I love fall. I love the changing leaves, the crisp weather, the smell of cinnamon, the sounds of football in the background, visiting Apple Hill and various pumpkin patches, baking pies and cookies, etc.. It all makes me feel so warm and cozy..... And inspired ! When I feel this inspired I find that I must create, even if it's just using a few stolen minutes. And that's what I did yesterday. With the back to school and fall coming, I made this cute little apple to go with my apple tree from the other day. And I'm not sure my little apple is complete, but it is definitely a good start and a welcome reminder of this lovely season sneaking up on us.

“It's not what's happening to you now or what has happened in your past  that determines who you become. Rather, it's your decisions about what to focus on,  what things mean to you, and what you're going to do about them  that will determine your ultimate destiny.” ~Anthony Robbins Generally, I'd say focus is a good thing. I enjoy having clear vision (even if it takes contact lenses) and I value mental focus. But right now, I am a little too focused. Focused to the point of obsession. I have a tendency to get this way, especially when it's something I love. When I love something I love it with everything I possibly can. I like to think of this as passion. My husband lovingly refers to this as my pit bull quality, i.e. once I sink my teeth into something, it's hard to get me to release. But my current focus/obsession isn't so much from a love or passion. My husband and I are looking at our life and considering some pretty big changes. Chan

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” ~Lao Tzu “One step at a time is good walking” ~Chinese Proverb I am excited to say that I am taking action. I am making things happen. And how am I doing this? I am taking tasks that were once overwhelming and breaking them down into more manageable pieces. I like things broken down into pieces. When I break things down, I get things done. That way I can take it one step at a time. When I think about it, this most obviously applies to decluttering my home this summer. But I'm also starting to see a pattern. For instance, I imagine that this is why the C25K program successfully turned me from couch potato to a 5K runner (just as it promises). And this must be why, while watching my husband's beginning ice hockey class last night, I found myself thinking, "Hey, that looks like fun." I've never had the yearning to play ice hockey (nor do I think I do now), but the instructor was just so good at

Today I'm running my second 5K. When I first started running in May I had no plans of a 5K, let alone three within a month (I have another one next weekend). But with this being the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 it just felt right, and even necessary, to be a part of something special to remember the lives that were lost.

"Simple living is about living your life with a purpose that aligns with your values... Living simply is about being who you were made to be."  from  Organized Simplicity  by Tsh Oxenredier of  Simple Living Media . Some of you might have noticed that I haven't been blogging as much this summer. In fact, I took a whole month off from blogging even though regular life continued on. My break came partially from the busyness of life, but also because I needed it. I've been on an amazing adventure of discovery this year which started with what I thought was a simple One Little Word choice, Clear . My experiences have led me from one discovery to another and it's been quite empowering.  Part of my adventure has included the opportunity to work with Tiffany Moore , life coach extraordinaire. Working with Tiffany has truly been a gift. It's been so helpful in gaining perspective, and sometimes changing perspective, when it comes to vi

Hello again. I am finally back. I took a little blog summer vacation (and One Little Word Blog Hop vacation). It wasn't really a planned break, but sometimes you just need to hit pause (like when my 4 year old daughter asks to "pause the game" when she's playing--references from the age of DVRs and pausing TV). So here I am. I've spent the summer with my one little word (clear) in mind, decluttering and organizing both my home and my head. It doesn't sound exciting, but it has been truly wonderful! I also continued to clear my head and work towards better health by running. I'm excited to say that I completed the Couch to 5K program (C25K) and just ran my first 5K , the Race for the Arts , this past weekend. It was amazing! Between the energy of the crowd and the support of my family I was able to run my best time (not fast by any means, but no doubt my personal best). It was magical crossing the finish line, seeing my family, hearing my name ca