A friend and I were chatting the other day about time… and humanities addiction to it… instead of living by the creative inner clock of one’s self.

I do understand the need to be on time for an appointment and events etc… but shouldn’t a person eat when they are hungry… drink when they are thirsty and go to bed when they are tired and rest…instead of looking at a clock to see if it is okay to do so…or get permission to take care of one’s needs?

And any creative project should not ever have the pressure of deadlines or it must be done now… that to me it is not creativity at all… but left brain logic that holds the reins.

You can’t force a garden to grow… just because it isn’t growing fast enough for you… and neither can you grow your own life or lessons or needs according to some human made ticking of the clock.

So much of our modern day stress is so unnecessary and so downright rude… pushing people to go beyond their own needs…wants and desires… to produce instead of create.

I like to look at my own life… as a way to of course accomplish what I need to throughout my daily life… and respect others needs and wants…but also do all this at a creative pace… and the knowing that everything will get done… when the energy is complete…not when a date on a calendar or the hands of the clock says I am finished.

All I know for sure is that life is way too short… and needs to be embraced with respect and awe… and enjoyed… and this cannot be done… if all a person does is keep time…rush about from thing to thing… meet deadlines…write lists… and lives in hyper drive.

Just for one day… do not wear a watch… or look at a clock…just do what you need to do… listen to your own body… as to when you need to eat…drink and go to bed… and see how much more relaxed you feel.

Then ask yourself why didn’t I do this before now… isn’t it about … time?

With a cup of coffee close by… Sunday mornings have become my blog day… a new ritual that I really love… and what to stay on course with.

It is so easy to get involved in daily life… for all of us I know. I sometimes feel that the computer age has added ” more to do each day” as we reach out to people… not by human contact anymore… but by ” clicking it “. It’s kinda of funny really… and sad at the same time… that this is the way we communicate with people these days… but it does have a positive side too.

I can sit before my computer… and write my thoughts and feelings on my blog page… and you will read it… or maybe you won’t. I guess what matters is that I have something to say… that’s on my mind and heart… and perhaps you will resonate with the written words I have composed… and you will  know that you have someone… somewhere … who thinks and feels like you do on a subject. And that is… after all… validating and comforting.

What I have learned though… is that to get anything creative done… or for that fact… get all of my necessary tasks completed each day… and enjoy my life… I have to limit my time on the computer. OMG what a time drain it can all be… reading messages… twitting… responding to messages… clicking on links… browsing… befriending… going back and reading responses to your messages… reading blogs… doing research… it takes hours each day for all this computer jazz and connection!!!

So… if you are like me… I do what I have to do and post what interests me on… my facebook page… read my favorite friends pages… look at the news ( depressing but true… I want to know what is happening in my universe)… and then stop… get out of my computer chair… and go live my life.

Later in the afternoon…but only after I have completed all my stuff… and also spent time with my passion and business… I will return to my facebook page… and read a couple of blogs I follow.

I want to live life… experience life…be in life… not a prisoner… of some machine… that pumps out information… scandal…and really needless trivia 24 hours a day.

And we all have a misconception that we have to join every group… to promote ourselves and or our businesses… but I really don’t feel this is true.

I feel we will be connected and guided to join the right groups and people… and the rest can go by the wayside.

All I do know is that I love my ritual… of writing my Sunday blog… and also smiling at a funny message or enjoying the blogs I love to read… or finding that perfect piece of research information I needed to make a product or write about… or experience.

But most of all… the computer has brought to me some really awesome people… that I would not have met other wise… people so incredible… that I want to spend time with them IN PERSON… and the rest… well I can just “click it “… and delete.

I have this funny little giggle somewhere deep inside of me… that knows that I am not the only person who has these same thought and feelings… my Sunday blog ritual… and my coffee… made me write them down… and now I am done… getting ready to exit my computer chair… and go do the laundry.

I have always loved projects… that involve using my creativity and my own hands.

I am a DIY kind of person… always have been… and always will be.

In an age where other people call someone to come do things for them… I research and figure out how I can do it… and then start planning… and allowing my creative juices to run wild.

Right now I am redoing our master bathroom… which basically means taking off wall paper… priming, sanding and then painting … including wood work… and cabinets.

It is messy… time consuming and mindful work… that calls for determination and focus.

All qualities needed in life… even the messy… cause life is messy… at times.

There is something about the physical labor that I love… like I am putting energy into something that I long to let go of…inside of me…that feels so liberating as I sweat and work my muscles. As I paint I focus on ways that I want to redo myself… and with each paint stroke… I can see and feel renewal of my own feminine spirit.

There is something magical about redoing a garden or a room… a deep sense of fulfillment and satisfaction one gets from doing it yourself… that only a person who uses their own hands and creativity could explain to you.

