It doesn’t matter what day of the week it is or what month in the year, today is new and ready to be conquered!
To many times in our life we wait for an “opportune” moment for us to start something. “I’ll start that diet Sunday!” “I’m gonna start saving next month!” “I can always do that project tomorrow!” How many though can say you actually follow through? If you always stick to exactly what you set for yourself then heck yeah Girl!! You are a goal and I give you all props!! On the other hand though, if your like me, then the follow through sometimes doesn’t work out… Now I can’t be the only one that has a whole list of things to do or that I want to do but never actually get to that list! Something “always” comes up, or I “always” dont have time.
Sound familiar?
I put all the small things that would bring me joy on the back burner for the things I “think” HAVE to be done right then.
Why though? Why do we have a hard time following through with plans or projects that would bring us joy and happiness?
So many times we make plans of what we want to do but never follow through with the last step of actually doing. I wonder why? Maybe all the fun is in the planning? No, that doesn’t sound right! Maybe other things are more important? Possibly, but thats just an excuse really, if it’s important to you then it’s important! Maybe I don’t really deserve time for myself? Mhmmm, no I deserve every bit of time for my peace then the next person!
And SO DO YOU!!
I wake up an hour early almost every day so I can just be with myself. I’ll make coffee and either read, or pray, or go ahead and work on here for the future days. I take time for myself to make sure that these small joys don’t get put back. I need them to help fuel me for the day. I need them so that I can continue to give joy to others! You deserve that too! You deserve that peace for even just an hour to go and do things that will fill your joy tank!
So look at your canvas for the day. Lay out all the colors you want to paint with, and then begin. Just one stroke means you started. One stroke means you’re there. You followed through. Then the next day come back to that canvas and add another. Everyday come back and add another! Eventually you will see the picture your life is turning into! Eventually you will see that it isn’t so hard to to add that stroke, so soon you begin to add more! Soon you begin to paint your joys and happiness everywhere you go!
Accepting yourself. Accepting others. Accepting our world. Its hard sometimes. Unfortunately acceptance is not something that comes naturally to many of us. It’s not something we just do, or that we are. A lot of times it’s something we really work hard at. To be able to accept the commodities around us. To Accept the people around us. To accept ourselves for who we are.
I honestly couldn’t say which is harder.
At what point in our existence did we as humans start to not accept anymore? To turn to a way where all we do is judge another or complain for what we have. Where we put so much expectation on ourselves to be a certian way or live a certian life, all for what? To keep up with this materialistic world we live in? To make sure no one sees our weaknesses or has negative comments to say? To fake a smile at a stranger cause we wish they would give us the same?
Why though? Why is it so hard for us to coexist on this place we call home? To live together on this Earth in total peace.
Why is something that is so easy to do so hard for us? Acceptance is as easy as saying, “okay”. Nothing more, nothing less. Just okay.
If for one day our World could look at its neighbor and say, “I see you are different than I, but that’s okay, we are all one being living on this Earth. We all share one world. We are all together forever.”
If for one day we could all look into the mirror and just smile, because we know that who we are is needed for this World! Who we are was perfectly made for this time now! Who we are at this moment is just the beginning of who we can become!
If for one day we all just accepted.
Imagine it!
Acceptance is hard!
The choice to choose not to accept though, is harder, but it is just a choice!
Your choice, to say “okay” or not.
Life can be hard, but Accepting doesn’t have to be!
Blessed be my loves!! I hope your Monday morning is going amazing!!
Today will be short but I wanted to make sure to post about this, as this year’s celebration really meant so much to me in my journey.
Lammas, also known as Lughnasagh, to honor the Celtic God Lugh, the God of Light and Craftsmanship, is the celebration of the harvest!
This was the time of the year tribes, villages, and covens would come to harvest their wheat, grains, oats and rye to make room for the new seeds of the year!
This is the time for transformation and new beginnings, this is the time for Rebirth and awakening.
In just starting my own journey of rebirth and Discovery getting to celebrate this, on my birthday no less, meant more than one could ever know! We all live our lives in hopes that one day we will find our purpose or our reasoning for being, but after yesterday. After taking the time to just be. After taking in all that I have already accomplished, I have realized its not our purpose in life to find a reasoning, but it is our purpose to be the reasoning. Be the reasoning someone else find peace, happiness, love, or Sanctuary.
