Creating A New Style ...

Most people are aware the clothes they put on each day silently speak volumes to the world, about their personality; how they see themselves; lifestyle; where they are in life and the social group they are (or want to be) part of. So, each day they are careful and meticulous about there wardrobe choices, regardless of their economic standing. This is of course "assuming" they are living life with no major detours, crisis or drama in sight.

Click here for outfit details

Looking back on my days working in the corporate world; I would be considering these options for my autumn wardrobe update. With a change of shoes and accessories this outfit would easily transition from day to an evening out, for cocktails or dinner with friends.
This outfit however, is totally impracticable for the daily life I now live and have lived for almost 6 years.

I can't speak for everyone going through a life detour, crisis or drama filled life... but I can tell you that my wardrobe went from the look above to this:

via

... day in and day out with little if any care for how people saw me. Yes in the early months post my accident this may have been understandable ... but this look was only up graded by sweat pants and t-shirts with runners for the following few years. Attending functions that required more than what I had become comfortable in, became a nightmare of anxiety, which only added to my already depressed outlook of life and this kept me in the catch 20/20 - until I found the strength to create a new wardrobe style I was stuck in my new "acquired style" and until I created a new wardrobe style, the strength just wasn't coming.

Via 
Lilly Pulitzer website click here

When I started blogging I was introduced to Lilly Pulitzer dresses which were a great help for creating a summer wardrobe of more than sweats. Being a dress no thought was required to match and upper or bottom piece; and they were super comfy.Unfortunately, not so practical for our Canadian autumns and winters. Being out of sweats, gave a little lift to my flat shoe wearing days.


It would take a couple more years before I would start creating a style that would better fit my new life. It than took me another year to actually transition to it. And this my friends is the  inspiration look I've designed to be my practicable look :

Click here for outfit details

I may no longer require clothes for a corporate career ~ but I still have the need to look polished and presentable for myself. Coordinating pieces of my wardrobe remains a challenge for me ~ my brain can become exhausted, quickly trying to figure out what goes with what. To make getting dressed easier with the help of loving family, friends and a devoted care team, we have come with strategies to help me put my best foot forward in the wardrobe area. I'll be sharing these strategies in future posts.

For now I just hope to inspire anyone who finds themselves lounging around in their pajamas or sweats day in day out, to see how with just a pair of khaki pants, white shirt and loafers they too can give their day a lift.                               

Looking at this inspiration outfit I created, I  think I would  add a scarf! 

Would you add a scarf?

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My Friday's Fancies * Fashion Friday * What Inspires Me Friday

My Birthday Gift to Me ...

As 2011 comes to the final pages in its chapter, chapter 2012 waits patiently in the wings to be written. Our thoughts turn to the opportunity of beginning  a fresh with the new approaching chapter. Many will sit back and speak of how they want to find themselves and have new life ...

Not realizing a new Self & Life , is not something you can just order up...

You have to not only want it you have to

 CREATE IT!

I was gifted a very similar journal with the same message on the cover, earlier this year. It's been sitting in my night stand drawer for months, untouched. Today, I've decided that on Monday (December 19th) I'm going to give myself a very special Birthday gift of dedicating 2012 to the year I create the New Me, I have been waiting to discover. To do this I must find the strength to leave behind the past Me that I have been holding unto (while trying to build a new me and life), as it continues to no longer be working in the 

present Life I have.

Sometimes when we have been forced off our Heels, 

we must embrace the change and go barefoot...

We must see ourselves as we want to be not as we are...

and sometimes Our Shoes

Must Change ...

and though we may not want to try on the new ones...

Until we do, we will never know the power they may hold...

Slowly they will start to raise you..

Until You are back on your toes...

Even if your Heels now look like this...

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas (and if you are  also celebrating a December birthday HAPPY BIRTHDAY!)

and don't forget to enter the Give Away for the ROYAL ALBERT teacup

click Image to Enter...
Special Thank you to Marriette at Marriette's Back to Basics for creating the above button! merci, mon ami.xo

My Story was published...

