Tag your It!!!

So I have been tagged!!! Yay to participate in a fun holiday game known as Winterliscious Tag! I was given the lovely pinch by a  fellow blogger known as Simplyy Mayra from, Ponder Wonders. 

AKA: My Mother of Pearl/ Abuelita Jones!!! LOL (I had too) 

Below is a list of questions pertaining to your personal preference during the Holiday Season.This was so much fun to partake in and hope you all enjoy reading and sharing!!! 

Topic of the Day:

Winterlicious Tag!

Tag: A series of Christmas Questions.
Once you are tagged, you answer the same questions. 

If you want you can add a question of your own! Tag as many people as you like!!
No Re-tags!
And don't forget to go link-up your post at Yesi's

                                                     Questions:

Favorite Winter Nail polish: I try to keep myself in the habit of polishing nails when I do my own manicure. Although my main color is clear, LOL But, if I were to choose a color I would like for the holidays it would be Holiday, by: OPI from the Kardashian collection along with Revlon's new polish line A Night In Town. It's a really nice deep red. 

Favorite Winter Lip product: I am not a lipstick kind of girl, so I would have to say my baby lips balm all year around.

Most worn winter clothing piece: I like scarves and boots! 

Most worn winter accessory: I like to buy Christmas accessories from Target for my girls and I to wear as we get closer to Christmas Day! I have a pair of Jingle earrings that are my favorite =) 

Favorite Winter Candle: Aromatherapy!!! I like the apple cinnamon scent during this time of year. 

Favorite Winter Beverage: Really?!? Is that even a question?!?!... HOT CHOCOLATE!!! I actually have a cup most days in the morning. I am not a coffee drinker at all. 

Favorite Xmas Movie: There are so many to choose from, but if it came down to one, I would pick Jack Frost with Michael Keaton. 

Favorite Xmas song: White Christmas and Winter Wonderland. I listen to the Christmas Station on Pandora all December long!!!

Favorite holiday food: Shoot!!! My Paleta de Lechon asado, OF COURSE!!! =D 

Favorite Xmas Decoration: My Christmas Tree. I think its the perfect touch for Christmas! I also like my homemade ornament decor. Check it out!!! 

(all hand crafted by Shasha *me*)

What is at the top of your Xmas list?: I would have to say LOVE <3 and also a Cricut and maybe some more SPA TIME!!! (shhhh) 

What are your plans for the holiday this year?: To spend it with my family and loved ones gathered at my house while we feast on my amazing Holiday Cuisine!!! 

(The irony of a pool picture during winter! Only in Miami)

Now I am tagging:

Nicole with: Local Sugar Hawaii

Jess with: The Lily White English Rose

Annmarie Pipa with: momto8blog

Sarah with: Enjoying the Epiphany

Ready, Set Go, You're It!!!!!

XoXo

"Just Say It"

Wow, so I am listening to the Christmas station on my Pandora radio. Now, I am a firm believer in signs, but always doubtful if I interpret them at the right time. Since I have been lately trying to open myself up to all kinds of possibilities and ways to heal my broken past, I have been experiencing lots of whispers through out my silence. 

So as I am writing the post Connections, I am coming towards the end where I am mentioning the possibility of inviting my Father over for the holidays, this song plays randomly on the "Christmas" station... Yeah OK!

Louder than this, I would have to be deaf to not hear it coming from a mile away! Grateful that I came across this song and its interpretation to my life at this given moment. 

                                                                           

                                                                   "Say"
                                    by: John Mayer

Take all of your wasted honor
Every little past frustration
Take all of your so-called problems,
Better put 'em in quotations

Say what you need to say

Walking like a one man army
Fighting with the shadows in your head
Living out the same old moment
Knowing you'd be better off instead,
If you could only . . .

Say what you need to say

Have no fear for giving in
Have no fear for giving over
You'd better know that in the end
Its better to say too much
Then never say what you need to say again

Even if your hands are shaking
And your faith is broken
Even as the eyes are closing
Do it with a heart wide open

Say what you need to say

This is an art piece that my husband, Shaun Rafael drew a couple weeks ago. He is a true artist and I love all of his work. I am sharing this specific piece because it goes perfect to the above mentioned. 

