Bread & Breakfast

When it comes to self-care, what is the biggest mental hurdle that gets in the way of your planning and accepting care? I'm going to take a guess that it is the sense that amid your family responsibilities, you don't feel that you have the time, or that you might be...

A truth that was brought home to me lately is that the tired and rundown version of ourselves comes across to our peeps an awful lot like our angry and frustrated self. Very similar energy that tells people to watch out, there's uncertainty ahead! Not a pretty...

Sometimes I get into trouble when my thinking is too black and white. Do you ever realize that you are stalled in a decision because you're thinking only all of one thing and nothing of another will do? Maybe there is a sweet spot of compromise in the middle...

At the synaptic space, that juncture before each thought we think, lies our power to choose. The more we are the master of our thoughts, the more power we have to create the outcomes we want in our lives and in the lives of our children. We will create, one way or the...

What do you need today? Someone to talk to? Inspiration? Relaxation? Some kind of decompression? On any given day, give yourself what you need. Feeling too intense? Maybe you need some comic relief! Know any good jokes? Have a favorite funny movie? Maybe you are are...

We're going to be talking more about Primary food and self-care! Not that we need reminders about that right?  Ha!   https://youtu.be/QQ0CZB_DUzE As you listen to this gorgeous music, think about what activities you do, or have done in the past, that make you...

I am amazed at the two-year-old's I know.  When you ask them a question, they know the answer...right now! Do you want a drink? No. Would you like to get down? Yes. Do you need your pants changed? Nope. Are you hungry? Yeah. No thinking about it or considering the...

Self-validation sounds like this: "My feelings matter and I care about my well-being." "I am kind, gentle, respectful and firm with myself." "I am worthy of  my own love and attention." "I am capable of making decisions for myself." "I can learn and I continue to...

Toby pulled me away from a sink of dishes with his chocolate face turned up beside me, his chocolate eyes asking me to follow.  He led me to the front door and I let him out; but that was only half of his request. He wanted to walk and see the world down the dirt road...

I have a little flowering perennial shrub that gets ready all summer to bloom in the fall. I just checked it; it's not ready yet! That means a few more weeks of summer and I want to get as much sun and sky flowers and soil and vegetables and herbs as I can with the...

I once heard someone say, get really, really good at forgiving.  Learn to forgive everyone everything, all the time. Mostly, we need to get far better at forgiving ourselves. If you've made a mistake, regretted something you have said or done, felt inadequate or...

Not only do I not have to, you don't have to either! And that's because we can't! We can't make everything all better for anyone on the planet. And trying to do so is self-defeating and terribly discouraging to everyone else. So why do we try? Because we have...

"There is a place in our hearts that will put us on the right course with people and ourselves.  That place is willingness to make amends, willingness to achieve healing in our relationships with people, and willingness to find the gift. When we achieve that place,...

I am amazed at how much energy I get when a space in my house is de-cluttered or cleaned. For instance, if I walk into my laundry room and my sewing counter is stacked with coolers from our cookout and license plates from the car and a pile of mending, I don't have...

Have you ever been in the position of having someone blame you for some event that is now ancient history? Did you feel the need to explain and justify and defend yourself? As we're discussing the rules of validation, this is an important scenario to mention. It is...

I learned something new and enlightening this week. It's about leadership, and could be applied to a family leadership role beautifully. The truth is this: When leading, it isn't as important to know how to direct and lead others as it is important for us to learn to...

  Note: This is a four-year-old post! Hope it gives you some good things to consider. Take care! xo Summer is winding down, and I hope it has been a good one for you!  I can feel the energy growing for school shopping, sign-ups for football and piano lessons and,...

How is it that we, who live in this crazily abundant place, where we have access to any number of meats and herbs and grains and vegetables and fruits and recipes and information about people all over the world, live primarily on refined junk? Why, why, why? Why do we...

I saw a funny the other day that said, "Is it just me, or did June and July last for like five minutes?"   And it's so true! This summer has flown by for me. It's been challenging and good. And now it's that time to start thinking about new schedules and school...

Kind, gentle, respectful and FIRM.  What does it mean? It seems to me that the first three words are pretty understandable, but what does firm mean to you? In a nutshell, I would have to say that firm means: That we mean what we say. That we can, and must, be decisive...