I recently submitted my story to Brain Injury Society of Toronto, to be considered as a survivor speaker for their up-coming conference. Imagine my surprise when I was contacted and asked if they could use my inspiring survivor story on ther website ... YES, I did not even have to think about it, if my story can help one person facing transition in their life, I will be better able to be on my road to acceptance of this Detour my life has taken.

I hope you will take a moment to go over and read my story CLICK HERE I would love to get your feed back.

If It's Good Enough for Sophia...

That's Sophia Loren, I'm speaking of...

There is no dening that she is one of the most beautiful women in the world!

Sophia at 64

at 71

 at 76

( front row at Giorgio Armani 2011 Spring collection in Paris) 

 What's her secret to great looking skin?

Would you believe "the odd bath in virgin olive oil " and eating "pasta".. Yes, you read  correctly! So, once in awhile don't be shy, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to your bath water.

As for the pasta, Sophia says " Serve it with a sauce made from tomatoes and unrefined olive oil, with perhaps some shredded carrots added for natural sweetness."  I'll be saying YES, next time Hubby asks "Pasta for dinner tonight?" and I won't be insiting on an alfredo sauce. The homemade tomato sauce will be good enough enough for me ~ after all it's good enough for Sophia!

Why it works...

because it contains omega fatty acids and significant amounts of Vitamin E and Vitamin K, it proves to have excellent hydrating and anti-aging properties. Extra virgin olive oil is worth the extra pennies. While other bottles of olive oil have been chemically processed, extra virgin olive oil is in its purest form with the most health benefits.

Eating for a Heathy Glow...

Part Three of  Three

Putting Your Best Face Forward....



If you want to have young and supple looking skin with a healthy natural glow it is important to take inventory of what you are putting into your body. Here are some foods that I am trying to incorporate into my eating habits to help get my body back on track and to get healthy glowing skin.

WATER: The more water we drink, the more we help our system to flush all toxins out of our body and the healthier our skin is going to look.

Green Tea: Green tea is rich in antioxidants which help reduce inflammation and protect cell membranes. It is important to remember to get the most benefit - do not add sugar or milk to green tea.

Berries:  Are rich in antioxidants ... strawberries, blue berries, black berries and raspberries add to yogurt or eat on their own.

Salmon: This yummy food is high in healthy fatty acids that are key for achieving healthy skin... Omega 3s. Flaxseeds are alos great way to get the healthy fatty acids.

Spinach: A fav food of mine is great for clearing up acne and promoting skin repair. Vitamin rich foods such as carrots and broccoli are also part of my veggie increase.


To help achieve and maintain healthy skin I am working on eliminating: sugar, white flour, saturated fats and fried foods from my "LifeStyle" eating.
Please share what food changes you have done to help improve your health and skin!


You can read part one Putting your best face forward here and part two Everyone wants great skin ~ facials and masks here


Don't forget to enter my Giveaway for your chance to win an autographed copy of Ask your Guides, by Sonia Choquette... Click here to enter.
For some great linking parties click on the Blog Hops tab under blog header.

Can we get some Quiet ... please?

It has been explained to me that meditation is about being in the present moment. It's about focusing on quietening the mind while directing your concentartion to one healing element - a sound, a word, an image or your own breath. When you manage to fill the mind with the feeling of calm and peace, it cannot drift off on its own and worry, stress out or get depressed.

So, with all the peaks and valleys I have been feeling, I've been trying to attempt meditation as a means to lessen the strength of my melt downs and get some control of my darken thoughts.  I have been trying the "simple meditation" technique for awhile now. Basically it involves closing my eyes and slowly relaxing the whole body. Then keeping count of the breaths I'm taking by counting from ten down to one and keep repeating this action for about five minutes. If any (when) other thoughts enter my mind, I'm to push them out and carry on counting in time with my breathing. If (when) I lose  focus, I'm to simply start over. After about 5 minutes, I'm to stop counting. Next, breath calmly for a few moments and slowly open my eyes. Wow, this has not been an easy task.

