Less is More !

It's official... fall is here!

I placed the wreath on the door this morning, but it's only one of the "less is more" essentials I have instituted in my life. My thinking is if I have a beautiful door wreath, I have to do less gardening because the focus is on the door, not the weeds in my garden.

Yesterday I cleaned and cleaned...mainly my walk-in closet, so it can live up to its name! I found things I had held onto for years and realized, I could sell them on eBay, which I have done. I didn't realize it was so easy.

The wreath and closet are all part of my new attitude. Ask yourself, "Is this necessary, or is it clutter that hinders and hampers me?"

Having less of what you don't want frees you to concentrate more of what you do want.

Clear time in your calendar for planning, putting in lots of white space (another new attitude), and create space in your surroundings -- declutter your desk, office space, and make your bedroom a retreat area -- not grand central.

Let fall be a time of new beginnings of "less is more" by evaluating your possessions and activities.

To help in my efforts, I bought an essential tool of the trade -- a beautiful pink leather calendar (pink is my favorite color). It wasn't a want, it was a need. When I open up its clean white pages with leather binding, I'm very careful what I put in there (that's the purpose!).

Enjoy this new "less is more" season in your life!

Living Life Passionately,

Coffee Anyone?

Since today is my birthday, I'm giving away a copy of Chicken Soup for the Coffee-Lover's Soul to some fortunate person along with a ten-dollar gift card from Starbucks!

It's my way of saying thank you for tuning in and being as passionate about life as I am. Oh, and stay tuned for my next book due out in 2010: Coffee-Lover's Devotions to Go! So add a comment and you will also receive that book as well.

Enjoy a cup of java on me!

Living Life Passionately,








P.S. The winner will be pulled next Friday, August 21!

Copyrighted photo: Cards by Connie

The Color Red

This is the month of sweetheart roses and valentines, but it’s also the month of red.

There are red dresses to symbolize American Heart Health (Go Red for Women!); there are the red heart stamps that I just found this morning stuck in an envelope (I knew I would find them!) before USPS increased postage again in May, and just this morning, I peeked outside to find a red cardinal on my neighbor’s flower ornament. I checked twice to make sure it was real.

Yep, it was real!

I dashed upstairs, got my camera, and gingerly opened the sliding door to the back porch. I prayed that it would stay still long enough for me to take just ONE picture. I held my breath, pointed, and clicked.

So what’s the big deal about a cardinal in the snow?

I have been chasing cardinals for as long as I can remember and it’s as if they knew it was on my passionate to-do list.

“Can’t catch me!” I could hear them squawk back.

But today the cardinal cooperated. And what a better day: fluffy snow and a red tree as a backdrop. Now I can scratch that one off my passionate to-do list.

It sure does the heart good to know that I don’t have to slip, slide, and chase down red birds in the snow.

I love the color red—don’t you?

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes!

Yesterday I had the perfect lunch that included tomatoes from our garden. I don’t have a green thumb and never did, but somehow these “Early Girl” tomatoes are bringing forth fruit (I’m sure it was the Miracle Grow!).

Every morning, I peak through the green leaves and yellow blossoms to scout out a fleck of red, and then pick it (actually, I twist it off the vine).

This morning, Mark beat me to the tomato patch and said, “Where did all the tomatoes go?”

Oops!

I pointed to ONE itsy, bitsy, teeny, weenie “grape” of a tomato and said, “Here’s one, honey!”

It was pitiful; the worm had taken the first "bite"!

“Sorrrrrry,” I said. “Maybe tomorrow, you’ll get lucky!”

So what do I do with all these tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes?

Let me share with you my version of “bruschetta” (pronounced: brus-que-tah!). In Italy, we brush the bread with a fresh garlic clove and toast the bread, then we place diced tomatoes on top, and generously drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and add a pinch of sea salt to taste. "Perfetto!"

But Concetta Pombo’s American version is a little different: Take one plain bagel and toast it. Place a slice of Provolone cheese on top, and then add freshly sliced tomatoes, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Oh, I almost forgot...add some fresh basil (that's the real secret!). Did I tell you I started an herb garden too?

Pop the bagel in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and ENJOY. Buon Appetito!

I’ll share more about my tomatoes later, but let’s just say I tried fried green tomatoes and I enjoyed the “movie” version a lot better!





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tomatoes, Salmonella scare, bruschetta, passionate living, gardening, herbs

California Here We Come!

I’m a California girl at heart.

When people ask me where I’m from (I always say the West Coast—California!). It’s HOME to me.

So I guess it’s no surprise to any of you that when Mark retires in 2010 (or sooner!), we will be moving to sunny California.

It was always in our plan to return home once our “boys” were raised (they will be 22 and 27 this summer). Our entire family lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, and we took the verse in the Bible “leave and cleave” very seriously when we were married. Now 32 years later, as my parents and Mark’s dad enjoy the “golden” years, we want to be available to share in that time with them.

Yesterday, we checked out housing on the Internet. It’s a buyer’s market, and some houses are almost being given away. We found a couple of homes that we were interested in, but since we won’t be moving for a while, it’s too early to snatch any of the deals at the moment. But don’t think that stopped me from wanting to pack my bags as of yesterday.