Doing it yourself… is a metaphor for life really… hard work… creativity… seeing your vision and then following through with “muscle”… and even the mess you have to clean up… from all the changes you have made… are deeply rewarding… and richly embraced… by doing it yourself.

I couldn’t do it any other way!

And when I complete a project… wow… what a charge to see the beautiful job completed… and pride… knowing that all he effort… all the energy and love I put into this room… turning an ugly duckling so to speak… into a swan… well…  gotta tell you… it doesn’t get any better than this… to me… a self-proclaimed DIY.

What DIY do you have planned this Spring?

As I have gained wisdom through my years… my values have changed…for the better I feel.

All those outer things that seemed to mark success or goals achieved… although good for where I was at in my life at that time… can’t hold a candle to all the pleasures I feel now… that sums up my life.

A wonderful husband… who feels life deeply… and seeks a deeper meaning to his own earth journey… two intelligent and out spoken daughters… who make me so proud to be their mom… my garden… that I dug up… and started over…weeded and planted lovely roses and pine trees… and evergreens that grace the yard … with my own two hands… and muscles… the heart felt stirrings when my family tells me they love me… the sight of fresh flowers in my home… the scent of garlic and herbs as I cook… the feel of fresh sheets… scented with lavender… the joy I feel when I create and handcraft something beautiful… being authentic… true friends who accept me…and I them… the sound of rain… wind blowing my chimes… the sound of church bells … butterflies… driving in fog…books… traditions… walking… good health… meditation each morning… prayer… old things… history… smiles… kind people… people who live with soul.

Being real… is valuable… and my personal wealth… don’t get me wrong here… I appreciate all those material things… that are in my life… and I am grateful for it all… but if it was all taken away… I would have sooooo much…I would still have what I value most… and that is all the love I have… and give. That’s what matters the most… to me.

I love quiet days… like today… it gives me a chance to hear the birds sing outside… and just hear the sounds of my neighborhood.

A quiet house… hubby at the office and daughter in school… allows me to hear my own voice… and listen…to ponder things that only the quiet can bring forth… and just enjoy the sounds that my own life makes… as I go about my day.

As a society we are so addicted to talking…turning up the radio or television… just so we can hear something… or to make us feel like we are not alone. The quiet makes most people feel so uncomfortable.

Why does silence and quiet scare us all so?

I will spend this quiet morning writing…I have my seasonal newsletter in progress… and on days like this… I can actually hear my creative mind click… like my fingers on the key board… and I find it so soothing to be alone… and honor the quiet all around me.

Quiet is golden.

I love the different and changing seasons… found in nature…the cycles always reminding me of a special event that happened in my life… in that season or a holiday that I dearly love. Or when I need to do something… or not do…to be in the flow of my own life.

Nature is my greatest teacher and mentor.

I don’t know… why we are always in such a hurry to rush through a season… or complain about the changing weather… or not even acknowledge that everything that season brings… and is… has a purpose…for the land and all living things to survive and thrive!

And it wasn’t that many years ago… that we has humans lived by the changing seasons… not by a clock or calendar.

We knew when to plant… to harvest… to rest… to let go… to mourn loss… to celebrate life and wins… in such a more emotionally healthy and common sense way… that was natural and authentic… and more human.

But then this is just my way of feeling life… and pondering the universe… and being with my own inner drum beat.

I jive with nature and her changing seasons… and mirror them with my own life as a woman… it just makes sense… after all my own body has the same elements as the earth… there is a connection… that I am and all of us… need to pay attention to…and use wisely.

I began living my own life with the flow of the changing seasons… after doing years of research… and seeing that today’s scientific research ALSO claims… that most of our stress…disease and cancers are caused… by the unnatural lives we lead…and our disconnection from nature.

I made a choice to live by the changing seasons… and I must say… I feel happier…calmer…and more in the flow.

Here are some natural guidelines for you to begin to live by… all taught by the land and nature…because this is the order found in nature. Always has been…always will be.

The Spring cycle… Is to begin new projects… to renew one’s life.

The Summer cycle… Is the time to change and grow.

The Fall cycle… Is the time to let go… and begin to gather in.

The Winter Cycle… Is a time to rest…reflect…and connect with spirit.

Enjoy your own life…get into the flow…with the changing seasons… and see and feel the difference in your daily life.

Become natural. Become more real. And allow Mother Nature to be your teacher.

For a while now… I feel just “right” within myself. I really can’t explain it with words…my within world just feels good… calm… serene… or perhaps a better way to say it… is… I feel arrived.

