Welcome to the first in my new interview series “The Same 7.”  The idea?  I ask the exact same 7 questions from various, artists, musicians, actors, directors, writers, life coaches, positivity pioneers, crafters, theologians…you get the idea.   So who’s my first victim…erm…I mean, guest?  None other than the ever fabulous coaching phenom (and September sponsor) known as Debra Smouse.  I have had the extreme pleasure of working with her and her coaching opened my eyes to a whole new world possibilities.  She rocks my socks and I’m pretty sure she’ll rock yours too.  I  now present to you, the fist EVER:

The Same 7
with Debra Smouse

1)   In 10 words or less tell us what makes you so freakin’ awesome…and don’t be modest. Let ‘er rip.

I see the shiniest you – even when you can’t yet.

2)   Did you (or do you currently) have an imaginary friend? If so, tell us a little about him/her/it.

From the ages of two to around five, a little green man hung out with me.  We had tea parties and played with my dolls.  My mother took me to the doctor to exorcise this crazy idea and he told her that there was nothing to worry about – that imaginary friends meant I was super intelligent and very creative.

3)   Do you believe in ghosts?

I believe that the souls of those who love us never leave us, but are a part of our lives always – even after they’re gone.  Just gotta have faith.  So.  Yes.  I believe in ghosts.

4)   What one thing scares the ever-loving crap out of you more than anything else in the whole wide world?

Hmmm.  I have such a great respect for so many creepies and crawlies – like spiders and snakes and  their place in the ecosystem.  Most of those things fascinate me.  But once, I was cornered by a scorpion in the shower and I never want to be in that position again.

5)   Sunrise, sunset or full moons?

Full Moons, baby!

6)   If you had to live the rest of your life inside one book or movie, what would it be and why?

To Kill a Mockingbird because the Finch family is so freaking brilliant about life.

7)   It’s the zombie apocalypse. The person you love more than anyone, anywhere, ever has been bitten by one of the walking dead. It is inevitable that they will turn into a flesh-eating monster. What do you do?

Gee.  My first response was to let him eat me. 😉  Maybe I need to bone up on the Zombie Apocalypse.

Here’s a little space that’s all yours.  Do with it what you will.  Freestyle, Debra.  Freestyle.

People fascinate me. I want to know what makes ’em tick.  Even more, I want to help them discover what truly sets their soul on fire.  I want people I come in contact with know that their presence matter in the world.  It’s why I coach.  Sometimes, folks just need a little help digging out from years of numbing and hiding so they can see the brilliant and beautiful soul they have inside.
By the way, anyone that is considering hiring a coach can get a
20% discount by booking a discovery session  and mentioning  “I *heart* Alli”.   (This is a 20% discount off of any Compass Coaching Plan  or the first 3 months of any of my Full Speed Ahead” Coaching Packages“. 

Thanks for playing, Debra!  It’s been a pleasure wrapped in a party with sprinkles and marshmallow fluff!

Kisses & Chaos,
Alli Woods Frederick

Posted in PEOPLE, SPONSORED POST | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Well, it’s time for The Mistress of the Mix™ to return for a special holiday edition of Soundtracks for Life…and if you guessed it’s a special Valentine’s Day edition then you guessed correctly.  But you know me…it’s far from the typical VD mix.  Far from it…

Aural Awesomeness:

Soundtracks for Life

Life Experience #4:

Deep, Profound & Inconsolable Heartbreak

Not everyone is all sunshine, rainbows and unicorns spraying hearts from their butts on Valentine’s Day…and those not head over heels aren’t all bitter little man/woman-hating trolls bent on ripping off cupid’s wings and beating him to death with them.  Some people are injured…nursing their bleeding, broken hearts without hatred, anger or bitterness – only sadness over futures lost; washing their wounds with their tears.  And some of those people need to wallow, have a really good make-your-eyes-all-puffy-and-your-nose-all-red sleep inducing cry…and that’s okay.  This mix is for you.  All you heart-farters (wow…what a class act…did I seriously just say “heart-farters?” I hope that doesn’t sound bitchy.  I honestly don’t mean it that way.  I love heart-farters too.  *wink*) out there – no need to give this Soundtrack for Life a listen.   You can if you like, but I don’t think you’ll get much out of it.  Neither will the embittered.  This one’s for the bruised, the bereft.  I know you’re out there.  I know because I am one of you.  This is music for the grieving…because sometimes to heal our wounds we must embrace them.

