Tomorrow 2019

You get a brand-new day tomorrow. In fact, you got a brand-new one today. The miracle of this truth is so profound it really cannot be put into words. Are you living out this beautiful miracle?

Not only do you get a brand-new day tomorrow, you are starting a BRAND-NEW YEAR.

Today, you could think a whole bunch of new thoughts, and do a whole bunch of new things, and by the end of the day . . . you’d have had a day unlike any other you’ve ever had. This truth could go a number of ways.

You could choose exciting thoughts, loving thoughts, and grateful thoughts. You could just as easily think cynical thoughts, unkind thoughts, and fearsome thoughts. You could spend 5 minutes learning something. You could spend 10 minutes loving someone. You could spend 15 minutes listing what you’re grateful for. You could also spend 5 minutes gossiping about someone. You could spend 10 minutes obsessing over your perceived extra body fat in the mirror. You could spend 15 minutes scrolling through social media posts that make you feel unsatisfied with your life. Your whole day is made up of those kinds of decisions.

It’s a new day. Tomorrow is another one. Guess what? There’s another one right after that! Beloved soul, live out the potential of this phenomenal gift of a miracle. You get to make new choices NOW, and NOW, and NOW, and NOW. And a series of good choices makes a really good day . . . a series of good days makes a really good week . . . a series of good weeks make a really good year. And those years . . . they make a really good life. It all started with a few, really good choices.

Choose well, beloved.

From Melody

www.BraveLiving.com

From - Mia at Soul Woman Circles


"Only a few hours before we move into a sparkly new chapter of our lives.

And as THIS chapter comes to an end, I wanted to take a deep breath and say goodbye to a year that brought all kinds of intensity.

I'm grateful for the challenges and the lessons. The laughter and the grief. The beauty and the burn-out. 

Thank you, 2018, Thank you for how you challenged me, what you demanded of me, and how you served me. Thank you.

And now it's time to take a deep dive into all that 2019 has in store for us.

It's time to raise our vibration and energetic standards, expect the best, and follow our desires into our best year yet.

I encourage you to look at 2019 and ask yourself these very important questions:

:: What do you want from life in the coming months?

:: What is next for you?

:: Who do you feel called to be, to do what you have to do, to fulfill your heart's desires?

2019 is ready to team up with you to do incredible things. I am sure of it.

As you think through this year and these questions, please know this:

Your desires are nothing but an inner compass to guide you. And your heart always knows the way.

It's your job now to check in with what you truly want and be guided by your desires.

I believe that, when we're tuned into our inner guidance, our calling and the flow of our purpose, our lives get to feel good. And be fun.  

We want to help you get into a beautiful flow with life, love, and money.

So let's make 2019 a year you'll never forget -- the year that nothing can stop you, the year that energetically you're happier, healthier and wealthier than ever before, the year you rise. 

Only you can decide that you will not wait one more day to do your part to create the life you want.

Please know that I believe in you. All YOU have to do is believe in your gifts, follow your heart, and show up for yourself and others who need you.

I love you!

Mia xo"

Dear Beautifully-Unique Girl

Your daily truth from Brave Living...

Dear Beautifully-Unique Girl,

You'll never find your happiness in someone else's version of life. You are not like anyone else.

You are different from anyone who ever came before you and anyone who will ever come after; your likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, and motivations are unique to you.

It's so worth it to do the work to figure out just what it is that brings the sparkle into your eyes.

Find out what really lights you up and then search for more of THAT in your life. Own it, grow it, protect it, and embrace it. Search it out and hold on to it -- FIND YOUR JOY IN IT.

Just be you, then be true to that YOU. The world needs you in all of your alive-ness. You can't come completely alive until you know what it is that gets you there. 

You are so so sooooooo loved.

www.bravegirlsclub.com

xoxo

PS - This photo surprises me every time I see it. This girl could be my twin...from another era. It is amazing. 

The Joy Inside You

Vintage Christmas Tablecloth

I did find a vintage Christmas Tablecloth this year. I washed it and hung it outside to dry. I ironed it and put it away for future Holidays. Do you want to know the price? $6.00 Lucky Me!

A Simple Mantra

"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

- Wayne Dyer

There’s almost no situation in life where this Mantra is not applicable. It offers so much value in 7 little words…

I am willing to see this differently…

The statement and the practical application of it, all on its own, a life changing practice.

The mantra is particularly helpful for:

Rising above issues/people/situations, for higher perspective and empowerment, when you’ve been getting frustrated.

Resetting yourself if you’re feeling unclear about how to achieve a goal, and you’ve been caught up in your mind about it.

