Beauty Heals And Gives Us Wings
Fourth of July doesn’t feel right on any day of the week except for Friday, Saturday or Sunday. On this Wednesday, I don’t feel particularly celebratory, but I’m going to make it a point to enjoy the day, as it symbolizes the birth of my home, America.
I hope you all enjoy your Fourth of July! Talk to you tomorrow.
Happy Tuesday friends! As we move through this holiday week, I wanted to share some of the “mental food” that I’ll be enjoying on the holiday.
Yes, tomorrow is the Fourth of July and I will be off from work and relaxing a bit. During my “down” time, I enjoy listening to podcasts that amp up my belief in all of the possibilities that life has to offer. I love learning more about the law of attraction (LOA) and how I can use these tools to create the life of my dreams. With that being said, I want to share the podcasts that I have enjoyed most as I have traveled on this consciousness journey.
Headphones on, in my own world
I have talked about this podcast before, and I’ll say it again: Jeannette’s podcast is simply one of the best. Funny, honest, practical and effective – it’s always my go-to when I want a boost. Jeannette has great examples of manifesting success as well as lots of practicable tips and advice that even a novice “manifestor” can use with ease.
Cassie Parks (I reviewed her book a few months back – I love her work!) and Ginny Gane have this weekly show that explores all sorts of topics related to LOA. They are a charming, enjoyable duo that does a great job of explaining different LOA principles and give solid advice on how to leverage LOA for creating a fantastic life.
I started listening to Unity Radio years ago, and one of the hosts that I’ve really enjoyed as of late is Rae Zander’s Everyday Attraction. Her podcast discusses Abraham-Hicks teachings in depth, using snippets of different Abraham workshops to launch the conversations. I love hearing her take on Abraham’s thoughts.
Jewels is the CEO of the Law of Attraction radio station. Her vision brought us countless new thought leaders and a multitude of perspectives regarding this era of consciousness. Jewels interviews a variety of metaphysical experts and attempts to reconcile the spiritual with scientific research. Her guests are great at providing insight and advice on leading a well-lived life. Jewels herself is a joy to listen to, and I love hearing her excitement over the topics that she discusses.
Constance’s podcast is one of the shows featured on Law of Attraction radio station. Her show focuses on blending metaphysical principles, consciousness, and spirituality. Her gentle voice and sweet demeanor are part of her signature style of kind-but-firm advice. Her show is a great alternative for those that want a clearly-Christian perspective on metaphysical and consciousness principles.
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Do you all have any LOA podcasts that you enjoy? Please let me know all about them in the comments below!
This is my favorite time of year, because when it’s hot, people want to get outside and do fun things. That being said, I’m eager to check out the festivals occurring in Virginia and Washington, DC over the next several weeks.
I’m narrowing down my list of festival possibilities based on when I’ll be out of town and when I’ll have enough time and energy to attend. Surprisingly, the festival that is currently ranking highest on my “must do” list is the Virginia State Peach Festival. I’m usually not a huge fan of produce festivals (heat + sweet fruits = lots of insects) but I adore peaches and the opportunity to try freshly grown, local peaches is too tempting to pass up.
Mmm, peaches
The only downside is that the event occurs on Friday, August 17, in southwest Virginia, which means I’d have to take time off from work in order to attend (it’s a substantial drive from my home to Stuart, VA). But who knows – maybe things will come together in my favor. I’m open to all of the possibilities!
I’m also thinking about the Seawall Art Show in Portsmouth, VA. The drive is a lot shorter, and the event occurs on the weekend (August 25 and 26). I haven’t been to an art show in years, so I’m sure I’d enjoy it. It’s very likely I’ll attend this event, and if I go, you all know that I will share info about it here on this blog.
I’m excited to check out the art in Portsmouth
There are two festivals in Richmond that I may check out – but they occur on the same weekend. The Filipino Festival (August 10 and 11) and the Richmond Jazz Festival (August 9 – 12) are two very different events but will give a fresh injection of culture into Richmond for the weekend. Who knows – maybe I’ll be able to check out both events!
Richmond Jazz Fest is coming up soon!
Any upcoming cool festivals where you are? Let me know in the comments below!
