Wishcasting Wednesday: Who is the "you" that you wish to be?

This week's prompt was actually challenging for me. There was a time in my life when I wished I could be anyone but me. I always had amazing gifts and talents inside but I just couldn't see them. Then one day, through life's ups and downs,those gifts and talents were brought forth slowly one by one. I felt like a brand new shiny penny. Today, my life is blessed and so different than what I could have possibly imagined. I am:

A devoted wife
A loving mother
Compassionate
Interesting
A creative force to be reckoned with
Faithful
Sensual
Spiritual
44 years YOUNG
Playful

My greatest challenge with myself in this moment is trying to find out what my life's purpose is from a work standpoint. On the hardest days, I forget about my gifts and uniqueness and I behave like a wounded animal instead of the divine being that I know I am. I lose my footing on my path with God. My greatest wish for myself is to stay rooted in my faith that my perfect path is already unfolding. I wish for more patience as I walk it every day. I wish to honor every loving attribute about myself even when I find myself paddling upstream in a boat called "self-pity".

Aprons for Sale!

I finally managed to get 11 out of 17 aprons on my Etsy store. Go on over here to take a look. It was a learning lesson in organization because my apron pictures were divided between two computers; hence, it took me twice as long to get them on the shop. I'll be adding lots more items...stay tuned!

We are in the middle of another heat wave today. It's the kind of heat that makes you want to crawl in to a walk-in refrigerator and stay there until Fall. Tomorrow, I'm taking the kids to a water park. That should make all of us happy since we've been sitting around the house staring at each other lately. Only 2 more weeks until school starts again and I am looking forward to it. Next summer, I'm planning a family vacation mid-August. I really miss not going to the lake in New Hampshire this summer but I wouldn't trade my time in San Diego with Breen for all the rice in China.

Here's a cloth journal cover that I made today. I'll be adding a section on Etsy for these. What do you think?

Friday

Hot husband at La Jolla Cove. I've never seen him more relaxed. He loves the beach so much.

Another favorite pic from San Diego. Wish we were still there lying on the beach together.

This week has really gone quickly! I've been busy doing a little bit of everything: cooking, reading, job searching, creating and running around with the kids. I'm in one of those reading phases again. In the beginning of the week, I went to the library and came back with 5 books. I've read 2 already and I'm working on the rest of the stack. Next up is Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Wish me luck on that classic! I'm proud of myself this week. I've managed to get back on track with my meatless eating. As long as I take it one day at a time, it's not so overwhelming. I ate so much meat in San Diego. It's amazing how one tumble from grace can lead to the old patterns so quickly. When we were flying home, I thought about all the half finished ideas and projects that fill my life. I'm so very tired of incomplete things. I thought to myself, "what if I pick just one of those ideas and stick with it?". Eating meatless was at the top of my list. Maybe because it's one of the most challenging for me. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to stay meatless. One of the pivotal moments for me was in San Diego. We were in our hotel room on the last night munching on some curried chicken salad while we packed. Quite a few bites had some cartilage and I was grossed out by it. I remember thinking two things:

1. This is ridiculous. Why am I eating this if it grosses me out?

2. I bet this would be so delicious made with tofu instead of chicken.

And so, I take my seat back on the vegetable truck. I hope for good this time. Go over to the meatless blog. I've written a fun post today that I think you'll enjoy. Happy Friday!!

San Diego treasures

Ever since I was a little girl, I always got a thrill at the small, sentimental gifts. I still don't care for expensive material things. Here are a few of my favorite treasures from San Diego:

On the way to the beach one day, we drove past a huge beach thrift store with colorful Hawaiian print shirts for men in the window. We went in and I found this dress for $9. It was brand new and has become one of my favorite little dresses. I've already visually determined that there are only 5 pieces required to make this dress.....hello pattern making :))



One day while Breen was doing an open water swim out in the ocean, I sat at the edge of the water and picked handfuls of colorful sea glass. I found the piece of rope netting on the sidewalk while we were returning our snorkel equipment at the kayak shop.

One of the colorful sarongs I purchased:


A plastic child's version of a VW Van for $4.99 purchased in Pacific Beach (I discovered the adorable blue surfboard that clips on top of the van is missing in action....I will find it in this house!)

