Like a tulip bud

My dreams of sunlight and love

Break into blossom

After spending a good hour shovelling snow off my enornmous drive way, I’m happy to say my days of shoveling snow are numbered. Last week, my husband got the news that are new duty station is going to be Ft. Stewart, Georgia.

And we couldn’t be happier.

This location is perfect. Let me count the ways:

1.  Distance from family:

It’s perfectly located just a day’s drive from where my kids will be attending school. By this fall, both my children will officially be college students. They will both attend universities in Kentucky: my son will be a student at University of Louisville (go Cards, my alma mater!) and my daughter will be a freshman matriculating at the University of Kentucky, in Lexinton. (That’s ok, nobody’s perfect! ha! Just kidding — even though my daughter picked my school’s biggest rival, I hold no grudge. xo)

My sister and mom live in southern Alabama. The farther south I move, the closer they will be to me. It’s going to make family visits much easier.

My husband’s children live in Indianapolis, Indiana. The good news is Georgia is on the same side of the country, just a few hours farther than Louisville and Lexington. Before Georgia was confirmed, we were hearing rumors that we were going to be assigned to Hawaii. Sounds great, at first. But logisically it would have been a nightmare.

2. Warmer weather & sunshine

Mike and I have been whining about cold weather for the past few years. We both have decided that it’s time to find a home where snow is not a common phenomenom. Georgia is no where near as warm and sunny as other potential locations, but it’s a tremendous improvement to what we’ve endured here in Tennessee. For further proof that we are heading in the right direction, simply Google Tybee Island, Georgia. Need I say more?

3.  Places to go, things to see

One of my biggest gripes for the past three years has been that Clarksville is so small that there is very little to do. The arts community is almost nonexistant, entertainment venues are at least an hour away in Nashville, and trying to find places like yoga studios, Whole Foods Markets or  cool, corner cafes is futile. In my research, I’ve discovered that Savannah is not only near the coast, it’s filled with yoga centers, galleries, and a active artsy community. Oh, I can’t wait!

 4. Yahtzee!!!

I’m on the brink of big win. I’m working on new writing projects, planning new career moves, new ideas are perculating … I’ve rolled a Yahtzee!

I am doing a little research and I hope you will help me.

I created a survey about your experiences as a member of a blended family. 

To take the survey, simply click HERE  and you will be linked directly to it. There are 10 short questions.

In my life, I’ve had a lot of experience as a member of blended families. In fact, I’ve had one step mother and two fathers; I have been a step sister to two step brothers, then again to two other step siblings years later; I have been a step-grandchild and my two children have a blend of grandparents and step-grandparents.

My father is the product of a divorced home; my ex husband is the product of a divorced home. My children have a step mother; my step children have a set of step siblings from their mother’s remarriage.

Step families and blends have been such a big part of my life that I feel I can speak as an authority on the subject. And in my experience, maintaining a happy cohesive marriage within a blended family structure is one of the most challenging things two people can do. Blending  two families to create a new entity can be as easy as mixing oil and water. Often, the marriages end and the blended family falls to pieces. 

I’m trying to figure you why some work and others do not. I want to know what happens to a marriage and a home when two adults who start out in love join lives that include people from their pasts.

I’m on a mission. I hope you will help. 

Click Here to take the survey.

I’m not sure what I like best about mornings: my first cup of coffee 0r my plain greek yogurt with homemade granola and blueberries.

I made a big, fresh batch of granola this morning. Oh, it made the house smell luscious.

I change up my recipe with every new batch, but I have a few staples that go in every time. I always use rolled, organic oats, fresh orange zest, flax seed, honey, walnuts, shreadded coconut and coconut oil, spices and dried fruit.

This time I also added the juice from one fresh orange … just to see what would happen.

Homemade is always so much better than off the shelf, out of the box copies.

Baking bread is my next big experiment. I planned to last week, but the snow ruined my plans. I can’t wait to try my friend’s recipe!!!

Glad Granola

3 Cups rolled, organic oats

1 1/2 cups of Walnuts

1 cup shredded Coconut

1/4 cup flax seed

1/4 cup flax mean

Zest of one orange

Juice of 1 orange

1 Cup honey

1/2 Cup coconut oil

1 tsp. of Saigon cinnimon

1 tsp. of cardamom

Dried fruit (I used golden raisins and cherries this time)

Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl, spread in a greased cookie sheet (or two) and bake at 250 degrees for about 35 minutes (it will be golden brown and will smell divine.)

This recipe made a huge batch — it will last my daughter and me for more than two weeks. I will store it in the fridge, just to be safe.

