Mission Possible: Mission Santa Barbara by Gina Meyers

 Mission Possible 

Mission Santa Barbara

by Gina Meyers

Over the past couple of months, I’ve taken an interest in revisiting some of my favorite missions in California.

I’m discovering and uncovering a history rich like the soil on which the missions were established.

Converging simultaneously, new and old, a mixed vibe of tradition and upbeat newness tied together with a Santa Barbara vibe, the scent of the ocean redolent in the air, with a slight breeze and  yarny green grass which subtly asked for me to take off my sandals, which I obliged. Here in this atmosphere lies a mission built in 1786. With a chapel built for our King, Jesus Christ. 

The journey like the pilgrimage from France to Spain, “The Way of James” or The Camino Santiago, you get to taste the Santa Barbara culture with a vintage Volkswagen van selling coffee outside the mission, wafting through the air, a strong scent of freshly roasted coffee beans, a washing basin larger than any I’ve ever seen has a placard on it describing its history and is situated kiddy corner from the Vintage van, a working fountain with lily pads and fish swimming about,  and a rose garden with the most fragrant roses and one of the largest species of roses I’ve seen in a long time. The only other time I’ve seen that expansive of a rose garden was in Portland, Oregon. 

And then there’s the mission, and a butterfly garden and beautiful tiled mosaics with the 12 stations of the cross outside. 

The inside of the church (chapel) also is powerful looking if power has a look. It’s opulent with a richness in artwork that makes you really feel timeless. A statue of Mary adorns the altar of the church. I saw outstretched hands, some type of large statue and Fransican Friars in the traditional garb are present at the mission. 

Due to our tardiness, we stood in the back, right next to the holy water. The holy water brought great comfort to my surroundings as all of us pilgrims who were standing in the back quickly picked a spot on the massively red clay quarry tiles  to which to stand. 

As a third generation native Californian, our missions are part of the history of California. As a Christian Catholic, I also find the missions are a spiritual place and a divine respite from everyday life. 

They truly take you back in time which is what happened this past Sunday when I was treated to a traditional mass in the sacred halls of The Mission Santa Barbara. With the bishop in attendance and catechisms making their way to the altar. As I saw the young women wearing their beautiful silk long organza dresses with colorful flowers inlaid.  I was reminded of a time in childhood when I fought with my mother over what to wear to my 8th grade graduation from private school. My pink silk dress was reminiscent of the one Molly Ringwald wore in the movie,  Pretty In Pink, which came out a few years after the dress debacle.

Days like these remind me of why I am a Californian, why I gravitate towards tradition, and the uniqueness that missions provide to everyday potentially mundane life. A spark of imagination and reinvigoration in days ahead with solid souvenirs of memories. 

 

Low Fat Dessert by Gina Meyers

 

1 tub of low-fat cottage cheese

1 tub of cool whip lite

2 small jello *sugar free or 1 large jello any flavor

1 can sugar free fruit.

Follow directions on how to make the jello and add the other ingredient, drain the fruit, mix all ingredients and refrigerate. 

The Little Things, by Gina Meyers

 The little things. 

I took in the recyclables this morning. At my new house, I’ve been mainly throwing them in the recycle bin but at my significant other’s house I recycle. And, take it into the recycle center. 

It’s been a minute since I have done so, but it was fun to get back into a routine of sorts. 

So as I was leaving the recycle center, I realized I was one quarter away from the $3.00 I needed in order to do the $3.00 car wash, without breaking a $10.00 or a $50.00 bill.

So I decided I’d go to the Dollar Store and get a couple of things to break my $10.00.

Once I was ready to return to the Car Wash, I chose the only open spot to wash my car.

I walked up to the machine to turn my dollar bills into quarters to use the car wash. 

As I got ready to put the quarters in the machine, I noticed that the previous user left 6 quarters, a pay it forward of sorts.

Or perhaps forgotten quarters?

Whatever the reason, I smiled and was overjoyed to know that I didn’t need to worry about having enough quarters. I paid it forward and left a few quarters as well.

