I am a big fan of Life Lists.  My kids are always teasing me saying, “is that on the LL Mom?”   That is how often I refer to my Life List!

The start of a New Year—and in this case a New Decade—is the perfect time to create or add to your Life List.

Some of the items I got to cross off my Life List in 2009 were driving up the California coast from Santa Barbra to San Francisco, writing another book, golfing 18 holes (even if it was 9 at a time), rowing, getting my friends to visit my favorite island, and stand up paddle boarding (much harder than it looks!)

One of the most fun things I did last summer was take a long weekend with my girl friends to Catalina Island.  It was our annual Girls Trip and this year was extra special because one of my friends crossed something off her Bucket List—she finally went Parasailing!!!  And I got to be there to witness it all.  That is almost as much fun as crossing something off your own list!

What do you have on your Life List?

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

It seems that we are being given reminders in both large global ways in small personal ways not to take life for granted. This year I hope we take that message to heart.  Find the time, speak your love often, mend a quarrel, keep a promise, welcome a stranger.

Let’s begin this year by reflecting about the changes we want to see and then putting our intentions into action.  The way we spend our time is ultimately the way we spend our lives. Devote your time and energy this year to what really matters.

What do you always think about doing, but don’t actually do?

What does your heart desire? Have you always wanted to run a marathon, take a trip to the land of your ancestors, take a photography class, learn to speak another language, plant a garden, write your history, or volunteer at a local charity?

Commit to making this be the year we actually do it! The reality is we make time for whatever is really important to us. If it is truly a priority we find, we carve out, we create the time.

How will you be spending your time in 2010?

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

It is my tradition on each New Year’s Eve to make a list of everything I want to release from the year—and burn it.   It’s may way of making sure I let go whatever isn’t working for me so I can head into a New Year with a clean slate and a fresh start.

Some years my list makes it’s way to the fireplace, some years we have had a fire pit in the back yard, and some years I am lucky enough to be at the beach with a bon fire.

It’s liberating to throw your list into the fire!   Try it!

Happy NEW Year!

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

Christmas just doesn’t feel the same once the kids are grown.

The magic of watching young children on Christmas morning is something to be treasured.

This year our grand-dog Fiona is providing the laughter and the magic of the season!

Happy Holidays!

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

So many of us are counting down the days until 2009 is over, eager to greet a new year with new hope.  If 2009 has you feeling like you’ve been hit by a train, I offer up Hartley’s words of wisdom for us all.

I met Hartley last year while I was on a trip with a group of friends. Early on in the trip, I was at the hotel in the midst of arranging a taxi to pick us all up at a certain time the next morning and trying to find out about a ferry schedule. Okay, I was being my organized type A self when a man named Hartley stepped in. I explained to him I wanted to make sure we arrived at our next destination on time. He just smiled. I tried to clarify that I really needed to know what time we would need to get the taxi to pick us up in order to arrive at the ferry on time. Hartley smiled again and told me not to be in such a rush.

Hartley just kept saying we should fear not. Fear not?

My friends and I ended up talking to Hartley for almost an hour. He gave us quite a lesson in life. A sermon really. Hartley talked to us about the way it is back in his country of Dominica and how much slower and gentler things are. Fear not he preached. It will all work out. Slow down and take time to enjoy life more. Don’t worry so much he said. Learn to fear not.

The rest of the trip was pretty much a series of disastrous events—let’s just say there was plenty to be afraid of on this trip—but we listened to Hartley, feared not and laughed a lot instead!

I have decided with the fresh start of a new year on the horizon I am going to be following the wise words of Hartley the bellman and take this life lesson with me into the New Year. I am going to slow down, take a few breaths, enjoy life more.

Sounds like a great mantra for a new decade, Fear Not.

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

This year I was going to deck the halls, hand-write holiday greetings and actually mail them, make sugar cookies from scratch, and finish all of my shopping before Thanksgiving. Ha!

That didn’t happen.

About this time each year I think most women basically have our hair on fire. There is just so much to do!  The sense of overwhelm is well…overwhelming.  Can you relate?

And by the way what is the deal with Santa Claus getting all the credit?  We know darn well that in most cases it’s Madame Claus that is doing most of the work!

It is the season for giving after all, so let’s try giving ourselves a break.
 How about this holiday season instead all the “should’s” and “have-to’s” on our list we cut ourselves some slack?  Instead of super-sizing our work load this time of year, I dare you to down-size it!   Besides the smaller the tree the bigger the presents will look!

