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Okay, we all need a break from time to time, but how often do you truly rest?

I’m not talking about sleeping, I mean intentional rest.

As a wife, mom, business owner, friend (oh, how the list goes on), I know that it can be very challenging to even find the time. And then if you’re anything like me, you’re constantly on the move anyway. Actually sitting down to rest can seem almost impossible.

But the thing is, we all need to rest. Even God rested after creating the world. So why is it that so many of us don’t allow the same for ourselves? And how many times have you sat down to rest, but still can’t seem to feel energized?

I recently finished a major creative project I’d been working on for over a month. I seemed to be motivated and able to work at an intense pace until I pushed the last bit of it out. And then I felt exhausted. My work pace seemed to slow to a crawl, and I kept saying over and over that I needed a vacation (although couldn’t actually leave to take one!). After a day or so of this seemed lethargy, I realized I really just needed to rest.

So like any woman needing a break but unable to get away for one, I found other options. This time, I decided to opt for some good red wine, a little dark chocolate and a magazine. I happened to pick up a recent copy of “O” – and found that Martha Beck had written an article on the very same thing: Rest.

It was the justification I needed…I’ve since taken several weeks at a slow pace as I gear up for lots of great new projects and clients this fall. I’ve spent a lot of time summer time fun with my little one. I’ve continuously shut down that voice in my head that says I’m not doing enough. I took time off from writing, but found my creativity emerge in new and different ways. Above all else, I’ve re-energized after giving myself permission to do so. Now that’s intentional rest.

Are you resting at all? With intention? Do tell…

Hi All,

I don’t have a photo to put up for this request. Funny thing is, I tried to get one up, but it was taking so much time that I wanted to throw the towel in on the whole post (my little one was running around directly out of a bath, and so there were lots of wet towels around here – got me preoccupied and wanting to go play). So I’m forgoing the picture.

I’m wondering if you might help if you have a moment – I am writing an eBook to help people make more money and have more fun at their garage sales. After all, (or in case you don’t know), I have lots of experience selling my stuff and other people’s stuff, to raise money, clear space, and have peace of mind. I thought I’d share my proven methods with the masses as I’m writing eBooks. So I’m testing titles for the eBook and would really appreciate your help. It’s only four questions long and will only take a minute. If you have one to spare, click this link:

Click here to take survey

If you don’t have time to take it or don’t want to, that’s cool too. I appreciate you reading my posts, either way!

We grilled this whole wild salmon over the weekend and I thought I’d share the recipe, because it’s soooo good. {Don’t I say that about every recipe I post here? But then again, why would I post it if it wasn’t good?} I adapted this from things I’ve thrown together in the past and advice from one of my dearest friends who was married to a Japanese lady…(he cooked and ate a lot of yummy fish!)

There are some fabulous fish deals out there, especially if you’re willing to cook the whole thing. You may have to deal with some bones, but you get fantastic fish for a fraction of the cost of fillets. This recipe is great year round, and would be a fabulous addition to your normal Fourth of July party food (for those of you still looking for recipes for this coming weekend!). The fish comes out extremely moist and flavorful.

You can use any kind of fish. I used wild whole salmon here – I got a great deal on it from my fish monger at CostCo, and it was cut and cleaned for me as well. It’s also a great use of all the home grown herbs and fruits that are in season during the summer.

Let me know if you try it? Have you ever made whole grilled fish? What’s your favorite recipe for it? Would love your comments below…;-)

Herb Stuffed Whole Grilled Fish

serves 6-8

• One whole fish (preferably cut and cleaned, with or without the head removed)
• 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
• basil butter (see below)
• Fresh herb sprigs (I used dill, basil and parsley)
• Salt & Pepper

Preheat and clean grill.

Rinse fish, inside and out, and pat dry. Sprinkle inside with salt and pepper. With a large knife, cut deep scores into both sides of the fish.  Smear basil butter onto both sides of the fish, rubbing into the scores.

Stuff inside of fish with lemon slices and herb sprigs. (I like two layers of the lemon slices.)

Grill fish on low, flipping once. Depending on the fish, it’ll take about 15 minutes per side. Cook until fish is opaque and cooked through. Cut and serve.

