lil' owls 2014

it's that time again, time to start creating my 2014 (tres popular) Lil' collage owl calendar actually ... I'm late ;-)

a prayer

scenes from my daily walk along the crescent beach 

be like the sun for grace and mercy. 
be like the night to cover others' faults. 
be like running water for generosity. 
be like death for rage and anger. 
be like the Earth for modesty. 
appear as you are. be as you appear. 
Rumi

oh my goodness my shell photo (No.3) landed on fluidr.com and has had thousands of views - cool !

more more + daring

chocolate brown bedroom geraniums with Virgil Gussie Gus Lil' Man Black

When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully.
When there is darkness, dare to be the first to shine a light.
When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.
When something seems difficult, dare to do it anyway.
When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back.
When there seems to be no hope, dare to find some.
When you’re feeling tired, dare to keep going.
When times are tough, dare to be tougher.
When love hurts you, dare to love again.
When someone is hurting, dare to help them heal.
When another is lost, dare to help them find the way.
When a friend falls, dare to be the first to extend a hand.
When you cross paths with another, dare to make them smile.
When you feel great, dare to help someone else feel great too.
When the day has ended, dare to feel as you’ve done your best.
Dare to be the best you can – at all times, dare to be!
Steve Maraboli - Life the Truth and Being Free


the more I learn the more I crave learning
the more my business grows the more, the better, the bigger I want it to grow and it does - it is - hooray !
the more often I can replace fear with love or kindness & acceptance the more of those feelings I want
the more my diet becomes clean & healthy (no sugar, very low carb) the more it's the way I want to eat
the more I read the more I want to read - so many amazing books so little (reading) time
the more I walk in a fast meditative way each morning the more I need this exercise for my mind, body & spirit
the more time I spend planning, scheming & daydreaming, the more amazing ideas I come up with
the more productive & disciplined I try to be, the more disciplined & productive I become
the more I desire from my life, the more that shows up in my life
the more I dream, the more my dreams come true
the more I can, the more I do. the more I do, the more I can

the more goodness I can cram into each & every day, the more I feel happy, content, accomplished & alive

it's kind of amazing, it really is

more amazingness - from Vancouver Hannah Georgas  - turn the volume up

a shift in my perspective

14 weekend photo riffs on the same small bouquet of orangey apricot miniature roses* - O is for obsessive ;-)

you must do the thing you think you cannot do
Eleanor Roosevelt

Every single day there are at least a half dozen tests of my will, some tests are much harder than others. My fear tests, my anxiety tests. My oh no something really bad is, might, maybe, could ... happen here, right now in this very dangerous situation. I can see potential danger in the same obsessive way I see flowers - it's like I have xray fear vision. Now when these tests arrive, when these feeling of extreme upset-ness, heart pounding, breathless fear come a callin' I'm remembering to try to approach them differently. To greet them with love ... 'cause love cancels fear dontcha know. Uh Huh ! believe me it's not easy ... sometimes it takes me hours to feel a kind of normal calmness again. But the thing is I always do feel calm again. I'm really beginning to count on that fact - I know I will feel like myself again and that I can actually speed up that process with tools I've been learning and practicing. Intentional repetitive deep breathing (omg it feels so good), acknowledging the fear (anger, upset, indignation, sadness etc..), forgiving myself and the thought, then choosing to try and see things differently by a subtle shifting of my perspective. I do it all the time with my photography ...

well bonjour ! shift in my perspective ah ha moment ... welcome.

MLou just sent this link how to become good at discomfort - exactly what I'm aiming for ! merci

heaven on earth is a choice you must make,
not a place you must find
Wayne Dyer

* remember the potted miniature rose plant that we picked up at Wallmart for 6. or 8. dollars. Well it's absolutely thriving outside and after doing some googling research I've discovered that they are hardy in my zone, actually hardier than many varieties of roses so I plan to extend my existing rose bed to make room for this orange beauty.

lovin' lately

amazing colour - cockscomb celosia argentea / our sweet Sam / a tidy desk avec fleurs / walkin' with my girl Winnie / can't remember what these are but love the pink / studio mate Oliver & basil tree plant gone wild / salad fixins / ever dramatic Virgil / impatience / gorgeous green grass / the best kind of clouds taken from the crescent beach / alpine poppy / creative director conceptualizing / another view of les tidy desk / I ♡ puddles 

worry is a prayer to chaos
Gabrielle Bernstein

making the bed each morning
colossal stuffed green olives - sliced in my salads
chocolate, banana, soy milk, Greek yogurt smoothie (recipe follows)
a tidy organized desk & office
power walking to the sound of waves (back & forth the length of the crescent beach)
David Sedaris omg ! so funny you'll snort - listen (twice) to the excellent interview with Jian @ cbc.ca/q
practicing self love & compassion
the breeze blowing in all our open windows
ice tea with Splenda & lemon
all the amazing shades of green this time of year
itty bitty Betty - she has such a big personality
sitting in our fenced in lush forest like backyard with the dogs, a tall glass of ice tea & my journal
Pema Chodron - she cracks me up and makes me feel such unbelievable comfort
tenderness (treating myself with)
Gabrielle Bernstein - she rocks ! she really does (here with Danielle LaPorte who also rocks)
bbq cheeseburgers with the works on romaine lettuce leaf buns - so good !
my journal - what comes out of my pen and onto paper is constant & ever evolving wonder to me
breathing into fear - unbelievable
planning, dreaming + scheming goals & dreams for the remainder of this year (5 months to go)
this amazing & fascinating lecture about Willpower by Kelly McGonical (check out the entire Google author series)
focusing on the good, the beauty, the love & the positive
watching tv show MasterChef on my computer while I work, I have quite a crush on Joe Bastianich, so crabby he's sweet

banana soy smoothie
1.5 cups of plain soy milk
3 ice cubes
cocoa 2 tbsp (or to taste)
1 banana
1/4-1/2 cup of 0% fat plain Greek yogurt
splenda or stevia to taste (2 heaping tsp)

* optional 2 tbsp peanut butter - sounds weird but is delicious & adds more protein

whir in a blender until smooth pour in a large glass over more ice - yum

library junkie

a bounty of riches from the library today - 2 audio books, a pile of books and the movie Lincoln - Oh Boy !

Thursday is book delivery day at our little village library I am able to place holds (up to 50) on any book, audio book and/or movie in our county sytem and I can place a hold on any book I find in all of Nova Scotia's libraries - Shut Up ! I'm currently so hooked on Gabrielle Bernstein's message & am gobbling up everything by her (lots on youtube also here's one to start with), The Complete Idiots Guide - Selling Your Crafts on Etsy (I'm planning an Etsy shop revamp in September so hopefully this will be helpful), Gail Godwin's - Flora and the story of Jonestown  - A Thousand Lives (a horror story that has always fascinated me). A few new novels, The Domino decorating book I've borrowed before it's excellent and The Perfectly Imperfect Home is beautifully illustrated by Canadian Virginia Johnson her watercolours are stunning. Now there's no way I'll get through all these books but boy it sure is fun to pile them bedside and decide which one's I will read. + 2 audio books to keep me glued to the teak topped desk Edward Rutherford's 30 CD Paris & another historic tale Erik Larson's Thunderstruck.