Hello Summer ... Hello Gratitude

 I've lost my way with writing my blog.

I've decided I want to make my way back here.

My Instagram account slowly took over

but now the noise there makes me question it all.

I miss the old days when it was just about community and pretty pictures.

But nothing sounds like old people talk than yearning for the good old days.

Instead I think life is about continually evolving to get the very best out of  our life.

This summer I have decided to have 

A Beautiful Summer

one full of the magic I remember from  one summer when I was young.

My dad was finishing his Master's in Kansas.

Our family of four was staying in a one bedroom  student apartment.

My younger sister and I in the bedroom, my parents in the living room.

My days were full of calm and happy family togetherness

craft classes and a new best summer friend.

In the sunlight evenings we would walk down by the cows in the pasture

to the ice cream store for a cone.

I don't think I ever even told my parents how much I loved that summer.

I think the simplicity of the days calmed my mother down.

She spent so much of her life overly busy

with the obligations of family, being an elementary teacher

and making a beautiful home.

But I'm sure the main reason she was calm that summer

was because  my sister who had down syndrome and a heart condition 

was healthy.

And because  we were only visiting Kansas from California

we were a tight little family unit.

We would drive on the weekends to visit my parents siblings and families.

It was a simple, peaceful and calm summer.

There was the first moon landing

my dad splurged for a small black and white TV

to watch the occasion.

I remember just how tiny that student apartment actually was

but as I bring up the memory

it fills me with contentment and love.

It's funny how we can spend so much of our life in search of the bigger and better

when so much joy can be found in the simple and calm.

So that is what I am  creating this summer.

Simple beautiful summer days filled with calm.

At my age I really don't know how many summers I have left.

I want to make each one count to me.

I am too old to not make the most out of each day.

I want to find simple ways to feel the magic and the calm of summer

while loving on my people.

Slowing down 

to savor and enjoy

the beauty of the life I have created

I have been on social media for well over a decade.

I have always been aware of the effects  it could have on my mental health.

I know when to step back when I'm feeling drained.

I think I am writing here today to remind myself not to get caught up 

in the noise.

Whether form too many opposing political opinions

or

as simply too many accounts that leave  me feeling not enough.

I am older and wiser than to fall into those traps.

But obviously I still need to remind myself

not only of my own story

but what I am actually trying to achieve

in designing my one life.

I want to continue to make my life my art

one day at a time.

I want a calm, beautiful, magically joyful life

full of love and creativity.

I want to drown out the noise that I should 

always be achieving and doing more

and 

even wanting more.

I am beginning to realize for me

maybe a simple life is the best life.

To have the time to exhale, reflect and rejoice

in the small beautiful moments that make up a good life.

To feel the peace of contentment.

I am choosing to get off that track that has always  to lived in my head.

I want to live with a grateful heart

savoring intentionally the beauty and creativity

a day can bring.

I want to continue to live an artful life

with creativity, passion, love and joy.

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life.

 

August Reflections

 

If you believe, as I do

you get more of what you think of most

you will realize how important 

grateful reflection 

actually is when it comes to how

we feel about our lives.

In an age of social media

when we are regularly exposed

to so many doing so much

I think it's so important to take a quiet step back

disconnect

and 

savor and enjoy 

our own 

meaningful moments.

I truly believe so much of the best of life

happen in the small moments of life

along the way.

That's exactly what I've been doing the last three months on Instagram.

This month I realized they were important enough to me

for a blog post.

(I've actually been missing my writing here

and 

the  community it once was in the blogging world.)

I have always been a big reflector

but it has become more important to me 

not only as I get older

but also 

coming out of some really hard years.

Years that seemingly had me

gathering all of the bad and hard

into a life narrative for a time.

I started to feel so much better

when I accepted that often

life is really hard and sad

but

 at the same time

there is magic and beauty everyday

when we look for it everywhere.

I write this as much for myself

as anyone.

A reminder

"keep my eyes on my own page'

meaning my own life

and all I'm grateful for. in my life.

This summer for several reasons Jeff and I weren't traveling

so when ever I felt a bit of a self pity party arising

I dug deeper

to truly experience the daily great in my life.

It was transformative

in taking the veil of disappointment

revealing all the daily magic that actually was there!

So here are some of my favorite 

August moments.

