Check out my E-Bay auctions!!!! And - if you like my valentine to the left, it's called Love from Texas and is available on CafePress.com on t-shirts and other items!!! I may put up rotating designs in the future! I need to especially put up my Voodoo Heart, with its precious little voodoo doll and frog!!!

Today, I have slept. I have orders to fill, I have bills to pay, I have all sorts of cleaning I could be doing, but I opted for pampering and sleep. I woke up at 8:30 and got myself over to the Atlanta School of Massage (well, actually, The Atlanta Institute of Aesthetics, its partner school) for a European facial. It was great, and my face feels fabulous. Then, I went to Toyota Ya for sushi - which I haven't had in weeks.

I got home at about 1:00, and went back to bed and slept until 5:00. According to my Audio Horoscop by Rob Brezsny, of Free Will Astrology, I am going through a fallow period. I need this time to recharge my batteries. Okay, then!

I have also acquired a new journal. I decided to get one Tuesday night, and went to Target, which had nothing - surprisingly. Then, I decided to go into TJMaxx, where I finally settled on a purple/blue Monet's lily pond lined journal. So far, I have added a Blue Dog to the front, as well as a couple of Teresa Villegas' Loteria cards.

I am trying to attack the infamous Morning Pages, made famous by Julia Cameron, who wrote The Artist's Way. I love the Artist's Way, and, although I have never made it through the whole 12 week program, what I have done has helped to unlock a lot of creativity!

What I am looking to further do right now, is to unlock my authentic self. My best friend harped on me for this years ago, but it takes me a while. I'm a slow learner. Then, I read this week's horoscope (written) by Free Will:

Psychotherapists talk about how each of us has a false self and an authentic self. When we're in the grip of the false one, we don't love ourselves unless other people love us. We're addicted to status and other superficial standards of success, and we chase after all sorts of meaningless desires that can't possibly bring any lasting gratification. When we're anchored in our authentic self, on the other hand, our motivations are rooted in a love of life. We pursue our dreams because they're interesting and exciting, not in order to impress anyone. The coming weeks will bring a showdown between your false self and authentic self, Leo. If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on the authentic one.

In addition to decorating my journal, I have added some tips and incentive for writing Morning Pages. I did a Google Search and came up with a couple of really helpful reflections. I found this at an Artist's Way workshop site from Paper Art Studio. The site also has some great exercises and overviews for each week of The Artist's Way, as well as a link to a new workshop on Cameron's Vein of Gold.

It was pretty long, but I printed it out and accordion-folded it to the back cover of my new journal. I especially like this idea for finding time in the morning:

You may find 15 minutes in a coffee shop on your way to work gives you the time you need to write, and, will add to the pleasure.

Okay, I hate coffee, but I could go and get breakfast. I have a commute to work, and cannot be late, so I get antsy about sticking to my side of town. Maybe I can just have breakfast in my classroom...

I also found this great explanation of Morning Pages on Jenna Avery's Life Coaching site. I have it printed out in purple in inside the front cover of my journal. I debated about whether or not to put my name in my journal, but put one of my address stickers on the inside cover, with a reminder of the Paper Art Studio Artist's Way URL.

Now, I am going to try and limit my cutting and pasting tendency - a lot of my last journal was taken up by hard copies of Tarot.com tarot, I-Ching, and other readings. That's helpful, but I want to do more voiding of all of the mental crap in my brain. Still, I find it handy to keep the following tools handy: scissors, glue stick, roll of tape. I like to insert ephemera like tickets, pictures of things I want - and, yes, my horoscope - into my journal. Some people are way into pretty gel pens, but I don't seem to be one of those people, yet!