I Am Enough

How many women out there think they are not good enough?

I am guessing a huge amount.

Not a good enough wife, mother, partner, sister, cook, gardener, friend, lover, worker.....the list is endless and so are our questions.

When will we ever tell ourselves we are enough, just as we are. We do the best with what we know and have, we do enough.

Say it with me in 2011.

I AM ENOUGH.....

AND I AM PROUD TO BE ME......❤

My husband is a forgeiner.

I got married about 2 months ago. So far marital bliss has been just that, blissful! I blog about my adventure into married land and you can follow our adventures here.

I wrote a post about our interracial marriage.

Talking about some of my thoughts and in sites at this point in our life together.

I just wanted to put it out there to a wider audience. Are any of you in an interracial marriage? Or married to people from other country?

How have you blended your cultures and traditions?

What road blocks have you met?

I am grew up in Northern California. Went to University in Utah. Lived in Ethiopia where I met my husband. Due to a unforeseen circumstance we ended up getting married in the US, where we are now living and working on the immigration process. After we were married a Lawyer in the LDS congregation I attend pretty much Told Adam & I he would need to immigrate if we ever wanted to visit my family again. 

Adam is an Ethiopian National. Who living in a town about 40 miles south of the capital. He studied Law in an Ethiopian University. Worked for a US company. where he met me. 

So here we are.

Are there others of you out there in a similar circumstance?

I would love to know more.

♥ Single Girl

Now known as

the MRS.

New blog to share!

Hey all! As you know, I've been tirelessly working on my new business venture for the last few months. Since I was having trouble seperating the "work" and the "personal" side when dealing with this blog, I decided to make a dedicated blog just for my business. Here it is:

http://littlebirdiebaby.blogspot.com/

Go check it out, become a follower and tell your friends! I'm pretty doggone proud of myself because I designed and created my new blog completely from scratch to match my store, my business cards, and all my other media. Feedback is always appreciated too!!

XOXO
Rach

AMASS IT & SHOW IT: COLLECTIONS

TOO MANY ITEMS IN YOUR COLLECTION TO FLAUNT THEM ALL AT ONCE; ROTATE PIECES TO KEEP YOUR LOOK INNOVATIVE


WHAT BETTER WAYS TO SHOW YOUR GROWING COLLECTION THAN TO HANG IT ON THE WALL.



GAME BOARDS DISPLAYED ON ONE WALL, THE ENTIRE COLLECTION FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

WHEN DISPLAYING A SHELL COLLECTION, DON’T OVERDUE BUT A VINTAGE TUREEN FILLED TO THE BRIM WITH INTERESTING SHELLS YOU’VE FOUND ON YOUR TRAVELS WILL EVOKE MEMORIES OF YOUR TRIP FOR MANY MONTHS AFTERWARDS. GLUE SHELLS ON A MIRROR,COVER WOOD BOXES LIKE THE WIVES OF SEA CAPTAINS DID LONG AGO,PROP STARFISH IN A WINDOW,PUT SOME IN A BATHROOM LEDGE OR WINDOW, MAKE CURTAIN TIE BACKS. THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS


CANDLE STICKS, TRAYS, CAKEPLATES & CHARGERS ARE GREAT TO DISPLAY AND ALSO USE IN VARIOUS ROOMS IN THE HOUSE. A CAKE PLATE TO HOLD SOAPS OR WASH CLOTHS IN THE BATH, WILL KICK IT UP A NOTCH.

HANG A QUILT OR COVERLET FOR INSTANT COLOR
OLD BOTTLES DISPLAYED ON SHELVES OR IN WINDOWS IF THEY’RE COLORED, THE LIGHT WILL SHINE THROUGH THEM & BRIGHTEN YOUR ROOM. I MAKE FRENCH BOTTLES OUT OF VINTAGE BOTTLES WITH A COPIED FRENCH POSTCARD, VINTAGE CHARMS & KEYS.






