20 pics of my glass and crystal Christmas tree
Canada goose
My love of Christmas and Christmas tree decorations is decades old.
For about 10 years from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, I sewed my own soft decorations and mailed them in Christmas cards to friends and family. There were stars and snowmen, candy canes and canaries.
At some point I stopped making decorations for everybody else and began collecting unique pieces for myself.
When I moved to The United Arab Emirates with my then husband in 1993, I began dolling up my non-traditional overseas trees with Swarovski crystal. Read More…
25 WOW! Women to Rock TED Global 2014 #TEDWomen
I’ve been a TEDster for almost a decade, and have had the good fortune of attending TED Global not once but twice. Lucky me!
As a feminist, I also advocate for more women on TED and TEDx stages worldwide.
For the past several years before each TED and TED Global conference I’ve compiled a list of the amazing women speakers who will take the stage. Women like Pia Mancini, a democracy activist pictured at left, who will speak at TED Global 2014.
Here are links to past lists:
- 22 Amazing Women Make History at TED 2014
- 16 Amazing All Stars at TED 2014
- 29 Women Take TED Global 2013 Stage
- 17 Women Rocked Stage @TED2012
- 31 Amazing TEDGlobal Women: A-V (2012)
- 15 Trailblazers Take The Stage (A Feminist Take on TED 2011)
I’ve also created a list of 300+ TED talks by amazing TED women. It’s here.
Here’s the list of 25 AMAZING women to grace and rock the TED Global 2014 stage in Rio de Janeiro:
Read More…
15 Empowering Things to Tell Your Kids (and Yourself)
In the summer of 2012, I was cracking up (not in a good way). I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So I did both. Often. And intensely.
I had been caring for my then 83-year-old mother with insufficient support for about eight months, and I was about to lose the plot, cash in my chips, throw in the towel, give up the ghost.
6 Powerful Ways to Make Your Life More Beautiful
This little gift from me to you is based on a message from my Mom, originally published here with great love, and renewed, reviewed and re-energized today for all of us. Enjoy!
1) Make YOU your first love
I know, I know, this can be a tough one, especially since we are all imperfect, and we are often taught that we should strive to be flawless. The fact is, perfection, like fitting in, is vastly overrated.
Remember the story of the cracked pot? Love yourself because of your imperfections, not despite them. Make peace with who you are and where you are today, don’t wait for who you will be once you “fix” yourself.
Read More…
fight for your own creativity
I love this.
40 stunning photographs of fall colours in eastern Canada
Every season has its own beauty.
But autumn in eastern Canada is often SO breathtaking it’s easy to forget that spring, summer and winter even exist!
Mother Nature outdid herself in 2014 with a cornucopia of brilliant colour.
It’s virtually impossible to capture how remarkable the countryside is, even with the best camera and professional skills.
Still, one must try.
I took all of these images myself with my iPhone 4 over the last few weeks. None has been retouched or altered in any way. They’re all “au naturel” as it were…
Enjoy!
10 things i’m grateful for today 14 09 08
Yesterday just after sunset the horizon was mix of black and blue, silhouetted trees, fading light and the promise of tomorrow.
Last night the moon shone through my window and kept me awake with its big fat fullness.
This morning the air was biting fresh and crisp as a chilled cucumber.
Now I see an azure sky dotted with a handful of puffy cumulus clouds.
It’s one of those days that makes you feel happy to be alive.
Today, I’m especially grateful for: Read More…
48 pictures of the wall between Israel and Palestine
I visited Ramallah in Occupied Palestine’s West Bank in spring 2011 to attend a TEDx conference.
Getting there overland was onerous and I spent six hours at the border crossing where I had my passport taken, was interrogated and humiliated by Israeli immigration officials, had items stolen from luggage, and witnessed the humiliation of others.
While in Occupied Palestine, I felt the terror and oppression the Palestinian people are subjected to every day at checkpoints.
I ate with Palestinians. I saw the poverty. I felt the despair. I heard the stories of people who had been robbed of everything but their will to fight.
I saw the wall. I walked in its shadow. I touched it. I read the graffiti. I took pictures.
once upon a bad hair day at the vatican
me & my “i-don’t-think-I-could-date-a-woman-with-purple-hair” hair & she-devil blue-green eyes bwahahahaha
Colin Lively, one of my crazy online friends shared this story on FB:
A woman was at her hairdresser’s getting her hair styled for a trip to Rome with her husband. She mentioned the trip to the hairdresser, who responded:
“Rome? Why would anyone want to go there? It’s crowded and dirty. You’re crazy to go to Rome. So, how are you getting there?”
“We’re taking Continental,” was the reply. “We got a great rate!”
“Continental?” exclaimed the hairdresser. “That’s a terrible airline. Their planes are old, their flight attendants are ugly, and they’re always late. So, where are you staying in Rome?”
7 leap before you look lessons from Mandarin ducklings
Hatching a new venture?
Or reinventing yourself?
In my experience, there are lessons to be learned everywhere all the time – especially in nature and the animal kingdom.
The video below of the ducklings came to me randomly from the captain of my ladies golf league.
It was too good not to share 
I hope you enjoy the natural wisdom of these Mandarin ducklings as much as I do!
