Raige Creations

Just a few reminders we all need to hear every now and again.  Nothing changes if nothing changes.  from  laurengleisberg.com   What you allow is what will continue. from lifehack.org Never accept anything less than you deserve. Remember you teach people how to treat you. from Dr. Anne Brown on Twitter I happened to need to hear these now, as I am having to teach people some things.  It can be difficult, because if allowed, people will take advantage of you and when you say - ' hey, no more ' - they don't like to hear that. This is part of the ugly path I was forced in to at the beginning of the week, and alluded to yesterday. But it is time. It is time to remind people to respect me, to treat me like I deserve to be treated.  Period. 

As if I was actually writing a book.....I am not..... but still consider it a new chapter that has just begun, even if only metaphorically speaking. A new chapter in my little book of life. Source: Pinterest I have embarked on a new adventure, I have embraced the magic of new beginnings. I started a new job. It is a job I really wanted, and was so happy to get. Though, driving in the first day, I was...well there is no one word the word for the feelings. I felt so many things: I felt a little worn out, like ' Here I go again having to start over '. Then switched to ' I am starting something exciting .' Then felt ' How strange to have this new start, excitement like I was just out of college starting a new life '. Then the doubts. ' Can I really do well at all the many and varied aspects of this position? Some I have not done in a long, long time, and some not quite to the depths that is required of this position! Can I really do this? ' Th...

Source: fashionablepins.com I am actually a bit tired of the new at the moment.  EVERYTHING has been new, again and again and again.  Another new bed to sleep in, new kitchen to get used to, new foods to try, a new (old) car, new roads to learn, new people to meet, new internet codes to set up, new phones to hook up, packing a suitcase again. I am so ready to settle in and have some things get old again. I am ready for my space to become familiar. I long to be able to wake up in the middle of the night and know where I am!  (Still takes me a minute or two to figure it out) Building the new is exhausting. But...totally worth it. Source: Raige Creations

Yes, I am still here. I have emerged from the chaos. I have survived the incredibly hellish move, the journey over land and sea, the displacement to an entirely new (yet familiar) place. I have survived the 3 months of preparing for the move, the sorting and purging and packing, the hellish week of emptying and cleaning the house, the day of travel on 2 hours of sleep, the 2 weeks in a resort hotel right next to the Jet Ski hut, the 3 weeks of living out of a suitcase, the strange beds and kitchens where you don't know where anything is, the start of a new job. We have survived the search for a new place to live, a new car to drive, a new life to settle in to.  We landed in the world of the tropics, steel bands, beaches, and a slightly more laid back lifestyle. A lifestyle we haven't enjoyed for more than ten years. I sometimes have to pinch myself, wondering if this is all a dream. I am slightly suspicious when things keep falling into place, and worki...

I have been taking so many pictures these days. And no, not the fun, inspirational ones I usually like to take. I have been taking pictures of things we have to sell. source: zulily.com So lately, the way I am seeing my life is through all the crap we have, that we don't need.   How did we get this far away from living simply?? I don't want to see my life like that. In what way would I describe what life is like? There are so many options.........like monkey bars.... source: MotivateHopeStrength Yes, I am letting go of so much stuff!  So we can move on.  I can't wait to be done with the 'getting rid of stuff' ! It is hard to be letting go of some things. The change is hard, but I am ready to move on already. You could say life is like.......underwear? source: TARTORA Lingerie Ok...you could say that. And yes, I keep talking about moving, and yes we are moving, so you could also say that life is like riding a bicycle.... source: Move...

Into the wild.... I heard this song while on a walk/run. It is such an inspirational song to me, I love the whistling, and the strength of her voice, and the lyrics........ Somebody left the gate open You know we got lost on the way Come save us a runaway train Gone insane How do we how do we not fade How do we how do we how do we not fade away How do we how do we oooh Into the wild How are we living living living Into the wild How are we living living living Are we lost on the way? I say only if the gate is closed. With the gate open, we are living. source The gate is opening for us...and I myself am quite looking forward to be on a runaway train, gone insane! {also metaphorically} Am I more scared than not....not this time! It is about time we got up, out of this rut, ask that important question - how are we living - and take off down that path we need to go.... Into the wild.... Wooohoooh!  Woohooahoo Heeeyyy Heeey Is...

source: Thoughts of Raige Some days, the days when I wake up less than chipper, when I haven't yet found my positive thinking and hope or a good day, I am thankful for the views from my kitchen. Out past the tree line, there is a mountain I can see most days. There are lots of trees and nature is evident all around us. It almost feels like we are out in the country, away from noise and developments and crowding.  But in reality, a main road is on the other side of the house, we can hear traffic. We are down the street from several housing developments, and we hear dogs barking day and night. Our closest neighbor is pretty close actually.  We are within walking distance to Main St, a small village street with restaurants and shops and even a local mechanic's garage.  Though we still have plans for our dream house, our perfect place, the means to do only what we love, this is good enough for now. For this is all we can do right now. We can only dream of a better...

I am notoriously bad at cooking fish. I do not like pan frying it because it sticks to my pans and falls apart so easily. Deep frying it, I always get burned, and have the same problem of it falling apart. Baking it, well in the past when I tried baking fish, let's just say we ordered pizza that night. But I was determined to find a good fish recipe I could handle, because we are all sick to death of chicken!   This fish recipe sounded just like something we all could eat and enjoy. (thank you Food Network )  But of course, I did not have all the ingredients on the list, so I tweaked it with what I had on hand. Here is my take.I substituted parsley and tarragon for the cilantro, and lemons for the limes. Plus, I used just the pineapple juice instead of the chunks of pineapple. I also doubled the recipe when I made it because we have hearty eaters here, but this one here should be enough for normal people. OJ and lemon photo courtesy of Raige Creations Ingredients:...

photo courtesy of Pinterest . I just want to know when the chaos will end. The only thing that has helped me through this crazy chaos is the vision of less stress, more family time, and greater creativity. I still see it ahead, but am not quite done with the chaos. I am taking a chance on something new. I am starting again, right after closing one door. I have questions that this is the right move, but a fter voicing my uncertainty to my daughter, she simply said 'you don't know if you don't try.' The wise words of my daughter are getting me through. I think I can handle just a little more chaos, then take a real break and enjoy the little things in life again. Wish me luck!

photo courtesy of google.ca When life is hard you have to change.                                      ~Blind Melon At this point, one door must close before another can open.  Today marks a huge change for me.  Blue Rage of Asheville will be moving out of it's location downtown, and today is the last full day of business there. W e will continue our website, and plan the best future for the business.  After months of saying 'there's got to be a better way', I am finally on the way to that better way. As hard as it is, if I didn't believe in the change, I wouldn't be able to accept the change. And I am looking forward to the change. Better things are ahead. photo courtesy of Pinterest Don't be afraid of change. It is how we grow, it is how we live.  When the winds of change blow,  some people build walls,  and others build wi...

One benefit of a new walking path. It has been a long several months without my walking or running. I got bogged down with stress, and found getting out to do my morning runs, or even just walks, to be completely stressful. That isn't what they started out as, and not at all what they should be, so I stopped. Completely stopped. Running and walking was stressing me out, the totally wrong way to go about it, so I stopped. I knew that doing things that were causing more stress, rather than helping, meant it was time for a change.  It makes sense and seems logical, but in reality it is quite difficult to make such a sudden change when it is something that started off so good, so right, and then over time turns into not so good, and so not right. It happens slowly, yet the change we need must happen immediately. Another benefit of the new path. After some time off, and still feeling the stresses of the rest of my life, I decided one day, after a days work, to go out in th...