23

Monday, January 31, 2011

via

This Monday morning I'm taking a moment to...

meditate

center myself

close my eyes

deep breaths

in and out

pretend...

that when I open my eyes

to tackle the mountains of laundry that has appeared on the floor

in front of my washer and dryer ....

the room they are in really looks like this!!!

Now, I'm off to light a candle...

think happy thoughts

turn on my favorite music

to set the mood for some serious elbow cleaning!!!

So, here's to digging deep...

and daydreaming about laundry rooms that would have me washing clean clothes...

just for f u n!!!!

xo,

18

Thursday, January 27, 2011

When I picked the word

"full potential"

as my inspirational word for 2011 I didn't have any preconceived ideas of exactly how I was going to use it....

as the new year began

and the days became weeks

it became rather clear to me of how I was going to get started...

My home spoke to me

the walls were whispering to me....

breathe fresh life into us...

I had my first goal for 2011

revamp

refresh

with the power of...

p a i n t

and

with the labor of love I have for accomplishing it for my family!

I have gently broken this news to my husband in stages...

blog posts...

little surprises as he has arrived home from his constant travels...

the staircase was the beginning

{haven't forgotten to post pictures...they're coming... i promise}

I have my vision...

my notes have been fined tuned...

my swatches have been thoroughly evaluated, researched, discussed....

minor anxiety attack...

which was quickly resolved by a quick phone call to my sweet friend during our snow storm last night....

she braved the snow & slush for a quick drive down the street

to have a peek...

pour a glass of wine...

as we sipped wine we stared at my walls...

I told her my plan....

okay

who am i trying to kid...

p l a n S

i had a moment where i questioned myself

what i had gotten myself into

did i jump too soon

was I being too spontaneous

too rushed

{it's only January after all}

the answer we came up with was

heck

NO...

full potential means...

going

B I G

As i go about this process and move from

room to room

with a different paint can as I go...

I will document my picks

my whys

my vision

my thoughts about the colour

my boo boos

{they will happen....}

Today, as we were all home bound, schools closed, I dug in or should I say..

tore apart!!!

So, here's to freshening up one room at a time!!!

xo,

16

Monday, January 24, 2011

via

I've got a couple surprises up my sleeve...

and it's all because of

January

I have January to thank for giving me the gift to work my way out of the winter doldrums

for reminding me that there can be sunny days even with gray skies

for giving me some doozy decorating dilemmas that have now set the course for this year

this extra mental work has turned into a very sweet reward....

I believe I need to make a heart shaped cake with fluffy pink frosting and extra rainbow sprinkles scattered on top....

actually the cake I make should be shaped like a paint can...

with the frosting dripping off the rim...

better yet, I would rather order a cake from Laura

now that would be a treat!!!

Here's celebrating the month of January for giving me a gift that keeps on giving!

xo,

happy Monday

23

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

I see my life as a big giant canvas

a picture book

a blessing

that allows me the freedom to create

to express myself through colour

style changes

phases

there's a season for all things...

it's much more then adding colour to a wall

it's the creative thinking process

the planning

the trouble shooting

it's jumping in with both feet

taking chances

overcoming obstacles

growth

milestones

remembering life's lessons....

that it's your canvas to create

your style

faith

your independence

so go for it

with big bold strokes

create a canvas that will have your heart singing

that will leave a lasting imprint on the lives you touch.

Opening the lid on the paint can last week was just what I needed

I could hear a big sigh of relief

murmurs of...

she's add it again

I felt my groove kicking in...

coffee and croissants with my friends was just what i needed

to get me going

helping me see the bigger picture that sometimes can get cloudy...

the skies immediately cleared...

my direction was back on track...

and as my husband turned the lock on the door

he stepped into the house...

and said...

I read your blog...

I know what you did!!!!

I ran into his arms

feeling my heart exploding with love from the affirmation that

he totally understands me.

Love Sweet Love

My staircase and hallway are freshly painted in

Carrington Beige by BM

it feels great!!!!

More hallway pictures to come....

mirror to hang

gallery photos to select...

it's all coming together!

Here's to creating your own one of a kind canvas
with big bold strokes that will tell a story of your life!!!

xo,

navigating my way through January...

22

Thursday, January 13, 2011

{Country Living}

I find January to be a very tricky month...

and this week has been full of challenges...

from freezing cold, snow, icy, windy weather conditions

to gloomy skies that are begging for color...

have left me without a direction

feeling stagnant

my desire to create, paint something is begging to be released

for some strange reason it's the one thing that tends to help me find my way

i have found myself in a dilemma

a creative space dilemma

because I'm so eclectic

i can't decided on the so called "look" i want

{Coastal Living}

it's left me feeling

frustrated

the kind of frustration that has me walking in circles

questioning the cohesive look

will it unit the home or only divide the space....

now that i've released what's bothering me

I've just diagnosed myself with a severe case of cabin fever...

i haven't been blogging this week

all because i've been walking my hallway

staring at the walls

looking into rooms

sitting on my staircase

wiping the dust bunnies with my fingertip

writing

S O S

in the dust that continues to collect no matter how much i dust

because I'm a doer

i couldn't take it any longer

i did the only thing i could think of doing

one that gave me a flashback to art class in grade school

when the teacher assigned a art project telling you to create anything you want...

