotes here are arranged by topic, Hot Topics and Holidays.

Another one is Good Reads. These quotes are all from books. The categories are a little different than other quote websites; popular, recent and new. They have a great search function so you can search for a topic or an author. You can also create an account and add your own quotes.

Of course I still get quotes from the books I read and I share a lot of quotes from other places on Facebook as well.

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 8. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

Inspiration

Today's post is coming about the hard way.  The rest of them have been kind of easy and just came to me and I wrote them.  This one I just can't seem to put a finger on.  Which is why I have trouble keeping up with my blog in the first place.  When I don't have the inspiration or the words don't just flow I ramble and who wants to read someone rambling and jumping from on topic to another?

So I think I'm going to post some quotes today.  Quotes on Inspiration . . . who knows maybe it will spark some inspiration fr tomorrow's post.

The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration. ~

Claude Monet

The soul speaks to us in dreams, inspiring us to embrace a personal relationship with our spirit guides that we may become enlightened beings. ~ Micheal Teal

If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk. ~ Raymond Inmon (That would be a great idea if it was daylight still)

Live your life with love and bravery and you shall lead a life uncommon. ~ Jewel 

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 7. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

Guilty Pleasures

A few weeks ago we watched the Sing Off on NBC; a great show (sort of American Idol like) with groups singing without musical instruments. They had a themes for each evening they sang. One of those themes was Guilty Pleasure songs. To me the majority of the songs picked weren't what I thought of as being Guilty Pleasures. Like the B-52's Love Shack; it's a classic, one of my all time favorites and definitely on my top 10 Road trip songs.  Anyway the show got me thinking about Guilty Pleasures.

Why should anything that puts a smile on our face and joy and happiness in our heart make us feel guilty? If we like a song, an artist, a dessert, comfort food or whatever shouldn't we just admit it and enjoy it?  I'm not saying we should eat the whole cake in one sitting, I'm just saying that when you have it enjoy it, savor it and don't feel guilty about it.

We all deserve the things that we find joy or pleasure in. Anything that puts a smile on your face is nothing to feel guilty about. So go out today and dance to the music that moves you and enjoy the things that bring joy and happiness to your heart.

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 6. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

I Am ~ The Two Most Powerful Words in the World

"I am - the two most powerful words in the world, for whatever we put after them becomes our reality." ~ Susan Howson

It is really important for us to listen to how we talk to or about ourselves.  How many times to you catch yourself saying "I am an idiot", "I am stupid", "I am fat", and on and on.  How does that self-talk make you feel?  Does it make you feel empowered? Or Good about yourself?  No it makes you feel kind of crappy.  The easiest way to change this is to stop saying these negative things about ourselves.

Change that self talk to something positive.  Say instead, "I am Beautiful", "I am Intelligent", "I am Healthy" . . . fill in the blank.  If you start doing this on a regular basis imagine how you will feel.  Every time you catch yourself saying "I am" anything make sure it is something that will make you feel good about yourself, something that you truly want to be. 

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 5. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

Thank you

Today I'd like to simply say Thank you. Thank you to people who post on our Facebook page. Thank you to all you comment on those posts, Thank you to those who like the posts and Thank you to all who sit back in the shadows who simply are just there reading and enjoying.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

How often do you simply Thank someone?  Anyone, the Universe or God for all the gifts that we are given every day. Gifts like the tree that was cut down and split into firewood for our wood stove; to keep our home warm or for the husband who can get a fire going to take off the morning chill.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity . 

It can. Turn a meal into a feast a house into a home a stranger into a friend. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing and mistakes into important events. 

It can turn existence into a real life and disconnected situations into important and beneficial lessons.

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. 

~ Melodie Beattie The Language of Letting Go

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 4. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

10 Things You Should Know About Me

I find it really hard to write biographies. One of the reasons is that I'd rather not be pigeon holed as any one label; because I am more than just that word. Also I think we all have a different idea of what those labels mean.  Sure some of them are pretty hard to misunderstand like Mother, Wife, Daughter and Sister. But what happens if I tell you that I own and ride a Harley? What do you see now? So let's avoid some of the confusion by telling you 10 things you should know about me.

