Monthly Archives: March 2014

Light denim in Focus

Posted in Fashion, Style, Uncategorized by

Family bike trip to the park. Daniel getting a hug from his mom.

H&M tee shirt, Love Culture denim jeans, Target sandals.

 

As a curator, I take current trends and distill them into every day, timeless looks for the everyday person and the everyday budget.

I am super casual in the above pictures, but wanted to share my ways of wearing light denim this season.

I used to only be into dark wash denim, but  am now a light denim convert. I see this trend lasting for at least a few years. Just as skinny jeans started as a trend and turned into a pants mainstay, so will the light denim wash. What’s great about light denim is you can never wash them too many times, because the more they’re washed, the more comfy and unique they become.

My very random musing on fashion – Synchronicity in fashion trends: everyone collectively liking the same things at the same time before trends manifest for the upcoming season. Kind of like the chicken and the egg (which came before) situation – is it the fashion designers that create the fashion trend or is it the every day people who are tapped into what they are gravitating to next, sending out inspirational vibes to fashion designers?

~Your Curator of all things Light Denim, Kimberly Jo Cooley

 

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Are We Having Fun Yet?

Posted in Affirmations, Goals, Health, Inspiration, Inspirational Quotes, Law of Attraction, Loss, Manifestation, New Thought, Relationships, Spirituality, Uncategorized by

 

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles, published on 12 March 2014 Stock Image - image ID: 100246972, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles, published on 12 March 2014 Stock Image – image ID: 100246972, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Do you enjoy the puzzles in your life, moving the pieces as you are intuitively guided to do?

Or, are you railing against every moment?

On the other hand, are you passively living life, not making any decisions or letting life pass you by as you tune in to electronics/drugs/food/gambling and tune out life?

Or, are you floating with ease?

As each new situation bobs into your stream, do you splash and push it away, or do you allow it to come close to you?

Are you afraid of what comes into your stream, forgetting that you called upon the very things that have come to you?

Or, are you amused by what you see and tickled by the opportunity to bring it into your existence?

When we are creating life, not only are we creating the puzzle pieces, but the puzzles themselves. It is not outside forces creating your experiences – it is your thoughts and beliefs shaping your experiences, all before it manifests on the physical plane.

The great illusion is everything external or outside of our bodies is shifting and shaping us, but it is always the other way around – your moment to moment thoughts and states of being is what’s creating your reality.

Even when adversity is playing out in your present moment, have fun with it. Say, “This situation has come into my life. I see it and recognize the gift that it is. What building blocks rise from this gift?”

Your present situation is really a building block to the life you want. You may as well have a good time as you are building! Be glad for the experience of having puzzles to solve in your life and if you’re tired of trying to figure things 0ut – relax! Ask questions, and allow the answers to come to you. Stop focusing on why things are hard – you believing this situation is difficult is a major part of why it is! Instead, focus on other things in your life that came with ease and if necessary, list them, so you can be reminded of how quickly and easily you manifest things and situations that you do love and want around you.

Being happy and grateful for all your experiences is laying down the foundation of joy that will sustain all that you build on top of it.

All things are moving me towards my greater and higher good, including this present situation. I move through this present situation with ease and grace, oftentimes with a genuine smile on my face.

~Your Curator of all Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Recommendations and Shout Outs

Posted in Affirmations, Goals, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Manifestation, New Thought, Spirituality, Uncategorized by
Image courtesy of digitalart, published on 06 September 2011 Stock Image - image ID: 10056440, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Image courtesy of digitalart, published on 06 September 2011
Stock Image – image ID: 10056440, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

This week’s recommendations touch upon themes and topics I’ve been focusing on in my blogs.

Image courtesy of http://www.blogtalkradio.com/think-believe

Think, Believe and Manifest Show, hosted by Constance Arnold

Every week I look forward to Constance Arnold’s podcasts and she never disappoints. First up, an interview with quantum physicist, Greg Kuhn, indexed into iTunes February 27, 2014. Greg Kuhn’s own website is definitely worthy of checking out – http://whyquantumphysicists.com/. The website welcomes you to a revolutionary way of thinking about life: “Quantum physics, the most accurate and reliable science ever created, has provided us with a virtual blueprint to realize our incredibly powerful influence over material reality. Through quantum physics, we can expand ourselves into a new role; we can become the architects of our own life experiences.”