The best gift of all is taking it easy on ourselves. Here’s to actually enjoying the holiday season.

Cheers!

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

This morning as I put on a pair of warm socks to guard against the chilly floors and headed downstairs to my office, I thought about how much I cherish these socks and their origin.

Those of you who have been with me from the start of this journey may remember one of the very first Making a Difference charities we ever featured in the Femail Creations catalog over a decade ago, the Rainbow Socks Project.

The year before I actually began Femail Creations I learned about a woman in Boston named Babbie who collected yarn and knitting needles to send to the women of Bosnia and Croatia so they could knit scarves and mittens and socks to stay warm.  Babbie’s project gathered momentum and people from all over the country were sending her yarn and knitting needles. I went out that day and gathered up boxes of yarn and shipped them off.

What I loved about Babbie’s story was that, like so many of us, she saw a news story about women’s lives being torn apart by war, only instead of just being saddened or even angered by the story, she took action.

After Femail Creations got off the ground, I thought about Babbie and wanted to somehow use the catalog to help. I contacted her and asked how we could support the great work she was doing. She said that the women now had all of the mittens and socks they needed, however we could continue to send them supplies so that they could sell their excess socks back to us for sale here in the United States. Babbie’s generous idea, called the Rainbow Socks Project, not only provided clothing and warmth to the women but an income stream to help them rebuild their village, which was destroyed in the war.

I asked Babbie if we could feature the Rainbow Socks as our holiday 1997 charity in the catalog. I knew our customers would love the story and want to buy the socks and mittens and reach out to these women thousands of miles away. Babbie loved the idea and we immediately began working out the logistics of how to get that many socks over here.

Each pair of mittens or socks were knitted by hand, using the patterns these women had been handing down for generations, and each woman would stitch a little piece of paper with her name on it in the mitten or sock. No two were exactly alike but each one was a heartfelt work of art. (I know many of you would love to buy more of them right now, but alas they are no longer available all these many years later.)

Babbie used her personal frequent flier miles to fly over to pick up the socks herself to guarantee that we would get them here in time to sell them in the catalog. And then she did the same thing again when she brought the women their check from Femail Creations.

The women were able to reconstruct their village with the money we sent them from the mittens and socks we sold in the catalog.

When Babbie returned she sent me a gift I truly treasure, a letter and a piece of cloth. The letter explained that the piece of cloth was the first one produced by the loom they bought for the village using the money Femail Creations sent them. Babbie said they all called me the “good woman,” and told her to take this to the “good woman” who helped them rebuild their village.

A few years ago my husband and I were fortunate enough to actually visit Croatia. A very different place than it was over a decade ago. Dubrovnik is now a thriving and beautiful travel destination. It was a real full circle moment for me.

Babbie’s story still inspires me and reminds me just how important it is to take action when something moves us.   Whether your family holiday traditions include adopting a less fortunate family, helping stock food pantries or just taking cookies to your neighbors, this season is a great opportunity to reach out and make a difference, lighten someone’s load and brighten someone’s day.

Here’s to embracing life’s full circle moments and the magic of the season!

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

My favorite holiday tradition is getting new pajamas on Christmas Eve.  When I was a kid I loved getting the pj’s with feet in them!    I looked forward to opening up every Christmas Eve what in our home was called a “zoot suit”.

Last year I thought it would be fun if my family had the pleasure of getting zoot suits on Christmas Eve.  I couldn’t stop laughing, but oddly my kids didn’t seem to think pajamas with feet in them were so great!  Imagine that, my adult kids not loving these!   Oh well, this picture of me and Harlie and our feety pajamas still makes me smile.

I hope your holidays bring you laughter, happy memories, and the magic of the season!

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

Every year during the holidays, Femail Creations does something I am passionate about—surprise someone with a free Christmas!   In years past, Femail Creations has donated Christmas to your favorite teacher, nurse, deserving mom, friend, and others.

This year, with so many women facing yet another holiday alone because their partner is serving in the military overseas, we wanted to offer a Christmas to her once more. She is serving her country too, and we want to serve her up a Christmas she will never forget with a box of heartfelt gifts!

So here’s how it works… You need to nominate a woman you care about who is going to be alone this Christmas because her husband is serving overseas.

Go to  http://www.femailcreations.com/service_contest_form.aspx  to enter Femail Creations Serving Up a Service Wife a Christmas She Won’t Forget Contest. Entries must be received by December 15th, 2009.

