FrenchCowgirls

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

History Repeats Itself in Good Ways

Teenage FrenchCowgirl Kay

I’ve been having a lot of fun designing and sewing my new fall/winter collection of FrenchCowgirls fashions. My granddaughter Sierra “volunteered” – sort of, to be my model. She didn’t really want to do it, thinking she wasn’t photogenic enough. But I kept encouraging her and well, the results speak for themselves! Even she was amazed, and I think it did wonders for her almost 16 year old self-esteem.

It reminded me of myself modeling at her age so many years ago, (see Teenage FrenchCowgirl Kay) only this time, the roles were reversed. As the designer/stylist this time, it was fun to be in my current role, and appreciate all of the experiences that have brought me so far in time. Thought all ya’ll might enjoy some of the pictures from the shoot.

Since I’m bringing you up to date, I can tell you that I’m working to expand FrenchCowgirls in the way I envisioned from the beginning. I’m no longer at the hospital where I was employed for the past 6 ½ years as a chaplain, so I’m able to devote all my time to FrenchCowgirls – very exciting for me!

And part of the excitement includes attending Cowboy Christmas in Las Vegas baby! It’s the largest western gift expo in the U.S. that happens as part of the Wrangler Pro Rodeo Finals during the week of Dec. 6 – 16. Over 400 vendors from around the U.S. bring their products to the Las Vegas convention center and the public gets to shop. I’m going to meet owners of western boutiques from across the country to determine who might like to carry the FrenchCowgirl line. I’ll keep you posted and promise to take lots of pictures!

http://www.nfrexperience.com/home/cowboy_christmas

In the meantime, those of you who live in the Northwest can find FrenchCowgirls designs at Belle Star Western Boutique in The Dalles, Oregon. Check them out on Facebook too for all the latest cowgirl bling and swing, and with their sales, save yourself some ka-ching!

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Thursday, March 22, 2012

Wishes Fulfilled Practice

Many of you have asked me what I do to stay inspired! Well, I have many different practices, but listed below is the most recent.

Here’s what’s inspired me this past week. I’ve been watching, reading, and listening to Wayne Dyer for over 20 years. He’s an incredible person, spiritual master, educator, mystic, and beloved kindred spirit. For those of you who may not know his work, you can find him at www.drwaynedyer.com

I was watching Wayne on PBS. You can view some of his latest work from Wishes Fulfilled on that site at www.pbs.com. For the record, I’ve been steadily employing the techniques of simply aligning myself with the vibrations of love in many different forms. What I do is consciously state to myself that I’m doing this, and then I name people from the past, present, and future, who I associate with those vibrations (the future is Mystery!)...figures such as Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Mother Teresa, Thomas Merton, Yogananda, and many living saints as well, such as the Dalai Llama and others. You can choose who you want. Whoever represents vibrations of love for you. I then spend anywhere from 10 – 30 minutes simply stating I am aligning myself with these folks. I can actually feel the vibrational energy rising in my body as I do this. It’s a good feeling. Very positive.

Once I’ve raised my vibrations, I begin to send them out to my family and friends. I name each one separately. If someone needs a little extra help, I affirm for them that they already have that which they need.

From there, I move to affirming how I intend to live my day. Pretty simple stuff such as…I am loving; I am kind; I am generous; I am compassionate; I am merciful; I am happy; I am rich in every way (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and financially); I am intuitive; I am well; I am….whatever comes into my mind that I wish to affirm more of. I affirm I am already it.

Mentally I then decide what I want out of my day. If there’s something specific I need or wish to create, I affirm I already have it. Then I let go and allow my higher power to bring me my good in the right time. It may or may not come today, and it may or may not be in exactly the form I think it should be, but if it’s in my highest good, I believe it is here already, simply not manifested yet.

So what difference has increasing my vibrations of love made in my life this past week, and the lives of others? Here’s a partial list:

· My vibrations of love assisted me in providing additional healing for a man whose wife died 6 weeks ago and who is experiencing his grief.

· My vibrations of love brought me a beautiful pair of gently used cowgirl boots, gifted to me from a new friend that wasn’t expected.

· My son called to tell me of how he raised his college level Spanish grade from failing to passing!

· My granddaughter received a 100% on a difficult Math test that surprised even her!

