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Inspiration for living a luxuriously and balanced life

Saturday, November 27, 2010

The Power of the Written Word

Long before IM, texting, emailing, calling , Face Book, Twitter,
and even Blogging ~
The Written Word, was how the world communicated.

Yes, some could argue the written word is what powers much of  modern communication. However, words or parts of words clicked from a key board onto a screen and then sent with the push of a button lack personality. What??? You may be asking yourself. Well think about i,t when you come across an old letter how you examine it; the words used; the penmanship; the paper; and the age of the letter. Take things one step further and imagine the recipient's emotions at having been given such a gift ~ the written word. Something that they can go back and read many times over, when they are moved to ; a memory that passes from generation to generation.


The same cannot be said by today's modern communication methods. How many times have you accidentally hit delete on something in your computer ~ something that will forever be lost. I know have done it at least ONCE with an email that to this day I will never be able to recapture the words. Lets not forget the computer crash that renders everything "gone".. a friend recently lost a couple of treasured poems she had written on her computer .. poof gone. The emotions she felt when originally writing can not be recaptured thus, she may rewrite the poems one day, but they will be empty of the passion and emotions of that original moment. 


Think how you felt the last time you received a letter from a friend, old or new. The smile that came to your face; the gloomy day that all of a sudden became better, just by knowing that someone cared enough to write
to YOU ! And most important ... the time you took to sit and read it. A little moment in your day, just for you.


When you take the time to write a letter, note, or card to someone, the Universe also gives you something back. You are able to take a few moments of quietness into your day. You will feel good just knowing that you are going to gift someone what a few moments of quietness too!

There is also much more that one can gain from writing, especially if they and the recipient live in different parts of the country or world. Each letter you exchange will be like stepping into a different way of living. If you have children they too can become involved in writing and exchanging letters with your PenPal's children. If you want to participate in BlogLand Pen Pals and bring a smile to some one's day, all you need to do before the last of each month is email me your mailing address at fallingoffahighheeledlife@gmail.com ; include your blog address if you have one (you do not require to have a blog to participate) and on the 1st of the month I will email all participants there BlogLand Pen Pal information.

There are no rules to participate ~ all I ask is that you have your first letter out to your new BlogLand Pen Pal by the 15th of the matched month. After that it is up to you how often you write each other. If for whatever reason you become unable to continue writing to your BlogLand Pen Pal, please drop them a quick not letting them know, please do not just stop writing.

WHY AM I DOING THIS? .... One of the things I had to re-learn post accident was how to read and write. I'm still learning (believe me there are days that the simplest post takes days to write, if not longer) for me the written word is something very special. So, if I can do just one thing such as connect people and encourage them to write real words, I feel I'm helping to keep the art of letter writing alive.


Help spread the word ~ Add the button above to your side bar with a link back to this post (link is optional), so others can discover the world of BlogLand Pen Pal and participate. The more the word gets out the more participants from all over the globe will take part and the better opportunity to match people with others from a different part of the world will exist.

3 Days Left to get your mailing information in and participate in
December's BlogLand Pen Pal Match..


Things Are Changing ....

Dear wonderful friends, followers and readers;

As you may have noticed Falling Off A High Heeled Life, is undergoing some changes.
Like with many upgrading projects there are sure to be some delays, confusion and disorganization.
My hope is to unveil completed modifications on New Year's Eve.

In the meantime the following HHL profile image will be used ... So know that I will still be visiting, as much as possible in keeping up with your wonderful writing and images you share.


Temporary HHL profile image...

Friday, November 26, 2010

Earth Angels ~ Everyone Crosses Paths for a Reason ~

Today, I sat and pondered about my life pre-accident. It may not have been perfect, but for me it was pretty much as close as one could hope for. I was top of my game in career; I worked hard and sometimes played harder. No matter how chaotic life became, I always embraced a few moments just for me. Be it after a long day at work, listening to some soft music before crawling into bed or on the odd early evening after work soaking in a glorious bubble bath filled tub (candle light and soft music too).

I enjoyed travelling alone or with friends, being at an airport knowing that I would be on a plane going somewhere, took my breath away and filled my adventurous side. Maybe it was left over excitement/energy from my years working with an Aerospace company. Whatever it was it felt amazing. The summer before my detour in life, I had spent a wonderful time on the Islands of Portugal with friends. It was glorious, perhaps if I had known life was about to end as I knew it, in 2 short months, I would have played a little more.

