Another Year Older........

OK, by the time this post goes out I will be celebrating another

year older, and hopefully another year wiser (but the

latter is still up for debate ;-)

Here's some of the things I've learnt as I continue my

studies in the University of Life

* stop trying to convince anyone of anything

* try and go with the flow whenever you can. Rowing upstream

only causes you more resistance. However, going with the flow is not the

same as bailing out. Don't be fooled ;-)

*The worst lie you can tell yourself is, "I will

be happier when................"

*I'm learning not to worry about what comes next

* You're never as wrong as when you are sure you are right

(think about it ;-)

*If you don't give with a true sense of joy, don't bother giving

* Logic has it's limits. People who worship logic all the time

tend to suffer in their happiness and relationships

*It's not easy being grateful all the time. But it's when you feel

least thankful that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you

(honestly, it works every time!)

*Goals are good, but don't let them dictate your life.

Sometimes in pursuit of a goal, we miss the real, unexpected

prize which is always better

*It's great to have an edge, but if you are too sharp you will cut the

people around you

* The Universe whispers to you first. Then it taps you on the

shoulder. If you're still not listening it will punch you

in the gut and drop you to your knees! So pay

attention to your instincts (they are your

messengers)

Luxuria Boutique

* Buying jewelry is like buying jeans. The budget

is different, but once you know what suits you. it's easy :-)

(You go little girl !!)

* Style cannot be bought; it's something you learn.

It's ever evolving. You'll make some big style mistakes

that you will learn from, but which will also make you

belly laugh in years to come.

(yearning for)

* Logic will take you from A to B.

Imagination will take you everywhere

(OK, I'm imagining this bag on my arm this summer ;-)

* For me the word "doubt" means don't. Don't move.

Don't answer. Don't rush forward

(A mantra to live by)

I would love to hear what the University

of Life has definitely taught you.

All images courtesy of Pinterest

Randomness

I'm most creative when................

lying in my bath with only the sound of my

breathing for company

or anywhere I can just enjoy the silence alone

If I were a color, I'd be ........................

PURPLE; a little passion mixed with romance

When I was younger......................

I wanted to be a professional dancer;

not necessarily a ballet dancer, but certainly professional.

I trained in Ballroom and Latin until I was 18 years old

But I had parents who didn't think dancing was a profession-simply a hobby.

So I ended up as Criminal Psychologist instead, until I gave it all up

12 years ago :-)

I often wonder how much influence parents should exert on

children as they choose their path.

I would love your thoughts

(this picture always makes me feel so sad)

I would love to spend a Sunday afternoon......................

walking around the Sunday markets of Paris or Provence

followed by lunch at a quaint bistro.

(St. Paul de Vence-France)

I often imagine....................

Hubs and I taking 6 months off to travel across

the USA in a RV

It's certainly on my wish-list

My secret talent....................

I can play the piano. I finished all my eight grades, but

have never played in the last 25 years :-(

I hope I'm put in the soul, Motown, 70's, Country

or soul-jazz category ;-)

What's your fav music genre? Are we likely to be put together?

I would love to know about my lovely followers/friends.

Answer the 5 statements, and lets learn more

randomness about each other, and embrace

what makes us all so wonderfully different.

P.S don't forget to enter our Pinterest 'Pin It to Win It' competition which ends March 17th.


(All images courtesy of Pinterest)

March Means.................

March is definitely one of my favorite months for many reasons;

.........it epitomizes the beginning of Spring for me

........of knowing that the feel of sunlight on my skin is not far away

....... the sight of the morning dew instead of frost

........everyone seems to have removed their Winter veils

and are smiling for no reason(unless you are Victoria Beckham ;-)

.........buds are breaking out of their naked branches

........some of my fav flowers are starting to

shove their shiny snouts through the bare earth

.......the realization that my grey roots can no longer be hidden

under customary winter hats!

