Creating Positive Structure – Magazine Day

photo of magazines
a new plan so we start to read our magazines.....

So there’s something about magazines in our home.  We haven’t been reading them.  We want to read them, but just do not make the time.  Then there’s not just one magazine to be read, but multiple issues, which become piles of issues, that have not been read.  I actually gave away months of National Geographic because I was tired of having so many lie around unread.

So tonight it hit us.  Let’s create a Magazine Day!  We appointed Lorenzo the Magazine Czar, and then he decreed that our weekly Magazine Day would be on Wednesday and our article number would be two.  This means each Wednesday we each have to read two articles of our choice and explain them to the other person.  Sure that’s only four articles per week that we would learn about, but four is a world better than zero!  I feel better already, like a nagging recurring item on my subconscious to-do list has suddenly fallen into place on my calendar.

Sometimes people have so many rules and expectations from others in their consciousness that they are too stressed.  They long to do nothing at all, as an expression of their free will.  Well even that can get old.  Sometimes you need to invent new rules for yourself to help guide yourself into new discoveries and wellness.  So here’s to your freedom and wellness, and here’s to our new Magazine Day!  I’ll keep you posted!

Introducing Mitzi the Beagle- Part 1

beagle photo
Mitzi (Sandy) the beagle is looking for her forever home.

What’s brown and white and full of love?  Mitzi!  We have been complimentary-boarding Mitzi (also called Sandy) now since Sunday.  She is a foster dog with a local animal rescue, in need of a forever-home.  She is only three years old, cat-friendly, dog-friendly, and kid-friendly. She has a very mellow demeanor with people, super gentle with children, and loves belly rubs.  She definitely is fun and playful with other playful dogs, in that respectful, play-bow kind of way.

She was given up by her family on Sunday, and like any loyal dog she still misses them, but is getting through her grief like a champ.  This photo is not the best, but she seems to be camera shy when I try to snap a photo w/my iPhone.  Anyway, she’s a real sweetheart and we will post more photos and stories about her soon.  If you know anyone who might be interested in adopting her, please forward this blog entry to them.  They can call me, Janet Wright, at 773-728-7884, or email us at JL@BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com for more information on her.

March Mermaidosity – A Cornucopia of Handpicked Mermaid Art on Etsy

I love mermaids and today on etsy.com I posted a treasury list of mermaid art, your one stop location for the coolest mermaid art on the enormous site that is etsy.com.  A treasury list is a collection of up to sixteen different art pieces, from sixteen different artists, generally organized around a theme.  Anyone with an etsy account can compile treasury lists, and keep them private or make them public.

Copyrighted image "Amber the Mermaid" by Lorenzo Ross
Find your inner mermaid with our new Etsy treasury list

Lorenzo’s “Amber the Mermaid” print rekindled my love for mermaids, inspiring me to create this treasury.

Here’s a link to our public etsy treasury list “March Mermaidosity” including Lorenzo’s print and fantastic pieces from 15 other artists.  There’s a wide variety of colors and styles.  It’s a feast for the eyes, and it also includes a creative piece from another Chicago artist whose shop name is whirleygirl.  I’d love to use some of the images here, but they are all copyrighted so you’ll have to go to our March Mermaidosity Etsy Treasury List to check them out!

Groups and You- Leaving a Group

Meetup.com is a free website with tons and tons of different groups, from reading groups to walking groups, movie watching groups, knitting groups, etc.  I am in a monthly book club thanks to that website, which I enjoy very much.  This other group, which I won’t name, looked great on paper but never felt quite right for me.

photo of open hand with good bye written on palm
Are there any groups you need to leave?

I thought being in this group would be inspirational, but I ended up only feeling like I should be inspired, but definitely was uninspired.  Finally I decided just to leave the group, which I did in a few clicks on meetup, with a friendly goodbye message to the group organizer.  Phew what a relief!

Being in a group that’s not right for you can stagnate your energy, give you guilt because you are not participating, bore you, etc.  This doesn’t mean that the group itself is inherently negative or bad.  It may be that the energy of the person leading it, or the collective energy of those in the group, is not a good complement to your own energy.

Now that I quit, I feel more motivation to do something new.  I looked for something else to join, either a creative class or group.

thumbs up sign
Inspiration is priceless!

