Recipes True to Type

In my last post, I described going out to celebrate the blessing of the Mother in her first snow.

So speaking of blessings, and other flawless things, I have named the recipe I use for Scotch Shortbread: My Perfect Shortbread. And I want to share it here with you. So easy, and it consistently gets melt-in-your-mouth results:

1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter
1/2 c. sugar
2 c. unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. (You'll be baking in a 9" square metal baking pan for 40 minutes. If you have a round shortbread pan just for this purpose, good on ya, that's more traditional. I never have!)

Cream butter with the sugar thoroughly. Mix flour and salt together, then add to the butter mixture, and blend until all the flour disappears and the texture is still a bit crumbly. Pour it out in your square pan and pat to an even depth. Prick all over the top with a fork (I like to make designs). Bake 40 minutes. It should be a light golden brown at the edges, with them just starting to pull away from the pan, and the center should be slightly lighter and a golden butter color.

Final result: YUMMMM!

Can't help but show you the nice clean lines of perfection!

Let it cool before cutting, but cut while it is still warm on the bottom. That should make it cut cleanly. 

Eat it just as it is for Christmas (In our house, it never makes it to a plate), add fruit alongside it for spring, add raspberry jam for summer. (I assume one could melt chocolate or spread Nutella over it, but it's so rich, I think I'd pass out from that.)

Enjoy this PERFECT dessert! It is simple, classic, no fuss, and doesn't need a whole lot of ornamentation for any time of year. However, fair warning...it is totally addictive. Watch for yourself finding excuses to go back into the kitchen and sneak "just need one more piece".

Now, do YOU have a dessert or other recipe that suits your type??? Please share!

Welcoming the New

It truly is a new era, and with the first snow of the year at our house being on Christmas Day, it seemed only fitting that I go out and greet the blessing of Mother Nature this way. 

As a new Type 4, I have never been so "bold" as this before, so the red is a novelty for me. I did, however take a deep breath and order a deep red lipstick for my birthday, so watch for that coming soon!

I also promised to show you my new hair color, and cut, as advised by Nicole, the Living Your Truth stylist featured as a Type 4 in so many videos. First of all, I must apologize for the weird lighting colorations in these photos. My Blackberry doesn't function that well as a camera, it turns out!

So for what it's worth....here you go ...before and after...

Me dressing as a Type 2 (my secondary energy type). This is what happens when I do not blow dry my hair.

Me dressing more Type 4, but just before getting my hair done.

Me as a Type 4. Okay, I know this is tinged a bit green for some reason, but my hair is truly lighter and cut straighter along the edges. This is not straightened, just round-brushed while drying.

Hair is re-done here, but I'm in a Power jacket.
It's the boldest, clearest item in my closet!

 

Type 4 with new hair and glasses

Type 4 almost finished for Christmas Day, hair pulled up. I just loved wearing the ruby red--I borrowed it from the poinsettia we'd be given, hoping it wouldn't mind!

Okay....more to come, I'm sure, over time, but you can see that I'm trying it out. And energetically, I really love the difference I'm feeling. I still have lots of Type 2 things, especially jewelry that just soften my look too much, but I have a sister to give those things too! And there's always eBay...

Comments, Questions? Any photos YOU want to share???
 

Dyeing to Give New Life (To Your Clothes)

Hey everyone! 

Jennifer wanted to talk about what she's done to dye her clothes in her new rich and dynamic Type 3 colors, so I wanted to give her a way to do that...See the comment below that is forthcoming for info on that. I know Cathy is also super at dyeing things--I'm a complete novice. The last thing I dyed was a load of laundry all pink....unintentionally of course!! So tell me, tell me!

Added Photos to What Type of Type....

Hey, just wanted to quickly say that I added photos to the previous post of What Type of Type are You?

AND, I've also added a "Reactions" box to the bottom of each post. Just as you can do on Facebook, now you can Like a post, or you can click on another response if you prefer. If you have other suggestions for responses, please let me know...I'm just trying these on for size.

Kristelle

Revealing Myself all Over the Place

So I was talking with my Coach, Nancy Southern, the other day, and I was describing an issue I was struggling with. I heard myself say, "But this is where I stand on that...."

Nancy said, "Of course it is...and by the way, that's a very Type 4 thing to say."

Hmm.....

Then, talking about writing my blog (and it wasn't coming so easily that day), I heard myself say, "I will not let it go out if the quality isn't high enough for my standards."

I heard it that time. Nancy only had to say, "There's another one...."

Yep, I'm "talking the Type"(...hey, maybe that will soon be as popular as "walking the Walk", what do you think?)

I am revealing myself to myself even in the words and phrases I'm choosing! According to Dressing Your Truth, a few of the Type 4 characteristics include being linear, aligned, deep, calm, focused, precise, structured, strong, bold, proper, balanced, neat, and clean.