  As you are honing your skills of validation, I hope that the voice you are hearing in your head, when you are speaking to yourself and about yourself, is becoming more and more kind, gentle, respectful and FIRM. That's where validating starts. Without knowing...

Have we discussed this idea before? Ha! I'm sure we have, but it bears repeating!   When you are feeling harried and thinking of too many things at once, shift your attention to your breathing. Consciously breathe in and out, slowly, and observe the change you...

I've been thinking a lot lately about how we know when we need to change. Most often it seems to be in times of stress, when we've hit a wall, so to speak, and what we normally do in response to life just isn't working anymore.  It may be a crisis in a relationship,...

Someone is talking.  They are trying to think something through. They are trying to figure out what they will do next. You know that your role is to listen; to understand by giving your full attention; to pay attention to how they feel and to imagine their point of...

How are your validating skills and efforts panning out thus far? I hope you are willing to take baby steps and to celebrate each little success you experience- which means you will have to wear your mental "looking for success lens" in order to see them! And, have you...

Recently, I was asked what healthy habits I consider to be most important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It's a great question and  has given me a lot of food for thought! First, I would have to say the tools that help me to keep my mindbody in a positive and...

Here are the rules, as stated by the Lundberg's in their book, I Don't Have to Make Everything All Better. 1 Listen by giving your full attention. How well are you able to tune out other distractions and truly listen to others? If you really want to know, ask them....

In seminar, our first assignment is to begin to validate ourselves.  How does that work?   Number one is seeking validation through prayer, from the only true source of all validation, which is from God. When we feel in harmony with heaven, the opinions and...

In the journey of relationships, a continual flow of validation is needed.  That is, we must learn to walk beside others as they feel their feelings and figure out their path. But that is a bit difficult to do if we are in the habit of stuffing or denying our own...

val·i·da·tion ˌvaləˈdāSH(ə)n/ noun the action of checking or proving the validity or accuracy of something. "the technique requires validation in controlled trials" the action of making or declaring something legally or officially acceptable. "new courses, subject to...

Isn't it crazy how differently we each perceive the same situations? As we're trying to educate our voices to inform others that we mean what we say, we may have to look closely at the sound we make and the look on our faces and even our body language. Hopefully you...

I have lately observed kids whose parents are victimized by them; worried that their child is mad at them, anxious that the child is uncomfortable or taxed in some way, and excusing bad behavior on account of it.  And I have seen those children crippled by their own...

Because our brains must be extremely selective about what stimuli will receive our attention, there is a great opportunity for us to learn to ask our brains to tune into the good we want to see. There is no possible way that we can attend to the millions of bits of...

When we understand who we are in relation to God, that he is our Father and we are His daughters, we instinctively reach out to Him in in our need, in our joy!

Do you want to create beautiful spaces that ring with order? Of course we all understand, or at least are trying to understand, that order is coming and going every moment of every day. And surely, there is a large difference between chaos that is deep and wide and...

She had to sort through The pieces of half truths to Gauge the outcome of creation and Weigh the cost of inaction and Accept the bitter price to Offer the sweet gift of Mortalness--and she did. Which is why we revere The Mother of All Living.    ...

Thank you for taking this little ride with me as I've done my best to convey these thoughts without dragging on too long! I hope that something in this series has been meaningful to you and encouraging as well. If you're in the middle of needing big change, like I...

  Onto the third part of this conversation.  Thus far we have looked at Christian principles regarding emotions and a quick view of the work of Dr. Sarno who taught about the connection between emotions and chronic pain.  Of course there is much more to say on...

In the context of what I am learning about emotions and our health, today I'll address the issue of psycho-physiological pain. I was introduced to the work of Dr. John Sarno about two months ago. Let me see if I can nutshell his basic ideas in case you haven't heard...

Today is one of those days that I have so much to say that I don't know where to begin, and I wonder what kind of time it will take to make a stab at verbalizing all that is going on in my head! Maybe a good starting point is the word, anger. And a question: what...

Part of my study today led me again to Codependent No More, a marvelous tool written by Melody Beattie. I really did give thanks for her and her work today! So here's a stellar quote: (It's part of Step 6 if you're interested to know.) "I used to work so hard at...

We got to visit an old pioneer home today. It was built in the West, to be a fort of protection for white settlers from Indians in the late 1800's. It was, in a sense, a simple time to live. We women listened to our guide tell us that the dozen, five pound bread pans...