Enjoy!!!

Baby, it’s cold outside …

I have discovered a sure way to let go of angst, stress and mean-to-myself thoughts.

 I’ve become a Practicing Imperfectionist.

What a relief.

The sink full of dishes, my unmade bed, the skattering of coats, unshelved books, empty shoes and what-not will have to wait.

Because at this moment, sitting here in my comfy chair, drinking my strong, hot coffee and revelling in my perfectly imperfect life is much more important.

And that’s how I roll …

I hired my first-ever life coach this week. Lisa Dalton is going to help me get on with reaching my goals this year. I’ve been a bit stuck for a while now … a lot of planning and talking and thinking, and very little action. I just don’t know what to do next. I am so excited to start working with Lisa. She’s already given me homework and has encouraged me to dream way outside my comfort zone. I’ve been scribbling like crazy in my journal ever since our Tuesday call. yay~!! I’m ready.

I’ve decided to give substitute teaching another try. This time, I’m going to go with the elementary school aged kids. I have come up with a list of reasons why this is a good idea for me right now. But, the bottom line is, to get the things I want, I need to create a source of cash flow. Subbing is an easy way to do that.

Mike and I are down to less than four months until his stint in El Paso at the SGM Academy is finished. Big changes are in store for May/June of this year: reassignment to a new duty station; selling our home; moving: starting over in a new city; sending my daughter off to college; finding a place to live; a new job … I’m bracing myself for a whirlwind of change and stress.

I’m reading two books I love. Yes, two at once. “The Happiness Project“ by Gretchen Rubin and “Life is a Verb” by Patti Digh.

I’ve started doing yoga at home. At first, I was hyped because I found a personal trainer to do yoga with … but that nagging cash flow thing came up … so I chose to start here at home and move to a teacher later. I’m sore, so I must be doing something right. I love the way I feel after I do the poses … during … not so much. But I’m determined to keep at it.

I’ve been walking at least 30 minutes a day (most the time more than 30). What helps me stay on track is my iPod and the teleseminars and books I download. Why didn’t I figure this out sooner!??!

I’ve discovered some truly lovely and inspiring blogs that I want to share:

I LOVE  The White  Hot Truth. I discovered Danielle LaPorte through her book Style Statement. I wrote about it here last year. This book gave me a whole new perspective about how I want to represent myself to the world. I recommend her book all the time.

Just B Blog gives great weight loss and healthy living tips. I love Tonya Leigh’s newsletter too.

I’m smitten with Smitten Kitchen. This week I made the simple, delicious pasta sauce. I will never again buy premade, in a jar, off the shelf sauce.

I’m already dreaming of how I want my next home to look. I love looking at pictures of homes with tons of natural light, white everywhere, fresh decors and unique spins that reflects a bit of the homeowners’ personalities. Decor8 blog gives me the chance to peek at ways other people decorate.

I walk around humming the song “Overjoyed” by Christine Kane. I love this song. I also love her song “Virginia”, but I can’t find a video. bummer.

Ok, enough about me … what have you been up to?

Last weekend I bought Gretchen Rubin’s new book, “The Happiness Project.” I have followed her on Twitter for a while and frequently stop by her blog for her insights on happiness and how to find it.

 I like the book. Inside are practical tips and observations she has made over the course of a year while she researched happiness. I especially like her idea of a personal 12 Commandments lists. I’ve spent the past few days reading over my journal entries, reading my favorite blogs and referencing my favorite books and have come up with my own list of commandments.

 I look at my commandments as reminders of how to live my life consciously and creatively. And when I get off track or slip into the murky waters of gloom and doom, my commandments help me to remember that swimming in muck is not the way I do things.

 My 12 Commandments

1. Tell the Truth. – First and foremost, tell yourself the truth about how you feel, who you are and what you want. Without this foundation, you can’t live authentically and you get stuck in situations that do not align with your intention of joy, clarity and inspiration.

 2. Be Kind. – Firstly, be kind to you. Life can be tough and you are perfectly imperfect. Quiet those trolls in your head that beat you down. Love you. Secondly, there is no need to hurt, belittle or humiliate anyone else. You can be kind and still give constructive criticism, disagree with someone and stick to your beliefs. Spread kindness. The world desperately needs it.

 3.  Pay Attention. – Firstly, pay attention to yourself: Notice where your thoughts are. What’s your focus? Are you filled with dread and negativity? Or are your thoughts filled with the goodness you have in your life? Secondly, pay attention to others. Listen to what they say, how they feel and what they do.  Thirdly, pay attention to the world around you. Be the change you want to see in the world.

