All the news!

Little man had a real visit to the denist! He was a super Trooper Then he got a new hair cut so of course he needed to go shopping! New hat like his brother and maybe some cool sunglasses anyone? He's growing up way too fast!

Before and after

My Sweetie was away for a few data and for valentines I decided to paint the master bedroom for him. He hated the color. Muddy brown on every wall complimented by strips of door moulding as a chair rail. Not pretty nor relaxing. Now the brown is on the bed ( comforter) and the walls are all soothing Grays. I love it and so does he!

Day 1 of our vacation!

We are happily relaxing in the hotel ...bed time is 8 pm ..airport for 5am! Oh I so can't wait to see palm trees and the the humidity of West Palm beach.. Hug my beautiful sissta! I almost can't wait.. One more sleep...

Reno finds

Love these colors! Sooooo going to use these in the new house...

I love Robin Sharma ...

Believe in your vision and gifts when no one else believes in your vision and gifts.
Start your day with 20 minutes of exercise.
Make excellence your way of being (versus a once in a while event).
Be on time (bonus points: be early).
Be a celebrator of other’s talents versus a critic.
Stop watching TV. (Bonus points: sell your tv and invest the cash in learning and self-education).
Finish what you start.
Remember that your diet affects your moods so eat like an athlete.
Spend an hour a day without stimulation (no phone+no FaceBook+no noise).
Release the energy vampires from your life. They are destroying your performance.
Write in a journal every morning. And record gratitude every night.
Do work that scares you (if you’re not uncomfortable often, you’re not growing very much).
Make the choice to let go of your past. It’s dusty history. And polluting your future.
Commit to being “Mozart-Level Good” at your work.
Smile more (and tell your face).
Do a collage filled with images of your ideal life. Look at it once a day for focus and inspiration.
Plan your week on a schedule (clarity is the DNA of mastery).
Stop gossiping (average people love gossip; exceptional people adore ideas).
Read “As You Think”.
Read “The Go-Getter”.
Don’t just parent your kids–develop them.
Remember that victims are frightened by change. And leaders grow inspired by it.
Start taking daily supplements to stay in peak health.
Clean out any form of “victimspeak” in your vocabulary and start running the language of leadership and possibility.
Do a nature walk at least once a week. It’s renew you (you can’t inspire others if you’re depleted yourself).
Take on projects no one else will take on. Set goals no one else will do.
Do something that makes you feel uncomfortable at least once every 7 days.
Say “sorry” when you know you should say “sorry”.
Say “please” and “thank you” a lot.
Remember that to double your income, triple your investment in learning, coaching and self-education.
Dream big but start now.
Achieve 5 little goals each day (“The Daily 5 Concept” I shared in “The Leader Who Had No Title” that has transformed the lives of so many). In 12 months this habit will produce 1850 little goals–which will amount to a massive transformation.
Write handwritten thank you notes to your customers, teammates and family members.
Be slow to criticize and fast to praise.
Read Walter Isaacson’s amazing biography on Steve Jobs.
Give your customers 10X the value they pay for (“The 10X Value Obsession”).
Use the first 90 minutes of your work day only on value-creating activities (versus checking email or surfing the Net).
Breathe.
Keep your promises.
Remember that ordinary people talk about their goals. Leaders get them done. With speed.
Watch the inspirational documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”.
Know that a problem only becomes a problem when you choose to see it as a problem.
Brain tattoo the fact that all work is a chance to change the world.
Watch the amazing movie “The Intouchables”.
Remember that every person you meet has a story to tell, a lesson to teach and a dream to do.
Risk being rejected. All of the great ones do.
Spend more time in art galleries. Art inspires, stimulates creativity and pushes boundaries.
Read a book a week, invest in a course every month and attend a workshop every quarter.
Remember that you empower what you complain about.
Get to know yourself. The main reason we procrastinate on our goals is not because of external conditions; we procrastinate due to our internal beliefs. And the thing is they are stuck so deep that we don’t even know they exist. But once you do, everything changes.
Read “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”.
Know your values. And then have the guts to live them–no matter what the crowd thinks and how the herd lives.
Become the fittest person you know.
Become the strongest person you know.
Become the kindest person you know.
Know your “Big 5″–the 5 goals you absolutely must achieve by December 31 to make this year your best yet (I teach my entire goal-achieving process, my advanced techniques on unleashing confidence and how to go from being stuck to living a life you adore in my online program “Your Absolute Best Year Yet”).
Know that potential unexpressed turns to pain.
Build a strong family foundation while you grow your ideal career.
Stop being selfish.
Give your life to a project bigger than yourself.
Be thankful for your talents.
Stand for iconic. Go for legendary. And make history.

