Foto Friday...reclaiming my mojos

Hello there! It truly has been way too long. You may have noticed or not, but whichever the case I'd like to make my way back into your lives. There are so many reasons for not posting a good majority of this year. The major reason being a lack of time, an increase in work (which is a problem to have), too much of real life happening, but then again when isn't that going to be the case. but there were others. My creative mojos- writing, crafting, picture-taking, baking, had all been hijacked! How? I hate to admit it but mostly by my own demons of insecurities, fear, true lack of interest, but there were others.  I just couldn't muster up the ability to get anything going.

I guess I felt that it didn't really matter what I had to say, no one cares what I've been doing, and that it wasn't worth my time to put myself out there anymore. I felt creatively stunted for sure. On the other hand, I was pressuring myself to get out there, but instead I think my mind instinctively knew I needed a break. I've sat back and just let things happen. I've mentioned before that I usually do my best work when I kind of let it happen, so in turn, I've been sitting back waiting for the "right time" for my mojos to come back. Waiting for my mind to spark, for my crafty fingers to itch, for my eyes and ears to gather information, and for my heart to desire and put stuff out there for me to take interest in.

 So I've been listening and it seems that the first mojo that wants to surface is picture taking. My fingers and eyes have been itching to get back my photography mojo. Its not like I haven't been taking any picture, but I do more so now on my phone because of the sheer ease. I really began to miss the feel of a big formal camera and that it takes to make it work to get a picture you want. I have not touched my dslr in almost a year and just a week ago, I picked it back up again.

They're not perfect, nor did I expect them to be but it was just fun to do. Katarina made it very easy for me to do because she was having just as much fun getting the camera's attention.


I'm not sure where this mojo will take me. I'm just going to continue to listen and try and do and put it out there for anybody who might be interested. My heart be damned.

What is giving you life right now??

I went to a special taping of an upcoming Oprah Super Soul Saturday event in September and so grateful for the chance to go. This event came a week after Chris left for Spain and a few days after I lost my part time job of 8 years! It wasn't that easiest week for me, so this event couldn't have come at a better time. I spent that day with special people at my side attentively listening to the amazing guest speakers Oprah had put together for us- Brene Brown, Elizabeth Gilbert, Michael Beckwith and some other new favorites for sure. They each had a different and inspiring theme to talk about but which all resonated with me one way or another. Some of those themes included:

• Living your life with Intention- Oprah
• Marble Jar Friendships, vulnerability and what BRAVING really means- Brene Brown
• The Science of Happiness- Its a choice people
• How following your curiosity will lead you to your passion- Elizabeth Gilbert
• How failure is just information to change your course- Oprah's wise words

And there were so many other motivational themes of self awareness to swallow up and process...and so many necessary for me to hear at this time in my life.

I was ready and took notes in this special little book I had received from the Oprah website a few years back. I had never used it waiting for the right moment and this was it. So each speaker had its page as I transcribed every possible word I could that I wanted to remember. 

I have been trying to process and take all this information since that day and find a way to implement it in to my present life. I have also since that day, been 'TVOing' Oprah's show "Super Soul Sundays" in which she talks to other motivational people. And I was so inspired to take notes at the live event that I am now also taking notes as I watch these shows to continue to take in any information I can use to help me live a wholehearted life.

One of her Super Soul Sunday guests was Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor. An American Episcopal priest, professor, author and theologian. She spoke on many things regarding spirituality and what it means to her but she also spoke on embracing your darkness. Your darkness could be anything to you, as big or as little of a situation or state of being you might be in. This concept peaked my interest especially because she mentioned how much we are socialized to avoid darkness in our life. She felt that when we embrace those "dark moments in our life we need to take 3 breaths and learn to sit in this darkness" because these are the moments in which we can learn the most about ourselves. The dark doesn't necessarily have to be bad.  Talk about a change in perspective...Wow!

