I’m not sure how it works yet. exactly but I’m up for learning new things.
You can find me COPY LINK BELOW OR TRY AND CLICK HERE. HAVING TROUBLE…
goodness and life
My mom loves to travel. She is fortunate enough to be able to see the world and she is also very generous and always thinks of her girls. You see out of the three of us, I for certain am the least traveled. My sister lived in France for 5 years with her family, of course picked up French and could speak it fluently. In my mind that was like a dream. She was living a dream. She missed her family here in the states though and is now back and soon her husband will also be by her side. The paperwork and all the shenanigans to have a family together when each is a citizen of a different county is a big hassle it seems. But after nearly 2 years of paperwork and now finally he has an interview…he will be back with his family where he belongs…and look at that. I got all off track again! My point being this. My mom brings back gifts. Last spring when she visited Italy she brought me back seeds to plant in my garden. Two weekends ago I planted them. They are showing signs of growth and silly me…I didn’t label them so I have no idea really what that one above will be. I know the melon…or it could be zucchini but we will see. I plan to put them in the real ground this weekend and it will be so fun to watch them grow and be able to eat the fruit/veggies they will produce. My mom said Italy had the best tasting produce ever. I shared these seeds too with my friend Ronda, my Aunt and Mama Bear next door. There were plenty to go around, plenty more still in fact. I’m sure I will be sharing throughout this spring and summer the progress of our garden. I did figure out something good recently too. My butterfly plant had been infested with these tiny bugs…covered!! The same bugs that destroyed my watermelon plant a few seasons back and the same bugs that seem to love my roses. My solution is very natural and non toxic too. I took peppermint soap, diluted with water and sprayed the plant. The plant survived…the bugs did not!!! So this is my plan to protect my melon this season. I’ll keep you posted. xo
morning glow juice
This juice almost matches my dark orange walls! I’m not happy with the picture but Austin really wanted to drink this juice so I could only take a quick snap shot. My friend Kate sent me a pin yesterday and said this recipe reminded her of me. I had to try it. I’m always talking about getting my glow on! I have been drinking GREEN juice for weeks now and a change sounded like a great idea. I didn’t follow the exact recipe because the quantities sounded like it was for an entire family. This is what I put in ours and I always add the chia seeds. Austin siad he loves the chia in there because it’s like boba;)
7 carrots
a knob of ginger
2 gala apples
5 wedges of pineapple
the juice of half a big lime
and two spoonfuls of chia seeds
BEST juice yet! However it takes a lot to make two glasses so this one will be a treat every so often. Not too sweet and nice and tart! Thank you KATE!
Taking Stock MARCH 2015
MADE: these really yummy caramel brownies
COOKED: I’m always cooking but my favorite now is throwing things on the BQ
DRANK: This month I have been juicing lots and lots, trying to get my glow back
READ: (reading still) Brave book and one called Self Matters by Dr. Phil
WANTED: a record player…yep. Still want one of these. Have a perfect spot for it.
PLAYED: with my niece and sister-n-law as we shared a photo with each other each day
DECIDED: I want to paint my dining room gray and not peacock or white
WISHED: for more rain…yes still wishing
ENJOYED: a BQ with friends from work, a nice weekend in Landers and a moon date
WONDERED: If my medical test results will be nice and normal
PONDERED: how my garden grows – it’s so mind blowing to me
STARTED: to paint a new/old book case happy yellow…finished it too
WATCHED: 7 Little Johnstons. Super cool family.
HOPED: for the trees to show signs of life
NEEDED: a new routine
SMELLED: BQ and fire pit smells of our California spring
WORE: new dress and jeans from a friend who donated a nice handful of clothes to me
NOTICED: trash can be picked up and photographed as “art”
KNEW: that I would love a new/old/free book case to house all our BOOKS!
THOUGHT: How great it will be when my sister’s husband returns to the states, he got his interview!!
ADMIRED: Tim and Sarah for taking such good care of H
SORTED: through my books and decided to donate a big box full
BOUGHT: a few succulents to plant
FINALLY: changed medical groups, had a physical, blood work and mammogram. Self Care.
DISLIKED: my random judgmental thoughts
FELT: gratitude when all the babies were born in March starting with Fox Quinn, then Miracle Lynn and last to arrive in March, our families little warrior Caiden Chad who is a Gastroschisis baby and had to have surgery when he arrived but the little warrior baby is healing and doing better day by day.
