To live In the Spice Rack means that you embrace the things in life that make you happy, and add a dimension of wholeness to your life. Give up feeling guilty for enjoying pleasure in your life. Be happy. Do great work that enriches your life, and the lives around you. Know that you are worthy of being loved and cherished just as you are. Start with yourself. Living a colorful and pleasure filled life isn’t for everyone. Are you daring enough to take the leap?
After listening to this album, my first question is – Who got divorced?
I think this album is one that a lot of people can relate to on an emotional level. I highly recommend it if you like emotional music, albums that tell a story, danceable tunes, songs that will fire you up and break your heart, or if you simply love Train.
Train has borrowed styles from many different artists and effectively pulled it off. I am very impressed with their versatility.
Let’s go through each song!
Don’t forget to watch Train’s live performance on the QVC channel on Friday, September 5th at 5pm ET.
If you want to get the album for yourself, check these links out!
iTunes: http://smarturl.it/bulletproofpicasso,
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/bulletproofpicassoAM
I participated in the Train Bulletproof Picasso album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided a free album to review but all opinions are my own.
Skotte often goes to gaming conventions. Over the course of a few days, he might play something like thirty games, some of which the world has never seen before. It’s very exciting stuff!
After one convention, I received the cutest gift from him – a tiny Doctor Who!
I had to talk myself out of wanting one of every character the company makes! They are so cute!
No, I will be content and deliriously happy with my one tiny Doctor.
Tiny Doctor resides on my desk, amongst other fun characters. There’s the fiddle playing gnome, Hello, Kitty! on a keychain connected to my WoW authenticator, a mini Wegmans truck (Wegmans is our totally awesome local grocery chain), and my Autumn Bear from some good friends.
There is something missing though…!!! I have Sandman figures which I received for Christmas one year from Skotte. They are all sitting in their original packaging, because that makes them more valuable for the future. But are they really serving me in this capacity?
I go back and forth on this issue. Obviously, once opened, you can’t really turn back time to un-open them. (Although, maybe my tiny Doctor could help now!) The Endless and their Dreaming counterparts sit patiently in the meantime, wrapped in plastic.
There was a Judge John Hodgman court case about this. (Listen here.) A woman wanted to open her Scully figure, while her husband wanted to keep his Mulder and her Scully in their packaging to retain the value. I won’t tell you how Judge Hodgman ruled, but it’s a rousing case, and worth listening to!
So I ask: What would you do?
In the Spice Rack is a labor of love for me. On this day of celebrating LOVE, I want to share with you the WHY.
I’ve mentioned briefly that my life has not gone at all the way I planned. As I entered college, I had a definitive plan – get my 4-year degree, then a Masters and possibly a doctorate. Write music, play and sing all over the world. Teach. I never planned on getting “rich,” but music was my passion. I lived and breathed music and I was pretty good at it.
I did not anticipate a lengthy list of things that would stand in my way. My teacher left my university and I never really connected with a mentor after that. I experienced a horrible time with depression. A diagnosis of fibromyalgia came when I was around 20. School and life circumstances left me burnt out, sad, lonely, and broken. I had many surgeries, culminating in a partial hysterectomy at age 25. I made myself small inside, because I didn’t think I deserved my dreams.
Today I look at these obstacles as rare gifts.
The gifts give me the opportunity to think outside of the box, and to use my creativity as a tool.
It is not easy for me to do things differently from people around me. I compare myself to others, and ask myself, “Wouldn’t it be easier to go get a regular job?” It would offer stability and structure. But, I would not be happy with this choice long term. I would be building someone else’s dream.
I am doing this because it is my life’s work. I want to inspire you to do the same. I want to live an extraordinary life. I want to share my dream with you.
I view life like a spice rack.
You can start off with the same basic ingredients, but how your mixture will taste depends on the herbs, spices, and flavorings you put into it. Your mixture will be different from your neighbor. You might add more or less orange flavoring, with pecan sprinkles on top and a dash of cinnamon.
I have a lot of friends who also make jewelry, but we all do it differently. Even if we all made the same items, they would be put together differently! We each speak to different people’s hearts. There is room for everyone!
I want to help people reach their own unique dreams.
I want to simultaneously fulfill my dreams.
What sorts of things fill up my Life Spice Rack?
Soon, I am going to announce my next step and I want you to come along with me!
Stay tuned!
And have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
I have been reading for years on blogs and Pinterest about people who recycled crayons into new crayons in fun shapes. I wanted to try it for myself! Here are my results!
How I did it:
Most of the steps should be done by grown-ups. I will note which parts are kid-friendly!
1. First, I purchased or found at home a mold that would work. I tried two different molds.
Here is an Amazon Affiliate link to the one I purchased and the one I preferred: Wilton 2105-2588 Bite Sized 20-Cavity Heart Dessert Shell Pan
This pan has a non-stick coating which actually works great for this project! And the heart indentation is fabulous, too!
