just for the fun of it...

It seems like months have passed since I last felt the urge to draw or paint. I'd hit a creative block and was lacking inspiration. I decided that I needed to just do it.. do it for fun and nothing more. To not put any expectations on what comes out. Just have fun!

I sat yesterday when the girls were playing on the WII and did some doodling. I used some pages from old books I've thrifted. And just let the pen lead the way! I enjoyed it - and that was the most important thing!!!

I also broke out the paints and have started work on a canvas :) a little art therapy is just what I am in need of!!

Living Life Your Way.... Interview with Katelyn from Peace, Love and Leener

I've been working hard the last few months at overcoming my fears and following my dreams. So I'm running a series of interview with inspiring people to see what part fear has played in their life and how they've overcome it to live life their way...


 This weeks interview is with Katelyn from Peace, Love and Leener

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Hey! Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Katelyn. I am a mom and wife. I moved across country from California to Louisiana 4 years ago when my husband changed jobs and honestly it was one of the best decisions we have ever made. We do not want to stay here forever but have done a tremendous amount of growing spiritually, emotionally and even physically with the birth of our daughter who turns three in less than 3 weeks. I find myself in a state of extreme growth as I explore doors in my mind and heart that have been closed off and I never dared to open. I am loving what I am finding as I start to open these doors even if it leaves me more emotionally raw than I have ever been in my life. I've had some pretty major struggles but who hasn't and even though I can’t fathom what has happened in some regards of my life, I would have to say there is nothing I would change...well only one thing I would change but of course it is impossible to do such a thing.

Is the life you lead now the life you've always dreamt of?

At this moment no, not fully. I am happy in the state I am in but know this is not where me and my family are meant to be forever. I am however very much in love with figuring out my true ideals and questioning my own beliefs instead of just believing what I was told to growing up. All of these small and large personal changes are leading to something incredible I feel.

When you have faced difficulties, what has been your inspiration to keep going?

In the past four years the major difficulties I have faced was finally dealing with the fact that I no longer have my father in my life on his choice. Growing up he was a great father so it made it very difficult that he just up and walked out when I was 17 years old. Another major struggle I have had was losing my grandfather who was like a father to me. It was him and my grandmother who took me in and helped me through everything with my father. He died suddenly and unexpectedly August 12th, 2009. I would have to say that my inspiration to keep me going in these times and to truly face my emotions and work through them would most definitely be Leena. I worked hard to try to mend the break between my father and I for her. She will see I did what I could to help her know her grandfather. Even if we don’t speak at all anymore I can still tell her the wonderful stories of memories I have of him. She will know the good in him. With my grandfather as well I had to work through the emotions even if all I wanted to do was crawl into a hole and not ever come out. I had to. I have to be fully available to Leena and if I were to not deal with his death I couldn't be a mom to her.





Fear affects us all at some point. What part has fear played in your 

life and how have you overcome it?

Fear of not fitting in was a huge one for me. I never fit in though, even when I tried. The move  away from all the friends I ever had and all my family was a huge push to face that fear and overcome my obsessiveness with not fitting in. I have learned to accept myself and was able to actually understand who I am and what I believe in. I don’t know exactly how I overcame it. I just took the move, after being upset about moving, as a chance to break out of my shell and be me for once. In all honesty, I just stopped caring about getting weird looks for how I dress or for people finding my opinions on life and the ways we live now a days to be odd opinions. If people can’t love you for being you than the simplest advice is the truest, they shouldn't be the people you surround yourself with. It’s easier said than done but I have learned this one and trying to make people understand you and forcing your old friends to like the “new you” is not worth it if they aren't receptive to you and your feelings. It’s a lot harder doing it that way than to simply move on.





What advice would you offer on following your heart and living your dreams?

Go for it! Be mindful of others and always try to leave a trail of love wherever you go. Baby steps is key. I get so crazed and try to do everything at once but definitely have learned that small, seemingly insignificant changes to your every day are the ones that add up and stick. They will have the greatest impact in the end. We will all falter but it’s how we get back up and keep going that matters. Also, know that your dream is not stupid or not important for this world. We were all given a gift to offer this world and would do best to stay true to ourselves.

What do you think are the three most important things you need to lead a happy and radiant life?

Humour, hands down as number one. Always find humour in anything you do or any situation you go through. For an example, at my grandfather’s funeral my family and I were cracking jokes. Tasteful jokes of course but grandpa would’ve wanted it that way. He loved to laugh.

Secondly, I strongly believe eating right is super duper important. When we don’t eat right our bodies become bogged down and everything is interconnected. Focusing on what I put into my body has resulted in me having a clear mind to deal with any unfavourable situations that have arose in the last few months. Eat living foods. Cut out as much processed food as possible.

