Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Vision Boards

Monday is mediation day with a great group of ladies. 
I have been meditating with them for over 10 years....10 YEARS!

They meet every Monday, I show up when I can.

Yesterday we did Vision Boards or Dream Boards. 

I went into it with not a lot of thought. I wanted it to flow and be more spontaneous than planned out. I didn't want to fall into the process with a ton of preconceived ideas, and make a Wish Board. To me a Wish Board is a board that is loaded with pictures of nice cars, vacation destinations, new house ideas, all very material. 

I am in a different place. 

We meditated first, and I opened myself up to this experience and made note of any thoughts and used that as my platform for this years Vision Board. 

Create
I AM
Experience
Learn 
Me
Release
Beauty
Listen

These are all the words that came to me while meditating, so I ran with it.

Create, is an easy one, I am a creator. I used the color orange for creativity, yellow for happiness and green for prosperity.

I AM, the two most single powerful words you can ever say. These two words will change your reality in an instant, for better or for worse. be careful how you use them. 

Experience, I am at a crossroads and am ready for new experiences. 

Learn, always be learning

Me, a revelation. It is ok to be in love with me. 

Release, baggage from yesterday, my journey is always forward. 

Beauty, is in everything. Find it. 

Listen, when you silence your ego, you will hear your spirit

That is the core of my Vision Board. There is also music and pets and growth and peace and kindness and so much more that makes up who I am, and where I want to be. 


Did you make a Vision Board or a Dream Board? 
What did you put on yours?

And remember, today and every day, be peaceful and be kind, it is important!!

Friday, January 4, 2019

Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie




My dad is a baker, to be specific, an apple pie maker.
Apple pie
Apple dumplins
Fried apple pies
Apple turn overs

If it has apple he is making it.

Dad sent me a video from Tasty of an apple pie, but the crust was made from canned cinnamon rolls.


I'm intrigued

I went to visit a few weeks ago and dad and I bought the ingredients to make this pie, but time ran short and we never got around to it.






He called me and told me he had made 'that pie' and it was terrible, the cooking time was too long, and it burned. He was gonna try again.

He called me again and said, 'that pie' is terrible, the crust come out like a cracker. Too hard.

Now I have to give it a try. I wanted to see if I could do it, then I could give him some tips on making his own, because he has tried twice - he needs a success!

I filmed it and put it on YouTube so if it worked out I could send him the video and he could follow it step by step.

Here is a link to my video on YouTube making the elusive cinnamon roll apple pie.

I hope you enjoy it!!!




And remember, be peaceful and be kind, it is important! I'll talk to you soon!

Thursday, January 3, 2019

Stone Bead Strands and Facebook Marketplace - Great Deals!


I found the best deal on Facebook!

Facebook Marketplace is a new obsession and I have found some awesome deals, and even made a new friend :)

Wasting time in between jobs the other day, I stumbled upon a post of estate items, and in it were these 20 strands of stone beads!!!!!



There were a few pendants as well, but I wasn't as interested in them, and the post said bulk discount. I contacted her and asked if she would separate the pendants and the strands, and what her price was. She agreed and gave a tentative price, I followed up with $110 for all of it and she agreed!!!

That comes out to $5.50 per strand. 

Such a Deal!!!!



 Some of the strands are easily identified, lapis, fancy jasper, azurite, unakite, amethyst, picture jasper, etc. The strands are faceted, roundel and hesihi cut, just beautiful!


Other strands are a bit more difficult, is this really turquoise?




 These little faceted beauties I am fairly confident are emerald, but then again.......




Chrome diposide?



I did some poking online to compare some prices. 

The price strand on the lapis strand was $24, and I found them online between $5 and $24
The price tag on the maybe emerald strand was $16 and I found them online between $10 and $27


All and all, I am very happy with this find. 

Now I can't wait to get in the studio and make some awesome pieces!!

Where do you look for deals?

And remember, be peaceful and be kind!

I'll talk to you soon!











Wednesday, January 2, 2019

2019 Reading Challenges

One thing I have always loved was a good book.

Recently we did the 'Great Purge of 2018' going through closets, cabinets, attic, every nook and cranny in our house and purged what we are no longer using, or what we are hoarding because 'we may do that diy project'.

It was cathartic, it was fun, it was bittersweet. I felt a great relief going through my things, organizing, facing a reality that I am never going to use it, understanding it is useless to hold on to an item to keep a memory alive. I learned so much about myself....until the books.

Books are my friends. I have so many that I have re read countless times, it's like going to a family reunion.  They are always there when I need them. They motivate me, inspire me, comfort me, support me. The idea of having to get rid of books was like giving away my best friend. I couldn't do it. But I had to. I had books stacked in the closet floors, on shelves, under the couch, behind the couch against the wall, in tubs under my bed. I had even got rid of clothes, so I had room to put books in my dresser drawers.  75% of them, I hadn't read, these were books I was hoarding. It was so difficult for me to go through all of my books, putting them in "keep" and 'donate' piles. I ran the gambit of emotions, angry, desperate, guilty, relieved, and the tears. When it was done, I had donated over half of my books. The rooms were tidier, the bookcase was organized, and there are still so many titles that I haven't read alongside of my friends, who are waiting for me to visit again.

Let's rewind back to 2008 and before.......

I always had my nose in a book, sometimes pouring over three a week. If I had five minutes to myself, I was reading. Books were two deep in the bookcase, and then books layered in any free space. Stacks of books. It completely undid the use of the bookcase, as in, being able to glance at the spines of your books to see what you had. If you were looking for a book, you had to dig through the books to find it.

