Hellooo World!

I know its been so very long since my last post, but one of the main reasons I’ve been ‘off the grid’ for such a while is that I’ve been going through a period of  gestation.  Finally after months and months of expanding and stretching my insides way beyond what I thought was possible, my labor has finally brought forth a brand new baby…novel! (FYI–I am referring to a book, so note to parents to be: Please do not name your newborn child by this unique, but understandably unpopular moniker.)

Anyway, as most parents can attest, it has well been worth the pain and sacrifice to produce my little bundle of joy, but now the hard part begins: showing off  your precious little creation with pride and hope no one politely smiles while thinking, ‘Wow, this one should’ve stayed in!’

However, I don’t think that will be the case, because all babies are adorable… and special…right?

 

 

Summer Lovin’ Happened So Fast!

As today marks the observed end of summer season (sniff), I thought I’d post some memories of these past few months in pictures.  As the coordinator of a youth program for girls, most of my summer was spent with them. The rest, recuperating from spending time with them. 🙂 

All in all, there were special moments and memories created that I hope they will cherish as much as I will.

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 Our Trip to the Museum of Science’s Butterfly Garden

 

 

 ‘Swimmin Wit Da Fishes’ at Walden Pond

 

 

Near The Summit of Mt. Washington

 

For arts & crafts, we decorated cake pops.  Boy, was that some      SWEET LOVE!

Last, but definitely not least–the girls were asked to draw a picture of  what serving others means to them.  From the mouth of babes!

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

 

 

My Very Own FRESHLY PRESSED (But I’ll just call it “WELL EXPRESSED” to avoid any infringement issues. Smile.

Oh, so many stories, so little space–who’s to be heard?  I do sympathize with the very capable but overburdened WordPress staff with having to be the voice bearer of the entire world (or at least WordPress World), so I’ve decided to do my part and take a few little viewed posts and launch them into further obscurity.  The up side is that they will at least potentially have another two likes from my own followers.  Sorry, but you flashy, savvy, well connected writers with 100 daily likes and 300 followers unfortunately do not qualify for my elite list of unsung voices.  Yes, go and cry silently in a corner. 

Seriously though, having the time and for now, computer access, I’ve been browsing through many stories and I must say that there are so many that just reached out and grabbed me all for different reasons.  Mind you this is subjective to my own narrow scope of mind and interest, but nevertheless I felt more than pressing the LIKE button was in order here.

Therefore (drumroll, please), I present to you the first installment of Realeyeis’ Soapie List:

http://deepthinkings.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/if-its-for-your-ego-its-not-for-your-soul/

http://thediscerningtravelers.com/2012/08/30/one-perfect-end-of-summer-day-in-nova-scotia/

http://sgmarinova.wordpress.com/2012/08/26/i-am-not-sure-if-this-might-be-considered-racist/

http://thesculptorswife.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/837/

http://breastfedblog.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/scales-beautiful-balancing-blind

http://lbsmitch.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/weeds-and-people/

So, there you have it!  Whew, this IS a lot of work.  Hats off to you Word Press Staff, I have a new found respect for you (and probably Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, too).

Food Fight: Day 13,150

Yes, I turned another year recently, with not one, but two surprise cakes to commemorate the occasion.  On top of that were numerous dinners.  I was truly grateful for the thoughtfulness, but you can’t very well have someone take you to a seafood restaurant for your birthday and order a carrot stick, can you?  My mother, somehow knowing (as only a mother can) had already sent me a fruit arrangement the day before. God bless her.

Needless to say, this has left me having to cleanse all the accumlated sugar and ‘what not’ from my system.  It has not been easy.  I did okay while shutting myself away at home, but after three days, I realized I had to venture out.  I was running out of spring water.  So shakily I stepped foot into the lure of bright colors and neon signs.  Once on the road, I began my auto pilot into the Dunkin Donuts drive thru before catching myself at the last minute, and so it was with sweaty brow and palpitating heart that I finally made it to the supermarket.  Great refuge.  Is it just me, or has anyone else ever heard whispering coming from the cookie aisle before?

Nevertheless, I am proud of myself–I had my list and stuck to it, making sure to keep on the perimeter and was almost home free until I saw those sneaky @%$! moved the whole snack aisle to the last leg, right  before the check out. It was then that I heard my favorite tortilla chips pitifully crying out my name–they must’ve seen me coming.  What else could I do? We’d been through so much, I couldn’t just act like I didn’t know them and walk on by.  I promised to take them in only if they’d let me have the serving size (9 chips) and no more.  They agreed.