Anyways, so I started to think- I could have always considered this time in my life a possible moment of darkness- my first born is out of the house, an empty nest beginning, and I was also now looking for a new job- Uggh!  However, as she said that I realized that these are the moments in which I have already began to embrace to learn and grow from.

She asked the viewers at one point a question that inspired me to write this post:
"What is giving you life right now?? and What is saving you at this moment?"

I have to say that as I heard her ask the question, I felt like it was directed right at me and I immediately began to write my answers:

The things that are giving me life right now are:

• Finding a way to send Chris away to school and to Spain is giving me life. I know that we're not supposed to necessarily live through our kids, but hey, I can't deny that yes I am and it fills my heart. I may not be there with him to him experience any of it, but just knowing that we are giving him that chance to experience people, places and things that we never had a chance to do gives me immense life. It really is giving me purpose to live and work really hard and in turn to enjoy and appreciate my own life.

• Finding (or re-finding) my career path. Its funny how things work. I was lucky enough to have been able to work from home for the past 8 years, but it was time to move on and the universe knew it. So it closed my doors in one area and its proving to be opening up a few more for me in areas I hadn't even thought of pursuing until now.  In the last few month I've found a few new opportunities to get back into the accounting field which is what I actually graduated in. I've found a few freelance positions as a bookkeeper and I've jumped in head first and I'm loving it.  

•  Working again is actually giving me a chance to get fully reacquainted with my accounting education and skills that have laid somewhat untapped for the last few years and at the same time expand my knowledge as technology has become an integral part of the accounting process these days. Its giving me life because with each passing day I am regaining confidence in my capabilities and skills and its helping me to "Dare Greatly" by pursuing some new ventures that I would have never considered if I didn't try and put myself out there like this.   I'm very excited!

• The chance to feel comfortable in truly trusting God. It has not been easy to let go and let God when it comes to giving my boys wings and independence. But having no choice but to hand that faith over has been a big lesson for me the last few months. I am learning to be more comfortable in my faith and more importantly feeling very grateful for that trust in God that has been the cornerstone to how I've been able to deal with all these changes. 

 In regards to "what is saving my life at the moment?"

• Working outside of the home- Again, I have a new purpose and something to keep me busy, mentally active and even grateful for the tiredness its producing, and something to look forward to doing. I realize now that I was getting a little too comfortable working from home and wasting more time than being productive.
• Slowing down- Its kind of an oxymoron, but now that I am actually a bit busier because of work, I have actually had to slow down in others to plan out our days, our lunches, dinners, grocery shopping, etc. It in turn has somehow given me more energy and time to do a few other things because I have to make every minute of free time count- aka.a lot of multi-tasking and it still feels crazy sometimes, but I'm getting things done. Its amazing to see how your home life figures itself out just when you think it will be out of control.
• My friendships - All my friendships lately, especially the ones who are going through similar changes, have truly been there for me right now to hear me out, to understand my tears, to encourage and support me when I need that the most. They've made for some quality coffee times together!!
• My family- I can't begin to express just how much Jerry and my boys are my rock right now. When I miss Chris the most, feel sad or the most tired they're the ones who are there to lift me and feed my soul and keep me going.

Anyway, its been a few months and I haven't really had a chance to write, but I felt like I had to get this down for me to remember. The last few months have been emotionally and spiritually impactful all in their own good way and its a point in time in our lives I will never forget. I feel like these last few months have come with their own sense of smell, touch and feelings and have produced their own group of memories to recall in the future. I truly appreciated the way Rev. Barbara Brown helped me change my perspective that night. I feel like I've been able to make a moment of possible darkness" into a moment of much "light" and that has felt like its own kind of accomplishment for me.

Have yourselves a wonderful weekend.

Foto Friday- Baby Milan

New babies are always just soo precious, and when I happen to get a chance to hold a tiny little one in my arms again it always takes me right back to when my boys were little, little and it just feels so nice. I was blessed to do just that last week when I was asked once again by the Acuña family to take pictures of their newest addition- this time around is their baby girl, Milan. She is just under 3 weeks old and the cutest thing ever. But more over, she was the perfect little model as she cooperated soo well considering just how much posing and moving her around we did. She was ready for her closeup.