Oh and book stores! Barnes & Nobel, Books A Million, Borders, Waldens Books, the local used book store we had in the area , and I won't even mention the local library sale each year. It was a pay day treat to go to the book stores. B&N we would get a coffee and wander in the books. I always cruised the sci fi/fantasy and reference books, and then to my favorite the clearance section. It was nothing to drop $100 on books. I couldn't wait to come home, curl up on the couch and crack the spine of that book. What a glorious sound! Oh and the smell of a new book!!!!

Then I made a career choice that had me in front of a computer all the time.  I could pull up articles and books online, I could read anytime I wanted! It wasn't long that the short attention span theater that the internet provided sucked me in, and I had to have instant gratification. I couldn't read a book. I couldn't get lost in the story, the building of the characters. I had to skip chapters, I had to read the last few pages to know how it ended. I had to find out so I could move on, find something else to stimulate me, to satisfy me.

I stopped reading all together.

Now, let's fast forward and here I am today with a reading list challenge that I am so excited about. I am tired of the internet, and want that intimate experience of curling up with a book and letting my mind wander and explore and create.

I found this reading challenge that will allow me to use my books, books I have read, and books that I still need to read.  I approach the idea of books differently now.  I won't buy new books anymore,  I don't want to add to anymore production or manufacturing on the planet. I use the local library, or the OverDrive App and download them to my nook or computer. It is more like fostering. I get to keep them for a while, and then let them go on to someone else who needs them :)

I need to get on it. I just found the list today, and I have to read a 500 page book by Sunday!!


Reading Challenge 2019
A Book A Week with the Pingel Sisters
1. A Book With More Than 500 Pages
2. Book You Haven’t Read by Author You Love
3. Goodreads winner in 2018
4. You Can Read in a Day
5. Book About a Difficult Topic
6. Recommended by a Friend
7. Book That Will Make You Cry
8. Book Published in 2009
9. Book Becoming Movie in 2019
10. A Genre You Don’t Usually Read
11. Children’s Classic
12. Cover With Your Favorite Color
13. Bought at a Thrift Store
14. Young Adult Fiction
15. First Book in a Trilogy
16. Second Book in a Trilogy
17. Third Book in a Trilogy
18. Dystopian Novel
19. Award-Winning Book
20. A Book from the Rory Gilmore Challenge
21. Published the Decade Before You Were Born
22. Historical Fiction From A Favorite Time Period
23. Classic You’ve Never Read
24. A Book That Will Keep You Up All Night
25. 2018 bestseller
26. Nonfiction Book about Science
27. Listen to an Audiobook
28. Set in Your Home State
29. You Once Started But Never Finished
30. With a One Word Title
31. A Fairy Tale Retelling
32. Celebrity Book Club Pick
33. A Book You Read in High School
34. Business or Personal Finance Book
35. Autobiography or Memoir
36. Book Set in Another Country
37. Reread a Favorite Book
38. Book by a Local Author
39. Banned Book
40. Narrative Nonfiction
41. On Your To-Read List the Longest
42. A Book About Travel
43. Popular Book You’ve Never Read
44. True Crime
45. Nonfiction Bestseller
46. Science Fiction Novel
47. A Book You Own But Haven’t Read
48. Recommended by a Local Librarian
49. 2019 New Release
50. The First Book in a Series
51. Prettiest cover
52. An Inspirational Story



While I was looking for this challenge, I also found the Masterlist of reading challenges. There is not enough time in the day!!!


I would love to hear about what you are reading and I'll post a review of what I read this week on Monday. 

And remember, be peaceful, be kind it is important!

Until next time!!





Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Custom Pieces - Turquoise and Labradorite Set

One of my favorite things is working with someone who has an idea about a new piece of jewelry, and making it come to life for them. 

This is a recent work up, I didn't have all of the stones that I needed and I needed to place an order, right before Christmas. I couldn't guarantee delivery on the piece, and she was fine with that.   I ordered on 12/19/18 and it showed up on 12/22/18 - it was a Christmas miracle!! They were made and delivered on 12/23/18

Way to go Firemountain Gems!!! 

I can't speak well enough about Firemountain Gems. amazing!!!

She wanted a labradorite and turquoise multi layer necklace. Labradorite because it is the stone of magic and turquoise because it is a master healer and more. 
I had the turquoise, but not the labradorite. I honestly really wanted to wait for the local gem show so I could see it and pick the strands that had the most fire, but that wasn't going to happen until the end of Jan. 

Next best thing, I went to Firemountain Gems. 

I found out a long time ago, FMG doesn't play when it comes to quality and customer satisfaction.  I have also found, they are straight up when it comes to their descriptions of their product. They tell you what grade the stone, if it is heat treated, color enhanced, re constituted and more, so there is no guessing. 

I had no reservations shopping online for the labradorite, knowing I would get a beautiful product, and there would be that glorious flash that shows up in labradorite when it is good quality. 

I honestly can't thank Firemountain Gems enough for their speedy service and quality of product!




As a surprise, her mother asked to have a pair of earrings made, so she would have something to open on Christmas - but as it happens, she got both!!!



May your new year be all things you wanted it to be, and remember, be peaceful, and be kind, it's important!!

All of my jewelry creations are based on the metaphysical properties of the stones or the colors that are incorporated. Jewelry should be a window to our soul, a protector of our emotions and a companion to our spirit. All of my other creations come directly from my heart in hopes they touch yours as well. Celebrate yourself with healing jewelry, and other gift ideas made with love!