It's not bad to do good things for yourself

I was putting together a little package for someone during our Snow Days last week and one of the things I made was a little book full of quotes and mantras that inspire me.  I made the book with the hope that they will inspire the person it's going to and I loved it so much that I made one for myself!

I'm taking a cue from Gala Darling's Radical Self-Love project.  I feel like lately, I've been neglecting myself in many ways.  I wasn't really seeing it until my friend kindly pointed out that I hadn't plucked my eyebrows to their usual state of prettiness.  I made up the excuse that I was trying to grow them out (which was kinda true) but then I confessed: I just haven't had the time.  She scolded me and reminded me that there is ALWAYS time for ourselves!  And she's right.  I didn't need to take out my sorrows and stresses on myself and make sure everyone around me is okay - I need to make sure I'M okay.  And I'm not saying that to be self-centered, I'm saying that because it's true - we need to take time for ourselves.  I think fellow bloggers on the same page since Kailey posted a wonderful post about pampering ourselves on her blog, Mermaidens, and I took it as a sign that it's time for me to stop feeling bad about wanting to do something better for myself!  I need to get back in the habit of painting my nails, plucking my eyebrows regularly, dressing up for no reason and doing all the things that make me feel good from the inside out.  And you should too!

Here are a couple of pages from my notebook:



Some of the mantras are from Louise Hay's wonderful app Heal Your Body A-Z.  I picked mantras to help stimulate love in yourself and with that, it can help balance other areas that you may or may not be having issues with.  I notice that when I'm saying one of her mantras (with love, of course), I feel so much better that I've forgotten what was wrong in the first place or that my headache or stomach ache or whatever was bothering me has totally vanished!  I focus on the self-love part because I know healing starts from the inside out and once I'm in a good place with myself, I can focus on the rest.

Enjoy! xo

Do you have any mantras or things you like to do for yourself?

Fantasy Friday: Make a Date with Walter Mitty

I was supposed to write this post last week but I didn't get a chance to.  Oops!
One of the things I wanted to *try* and start doing for the blog was getting it to a place where there was a little more structure - like maybe having a theme day (not like Gif Party Wednesdays) but more like Fantasy Friday.  But this Fantasy Friday would be a little different.  It wouldn't be like the old incarnation of what it used to be - with the day being dedicated to sexy photos for one hot actor / musician every week.  No - it would be that PLUS other fantasy things like photo shoots that would evoke thoughts of fantasy or movies that bring that element out.

So - for the first revamped Fantasy Friday, I wanted to talk about a film that's getting weird reviews: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.


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I saw this film with my Dad and my old man before the New Year and I had a moment of clarity that I had never achieved before.  I mean, it was that deep for me because:
1.) I'm looking to shake up my life as much as Walter is
2.) One of my resolutions is to travel more this year
3.) I'm seeking for the meaning to my life - very much like Walter
4.) My new birth control is making me even more emotional than normal


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Let's start with this: say what you will about Ben Stiller but I have mad love and respect for him as a director.  I LOVE when he's behind the camera.  I mean, The Cable Guy, Zoolander, Tropic Thunder...and now, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  He has a clear vision and he does great things with text.  Granted, I would love more textual elements in the style of J.J. Abrams (because it's aesthetically pleasing to me) but I LOVED the sequence where Walter starts his actualized journey to Greenland.  It's lovely.  It made me cry.  I'm not giving anything away by telling you this, by the way - you see the beginning of the journey in the trailer (the slow motion run in front of past Life covers with Walter on the cover in an astronaut helmet).  The text elements for the sequence are beautiful and the song selection is already a tear-jerker for me (in certain situations, of course).  Basically, that whole sequence is so thoughtful and so beautiful and so meaningful that I was a crying mess during the whole thing.  That might be #4 on my list above's fault but you know what?  I don't care.

I had a major realization watching this film and even though it sounds like a weird, abbreviated male version of Eat, Pray, Love (or as I like to call it Rich People Problems), I relate more to this story than most things lately and I don't care who knows it.  This film is great and I encourage EVERYONE to see it.  My Libra Sun and Moon were both crying at how this spoke to them because, as we may or may not know, Libras are dreamers and this movie speaks to all the dreamers out there.

See it and let me know what you think of it!

Happy Friday!

Hello 2014!

Last night, we attempted to try something new...by going to the Peach Drop in Atlanta!  Let me tell you - it was FREEZING!!  Yes, freezing!  Even for Georgia!  I think our problem was that we got there way too early and we just couldn't stand around in the freezing cold for that long.  Also, I spent yesterday exploring the Blogilates app and found myself doing Bikini Blaster 2: Legs Part 1 and 2 and my legs are COOKED.  I started feeling it in my calves last night as we walked around the bitter cold trying to warm up.  It didn't work, so we hopped back on MARTA and got home right before midnight.
Sucks, right?  Well...we hadn't exactly planned on bundling up for the evening (and neither did other folks in shorts and flip flops - what??) but we were still glad we were able to go and it wasn't as tough as I thought it would be!  I was thinking it would be this clusterfuck of stuff all over downtown but really, it was well-organized.  Especially the wall-o-porta-potties.  I hadn't planned on hitting those up but I forgot one tiny detail: when my feet are cold (which they definitely were) I have to pee.  Weird, I know, but it's true.  I didn't think about it until my toes felt like they were going to freeze off and my bladder was like, "Um...hello?  I gots to go, like, NOW".  Annoying.
Whatevs - we still had fun, I got my old man a little sauced and I started work on a few things for the New Year!



I took Gabi's advice over on Pixie and Pixier and started a Master List for this year.  I went and got a cute little Hello Kitty journal and started my list a few days ago.  So far, it's shaping up to be pretty good!  I've got A LOT ahead of myself and I'm very excited!

I also downloaded Susannah Conway's Unraveling the Year Ahead 2014 workbook and I wrote so much in the first few pages that I had to stop because my hand was cramping!  Man, I must be getting old...Just kidding!  Anyways - one of the best things I did was sign up for her Love Letters because I've been getting some great things in my inbox that give me a lot to think about!  Great, motivating stuff!

Then, this morning, as a little treat for myself, I watched Drag U while I did some work on the elliptical.  I don't know why I wanted to work my legs out even more after yesterday but what can I say, I like the pain!

Watching Drag U really put me in a great mood and I think I want to go to my family's annual Beans and Greens dinner in not-quite-but-close-to full drag.  I LOVE drag!  I love the makeup, the outfits, the attitude, the EVERYTHING and I feel like since I watched the women on the show feel empowered for their everyday lives, why can't I?!  I've been trying to come up with an outfit that's not so over-the-top and I've been looking up Kat Von D makeup tutorials since I feel like she seems to have a look you can reign in a little - but why would I, right?!  Do it big in 2014!

Do you have any plans for the wonderful year ahead?