Autumn

I am so excited for the leaves to start changing color! I’m ready for that crisp, cool air and the scents that the season brings with it! I can’t wait for all the Autumn inspired food and drinks, like the pumpkin spice coffees. Yum! I’m really looking forward to the bonfires and holidays. It will be cooler out, so I can definitely ride my bike more! (I melt in the summer!!)

The first scent of cool autumn air arrived today. It’s beginning to feel quite wonderful outside. Soon, I’ll be wearing hoodies and playing in the leaves at the park! Their crunching sound under my shoes is still satisfying as adult. Soon, I’ll be sword fighting with sticks. It’s great fun to play with the person you love; we’ll chase and tackle each other in our attempt to win, but neither of us really loses. Soon, I’ll feeding the geese. They’re actually quite nice if you have food for them. If you’re careful about it, you can feed them straight from your hands. Soon, I’ll be sitting in cozy coffee shops with my books and coffee. Those shops that are filled with people talking with their friends or reading on comfy couches. The air is filled with the scents of coffee, tea and an assortment of pastries. Soon, it will be perfect bike riding weather. It won’t be too hot, and you can get quite a few places without a car.

Then, soon enough, the crisp autumn air will begin to leave us chilled as the first snow approaches, and then dancing with the falling leaves will turn into catching those chilly snow flakes on my tongue.

Barting System

Do you struggle to pay your bills and have little to no money left over? Congratulations! You're one of the large majority of people in this very same category! Of course, you definitely are not cheering about this. There's so much to do and learn but no money to do it with! You can't afford to feed your soul with our current cash economy. That's really not fair.

However, there is a solution. A free one. A no gimmicks solution. Bartering. Trading services - things that you are good at - for other services that you otherwise could not afford. Why live an unfulfilled life when you can chase your dreams!!

This fantastic new app is called Simbi. There are so many categories of services offered here: Art Lessons galore, almost anything to do with writing, advice for just about everything, card readings, video game advice, the list goes on and on! This is a no cash economy. You trade deeds for deeds. And if you want a service that you can't trade your services with, then you can pay them with merit points to use as they please. You don't make money from this. It's a give and take economy.

The app is user friendly and offers loads of help in getting started. You do not pay for this app. You don't give your credit card information. You don't pay cash for any of the services listed. All you have to do is offer your own services in return.

Here's a link to Simbi:

https://simbi.com/ashley-reed-2d407/welcome

Here's a few of my services as well. I offer Dream Interpretations and Oracle Card Readings, as well as a few others.

Dream Interpretation

Card Reading

Story Sounding Board

Someone to Talk To

Date Attire Help

Go check out Simbi!! Even if I don't have a service that you are interested in, someone else is bound to! Help change the economy of the world!

Food

Food is important. Food is awesome. Food is life ~ literally. But, it’s one of those things that we need in moderation. And I love junk food, especially around that time. However, I also really love real food. Fruits, veggies, fresh meats, seafood, it’s all amazing! And if I can keep a leash on my junk food urges, then the healthy foods can still do their work!

I mentioned Pinterest for hair and makeup. That place is also amazing for recipes (as well as those Tasty videos that I keep seeing on Facebook ~ whoever you are, please know that you are a life saver!). Oh, and crock pots are magic as I recently discovered. You through a bunch of ingredients into it, turn it on, and leave it all day and you have dinner when you get home! (In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, I’m also very new to cooking). You might be wondering at this point, “If she’s 24 and doesn’t know how to cook or do her hair and makeup properly, how in the world is she adulting?!” Easy answer. I went makeup-free up until recently, minus the few occasions where I actually tried to look presentable. For the record, blue eyeshadow is not my color. Yes, I wore blue eyeshadow. This was about 2.5 years ago. I also wore purple eyeshadow.

Anyway, I’m rambling! Cooking! Food! Adulting! I can make mac’n’cheese, tater tot casserole and meatloaf. I’m also fantastic at scrambling eggs! Such skill, I know. Why am I just now learning that asparagus sauteed in salt and butter until very crispy is fantastic? Why am I just now learning how to make sauces and soups? Because of semi private reasons that I don’t really feel like talking about right now, but let’s just say that my cooking practice consisted of throwing frozen food in the oven or the microwave. (Yuck…..) Oh, and fruit. These require no cooking skills (thankfully). I have discovered how amazing mangos are! I thought I loved pears until I tasted that sweet, melt in your mouth fruit *swoon*. I still love pears, but I’m quite pleased that I am expanding my horizons.

Junk food is also pretty good, as I mentioned before. Except, I have discovered that if it’s made properly, it really isn’t junk food. For example, if you go to taco bell, that’s junk food. But if you go to the family owned Mexican restaurant downtown, that is heaven. Same goes for just about everything else! Food is empowering! (Remember my previous post about finding your source? Food can so be your source!!) Be mindful of what you put into your body! You don’t have to stop eating chocolate cold turkey. (I think I might actually die without chocolate). Just be mindful of how much and how often you eat it. But definitely keep some on you at all times… You know… For just in case the dementors attack.

Love yourselves and eat awesome food! <3

Connecting to Your Source

What does this mean? It means to surround yourself with things that empower you! For me, my source is nature. It's the smell of the rain, the sound of it as it pours from the steely grey clouds. My source is the forest, running through the trees. My source is the ocean and the rivers, swimming, boating, or even just being near them. There's a peacefulness that flows over me in nature. I love being outside. Hiking, biking, reading (yes, reading), some people even create beautiful art outside! (I should definitely try that!) Nature is very healing. To me, it is empowering. My favorite is doing yoga outside. My yoga group has recently been going to our local park and practicing our wonderful Buti Yoga in the shelter of the trees with the beautiful sky over head. The sky is like a new painting every day. Each cloud, each sunset is unique.