This shoot was also exciting for me as I was able to try out some new ideas, angles and methods that I haven't ever tried before and yet had been itching to do. It was definitely a bit more personal and close up as Bethany and Daniel so kindly gave me permission to totally get into their personal space and go up, over and around them as much as I needed to get the shots I wanted and needed to see what worked and what didn't and that was just so much fun! Bethany also allowed me to take some nursing pictures (which I wont be posting) that capture such a beautiful bonding moment between a mother and her baby. So I'd like to Thank them for trusting me to take these pictures for them and for allowing me to share these pictures with you.  I hope you enjoy!
Have a great weekend!

Some of my favorites...

Purge, purge, purge!

I'm on a roll. I can't stop! Jerry thinks I'm on crack. Well not really, but he thinks I'm on something because I have been on this kick since this last weekend. I've been purging (and organizing) anything and everything I can get my hands on, a little at a time. The more I get done, the more I want to do....and it feels Great!

Purging can be very overwhelming, right? Where the heck do you start? You know that feeling when you open that messy drawer and you just go "Uggghh." You can't deal with looking at this space, but yet there is that absurd sense of like, 'well I know that what I need is in there somewhere, so whatever!'  Yeah, that feeling. But really, it was getting to the point that every drawer was turning into a "dump it drawer" and I am not having it this year. I am in the search of some control through letting go of as much CRAP as possible and the peace of keeping things looking simple and orderly. Something that is still hard to do when you are blessed to live with 4 boys/men(?) but a controlled version of this would be wonderful right now.

So this past week has been a non-stop daily attack of some space in my house. As I pull things out and before I consider keeping something useless, the words "purge, purge, purge" fly out of my mouth as verbal motivation to happily trash or give away. I have purged bathrooms, drawers, shelves, under the sink spaces, cabinets, you get the picture. I even spent 7 hours one night purging and rearranging my entire kitchen. The kitchen is my hub and I need things I use daily to be more accessible so all the pots/pans/appliances and more got rearranged as I tried to make better use of my kitchen space.

The fruits of my labor- 2 filled, above the rim garbage cans just from all the trash I pulled, and over 8 bags of old clothes, accessories, electronics and much more junk stuff to be given away. I have found things we thought were lost and could still use, and have found things that will never (ever) be used so bye-bye once and for all. Be gone, all of it!

I was on such a mission that I forgot to take before pictures, but trust me I'm saving you from the chaos, so lets just show you a few results of the after...

Its amazing to see how much space I have actually re-purposed and rearranged and in turn regained. Its not 100% magazine ready perfect, but its 100% better for me, for us. I have found spaces in my house that are now actually storing things they were meant to store and most things now have an appropriate place to go. And there is still more to go. (Keep posted this week for one of the funner projects I took on.)

I'm not sure where I am getting my drive from, but there is such a high that comes with purging..its like oxygen, the ability to breathe again, to think, to have clarity...its priceless. Using things now feels good, everything seems to work better, there are systems in place it feels like. I'm much more motivated to put things back where they belong because there's some where to do so now. More importantly, I've shown the guys what I've done so they too can help me keep things in order- fingers crossed! So I will continue to take advantage of it and do as much as I can before I fizzle out. Its wonderful to do, but heck...I've been working hard. I'm tired people...but its so worth it!

This "purge" has really aligned itself with my 'letting go' this year. I feel like I truly had to complete something as overwhelming like this now, in the first month of the year, before I could move on to to anything else I'd like to do in 2015.

I feel I now have permission to do what I really want to do...the fun stuff! I can't wait!

From my corner to yours...Happy purging!!

My One litte 'phrase' for 2015...Letting go

Yes, this year I picked a phrase instead of just a single word.  I've been picking a word for many years, but I needed a change, something different to go with because this year is just going to be different... personal.  I mentioned not to long ago, that 2015 is going to be a year of many things - decisions, changes, endings and beginnings, bittersweet yet very exciting moments- and many more things that will entail some kind of  'letting go' for me.

