This month my Farmgirrrl Divas group made house-cleaning products that are simple and cheap to make and easy on the environment, in our reusable containers. No need for chemicals or to buy quantities of throw away bottles, we can use baking soda, vinegar, castile soap, essential oils, and borax to do minor and major housecleaning with no worry about harming our earth or our noses and skin.
We made Green Cleaning Products:
powdered laundry soap
dusting spray
all purpose cleaner
window cleaner
toilet bowl cleaner
lemon dish soap
tub scrub

we used:
2 1/2 cups baking soda
¼ cup salt
20 drops citrus essential oil
10 tea tree essential oil
2 cups liquid castile soap, plus1 tsp plus 1 Tbsp
1 cup ammonia
½ cup white vinegar, plus 4 Tbsp
4 cups distilled water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cups, plus1 Tbsp Borax
3 drops essential oil of your choosing, like tea tree, lavendar
1 bar Castille soap, grated
2 cups washing soda
and we needed an airtight container, squeeze bottle, 4 spray bottles, and a covered jar.

The recipes were taken from the Aug/Sept 2009 issue of MaryJanes Farm magazine. Plus we had a ball, ate (OMG) fabulous foods, swapped stories, tromped out in the mud to see my animals, drank some wine, and in so doing, we are building a stronger community in my little town.
Come on gals, try it!
We all make a difference….

Paulette reaching out to all of you! Happy New Year!

this is my last One More Thing of 2009…

Thank you all of you who have read, thought about, and taken action of any kind in our One More Thing. What a great year of thought and action it has been. I look forward to a fantabulous, new year.

I fee-eel good. (put in a little James Brown yell.)

the best to you, you supercoolhappylovething,  and remember…

be the change you wish to see in the world.

Peace

So many thoughts going through my brain this morning, sipping on my coffee, while the day comes into view. Making my lists for the day, and the week, with plans for the coming year. Today brings the longest night, darkness.

Can you reflect in the darkness, upon yourself, and your past year, and where you are?

On my farmette, it is very dark out here. I love it. No sreetlights, no cars,no neighbors. Dark. We have hung some colorful lights in the house and around the patio. Twinkling in the darkness, so pretty. I relish the outdoors, whether it is cold, raining, snowing, sunny. I need to be outside. And I must be too, to go the barn and the coop everyday, several times a day, to take care of the animals. It is a hike, and I lug buckets of hot water down to them about 4 times a day in this freezing weather. But when I am outside, I get the big picture. My picture. It is so real for me, if that makes sense to  you. It keep me in my body, and in my soul. It makes me shine.

And so on this day I do think about the past year. What an amazing year with my dance work—traveling, teaching, dancing with amazing women, writing. It has been very rewarding and full of heart-warming events. Not to mention the rest of my life away from dancing (yes, I do have one!) I am thankful.

We all need to acknowledge what we have done, and give ourselves more credit. Being cynical is not pretty, or just downplaying something we have done  so not to seem boastful or full of our own ego. But I’m talking about taking our own personal credit, patting ourselves on the back,  and moving forward. We need to feel good about what we are doing so we can continue. When we feel good about ourselves and our work, then we can help others feel good.  It can fuel us. Sadly, I see women who criticize themselves or make fun of themselves, not taking themselves seriously, and are afraid to step up and say, hey, check me out.  Me, I love what I do and I feel like when women come to take a tribal bellydance class with me,  they leave feeling really good about themselves, on so many levels. It may take a few weeks, or a few months, but they get empowered, and they can see the beauty in themselves and in each other, which is so lovely to witness. No competition, just support, and also networking. Building community and acceptance.

This is what my universe told me today!

When driving down the road of life, Paulette, rarely do you know how good you have it, until you see it in the rear-view mirror.

Which is not to suggest that you should look back now, but to remind you that where you are today is more awesome and amazing than you probably realize.

10-4,
The Universe

Thoughts become things… choose the good ones! ®
© www.tut.com ®

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One of my One More Things for this next year is trying to not use/buy so much in leather goods. A talented friend of mine makes fantastic handbags, first knitting them and then felting them—what beautiful works of art to carry around with all those items we must carry. And there are so many good recycled  and innovative bags being made now too. In general, that is a good way to shop, anyway. Many artful uses of sweaters and other used clothing items are being made in to new groovy wear.  How about YOU?

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…and shoes, well, shoe fanatic that I am! Here is a vegan shoe site for you to check out! And they have a donation/give back program which is way cool!

NEUAURA is proud to donate 10% of all online sales to Keep a Child Alive and The Humane Society of the United State

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Do you have a give back program? I”ll tell you about mine next week!

One More Thing, don’t forget!

Happy Solstice to you, beautiful people. You rule…

~an excerpt from some Solstice thoughts from my friend, priestess and poet extraordinaire… T. Thorn Coyle

Know Thyself
….
What do you wait upon? The light is heard,
You know the name of every ant and leaf
And sing the spell in every woven word,
Your chambered heart beats yearning. Yearning.

You are the light. You are the one returned.
You are the shining thing that always burns.

T. Thorn Coyle, with Solstice Blessings, 2009

http://thorncoyle.com/

I think it is time to remember that everything we do makes a difference, some good, some bad. Everything…

You dance, you think, you teach, you eat, you read, you share, you create, you do the dishes. It all matters. If we spend just a few extra minutes thinking about  what or whom we are touching in our day to day lives, we make a difference. We can change that too, correct it, recycle it, watch it, talk about it, share some more, and make more of a difference.