Tapping into your intuition when you’re feeling blocked by doubts, fears and anxiety.

Being Kind to Your Soul

This post is from Soul Woman Circles.





Just wondering...

How kind are you to your soul? 

Do you ever even think about what your soul is yearning for?

What if you had a beautiful, tender, radiant, caring, loving and authentic way to be kind to your soul every single day?

It’s easier than you think…

First, sit back and relax, take a few deep breaths, then let your awareness come easily to rest in this present moment. 

Simply notice some of the things that you are aware of, right here and now. Notice, for example, some things that you can see. Perhaps the photo of a loved one on your bedside table, or leaves blowing gently in the wind, or clouds floating by in the sky.

Just as there are clouds floating by in the sky, there are thoughts floating by in the space of your mind. Notice how they simply emerge out of what seems to nothingness, float across the screen of your awareness and fade back into nothingness.

The same with the sensations in your body. There might be a feeling of discomfort in your chest or your tummy; a tingling in your fingertips; a warm pleasure around your heart. All these sensations simply arise, stay a bit, and pass.

As you look inward, turn your attention to your soul. Get a good sense of your soul right now. Try to see or hear or feel it as clearly as you can - and then ask your soul:

:: What matters to you?

:: What are you longing for?

:: What do you want me to know more than anything else?

More often than not, you’ll find that your soul is yearning for moments of silence, contemplation, and prayer. And THAT’s how you show kindness to your soul. 

Ten minutes of practicing silence. 

Twenty minutes of journaling on what your soul is longing for.

A five-minute prayer to deeply connect with the Divine.

It takes great courage to engage with your soul. Sometimes, we don’t want to identify its messages or heed its call. 

Sometimes, we’re scared of waking up something profound that demands that we change; that we do something different with our lives; that we be of service to humanity in a way that feels too big or scary.

Sometimes, we’d rather not know what the sacred contract is that we’ve been assigned to fulfill in this lifetime.

It’s a way for you to start a personal journey about how you can burst though your ideas and preconceptions, and then enter into a deeper, more authentic experience.

You can have a grounded, contemporary spirituality that you can practice every day. 

It’s for you if you want the power of deep mystical prayer and contemplation without having to take off to an ashram or adopt an extreme practice of deprivation. 

You can be  spiritual without having to take a vow of poverty or chastity. 

You don’t have to renounce family or friends to deepen your consciousness and connect to the spiritual.

Commit to Loving Yourself

Dear Beloved Soul,

It seems we all crave the feeling of being loved no matter how big or small our life is. No matter how well we are doing, or how much we are able to give, or how much we are able to receive. It seems we all crave the feeling of being loved no matter what happens next.

We crave it because we need it. But sometimes, we are misreading the need… the yearning.

What if our souls are asking this of us? What if our souls are asking us to LOVE OURSELVES no matter how big or small our life is? No matter how well we are doing, no matter what we are giving or receiving and no matter what happens next?

What if our Creator is asking us to trust that we are loved no matter how big or small our life is? No matter how well we are doing or how much we are able to give or receive? What if our thriving depended on us trusting life, and ourselves and the power of how beloved we actually 
are . . . and that we are being asked to trust that no matter what happens next, we are going to be okay, and that the love is ALWAYS there to be felt, no matter what.

These are truths that could change everything.

Your soul is asking you to feel the love you are craving. To trust that it is always there, no matter what happens next. Are you listening?

You are so very very loved.
xoxo

www.bravegirlsclub.com

I Wish You A Very Merry Christmas

Vintage Christmas

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Christmas Sparkle

The days are buzzing by....oh my....in a flash of the eye....tis Christmas by and by.

Here is a favorite song with Ukulele arrangement.



 It’s Beginning To Look Like Christmas     
Recorded by Johnny Mathis
Written by Meredith Wilson

G                        C        G                        C   
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go
                            D7                  G
Take a look in the five and ten glistening once again
D7               A7               D7
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow
G                        C        G                       C    
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas toys in every store
                        A7            G               E7
But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be
   Am       D7    G
On your own front door

              B7
A pair of hop along boots and a pistol that shoots
               Em
Is the wish of Barney and Ben
A7
Dolls that will talk and will go for a walk
               D7
Is the hope of Janice and Jen
    
And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again
  
G                        C        G                        C 
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go
                            D7                       G
There's a tree In the Grand Hotel one in the park as well
D7                   A7               D7
The sturdy kind that doesn't mind the snow
G                        C        G                             C 
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas soon the bells will start
                        A7                    G              E7
And the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing
      Am     D7   G
Right within your heart 

                         C        G                             C 
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas soon the bells will start
                        A7                    G              E7
And the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing
      Am     D7   G

Right within your heart 

Winter Solstice

STONEHENGE IS ALIGNED TO THE SUNSET ON WINTER SOLSTICE.

