Magic in Marrakech

Posted: March 19, 2013 | Author: caitlinkellycalifornia | Filed under: Art, Fashion, Inspiration, Uncategorized | Tags: DANNIJO, Elizabeth and James, fashion, Gucci, Hat Attack, Kate Spade, polyvore, style, UGG Australia, uggs marrakech beads bright wild | Leave a comment

Magic in Marrakech by cmalone628

I entered this set into a contest for Ugg Australia on Polyvore. Hope you like it!

Random Wednesday Dinner

Posted: March 13, 2013 | Author: caitlinkellycalifornia | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Tonight I am cooking a mustard chicken dish that is pretty much galic mustard aoli and hot wing sauce mix basted onto chicken breast halves! I’m pretty hungry so I hope it comes out well. I’ll tweet a picture with the verdict once it’s in.

I hope you are having a good night my 20 WordPress followers! Thanks for checking out my blog. &hearts;

February

Posted: February 27, 2013 | Author: caitlinkellycalifornia | Filed under: Art, Cooking, Inspiration, THRIVE, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Whooaahhh!!! Time is going by so quickly! I can’t believe that February is almost over. I am ready for March, though! Lots of good things are lining up. 🙂

What have I been up to lately? Last I wrote here I was filling out my 2013 Planner, and I have been busy ever since trying to get my Dreams going and my goals met.

I set out at the beginning of 2013 with the plan to make at least 14 new meals, and I am proud to say I have made 4 so far! First I made the Meatloaf, a basic recipe, but it was really yummy! Comfort Food, although, I haven’t made it since. Next was the crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken Chile, which was ok the first time, but the SECOND time, I added a serrano or two and it was much tastier with the kick. My third recipe was Chile Verde con Pollo, made as taught to me by V and Slim, who are always treating me to homemade Mexican food.

I have the Best Teachers!

It came out pretty well! I will probably be making this a couple times a month until The End of Time.

Last night I made a really good Mexican Shepherd’s Pie. It was basically ground beef, corn, salsa, refried black beans, cheese, sour cream, and spices underneath a cornbread crust. That ALSO came out pretty well. In fact, I am heating the last of the leftovers in the oven right now! I think what’s unique about this recipe is that it has cumin, cinnamon, and called for allspice, but I didn’t have any. I just like using spices in new ways, and this was definitely flavorful in that comforting, cozy way. A good introduction to use of Spice!

You may have noticed that my taste preference lands in the Mexican Food Zone of Comfort.
I blame my SoCal upbringing! In looking for recipes, this was sort of brought to my attention, because so much of what I was drawn to was Mexican food, and things that have so many of the same ingredients: rice, beans, cheese, meat, sour cream! Maybe some new twist or a particular combination I had never considered before, but nothing too drastically different from “what I always eat”. So in Spirit with this sweet image:

I am hoping my next recipe will be something a little more daring. I have a couple of ideas, but I am not ready to share just yet. 🙂

I also finally finished my Word of the Year project! Here is the finished piece, it hangs above the entry to our Home:

THRIVE is my Word of 2013! I chose THRIVE because I am so ready to keeping growing and growing into myself, I am SO excited to watch C Grow and Thrive in her World, and I am excited to create a garden space in which my plants will also THRIVE! So far, I still feel like I am an itty bitty seed, but I know as the year moves forward, if I keep my eyes set forward, I will Thrive and see a Life I had never imagined before. It feels good.
**ALSO, there is a group of people who have started the Thrive Movement and I really resonate with their mission. Check them out here.

Anyway, that is all for me today. Just wanted to check in and share! XoxoX

The Maiden Voyage

Posted: January 16, 2013 | Author: caitlinkellycalifornia | Filed under: Cooking, Goddess Circle, Inspiration, Law of Attraction | Tags: 2013, cream cheese chicken chile, crockpot, Enchanted Map, Goddess Circle, Incredible Year, Incredible Year Workbook, LOA, oracle cards, Recipes, The Map, Word of the Year | 1 Comment

Whoo hoo! Last night I made my first Crockpot meal. It was delicious! I found the recipe on Pinterest (naturally) and have been dreaming about it ever since I got the Crockpot for Christmas from my Love. The Pin leads to Rita’s Recipes and Ms. Rita, your Cream Cheese Chicken Chile was delicious, Thank You Very Mucho!!!

This recipe is simple. It calls for 2 frozen chicken breast, a can of tomatoes, a can of corn, can o’ black beans, spices, and eight ounces of cream cheese. I used fresh chicken because that is what we had in house, used just one tomato chopped up because that’s what I had on hand, and put the pot on high because I started making this right around 7pm, which is pretty late for a Crockpot meal. We didn’t get to eat until around 11pm, but I couldn’t resist. I just HAD to make something!