My language is also commonly infused with:

"I can't get it straight"
"I've gotta get back on track; I'm way off today"
"Exactly right."
"That's precisely it!"
"That's so clearly what's happening..." or its partner "I'm just so foggy today"
"Okay, just settle down."

These are all phrases I use A LOT. They describe how life looks and feels to me. And I never knew it so deeply (that's another one) as I do now.

Visiting my sister's charming little house, she has small but significant, sentimental things throughout it. Every sill has a variety of objects on it and every shelf is comfortably occupied. It is a very cozy feel, and totally her. (Yep, she's a Type 2: comfortable, sentimental, saving stuff. And her couch IS the most comfortable one on Earth, I swear!)

I love her house, but this would not be my house. I would have space between things. Things, for sure, but space between them. Like a breath between the phrases. I like a cleaned off kitchen island, with some things on it...but mostly clear. Pillows on the side of the couch, not the middle. Items on the back of my deskspace, leaving a blank nothing on the front. I don't always accomplish this, but it is always on my mind to make it so, and when I get the cleanies, watch out. I WILL be throwing things away to make SPACE so I can FOCUS!

Notice anything like that for yourself? Do you see your Type preferences in your environment and in the language you commonly use?





 

What Type of Type are You?

After spending the weekend with my sister Erika, and sister-in-law Lenore, (I’ll just refer to them as my Sisters from now on, because that’s who they truly are…) I am noticing something more about the different types and how they show up in the world.

I know that Carol Tuttle is all about the idea of personalization. You make the Type 1, Type 2, whatever type, YOUR type. You make it YOURS. Whenever she would tell of someone being resistant or afraid of being one type or another (“Well, Carol, my mom is a 3 and I don’t want to be a 3 too!) Carol would say, “Well, how about you be YOUR own Type 3?”

This weekend, as we were having a great time creating beautiful jewelry with Lenore’s awe-inspiring collection of beads, stones, and supplies, I saw very clearly that Erika was making her jewelry true to her style, yes…but there was something more. She was making her style reflect the message she wanted to give the world.

Erika is all about nature, nurturing, birds, trees, leaves, the moss on the trees…you get the picture. So as she’s dressing her truth, her Type 2 is coming out with a beautiful environmental expression. Think graceful, connected, blended Mother Nature.

So I’m calling this the Naturalist Type 2.

As for me, I made all my jewelry true to my type as well: bold, clear, still, serene. But there’s also another element that came out that is totally me.

I’m calling my expression: the Magical Type 4

I like the jewelry I wear to be “power jewelry”…stones that have meaning, special vibration, or give me the sense that they are not worn as trifles, but worn with spiritual purpose. Like the ancient priestesses, or the Navajo who wore (and still do wear) large turquoise pieces for protection against negativity. Here's what I made:

The Main stone here is Kyanite, a very powerful stone, and one of my favorites of all time. It is silvery, and is structured in parallel lines. (Fits those Type 4 characteristics for sure.) Stones on the side are lapis lazuli, a gift from Kerry that I refashioned into this!

Here's how it looks on....not the right Type 4 top to go with it, really, but you get the idea! I also made one like this, but with different stones, for a special friend on the Island. She feels a difference when she wears it!---so do I.

For me, it is significance, symbol, and representation of something important that gives a piece its depth…and I like Deep. I also like the feeling that I am “adorned” with my gems, so I want them to be notable and be noticed. When I am adorned this way, I feel wealthy, abundant, and spiritual:

This is a necklace I made for special spiritual occasions and when I want to feel so! When the light hits it, it looks like sunrays going up either side of the piece. Truly magical! I made one for an Island friend too.

This is a prayer bracelet I made. You can't see it, but significant words are engraved in my sister's handwriting on each flat bead. And I love my little dragonfly...

Sparkle is also great, since it reminds me of the special magic that exists everywhere. Anything that sparkles seems to be lit from within, and fueled by some kind of unseen power source. That's a great description of Life, to me.

Finally, I give any jewelry piece extra credit if it can transform in some way--have a reverse side, change color, have a way to change the pendant, wear in 3 different ways, etc.

This piece is hard to see since it has a slight aurora borealis finish, but the stones are light blue in the "back" and dark blue in the front. I can wear it several ways, and am intending to create a pendant (or 3) to hook onto it for extra versatility.

Here's is a nice dramatic bracelet worn one way.....

But Look! You can turn the beads over to the forest green side (either one at a time or in a pattern) and ta-da! New bracelet!

So there you go. A little tweak on the types (yes, that is a very Type 4 thing to do. Take something fabulous and find a way to make it a little more so! We 4’s are reflective AND refining!), but I’m making up that Carol has already thought of such a thing and has simply left a few things for others to discover and create on their own.

