Inspire Me Mondays...The Wind

~*::{Wind by Hillary Riggs}::*~

The wind is my friend

she dances along

my sunburned skin

with a calming cool hand

The wind is peaceful
soothing my weary soul
swirling natures leaves
making them dance at my feet

The wind is a minx
she blows my hair astray
after many hours trying
for the perfect look

The wind is powerful
mighty, strong and purposeful
as she sways branches
to her unyielding will

The wind is inside of me
swirling and twirling
stirring my pot
lest I overboil

The wind is my friend
she leads me to paths
that are laden with change
with her gentle hand



I love the wind
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The above image is by an artist named Hillary Riggs...I just loved this painting...evocative of my sentiments and with a little color to boot. Please visit http://www.hillaryriggs.com/ for more of her artwork.

Inspired LIfe Lesson #5...Cherish

This weeks life lesson is about cherishing all of the people that are in our lives. Following a week that has left the entertainment industry in mourning, we are reminded that life is acutely short. And although I am not one that will boo-hoo the death of a celebrity, the past few days have been a gentle reminder that we must live our lives to the fullest, everyday...celebrity or not!

Later this week our family will be taking a trip to cherish one of our own...my Mother in Law. Her annual trip north was first planned, then postponed and finally cancelled due to health reasons. So, we decided to pack ourselves up and head south for a bit of the sunshine state, with a trip to visit Mickey before we head back home to the chilly (!) north.

Cherish the ones that you love.

Contact those whom you have neglected to call.

Hug your kids, parents, friends...with meaning.

Smile at a stranger...for you may be the only joy they experience that day.

Live your life without regret.

Love your family.

Love yourself.

~*::{Reflections from last week}::*~

So, did you do something nice for yourself? Believe it or not, so many of us always put that as the last priority. I hope that you fought those urges and just did it!

In efforts to keep along with my self imposed homework, I went shopping for a bathing suit. Now, I'm not so sure that I really treated myself in doing that since all of the "negatives" came flooding back to me as I stared at myself in the dressing room mirror, under unforgiving fluorescent lights. All I can say is...ahhhh, the power of cheese!

Needless to say, I did get a bathing suit after pretending to ignore the real size that I needed to wear and the sizes that hung on the "put back" rack. I'm trying not to be so hard on myself (that's an assignment that will be a toughy!), but old habits die hard. The suit is nice...a leopard print top and a black flippy bottom (to disguise the junk in the trunk...ok, who am I fooling?). Guess we all know what assignments will be coming in the near furture, don't we ;~)

New Designs

~*::Genie in a Bottle::*~
~*::Feathers::*~

~*::Callie::*~

Inspire Me Mondays...Berry Red

~*:: The Butterfly Berry ::*~
~*::Inspiration & Designs ::*~

This weekend has been all about the color Red for me. I'm not usually drawn to this color, but somehow it has been the only thing that has gotten my attention. A vibrant punch of color to awake my mind's eye...to inspire some of my creations.

Don't you just love the butterfly berry? It was the first one that I picked on Sunday when we took Daddy (my hubby) to one of his favorite pastimes. We loved it so much that we couldn't eat the berry...it almost seemed, wrong, to eat it.

Inspired Life Lesson #4...and a wish

~*:: Birthday cupcakes for my girls ::*~
~*::Only 2 left from 4 dozen!!! ::*~

This week I would like for you to do something sweet for yourself. It could be buying that super decadent sugar laden foo-foo dessert at your local pastry shope. It could be getting a massage, pedicure, manicure, or facial. It could be just a walk alone in nature. Whichever you choose, make it something that you never (or rarely) do for yourself. You are worth it and with all of the hard work that you did last week decluttering your lives, you just might need it!!!