FROM MY UPCOMING BOOK "I'M DECORATING AS FAST AS I CAN ©"

365 Lessons-Lesson 311: Manage Your Time, But Leave Some Room for Spontaneity

I'm a list maker, how about you? It doesn't mean I'm super organized. Quite the contrary. It means that I write it all down so I won't forget, which I have a tendency to do if something is not written down. The funny thing is, sometimes I lose my list, which I take as a sign that perhaps those things on it weren't so pressing anyway or that they'll get done in due time. I have to believe that anyway.

I also have a calendar on my wall in my office right next to where I write. As soon as I have anything scheduled, I try and write it down. I have to get things on the calendar or I end up just forgetting.

So, I have half a book due to my editor the first week of December. Several months ago I mapped out a plan to write 6-7 hours a day Thursday through Sunday. I thought that was a reasonable plan, but I didn't factor in that I need to eat, attend my yoga class, walk, meditate, shop, clean and all the other things that take up a day. I had this image that I'd just go to my writing room and pop out 6 or 7 hours later, eyes blurry from staring at a screen for so long.

What I've come to realize is that balance in all areas of my life is key. A few weeks ago I left a Facebook status update to my friends that said something like, "Talk to you all in March." Luckily my best friend from elementary school piped up and said, "Umm, I'm not following that rule!" Even though this was meant to be a joke, I also felt that I was also being honest in the fact that my time would be limited. March 2011 is when my entire book is due. I've always been a very focused person, but that was going a bit too far. I mean, I have to meet friends and enjoy myself from time to time too!

So, I make my list and if I get half of it done in a weekend, I'm happy. This is the balance part. I don't sit there and fret over what didn't get done. I believe I will get to it all eventually. That's been my experience anyway. If I feel like watching a movie with my husband, taking a walk on a sunny day, going to yoga class or talking to a friend, I do it. In fact, I try to take a walk everyday. Somehow walking clears my head and makes me appreciate more what I'm doing and what I have in my life. I see the beauty of nature, I get my dose of Vitamin D and I'm good to go.

I simply can't stay locked in my writing chambers all weekend on a beautiful sunny day. So I get out and walk. After I get a walk in, I'm o.k. to get down to business and tackle those things on my list. It seems to work, I've currently written 142 book pages out of 250. I think I'm right on schedule.

One thing that has helped me with time management is creating space in my schedule. I don't try to schedule too much. I leave plenty of gaps. I teach ESL at a local community college. I absolutely LOVE it and it helps me get out and socialize after I've been in my writing cave for too long. Teaching compliments writing. They are so opposite. One is very extroverted and the other is introverted. This is a nice balance for me. Also, I only teach three days a week. This gives me the rest of the time for pursuing my other passion: writing!

Leaving space for spontaneity and pursuing my passions have proven to be such great benefits in my life. By leaving lots of space empty in my schedule, I find that there is time for crossing things off my list of things to do and enjoying the unexpected "fun" things that might pop up during my weekend. This balance has made my life enjoyable.

Reprinted from my blog Lessons from the Monk I Married where I am writing 365 Lessons for 2010.

The words I'm reading....the pages I'm turning

I love to read only what touches my soul.

I try to read fluff and get easily bored. Though since we are all so intricately different what constitutes to another as "fluff" won't be the same.

I like to read real words, I'm not an intellect, my eyes glaze quickly at language that does not sound familiar to my own every day thoughts and voice.

I've just recently finished this book

Dear me,

a novel

by Gaylynne Sword

I picked it up from a sale table, mostly because it was only 5 dollars, but why I chose to buy this over the rest piled high on clearance was these words on the back

Author Gaylynne Sword brilliantly weaves a story that is simultaneously heartbreaking and hopeful. A story for all have have struggled with choices, family, or faith.

Then on through the book blurb

We are drawn into the thoughts and feelings of someone we know. Serious, funny and unflinchingly honest, Vanessa (the main character in this book) compels us to follow her on a journey through the loves and losses that shaped her life-and to learn about God's unlimited ability to reach into the darkest places of our lives.