All set and ready to Crock!

All in all, it came out pretty good. I will definitely be adding some chiles next time because we are a spicy loving household. Last week, the guys made a chile rojo that was probably the HOTTEST thing I have ever eaten. It was freaking amazing.

So this would be meal #3 in my quest to learn 14 new recipes this year. What excites me about this venture is that every time I make a dish, I think of ways that I can improve upon it and add things that will personalize it to my family’s tastes. It excites me to know that I will be able to try them over and over until I get it exactly how I think it should taste! Yes, I know that this is what others call “cooking” but to me it is a new revelation! I’m happy to be learning how to nourish myself & my family. I have a feeling my list of 14 will be expanding to who knows how many recipes!

In other news, I have checked off “clean out the car” from my list, have made a list of herbs & veggies I’d like to grow in my garden, and bought some drop dead GORGEOUS Oracle Cards yesterday. I am brimming with excitement over them. They are the Enchanted Map pack, and I got them with the intent to use them for my 2013 Oracle Card Reading that is in the Incredible Year Workbook! This was another favorite page of mine last year, and I referred to it all the way through December. Basically, you draw a card for each of the 12 months of the year, and the image reflects a theme or something to remember during that month. Last year I used my Rider-Waite Tarot cards, but this year I wanted to do something different. I’ve been learning so much about Oracle Cards from other members of the Goddess Circle, and have been hearing them call my name. There were so many packs to choose from, but none seemed to be the right ones until… The Enchanted Map pack came along and it was EXACTLY what I was looking for. The images are whimsical and dramatic, they look both like a painting and a photo, and are just Beautiful. I haven’t done my official 2013 reading yet, and don’t expect to for another week or so. Perhaps I will post some pictures of a few of the cards, if it seems like the right thing to do. You can check out the deck for yourself here.

The Word of the Year project is coming along nicely, but not yet ready for the public eye. 🙂 I have to say that I am truly taking this word to Heart this year, and am having a fantastic time bring it to Life. Will be working on it more this week and will show you as soon as it is ready! If you haven’t bought the 2013 Create Your Incredible Year Workbook & Calendar then do it now! It’s not too late! Let me know how your 2013 is going so far in the comments, I want to know how everyone is doing. :))

Love & Hugs to you & a BIG Happy 16 month birthday to my sweet baby girl today!!!
xoxo
Cait

The Next F-ing Betty Crocker

Posted: January 11, 2013 | Author: caitlinkellycalifornia | Filed under: Art, Goddess Circle, Inspiration, Mommyhood | Tags: 2013, Garden, Goals, Goddess, Incredible Year Workbook, Pinterest, Recipes, To Do in 2013 | 1 Comment

Hello and greetings from frigid Santa Barbara! I don’t know how many times I’ll be able exclaim such a thing, so I best do it now. Winter is upon us, and it is CHILLY out there! hmm…well, it is to me. I was just about to post some stats from Weather Channel, but it says that yesterday’s low was 45 deg. Not quite as dramatic as I was hoping for, as I know much of the country experiences WAY harsher weather during winter months, but you know, for us here in SB it is a wild change. I Love it. I like to be shocked by the weather and experience new climates, even if it means being coooolllddd (which I typically dislike). It makes things interesting.

We’re not quite two weeks into the New Year, but it seems like Christmas was AGES ago! I’ve been working through my Incredible Year Planner, battled a cold, fending off the flu and caring for my bedridden partner who caught it, hanging out with the best BunnaRoo in the world, and back at the job full throttle. I’ve also made 2 of the 14 new recipes that are a major part of my Goals for 2013. One was a delicious Broccoli Cheddar Soup that I made from a recipe found on Pinterest, but I didn’t take any pictures of the process. I think my iPod died in the midst of the creation. But it was super yummy and nourishing. I can’t wait to try it again and add more veggies!

I also made a meatloaf with a recipe from AllRecipes.com. It was really basic and easy to make, I threw it together in maybe 10 minutes and then went on with my night while it baked for an hour. I did manage a photo:

Just out o’ the oven!