Hi friends! I hope you all are enjoying your Sunday, and staying COOL! Personally, I’m enjoying the fact that I don’t have to go outside into the Virginia heat! I love summers in the South but I also love being able to retreat from the heat when I want to.
I just finished writing out my plans for July and August. It’s important that I am crystal clear about what I want to do and when I want to do it: if I’m not focused, I lose track of my time and find that nothing (or almost nothing) gets accomplished.
Here’s the short list of my July and August plans. These plans are in support of my goals (short term and long term) as well as give me interesting things to talk about on this blog.
July:
August
I’m looking forward to having a lot of fun this summer, and I’m especially looking forward to sharing those experiences with you all! Well, it’s time for me to go ahead and finish my meal prepping for the week, so I’ll talk to you all soon!
It’s finally the weekend! I’ve been looking forward to this ALL WEEK LONG.
So, what am I going to do, now that the weekend is here? I’m going to enjoy some quiet time at home LOL! I was looking up things to do, and I decided to watch a few movies while I chilled out.
As it turns out, today would have been Lena Horne’s 101st birthday. You all probably remember how excited I was when she got a commemorative stamp. It’s only fitting that today, as I stay in and stay cool, I watch a couple of her movies!
Resplendent Lena Horne, in a still from Cabin in the Sky
I’ll be checking out Cabin in the Sky and The Duke is Tops. Both movies are part of the public domain so I’ll watch them on the Internet Archive website. Lena’s role in Cabin in the Sky is minor, from what I recall, but I’ll still check it out. And I’m excited to see if she has a bigger role in The Duke is Tops, or if she is a minor character in that one, as well.
Let me get to my movie watching – I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!
Hello beloveds! I have had a busy week, and I am glad to see it come to a close.
Sadly, I will be attending two funerals this weekend. One of my dear friends lost her mother to cancer, and I lost one of my uncles to kidney disease. My uncle’s death, in particular, had quite the impact on me, as I lost my beloved stepfather to kidney disease several years ago.
I’m keeping this brief, because I don’t want to weaken the message with too many words. Tell your loved ones how much they mean to you – hug them, spend time with them, laugh with them, create as many memories as you can. Tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us.
Rest in peace, Uncle Richard and Mama Shirley. I’m sending love to everyone one of you reading this, on behalf of my dear departed ones. May you have lots of love and cherish every moment with the ones that you love.
Happy Monday, friends! I was due for another 2018 goal update, so I figured that I’d do it now, before the end of the month.
My last goal update post reiterated my three overall goals to accomplish during this year, as well as steps I intended to take to bring me closer to those goals.
For those that don’t remember, my goals are as follows:
Here are the updates as promised! I’ll also share my next round of tasks for each goal.
Goal 1: Publish some of my writing
I intended to take 3 different actions before the end of the month of April. Those actions were:
So, I’m happy to say that I finished my 2nd round of novel edits (go me!) and did my first round of edits for the how-to book (yay!). I opted out of purchasing the MasterClass membership in April because I determined that I would be taking several online classes during the next few months. However, I’ll revisit the MasterClass purchase in September.
My new writing goals are as follows:
Goal 2: More travel
My travel goals were simple: mostly decisions and research. Those goals were:
Due to some changing priorities at work, I had to reassess my travel plans for later this year. However, I did the weekend trip that I planned to do in May (my embassy weekend). Now that I’m halfway through the year, I’ve got another set of goals. These are:
Goal 3: Dabble in an art career
As you all recall from previous posts, my art career goals involve working in the art world as opposed to creating art. My last round of goals were a bit more ambiguous, but funny enough, I made progress just the same. Those goals were:
I opted out of taking a Christie’s course this summer due to those previously mentioned changes at work. I’ve had my hands full with the Cultures and Identities in Europe and Inside Opera courses, so I put a hold on my ALISON art course (Color Theory for Artists and Designers). Once those two FutureLearn courses wrap up, I’ll see if there are any more suitable art courses that I want to take: if not, I’ll resume my ALISON course. I also got a great idea for dabbling in an art career on my terms, and I’m really excited about that (I’ll share more as I finish ironing out the details).