.......the smell of freshly laundered sheets that were

left to blow in the breeze

........seeing gorgeous pastel colors in the shops and knowing that

the slow banishment of black from my wardrobe must now begin

......my basket of sunglasses taking residence on my hall

stand so that I can grab any pair as I dash out of the door

.........the realization that the feel of sand between my toes is not

far away (maybe 1 more month if you live in Spain)

.......time to start thinking of summer accessories after

months of scarfs and hats

http://bit.ly/yrzSbM

........new tastes to tantalize the taste-buds after months

of having an excuse for eating comfort foods ;-)

........the amazement that the beginning of Spring is always better

than you expect

.........finally, it's the month when I was born. So it's

always a month of reminiscing, new objectives and

appreciation for another wonderful year on this planet

What's your favorite thing about the beginning of Spring/March?

I Forgive Myself For...........

As I race through each week at break-neck speed, I seem to constantly live in a state of guilt for all the things I should or shouldn't have done.

So I am going to.....

............ forgive myself for not phoning back a friend who

only ever phones me when she has a problem (do you

have these friends?)

.......... I forgive myself for undermining my worth by sometimes

comparing myself to others success

.......... I forgive myself for getting irritated with an elderly parent

simply because his brain was not working as fast as mine

....... I forgive myself for being 20 mins into a car journey and

not admitting to Hubs I was holding the map upside down

......... I forgive myself for not following up my dental appointment. I have put

"Dr Teeths" children through private school since living in Spain. So I decided

I'm not putting them through University also ;-)

......I forgive myself for using hormones as an excuse

for my "usual" crazy madness

......I forgive myself for burning my chocolate puddle desserts

because I was distracted on Pinterest, but telling Hubs they are meant to be

slightly crunchy ;-)

.......I forgive myself for running through life so fast that

I not only forget where I've been, but also where I'm going

.........I forgive myself for never sticking to a blogging schedule

(I'm convinced my followers don't really care)

......I forgive myself for only being able to think about what I was

going to have for lunch during a meditation class, because

I was SO hungry. Enlightenment passed me by yet again!

.......I forgive myself for bumping into an old client and all

through the conversation I was only trying to remember her

name. The worst thing was she remembered mine

and everything about me

.......I forgive myself for giving up when I still had something to

give, but tiredness got the better of me.

So my Lovelies, what do you forgive yourself for?

C'mon confess, and

just let it go :-)

p.s check out these gorgeous beauties for your summer wardrobe

Sometimes........

Sometimes.......I get frightened thinking about the future. I know it's

completely futile, but it happens

Sometimes......I wonder what my Mum would have made of some of the life

decisions I have made; decisions I made blindly because she was not around to guide me

Sometimes........I get paralyzed with fear thinking about breast cancer and

whether I will get it (again another futile thought!)

Sometimes........I feel there will never be advances in cancer; not while the

pharmaceutical industry have ultimate control over medical/scientific research

Sometimes........I do stop and just breathe (Hubs calls it "zoning out" ;-)

Sometimes......I wish I could just ring up some of my wonderful blogging

friends and say, "Hey! how do you fancy meeting for a coffee and a

girlie chat".

Sometimes .......I lose hours with Twitter and Pinterest

Sometimes........I wonder what my legacy will be

as I don't have children.

I hope it will be, "she was a good example of a hard-worker,

a better example of a a daughter, and the

best example of a wife and loyal and sincere friend".

Sometimes.........I can spend hours in my kitchen cooking

up a feast for no-one in particular

Sometimes.......I wonder if I followed the "right" path

Sometimes.......I get overwhelmed by how lucky I really am

Sometimes......I wonder what it would be like to be drunk.

I'm a tee-total, and have never been drunk (sometimes

I think it could be fun)

Sometimes.........I wonder if I will ever find the perfect

mascara!

I ALWAYS.................write in my Gratitude journal (this

is my 5th year of doing so, and I love reading back over old

journals)

I NEVER................ask "Why me?" because the answer

always comes back "Why not?".

What are your "sometimes", "always" and "nevers"?

As always I would love to hear

p.s check out these beauties for your Spring/Summer wardrobe ;-)