I know this doesn’t really make me the next F-ing Betty Crocker (well,you never know!), but it feels good to make yummy food that fills our tummies! I’m hopeful in the coming weeks as I get my grocery budget going I can afford to be a little more adventurous with the menu. I am REALLY excited, actually. I’ve been dreaming & pinning recipes for some time now. 🙂

As mentioned, I’ve also been working through my 2013 Incredible Year Workbook: outlining my Vision, setting goals, writing Affirmations to Lift Me Up, and adding to my list of 100 things to do in 2013! I Love my List so far…. I think it’s the best way to set your “goals”, because it doesn’t have to be major things, like “write a bestselling novel” (although that is am AWESOME goal to set!); I have simple, everyday things on mine like “Clean out the car” and “go to the dentist”. I know that it will feel awesome to cross them off the list, and having this list in front of me REMINDS me to get them done this year! The real fun though, is dreaming up things to do that you really WANT to do, like create a garden or learning a martial art. Creating a garden is HUGE on my list; aside from the learning 14 new recipes it is the biggest, and I will be focusing a lot of attention on this area in the coming months planning the garden and prepping seeds and actually planting and tending to the garden! I am excited for all of it.

A Light of Love exclusive! I’ve Instagrammed other pages of the list, but you get to see this Special One. 🙂

So far on my list I have 58 “Things to Do”. Last year I think I only made it to 35, and I didn’t complete all of them. I was going to write a post discussing this but it’s too 2012. I’m moving onward.
Decidely not on the list this year is “Write Blog Posts” although I still obviously am going to be posting (hopefully) a lot! Last year my goal was 52 blog posts, one a week, and I think I did 30 or so in that year. Good enough. This year will be inifinitely better! I have quite a few plans for the blog and my internet presence in general, but it’s all still bouncing around in my head.

Next on the List is completing my Word of the Year project, currently in progress. I am excited to be making this piece bit by bit! I will share when it’s all Beautiful and finished.

If you want to join in on the FUN and order the 2013 Create Your Incredible Year Calendar & Workbook, please order it from ME!!! Right HERE! I am a proud affiliate for Leonie Dawson and her AMAZING Goddess Circle and all of her programs. We’re having a contest right now to sell as many Workbooks as possible and spread the Amazingness! If you feel called to take inventory of your Life and Dream a Gorgeous Future for yourself in 2013, this workbook is a Powerful tool to get you there.

That’s all from me for now. Have a Lovely day, My Friends.
xoxo
Cait

An Incredible Year

Posted: December 17, 2012 | Author: caitlinkellycalifornia | Filed under: Goddess Circle, Inspiration, Law of Attraction | Tags: 2012, 2013, Goals, Goddess Circle, Gratitude, Incredible Year | 1 Comment

Yes, it is almost here! In just 15 short days 2012 will be over. 2013 is waiting in the wings for us to grab hold and take it for a wild ride. I mentioned in my last post that I have been working through my Incredible Year workbook from Leonie Dawson. I used this workbook last year, and I have still been refering to it even in these late months of the year. It’s pretty amazing. Last year, I printed some of the pages out in Black & white out of necessity. THIS year, so far I’ve gone all color and it is BEEYOUTEEFULL!!! I Love the way Leonie uses watercolor + ink, and embellishes with odd bits of pretty here and there. It translates to print quite well, I can only imagine what the originals look like!
The first section of the workbook is all about 2012; reflecting, gleaning Wisdom from our experiences, and releasing. It is The Very Important 2012 Closing Ceremony.

Here you can recall the Lessons you’ve learned this year, Record Dreams that have been realized, note what has transformed and elated you, give yourself a pat on the back for the amazing feats you have accomplished. Here you can rant about that which has been less than awesome. Here you can give GREAT THANKS for all that has touched you in 2012. Here you can let go.

This is my Gratitude page, full of things I am very Grateful for!

Just looking at my Gratitude pages from last year and this year at the same time. They have a lot of the same items on them! I guess these are the core things that I am grateful for. My Cleo, Her Daddy, my Momma & Momma in Love, my whole Family, our House, my car, my job, Money to get what we need and desire. This year I included the women who have taught me many things about myself and about Life, all via interwebbles: Leonie, Celes, Danielle LaPorte, Melody Fletcher. Perhaps in the year coming I will have the chance to meet one or all of them! There is so much more to be Thankful for, and I continue to give thanks everyday. I Love to Live in the glow of Gratitude. True, sincere gratitude for whatever is happening here and NOW is such a peaceful, whole feeling. So important. At the end of the Closing Ceremony section is the Completion Circle. As you place your hand in the Circle and read the blessing written ’round, we give Thanks, we Open our Hearts, we Let Go and we Radiate in Light & Joy. We can let 2012 soar into the sky, and we (I!) are ready for 2013 to bring us it’s blessings.