If the world is a stage, what will you do with the scenes played today? Is there anything you'd like to change about the scenery? Or about your role? Part of the beauty of life is that we can start over as many times as we need to. It's a new day, and we can bring a...

In the "lightening our load" process we inevitably find that we have emotions that are attached to our stuff.  You agree? I just want to give a short bit of inspiration on this point. I heard this today, but I don't know who was quoting whom, so I'll add to the...

Hey, I hope you are having an excellent Tuesday.  Just a quick question for you...what kind things have you done for yourself today? What kind words have you spoken?  What vote of confidence have you offered?  What self-nurturing things have you said or done? {Sounds...

https://youtu.be/wCEzh3MwILY Ever get tired of feeling miserable about something?  Here's a challenge for you: To work on becoming more emotionally fit, exchange the expectations you have now that don't seem to be being met, for the incredible blessings that you...

I am grateful for the little windows of time when ordinary things seem magical. When old apple trees get dressed up with lights.   When someone builds a little bridge over a wandering little brook.   When the strawberries are blooming pink and white. When...

    Do you ever get to feeling that you are run ragged?  That you are coming apart at the seams? That the clothes aren't fitting or the haircut is desperate or a million and two other issues have come up that are adding to your sense of disarray? First a...

I am so pleased with all of the messages I am getting from you about the things you are cleaning out and clearing up!  Way to go! Your bold steps forward are such a blessing to your family and ultimately to the world at large. A comment I read today said something...

Ever notice how you get along with other people when you are 'in your groove'?  When you're really feeling good about yourself, do you find that you get along better with your spouse, for instance? When you're comfortable in your own skin, it's so much easier to...

I couldn't help taking a picture of this pioneer spice rack when I was visiting a festival over Memorial Day.  Isn't it beautiful? I noticed how earthy and sturdy things looked in the pioneer canopies that were set up to show old world skills.   I saw things made...

Want to take the quality of your marriage up a few notches?  Want to have a stand-out, "wow-they-look-happy" relationship? Listen up! This advice comes after 31 years of marriage, and I am staggered with gratitude to say that it is a great marriage!  That must mean...

This month's seminar step is lighten your physical load and reap the benefits of lightening your spiritual, mental and emotional load as well! What areas of your space need to be lightened up? What triggers you every time you walk in the door? What spaces are "stuck"...

Plutarch (46-120 A.D.) wrote, "Perseverance is more prevailing than violence; and many things which cannot be overcome when they are together yield themselves up when taken little by little." So how are you faring with the challenge of shifting your mental...

It's simple and inexpensive.  You can get it at Walmart! And, oh, the sleep is lovely and sound. I have been a light sleeper through my adult life and have struggled to stay asleep.  I learned about Valerian root and it has been a Godsend. Read up on this lovely...

You know the old saying, "No success can compensate for failure in the home?"  That admonition has given me pause on many, many occasions, and kept me going back time and again to embracing my role as a wife and mother and community leader over and over again. Taken...

  It's risky business being human isn't it? And working on making real and lasting connections with others can be tricky and a bit worrisome! Do you find that you're going about your life, doing pretty well and then all of a sudden you find that you need help...

"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor." Henry David Thoreau

"Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not." Thomas Henry Huxley  

Our thoughts fly!  They fly so fast we can't comprehend it! And those thoughts create pathways.  Neural pathways that then become conditioned responses.  In other words, if you have the same response over and over, pretty soon, you don't even think about how to...

What words have you crafted to focus on to bring strength and meaning to this ordinary day?

There are so many simple ways to add beauty to the things we do at home!  And isn't beauty functional, as well as lovely because it feeds the soul? I had a luncheon for some friends last year and didn't want to spend money on decorations, so my daughter and I thought...

You know when you are growing flowers or a vegetable or herb garden and you are trying to keep the weeds pulled, it becomes really clear that it's easier to plant what you want and have only a little space left where weeds can sprout and get a lot of sun.  The more...

What it is that I see you doing is keeping on keeping on!  I know that you are up at all hours and sometimes feel hungover, but you keep going. You may have moments of overwhelm, but you pull it together and take the next step. You have demands coming at you all day...

Do you love to create things?  Or do you not feel like the creative type? Here's a thought on creativity for all types: We don't have to be artists or musicians or poets to create. What about creating a room of order?  Maybe even a corner at first? How about creating...

