what will you be feeding yourself and your family today?

Huge fan/supporter of what Jamie Oliver preaches. He's genious. But not really. He just talks common sense. Let's make a change people.
Watch Jamie lay it out for you.

dear {creative} self

Dear Creative Self,
It has been too long. You have been so distant and I dream about you often.

You were in overdrive there for a while, and I long for you to regroup and get back to your creative self. It's ok. We all need a break. So do what it takes to get inspired. Draw something, glue something, cut something, create something.

Start with creating a space to let your ideas flow. (Just ignore the pink and blue 80's wallpaper behind your desk. Or not. Work with it till you can slap on a new background to your creative space).

I found some plain ol' clip boards for you to start your (VERY INEXPENSIVE, yet sorta chic) inspiration board. Go ahead. Get inspired.

Head over to "a beautiful mess" for more inspiration.
http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Till we meet again.

A

tuesday's {to do list}

If {putting things off} were a sport, I am pretty sure I'd be an Olympic Gold Medalist. Yup, my name is Adrian and I'm a procrastinate-aholic.

Today, in the midst of some side projects, I will be taking care of some chores. I know, boring blog post about chores.... BUT it gets better!

A couple of years ago I listened to a life-changing audio book titled "Take Time For Your Life" by world renowned life coach, Cheryl Richardson.

(You must visit her site http://www.cherylrichardson.com/)

I swear by this book! I could pretty much relate to every statement, in every chapter, on every page (track). One of the many amazing "aw, hah!" moments I remember most is when Cheryl was discussing a meeting she had with a client and this client had some built up anger that would be expressed every time she went into one specific room in her house. She didn't know why, because nothing bad had happened in that space and it was pretty clean and organized. EXCEPT for one box, that she had filled with papers of all sorts. It was one of those things that would linger in her mind, even if she did not realize the exact culprit of this angst. I found this story amazing. How many times do I walk by a pile of laundry that has been sitting on the dryer for a 4 days, or walk into a room that has a bag that I haven't even looked in since I set it there 3 weeks ago, or worst of all the room that became a war-zone-storage unit after months of deprivation, and feel so frustrated and angry.

{photo cred. http://www.twofoto.com/}

It's amazing what little things affect your mood and perspective without really knowing the source. Now, lets take care of some {to do list} chores for a better mood and a gratifying day!

11 powerful ways to expand your life

Who doesn't want to "expand their life"? Let's make the best out of this ride! I found this list online and became completely OB-SESSED on ways to expand my small little life.

Here is THE LIST, with my spin on it.

1. Define your future. Be sure to think BIGGER than yourself. Stretch yourself. Think without any limitations.


2. Become the person who would achieve your goals. I love this one. So often I have these great dreams, then think "I can't do this, but how does that person do it?" The author suggests spending one extra hour each day on your success goals.


3. Give more than you must. Do not just do what is expected. Go BIG or go HOME!


4. Make time for what you love. The author says "If you don't live fully, you deny the world your potential contributions". Duh people!! Embrace all that you love! (That is why I have subscriptions to like 10 magazines!)


5. Refine your Inner Circle. Let go of the people that hold you back, and connect with the ones that encourage you to live fully.


6. Resolve your unfinished business. I am SO guilty of not doing this. "Say your apologies, face your fears, pay your debts (ugh!), express your gratitude and get on with living," the author recommends. He also suggests "Don't let yesterday drain value from today and tomorrow". Now.... lets write that check to my student loan account. Blah!


7. Rethink habits and routines. Yes, please! Mix it up! Instead of sipping on coffee first thing in the am, jump outside and go for a jog.


8. Lighten up. 3 words for ya..... "GET OVER IT".


9. Tighten up. Increase your self discipline and master the art of self motivation. ASAP!


10. Profile yourself. He suggests to really get to know yourself. Know your values, your strengths and weaknesses. Pay attention to the natural reoccurances that happen in your life. It will teach you so much by acknowledging these.


11. Invest in yourself. ZING! Refine your skills, take a class, and spend time.... well, going through this whole list and writing them down. YOU are truly your only asset.

Wouldn't this be a great lesson for kids? Why try to go back and fix and adjust things? Lets teach them this NOW! I wish I had this list at say, 18.

How are you going to use this list?

http://cathcart.com/media-press/motivation-articles/11-powerful-ways-to-expand-your-life-this-year/

Real Life.

Real Life.

Up's. Downs. Good. Bad. Love. Hate.