I also tried a guided meditation class, which  I found to be more helpful in keeping the busy thoughts under control. Unfortunately it is not an ongoing class.

I'm determined to not give up, as I believe meditation can be helpful to ones healthy existence...so next I'm going to try some meditation tapes.

I would love to know if you meditate and what has worked for you.

Curly vs Straight ~ Hair Raising Discussion

I was born with curly hair. As a young child hair brushing often ended in long streams of tears, both from me and my grandmother. Then came my move to Canada ~ where it seemed no one except " us immigrant" children had curly hair. And well children being children, came up with some not so nice words to describe our [curly] different looking hair. So, it was no wonder when I discovered the flat -iron in my twenties, that I became a convert ~ straight hair.

I then discovered not all hair stylists know how to work with curly hair, this had been part of the challenges with my hair struggles. Once I found a stylist who knew just how to cut  (yes, curly hair needs to be cut a certain way) and work with curly hair, I started to learn how to properly manage the tangled mess and embrace the versatility curly hair offers. I learned over time to do my own blow outs and to maintain my preference and confident look of straight hair. I reserved the curly hair for beach, when most of the time it was under wraps with a hat or pulled back/up in a bun.

These days, no longer being able to easily wash my hair on my own; straightening  it on my own is definitely no longer an option. Mr. G. has tried ~ and bless him for it, but it often resulted in the tears of early childhood and a tangled mess. Luckily I discovered a fabulous stylist in the small town near our home ... who is a curly hair expert. She has truly been God sent ... the challenge has been getting my lion's mane to her shop on a regular basis, thus curly hair (which Mr. G is able to help with styling) has been the "norm".

Recently during a rare outing in the city with one of my besties, the subject of my curly mane as it blew around in the wind, became the subject of our discussion. Bestie feels that my lion's mane may be part of whats holding me back and that if I get it under control it may be what I need to feel a bit more like "Me". I responded the "the old me?" ...  a stern and firm "NO" ...  was her response followed by "there is no "old" or "new" ... only modified ... straight hair was/is your preference ... so why not make it part of your lifestyle again... except now someone else has to do it for you." After more discussion, I agreed to look at this is a challenge/experiment and for the next couple of months I have committed to getting my lion's mane in for regular taming.

What do you think? Curly or Straight....

I'm interested to know do you have curly hair? Do you straighten it? And does straight hair make you  feel better, more confident?

A little trivia: Even Cleopatra herself, was born with curly hair. But the Egyptian priests; specially prepared a unique straightening hair formula which left its mark in our memory of Cleopatra, with straight hair.

The Pieces Of My Life...

These past few weeks have been perhaps the toughest mentally and emotionally that I have had to deal with in a very long time, since my accident in 2006. Looking back over the past year I see how I have honestly been trying so hard to get me and my life back … I realize now that is where I’ve been going wrong. You see "I’m no longer that person nor is my life that life".

 

 

My Goal is that by October 28th, 2011- even if I don't have all the pieces of my life in place I will have Created A New Me! Saying this out loud and writing it makes it real, it also means that I now have to let go of the me and life I knew and lived; to be able to embrace the NEW!!!

Have you found yourself at a cross-road, what was your first step to rebuilding your life?

Attitude IV (for) Life...

Sometimes we fall off our high heeled lives, and as the saying goes

"Change your shoes

                         Change your life"

It's important to remember~ no matter the shoes we are wearing we remain the Director of our own Life!

We may have not written the script for our life,

but it is up to us how we live it!

During my blog posting intermission, I have tried to visit and will continue to pop in for visits to your blogs as time permits. Thank you to everyone who has left encouraging comments, sent inspirational notes and emails. Know that I'm working very hard to get some focus and balance, so that I can give back through my writing!!

Stay tuned ....

PS... check out the great Linking parties under my Blog Hop tab...