kallie, Author at Brave Girls Club

It won’t hurt to remember this…

August 6, 2018 by kallie Leave a Comment

Dear Having-a-Bad-Day Soul,

Bad days seem to be part of the gig. Sometimes everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Sometimes hormones and feelings are bigger and more real than any of us want to admit. Sometimes people disappoint us and sometimes we disappoint ourselves.

Bad days can be hard to turn around, but just because a day starts wrong doesn’t mean it has to finish that way. Just because a bad mood shows up doesn’t mean it has to stay.

A little self-care can go a long way toward turning a bad day around.
Not overindulging until you can’t breathe, but really truly taking care of your soul.

The remedy is simple. Let yourself be frustrated for a while, then get up, wash your face, take a walk and get back to work on what you need to get done.You are a strong, brave human and you have the power to choose what kind of day you’re going to have. By giving yourself what you truly need in body and soul you can turn even the worst day around.

It won’t hurt to remember how very loved you are.

xoxo

You are a born creative…

August 3, 2018 by kallie Leave a Comment

Dear Creative Soul,

Whether you think you’re creative or not, you definitely are. Humans were born to create and making something that didn’t exist before is one of the greatest joys of life.

There are a thousand ways to create. Some people build houses, paint or draw. Some plant gardens or cook delicious food. Some people arrange flowers, others help bodies heal.

Whether your art is making a beautiful quilt or perfectly logical spreadsheet, your art matters.

Whatever your art, don’t undermine it.

brave living - brave girls club - you are an artist

Try to see and appreciate the many things you create every day, as well as the art that others make.

Creating is a big deal and an important part of being alive. Give yourself time to create, and to get better and better. It’s one of those little things that makes life sweet and joyful.You are so very loved.

xoxo

Here’s some good medicine…

August 2, 2018 by kallie Leave a Comment

Dear Seeking Soul,

There are a few secrets to happy, content living. Most of them are so simple that they don’t seem significant at all, but sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference.

Gratitude is one of those small and simple secrets that has the power to change everything.

Spend some time each day letting gratitude fill your soul. Be thankful for every little thing… your breath, your body (no matter how imperfect you think it is), the place you live, water to drink, food to eat, the people you love, things people make for others to enjoy, trees, flowers, birds, and every good thing you can find.

It won’t take long to see that being thankful has the power to turn things around… especially when things seem hard and hopeless and grim.

It may be just the medicine you need.

You are so very loved.

xoxo

Every good thing you do matters.

September 18, 2017 by kallie Leave a Comment

Dear Terrific Soul,

Do something today to make this world better, brighter, happier.

It matters.

Make something beautiful.
Clean something up.
Hug somebody.
Paint something.
Sew something.
Cook something.
Plant something.
Nurture something.
Nurture someONE.

When you make something better in your own little corner of the world, you make it better for everyone. Every good thing you do matters. Every word you speak.

Create good things…happy things… it matters more than you know.

You are loved.

xoxo

You are getting better and better…

June 28, 2017 by kallie Leave a Comment

Dear Spectacular Soul,

You are not your mistakes.

You are not your bad mood or your careless act or any of the other labels that come when mistakes are made.

You are a human being, and you are learning something new every day.

You are getting better and wiser and more equipped.

brave girls club - melody ross doodles - let yourself start over

You are doing a great job.

Let yesterday go. Be done with it. Walk onto your light-filled path and make today a better day.

You are so very very loved.

xoxo

Get $10 or $25 toward beautiful soul-tools in the BGU Bookstore! Thru December 1

November 17, 2016 by kallie 2 Comments

We’ve been working on all kinds of fun new things for Christmas and we’re so excited to finally show them to you in the BGU Bookstore!

PLUS there’s almost nothing we love around here more than a pretty things for a good price, so LOTS of things are on sale, PLUS we want to give you an additional way to save so….

Today thru Dec 1…

Spend $50+ and instantly get $10 off your purchase
Coupon Code SAVE10
Spend $100+ and instantly get $25 off your purchase
Coupon Code SAVE25

And that includes sale items and the new release products! (Click here to find some pretty stuff to save money on!)

