love this :: everyday outfits (february

 

A few good things that have been part of my daily uniform over here:

1. I've been wanting something like this Caslon top from Nordstrom all winter. I'm layering it with a long-sleeve t-shirt underneath. It hits me a little lower on my hips, and it runs big. I bought a large.

2. For the last few years, I've been wearing one version or another of these long-sleeve tees from Target. They wash well and are perfect for layering.

3. I've been wearing these Uggs for the last three winters. I work from home and wear them almost daily. No they aren't the most feminine shoes around, but I love them. They are super warm and have a surprising amount of support for my foot. And the lining is starting to wear out just a bit. So I decided to get these (pictured above). And my winter toes are now very happy as I hammer in the studio.

4. This Lands End vest is awesome. I have it in this green color, which reminds me of Spring, and as the rain rain rain comes down down down over here that is always a good thing. It is on sale for more than 50% off right now (only $19.99). Love how flattering the cut is. I'm actually temtped to get one in another color, but I'm pushing myself to be honest that I just need one puffer vest.

5. The Prairie Hoodie from Prairie Underground. After loving my friend Vivienne's Prairie Underground hoodies for years, I got one for Christmas this year. I love it. It is like a sweatshirt coat you can dress up or down. And it isn't so thick that you can't wear it as a sweater layer, but it also is substantial enough to be able to wear as a coat part of the year (especially here in the Pacific Northwest). If you have a Hot Mama store near you, they carry several styles. And their store is kind of awesome in that it was created with the idea that moms should be able to have fun shopping even with a baby or toddler in tow (i.e. plenty of room to push a stroller around plus take it in the dressing room with you plus they have toys and a play area). Note about sizing: I tend to be a 16 and am able to wear the L size in this style. Whenever I buy another one, I'm going to get an XL just to have a bit more room for layering underneath for a different look. (Shop Adorn in Portland carries several styles and sizes online here.) UPDATE: Looks like Hot Mama doesn't exist anymore. You can find this hoodie and similar styles at Adorn, one of my favorite stores in PDX.

(Not pictured) I keep meaning to write a post about these tanks. They aren't really shapewear but they do help smooth out that little adorable pooch right above my waist, which makes my t-shirts fit so much better. But they don't make you feel like you can't eat while you're wearing them. I have several colors because they are that awesome. And when you wear jeans, tuck them in so they stay put and keep you looking "smooth." If you want something a bit more like shapewear, try these. Also awesome. 

Quick note: Some links are affiliates, which means I receive a small commission when you purchase from that online store.

one breath. one step. yes.

My mom's coming to visit this week, and tonight, as I found myself scrubbing the bathroom floor, I thought back to these words I wrote about two years ago. I pulled them out again because I needed to re-read them.

I thought you might need them too.

*****

The Buddha says,
"Praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and sorrow come and go like the wind.
To be happy, rest like a giant tree in the midst of them all." 

I was kneeling next to the bathtub scrubbing the tub like it hadn’t been scrubbed in a long time. And the truth is, I couldn’t remember the last time I had really scrubbed it. With each thrust of my arm, all I could think was, “This is never going to get done…I am so so tired.” Feelings were stacking on top of each other as I realized that even this “cuts through years of soap scum” cleaner wasn’t working.

When my daughter Ellie Jane was born, we turned the guest room into her room, which means that when my mom and step-dad visit us, they usually stay at a hotel. But this trip, my mom was coming alone and sleeping on our pullout sofa. So this time, my need to get the bathtub clean was at an all-time high as she was due to arrive the next day. 

But it wasn’t getting clean.

I moved on to the tile on the sides of the shower hoping at least they would find their way to sparkle. Standing in the shower, I used all the elbow grease I had in me to move that green scrub sponge back and forth, up and down. The results were slow. 

Next, I began to concentrate on one tile. It took longer than I want to admit to get that one tile sparkling, but finally it was white again.

Then I moved on to the next one. 

After about six were clean, I was almost in tears because the arms attached to this not-so-much-in-shape body hurt so much. And my mind was swirling with the to-do list I needed to complete before my daughter woke up from her nap.