that assignment always left me with a blank paper because i have so many

loves

ideas

i felt frozen

it always felt like i was going to make a mistake

and as i've aged

became a parent

i'm always telling my children to

take a chance

go for it

draw outside the lines

challenge yourself

go above and beyond because don't you want to see what's there

you are bigger then your own imagination

with those thoughts running through my mind

6:30 PM when

dishes were stacked in the sink

bathwater running for 2 kiddos

piano practice could be heard down the hall

a tug of war going on between our dog and my daughter over a sock

grabbing the phone to hear my husband's voice telling me the weather conditions at his location...

wondering if snow will have him delayed or home on Friday....

i said my goodbyes...

be safe

went to the laundry room

grabbed my favorite paint brush

the first can of paint i saw

{and i have many}

opened the can

walked back upstairs

in all the commotion

mayhem

that 6:30PM brings

i dipped my paint brush into the can

and painted outside the lines....

down my hallway

down the staircase

a continues line

of a random color

it felt

liberating!!!!

My teenage age daughter called me "weird" that's code for i love you...

that pretty much sums up my week...

how's your week going?

P.S. I've now called in my close advisory team of girlfriends over for coffee tomorrow morning to show them what i've done & over chocolate croissants, coffee, diet coke for my favorite brit help me find a very good explanation to come up with of why i just colored on my walls before my husband's flight touches down Friday night!

....

P.S.S

and hopefully i will have picked a color!!!

xo,

full disclosure....

30

Friday, January 7, 2011

Six days into the new year i lost any sort of will power i thought I had starting a new year...

during this month you will find me

cleaning

storing Christmas decor

attacking the chickadees closets

i find it therapeutic sorting all their clothing so they are all grouped in sections...

i check sizes....

then add sweet items that they've outgrown to the donation pile

send them onto friends

typically these activities keep me home nesting...

until

i run out of milk....

you all know by now i need my daily 3PM latte fix

which calls for 7 1/2 ounces of skim milk

so after I do the school drop off...

wish everyone a fabulous day

do your best

rock your subjects...

i decided to purchase my milk at....

Target

I quickly grabbed my fresh chilled gallon of skim milk

then did a little

pause...

detoured through the lighting area

just to see

have a peek

at any new

lamp shades that may have appeared while I've been tucked in closets...

and wouldn't you know it

right there and then

i lost any will power i thought i had built up during the first 6 days...

i caved

even called my friend

telling her i had no restraint

asking her to talk my out of it...

she laughed

rationalized it with me

{that's what good friends do right?}

I have a passion

some may say addiction

to...

lamp shades!

Am I the only one who changes lamp shades the way you would change your flip flops for boots when the season changes?

Is this weird?

Is there a cure for such a passion?

Is so my husband would like to know the cure...

why

i'm not sure...

So, with the first week of the new year coming to a completion

with a weeks worth of cleaning bliss completed

new recipes that have re~awakened my love for dishing up delicious meals

toss in some passion

i'd say...

we're off to a great start

don't you?!!!!!

h a p p y F r i d a y
xo,

Lentils & Full Potential....

18

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Let me begin by saying...

haPPy NeW YeaR!

I love welcoming in a fresh year

I find it rather exciting to think about what the year has in store for...

my family

I spent New Years Eve & day thinking about my

goals

hopes

dreams

and as I soaked in family time with everyone home for one week

where

keys were left dangling on hooks

coats half hazardly tossed where ever they landed from the latest snow outing

the hum of the latest load of laundry was running it's cycle...

I reflected on the year

the ups

the downs

thought of who I had to say goodbye to & miss very much...

a trip that took my breath away

and left me feeling exhilarated...

eager to travel more

what had been accomplished

what fell through the cracks

I did the...

woulda

coulda

shoulda

for a few minutes

then quickly

said

H E L L O

2011

it's so nice to see you!

After all that I was left with two words running through my head

in big bold letters

that said...

F U L L P O T E N T I A L

I first ignored it

went about my day

let the activity swirling around my home engulf me

but as i fell into bed each night

closed my eyes

I'd see it again

F U L L P O T E N T I A L

still just as big, just as bright

but now flashing!!!!

Okay, it may have taken me 3 days to finally figure it out

but I finally did!!!

Over a very hearty bowl of

the most delicious Lentil Soup I've ever tasted!!

I had never made Lentil Soup

until this year

January 3, 2011

Not only did I love it

but

my children did too!!!

That's all it took for the pieces of the puzzle to fit into place

for the words I'd been seeing for the past 3 days make perfect sense...

I haven't been using my

full potential

it that moment I was totally brutally honest with myself

and realized rather quickly that I coulda, shoulda made this soup before

but for some reason

I hadn't...

w h y

and then it quickly opened the box of what else have i missed

questioning on my part.

The good news is I had my answer

this year my word for myself is:

potential

for me to USE

to it's fullest

to stretch my boundaries

test my skills

challenge myself

I want to feel myself standing on my tippy toes balancing

arms stretch high

I want to fall into bed each night

knowing I gave the day my all

I realistically know some days will have speed bumps

little hiccups

...that's life...

but I know now that I just need to down shift over the bump

then hit my foot to the pedal to reach maximum speed.

I cannot end this post without a warm loving thank you for the Lentil Soup recipe

to my friend Tara big xoxo for a recipe that warmed the bellies of my chickadees

that had this momma happily washing my favorite buffalo china bowls that were...

empty!!!

Here's to a fresh new year, new discoveries

using my full potential!!!