So once you've found your type, and even your dominant/secondary type, what is YOUR special expression of your Type? What type of Type are you?

Insight Out

I'm so thrilled that several more are joining our merry band, as we chart the unknown waters of ourselves with this simple tool of Dressing Your Truth. Thanks for joining us here!

Of course there are other tools, other methods, and other experiences that can help reveal ourselves to ourselves, but this is a really fun one! And it gives me permission to play with pretty things that give me an immediate sense of feedback...it's either a hit of "yuck, that doesn't work" or "man, that DOES look good" (or in some cases...OMG raspberry pink with black stripes DOES brighten my face and make me look a foot taller--are you serious?).

I am serious. Erika and I were walking through Siren Boutique, a delightful women's fashion store on Orcas, and it seemed to be a place devoted mostly to Type 2's (Soft, Subtle to use the Dressing Your Truth terms) with a healthy dose of Type 3 (Rich, Dynamic). Exploring her Type 2-ness, Erika found so many things with those wonderful flowing lines.

On the rack, I noticed a long-sleeve T in a color/design combination that I normally avoid like the plague: horizontal stripes.

Yep....I saw it, thought OMG that's just too much and pulled it up to my face and said, "Erika, this is supposed to be good for a Type 4, but it isn't, is it?" She looked and me and went "Wow, that is so amazing for you! It just lights up your face!"

Wha?????? No!!!!!!!! It can't be!

Thinking my sister must have been low on blood-sugar or something, I stepped tentatively to the mirror. Boom...there it was. My eyes were defined, my skin tone was even, my hair looked like it had just come out of the salon, and THERE I WAS.

I was visible on the horizon. Seen amongst the soft gray shapes of everything else around me, it was a bit of a shock, and a great blow to my keen fashion sense which had heretofore consisted of anything that would help me blend in.

Well, except for my penchant for sparkles.

Hmmmmm....sparkles....those who know me, know about me and sparkles.  I've always been drawn to those tiny points of light that dazzle, and which seem to have their own power source. (As a toddler, my sister called them "Pockles", and she always said it with breathless delight. It charmed me then, and the memory of it still does to this day.)

Perhaps that whole obsession was my true energetic nature trying to get out. Covered up in clothes that helped me "play small", my true type 4 could come out in only one way: sparkly jewelry and plenty of it. What an insight!

My next step is to now live "insight out".

I'm learning that when I dress in the bold, clear colors and structured lines that help me truly communicate who I am, I don't need the sparkles as much. My jewelry is simple, bold, big, shiny and still. Yes, sparkles still work for me. (They embody that shiny, reflective, calm image of a still lake or a frozen pond or a dark starry night.) But I'm not putting so much pressure on them to carry my true nature. I am revealing more of my self not only to me, but to strangers on the street. I met a lot of new people on Orcas while visiting. And probably more of them met the real me in the first 30 seconds than has ever happened before.

Erika had a few moments of "wow" this weekend as she saw me play with these different elements of line, color and texture. (I'll tell you more about our jewelry-making extravaganza later!) And whenever she did, I had to breathe it in: "Yes, this is really me."

It's not easy to live insight out. I'm still scared sometimes, wondering if I've really gone over the edge. But I haven't fallen yet, or skinned my knees or anything. So I'll continue on...boldly going where I haven't gone before (even if it means raspberry pink with dark black stripes).

Showing Up

Okay...this weekend  I'm with my sister and sister-in-law on Orcas Island. We always have an amazing time with Lenore's bead collection, as she encourages us to create new bracelets or necklaces to our heart's content.

Problem is, now I know that as a type 4, a much different style suits me, and my old standby sensibilities don't work anymore. So my old habits of being drawn to sparkly and long and flourishes and movement are getting in my way! As a type 4, I look so much better now in clear, clean, bold and  direct designs without any of the frills. Think Classic elegant...cool, simple...stylized, straight lines. And it's working!!! I am getting so many comments about the energy shift people are seeing when I "show up" in alignment with the energy that I truly am. No longer are people confused by seeing me dressed as a soft subtle flow-y type, when really I just want to get to the point, get clear, and get results.

Erika, on the other hand, seems to have gracefully made her transition into the long flowing nature of her essential energy. She is bringing in her love of nature into everything she chooses, including determining which of the bazillion beads she has access to fit into the perfect necklace design for her.

Not so easy for me.

But I did engage my love of magic and silent reflection by designing a new bracelet to facilitate a new spiritual practice for myself. And it is stunningly gorgeous. Black, white, silver....calm, cool, still. I adore it. And with my sister's own handwriting etched into it, it's a constant reminder that whenever I show up as my essential energy, she is with me, sharing my journey.

I'd love to hear more about YOUR journey too....so please feel free to comment on this or anything else you've been unfolding for yourself along the way.