Go Where the Peace Is 2017 Desk Calendar

If you’re like me, you rely on a calendar to keep your life in order. It’s getting close to the New Year, and time to get new calendars for 2017. We are happy to be releasing this desk calendar for 2017! (I’m giving these to all my friends for Christmas.)

We all have gift-giving on our minds, and we can’t think of a better gift for our friends or sisters than this sweet little necklace…lovingly made by hand, of course:

Our soulful school notebooks were a big hit in August, and now we have 2 smaller notebooks that are perfect to keep in your purse or in the car. They’re super beautiful and include a little charm that hangs on the front. (Click here for Authentic Beauty 5″x 7″ and click here for Hello Beautiful Soul 4″x 5″.) We love surprising special people with these little scribblers (that’s a new word that Lynette from Canada taught us).

Our classic ‘Decision Maker‘is now offered with a pretty wire spiral binding, and (by popular demand!) we now have a version created especially for MEN! And they LOVE IT.

We’ve just added some of the Brave Girl gear we love to wear…like hoodies & aprons (in lots of colors!)….

And look at these beautiful super-strong magnet sets…3 different collections to use on your magnet board or bulletin board…or we think they’ll make a great gift. They come in a pretty little gift box, too.

Come on over to the BGU Bookstore and see all the things we’ve added…things for giving, things for soul-work, things for creativity….beautiful things for beautiful souls.

And remember, for the next couple of week you can save $10-$25 off your order. Just enter these coupon codes when you check out.

Spend $50 and get $10 off your purchase
Coupon Code SAVE10
Spend $100+ and get $25 off your purchase
Coupon Code SAVE25

Enjoy!
kathy & melody

Blue Ribbon Banana Bread

August 1, 2016 by kallie Leave a Comment

This recipe hails from our earliest Brave Girl Camp days when we used to serve breakfast. (Now our lovely guests stay at a hotel and have breakfast there.) We loved having breads like this one to serve in the morning along side breakfast!

Start this banana bread by mashing 6 overripe bananas… the riper the better. (Is riper a word? Seems unlikely.) Anyway, we use our potato masher for the mashing. Set them aside.

Cream butter and sugar together.

Then add the eggs one at a time while the mixer is running, and add the bananas.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then mix them into the wet ingredients. Do not overmix.

Spray 2 bread pans with cooking spray…

Then divide the batter between the pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Enjoy!

Ingredients

6 ripe mashed bananas
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 well-beaten eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda

Directions

Mash bananas in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar together. With the mixer still running, add the eggs one at a time. Add bananas. Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients just until mixed. Do not overmix. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes. Makes 2 loaves.

Parmesan Crostini

July 6, 2016 by kallie Leave a Comment

This is a quick and easy side dish that would go really well with a salad or pasta dish. I really love it with Bruscetta or this Shrimp Cocktail Soup.

Start with a baguette. You can either slice it yourself, or get really lucky and find a pre-sliced baguette at your grocery store… spread the bread in an even layer into a sheet pan…

And brush the bread with olive oil…

Then sprinkle the bread with Parmesan Cheese. I have made this with just cheap Parmesan Cheese that you buy in the spaghetti isle of the grocery store. BUT I happened to have a little bit of really good Parmesan left over, so I used that, too. Just know this tastes really great with cheap-o Parmesan.

Last put it under the broiler until it’s browned… this batch got a little darker than I wanted, but it was still super yummy. Also… see those little bits of cheese that fell down between the bread and got all melty and delicious… eat them. They’re the best.

With salad or pasta or soup or anything really. Serve it with Bruscetta for a simple, easy meal!

Ingredients

1 Baguette
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Slice the baguette and lay it out in a single layer on a sheet pan. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Broil until browned. Serve and enjoy!

Perfect Summer Bruscetta (ready in minutes!)

June 30, 2016 by kallie Leave a Comment

Brave Girls Club - Fresh Bruscetta with Parmesan Crostini

Meet my best friends… vinegar and salt. I love any excuse to bring my friends to dinner… or lunch… or snack time. I think they make things sooo delicious.