No matter how busy my schedule became, I was never too busy to give back. One of the ways I gave back was as Chair of Fundraising for a local Homeless Youth Shelter. Just over a month prior to my own detour in life, we hosted our first Fundraising Gala for the shelter. With a modest budget and lots of goodwill from some very generous supporters, the event was a success. That evening I would meet someone whom I had no idea how much they would impact my life in the short weeks to come.

I still recall the feeling that came over me, as I read his words in his first email to me. My career was my focus and there could be no distractions – I had managed to create an Ice-Queen heart (yes, it was solid rock ice). Somehow between, emails, phone chats, I felt Global Warming taking hold. How could this be, we had not even managed to coordinate a time to get together – our schedules were conflicting. Finally, the day came and after some misunderstanding about his car – He thought I would be embarrassed/uncomfortable to go in his car. I thought he was showing up in a jalopy. In the end as we walked towards his very stylish sports car, I think he was thinking I was impressed and had not been in such sporty wheels. Little did he know that a similar sporty car and my association with anyone who owned was that they were a Player ~ been there done that, that’s what created the Ice-Queen heart… I was safe … Global Warming retracting at very high speeds. Through brunch I recall both probably wanting to be elsewhere. The “date/social outing” came to an end and afterwards I felt like so much had been left unspoken.

With our busy schedules we still kept in touch and went out a few times. Perhaps, he was a Player who knew how to activate the Global Warming … for he was doing a good job, being just busy enough to create a challenge, but available enough for me to wonder and not walk away. So here the Universe was tempting me, dangling this Adonis in front of me, his only flaw, ok maybe two flaws ~ like me he hid behind his career to avoid getting close to someone and possibly hurt again and thus he tested me by working too much.


I still recall what could have been our last conversation ever; me not being very understanding and him probably realizing I had reached my limit. A day later I would set off for dinner at my friends solo. I would not make it to the dinner and no one would know whether I would come out of a coma until 6 weeks later. When I was finally able to communicate via a spelling board, I would first have my sister make sure that the turkeys were being prepared for the Homeless Youth Shelter... by sending my sister to calling someone she had no idea why she was calling except … Turkey & call (this I don’t have much memory of) and at some point having her call a stranger who she was confused I was “dating” … I didn’t date.

You guessed it Adonis … interestingly he had been trying to get through to someone via my Blackberry number , but when he finally got through … and after being grilled as to who he was … him responding that we had just started a relationship … the person saying they had never heard of him and that I was basically dead, hung up. Finally, when my sister got through and put him on the visitors list, he came immediately. He would visit and sit by side when his schedule permitted and each visit it felt like he was literally breathing life back into me. Willing me to not give up, keep fighting. I recall during one visit, as he leaned in to kiss me bye, hearing a voice say “don’t be afraid, he will always be here for you”. It was those words and his visits that I believe in my heart of hearts, why I did not give up. I strongly feel that had Adonis not been in my heart, I would not have chosen to come back from that glorious place “Home”.

I'm sure you are wondering who Adonis is and is he still in my life ...till next time.






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Thursday, November 25, 2010

DolcePaws Friday


I got to go and visit my friend Groomer Dave!!!!
How do you like my new hair cut?

Mommy says I may have too many toys. And I must learn to
clean up after myself. I don't think she realizes I'm a HairyBaby...

Daddy what do I smell? Are you having a peanut butter sandwhich?
HairyBabies can have peanut butter..honest...



Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and their HairyBabies in BlogLand!!!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

When Life gives you Lemons,

Give'm a little squeeze...

Part of my new Healthy eating LifeStyle includes starting each morning with warm water and a squeeze of lemon , my Nutritionist also has me adding 1/2 tsp. raw honey and a pinch of grated ginger (both optional).


This past week has been extremely hectic around Chateau HHL, with renovations (kitchen and family room , you may recall from previous posts) so, with Mr. G's attention being focused on the project~ my healthy eating LifeStyle has taken a bit of a detour. The lack of structure has even resulted in slacking off with my morning  warm water & lemon sipping routine.

