Welcome Back to Me!

     Where am I??? Oh, I am back!!!!

     I do not know why but every time I come home from a long trip, I have this almost maddening urge to clean, organize and declutter my house.  If you have any thoughts on this, please let me know about it. My theories are one, control. Being away and living off suitcases mean you are never really settled therefore you have no control over ANYTHING. Two, it helps me settle back in or three, since traveling opens my mind to new things, ideas and life lessons, I feel changed and renewed therefore a newer, fresher backdrop to go with it?

     I guess it is a combination of all three. Here are three links to get me started on my, I want to call it welcoming- myself- back- home and back- to- reality to do list

 

     Here are daily reminders to help us keep our homes organized and clean. Click here.

     And the 21-Day Organization Challenge. I already started with my medicine cabinet. Oh, forget about the holiday sparkle part.

     Maybe if I am still inspired I might even get around to making this which I have been wanting to make for a long time. The Home Management Binder!

     So good luck to me and I will let you know how it goes..... Wish me luck! 


PS

To my dear regular readers who want to know about my Apartment Therapy Home Cure.... Can you guess how it ended? You're right, it hasn't. Well, I keep trying. We all should.  

It is great to be back!

    

Waiting To Exhale

     I woke up very early this morning with too many words jumbled up in my head. I realized though I hate to admit it I am bored.

     For a time I had so many things in my head. You won't believe it. I had at least two projects in the works each time, design school, magazine work, collage art classes, building admin work plus my family. CRAZY, now that I am thinking of it. Of course I was on my way to a 'burnout' if I can call it that. But before that I began the painful process of giving up some until I was left with my practice and building admin work and of course my family.

     With the Philippine summer just around the corner, H and I have things planned for the kids. Luckily my projects have been pushed back a bit and I can relax and enjoy this summer with the kids with so much flexi time. But still why am I bored......

     No, I will not go all dramatic and say why, oh why has my life come to this....THEN I asked myself am I aware that I am here even? Wow, my answer is NO. Yes, I have streamlined my nasty schedule but I have not savored my life now. My brain is still on 'fried' mode. Somehow I have not gotten it to cool down and I could not. 

     I knew a new cycle of collage classes began yesterday and if there is one thing I want to still do is that. I found myself tearing through old magazines. The art of collage has always been introspective for me. Hmmm...maybe this will help. 

     I found an abandoned painting of Yellow to use as my base. Yellow is a perfectionist and though H and I have yet to teach her some more about life is a box of chocolates theory we need to contend with her frustrations. This painting is one of them.

     After two hours of tearing, pasting, cutting I was staring at this.... 

  
     Now I know where I am. It is exactly where I wanted to be...And where I am now is a gift...to just be....

to E X H A L E!

 Read more about Toots Magsino's Collage Classes  here.

    

Learning from Learning Petals: 40 Tips for a Happy Healthy Life

     I wish to thank my friend Marilen for always sharing so much wisdom on facebook. Because of her I discovered Learning Petals. Learning Petals offers parents inspiration and ideas that can be used day to day. The following is a recent post and is quite a list but they all make perfect sense. =-) Some you have probably read somewhere but still it is good to be reminded of them from time to time.

     Hope you are all enjoying your week!

Taken in a garden in Alicante, Spain. 2012

40 Tips for Happy Health Life

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Make time for prayer and reflection
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2012.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.


Personality:
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day —- and while you walk, smile.
11. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don’t over do; keep your limits.
14. Don’t take yourself so seriously; no one else does.
15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.


Community:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.


Life:
32. Do the right things.
33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. Forgiveness heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, don’t take it for granted – embrace life.
39. Your inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not least:
40. Enjoy LIFE!