What's Driving You?

I don't know if growing older has anything to do with this but my whole outlook on certain things in my life has gradually shifted.  When I was in my 20's, all I wanted to do was succeed.  I was so driven and I still am today, but what drives me is what has shifted.  In the past I wanted to silence the haters and make a few people eat some much deserved humble pie.

I wanted to serve it to them personally if you know what I mean.

Over the years though, I have learned that if negative energy/emotions like revenge or hate is what is driving you, then when that energy is expended you will be left without focus or drive.  Thank God in my case, passion for what I do is what keeps me going.   There was a time though when my reasons for wanting to succeed was not 100% passion.

Today as I move forward I can truly say that I am done with that. That period of my life is over. I search my heart and there is no trace of malice or pain against anyone.   And not because I have Not experienced pain, hurt and disappointment.  It is exactly BECAUSE I have had such experiences that I am not bitter.  I choose to do this for me.  To concentrate on anything else is not only distracting but it is giving my power to someone or something else.  I can't have that. When I have to hustle and grind it out, though I do have people that love and support me, ultimately it is my faith in God that truly sustains me.  I have proven over the years that people come and go but God will Never leave me or forsake me....I think I am gonna keep rollin with that...

Cherio!

A little Bit Of "Me Time" In My Life

Last week I have to admit, I felt like a hamster on a tread mill. No matter how much ground I covered there was more to go.  What a a week!  I feel like in the process my sweet little blog got neglected but am back and happy to have a minute to share and relax if only for a little while.  Hope you had a wonderful week and got a lot accomplished.  If not, hey, tomorrow is Monday, a brand new week awaits.  As Tim Gunn says "make it work!"

Well, as always whenever I find a little "me time" I get so excited I don't know what to do with myself.  And I really mean that literally. I don't know if I want to paint, watch a movie, order in and read a book or go out.  The good thing is though, whatever I decide I ALWAYS have fun.  Here are a few things I did with my "me time" this week end.

I painted the opening picture and had a blast doing so. And since I was already dabbling in paint I made these darling little paper weights.

Then, I made earrings to match this gorgeous cocktail ring I just bought.  

And then I bought a few pieces to add to my dragonfly collection.  Nothing major, just little things that make me happy.  Now I am going to hang out and spend some time with my son. We are going to watch The Hunger Games and order takeout.

How did you spend your weekend?

Cherio!

Ready Or Not Here Comes Winter...

Old man Winter and I have a love hate relationship.  I really like him on Christmas day, Christmas eve and new years day but honestly not so much the rest of the time.  Why? It's too blasted cold!  At least too cold for a Caribbean girl like me.  This year though I am determined to enjoy it without complaining.  I have a plan.  It's real simple, soft and comes in many colors.

WOOL TIGHTS.  

Take that old man winter, it's on.  Stylish and toasty warm....yeah baby!

What's your favorite tip/item of clothing for braving the cold?  

Cherio!

I Hope You Dance

I've had this song playing non stop in my head since yesterday so I just had to share.  The words are so powerful, heartfelt and true.  This song really ministered to me, I hope it does the same for you.

As you may have read in two of my previous post, the last two weeks has been really stressful and hard for me.  After weeks of insomnia I started having heart palpitations which scared the daylights out of me.  I literally feared for my life.  Today as I write this though, I feel a lot better and I am almost back to my normal sleep pattern.  Yay me!!!!  whew.  Trust me when I say I have a whole new respect for sleep.  It is so vitally important to remain healthy.

This whole experience has made me look at my life and all the areas where I held back or put things off for later.  I AM SO DONE WITH THAT.

Life is precious.  It is the most awesome privilege anyone can have. We get a gift every single day of our lives. It comes to us each day wrapped up in 24 brand new hrs.  And those hours are ours to do whatever we choose.
To dream.  
                To Plan.  
To see that plan come to life. 
             To bring comfort to the hurting
To travel
                 To write
To learn
            To teach
         To love and be loved
To serve selflessly
                                                  To find your path
   To live victoriously...
                       and of course 
        to dance.

Cherio!
          

In Pursuit Of zzzzzzzzzzzzzz's - Part II

Hey peeps!  First of all, thank you all so much for the much needed advice and tips.  I am working my way through each one.  (I try a different one each night).  I have gotten up to 5 hours sleep now for the past two nights so I am getting a little better, one hour more than last week.  I tend to consistently fall asleep after around 4:00 in the morning though so I don't know what that is all about. About two days ago  I also decided to start drinking Apple cider vinegar and honey since it has so many great health benefits.  (see more about this here www.earthclinic.com)  It seems to be helping.

One of the other things I recently discovered through a little research is ginger tea.  I have had it before  but I had never bought the actual ginger root and brewed the tea myself.  Well, anyhow, I did it yesterday and it made me feel so much more relaxed and just better overall. It totally cleared up my sinus issues as well which was a complete shock to me.  I kid you not, I had a sinus headache and was about to take an aspirin but drank the tea instead and two minutes later the headache was gone.  I am now a huge fan of this incredible vegetable.