So I stopped and stood there staring at the handful of sparkling white tiles next to the not-so-white-cloaked-in-soap-scum tiles thinking about how it would take me hours to finish this. As I tried the breathe in the midst of the strong smell from the cleaner that hadn’t worked, I could hear a voice wiser than me, yet from within me, say, “One tile at a time baby girl.”

So I started to clean again. As I began to find the rhythm with my sponge, my mind turned with thoughts of “How could I let the shower get this dirty?” and “Why didn’t I just clean more often?” and “How do I get anything done around here?” and “Shouldn’t someone in her mid-thirties have a cleaner house than mine?” and on and on. After another tile was clean, I stopped at this thought, “Whose expectations are these really?”

My mother doesn’t have the expectation that I will spend five hours of my life scrubbing my shower before she arrives. I know she would rather I spend those five hours resting and laughing and getting to the park with Ellie and enjoying dinner with my family.

And there was the lesson again: My swirling mind was creating expectations and guilt and ideas of how things should be instead of being present to how things are and I want them to be.

So I listened to this wiser me and came up with a plan: Every time I shower, I scrub one tile until it sparkles. 

And even thought it might take me all summer to get that shower sparkling, I am getting it done at my pace.

As I write these words, it seems so simple, this story about how scrubbing a shower reduced me to tears but then reminded me of how I want to live. I want to be right here in this moment instead of rushing ahead to imagined expectations that do not serve me. 

Today, maybe you are finding yourself rushing ahead or making assumptions or creating a to-do list that isn’t serving you or thinking you are supposed to somehow do it all. 

Maybe instead of doing all of that swirling, we could just be right here together: one tile, one step, one breath at a time.

*****

I want to invite you to my new community of kindred spirits gathering to seek the "YES" in our beautiful, sometimes messy lives. Hand to Heart is a soft place to land each day as you listen to the wisdom within you and open up your heart a bit more with each breath. We'll be exploring new soul care and being present practices each month along with poetry, chats over tea, and even a dance party of two. 

For the rest of the year, this community will be where you'll find me if you want to work with me online. I don't plan to offer traditional ecourses in the same way I have in the past right now but will be pouring love and joy into this group and the practices we'll explore. If you want to connect with me and other kindreds daily in an online group setting, Hand to Heart is the offering for you. I hope you'll come along.

a few more than five (really) good things

 

The quote above feels like a good response to some of the thoughts stacking up in my head lately when I watch the news. Maybe you need it too. 

Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee with Jerry Seinfeld = perfection.

"Some instructions before you write" from Heather Platt is a really good read. 

This love letter Pace has written to seekers, The 11 Most Dangerous Myths about Finding Your Path, is free and awesome.

One of my favorite programs out there about embracing all pieces of yourself as a path to joy is Alana Sheeren's Shine. It starts next Friday.

Love Vivienne's tips for getting through the winter without ditching your self-portrait practice.

This was my favorite find on Pinterest this week. And this is an old favorite I came across again.

It is possible that I'm on book five of the Vampire Academy series. Maybe. (And oh my gosh the ending of book three was shocking!)

This might have been the Valentine's Day card I gave Jon. He laughed out loud.

And the turquoise feather love necklace is on sale in my shop this weekend...because I miss the blue sky the turquoise bead represents. It's 20% off through Monday right here.

there are things i want to tell you...

The drafts of blog posts are stacking up over here. And I'm making lists in my head of things I want to tell you. I thought I'd get a few out of my head and onto this page.

I want to tell you that you can take a photo that shows your messy kitchen and then share it because you need to feel seen by someone today because most people reading this have some part of their house that is messy and if their house isn't messy something else is because we all have messy and messy is okay. 

I want to tell you that sometimes being a mom is an act of forgiving yourself again and again as you move through the tough days where it feels like your three year old has been sent by the universe to teach you how to pull the tiniest pit of patience from the corners of your soul, and you find yourself failing to find that last ounce that would have stopped you from raising your voice so when you finally have seconds to yourself you whisper softly that it will all be okay because you're just going to keep showing up with love.

I want to tell you about how much I appreciate the beautiful souls I connect with over on Instagram. Thank you for you.

