Becoming Radiant

Another week-another program :)

If you are a regular reader of my blog-firstly thank you! but you may have realized I love taking on challenges. From my NaNoWriMo challenge of writing 50,000 words in a month (which I did-woohoo!). The 2012 Creating Your Goddess Year Workbook (completed and always added to or tweaked or played with) and the Creative Goddess Ecourse (which I am still working on). I really enjoy learning new things, in a fun way and stretching myself!

As you may have also guessed I truly adore and admire Goddess Leonie at GoddessGuidebook.com Her light and energy are so genuine and bright and I find her words, workshops and courses to be very inspiring, magical and almost always-just what I need. I signed up for her Goddess Circle which is so fantastic-allowing me to connect with bloggers all over the world as well has having access to all of her fantastic course materials!

Awhile back I downloaded the Radiant Goddess Ecourse-and never opened it. I suppose I wanted radiance to emanate from the folder saved on my desktop! We all come to things when we are ready.

Friday I decided to open up the workbook and see what all was involved-and it spoke to me. I am at a point in my life where I feel the cleansing of the food she talks about will really solidify my going vegan and also help mark the next phase in my life.

I am excited!

My plan is to start slowly, this coming week I am going to incorporate as much as I can of the menu ideas and start the meditations all the while being gentle with myself and taking note of what comes up for me.

Would you like to join me?

If you would also like to take the Radiant Goddess Workshop just click on the link and you can get started! You can also take part in the online forum or chat with me on Twitter and Facebook and let me know how it is going. I will share my story here each week so those of you who are also working on "Becoming Radiant" can check in and we can share how we are doing!

Here is hoping this is your most beautiful week yet!

Snow and Cookies

Today is a snow-filled day on the East Coast. We had a snow storm yesterday that just slowed things down a bit but has blanketed my little neighborhood with lovely fluffy snow.

I must admist I love snow!

When I don't have to go anywhere of course :)

Usually I make some soup and do some baking and enjoy hunkering down with the family. I feel so cozy and safe and warm-and blessed to have all those things.

Several months ago I started reading The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone and it really motivated me to make the switch from Vegetarian to Vegan. It is a process and I am being gentle with myself making switches as I can. (Soy milk or Almond milk in my coffee and cereal, soy butter, no eggs etc.). The most challenging part for me is eating out, as it is difficult to find Vegan options and any of the Vegan restaurants aren't exactly ones that my family would enjoy.

I have written about how I have found an enjoyment in baking and prior to going Vegan I had perfected homemade chocoloate chip cookies. Ah, they were so yummy and the idea of giving them up seemed impossible.

So I didn't.

I researched and found some great Christmas Cookie Recipes (haven't tried them yet but plan to!) and I also did some research on Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, played around with my own recipe and found one that really seemed to work. By "worked" I mean it tastes good (no aquired taste needed) and I don't have to make a batch of "regular" cookies for my husband :)

So I thought I would share the recipe I made today. I may add a bit more brown sugar next time but otherwise they are delicious! I am making some ingredient recommendations below-I do not get compensated in any way for recommending these-they are just what I have found to be the best!

"Butter": I recommend Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks.
On a side note their buttery spread is so delicious on bread-you really cannot tell the difference!!!

Chocolate Chips: I am surprised how many Vegan recipes don't talk about the chocolate chips. I tried Carob chips and didn't really enjoy them, didn't like how they melted and really didn't like the price! After some research I found that you can buy regular chocolate chips that are Vegan without being marketed as such. One I found was Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips but just check the labels. I was fortunate that my grocery store had them on sale recently and I was able to stock up!

So here is the receipe-if you try it please let me know! Happy Baking!

Michele's Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4c all purpose flour
1 tsp salt

1 c Vegan Butter Softened
3/4c granulated sugar

3/4c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Ener-G Egg Replacer
1 3/4c Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 375 F
Combine flour and salt in a small bowl and set aside
Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy

Add egg replacer one at time beating well after each

Gradually add flour mixture

Stir in chocolate chips

Bake about 10 minutes or until golden brown-cool on a wire rack

Enjoy!

Dreams Can't Wait

It seems you can't read a blog post or an inspirational article without hearing someone mention taking a leap of faith or about how they just decided one day to make their dream their focus and to just do it.

If you are anything like me I used to wonder when they found the time? Did they work a full time job? Were the independently wealthy or living off an inheritence? There was actually a time in my life when I thought focusing on your dream meant that was all you had to focus on and I could not see a way to make all these  big plans I had running around in my head a reality while still punching a time clock.

Then, one night over drinks on the porch with my husband I found myself saying that I was making my dreams a priority and it didn't matter to me if I had to get a job nights and weekends-I was still going to focus on this dream whether it paid $500 a year of $500,000-this was what I wanted for me! I followed that statement up with, "And any job will just be the thing that allows me to focus on my dream not something that takes me away from it."

