cff April 2014 | Simple and Serene Living

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

manifesting....manifesting....

Remember this photo from Monday?


I bet you thought I was going to show you a photo of it all cleaned up. Well. I have been doing some cleaning and organizing, BUT I seem to have made a bigger mess on the desk. So no, I am not going to embarrass myself by showing you that. 

I did find another of those plastic drawer thingies at Goodwill for $2.50 yesterday and after cleaning it up (it was disgusting) I put it in the closet next to the desk and I am using it to organize some of my things. Maybe I will actually be able to find one of my millions of rolls of packing tape now. 

Oh, I almost forgot about the manifesting. I am trying to manifest an Ipad. 
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There are several reasons I want one. I need something portable to take to auctions and the thrift stores with me so I can look up current values. I do use my phone, but I would like something a bit larger. My laptop is getting really cranky and I could use the Ipad for some of the things I use the laptop for now. The biggest reason is that I want to be able to Facetime with my grandchildren. I am not able to get down to Atlanta very often to see them and that would help with the missing of them that I am feeling. I know those of you with grandchildren understand. No, I don't have one red cent saved towards an Ipad. Thus the manifesting. 

I am sure my desk would be so much tidier if I had an Ipad. That is so not true, but I'm putting it out there anyway in case it helps. My mom always told me good things happened to girls who were neat and tidy. Actually what she said was good girls....... never mind. 



 

Saturday, April 19, 2014

the beauty of spring

Spring is in full bloom here in central Kentucky. 


The sun is shining, the air is warm, and the trees are putting on a wonderful show.


I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend. 


P.S. No biting off the heads of the children's chocolate bunnies is allowed.


 

Thursday, April 17, 2014

transformations....going your own way

I am a woman and for most of my life I have been conditioned to be a caregiver, a pleaser, to listen to the choices of others, to follow the paths that others set out for me, to put myself second. 


It was as if I wasn't able to make good choices for myself. I was a girl child, a teenage girl, a young woman, a mother, and an aging woman. Through all of these phases there was always someone telling me how to live my life, and although I would attempt to rise up and rebel, my voice seemed muffled. 

Do it our way they would say. We know what is best for you I would hear. Don't try that you will fail. 


So I would take one step forward and two steps back. It was as if there was a tune playing in my head that only I could hear, but I was trying to dance to the tune that others were playing, and their tune was drowning mine out. 

What I have learned is that we can never be full happy if we are living our lives according to someone else's wishes. Yes, we will most certainly fail at times, but we will be failing on our own terms, and through those failings we learn who we are. We learn to pick ourselves up and continue on our own unique path. 


It is never to late to follow your own path, and some of us start much later than others, but by listening to your inner voice you will learn just who you are. You will learn to spread your wings and fly. You will learn that your path is uniquely yours. You will find your voice. 



 

Saturday, April 5, 2014

new gardens for a changing world

Gardening is changing, and it is a good thing. We are moving away from chemical fertilizers and pesticides. They may have been keeping our lawns green and pretty, but they are decimating the natural habitats of bees, butterflies, and wildlife. 


Most of us worry about the environmental degradation of our planet but wonder how we can help. Maybe we live in an apartment, as I do with no real green space. Maybe we have a pretty green yard bordered by flower beds and ornamental shrubs. Maybe we have imported flowers and plants that are not native to our area and are therefore hard to sustain. 


So how do we contribute.

Jane Goodall has written a new book called Seeds of Hope, where she talks about sustainable foods and gardening.

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Each one of us can contribute, in our own small way, and if we do so, then as a collective force we can help to turn around the degradation. 



As I age, I realize that I will not be here forever, but I want to leave this earth a better place for my daughters, grandchildren and their future children. 




So before I plant any pots on my patio this year I am going to do some research on what native plants I can use. I would like to use some plants that I can bring into the house next winter to enjoy on my windowsills. I am also going to wash out my dirty bird feeders and start feeding the birds again. 

Do you practice any kind of sustainable gardening?


P.S. I have not been compensated for promoting this book. I just love what Jane Goodall does. 









 

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

if i could i would


If I could wrap today up and tie a big shiny bow around it I would. 

I would save it for next week when the highs will be back in the fifties and sixties.


Or better yet I would send it off to those of you who are still dealing with ice and snow. 

Today was a gift. A gift of summer. A gift of 81 degrees with a warm breeze and the sun bursting out of a perfectly blue sky. 


It was a day I have dreamed about for months. A day that I wondered if it would ever get here. A day where you could sit and watch leaves and blossoms pop out. It was perfect. 



P.S. I did not get the piece of furniture I wanted at the auction. Unfortunately it was above my pay grade, but I know there is a perfect piece out there waiting for me.