Thursday, August 29, 2013

She Let Go.


"She let go.
She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.
She let go of the fear.
She let go of the judgments.
She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head.
She let go of the committee of indecision within her.
She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons.
Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.
She didn’t ask anyone for advice.
She didn’t read a book on how to let go.
She didn’t search the scriptures.
She just let go.
She let go of all of the memories that held her back.
She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward.
She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do
it just right.

She didn’t promise to let go.
She didn’t journal about it.
She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer.
She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper.
She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope.
She just let go.
She didn’t analyze whether she should let go.
She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter.
She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment.
She didn’t call the prayer line.
She didn’t utter one word.
She just let go.
No one was around when it happened.
There was no applause or congratulations.
No one thanked her or praised her.
No one noticed a thing.
Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.
There was no effort.
There was no struggle.
It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad.
It was what it was, and it is just that.
In the space of letting go, she let it all be.
A small smile came over her face.
A light breeze blew through her. And the sun and the moon shone
forevermore…”


Note{s}: I love this poem, you can google the author, 
most sources say the poem is by Rev. Safire Rose, 
but there seems to be some confusion.
image by me.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

defining beauty.

I have been thinking about this quote 
since I saw it a few days ago, 
I realize that, as hard as I try, 
my definition of beauty 
is totally unrealistic at times.

I am quick to recognize 
the beauty in others.


But, for myself, I often equate 'my' beauty 
with how I see myself in the mirror. 
I know I have a pretty mind, 
a pretty heart, and a pretty soul, it's the 
other things that trip me up.

I sometimes look in the mirror or my reflection
and only see everything that has changed. 
I don't take notice of 
my green eyes, or clear skin, or red lips. 
I don't see the beauty. I see the changes.

I know that this is unhealthy, 
my beautiful mind 
tells me so.




My beautiful heart and soul
tell me to look deeper.
To steer clear of so-called perfect beauty
 and look towards 
women whose beauty is more
than skin deep.

So, when I'm listening, I do just that.

I read interviews with Ines de la Frassange.
She has an incredible outlook on getting older.
{She's sexy and she knows it}. 
I love what she has to share
found here.

Best wrinkle cure: 
What's wrong with wrinkles? 

Favourite jeans: 
At the moment J Crew's Boyfriends 

Best underwear: 
Not that "sexy" lingerie stuff that women 
are supposed to go mad over.  
I like a T-shirt in bed. My boyfriend doesn't, though


I look at images of Lauren Hutton. 
I think she's gorgeous.


I visit here and listen to 
Cindy's amazing views on pro-aging.
She truly loves being 62! She inspires me
so much! I want to completely 
adopt her mindset. It's a goal of mine.


This is why I blog, this is why I share.
I am on a personal journey.
To become who I need to be.

To abandon thoughts of being inadequate.
To truly learn to love myself, no matter what.
To believe him when he says, 
I am beautiful 
and 
that I am exactly what he wants. 

To make his world beautiful, 
while at the same time, 
make mine beautiful, as well.


For a girl can only truly be beautiful 
when she knows she is.


I am beautiful.
{well, at least I'm working on believing that to be true}.

 

all images from pinterest


anchor.


"Anchor"
When all the world is spinning ‘round 
Like a red balloon way up in the clouds 
And my feet will not stay on the ground
You anchor me back down 

I am nearly world renowned 
As a restless soul who always skips town 
But I look for you to come around
And anchor me back down 

There are those who think that I’m strange
They would box me up and tell me to change
But you hold me close and softly say
That you wouldn’t have me any other way 

When people pin me as a clown
You behave as though I’m wearing a crown
When I’m lost I feel so very found
When you anchor me back down 

[Chorus]

When all the world is spinning ‘round
Like a red balloon way up in the clouds 
And my feet will not stay on the ground
You anchor me back down

Friday, June 7, 2013

life lessons.


life lessons...wow...it's funny to me 
that when you get off track, 
for a few days, for a few months, 
however long, 
spirit has a way of pointing you 
back in the right direction.
  
  
my heart was broken. 
my mind had wandered.
my soul was lost.


