So Sayeth Me !

 “Banish Excuses | The Battle for You”Queen Of Your Own Life challenge

"We’re embarking on what we’ve begun to think of as “The Battle for You.”  And, by you, we mean each woman individually.  We’ve come to a place in our lives where we keep asking ourselves over and over, “when am I going to banish this nagging habit for good.”

There’s a particular burden that most women have that holds them back from being their very best selves and living their lives to the fullest.  Let’s ask ourselves this question together.  “If not now, when?” while keeping that particular issue in mind......"Together now.  Repeat after us: “I am a warrior woman and I am ready to do battle for ME.  So sayeth the Queen.” Queen Of Your Own Life blog about challenge

As many of you know, well if you have been reading, ( ...and if you haven't what took you so long, no time like the present to get caught up...) you know I have been reading, and re-reading the book Queen Of Your Own Life. Trying to re-capture my inner Queen. The book is about finding her in the first place, but here is the thing I once had done so and had maintained that through out my thirties, and then when I turned 40 and life began to slide down hill between health and finances in a big way, well it seems I left my Queenly self somewhere and had lost touch. Had not seen her in about 3 years now. That is just too damn long!

I had begin re-reading chapter by chapter and last we left off it was all about chapter two and finding my beauty and seeing it too! Still working on that. I seem to have let my self esteem get so very low that it was on empty....it is not as simple as filling a gas tank , it takes time and a lot of work to fill that tank up again. The one way that I have been trying to do that is partially through dressing up a bit, (with what limited items I have that still fit and still look half way decent ) even when just running to the market or out with my daughter(s) for a bit of window shopping, or like today even just to run an errand and take a walk.

Really it is not harder to put on a nice pair of shoes, or recently boots due to weather being more Winter like. Pop on a  cute hat, a cute pair of earrings, my red lips and a cute coat and wala look more polished and guess what I feel better about myself ! Amazing!

Grocery day

Day out with daughter, lunch and window shopping.

Out for a Spring time walk.

Out on the trail.

The other thing I have been doing to find my queenly self is to surround myself with people,as I have also mentioned before, even if they are all online, they uplift me, encourage me and cheer me on. Each day I start with my walk, my coffee and then a lovely chat with these wonderful ladies and gents, and it too has been doing quite a bit to help my self esteem...great justification to be online and play on the computer as well. 

If you read yesterday's post about my friend over at The Shine Project( **see her button to your right)  , she has been running weekly challenges to shine more by assigning a new task each week. Mainly to shine more yourself by helping others. What could be more Queenly? Make you feel better inside and look better on the outside as that shine sparkles through? Sadly not too many have been taking part, or if they are, they are not bragging about it. Personally I do not mind , as Queen Of My Own Life ,doing that very thing! I mean seriously you are helping others, while helping yourself and hopefully inspiring others to pay it forward. Imagine if we all did that, be it simply smile at a stranger, hold the door, put a quarter in a fund raising bucket , donate things we do not need, want or use any longer.....well the world would be a better place. And trust me doing these things make you feel great ..filling that Queenly self esteem tank each time..and let's face it never hurts to build a little good karma and put some out there as well!! 

I am also working on my environment, because despite living in this apartment for a year and a half, it still does not feel like home. Being flat broke has not helped, and having a hodge podge of "make it work" items has not either. I have changed the feel, the accessories and such several times, moving things around, taking down art, patching holes, packing things up and giving them away, and though, yes, even when I do feel at home this is a fickle pattern for me....but usually after doing so I do feel that way, at home, at least for awhile. So taking my cue from my new online friends, getting back in touch with what has been a life long love....anything from the 20's- early 60's , I have been slowly moving our space to represent me. I have given, as I mentioned yesterday a bunch of stuff to my middle daughter, moved art around, been finding ( by giving up coffee out) money for fresh flowers, and I have had the radio tuned to my favorite station that has music from the 30's to the late 40's...it always cheers me up and puts me in a wonderful fame of mind. There is so much I would like to do, but the simple act of cleaning up, clearing out/editing and moving a few things around have helped so much...the rest I am sure will come in time ( if you are reading this and live near Sacramento...I would love a prettier couch and sofa table, so if you are clearing out....) as money is there to spend on a few things here and there....like it was today!

My recent find to add more of me to the space!

They remind me of ones my Grandma used to have!

Of course there has been the baking, cooking too. I always feel so happy when I am playing with my food. So recently I have been creating my own vegi based red sauce, other various cream sauces and reductions that really elevate a simple package of chicken, turkey or pork cutlets to something special. And ya'll know I have been playing with baked good recipes ..being a mad scientist in that area and sharing with you all. Truly I feel not only like the Queen Of My Own Life  in doing so, but also of my "castle" . 

So in the theme of what the writers of the book /blog/ facebook page and Twitter posts say is the number one thing in a list of ten of becoming the Queen Of Your Own Life ...as well as my dear friend over at The Shine Project  has asked us to do ..I am spreading the word on how to start your own journey.....

 

Loving ourselves is the beginning of all the love we can offer. ~ Caroline Shearer