My Half-Year Check-In

Is it hard for you to believe that we're already halfway through 2012? It is for me. So I thought I'd do a check-in on how I'm doing with my goals for this year. Not in a judgemental way (or at least, I'll try not to be that way), but more to see what's going well and how my focus could be fine-tuned for the rest of the year.

Air: I'm doing awesome with my writing! In particular, my book is now in production (I still just love saying that). That said, I have many more writing projects that want my attention. I want to put more focus on those. My music (which I'll put here, with creative stuff) is going well. Drumming with Dark Follies is fun and such a terrific learning experience. I took a cool art class at our homeschool co-op this spring, and want to do more with it. We have our homeschool portfolio review in a couple of weeks, and I think things are going pretty well in that area. I haven't gotten to the prose poem or studying yogic texts yet this year, though my studies in general are going along well.

Fire: I would say that I'm definitely making progress with my callings. As noted above, becoming a published author is going along well. I also secured a spot as a guest blogger on a very popular spirituality website; my post will appear in August (the first of many, I hope!). We're still working on getting the word out about Feline Dreamers; I get discouraged sometimes with the slow progress, but most of the time I just keep on building towards it. I'm definitely working on my self-love, though I am reminded to dive back into the use of affirmations, which I haven't been doing as much. I'm also doing well on releasing things that don't serve me. I think there is a teensy problem with the idea of only agreeing to things which feel like a passionate "yes!" - there are just too many of them! I need to slow down a bit and try not to do so much.

Water: Here's an area where the slowing down will help me to go deeper. I want to pay much more attention to self-nurturing, intuition, and connection to my guides. I do have a dream journal project planned which is going to be really fun (more on that in another post). I have been using my empathy to help community members in various ways, mostly in one-on-one settings, so that's going along well.

Earth: I've been loving the time I've spent out in nature this spring and summer thus far! Very grounding and energizing. Barefoot hiking is just so much fun, and so is doing my journal-writing practice outdoors. I have been bringing in little bits of money from my calling, but mostly it's been other work-for-money. I still need to make a big leap in the area of abundance. The same with health. I've made some progress, but then I revert to old habits (comfort food, for example) and forget to really listen to what my body is telling me. Some work to do here, for sure.

Spirit: My spiritual practices are going pretty well. Sometimes I forget. Don't we all? But for the most part, connection and presence are part of my daily life. I've been able to spend lovely time in sacred space, particularly with my Full Moon circlemates. I haven't done much yoga lately, and I want to get back to it. Shrines, altars, and the Wheel of the Year project are some other things that want my attention.

Well, that sounds about right as a mid-year update. I think the idea of slowing down and putting my focus on the quieter elements of water and earth will be helpful as I move into the second half of the year. I'm feeling the groove starting to shift, and connecting with those deeper energies. Mmmm. I like it.

How are you doing with your personal goals and intentions for 2012? How can you build on what you've been doing so far? What adjustments will help you be your best self?

Goals for 2012

Well, here we are several weeks into the new year, so I thought that sharing my goals with you might be good. Or actually, a bit overdue! I've had them written in draft form in my notebook for a while, and have been working and playing with some of them. And my 2012 Word of the Year, which is CONNECT, is already rocking my world! I think 2012 is shaping up to be an amazing, fantastic ride!

I liked the way I arranged them last year, by elements, so I kept that format this time. Here they are! Tah dah! Please feel free to comment on them, or to post some of your 2012 goals in the comment section. I'd love to hear them!

Air: I write and publish books and e-books. I am a helpful and encouraging unschool facilitator for my kids. I write, memorize, and perform a speech or prose poem. I create art and share it with others. I read and study sacred yogic texts.

Fire: I use the power of my will to succeed in my writing, my callings, and my business, Feline Dreamers. I use affirmations to increase my self-love and confidence. I agree to participate in events and projects only if they feel like a passionate “yes!” to me. I release habits, people, and situations which no longer serve me.

Water: I nurture myself regularly. I use my empathy and intuition to serve my community. I connect more deeply with my spirit guides and dream allies. I re-read my recent dream records and work creatively with them, employing new dreamwork techniques.