FOLLOWING: Jesus
SNACKED: still eating apples and drinking juice the green kind
WISHED: bad things didn’t have to happen
LISTENED: to the quite which can be good every so often
DISCOVERED: that “crazy is overrated”
SCRIPTURE: Galatians 5:22-23 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
I have loved this scripture for so long. It’s so very true and you know what’s even more special for me, our wedding anniversary is 5/22…so it helps me to remember the reference.
spring
We took a small trip to the desert this weekend. Worth the trip don’t you think? All along the ride there were small desert flowers at the side of the road, and the cactus with the vibrant pink flowers were ready to explode. While these bushes filled with yellow flowers were scattered about. The birds were singing and the desert was blooming. I was glad to visit. A long time ago I didn’t like the desert. I was naive. I just thought it was dry, dirt and had little to offer. Thank goodness as I have added years I realize it’s gorgeous. Many of the plants remind me of under the sea. It’s really quote beautiful the brown and the blue. I’m so happy we get wiser as we age. It’s an upside.
spring and remembering
I have not had a chance to look into making my blog a dot.org but in the meantime. I had a productive spring weekend. What happened?
I painted a bookcase yellow
A chocolate cake was baked
We found the sweet blue eggs that are waiting to hatch
I planted the wild flowers for Aunt Louise
The yard was mowed
Good food was eaten
A little Laundry was done
Motorcycle man got a ride or two in
The jeep was smogged and tags paid
We listened
We prayed
We lived another day
And this week I hope to share with you, or anyone who cares to see… how the bookcase is coming along. Totally free, completely useful and motorcycle man said “you made it look pretty” and that made me happy.
Here is my Sunday video. A little slow and melancholy because it was dedicated to my great Aunt who left us in the fall and today we planted her wild flowers in hopes that they will bloom. The secret word for my video…..is….. love
GREEN straws and GOOD people
“By supporting our unique community you have participated in something amazing! You connected with a person & TRUSTED them to bring you something to enrich your life!” this was the message
When I got home from work today and after picking up Moon Rebel, there were two packages sitting in my kitchen. One , the oils I ordered for my mom and two, an unknown big brown box, mighty big box for what I found inside. It came from a place in Newport Beach, “hey, that’s not too far from me!” The company, “Simply Straws” Inside the box and wrapped carefully in lots of brown paper was a glass mug, a jar mug, with a lid and hole for a straw and a glass straw. I have never drank out a glass straw before! I had made juice this morning for breakfast for me and first-born and I thought…why not make a second batch so I can drink out of this amazing mug. And so I did.
I rinsed my produce first.
then I poured it into my new really cool mug (it fit perfect). thank you simply straws and thank you mystery friend! I may have an inkling who they may be…just maybe?? Did I mention I love to drink my juice from straws and now I can stop using the plastic straws I buy and my sweet friend Miss Moonspinner recently gave me a straw cleaner. This will be just perfect.
I’m going to be painting my book-case today so I will be busy but I just wanted to share the good news. That the community in which I belong to is very kind, very big-hearted and I’m very thankful for them. I think my juice tastes better this way in this cool mug with the glass straw. Yep, I’m sure of it.
Lastly I have been researching how to move my blog to a .org so I can have more control. I wanted to give plug-ins a try today and realized because I use a .com with wordpress, I can’t use plug-ins. And in case you are wondering what plug-ins are, welp, I don’t really know exactly. It all started because I wanted to add that little pin on my pictures that you click on it and pin photo’s to pinterest. I need a plug-in for that. So today I will also be researching what that really means and how to possibly move my blog so I can make it more my own. I think it’s time.
get your green on
Happy St. Patricks Day but more importantly….Happy birthday to my younger and handsome brother Brandon and my Amazing father-n-law who also both were born on this celebratory day! Turns out I have had this shirt since 2011 and wear it every St. Patrick’s Day, also turns out I wore the same exact earrings today, not planned but shows what a creature of habit I am though;)
I was so greatly touched yesterday by the encouraging comments left on my blog post. It seems I reach some of you readers out there but I wonder if you know how deeply you touch me. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate a comment left. I don’t want to say it’s because I’m insecure and I require cheering but I have found that the way I work best is with positive reinforcement and simply a pat on the back and “job well done” is all I need to keep trucking. I have always been this way. A few encouraging words go a very long way with me so I have also become somewhat of an encourager myself. Maybe too much at times….or so my kids think.