Share in the spirit of the season. Together we can make this the merriest season yet!

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

Maybe your Thanksgivings tend to go kind of like a lot of mine…not quite like the Norman Rockwell paintings?

Whenever extended family tends to gather with wide ranging political and religious views it seems like we are left with the humdrum pass the salt small talk or the other extreme that ends in a heated argument or as we like to call them a loud discussion.

Maybe this year we could all try something new, just chatting and actually getting to know each other.

Let’s start with this great quote by Nancy Thayer as our talking point.  Because I truly believe it is never too late to revise—or learn something new about our friends and family.

Who knows we just might find common ground after all.

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

I have always been the one to say age is only a number.   My birthdays have never mattered to me.  I have decided that it isn’t actually my birthday but rather my kid’s birthdays that have started making me feel old.

I had managed, thus far, without much fuss to have several birthdays, crossing the threshold of four decades just fine.  However, as my children cross into their second decade, for some reason now the birthdays are starting to hit me—their birthdays!

Well after over two decades of the proverbial kids blaming everything on the parents, I get to blame something on them for a change—it’s their fault I am starting to feel old!   Ha!

My Dad always laughs and says; “I don’t understand how I can have kids turning 50 when I am only 49!”  His favorite joke is finally starting to make sense to me.

Let them eat cake!

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

I recently received an unexpected but deeply appreciated note.   A vendor from Femail Creations took the opportunity to drop me an email after reading my blog to thank me for being in the catalog and to let me know just how much that exposure meant to their company.  I happened to read the note at the end of very long day, and the sentiment couldn’t have arrived at a better time.  It meant the world to me to be reminded that the work I have been doing for more than a decade matters and has made a difference.

It was a great reminder to me to reach out and let those who have impacted my life know just how grateful I am.   I came across this video recently that is a shinning example of just that.  Maybe its because my Dad was a teacher for 40 years that this video about appreciation struck such a deep chord with me?  Or perhaps it is the season of thankfulness in the air.  Whatever moved me so, I wanted to share it with you and I hope you will share it with others.  Turn up your volume and enjoy this video!

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Blessings

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

Maybe it was the email from my sister wondering if I thought she could get the $8,000 tax credit for a bunker instead of a house—such have been her trials and tribulations lately—she wanted to hunker down until it was all over. Maybe it was the sense that so many of us feel like we have gone down the proverbial rabbit hole this year? Whatever the reason, I was inspired by Alice In Wonderland when it came time to dress up for Halloween this year!

So alas that was the theme for this years Spooky Golf foursome costume. As you can see our foursome includes Alice (yours truly), the Mad Hatter, (aka my hubby Jeff) and our friends Linda and Frank as the Queen of Hearts and the Rabbit.

The trick was getting Frank’s giant rabbit head into the golf cart. The treat was winning top prize at the Halloween Party for the third year in a row!

Happy Halloween!!!

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

I have a quote hanging up that says, “At worst a house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived.” Rose Macaulay already had that figured out back in 1881.  She was way ahead of her time!  Follow Rose’s lead and start really living your life.

When was the last time you let the dishes pile up in the sink and went off to play hooky?  If you can’t remember, carve out some playtime for yourself—right now. The work can wait, skip the meeting, let the laundry pile up, and take a break.

I got the most inspiring email from a friend yesterday.  It said, don’t reply to this email, I am not working today, I will be gone all day watching my daughter play in a golf tournament.  It made my heart sing!  I thought now there is a great Mom, and one smart lady with her priorities in the right order!

I was so inspired; this morning I did something I have never done before.  I had tea and toast on my patio—before I checked my office email or voice mail.  I actually took time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast break with my husband and didn’t start working until 9:30 today.  And do you know what, the world didn’t even come to and end!

Women seem to have forgotten the being part of human being. We somehow bought into the human doing theory.

So if your last belly laugh, ice-cream cone, chick flick, or leisurely walk in the park is a distant memory, it is way past time for you to have some fun.

It is easy to forget that we are multidimensional women, and we need to nurture all aspects of our lives. And that includes pleasure.

You are the only one who can schedule down time for yourself.  Make it a priority.

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

I don’t golf.  But I have learned a trick to playing this devil of a game.

Once a year I join a sort of witness protection program and golf under the cover of darkness—and while wearing a disguise—at the annual Halloween Night Golf Costume Bash.