I had the pleasure of being caught in a downpour today while I was driving. I had gotten home, and I was stuck in the car for about 5 minutes before it was safe to run up to the porch! (Getting your food wet is no fun!) The sound of the rain on the windshield and roof of the car was very relaxing, and the smell of the rain when I finally got outside was intoxicating! Thank you, Mother Nature! Much love for your gifts <3 Speaking of the gifts of Mother Nature, she has been giving me feathers! I have four now. Two days ago, I found a hawk's feather right outside my front door! That was exciting!

Anyway, find your source, connect with it. What empowers you? What brings you back to your center? What brings you peace? What relaxes you? You will feel so much better when you spend time with your source <3

Good luck!

Pokemon GO!

Yep! I play it, too! Not very often since it's been really humid and muggy outside. I'll probably play more during Autumn. My Pokemon collection is very small, BUT I do have all three Eeveelutions! I was pretty happy about that!

But in all seriousness, this game is awesome! I don't necessarily mean the game itself, but rather how it's bringing people together! A few weeks ago, I was playing a later in the evening at the local outdoor mall, and meeting new people! I am a shy person; in fact, this blog is a huge step for me in overcoming my fears. So talking to strangers is really good for me! I met one person whose art is fantastic! But just mingled with the crowd in general.

Teams! Why is everyone hating on Valor? What did we do?! I love everyone! I have been very fortunate in the fact that my friends who are in Mystic and Instinct are still cool. There's no rivalry there. We just liked the colors and/or the Pokemon that each team had! For me, Valor's bird looks like a Phoenix, which is my symbol right now. Does being in Valor mean that I'm a bad person? I hope not!

Overall, this game is fantastic for overcoming social anxiety while having fun! Games really do bring people together. If shyness is a problem for you, I highly suggest playing this game and just seeing who you run into! And remember to "Stay aware of your surroundings and don't go anywhere dangerous!".

Peace, fellow gamers <3

PUBLISHED BOOK

Do I have your attention? Awesome! Now, it's not my book, but it is a very good friend of mine! I am so proud of her! She has been working her butt off on this dream of hers! She has two young kids whom she loves with all her heart. They are her world! She also has a heart of gold! She wants her book to get big so she can make lots of money! But she wants to use that money in very selfless ways! She wants to help as many people as she can, and that is truly inspiring!

Her book is definitely a page turner and filled with excitement! The beginning of the book is really emotional, so it drags you in within the first few pages! I'm really bad at summaries, and with her permission, I am just going to copy and paste the official book summary below:

Joby's life has been nothing but chaos since the day she was born. Left with the forest tribes as a baby, her childhood as a free-spirited young girl is violently thrust into adulthood when the King of the kingdom bordering her tribe's forest threatens her people's safety and peace. Joby will have to learn to fight, lead, and survive, all while having to endure loss and the trials of becoming a woman. Everyone is counting on Joby, and she cannot afford to let them down. 

A story with love, struggle, and bloodshed; Destiny's Children: Joby is sure to keep you enthralled and on your toes until the end.

Who is this wonderful lady, you ask! Her name is Catherine Hagedorn! She is very talented! There's even a second book about to be released! She is self published, but you can ask for her book at Barnes and Noble, and you can buy it on Kindle and Amazon! You really should check out this amazing author! I'll post a couple links below to help direct you to where you need to go!

This is where you can buy her book on Amazon:

Destiny's Children: Joby ~ On Amazon

This is her Facebook page:

Catherine Hagedorn Author Page

And you can follow her on Instagram by searching for her name Catherine Hagedorn OR hagedorncatherine!

Please help me celebrate this wonderful goddess!

Self Love

So I mentioned briefly some things that I've been doing to help get myself in a better place mentally and emotionally. Self love is very important for overcoming traumas in your life. It's important to take time for yourself. Repeating that for emphasis. As I mentioned before, I'm doing Buti Yoga and have had some energy therapy. Both have done wonders for me emotionally. Even if you think energy therapy is just a placebo effect, it feels real to me and it felt awesome to be doing something for myself.

Another thing that I have added to my list is pampering and dressing myself up. I have taken to Pinterest to find new ways to do my hair and makeup, and I feel confident and sexy ~ the yoga also helped me feel sexy! I'm 24, and feeling this awesome is new to me, Actually being able to learn how to do fun things with my hair and makeup is really encouraging to my self esteem. I feel like I should have been able to do this stuff in high school like all the other pretty girls. *Side note: we're all beautiful goddesses ~ don't let the world tell you otherwise!

For example: Just today, I looked up this awesome bun thing on Pinterest and I actually did it! It wasn't as good as the picture, but it was damn good for my very first try! Helpful tip: If you have thick, frizzy hair like me, it helps do some of this hair stuff with really damp hair. Like, take a shower, squeeze your hair out with a towel so that it's not dripping, and then attempt these pretty updos! It's much easier!

Makeup!! Holy crap! I'm an artist! I paint and draw!! Why couldn't I do my makeup properly? Well, I didn't have anyone to teach me, really. But now, I view my face as a reusable canvas! And again, Pinterest really helps!And it may not be perfect the first time you try something new, but that's okay. Practice makes perfect! And as you get better, you can tweak things that you don't like! It's all a learning experience.

So go pamper yourself! Dress yourself up! And show yourself some love! You deserve it! Love yourself! Be kind to yourself! You are beautiful! Have a great day, Goddesses! <3