My new "mix tape"

Hello!

Just to report I have made my new "mix tape" as promised......was so much FUN!

If you'd like to have a trip down memory lane.....or just a laugh at my extreme cheesy taste in music you can check it out here on Spotify!

Enjoy!

x

How do you like to play?

I was reading yet another interesting blog this morning that I feel really relates to our challenge; The Happiness Project. Today Gretchen Rubin is discussing how playing has a huge part in feeling happy. Thinking about our challenge of doing something we love every day and what things we are picking to do I am sure a lot of them are things we loved to do when we were younger. The things I loved to do when I was growing up are all the things that make me smile now; baking cakes, being by the sea, seeing my friends, dancing.....and even roller skating (not that I do that very often now)!


Hmm just thought of another one, I used to love making mix tapes!! Ok so that is my thing for today, I am going to create a play list (oh, how times have changed!) of all my old favourite songs from when I was 15 and under.....ooo this is going to be fun! I hope I can find Mel and Kim on Spotify!! (if you have not yet discovered Spotify it is an amazing tool for downloading free music).


Gretchen mentions a book by Stuart Brown Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul in which he lists various different "play personalities".  Going through the various options I think I must be a director, as I love to plan events/parties, and an explorer as I love going to new places and meeting new people. It helps to become present to what you are as then from there you can get ideas of things to do that will make you happy!


So I am taking on my director hat today and am booking the venue for our party on 14th April - I hope you can make it!


What is your play personality?


....and if you are stuck for things to do each day to make you smile, what would you have done when you were 8 years old?


Have fun! x

What do you "know" about Love?

As planned I had a fantastic weekend catching up with various different groups of friends. The photo on the right is of a couple of killer tigers I came across at the of an old school friend!

One thing that I consciously shifted over the weekend was the conversation I have with myself and others around money, or more specifically the lack of it! I made a decision not bring that into any discussions and instead to focus on all the plans I have ahead of me. This may sound slightly random but it left me feeling excited about my future rather than having any concerns. I realise this is not technically "doing something I love" but it did make my time with friends all the more fun and has helped create a new empowering outlook for my future.

Another thing I love to it to take photos, since May last year I have been taking a photo every day (well very nearly) to depict my life. I have set up a photo album per month on Facebook where I upload them. It's been fantastic to do as looking back at them now I can really picture what I have been doing over the past year, and friends seem to love seeing themselves in them too! The iphone Camera + app is great for taking photos then adding effects to them.....the photo below is just from a cake tin at my friends house!

I have been following a fantastic blog by Judy Clement, she is spending 2011 loving fearlessly and this week she has posted about what she has learnt about love so far. She opened the question out to her readers to find out what they know about love......so I am throwing it out to you too!

To get you started here are a few things I posted to her blog about what I know:

1. I know it gets easier the more you share it, the more I tell people I love them and what they mean to me the more open I get and easier it becomes to say it. I used to be very closed when I was growing up.
2. Romantic love can be a bit scary but beautiful.
3. The more you speak about love and tell people you love them the more you feel love.
4. Consciously planning to do something you love every day lifts your spirits and energy.
5. Love is what has supported me through making changes and decisions in my life, the love I feel from family and friends is the most important thing in my life. I know what ever happens to me I will always have the support and love of all the wonderful people in my life.
6. Finally loving yourself really is key. Treat yourself like you treat those you love.

I look forward to hearing what you know about love!

xx

Love and Connection

Hi All!

Hope you are all having fun doing things you love!

This weekend I am focusing on catching up with people I have not seen in a long time. I have been really focused on my business these past couple of weeks so I have arranged to see as many people as possible this weekend to feel that lovely sense of connection with the people I love!

One of my best friends is coming down from Liverpool today so we are going for lunch soon. Then straight from that I am going down to Sussex with an old school friend to stay with another school pal, I will be armed with Pretty Woman, Grease and Sex and The City DVDs for a proper girlie night in! Tomorrow I am catching up with another fab group of friends in The Calf pub in Clapham......love a good Sunday Pub session, yipppppeeeee!

Love and connection is one of our 6 human needs which just shows how important it is to make time for it no matter how busy you are.

Have fun weekends!

xx

This weeks post

It's funny, well strange really but the action of focussing on creating a life you love gives such a new and renewed perspective of life.

I have started writing again - a paragraph here, a word there. No pressure, but in focussing on what I love, what I want to do it is almost like a calmness has descended upon me. As if life is clapping it's hands and applauding me, saying yay, finally. Little creatures are pushing me toward the door for me.

Don't get me wrong, life hasn't all of a sudden become perfect, but it feels manageable, positive, happy. I'm starting to recognise myself, see the glimmers of light in the dark days. I think I closed my eyes there for awhile and fell asleep to what I want, autopilot is so easy. It's the little things that are so important - a smile from the person sitting next to you at work, a seat on the tube in the afternoon, lunch with friends, a great song.... I could go on. I love reading what inspires others, i love that feeling of being a part of something - more posts please.

Have a lovely day.
Listening to Loreena Mckennitt

Law of Attraction

The past couple of days have been spent working from home so not a huge amount to report aside from I have been trying out a new law of attraction process that a friend showed me......and it's definitely been making me smile! So I thought I would share it with you incase you'd like to give it a go!

1) Look in the mirror and tell yourself "I love you" (yes quite cringy this bit!)
2) Read out a statement with lots of energy about who you are in the world, what you are a stand for, what your purpose in life it.
3) Look at some photo's/pictures of what/who you want in your life. This is really to help anchor in what you want.
4) Put on some uplifting music and jump around reading your goal out aloud like you already have it, read this a few times, fast and loud as if you are celebrating achieving it.
5) Then read out aloud what your life is like a year on from achieving your goal, to really get present to the impact in your life the goal will have in the future
6) Jump around a bit more....even have a little dance :-)
7) Sit down and write a few things you are grateful for in your life.

I know this might sound slightly insane.....but honestly after you have done it you feel so energised and positive it just can't be a bad thing to start the day off with!

Go on.....give it a go......I dare you!

xxx

Hot Hot Hot Tamales!

Continuing on from my Mexican obsession, I made fresh tamales.  Only took me about 4 hours in the kitchen on a Sunday afternoon!  Tamales are these delicious parcels filled with Masa Harina (corn flour) and savory filling.  In this case, slow cooked pork (carnitas) in spices and herb and chili guajillo chili peppers.  It was my first time attempting this time consuming dish and while Jez was cursing upstairs watching Arsenal losing to a not so great team...I was busy wrapping up these little suckers!  The result?  Could be better.  The meat was great but the dough was too 'doughy' so definitely need to do it better next time! 

Still made me smile though!