I admit it…I am a photography junkie. One thing I love to do is sit and study photographs and try to copy composition and lighting ideas I see the experts doing. That is why I completely lost track of time when I came across the website of this Naples photographer. She does simply stunning work. Some day I would love to come even slightly close to setting up a shot like some I saw on her website. She’s got a gallery on her website…go check it out!
How’s that for something you didn’t expect? Yes…that’s actually what I am telling you. In this age of everyone running around frantically trying to squeeze as much as is humanly possible into every second of the day…I am asking you to slow down and actually be LESS productive. Sound scary? Sound…interesting? Read on!
Many people have lost the ability to enjoy life with the fast-paced speed they keep as they rush through their days. Why are people feeling the need to be constantly “getting more done?” If you fall into the category of people who live like this out of actual ENJOYMENT, then more power to you. I submit that you are in the minority, however. My thought is that people would be happier if they were in the “getting less done” camp.
Simple relaxation tends to make people happier in the long run. Allowing yourself the treat of taking a nap when you are tired or sitting down with a magazine you love will energize not only your mind and body, but your spirit as well.
Some suggestions for incorporating relaxation into your days:
Take baby steps to try to incorporate a slower, relaxed pace into your days to inject a sense of peace and serenity.
Searching for an online master degree program? Gonzaga Online has an interesting servant leadership program designed to create a credential-building certificate that involves the mind, body, and spirit.
This is an ideal opportunity to gain the skills necessary to define you as a leader in your chosen career. When you need an education, online learning is an option to consider. It is reasonably priced and the classes are often able to be scheduled around your other duties.
If I had the time and opportunity, I would seriously consider Gonzaga University Online.
I came home with an interesting book from the library. It’s called “Simply Super Paper” and it is full of paper projects that are sure to appeal to you as much as they did me.
The book is arranged by season with many different crafts to make as each season of the year passes.
As I was browsing through the book this afternoon, this little gem popped out at me and I just had to make it. It’s called “Quilter’s Basket” and honestly…it took me about ten minutes to make and isn’t it cute?!?
This book is full of simple crafts to delight and enthrall both adults and children. Highly recommend it!
We are all, no doubt, intimately familiar with spring cleaning. How many of us engage in summer cleaning, though? I find that my house typically needs a good deep overhaul at the end of the summer as the summer activities start winding down. This is the time that I start to feel the itch to reorganize, get into the nooks and crannies, swipe at those cobwebs, and get everything ready to close up the house again. I shudder to think of it…but it will be here before we know it.
Of course, as I’m engaging in this annual summer’s end marathon, I certainly have no need for weight loss supplements because while I am completing this madness I am also trying to preserve the summer’s bounty and prepare for another school year. This is enough stress to make anyone lose several pounds, let me tell you!
So…do you feel the need to clean at the end of the summer? What do you typically do to end the warm months and begin the cooler months?
How do you prioritize exercise? Does it get done as often as it should? I try to get my exercise in six days week and for me it really needs to be done in the morning before the day gets going too much. If I wait, it gets crowded out by other things.
I usually use my treadmill or elliptical. Lately, however, I’ve been feeling the need for a change. That’s why I was interested to hear my daughter’s opinion about that “30 Day Shred” DVD by Jillian Michaels. I ordered it and got it in the mail yesterday. I did the level one 20-minute workout yesterday and then forgot I did it until my daughter asked me how sore I was today. Happily…I wasn’t! So…I went onto level 2 today. Level 2 was significantly harder and I expect to be sore tomorrow. Not bad for an old girl, though!
Bottom line…keep it interesting and get it done early in the day!
It’s time to share a Public Service Announcement and humble myself a little bit because I made quite a mistake yesterday and paid for it dearly.