Be what you seek, and become what others seek.
So gather your harvest, from this physical world, and the spiritual, and give thanks. Put into the world Everything you want back from it. Plant the seeds in your life that you can’t wait to harvest next year. Join together in your own tribe or community and give back together.
We Honor the past and our ancestors by taking this time to celebrate what we already have and allow it to remind ourselves of all that we have yet to come! To many times in this new world we take for granted what all our ancestors had to fight for, what all the had to do to survive. It wasn’t as easy as going to the market to buy bread or vegetables, or buying a new shirt when yours gets a hole. They worked hard everyday to make what they could so they could live. Simply live. Nothing more than that. They joined together in their communities to take part in the harvest each year as it was a celebration of all the year has given, and to give back so that the next will be just as plentiful.
Blessed be my loves. Go forth and be blessed, always!
Home-made Honey Rosemary Bread for Offering! First time making this recipe and it turned out amazing!!!
Good morning, I hope you all had a great weekend and are ready to conquer your Monday Morning! Heck your whole week!!
This morning we are going to look at a few key Yoga pose’s to help open you up for an incredible amount of breath and energy!
And it only takes 5 minutes!
Yoga is a great way to help wake your body up in the mornings and really get your overall energy and health up!
Benefits of Yoga:
⁃ Breathing! It helps to open your chest, and this will help with concentration and focus for your day!
⁃ Increased Energy and Mood! Feel good after knowing you took time for you and it helps your health!
⁃ Reduces stress! Allow yourself to relax! That is what you deserve!
⁃ Physical Strength! Grow your outer and inner strength through balance!
⁃ Mental Health! Don’t take this time for granted, truly come to your mat and just be. Do the moves that bring you energy and strength. Find peace knowing your mind and body are connected together, the way they should be!
⁃ Overall health! – sounds silly when you say but yoga is one of the easiest exercises to help your overall health! You don’t have to do the hour long practices either! Just a good five minute practice every day will help make you feel better, stronger, and with more energy!
Now with benefits like those, and so many more, do you think you too could spare 5 min from your day? Just 5 min to set yourself up for success!
It’s that easy!
Morning Stretch:
⁃ Start with hands by your side and breath in.
⁃ Go into Mountain Pose and make sure you reach as far as you can with your fingertips!
⁃ Grab left hand and pull to the right. This is a sideways stretch and opens the ribs. Do one side and then the other.
⁃ Hands back up to Mountain Pose.
⁃ Next, down to a Forward Fold. If you cant go all the way down that is totally fine! Only go half way, but make sure to breath!
⁃ Hands back up to Mountain, then back to a slight backbend. Release your breath when you go back!
⁃ Come up then go into a Goddess Pose! This is my favorite! Its such an Empowering move and really opens your whole body up!
⁃ Breath! Breath! Breath!
⁃ Stand up to do shoulder stretches. Left then right!
⁃ Take your hands by your side and breath in. Roll your neck to the right. Roll it to the left. Go one side all the way around twice. Then go to the other twice.
⁃ Come back to Mountain Pose!
⁃ Hands down, breath in the out, make noise when you breath out! Use your vocals to really get that last breath out!
⁃ Then, SHAKE IT OFF!
Whoooo! You did it!! See! Wasn’t so bad was it? And now you’re filled with extra breath for your body, your mind, and soul!
Now!!! If you want to push for more, below is an added on sequence to the top that I move through! I love really moving in my practice though! Just do what you feel comfortable with!
⁃ So you just came back to Mountain Pose after your neck rolls!
⁃ Let’s go down to Downward Dog!
⁃ Breath! Take a moment in this.
⁃ Down to all fours. Hands and feet. Make sure you Re-situate yourself!
⁃ Time for some Cat and Cow! Make sure your breath is alined for each. Don’t rush this! When your in Cat, check your shoulders, how do they fill? When your in Cow, hows your lower back? Be aware of your body in each pose!
⁃ Back to Tabletop.
⁃ Come back into a Child’s pose and breath.
⁃ Breath here for three good full breaths.
⁃ Come up and flip around to where you are sitting with legs straight out.