I know it sounds a bit negative, but its not at all. I am consciously choosing not to look at it that way.  I'm choosing to look at 'Letting go' as a positive thing. Something that I need for my spiritual growth. It will be a way for me to accept what is right and what naturally needs to happen in all facets of my life and in the life of those around me this year. To accept and let go without fear but instead with lots of faith, love, happiness and encouragement.

Letting go is also about being flexible, going with the flow. Letting go of stuff- from material excess (ie.-cleaning out closets) to mental excess- silly battles, misunderstandings, habits and thoughts that won't do me any good or empower me to do better.  I struggle with letting go of little things sometimes, and that there are are things that I just can't change because it is what it is.  So learning to let go of these things will help set me free some of the negativity that I am constantly fighting in my head.

This is my goal for this year. 

And as I experience these moments of 'letting go' I will hopefully be able to share them with you as I explore a more reflective journaling and storytelling style this year. 

Let see what happens. 

I hope you'll follow me on this journey.

What is your word OR phrase this year? How do you want it to help you live this year?

From my little corner...here's to Letting go in 2015.

Weight Watcher Wednesday 2015...keeping it real

Welcome to 2015!

Its a new year and it comes with a clean slate. Right? Right! Please say 'yes' because I really need one. Don't you?

And I'm going to keep it real...very real! This past holiday eating season sucked big time!

Do I hear an 'Amen!'?
 
The truth is that since I got back from our vacation back in September, I have been struggling to get my eating habits back in order.  The horror! Then all of a sudden the holiday eating season began so yes, its been somewhat of downhill or should I say an uphill (on the scale) battle.

But honestly how does one fight through Halloween candy, weekly birthdays, cake/cupcakes, turkey and fixins', 7 nights of novenas (and other people feeding you), tamale making parties,  holiday parties, more tamales, homemade desserts (the best!), Xmas dinner, New Years...you get the picture.

I know, I know! I could of said 'No.' I could have stopped myself from grabbing the extra chips and dip or the extra piece of chocolate caramel bark (drooling), but I didn't! I have only myself to blame and I know that I am the only one responsible for what and how much I eat. Having said that though, I can't really say that I regret every single indulgence I've had over the last few months. People, I'm still a foodie!! Really, even after 4 years of this journey, I still love me an occasional binge of some really good food. Its life, its real, it happens...to all of us.

So yes, I've gained a few more pounds than I'm willing to admit, and that's even with me weighing in every week. I still have yet to miss a weekly weigh-in because I am still more afraid of not knowing the truth than to pretend its not happening. So just imagine the damage I could have done to myself if I had not.  Its been controlled chaos to say the least.

I had a text conversation with a friend recently about this and one of my texts to her said,
"...this battle NEVER ENDS!!!" And her response was..."tell me about it...this sucks!" Did I not mention that at the beginning? Yes it does!

I realize more so lately, that even after a few years of doing the same program, it can get very easy to get comfortable and "think" you're under control. Not so much. It will forever be a conscious choice that comes with some very uncomfortable consequences:

• the snugger jeans
• the 'longita' (spanish for stupid love handle- well kind of) that starts to peak its way over the waist again
• More importantly, its that feeling yucky and uncomfortable once again and that I remember with MUCH disdain :(

So my whole point to my honesty today is to tell you that I am actually grateful for kind of falling off the wagon right now. Its the reality of all of these little consequences that has strengthened my resolve to get back on program again. But its catching myself now when the damage is just a few pounds before it becomes a disaster. I have not worked this hard to let it all go to waist waste (my waist!) all over again.

In all seriousness, this is when I need Weight Watchers the most and I'm so grateful I still have my mentor to keep me encouraged and on track. As of today, I'm on way way down already so things are looking good. If anything, I just wanted to give those of you that find yourself in similar situations some hope and encouragement that all is not lost (or gained). Either way, once again, its a new year and a new chance to start over. Whatever your program is- go back to basics, find yourself with a fresh new attitude and look forward to the process. It will make all the difference when you encounter new challenges because they'll always be there. Just do it! Hey, I'm right there with you all!