The Completion Circle

For me, this is so important because it let’s me truly let go of all that has been, and focus on what is to come. This had perfect timing for me, wrapping up the year end stuff, now ready to focus on the holidays, and then the Big Event of ushering in the New Year. I don’t know about you, but I am FIRED UP about 2013. I’m excited goals, and to find the surprises that lie ahead.
Next post: Goals for 2013! and in my favorite fashion: A LIST! 101 Things to Do in 2013!!! Can’t wait to share with you.
If you want to get in on the Incredible Year, Incredible Life planner & workbook, go HERE and I will get 50% of your sale. The whole package is so Gorgeous, Leonie is CRAZY for pricing it so low. Many thanks to her!!!
If you are already working through your Incredible Year workbook, let me know in the comments, the more the merrier!

It’s 12/12/12 Somewhere…

Posted: December 11, 2012 | Author: caitlinkellycalifornia | Filed under: Decor, Inspiration | Tags: 12/12/12, 2013, Christmas, Goddess Circle, Goddess Haven, Personal Excellence | Leave a comment

Well, well, well… It is December 11 and of course it’s been a while since I have checked in. Do I say this every time I post? Almost. Have I ever mentioned my procrastination issues? Sorry. Anyhooo…on to the goods.

November went by so quickly. I guess December is too, we’re almost half way over. I did not do well with the Kindness Challenge. I started out with such great enthusiasm and high expectations, and just…dropped the ball. It’s not so much that I am a super mean person; on the contrary, I realized that I do truly try to be kind to every one I meet on a regular basis. I try to be considerate of what others are doing, how they feel, how I make them feel, etc. I’ve also been going through some personal issues and just didn’t have it in me to follow through on the challenges. These excuses did not make me feel any better about not participating, they just are what they are. Celeste at Personal Excellence is definitely hardcore in her challenges. She doesn’t F around. A truly fearless warrior in the Personal Development World. If you want to change your Life, follow her. Listen to her. 🙂

The Goddess Haven E-course has gone considerably better, in the sense that I have gone through a few of the weeks and have been in communication with other participants of the course. Goddess Circle Sisters are so supportive, creative and enthusiastic! I Love them. I have made it through about Week 3 of Goddess Haven (I think the course is practically finished, or on the final week, Week 6) and I’ve slowed, but I am not finished! I will continue on my own and keep pressing to make my space my own. It’s been difficult as I am slogging through the same personal issues mentioned above, which all seem to culminate when I try to make changes in my space at home. Sometimes it feels like progress, sometimes displacement. It can be the opposite of inspiring. I guess that’s why I wanted to do Goddess Haven in the first place, to clear out negative energy and let my home be a place of inspiration for me and my family. I’m discouraged, but not despairing. I will keep on going!

The course itself is so interesting. I Love Leonie’s guided meditation, it helps you see what you need, what nourishes you, as well as what doesn’t. I think so far my favorite part (as I am only in week 3) is the Feng Shui layout chart, so that you can see where the rooms in your home line up on the grid. It was very eye opening! For example, our kitchen is right in the Health & Family zone, perfect for communion and putting good nutrition into place! C’s bedroom is in the Relationships Zone, and the Creativity/Children area is right where all her toys are in the living room (but so is the TV, which sort of makes me shudder…is the TV sapping all creativity from her play? I try to limit viewing/having it on in the background but I know that with her other caregivers it can be on longer than I like). My room is the Wealth Zone, and Fame & Acknowledgement is in the closet. I’ve worked quite a bit on decluttering my part of the room but I would still classify both as disastrous by my standards. I want to change this in order to get the energy of these areas flowing in my favor! I have all this stuff and nowhere to put it gracefully. sigh.. I do have plenty of “stuff” to take and donate to Goodwill though, so that is something! Perhaps that is my next step before proceeding further.

We are also getting ready to do our Christmas decorating! I am way too excited, I’ve been waiting all month for the 15th to roll around so I have a bit o’ money to buy boughs of Holly or whatever. I am expecting a jolly weekend.
Also on the plate for the week/weekend is a little something called the 2013 Creating Your Incredible Year Workbook! Yes, it is from Leonie & the Goddess Circle and it’s pretty much the reason I joined Goddess Circle in the first place. I started doing this last year, and it is a SUPER FUN workbook where you can TAKE STOCK of what has happened in the year that has passed, DREAM GLORIOUS DREAMS for the year to come, and MAKE PLANS for those dreams to come to Life! I’ve actually already started working on mine for 2013 and want to share more with you, in hopes that you will want to get one too! I’ll be writing about it later this week, so keep an eye out for it.