I want to tell you about how grateful I am for the Little Critter books + this set of beads (that has an actual lid for storage) + these reusable stickers + glitter glue for helping us to get through six days of Ellie being under the weather.

I want to tell you about how beautiful you look when you tell someone that you need a hug.

I want to tell you about how much I love my new earrings from The Noisy Plume + my earrings from Takara + my earrings from Sacred Cake. Ellie has set a rule of "Please don't wear necklaces Mama" and you can imagine how hard that one is for me but I do like cuddles more than necklaces. Thank goodness earrings and bracelets are okay. (These are on my wish list.)

I want to tell you how vulnerable + empowering it feels to put something into the world that feels like the most important work you're going to do for a while. And that even though I've shared it softly and will be back next week to share more, you can read all about it and even join in right here.

I want to tell you I know this day all about hearts and love can be hard. I want to remind you that you aren't alone over there. Let someone know if you need support. Tell someone else that they aren't alone. Reach out. Connect. 

With love and light,
Liz 

The Gift of This Moment Home Retreat Kit

A few seasons ago, Jen Lee and I put our heads together and an offering that came straight from my heart was born. We called it The Gift of This Moment Home Retreat Kit, and we loved it so much Jen even made a trailer for it.

There are just a few full kits left and Jen's shipped them out here to my corner of the world so I can send them into the world with love right to you. You can find them here.

You can find the poetry books here in my shop and the photography journals are right here. I have a few CDs available, just send me an email if you are interested. And I'm so happy to share that I've just reprinted an updated version of the Mirror Meditation Journal! They'll be in the shop soon, and they will be part of my upcoming course Being Seen, which is all about the mirror meditation and taking self-portraits and it will run again in October.

A little more about The Gift of This Moment:

Bring the retreat experience right to your front door with this limited-edition offering. In this kit you'll explore three of my "go-to" practices for reflective living: the mirror meditation, capturing the everyday moments through my camera lens, and the words of others through the gift of poetry. 

These stories, practices, and meditations are the closest thing I have to bringing you into the circle at one of my Be Present Retreats. My hope is that they will feel like a companion for you as you practice being present amidst it all. 

The kit includes:

• The Gift of This Moment: Practices for Reflective Living Audio CD, with stories and teachings on three of my most-used practices for living deeply in the present moment.
• Five Days in April Poetry Collection
• Seen: A Mirror Meditation Journal
• In This Moment: Field Journal and Photo Album
• Breathing from the Heart: Guided Meditations download and sticker
• Rejuvenate. Reconnect. Retreat. Black mini tote
• Pocket mirror and two temporary tattoos 

The Gift of This Moment: Practices for Mindful Living is a professionally recorded and beautifully designed audio CD featuring an introduction to these practices through stories of how I use them in my life. You also receive Breathing from the Heart: Guided Meditations, which are five downloadable mp3s of professionally recorded meditations by me. Two of these meditations can be used with the mirror meditation. (Also available by itself here.)

Seen: A Mirror Meditation Journal (paperback) includes an introduction to the practice of mirror meditation by author Liz Lamoreux, with prompts throughout and beautiful hand-drawn illustrations by artist Liz Kalloch. Designed to walk you gently step-by-step through 30 days or more of this grounding and transformative practice. 

Five Days in April Poetry Collection is full of 20 poems for the times when your own words fail you. For the moments that leave you wondering if you're alone, in the missing and the hoping, in the falling apart and putting the pieces back together. (Available by itself here.)

In This Moment: Field Journal and Photo Album is your reminder to see and to notice, to root yourself deeply in the present. Carry with you, cherish, remember. Hard cover, double-wire bound, 86 pages, including 27 writing and photo prompts. (Available by itself here.)

I believe these practices will help you begin to feel deeply seen so that in those moments when you are making your way through the realness, the hard stuff, the confusion that sometimes punctuates this life, you will realize you are never alone. I believe this because I practice every day. 

And here's the part where I say this: When we launched this, I wasn't quite ready to step into the truth of shouting from the rooftops, "These practices will change your life!" I didn't know how to put into words that we really had created something full of the same magic I witness and experience at my retreats. 

And today as I hold these beautiful real live books and journals in my hands, I really want you to hear me say: These practices will change your life. Truth from my heart to yours.