I am so grateful for my 

Artisan Design Fashion Accessory Business

Shop Tamera Beardsley

and 

my wonderful clients.

Fulfilling orders 

feels like sending out love into the world!

I am grateful Jeff and I live in such a beautiful part of the world

and 

that we are healthy and able to hike here.

And have fun doing photo shoots together.

I had a beautiful beach walk with my girl.

I truly savored my summer home and garden decor.

Changing things out seasonally

keeps things fresh for me

and 

helps me really savor the seasons.

I have even started changing my lounging robes seasonally.

It really is the little things.

In the summer months

it's always 

blue and white additions to my neutral palette.

My favorite addition this summer has been

my inflatable pool.

I've gotten a crazy amount of joy from something so simple!

Jeff uses a pump to empty the pool through the hose

we then use to water the gardens!

I pulled my rattan bar cart from the front

which gave me a drink station with music

and 

space for towels!

My beach umbrella kept everything cool.

Since we weren't traveling

I turned our little suburban backyard

into my very own little resort!

I have added new neighborhood walks

into getting my daily miles in.

Not traveling had me on the hunt for all the beauty

in my own area.

No surprise

so many of my favorite moments this summer

are the ones spent with our darling grandchildren.

They have been back locally for a year now

and

I savor and enjoy every single moment with them

never, ever taking any of it for granted.

Someone told me

grandchildren are the dessert of life

I couldn't agree more!

I love studio time with this sweet girl!

When my boys were little Brio trains were a constant.

I remember happily buying them all

thinking I would save them all for the grandkids to play with someday.

Someday has arrived beautifully!

I got to have some park time with this cutie!

One of his favorite parts and mine

reading books from the little free library

some lovely soul put at the park.

Dax likes to sit on my lap on the bench as we read stories

talk about meaningful moments in my heart!

My very favorite moment this month

getting to see our sweet Len

after her first day of kindergarten!

Such a life moment for everyone!

Which of course had me thinking of the very day

Ellis started!

And how it feels like yesterday

and 

a lifetime ago

all at the very same time.

I couldn't be prouder of 

my son Hunter and his wife Megan

for being just the best parents to these two!

This month I also attended a luxury fashion event at

 South Coast Plaza

highlighting on of the newly redone wings.

I wore some pieces of a 

Signature Collection

I've been working on  for quite some time.

It was fun to get dressed up and see the new fall fashions!

Well that concludes my monthly reflections.

For any of you who have actually read all of this 

I thank you so much for being here!

I have neglected my poor blog here for so long

I am truly touched by anyone who still visits!!

So here's to savoring and enjoying

all of the good we can find in our very own lives!

So much of life is about 

our own

Perceptions and Expectations

Half of having a great life

is believing you do!

May you you find and savor all of the magic in your own life.

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life

Not Young, Thin or Rich ...

I am still drawn to changing the name of my blog to
Not Young, Thin, or Rich
and 
Still Living a Wonderful Life
I wrote about the idea first HERE

I have to remind myself of this often recently.

Blogging and Instagram can be a tricky business

at least for me sometimes

unless I focus on my own truths and gifts.

Some days it can be too easy

to be swept up in the winds of comparisons

and 

lose  sight of  my own true path and vision.

So I must intentionally  refocus my framework
and
 remind myself
as much as I love and enjoy my creative pursuits
I will always step back from blogging or 'branding'
for family.

Family for me is always first.
So I give myself Grace
when I don't feel as accomplished as I would like some days
(or recently months).

I remind myself how blessed I am to have the opportunity
to spend time focusing on family when needed.

But the best thing I do for myself
is remembering to

Crown Myself

and

 not be in the aimless search for outside validation.

When I do
I feel my soul start to calm

in the knowing 

we are all blessed 

with our very own gifts, truths

and 

life paths.

I can feel my life blood of creativity return.

I remind myself I truly have no desire to be younger

because I am in love with the person age and wisdom 

have honed me into.

A soul much more loving and able to give grace not just to others,

but myself as well.

I am more comfortable in my own skin than I ever have been.

I often have to remind myself to see the beauty in this body that is mine.

It is a strong healthy body

that birthed three wonderful souls.

I daily have to train my mind to focus on how grateful I am to have a body that still serves me well

and
'let go' of some archaic inner voices of my past

that try to suck the joy from my day by endlessly focusing on imperfections.
It is an inner monologue that never serves.