Connections

Hey there Hey,

Good morning to all! For some reason the weather over here has been the pits lately. Geese! It's OK though, I am sipping on my Hot Chocolate topped with whip cream.... mmmmmm yummy Yes, I decided that I needed that extra sweetness on the top this morning. So as I am going through my daily routine of sorting through mail, breakfast with my little stud muffin, tidying up a bit, etc, etc... I got that little light bulb feeling on the top of my head... You know the one that pops up when you come up with an idea, when you finally remember something you forgot at the second, lol or as I would like to call it when you " make a connection".

We all know that I am on my journey and in my previous post I spoke about emailing my father about how I felt towards him and the fact he is absent in my life and the whole LOVE spiel I have going on now a days. So I am going about and the song Daughters by John Mayer comes on and I am humming along to it as my mind is singing the words softly in the background of all that I have going on. And, well of course, since the song is about Father, Mothers and Daughters I started to think about my own. I start thinking about my Mother, and how she was with me and nothing bad arose, Ok. Then I think of my Father and the way he was and still is with me.... Shazaam!!!

Light Bulb!!! I made a connection!!! I am on the mission to really let go so that I can LOVE freely. I always mention on my struggle for it. I have also spoken bits and pieces of how I intellectually say things that I truly mean but my actions speak it other wise dilemma. Yeah... I know! So with this connection it just makes a lot more sense to me now and well I am going to aim for it more than ever.

So back to the song. The words say " Fathers be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do, Girls become lovers who turn into mothers, so mothers be good to your daughters too. Oh you see that skin, its the same one she's been standing in since the day she saw him walking away, now she is left cleaning up the mess he made.Fathers be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do, Girls become lovers who turn into mothers, so mothers be good to your daughters too". " On behalf of every man, looking out for every girl you are the GOD in the weight of her world". Light Bulb!!!

So as I am singing this, I start to think about my Mother first and the way she was with me and and the way she is with me now. Ok, so I go to thinking about my Father and BOOM!!! Like speeding and all of a sudden hitting a wall that came from no where. Making a sudden STOP!!! Body Shifting!!! Ok, Ok, so it says "Fathers be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do..." Uggghhhh I don't want to cry over here.... But I related to it/him and it hit me!!! That I LOVE like my father, so I took it as a confirmation that as the onion is peeling (as my Mother would say) I do need to make something out what's going with my Father. Make things right for myself, in hopes to be FREE from that sandbag that holds my balloon from flying free. And, with the holidays coming around the corner I might think of inviting him over for our traditional Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) Feast.... Guess you will have to come by again soon and look out for my Noche Buena Feast Post 12/24/12.

What a morning, A???!!! LOL Hope you enjoyed the read! I would love to hear all opinions and/or any advice you guys might have towards this matter. Have a great Happy Hump Day!

xoxo

PS OMG check out the next post to see what song came on and spoke to me like a whisper as I was completing this one.....

Crowds and Walking Alone...

Hey there Hey! Hope all is shining everyone's way =) The weather is still a bit off in my side of the Empire, but today I feel a bit more on track. I know what needs to get done and well I am making a conscious decision to really prioritize in action! So with that said, better late than never. This will be my link up for Soul Food Monday's over at Ponder Wonders buffet of Love for the soul but on a Tuesday ;) Hope I am still in time. 

I chose to share a letter below written by Mrs. Jada Pinkett Smith, (very wise woman), found on her Facebook post. Because, it so coincidentally relates to the quote I chose to make a comment on from Soul Food Monday's, at Ponder Wonders, regarding the crowds and walking alone. You will have to check that out for yourself. If you see my comment, I chose to relate it to my marriage and then remembered the day I read this letter. Thought I would share it with you all. As I read through I kept feeling that it's time to LET GO! But how? is where I find my self standing at this given time. 

So for now I will just try to sit back and relax while enjoying the journey. Maybe some time soon I will come across the answers. I have to be still and at peace to hear within the silence. 

A letter to a friend:

You say you are feeling strangled in your marriage. I'm going to suggest an idea. Remember...its simply a suggestion.

Too often, marriage is expected to have a cookie cut existence. We are told marriage is not a marriage unless it looks a specific way. It's these boxes that create titles. It's these titles that create simple, black and white explanations for people 

who want to believe that they know who we are and who we are not, according to the criteria of the box. These explanations give people a false sense of control, a false sense of safety, and tend to be more...strangling then anything else.