Earth: I spend time outdoors in Nature. I listen to my body’s innate wisdom and follow the suggestions I receive. I use herbal remedies and holistic practices to increase my wellness. I support myself and my family with money earned through my creative work.

Spirit: I continue my daily practice of meditation, mindfulness, and presence. I practice hatha yoga regularly. I spend time in sacred space, both alone and in community. I create a personal Wheel of the Year and represent it with art I create. I update my shrine and altars regularly.

Cake of the Month: December (and Series Wrap-Up!)

Well, hello there! I thought I'd finally wrap up the Cake of the Month series by sharing pictures of December's cake. Also, I have a confession to make: I didn't do a November cake. I was in the middle of my sugar fast, there were no family birthdays, and so I just skipped it. I do have a bonus cake, though, which ElvenTiger and I made this month - see below for the pictures.

December's cake was a spice cake with mint frosting, made in a tree-shaped cake pan that Aunt Peg gave me. I made it for our Christmas Eve gathering at Mom's, but since that meal never really happened (because Aunt Peg fell and broke her leg that afternoon), we munched on it over Christmas week. It was pretty tasty, and I was pleased with the way it looked. I'd make it again.

We got the candy cane sprinkles at a local country store that has tons of baking stuff, along with natural and bulk food items.

ElvenTiger has decided she doesn't really care for cake. Maybe she had too much this year - oops! Anyway, for her January 14th birthday, she had chocolate cream pie made by my Mom. But for her birthday party with the homeschool group, which she shares with a friend who is also a Capricorn, we made a double-chocolate layer cake. ElvenTiger helped me decorate it.

AB isn't the cake's blood type. It's the initials of the two birthday girls (ElvenTiger is her screen name, folks). It was delicious! And that's the end of my Cake of the Month project. I'd say it was a rousing success!

I enjoyed the accountability of posting here every month to share my results. I decided that, rather than do cakes again, this year's project will be Craft of the Month. It will include collages, vision boards, knitting projects, and whatever else comes along. ElvenTiger and I will be learning needle felting and paper quilling, so perhaps some of our attempts will result in projects to share, too. Stay tuned!

Contemplation and Preparation

Mother Nature has delivered us a lovely snowy day, after a few weeks of winter without any of the white stuff. ElvenTiger is happy and excited - her 13th birthday is Saturday, and she wanted to have snow on the ground by then. I'm glad that our out-and-about plans for today were canceled, and I can settle in for some more contemplation and preparation.

Winter is a time for slowing down, for hibernating a bit and letting my dreams and goals for the year begin to percolate underneath the surface. I've been slowly working through my plan for the new cycle. I'm still on the first couple of steps - I soon realized that when you write three pages each day, that's a lot more material to read through! But I'm finding lots of gems - wisdom and insights I've gleaned over the past year, and sparkly ideas that I want to pursue during this one. I'll share once I have them in a more organized form.

We've also been preparing for ElvenTiger's birthday weekend. We're in the process of deep-cleaning and reorganizing her room. She put aside a bunch of clothes that she's outgrown, to give away and/or re-make into something new. We untangled and organized a bunch of yarn. Her best friend is coming over to spend the weekend with us, and we're going to do a girls' day out on Saturday.

We'd made the decision to have her friend over, and go out to lunch and then get their nails done and explore the mall. I asked her if there was another friend she'd like to include, and she touched my heart by saying, "well, I'd really like *you* to hang out with us." So, for the first time ever, I'm getting a manicure. These two girls are a joy to hang out with, and I'm looking forward to our girl time. We'll have a family party with dessert (chocolate cream pie, at her request) and gifts in the evening, and ElvenTiger will also celebrate with other friends next week at homeschool group.

In the meantime, I'm finishing up with my perusal of old journals, working on some research and writing for Feline Dreamers, and doing our taxes. BlackLion and the kids are out snow-blowing and shoveling, while the cats and I keep our paws dry inside. Merlin is doing well and lately he's been enjoying sitting on my lap while I give him Reiki. Sweet feline!