He looked at me smiled, and didn't say anything.

He's good like that.

Of course, I was having a flash back to conversations that occured on the same porch where, after a very poignant bitch vest by yours truly about how much I hated my job and how it took me away from doing what I loved, he had said, "you just need to see it as the thing that allows you to do what you love."

I believe my response was a waive of my hand as I could not even begin to acknowledge such nonsense and I went back to bitching.

And while I cannot be sure I believe I went to bed that night dreaming of the day when the stars and moon would align and allow me to focus on what I really loved.

In case you find yourself still sitting on the porch in my last example let me share with you some harsh realities:
The stars and the moon never align.

If you love something, if it is truly your calling, your passion, your drive-you do it. Period.

You stay up late and do it, you get up early and do it, you eat lunch in your car and do it-you make sure you fit it in because it matters TO YOU!

Of course we don't right? It is so much easier to push aside the things that matter to us, the things we dream about at night or keep tucked away in the back corners of our mind hoping someday the world will wake up and realize that we are worth having the time to focus on these things are so very important.

We dream about the day when our dedication and hard work will pay off and we will finally be allowed to live the life we want and deserve. We look with longing at the blogs of people who talk about how they made the leap and are now doing it! And we sigh and paint pictures of what they must have that we don't:

"She musn't have a mortgage, 2 kids, a husband, a sick family member, credit card debt, bad health, a demanding boss, etc. etc."

We instead paint the picture of someone who life has gifted with the opportunity to do what she wants.

And we feel like victims of our own circumstances.

I am here to tell you that we are not victims of our circumstances but rather we are the creators of them. If there is a dream you hold within yourself you need nothing more than what you already have to take a step towards making it a reality. And it's easier to do than you might think.

We have all heard that the journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a single step but let's apply that to making your dream a reality.

I look at my daughter who is just over 1 year old. She hasn't started walking yet-preferring to crawl around and stand and practice her balance. If you were to fast forward 20 years perhaps she is a prima ballerina performing in New York City Ballet. Yet today she is still working on finding her balance and her confidence to take that first step on her own. If she knew what she was working towards it would be overwhelming to think about all she has to accomplish between now and then but none of it makes that first step less neccessary.

If your dream is to write and have a novel published (one of my dreams) what is the one thing you can do today to make that happen? If you haven't started a book that's a great place to begin but I would urge you to go as small as possible. Forget how many words it has to be, or how to find an agent or how many hours a day it will take or how many months, years. Just write a word. Then a sentence. Maybe a page.

Do it every day.

Whatever your dream is, stop for a moment and think of one thing you can do today to move it forward. Can you find out if that domain name is available? Can you search out and find one supplier for that boutique you want to open and you look at what types of paint work best for the painting you hope to create.

Can you pick up a "How To" book at the library?

Can you make a list of what you need to do?

Do not let circumstances or in reality, fear, keep you from making your dreams a reality now! The truth is once you start making time for what really matters and calls to you-the universe recognizes this and you will be surprised how the stars and moon look so much different to you.

I look forward to reading your success stories!

Sharing My First Artwork

I am writing this while my husband takes a nap and my daughter fights her's :) We spent the day running errands and now, as has become my tradition on Fridays, I am enjoying some quiet time (for the most part see photo to the left of my persistant cat Salem demanding my attention) in my office. As you know I have been checking in weekly with how my Poetry Book is coming and sharing the trials and tribulations of creating, self-publishing and illustrating my own poetry book.

One of the main challenges is that I am not an artist. What I mean is that if you were to ask me to draw an apple you would probably see something that somewhat resembles the sun, or the moon not quite full.

Regardless of ability I feel that this book needs to be from cover to cover a full expression of ME and a labor of love through and through. So, I have decided to paint, draw, Etch-a-Sketch artwork to accompany my poems.

While I am most definately not an artist I feel I am creative enough to try things, see what works and what doesn't. One of my favorite mediums is watercolors and I am having a lot of fun with them. Today I am working on a painting for a poem I wrote that requires me to draw a girl-perhaps now you know why I am blogging instead :)

I did however think that in the essence of full discloser that I should share some of the work with you. I imagine many of these pieces won't even be considered for my book but I am proud of that fact that I am doing it. I believe it takes a lot of courage to tackle something new, something you know you aren't great at and then turn around and share.

Anonymously online :)

Alright, I will stop stalling, here is the first piece I painted-flaws and all. I painted it over the course of a few days to go with a poem I wrote titled "Moon's Call" and I have included a small snippet from the poem. I hope you enjoy:

"Silent the moon's light calls to me beconing through an old drafty window
it sings songs to me through the cold.
I sit still at my desk
wandering through a wall of pent up creativity
searching for a beginning."