Watch out for bones – you’ll need to pick through for the little kids. But it’s easy to do, and well worth any effort!

Scores cut into the fish

The fish, stuffed & slathered, ready to go on the grill

Basil Butter

Makes 1 cup. Leftovers are great on bread!

• 1 stick of butter (1/4 cup), room temperature
  
• 2 – 3 cups lightly packed basil leaves

Combine butter and basil in food processor until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Basil butter after it's given a whirl in the food processor

Oh, how I love sweet, white summer corn. Yellow is great too. I have never been a huge fan of corn on the cob, simply because the corn gets stuck in my teeth. I know, yuck. So I found another way to make corn, and it’s become a staple in our house and at our barbecues (or cookouts for those of you not on the U.S. West Coast). Sometimes I still have to leave it on the cob for the other people in my household, but this is my favorite way to do it.

The brilliant thing about this salad, is that everyone loves it, it’s easy to do, it’s adaptable to what fresh herbs you have on hand, and is great as an addition to other salads, soups, stews…the list goes on. (I’ll share a few other ways to use it in an upcoming post.)

Let’s get to it.

Anna’s Grilled Corn Salad

A couple of notes: Use as many cobs of corn as you people you want to serve, and adjust other ingredients accordingly and to taste. You can also use one cob for 2 people if you have other sides. Use whatever fresh herbs you want – I’m using basil here because it’s my standard. Dill, Chives, Oregano – they’re great too. Don’t be afraid to experiment a bit.

• 4 ears of fresh corn, husks and hairy part removed
• 2-3 Tablespoons butter (or spread – I use Smart Balance)
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil (or other fresh herb)
  
• salt and pepper

Preheat your grill, and then place corn cobs directly on the grill at medium to medium high heat. Grill until cooked and a bit blackened on all sides. (This usually takes about 10 minutes on my grill – you know the hot spots on yours.) Just don’t leave it alone without turning for too long, or you’ll be making popcorn. Remove the cobs from the grill and let cool slightly.

Using a fork stuck in one end, slice the kernels off of the cob until all are removed and put the corn into a bowl. Add butter (or spread) and chopped basil. Stir the corn until the butter melts. Season with salt and pepper. Eat warm or room temperature (although, it’s great out of the fridge too!)

Serves 4

Every once in awhile, I’m asked to review products here on my blog. I’ve turned down many simply because they don’t fit with my values or philosophy on life. There are other times when a product fits in with what I believe and want for my family, so I consider it. Method Laundry Detergent was one of those products.

When the company told me that they were making concentrated laundry detergent that would slim down packaging and be better for the environment, I was in. I mean, just to get away from the huge jugs that sit up in my cupboard, I wanted to try it. (See picture above.)

The real question is, then, does it really do the job? Can it get mud off of the dog bed cover? What about all the gunk on my toddler’s clothes? How can it possibly work?

The answer simply: Yes. It works. I don’t know how (besides that it’s concentrated), but it does.

I’m a little girl (meaning, short). Reaching up into the cabinet to get to a heavy jug of  detergent is not fun. Grabbing a small bottle and squirting a few pumps into the washing machine…well, it’s much easier. It’s better for the environment, and that’s a good thing. I haven’t done a cost comparison yet – they gave me a free bottle to try, FYI.

Now if only they’d send me a new washer and dryer for review…mine are about to blow.

Disclaimer: I was given a bottle of Method Laundry Detergent to try in exchange for my unbiased review after testing the product. This review is simply my opinion, and your opinion of it may differ.

WOW, it’s been forever since I’ve put out a blog post! I’m working on a few right now… and on getting more regular with them.

Just as my own disclaimer, I’ve been inundated with the projects I’m juggling and family life. The posts take a little bit for me to get out. I will not claim to be a technical genius – just dangerous enough to hurt myself because I’m (somewhat) competent. However, that is making me sloooooooow. And that makes other, more important, things suffer. I’m hoping to outsource a lot more of that coming up very soon.