My Word of the Year: Connect

After an inspiration followed by some contemplation, my Word of the Year has announced itself to me. So I thought I'd announce it to you: blog readers, meet CONNECT. I love how it resonates on a lot of levels. I think that the core of my spiritual practice is connection with my divine source. Everything else flows from that.

That's the essence of what I mean by CONNECT, but it also includes connection with my family and friends, with community, and with nature. It encompasses the connections I want to make with new readers and clients this year, to further follow the path of my calling. It is the timeless connection of my soul with the Universe, but also the many daily connections with all the beings around me, cats and humans and trees and books and pixels and dogs and clouds and dreams and the Goddess...and oh so much more!

Happy New Year!

Tools for the Transition

For various reasons, my "quiet, introspective time" between Samhain (Halloween) and the Winter Solstice wasn't as deeply quiet as I'd hoped. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret anything, and I've been learning a lot. So, since I've also been busy this week, which is normally a time for evaluating the year past and setting goals for the year to come, I'm continuing the process.

As a Virgo, I enjoy creating a plan for such things. Many times I even follow the plan, though I like to be flexible and go with the flow. I thought I'd share with you the tools I'm using for saying goodbye to 2011 and setting intentions for an amazing 2012. Here's my plan (with links where available):

1. Re-read personal journals from 2011, and look at last year's goals list.
2. Make notes and compile lists (Tarot cards I drew the most, how many books I read, what my favorite books were from 2011, successes and failures, ideas for the coming year).
3. Do "Completing 2011" worksheet by Lisa Work at Visionary Mom.
4. Complete the Year End Ritual process by Sarah Susanka (for the first time).
5. Choose a Word of the Year and do the Word of the Year worksheet by Christine Kane.
6. Continue to do the Freedom Family course by Tara Mauger. BlackLion and I are doing the course together, and we'll have more to say about it soon.
7. Write out list of goals and make vision boards.

I'll be working on this project over the next two weeks, and I'll share some of my results with you here on the blog. Enjoy your own process of transitioning into the new year and its wide-open energies!

Being a Heart-Centered Entrepreneur

When I don't know how to do something, I study it. I've discovered in my studies of the past few years that there are many of us out here who are heart-centered entrepreneurs, creating purpose-based businesses. We want to help others, and to find ways to support ourselves and our families while doing what we're called to do. We're creative and inspired and passionate. This means finding what is known as one's "right livelihood." It also means finding new models of doing business, as the old ones just aren't a good fit for us.

But getting the word out about one's business still involves some form of the dreaded "marketing." The whole concept pushes my buttons a bit. It runs up against my long-held issues about being liked. I've released a lot of those concerns already, particularly as I entered my fourth decade a couple of years ago. Yet for some reason, selling my wares feels like a whole new level of vulnerability. I worry about upsetting my readers, my cherished audience, my "peeps." I don't want to be sales-y.

BlackLion and I are following the teachings of respected folks who teach about purpose-based business, like Christine Kane, Jonathan Mead, and Mike Dooley (we found some of Robert Kiyosaki's material interesting, but a bit too ruthless for our taste). We've been gradually working to build the trust of our readers and listeners over time, giving away lots of terrific free content, and creating products for sale that are targeted to the needs and desires of our niche audience.

Some people have told us that the economy just isn't good, that no one has extra money for luxuries like self-help kits. That may be true for some folks, and I certainly empathize, but it's not the whole story. Christine Kane herself, and many of her clients, are successfully making a living while helping uplift others so they too can live their dreams. We've learned so much from just the free material Christine Kane offers, and you can bet that when we have the spare cash, we're going to invest in her programs as well. We already have our own plans in place for how we'll continue to serve the community once our coaching services take off - a certain number of paying clients each quarter will be grouped with free and sliding-scale coaching that we'll make available. The plan is to make a good living in an ethical and caring manner.

