I hope your New Year Day was fantastic! If it wasn’t everthing that you’d hoped, just take heart in the fact that it’s only one day out of 365: you are able to create even better experiences in the year to come!
As for me, I had a chance to bring in my New Year Day in the BEST way: re-reading one of my favorite books (Rejuvenate! It’s Never Too Late by Eartha Kitt), journaling in one notebook, working on my vision journal, and sipping my favorite wine. I set some intentions and savored the moment when the clock turned 12.
I didn’t go out of my home because there’s no need to take a risk with my health unnecessarily, and it wasn’t like I had many friends in town, anyway. But I was happy to spend this day enjoying my personal space, and I feel that the experience of bringing in the new year in a space you enjoy is a great way to set the tone for the year.
I also started working on future blog posts (which, honestly, is what I do on most weekends, so long as I’m not too busy). I have a lot to share in the upcoming year and organizing my thoughts beforehand will help me tremendously with ensuring that those ideas are shared in the most effective way.
I had a wonderful and peaceful entrance into the new year, and I’m excited for all the incredible experiences that will find their way to me in the months to come. On a side note, I find it no coincidence that this is my 777th post: a good omen if ever there was one!
Now, as I say goodbye to 2021, I look forward to 2022 and how my health will continue to uplevel with the knowledge that I have. You’ll remember how my recent post about what you can expect from Bronze Butterfly mentions the value of implementation over the mere accumulation of facts. And in 2022, using the tips that I learned, seeing how my body reacts, and adjusting accordingly are my priority. I’m temporarily retiring my fact-hunting stance in favor of an action-oriented one. That doesn’t mean that I will refuse all types of knowledge accumulation; after all, I will still need to make observations about my health progress in order to know what kind of adjustments I need to make. But unless I hit a wall with what I know, I don’t think I need to prolong my stay in the research and learning phase.
So, onward and upward to good health and elimination of fibromyalgia symptoms! And I am wishing all of you a healthy, happy 2022, especially those that may be dealing with chronic pain and chronic illness. Take care, and I’ll “see” you all in 2022!
Hi friends! I hope you all are doing great. You all already know how much I love the new year: it is literally my favorite day of the year (even more than my birthday!). The energy of the new year inspires to do retrospective, introspective and future-gazing exercises. In the spirit of looking forward, I asked myself a simple question,
What do I want to do with Bronze Butterfly?
This blog has been my pet project for several years, and I want to set a theme for 2022 that will guide and inspire my writing. I thought about the things that matter to me right now, and what I want to explore more in the future. I think of my previous posts as reflecting a sort of larva stage (staying with the butterfly analogy here): I consumed a lot of information, engaged in a lot of activity, and I had a chance to use some of that knowledge but not to the maximum expression. I want to enter a bit of a chrysalis (cocoon) and eventual butterfly phase with this blog: reducing information consumption and instead being focused on using my energy stores. I will use this energy to actively craft the life of my dreams, instead of simply theorizing and experimenting here and there.
On that note, here are some of the things you can expect from the blog in future posts:
More interviews and deeper conversations – I had one incredible interview this year, and I want to add more to this space. I want to get the actionable tips, wise counsel and pure inspiration that comes from interacting with people that have done “hard things” and succeeded. So look out for more interviews in the upcoming year.
More Kibbe discussion [with a twist] – I think of how much our wardrobe reflects the times we live in, the things we value, as well as how we want to be perceived by the world. I really want to explore what certain Kibbe-verified celebrities expressed through their wardrobe, both pointedly and inadvertently. So that’s another topic I’ll be sharing more about in the months to come.
More book chats and writing tips – This is a continuation of the past couple of years of Writers Wednesdays, but here’s hoping I can share even more about the writer’s life and events that are relevant to writing. Also, I’ll be going back to doing book reviews (which I put on hold over the past couple of years, for the most part). I’ll be focusing on books that impact my life significantly, not just reviewing books simply because I read them.
Diving deeper into curating a beautiful life – This is also a continuation of the past few years, but I want to go deeper than the surface, and discuss the underpinnings of high quality living and all of its components.
More finance discussions – This is a topic that I’ve touched on briefly here and there, but I really want to dive more into this, exploring how to live well regardless of your current income, as well as how to increase your income to the level that you desire.
On a side note, I’ll be incorporating more of my previous blog content, my other active blog (which is finance centered) as well as my YouTube channel content into this space, as some topics are best explained via video.
Whew, I think that’s enough for one day! I’m so looking forward to you all joining me on this deeper journey into the Bronze Butterfly world. Thank you all so much for your continued support, and I’ll chat with you all tomorrow. Take care!
Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a wonderful and restful holiday weekend. In Virginia, we experienced 70+ degree (21+, if you use Celsius) temperatures so there was no snow for us. I’m thankful for this mild Christmas weekend: we were able to go out and not freeze!
I recently started posting a series of chattier videos over on my YouTube channel, and I wanted to share my most recent video over here on the blog, as it sums up one of the most valuable lessons I’ve gotten this year.
I used to struggle with honesty, not out of a desire to deceive, but because I mistakenly thought that silence (not telling the truth) was equivalent to peacekeeping. And yes, that’s true in some instances: every now and then, being quiet can be the best thing. But I realized that being truthful – out loud – was an essential channel for self love and self care for me in this year. I acknowledge that speaking the truth is a luxury (we are not all able to speak our minds freely) and I’m thankful for it. For me, every truthful expression has helped me step more and more into myself. I’m not perfect, but I love where I’m heading and how using my voice brings me into the most authentic expression of myself.
Here’s the video:
What priceless lessons have you gotten in 2021? I’d love to hear all about them in the comments below!
Hi friends! As we approach the end of the year, we may be spending some focused time on future plans, especially plans involving our health. In the upcoming year, we may choose excellent health as a resolution, and getting an early start on this goal is key. Also . . . Many of us are going to indulge in all sorts of treats in the name of holiday celebration, and we’ll be looking for repentance post-indulgence.
In light of this, this offer that I saw a few days ago is especially timely and extremely valuable. Dr. Tumi Johnson (I wrote about her here and here), author of Delicious Healing, has launched a complimentary gut health program that promises to help you heal the gut issues that may have long plagued you. Here is the video where she announces the program:
After the holiday weekend, I will be diving into the program. I’m looking forward to getting onto a good track right before the new year, and I plan to keep up any practices for at least three months, to give my body adequate time to reflect some progress. It’s important to note that Dr. Tumi is a holistic doctor and her programs reflect the need to integrate multiple healing modalities to get the best results. I trust this kind of perspective and wisdom because it is, in my experience, the most effective way to completely heal what is ailing within us. I’m looking forward to posting updates in the next few months, so that you can see any improvement that I have.
Would you all consider participating in a program like this one designed by Dr. Tumi? Or, do you have any other health plans that you plan to implement in the new year? I’d love to hear all about it!
As the seasons change from autumn to winter, I found it necessary to make some updates to my home decor. The cooler temperatures and the eventual snow-covered landscape have an undeniable beauty that I want reflected in my home. Now it’s true that no one loves summer as much as I do, but I am determined to leverage the natural beauty available to me in any season, and winter is no exception.
My last wreath reflected the warm hues and spicy aromas of fall/autumn, but now that the season is behind us, it was time for an update. I knew that I wanted a winter wreath that captured the crisp air, purity, and complete stillness of the season. I wanted the wreath to work throughout the winter, and not just for the holidays. I settled on an ivory, gold and beige palette with a little bit of forest green (representing those evergreen plants that maintain their rich hues all year long).
After a little bit of experimentation, I settled on a gorgeous design that I’m excited to share with you all! Here is my wreath tutorial:
Are you all updating your decor for the winter?I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!
As we embrace the upcoming holiday season, we may find ourselves in need of delicious wines to accompany our family dinners. One thing that I like to do is make sure that I have a mix of high/low cost wines to offer with meals. For those that choose to indulge, wine is a wonderful complement to a variety of meals, and can really enhance the flavor profile of all the foods that have been prepared.
The advantage to having wines in your home during the holidays is that you can use the wine in certain recipes, adding a rich and intensified flavor to certain dishes. I love cooking meat dishes with red wine, or crafting exquisite sauces or gravies with white wine. When cooking with wine, the alcohol cooks (or burns) off, leaving flavor with no traces of alcohol content left behind.
I realized that I’ve done several wine reviews over on my YouTube channel, but I hadn’t shared those reviews over here. So, here you go:
Also, if you want to keep track of the wines that you try, you can use what I use: the Wine Tasting Notes journal is perfect for capturing the details and your impressions of every wine that you taste. And for $5, it’s so affordable!
Hello friends! It’s another Writers Wednesday and I’m excited to share my NaNoWriMo progress with you all! But first, I need to clarify something.
My blog is 100% my opinions, 100% of the time. I was recently harassed by a random visitor and attacked for my stance on Harry and Meghan. The insults in the response were vile and uncivilized, which is why you won’t find the comment anywhere on the blog: it was deleted and no response was offered. I wanted to state my stance on cyberbullying and digital violence for you all, but my good friend (thanks chica!) reminded me of the goal of this space and how to address this.
