Our Beautiful Thanksgiving Feast (and my fall mantle too!)

Hi Friends,

I hope you had a lovely thanksgiving. I did.

It has taken me a while to begin getting into the Christmas spirit, because it has been so warm out and hasn't snowed at all, (I've really enjoyed it, though its a little strange) but this Sunday I went to the early service (my favorite) at Unity and Ahriana really inspired me with what she had to share about Advent and all of the anticipation and gentle preparing for the coming of the new that can be so lovingly celebrated this time of year. I got very excited and went right away to buy some candles (one big brilliant gold one for the center, and 4 sage green tapers) and a grapevine wreath to make my own Advent wreath for Pres and I to light each night during this season so that we could be a part of the sacredness of this time. That afternoon I went on a sunny hike with Audrey and along the way I found some fallen evergreen branches to decorate our Advent wreath with. Its so beautiful, that immediately after setting it up, I could feel the Christmas Spirit begin to stir within me!!

I always love this time of year so much. I love that it is an end to the year that has passed. I love all of the warmth we create with our traditions. I love the sparkle of lights, and the drawing near of loved ones. I love the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year, where we can begin to celebrate the return of the light. It is such a powerful time for transformation, and I love the opportunity it presents each year to look back over the last 12 months, and to take note of what dreams and goals we've brought to life. We can celebrate our victories, and cherish the memories we've created. And then comes the new year!! What a joy to spend some sacred time visioning what we dream of for the next year and starting all over again fresh! I love that we get this chance every year. Ever since I started paying attention to the deeper meaning of all this, and really using this as powerful time for creating, I've experienced more joy and accomplished more dreams than ever before. Thanks mom, for gifting me with The Sacred Journey Journal, 5 or 6 years ago. (This is a powerful tool, a journal/day timer that is really helpful with annual dreaming and goal setting) I've used one each year ever since, and even though I'll only use part of it this year (I'll be walking the other part) I still can't imagine a new year's with out it.

That said, I am getting in the Christmas spirit, and I thought I should share some pics of our lovely Thanksgiving feast with you before the season has passed. And of course, you have to see a few pictures of my fall mantle before I take it down! :)


Thanksgiving Feast

This is our warm Thanksgiving table at my mom and Scott's house...





Spicy Silk Nog...




Stuffing, one of Preston's favorites...




My favorite Thanksgiving dish, sweet potatoes, my great grammy's style cooked in butter (earth balance) and maple syrup....




This year my mom tried something new instead of green bean casserole, and it was yummmm! Asparagus with Annie's Yum Sauce and of course crispy onions on top...




Squashes with stuffing...




My other Thanksgiving favorite (thanks, mom!) Squash Rolls





For our entree this year, little pot pies....




For dessert I made 2 things:




Grammy's apple pie (with a whole wheat crust)

And....Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake, which was simply amazing.









My Fall Mantle

Here is my fall mantle for this year. It was simple and came together little by little, but it warmed me up to light all of the candles almost every day and watch it glow in honor of autumn...



















Audrey found me four large acorns which were the beginning of this little display. Preston brought the little pumpkin gourds home for me one night so I added them. Then when we were visiting Kansas City for Mom and John's Hallow-tini party I found so many beautiful acorns and some other large tree seeds at the Overland Park Arboretum and brought them home and it was complete...



















Preston bought me these precious little fall critters candles early this season...















This is the wreath I made for our front door...










I hope you had a wonderful fall as I did. Are you getting into the Christmas spirit? What are you doing to prepare--body, mind, and spirit for the season? Leave a comment!

Love,
Abbey

My Spring Mantle and Spring Cleaning Commitment for the Week

Good Morning Friends!

Its time for me to leave my weekly commitment for the Spring Cleaning Challenge! (I hope you will too!) But first, let me share with you some spring-y photographs from my neck of the woods...




A little daffodil pushes its way through the earth...




Tiny leaves emerge on my lilac tree...




Our cactus and succulent (and orchid) collection glowing green in the morning light...


And presenting... MY SPRING MANTLE!!





Actually, I took this picture about a week ago when it was still in progress and it has already changed a little, but here are some photos...I wanted to be sure to share them before spring gets
away! It looks so lovely in the evening all lit up!




An apothacary jar with a tiny nest inside...for Easter, I filled this jar with pastel shabby-chic Easter eggs that I painted and antiqued. It was precious! Do ignore the strange people in the picture frame. I don't know them. They came with the frame, which I plan to fill with wedding photos...






