What to Wear: Russian and Wide Legs

I recently partnered with an amazing clothing company called {BLUE PLATYPUS}. A company making small batch clothing right here in the U.S.A.

I am pretty much in love with everything they make but almost died when I saw this off the shoulder Russian T-shirt. 

I absolutely L*O*V*E funky, unique clothing like this. It's EXACTLY my style!!! This shirt is super flattering and comfy! 

{BLUE PLATYPUS}is a MUST check out!!!!! 

Off The Shoulder T: {BLUE PLATYPUS}

Wide Legs: Seven for all Man Kind

Pin It

Brutal Truth is a Beautiful Thing Interview with Jessica Ireland

I have started a little interview process called  "Brutal Truth is a Beautiful Thing."

I'm doing this because I love to get to know the "real" people behind their blogs. I think so many of us are afraid to tell the truth whatever it may be. We want others to like us. We want others to read our blog. We don't want to scare anyone away.

Me included!! 

You can read my itnterview anytime {HERE}   For the first year I never really shared a lot of personal information because I didn't think people wanted to hear it.I posted my recipes and a few cute pics of the kids and that's it. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. Yes, people still want all the fabulous recipes and cute photos but they want to know me. I have gotten the biggest responses from my "on my heart" posts. People want to know you, what makes you you, the person you are. They want to know how you live your life. They don't want a bunch of  nonsense about how fancy your car is and perfect your life is. I think we all want to be able to relate to each other and NONE of us are perfect!!!
 




Today's Interview: Jessica Ireland

What's your greatest Weakness?

 I think my greatest weakness is not believing in myself enough to go after what I want. However, I can say that that's changing.

 What's your greatest strength?

 I think my greatest strength is my passion for the things I care about. I get very emotionally involved in issues and people that are important to me. I used to try and curb that, but now I think it's a positive thing and I'm learning to channel those feelings into good things that can change the world.

What has emotionally crippled you in your lifetime?

 My dad's absence from my life and death several years ago. It was left to me to handle everything after he died. It was not easy.

What has elated you with joy in your lifetime?

 Meeting John.  That one's easy :) Actually, I knew him when I was a teenager and we got reacquainted about a year ago. But our relationship has been the most life-changing part of my life. Here we are 10 years ago... though we were always just friends, I think you can see from this picture that what is between us was always there in some form. This hangs above our bed now.

  Have much have you evolved since your teenage years? Are you a similar person?I'd say I'm similar but yes, I've definitely evolved. I hope! Straight out of high school I moved to an ashram and then to India for a time. That was an extension of things I have always been interested in and definitely shaped who I am today.

   "People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonance within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive. That’s what it’s all finally about."
Joseph Campbell

What's something you don't want to tell us about?

 My dad's death.

When the world is crashing down on you, where do you go?

 To John. Unfortunately, I have not always had someone who creates a safe space for me. But he does. Every day.

Do you have any goals? What are they?

 Yes! Lots! I really want to find a career that let's me do something creative. I want to travel a lot with John. And we want to get married by the end of the year.

Can you honestly say you love what you do?

 I have been a preschool teacher for many years and I absolutely loved it. However, I am in the middle of changing gears and as I said, looking for something in the creative/design field. I will keep you posted :)

Who has been the single most influential person in your lifetime thus far?




 Again, I'd have to say John. I could gush on and on about him,  but sometimes someone else says it better than me... 

“If I know what love is, it is because of you.”

― Hermann Hesse

 

Honestly, we are all striving for something, what is your greatest goal in life? I'm not talking about money!

 My greatest goal is to keep finding ways to be more selfless. I want to learn how to get out of my own way and try and put other people before myself.

Name your most defining moment!!!

The moment I realized that I could be alone. Of course that was when I got reacquainted with John. 

Are there people in your past that you wish you could make amends with?
No. What memory will be forever burned in your mind to the point where you can smell the room and feel the energy? The moment John picked me up at the airport! We had not seen each other in 10 years but had fallen in love over the phone... I was so nervous, I can't even describe it. He picked me up with pink tulips and the sweetest smile... The rest is history. 