· Personally, I was able to take part in a healing meditation through my work that altered my consciousness to even higher levels of love and gratitude.

· I’ve been able to maintain a loving, gentle, and kind response to my husband during conversations that could have turned contentious!

And these are just some of what’s happened this week. Try it yourself and see if it makes a difference in your life. The key is that you have to make this a conscious practice, not just every day, but whenever you might catch yourself thinking a negative thought, or engaging in behavior that doesn’t serve your highest good. We’re all human after all, and we need practice. Practice does make perfect (or close to it). And while perfection isn’t something I’m striving for, I certainly enjoy the benefits of reminding myself who I really am (love), what I’m here for (love), and what I have to give others (love). That takes practice. And it’s not for the reason of “getting all the good stuff”. That’s just a by-product of the real-meal-deal. The real meal deal is what it does for you on the inside. It makes me (you) happy, and it makes me (you) feel good about myself (yourself) and what we’re doing in the world. And who doesn’t want to be happy, or even happier? That’s a good thing…something that Wayne Dyer is reminding us of…one of life’s most precious Wishes Fulfilled.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

FrenchCowgirls Affiliate Program Is Here!

The Soiree' and Trunk Show was a HUGE SUCCESS! Thanks to each of you that participated. I wanted to summarize one of the key learnings that came out of our time together. I had asked for input at the gathering regarding marketing, and that's what I got. I'm excited to be putting some of the ideas into action already like my affiliate program.

Affiliate programs…Wow! There’s so many out there. What I’ve learned from my research is that it takes time – quite a bit of time – to research the various affiliate programs. I’m not an expert by any means, but here are some of the things I’ve learned that may help others just embarking on their own affiliate marketing program.

1. Be choosy. Contact web sites that you personally feel some affinity for where there is some correlation to your business.

2. Keep your requests to other web sites to like size markets at first to test the waters. You want to be a fairly even match for reciprocity. One of the sites I’ve come across recently is www.cowgirlchef.com

The author is from my neck of the woods in Texas but lives and works in Paris, France! How cool is that? Now if that’s not a FrenchCowgirl, I don’t know who is! Check out her site – I love her receipes!

3. If you’re looking at affiliate programs that are already in place, you still have the opportunity to choose like minded sites that may compliment your business. Commission Junction (www.cj.com) is one of the best I’ve found so far for lots of different companies as well as size. There seems to be something for everyone.

4. Don’t be afraid of rejection. Test the waters. You never know until you ask, and even if you’re turned down the first time, as your site grows, those rejections may eventually turn into “yes”.

5. If you’re like me and aren’t particularly “tech savvy”, use your web developer’s expertise until you build your own. This means they have the experience to guide you with what you should be doing in your internet marketing plan. In fact, I did this recently with my web developer and he was very helpful!

These are just a few of the tips I’ve learned in recent weeks. The upside for me is that I now have an affiliate link on www.FrenchCowgirls.com for prospective hopefuls. If you’re an internet business, or know someone who is looking for affiliates, take a look at my site. Maybe we’re a match.!

Monday, January 30, 2012

Forcast is for Sunny Skies!

Howdy All Ya'll!

Weather forcast for the FrenchCowgirls Soiree' and Trunk Show in White Salmon, WA, Feb. 5th is sunny with a high of 48 degrees - yahoo! Couldn't be more perfect. Of course, we still have lots of snow that needs melting, but it IS melting! Whew!

While we're planning on having lots of fun, I would like to remember those who cannot join us due to recent tragedies in their own families. There are several, to be sure. Fathers, mothers, and sons of several of my friends have passed away unexpectedly this month. My heart and prayers go out to each of them and their families. It's a strange feeling to be immersed in the grief process while the rest of the world continues their daily lives, seemingly untouched. When a person is grieving, time seems to move more slowly, life feels heavier, our energy is sapped, and our joy has dissipated or waxes and wanes daily, like the tides.

This is a reminder to myself, as much as you, to be gentle with folks, whoever they are. We never know what someone is going through, or has been through, that prevents them from celebrating life momentarily. In our fast paced world, it's sometimes difficult for us to slow down enough to know that there are others who are moving at a much different rate due to life's circumstances that may be derailing them. When I think of being derailed, it literally means to be off-the-track - not able to run our engine the way we normally would. If we're temporarily de-railed, we need time to repair our engine - take time off - from the typical day to day path we take.