On Constance Arnold’s March 15, 2014 show, she discusses the power of the spoken word, and she really delves into what we speak and think on is what manifests for us. Speaking on not having something, will produce more of not having it. Changing your thoughts and words will begin to effect change.

Check out Constance Arnold on her website at http://fulfillingyourpurpose.com/ or her podcast on iTunes under The Think, Believe and Manifest Show.

Everyday Attraction, hosted by Rae Zander

If you’re a fan of Esther and Jerry Hicks and of Law of Attraction, then you must keep Rae Zander’s podcast “Everyday Attraction” on your mp3 rotation. Her March 14, 2014 show, “Your Infinite Pie” explores the notion that you and I are the “pie makers”, or the creators, so when we claim we need more things to happen in our life, we must understand we are the makers of life, and hold the power. Rae reminds us there is an abundant, infinite “pie” out there for us all to have. “We are living in a place where there is always more and more to have, and to imagine, and to create.” She also touches upon how we deliberately create our perimeters on what kind of playing field we want to play in, and that it is just a little beyond our present comfort zone – divineness! Her tagline for this week’s show was “We pierce the illusions of scarcity and find the infinite flow,” and that is exactly what she does in this podcast!

Check out “Everyday Attraction” on iTunes or at http://www.unity.fm/program/everydayattraction.

Shout Outs:

University of California Irvine’s public radio station features Writers On Writing Podcast, hosted by Barbara DeMarco Barrett and other guest hosts. This is a great show featuring authors and their writing life and process. If you are a writer, whether new or seasoned, a blogger or a novelist, a journalist or a screen writer, a poet or an essayist, this is a must hear. I’ve listened to some of the shows multiple times for all the wise and colorful things the authors share.

Image courtesy of http://www.barbarademarcobarrett.com/writersonwriting/index.html

~Your Curator of things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Stop Fearing What You Truly Want

Posted in Goals, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Manifestation, New Thought, Spirituality, Uncategorized by
Image courtesy of thepathtraveler, published on 23 May 2012, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of thepathtraveler, published on 23 May 2012, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

A lady I know repeatedly told herself (and everyone around her) she doesn’t want kids, yet, that’s what she focuses on in many conversations. She has been telling the story of how she’s scared to become a mom and she’s received just that – no child or family to call her own. Her closest friends could see the pangs of jealousy cross her face when yet another one of her friends got married or had a new baby. Yet, she was so comfortable telling her story and too prideful to change it, that she’d rather hang on to that old fear rather than explore the possibilities of what her dreams could mean for her.

I used  to fear to dream because I was scared of let down. I wanted to inoculate myself from the pain of not receiving what I really wanted in my life. I was limited in my understanding that what I want has already been created and I just needed to be awakened and to allow it to manifest through me. I failed to realize that when I focused on my fears, rather than my dreams, all I was getting was more of what I truly feared and less of what I wanted.

In the case of the lady, she feared being let down and alone, more than she feared becoming a mother, but she is not honest about where her fear is stemming from, and until she is, she will remain in a holding pattern, not able to reach the life she truly wants.

When it comes to your dreams, are you being honest with yourself on a) having a dream? b) are you wearing other people’s desires for your life, instead of wearing and embodying your own? c) are you moving through your fears, taking faithful, measured and even small steps towards your dream?

The answers will tell you whether or not you’re allowing fear to run your life and whether that fear is an accurate out picturing of what you really are afraid of. It’s okay to have and recognize when you’re afraid, but do not confuse that with trying to head off disappointment if your dreams don’t come true. Hedging your dreams all the time, fearing they will never come true will manifest exactly what you fear – not having your dream. Instead, shift your focus, envision and feel what it would be like to already have your dream fulfilled. Then, let go of the worry over the outcome.

~Your Curator of all things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Urban Outfitters Does Overalls

Posted in Fashion, Style, Uncategorized by

A favorite store of mine in the 1990s was Urban Outfitters. As a teenager and young adult I often shopped at the Berkeley, California Urban Outfitters store for boho chic looks. A recent Google search for duvet covers led me to Urban Outfitters’ website, where I unearthed a great collection of overalls! I almost forgot how cool this store was.