Lastly I remind myself to take time for Gratitude

each and every day.

Gratitude for the person I have become
and
for the life I have the opportunity to lead.

I am all good with not being
Young, Thin or Rich.

Because I have truly learned to
Crown Myself.

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life

linking with

Not Dressed As Lamb

Visible Monday

My 5 Steps For Staying Emotionally Healthy… While Using Social Media

I have been using social media for over four years now

when I started with my blog

followed by Facebook

Instagram

and 

recently I am giving twitter a try.

I have been so appreciative of

the many gifts involved

in the communities I have become a part of

and

especially the wonderful people 

I have met all around the world.

All because of social media.

But I have also realized

that as with many things in life

social media

can become a double edged sword

unless I take good self care

and 

follow my own rules of using
social media
that

I know work for me

in order to stay emotionally  healthy

and

only reap the positives to be had

with using social media.

My number one rule for using 

social media

Never Compare.

This is a big one I learned from using 

social media

and 

luckily has transferred into my offline life as well.

I must admit

there was a time I saw others

and 

compared not only 

myself

but

my life as well.

Then one day

in the midst of a time of being 

broken wide open

I learned to 

appreciate my own story.

Where it was that I came from

and 

how I had been shaped 

by what life had given me.

As soon as I could graciously accept 

my own story

with love and dignity

comparison was no more

only left in the wake
was

empathy
 for others

in the realization that

we are all doing the very best we can

with what we have at the time.

By truly accepting and respecting

myself
and
my own story

with love and grace

 comparison stopped for me

which 

gave me so much more time for joy
and
the ability to  truly revel
in the success of others.

My second rule I  have learned

Don't over identify with  the stats

of social media.

We are not our stats
whether the following be small
or
immense.
Never, ever look to a number
to help to define your self worth.
Concentrate on doing good work
and
being you.

Be sure not to self  identify if followers are few

and 

especially not to self identify 

if followers are many.
They are not markers of self worth
and
it's so easy to lose authenticity
in the chase of more.

For me I like to keep my blog

and

media real.

I share what's beautiful in my  life everyday

and 

I share the challenging parts too.

Because sometimes that's where 

the most meaningful connections are made.

I think we all can come together more easily

in the realizations 

that life is hard on us all at one time or another

and 

it is so comforting to know

we are not alone when it does.

The times that I loose sight of 

this aspect of my particular blog

and 

start doing things simply to boost

my stats

I lose the joy of  authentic sharing

and 

true connections.

Nothing has ever thrown me off my personal track

more than attending blogging conferences

with the intent of growing a following.

For me

I am much happier

sharing the beauty in my everyday

and 

sharing what I have learned

about self care

and

Crowning Yourself.

Don't Take Anything Personally

This is something I have learned with age.

Luckily for me

mean comments have been few and far between

but when I do get them

I let them roll off my back immediately

because I know any anger posted 

really has nothing to do with me.

I know this because years ago

when I was a bonafide

practicing perfectionist

I was wound so tight

and

so unhappy because of it

I flashed anger

at the least provocation 

and

it never really had anything to to with

anybody else

but 

me.

Be Kind.

There can definitely be negativity in social media.

I prefer to ignore this fact

and 

concentrate on

 the good that can be done.

Differing platforms of social media 

offer 

such perfectly easy ways

to share some love and kindness.

My particular favorite is 

Instagram.

But Meaningful comments 

are  such gifts
on any platform.

I know I have been on the receiving end

of 

words left on my blog

that are true gifts to my soul
and
have been life preservers
when my seas of life were
tumultuous.

Never, ever underestimate 

the power of 

heartfelt words.

Anytime I ever become

over interested in my own stats

I know the quickest cure 

is always to go out into the blog sphere

and

instagram

and 

leave some love.

Be Authentic

For me it's all about authenticity.

Both 

what I put out

and 

what I read and respond to.

Maybe that's just me

and 

my history with perfectionism

and

the realization

perfection in life

is a myth.

I personally connect and respond

with 

real

authentic

people and stories.

So that wraps up my 

personal strategy for

Staying Emotionally Healthy 

While Using Social Media.

I'd love to hear any tips
you have to share
on how you keep
the use of
Social Media
 Healthy and Positive.

As always my friends

I  wish you love and joy

as you style your life