Do an exercise. Throw all these titles in your marriage away. Perhaps, give your husband the title... life partner. Give your marriage the title of union...maybe. Simply release your marriage, your husband and yourself from the criteria. Maybe this will create an opportunity to find something new, fresh and expansive.

Life doesn't have to be about remaining the same and fearing what is outside the box. Your life, your marriage is art. Create, tear down and recreate again in order to keep up with your growth and happiness. THAT is MORE important...than the boxes and the criteria that comes with them.

Remember, the most courageous, world changing minds have had to step out of the box to create mind blowing realities.

Don't fear! Live!

J

Hope you enjoyed the read!!! I would love to hear your thoughts on marriage and if you agree with what society believes it should be or not be?!?

Don't forget to partake in spreading the LOVE and digging in this delicious buffet and linking up to Soul Food Monday!!!

Baby Steps

Good morning & a Happy Friday!!! The sun seems to be shining a bit more today than earlier this week. Yet I still feel a bit gloomy inside. I can hear the birds chirping and their songs are sweets sounds. Nature is truly beauty at its best. I try to sit down every chance I get in the mornings and write down what I am grateful for. As I write I know from the top of my head what to be grateful for but, lately, it just doesn't feel like anything when I write it down. Like I can't tap into it cause I am not there. It gets frustrating.

I am digging within myself and taking those dusty skeletons out of my closet. I will be 30 in less than 2 months and its so true what my Mother has been telling me all along about this particular era in your life. It's like the re-evaluation point. What have you accomplished since after your teen years and early adult years? What do your fruits show? And, well for some of us.... Well OK for ME, I can't quite say I am 100% happy with my "tree"! LOL (lets at least try to find some humor)

I have written before on my struggle with LOVE. As we all know, that is the most important essential in life to live healthy, happy and at true peace. I interpret the word LOVE to be Jesus, my children, my husband, my mother, my sisters, my family... And, I am now coming to learn about true love for myself, which is one of the greatest missing pieces to my puzzle. I feel as if I have such great LOVE for all whom I mentioned above but cannot fully demonstrate it  because of the LACK in LOVE for myself. How do I know this? My fruits!!! Which I am really starting to truly see what the concept of loving yourself first means. How you can't really LOVE anyone else if you aren't LOVING your own self. There is no way to do it whole-hearted because it lacks the main concept you are trying to give out, LOVE! Since you haven't experienced knowing any better with yourself, imagine with all else. (I hope this makes sense)

So it's that time of re-evaluation and well, Yeah I am desperate!!! I am willing to open up doors and options that I once never thought of. For example, I wrote an email to my father telling him how I think and feel. Really between you and I in one word I feel NUMB towards the topic. He has been absent in most my life. He abandoned me at a very young and crucial age and never made it a point to make things right. He recently found me. And , even after so many lost years and the given opportunity to come back and be a part of my life, NADA!!! (Nada means nothing in Spanish) I wrote the email as a way of healing for myself. Maybe trying to commence forgiveness. Haven't heard from him yet, but we will see. If he responds we can make that a whole other post...

I can say I see a bit more clearly now a days. If I were to look back when I first started this blog and now, I will say that I am actually starting to really feel that I am on a journey. Not looking for a destination. I feel more LOVE when I am with my children and trying to show them affection. I feel like I can listen more with compassion. I don't know how to explain it, but I know that I can feel it. So HEY!!! I am GRATEFUL for that. I actually feel grateful right now. Funny, lol how things have a way of turning out. I can hear my mom's voice in my head. "I told you mi amorcito that the intentions for this blog is for you to write and discover yourself"... LOL Hay Mother of Pearl. You have such a great sense of wisdom and wow I am feeling really grateful for that right now too!!! I am also feeling grateful for the new LOVE I can now share with myself in hopes to transcend it to my children and all the other important people in my life.

I know I still have a longs way to go, I know this for sure. But as I mentioned in the above paragraph... I am on a journey, so here's to making the experience worth my while!!!

Hope you enjoyed the read! Hope you guys have a fantastic Friday filled with everything you can possibly be GRATEFUL for!!!

xoxo