I curated some of their best pairs of overalls (what can I say, I’m hooked to overalls!):

Image courtesy of Urban Outfitters Ecote Denim Fit & Flare Overalls, on sale for $19.99, original price $89!http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/

Image courtesy of Urban Outfitters. BDG Button-Down Slim Fit Denim Overall from http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/

Image courtesy of Urban Outfitters 15 Fifteen Skinny Boyfriend Overalls, from http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/

Image courtesy of BDG Denim Overalls, from http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/

Image courtesy of Urban Outfitters BDG Drapey Chambray Overall, from http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/

~Your Curator of all things Stylish, Kimberly Jo Cooley

I Choose Life

Posted in Health, Uncategorized by
Image courtesy of Victor Habbick, published on 17 February 2012 Stock Image - image ID: 10073347, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Image courtesy of Victor Habbick, published on 17 February 2012 Stock Image – image ID: 10073347, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

March is Blood Clot Awareness Month and since I had a clot in my left lung last summer, this is a great time to share some life saving tips to my friends. 350,000 – 600,000 people in the United States develop blood clots every year. About 100,000 people in the U.S. die each year from blood clots, which means that about 1 in 3 may die.

The difference between life and death is awareness of the symptoms and seeking immediate medical attention at an emergency room. Quick medical intervention is what saves lives. Another unfortunate occurrence is misdiagnosis – medical professionals confusing blood clot symptoms with other conditions like pneumonia.

Even if you do not personally experience symptoms, a friend or relative might and you can urge your loved ones to seek immediate medical attention. I choose to live and I want others to live long lives, too.

Blood clotting is your body’s natural way to prevent bleeding out when you sustain a serious cut or wound. Sometimes blood clots form when and where they are not supposed to, which could lead to pulmonary embolisms, strokes, heart attacks, and death. Blood clots that are created inside a blood vessel,can cause swelling in your legs and travel up to vital organs. In my case, we’re not exactly sure, but my clot may have started in my leg when I bumped it on the edge of my bed, and then traveled up to my left lung, causing a pulmonary embolism. Link to my blood clot story: https://abundantlifeinitiative.com/2014/01/04/kimbery-jo-cooleys-blood-clot-story/

I am still on blood thinners, but I also say this affirmation: “My blood clots when and where it is supposed to.”

I am blessed with attentive and knowledgeable medical providers and a great resource in http://www.stoptheclot.org.

I have to emphasize there are some people who exhibit NO risk factors and still have spontaneous blood clots, which is why I find writing this blog post necessary. It’s still important to know the risk factors and critically important to know the symptoms.

According to Stop the Clot, the risk factors are:

  • Family history of blood clots, especially in parents, sisters and brothers
  • Recent hospital stay or surgery
  • Chronic medical illness or long-term bed rest
  • Limited ability to move
  • Recent trauma or injury
  • Cancer or cancer treatment
  • Knee or hip replacement surgery
  • Obesity
  • Using birth control pills or hormone replacement
  • Pregnancy or immediately after having a baby (C-Sections further increase this risk)
  • Traveling more than 4 hours by plane, car, train or bus (without walking around)

Deep Vein Thrombosis: Signs and Symptoms

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) occurs when a blood clot forms in one of the deep veins of your body, usually in your legs but sometimes in your arm.

  • Swelling, usually in one leg (or arm)
  • Leg pain or tenderness often described as a cramp or Charley horse
  • Reddish or bluish skin discoloration
  • Leg (or arm) warm to touch

These symptoms of a blood clot may feel similar to a pulled muscle or a “Charlie horse,” but may differ in that the leg (or arm) may be swollen, slightly discolored, and warm. Contact your doctor if you have these symptoms, because you may need treatment right away.

Pulmonary Embolism: Signs and Symptoms

Clots can break off from a DVT and travel to the lung, causing a pulmonary embolism (PE), which can be fatal

  • Sudden shortness of breath
  • Chest pain-sharp, stabbing; may get worse with deep breath
  • Rapid heart rate
  • Unexplained cough, sometimes with bloody mucus

I now have to take frequent work breaks to walk around as I have a sedentary job where I sit for hours each day. I take blood thinners and go to my medical provider once a month  to have my blood checked to ensure no blood clots will form based on my blood levels. It has been an eye opening experience, to say the least. But, I choose life. I choose to share what I’ve learned from my experience with others, so they can choose life, too.

~Your Curator of all things Abundant, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Reference: 

The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism, US Dept of Health and Human Services, 2008.

http://www.stoptheclot.org/learn_more/blood_clot_symptoms__dvt.htm

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Posted in Inspiration, Uncategorized by

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Thank you so much, Eric of http://hunt4truth.wordpress.com/, for nominating me for the Inspiring Blogger Award!