⁃ Stretch down to your feet. If you can’t thats completely okay!!! This takes time, and this is will come!
⁃ Hands up! Reach as far as you can with your hands while sitting!
⁃ Lay back all the way down!
⁃ Breath!
⁃ When your ready! Flip over!
⁃ Flow from plank to Downward Dog in one motion. Breath through this!
⁃ Once in Dog, walk yourself back up to a Forward Fold. (Half way is great too!!)
⁃ Breath in and reach up to Mountain Pose one last time!
⁃ Breath out and bring your hands to your heart!
⁃ Close your eyes and let go. Dont focus on poses or breath or any of it. Just be.
⁃ Open your eyes, take one more big breath in! Breath out and use those Vocals! Make it a breath that you are pushing Everything bad out of your body!
⁃ Then, SHAKE IT OFF!
You did it!!! How do you feel?
The time you take matters! Don’t rush through these just to say you did them. The time you make for yourself is your oasis. Own it, and Grow it.
Happy Mondays Loves! Go forth and make today and each day after YOUR DAY!
Now say, “I am happy, I am healthy and I am full of love!
Take a second. How did that feel to say? Are you just thinking it or actually saying it out loud?
What you say and how you say it mean everything when it comes to speaking to yourself.
Words are important!
Without words are world would be a blank canvas of untapped beauty. We need words.
From speaking to each other, being able to read and write, and most important speaking to ourselves words are what make up our lives.
Words are power and words are important! If you’re not use to speaking these types of affirmations out loud I challenge you, once a day for 30 days speak one of the below out loud. Go stand in your mirror or sit up in your bed in the morning and speak these words.
⁃ I am healthy
⁃ I am strong
⁃ I am full of love and happiness
⁃ I will be a flame for others
⁃ I will full my positivity
⁃ I have the energy to bless others
⁃ I am deserving of kindness and respect
⁃ I am beautiful
⁃ I am no less than anyone I meet
⁃ I love who I am
⁃ I love all that I have achieved
⁃ I love all that I can become
⁃ I will overcome anything
For 30 days, that is all I ask! Say at least one of these to yourself. If you can go to a mirror and look at yourself when you do that’s even better, you need to know who your talking too.
When you look into the mirror really look at yourself, the curves of your face. The dimples on your checks. Does your nose wrinkle? When you smile do you show teeth? Really look at yourself, study yourself and repeat at least one if not all of these affirmations. Don’t just whisper them…I want you to yell them!
Yell,
“I love who I see in the mirror!”
You are beautiful. You are strong, and You deserve unending happiness. No if, ands, or buts about it! You DESERVE it all!
If you haven’t heard about Romwe yet I am seriously about to make your day!
I found Romwe about a year and half ago and no joke haven’t bought clothes from any other site since! Okay well Amazon, but that’s like a whole other level of shopping! I mean an actual clothes site! From their tops, their dress, their sleepwear, the swimsuits, sweatshirts, shoes, and yes even some costume get up Rowme is my only go to!
Romwe has been around since about 2010 and has been helping people get the most beautiful clothes for the absolute best prices! Below are just some, and I mean only like 5% of the actual amount I have sitting in my closet, of their outfits I have! Each one is listed with their SKU and current price!
I’ve been shopping with them through their app, Romwe, and it is super easy to download and register for an account! Once you do register you will be set up to receive monthly coupons on top of Romwe points!
My favorite Sunflower Print Lace Up Back Bikini Swimsuit – $13.09 swswim03190717668Ditsy Floral Bandana Cami Top – ON SALE $3.91 rwvest03210111785
Now with Fall right around the corner Romwe will have you completely covered with the cutest snug ready outfits! And! Ooooo yeah I’m about to add some icing to the cake!!!
The best Fall sweatshirt! Super thick but not bulky! – $8.84 rwsweatsh01191115731
You can set up a CREDIT FREE account with AfterPay to purchase all your Romwe clothes in four easy installments! Boom!
AfterPay is an app designed to help you shop. Literally! It connects you to your favorite sites and once you choose what you want to purchase through them you can click the AfterPay button at checkout and it will direct you to set up an installment plan! Four easy payments of the overall total price! You spend $100 on clothes, cause yeah I’ve done it many of times, no probably just $25! And it doesn’t effect your credit!!! WooHoo! If you haven’t already that needs to be the first app you download!