You see my husband is the club champion.  I on the other hand, am only good at chasing down the drink cart.   But when Halloween rolls around I treat my husband to my presence on the golf course.

Turns out, along with our friends Linda and Frank, we are a mighty foursome!   We have won best costume two years running now.  So pressure is on this year!

Last year we went as the Flintstones.  Now this is no small feat, when you consider you not only have to dress up, you have to decorate the golf cart too!   A shout out to my staff, always willing to help, who came through with flying colors and even whipped up a six foot tall Dino!

I would tell you what we have planned for this year, but surely the competition will find out and try to foil our plans.  So stay tuned to find out if we reign supreme again!

Happy Halloween!

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

As many of you know I am a wee bit obsessed with quotes, and one of my very favorites is Margaret Mead’s quote, “Never doubt a small group of thoughtful people could change the world.  Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has”.

Nancy G. Brinker is a beautiful example of that.  The Susan G. Komen foundation began as a promise Nancy made to her sister. That promise is now Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the global leader of the breast cancer movement, and world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists, having invested more than $1 billion since inception in 1982.

Thousands of women and men come together, every year each raising money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. Then they take their commitment to end breast cancer one step further and walk 60 miles over the course of three days.  If you have participated in one of the many 3-Day events around the country send in your pictures or videos so we can post them and applaud you!!!

I am passionate about making a difference!  For the entire month of October the Femail Creations catalog will be donating 20% of the proceeds from our specially selected Awareness gift products to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.  Visit www.femailcreations.com

Here’s to finding a cure!

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

I am working on my next book and I want YOU to be in it!

So many of us are running on empty and are in desperate need of a refill.

Some of us have learned how to refuel, but most of us are still in the process of figuring that out.

How did we end up engrained with the message we had to put everyone else first?  Have you paid a price for burning the candle at both ends?  Share with me how you lost your way, the consequences of spreading yourself too thin, and how you found your way back.

I would love to hear your story!

Email me via the contact page on my blog or at femailfacebook@gmail.com

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

In Nevada we don’t have the lottery, we have Mega Bucks—a progressive slot machine game—it may not be 300 million dollars, but it is certainly enough to change your life.

I am not a real gambler but whenever we go to the movies we walk right past the Mega Bucks machines and I like to put in a few bucks and fantasize about winning!

So every now and then I like to do what I call my “Mega Bucks Litmus Test”.

It goes a little something like this…I ponder what I would do if I actually won Mega Bucks.

Over the years there have been times I wouldn’t change a thing.  There have been times I would make radical changes.  And there have been times I would only make slight modifications to my life.  But what I have learned about myself is that this somewhat silly Mega Bucks Litmus Test actually has merit.

Life is too short to wait for our 10 million dollar ship to come in!   Whenever I mull over my Mega Bucks Litmus Test I inevitably end up course correcting and adjusting the sails on the ship of my life.

So what would YOU do if you won Mega Bucks?

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

I have been getting a lot of questions about my darling little grand-dog Fiona.  She is recovering nicely after her surgery.  She got her stitches out.  She has been doing her physical therapy in the swimming pool.

She is so happy to be free of the cone she had to wear for weeks and be able to play in the backyard once again, that when we try to bring her back in the house she hides in the bushes so we “can’t see her” in hopes she won’t have to come inside.

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

Funny as it sounds, I’m a big believer in the power of procrastination. I used to spend a lot of time agonizing over projects I was dreading. That alone was a waste of time. Now, when I don’t feel like looking at spreadsheets or some other less appealing part of my business, I throw myself into something else as mundane as cleaning out a closet. Some of my most productive moments happen when I’m in procrastination mode. You would be amazed at how much you can get done when you are trying to avoid doing something else.

Next time you have a project that you are dreading move on to something else you have been putting off.  If you have been thinking about organizing the spice cupboard in your kitchen for months but never seem to have the time, move that to the top of your list when you are trying to procrastinate doing your quarterly taxes.  Then get your quarterly taxes done when you are procrastinating scheduling your annual pap smear.  See how effective this method is!  Eventually everything gets done because there is always something worse than the next thing!

Just when you think that spreadsheet is looking bad there is always a root canal waiting around the corner!  Ah, the power of procrastination!

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

Ironically, a bird had built a nest on my patio, just as I was facing my own empty nest. Each day I watched the other bird fly off to get food for her babies. It had been my morning ritual that summer. My kids know I have a full life, actually enjoy spending time with their father, and have raised them to be independent and spread their wings. Having said that, I was still trying to wrap my head around the notion that my son was moving out, signing his first apartment lease, and heading off to college.

