Wild & Wonderful Weekend

This past weekend Beren and I loaded up the RV and took a little road trip to Cocoa Beach & Cape Canaveral.

Captain of the RV

His trusty Crewmember

We had a wonderful drinking and dining and soaking up the local sights. 

Cocoa Beach

View from our campground

Milliken's Reef, Cape Canaveral

On Saturday night we attended a pirate party, the real reason for our visit to the area! I don't have any pics of the event itself because I forgot my camera, but here we are in the RV before we left..

all laced up and ready to go!

happy pirate couple <3

We were having such a great time, surrounded by zillions of other pirates and wenches, and apparently Beren was quite caught up in the romance of the moment because he surprised me with a proposal! That's right, after being apart for 23 years, reunited for 8, we are finally going to tie the knot! Our handfasting will take place on our anniversary, Feb 29th. We're so excited, stay tuned for more details!


Rapunzel~

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Great Castle Update of 2012

Since returning "home" from Ormond last week, my family and I have been doing some serious work on the Castle.  It's been quite a long time since I last redecorated, and the place really needed updating.  Honestly, I haven't bought furniture since moving here in 1998! Yikes! I think it's time, don't you?

Family Room Before - circa 2005-ish

We started on the family room, replacing the torn leather couches (thank you, Loki!) and old oak wall unit. A trip to IKEA was in order, Kali & Jesus were kind enough to pick up, deliver and install for me!

Kali, my designer/delivery gal/assembler/IKEA pro!

Jackson "assisting" Jesus with the assembly

Jezebel getting in on the act

Loki thinks it's a playground

Ta-Da! We just need a few more decorative items and we're done! 

Jez loves the new sofa!

Lucifer found a new perch

Recliner Kitties

We're in the process of setting up the office area and awaiting more furniture delivery, so stay tuned! I'm so excited, what a wonderful way to start the new year!

Rapunzel~

Finding Peace

I love today's Daily Om..peace is something I'm forever seeking..

 

January 5, 2012
An Inner Choice
Peace

Peace starts within us- we cannot bring to the world what we do not have to offer.

Often we look at the outside world and find it in a state of seeming chaos or disorder. We feel compelled to transform the situation from one of turmoil into one of peace, yet we are often disappointed in our best attempts to do so. One reason for this is that we cannot bring to the world what we do not have to offer. Peace starts in our own minds and hearts, not outside of ourselves, and until its roots are firmly entrenched in our own selves, we cannot manifest it externally. Once we have found it within, we can share it with our family, our community, and the whole wide world. Some of us may already be doing just that, but for most of us, the first step is looking within and honestly evaluating the state of our own relationship to peacefulness.

Interestingly, people who manifest peace internally are not different from us; they have chattering thoughts and troubled emotions like we all do. The difference is that they do not lend their energy to them, so those thoughts and feelings can simply rise and fall like the waves of the ocean without disturbing the deeper waters of peacefulness within. We all have this ability to choose how we distribute our energy, and practice enables us to grow increasingly more serene as we choose the vibration of peace over the vibration of conflict. We begin to see our thoughts and feelings as tiny objects on the surface of our being that pose no threat to the deep interior stillness that is the source of peacefulness.

When we find that we are able to locate ourselves more and more in the deeper waters and less on the tumultuous surface of our being, we have discovered a lasting relationship with peace that will enable us to inspire peace beyond ourselves. Until then, we help the world most by practicing the art of choosing peace within. 

Rapunzel~

On My Hearth: Fairy Soup

When my kids were small, I used to keep an empty plastic ice cream container in our freezer.  To this I would add bits of leftover vegetables, meat, rice, etc., from a couple weeks' worth of dinners.  On the outside of the container I drew a fairy and wrote "Fairy Soup" and told the girls that the fairies were going to make their leftovers into soup! When the container got full enough, I would dump in into the crockpot, add fresh ingredients, some broth, and let it cook all day.  When it was done, we all enjoyed it with great relish and thanked the fairies for a job well done. Silly, perhaps, but it encouraged my family to eat leftovers and taught them not to waste food!

When we returned home from Ormond Monday night, I found the refrigerator packed full.  There were little containers stacking the shelves, all halfway full of vegetables, meat, etc., whatever Kali and Jesus had cooked over the past week.  So, this morning I got to work.  I cleaned out the fridge and made a speedy version of Fairy Soup.

Simmering in my slowcooker right now is a combination of collard greens, diced tomatoes, black eyed peas, black beans, fresh spinach, turkey sausage, carrots, onions, celery, chicken broth and spices.  It looks & smells wonderful! This will be a perfect healthy, hearty dish for a chilly winter night! I'll also be baking a loaf of bread for the family members who aren't avoiding the "white stuff."

Enjoy!

Rapunzel~

Just Stop!

Several years ago I was in therapy for what is formally called Generalized Anxiety Disorder.  Basically, I worried too much.  As part of my "treatment," my therapist suggested the thought-stopping technique, meaning that when I began to worry/obsess, I instead imagined a Stop Sign, thus putting a halt to those negative, non-productive thoughts.  Simple as it sounds, it did have some degree of success.

Though I no longer suffer from the same degree of anxiety & depression I once did, I do still worry. A lot.  I worry about my kids, money, health, etc. etc, and I've noticed that it's beginning to monopolize my life more than it should.

I've also been fighting a few other bad habits including overeating (sometimes binging) which I'd like to conquer this year.

So, with this in mind, I'm going to continue my new year's tradition of choosing one word to focus on, a mantra of sorts.  This year, what comes up for me time & time again, is STOP.  When I start to needlessly worry about some problem or another, STOP.  When I go for a second helping of dinner or am tempted to raid the pantry, STOP.  From picking at my fingernails to speaking out of turn, this word applies.  So simple yet so bold, that big red sign in my head: Just STOP!

Interestingly enough, as I was pondering this word-of-the-year, I stumbled upon a fantastic blog post entitled 30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself. Perfect timing.  In addition to my own personal goals, I'm adding those listed by Marc & Angel as well.  I'll be posting in more detail about each one, and venting sharing my own progress as I work on these new better habits.  In the meantime, tell me: do you have a mantra for 2012?


Rapunzel~