*******~*::}{::*~*******

~*::{Reflections from last week}::*~

I spent all of last week doing a process called simplification at work. It's meant to make your work experience simpler by streamlining your work flow and storage areas. At first, I thought that I would dread it, but by the time that I was finished I was elated! So much so, that I am going to buy a p-touch ( or p-diddy as we like to call it) machine for home! On the home front though, I have finally taken the steps that I need to "declutter" my finances. It's been a long time coming and I am finally starting to be able to breathe again. I also have started to officially organize my gems and beads (hence the p-diddy). My creative process is affectionately called "beautiful chaos"...need I say more?

And last but not least...

Happy Father's Day to all of the Dad's out there that give their lives to protect, provide and love their families. We love you!

********************

You Stir My Soul

As I was perusing one my favorite blogs today Daily Reflections From Atwater Pond, I came across a song that just sent my soul to heaven...Until the Last Moment by Yanni. Now, I had heard of Yanni and never really paid much attention to him or his music. The only think that I knew about him was that he dated Linda Evans of Dynasty fame (and, I was a kid when I watched it, thank you!). How could I have missed out on his talent for so long...had I only opened my heart to his beautiful songs before this moment.

Please listen to the full version of this song below. As I watched, I sat simply mesmerized by the synergy of the violin and piano together. My heart became so full it was almost painful. I have long held true to the fact that I have lived in the Mediterranean in a past life...I can even see the back veranda where I used to sit. I suppose that this is just a confirmation of a life long past, yet still alive in my heart.

Live your life filled with hope and keep it precious in your heart, always.

I hope that you enjoy this as much as I did.

~*::}{::*~

~*:: Until the Last Moment by Yanni ::*~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3ork0msQ_o

Lift Your Face to the Sun

~*::Day Lillies::*~

~*::Peony::*~

~*::Flame Rose::*~

~*::}{::*~
For all of the beautiful faces
that forget to feel the warmth
of the sun
because they feel
unworthy
of it's sparkling
love
Lift your faces
so the world can see
the loveliness
that is
You

Inspire Me Mondays...words

~*::Inspired Words for Inspired Minds::*~

The picture above captures some of my all time favorite books. Some were given to me as gifts, others purchased upon sound recommendation and intent promises that I would not be disappointed as I sifted through their dog eared pages. If you have not had a chance to peruse these lovely editions, please give them a try this summer. you might be pleasantly surprised how your life just might change :)

From top to bottom:

** A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson**

** Angels 101 by Doreen Virtue**

** Oneness with All Life by Eckhart Tolle**

** The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls**

** Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss**

** Clean Living Magazine**

What words inspire you?

Inspired Life Lesson #3

~*::Rhubarb seed pods::*~

The Inspired Life Lesson for this week has to do with uncluttering our lives. Taking all the things that make the flow of our lives clogged with mess and throwing them neatly away, or giving them to others who would find them useful, can be quite cathartic. Sooooo, this week I challenge you to take one room (or section for those of us that are encumbered by layers of disorganization) and clean it out. If you haven't used it in the past 6 months, year or 10...bid it a fond fare thee well and off you go!

Have fun, and good luck! I know that I'll need it :)

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~*::Reflections from last week::*~

What are 5 things that you want to do for yourself in the next 5 months that would make your life more fulfilled:

1. Spend more time playing. I am notorious for just working, working, working! This Summer and beyond, it is my vow to take some time out and play. By myself, with the kids, in nature.

2. Start to write a book. Not quite sure where this will go, but hey, you have to start somewhere. Probably poetry related :)

3. Continue and increase my level of healthy eating. I have found that my body responds best to beautiful whole foods that are unadulterated with chemicals and junk.

4. Unclutter my world. (See above assignment). I want to be able to come into a room and not feel as if the creep has took over. I want to feel as if I live in a beautiful house and break out of the apartment mentality. (Those of you that have lived like that know exactly what I am talking about). It needs to be done, and by gosh by golly, I'm gonna do it!

5. Open my heart and mind to all possibility...even if it's not what I have expected. I don't want to live by the mantra of conventional thought, i.e. you can't do that, why try, you're not good enough, blah, blah, blah.