ISTOCK.COM/JESSICAPHOTO

The primary axis of the megalithic monument is oriented to the setting sun, while Newgrange, another structure built around the same time as Stonehenge, lines up with the winter solstice sunrise. Some have theorized that the position of the Sun was of religious significance to the people who built Stonehenge, while other theories hold that the monument is constructed along natural features that happen to align with it. The purpose of Stonehenge is still subject to debate, but its importance on the winter solstice continues into the modern era, as thousands of people, pagans, and other types of enthusiasts gather there every year to celebrate the occasion.

From - www.mentalfloss.com

I am very happy when this day is over every year. I do detest the dark days and long nights. Today was a really nice, sunny day. I saw the sun and let it shine upon me. 

Lodge Wedge Pan - Cranberry Scones

I have been looking for a tried and true recipe for the Lodge Pan that I found out junking. I am going to try this one. It is posted in the Lodge website recipe pages, so it must be very good. I may change some of the ingredients to suit my preferences, maybe add some orange peel and juice. I enjoy the favor of cranberries and orange together.



INGREDIENTS
1 cup dried cranberries
¾ cup buttermilk
1 large egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup turbinado sugar
6 tablespoons white sesame seeds
4 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon allspice, ground
¼ teaspoon cardamom, ground
¼ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cubed, plus more for greasing


PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Whisk cranberries, buttermilk, and egg. Set aside for later.
Separately whisk flour, sugar, sesame seeds, baking powder, allspice, cardamom, and salt until fully incorporated.
Using a pastry cutter, cut butter into the flour mixture to pea-sized pieces. Add to the wet ingredients until a dough forms.
Divide the dough in the wedges of a greased scone pan. Bake until edges are golden brown, 15-17 minutes.
Let scones sit for 5-10 minutes, then gently flip the pan to release the scones. Cool on wire rack before serving.

From - www.lodgemfg.com

Your Path

Everyone has struggles and everyone has to make choices to make the most of whatever is handed to them. Everyone has DIFFERENT struggles, just like everyone has different strengths and different things to add to the world. Everyone is DIFFERENT.

We can only affect what WE do, and how WE feel and what WE add and where WE go and what WE say. We cannot be anyone but who we are. We cannot change others. We cannot truly live any life but the one we are in. When we step into our OWN shoes, and live our OWN life…..miracles happen.

Keep your eyes on your path, lovely you. Keep your eyes to the light, and don’t look at anyone else’s path except to lend a hand.

Embrace it. Embrace YOU.

YOU are loved.

xoxo

From - www.bravegirlsclub.com

Make Boundaries With Others

You are worth protecting. It can be very disappointing when others in our lives don’t protect us, or may even be the ones hurting us. We have to remember though, not only are we capable of protecting our own hearts and lives, but we have the responsibility to do so.

You get to make boundaries with others. Others get to make boundaries with you. Boundaries are not an act of aggression or a “mean” thing we do to each other. Boundaries are simply the “rules” we have to make, about how much space we need to feel safe. And they can change! Sometimes, when we are not emotionally healthy, or another person is not emotionally healthy, we have to make stronger boundaries to keep everyone safe. Sometimes, we need more space between ourselves and others, and sometimes others need more space from us.

When we are honest about what we need at different times in our lives, and we allow others to be honest too . . . we can truly connect on a deep level. When we allow behavior that is not okay with us, or we are treating others in ways that are not okay with them . . . we cannot connect at all.

Life really is about connecting. So, boundaries are not only necessary, they are a very very good thing for everyone.

Decide what is and is not okay with you in your relationships . . . knowing it can change, as either you or others are in a more healthy place. Ask others what is and is not okay with them. It will make your life better, your relationships better, and the world better. It’s worth the awkwardness that might happen at first. It’s worth the work and discipline.

You are valuable enough to be protected. Protect yourself, and let others protect themselves too.

You are so very loved.
xoxo

From - www.bravegirlsclub.com

I strongly believe that personal boundaries are very important to my well-being. I have determined some people have behaviors and issues that are toxic to me, and I have decided I must take care of myself. Protect yourself and love yourself, it is worth the peace that it brings you.

Keep Seeking

Keep seeking. Often, the only way we will ever find something is if we keep looking for it. Sure, we can sometimes create what we’re seeking, but there are truly things that are meant to be found, and we won’t find them unless we are actively looking.

