New Beginnings in September

September has always held a special place in my heart. I used to get so excited to go to the store and pick out my new school supplies and I loved the idea of a new school year starting. No matter what was going on in my young life I knew school would be a fun place to be even if it was only because I loved to chat and talk with my friends. 

When I had kids that same excitement carried on. I would go to the school supply aisles in the store and spend so much time searching for just the right notebook or the best pens while my kids rolled their eyes and wanted to get out of there. 

Now that my kids are older, there isn’t that same kind of beginning school excitement to shop for supplies but the energy is still so new and so fresh that I just love this time of year. In fact, I have decided that I want to model my business around the school schedule because it just makes so much sense to me. 

So here we are at a new beginning…for my kids, for myself and for my business. I am beyond excited to ride this positive energy burst forward and pick up steam to make this year my best and it is my goal to help you do the same. 

I am always using my Freedom Art process to get really clear on what I want and what I need to do to accomplish it. I don’t concern myself with creating a masterpiece, I only want to step into creative flow and allow my truth to come through and lead the way.

How are you beginning this new cycle in your life? Are you clear on what direction you are going in? If not, how do you typically gain clarity? I’d love to know. 

Midwest Beauty

 As I mentioned in my Embrace Winter post, I have spent a great many years of my life wishing I lived somewhere else. From the first time I traveled to Hawaii I thought for sure that was the place for me.Then I just KNEW I had to live in Northern California! That was the place for me!

I even tried out a few places in my mind...Costa Rica...Asheville, NC,... Tennessee... the all sounded so great. Anywhere had to be better than the MIDWEST!

When I started shifting my perspective and changing the way I looked at things I suddenly started seeing beauty all around me. Even in my own boring backyard. 

The colors of the sky are of course my absolute favorite . Blue, purple, orange, yellow and pink...oh, it's so divine!

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Waking up early enough to see the full moon shining above as the sun rises is like a precious gift. 

Even the stark and desolate mood of a white landscape has begun to appeal to me. 

It is truly Midwest Beauty. 

I'd love to hear how shifting your perspective has changed things for you. 

Embrace Wnter

I posted this picture on Instagram yesterday and it got me thinking about my Embrace Winter campaign and how it got started. I decided to go back into 2013 and find my original post that I wrote when I was in Inner Alignment Mandalas. This was written for our Winter Harmony series. I hope you enjoy it!

For most of my life I have not been a fan of winter! Even as a kid I was the one who walked a half a block to go sledding and decided it was too cold and I would be better off just going home.

Living in the Midwest where the winters can be brutal, I always felt like a fish out of water and the majority of this unrest happened in the winter months. Of course I never had a problem with it until the holidays ended and true, boring winter set in.

I tried to come up with ways to escape the darkness and the cold by going on vacation to Florida, Hawaii, and California and while that worked for the time I was there, I would inevitably come back and feel even more miserable then when I left!

I would whine and complain about my plight in life. Poor me! How could I stand to be living in this dark, cold, windy, God forsaken place when there were parts of the world that were so warm and beautiful?! I'm surprised my husband didn't want to muzzle me and lock me up until spring.

And then I decided ENOUGH! I had enough of the pity party I was throwing for myself every year. I had enough of the whining and complaining and the constant uneasiness that took over my world for a good portion of the year.

I launched my "Embrace Winter" campaign. It was a small campaign since I was the only person in it but it was the beginning of my attitude shift.

I started using the affirmation, "I embrace winter" every chance I got. I had pictures printed with that phrase on them and posted them up around my house.

I started looking out my window at the beautiful sunsets that could only be seen in the winter months. Because the sun was so low on the horizon the colors were even more vibrant.

I noticed that the same low riding rays of sunshine could reach into my house and warm it up, making it feel warm and cozy.

I gave up trying to eat salads that made me feel icky when it was cold and embraced the Ayurvedic tradition of eating with the seasons. I ate more cooked, warm, heavy foods and I felt so grounded and warmed from the inside.

I drank more tea and took more baths.