Now that summer is here, I always have what I need on-hand to make a couple different things with vinegar and salt… Idaho Caviar (you can find that recipe here) and Bruscetta. Both are easy to make if you’re okay with a knife, and this one doesn’t take more than 10 minutes to throw together.

Start by chopping up a bunch of tomatoes. This time I used about 8 Roma Tomatoes.

Brave Girls Club - Bruscetta - Chopped Tomatoes

Next you’ll add Basil. I found this sad little Basil plant in the produce section of my grocery store. It had just about exactly as many healthy leaves as I needed for this recipe, and the rest was dried out and sad…disappointing, but it’s all I could find. (Update: the Basil has made a full recovery and has provided Basil for many many batches of this recipe… worth all the nursing it took to get it better.)

Brave Girls Club - Bruscetta - Fresh Basil

If you weren’t watching me make this, I would for sure just throw the leaves on the cutting board and chop them up sloppy style, BUT since you are here I will do it properly. Take 10-15 Basil leaves… wash them and stack them then roll them up…

Brave Girls Club - Bruscetta - Basil Leaves

Cut into thin strips across the roll. And feel cool because now you can say you used a French cooking technique called “chiffonade”. Fancy.

Brave Girls Club - Bruscetta - Chiffonade

Throw the Basil on top of the tomatoes…

Brave Girls Club - Bruscetta - Add Basil

Then add 1/4 cup of Balsamic Vinegar and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix it gently.

Brave Girls Club - Bruscetta - Salt and Balsamic Vinegar

Serve it with this yummy Parmesan Crostini. Enjoy!

Brave Girls Club - Bruscetta

Ingredients

8 Tomatoes (I used Roma)
10-15 Fresh Basil Leaves
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
3/4 tsp Salt

Directions

Chop tomatoes into small pieces and put them in a large glass bowl. Wash the Basil leaves, stack them, roll them and cut into thin strips across the roll (called chiffonade). Add to the tomatoes, then add vinegar and salt. Stir gently and serve with Parmesan Crostini (recipe here). Enjoy!

Sweet & Salty Snack Mix

June 16, 2016 by kallie Leave a Comment

You guys. Let’s get serious for a minute. This snack mix is the best snack mix on planet earth. I’m serious. If you need a seriously delicious snack that is… brace yourself… crunchy, but also chewy AND sweet, but also salty this is what you need. It’s so good that when Nancy makes it at Brave Girl Camp, nobody can stop eating it until it’s either gone or put away. Make it… share it with your friends… you’ll love it, they’ll love it.

First, put your cereal, pretzels and almonds into a bowl. I use a big bowl…the biggest one I have… because later we’re going to be mixing hot lava into this mixture and I like to do my hot lava dealings in big bowls. (That way it won’t spill all out and make a giant mess. Instead my giant mess will be contained in my giant bowl.)

Next, get a medium saucepan and stir together the sugar, butter and corn syrup. Told you it was good. Bring it to a boil over medium heat.

This is going to be hard, but WITHOUT STIRRING, let it boil for 5 minutes (we’re still on medium heat, here).

Remove from the heat and mix in the baking soda.

Pour it over the cereal mixture, stirring to coat.

Pour that onto a baking sheet and bake it at 300 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and add cranberries. Stir, then bake for 5 more minutes.

Spread it on buttered aluminum foil to cool. Store in an airtight container (as if there will be leftovers).

Sweet and Salty Snack Mix
by Patty Hinkel

Ingredients

6 cups corn cereal (Crispix or Chex)
1 cup pretzel knots
1 cup sliced (or slivered) almonds
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp corn syrup
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Mix together the cereal, pretzels and almonds in a large bowl or roasting pan. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, butter and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Without stirring, let boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in baking soda. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring to coat.

Bake at 300 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, add cranberries and bake for another 5 minutes. Spread on buttered aluminum foil to cool.

Store in an airtight container.

Easy Key Lime Pie (with a topping you’ll never guess!!)

June 9, 2016 by kallie Leave a Comment

I can’t wait for you to try this dessert. It’s super easy, and delicious and perfect for a summer day!

Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F.

Then crush one sleeve of graham crackers. I put the graham crackers in a Ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crunch them up… just keep rolling across it until the crackers are as fine as you want them.

In a bowl, mix the graham crackers, sugar and butter until they’re combined. They’re going to be on the crumbly side, even after you mix them together, but they will make a nice crust. (Oh…whatever you do…. don’t taste this mixture. You’ll just end up having to make another batch if you do. I mean, I don’t know from experience… it just seems like you might like it so much that you might end up eating it all before you get it into the pie pan.)

Press the graham cracker mixture into a pie pan. You want to press it firmly… if you don’t, your crust won’t hold together, which won’t bother you while you’re making it, but it will really ruin your day when you’re trying to serve it. I use a spoon on the sides so I get nice, even pressure.

Bake the pie crust for about 10 minutes or until it’s golden brown. (DO NOT decide to feed the baby and forget about the pie crust… it will burn and you’ll have to start over. Again, not that I know from experience… just seems like it would be a hassle.) When it’s golden-y brown, pull it out and lower the oven temp to 325.

Next, mix all the filling ingredients together with a wire whisk. (emphasis on the h-sound, there… w-hisk.)

And pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. The instructions I got said to wait until the crust had cooled before pouring the filling in, but… you know… I didn’t. Choose your own adventure.

Put the pie into the 325 degree F oven for 15 minutes…when it’s done, let it cool on the counter for a few minutes before putting it in the fridge to chill for a couple hours.

When it’s nice and chilled (not choose your own adventure style…it actually has to cool this time), you can add the topping…

Ready for the weird topping? Mix the sour cream together with the powdered sugar and spread it on the top. Weird, right? Or am I just late to the game. I thought this was so weird and so delicious that I couldn’t stop tasting it. You’ll have to let me know what you think.

Just before serving, add lime zest as a garnish. (I wouldn’t do this too far in advance. Well…I would. I did. And it got a little bitter. So now I’m telling you… don’t do that.)

Serve chilled! Enjoy!!

Ingredients

1 sleeve graham crackers, made into crumbs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 Tbsp butter, melted
2 (14-oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
1 cup key lime juice
2 whole eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 Tbsp lime zest (around 3 limes’ worth)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter until combined (will seem crumbly). Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan, and bake until brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and lower oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

In a separate bowl, combine the sweetened, condensed milk, lime juice and eggs. Whisk until well-blended and pour into the prepared pie crust. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Once chilled, combine the sour cream and powdered sugar and spread it over the top of the pie using a spatula. Sprinkle the lime zest as a garnish just before serving. Serve chilled.

Lisa Sonora Beam is speaking at the Brave Girl Symposium in 4 weeks!

June 2, 2016 by kallie Leave a Comment

Lisa Sonora Beam
Speaking at Brave Girl Symposium
July 6-8, 2016 | Boise, Idaho

What do you do?
I’m an American painter and writer, living my dream in southern Mexico. Before that I was art and music therapist and in between I figured out how to make a business out of my creativity, so that I could have the freedom to travel and have time study with spiritual teachers around the world. As a solo traveler off the beaten path, travel has been one of my biggest teachers of creativity. I teach workshops around the world and online, and absolutely love guiding women on creative adventures that awaken their wanderlust and love of making beauty and creating more meaning in their lives. My sweetheart Alex and I have created artist residency spaces for workshops and private retreats here in Oaxaca, Mexico. (Oaxaca is pronounced Wa-ha-ka, and is both a city and a state, like New York, NY). This is one way I get to connect with sister workshop teachers and like-minded creative friends around the world. I love showing people Oaxaca, it’s truly an artist’s haven.

If you had a free day all to yourself, how would you fill it?
1. Unplug from all devices and notifications, like phone, email, computer, social media. Wander around an ancient or modern city on bicycles with my sweetheart Alex, marveling at the architecture, taking photographs, and with no agenda other than enjoying whatever the moment puts in front of us. We love to wander, wonder, and eat. We carry our sketchbooks with us and draw, paint and write in cafes around the world.