You may be thinking , OK .. don't worry tomorrow's another day. But , I'm not here to say how awful I feel for going off the LifeStyle eating, I'm here to say how wonderful! OK now that I have you totally confused, let me try to explain. Without having gone off my healthy eating LifeStyle, I would not have discovered just how important something so simple as warm lemon water can be and  the huge impact it may have on your daily eating habits. What I started to notice is my system actually seems more sluggish and affected by my Meds, without kick starting my day with warm lemon water.

So, after doing a little more exploring on this beverage, I was surprised to learn:

Lemon water is considered to be one of the best alkalizing drinks available. While lemon is very acidic, it turns to alkaline ash in the body, making the entire body system more alkaline. Many alternative health experts claim that an alkaline body is healthier and that most disease happens when the body is acidic. For this reason, drinking lemon water is attributed to better overall health.

So, my friends if you are looking to change/add just one thing to your daily routine, I would say add warm water w/ a squeeze of lemon each morning before you start your day. My Nutritionist also has me adding a pinch of freshly grated ginger and ½ teaspoon raw honey to my morning warm lemon water cup. Who knew something so simple, could be so beneficial to your health.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

BlogFriends Bringing Virtual Friends to the Real World...

Hi there I just love it when friends across Blogland host fabulous parties, that enable us to connect outside the Virtual World that has made it possible for us cross paths!!!

Recently Flip Flops and Pearls hosted a great Christmas Gift Swap!!! I loved shopping for my Christmas Swap partner , she's a mom of 2 who has developed a passion for running to stay fit... so I went with that bit of information.Can't wait to hear what she thinks of my choices for her and hope that it brings a smile to her day.

Well, the Christmas Gift Swap at Flip Flops & Pearls has closed for this year. But I'm certain if you keep visiting our Hostess D. will have a new creative party soon.

In the meantime, if you want to share a little friendship outside the Virtual World , click on over to Life of Meg, who is hosting a fab-u-lous idea .. A Mitten Mixer, to find out more click here.



Also Meg's friend Laura at The Luckiest in Love held an Ornament Swap (which I some how just missed :( it closed Nov. 21), she has a great blog too!!




Thank you ladies for making BlogFriendships a little more personal!! Your creative ideas, time and effort to coordinate these fun off-line make it a great day for all!! Pop on over an give them a BIG BLOGLAND HELLO!!


Also a reminder that if you are planning to participate in the BlogLand Pen Pal for December, please email me your snail mail address by November 30th ~  at Fallingoffahighheeledlife@gmail.com  to find out more click here.

  



If you participated in November and would like to participate again, just let me know via email and I will be happy to partner you up again with someone in for December.

How wonderful would it me to receive an actual handwritten letter!!!
Especially during this wonderful time of the year ...

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Thats a Big Bone!!! ~ Learning Determination~ DolcePaws

Woof, thats a Stella size doggie treat...


Smells woofly !!!

I can do this! I will get it in my bed...


Woof!! Woof!!! My hiding spot is too small....

I know a good spot ... woof those stairs look like
someone added more steps...

Woof!! Woof!! I can do it ... I can do it...

Only a couple more steps....


What a ruff morning.... No one saw a thing...





Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Say NO to DIEting & YES to LifeStyle Eating

I have never been a fan of the word "DIEt", perhaps its the small~big word that makes it up or the word it spells if one should accidentally forget the "t" at the end. This so called "DIEt" thing comes with many restrictions and in case no one has ever told you, life can be short lived, so why would you want to deprive yourself the odd glass of wine?

After I finally started being able to wear (or on some days remembering to wear ~ [post or another day] ) regular clothes, the cold~ harsh reality that the scale was not broken and that I had indeed gained 20-25 lbs post accident smacked me right in the zipper and buttons not wanting to close. Its amazing the truth a pair of Juicy Couture sweat pants or Lulu Lemon yoga pants can conceal.

My health care team tried to comfort me by explaining the Meds I need to take really play havoc with one's system and ability to quickly put on weight. This only being part of the challenge ~ I started to look at what  was eating, It was all fairly healthy, or so I thought. In any case not wanting to give in and "DIEt", I needed someone to examine the situation. Enter my knew best friend the Nutritionist.  After our initial meetings, she prepared a plan for eating that would represent foods I was already consuming, only with better choices and a couple of new introductions.

