True Story

Girl does yoga pretty regular for six or seven years.

Girl leads some friends and neighbors in a little yoga group.

Life gets in the way and the practice slows down. The group dissipates.

Girl signs up for the 21 Day Challenge from Yoga Journal. Does day one's routine.

Girl is so sore she can hardly pick anything up.

And this, my friends, is the danger in quitting yoga.


*You do yoga? Sign up for the challenge and we can chat about how sore yet blissed out we are!!

Craving Warmth

I don't know about you, but I am in dire need of some sunshine and warm breezes. These lovely pics will have to do for now. Can't you just feel that soft green grass under your bare feet?

This right here is seriously my dream kitchen. Simple design. Dark wood flooring. That natural light pouring in from above! I love everything about this room. And those big doors? Perfect for summer breezes.

Although I have always been a huge fan of color on the walls, lately I have been attracted to the stark white approach. There is something so clean and refreshing about a white background. And I imagine this room smells like a freshly cut lawn. Look, it's my daydream, alright? I can imagine it to smell any way I want it to.

Wishing for warm weather yet?


*all photos via Sunset.

Just a Note...

To the lovely ladies who won goodies in my little giveaway:
I do apologize for being so long in getting your gifts to you. My car has not been out of my driveway in almost two weeks. My hubby has had to take me to work and I have to bum a ride for lunch. So, as you can see, getting to the post office has been out of the question.
Once some of this snow melts and things get back to normal I promise to send your gifts to you.

Hugs and Sunshine
xoxo Jo xoxo

Be Here Now

The snow is still falling outside. I realize that I should really be crafting/sewing/painting right now (or washing dishes, but that's another story). My little studio room is so cold, though. Creativity has a hard time flowing in the cold. I've had a lot of things going through my head lately. I'll think of something that I want to share with you, something I need to post about or something that is inspiring me. And before I know it, the thought gets washed away like a pretty seashell that you try to grab before the tide carries it out. But one thought keeps hanging around in there. One thought hasn't washed away. And this is it:

Live in the Present, for the Present is the only place where you can truly reside.

I was thinking about this because of all the Valentine's paraphernalia that is all over the place. We live in a society that jumps directly from one holiday to the next, never reveling in the days that fill the spaces between. As soon as Halloween is over, Thanksgiving decor is everywhere. No more is Thanksgiving over than the Christmas season begins. Then New Year's Eve gives way to Valentine's Day. Once the Valentine candy is cleared off of the shelves, there will be Easter candy in it's place. And so on and so forth.

Why is it that people don't want to live the day they are in? I'm not saying that every day should be special, even though being able to live it is. I'm just saying that we can only be in one place at one time. We are no longer in the past. The past affects us, yes. But it is over and there is no way of going back. We are not in the future yet. What we do today may affect it, yes. But we cannot get there any faster than we already are.

The only place where we can truly reside is in the present. If you are living anywhere else, you are not truly living. How can you do the present justice if you are living in the past? How can you expect to have a fulfilling future if you are not filling the present?

I am not one to make resolutions. Never have been. But this year I would like to be more of an advocate for my present life. I have the tendency to postpone my own happiness. I put off the things that I know will make me happy in this moment. Scheduling that massage. Getting a new haircut. Painting my nails, as simple as that sounds. I always say to myself "I will wait for a special occasion to get that massage." "I'll paint my nails if we go out this weekend." Things like that. But why? Why not go ahead and do the things that will put a smile on my face?

So in honor of living in the present, I am truly going to try to stop postponing happiness. I may fail over and over, but I intend to at least try. And I hope you will, too. Let's all make this present life a better one. You with me?

*photo via Design Sponge.

White

My favorite thing to do when I get home from work in the spring and summer is to take a walk around my yard. I do it most every single day. I check on my flowers and wonder at the tiny buds and singing birds. But in the winter, the warmth of the house calls out to me. The sky is already dark when I get home and the birds and blooms have long been gone.

But this evening I was alone and the snow was falling yet again. Pouring, actually. And the whiteness of the world outside beckoned me to explore. So I grabbed my camera and headed out the door.

The branches were heavy laden with white fluff. Bare weeds formed little frames to hold cupfuls of sparkle. The cold bit at my fingertips. I could feel my face going numb. But I just kept walking. Exploring. And for the first time in quite a while I felt at ease. Not that anything is unusually stressful lately. But it was just that feeling. Do you know what I'm talking about? That feeling that comes up deep from the bottom of your heart center. That feeling that everything is okay.

The snow is still falling. There is probably close to nine inches out there. The power has already went out once while I've been writing this. But everything still feels okay. And for that I am thankful. Maybe tomorrow I will venture out again. ~~~~

Winter Wonderland

Hello friends, and welcome to 2011. Did you have a nice New Year? I did. We went to a friend's house and played games all night. It was laid back and fun. Just what I was hoping for.
It has been raining for two days straight here, which has finally melted all the snow. Thank goodness. The snow was very pretty, but its such a mess. Of course, the rain didn't really help the mess out too much. Just got rid of the ice and snow.

We went sledding last week. The Hubby and I called up all the little cousins and nieces (half of which were sick and couldn't come). Three of them showed up to play and we had a blast. The snow was so fluffy. It made great trails and would pack down quick, making it really fast.

This is the view from the bottom of the trail. It was a great ride, but one heck of a hike back up the hill. Even the kids were worn out after walking so much. Those horizontal trails are from the cows, which kept crossing in the middle of our tracks. Haha.

I thought I would share a pic of me and the Hub from Christmas at my Nanny Ruby's. I know I don't post a lot of personal pics, but sometimes its just nice to see the persons you are reading about.

Thank you all for sticking with me through 2010. I know that I am a random blogger and that I fall out of the routine quite often. I appreciate every single comment and visit to this blog. I really do. You guys are great. I never would have thought that I would make such good friends through something like this. But I have, and I am grateful. ~



The giveaway is officially closed. Trina, Dawn, Amber and Jen....... please e-mail me your addresses. You have some goodies on their way.