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Floradise

A lifestyle blog by Marette Flora

Life Update & Favorites

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Today I’m sharing a compilation of thoughts that wouldn’t really compose an entire post on their own. We’ve had a ton going on lately, and sometimes I struggle to keep up. Planning has helped immensely, as has simply writing things down in a journal or blog to let these thoughts out. I’m trying to release the worry and remind myself everything will be OK. I just know it.

Here’s what’s on my mind:

It’s been raining in Chicago for a million years. The storms wake Victoria up and she thinks the thunder is a monster. Also, this is messing with the lighting I need for blog photos, which frustrates me because I like to bring my A game and I feel like it’s preventing that. #bloggerproblems

I am considering doing another round of decluttering. In 2015 I did a 30-day decluttering challenge because I was preparing for a move and Victoria’s arrival. Adopting a child has meant bringing in tons of stuff into our home (via gifts, hand-me-downs and our own shopping for her) and I have reached the point where I need to declutter again. Would you be interested in reading about the process?

We are checking out a preschool tomorrow. The whole idea of finding a school, day care/preschool for Victoria overwhelms me. The system here in Chicago seems so complicated and often involves a wait list.

Paletas are my favorite, specifically the lemon flavor. They are my favorite thing to eat in the summer, ever. Last weekend Victoria and I walked to the park specifically to look for a vendor who sells them.

I bought a Super Suit to protect our GoPro Hero 5 and I love it. The GoPro is supposed to be waterproof, but we don’t want to take any chances. If you’ve been here before you might know that we lost our GoPro in Costa Rica and it was found a year and a half later by someone who was snorkeling. The SD card still worked! To prevent losing another GoPro we bought a Floating Handle Grip and the Super Suit. We also have a floating case. Yes, these accessories are a little pricey, but so is losing a GoPro!

We recently had a leak in our condo in Phoenix that damaged the entire kitchen flooring. My mom has been living in it without flooring for a month. It’s been a challenge finding a contractor to fix it from afar, plus my mom’s English is limited. We finally hired someone, but we decided to replace the flooring we had with tile to match the rest of the downstairs. Unfortunately, that tile is sold out in Arizona — we checked every Lowe’s in Phoenix — and it apparently isn’t an option to have it shipped from another store (we asked!), so we are doing something insane and having it shipped via freight, which involves talk of pallets, lift gates and docking facilities. Also money. Oh, joy! (We have insurance but we still had to pay the deductible plus this shipping cost.)

We have tomatoes and strawberries growing! If you follow me on Instagram you may see that I constantly post garden updates. I am excited to finally be able to grow tomatoes, even if I only really like them in salsa.

I fully believe in manifesting and I feel like I’m being rewarded for my gratitude and trust. This hasn’t always been the case. Earlier this year I kept questioning why certain things kept happening to us, specifically after Taylor died and we had some unexpected expenses and setbacks. Lately I’ve been trying to change my mindset to believing we are going to accomplish what we want as long as we make moves and trust, and it’s paying off with new opportunities. I just kept thinking “It will happen.” and things immediately started to come my way. This in turn makes me more motivated to take action. Do you practice manifesting?

I have some fun brand collaborations coming up next week. I pursued them because they made sense for what’s going on in my life and hope you enjoy them. Thanks for understanding that collaborating with brands is one way I make my travel dreams come true. Also know that I try to accept sponsored posts that I think would be helpful in some way, whether by letting you enter a promotion or giveaway, learn about a great product, try something new, etc.

My plans for the weekend: Take care of business (tile shipping, sponsored posts), plan upcoming road trips, eat some delicious food, and film a yoga video!

Quote for your week: “What you think you become. What you feel you attract. What you imagine you create.” -Buddha

Hope you have a fantastic weekend! Please share with me what you’ve been up to or thinking in the comments below!

Related posts:

GoPro Favorites**:

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Takeaways from “The Universe Has Your Back”

Graham and I set an intention of growth in 2016, and one way I fulfilled that was to work on myself through fitness, new experiences and reading self-improvement books, among other ways. I’ve read “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear,” “You Are a Badass” and “Year of Yes,” along with other books, this year. My most recent read, or rather listen, on Audible is “The Universe Has Your Back: Transform Fear to Faith” by Gabrielle Bernstein. I have heard of another book of hers, “May Cause Miracles,” which I have yet to read. Something about “Universe Has Your Back” called to me. I think Bernstein would agree that the universe brings you what you ask for, and the lessons in this book were what I needed to hear.

The key lessons for me:

What you judge in others is what you judge in yourself. What you love about others is what you love about yourself. I’ve heard this before, and I have realized the truth in this more and more as time passes. I have someone in my life whom I have judged for being self-centered. I realized that the actions she has taken that I dislike are similar to ones I have done myself, and they are actions I am not proud of. I have since tried to understand why that person doesn’t reach out to me. It’s because I myself have not reached out to her. We have more in common than I thought. This understanding has helped me work on those behaviors I don’t enjoy in myself and forgive and understand those behaviors in her. I hope this realization will also bring us closer.

Let faith take the lead and let go of goals. “Hold great visions and then release them.” This doesn’t mean don’t make goals; it means make your vision clear and then trust they will happen and let go of the outcome.

Bernstein at first came across as self-important to me, but then she explains herself with a self-awareness that made me realize she really does want to help others. She seems passionate when she says she wants to help readers find their calling and join her in “being the light.” She is honest about instances in which her ego came into play and in which she was judgmental. She also shares what she has learned from those experiences. You can great specific guidance on meditation and specific poses and prayers to say. She often refers you to her website for more help. I enjoyed the book overall, and it helped me overcome a certain funk I have been in this month.

Bernstein can best explain and list her steps for transforming fear to faith, and the Audible version of her book is a quick read if you’d like to do just that.

Have you read this book or any others by Gabrielle Bernstein?

 

Read “The Universe Has Your Back”**:

 

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Favorite Self-Help Reads

December Goals

2016 continues to wow and amaze me. It’s been a year of growth for Floradise blog and for the Flora family. My belief that you can manifest your dreams was once again proved to me and I will walk into 2017 with confidence and gratitude that I am on my way to achieving my goals and dreams. For the last month of the year I have five simple goals:
What are your goals for the month? What do you plan to make happen in 2017?

Previous goals:

Video: Thanksgiving in Louisville

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