It’s hot and humid here on the East Coast and as much as we’ve enjoyed living here, there’s something about California that beckons me: the cool mornings and evenings (even though it can be 110 degrees during the day); knowing that the ocean is less than a stone’s throw away; the Sierras in my backyard; Napa Valley in my front yard; the smell of Oleander bushes lining the freeways; commuter traffic (I call it reading time!); the smell of Redwood trees; Yosemite National Forest; Mt. Hermon (where I went to camp as a teenager); and the joy of watching (not picking!) California poppies along freeways, backyards, and sidewalks ALL year long!We have moved 27 times in 32 years, and so this will be our last and FINAL move (until God calls us home). It will take Mark about a year to recuperate from his injuries sustained in the biking accident, which gives us just enough time to do the necessary packing.

What about our “boys,” you might ask? Well, I learned a long time ago, you can’t follow your kids around. We raised them to be independent and secure adults. They have lives of their own and girlfriends (possibly future wives) that will care for them (smile!). Besides, we’ll just be a phone call away, and somehow the idea of vacationing in California to visit Mom and Dad doesn’t sound that bad either.

So, California, here we come!



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California, moving, caretaking, new adventures

"Sandcastles"

I just returned from California—the Bay Area—where my family lives. And I got to return to one of my favorite places—Santa Cruz. After a lovely meal at the famed Shadowbrook Restaurant (a must for anyone visiting Capitola), we walked along the beach—watching beachcombers, jugglers, children building sandcastles, and surfers gracefully riding the waves of the Pacific Ocean.

This picture caught my eye and tears glistened on my sunburned cheeks as I remembered my childhood in Southern California—countless hours on the beach with my sister, Mom and Dad. Now that I can count the age spots on my face, I probably would have used more sunscreen (but what did we know back then!). It was a blissful time, frolicking in the sand, jumping waves and allowing them to wash over me—threatening to carry me away. I, too, built sandcastles and watched the ocean swallow them up. Precious memories, made more special, because for the first time in eighteen years I spent Easter with my family. We all went to church together (taking up an entire row!), had an Easter egg hunt in the front yard, and shopped until we dropped. But the best part was spending time with each other—talking about the things that really mattered.

One of my favorite times was spent looking at lost treasure (not in the sand), but in the tiny back room in the garage where all my memorabilia lay: old love letters, photos from high school, yearbook albums, birthday cards, books from high school (who could forget reading Crime and Punishment from Sophomore English?), diplomas, reports cards (one from Miss Wheeler in third grade: "Connie is an excellent creative writer"). Umm . . . .

I took what was most important and left the rest. My mom is going to send me the box and I look forward to poring through all the treasure once again (cross-legged on the floor), and re-living memories of when there was just the four of us at 5018 Concord Blvd. in Concord, California (before baby brother, David, arrived!). But that's another story!

To be reminded of what's really important was so refreshing: the love of family and friends, the deep love that God has for all of us, and memories that can't be washed away like sandcastles on the beach.

Ready for Spring?

Spring has arrived--almost! Today it was 58 degrees and almost melted the two glaciers in our backyard. Green grass is starting to perk up and I saw some tiny yellow flowers as I took a 5-mile walk/jog/run today. Maybe they were weeds, but who cares? It was something other than "snow." This has been a long winter and I'm passionate about spring (new birth) that I can't wait for the daffodils and tulips to emerge from the cold, hard earth. Lately, I've been filling the house with fresh flowers--like the roses you see in this picture--just to remind me that there is a cycle to life: fall, winter, spring, and summer. Some of the seasons last longer than expected--like this winter.

To help me get in the mood faster, I'll be flying to California to visit my family for Easter. A much welcome change (the trees are in full bloom there!). If I need to, I'll bring my glue gun and put the blossoms back on the trees while I'm there.

If you're passionate about a certain season, let me hear about it (but please don't say "winter")!

Living Life Passionately,

Connie

Author, Trading Ashes for Roses

Living Outside the Box

This is our kitten's favorite place—an empty water container box. Several times now I've tried to throw it away, and she "cries" until I bring it back (three times now!). She loves this space—comfortable inside—looking out at the world. Sometimes she even pounces on it and it squishes to a flat piece of paper and then she "cries" some more until I build it back up to the way it was before. I'm not sure if she will "outgrow" it or if it's part of our new decor, "Bianca" style.

But isn't that they way we are? Take us out of our familiar surroundings and we feel unsettled. Some of us flourish in an environment that's new, but others of us flounder—"take me back to my box!" But think for a moment what your life would be like if you were forced to stay inside your “box”? There would be no growth, no stretch of the imagination, and worst of all, how would your passions survive?

Several years ago, I ventured outside my box. Comfortable in the medical field for years, I was like Bianca—it was safe. It was a sure thing: retirement with benefits, great pay, steady hours, and guaranteed work!

After living 10 years with a cancer diagnosis, I realize there's no guarantee of tomorrow—I just have "today." And I consciously choose to "live outside the box." Was it risky? Absolutely yes! Would I change anything? Are you kidding?! I have the best of both worlds: I can still use my medical knowledge to write articles for medical magazines and journals and best of all, I am “living” my passion daily—speaking and writing!

Ask God what it would take for you to live outside "your" box?