...but, i'm back on track.


filling my 'loss of apatite' 
with the fuel it needs;
a spot of mindfulness,
a cup of reality,
a slice of forgiveness,
a bowl of happiness,
a plate of encouragement,
and a huge helping of love.


i'm making my way back 
to what truly makes me happy. 


being in love.
trusting in the universe.
and loving myself.


the trouble it might drag you down,
if you get lost, you can always be found.
just know you're not alone,
cause i'm going to 
make this place your home.

pretty simple stuff.

all images from pinterest.




Thursday, June 6, 2013

love more. worry less.



I'm kind of on a roll here lately,
so here goes...
today feels like a brand new day, 
something is different, a breakthrough of sorts
...last night it dawned on me 
that I have a choice...
it's something I've known, of course, 
but knowing about it 
and putting it in to action are very different. 

Today feels different. 

To move forward and not look back at mistakes, or events, that shape you, 
I think, is the best way to go, having said that, I will just say, in a nutshell, 
that my past experiences have shaped who I am in a very positive way 
{which sometimes gets buried deep down underneath a lot of hurt} 
and those same experiences have caused me to be super sensitive and fearful, 
this has been the unhealthy effect of what I have experienced.



So without going into the actual occurrences,
I'll just say that, today,
I am choosing happiness, 
I am choosing love over fear,
 and I am choosing to love myself.





The 'Love Who You Are' thing seems to be my hang up.
It has always been way too easy for me to compare, judge, 
and feel inferior in my lifetime, 
a life-long battle of not feeling good enough. 



I had let myself stray from the images and text that empower my self-esteem 
and had allowed thoughts of inferiority to take precedence.
When tragic and traumatic events occurred, in the past, and just recently, 
I could not find my strength. 
My mind reverted back to old thoughts and my heart was shattered. 
Subsequently adding to the negative thought patterns. 

But, today feels different.

With many patient conversations
{I love him for that}, 
daily therapeutic runs, a bit of retail therapy, 
and choosing a new way of thinking, 
I believe that the old thoughts are gradually being replaced,
 with new empowering  'moving forward' thoughts. 




I have a lot of work to do, but I also have a choice. 
It's with that choice that today feels different. 


Today is the day I choose happiness, for good, 
that I stop allowing the fearful thoughts to consume me. 
Today is the day that I choose to be the best version of myself, 
and to love myself for who I am.

all images via pinterest.

Friday, May 31, 2013

forever should be amazing.

I figure if Joanna can talk 
about this and this,
and other juicy topics,
on her uber popular blog,
I can talk a bit about this.

Earlier I wrote about falling in love. 
and being in love. 
Today it's about staying in love. 

I don't take that lightly. 
To love someone, 
and to be in love with someone, 
is totally different - to me.
Of course, I love him, but, I also
choose to be in love with him.

I still treat him like I did when we were dating,
there may have been times when this wasn't the case,
over the past 25 years, two pregnancies, 
kids, and miscellaneous life 'things' that got in the way, 
but for the most part, I can say, without a doubt, 
that I truly make an effort
every single day to let him know he's the one for me. 
I think about him during the day, 
I look forward to him coming home. 
I plan his favorite meals.
I take care of him.
I read A Cup of Jo, among others, finding little tips to change things up.
{trying this tonight.}
I am beyond happy when it's the weekend
knowing that we have two whole days to spend together.
I am grateful for him. Every day.

When you're dating, you make an effort to show the other person 
how interested you are in them, you think ahead, you make plans, 
you get yourself ready for your date, you send playful messages, 
maybe a sexy photograph, you tease, laugh, play, touch, and have fun.

So, that's the way I approach the everyday with my love. 
{Yes, even though it's been over 25 years}.
We make plans, we text, 
we tease, touch and hold hands all the time. 
I shave every single night, always have, 
and, I wear perfume to bed every night.

I have seen many love-less marriages,
and as I am the self-described
girl who is in love with being in love
the type of marriage I have is very important to me. 
 I will always do everything it takes 
to make sure he always knows that 
I love him, but also that
I AM IN LOVE with HIM.

It's FOREVER, and FOREVER should be AMAZING! 

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

a LOVE letter.

I didn't intend to LOVE 
someone this much.


I know that sounds weird, but it's true. 

I was always afraid of LOVE. 
It didn't seem like it would last. 
It didn't seem like it was really real.
Based on what I'd seen, 
LOVE seemed disposable.