What are your goals?

Inspired By Nature

Garnet Lotus Ring $15
At the Beach $19

Shaded Leaves $19

Ray of Light $99

From the Heart

This is the Summer of Pink and Yellow, of sunshine and love, of passion and friendship.

This is the season of unfolding your wings, and soaring to the highest mountaintops.

This is the time to discover your personal power, fueled by love's mighty purpose.

This is the moment to discover your true potential that blooms at the center of a flower...the heart and soul of your being.

Let your silken petals unfold to reveal all that you possess.

Let your motion be steadfast, for your heart is protected from scavengers.

Let your armaments fall and your walls crumble, for your beauty will weaken even the strongest aggresor.

This is the summer of pink and yellow...let the power of your love shine through all that you do.

Change is Good

Here I go, changing things again. I'm sure that people are thinking that I am schitzophrenic by now, but I guess that I am just looking for the best representation of me. Since I'm not quite sure who that is yet, you'll all have to endure a little color scheme flip flop. Although I have to say that I like this gentler backround (and it's yellow Gracie!!!!!).

Change is good :)

Inspire Me Mondays...Water

I am inspired by water. It has the power to cleanse, rejuvenate, sustain and make life. It can be thrilling and still at the same time. It is our life force.

For all of you in need of it's salvation, I say...

Let it rain down on you

let it soak your soul

until it is drenched

Open your lips and take a drink

let it quench your thirst for life

Let it fall down on your skin

and cool the burn of loves unrequited flames

Let it cleanse your soul

of its burdens and weariness

Let its drops ease your mind of its troubles

and know that all will be

as it should

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xo G...all will be fine

Inspired Life Lesson #2

Hello All! For this installement of Inspired Life Lessons I would like for you to make a punch list of 5 things that you would llike to do in the next 5 months. I don't mean do the laundry, sleep, eat...I mean, what 5 things, be they tangible or not, would you like to accomplish for yourself. For your own personal growth.

Your own sanity.

Your own satisfaction.

Really think about what would make your life truly satisfying and how these 5 little things would make your ultimate goals a realistic possibility.

.......................................................................................................

If you would like to play along with me, simply comment to this post and I'll add you to the list! Thanks for playing and taking the chance to discover yourself :)

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Messges from last weeks assignement:

Turning off the radio was easy for me...I've been doing it for some time now. The reason that I had you do this was to show you how much more relaxed you would be while being out there in the "crazy" world. I find that I am less stressed behind the wheel when I'm not distracted, or assaulted, by the barrage of misinformation out there. My brain just seems clearer. It's like a little time for yourself that is quite unexpected.

I also purchased some glorious snapdragons in pink, yellow and orange. They were just out of control! I couldn;t resist them. Their shock of bright color was just what I needed.

What did you find?

5 Questions and 5 Answers

So, here it is. I decided to play along with my pal Gracie from Evenstar Art in a little game called 5 Questions 5 Answers. My delightful friend gave me these questions a few days ago, with a sly grin on her face. She knew that they would be hard to answer...hard because they were thought provoking and soul moving.

Question #1:
If you could pick any historical female to apprentice to, who would it be and why?
Answer: It would be Mary Magdalene of course. Graciel knew I would pick her! The why is simple. I think that our gal Mary got a bad rap in history. She was deemed a prostitute that was lowly and "saved" by Jesus with his gospels and teachings. Her figure is further vilified with allusions in the Bible as Jesus' "chosen disciple"...which leads to a whole new set of questions and allusions of her involvement with Jesus on a much deeper level as his wife (gasp). Either way, good or bad, prostitute or saint, Jesus' companion or disciple...she still intrigues me. If you read some of the books that are popular these days, they dream of a woman that carried a great amount of secrecy and deception in her soul, all in the name of popular religion. The possibility that she could have borne children that are of direct lineage to Jesus just makes me want to know more. I really can't explain it, but I feel a strange kinship to her, almost wishing that I could wipe her slate clean and make her name not be "whore", but loving companion, strength, compassion and love.