While I mourn these huge losses with my friends, I also rejoice in the good fortune of others. I rejoice in my own good fortune to have so many lovely friends who are able to come and help me celebrate the launch of my website and business http://www.frenchcowgirls.com/ . I'm opening my heart and home to share food, friendship, fashion, and fun! I look forward to seeing you this Sunday, Feb. 5th, at Yatay Lodge (http://www.ayataylodge.com/) I'm excited to share where we've been since we started in November and where we're headed this next year. AND - I look forward to getting input from YOU as to what you'd like to see on the site, because, as with any endeavor, change is the name of the game, and we're a work in progress!

Starting a retail business might seem a little strange for someone who is also a spiritual care provider! Alas, we must always strive to be true to ourselves, to be our most authentic self, and THAT is my PATH - it's the TRUTH TRACK, whatever that is for me at any particular time. I'm grateful that I'm aware, and that I can take action in the direction of my dreams. AND, I look forward to supporting YOU in YOUR DREAM, whatever they may be!

Yahoo!
Cowgirl Kay

Sunday, January 15, 2012

FrenchCowgirls Soiree' and Trunk Show Coming Feb. 5th!

A soiree' is a party, and You're Invited! It's coming up in February, just in time for Valentines Day! Give yourself some love and keep the date of Sunday, February 5, 2012, from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. for the first FrenchCowgirls Soiree' and Trunk Show! We'll be featuring all of our yummy handmade goods such as Pendleton Fabric Vests, along with some of our jewelry artisans fantastic assortment of hand-crafted metal jewelry and gorgeous stone creations. Champagne will be served, the music will be rockin', and we'll be seeking YOUR INPUT into our future product offerings! RSVP @509-637-6578 or email frenchcowgirl@yahoo.com. Space is limited, so reserve your spot now!

Monday, January 9, 2012

The Other Side of the Intersection

One of my spiritual teachers, Fr. Richard Rohr, http://www.cacradicalgrace.org/, who directs the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, NM, told a story that has stayed with me a long time, and occasionally I pull it out, dust it off, and contemplate on it - AGAIN. Maybe you have stories like that too! Because it's the New Year, 2012, I thought it might be worth bringing it out of the closet for further contemplation.

This story is about sitting at an intersection, waiting for the light to turn green. It's a very complex intersection with 5 streets coming together. If you don't hit the light just right, you have to wait for a LONG TIME. Maybe you have an intersection like that in your town or city. They can be an exercise in patience, to say the least!

As he was waiting for the light to turn, he heard his inner voice say "Richard, are you really going to be any happier when you get across the intersection than you are right now"? He had to admit to himself that he probably wasn't. First of all, how many of us like to sit and wait (or stand and wait) for anything? You know who you are! You're the person who strives to get the line in the supermarket that's the shortest, only to find out that the person in front of you has a) a million coupons that have to be scanned; b) the computer terminal paper has to be changed; or c) the debit/credit card they're trying to use won't go through and they have to rescan it several times, all the while turning to smile back at you, while they apologize profusely. You realize this is not about them...it's about you, and another lesson in patience that the universe obviously believes you need. So you wait patiently (or not), in case you don't realize this is your lesson.

Can we learn to be happy while we wait at the intersection of our lives for...the perfect job, relationship, vacation, home redecorating project, weight loss, health, business opportunity, Lottery win, President, boss, sobriety of family and friends, or whatever to come along? Yes we can, and those little exercises that come along to try our patience are just that - an exercise. A practice. Like breathing in and breathing out, one breath at a time. Just waiting, with no judgment, no impatience, no rude looks, no angry outbursts, no road rage, and no blaming/shaming (of ourselves or others).

I suggest we do what Sponge Bob Square Pants does: Proclaim in a loud, squeaky voice with as much enthusiasm as you can muster - "This is the Best Day of my whole life!" Say it several times if you can't believe it at first. Use your whole body. Spread your arms out and proclaim it again - "This is the Best Day of my whole life!" Because you know what. It may just be. You may not get the opportunity to sit at that intersection tomorrow. Today is all we have. Make it not only the best day of your whole life - determine now to make this the best year of your life! Happy New Year 2012!