From my little corner to yours...here's to getting back on track in 2015!!

Have a great day!

Finding time to read again...

So while I wrap my head around downloading, sorting, deleting, and editing our trip pictures, I wanted to share something simple but fun that also happened for me on this trip...I got to read!!!

I haven't had a good book/book series to read in a really long time since Hunger Games I think? (Ha!- you probably thought I'd say Shades of Grey, right? Nope! Didn't read it actually) Anyway, its been a really long time, and actually finding the time to read anything is very rare for me, and quite an indulgence when I have soo many other things to do during the day.

So yes, I gave myself the gift of reading as soon as I we were able to take off from LAX. Actually I worked on prepping my travel book first (possible post) and then I started reading. And once we arrived, as busy as we were going from place to place, city to city, we actually had a few good chunks of time that I turned into reading time, and I soo fully enjoyed it.

The best part about this was that I realized how much I miss reading, and how good it feels to find yourself in another world for a little bit, so now I have a new list of books that I'm excited about and wanted to share with you.

The Rosie Project- Graeme Simsion
So I borrowed this wonderful book from my sister-n-law as a suggested read because it would relate to me in that it dealt with what could be seen as a sweet, humorous side of Aspergers Syndrome. She had me intrigued when she described the main character as a Sheldon type persona (from the Big Bang Theory) whom I love, and yes, the main character of this story ends up being an Australian version of him but an equally socially-inept genetics professor instead. One way to describe this book is, "on the spectrum" accurate with descriptions of his meticulous thinking, planning and in general how he looks at and lives his life. But its his relationship with Rosie and his personal  journey that totally engages you and keeps you wanting more. I absolutely loved it, and I was able to finish it early into our return flight to LA. Thanks again, Betty!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time- by Mark Haddon
Christian was reading this book on the trip, and he was so excited about it that we actually switched books during the flight to read each other's first chapter, and I got hooked on this one too.  I ended up reading the first 10 chapters (they're short). So as soon as I was finished with The Rosie Project I kept going with this one. Coincidentally, this fictional read is also about, but written in the first person view of a 15 year old boy who also has Aspergers. The look into the mind of a child like Christopher Boone is incredibly insightful. It is hard to not to want to follow this boy, his story (his mom is dead and he lives with his dad), and the revelations that occur as he searches for who killed his neighbors dog, Wellington. Looking forward to seeing what happens.

Its actually a book written for adults, but great for teenagers too. So my hope is to get my Daniel to read this book as well, and be able to have a conversation with him to see if he could relate to the 15 year old in any way or to see if he sees things the same way Christopher does. I hope to know soon.

Me Before You- by JoJo Moyes
This is the second book Betty recommended to me as a must read. She described it as its one of those books that makes you emotional, fuzzy and warm inside because its such a beautiful story. So I found it at Costco this past weekend and I grabbed it right away and I can't wait to read it.

The Fault In Our Stars- by John Green
Well this one doesn't need much explaining as most of you know there is a movie out now based on this book. From what I have heard, its another beautiful story that requires a kleenex box as an accessory for reading.  Christian is actually reading this book as well, and we both hope to get to it first before we get to see the movie. However, at the rate of how many books we've got going on, we might have to catch the movie on DVD in the near future. Either way, I can't wait.

I haven't had a set of books I've wanted to read in a long time, but I'm excited to have one now. I don't know how successful I will be at finishing them all, but I will love having them all stacked up and close by as I plan on making time to read at home as I did on our trip.

I hope I've peaked your curiosity on some of these, and I would love to know if you've read them and what you think of them too.

Thanks for stopping by.

From my corner to yours...Have a great day!

 

A new day...a new look

Hi there! Welcome to an updated version of Sandy's Little Corner.