Here is a short list of the benefits of ginger:
Relieves Nausea
Clears Sinuses
Migraine Relief
Menstrual Cramp Relief
Ovarian Cancer Treatment (Kills the cancer cells)
Colon Cancer Prevention (inhibits the growth of new cells)
Prevention of Diabetes
Anti-inflammatory (great for relieving joint pain)
Clears congestion
Anticoagulant (great for blood flow and stops hardening of the arteries)
impotence (improves condition)
Relieves Stress
Strengthens Immunity....just to name a few.

When this whole thing started I was more than a little bummed out but now since I am learning so much about natural remedies and how to be even healthier, maybe it will be more advantageous for me in the end.  Imagine that.

Cherio!

In Pursuit of Zzzzzzzzzzzz's

It is amazing how we take some things for granted every day.  Like sleeping for instance....oh how I would love to be one of these little guys right now.  

Lately I have had a very hard time falling asleep and while it is scary, it is just as frustrating.  I have tried everything imaginable.  From exercising to tire myself a couple hours before bedtime to calming techniques and of course the chamomile and lavender teas.  Still, I get four hours at best each night.  Now that I am experiencing this gliche in my sleeping pattern, it sure makes me appreciate the luxury/benefit of a good night's sleep.  Good SLEEP is such a blessing and I never really thought until now. 

How fearfully and wonderfully made we are!  We refresh our bodies and minds every night when we sleep but most of us never think about it.....that is until we cannot sleep for some reason like me. When you lay down to sleep remember that.  You are blessed.

Well tonight, it's back to the drawing board for me.  I have mastered the art of counting sheep.  Heck, my sheep can even do a back handspring going over the fence.  Lol, Poor things are probably exhausted too.

So lovelies, if you have any tips or ideas on how to sleep like these adorable  puppies please do share.  Have a great weekend!

Cherio!

Fall Boot Crush

Fall is here and though I am a little nervous about the approaching Winter months, (I hate cold weather) I take comfort in the fact that I can wear boots again!  And I love me some boots!  

Here are a few that I absolutely adore.

Guess by Marciano

Leather with metal studs, $248; atguessbymarciano.com.

Marciano, oh Mr Marciano, ya killin me!  I almost want to marry these....

Via Spiga

Embossed metallic leather, $250; atviaspiga.com.

If these shoes had fingers, it would promptly do the diva finger snap.  It has so much attitude and style....for days.

Pour La Victoire
Flannel and leather, $315; visit pourlavictoire.com for stores.

Just because I love the color and the shape of these.  I can see this with a short full skirt.  So fresh.

H Williams

Okay, i couldn't love this any more if I tried.  The color and the style is the best of both vintage and modern style.  It is a throw back to the victorian era but with a strong modern appeal.  Luv, luv.

And Finally my favorite, riding boots!  So comfortable and so chic. Hey, maybe Winter won't be so bad after all.

Have a fabulous week lovelies.

Cherio!

Back To Life - back To Reality!

Back to life, back to reality, back to the here and now....  Remember that popular 90's song by Soul II Soul?  Man, that was my jam, ha ha.  More than that though, those lyrics describe exactly how I feel right now.  You see, last week Thursday my trusty companion, my mac computer, crashed out of the blue.  No warning, just died. 

Let me tell you I was devastated. Incredulous.  Frustrated. All kinds of emotional.  After all, I am a Graphic designer and my computer is literally my umbilical cord.

When I finally calmed down enough to think sane thoughts, I took some time off from work to regroup.  (A small benefit of being my own boss) Well, my Mac had to be replaced so I ordered one right away and tried to forget how much money I was spending.  (By the way that didn't work.)  Then, I tried to figure out what to do with myself in the main-time... Since I had ordered my computer, I had days to wait before it arrived. 

 Let me tell you, the first few days sucked!  Royally.  I was counting down the day, hours and minutes until my computer arrived.  I guess you can say that I was in digital detox......complete with nervous twitches, anxiety and the patience of a junk yard dog. This went on until it occurred to me that when I was on the computer and really busy I always told myself that if I had more time I would complete my unfinished projects, experiment with new recipes, watch some movies I had been meaning to see....and trust me the list of things to do went on.  Hello, free time!  Let's just say that things changed dramatically after that.

And just when I was really starting to have some fun, my new computer arrived. 

 I am happy that it is here.  I am.....kinda. Lol, back to work I go, yay.  And trust me, I have so much to catch up on.  Hopefully though, I will remember a valuable lesson I learned from this whole experience.  My live, my reality, is not in a box...no matter how useful or tricked out it is.  Can I get a Amen!

Have a good week lovelies.

Cherio!