These are my white ceramic bunny rabbits. I searched the town and etsy high and low to find bunnies that were just plain white. (This proved to be harder than expected) Then I found them on the bottom shelf in the corner of a store. I was so excited! They are the perfect symbol of spring, and they are so cute I can hardly stand it :) I'm sure I will cherish them for years to come.

I painted a double-decker bird house for the mantle. In this pic I had not yet distressed and antiqued it, but you can get the idea.





Spring-green and lavender candles light up the mantle...

My sweet ceramic birds from Ventura, CA :)

My real birds nests collection, one I found and one Audrey found for me, along with other bird fancies, including the art print in the back (I am looking for the right frame for this), called "Nesting Material" made by an Etsy artist Anna Ruby King in Athens, Greece. If you love it, you can get one too here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62799572/nesting-material-limited-edition-hand?ref=sr_list_1&ga_search_query=nesting+material+print+&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade

Some of my favorite things :)

And now...

My personal Spring Cleaning Commitment for the week:

This week I will clean out and organize my "junk drawer" Right now its hard to open and close because things are always getting caught. Its a mess. I hearby commit to making it functional this week!

What is your commitment for this week?! (Leave a comment!)

Love,

Abbey

Life is not Mundane. Watch This Video.

Now here is a perfect example of our true nature.

Isn't it amazing how mundane we can allow our lives to become? How we can shape and mold ourselves to fit into a way that is very "serious" and unemotional... Sometimes, when I am in touch with my conscious authenticity I look around me and I find it almost humorous to see people walking around so serious in their tight suits doing business, taking every little bit of the illusion so seriously, because I know it is just a costume that we allow to become very real. Nothing is wrong with that costume or way of being...sometimes it is fun to pretend. I've worn my share of costumes, and costumes can be an effective avenue through which someone can do their purpose-work. But if someone isn't happy in their life, or has forgotten why he or she came here to begin with, and is longing for fulfillment somewhere deep inside...

What if we raised our selves up to a new level of being...forgoing the need to fit--the need to keep on doing the same things we've always done the same way we've always done them...what if we let our true nature shine out and stopped being so afraid of how crazy or funny or strange we might be?

Because the truth is, no matter how much we choose to deny it, no matter how many times we've been "trained" or told by others that we are not--the truth is, we ARE radiant, amazing, emotional, beautiful beings by nature. We LOVE each other! For so long we have denied that. We've pretended a separation. Maybe we were scared of what it might mean to be powerful. Maybe we were scared for what would happen if we opened our selves up so wide. Maybe we were scared for how it might change our lives...but...

What if we let ourselves feel things deeply...What if moments and expressions like the one in this video became more commonplace? What if we healed our disconnection with our souls--with each other-- with that wild original creativity within us, and finally let ourselves Be? What if we were that honest?

I love to see authentic expression radiating out to the world. It seems to come in beautiful waves at this point in time... it seems to come in precious moments and experiences created by individuals from their own place of pure Joy. Pure Remembering. But I believe there is more and more of it every day. We can see evidence of it in videos like this.

The things we feel when we watch this--we feel them because we are still connected. We may have forgotton for a while. But the truth is--This life is Not mundane. There is nothing mundane about it, or about us. It is a wild and beautiful adventure we have chosen. Yes. Chosen. And no matter how things may seem to the human part of ourselves...The Soul, the inner, the higher self, our Truth-- whatever we choose to call it--is REJOICING. We are here. You are courageous for taking this plunge. For still being here. What an amazing, beautiful, courageous choice in the name of Love. And in the end, I'm certain there will be no regret. At least not to the Soul. And that is what will go on--spinning and dancing into eternity.

This video is so inspiring to me and reminds me of our wild and wonderful nature-- the way it is when we create something, with Love as our intention...with Joy as our intention--with Purpose...

It is ever important to me now to allow the true essence of my true nature express...to make the choice to let down the walls of fear, anger, and despair by taking responsibility for my thoughts and actions. To heal what it is I need to heal so that every bit of my life and my being can be devoted to my purpose--to Love, in all I do in this life... To be an authentic expression of my own inner beauty. And I wish to inspire others to feel more and be more, and to feel and experience the greatest possible Love that I can on this planet earth-- for all it is-- while I am here. I AM HERE!!! :))))

Remembering,

Abbey