I am always so grateful for what is thrown my way in life. If it's a negative, I do everything I can to find the positive in the situation. Not everyone does this, and it's not always easy to do of course either. But I hope this chapter in my blog inspires you to see the good out of any bad.

I find some very amazing and inspiring people in my life on a regular basis. It is amazing what unfolds when you really start to ask the Q's. That is what Real Life is.

Meet Melinda. She's as beautiful in the inside, as she is on the outside. As long as I have known her she's been such a fun spirit, a strong woman, and a fighter. She's a single mom who has put her son in a private school for the best education she can give him, and spends any free moment making memories with her only child, Aden. Not only has she accomplished being a wonderful mom she has also fought one of life's hardest battles that no one wants to ever learn to fight. Cancer. Here's her story.


"Oh geez. Weird, sometimes I think I'm over it. You know, when you're first diagnosed you're in a state of shock. Especially at the age of 32. But when I think about the moment my doctor said "It's a malignant tumor. A very aggressive cancer. You will have to go through Chemo and Radiation." I still break down. It was such a blow.

My cancer (awwww, like its my own) is called Ewing Sarcoma. Malignant Tumors.

So the first thing I do when someone talks about anything that I have little or no knowledge of, I "Google" it. With cancer I didn't. The last thing I wanted to do was scare myself more than I already was. I do know, you're born with it. It is aggressive, but highly treatable. and I do believe it is a blood cancer, so it can show up anywhere. One of the first things my Chemo Oncologist asked me was, "What do you know about your cancer?" My reply? "NOTHING". He told me, "that was good". There was nothing that I needed to know that he would not tell me. He also mentioned that there are a lot of things on the Internet that are not true. So never read about your disease or illness on the Internet. Ask your doctor.

I was diagnosed the first time June 26th, 2009 with a tumor in my left pelvic. It had actually started in my thigh bone and worked its way through my pelvic and was on its way into my left buttocks muscle.

The second diagnosis was Sept 15th 2010. I had a screaming migraine on August 29th. It lasted for 2 days, then a steady headache for about 2 weeks. I came home from work on a Friday night and within an hour my vision was double. The following Monday Sept 13th I went to the emergency room and it was a tumor, behind my right eye. It was putting so much pressure on the outside nerve it was causing paralization to my right eye. My eye was so turned-in you could barley see it. I wore a patch for 6 weeks just so I could see straight. Arg!

Ive learned to be thankful. Thankful that I had the best Oncologist ever. Thankful that I was able to get to my treatments when scheduled. Thankful that I have such a wonderful boss that told me he'd hire a temp, but to do what I had to do for myself and for Aden (my son) to get well. My relationship with my family is so much stronger now, after going through this as well.

{photo cred Dena Brender}

I haven't had any symptoms since I finished radiation at the end of October 2010. I actually have a PT Scan scheduled for tomorrow morning (Tuesday February 8th), so we shall see. ;)

I think one of the main thing this has taught me, is that beauty IS only skin deep. Being a girl who was so concerned about her hair, makeup, eyebrows and eyelashes, and I wouldn't ever go out without being perfectly primped, and then losing it ALL was a very humbling experience! I wore wigs, and drew my eyebrows on and wore fake eyelashes or just applied heavy eyeliner and no one could tell. But stepping out of the shower with my head so bald it was shiny and NO eyebrows or eyelashes, was definitely a shock. Knock on wood its all back now, and hopefully this time, it's here to stay."

{Thank you Melinda, for being an inspiration and a fighter. You rock girlfriend!}

she answered. ok, no she didn't

After my last post, I decided to take my own advice (baby steps of course).

{Asking yourself the hard questions}. Wow. I thought "sure, 5 questions or so and I'll have it all figured out". Oh, Adrian... YOU have so much to learn on this journey.

About 30 questions rambled off my mind. If it wasn't for the refill I needed of my peppermint tea, I easily could have kept going. I went down the list and answered the Q's that I knew the answers to right away.

What a realization of the things that sit in my mind, yet I never really think about from beginning to end. I also realized that some of the questions I had were answered by other people's opinions or motives. After finishing MY answers I went back and crossed out the answers that I wrote down as I was thinking about other people. With that being said, I have about 28 Q's to answer all over again.

Have you tried this yet?

Would love to hear how other people answer the tough Q's.

love me a photo shoot vid. {black swan}

Oh, how I OBSESS over photo shoot videos.

Natalie Portman, stunning!

The dresses, to die for!

Haven't seen the movie, but must!

This video is so elegant and feminine. LOVE.
Sharing from Vogue.com