More Changes!

It’s time for another brief update and I will soon be on a normal blogging schedule again!  On the home front, I have decided to give up my second job.  My list of reasons for keeping it was very long in the beginning but ultimately, I would rather spend the time doing things I enjoy.

Since graduating, I have cleaned out, sorted, reorganized, purged and otherwise reevaluated a number if things in my life.  Turns out, the second job also needs to go!  I’ve given notice and in about a month will only have ONE job!  In the meantime, I have started a number of crafty home projects I have had on the back burner for a couple of years.  Today I’ve been working on painting old furniture I’ve retrieved from other people’s cast-offs.  Refurbishing & up-cycling are two of my most favorite past-times and today I have loving a natural/fantasy theme:

 

foliofinebooks.com

http://vintageprintable.com/wordpress/vintage-printable-entertainment-recreation-2/

I wanted to take a moment to update & share–back to crafting & painting!!

Lessons of Time

LESSON OF TIME

When a bird is alive…it eats ants.
When a bird is dead … Ants eat the bird.

Time and circumstances can change at any time!

Don’t devalue or hurt anyone in life.
You may be powerful today but remember time is more powerful than you!!

One tree makes a million match sticks, but when the time comes…
Only one match stick is needed to burn a million trees!

So be good and do good!

Author Unknown

Anita Wood owns this beautiful image!

From: PICK YOUR BRAIN

Shared from PICK YOUR BRAIN’s page.  Nothing helps us be more successful than a well designed plan combined with an open mind.  Read on…..

FIVE WAYS TO LIVE A DRAMA FREE LIFE:

Drama sucks.

Not “dramas” as in movies, TV shows, plays, etc that are serious in tone, but rather “drama” as in the petty ridiculous conflicts that get blown way out of proportion for no reason at all.

Urban Dictionary has my favorite definition of this kind of drama: “making a big deal over something unnecessarily.”

We’d like to believe that petty social drama ends the day we leave high school, but sadly, this is not the case. No matter how old they are, people can still find ways of adding unnecessary conflict to their relationships, be they at work, at home, or with friends.

This is truly a shame, because drama increases stress, ruins relationships, and eats away at that one precious commodity none of us can afford to waste: time.

If you want to stress less, have better relationships, and make the most of the limited time you have on earth, I would highly suggest you eliminate as much of the drama from your life as you can.  Here are 5 things you can do to live “drama free”:

 

Make No Assumptions

Assumptions are where drama starts. Somebody does something that bothers you, and then you run off and start making assumptions about why they did it.

What you observe someone doing is fact. If that bother you, then you need to deal with it. The moment you start making assumptions about their reasons, motives, or inner dialog is the moment you move out of the realm of rational thought and into the world of unnecessary stress.

You have no way of truly knowing what a person is thinking or why they do the things they do. Catch yourself when you start making those assumptions; if you want to live drama free, let those assumptions go and simply resolve to deal with the observable behavior.

Don’t Believe the Grapevine

Problems tend to increase exponentially with each additional person who is added to the communication chain. If I hear you say something, I can be pretty sure of what I heard. If Sandy tells me that John told Jane that Steve heard Sheila say something, chances are that the story you are hearing bears little resemblance to the actual truth.

Each additional person alters the story to some degree. They may remember things differently. They may add in emotion of verbiage that wasn’t there before. They may just be flat out wrong.

If you hear something through the grapevine, it might be worth investigating. But if you work yourself up into a lather based on third, fourth, and fifth party communication, then you are just feeding the drama monster.

Don’t get sucked into this. Skip the grapevine and go straight for the horse’s mouth. It will save time and cut the drama factor way down…

Be Direct

Drama is simply a byproduct of people’s inability to communicate like logical, rational adults. This is why it is so prevalent in highs school. This is also why it should be 100% unacceptable in the adult world.

If you have a problem with someone, talk to them about it. If you believe that someone has a problem with you, talk to them about it. Direct conversations nip drama in the bud. This is not to say that direct conversations make all problems go away, but they will help you cut through the nonsense and deal with the real issue.

Relationship challenges begin and are compounded by passive aggressive behavior and indirect communication. If you want to cut out the drama, be willing to have those “crucial conversations.”

Be the Bigger Person

Fighting fire with fire is good if you are trying to control a raging wilderness inferno. It’s not so good if you are trying to eliminate needless petty conflicts from your life.

When you find yourself the victim of some small offense, your first instinct may be to respond in kind. While this may feel good for a moment, it usually just escalates the situation and makes everything worse. If you truly want to live drama free, then you need to be willing to be the bigger person and let things go.