Yet still I hesitate, which it comes to the part about asking folks to spend their money on us. It won't do any good to be well-liked if I'm out on the streets with no home in which to base my business - and those wolves seem to be getting ever closer to the door. In the survey we're doing, healing sessions are right up there in terms of valued services, yet I've had almost no response to my Reiki business. It really must be a matter of getting the word out more. If this sounds like I'm giving myself a pep talk, I am. But I'm not the only one who has these fears of self-promotion, particularly among the women I know.

I don't think Brent and I are overly pushy, and perhaps we're not even close to assertive enough. As the deadline approached for the initial discount we were giving on the 30-Day Core Belief Kit, I ramped up my courage and wrote direct e-mails to a few folks who I thought might really benefit from the kit. I was apologetic about even mentioning it, and one friend replied, "Whenever you worry about this, I hope you remember that some form of horn blowing is the only way to get the word out about this terrific resource."

I think people do understand that online contacts and social media are often used to promote small businesses. When I get free e-newsletters or read blogs, I enjoy the content, and the part where they make the sales pitch doesn't bother me. Many times I'd purchase the e-book or kit or whatever myself if I had the means. And I will, when I have the means. As Christine Kane points out, we're creating the new economy here, skipping the heartless big biz plastic products and selling to each other. Building ethical businesses, reaching out online, buying fair-trade and organic, shopping locally, and treating each other with respect. There must be room for positive marketing in this new, awakening world view.

The Big Day!

Today I have realized one of my long-held goals: we released the 30-Day Core Belief Kit! And while I slept, we sold our first Kit to a woman in Germany who I know from an e-mail list (thank you R!). So it was fun waking up to such delightful news.

Now we're focused on getting the word out about the Kit, and on moving on with our next set of projects. A lot of my energy has been freed up, just by the powerful act of finishing the Kit and releasing it into the world to share. And I'm inspired to use that energy creatively, focusing on projects like our next e-book and our coaching services. I've already started the e-book, which is about developing and sustaining a daily spiritual practice.

I feel excited and thrilled about where things are and the direction I'm headed. I'm thankful to all the folks who will purchase the Kit, and excited to see where it will take them! I want to work with people for mutual benefit. If you're interested in the Kit, please visit the website and check it out, and share the link with your friends. If you'd like to review the Kit on your website or other media, get in touch with me. And if you're inspired by the notion of personal spirituality coaching, stay tuned! Have a joyful day!

Our First Feline Dreamers Video!

We made a video this morning to promote our upcoming release of the 30-Day Core Belief Kit (also known as CBK). I'm so excited!



We'll have more details up on the website very soon. The release is next Monday, November 14th.

Last night we watched some Christine Kane videos to get inspired. I dreamed of the CBK all night, and got up this morning and wrote a bunch of copy for the website and other places. When BlackLion suggested making a video, I was ready!

If you want to help us publicize the CBK, let me know. Also, if you'd like to review it on your blog or website, we can probably arrange for that. Did I mention I'm rather excited?! This is our biggest and most powerful project so far!

Cake of the Month: October

This month, ElvenTiger, BlackLion, and I collaborated on the cake. This morning BlackLion and I baked a chocolate layer cake and a batch of pumpkin chocolate-chip cupcakes. Then I made some frosting, and ElvenTiger and I did the decorating for the Graveyard Cake. This creepy cake is for tonight's Maine Wholeschoolers' Halloween party. Here it is!

I also frosted the cupcakes, which are for tomorrow's homeschool co-op Autumn Party. I didn't color or decorate these because, with so many families in the co-op, there are lots of different food allergies and sensitivities. But I must say, they taste delicious. The frosting is a simple vanilla frosting. These are also dairy-free, although they do have eggs in them.

Happy Halloween!

Cake of the Month: September

The cake for September was for a family potluck brunch. ElvenTiger and I made it together. We chose a recipe from an adorable cookbook, "The Redwall Cookbook" by Brian Jacques and Christopher Denise. It's based on the Redwall series, which if you haven't read them are wonderful kids' books with talking animals, spirited adventures, and of course descriptions of delicious feasts. This recipe is "Squirrelmum's Blackberry and Apple Cake." It was delicious! Perfect for brunch.