We all have the ability to inspire one another. My divine purpose is to inspire others, particularly in the written form.

A Miriam-Webster.com dictionary definition of the word “inspire” is, “to influence,  move, or guide by divine or supernatural.”

I feel that I, as well as many, many others in the blogosphere have the ability to do just that – to influence, move, and guide by a divine or supernatural inner force that is moving us to build each and everyone of us up, one blog, one hug, one compliment, one message at a time.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all the readers and followers of my blog, because you all inspire me and I am so thankful for all that you share in your own blogs and messages, no matter the delivery.

Now, it’s my turn to nominate others for the Inspiring Blogger Award…and the nominees are:

Thanks again Eric, for thinking of me when nominating for this award and congratulations to all the nominees.

There are no rules – for accepting this award. Just copy it and place it on your blog in a post or wherever you like… link back if you have time to do so.

~Your Curator of all things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Doorway to your Soul: What are You Called To Do?

Posted in Goals, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Manifestation, New Thought, Spirituality, Uncategorized by
Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti, published on 20 October 2009 Stock Image - image ID: 1008922, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti, published on 20 October 2009 Stock Image – image ID: 1008922, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Have you thought about what it is that moves and inspires you to be all you can and want to be? What feels like a natural extension of yourself? What is the one thing you could do that no one would have to pay to motivate you?

When you answer these questions, you become clearer on what is your divine purpose. For some, we are divinely called to do many things, and for others, maybe just one or two things.

As you start to think about your Divine Calling, you will intuitively be guided to the next step, and the next step, and the next…to what you are here to do. Your Inner Guide or intuition is always there, and you will never be separated from it. You are One with God. You have the free will and choice to listen to the inner voice inside you. You don’t have to listen to it, but you will bumble around in the dark. It’s really your choice!

Exercising your intuition muscles, especially when bringing forth the gifts you have to offer the world, is all about asking questions, and having an expectant, trusting and faithful heart that you will receive the answers. When I say questioning, I am not talking about questioning with cynical questions, although you can do that, too.  You are not questioning God’s authority with questions, you are clarifying what you want. Sifting through the unwanted to get closer to the wanted. The wanted is the everlasting joy, gratitude and love that flows in and through this world. It is about embodying love that abundance bears fruit as an effect to the cause of being Love.

Ask the questions you want answered and let go of worry on how and when the answers will come. If the answers aren’t easy to see in that moment, don’t get discouraged. Trust the answers will be revealed in the most beautiful and timely way, specific to you and where you are in your journey.

I am now at a point in my journey where I can ask the Universe in a moment’s time to guide me to the path of least resistance, and the route I take is generally the easiest. I am divinely led and I stop and listen for the answers. I am also at a point where the answers move more quickly and with ease. There are areas in my life that is moving big mountains, so it takes times for difficult, more dense things to shift and change. But, I have already received Divine Guidance and  know that I am on the road of least resistance.

Over time, your intuitive voice will be louder than the outside voices that tell you should do this or do that. It will become easier to strip away other people’s desires for your life, allowing your own divine desire to shine through.

~Your Curator of all things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Flea Market Bound

Posted in Fashion, Style, Uncategorized by

Saturday was an awesome adventure at Denios Farmers Market and Swap Meet, filled with great weather, family and yes, overalls.

1st day out with my overalls.

Having good times shopping at the flea market. Old Navy shoulder bag.

En route to Denios Flea Market…wearing my American Rag overalls, Toms, Old Navy turquois top, my mother of pearl earrings and a Ross Infinity scarf.

No jacket required.

Blankets for sale…love the Mary blanket the most…the tiger one, a close second.

My sister scored a cool, vintage tray from a vendor.

A beer and a search for a mattress set for my son’s bed is great times.

Lhes found these cute sunglasses and pretty earrings.

Close up of the earrings…

Love patchwork bags…

Lhes also got this cool, carved container she’s going to use to hold her kitchen utensils.

Another cute bag…

I spotted this colorful shirt and had to have it – $15 and a comfortable addition to my wardrobe.

Another look at Jenni’s tray – she’s going to put it on her coffee table/ottoman.

Long day at the flea market – I’m pooped!

~Your Curator of All things Abundant, Kimberly Jo Cooley