You don’t need to get in the last word, you don’t need to “one up” the other person, and you certainly don’t need to make them pay for wronging you. Just let it go, and watch the drama flow away.

Avoid Drama Queens

After you have made sure that you are not creating the drama yourself, the best way to keep your life drama free is to eliminate the drama queens (or kings!) from your life.

This is easy when you meet new people or are dealing with someone you aren’t very close to. Once you realize they are “drama prone,” minimize (or if you can, eliminate) the interactions you have with them.

With people you are close to, have a long history with, or are related to, or who are genuinely good people who’s one major flaw is their tendency to make a big deal over nothing, you don’t have to cut them out of your life altogether. Just acknowledge that quality about them and, when they start acting up, don’t get sucked into their “drama vortex.”

We are functions of our environment. To live drama free, get as many drama creators out of your life as possible.

You may never be able to eliminate all the drama from your life, but with just a little bit of focus and discipline you can certainly minimize how much you have in your life. It’s well worth doing – the less drama you have in your life, the room you have for fun, joy and great relationships!

***
Avish Parashar is the Motivational Smart Ass. As a speaker and on his blog, Avish makes people laugh while sharing with them simple ideas to make their lives easier and more successful. To read more of his ridiculous rantings on self improvement, watch videos of him in action, and download the free “How to Think Quick” MP3, visit his Motivational Humor Blog at http://www.MotivationalSmartAss.com

My Wardrobe Round-up-Thanks to Charade!

I’ve been cleaning out and de-cluttering my house, especially my closet.

I discovered I have WAY too many things I don’t wear & a lot of them are  great pieces.  This realization led me to (try to) plan a little better.  I like the approach I found here at Charade.

How to Create a Core Wardrobe for Every Season

Product information here

What is a wardrobe without a core? A mass of material strewn here and there, dragged together to form, occasionally successful, but largely confused ensembles, with new additions thrown in to add to the chaos season after season. What a mess. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Think of creating a core wardrobe as creating a skeleton for the rest of your clothes to fit around; a vein that draws everything else together and makes your style hive magnificently manageable at last.

♥ Think multi-functionality. You’ll see in my example that each piece could work with all the others, and that’s what you’re trying to achieve in a core wardrobe. A useful way to think of it is as a capsule wardrobe, imagining how it would work if it was all you had to wear. Pick complimentary colours, but also cuts, fabrics, quality and styles. My striped top could work just as well with jeans as it would with the feminine skirt or smart shorts.

♥ Coin a colour palette. A palette is vital in a core wardrobe, but the beauty of this is that you always have the potential to draw in other colour influences. Your core wardrobe doesn’t simply have to be black, white and grey – you can see I’ve brought in pink hues and a camel colour, and I could have added even more. If you don’t wear black, don’t include it, and same goes for white and grey. This isn’t ‘new you’ this is old you amplified, and we must cater for and consider the essence of old you. The trick is to work with around three colours, deviating with caution, and keeping in mind that these are colours that will need to work in all seasons.

♥ Load up on layers. The reason my example is season proof is because the items can all layer over one another. The pussy bow blouse and shorts would be fab in spring, but layer over the sweater dress or cardigan, plus maybe some thick tights and boots, and I’ve got a winter outfit to boot.

♥ Quality comes first. Yes, yes, you’ve heard it a hundred times, but it is common sense – if you want your clothes to last season after season, then they must be high quality. Moreover, if you want to be happy about wearing them over and over, they have to be the kind of clothes you’ll really adore, not throwaway bargain buys. It’s all about balance, and high quality doesn’t necessarily have to mean high price – if you pay over the odds then these pieces won’t be practical, as real life will get in the way. You’re not looking for irreplaceable items, just long-lasting ones, because grass stains happen.

♥ Add a splash of you. A beige trench coat and classic white shirt are all well and good, and seem to be right up there on the ‘classics’ list, but what the heck is the point if they’re not you? My example is classic, it’s practical, but it is also true to me – these are things I know I’ll wear and enjoy wearing. Consider your day-to-day, consider what you’ll feel comfortable wearing, but also consider change and the magic of being whoever you want to be in the clothes you wear.

♥ Visualise before you realise. A functional core wardrobe is not an easy thing, and it certainly won’t fall into your lap through a series of haphazard shopping trips and ill-considered fashion choices. Start by making a Polyvore set like the one above, then keep revisiting it over a few weeks to see what is/isn’t still working for you, and make alterations where necessary. The items in your set don’t have to be the exact ones you’ll buy (the set above, believe it or not, came to over £2000!) You can always print what you come up with and head to the high street for replicas.