Flies in a jar with a lid... once the lid is off only a few fly out. You; fly out of stuck places!

On occasion I do too much.  I expect too much of myself and I get high on checking off a to-do list, and I really love to see big results!  Can you relate to that at all? Yesterday, as I was doing a little weeding in my flowers (with a long handled hula hoe), I was...

When you are creating your vision board, it is important to find pictures that illustrate your goals.  There are so many "words" in pictures and our minds gather their meaning very quickly, and then those images stick!  True isn't it? We all know that destructive...

Today I heard someone, who has done a lot of living, speak about trust. He said that we don't really know each other very well because most of the time we don't allow others to see our real selves because we don't trust them enough.  Do you trust people to the point...

I love the clarity in this quote: J.R.R. Tolkien: 'All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.' Be well! Jacque

It seems that there is a happy medium to strike in just about every endeavor that makes the difference between failure and success.  Parenting is no exception and often I have wished for the wisdom of Solomon when trying to strike the sweet balance, or boundaries,...

My son received a handmade gift.  {It was a new idea to me, but apparently they're the rage.}  It's a spinner. Specifically, it's an awesome, bright blue and green, plastic, tri-armed shape with pennies in the ends.  (Thanks Nick!) Funny thing is that one of the...

Do you ever feel that you are holding your breath until the current difficulty is over, and do you figure that then, after whatever the current stress is past or healed or solved, then you will breathe? It's a mind-warping truth, that is getting more and more...

"I am creating moments of joy." "I am worthy of my own loving care." "I love my family and I recognize and appreciate their loving words and actions toward me." "I am full of acceptance and love for myself and others." "I accept humanness in myself." "I find reasons...

This month in seminar we're doing three assignments to train ourselves to manage the conversation in our heads and also to decide and then focus on what we want. It's exciting stuff! If you think about it, everything in life is a mind game isn't it?  What we believe...

"You must always work not just within but below your means. If you can handle three elements, handle only two. If you can handle ten, then only handle five. In that way, the ones you do handle, you handle with more ease, more mastery, and you create a feeling of...

The mission of Lioness at the Door is to uplift, strengthen and encourage women of all ages to magnify health, hope and happiness at home. We do so boldly, with humility and gratitude for the opportunity!

What is it about indecision that makes it so easy for us girls to get stuck in it so often?  (Well, maybe women don't have a corner on it, but it seems to me that we just might.) When you're in the middle of that grungy, indecisive feedback loop, your chest feels like...

Can you imagine having grandchildren?  Well, depending on where you are in the grand scheme of things, it may be years away or right around the corner.  But let me just say that being a grandparent is an absolute joy!  And what do you want to pass on to those...

I am amazed at the courage that is lived-out in front of me every day. For some, it is facing a new day of pain, taking it head on, taking the first step, and putting one foot in front of the other until another day is well-used. For others, it's building another...

Here is a simple, self-care idea for you today! If you don't already use a cream for shaving, consider trying this one. I am impressed with the hydrating creaminess and the light vanilla scent. As part of an effort to do a small, nice thing for myself, I bought this...

{Here is a repost of something I published a few years ago.  I hope it is a bit of inspiration for you today. xo} A few years ago I was standing in the middle of a picturesque little-town cemetery, talking to my deceased grandmother, and to my mother who was out of...

My struggle with time is graying my head. My quest to lead exacts every ounce of courage and strength. But if at last my little crew sets sail and the wind is right and their journey true, Then with joy my aged hands will clutch the vessel, push them off and on the...

I got to walk around an outside nursery today.  I could feel the sun on my legs, smell the wood bark and flowering plants, and the colors of all the living things filled my senses.  I love summer! And I am reminded again of the very simple pleasures in life being so...

"I am enough.""No, actually, I am more than enough!" How does that feel? It's true! I challenge you to rehearse this truth 50 times tomorrow, and watch your energy pick up and your vantage point shift to looking down on your challenges instead of having them looming...

Do you have guidelines for yourself as far as ordering your day goes? It always seems that my day comes unraveled pretty quickly if I get things out of turn.  I mean, when I read and pray and shower and dress first thing, everything else goes much better.  I'm not...

There are times and seasons in our lives that make eating easier or more difficult right? Like, when you're a kid and your mom or your grandma are diligent about providing food for you, it's easy to eat well.  But there are other times, maybe when your family...