I hope you scoop them up. I'd love it if we had to reprint them so I could send even more out into the world. Yes yes yes!

(The Gift of This Moment Home Retreat Kit was produced by Jen Lee Productions.)

around here

 

Snow. It rarely happens, so looking out the window last night and seeing a couple of inches brought about feelings of pure joy inside. Each winter I miss my Midwest roots even while I hold the gratitude of never needing to shovel or drive in it anymore. Having it stick around all day today when we had no where to go was awesome. 

While Ellie was sitting on Jon's lap while watching the Olympics yesterday, this conversation happened:
Ellie: "Valentine's Day is a season of family."
Jon: "Did you make that up or did someone tell you that?"
Ellie: "No one told me and I did not make it up. Valentine's Day is a season of family!"
Me (softly to myself): "That was awesome."

The days leading up to Valentine's Day have been busy ones for my shop, and I'm deeply grateful. From parents sending daughters away at college little reminders that they are loved to so many beautiful souls buying the kindred necklace set with the intention of keeping one and giving the other to their dear soul friends to sisters giving their siblings sets of talismans, my heart is honestly smiling. 

In the midst of it all, Ellie's had an on-again off-again fever that has her going from leaning against me almost asleep to running around with endless energy with hardly a breath between. Intense. Lots of crafting and reading and watching movies and cuddling while she sleeps on me and forgiving myself when I lose it a wee bit and breathing deeply. (And yes, I did let her go outside for a few minutes because she was feeling better and, hello, snow! Because she has only been in it once before, her version of "playing" is "Mama, I must clean the snow off of all the furniture in the backyard." I had to stop her from moving on to cleaning it off the plants.)

And in the inbetween spaces, I'm working on something new that has me so darn excited. Like oh my goodness this is really going to happen excited. I'm feeling plugged in to the reasons why I'm here and what I want to share with you. And in this moment, I'm pausing right here as Jon reads to Ellie down the hall and I'm bringing my hands to my heart and taking five deep breaths saying softly to myself, "Just keep showing up as you and those who get it will come along and stand beside you. Yes." 

Sending love and light,
Liz 

this is me

This is me. Standing tall in the midst of my 37th year. Me pausing in the middle of the day and creating space to notice, to say, "What do you need kid?"

And then standing and breathing and listening. 

Here in my 37th year, I'm claiming this truth: I'm so damn glad to be here.

To be able to feel and hold and see the beauty and the shit that make up this gorgeous, crazy, sometimes really hard life.

To be able to deeply know that I am whole in the midst of all that has come before this moment and all that is to come ahead of me. And that I will continue to be whole even on the days I don't feel like I am.

To be able to look at the wrinkles forming around my eyes and mouth, the grey roots that I keep forgetting to cover, the softness that holds me together and feel my shoulders relax as I settle into the beauty of all of it.

To be able to make mistakes and still choose love. 

To be able to know the difference between speaking my truth and knowing my truth.

To be able to gently hold the vulnerable bits. The parts where I'm learning how to ask for help. The parts where I'm trying to open up to even more love. The parts where I'm admitting that I don't know. The parts where I'm listening more and softening judgement more and letting things just be when that is the right move. 

This is me looking myself in the eyes with compassion.

This is me seeing beauty and wholeness and truth.

This is me softening and opening up even more to the love within me, that surrounds me. 

Yes.
Yes.
Yes.

****

Today is Susannah's Conway's birthday and she's asked a few kindreds to share thoughts on "the (delicious) truth about aging." Soak up the wisdom from Susannah and others here.

what do you need?

(A little reminder from the archives today.)

Asking myself what I need and then creating enough space to listen to the answer is one of the practices I return to almost daily.

Sometimes this space is a few seconds, other times a minute or two.

I don't obsess about the answer or "if it's right." I just listen and learn. So often the answer is about a basic need of rest, connection, nourishment. And using this practice has become a simple daily handhold.

Try it today.

Close your eyes.

Take a deep breath.

And ask yourself: What do you need in this moment?

And then take five more deep breaths and really listen to your answer.

(You might even want to leave your answer in the comments so that you can really claim this truth today.