I purchased a full length parka, hat, gloves and super warm boots and I bundled up every time I ventured out.

I stopped ruining the autumn months with my negative attitude. While Mother Nature was putting on a beautiful show, I wasn't present enough to notice. I was always going into the future and dreading winter before it even got here.

I started being grateful for everything!

The dreary gray days,

the thousands of geese that swarmed my yard with their noise that was loud enough to wake us up,

the snow on the branches,

 the fog as it froze on the trees,

the laughter of my children as they played in the snow.

I realized that as is everything in life, my disdain for winter was not about what was happening around me, but how I was reacting to it on the INSIDE.

As I shifted my focus I could begin to see things with new eyes.

I noticed the beauty in the stark landscapes.

I saw the patterns the wind left in the snow.

I felt the silence of a blistery winter day.

By changing my thoughts on the INSIDE I opened up a whole new world.

I am happier...

I am more content...

I am grateful...

I have a deeper relationship with myself...

I have lost my yearning to escape where I am...

And it all started with a shift in my thinking.

Through the Eyes of Your Inner Child

When I was a kid I remember having a lot of unsupervised time. I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about. We spent a lot of time out of the house, by ourselves, without fear. We went out exploring empty fields, empty lots, parks, rivers, anywhere and everywhere in nature. There was a great sense of independance, freedom, and excitement in those excursions.

Today I went out for a walk and I came upon some wild strawberries in the field and it was like finding a little treasure. It reminded me of being a kid because in one of those empty fields we used to go to we would play hide and seek in the tall grass and I remember there being wild strawberries that we would pick and nibble on as we played and they were THE BEST strawberries I've ever eaten.

As I was walking today, as a woman in her 40s who origianlly had gone out for some exercise, I came across those wild strawberries and I was transported back to being a kid with all that freedom, fun and joy in just being in a field hanging out. It shifted my energy and I felt this increased sense of wonder.

I kept walking and I came upon a big open field and I found myself with an irresistable urge to plop myself down in the middle of a field of dandelions. So that is what I did! I was just lying there in the sun listening to the birds chirping, watching the butterflies flutter and feeling the breeze and the warmth of the earth on my stomach. 

I started exploring like a little kid and seeing the detail in the grass.  The 40 year old me would have just seen some grass and weeds but the little girl in me, began seeing the buds of the dandelions, these wispy fern like plants covered in a soft white fuzzy fur, little clovers popping out, giant ants busily working and a whole other world complete with vibrant color, texture, and the possibility for fantasy.

I would have never seen any of it or experienced the wonder of that moment if I wouldn't have plopped myself down in the middle of that field and reverted back to my childhood. Yes, I would have taken a nice walk in the sun and enjoyed my surroundings but I wouldn't have had that amazing sense of wonder almost as if the world was in technicolor. I was given the gift of seeing the world through child-like eyes and experiencing that pure excitement, joy and happiness.

I invite you to go out into the world and experience it with your child-like eyes. Do something you enjoyed as a kid. Act like a kid. Be silly, be carefree, be You before you became "you".

Summer Fun With the Kids

Remember back at the end of June when I talked about going out in nature and spending time playing with my kids? I was going to hit a few local hot spots for nature and I had it all planned out. Remember?

Well guess what. Here we are at the end of July and there has been no nature for us. Nope, nada, zilch, zero! Time just seemed to get away from me. The weather has been crazy. Most days have been unbearably hot and when it cooled off a bit it was because we had some severe thunderstorms rolling through.

Even when the weather was good, we were busy with Dr. appointments, orthodontist appointments, daily baseball games and there were just days where we just watched the time slip by. It's crazy how that can happen even when I have it on my calendar each week.


Guess what? It's over! I hit Mother Nature with my 2 youngest boys and it was great. We stopped off at the Fox River after a Dr. appointment yesterday. Yay! We did it!

We walked along the shore exploring the bugs,

the trees,





and the plants.

We talked, we walked arm and arm. I taught them things about life and nature and of course composition and taking unique photographs.