I was already eating oatmeal, yogurt, nutritional cold cereal and bread.
But my choices were not helping my bottom line.


The above items are made from natural ingredients, which offer many health benefits. Take a look at how many ingredients the yogurt or oatmeal you consume contains? You will be surprised...

New discoveries...

Coconut water, Flax seed, Ryevita and Almond milk were the only new things
which were not part of my everyday eating.

 
Actual foods I eat...



A Sample Day of eating for HHL
Start each day with hot water,squeeze of lemon,1/2 tsp raw honey and grated ginger
Breakfast
1/2 cup cooked oatmeal, add 1/2 tsp raw honey, cinnamon for flavour (optional)
1 scoop protein powder (mix into oatmeal or have with water) OR have small handful nuts
1 tsp ground flax seed sprinkled on top

Snack
4oz yogurt (plain, with active cultures)
1/2 cup berries
1/2 tsp agave nectar or raw honey to sweeten (optional)

Lunch
3-4oz grilled chicken
large green salad OR minestrone soup
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil with lemon and sea salt
Ryevita Crisps (1 serving)

Snack
7-10 whole almonds
1/2 large or 1 small apple (Granny Smith are best)
Coconut water is a great substitute for coffee, as is herbal tea.
If you don't feel like food for a snack - try these ideas instead.

Dinner
3-4oz meat (lamb,chicken,pork or veal)
Steamed broccoli or other green vegetables (1 cup)
Salad (2 cups) -optional , especially if you had salad for lunch.
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil dressing (oil, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, pepper)

I know you are wanting to know... after a week how did I feel. Overall, I did not feel hungry between meals (often not having a snack or only part of the suggested snack ). Mr. G was happy that he had a plan to follow for meal preparation for me (this made things quite pleasant around meal time ~ instead of the "I don't know what I want, make what you want" followed by pasta again??? and the usual discussion of .......between couples). I know ! I know! Ok the scale went down 3 lbs.

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing additional discoveries and insight to a healthier way of LifeStyle eating. Meals are based on the Mediterranean style of eating ~ which was my choice.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Giveaway & Other Fun Things at Falling Off A High Heeled Life


GIVEAWAY!!!!

Still time to enter
Marc by Marc Jacobs tote giveaway
ends November 30th..


CLICK HERE to enter Giveaway.



BlogLand Pen Pal

November matches have been busy writing their first letters
and dropping them in the mailbox.
I can't wait to read how you all felt at receiving your first letter.

There is still time to participate and be matched for
December BlogLand Pen Pal.
Just email your mailing address, and blog address to

I will be sending December participant matches on Dec. 1st.
To find out more about BlogLand Pen Pal CLICK HERE.


Chocolate Linky Party

Check out the great Chocolate Recipes other wonderful
Blog Friends have shared and don't be shy ..
link up and share your fav chocolate related recipe!!!

CLICK HERE to check out shared recipes or to link up!!
The above button will remain on my side bar until the end of December ..
So others can find your recipe and your blog!!!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Where You Been Dolce? DolcePaws Fridays

Things have been really busy around our home. There have been men with loud machines, coming and going. Daddy said it will make Mommy happy to have the kitchen and family room completed to a point where we can have our Boxing Day Open House Brunch!!
So, I moved my bed under this chair - but I see I have been found out.


 Daddy and Mommy went to a Gala and there were lots of small Furbaby
items in the Silent Auction. It was like my birthday all over again...
two big packages filled with lots of toys!! 

There was white stuff coming down (see it on my back)
Mommy said it was wet snow. It was cold so no walks for me.

 I had to find ways to keep myself busy inside.

 Socks .. what socks.... don't know what you're talking about!!


Finally the weather started to get nice again ..
Uncle Phil came over to help Daddy blow the leaves
on our property, we have lots of trees.
I got to jump in the huge pile!!


Lots of walks this week...
Come on Mommy, I have to go see my friends!


Where is everybody?


Mr. Frog , are you hiding? Where are you?


More leaves to play in...


Nope... don't hear you .. not ready to go in yet!!


I had lots of fun outside....Mommy says I got really dirty.


My sweat shirt needs to go into the laundry....


Stella had fun being outside too!


She had fun playing catch with her new green toy!!
maybe now she won't eat my outside booties anymore!



Paws & Licks until next Friday!!!
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