Chocolate Bark .. My Not-So-Guilty Pleasure

I have discovered the joy of bark.

A cleanse I did at the beginning of the year and for a little treat it allowed a bittersweet chocolate bark.   It was light on sugar and heavy on nuts and dried fruit.  And I found that just a tiny bit was enough to give me a chocolate fix if I needed.

The bark is now a staple in my house.  I love that I can add in any nuts, seeds or fruit that I want so I can adjust it based on desire or convenience.  I love that it take 2 minutes to make.

Melt bittersweet chocolate int he microwave in 30 second intervals until almost completely melted.  Then stir to melt entirely.

Pour the chocolate onto a sheetpan lined with plastic wrap or parchment and spread until fairly thin.

Sprinkle on your choice of nuts, seeds and/or dried fruit.  I also like to add a bit of sea salt or crushed peppercorns and sometimes even some herbs.  This bark was sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and black sea salt.  But my favorite is almond and coconut!

Let the bark chill in the fridge until hard and then break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Gypsy Curtain Tutorial

We renovated my youngest daughter's bedroom last spring.  And the contractor has yet to find and install a closet door.

So I have taken matters in to my own hands.  I made her a really cool curtain door.

I started with a beaded curtain and installed it inside the closet.

Then I hit the fabric store and bought 4 different fabrics in the color palette I wanted. I selected fabrics that where not to stiff so that they would fall nicely.  I bought 3 yards of each to be sure I had the length tho span the height of my door.  I also purchased some spools of thin ribbon in my color palette.

I spent the following few hours cutting strips of fabric approximately 3 inches wide and longer than the door. I took 3 strips of fabric and tied them to the curtain rod and braided them together and knotted them when I reached the bottom.  Perfection is not necessary here!  I filled the entire rod with strips of braided fabric.

I added in a few strips of fabric without braiding them.

And then I tied on pieces of the ribbon.

Voila!  A whimsical, gypsy curtain!

Fear ... The Real Reason Behind Discomfort and Indecision

Today I had the realization that discomfort is just a giant flashing sign that is trying to tell you that you are veering away from doing something because you love it and are heading in a direction fueled by fear.

My realization took place yesterday afternoon.  I was sitting in the waiting room of my daughter's dance studio discussing with another mom how I really wanted to go next door and order a pizza for dinner but I am doing this cleanse so there is no cheese or wheat for me this week and I would instead be heading home to make baked cod with crispy kale and quinoa cakes.  I sat there thinking about and discussing my decision.  For a long time.

Then I thought that I was feeling awfully uncomfortable over this silly situation and giving a lot of thought.  And I realized it was because I was afraid.  So I broke it down.

If I was happy with my plan to have kale and cod and quinoa for dinner then there would have been no discomfort.  

If I really, really wanted to eat pizza for dinner then I would have saved the cod for the next night and happily gone next door to order the pizza.

What I was doing was questioning my decision to have the cod for dinner because I was afraid I was going to be unsatisfied and I was afraid that I was too tired to cook.  My fear was leading me to abandon my original decision and go order a pizza.

This dinner dilemma helped me to realize that each and every time I am feeling uncomfortable... with a dance move, with an outfit, with a decision I have made... I am letting my fear creep in and try to tempt me away from a decision I made and loved.  

When a dance move enters the combo and makes me uncomfortable, it is because I have stopped just loving to dance and have let fear ask me if I look silly doing this new move.  

When I look in the mirror at the outfit I put together makes me uncomfortable, it is because I have stopped loving my own style and have let fear ask me if other people will think I made a poor choice for my body.

When I run the same decision over and over again in my head because it is making me uncomfortable, it is because I have stopped loving my decision and have let fear ask me if people will think I made a bad call.

I think this happens to work for physical discomfort as well as mental discomfort.  Like when you go horseback riding in the middle of winter and get stuck in a freezing rainstorm.  If you spend the whole ride back letting fear ask you why you thought that was a good idea or letting fear ask why you didn't dress everyone in snow pants then you will be a whole lot more uncomfortable than if you just continued to love your decision to go for a nice trail ride as a family!

That's not to say that there won't be times that you have made a decision and then something you love even more comes along and you change your mind.  But then you are doing it out of love, not fear.  And there won't be any discomfort associated with that change of heart at all!  

From this day forward I vow that when I feel uncomfortable, I will ask myself what I'm afraid of and take that stuff off the table so that my original decision feels comfortable again.  I vow I will never spend quite so much time wondering if I should order a pizza!

Word of the Year ... A Reminder of What You Want to Be

Every year I pick a word that I want to embody for the upcoming year.

I spend some time thinking about what I want to tackle this year.  I look at where the stars are providing me opportunities and lessons.  I take note of images and articles that catch my eye.   And from that there is always a word that keeps coming back to me.

This year it was "gypsy".  

Past years have been "energy flow", "trust", "soul". 

I even pick words for my daughters each year. 

I take my word and I do something with it to serve as a reminder everyday.  I tattoed "trust" on my arm.  I put "sparkle" on my daughter's bedroom wall.  My other daughter has a favorite tshirt that says "unique"  This year I made myself a piece of art and I bought myself a pair of earrings.  You might make it the wallpaper on your phone or put it on a keychain or paint it on your kitchen wall or write it on your hand every day.

Sometimes I flesh out the word to really understand what it means to me, but what is really important is not the definition but the feeling that it invokes in you.  Because every day, many times a day I check in with myself to see if I am living my word.  Especially on those days that are dragging me down.  It is a real quick way to remind yourself of what is truly important to you right now.