A beautiful sunset viewed at Mt. Solodad (it overlooks all of San Diego):

Black's Beach.....good times, good times.... :)))))

La Jolla Cove:

One night, while strolling on the beach, we spotted a lifeguard stand with my lucky number 52 (Ok, so it's in reverse...but it still has the combination of my number):


What else is new around here? Let's see....
If you want to have a little fun, go over here to my food blog and check out my first attempt at a video blog on how to make kale chips. Max took the video and we'd like to keep making more.

Here's a new half apron. Kind of reminds me of the Mod Squad...I love it! And YES, a whole crop of aprons will be on my Etsy store by the end of the week...that's a promise!!

Wishcasting Wednesday...What door do you wish to open?

Today's wishcasting prompt really resonated with me. I'm finding myself in a tiny slump right now. I've been out of work since June and not feeling very good about it. I've been looking and have even had a lead or two but the market is slow and I'm not seeing a whole lot that excites me. I'm feeling a bit inadequate and very unworthy of the blessings that have come my way. I feel like I'm letting my husband down with each passing day that I still remain home. I'm sure the kids don't mind; it's summer after all and they're glad to have me around. But I see the time passing by quickly and I'm scared about the uncertainty of it all. More than anything now, my wish is to have the door opened that unfolds the next place I'm meant to be on this working path. Doors are a funny thing. How many times have you heard someone say, "When one door closes, another one opens."? There have been many doors that closed in my life and, in time, new doors always opened. Sometimes, just when I thought a new door would never open, some of the best blessings came my way. And so it is now that I wish for a new door to open which will lead me ultimately to a very satisfying, creative and rewarding new way of earning income.

Heat

It's Monday and I'm really trying to get myself back in to the routine of things. It's so damn hot though (98 degrees, 100% humidity and no central air). I'm quite miserable and I hate feeling this way. Ever since I was pregnant with my daughter 10 years ago, I haven't done well with high heat and humidity. To add to this, two more things:

1. we ate like crazy on vacation and I feel heavier than ever. Today especially, I feel like a fat slug. I can't even venture to the gym in this heat wave.

2. Breen and I picked up chest colds since we've been home. SO....I feel feverish on top of the 98 degree heat....lovely.

Today, I took the kids over to my ex in law's house to swim, which is where I also lived for over 10 years in a carriage house on the property (even after my ex and I had divorced). Unfortunately, I did not move out of there on good terms with them. I knew as soon as I pulled up that I didn't feel good being there. Even though they were not home, the energy was horrible and I couldn't wait to leave. On the way home, I stopped at the store to get a shower liner. I ran in to my old neighbor that lived next door to my ex in-laws. I had not seen her in a few years. I had flashbacks of my old life and the whole drive home, I realized how ready I am to move on to wherever it is that we are supposed to live next. I'm ready to make new directions for myself. I'm ready to go with my husband to wherever we are lead to. I used to hate change; now I am welcoming it.

Back from the Honeymoon

It feels like I've been away from here forever. Breen and I just spent the last week in San Diego for our honeymoon. We stayed in La Jolla. Lots of sun, beach and great food. Breen was able to do some awesome open water swims in La Jolla Cove while I sat at the water's edge and found sea glass. We kayaked and snorkeled out in the ocean and hit Black's Beach twice. Black's Beach might be the only nude beach in California. To get there, you've got to walk to the bottom of a very tall cliff. Of course once you get to the bottom, you have to walk back up the same very tall cliff. It was so worth the hike. I'm a bit of an exhibitionist in my own home so it was nice to do that in public without anyone raising an eyebrow. We would seriously love to live out in La Jolla but it seems it may have to wait since houses in the beach area are upwards of $1.6 million. For now, we'll just have to visit when we get the chance. I love California. At least in San Diego, it was a melting pot of people, beautiful weather and gorgeous sunsets. Coming back to the east coast felt like a let down....but we had to get back to our lives here at some point in time.

So now we are back to the grind, as they say. I'll be starting back on my job search tomorrow, catching up on laundry and spending the next few weeks with the kids until school starts up again. It is amazing how fast the summer flies.