I also tried a silicon heart shaped ice cube tray from IKEA – the hearts were quite cute, but not as pretty as the Wilton-pan ones! I also pretty much ruined the silicon tray, as you can see.
2. Find crayons! I reused crayons from my childhood.
3. Remove the paper from the crayon. You could have older kids do this with their nails, but I don’t recommend it, unless you want to give your kids a very time consuming project and potential paper cuts.
I used an X-Acto Knife to cut the paper off, as if I was peeling a carrot. (In this same way, you could also slice shavings off the crayons to put into the molds.) This part is definitely for grown-ups if using a knife!
4. Next, I broke the crayons into pieces. I went with larger pieces – break the crayon into half, and then each new piece into half. This can be hard, depending on the crayon and size, so use the knife if needed. You could cut them into smaller sizes if you desire, or use crayon shavings. I used big chunks because it was less time consuming.
5. The Kid Part! Sort your crayon pieces into your mold.
I put mine into 2-3 color combinations – reds and oranges, oranges and browns, yellow and greens, blue and greens, blue green and yellow, purples and reds… you get the idea! FYI – I made a few with rainbow colors and they ended up looking like a mushy brown mess.
You want to fill them loosely to the top for a nice thick crayon.
6. Silver, Gold, Bronze, Fluorescent, and White crayons make excellent accents. Put these on the very bottom of the mold to utilize them the best!
7. Put your tray into a pre-heated oven set to 250 degrees F. Melt for 10-12 minutes. You may need to adjust the time depending on your oven and the crayons you use, but mine were completely melted within 12 minutes.
8. Let your new crayons cool completely.
9. Turn your mold over onto a flat surface. Crayons should slide out easily. I only had to give a gentle tap a couple of times.
10. Enjoy your new crayons!
P.S. I have some of these for sale in my shop right here!
I have just returned from a wonderful gaming convention called Running Gagg at SUNY Geneseo.
Some of the students found these Valentines amusing.
Maybe you will too!
Get the PDF here!
A friend of mine invited me to join Chalene Johnson’s 30-Day Challenge.
I have been feeling unmotivated and lacking real focus. Doing things 30 days at a time appeals to me, so I said a resounding Yes!
We are now on day five, but you can join in any time. It is free, and will totally “PUSH” your boundaries.
I am already making new friends and getting refocused on my priorities.
January 2013
The Safe Zone – I don’t mean feeling physically safe. (That should be a basic human right!) No, in this context I mean the zone we might stay in to stay emotionally comfortable.
Each person has their own codes and ethics, morals and rules to live by. We learn these from our families, friends, environments. As we grow, we give ourselves tune-ups, expanding our definitions and pushing our boundaries.
In the past, I found myself in a deep rut, bound by a safe zone. I couldn’t move! I felt that no matter what I decided, someone would be hurt or upset. But, not “moving” meant stagnation, which was unhealthy.
To solve this issue, it took a lot of very tiny decisions on my part, until I felt able to make larger ones. To be completely honest, the biggest change in my most recent life was my father going into the hospital and then passing away. This moved me from inaction to complete action. I knew what I had to do.
I don’t drive very much due to anxiety. One time while I was working in Pittsburgh, I drove myself to get dinner at a fast food place, and on the way home, I experienced hysterical blindness. My eyes were completely open, but there was nothing but a curtain of black in front of me. It did not last long – thank goodness! After a few seconds, and a car honking behind me, my adrenaline kicked in and I was able to get back to the hotel. This scare put me off driving for many years. I would drive a mile away to the grocery store, but that was about it.
When my father went into the hospital, I started driving there every day to visit him. It is a 15 minute drive, and fairly straight forward, but I still had the occasional panic attack. There was no question in my mind though – not going was not an option. I HAD to be there, and I had to do it myself. My dad was my inspiration. After all of the things he’s done for me in my life, it was the least I could do for him – to show up!
In a way, I needed this huge life altering change, but I wish it had been for different reasons.
Before that happened however, I was making other changes.
These changes were so hard for me at first. Taking a walk consisted of 2 minutes walking up and down the driveway. That was all I could do! But, soon I could do 5 minutes! By June when Dad was in the hospital, I could walk all over the hospital without falling over. This was huge for me. I still had to stop and rest sometimes, but I could do it!
In December, I was invited to a caroling party. We walked up and down the street in the snow, stopping at various houses and even a restaurant to sing. It wasn’t until I was heading back to our base that I felt truly exhausted. A few years ago, this would have been impossible for me. Even Skotte was impressed at my stamina!
These challenges have been extremely hard for me. Without the support of medicine that aids my anxiety and fibromyalgia, friends/family who help and listen when I need to vent, and my willingness to be connected to the world around me, this new adventure would not be possible.
If I can do it, so can you!
Some of the huge changes I thought I had to make to get out of my emotionally safe zone ended up not being needed at all. I could have made them, and had some of the same results. There really is no one way to accomplish things in our lives. However, you have to find out what works best for YOU!
But the first step is being willing to do it!
Are you ready???
December 2013
Holding one of my Christmas presents from Skotte