Like I have found my “place” that really was there along…I just had to take that workshop…read that book or books… go there…explore that… get lost…redirect my path…yell…get angry… hate somebody…laugh… shed tears…try that… love deeply… get new instructions…forget the instructions… get active…became silent…withdrawn…artistic…sassy… awkward… graceful… loved and lovable… I guess to see in black and white… with proof…and trail and error… that I really am okay…and that I am me… along… even with all that stuff I did… or didn’t.

Have you ever felt this way?

I am in a space in my life… maybe because of my age… or gaining wisdom… or my heart is wide open… or it could be the path I am on… that of living my life from my soul… but more and more… I am grateful for my life.

For me it is not about keeping up with the neighbors… or trying to impress people… with my house…or what car I drive… in fact I find myself so weary listening to others… who talk about and want to show me their “toys”… as if that means their somehow more special than me… or others.

If this is all they have to account for their lives… then actually I feel somewhat sad for them.

I want to know who they are “inside” and how much they love…and give back… and what they are grateful for.

You know… the simple things in life… what matters.

So… I made a commitment to write and post each day… what I am grateful for… for me… not as a way to say look what I have … but as a way to honor my spirit… and express the gratitude I feel for the life I have lived so far…with all it’s ups and downs…twists and turns… my life has been so good…and I am so grateful.

So… I invite you… to join me on this gratitude journey of mine… and see how this path unfolds. All I do know… at this point… is that my soul is calling me to do this … one grateful day… at a time.

Little by little I am going through each room in my home…slowly packing away Christmas decorations…wrapping each in tissue paper…before I safely tuck them back in their boxes…for storage.

Each piece…each decoration… now holds the memory… along with all those past holiday celebrations… of my family…the laughter we shared this season…the excitement…the giving and the sharing.

They are now captured in these decorations forever.

Some of these decorations are looking so worn and frayed…as many are over 20 years old…some are cracked… the glass balls… looking like they are ready to burst…like a light bulb…but I just can’t part with them.

They hold too many sweet moments… when they girls were small tots… their first holiday season… crafts they made in grade school… how could I ever part with these beautiful mementos of my life….of my family…of celebrations past and present?

No… I will keep them…for as long as they hold up…and even after they fall apart…I will keep their little bits and pieces of broken and frayed beauty…and put them in a memory box…or pretty glass bottle…and when the time is right…pass them down to my daughters…so they can start their own memories… and share in mine.

Happy New Year to all!

As I go about my days preparing for the holidays… I touch that center of myself…that wishes everyone in the world would slow down…connect with their hearts… and really feel deep down inside of themselves…what the true meaning of the holiday really is.

It is about kindness…giving…and generosity of the human spirit each and everyday…not just what a date on a calendar says… that THIS is the day to celebrate giving or give thanks.

I sometimes wonder what is going to happen to humanity….if we don’t start caring about each other again… or remember what matters in life…besides our plastic cards that allow us to spend…and in most cases over spend.

I want to know what is inside a person’s soul…what makes their heart sing…not what they just bought…or gonna get…or how much money they made.

I honor spiritual authenticity… compassion and giving from the heart… and I hope you do too.

Cause each one us can make a difference… when we listen to our hearts…and express love…support… and genuine bonding with one another… not just when it is marked on a calendar…or by Hallmark cards…or when it is convenient for you to do so………but because living from the heart is the right thing to do.

This holiday season has been full of creative activity for many months now.

I have baked dozens of goodies to give to others…made homemade caramel sauce for friends and neighbors…and made decoupage trays for family and a few close friends.

It has been a whirlwind… that frankly I have enjoyed so much… and fulfilled my creative goddess within.I truly have felt deeply connected to the spirit of giving this year… and made a promise to myself…that I will handcraft gifts from this moment on.

There is such care and love put into something made from your hands and heart…that a store bought item can never duplicate…no matter how much you spend or how grand the item is.

It lacks an energy…that only comes from your soul…when you handcraft something… that lasts forever…instead of that fleeting moment of gratification… opening a gift that was made on an assembly line…or China.

I am already creating in my mind the gifts I will make for upcoming birthdays and the holidays… and my soul is already smiling at the feeling I get…when my hands and creative heart come together…to handcraft that something special…for those I love.

I have finally got my back yard somewhat to my liking… after working on it for 2 Spring seasons.

Yellow, red and white roses line the fence… as well as those rare orange colored rose plants… I was lucky enough to find one day… placed on one side in the flower bed… next to the garage.

Tomatoes and herbs nestle closely together on a beautiful brown wrought iron plant stand…with ample shelves… and my Meyer lemon tree is green and lush.

I planted a beautiful wistera… in honor of my youngest daughter’s 16th birthday… and a new honeysuckle vine was planted along the fence this Spring. All of the other shrubs and evergreens… planted last year… are healthy and doing very well.

I am pleased.