Every year I like to find a way to update my blog and give it a fresh new look if possible.  It not only gives my blog a new life, but I feel like it renews my spirit and it gives me a creative incentive to keep writing and keep things hip and fresh. Well, at least I'm trying to, lol. 

I think this represents a little bit more of who I am, what I'm concentrating on this year, and of course my family.  I also tend to pick my colors for the year which I incorporated as well as a way to keep them present and in my sight.  So I may still tweak a few things as I go along, but I'm looking forward to making this cleaner, simpler version of my blog work for now.

I hope you like it too ;)

From my "new" little corner to yours...Have a great week!

Looking ahead at 2014...

The holidays are OVER people!!!

Here we are again...The new year has begun and its all back to normal, right?
Well kind of...NOT!

If your life is anything like mine right now, it will still take a few days (weeks really!) to get your groove back and your normal routine back in order. Lets face it- the kids are still at home, Xmas is still not put away, you're still waking up after 8am and your body still thinks its eating for the holidays. And the new year's events will begin to roll in without any consideration of this, and we find ourselves trying to catch up already.

Anyway, despite all of this I am still trying to find the best way to start off this year. I had mentioned in my 2013 wrap up that my family will be starting off with some challenges already, but after I wrote that I realized that I didn't want to get caught up in the negative, so I started to think of what we have coming up this year to look forward to and concentrate on that.

First off, I went on my traditional New Years Day walk. I started this 3 years ago when I started my health journey, and now I truly feel that its a great way for me to set the tone and my commitment for the year for myself.  Its just not a resolution anymore- its a true priority in my life, and so no matter how tired I am from my NYE festivities, I make it a point to go out for a walk.  So yesterday, I went out a little later than usual, but it was worth the wait as my boys decided to go with me. Chris walked with me, and the boys decided to ride their bikes a little ahead of us. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and it was the right amount of warm, and we did about 2 miles. It felt great to accomplish this together!


In general, this year I am looking forward to:

• Getting my mom home from the hospital, settled and some logistics taken care of
• My mom's full recovery from her accident
• Seeing the boys start new chapters in their lives
• Seeing some other opportunities and ideas finally come to fruition
• Christian starting his Senior year of high school and going through the whole college selection process with him 
• Continuing my Project Life album for 2014
• Finding some organizational peace within me for balancing work, home and my hobbies 

Some events my family has to look forward to this year:

•  A first birthday, a First Communion, and a Confirmation
• Christian getting his license- (although I'm not sure if I should be happy, relieved or very afraid???)
• 2 graduations- Mikey from elementary school and Danny from middle school
• More family reunions (maybe even out of the country?)
• Our 20th Wedding Anniversary!! Wow! (still planning on what to do)
• The possibility of a family trip and some smaller ones too?
• A family wedding 
• And any other event that may present itself throughout the year

So keeping things in perspective, we've got lots to look forward to and it gives me a good vibe to work with.  Do you have your list of things to look forward to this year? Its a nice list to keep handy to remind ourselves of the good things coming when things get a little tough.


From my corner to yours...let's make it a great 2014!!

XO

Yes to this Moment - My 10 day journey...

Hello there my friends! Its been a long time, but its just seems like the days are speeding by as quickly as they come as this year starts to come to a close. I have lots to catch you up on, but I first wanted to share with you an adventure I took with Liz.

Liz Lamoreux is one of my new favorite bloggers.  I started following her this year, and I've put her at the top of my list of bloggers I try to read on a daily/weekly basis. As a matter of fact I found her one day as I read her guest post on the Ali Edwards blog  that I am a big fan of.  There was just something about her post that I found was intelligent, comforting and even soothing, and I found myself trailing her back to her own website. I ended up reading some of her past posts, and after reading a little bit about her story I just felt like I connected with her and spirit somehow.

So a few weeks ago she offered a free online course that she described as an invitation to "open yourself up to the beauty and the realness and the joy that surround you each day"... "even in the midst of the messy reality of the everyday." She wanted to share some of her practices via a 10 day personal journey on how to find "that space to take a deep breath and see the beauty" of each moment.  So I decided to join her on this trip, and I'm so glad I did.