Third, See beauty everywhere. A personal example from today. My husband and I were both on edge from our daughter not listening to us very well and got in a disagreement about something silly. I stepped outside and sat to relax under my magnolia tree where I talk to my grandpa sometimes. As I was sitting there a beautiful black butterfly was flittering around our azalea bushes since all the flowers are in bloom. I sat there and watched it for a bit. I stood up to get a better view of it and a wonderful breeze blew through our yard. I closed my eyes and just let the breeze envelop me. If we didn’t get in that silly argument I would have never gone outside to see that butterfly or to have the breeze calm me. It gave me a sense of peace which lead me to clean our messy messy bedroom and to have even more patience that was needed with Leena today.

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Thanks Katelyn!

New Look

I gave the blog (another) makeover yesterday. I wasn't overly happy with the previous style - I wanted something that looked a bit more 'me'. A bit sleeker and more together if that makes any sense at all!!! If you're in a reader hop over HERE and check it out!

Also yesterday, I added a couple of new necklaces to the SHOP - there are two more in this style to be added later today.

With coupon code pixiemamareader you can get free shipping on anything in the shop this week!

Mega May Sponsor Giveaway Winners!!

Thanks to all my May Sponsors for participating in this great giveaway! And a huge thankyou to all of you who entered and shared the giveaway. There is still time to hop on board as a sponsor for June if you want to promote your blog or shop - go HERE for more deets

And the winners are......

Blessed Bee

Mama Marchand

Chantilly Songs

Jennifer

After Nine To Five

Christy

Melanie Reller

Pretty Blushes

Random Gypsy

Jel O

Newfoundlander at Heart

Brooke

Steph Kelly

Laura Stern

Just Because

Aik

Camille Yanair

Zayda Barros

No Mark At All Photography

Tanya Riley

Another Diamond Day

Yuliya

Congratulations! Please email me to claim your prize!!

 

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Pretty Blushes

List 43: Things to do in Liverpool

We're just home after a long and busy (but fun!) day in Liverpool. I LOVE being in the city, I love the hustle and bustle, big buildings and the energy! Here's what fun Liverpool has to offer:

dress up at the Walker Art Gallery

See all the blue ducks (40,000 in total) at the World Museum

See the fish in the Aquarium 

Play in the fountains

Visit the Albert Docks and see the boats

Go to China Town

We had a fantastic day out - I think the girls are worn out (I hope so because I am, and could really use a good nights sleep!!!)

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5fives

Just wanted to let you know that I'm featured over at Angie Muldowney's blog today - taking part in her '5fives' feature. I was thrilled to be asked (and to be the first interviewee!!!) Hop on over THERE and check out my answers :)

I'll be back later with today's list in my 52 Lists

And today is the last day to enter the Mega May Giveaway - I'll be picking 11 winners tomorrow!!

2 clicks to vote for me??? 

Couch to 5K - Week 4

Week 4 - and I'm seriously impressed that I'm still on track!!! I'm all to good at getting started on something, and then after a couple of weeks just not bothering. But not this time! I am determined that I will get fit and be able to run 5k without collapsing in a heap on the floor ;)

I've managed to keep following the training plan that I set. Doing 3 or 4 workouts every week. Plus I've been doing lots of sit-ups and crunches. These stomach muscles need some serious working out after having 3 babies :/

I'm feeling pretty good though. Regular exercise and healthy eating is making a difference to how I look and to how I feel. A good work-out first thing in the morning sets me up for a great day. And if I've exercised in the morning, I find that I'm more inclined to make healthy food choices through the rest of the day.

This weeks measurements:

Waist   - 27" 

Hips    - 35 1/2"

Thighs - 18 3/4"

And I have another recipe to share this week! Years ago I made these 'raw balls'... then I forgot about them! After a bit of experimenting this week, I finally remembered the recipe for them - and how delicious they are :D Best thing about this recipe is that they keep in the freezer. Meaning, 1 - they're not right in front of me every time I go in the kitchen tempting me to eat them all the time... and 2, I can make a huge batch to last for a while :)

Enjoy!

Polly's Raw Balls

1/2 cup ground almonds

1/2 cup pitted dates

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup peanut butter (or any nut butter)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup/agave syrup)

shredded coconut

Place the dates in a food processor, and pulse until all broken up. Add the other ingredients and process until the mix is thick and smooth. (at this point you could add some extra whole nuts if you liked, pulse a little extra so they are in pieces) You'll end up with something that looks like this:

Form the mixture into walnut sized balls, and roll them in shredded coconut.

I got around 2 dozen balls from this recipe! Store them in a sealed container in the freezer. Allow to defrost for a few minutes then enjoy :)

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Wednesday Wisdom

No outfit post this week... I'm having a funny one, not feeling on top form, or like posing for photographs.