I started watching some how-to creative videos on the Paper Source website.  Paper Source is a paper and craft supply store in several states and they have classes, but also free videos on their website which are great for giving crafty sorts of ideas.  I may also join another meetup.com group.  There are so many I’m sure there’s another that would be fun for me.

Here’s hoping that you ditch the groups that don’t suit you, and find and join groups or start projects that inspire and nourish your creativity.

Teddy, a loving pup who helped inspire us to board doggies

Teddy was the first dog that we boarded in our home that was not our own.  We know his human mom and dad, and they chose us because we’d be home day and night, and would certainly give the love and attentive care he needed while one or both of them traveled.

puppy photo
Teddy at home with toys, August 2010

When they got him as a puppy, they rescued him from a neglect situation.  He was no longer malnourished, and eating and doing well, but they didn’t want to take any risks with his care.  He was our house guest off and on during September and October of 2010.  At that time we weren’t blogging or we would have surely taken a million photos and bragged about him back then.

puppy photo
Teddy in his home November 2010

Here is a belated tribute to our puppy nephew Teddy.  He never met a toy he didn’t like, he has got a really big heart and is a good napper too.

puppy photo
Teddy Jan 2011 in his home

These photos were taken by his human mommy Mandy who is also a professional photographer of animals & people, including weddings and artistic photos.  For more info on her work see www.MandyLovesPhotography.com

Teddy opened our hearts to having guest dogs in our home.  It’s worth the work, to know that a sensitive and wonderful spirit like Teddy is safe and happy while his parents travel.  Thanks Teddy!

If you would like to learn more about our in-home dog boarding service see www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com

Creating your own waking up rituals- tea time part 1

How you start your day is an important way to improve how you feel throughout your day.  Positive rituals you create as part of your waking up process can help you to feel like this is YOUR day, and that you’re going to enjoy it.

soymilk, yerba mate tea, and honey
Taking a moment for tea time

In our house, Lorenzo and I are very much in love with our tea.  One of our favorite cups of tea is yerba mate, with Organic Valley chocolate soy milk, and honey.  Here is the wikipedia page on yerba mate.  Basically it is a traditional tea native to South America which has caffeine and other natural stimulants.  This brand we use Guayaki can be bought online or at Whole Foods and similar stores, and in bag form only at Trader Joes.  Organic Valley chocolate soy milk tastes so good you could even have a cup of it as an “I’m behaving” dessert.  🙂  Yerba mate has a pleasing smell, and with the honey and soy milk, it is very tasty.  I like to eat a high-protein breakfast, and then have a cup of yerba mate and sit and meditate.  I sit by our front windows where I have a nice view.

Many of my clients work outside their home, and their morning wake up consists of dressing in clothes that they don’t enjoy, skipping breakfast, and rushing out the door.  Their mind and energy is already focused in the future on their work and the hardest tasks of their day.  I understand this completely, but even in the busiest of days there is another way.  Most people could build two minutes into that time where you take a break, take some deep breaths, a few sips of tea, or just sit or stretch, and reflect on the big picture of your life, or something that you love.  Set the tone for your day, rather than letting your tasks and duties set the tone.  Serenity and peace of mind do not come to your life accidentally.  You have to plant it in your heart, one little morning break at a time.  Here’s to your peace of mind, and positive morning rituals that are uniquely yours.

Splashes of color & spreading joy

I finally went walking today, to burn off some cupcake calories!  On my walk I noticed some houses and buildings that were painted in more stand-out, creative colors.  It’s these kind of details that make walking even more enjoyable for me.  As an energy reader I always see how pleasing colors of one’s clothing and home environment can uplift one’s energy.  I think the vivid color combinations in Lorenzo’s prints can cause the same positive effect.  I wonder if the exterior colors of these people’s homes uplift them as much as they do me on my walks.  I am grateful that they decided to stand out and provide some colorful joy to themselves and others.

house photo
Pumpkin - what a beautiful color for a house!
front door
A plum colored door - why not?
house photo
Minty green - serenity for the house

“Cupcake Week” celebrates delicious new art piece and sugary goodness

So guess what?  Now Lorenzo is making art that inspires life in a whole new way.

copywrighted image of strawberry cupcake done by Chicago artist Lorenzo Ross
The Adventures of Ms. Strawberry Cupcake

Lorenzo’s latest piece “Adventures of Ms. Strawberry Cupcake” has inspired us to create and celebrate our own new holiday: Cupcake Week!  Here’s the inspirational print, now available on our etsy shop PsychicUnicorns

In this print Ms. Strawberry Cupcake is strolling by mountains of chocolate ice cream topped in hot fudge, of course.