Because a journey like this can be such a personal thing I won't be able to recreate my experience 100% for you, but I wanted to at least share with you a summary of the daily prompts she gave all those who joined heron this trip so as to possibly inspire you to take your own journey to say Yes To This Moment.

Liz also encouraged her readers to participate in a big way by sharing our daily experiences through pictures and images on Instagram and Pinterest and forming a community of those saying 'Yes, This' with a hashtag of #yestothismoment. So those of you who follow me on Instagram got to see my daily shots but now you'll understand what they really meant to me in this process.

 Day 1- Finding Silence
The first day of this journey was all about breathing and silence...taking the time to take 5 deep breathes, truly feeling each breath, relaxing  and finding where you stand within that silence. A powerful practice I am now implementing daily.

Day 2- Finding beauty amongst the chaos.
This day Liz reminded us that although our lives are crazy, that living in the moment is a necessity, and in doing that we could find beauty. Tapping into your gratitude goes side by side with this practice as well.

Day 3- Finding my Center
So day 3 was about combining the breathing of day 1 and learning how to use those 5 breathes to really pay attention to how and where my breathing comes from. Coincidentally I was wearing this shirt and I found my center to be where the heart was on my shirt...I liked that.
Once I found my center, I can now use that knowledge to help me go back there especially in those moments when I feel like life is overwhelming me. I found this to be so powerful and I've been using it daily even just to start my day off.

Day 4- Finding my senses
This day was about taking the time to really pay attention to what each of my senses was telling me. What I touched, what I saw, felt, tasted, smelled...hence it worked out perfectly that I was making banana bread which helped me experience each of those senses deliciously!

Day 5- Getting out there and experiencing what I know.
This day landed on a busy Saturday for me, but I found a half hour to get out there and take a walk with my doggie looking for that perfect moment in nature. However, I couldn't really find it until it hit me that I had actually experienced it already, and its what I already knew...the true companionship of my doggie on my walks.  My Lulu is  actually great to walk with, I know I can count on her to keep me safe, and I know that she loves me for taking her for walks.

Day 6- Enjoying a day of Rest
Sundays are a sabbath day for many and so in that spirit...I truly enjoyed this prompt. It just happened to be one of those lazy Sundays where nothing was planned and I had a house full of boys that were busy playing,  so the morning was all mine to enjoy.  I did so by enjoying a meaningful cup of coffee and catching up on the shows I had taped from the week before...Perfect!

Day 7- Seek out Joy
This day Liz challenged us to find what give us joy. Both those tangible and intangible joys. She had us write a list of those things to remind us as well. I chose to post a picture of two of my tangible joys...my beautiful nieces! I am surrounded by boys at home that bring me unconditional joy, but when I am around these two little girls it is a joy like no other. It was a perfect day for it too as it was coincidentally Sofia's 8th birthday.

Day 8- Being open to connections
This day Liz challenged us to see just how open we were to connecting with others. I'd like to think that I am someone who is always open to connecting with others including those from my past.  But as a mom I wanted to concentrate on my connection with my boys that day. I LOVE them and will always be willing to maintain that connection with them. And with a sweet face like Mikey's how can I resist. ;)

Day 9- My Yes List
Today was all about going back through the last 8 days to see what I had been finding in my moments of silence and awareness. What had I been saying 'Yes' to recently. We were to then write a list of what we wanted to say Yes to that particular day and these were 2 of them off my list...'Yes', to the much needed rain we got that beautiful day and 'Yes' to finally getting a chance to wear that super cozy sweatshirt again!

It truly is the simple things isn't it!