1. I love Tea (okay some of you know this already; as if being a tea shop owner doesn't give that one away)!
2. I am an avid knitter. One of these days I'm going to attempt a sweater; probably once I've conquered knitting socks.
3. I really do own and ride a Harley (1995 Sportster). 
4. For pets I have birds. Two cockatiels and a green cheek conure. Their names are Kit Kat, Fish and Sassafras (Sassy or Squeaky for short).  I'd love to get an African Grey, a Cockatoo, and a Quaker Parrot too.  Birds are a lot of fun; noisy at times though.
5. My daughter's friends think I'm a hippy (we could really have misinterpretations with that one). She says it's because I LOVE EVERYBODY and sell herbs and incense along with the tea.
6. I love puppies . . . not just puppies in age just puppies in general (all dogs to me are puppies).
7. I read just about any book I can get my hands on. Love Stephen King, Anne Rice, Dean R. Koontz, Pema Chodron, Marianne Williamson and too many more to list.
8. I live at the beach on the coast of Washington. I wish it were a tropical beach this time of the year; but it is a beach just the same. Wish I could be walking it today with the sun on my face instead of working in the store.
9. I love to take pictures. I do mostly landscape photography. I love taking pictures of driftwood.
10. I make beaded jewelry. My favorite beads are seed beads - like their name implies they are about the size of seeds and smaller in some cases.
11. Okay I know I said 10 . . . but today you get a Bonus one ~ I LOVE Quotes! (You think ;-) )

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 3. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

Gold Star Syndrome ~ Via Up From Splat

"Lean too much on the approval of people, and it becomes a bed of thorns." ~ Tehyi Hsieh

"The most splendid achievement of all is the constant striving to surpass yourself and to be worthy of your own approval." ~ Denis Waitley

One of the blogs I enjoy reading is http://upfromsplat.com/blog/.  She posts text blogs and sometimes she posts videos.  This one is about Gold Star Syndrome.

I think many of us suffer from Gold Star Syndrome. We have been brainwashed into believing that we need the approval of others. Some one outside of us to tell us that what we have done is good and right.  

I make beaded jewelry, I enjoy making beaded jewelry. There is something really gratifying about taking a pile of beads and creating a beautiful piece of jewelry that I can wear or even pass on to  someone else to enjoy. I enjoy the feeling when someone thinks a piece of my jewelry is beautiful, but I don't make it to get that pat on the back. I make the jewelry because it makes me feel good to create something.

I can see how we come to rely on this approval as the basis for our self-esteem; it feels good.  But as Ande says in this video we have no control over someone else.  We can only control ourselves, our own thoughts, and our own actions. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9j1T85YuuI

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 2. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.

Unplugged

Recently I've read several blog posts about unplugging from facebook, email, texting etc., for at least one day a week.  The posts have talked about how this will help us connect more with the people we love and the things we love to do.

I'm on the computer probably more hours a day than any one person ought to be.  It is one of the first things I do in the morning and one of the last things I do before I go to bed. I use it for entertainment, for communication, for reading, for business . . . in fact today I have already been on the computer for about 3 hours (it's 11:30 am right now).  I will most likely spend the majority of my work day using the computer. Checking email, maybe doing some actual work (I'm my own boss . . . most of the time) and probably just passing the time; playing games on Facebook or watching something on Netflix. When I get home from work I'll probably fire up the computer again for more games on Facebook and probably some blog reading (There were a lot of posts written while I was unplugged for a few days).

For the Christmas Holiday this year we spent 4 days away from out home. Spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with our family in the big city (Seattle, we live in a small beach town on the coast of Washington, pop. 4,000).  Then after that we drove to Canada and spent a couple of days in Vancouver.  I chose not to take my computer. At first I wasn't sure I'd make it without it (one of the first things I do in the morning is fire it up). I didn't cheat once and use my hubby's or any of other family members'.  

It was nice taking a break from it. Not sure if I can choose one day a week to just unplug, but maybe I can spend a little time everyday not watching the computer screen. I made it 4 days I can make it a couple of hours, right?

Can you imagine how much more you could accomplish if you just left the computer off? You'd have some time for exercise, maybe you could learn something new (I've only had the guitar for about 10 years, just never had the time to learn to play it), you could bake something from scratch or play a game of Scrabble to prove once again why you are the Scrabble Queen.

This post is part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going to really get this blog going. So I decided I'd join the Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to post 31 posts in the month of January and to get more traffic to my blog and to other blogs. This is post number 1. For more info or to join the challenge check the link below.