New year....New me

It is finally 2011! I was so ready to close the door on 2010. Not that it was a bad year. It wasn't. It was just...umm, a year. Not bad, not great...it just...was. And I am sooo excited for 2011. So excited! 

As I mentioned in this post, my word for 2011 is CHANGE. And what a year it is going to be! BIG changes in store for ME. Good changes. Necessary changes. All with the goal of making me a better version of myself.

And I am eagerly well on my way to making these changes! I have much to work on, and not all of it is obvious to someone just looking at me. It is not all physical. No, that is just one part of it. There is much on the inside that I am going to be working on, getting back bit and pieces of me that I feel like I have lost over the years.

I am wholeheartedly embracing these changes that I feel I need to make! I am loving the fact that I am so excited and focused! And I am as psyched up for the journey as much as I am about the end results of these transformations!

There is much I am doing to reach these goals, to manifest these changes, in me. I am adopting a whole new active lifestyle, something I haven't done since I was younger and I am so LOVING how I feel already! I am praying and meditating more. I can't even begin to express how much this has affected my mood and spirit! I am reading anything I can get my hands on that is motivational, or uplifting, or relevant to this journey I have set out for myself. I am immersing myself in my art, for me. I have started painting again and that feels amazing! I can't promise I will share all I make...some of it is very personal...but I will periodically share some of my creations. I am learning to enjoy just being with myself again! That is huge to me, because one thing I have felt over these last ten years or so is that I lost some of the independence that I used to value so much. 

It will be a long road but I have already started traveling it! There are no u-turns on this road. No turning back. MY time is now and I plan to make the MOST of it! I turn 40 in less than 3 weeks and this first year of a new decade of life for me is going to be all about LIVING my life to its fullest, LOVING and NURTURING me, and embracing the CHANGES to come!

{self-portraits taken December 30, 2010}

Right now...

...I am dreaming of a crisp, sunny, blustery fall day...

...a perfect New England autumn afternoon...

...trees in brilliant fall hues against a vivid blue sky...

(it is 90+* and humid in Boston today...YUCK!)

Notes From The Universe

I had to interrupt the dream series to post today's note because it couldn't be more perfect!!! It goes along so well with what we have been discussing so far!!!

Time for a little refresher on manifesting change, parking spots, and a charming country cottage with character. Kristen:

1. Think about it as if it were already done. (Note "already done" part.)

2. Keep showing up, doing all you can, every day, in every way, until already done. (Note "keep" part.)

For complicated cases, like when dealing with invisible, limiting beliefs, negative friends, or staring down adversity: same-same.

You've got it made,

The Universe

See? Perfect! Think about these words. Try to live them every day.

Your dreams will come true!

On dreams, part 2...

Wake up, Kristen! Remember what excites you. Think of these things, those friends, and the adventures that can be yours. Focus. Care. Fantasize. Imagine. It's all so near. Speak as if you're ready. Paste new pictures in your scrapbook, on your vision board, and around your home and office. Physically prepare for the changes that you wish to experience in your life. You've done this before. You know it works. You're due for an encore. It's time to amaze. That's why you're there.

You're back! That makes me happy! And that leads me to believe that you, too, are a dreamer. I guess I'm not the only one...

(ok ok that was cheesy. my apologies to John Lennon...)

Have you identified a dream, or dreams, that you want to manifest? There is more you can do to help that process along!

It's all so near. Speak as if you're ready. Paste new pictures in your scrapbook, on your vision board, and around your home and office.

It really is so very close. To keep inching even closer to fruition you have to live as if you have already achieved it. Speak of your dream often, even if it is to yourself. Perhaps you pray or meditate daily. Work your dreams in to this quiet time. Let the universe know you are ready.

One of the best ways to show this intention is to have something to hold on to. Something you can reach for or look at when you feel yourself losing focus. A scrapbook or journal, a vision board, even a little notebook you toss in your purse that you can jot notes on. My favorite method is a journal. I have journaled for as long as I can remember. I usually have a few journals going at once. One journal that I keep that has been especially meaningful and helpful in this journey to manifesting my dreams is what I call my Positive Journal. This is a book I keep near at all times where I jot down great quotes, inspirational sayings, ideas, prayers, and, of course, dreams and what I think I need to do reach them. Negative thoughts of any kind are NOT allowed on these pages. I turn to this book often. I always have something new to add to it, and I am comforted and empowered when I look back on what I have written.