Now, my goals for my art related career is as follows:
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My timeframe for completing these tasks is August 15th. So, look out for updates to my new incremental goals in the next few weeks.
Thanks everyone, for stopping through and for keeping me accountable. I truly appreciate it. Talk to you all soon!
I’m a little more than a month away from my birthday (August baby checking in!) and I realized that I wanted a major change. I used to be slimmer some years back, but now I’m a little “cuddlier” than I’d prefer. I would love to be more toned and healthier. So I figured I’d try to get back into some sort of fitness routine by trying a fitness challenge.
Ab goals!
Almost two years ago, I purchased one of Brittne Babe’s 21 Day online fitness packages and, while I tried my hand at the meal planning and exercising, I hadn’t committed fully. So I figured that now would be a good time to kick my fitness goals into gear. I will start my training on July 1st, and I’ll post a final pic on August 1st. Keep your fingers crossed for me: I love cake LOL! It’s going to take some discipline to remain committed to getting toned and feeling healthy and strong. But I’m eager to see some great results, so I’ll do the challenge! If you want to know more about Brittne Babe’s 21 Day challenge, click here.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkGyjPfhYpH/?taken-by=brittnebabe
Brittne, looking perfect
Look out for fitness updates over the next few weeks!
These warm days have made me come ALIVE! I thrive during the summer months: I’m more energetic, more creative, more ME!
You all probably recall my Preparing for Spring style post back in March. I listed several items that I wanted to add to my wardrobe this year. I anticipated these pieces would work for my Kibbe type (Soft Classic) as well as add some more options to my style repertoire. Those items are as follows:
I have been casually searching for these items, and I have updates (including a purchase!) on the status of my shopping list.
Naomie Harris at Calvin Klein (from Business of Fashion)
I’m still looking for this piece. The trick is finding it in a color that suits my neutral/cool undertones. Most of the dusters I’ve seen are dark (navy or black) or the undertones are all wrong (a little more warm than neutral). Fortunately, it’s warm enough where I don’t need a jacket anymore, but I’d love it for when the seasons change again and we’re experiencing cooler days.
Naomie at the 2014 BAFTA Awards (from Elle)
This was the “toughest” item, meaning, I thought I’d never find it. Imagine my surprise when I found my blazer by “accident”. I was browsing JCPenney’s website and found this beauty – on sale!
The blazer is Black Label by Evan Picone. The shade and design was perfect and the quality is superb. This was a clearance item and I purchased it for $23 (originally priced $75). I’ve been wearing it weekly and I always get compliments. I generally wear it with a solid tank top and jeans: I prefer clean, uncluttered lines and designs.
Naomie Harris at the Spectre press conference (from Vogue UK)
I am on the fence about acquiring a yellow dress for the summer, because I really do have enough dresses and I aim to keep my closet as uncluttered as possible. *If* I can manage to part with at least two of my current dresses, then I’ll supplement my wardrobe with a yellow one.
Naomie at the Mandela screening (from The Fashion Spot)
I found two great options, and I’ll be ordering one of them as soon as I “make room” by getting rid of one or two of my other skirts.
This skirt by CoutureBridal is the perfect length and fabric, but I’m unsure if I want this particular shade of blue (I was hoping for a slightly dustier hue).
This seafoam green skirt by Fancy-Bridal is great, as well. I may just flip a coin and see which skirt wins!
With Olivia Palermo at the launch of Maison Makarem (from Getty Images)
I haven’t seen this yet, though I’ve gotten pretty close to what I’m looking for. I have a few other websites and shops that I’m going to check out over the next few weeks. However, if my desire for this blouse fades before I find it, then I’ll simply cross it off of my “want” list.
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That’s it for my updates! Do any of you make shopping lists before the beginning of the season? Let me know what you’re searching for in the comments below!
Make sure that you’re following me on Instagram, so you can see the daily artist spotlights that I’m featuring this month. I’m taking the time to share what I’ve seen on social media and (hopefully) bring additional attention to these talented artists. Who couldn’t use more art in their lives?
Here are a few of the artists I’ve featured so far:
Bronze Butterfly 