Have a lovely 12/12/12 tomorrow, try not to read too many doomsday post/comments (I can’t be the only one sooooo tired of these!) At least it detracts from the Christmas music lamentations. Haven’t heard many of those complaints this year! Ok, I’m done.

Peace, Love, and Oh Yes! A Happy Hanukkah! 🙂
C

Peacock Forest

Posted: November 9, 2012 | Author: caitlinkellycalifornia | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: art, polyvore | 1 Comment

Peacock Forest by cmalone628 on Polyvore

November Challenges

Posted: October 29, 2012 | Author: caitlinkellycalifornia | Filed under: Inspiration, Uncategorized | Tags: Celestine Chua, challenge, Goddess Circle, Goddess Haven, Home, inspiration, Kindness Challenge, Leonie Dawson, Love, November | Leave a comment

October is winding down (can you even BELIEVE that?!) and November is just around the corner. The holidays are going to be in full swing before you can even blink an eye, and then the New Year will be here. 2013 Baby!!! I am excited for all of it: The “official” debut of C’s costume, cozy fall evenings curled up in bed with a book or an excellent movie, Thanksgiving at Madonna Inn, hunting for perfect presents, and of course, spending time with the whole fam damily at Christmas ( it is a BIG year for us; I count 14 just with Mom, Dad, Kids, Grandchildren, and significant others. Add another five or six for grandparents, aunts, uncles, and a surprise guest or two). Our large family gatherings are CRAZY, and my favorite! 🙂 With all this madness going on there will hardly be time to do any bit of self nurturing, and sadly, sometimes the holiday “cheer” takes its toll and turns us into grumpy Grinches.

I guess that is why I feel called to not one, but TWO different group programs starting in November. I will be participating in the Goddess Haven e-course created by Leonie Dawson for her Goddess Circle, as well as Celestine Chua’s 14 Day Kindness Challenge.

The Kindness Challenge is a two-week group activity/experiment where we will be given one Act of Kindness to complete each day. After we carry out the task, we can react and reflect with other participants in a private forum. I am excited to participate, because although I try to be kind to everyone I come into contact with, it can be easy to be in your own little bubble and never reach out to others who may benefit most from your kindness. Sometimes we have to step outside of our la-la land and place ourselves in unfamiliar situations, where we can make the most difference. Step outside the comfort zone, make more magic. My intention in participating in the Challenge is to spread Light to others by completing the daily tasks, and to strengthen my own Light, by giving me tools that I can use after the challenge to treat others kindly all the time.

The Goddess Haven e-course is a program I have dabbled in a little bit on my own time, but I haven’t yet had the chance to explore the program in a group setting. The Goddess Haven course is a six-week program created to help you declutter and spiritually clear your space for optimum good feelings and productivity. In short, this course is designed to make YOUR space tuned in to YOUR Needs, YOUR Desires, YOUR Spirit, YOUR Heart. It is designed to give you the tools needed for self nourishment and inspiration. As a Cancer, I am SO excited for this course to help me turn my home into the bright, shiny, cozy little shell that I am constantly longing for it to be. I am excited to de-junk, revamp, and thoroughly bless my sweet home. I am also excited to share this journey with other women from all over the world who are ready to do the same!! In a similar fashion to the Kindness Challenge, each week you are sent an email with decluttering tactics, space clearing tools, workbooks, meditations and more! As you employ the tasks you can join in on the conversation with others in the Goddess Circle. We learn at least as much from others as we do on our own, and Goddess Circle women are very wise women! I totally invite you to take this course with me and turn your home into the Goddess Haven of your dreams. Let me know in the comments section that you’ve joined up too, and we can keep each other accountable and on task. Sharing is caring. 🙂

If you have not yet discovered Leonie Dawson and her many, many Life changing gifts that she shares with the world, you need to head over to LeonieDawson.com ASAP! One of my most inspiring role models, she is absolutely amazing. I am a proud affiliate of her Goddess Circle and all of her products, and I am so happy to now be promoting her work here on The Light of Love.

Celestine Chua is another great inspiration to me. I stumbled upon her Personal Excellence site a few years ago and my Life has grown by leaps and bounds with the help of her 30 Days to Live a Better Life program, and I would not even have this blog if it weren’t for her Blogging Intensive Bootcamp! She is the Ultimate Go-Getter, and she will help you be too.

I hope you join me in these Life altering courses. Both programs begin on November 1, so you only have a day or two left to sign up. I will (hopefully) be posting my experiences here on The Light of Love, and I’d Love to read about your experiences too! If you decide to join in on one or BOTH of the programs, don’t forget to let me know in the comments!

Love, Light, and Awesomeness,