♥ Don’t expect it to happen overnight. The more you rush it, the less likely you’ll be to end up with a usable result. I’d expect it to take around a year, maybe more, to pull together this kind of starter-point wardrobe. You might think differently, and that’s okay. You might even have a few pieces that make up your core wardrobe already – brilliant. What I’m saying is that you should allow it to take as long as it takes; let the perfect, quality items come to you and don’t compromise, or you’ll always be compromising in your wardrobe.

Mood for the Night

Lovin’ this & wanted to share:

 

Simple Living Pledge

I found the simple living pledge at Kanelstrand: Simple Living for Human Beings  and think it’s a fantastic idea!  I’m mired in a house full of unnecessary stuff and it’s choking the life & spirit right out of me.  Honestly,  I had started a post titled Drowning in Success, which was based on my accumulation o’ crap.  No I’m not a hoarder but it’s not for lack of desire….  Here’s the information on the simple living pledge.  Check out the link above to take the pledge yourself!

What is Simple Living?

• Identifying what is most important for you and eliminating everything else.
• Freeing up time for doing what inspires you and being with the people you love.
• Decluttering your mind, your everyday life and your virtual life.
• Single-tasking and learning to diminish stress.
• Striving to live frugally by wanting less and buying only what is necessary.
• Slowing down and being actively present in the moment.
• Living a healthy life, including cleaning your home and your body, eating, exercising and thinking.
• Striving to be green and sustainable as much as your surroundings allow.
• Enjoying the simple pleasures of life.
• Simplifying your goals, tasks and expectations.

What is the Simple Living Pledge?

This is a solemn and personal promise to live a simple life in a complicated world. Simple living is the conscious act of cleaning your mind and surroundings of clutter and filling the space with the things that you value. After spending years entangled in stress, multitasking and clutter, 3 years ago my family started a conscious simplifying process in all aspects of life and now I am the first to sign the Simple Living Pledge.

Why take the pledge?

By taking the pledge you are making a conscious decision to keep your sanity in a modern life, where everyone is screaming the opposite. It has long been known that after you make up your mind, the next step to fulfilling a wish is to write it down. Signing your name and pasting the badge on your blog/website is what will serve as a reminder to slow down, relax and look for the simple truths in life even when you are tempted to forget and get back to normal. Let simple be your new normal!

Who can take the pledge?

Anyone – regardless of age, nationality or language. You don’t need to have a blog or website to sign the pledge. The only thing you need is willingness to live a better, simpler life.

Old is….

‘OLD’ IS
WHEN…
Your
sweetie says, ‘Let’s go upstairs and make love,’ and you answer, ‘Pick one; I can’t do
both!’

‘OLD’ IS
WHEN…
Your
friends compliment you on your new alligator shoes and you’re
barefoot.

‘OLD’ IS
WHEN…

A sexy babe catches your fancy and your pacemaker
opens the garage door,

‘OLD’ IS WHEN…
Going braless pulls all the
wrinkles out of your face.

‘OLD’ IS WHEN…
You
don’t care where your spouse goes, just as long as you don’t have to go
along.

‘OLD’
IS WHEN…
You are
cautioned to slow down by the doctor instead of by the
police

‘OLD’
IS WHEN...
‘Getting a little action’ means you
don’t need to take any fiber today.

‘OLD’
IS WHEN…
‘Getting
lucky’ means you find your car in the parking lot.

‘OLD’
IS WHEN…
An ‘all-nighter’ means not getting up
to use the bathroom.

AND

‘OLD’ IS
WHEN…
You are
not sure these are
jokes.

What Makes a Beautiful Life?

Sent to me by my Dear Uncle, who was raised more like a brother,  after we all returned home from Saturday’s funeral.  Author unknown

1] Prayer is not a “spare wheel” that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a “steering wheel” that directs the right path throughout the journey.

2] So why is a Car’s WINDSHIELD so large and the Rear View Mirror so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, Look Ahead and Move on.

3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes a few minutes to burn, but it takes years to write.

4] All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don’t worry, they can’t last long either.

5] Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a Diamond, don’t forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!

6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, “Relax, sweetheart, it’s just a bend, not the end!

7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn’t solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.

8] A blind person asked St. Anthony: “Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?” He replied: “Yes, losing your vision!”

9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow’s TROUBLES, it takes away today’s PEACE.