It was one of the best days I had this summer. I was in the moment with them. They were in the moment with me. I loved hearing the excitement in Aidan's voice with each new bug he discovered as much as I loved watching Liam walk gently through the grass being careful not to let a bug land anywhere on his body.


The thing is that they loved it. We didn't DO anything. There was no plan, there was nothing that had to get done. We were just walking, talking, and observing. Liam must have told me about 7 times how much he liked it. He pulled my arm around him as we walked and when it was over and we piled back into the car Aidan was the first to say, "Thanks Mom." What can be better than that?

Simple Childhood Pleasures

I've been feeling a bit of spring fever. I want to get out and enjoy nature again. I can remember being a kid when spring came and feeling trapped in school, just wanting to be outside. Even back then I could completely relate to the term spring fever. I got it every year and I still do.

Heading out onto my walk this week I was unable to find much in the way of spring beauty. Most of the trees are still bare and there are few blooming things to be found.

It's funny though, the two things I ended up taking pictures of have a direct link back to my childhood. They brought back such great memories.


I have always had a love affair with willow trees. It's just something about the fluidity of the branches and the way they hang down, swaying in the wind. It always seems like they are doing their own dance.

Standing beneath one and looking up makes me feel like I'm in a waterfall of leaves. I remember going underneath the trees with the really long branches and feeling like I was in a special fort. Who didn't love forts when they were a kid?

I wasn't expecting to have a strong memory of the dried up milkweed pod I found but I guess you just never know what will trigger those darn memories.

I can remember playing in these empty fields behind my parent's restaurants and finding milkweed pods. They were the most interesting shape and they seemed so plump and soft. There was something special about opening up the pod to reveal the fibers and milky center that made my heart skip a beat.

Isn't it great that when you were a kid, it didn't really take much to excite you. In childhood, simple pleasures were all the pleasures we needed.

I have to say that allowing myself some time to be excited about these simple things brought a bit of joy to my adult life.

What were some of your simple, childhood pleasures? I invite you to take a moment out of your busy, adult life to immerse yourself in them once again. Remember what it's like to be a kid again.

Be sure to tell me how it goes.

Sharing Beauty!

I was blessed to receive a Beautiful Blogger from Patti Foy of Lightspirited Being. I just love the Internet because it allows me the opportunity to get to know the most amazing people anywhere in the world. Patti lives in New Mexico and has an amazing combination of talents and experiences. She is a Vedic Astrologer, a channeler, and an energy worker. Check out her blog to learn more about this awesome woman.

Part of my responsibilities for receiving this award are to:

• Share 7 things about me that you probably don't know
• Pass the award on to 5 other beautiful bloggers

So let's get started!

7 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me
1. When I was in 2nd grade my house burned down. I was home with my mom and dad at the time. I actually saw the smoke and told my parents and they got us out of there pronto. I remember watching from the car as the house went up in flames and I cried and cried and I remember my dad saying, "Why are you crying? That's just stuff. We are all safe and that's all that matters." It was really a great lesson.

But here's the really unusual part of the story and the reason I'm sharing it with you. Shortly after the fire, we were left with nothing. No clothes, no furniture, no toys. And guess what we did. We flew to the Canary Islands for a vacation. Of course that's what most people would do right?

It was the coolest trip for me and probably the thing that started my fascination with travel. I remember climbing the sand dunes, splashing in the ocean, driving up the mountains, drinking the warm goat milk (yuk), and exploring the markets with all the African masks, spears, and animal hides.

Of course my parents bought suitcases and stuffed them full of those artifacts and brought them home to open a new restaurant called Dr. Livingston's Incredible Edibles I Presume. But that's a whole other story.

2. I've done a lot of training in my life. It started when I was young. I was tall and thin so I went to modeling school. I took classes to be a makeup artist. I played the viola. Years later I was trained as an airbrush artist. I travelled all over the US to study from some of the best mosaic artists including a trip to Venice to study with a mosaic master. I went through a year long training called The Journey, I've been attuned for Reiki 2, I am a trained hypnotherapist, I am a trained juice feasting consultant, raw food chef, Nutritional Counselor, and Holistic Health Coach. The funny thing is there is probably more but I just can't think of it right now.