When we get into ruts, we often are waiting for something to come to us, to find us. We have to remember that what we are looking for might be in the nearest book, the next person we meet, or a walk that we decide to go on. When we stagnate, we stop seeking. We often think — if it is meant to find us, it will come to us. We have to be an active seeker.

Keep looking for it, friend. You can ask for help . . . in prayer or in your relationships, but you’ve also got to be an active participant in finding what you’re looking for. SO often, we find so much more than we ever dreamed, when we decide not to give up the search.

Show up to life, keep your eyes and your heart wide open. So many of the very best things in history happened because someone decided they’d never stop seeking until they found it.

from Brave Living

www.braveliving.com

Vintage Blue Tulip Soup Bowl with Lid, Cameron Clay Products

Junking provided me with this vintage large soup bowl today. The pottery is heavy, and the blue color is pretty, with the tulips. It is in great condition without the normal crazing, chips, cracks, and discolored areas. I am not familiar with the maker, so the investigation is done. I found the maker.

I enjoy vintage pottery. I’m interested in identifying patterns and shapes. For years and years, there has been a Blue Tulip pattern in pottery serving pieces that has been attributed to Cronin Pottery of Ohio, namely because the mark used on the bottom was similar to a mark they used. It’s recently been discovered that in fact Blue Tulip is a Cameron Clay Products of West Virginia design. The company operated from 1930's to 1964, when the plant burned. My opinion is that this is an early item. I will definitely use it.

Cooking Sourdough in a Dutch Oven Outdoors

The electric power was out for about 8 hours, just as the sourdough bread has started rising. I suggested to hubby that we get out the charcoal and a dutch oven to bake the bread. The setup was in the shop out of the windy weather.

Here is the bread after about 30 minutes baking. It is ready to remove.

This photo is indoors, ready to remove from the cast iron bread pan. 

This pic is both loaves, cooling indoors. I am happy to say that the bread turned out perfect! The taste is wonderful, our own Sourdough!

Vortex of Negativity

Let the world be whatever it is. Stand peacefully in observation. If a vortex of negativity whirls toward you, choose not to be sucked in!

IMAGINE THIS SCENARIO: 

People may say things and do things - and it FEELS like an attack on you.

You then react negatively, getting upset and feeling the need to defend yourself... naturally! Of course that's your immediate instinct, because your survival mechanism is to protect yourself.

That defense you put up, well... that comes across to the other person as an attack. Because they feel attacked, what do they do? Defend themselves of course, that's their natural instinct.

Now you're caught in a never ending cycle of attack, defend, attack, defend. This problem plagues so many people, and in fact it plagues our entire planet.

For some people this pattern can play out quite intensively, across all situations and different relationships. That's often because they SEE THE WORLD as a place that is always attacking, and they're on edge waiting for it to happen. 

It's quite exhausting getting upset and reacting negatively. Plus it creates unnecessary friction in your mind, body and energy field, which is bad for your well being in every way!


You want a more peaceful life - I know you do! Anyone interested in positivity and personal growth wants that... peace, happiness, flow.

So, G and J. This is for you. The hate ends now, I am leaving the vortex of negativity. I am taking care of myself...please do not send any more hate mail.

Gratitude Is Good Medicine

Dear Magnificent Soul,

Gratitude is good medicine. Not just for you, either — it’s good medicine for anyone who may be around when you are expressing gratitude, or even better, when you are living your life from a place of gratitude.

Here’s the thing though, friend. Sometimes, it’s really difficult to feel grateful and to behave as if you are grateful. It is a true discipline to live in gratitude, because there is so much around, reminding us of all we don’t have, and of all the places we fall short. We often get into the habit of looking for what’s going wrong, before we even think about what’s going right. We fall into the hole of envy and jealousy and thinking things aren’t fair. Don’t feel bad . . . everyone does it. We just have to make some new habits.

Before you get out of bed, try thinking of 3 things you’re grateful for. Really let your heart feel grateful for those things. As you are going to sleep, think of 3 more good things in your life and express gratitude for those things. Then, start practicing throughout the day. Thank your food, your water, your people. Thank the sky, your clothes, your breath. Before you know it, you’ll be filled with so much gratitude, there won’t be room for anything else.

It’s a great way to live. And you deserve a great life.

You are so very loved.
xoxo

from www.braveliving.com

A personal note from me. I started practicing gratitude every day, even if I didn't feel like it.  Just before I go to sleep, I express gratitude for the good things in my life. I made it a daily ritual, and it works for me. 

Hello beloved, here's your daily truth...