 4.  Be Bold. – Take a risk. Step out of your comfort zone. You can’t grow, learn and achieve greatness by staying safely stuck in your current situation. Goethe’s quote is a beacon: “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!”

 5. Honor yourself. – You are enough. You are loved. All is well. Listen to your body and take care to honor it with health and wellness

 6.  Let it be Easy.  – Don’t work so hard and push so much. You can pursue your passions effortlessly. Relax and “row gently down the stream.”

 7.  Follow your Gut. – If it feels bad in your gut, it usually is bad. You have an internal compass that leads the way. Follow it. When your body tells you Yes!, it tingles with excitement and energy.  When it says No!, you feel tense, stressed, nervous. Ask yourself, “What is my gut telling me?” Listen.

 8.  Find the good. – Always focus on the good. It’s not always easy. Sometimes the good in a situation is the lesson you learned from it. Our thoughts create our lives. Be like the hummingbird in the desert; find the luscious blooms full of nectar. Do not be the vulture that is blind to the blossoms because its focus is on finding the carcasses.

 9.  Say Thank you. Be grateful for the blessings in your life and proclaim your gratitude out loud.

 10.  Decide, and then take action.  Every day, you make decisions. In fact, your life is the sum total of every decision you’ve made to this point. Decision has power to change your life. Waffling and never making a choice leaves you stuck and frustrated. Remember, not deciding is nothing more than making a decision to NOT make a decision.

 11.  Play Big. – No whining, complaining or bitching like a victim. Identify roadblocks and find solutions. You drag everyone down when you play small. No one wants to be around a cry baby.

 12.  Believe in Abundance.  – Know that there is always enough money, love, goodness, security. You are surrounded by “wealth.” Do not buy into the myth of lack that you’ve been force fed. Trust that all is well and there is enough. You will see it when you believe it.  

I challenge you to make a list of your own commandments. For me this was an exercise in naming my core rules to live by. Take your time with. It took me several days to drill them down.

Leave us a link in the comments below to your blog. I’d love to see your thoughts.

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of Self work. I completed Goddess Leonie’s Goddess Guidebook, listened to pod casts and recorded teleseminars on my iPod, and I’ve lost count on the number of blog posts I’ve read. Basically, I immersed myself in a sea of life coaching tools so that I can navigate new waters in 2010.

A little more than six weeks ago, I received Christine Kane’s Uplevel Your Life Mastery Program  and I started doing the work. Every day I listen to CDs in the car, read from the workbook and emails, and do the journaling exercises. It’s a lot to process and take in. But it’s wonderful and amazing. 

The pay off after I complete the seven weeks of heavy lifting  is a fresh perspective and insight into creating my life “on purpose.”

Christine says that often, this work is physical: you can feel it in your body. I brushed her comment off at the beginning. But lately, I’ve noticed changes in the way my body feels. I feel tense,  stuck, frustrated. My head aches. My shoulders are stiff and sore. I need time to write, to think and to daydream. I am preoccupied with my intention. And my thoughts. Where is my energy going? Where are my leaks?  Great stuff.

At first I attributed my achey-breaky syptoms to holiday stress. I get hinky and weird every year during the holiday season, and my body behaves in ways that make me think it’s mad at me.

But the holidays have come and gone, and I have continued to feel out of sorts. And I think I’ve figured out why. 

I realized something tonight. It stopped me in my tracks. As I was walking through Border’s feeling overwhelmed for no reason at all, it dawned on me:

 ::Ding::

This work is powerful. The lessons are taking hold in my head and working their way through my body. The tension in my shoulders; the ache in my head; my grumpy, resistant “Leave Me Alone” attitude are the result of the changes taking place in my thoughts.

I’m tearing my way out of my chrysalis. Tranforming.  Changing.

It’s not easy. And it hurts a little. Today, on day 40 of  one of the CDs, I found myself crying and releasing some “stuff” that no longer serves me. I know I’m making progess. I can feel it.  

But, I’m taking turtle steps. Slow and steady. And I have a long way to go. In fact, when I complete the program, I intend to go through the whole thing again. I am finished with my old way of doing things. I want to make choices that align with my intention instead of automatically reacting to circumstances without a second thought.

We’re in day 2 of the new year and I’m feeling the energy of potential and change.

There are so many things I want to do this year. Enormous things, big plans that are terrifying. They make me feel paralyzed, insecure and small.

My plan is to break them down day by day. Then take turtle steps.

Slow and steady wins the race.