I'm so happy to be caught up on all my cake posts. What's up for October? I imagine some kind of holiday cake will be in order...perhaps with pumpkin. Also, I'm taking an adult-ed workshop on cake decorating, so I'll be posting about that experience as well. Happy Autumn!

Cake(s) of the Month: August

Still doing some catch-up on posting about my cake project. August is a very big birthday month for us, so yes, there were cakes! I didn't make one for BlackLion, as he preferred to have homemade cherry chocolate-chip ice cream. It was yummy, but didn't last long enough for a photo.

Dryst wanted a lemon cake for his 15th birthday, so I was happy to oblige.

For Mom and Aunt Peg, I made a dragonfly cake as a surprise (chocolate, of course). They liked it! They shared a birthday celebration with Dryst, and I was amused that I used the kids' cake decorating book for their cake, rather than Dryst's. They're young at heart.

And our friend Nate got a chocolate bundt cake with icing (he doesn't like frosting - imagine that! I'm a bit of a frosting addict, myself).

There you have it, cakes for August! I'll add the September cake and will be all caught up, just in time for the new month.

Cake of the Month: July

Okay, so I'm a bit behind on the whole cake thing. Well, not the actual making of the cakes. Just the blogging about them part.

Though I must confess, I spent more time in the water during the month of July than I did in the kitchen (especially with the oven on - it was warm!). I love summer.

I did, however, make a birthday cake for a lovely woman, on behalf of her new husband. Her favorite is chocolate cake with coconut, and that was easy to do! Since they are newlyweds, and so quite adorably in love, here's the cake I made for her.

The other cake-related thing I did in July was to order a book that I've been admiring for quite a while. It's "All Cakes Considered" by Melissa Gray from NPR (here's an Amazon link for those who like that kind of stuff). I've actually tasted one of the cakes, when a friend from MPBN (our statewide public radio network, where I used to work) made some for everyone during a fundraiser. And...yum! So now this fabulous book is in my collection, and I'm looking forward to making one of the cakes this fall sometime...if my busy schedule ever slows down enough.

Stay tuned for the August update, soon to come.

Cake(s) of the Month: June

I'm way behind in posting about it, but don't worry, June was full of cakes! And I think I got pictures of most of them.

This cake was made, believe it or not, to use up the extra frosting from the past couple of cakes. I mean, otherwise it just sits around in the fridge feeling sorry for itself. And despite the yumminess factor, no one seems to want to eat frosting by itself. So I made a square 9-inch One-Egg Chocolate Cake, a recipe from my great-grandmother, Nana Drew.

Thanks to the wonderful response I received to a cake I made for a friend's birthday dinner party in late May (chocolate maple, and delicious if I do say so), I might have even gotten a couple of special orders for cakes! Which is a totally new thing. Here are some photos...

And finally, since it was my namesake Starhawk's 60th birthday on June 17th, I made some pentacle cupcakes, also using up some of the previously-made frosting (as you can tell by the powdered sugar on a few of them). Not that I know Starhawk personally or anything, but the folks at the Fireside Gathering that night loved them!

Let me know if you're local to southern Maine and need a cake for a special occasion!

New Moon in June

Happy New Moon, and month of June! Around here, the weather has been just lovely this week, after a bunch of rain. We have some fun gatherings to attend (and host) this month. The first one is coming up this weekend, which is the wedding of a very special couple. I'm delighted and honored to be participating in the ceremony. I'm calling Water, but I'll be careful not to ask for rain, since the handfasting portion of the day is being held outside.

The new moon brings the energy of new beginnings and exploration. According to Starsdance Astrology's blog, this particular new moon is a good time to explore one's deepest desires. And according to my Rob Brezsny horoscope, the coming weeks are a perfect time for me to do things which I've been told just can't be done. Which is what? It's quite obvious, in my case - I've been told repeatedly that I can't make a living as a writer, and I had the misfortune of believing it. I guess I'll be focused on submitting more of my writings this month. I'm trying various avenues: looking for a literary agent, sending letters directly to publishers, and submitting articles to magazines. Time to ramp it up!