If The Devil Wears Prada, Then God Must Wear Gucci, by Gina Meyers

 

If the devil wear Prada, then God must wear Gucci was a random thought that I had. As a serial entrepeurner, I love combining food with fashion and anything in mode. Here are a few recipes that you can sink your teeth into. 

 

Easy Red Velvet Cake

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 ounce liquid red food coloring

3/4 cup water

1 yellow cake mix, with pudding in the mix

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon butter

4 tablespoons buttermilk

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Directions: Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, mix cocoa powder, red food coloring, and part of the water to form a paste. Next, add all of the other ingredients except the white vinegar. Blend for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes with a mixer on medium speed. Then add the vinegar and mix with a spatula. Pour the batter into a bunt or round cake pan, and bake for approximately 35 minutes. This recipe can be made into cupcakes as well.

Strawberry Blonde Cake

1 box of white cake mix

1 box, 3 ounces of strawberry gelatin

1 cup of oil

½ cup of milk

4 eggs 

1 cup of strawberries, mashed sweetened, not drained

Frosting

1 stick of butter, softened, unsalted, ½ cup

1 box (1 pound) of powdered sugar 

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all cake ingredients together and pour into a 9 x 11 inch pan or two smaller pans, the batter should not fill pans to the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Frosting: Cream butter and sugar together, add mashed strawberries until frosting is of spreadable consistency. Mix together frosting ingredients. If it is too thick, please add strawberries until it is the right consistency. You may also purchase strawberry frosting if you don’t want to prepare it.

The Empty Nest, by Gina Meyers

 The Empty Nest

By Gina Meyers

This morning, on my walk around the lake, I saw a dove on the fence. It was perched for an instant and then did a little dance and fluttered away. As I started to pick up the pace after reflecting for a moment, enjoying the doves dance, I saw a fluffy ball on the ground by a tree, I knelt down to pick up the brown, lighter than air ball. There was a covering made out of twigs, fluffy material and I picked it up. I immediately recognized that this was an empty bird's nest and as  I peered inside, seeing the white feathers inside this bird’s nest left behind, no longer needed. There was no shell, but there was a distinct feeling that what was once in this bird's nest no longer needed its nest. 

In my mind, it was no longer a tragedy, that some dog had eaten a baby bird, or some squirrel tossed the nest out of the tree, its’ safe harbor.

It was a new thought that I had never had before, maybe from a grateful, yet slightly bruised heart. 

The metaphor “empty nest” makes its way into my life as a familiar tome.

And memories from the past, flooding my present reality with the cruel reality that some baby birds never make it, and that their wings never get to see the light of day, a morning dewy morning, slightly foggy like the one I was experiencing this morning.

It also made me better not bitter for not fully seeing the baby birds struggles and how for some the journey towards flight isn’t always smooth sailing.

We focus way too much on “the empty nest” just like as we are entering the forty days of lent and we focus on “the empty tomb.” 

But the message of the empty tomb is one of hope in the end.

In Matthew 28: 1-10 The guards were afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. An angel said to the woman, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified, he is not here; he has risen, just as he said he would. Come and see the place where he lay.”

As silly as it sounds, the empty bird's nest brought me great comfort. I was able to ascertain any story I surmised about the future of the baby bird. But I was not concerned in the least for the mama bird or the daddy bird and their nurturing, what they were up to or where they had flown to.

The empty tomb conceptualizes the profound meaning of being victorious over death and the living resurrection of Jesus, his promise to us for eternal life. 

So maybe the empty nest can symbolize new hope and validate that some of those baby birds will grow up to build their own nests someday, the triumph of hope, power to believe in new beginnings and a redemptive spirit for all who believe.

Decluttering by Gina Meyers

 By Gina Meyers

Do you feel stuck a lot? Like your life is going nowhere fast? Or too busy? Or too busy doing things you don’t like but feeling too guilty to make a change? Do you feel like your stuff is getting in the way of your success? The bills are piling up? Does your life feel disorganized, your thinking clouded? Do you feel guilty when you buy something for yourself? Are you living your life to serve others and forgetting about your dreams?  Your life feels disorganized to some degree? Not a lot of joy, but obligation?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions then what I’ve journeyed for the past five months will help.