Me:  Hooked. Here's what I thought

This isn't a true story, but many, too many do live it out.
It begins introducing us the reader to the family of Vanessa and her feelings of inferiority and of being a disappointment to her parents particularly her father even from a very young age.
She learns to rely heavily on others, (at this stage her younger brother Jake), to avoid making her own decisions and or taking any personal responsibility for her own wants, needs or desires and the many consequences that
follow during her journey for freedom.

This girl goes through it all. A family tragedy. A personal soul destroying event that ultimately almost wrecks her emotional and physical life as well, through the use of drugs, sex, alcohol and new age spiritualism. Vanessa is extremely lost and the vices she uses, not always deliberate to numb her pain and fill the void in her heart could be recognisable to many who have walked through life in the dark at times.

Gaylynne Sword's writing is easily absorbed, she finds humour in the dark bits, I absolutely love her style and look forward to reading more of her work.

The only thought I had which kept it from being a 5 stars from me was a niggling reminder that this was a work of fiction, so slightly, over the top in events...though as I type this I am reminded that I have lead a pretty sheltered-ish life compared to many, so who am I to say? I haven't had personal experience with the issues that plagued Vanessa's life. Yet I have believed many of the lies she was burnt with that got the ball rolling.


This next one is borrowed from a friend

365 Words of Well-being for Women by Rachel Synder

Each page has it's own alphabetised word and snippet. Like this one which I just opened on

Bliss
Bliss out.
Bliss out on joy, bliss out on pleasure, bliss out on love. When you think you've reached the ceiling of your bliss, ride the bliss train right on through. Bliss out on nature.Bliss out on the smell of pine, the feel of moss on your cheek, the awesome, sweet tartness of wild mountain cherries......

Innovate
Do it new, do it different. Do it like nobody's ever done before. Come up with a new way that's smarter, faster, easier, cheaper. Develop a new style of management. Discover a new way to peel potatoes. Create a whole new model for bringing about social change. Innovate at the office, innovate at the legislature, innovate on the golf course. (could you be a little more innovative in the bedroom?) Invent something totally new that will erase pantyhose from the face of the Earth. Introduce an attitude that's utterly original and indescribably fresh....

to read what the rest of these say you'll need the book ;)

365 Lessons-Lesson 266: Walk through the Pounding Rain

When the rain comes (rain being a metaphor for anything difficult) the tendency is to run for cover. Why not walk through the pounding rain? Why not walk out in the midst of it all exposed? What could happen to you? Maybe something unpredictable is in your cards; a turn of the tables, so to speak.

This morning at around 9am, my husband was eager to go walking. I looked outside at the clouds of doom and raindrops already starting to fall and all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball in my bedroom with warm, fuzzy socks on.

Instead, I threw my non-waterproof raincoat on (sin in Seattle) and headed out into the elements. In the car driving over the Ballard Bridge, the rain was coming down in sheets. This was not walking weather, yet we were on our way.

Once at the park, there was no turning back. We were hiking and that was it. The rain started to let up a little as we got to the beach. All the sudden, amongst the barnacles, broken clam shells, seaweed, and a mad circle of seagulls, I saw too little eyes peering up at me on the beach. I almost stepped on this tiny, little thing.


What was it? Could it be a baby Harbor seal? The mother had left it on the shore in search of food. The little guy looked scared. It made little squeaks at us. I knew not to touch it or move it. If the mother smells human hands on her baby, she will abandon it. I was worried, however, that the mother had forgotten where it was. It was so far up on the shore now.

A sudden break in the rain had revealed this angelic creature to my husband and me. I couldn't help but take it as a sign. Seals, as you may have read from earlier posts about my book writing adventure, have a important meaning to me.

I had to go out in the pouring rain to find this jewel. My jeans were now thoroughly soaked, but we kept walking. We were committed to the walk and no sleet, hail, lightening, thunder, or hurricane was going to stop us.