Like any person who loves to garden… I am already making plans what to plant next Spring… although I won’t need much…as my yard is looking full… yet simple… and beautiful now… but who knows?… a special plant or a new variety of rose… will tug at my heart… and long to find a home in my ever growing and nurturing garden.

I find such peace and inner calm… working in my garden… I can’t even imagine my daily life…not having the Earth to tend to… water and weed. My garden has truly become my close friend and constant companion.

I am grateful… and my cup is full.

May your garden grow
Victoria

I was looking through a catalog the other evening… and couldn’t believe what I saw!  SADDLE SHOES  are now back in style… you know those wonderful white and black ones that laced up… like tennis shoes?

OMG!!!… I had a pair of those shoes… just like the ones I saw the other night in that catalog… in grade school… how many years ago? Well…  how many years ago that was… will be my Victoria’s secret ! But I can tell you this… I loved those shoes… I mean I couldn’t wait to put them on in the morning… with thin white socks…  or the pair of white socks I had that had a small edge of lace at the top.

I felt soooooo sassy in those shoes… soooo… I don’t know… cool perhaps… preppy maybe… a future yuppy ( wait… they didn’t have that word then) !!!  Maybe those shoes just made me feel grade school chic… after all… I was the first girl who got a pair… and the only one who wore them everyday… the whole school year!!!

I can remember the sound they made on the sidewalk… as the heels hit the ground. But the favorite sound they made… at least to my ears… was the sound they made walking across the class room floor to sharpen my pencil… everyone would turn to look… to see who was making that grand  and overly loud waltz to the front of the class…  to sharpen their pencil. Okay… another one of my Victoria’s secrets…. my pencil didn’t always need to be sharpened … it was those shoes… that made me do it!

It was me… walking and a strutting  in my white and black saddle shoes!!!

Seriously… I have never been so smitten with an article of clothing ( are shoes even considered clothing) ?… in my whole life. Or the affect that they had on me… or other people! Unless of course… it was my pair of red flannel pajamas with the black scottie dog print… that I finally had to throw away… because they had so many holes in them… I wore them so much.  Or those lime green Italian sandals… that are to die for… that transport me to Hollywood… or Venice… or Rome… when I just look at them!!!

Never…  so smitten have I been… ever!

And have I shared with you…. how clean I kept those shoes?  No marks on those shoes… not a smudge of dirt anywhere! And I kept them in my closet… on the floor… away from all my other shoes… not that I wore any of my other shoes… once I had those saddle shoes!

So now I have this problem… I want those SADDLE SHOES… I saw the other day….REALLY BAD!  I would wear them believe me. I can hear their sound as I walk… just typing this to you!!!

See what these saddle shoes do to me? And… at my age? I feel like I am robbing the cradle… for a pair of saddle shoes… no less. I can’t help myself!

My teenage daughter would never speak to me again… if I bought those saddle shoes and wore them in public! She would be appalled.

So…. I have a plan… a secret plan… I will buy my white and black saddle shoes… next week… and keep them at the back of my closet… away from all my other shoes…. and when no one is home… I will wear my saddle shoes once again!

And feel sassy once more… and maybe… even young again… as long as I don’t look at myself in the mirror.

And they will be my ultimate Victoria’s secret!!! Forever!

Shhhhh!

Victoria

I love anything vintage… it is my passion in life. It connects me to our past… and touches upon that place within me… of long ago traditions and a more gentle way of life.

I have always been this way… the vintage life is not new to me… although I am so pleased that more and women and men… from all walks in life… are returning to vintage… and the grace and beauty that this way of living brings to a person’s soul… and everyday living.

I often see vintage jewelry on my flea market and antique browsing… some of it I love… while quite frequently it is too much for my tastes.

And then I found a vintage sister … through my Dreamers into Doers Martha Stewart contact… named Lindsay… and fell in love with her design style… and her handcrafted vintage jewelery!

Her vintage jewelery is stunning…simple… yet elegant… the type of jewelry I love to buy and wear!!!

I am so nuts about her work… that she is now on my blog links… forever… and you can view her hand crafted vintage jewelry… by going to LC VINTAGE JEWELRY or just click on the link on my blog page!!!

I know you will fall in love with her jewelry… and want to own some of her pieces… as they can be worn with jeans and tee’s… as well as for dress up!

She also has a new blog… and she is so kind… to run a feature on my hand crafted bee’s wax candles… that I pour in vintage glass. I feel honored to have a product of mine on her blog!

So scoot on over… meet Lindsay… and read her lovely blog… and see what the vintage life has to offer you!!

To view Lindsay’s blog… and take a peek at my bee’s wax candles… go to http://chictothenines.blogspot.com/2011/02/lovely-with-capital-l.html

A vintage gal
Victoria