I was making salsa out of garden veggies (recipe to follow!) and was cutting up tomatoes, green peppers, onion, serano peppers and jalepeno peppers. After seeding and dicing the peppers, I discarded most of the seeds, threw them in the bowl, and washed my hands. I finished mixing the ingredients, put the salsa in the fridge, and cleaned up the kitchen.
I then sat down to put my little guy down for a nap…my left hand had begun to tingle a bit, but I ignored it. Within about five minutes my left hand felt as though I had plunged it into a pot of boiling water. It felt completely scalded and was on fire. I handled the pain for several minutes before I went to get a bag of ice for my hand and decided to Google it. I read through several websites and tried numerous remedies, including Pepto Bismol, bleach, isopropyl alcohol, baking soda, and milk. Nothing relieved the excruciating pain. I finally decided it was going to hurt for a while and I settled down with my hand soaking in a bowl of ice milk.
An so I sat for the rest of the evening. At bed time I took a bag of ice to bed with me. Finally at about 4 am (12 hours after making the salsa) the pain subsided enough to sleep. Even then, though…I did not fall into dreams about Ferrari parts, I tell you. I was exhausted but had trouble sleeping even then.
So…PSA: NEVER cut hot peppers without gloves. Discard the gloves and wash your hands well.
Fresh Salsa:
2-3 diced tomatoes
1/2 diced red onion
1 jalepeno pepper
1/2 green pepper
1 serano pepper
Juice of one lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and Pepper
Dice everything up finely and combine in a bowl. Chill before serving.
I’m excited. Admittedly, it doesn’t take a lot to make my day. Just look at this beautiful basket I just received from my mom this last week.
Wouldn’t you be excited too? Every bit of produce in this basket I grew myself. If veggies aren’t effective weight loss supplements I don’t know what are!
I lined the bottom of the basket with plastic wrap to protect the fibers from any veggies that might decide to ooze before I get to them. Other than that…this beauty is sitting on my kitchen table and we are eating around it!
Moving…it’s exciting but also so stressful. If you’re thinking about purchasing a new or different home, make sure you consider these things before you call the cross country movers.
1. First and foremost…any realtor will tell you that the location of a home is the one thing you cannot change. Even if you love a home, if it is located in a neighborhood or on a street you don’t like, skip the house.
2. Make sure you like the layout of the home. Stairs, garage, yard…everything. You probably won’t find perfection, but aim to love all of the big things.
3. The neighborhood should fit you and your lifestyle. Quiet and sedated or lively and full of kids…make sure that you and the neighborhood are a good fit.
4. The size of the house needs to fit your needs. Not too big and not too small. Make sure the floor plan fits your lifestyle also.
5. The kitchen is an important room. Make sure you like the layout and the style because remodeling is expensive.
6. Storage is also paramount. Make sure there is adequate storage and closet space for your needs.
7. Make sure the number of bedrooms and bathrooms fits your needs also. Not enough bathrooms would be a nightmare. An extra bedroom would be lovely.
8. Windows and natural lighting are something you might not automatically think about…but if you love to sit in a sunny room, make sure you have south-eastern exposures.
Greetings! I wanted to share the lip balm recipe we used the other day because I am still so excited about this. The lip balm this makes is every bit as nice as any lip balm I have purchased.
1.5 oz beeswax
1 oz cocoa butter
1.5 oz shea butter
2 oz sweet almond oil
1-2 teaspoons flavor oil
1 teaspoon vitamin E liquid
Weigh everything.
In a small saucepan melt the beeswax on low. Add the cocoa butter and shea butter and stir until melted. Add the sweet almond oil and heat through. Add the Vitamin E oil and remove from heat. Pour into a glass measuring cup for pouring into lip balm containers. Add the flavor oil and pour into lip balm containers. If it starts to harden, microwave for a few seconds to re-melt and continue pouring.
Recipe makes 6 ozs
**A reader asked me to add my source for lip balm tubes. The Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe is where I ordered my tubes. Scroll almost to the bottom of this page – I ordered the clear tubes.**