Do you journal? Scrapbook? Create vision boards? If you do, take a look back on them. I bet good things have come of them. If you don't do any of these things, why not try? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Part 3 coming very soon...

On dreams, part 1...

Wake up, Kristen! Remember what excites you. Think of these things, those friends, and the adventures that can be yours. Focus. Care. Fantasize. Imagine. It's all so near. Speak as if you're ready. Paste new pictures in your scrapbook, on your vision board, and around your home and office. Physically prepare for the changes that you wish to experience in your life. You've done this before. You know it works. You're due for an encore. It's time to amaze. That's why you're there.

You may recall this post from last week when I posted one of the daily Notes From The Universe that I receive by email each day. I have been getting these for several months now and sometimes when one really speaks to me I like to post it here to share. Sometimes they are silly. Other times I find them profound, to me, but think that others may not. The one above, though, didn't just speak to me...it screamed to me!!! And there was no way I could not share it! 

Then as I thought about it and meditated on it for several days after posting it I decided I wanted to go further with it. All those words about boil down to one simple thing: we have the power to manifest our dreams. This is something I believe so strongly in. And I am not this new-agey, tree-hugging, granola crunching, let's buy the world a Coke type of person. I am just your average girl. But I am a dreamer. Always have been. That is a good thing...and I realize that sometimes it gets me in a pickle when my head is too far in to the clouds. Still, I will never stop dreaming. 

Intention is born of dreams. I wholeheartedly believe that if you focus on your dreams and intend to bring them to fruition, you will.

Wake up, Kristen! Remember what excites you. Think of these things, those friends, and the adventures that can be yours. Focus. Care. Fantasize. Imagine.

Remember this post ? This is one of several dreams exciting me right now. For the longest time, however, when I thought of that dream, what I would cloud my mind with is worry and despair that I would never have that dream. Again, intention comes in to play here. If it remained my intention that the dream would not be mine, then honestly, the universe would see to it that it wasn't. All worry does to us is manifest exactly what we don't want to happen. We waste so much time and energy on worry. And it creates a terrible cycle: our worry breeds that which we do not want to happen, which in turns breeds more worry. See what I mean? Worry is so counter-productive.

Wake up!!! We have to wake up to let our dreams take hold. Only then can we get excited about what the future holds for us. Remember that which excites you and hold on to that. Focus. That feeling, that excitement, is what will enable your best intentions, and your dreams will start to come true. Care. You will only give your whole heart to that which you care most about. Don't you care about you? You should care enough about yourself to fight for your dreams. Fantasize and Imagine. These are oh so very important. A rich and vivid imagination will take you so far. We can't fulfill our dreams without picturing ourselves in them. I truly do picture myself in that sweet farmhouse/cottage with character. I hear the babbling brook. I can smell the lavender and herbs and vegetables that I have planted in the rolling acres that I feel underfoot.

Take some time to think about all of this. I will be back tomorrow with part 2...

Amazon makes me happy!

Really. It does. A box from Amazon is happy mail to me. A day when I get a box from Amazon AND two of my favorite magazines in the mail? SUPER happy mail day! That's what I was greeted with the other day...SUPER happy mail! Love!

Seriously, though, what is NOT to love about Amazon?! You can get EVERYTHING there, all from the comfort of your own home, day or night. And, hello, FREE shipping on orders over $25!!! I am all over that! But enough of that, because I don't want to sound all review-y like a lot of those blogs that turn me off lately. I just love me some Amazon...that's all!

So I guess I should just put a disclaimer out here and now:

Amazon did NOT approach me to review their site or anything on it.

I did NOT receive anything for free.

I ordered AND paid for these books on my own and it just so happens I am enjoying them.

If I thought they sucked I would just as easily post that, too!

OK, moving on...

I really want to talk about what I got! 

L@@K!!!

Gardening books!!! Books about gardening!!! Gardening + books = happy Kristen!

I ordered Month-by-Month Gardening in New England based on a recommendation from my friend Robin's blog . So glad I got this! I have already devoured the chapters on Annuals/Perennials and Vegetables/Herbs and I am finding this so incredibly helpful. I can't wait to put to use some of the tricks and tips I am learning from this book. Next I am on to the chapters on Shrubs and then Trees and Kevin is eager to learn more about Lawns. In a quick search on Amazon, I learned that these Month-by-Month Gardening guides are published for most areas of the United States. If you love gardening I think you will find these books very informative. 