And for what it’s worth, all of those in mourning this Valentine’s Day…remember you are loved.

Songs for the bruised and bleeding. from kissesandchaos on 8tracks.

 

 

 

Kisses & Kisses & Hope & Time,

Alli Woods Frederick

 

image credits:  mix tape – Unknown  * Queen of Broken Hearts by Alli Woods Frederick © 2007 all rights reserved
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Words of profound wisdom, beauty and truth can come from some of the most unexpected places.   Here’s some knowledge Joss Whedon put down, I picked up and am passing on to you just in time for Valentine’s Day.  Bask in the brilliance, love and poetic glory (and more than a dash of irony and humor) that is “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

LOVE ACCORDING TO THE BUFFY-VERSE:
LIKE OUR UNIVERSE…ONLY BLOODIER.

 

VALENTINE’S DAY IS FOR SLAYING
 
buffy-season-8-issue-36-cover-mq

 

Spike

 

“Love isn’t brain, children.  It’s blood – blood screaming inside you to work its will.”

***

“I may be love’s bitch, but at least I’m man enough to admit it.”

***

“I’ve been all wrongheaded about this. Weeping, crawling, blaming everybody else. I want Dru back, I’ve just gotta be the man I was, the man she loved. I’m gonna do what I shoulda done in the first place: I’ll find her, wherever she is, tie her up, torture her until she likes me again. Love’s a funny thing. “

***

“She just left. She didn’t even care enough to cut off my head or set me on fire. I mean, is that too much to ask? You know? Some little sign that she cared? “

 
 

 

Angel

 

Angel:  “I loved you…cause I could see your heart.  You held it before you for everyone to see and I worried that it would be bruised or torn…and more than anything in my life I wanted to keep it safe – to warm it with my own.”

Buffy:  “That’s beautiful…or taken literally, incredibly creepy.”

Angel:  “I was just thinking that too.”

***

“Passion, it lies in all of us, sleeping…waiting…and though unwanted…unbidden…it will stir…open its jaws and howl.  It speaks to us…guides us…passion rules us all and we obey.  What other choice do we have?  Passion is the source of our finest moments.  The joy of love.  The clarity of hatred…and the ecstasy of grief.  It hurts sometimes more than we can bear.  if we could live without passion maybe we’d know some kind of peace…but we would be hollow.  Empty room shuttered and dank.  Without passion we’d be truly dead.”

 
 

 

Xander

 

“Well, I guess that makes it official. Everybody’s paired off. Vampires get dates. Hell, even the school librarian sees more action than me. “

***

“I wish dating was like slaying. You know, simple, direct, stake through the heart, no muss, no fuss. “

***

“People don’t fall in love with what’s right in front of them. People want the dream…what they can’t have. The more unattainable, the more attractive. “

 
 

 

Buffy

 

Love makes you do the wacky. “

***

“Dates are things normal girls have. Girls who have time to think about nail polish and facials. You know what I think about? Ambush tactics. Beheading. Not exactly the stuff dreams are made of. “

***

 
 

Happy Valentine’s Day, my dears.

 
 

Kisses & Chaos & Spike-in-the-Heart Love (and I mean that in a good way),

Alli Woods Frederick

 
 

image credits:   Unknown  *   Angel #31 by Brian Denham   *   Xander Harris by Nii-kun &  frostyrogue  *  Buffy Summers by Skahfee Portraits

Posted in LAUGH, LIFE, SOUL MINGLING | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

I have been working like a woman possessed this past week.  Seriously.  Have you seen all the new fine art prints and canvases I’ve put up in the shop?  It’s mad!  Mad I say!  Like I said…I’ve been going work berserk.  I believe today I shall do some yoga, take a bubble bath, sit on my ass and prepare for the start of the mid-season premier of The Walking Dead tonight (which, do I really need to say, I am INSANELY excited about?!?).  I might even go really crazy and take a nap!  *gasp*  (For those of you who are unaware I am NOT a napper.)  Since I have been in wild manic work mode, this week’s Postscript is going to be more than a little scattered (as though that’s anything new or unusual).  To quote Generation X:

Ready!  Steady!  Go!