Either way, you’ll be hearing a lot more from me and what’s actually transpiring over here, like: what I’m working on, tips on how to balance it (hey, why not learn from my mistakes and time?), more on the money and business side of things, and most importantly, how you can do something incredible in the world – every day.

I’m working on some exciting things, and I need to show you what’s been going on! Maybe it’ll give you a little inspiration?

Stay tuned…

P.S. If you’d like to share how you’ve found ways to take some stuff off your own plate, I’d love to hear about it…

And maybe let me know what you’ve been up to? What is something (anything) that you’re working on that’s exciting to you?

Hey everyone – mark your calendars!

I will be appearing on FaveCrafts Radio on Sunday, May 30th at 4:00 PM Pacific Time, 7:00 PM Eastern as a featured guest. You can go here to set a reminder to listen in- and a replay will be available! I’ll be talking about how to turn your craft into a business – something you won’t want to miss…it applies to all crafts and passions.

Hope you check it out – let me know what you think of it! Oh, and tell your friends? ;-)

Recently I read the book, Five Wishes by Dr. Gay Hendricks. I had heard him talk of the book at a conference earlier this year and really felt compelled to pick it up. If you haven’t read it yet, check it out.

Gay’s own words about the book:

“In my thirties I received the gift of a conversation that changed my life. At the heart of that conversation was a certain question. Answering it gave me a life blessed with love, happiness and wealth, a life in which all my dreams came true.
Now, I want to offer you the same gift, in hopes you will use its power to create your own fulfilled life. “

All his dreams came true?! Okay, I had to read it. I did, in one sitting, and immediately went on to write out my five death bed goals…asking myself the question: When I look back on my life, what would make my life a success?

But the real revelation happened for me less than two weeks ago. I had a deadline to meet on a project that I’d been procrastinating on for months. The mere idea of working on it just seemed painful. And then I remembered one of my wishes:  To live each day, in joy, gratitude and FUN. I figured if I could look back on my life and had done that – really, what else would I need? I mean, that would equal a great life! So in that moment, I changed my outlook on the project I needed to complete. I decided to be joyful, grateful for it, and have fun with it!

Here’s the most astounding thing: IT WORKED!

And then it occurred to me that it is actually possible! I was doing it! And if I could do it then, I could also decide to make that choice at any time, in any circumstance! This is life changing, without a doubt.

Last week I had the privilege of sitting down with Gay and telling him about my experience. He mentioned to me his excitement in me learning of this at such a young age (Ha! He thinks I’m young!)…that most people don’t come to this information until much later in life. I told him that despite coming to it by way of a series of tragic life events, I’m here, I learned it, and am so grateful for all of it. I then told him how so many people I know and people around me, think it’s just crazy - they think I’m crazy to think in such a positive way, and that it just can’t be done. And then Gay asked me another, pointed question:

“At the end of your life, what will matter? That you lived by your principles, or that people thought you were crazy?” Hmmm, point taken. {Interesting side note, he also told me that if a lot of people thought I was crazy, I was probably headed in the right direction!}

While I was sitting with Gay, telling him about my revelation, I expressed my thrill in being able to raise children with this same awareness. How great that I can teach my two-year-old the same thing! Can you imagine a world where this is default thinking? And that we all actually think about what we want in our lives, living by design rather than default? Can you imagine growing up with that information and how it could make for such an incredible life?

I can. And my little one will too. How about you and yours?

I just thought I’d share some quick instructions for one of my favorite things to make…succulent gardens! I recently put this “craft recipe” together for FaveCrafts.com where I will be a Featured Designer. So it’s official, I’m a crafter. But I guess you already knew that. ;-)  If you haven’t checked out their site, do. They have tons of great ideas and inspiration…that’s why they have over 600,000 subscribers! Later this month, I’ll be featured as a guest on the FaveCrafts Radio Show – I’ll be talking about how to turn your crafting passion into a business. More info about the show will be coming soon!

So back to the succulent gardens…

You’ve likely seen succulents around quite a bit over the last few years. I’ve been making these for many, many years. They’re a perfect answer for us busy moms (or anyone who is time or energy challenged). They’re easy to take care of, easy to create, and they last forever (well, a very long time). They’re stylish and modern and make great gifts. I keep one on my patio table as a centerpiece – as you can see below.