Lately, I've been a bit saddened. I haven't heard from several blogging friends who used to comment regularly on this blog. Where did they go? Are people still reading it or am I writing it just for me. Should I stop writing it? Should I put it aside? Do I have anything more to say? All these thoughts go through my head and then I remember one very important thing.

I've committed myself to this walk. Let the rains come, I'll continue on. When things get difficult or boring or monotonous or I feel like I'm at the end of my rope and I'd rather turn back, go inside and hide under the covers, that's the time to continue I've learned.

The seal was a hidden jewel in the rain today. Something I wouldn't have seen if I decided to stay indoors. When we least expect it we will find that everything we were hoping for is already there, waiting for us in the pouring rain.

Also on my blog Lessons from the Monk I Married

Look Ma, No Cavities!

I'm on a roll with teeth...

Last August, I tested out a recipe for homemade toothpaste. I honestly thought would try it out for the two weeks I had promised and then go back to my regular toothpaste. I ended up liking it so much, that I decided to continue using it.

After about a month into using my homemade concoction, I noticed that my tooth sensitivity had almost vanished. I was surprised. My former brand designed for sensitive teeth hardly made a difference.

Last January I had been using the toothpaste for 6 months and I went for my check-up at the dentist. To my surprise, a tiny cavity that they had been keeping their eye on had gone away. They had to double check their records. My appointment with the Hygienist which is normally 45 minutes, was practically cut in half as she had nothing to clean. I was happy! I even blogged about it, I was THAT happy.

So...today... six months later, I had another check-up at the dentist. Again, no cavities, and the Hygienist didn't have anything to clean. My appointment was not long at all. She kept commenting on how clean my teeth were.

All I have to say is that this homemade toothpaste recipe WORKS! So I'm smiling and posing. Sometimes people shy away from homemade remedies and they shouldn't. They really work.

Here is the recipe:

The ingredients are Baking Soda, Coconut oil, Stevia and Peppermint oil.

1. Coconut oil: 3 Tablespoons
2. Baking Soda: 4 Tablespoons
3. Peppermint Oil: 20-25 drops
4. Stevia: 3 to 6 packets
   
   Mix all the ingredients together and store in a container with a lid. That is it. If you don't have peppermint oil, don't worry. The toothpaste will still work without it.

When I first made the toothpaste, I personally needed 6 packets of Stevia. I am now used to the taste of the baking soda so I no longer use the Stevia.
All the best,
Marnie
http://www.whatsupwithred.blogspot.com/

Inspiration!

It's certainly no secret that since I became pregnant, just the thought of this wonderful little girl has given me a huge wave of inspiration. Starting with the nursery, it has just been flowing from me like rain! The fact that she's renewed my creative streak after somewhat of a dry spell has really made me feel like myself again. :) The magic of this little girl never ceases to amaze me!

My latest wave has led me to really exciting venture... opening my own Etsy store! For those of you who may not be familiar with Etsy, it's a great website for people to buy and sell artisan goods. You can find all kinds of awesome stuff there!

Anyway, I am always on the quest for something cute for her to wear, and one day it suddenly dawned on me that I should just make it! I started experimenting with fabric dyes and the rest is history... It's been especially fulfilling for me, since as moms, I think many of us struggle with what to do with ourselves in our down time. There's not always much of it, but when you stay at home full time it can certainly get monotonous.

Here's one of my favorites with my little sweetie being kind enough to model it for us!

If you want to see more, you can go to here:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/littlebirdiebabyshop

Enjoy!

Much Love,
Rachael :)
http://aubreyjune.blogspot.com/

New projects I have been working on...

I have been busy the last few months working on many new projects, one of them being my photography.

Sign up as a "Follower" on my NEW Photography Blog and you might be the winner of the GIVEAWAY I will be having soon...

www.AimeeBoschetPhotography.blogspot.com

(another post of the Italian Villa I shot will be up on that site later today, so check back)