  • Feelin’ crappy because of the Valentine’s Day blurghs…or, to the contrary, are you feelin’ super-sexy because of Valentine’s Day?  Either way you should celebrate yourself.  And what better way to make you feel like a total vixen than to have a custom illustration of yourself as a pinup?  Maria Danalakis has you covered.
  • The pitfalls of pursuing a spiritual pathSpiritual Egotism.  A very interesting read…
  • I cannot bring myself to deface books…no notes in the margins, no dog-eared pages.  I simply cannot do it.  But the OCD part of my personality really likes the idea of having all matching faux-antique book covers.  This diy project is very tempting indeed….but I know my respect for books wins out over my OCD…and that’s a rarity.   
  • Ever wonder what your favorite literary characters would look like through the eyes of a police sketch artist?  Wonder no more.  The Composites by Brian Joseph Davis is brilliant and not to be missed.  The best part?  He takes requests.  Make no mistake Steerpike, Raskolnikov, Mr. Guppy and Heathcliff requests will be hitting his inbox on Monday courtesy of yours truly.
  • Design Sponge has officially and permanently stolen my heart with their “Living In Twin Peaks” post.  HOLY. CRAP.  Nothing about that show has gone out of style.  A true original and a true classic.  God bless David Lynch.
  • And yes, I am still on a teacup/tea party/Alice in Wonderland kick (and have been since I was 10) so how could I NOT share these Wonder-ific pendant lights with you? 

Kisses  & Chaos, my dears…Kisses & Chaos,

Alli Woods Frederick

 

 

image credits: Cirque de Paris by Maria Danalakis  *  diy book covers via Design Sponge  *  Dale & Audrey via Design Sponge  *  teacup lights by Mat Moore Photography

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I thought it might be interesting to, every now and then, dig through the archives of my blogs gone by and post some blasts from the past.  In this instance blast from the past is quite literal…and quite heartbreaking.  From November 26, 2007:

No Explanation

I offer no explanation, only tears.

Altman, Sampson, Jr., Pvt. 29th Georgia volunteers, Co. C, CSA 

Chase, Charles W., Corporal 7th Vermont Infantry, U.S.A

 

Arlington, Va. Capt. Nevins and officers in front of headquarters, Fort Whipple; mourning crepe drawn over doors and windows.

 

“Idumea”

And am I born to die?
And lay this body down?
And as my trembling spirits fly
Into a world unknown
A land of deeper shade
Unpierced by human thought
The dreary region of the dead
Where all things are forgot
Soon as from earth I go
What will become of me?
Eternal happiness or woe
Must then my fortune be
Waked by the trumpet’s sound
I from my grave shall rise
And see the Judge with glory crowned
And see the flaming skies

“Wayfaring Stranger”

I am a poor wayfaring stranger
Traveling through this world alone
There is no sickness, toil or danger
In that fair land to which I go

I’m going home
To see my mother
I’m going home
No more to roam
I am just going over Jordan
I am just going over home

I know dark clouds will hover ’round me,
I know my path is rough and steep
Golden fields lie out before me
Where weary eyes no more will weep
I’m going home to see my father
I’m going home no more to roam
I am just going over Jordan
I am just going over home

I’ll soon be free from every trial
This form will rest beneath the sun
I’ll drop the cross of self-denial
Come back home with God
I’m going home to see my savior
I’m going home no more to roam
I am just going over Jordan
I am just going over home

Kisses & True Chaos,

Alli Woods Frederick

image credits:   unknown
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