I will never entertain bullies that feel entitled to my attention. I will never allow hateful comments on my platform, nor will I engage anyone that leads with hate or violence. I will always protect my readers from comments that are mean-spirited and not constructive.
Further, I have chosen to ignore the bully and celebrate YOU ALL, my regular readers that have offered kind words and good energy for years. I am choosing to turn my focus to the good that surrounds me at all times. You all have made blogging worthwhile. The comments, private messages and overall goodness that you’ve brought to my blog is much appreciated.
Now, back to the topic at hand. NaNoWriMo kicked off last week, but it took me a week to pick out a book idea. That’s why I opted out of last week’s Writers Wednesday post: there was nothing to share with you all! I prefer not to do too much pre-planning for NaNoWriMo: I like to allow inspiration to guide me from the very beginning. But, since it took so long to find an idea, I’m behind on my writing schedule. I only have 1,500 of the 50,000 words I need to win NaNoWriMo (eek!) Fortunately for me, I have some time over the next few days that I can use for my writing. I’m thinking of setting up another writer’s retreat to give myself a block of time to work on my writing. And honestly, for someone that has been writing for just three days, I’m pleased that I still have so much momentum that I can leverage for the rest of the week and, hopefully, the entire month.
How is NaNoWriMo going for you all? I’d love to hear all about it!
It’s been a while, but I was overdue for a beauty product review. So, I picked up one of the eyeshadow palettes I’ve gotten in a previous Beem Box (I reviewed that box here, and I’ll also insert the video below), and decided to give it a try.
The palette is by Kara Beauty, a woman-owned cosmetic company that products cruelty-free and vegan products. I received the “With You” palette in my Beem Box. The palette has 8 neutrals, which can be combined in numerous ways to make some “perfect for every occasion” looks. At first glance, I thought that the colors weren’t dynamic enough; however, as I thought more seriously about it, I realized that these shades are actually perfect. Each color is easily interchangeable with another, and are perfect as transition, highlight and intensifying shades when combined with a more colorful palette.
if you have warm undertones, these are all very flattering shades. The packaging is pretty standard: it’s made of lightweight cardboard material, has a magnetic closure, and also has a mirror. The shades are as follows: Baby, Always, Garden Date, and No Doubt on the top row, Your Smile, Magic Portion, Two of Us and Soft Hug on the bottom row.
Now, for the real test: I swatched the shades so you can see how they show up on brown skin. Here’s how that went:
Needless to say, I’m disappointed in most of the shades. I take no issue in the shades that went invisible on my skin due to them being so close to my skintone, but what was really frustrating was how many layers I had to apply of No Doubt, Your Smile, Two of Us, and Soft Hug, just so it would show up in the picture. The deeper tones are definitely patchy, and I wouldn’t use them unless I was pressed for time and didn’t want to find another palette/comparable shade. I noticed that the website has rave reviews for this palette, but I’m assuming that’s because the reviewers have lighter complexions. On my skin, it takes a lot to make these colors show up, which is why I’m not enamored with the product.
Another concern I had was with the shimmers (Garden Date and Magic Portion). These are gorgeous in the palette but they don’t work well if you plan on applying with a shadow brush. The shimmers are definitely best for finger applications: when I applied them with my fingers, I had much better intensity. I tried this with the deeper shades (specifically, Your Smile and Soft Hug), but again, it came across patchy.
My final thoughts on this product is that I’m not a fan of it. I wouldn’t be opposed to trying other products from this line, but I just don’t think that the eyeshadows were great. I’ll probably end up giving it to my daughter so she can play with them (I already have similar shimmer shadows, so I don’t have to hold onto the palette just for those two shades).
Have any of you tried Kara Beauty’s products before? I’d love to hear your reactions in the comments below! Also here is my video when I give my first impression. I thought the product would perform better when I took the time to do a proper swatch, but I was incorrect (as I’ve already explained). I hope you all enjoy! Take care, and I’ll talk to you all tomorrow.
Happy Monday, friends! This is a quick post, because I just want to let you all know that I resumed posting videos on my YouTube channel. I have a few weeks worth of videos filmed and scheduled, and I’ll be sharing a few of them on this channel as different posts. Here’s my most recent video, for your enjoyment. This is a review of some Harlem Candle Company candles that I purchased this summer, as well as a little catch-up/chit chat.
Bronze Butterfly 