Day 10- Yes, Here
The final day of this personal journey was here, and Liz had a beautiful way to end it by challenging us to find 10-15 minutes of quiet time just for ourselves, and I took time in making sure it was as perfect a setting for me as possible. She challenged us to meditate (which I've never really done before) with a candle in front of us to concentrate on. She had us put our hands to our hearts and find all the possibilities of  what our hearts could hold - 'Yes, here' in my heart. What a powerful 15 minutes this was for me. I was able to do my breathing and quietly reflect on the past 10 days and see what a gift each of those practices were for me and point out those possibilities to practice from now on.

The 10 days were over and I was sad to see it come to an end, but at the same time I was so happy to have followed through with and completed this journey to the best of my ability. This was something that I had never tried before or that I honestly had never been open on doing for myself.  I am so glad I did and I will so do it again.  Liz was such an inspiration through this all for me, and I found it easy to trust her direction and knowledge in this area.

Again, just know that there was definitely much more to this journey than I can share in one post (for many reasons), but I just hope that I have inspired you to take your own journey of saying 'Yes to this moment' or to find a personal journey of your own that you'd like to explore for yourself.  At the very least I highly recommend you check out lizlamoreux.com in the hopes you can find something there you can also connect to.

Thank you Liz Lamoreux for sharing yourself with me and for allowing me to take this journey with you. I hope to do it again soon.

And from my little corner to yours...Hope you all have an amazing week!

XO

Project Life...A new way

I've been scrapbooking for as long as I can remember, but I formally got hooked after my first son was born almost 16 years ago. Back then we started with using photo-safe pages and stickers, but more importantly it was about journaling the story behind your pictures for your family to keep as living legacy of sorts.  I have held on to that message ever since and have done my best to do this for our family. Those of you who scrapbook know that finding time to do so is difficult, and this art has been evolving beyond our wildest dreams so it makes it a little difficult to keep up.  However, I still love the basic hands on part of it- cropping, journaling and picture placing.

Scrapbooking is being revolutionized once again. My SIL, Betty, is always in the know about the latest scrapbooking trends and got me following Becky Higgins a few years back, (she was a former contributor to Creative Keepsakes magazine), and she came up with her own method called Project Life. I will let this video link explain it, but she basically teaches the concept of simple memory keeping by slipping pictures into pages, and jotting down  notes on pre-designed cards and that's it! Its fantastic! Betty has been scrapbooking this way for a few years now and she loves it.

I'm always a few steps behind, but that's ok! It works for me. I'm much better at taking my time as I watch what she and others are doing creatively and then figure out what I think I can take on.  So I've been gearing up myself for this over the last year, and I put it on my Christmas list hoping to get it. Bobby (my BIL/Betty's hubby) was my Secret Santa and gifted me with this great project, and I was so happy!

My "goal" is to share this project with you every week (or so) to show its progression, but we'll see.  I  am probably looking for trouble by diving into 3 new projects this year, but I had to definitely start this one this week.

So here we go with Week 1:

Here is my title page

Even though I had been studying and doing some research on other peoples pages to see what works before I started this, I was anxious about putting this 1st week together. I got some tips from Betty, and she stressed to me that there is to be No Stress about this project!
Soo I went with what I had and knew, and I am happy with how
my first week of 2013 turned out. 

And here is what it looks like side by side

I like that I got a good variety of pictures in, 

and I've always been big on journaling, so I got a good amount of that in as well.

Notes on my 1st week:
I do plan on taking pictures with all cameras, but its my first week and I've only used my iPhone camera so far. Making collages with cellphone pictures have been all rage on Instagram, and I love posting those on my own account. So I learned how to print them in a size that I could implement them in my pages and I think this is going to be something I am definitely going to continue to use in one form or another. (I will explain this process in a later post)


So I hope I've peaked your interest and that you'll come check out my Project Life journey. You can take this chance to sit back and watch how easy this project may be and decide that it may be something you want to start for yourself and your family.

If you're interested, lcheck out Becky Higgins website/blog for all the information on her beautiful PL kits and pick out your favorite one. I went for the Turquoise kit.

In the meantime, I am excited to continue to see how my Week 2 & Week 3 develop.

From my corner to yours...Thanks for checking it out!