In Like a Lion and Out Like a Lamb

"In Like a Lion and Out Like a Lamb" where did that saying come from? I bet it was not anyone here in upstate New York! As the month of March is almost over I was thinking of that very saying on our walk this morning as we all froze. March around here is in like a lion at the beginning, middle and end. We might get a day or two that is sweet like a lamb but that is not the norm. What do you do keep your spirits high when the weather is low? Well here is what I do.

I try to enjoy it and remember that this to will pass. I like to drink lots of hot drinks like tea and coffee. And when my schedule allows I love to snuggle down with a good book on a rainy day and catch a cat nap too. I keep my sweaters handy along with my winter coat and boots. This way I will be warm when I have to run about. This is the one month that my family is home more often, basketball had ended and baseball hasn't really begun and our schedules are less hectic. Dinners altogether are a joy and I try to light candles for that special touch.

I like March because it does move a little slower than the other months and I can spend more time with my family. March use to depress me because of the weather but now I look at it as a chance to catch up, relax and enjoy before the spring and summer seasons hit with their flurry of activity. So what if it is gloomy we can make our own sunshine through the smiles we share.

Enjoy these last few moments of March, as with all moments - they are precious!
Om shanti.
Namaste.

If Not Now, When?

If not now, when? Wow, what a motivating phrase don’t you think? And a phrase that goes well with “Spring”, effort and new beginnings. It is a question we should ask ourselves often to keep us on track.

I have been thinking about doing a triathlon for about a year and I have always been able to come up with some excuse to avoid the work and in essence the gain that comes with hard work. So I decided to do it this year and have been training to the best of my ability for a month now. The race will be in June and I am excited. It is hard work but I feel stronger and I keep asking myself, “If not now, when?” I am not getting any younger. This is the question I ask myself every morning at 5:00am when the alarm goes off, and you know what? I get up and I am happy.

How can this help us with our everyday thinking? Well it helps us be present, set goals, work towards our goals, and procrastinate less. It also makes us take responsibility for our actions or lack of actions. We can always come up the excuses not do something but if we choose that then we really have relinquished our right to complain. Everyone will say I have no time but really we do if we set our priorities differently – again effort!

We can use this train of thought to even get the mundane things done like laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping and cooking. Since it is the first day of spring we can use this thought “If not now, when?” and begin to tackle our spring cleaning! It may not be our favorite thing to do but it sure is great once it is done and everything is where it should be – life is so much easier then don’t you think? So let’s throw open the windows, string the clothesline outside, fill the buckets and get to work!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, that you choose to be more productive during your day and that you root for Syracuse University during “March Madness!”
Namaste.

When Irish Eyes are Smiling then you Know the Soda Bread is Great!

This is my favorit Irish soda bread recipe because there are no caraway seeds and raisens. I got this recipe from Marhta StewartLiving Magazine back in 2003. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! My kids love it with Irish butter warm from the oven. I will be baking this along with "Shamrock" sugar cookies today. Another favorit of ours that I will be preparing today is my Grandma's coleslaw recipe - her kids didn't like cooked cabage so she made that instead and it is awesome.

Ingredients
Serves 4 to 6
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup whole-wheat graham flour
2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 2/3 cups buttermilk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Whisk together the flours, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or your fingertips, blend in butter until it resembles small peas. Add buttermilk all at once; stir with a fork until mixture holds together.
In the bowl, pat the dough into a domeshaped loaf about 7 inches in diameter. Lift out dough; transfer to lined sheet.
Lightly dust top of loaf with flour. Cut a 3/4-inch-deep cross in top, reaching almost all the way to edges. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until deep golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Namaste.

I am So Excited!!!!!!!

Have you ever asked yourself “I wonder what I will be doing in a year or two from now?” Or have you ever said, “I can’t believe I am doing this, a year ago I would have thought this was impossible”? Well over my life I have said both from time to time and today I am happy to say a dream has come true. As of this week my jewelry is being sold at Craft Company #6 here in Rochester, NY http://www.craftcompany.com/ .

Craft Company #6 is a beautifully restored firehouse in downtown Rochester, NY that specializes in USA handmade arts and crafts of the highest caliber. I have been a customer for years there and even had my bridal registry there 15 years ago – that was when I was a graphic designer. I left my full time position when I had my first son and after I had my second son I was itching to get back into something creative that I could do at home. That is when I started my journey into jewelry designing, beginning with the art of traditionally hand knotting pearls on silk. Once I got proficient at that I wanted to learn how to forge metal and it has been a wonderful adventure ever since!

This adventure took me to the Clothesline Art Festival at the Memorial Art Gallery which is a juried show here in Rochester and now to Craft Company #6. I have to say I am over the moon! Everyone there has been very kind and encouraging and I don’t think I have stopped smiling all week. Take a ride downtown to 785 University Ave. in Rochester or if you are out of the area check out their website http://www.craftcompany.com/ .

Remember in the words of Walt Disney, “If you can dream it, you can do it!”
Namaste.