Question #2: If you were a bird, which would you be and why?
Answer: I would be a chickadee. Why, because I already have conversations with one or more of them on a pretty regular basis. Even the kids say, "Mom, your bird is out. Go talk to it". Of course I have no idea what on earth I'm saying to it! It could be "you're a sweet cabbage that dances in the moon". They probably laugh their pretty little bird heads off when I go back inside.

Question #3: How do you intend to use your personal power to make the world a better place?
Answer: Aha! Loaded question #1! I am going to answer this as best as I can, since this is a work in progress. Over the past few years, I have changed tremendously. I am on an evolutionary path into becoming someone whom I do not know, but have started to love. My personal power has been taken, given freely (or not so freely), usurped, thrown back at me and been denied by the one that needs it the most...myself. It is only now that I am learning to assert the values that come from a deeper level of understanding...from someone much more spiritual, attuned and less judgmental. I suppose the best answer that I can give today, is that I want the precious souls of this earth to know that we have so much more to learn. I want them to uncover their eyes and their hearts and begin to know their true essences, their true destinies. Maybe by my words, I will make this a better place. Maybe by my jewelry, I will give people hope and inspiration that everything will be just fine, one little piece of heaven at a time.
I reserve to edit this one at a further date :)

Question #4: What are the 3 most important Things/ideas/beliefs that you want to teach your daughters?
Answer: Only 3!!!! OK. The first would be to live a fearless life. I have been embroiled by fear all of my life, thinking that nothing would ever be good enough, ever. I want them to be aware of their own personal power, and how to use their intuition to help guide their ways. My intuition has always been very strong, I just chose to ignore it most of the time when it didn't fit what I "should" be doing. I don't ever want them to feel that they shoulda, coulda, woulda. Secondly, to love with their whole heart and soul...even if it hurts. To have a love so divine that it feels heaven sent can change you forever. It normally doesn't last, but that's ok. Thirdly, I would want to teach them to be spiritually connected to God. I don't ever want them to feel that they are alone, because they are not. I have already started their education on this, one that I will gladly teach.

Question #5: If you had 2 free weeks and unlimited money, what would you do?
Answer: Hahahaha...I would buy more time! I would go to the Mediterranean. I would wake up in a different city every day and eat some of the most amazing food. I would take pictures like a madwoman and I would visit as many Churches as possible. Anyone that would like to come along and play would be welcome, since I would have enough money...but it's my trip, so I decide where we go!

Ok! Whew! So who's going to be next? If you would like to play this game, leave a comment for this post and I'll give you 5 questions. When you do, link back to my blog so that we can keep this going!

Are you ready?

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Please visit Graciel for more inspiring words and challenges - including Inspire Me Mondays - right here http://evenstar-art.blogspot.com/

Nature Walk

This is what it's all about...showing your gals what the beauty that the world has to offer. We could pick out about 7 different types of birds singing, but they were camera shy. The forsestry was so lush again that you could smell the life in the trees. We were even lucky enough to snag a picture of the bunny who has been eating our hot pepper plants. I think the last laugh will be on him though :)

Textures of the zoo ~ Revealed and a winner too!

So here they are! The textures revealed...

From top to bottom:

1. The skin of an elephant trunk

2. A banana leaf with dew on it

3. The trunk of a tree in the Rainforest Exhibit...with a praying man, Mary and or a dragon in it. I didn't notice the images until my Sarah pointed the "Lady" out. Just neat.

4. A pirannah! I took the picture through glass and the way it came out was just so neat. That was a tough one, I know!

5. The center of a peony.

And, the winner is....our lovely friend Dagmar from Barefoot From Heaven! She had the closest guesses. Please email me at kasiablue72@msn.com to exchange our info.