The absolute cutest Solid Ribbed Scallop Edge Skirt – ON SALE $4.95 swskirt04200603030
Halloween costume get up too?? Oh yeah!
rwsexy03200911665
They even have guys clothes too!!
I know! Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better! Romwe has stuff for guys too! Their is a whole girls side and guys side to their site which amazing options on both! Honestly that’s where most of my husband’s shirt’s come from!
Want to check them out first? Visit @romwe_fun on Instagram for a peak at what all they have!
Okay sound like something you wanna go spend hours scrolling through?
I promise once you get on there you’re gonna want to, and if your like me even with insanely low prices you’re still searching for those coupons!
Below is a 12% off coupon made specially for you!
Yes that’s right you! An extra 12% off that already low price? How could you not love this place! Follow the link below and get started on all the fun!
It is possible! It’s a process, and a journey but it’s something so Worth it and it doesn’t have to be stressful!
Yeah you heard right!
It doesn’t have to be stressful!
So let me step back real quick, anything you want to do or have requires putting time and work into it! It takes dedication and the persistence to stick with it even if it gets hard! So with that being said you too can do anything you want! Anything you REALLY want! As long as your willing to stick with it and put in the time it takes to get it.
Want to go on vacation? Or start your own business? Or own your own house? You can, but are you willing to put the time and effort to get those things? That is the question you have to answer for yourself.
My husband, Dustin, and I have been married a little over a year now. We have been together 5 years in total and just bought our first home back in April! Looking back it really does seem that long ago, like everything went by so fast, but the road getting here was definitely no open highway drive!
We moved into our first townhouse, six months into our relationship, to this small town in the middle of nowhere. We pretty much became non-existent during that whole year and after the year was up we had to make the tough decision to move back in with Dustin’s parents.
Let me just stop real quick to say, God Bless the whole House family!
You will never met a better family, and I seriously am the luckiest to be blessed to have them as my family now! They took us in when we needed and allowed not only myself but our big ol baby Zowey to stay with them!
It was husband, my both my in-laws, my sister-in-law, two dogs, my other sister-in-law that would come home on the weekends from college, and myself all in this house. Somehow though, we all managed, we all just flowed together every day. Going into it I was so nervous, and honestly, embarrassed, but it went so much more easily then I could have ever thought. They immediately made me feel so welcomed and loved and, like I said, God Bless that family! That year turned out to be one of the biggest blessings too, I got the best job working with my mother-in-law at our insurance firm!
After that year though we were able to get our new rental house that we had for two years! It was a nice starter place. Perfect for my husband and myself and Zowey! Then we got Callie.
Callie is our, now 2 year old, Aussie and she is our little sissy! She is the sweetest thing in the world and her hugs make me melt! We got her the first year at that house and then a short year later we got Mamma. Mamma was my friends dog but her and her family were moving out of the country so they couldn’t take her, so we adopted her! She is our potato!
Zowey is the one on the left, Mamma (Potato) is middle, and Callie is on the right!
Now though, with my husband, me and three dogs, our home was starting to feel a tad cramped! It was time.
It took us exactly 4 months, viewing 22 houses, putting offers in on 8 houses, running and rerunning back to the bank for updated bank statements over and over, and so many “I’m over it!” before we got our home.
Remember when I said it takes dedication for something you want? Remember I said it takes time? Yeah…it takes it all when buying a house, but!
Yes there is a but!
But…I am going to give you a few tips and tricks to help get you started in your house buying process to help make it less of a stress for you!
One:
⁃ Make a list of what you want! – Go crazy with it! You want windows in every room? Put it on the list! You want at least 4 bedrooms? On the list! Put down anything and everything you want in a house! This is your dream, this is your goal! Put it down and read it over and over!
Two:
⁃ Make a list of what you can live without! – I know, kinda takes away from the first one, but hear me out! Now that you have it all listed out, Everything you want, big or small, you need to narrow down. Heck, if you can get everything on your list Whooo! You go girl! Unfortunately though, more times than not your not going to find a house that has exactly everything you want. Unless you build, and then again, You go girl!!! Narrow down though. If you can live without certain things on your list DONT MARK IT OFF, put a little mark next to it! You don’t have to take away, cause hey you may find it in a house, just mark so you know that’s not necessarily needed!