But also remember, take care of yourself, then you can help to take care of others.

Here’s some thoughts to share…

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If you make a difference, people will gravitate to you. They want to engage, to interact and to
get you more involved. In a digital world, the gift I give you almost always benefits me more than it costs.
If you make a difference, you also make a connection. You interact with people who want to be interacted with and you make changes that people respect and yearn for. Art can’t happen without someone who seeks to make a difference. This is your art, it’s what you do. You touch people or projects and change them for the better.
This year, you’ll certainly find that the more you give the more you get.
(Seth Godin, one of my heroes, is a blogger and speaker. His new book
Linchpin comes out in January.)

Creating ways for people to solve their own problems isn’t just an opportunity in 2010. It is an
obligation.
(Jacqueline Novogratz is the founder of the Acumen Fund and
author of The Blue Sweater.)

It is about reminding people of what it is we are trying to build—and why it matters. It is about painting a picture of a better future. It comes down to pointing the way and saying, “C’mon. We can do this!”
When times are tough, vision is the first causality. Before conditions can improve, it is the first thing we must recover.
(Michael Hyatt is the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. He blogs on “Leading with Purpose” at MichaelHyatt.com and also Twitters at @MichaelHyatt.)

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Hey there, what is your vision? I get pretty excited when I can stop to think about all the things I can do to help to change—in my home, my town, my dance, my little world, or the big world—to make that difference.

Big thoughts and small actions make a difference. (Seth G)

Seth has just put out a new ebook, you can download it for free. Do it!

What Matters Now: get the free ebook

and let’s here it for One More Thing!

Hey, in this beautiful winter chillness, take a walk outside, go to the park or the woods, and look around. Give yourself that gift, some time to just walk, and be with yourself. How does it make you feel? Where do you get your inspiration?

“I went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
– John Muir.

and does it make you think about the state of the world at all? if you need a way to help the global state of things, check out…

AVAAZ .org

Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means “voice” in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in Ottawa, London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Buenos Aires, and Geneva. Avaaz.org is a community of global citizens who take action on the major issues facing the world today. The aim of Avaaz.org is to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decisions. Avaaz.org members act for a more just and peaceful world and a globalisation with a human face.

On this foggy Monday, the day after the big Thanksgiving holiday. Feasts, family, friends—it was a full, lovely and loving weekend. So much gratitude for the life I have.

Now, back to work, and our OMT for the week! It is hard not to get discouraged sometimes, when I see the mindlessness of people, some in general, and others close to me, and how they mistreat the planet, on a large scale of thoughtlessness, to a small scale in everyday living. I must remember that every little thing I do does in deed help. Sometimes it helps my own thought processes and my attitude, sometimes it may touch others to do their part too. I don’t want to be a preacher. I just want to live with mindfulness, and be authentic and be fabulous! In everything I do, I want to have a bit of beauty and enjoy the life I have. And I must continue to do my part to sustain that, to sustain the earth so that we can continue to have  a beautiful planet and a beautiful home.

I will try to continue to share with you this once a  week bit in this blog, to help in any way I can, to share thougthts and ideas with you, and to hear your own words of accomplishments and ideas too! It is a constant reminder for me to be grateful and to keep doing my work.

And so, I remind you to do your part to better your life as well, and pay it forward. Keep writing, dancing, and living. There is so much to experience!

Encourage those around you too.

Here are a spot to check out:

support Cool Earth, save some rain forest

coolearth.org

Got any other suggestions or care to share what you are working on? I would love to hear from you!

Visit 29-Day Giving Challenge at: http://www.29gifts.org

Another thing I can do is pass on information that I find useful, informative, inspiring,for you and our One More Thing ideas!
So do your thing and be fantabulous!

My One More Thing idea today is not about helping someone else out, or doing that extra something for the earth that we are trying to keep happy. It is about you.

Sometimes, do you ever feel that you can’t do that one more thing? You are tired, cranky, overloaded, whatever. Well, how about you do one more thing just for yourself! Taking care of ourselves will help us do that thing we want or need to accomplish, that thing that will ultimately make us feel better. How often do you put yourself and your personal needs on the back burner?

I had a phone call today from a woman with several children who just wanted to get to a dance class and do something for herself.  How hard it can sometimes be to just get out the door to go after what you desire. But when you do take that time to do it, you feel so much better. Yes? And then you can do that other “thing” you need or want to do. And then you feel even more fabulous and remarkable!

I have a hard time with this myself, always busy, always trying to get my projects done, because I love what I do! But we all need that down time. so…

So, what can you do that will make you feel better? Take a bubble bath with candles lit, read a book, do some spinning, journal, take a walk, take yourself out to dinner, go to that dance class?

Here is a site I found today because of my internet friend, Laura Neff, (More In You) who always has such wonderful words of advice.

Tut’s adventurers club

Mike Dooley is the founder and writer and adventurer of this site.  Notes from the Universe offers insightful words, that maybe you need to hear today. Or just a little push to keep you on your path. He writings touched me, so I wanted to share his site with you.

When he was searching for what he needed and wanted to do to keep going, one of the things he wrote, “I’d keep doing the one thing that filled me with the greatest sense of accomplishment and purpose-write about the truths I most needed to embrace to change my life.”

Check him out if you have time, but take time for yourself now! I am, just as soon as I get this posted…

Be fantabulous!