Cupcake Week lasts from Feb 2/22/11 until Monday Feb 2/28/11 so you still have time to celebrate!  If you don’t know any gourmet cupcake places, they are all over Chicagoland.  You can search for cupcake bakery on yelp.com to get you started.

photo of four gourmet cupcakes
gourmet cupcakes from Sensational Bites in Chicago

Here’s what we did to celebrate cupcake week so far.  We went to Sensational Bites, a gourmet bakery that bakes cupcakes, pies, cakes, etc., in Lakeview, Chicago.  We read famed yelper Johnny T’s yelp review and knew that place was worthy of our celebration.  Here’s a link to the yelp page for Sensational Bites

This photo shows most of the heavenly cupcakes we consumed yesterday.  We ate the almond coconut cupcake in the cafe, so it is not shown in this photo. Clockwise from the top we ate: orange dreamsicle, german chocolate, raspberry truffle, and Butterfinger (peanut butter).  They were all close-your-eyes-and-savor delicious!  True story, I think I have been craving the raspberry truffle cupcake for the last six months, not knowing or finding exactly what I needed until my first rapturous moment yesterday when I took a bite.  That cupcake is actually filled with the mushy yummy raspberry chocolate part too.  My favorite, to say the least.  Lorenzo’s favorite was the german chocolate one, saying it’s one of the best versions of german chocolate he has had.  German chocolate is practically a personal religion for him.  🙂  I figured finding out which he liked second best would be more telling, but he replied “Picking one would be like saying which child you loved the most.”  So there you have it folks, art inspiring life.  Yummmmmm!

On Friday I will blog about our continued adventures during Cupcake Week.  Stay tuned.  If you are inspired to celebrate your own Cupcake Week, you may want to buy the Adventures of Ms. Strawberry Cupcake print to make it truly official, and as always eat cupcakes responsibly.  Hydrate and eat plenty of protein so that you can stay healthy and balanced, while swimming in sugary bliss.

New Week, New Art, New Look

Hi everyone!  So today we posted on our Etsy.com shop prints of Lorenzo’s two newest works, Amber the mermaid, and the Lovable Lion.  They are the first of many new drawings that begin as pencil and/or ink drawings and bloom into color with detailed computer graphics coloring.  Lorenzo has taken his playful colorful style to a new level.  We hope you enjoy them!  See our etsy shop for pricing and background stories.

copyrighted image of Amber the Mermaid
Let Amber bring aquatic fun and flow to your home
copyrighted image of Lovable Lion by Lorenzo Ross
Lorenzo's Lovable Lion will walk right into your heart!

The Life & Times of YoYo the Cat – Part 1

YoYo is our youngest “son.”  Yes, we are one of those people that think of our pets as our children, sort of.  He is very vocal, and loves to eat.  He’s a pretty good cuddler, and he is also a peace maker.  When Zen and Bambi, our two female cats, start a noisy fight he comes running and puts himself in between them. Here he is as I am about to give him a treat.

YoYo runs on top of the fridge when we have guests.  After a while he comes down to investigate.  I have to feed him the most wet food, so the other two cats have time to eat theirs.  Otherwise he will eat his and try to steal theirs.

He used to try to play with our old dog Barney, though Barney never seemed to get the joke.  Every time I would bring Barney in from a walk, YoYo would lie in a special hiding place.  Then I would take off Barney’s leash and harness, and Barney would do his victory run through the house.  YoYo would jump out and ambush him.  Barney ignored him so really YoYo would only swipe at Barney’s backside as he ran by.  YoYo was always so pleased with himself every time, and it was so adorable how he never tired of this game.

Here’s to our chubby, playful peace maker.  One of the wonderful spirits that makes our home home.