Each succulent garden has its own personality and just gets better over time.

Succulents are awesome for so many reasons – they come in so many colors, shapes and textures. They’re also drought tolerant and ridiculously easy to care for. I take snippings off of random plants and can simply stick them in dirt, and they’re off and growing. You can make succulent gardens in lots of different shapes and forms – below are instructions for a simple succulent container garden.

Materials:

• One pot or container
• Gravel, rock or smashed terracotta for good drainage
• Potting soil
• Perlite (that white stuff you see in potted plants)
• 6-8 succulent plants of varied size, color and textures
• Decorative rock or Pea Gravel

Instructions:

1. Fill the bottom of your container rock for drainage – about 1.5 inches from the bottom

2. Mix half potting soil, half Perlite to fill the rest of the container.

This video helps demonstrate.

3. Arrange your selected succulents in the container, one at a time – this video gives you some ideas on how to do it.

Don’t be afraid to fill it compactly with plants. Think of it like a mini succulent bonsai – you can direct the plants’ growth with minor trimming when needed. I suggest starting at one corner.

4. As you’re adding plants, use your fingers to get in between and make them firmly planted. This will give you more beautiful results much more quickly.

5. Pour decorative pea gravel in between all of the plants, which helps give a finished look and acts as a fabulous ground cover.

6. Thoroughly water the entire arrangement to clean up and nourish the plants.

7. That’s it! These gardens like a little bit of sun, but do surprisingly well with mostly shade. I trim them only as they need it, and feed them maybe once a month with a simple, multi-purpose fertilizer…but honestly, they do just fine without it.

So what do you think? Look easy enough? Do you like succulents? Have you used them before? As always, would love your feedback and comments below!

Did you see all those cocoons?!?! (By the way, if you’re viewing this in a reader, you may need to click through to watch the video.)

Not what I expected when I followed my intuition to plant vines to cover our pergola (patio cover). In fact, when we first bought this house years ago, I envisioned the patio covered with greenery. I often have a vision for how I see things for design – not much thought about it, actually. And I certainly wasn’t thinking anything related to my intuition.

A few years of challenges and distractions kept me from moving forward on my ideas to plant vines to cover the patio.

Then one day, close to the end of last summer, I got the message loud and clear: It’s time to plant the vines.

Okay, that may sound completely odd. It did to me too. Frankly, I couldn’t imagine how to get it done with a one-year-old and a couple of businesses. My time didn’t really allow for a lot of hands on home improvement (or so I thought). I didn’t believe I had it in the budget to do it either. And to plant at the end of a growing season? Seemed crazy. And this was the conversation going back and forth in my mind.

But the message kept coming: Now’s the time. Plant the vines.

So after learning not to ignore those messages (story for another time), I pursued the idea.

In a matter of a week, I found the pots that I liked, on clearance for 75% off what I originally thought I’d be paying. My gardener installed a drip system at one heck of a deal, and the vines my intuition was telling me to plant (not all together common), were online, inexpensive and available now. To top it all off, we’d just received a small bonus that would cover the expense of the whole project. Seemed like everything lined up.

Very quickly, we realized that these vines attract butterflies. It seemed very appropriate with some of the personal and business transformations we were (and still are) going through. They say God works in mysterious ways…

Soon after, we started to see caterpillars, and then a couple cocoons. And as you can see from the video, at this point we’re swimming in them. Certainly nothing I expected…breeding butterflies.

But over the last year, I’ve seen butterflies being born at the most appropriate and significant times. Usually it’s when I need a push on a particular day, or when I’m questioning my direction and own transformation, change, new beginnings… and many times when I’m talking to other women about theirs. It’s been a gift I never expected. And yes, I do believe in signs. ;-)

Listening to your intuition can open things up in your life that you never even imagined.

Simple example, but incredibly symbolic. And this summer will be fabulous – a beautiful, green patio and butterflies filling the yard.

So, what is your intuition telling you? Are you listening? Are you following it?

{Just a quick update on this: Here’s a picture of a newborn from the morning I wrote this: ;-)]