Yesterday was one of those days when nothing went right. The girls argued all day long... and drove me crazy! Everything I attempted went wrong. I could quite happily have walked out the front door and ran far away :(

But here I am, and it's a brand new day. I keep reminding myself of the quote above. Sometimes things have to be difficult so that we can move on and break through to the other side.

I need to remind myself of why I blog and craft. It's all to easy to get sucked into doing things because we think we should, trying to hit targets, trying to second guess what others want. So, I'm reminding myself that this blog is for me... if others like it then great! But I want this blog to be authentic to me. The same for the things I make. I create because I love to, because I can't imagine a life without making things, because I need to use my hands to make something.

Fingers crossed that today is a better day than yesterday!!

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Guest Post: DIY Summer Wreath {The Casabella Project}

Today I’m participating in the Ultimate Blog Swap. You’ll find me posting over at Parenting Miracles   with a recipe for Turkish Flatbread Pizzas, and I’m excited to welcome Myra to Pixie Mama

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Hi Pixie Mama readers! I'm Myra from The Casabella Project and I'm thrilled to be here with you today!

I'm married to my childhood sweetheart and we have a sweet little two year old named Ridley. I love my family, crafting, upcycling and spray painting! Today, I'm going to show you how to make a fun, frugal summer wreath!

DIY Summer Wreath

I snagged this grapevine wreath at a yard sale for 0.50! Can't beat that! I pulled off the greenery and flowers right away. Ha!

I love Rust-oleum spray paint and I wanted to create a wreath in bright, happy colors, so I chose the Summer Squash color. It's the perfect yellow. Not too bright and not too mustardy. Love!

Once the wreath was dry, I brought it inside and began making embellishments out of fabric and burlap. I love how the reds, blues, greens and yellow play together. Isn't it fabulous?!

I hot glued the embellishments onto the yellow wreath and hung it on my front door.

I love the simple beauty of this summer wreath. It's easy to make and cost me less than $10! :)

Thank you Polly for having me today and allowing me to share my DIY Summer Wreath! I would love for y'all to stop by The Casabella Project to see how my husband and I are making our 1950s home beautiful one project at a time! I will offer you a comfy chair and some Southern sweet tea! :)

Visit Life...Your Way to see all of the Ultimate Blog Swap participants!

 

Living Life Your Way.... Interview with Kate from Suburban Sweetheart

I've been working hard the last few months at overcoming my fears and following my dreams. So I'm running a series of interview with inspiring people to see what part fear has played in their life and how they've overcome it to live life their way...

 This weeks interview is with Kate from SuburbanSweetheart.com

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Hey! Tell us a little about yourself.

Well, hello, there! My name is Kate, & I blog at SuburbanSweetheart.com, tweet at @heysuburban & sell jewelry at And Paper Hearts. I’m a proud & loyal Ohioan who just moved in with my boyfriend in New Hampshire after three years living the single life in Washington, D.C. I prefer ampersands to "and," dives to clubs, beer to wine, flats to heels, & the Midwest to just about anywhere.

Is the life you lead now the life you've always dreamt of?

The question is a surprisingly difficult one. The short answer is that no, it’s not. But the longer answer is that even so, it’s one that’s working out very well for me. An old Yiddish proverb goes, “People plan and God laughs.” My life hasn’t necessarily gone according to plans – I’d expected to become a journalist, a reporter

When you have faced difficulties, what has been your inspiration to keep going?

My father’s motto was “Press on regardless.” He died of lung cancer when I was 10 years old, but I keep those words with me when things get tough. I’m planning to get a tattoo soon of the word “persevere” in Hebrew, which is reflective of this saying, inspired by a quote from Ted Kennedy, Jr.: “My father admitted perseverance.” And so did mine.

Fear affects us all at some point. What part has fear played in your life and how have you overcome it?

I am quite possibly the most frightened person you’ve ever met. I’m scared of everything – not just boats & spiders & velvet & cancer & car accidents, but the day-to-day things, like public speaking & talking on the phone & driving, not to mention bigger decisions like leaving/starting jobs, moving, buying a car… I’m the most nervous person in the world. Basically, I just force myself to leap – do it & see how it goes. I can always make a new decision later if it turns out I’ve made the wrong one. “If I don’t let myself be happy now, then when?”

What do you think are the three most important things you need to lead a happy and radiant life?

I’m still working on figuring this out! I don’t know that there are any three identifiable or tangible things. I just need to stay introspective & aware, open to the possibility of change, no matter how scary it may be. I’m just learning to open myself up to others, to believe in love, & to trust myself. It’s pretty exciting, actually!

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Thanks Kate :)