Dear Bright Soul, Your mind is a magnifier. It takes whatever is in front of it and and focuses on it, blows it up, inspects it, turns it around and upside down, obsesses about it, analyzes it, and continues to spit out constant observations, until it’s all you can “think” about. That’s just what your mind does — what it’s meant to do. This is why we’ve got to be so careful to put the things at the front of our mind that we really want to be magnifying, and be even more careful to keep things OUT of our minds that we definitely don’t want to become bigger. This magnification can be used to help us thrive and flourish, or it can be used to bring us down and paralyze us. Brilliant friend, decide what gets magnified. It may seem like it’s out of your control. You may be in a habit of allowing any old thing to come into your mind and stay until it gets so big it explodes, taking you along with it. Your mind wants to be active. It wants to think. It WANTS to magnify . . . but it doesn’t know what the best thing is to focus on. Your heart gets to decide that. When your heart doesn’t get a say at all, your mind goes into sort of an auto-pilot survival mode and starts magnifying whatever will keep you alive. That usually comes in the form of worry. If you don’t put something wonderful in your mind, and keep feeding it with wonderfulness . . . it will find other things to focus on. Curate your obsessions. Place things in a row to think about, and get excited about how they will be magnified. Find beautiful things, interesting things, thoughtful things, creative things, loving things. Imagine how different the day would go if THOSE were the things that are magnified. It’s a new kind of habit, but you can do it! And it will be so worth it. You are so very loved, xoxo Brave Girls Club

Stop Hanging onto Negativity

Kindness

A Vintage Christmas Show at Monticello

I went on a special trip to Portland OR, for the Christmas Show at Monticello Antique Marketplace. The store was decked out in Christmas Style. My favorite pic is of the white 'Whitehall Mixture" tin, and all the vintage ornaments used to create  the unique display.

This store is my favorite, and I love the shows that are done for each season. The Christmas and Garden Show are my personal loves, a must see!

May You Have Peace

Achieving Your Dreams

Remember

There’s no clear and direct A-Z path. It’s a journey that can weave all over the place, and that’s okay! Your path will evolve and change as you step forward. You will evolve as you go about achieving your dreams. And… your goal/dream itself may change as a result. It’s a natural progression. Don’t be rigid – allow flexibility in how things unfold within yourself and with the way you go about achieving your outcomes.

There are meant to be challenges. They are part of HOW you achieve a dream. They will offer you SO much value and prompt you into the right direction, IF you’re willing to look at them this way and take the lessons on offer.

It’s likely that you’ll never feel completely ready and will always feel some fear, and neither will stop you. Step forward anyway.

Uncertainty serves you very well. It is the breeding ground of all great possibility. And, most importantly… if you knew with certainty everything that would happen, how it would happen, what would be required of you, and the full extent of what lies ahead, you would probably be overwhelmed and paralyzed. You’d never get started. Not knowing is MUCH better. Ignorance in this case can be bliss. And at the end you will be grateful you took the journey and you’ll relish the outcome and celebrate all the effort, challenges, learning and growth you went through to get to the goodies at the end of the rainbow.

For big goals it helps to chunk them down into phases, and steps within each phase. Of course look at the big picture from where you stand right now, and map as best you can a pathway there. But then focus on the phase directly in front of you (e.g 1-3 months) and the steps within it. Then focus just on the next most obvious step you can take immediately within that plan. Once you near completion of that phase, then reassess the big picture and see if it’s still the same, and if the pathway there is the same or needs adjustment. Then create your next phase (1-3 months) and the steps within it. Then focus on the next most obvious step you can take immediately within that plan. Then rinse and repeat. “Chunking” your action plan into phases this way allows you to be most productive and effective with your focus, time and effort, and to not become overwhelmed.

Be realistic with your time frames. If you must put deadlines on your steps and achievement of your dream, then do this in a way that motivates and inspires you, not that stresses you out and burdens you.

Make your dream a priority. Where attention goes, energy flows. Where energy flows, something grows.

When it comes to big dreams, you'll likely never feel ready & will likely always feel fear. Both are normal & neither stop you. Get started.
From - The Daily Positive

Water the Flowers

Nice People - Be One!

Vintage Dresser Scarves Recycled

I have a large collection of beautiful dresser scarves, I rescue them pretty regularly. I love the the beauty and workmanship (womenship) that is a quality of the time when these were made with skill. I admire and understand the hours that the embroidery took. A woman would do this in her tiny bit of free time, and she put her personality, creativeness, and love into her handwork.

I love these so much that I have two drawers in a large dresser full with them. I think that I will use a few from my collection to make a few bags.

Here is the link to the blogger Dottie Angel.

www.dottieangel.blogspot.com