36 Cats ... A Drawing Each Year

I have an entire hallway dedicated to drawings of cats.

These cats are to meant to remind me of the beautiful artistic beginnings and progress of my two daughters.

Each year I simply ask them to draw a cat on New Year's Day.  I have them draw the same item each year because I really am looking forward to seeing how their artistry grows and changes over the years without changing the topic.  I picked cats because we all love them, but it could really be anything.

I plan to have them each draw a cat until they are 18.  But if they are wiling, I would love to go longer.

Craft Exchange....Sharing Your Creativity with Your Besties

Every year around the holidays my closest friends and I exchange crafts we made.

The idea was borne out of the beloved cookie swap.  We loved the idea of swapping something special among ourselves at the holidays but since most of my friends don't eat sugar or dairy, the cookie swap was not for us.   One friend suggested that we all make something and swap that.  We did it for the first time last year and we loved it so much that we made it an annual thing.

This year I made little embroidered houses of each of my friend's homes.

And this year I received ... a beautiful bookmark made of velvet ribbon, beads and vintage charms, the world's best chocolate chip cookies, a piggy bank, a coffee mug, a Christmas tree made of seaglass, hand cream, a fuzzy little purse and a beautiful jewelry box.  I treasure them all.  

 I love that it inspires us all to be creative.  For those gals who are really crafty it is a really fun way to get really creative and for those gals who consider themselves not-so-crafty it helps them step outside their own limits.  

I already can't wait until next year!

Happy, Happy ... Making Birthday Cards

Today I made a pile birthday cards.

Every January I set aside a few hours and gather up the ends and bits of craft materials and make birthday cards that I can use throughout the year.

I love making my own cards because I love the time spent creating and I love using up old materials and I love giving something handmade and I love saving a few pennies and a few trees.

Assembling a Cake ... The Simple Steps That Make Any Cake Look Pretty

Everyone should know how to correctly put together a cake.  

And it really is simple enough for anyone to do.

Bake your cake in  2-4 pans depending on how many layers you would like to have inside each tier.
When the cake has cooled completely (I like to put mine in the freezer for at least a few hours) slice the top off each layer with a serrated knife.

Sprinkle the top of each layer with some simple syrup or even water.

 Speead a little icing on your cakeboard to act as glue.

Place your first layer of cake on the cakeboard and spread a layer of icing or filling on top,

Add the rest of the layers with icing or filling in between each.

 Smooth the icing off the sides of the cake and then freeze for at least 4 hours.

Find the lowest edge of the cake and use a sewing gauge to mark a position slightly lower than that height.

Insert toothpicks around the cake at the height measured by the sewing gauge then slice the top of the cake off with a serrated knife using the toothpicks as guides.

Ice the entire cake and then add a final coat of icing or fondant.

Enjoy your perfectly level cake!

Your Yearly Forecast ... What Can You Expect this Year?

Each year I take a look at what I can expect astrologically for the upcoming year. While it is fun to see what they year will hold, I like to use it to understand the hot spots I might encounter ... plan for some particularly supportive energy and prepare for tougher times.

Before you get started with your yearly forecast, I would go read my Astrology Primer to get an understanding of the various elements of an astrological chart.

WHERE WILL THE PLANETS BE?

I make myself a little chart of when each planet will be moving into each sign.  Many of the outer planets (Pluto through Jupiter) may not move at all during the year but the inner planets (Mars through Mercury) move through almost the entire zodiac in one year.  I use Find Your Fate to create my chart.  

Knowing this tells me about the type of energy that is coming from the planet and how that energy is behaving from the sign it is in and where this energy will impact me because of which of my houses it is in.

I use this information to create a grid with the months at the top and the planets down the side.  Say that  have Jupiter is in Cancer from January until June and then moving into Leo for July through December.  Under January to June I would write "Opportunity for Emotions In Partnerships".  Jupiter is the planet of opportunity, Cancer is the sign of emotions and Cancer is my 7th house which is partnerships.   

This information will be the same for people of the same sign.  Which is how all of the people who write horoscopes for the year get their info.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SPECIFICS FOR YOU?

I find the most interesting part of my yearly forecast to be the aspects that the planets make to my natal planets.    Figure out what these are and add them to your grid.  I typically only look at the aspects that the outer planets are making to my natal planets because they last for a long time.  The aspects inner planets make are short lived so I just look at them as they happen.

BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS

Now I add in any eclipses that will be happening.  These show major beginnings and endings.

ANOTHER LOOK

Lastly, I add in any periods that planets are going retrograde.  These are periods of time where you revisit things and go deeper inside.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Now I look at the whole thing and I write my story.  You might want to write it chronologically or you might want to split it up by area of your life (work, love, money, self improvement, etc.)   

You will see a few things that will be impacting you all year.  You will see places where lots of planets are bringing energy to the same sign and house.  You will see times of opportunity and times that look more difficult.  

I like to take what I see and get a feel for the year.  Then I pick my word of the year so I can remember the energy that is supporting me.  This year I have decided to create a little art project around it to remind me of what energy is there for me.  

Next, I like to take some of the opportunities and the challenges and think through what I can do to take advantage of this knowledge.  I plan and prepare.  If there is a time when my creativity is highly supported, I schedule in weekly days off to just create during that period.  If there is a time when I have too much work and frustration, I already ask my mom if she will come 2 days a week to help with the kids for those few months.  If there was a time that was clearly introspection, I would not make plans to throw some parties or try to go out and find romance.

 

THE EASY ROUTE

If you are not really into spending 8 hours creating your chart for the year,  Yahoo! Shine  does a nice overview by sign.