New Year..new goals, dreams and wishes

My life is much less complicated ..so much calmer..new house...happy life...tons of Reno ideas!!
New Year's Eve was a great night with great people..it hasn't happened in many years that I just had a nice time bringing in the New Year! No drama for this drama queen!

We are so getting ready to head to Florida...Disney :) Cayden is excited and Mommy is super excited to watch him soak it all in!

Wow almost a year... this one is for Letty

Life now.. new house.. new man-friend..what does one call your friend when you're over 40?? ...new life really.. gone is the dtress of living with a man who has "borderline Personality Disorder" who changes his mind and his demeanor like like changes in the wind.. welcome new man.. easy .. friendly.. loving.. stable.. most of all ..stable :)

I have been slightly addicted to Pintrest lately.. and I'm just going to add a few of the cool things I've found on there.. i'm especially loving planning for a new build!  Who wouldn't want to snuggle up under this?

I love this little Victorian .. anything that has a veranda tugs at my heart strings!

This is Sooooooo the story of my life!

I think this is going to go in my craftroom..

And this seems rather easy doesn't it??

Alexis Miller's Photography Tips: Focus

Alexis Miller's Photography Tips: Focus

Whoo Rah!!! I love love love my job!

Over theist month I have easily earned more than enough money to not only purchase the camera of my dreams ( well I limit my dreams to a camera I know I will be able to use!) I will also have enough to buy some other fancy smancy equipment! Ummm maybe some studio lights or a soft box ...ahhh the possibilities! I have to say since I went to a wonderful goal setting Vision Board class back in January I have been seeing my dreams come true...one after another! I am a believer.. Choose your goals and dreams and wishes then start right at it...go work..go shop..go plan.. Do whatever you need to do to make those dreams a reality! I think that once I get to a real computer I will have to upload a photo of my vision board so that I can start ticking off my accomplishments! (who knew that my ipad wont upload photos to my blog?.) how weird is that....in any event..yay me..yay overtime! ( I am writing this post while sitting at a roadblock! don't worry..no one was hurt during the writing of the blog post!)

Screamingly busy week!

Wow..when a person wants to they can certainly cram a lot into a few short days! Last week was super busy at work with our new project ramping up and everyone getting involved and trained up on the new program we are introducing..since I brought the training I was responsible for looking after the logistics of it which was super fun and wildly busy..then a wonderful weekend of hanging out with my besty and my favorite apeeps! A full 2 day photography course and a birthday dinner,packing and then off to the big city to spread my passion for my work to new and hopefully impressionable people! I am no a teacher..I shake before I walk up in front of everyone and want To run..but this time was different. I got to choose my areas to present and since I was comfortable with the material it went smashingly well! (read..I didn't pass out and no one fell asleep!) the week was especially great because I caught up with a few old friends and am so grateful for that...I missed my girlfriends from past postings and am going to make way more of an effort to see them more often! I also got to spend quality time with my quiet child...hes almost done his first year away at college and I spent a few hours cleaning his apartment in preparation for his move back home... It was truly not that bad! He must take after his father!
I am taking this morning off...maybe brush out a few horses and forget about looming deadlines and career decisions and just relax with my baby and his "old friend Lucy" (that's how he refers to his pony)
photos to come of the day and the finished laundry room!

Adorable fabric flowers!

I've used a few of these on some of my scrapbook layouts but here is a great tutorial that I just found to explain how they are made properly ( so they don't unravel!)http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/2010/09/fabric-rosette-tutorial-extravaganza.html

Oh no it's happening again!

Agrhh! Clearly I have become addicted AGAIN! I had slid of the wagon and taken back control of my time.. then out of nowhere ( well maybe it's because my Mr Man bought me a super wonderful iPad) I'm staying up late and pouring over all the yummy inspiring blogs out there in blogland! Oh well.. i've gotten so many new ideas for my perpetual reno! Speaking of the ongoing..never ending.. drive me crazy with unfinished projects RENO....My little man could not get enough of helping Dad while we were getting the basement bath up and running again! He even had his little "Handy Manny" tool kit out!

I'm also excited because even though Mr Man is gone all weekend( which really just gives me some time to declutter!) I am headed to my first junk auction of the season!! yay!! I'm really hoping to find some old farm chairs for the kitchen ( I've been averaging 1 great chair per auction! so the odds are great that there will be more tomorrow!) Humm maybe I better hit the sack.. ohh just a few more minutes of blog creeping....