Hope is easier to find at this time of year, and as the moon waxes. I'll polish off my finest literary gems and share them with the world, as well as carefully cutting some new ones. In between, of course, gardening workshops, a big anniversary, family potlucks, a milestone birthday celebration for an old friend, and a fireside gathering or two. Summer's here! Who wants to play?

P.S. Here's a little more inspiration, for the road. Enjoy!

Cake of the Month: May

We wanted to use my new stand mixer, so ElvenTiger and I offered to make dessert for Monday night. Every Monday (well, most every Monday) we go over to my parents' house for dinner and dessert, and then watch Dancing with the Stars together (or a movie, if the show's not on). It's a lot of fun, and we try to come up with delicious and interesting foods to share with each other - which can be a creative challenge because my immediate family is vegetarian, my parents are not, and Dad has to eat a special diet.

So anyway, ElvenTiger and I decided to come up with the May Cake of the Month, and we did! We started with the premise of using cinnamon. It developed into this, the Cinnamon Bundt Cake! It's not a very original name, I realize. Let me know if you have any better ideas.

I wrote down the cake recipe if you want it (on paper this time, so it won't be lost in the electronic wasteland). For the icing, we used the leftover ganache that we still had in the fridge from the giant cupcake, and topped that with a mixture of cinnamon and powdered sugar. It came out good, and apparently it was yummy, because two days later, it's all gone! Here's ElvenTiger, my co-chef, with our creation.

Cake of the Month: April, Part 2

Yes, I know it's May now. But the April cake got delayed by a week. The Giant Cupcake was a huge hit! Ocean Mouse loved it, as did all the other folks who tried it. The cake itself was a yellow cake, which I'm calling Starcat's Yellow Cream Cake. I made four layers, two 8-inch rounds, a 9-inch round, and an 8-inch square, shaping and carving the square cake to form the top of the cupcake. Mom told me a wonderful hint, which is to freeze the cake for 30 minutes after you carve it, to prevent the crumbs from getting in the frosting when you decorate it. It worked wonderfully!

The vanilla frosting was from a basic recipe, with food coloring added to some of it for decorating purposes. ElvenTiger and BlackLion also helped me make a variation on a chocolate ganache from the Cake Boss himself. Our variation was that we used whipping cream, which was what we had on hand, so in order to get the texture the way we wanted it, we whipped the ganache. We used it between the cake's bottom two layers, but Quester thought we could use even more next time, carving out the cake and filling it with the ganache. We had extra ganache on hand, so we served it up alongside the cake, for those who love chocolate.

BlackLion had the last-minute inspiration to put one candle on top, larger than a regular birthday candle. So cute! I think the only issue with the Giant Cupcake is that it's a bit too giant. The party was Friday night, and we still have some cake left on Monday, after sharing pieces with Mom and Aunt Peg and a friend who came for dinner on Saturday night. I think Ocean Mouse forgot to take some home with her. Anyway, here's the final product. Stop drooling!

In other cake-related news, one of my Mother's Day gifts was a Hamilton Beach Power Deluxe 6-speed stand mixer! Given that the hand mixer I'm using is almost as old as I am (as seen in the above picture), it's a wonderful upgrade. I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon, no doubt. I'm still pondering what my first use should be. The mixer has a dough hook, as well, so it might be bread of some sort. Yum!

Cake of the Month: April, Part 1

I don't have a picture to share with you, as April's cake has yet to be made. We had planned a birthday gathering tonight for a dear friend who I'll call Ocean Mouse (because she lives near the ocean and loves mice), but she had to have a medical procedure done today, instead. I'm not sure when we'll be having the celebration, but we sent along a homemade card and a promise of cake with Quester and another friend who were going down to keep her company.

I do have some cake news, though, so I thought I'd share some tidbits to tide you over. First, the sad news - when we had our external hard drive failure early this month, I lost the cake recipes I'd created so far this year. Now, there may be a way to get our data back, or there may not. I'm taking it as a lesson in impermanence...and backing up things in multiple places. We already do that with much of our writing, so most of that stuff was saved, but recipes and photos took the hit. Ah well.