Being in LOVE was being vulnerable.
Being in LOVE meant, you could be left behind. 

I had decided, when I was very young, 
that when I met that special someone,
I would be cautious.
I would be the one who was less in LOVE.
The strong one. The independent one.
The one who could walk away, if need be. 

I entered into my marriage with these notions 
tucked way back in my head, 
a shield, a defense...just in case. 
Just in case LOVE hurt.

But something happened, 
I fell in LOVE,  
I fell hard, head over heels hard.
The kind that hurts. The kind that makes me crazy,
but also the kind of LOVE 
that I didn't imagine for myself.

As our 24th wedding anniversary draws near, 
coming up in August, 
I realize that, maybe, real LOVE is so much deeper than I thought
and much more wonderful than I'd ever hoped for.

Maybe LOVE is not just the fairy tale, the romance, 
the picture perfect photo, the date nights and hand holding, 
the maybe it will work out, maybe it won't. 

Maybe, LOVE is learning what your partner's needs are, not just thinking you know; 
maybe LOVE is holding your loved one up when life gets to be too much to handle;
maybe LOVE is listening, even if you've heard the same thing over and over again;
maybe LOVE is sharing, your hopes, your fears, your dreams, your challenges;
maybe LOVE is not taking each other for granted, ever;
maybe LOVE is knowing I can stand alone, but will never choose to;
maybe LOVE is still looking forward all day to him coming home;
maybe LOVE is still being so excited when he texts or calls me;
maybe LOVE grows more passionate with each day;
maybe LOVE isn't conditional;
maybe LOVE is growing old together;
maybe LOVE is worth fighting for; 
maybe LOVE does last a lifetime;
maybe LOVE is everything I was afraid to dream of, 
maybe LOVE really is forever.
maybe LOVE is happily ever after.
I'd like to think so.

Monday, May 6, 2013



Something has been stirring in me for some time now, 
and while I have continued on the path 
I've been on for some time, 
an alternative route sign keeps popping up
in my head and in my heart, 


I take a few steps in that direction and then, 
before I know it, I'm back on the well-traveled trail again. 

When I started TenThings, it felt fresh and exciting, 
that was five years ago, 
I had no idea that TenThings Jewelry 
would grow and be as successful as it is. 
Please know that I am very grateful for this success. 
Oh so very, very grateful.
As time has gone on, 
I have grown as a person, 
as an artist, 
and as a business person,
{something I still can't believe I am}
and recently, I have been feeling that I need to 
follow my heart, 
not just my business mind, 
much as I did when I first started making jewelry.
{I never had a plan for success, 
I was just doing what I loved}.

As with all things, I believe, 
you must follow your heart;
and do all things with love.
I work on this every day 
and feel that I am following my heart 
in all aspects of my daily life. 

That is with the exception of my business, 
I've been feeling a little stuck artistically 
lately and have been wanting to create more pieces 
from the heart, not just pieces that sell really well. 
Inspired by my friend Sana of sanakeefer.com,
I have decided to take the leap,
to create pieces that feel good to me,
that have a significant meaning to them, 
pieces I would wear and won't want to part with.

I have decided to take 
a longer walk on new paths...
to see what happens
when you truly 
do and make what you love.

A walk of new beginnings,
a walk that feels more appropriate 
for where I am in my life, 
what I believe in, and who I am growing to be.


Old favorites will still be available for a limited time, 
as I sort out my wholesale transition from Trunkt to Etsy.

One thing that will never change is the love and 
attention to detail that goes into each handmade piece.

I hope that my friends and customers 
will see the 
TRUE BEAUTY
in these new 
PIECES OF MY HEART
and come along on this 
EVER-CHANGING JOURNEY
of 
CREATING PRETTY THINGS. 

Photo credits. Jewelry photos belong to Kerri Jones of TenThings.
Other photos are reposts from here: TenThings JewelryTumblr.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

spring is here, change is in the air.


spring has arrived here 
in southern california.

I am inspired by change.


i love to eat healthy food.


I am inspired by color.

  
flowers make me happy.

 

i like to make pretty things.






i am crazy about IG.

 



i live by the beach.


my kids are my models.


I'd love it if you'd follow along 
and please
let me know 
where I might find YOU.