Overall I think it was a win-win situation.  For breakfast, I had unsweetened plain yogurt w/diced green apples and lunch was salad with fresh carrot juice.  Dinner consisted of sushi with brown rice, and for a flourishing finale, I plowed through half a bag of corn chips before coming to, realizing what had happened. It’s okay… it’s not the first time I’d been lied to for an opportunistic moment.  I must admit it did hurt at first, but at least I’m wiser now and better prepared for day 13,151!

Soul Feud

Slowly I awaken in a bubble of peace while listening to the familiar comforting hum of my convection oven dehydrating berries.  Earlier this morning, I made spelt crackers which I will have with sardines and avocados for lunch.  I feel good.

Unfortunately, moments like this have become a luxury.  Instead, I have found myself running around like a lunatic, shoving any and everything in my mouth to keep going so I can meet everyone else’s obligations while ignoring the frantic cries of my own soul.  The result has been weight gain with vitality loss.

Therefore, I have decided to take some time and give myself a home healing retreat.  At first, it was a struggle.  I felt like an addict going through detox, and really that’s what it was.  After the first two days of cleansing with my body rebelling in pain, breakouts and emotional swings, I was able to still my mind and lost memories resurfaced:  ‘Yes! I used to prepare healing recipes from scratch, take time to read–usually in warm, fragrant herbal baths…when was the last time I made a healing salve or infused oil?’

I am now all too aware that to hold on to the things that feed your soul take a staunch committment and a dogged determination to avoid the readily available temptations that lurk at every turn.  Every party, social gathering, date, or business meeting is fraught with things that slowly destroy our bodies.  And who is the advanced soul that can take ‘just one’?  So I have found myself trying to negotiate the minefields of delicious distraction, until I can make it home where I am by then way too tired from the fight to think about what’s best for me.

I therefore need to reconstruct my life in such a way to make sure I am taken care of FIRST and not see it as selfish, for everything that comes from me can only be as good as what is within me.  So with gratitude, I mark today as another victory in this ongoing ‘soul feud’.

Sexee Bunnee!!!

Every bunny needs some bunny to love… So hope you are luvvin some bunny today! (8-D

Mask in The Mirror

“I’m staring at the Mask in the Mirror; I’m asking it to change its ways…”

Yes, my own take on Michael Jackson’s hit, but today I think I’ve taken a bit of a hit myself. Let me explain: I was very upset at some “friends” who I called days ago with a very important message, asking them to get back to me–and they didn’t. Now I know in every situation there may be extenuating circumstances we might not be aware of, so I tried to allow for that. Maybe their phones got chewed up by the same dog, thrown into the toilet by the baby, or all 3 of my messages just never made it through–you know, ‘technical difficulties’. So, today I make another attempt at contacting them and SURPRISE! They did get my urgent pleas, but for some reason…

So just as I prepare to get on my self-righteous soapbox and call one of my REAL friends to complain, I see 15 ‘missed’ calls from a friend who has been trying to unsuccessfully reach me for about two weeks. I swear, I wasn’t avoiding her…reallly. I just happened to be ‘unavailabale’ every single time she called and couldn’t find the time to actually get back to her, because…
I had a song to sing.

“I’m staring at the Mask in The Mirror…”

HEAT CANKLES!

Hello World! No, this is not an image of Fred Flinstone’s foot, it is my brand new Cankle, compliments of these continual 90 degree and higher temperatures.  Usually I’d like to think I have a fairly formed, even ankle–actually its one of the more curvaceous parts of my otherwise lumpy body. However today it’s all lumped (pardon the pun) together in one bloated blob of water retention.

I’ve been keeping my legs propped up all day in the hopes that I don’t have to borrow grandma’s orthopedic shoes to go out with my girlfriends tonight, but these cankles seem to be getting bigger by the moment. Yet, I’m not one to give up–I’ll just rock my Crocs with a sundress and thank God I don’t have a date tonight.

ALCHEME

ALCHEME.

ALCHEME

Being a natural alchemist, I am constantly driven to find various items to create something new. I gather plants, flowers and sticks to make medecines, teas, oils and ointments. I especially like to look for unique things in obscure places, and find myself wandering through back streets and hidden alleys in anticipation of the moment something suddenly goes ‘aha!’. However, despite this ‘magical’ process, I do not always produce an instant masterpiece, and have made many a mess trying to create something that appeared to seamlessly connect in my head. Sometimes I start out making one thing and end up with something totally different, but much better than I ever could’ve planned it. Well, I have come to see life that way too. In spite of our best efforts and ‘mojo’, we are never quite sure exactly what we’ll get. Sometimes it makes sense and sometimes it just looks like a mess. However, what I am learning to do is find my joy in the process of discovery, because when we keep trying and don’t give up sometimes we often find that our greatest achievements come out of the most unexpected and messy places.