In other cake news, ElvenTiger and I recently started watching the show "Cake Boss" on Netflix. We love it! Not so much for the entertainment factor, although it can be pretty funny. But mostly to see the amazing cakes, and how they're made and decorated! I think we'll be doing some experimenting with fondant at some point. Some of the cakes they make on the show are just stunningly beautiful. And they look yummy, too! Actually, I got an idea from them that I may use for Ocean Mouse's cake (it's okay, she doesn't do online stuff, so it won't spoil the surprise). I think I'll make a three-layer vanilla cake, with the top layer bigger so that I can frost it to look like a giant cupcake (she loves cupcakes), and then (this is the part from the show) between the layers it will be stuffed with fudge chocolate filling and fresh strawberries. Sounds delicious, doesn't it? I'm thinking a pink frosting for the outside of the "cupcake." I hope I can pull it off!

And last but not least, I wanted to give kudos to my Mom for making an awesome cake she calls Holy Cannoli Rolly. She makes a thin sheet cake, spreads it with cream cheese filling and mini chocolate chips, then rolls it up and covers it with chocolate drizzle. She used a recipe but then adapted it to make it her own. The slices are gorgeous spirals, the flavor is melt-in-your-mouth delightful, and she assures us that it's fairly healthy. Or in other words, not as richly decadent as it tastes. Go Mom!

Networking in My PJs

Yesterday I spent some fun time networking, while sitting here in my comfy home, still in my pajamas. For a few years now I've belonged to some online groups that I really enjoy, my favorite being Danya Martin's Radical Unschooling with Law of Attraction (RU-LOA) e-mail list. I'm also a part of Faerie Nation, as well as a local homeschooling e-mail list. I follow several blogs on various topics that I'm interested in (unschooling, creativity, food, spirituality, sustainable living).

Recently, I've increased my involvement with online networking. Part of my motivation is to find ways to creatively and ethically market my business, Feline Dreamers, and to learn more about how to get the word out. But I also find a wealth of inspiration by interacting with many different people and groups online. While I start with topics that interest me, I often find out about all kinds of things I wasn't aware of or new perspectives on topics that spark new ideas and fuel my creativity. So I thought today I'd share a few of my newest discoveries, in hopes of sparking your interest.

While reading "Notes From the Edge Times" by Daniel Pinchbeck for my book club, I discovered and joined his alternative social network: evolver.net.

My online friend and blog sister, Wild Zen Mama, has just started an awesome online tribe: WildZen Tribe: A Soulful and Inspiring Grassroots Community.

Another great online community is the one being put together by The Organic Sister. You can join her to be included in her new plans.

There is a new wiki page for unschooling entrepreneurs and small business owners. I tried to link to it, but I guess you have to sign up for wikispace first. Contact me directly if you'd like more information.

And of course there's The Unschooler's Emporium, which has had a special link here on my blog for a while. We just added our e-book to their list of items for sale.

I also joined a mastermind group based on small businesses, that a few folks from the RU-LOA list are starting. It's a small private group, but I'll let you know how it's going as it gets up and running.

If you feel inspired to do so, share some of your own favorite websites or groups (or ones you've created) in the comments section. Thanks!

Cake of the Month: March

Well, then, here it is: the Cake of the Month for March. It's called Spring Fever Cake with Dark Chocolate Butter Frosting. I designed it like an egg decorated for Spring, though my cake decorating skills are still a bit primitive. I think it gets the idea across, though. We celebrate Spring Equinox, also known as Ostara or Eostar, but of course this cake would also be good for an Easter dessert.

I did some research and based the cake on a basic pound cake, although I adjusted it some. It came out great - moist and delicious. The frosting tasted very chocolatey and yummy, but its melting temperature was too low, as you can see in the picture. I think I'll either add more sugar, or maybe use half butter and half vegetable shortening.

If you'd like the recipe, leave a comment or get in touch another way. Happy Spring!