Thanks so much for playing with me. I am already plotting my next brain teaser :)

Messages From Goddesses

I love my Goddess Cards. They are beautiful, glorious symbols of encouragement every day. Ancient symbols of feminine power handed down through the ages, from times long gone when the female form was not worshipped for her physicality, but her knowledge, power and strength.

The other afternoon, I was fooling around and playing with them...shuffling them, thinking of things (intentions) and the like. These four ladies came about to send some messages that I definitely needed to hear.

From Sekhmet: Be Strong

From Bast: Independence

Green Tara: Start Delegating

Sige: Quiet Time

If you ever get to know me in person you would find that I am a whirlwind most of the time...just never standing still. Always looking for the next thing, moving on to new horizons. It is only as of late that I have started to consider that maybe I should be just a little gentler to myself, a tiny bit kinder...a little more forgiving. Maybe starting to live in the present moment, to be open to what is right before my eyes, makes this gentler lifestyle a little more feasible and palatable.

There are many messages that have come my way in the past few months. Some strong, some weak, some ignored and some acted upon with swift fervor. I will continue to seek these messages, for I have found that I am not the same 'ol gal I used to be :)

Here are some of the strongest inclinations of Angel voices whispering in my ear:

~ Do what you love, live what you love, be love. I am trying hard every day...although when I have mean and nasty customers at my pay the bills job, it is a little difficult :D

~ I must do something that has to involve religion, organized or not. This came to me while I was sitting in Church on Ash Wednesday trying to hold it together and not just start sobbing right then and there. What am I supposed to do specifically? No clue. So, I'm holding on to that one until further instructions are given.

~ I must also do something holistically to help others. I am a Medicinal Chemist by education, but no longer work in that field. (In fact, I cut the cheese for a living he, he) And, truthfully, I love science. Just ask Gracie! I pour out useless bits of information to the point of her zzzzzzzz snore (but, always done with the most loving and graceful manner I must add). Truthfully, I can't explain what exactly my mission in this, but all I know is that I have to find a way to make people feel better the natural way. A friend of mine named Barbara did tell me that I was an alchemist in a past life...who knew?

~ I must live a gentler life. How should I do this? I'm sure that the answer is layered in actions that are loving, kind and satisfying to my soul. Each layer necessary for growth and change. I've actually had a hankering to live in the Country, the city gal that I am. I wish to forgo the chatter and backstabbing neighbors. I wish to forgo the traffic and constant urban "hum" that clouds my mind. I wish to forgo driving to work (ok, that has many layers to it).

So how does this tie into those four lovely ladies at the top? They tell me that I am on the right path. They say, know yourself and your life's path will unfold swiftly beneath your feet. They say, don't do everything...there are others here to help you (on so many levels). They say, have strength and believe in yourself, for you are wiser than you think.

Come to know the real you and then you will have your wings to fly.

Inspire Me Mondays...The unexpected

The inspiration for this installment of IMM (Inspire me Mondays) was about an unexpected surprise in the face of beauty.

I am inspired by a gorgeous orchid that was striped and spotted in fuschia, white and lemon-lime that has revealed plain bright fuschia flowers on one branch (the last one to bloom). And I thought to myself how odd...yet timely. We are all try to define ourselves during many points of our lives. Always trying to conform to the structure that we call "normal life". I am no exception to this quest for I have been calling on my Angels for divine direction for some time now and am always asking for signs to help lead the way. To clear that proverbial fog that seems to cloud the truest vision of myself.

Here, right in front of my eyes was just one of those signs. It told me that I need not hide the extraordinary side of me, that unexpected flash of brilliance, the striking contrast to the ordinary and mundane. It shows us all to look for those things that make us unique and special. Characteristics and nuances that are only meant for you and you alone.

It was my unconventional answer to a conventional question...one that I seem to keep asking over and over again. Always seeking the "right" answer, the normal answer, the "you should be doing this or you are not worthy" answer.

Maybe all of those answers don't apply anymore.

Maybe I should open myself up to the unconventional answer...it just might be my calling.

Thank you. Message heard, loud and clear.