Favorite thing I heard today was from Dylan aka Moon Rebel “I want to learn to do a back flip, and I know I can do it because I’m athletic and capable, I just need to commit” I like it. He also found a butterfly with a broken wing. Picked it up then placed it in our garden.
and the very last thing shared today here in this space is the inspiration and free bookcase that was delivered to my driveway by Uncle Don and scouted by Aunt Lynn and if it hadn’t been for my father-n-law knowing I was on the search for a bookcase then it would not have fallen into place so perfectly. Let’s just say it will include yellow paint…such a very happy color and peacock-blue. More to come on that later. I hope you will come back to see.
Color makes me happy!
do you believe in yourself?
I have been doing a lot of reading and researching. I think its part of mid-life. Questioning, where I am, how I got here and what’s in the future for me, for our family. I have been reading Dr. Phil’s book, “Self Matters” I’m in the chapter where he has one thinking about the defining events in your life. We can’t possibly remember every single day but there have been some events in our lives that stand out. I thought of a handful of personal and violating things that have happened in my life. I’m not going to share in this space but I will share the few things that came forward that are good. These events are times in my life where someone believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself and turns out…they were right about me.
When I was in the first grade I was very shy, a lot like I’m still shy today. I had this teacher that really, really believed in me. She was going to have her class put on a play for their parents and she had to pick a part for all her kids. She chose me, the shyest girl in the class to play the starring roll. I had lines to memorize that my mom helped me with and when the big day came, I shined. I don’t think anyone would ever know I was the most shy, most quiet girl in the class. I don’t even remember being nervous that day. I know I was very young…but I remember. My teacher had full confidence in me.
When I was in high school I took art class. I had the same teacher for art as I had for yearbook staff. I thought it strange but when I was in her art class she would tell me I could do whatever I wanted and I didn’t have to do the class assignments. She said she believed in what I had in my head and what I could do with it. I just thought it was because she liked me. I didn’t pursue my talent in art. I stopped drawing and painting by the time I was 19. But she saw something in me. I will never forget that.
When I was a young married women I went back to college for a time and took a writing class. I love to write. I remember a few weeks in we had a writing assignment. I wrote about Vietnam and I used my father-n-law as my inspiration. My paper was picked and read aloud to the class. She asked the class who they thought wrote the piece. Nobody guessed it was the shy girl with red hair that sat in the back. They all seemed pleasantly surprised and I was noticed that night and received a handful of really nice compliments.
Looking back on some of my inspiring memories, I realize all 3 were TEACHERS who had faith in me. Do we give our teachers the credit they deserve? They shape our lives. Not all teachers are good but some are really great. I’m thankful for these teachers who had faith in me. Now to bottle their faith and make it my own. This is my challenge.
find your inspiration
I’m inspired in many different ways and I think my top inspiration is through nature but a very close second are people. People inspire me. I’m very shy. I’m an introvert but that being said. I love people and I especially love group projects. Currently I’m in a year-long video time capsule making course. I like to brag about my teacher Xanthe because she is really great and yes, inspiring but on top of that, my creative classmates are co-inspirers. I love to watch the video’s my class mates make and most recently I watched one made by Julia and she shared a day with her friend via video time capsule and her friend was beach combing and found bits of trash and interesting things and made art out of it. Then via her video and in the comments another classmate who equally inspires me had an entire Pinterest page dedicated to her street combing finds. Tara does quite a bit of street combing and has the most interesting and beautiful displays of what she finds. Goodness, I can for sure admit that I too am a street comber and for sure a sea comber. I find peace and comfort in collecting sea shells, sea glass and bits of goodness I find here or there. I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty, that’s what soap and water are for!
Aside from finding street treasures and making art out of it, I also have a past of wrapping gifts inexpensively but this (big confession) is mostly due to the cheap skate in me. Yeah, I really have a hard time buying pretty ribbons and papers for wrapping, although I admire them very much. Very, very much. My mama in fact is the best wrapper of gifts I have ever been exposed to. She wraps up gifts so beautiful they are hard to open because you know, I don’t want to ruin her master piece.
My new creative friends have inspired me to start street combing and bring in more than my feathers, so watch out. Below is what I collected in about five minutes just by walking across the street from my house this afternoon. I’m thrilled that even that crumpled piece of yellow paper resembles a heart without any of my manipulation.
lifeinthewyldewest.wordpress.com 