 ©Michele Fischer

Dreams Are Coming True

The past week has been a truly beautiful one for me both personally and professionally. Not that I can list a myriad of wonderful things that happened-it is more how I feel about everything lately.

I feel that I have reconnected with the little girl who believed anything was possible.

And I believe it too!

I mentioned that I was working on my 2012 Creating Your Goddess Year Workbook and I really feel it has helped me ground, and most importantly put together a concrete plan to make all of my BIG dreams a reality!

And I have some BIG dreams!

My favorite part of this workbook is the To-Do Book which was a lot of fun to make (once I got over the overwhelming feeling of "I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO!" ;) I made the book yesterday (photo to the left-and the beautiful artwork was purchased from Lori Portka) and added my "actionable items" and today I sat with everything and went through and put the items on my calendar for next week.

I had contemplated-briefly-scheduling out more than one week but decided against it. Rather, my plan is to sit down Friday and recap the week by asking myself:

1. How did it go? Did I stick to my tasks or not?
2. How did I feel all week? If I stuck to the plan-did I feel good and accomplished or exhausted and overwhelmed?
3. How do I feel now?

Then I plan on tweaking the calendar for the following week should I need to.

Most of all though, I feel dreamy and grounded at the same time. It is as if I gave my dreams permission to dance and play and sing and then said, "Alright troops-how are we going to make this happen?"

And I came up with a plan. I first step putting me in the direction of my big 2012 goals!

I may fall, may stumble, may forget, may grumble but I am stepping onto the path that calls me-and it feels wonderful!

What are you dreaming this week?

Candid Part 2: Poetry E-Book Update

As promised I wanted to do my weekly check in on my Poetry Ebook.

Firstly I have not been writing as much poetry as I had wanted and plan on dedicating some time today to write a bit. I am still searching for what the overall theme of the book will be (as I am certain it will call for one ;) and I feel it might be centered around my word for the year-which I am still deciding on.

One change I did make is that while I love photography I know this book needs to have paint on it. I need to each page to be full of paint and words, and more paint, and markers and mess! I want each page-top to bottom-to be an expression in and of itself.

So that is what I am working on . I still plan to work on my photo a day challenge-although I have missed some days-which is alright because it simply is telling me where my passions lie.

What are you working on today? What are some of your passions that are bubbling to the surface? Here is hoping you end the day with paint under your nails, marker stained arms or sore fingers from all your writing!

An Office with a New Name

11 years ago when my husband Scott and I first bought our then 100 year old house we were dreaming BIG! Each room had a plan and was a project in and of itself. One of the upstairs bedrooms was affectionately named the "writing room" as the plan was to get it set up for me to write the all-American novel.

Even when it was being used for storage for 2 years we still called it that and I dreamed about the day it would be completed. Scott even bought me a plaque for the door that said Fischer Freelance Writing (the name of the first website I ever owned-and still own ;) I remember looking at that little bronze plaque and being so moved that he thought so much of my dreams. Over the years my office as been done and re-done on a budget and each time Scott was there hanging, cutting and doing all the grunt work to support my vision.

Yes, I know how lucky I am!

Somewhere over the course of time however the room went from being my "writing room" to my "office." I worked from home for about 6 years and the room has served me well.

But it's time for a change.

I am a creative, I have a beautiful space to make all of my projects a reality and so I have decided to rename "the office."

I would like to welcome you to my Creative Corner!

The small table in front of the window is where I blog and write and the larger table is used for my crafting. I have a drafting table and a small coffee/tea station that I set up each night for the following day. There is still some work to be done, the VERY oversized black office desk chair is being replaced by a stool and the closet still needs a lot of TLC as do my desk drawers but it is ME! The room just welcomes me in as it always has and I love thinking about all of the fantastic projects that will be born here!

What is your creative space like? I would love to see pictures! If you email them to me I would be happy to compile them in a blog post!

I would also like to share a poem I wrote one day while (attempting) to clean my then "office."

An Office With No Clock

I could do my best work
                in an office with no clock
I could sit and ponder
                the biggest of “the rocks”
And work with head buried
                until the job was done
There would be no deadlines
                no incentives to be won

I could work my bestest work
                in an office with no clock
I could enjoy the fruits of my toils
                if only my door would lock
I would spend all days happy
                enjoying my daily grind
If only I had an office
                that was extremely hard to find

My work would be top notch
                if my voicemail had done broke
I could work a task at a time
                quotas would be no joke
If my email caught a cold
                and stopped delivering to me
Problem after problem
                in ALL CAPS for me to see

In an office with no clock
                a voicemail that had done broke
And email with a cold
                and a door with a giant lock
I could focus intently
                and toil all day long
At updating my Facebook status
                and tweets, 144 characters strong

Happy creating!