    What movie and/or book speaks to you? Oh, so many! I love to read so it's hard to choose, but I'll name a few: Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, and the Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. Movies, I'd have to say Lost in Translation and Food Inc
. "You have to pick the places you don't walk away from." Joan Didion.
  What is your greatest wish right here and now? To keep learning what love is. To have my relationship be my spiritual practice in that I continue to diminish my own ego, wants, desires and learn how good it feels to give into love without reservation. I am lucky enough to have someone who helps me do that and wants the same things.  This "Brutal Truth Interview was very special to me because Jessica is a real life friend. And not just any real life friend, a friend of 15+ years.  We met when we were just wee little trouble makers and have continued our friendship on and off throughout the years. It is in fact Jessica who turned me on to blogging. So Thank you my friend. Obviously she is head over heels in love and I couldn't be happier for her. She deserves it more than you know.  THANK YOU JESSICA for sharing your truth with us today. I love you girl!!!! Please hop on over to Jessica's {BLOG} where you will find all kind of gorgeousness!!!! Jessica has an amazing sense of style and a keen eye for design. If I were rich I'd hire her to decorate my house! Seriously, the girl's got talent!!!  

 I also Have a tiny favor to ask of you!!!! I have entered my Champagne High Hat Cupcakes into a cupcake competition. My family and I have the chance to win a vacation or evena little money. We could really use abreak right now.......I would GREATLY appreciate your vote!!! You can vote daily!!!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Love you all!!!!
 
 Pin It



Brutal Truth is a Beautiful Thing Interview with Susan Liberatore

I have started a little interview process called  "Brutal Truth is a Beautiful Thing."
I'm doing this because I love to get to know the "real" people behind their blogs. I think so many of us are afraid to tell the truth whatever it may be. We want others to like us. We want others to read our blog. We don't want to scare anyone away.

Me included!! 

You can read my itnterview anytime {HERE}   For the first year I never really shared a lot of personal information because I didn't think people wanted to hear it.I posted my recipes and a few cute pics of the kids and that's it. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. Yes, people still want all the fabulous recipes and cute photos but they want to know me. I have gotten the biggest responses from my "on my heart" posts. People want to know you, what makes you you, the person you are. They want to know how you live your life. They don't want a bunch of  nonsense about how fancy your car is and perfect your life is. I think we all want to be able to relate to each other and NONE of us are perfect!!!  Today's Interview: Susan Liberatore 

What's your greatest Weakness? Trusting too easy. Putting faith in people I shouldn’t. What's your greatest strength? Making things pretty whether it be wrapping a gift or decorating for a party. It’s all in the details! What has emotionally crippled you in your lifetime? Struggles with anxiety. I don’t do so well with severe traffic, elevators or flying. Anything that makes me feel a loss of control really. What has elated you with joy in your lifetime? Simple moments with my kids. Silly things they say or do. I hope I never forget. How much have you evolved since your teenage years? Are you a similar person? Not at all! I’m completely different. I thought I knew everything and that my mother knew nothing. (don’t all teenagers feelthat way?) I gave her such a hard time. Today, I realize how right she was about so many things. I am softer. More sensitive to how she and others feel. What's something you don't want to tell us about? A past abusive relationship. Definitely something that changes who you are. When the world is crashing down on you, where do you go? Home. I love to be home. And the older I get, the more I like it. Do you have any goals? What are they? I’m embarking on a new journey right now…the one that lead me to being a stay-at-home mama after working in the corporate world for just shy of 21 years. Definitely a HUGE change and one that I hope to get better at. I still need to find my groove. Can you honestly say you love what you do? I’ll answer this question based on where I was at when I was working outside the home. My answer would definitely have been no. Sometimes in life you get thrown into something that is completely different than what you envisioned for yourself. I ended up in a great position with a great organization but…was it my lifelong dream? My passion? Absolutely not. Who has been the single most influential person in your lifetime thus far? I would have to say my older brother, Brian. There is a significant age difference between us and as such, he was left to look after me and guide me often as a young girl, and later as a young adult. He taught me so many things, from how not to be afraid to public speak, {grade 4 speeches} to how to wrap gifts {sadly, true} and what good music was {Elton J John and more Elton John}. He is somewhere reading this right now. And smiling. And for my part, I still know almost every.single.word on the Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt cowboy album. Honestly, we are all striving for something, what is your greatest goal in life? I'm not talking about money! My greatest goal in life is to raise confident, caring, sensitive, hard-working children. I have three. This is no easy feat! Name your most defining moment!!! Definitely my decision to leave my job. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever done.  And I did it for them. to leave my {cushy} corporate job to stay home. I wrote about it here. It was absolutely the single most unselfish thing I Are there people in your past that you wish you could make amends with? Absolutely. As a matter of fact, I am in the midst of making amends with a dear friend with whom I hadn’t spoken in over two years. It is the best feeling in the world to forgive and move on. Life is too short! What memory will be forever burned in your mind to the point where you can smell the room and feel the energy? This one is easy. The birth of each of my babies. I remember the warmth of the room. The lighting. How my body felt. Everything. What movie and or book speaks to you?  Most recently, Sarah’s Key. I have read the book but have yet to see the movie. I have a slight obsession with that particular historical period. I just recently finished the Journal of Helene Berr. Also chilling. And ridiculously sad. What is your greatest wish right here and now?  For the happiness and health of my family. (and a beach vacation!!!!) THANK YOU. THANK YOU. Susan for sharing your truth and your beautiful family with us today!!!! Susan and I  Have become good blogger buddies and I am so glad we have becasue I adore her and her blog. I know you will too!!!!  {AVA GRACE'S CLOSET}.