In your eyes, what makes life worthwhile?
Being connected with creative colleagues (or simply loving supporters) who really get you, and/or really get your work.

Years ago, I read an article about a now-renowned painter in a fine art magazine (can’t remember who) who said that when he was starting out, he only had a few people who really understood his work, but that’s all he really needed.

I’ve found this to be true, and probably the most valuable thing to me as a creative. My wish for every artist is that they have at least one person like this in their life. These are the people who will encourage you to keep going, when your resolve to be an artist wavers. These are the people who can see what you’re trying to do even when you have know idea. These are the people who value your work, and make you feel valued and special in some way.

What have you accomplished that you are the most proud of?
Being a published author with a library of congress number. 🙂 Books and libraries were so important to me growing up, and I’m honored to have my own work as an artist and author represented in this way.

What is one big dream or goal that you are really working toward in your life?
Speaking of libraries and books, I dream of having a book published that lives in the 900 section of the library. Travel memoir!

If you had one message to share with the world, what would it be?
Trust where your heart longs to take you. This is a practice and we can learn it by paying attention to what we really, really want. We’re so used to asking others for advice or trying to fit someone else’s ideal of what we should want and who we should be. Paying attention to what we really (really, really) want, especially as women, is kind of radical and takes courage. I think some of the biggest acts of daring aren’t necessarily things like climbing mountains or going to a foreign country alone, but daring to trust the guidance coming from own heart center, and then to follow it.

What is the bravest thing you have ever done in your life or what is the bravest thing you have ever been through?
Great question and a tough one, because I’ve had a great deal of solo travel adventures, including living in the back country wilderness of Alaska, and traveling alone to difficult places in the world like Rwanda to bring creative expression to genocide survivors. It’s those kind of things that, when people hear I’ve done them, say things like, “You’re so brave.”

But that’s not what I really feel courageous about.

My life story includes some harrowing adventures of childhood abandonment, including living in foster homes and orphanages and moving constantly, where every kind of abuse happened. That’s the one-sentence version!

I started living on my own when I was 15, and had no adult guidance or role models. I was working in restaurants illegally to support myself (and eat!) and was rather desperate to not only survive and heal from the bad stuff that happened to me as a kid, but to somehow create a beautiful life for myself as an artist.

So I think the bravest thing I’ve ever done in my life was to say “no, thank you” to the patterns of addiction and abuse that so affected my family. I read a lot as a kid, seeking refuge in libraries, so I knew from stories that other ways of living were possible, even if I didn’t know any of those types of characters in real life.

To actively seek out a healthier and happier way of living, was more foreign to me, really, than getting on a jet and landing in another country where no English was spoken. It was touch and go for a long while, many mistakes were made and I had a lot of healing to do, but I actually enjoy the process of self-development. I’m grateful for everything, because all of the work I do in the world comes from that work I did long ago when I was a lost girl trying to find her way. Our greatest gifts come from our deepest wounds, if we face them and heal them.

The bravest thing I’ve done in my life is still the bravest thing I am doing today: Daring to face the blank page and create, even when I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing, or how to do it. This is how art-making is my teacher, my healer, and is constantly showing me how to live my dreams, and how to create more beauty and share more love in the world. The blank page is a metaphor and a mirror of our lives, when we approach it as a creative practice.

When did you first learn of Melody and Brave Girls Club?
Melody got in touch with me back in 2009, after she read my first book, The Creative Entrepreneur. Then she came to Los Angeles, where I was living and teaching at the time, to work with me.

How is your message similar to and different from Brave Girls’ message?
Meaningful creativity that is especially designed to help women thrive, from the inside out, is the essence of my work and I feel that this is what Brave Girls University is advocating.

What has you most excited about the Brave Girl Symposium?
Getting together in person with dozens of creative women I have met over the years, plus the opportunity to meet new friends. Doing creative work is by it’s nature very solitary, so it’s good to get out of the studio, off of devices and social media, and simply hang out in person.

What’s the best place to learn more about you and see your work?
I overshare (I mean, write) about creativity + travel + courage on my blog: lisasonora.com