3. In my lifetime I've had 15 dogs, 1 cat, 5 birds, 1 hamster, and 1 gecko. I would have to say that from a young age I became a dog person. The full extent of that didn't occur to me until one day I was telling a friend about the one cat I owned and the reason I got rid of it. You see I had 2 dogs at the time and no matter where I put the cat's liter box those dogs always managed to get to it and eat the kitty crunchies. I thought it was so gross so I got rid of the cat. Of course my friend said, "Wait, let me get this straight. The cat was doing its business where it was supposed to and the dogs were the ones eating it, and you got rid of the cat?!" Hmmmm, I realized it made no sense but it proved that some people are just dog people and I'm one of them.

4. I am an only child. I always wanted a brother or sister and I used to beg my parents to no avail. I was lucky enough to have my cousin Jenny who was 3 years younger than me and when we were young I considered her my sister. I believe my childhood without siblings had a lot to do with my decision to have 5 children of my own. I guess I created the situation I most wanted when I was little. I hope they don't decide to have only children now. ;o)

5. I used to be a Creative Memories Consultant. I actually loved it. It was so fun to teach people how to scrapbook. I used to have these workshops with different themes at my house. There was a pajama party, a wine and cheese party, and some big scrap-a-thons. I have several scrapbooks for my first 2 boys, a gazillion of my 3rd son, 1 for my 4th, and none for my fifth. Ugh! I have such guilt that I asked the older boys not to bring out the scrapbooks because I don't want the little ones to know. gulp!

6. I've always had this fascination with astrology. I am a Leo. I married a Leo (my first marriage was to a Taurus. Not a good combo!). When I was pregnant with my children I bought this book called Child Signs and read about all the different signs. I learned about the sun sign, the moon sign, mercury and Venus. I couldn't believe my first 2 children were cancer children. How was I going to deal with those sensitive souls? I am a Leo for goodness sakes! My 3rd is a Virgo and I'm still waiting for his sun sign to kick in and the neatness bug to hit him. My 4th is a Libra and when I was pregnant with my 5th I couldn't believe it was possible I could have another cancer baby. He managed to come out early and he is a Gemini so I got to mix it up a little.

7. I have this thing about seeing multiple numbers on the clock. It's weird I know but it started with 11:11. I swear I would see it just about every day, sometimes twice a day. Now just about everyday I manage to glance over at the clock and see a time like, 2:22, or 5:55. It blows my mind how frequently it happens and now I just smile every time.

So now onto the good stuff!

5 Beautiful Bloggers
1. First and foremost is the amazing Connie at Dirty Footprints Studio. She rocks my world! She is creative, deep, open, talented, funny, quirky, and absolutely beautiful from her soul. You simply have to check out her blog and share in the beauty she emanates.

2. Tam over at Willowing is a wonderful artists. Her work has this deep, healing quality to it and she has a glowing light about her. I love watching her dance around with her adorable little son. She also has a ning site where she offers courses and she is currently offering a free course called The Art of Heart. You have to check it out.

3. Alisa Burke has the most beautiful blog! I just love going over there. It's like a feast for my eyes. Her photography is gorgeous and I love her creative and playful spirit. She is always coming up with new projects and she even shares recipes and beautiful pictures of her food. Love it!

4. Michelle over at Michelle My Belle has a beautiful blog. She is a mom and an artist and I just love her style. It's so whimsical and colorful. Right now she is in China with her daughter and sharing some beautiful photos and you have to check out this post. It's beautiful!

5. I've only just recently discovered Scarlett at Blue, Purple, and Scarlett. I was floored with this adorable baby photograph and then hooked with these Candy Corn Cards. I've had so much fun browsing through her blog and seeing all of her beautiful creations.

I want to thank all of you ladies for bringing some beauty into my life. Keep doing what you are doing and being who you are because you are so beautiful!!!