Three:
⁃ Really look at your budget! – some of you are probably thinking, “what the junk is a budget?” And in that case, honey, bless you. If you are getting ready to buy a house, or really buy anything that is a major purchase you’ve got to have a budget!! You’ve got actually sit down and look at what got, what you don’t, what you want, what you need, and how much you really really can afford! Buying a house takes time right? This is probably the biggest time piece!
*Make sure you budget how much you can go over asking price too! Most houses, specially in todays market, are going $20-$30K over asking! I know, WHAT?! It’s right though! On average your gonna pay about $15K over. THANKFULLY we got blessed and the house we went to purchase, at first we went about 15K over, but appraised for less so whoo hoo!
Four:
⁃ Look at the Neighborhoods and school districts! – I know when you first start to look at houses it gets all, “oh look at the bathrooms!”, “Look at these closest!”, Or “that kitchen!”. It’s so much fun looking! And it should be! This could potentially be your new home! You need to have fun with this! You also need to be safe and find something you actually need! Do you have kids and need to be by a school? Will the commute to work be an easy one? Do you have three crazy pups and need a big yard like us? These are things you need to look at and consider as well in buying your home.
Five:
⁃ Okay here it is the biggest tip I can give! DO NOT GET OVERWHELMED AND DO NOT SETTLE! – just saying this makes me laugh! I say this in hopes that you won’t be like me and you’ll actually understand, you have time! I tend to over do things and if there is something I want I put everything into it till its mine. Not a bad thing, but in this case I was constantly putting in stress and getting stress back. You have time! The first house you see you’ll, 50/50, either be, “Oh my gosh, I need it!”, Or “Oh nooo, not happening!” This is a common feeling! My only advice on this is go into the viewings thinking your this awesome house critique! Like one of those home improvement shows with the people that walk into a house and just start pointing out what they like, what they don’t, and what they want to change and update. Be like this! Go in and find what you love, find what you dont, and find what could be done to make it better! If you do this with every house you’ll start to get a clearer picture of the house you actually want! Don’t get so overwhelmed with the actual process of buying that it takes the fun out of actually shopping! I don’t know about you but I love shopping and this was the biggest purchase we are probably gonna ever make so we wanted to have fun with the actual process! Probably why we saw 22 different houses… I’ll fully take that was all me but hey what can you do!
Biggest thing though, don’t settle either! There are so many houses out there if you’ve been looking for a while and are tired and just want to say screw it, dont! You want to go with that one you saw last week that didn’t have the yard you wanted but it has four bedrooms that you need? Don’t settle. You want that awesome house with the perfect bathrooms and closests but its over an hour from your work? Don’t settle! This process takes time! Sometimes it takes a few weeks, sometimes a few months like ours, but sometimes its takes more! What if you do go with one of those houses then in the next two months another comes up that has all that you want and more! Two more months! Thats all you had to wait to get your dream home? Could you do it?
• Key note – in today’s market, houses are going like crazy! Like seriously crazy! Those 22 we went and viewed, all under contract and gone within three days! Three days y’all! That is insane! Do not stress yourself out trying to get in and see a house and feel obligated to put an offer on one you don’t really like!
No house is going to be perfect! Again, unless you build it. So don’t go into this process thinking it has to be perfect, find something that works for you and has what you want, what you need and what you love!
Another big tip I need to put out there, TALK TO YOUR PARTNER!
If you are married or in a relationship you can not do this by yourself! This is something you both are going in on, something you both will live in together, and I hope, make home together! You need to communicate, you both need to sit and make that list! You both need to sit and redo that list! You both need to find houses you both wanna see! You both need to have an opinion on your future! This is a huge step and going into without full support, and I mean you supporting them and they supporting you, then this process will crush you. It will make you stressed. You need support and you need to give it!
I hope this helps to at least get you started in this process! It’s a lot, I won’t lie to you, but isn’t anything that you actually want? Question is, is it worth it?
If you truly want it, you can have it! It is possible, and the journey can be fun, you just gotta go for it!
Healing House & Home 