(Ick! I sound all review-y again! I don't mean to. I am just really excited about this book!)

This is the next book I bought,  The Garden Primer .  Nobody recommended it. I just stumbled upon it as is usually the case with me when I am buying something from Amazon. I go there with one thing in mind and find lots of other stuff like it. This book got great reviews, I like the way it looked and sounded, so I took a chance on it. I have not gotten as in to it yet as the first book, but what I have seen so far, I like. This book is huge...like, 820 pages huge. There is a LOT of info in there. I can't see sitting down and actually reading it, but rather using it as a reference tool, which it seems suited to. I like it so far.

This is the next book I got. A purely for fun purchase. It has been on my wish list for so long that I finally just decided to toss it in my cart. I waited long enough to get it and I really wanted it! It is The Farm Chicks In The Kitchen . Have you heard of The Farm Chicks ? Well, now it is just Farm Chick as one of them has stepped down from their business to pursue other ventures. Check out their site! It is fresh and fun and cozy and homey and sweet and vintage yet modern and...just check it out! 

This is essentially a cookbook filled with such yummy sounding recipes. And don't be fooled...they are not all down-home, comfort-food, rustic stuff. There is a great variety in here! 

And then the book is interspersed with craft projects and decorating ideas.  And there are kitchen tricks and entertaining tips, too.

If you read and enjoy Country Living magazine you will enjoy this book. Or if you are in to things like Gooseberry Patch or Susan Branch , stuff like that, you will enjoy this book. I happen to love cookbooks like this...cookbooks that aren't just cookbooks, and that are colorful and engaging. 

Did you read my dream post from the other day? If you did you will get why I love books like the Farm Chicks books so much. And Gooseberry. And Susan Branch. And The Pioneer Woman. It is funny to people that know me well "in real life" because I have lived in a pretty bustling suburb of Boston my whole life. And I love my modern conveniences and easy access to them. But I still have that dream...that country girl dream (but not too far in the middle of nowhere), of my little farm (but no livestock...too messy. Cute to look at...not to clean up after!), of my sweet little farmhouse cottage with character (but modern fixtures and necessities), my peace and quiet (but rock-n-roll) life!

I think I will just lose myself in my books for a while but keep dreaming......

I dream...

I dream about us moving away. Away from the hustle and bustle of our every day lives. Away from the traffic. Away from the crowded cities and suffocating suburbs. 

I dream about the mountains. I dream about long, winding roads through a canopy of majestic trees. I dream about gently babbling streams running through our property.

I dream of a view like this outside my kitchen window. Of lots of land where I can plant a huge kitchen garden. Of meandering cobblestone paths leading to hidden nooks on our property, little secret gardens bursting with colorful and fragrant flowers, and a hammock strung between the trees for whiling away a spring afternoon lost in a favorite book. Or simply swinging...and daydreaming.

I imagine paths like this along the river that runs through our property where we walk with Bailey. I imagine living in harmony with the wildlife that would call these woods home.

I dream of us one day living in a quaint little farmhouse...an older home, with character. A home on rambling land, with trees, and mountains, and a babbling brook. I dream of apple trees and pumpkin patches, right outside my back door. I dream of endless space to grow every vegetable I can imagine. And a sweet and fragrant herb garden. And a field of lavender. And shrubs and flowers...in my little cottage garden.

[image from Country Living]

I dream of an open and airy farmhouse kitchen, with a big farmhouse table and an open hearth, where our family can gather. 

[image from Country Living]

With lots of windows for looking out over our little piece of heaven. To see the mountains in all their glory.

[image from Country Living]

And I want to be able to walk in to my sweetly organized pantry to gather the ingredients to bake a pie using berries picked fresh from my patch in the yard. And I will use farm fresh eggs gathered from...our neighbor who has chickens. Because I never want my own chickens! :-)

Then we can spread a blanket down by the river and enjoy a fresh baked pie and a pitcher of lemonade served in mason jar glasses.

I dream about our property having an adorable red barn. But not filled with farm animals. We are strictly dog people....and Bailey will have brothers and sisters to play with! I dream of having a potting area in our barn, where I can put together pots of flowers in the summer and make wreaths for Christmas. I dream of rafters where I can hang lavender and herb bunches to dry. I dream of a little workbench area where Kevin and I can try our hand at more DIY stuff. And an area where I can bring in the kiln my YiaYia left for me. Pottery, maybe?!

These are the kinds of things I dream about lately. What are you dreaming about???