Seems I am addicted to my computer.. I'm sick.. supposed to be sleeping and here I am still typing away.. I haven't been keeping up on this "blog" thing .. mainly because I don't feel very interesting most of the time BUT I am going to force my sisters to start checking it out so at the very least they can see some of my scrapbook stuff and photo creations! Like this re-touched photo of - who else.. the Cayd Man!

Ok.. day 1: Refocus on Holiday Values

I always have such a hard time with "values" so I'll start by borrowing the definition from Jessica Sprague to get me started- after all it is her class I'm taking :)

What are your holiday values? Those things we treasure most, and the hopes we have for ourselves and our families during the holiday season? Ultimately, the things we value the most make us who we are, but sometimes these get lost in the chaos that the holidays can bring.

1. I would love for Cayden to have some family traditions.. maybe by coming up with some this year and documenting it I'll remember next year. I have no problem coming up with things.. I just have my Dad's memory and can't remember which traditions we start each year!

2. I would like to enjoy the holidays with family and friends, being so far away from "home" makes Christmas less then wonderful but this year I'd like to make it wonderful for my little family.

3. I would love to have a more traditional christmas- not for for all gift giving but certainly make the gift giving more "personal"

4. I love to feel enveloped in the warmth and peace of the season, I'll need to decorate to add to the coziness of the holidays.

5. I miss the friendship and comfort of our simple "family" Christmas holidays in Quebec, I'd love to re-create that for my family hereand maybe include others that are far away from there relatives.

6. It's time I actually participate in operation shoebox with my kids! I've always wanted to do it and never made the time.. we are so fortunate that our kids lose sight of how wonderful our lives really are- indeed so do I at times.

7. I want a "homespun" family christmas.. without breaking the bank.

overflowing with joy and love for my wonderful little man ...

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms,
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way


than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

~ Pablo Neruda

What a wonderful day off

I can't believe that I did so much in one day.. I've been so lazy lately that today's accomplishments are kind of reaffirming.. I can get stuff done when I try! We (me and my Cayd) got up at a decent time .. I did have to wake him but hey he woke up smiling.. then it was off to the mom's and tots year end party. I've realized that Cayd is in need of little friends, he was so excited at all the kids running around that he just stood in the middle of the room beaming and dancing..after he figured it all out he joined in and had a blast. From there, Cayd went to Jen's and I went to the Rodeo grounds for an hour.. back home and rode my nasty mare all the way over to Tracy's house (at least a 1/2 mile away!) which is a big feat for her and me, normally she tosses her head or balks a little and I give in because I'm scared of getting bounced off of her but not today! I made her do what I wanted and she was so much better behaved by the time we got back home!
From there it was back to the Rodeo grounds and working the door for the second night of Rodeo performances. Then back home and visit with Tracy for a few minutes .. plus I also found the time to call my sisters and let them know that I love them even though we are far apart.. they are still my best friends.. what a wonderful day..

"If you sit down at set of sun

and count the acts that you have done,

and counting find one self-denying deed,

one word that eased the heart of him who heard,

one glance most kind that fell like sunshine where it went--

then you may count that day well spent."

[ george eliot ]

Waking up everyday hoping for something wonderful.. then I open his door and there he is :)

Life is Crazy! or is it just me ???

Back to work; my job has changed drastically in the year that I have been gone.. don't get me wrong' I still love it (well most days) but there are times when I just want to be responsible for me and me alone.. not a whole crew.. I know I should be proud that I'm reliable or dedicated or good enough at my job that the boss let me supervise a bunch of other people but again.. somedays I just want to look after me! My house is an absolute mess and most days I walk around wishing for my big house in Peace River.. a place for everything.. then again there may have been a place for everything because I was the only one who's stuff needed a place! I can't seem to keep up and sometimes I just don't want to.. that of course leads to other issues.. Thank heaven for little boys.. he is all that keeps me sane.. it's hard to go crazy when you're laughing at a completely adorable little toddler..

Cayd is 1 year old today!

Well.. it's 730am and I should be sleeping because the little man still is but I'm stressing .. well freakin out is more like it! I can't believe I have to go back to work in a few days! Almost 2 years since I was on the street! can you say lost :) Oh well it will all work out in the end ..or not :).. I am also very sad that my last baby is a year old already, he's walking and babbling away and he's not looking much like a baby anymore .. sniff..sniff.. hummm.. I can't describe how much more I am enjoying being a momma to a little boy this time around. don't get me wrong, I love Alex and Nic to pieces but I was so young myself when I had them it was all I could do to make it day to day. With Cayden, I'm older (much much older) and way more mature and I'm loving every minute of my life with him.. only 17 more years to go! Happy happy birthday my little Boo!