How did we go from swim diapers to dive master in 18 short years? Is it just me, or is there a lot more to worry about than when we left home? Did I teach him everything I needed to? Did I run out of time? It sure felt like it.

As I faced this scary time of letting go, letting my kids grow and take risks, I found myself taking lots of deep breaths and reflecting on when they were little. The challenges we faced then seemed so overwhelming. I had no idea potty training would be the easy part.

I often wonder if we are here to teach our children or if they are here to teach us? With each new challenge they face, our own comfort zones here to expand to accommodate their broadening horizons. I have learned that as our children grow so do we.

With so many of my friends facing a leap of faith this fall and that daunting task of sending a child off to college, it seemed the perfect time to share this video with you, and I hope you will share it with anyone in your life who is in the midst of spreading wings and learning to fly.

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

Sometimes on the way to your dream you get lost and find a better one. Now more than ever I am finding people are truly reevaluating life.  Perhaps with our ever-changing landscape now is the perfect time to step back and ponder what other paths we might have taken, what passions and pursuits we wished we had let our hearts follow.  It is okay to change our minds and it’s never too late to start.

Many years ago a friend gave me a gift with the inscription, “It is never too late in fiction or in life to revise.”  Seeing that each day was one of the things that planted my first seed of passion and inspired me to take the leap of faith to launch Femail Creations.

So what new adventure might you begin?  If you start something exciting be sure to write and let me know!

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

With three businesses and two kids I’ve learned quite a few lessons about balance. Like most of us, in the beginning I thought I could do everything. I cut back on many of the things that I loved. Reading for pleasure, nights out with friends, vacations, they all fell by the wayside. I struggled to regain my equilibrium as my business grew. For a long time, I was really just a two dimensional person. It was about work and family for me, and it stayed that way for a long time.

I always thought of balance as a state of peace and stillness. I now believe that balance is really more like being on a balance beam. You’re always making little movements here and there to stay centered and stay on the beam. You’re never completely still.

I understand there will never be such a thing as perfect balance in my life.  Instead, I’m constantly re-adjusting my schedule and shifting my priorities. Maybe I’m not spending an equal amount of time on each part of my life at any given time, but I feel pretty comfortable that every area is getting a fair share. It’s my cheesecake system for balancing life!  Sometimes work is getting a bigger slice, sometimes my kids are getting a bigger slice, but eventually they all get their share of the cheesecake.

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

Just like all grandchildren, my little four-legged, furry one, Fiona has been the bright spot of our family.  She has been keeping us all laughing and in stitches.  And now she has herself in stitches.  Poor little thing fell and broke her leg.  Fiona had to have surgery last week so our sad little girl has been stuck wearing a cone around her head, and she is not happy about it!

The Vet warned us that once she started feeling better the most difficult part was going to be keeping Fiona, a Welsh Terrier puppy, from wanting to go back to running around.  And he was right!   We have a long few weeks ahead of us.

To cheer us all up, and give us something more lighthearted to think about, it is time to officially give Fiona a middle name.  That is where you come in…we think she needs a Welsh name in honor of her heritage.  We have it narrowed down to three.

Which one do you like best?

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Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

I know I am not the only one finding myself with adult children suddenly back home.  Maybe they arrived back home because they could no longer afford rent, maybe they lost their job and had to return to the nest, perhaps they just graduated from college only to discover their degree isn’t going to help land the job they had hoped for in this challenging economy, or maybe they are just home for the summer between semesters?   Whatever the reason may be, more and more adult children are living at home these days.

We thought we needed an owner’s manual when they were born!   Ha!  Where is the guidebook to help navigate this ever-shifting landscape???   What exactly are the rules?   We are all adults here, but somehow I find myself reminding grown people to pick up their towels and stop leaving a trail behind them.

My husband, father of these two lovely offspring who have descended upon us this summer, reached his breaking point last week.  After nagging and painstakingly pointing out that the dishwasher is mere inches from the sink, and that the dishes must actually be loaded into the dishwasher—not just be left in the sink—hung a sign.

Maybe next we can tackle grocery consumption, i.e. there is a store right down the street, feel free at any point to replace some of the food you have devoured.   After that we are going to work on liquor cabinet protocol.   If we are all going to live together, Mommy must have some tequila left in the house!

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®