Mindful Eating

Let's be frank about this. I am a bust at mindful eating. When I am eating alone, I fix my food, I sit down and eat while reading a magazine and half-watching the TV. I barely pay attention to what I am eating, although I know that it is healthy (plus for me). With so many food sensitivities and hypoglycemia, I can't load up on food that I react badly to unless I want to feel really awful. But this year I would like to take more pleasure in eating and have more gratitude for the food that I do eat. Enter a mindful eating practice. I want to enjoy my food like this girl:

Organizing Your Jewelry

One step in shopping your closet is to organize your jewelry, so that you can see what you have and what still looks good.  My jewelry was a mess - some in boxes, some in jewelry boxes, some on a tray and some just spread out on my dresser.  I kept telling my husband I needed a larger jewelry box and I was tired of seeing everything all over the place.

But instead of buying me a new bigger jewelry case, which we did not have room for in the bedroom, he bought some supplies and made "wall art" on which I could hang much of my jewelry.  He started with picking a beautiful frame that went with the decor of the room.  Then he ran wires across the the frame and attached the frame to the wall.  Next he found a pretty bathroom towel bar and mounted it on the wall. He bought some stylish hooks to hang on the towel bar and, voila!, wall art where I can hang my jewelry.  This is how the finished pieces looked after I added my earrings and necklaces and I just love it!!

Try this imaginative way to organize and display your jewelry!

First Week of Shopping Fast for 2013

Well, my first week of my shopping fast (no buying clothing or shoes) for six months went relatively smoothly.  I avoided my usual shopping haunts and kept busy with cleaning up Christmas mess, working at the riding stable and keeping appointments.  However, the second day I went to a yoga class  www.myhalfmoonyoga.com and it was cold and rainy.  I didn't want to take off my warm socks, but I couldn't get any traction on the mat wth them.  So I took my socks off and then my feet were cold.  I looked longingly at the yoga socks with grips on the bottom that a couple of the ladies were wearing and thought, "I am going to get some of those today."  Then I rememebered that I wasn't buying anything new until July 1, 2013. Rats!  Oh, well.  I guess I will survive with what I've got.  Or just have cold feet :-( .  Pep talk to self - You can do this!!  Stay tuned for ideas of how to shop your closet and avoid spending money.  Comments welcomed!

Shop Your Closet in 2013 or a Shopping Fast

In my last post, I talked about setting goals for 2013 and mentioned my goals for 2013 (things I wanted to do or start.)  One thing I did not mention is that I have decided to go on a clothes shopping fast that started January 1, 2013.  I am feeling the need to turn away from wordly things and save some money in the process.  It's not like I don't have plenty of clothes!  With my new business I have been exposed to going shopping more and checking out new styles and stores.  The temptation was always there to buy something for myself.  So I have said, "no new clothes or shoes" until July 1, 2013.

What this means is that I am going to look at my own closet and create some new ways of putting together what I already have and making it look new.  This is a great way to save money and still feel like I am wearing something new.  This is what I do with clients when I help them sort out their closets, get rid of things that no longer look good or fit well, and then coming up with new outfits from the clothes they already own.  This is known as "shopping your closet."

So this is day two of my shopping fast and I am deleting all the notices from stores on my e:mail accounts, so I don't see all the new collections and sales they have going on. Step one - remove the temptation!  Maybe this year would be a good one for you to try doing the same thing - clean out your closets and see what you can come up with from the clothes, shoes and accessories you already own (and save money.)  If you need help or want to share your experience with shopping your closet,  leave a comment.  I am curious about what worked and what didn't if you tried it.

When I was in West Palm Beach, I did go shopping at some fabulous stores that they do not have in Tallahassee.  I made two purchases (alas, my last for 6 months) at Anthropologie www.anthropologie.com, one of which is the blouse I have on in this picture taken on New Year's Eve.  They have some really cute things.  By the way, I am now a huge fan of NYDJ jeans which I have on in the picture - so comfortable and they hold you in (this is a good thing!).