Without getting into all of the nitty gritty on what self-care has looked like for me, perhaps it would be easier to segment it down into a couple of things that have helped.

There is an old adage and it goes something like this, “you cannot change what you do not acknowledge.”

For some people, you instantly are willing to admit your failings and all of a sudden there are people in your life that are pouncing on your admittance of being human. 

“Tisk, tisk.”

So, don’t take them to task, rather know that you are moving in the right direction. I was beyond blessed to take a leap of faith and dive deeper into decluttering 101, also known as From Clutter to Clarity 2.0.

Quick question.

Have you ever tried to drive your car with your windshield dirty?

99.9% of us are gonna say yes.

It’s hard to see isn’t it?

You can’t see clearly where you are going because your view is blocked.

So, like many Americans, I have too much baggage. Metaphorically and physically. I’m trying to drive in many directions, but too many directions, too many road maps, too many jobs that I didn’t take on that I’m doing too.

I just need to drive the car and make sure there is a charge or gas in it and that the fuel is rich and journey is fruitful. 

So in more simple terms. 

Decluttering you ask? What’s that?

Well, the easiest way to put it is this, “decluttering is the act of unblocking the flow of energy in your space so that you can magnetize in what you desire.”

 But what I have learned by taking a Decluttering Class for the past six weeks is valuable in many respects. I took a mini course in the spring and another mini class in the fall and the teacher recommended I take a deeper dive off the diving board of my decluttering journey.

It works. That’s all I’m gonna say.

You’ve heard of mindful eating. Well mindful clearing and mindful cleaning brings for a better, more fully abundant life.

I heard Marie Kondo, the guru of the decluttering movement say something essentially important the day before my last decluttering class of the year. 

I was reminded of the phrase, “does it spark joy?”

Yesterday, on the way to a funeral, I kid you not, I was on Zoom with my Decluttering Friends and our journal prompt came up.

As I scurried for an extra envelope in the car or something to write on, I felt compelled to at least do one of the journal prompts before the wake.

What has shifted for me both externally and internally.

Before I felt more scattered, like I had to put others needs above my own. Now I own and claim my peace. I recognize that it is my life and my journey. It isn’t my business to try to convince others what works for me, I now know what I need and my feelings are my feelings. I see a lot of baggage, a lot of impatience and upheaval death is so final. 

I left it at that in the  car yesterday, but after hearing the story of the 95 year old man who passed, I came to a new realization. Smile, laugh, be positive, it will all work out. 

Love, it is the greatest gift, and when we share our true gifts and passions with the world, the world sings.

Can you hear the singing?

Can you see the smiles?

A very long time ago, I wrote a book that I never really promoted because it simply wasn’t accepted at the time and may never be a bestseller or even a book that could change someones life, but what I said at the end of that collection of journal writings had an impact on me and it was something like this: 

There are more than two ways to cross a street or cook a steak, as long as you survive you must have been doing something right.

…..

And a new thought.

Being human is a gift.

Now, go clean something.

Feng Shui for Open Houses

 

Feng Shui for Open Houses

Intro:
When it comes to selling your home, first impressions are everything. Beyond staging, Feng Shui principles can create a sense of harmony and positive energy that buyers feel the moment they walk in.

Key Sections:

1. The Entrance Matters

   • Clear clutter from the front door.

   • Place a healthy plant or flowers to invite energy in.

2. Balance the Five Elements

   • Wood: plants or wooden bowls.

   • Fire: candles or warm lighting.

   • Earth: pottery, crystals, or grounding colors like beige.

   • Metal: sleek frames, metallic accents.

   • Water: mirrors, fountains, or glass décor.

3. Declutter & Flow

   • Buyers need to see themselves in the space.

   • Remove personal items, excess furniture, and anything that blocks pathways.

4. Light & Air

   • Open windows, use sheer curtains, add mirrors to reflect natural light.

5. Room-by-Room Tips

   • Living room: balance seating, avoid blocking doors.

   • Kitchen: keep counters clear, add a bowl of fresh fruit.

   • Bedrooms: neutral colors, smooth bedding, remove electronics.

   • Bathrooms: fresh towels, plants, sparkling clean surfaces.