You May read the entire series of "Brutal Truth" Interviews {HERE}

Self Sabotage

It can be such an ugly wretched little beast!!

Anybody else well acquainted with it???

Well unfortunately self sabotage has been something I have struggled with my entire life. My life seems to be like a merry go round.   Round and round we go thought the different stages: happy and productive most of the year, then down and self sabotaging for a few months, then recovering from the down time and moving froward again.  Technically I think it's called Cyclical Depression.

I feel very blessed because the birth of mt children have helped this tremendously. There simply isn't enough time to even be selfish enough for one second to self sabotage. You  must warrior on.

Well. Last night my battle with self sabotage began AGAIN!!!

What did I do?

AT 10 PM I went into the kitchen and ate an ENTIRE bowl of frosting. Not because it tasted good. Not because I was craving it. Not because I needed a treat. In fact because I bake so many goodies for my blog, there are ALWAYS sweet treats lying around here. I could have had a chocolate chip cookie or a truffle but I went for the frosting because I knew it would do the most damage.

I did it to punish myself.

WHY?

Because it's easier to fail then it is to succeed!!!!!!!!

I haven't done anything wrong.

I did it to sabotage all the amazing healthy choices I have made over the past year and managed to loose 110 pounds. I did it because I felt bad about myself. I wanted to punish myself and I knew if I made my self sick I wouldn't want to run today.

It's easier to be overweight and depressed and stay in bed all day and do a mediocre job raising your kids. Why do you think 70 % of tghe country is feeding their children  McDonalds which is basically poison rather than taking the  \time to buy and prepare healthy food? Because it's easy!!!!! And we wonder why our children are obese and have hormone problems.

To succeed is a triumph but it comes with a high price tag. Anyone is capable of it but it's not easy. If it were,  we'd all be exactly where it is we want to be. We must keep striving for our goals and never give up. Once you acheive one....It's time to move on to the next!!!!

Well guess what I ran 8 miles at 9.55 pace ANYWAY, despite the 5 cups of icing that certainly did make me ill...!!!! I WILL NOT LET LIFE HOLD ME DOWN!

So.......This is how it begins, with a bowl of frosting, and then I start to move on to bigger, more harmful things until I am in the gutter.

WHY? WHY would anyone do this to themselves??

Great question!!!!

Like I said before because it's MUCH easier to fail than it is to succeed. Failure comes with a million excuses. Success doesn't come with a single one except your blood, sweat and tears to get there.

I was conditioned at a very young age that I should be a certain way, act a certain way and look a certain way. I hated that feeling and try VERY HARD to NEVER, EVER make my children feel like that.

I have done a lot of work around this stuff with a therapist and for some reason I don't feel worthy of the success. The success I deserve, The success I created for myself, so I ruin it on purpose. 

SELF SABOTAGE!

Well...............NOT THIS TIME!!!!!!!

I woke up this morning, immediately started balling, got on my knees and stayed there for a very long time crying and crying and crying.

My wonderful, supportive husband came to me, comforted me, listened to me!

I WILL NOT LET THIS THING BEAT ME!!!!

NOT THIS TIME!

I worked 80 hours last week......Ran 40 miles last week............I've had a recent death in the family which has left me estranged from a different family member because of a fight between us and my kids hardly know me anymore because I work so much. I'm sad. Very sad today.

BUT........Mark my words friends. I am a FIGHTER!!!!! and I will FIGHT until there is nothing left to fight for. I will not let all these misfortunes beat me!!!!!!

Can any of you identify with SELF SABOTAGE ??

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!!

Pin It