May 24, 2014

The Saturday Short


Greetings! 

It all started with a rolling pin. My mom gave me a pre-birthday gift last night, which just so happened to be said rolling pin. I'm at home for the weekend and staying with The Rents'. 

Mom and I had baking fun this morning. Lots of flour everywhere was involved. Laughter was had.  Biscuits were made. And love was dashed in too. 

Take a look! 







What are you up to today? What was for breakfast? 

Ciao! 


May 19, 2014

Weekly Wishes #11


 
Greetings!
Its that time again for weekly wishes! Did you set any goals for last week? If so, how did they go? Are you just joining me? Let me explain what happens for Weekly Wishes..

The Happenings: You share your weekly, monthly, or yearly goals/wishes/achievements and you get to be a part of this big group of people that are doing the same thing. Yay! Wanna join in? Check out The Nectar Collective and add a link to your blog!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Salutations and Happy Monday! I'm super excited to get through this week, because on Friday I'm flying the coop and heading on home to Tennessee! Not only will it be to celebrate Memorial Day weekend, but I will also be attending a wedding, and will be having a pre-birthday celebration with the fam! Good times, I tell ya! How was last week for you? Mine was pretty stellar! Let's chat about last weeks wishes, shall we?



Last Weeks Wishes

 * Write Down Wishes - Ding! Ding! Totally did this one and it made all the difference in the world as far as helping me get my wishes accomplished. I wrote them down on a Post-It and smacked it down on my desk at work, so that I'd have to see it everyday. Mary Jane (from Being Mary Jane) may have been on to something, with this whole let's-use-a-bunch-of-Post-It's-to-write-stuff-down-on kinda thing. I must say that I've never much had a need for Post-It's, but I'm thinking that I will start to use them more. Do you like Post-It's too?

* Making Birthday Plans - I actually sat down and thought about what it is that I would like to do. I talked about it here. Since it would be two weekends in a row that I would travel, I'm thinking that having a birthday in town will do me just fine. :)
* Write! Write! Write! - After what has probably been many months (eek!) of avoiding sitting down and writing, I let it tumble out and I wrote. It was no easy feat at first. I was just kind of blank and intimidated. But after a few minutes an idea formed, words came, my fingers started to move over the keyboard, and a new chapter was born. Yay! Now that I've written, it just makes me want to write more.
 
 
 
This Weeks Wishes
* Meditate Daily - I was in the habit of meditating not so long ago and then I just edged it out because 'I didn't have time'. But just like eating healthy is important, so is mental health. I have the feeling that I'm going to need the discipline it provides in the near future. Plus it helps with stress and just all around feels good. I like listening to music while I meditate. Do you have any music that you like and would recommend?
* Implement Yoga - I.Love.Yoga. There is just something about yoga that I can't explain that helps me feel at peace. After your done, you feel all sweaty and tired, but there is a beautiful serenity that comes with it as well. I'm geeked about a new app I've just downloaded called Daily Yoga. It takes you through a workout showing you positions with video, it talks you through it, and it plays music. Can you say, supa dope?
* Finish The Body Book! (for real this time) - I've talked before about The Body Book here. I'm really close to the end now and I really need to finish it up before I leave town, because I will be passing it on to my dear mother. I thought the end might be boring and filled with fluff, but no! I'm still learning and it really is a complete guide to taking care of your body and explaining why you eat the way you do, and how to correct it. BAM! Please go buy it if you haven't already!
Already lovelies... tell me all about you goals and wishes for this week. As for me, I'm off to do some meditating and some yoga, but I'll be back soon!
Ciao!

May 18, 2014

Weekend Rambles


Greetings Friends!
 
 
Are you just joining for Weekend Rambles? I like to think of this as a non-judgment, free flowng thought kind of space. I'm curious about and welcome your rambles and thoughts for today. Enjoy!
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


* Yesterday, I went to go see Godzilla and it was great! People even clapped at the end, as did I. Definitely go see it. I was a little squirrely while we were there, because we were surrounded by coughers galore! Do you ever have a hypochondriac moment where you just know your throat is starting to feel scratchy, because you've been around sickly people?? Silly I know.



* The only time I ever envy men is when I have to use a public restroom! Let's be real here for a moment, shall we.... How awesome would it be to just zip down, whip your junk out, zip back up, wash your hands and roll out, instead of having to get half naked in order to just pee. Let's not even talk about seat liners and the headache that causes.



*Speaking of bathrooms, can I admit that I get a little nervous about seeing partitions that have doors high off the floors? Like, why does the bottom of the door come up to my knee? I don't like the idea of someone being able to see my clothes all gathered around my knees/ankles. Isn't bathroom time supposed to be private?



* Do you ever gather up a ton of magazines, to just not read them. I always have good intensions, but a lot of times other stuff just takes precedence.



* At any given time, I love having a house phone. A reliable hardline that doesn't drop calls in the middle on your conversation and if you don't have a cordless phone, no need to worry about charging it. The plus side of a house phone is that it also doubles as a weapon. You'll know what I'm talking about if you ever had one of these here!! Ha!



* Do you ever just need 'me time'? Time to cry and blow snot bubbles over movies you'd otherwise never get caught dead crying over. Or to read a book and throw it across the room, because you simply just cannot believe what happened in the storyline, just to run across that same room to get the book because you MUST know what happens next??


* Sometimes my high school years seem so long ago that when I think about them, it just feels like some old movie that I remember watching and not my actual life. Oddly enough those when I hear music from that time, it's hard for me to fathom that it first came out on the radio 15-20 years ago!


* If I had a super power, I always thought it would be cool to either be able to fly or become invisible at will. What say you?


* I really like the new trend in nails right now. Something like this or this. I think that at some point I would poke the shit out of myself, because I would forget there is a sharp point at the end! Ha ha! I would endure though, because I'd feel badass!


Alright friends! Hit me with your random thoughts today. Happy Sunday!


Ciao!

 

May 15, 2014

Birthday Adventures!




Greetings! 



What are you up to today? Perhaps like me, you are at work and taking a lunch break or maybe you’re working from home, or yet still maybe you’re homeschooling your kids. Either way, welcome! I have been diligently working on this week’s Weekly Wishes and today’s post is about #3, which is making birthday plans!


Often times over the years, since my birthday falls close to and sometimes is on Memorial Day, it has been spent traveling and visiting family. I was always made to feel special on my birthday with a cake baked (yellow cake with chocolate frosting of course), presents given, and the birthday song sung throughout the month by my parents. As of late though, I’ve been taking considerable thought into what I’d really like to do. When I turned 30, the Rent’s came down to visit and spent a couple days with me going around to all the spots I’d been wanting to go to.



The following year, I decided that I wanted to hop on a plane and visit one of my BFF’s and her husband and have a real gown-up birthday filled with exciting new foods, shopping, dancing, and all types of drunken fun times! See my 31 Pearls of Wisdom.



Last year The Boo and I spent what seemed like every waking minute at the movies, when we didn’t go to Medieval Times, the Georgia Aquarium, and weren’t indulging in fancy restaurants. 




This year since I love to travel, I was thinking of making it a beach birthday! I’ve heard a lot of good things about Destin, FL. Maybe also going to Savannah, GA and visiting the beach at Tybee Island. I’ll probably consult with Bing since they have a lot of travel info and tips. The other thought is just staying in town and being a tourist here. Maybe go and ride the Skyview ferris wheel downtown or maybe dress up and go see a play? The possibilities are endless!

What say you? Got any suggestions for me? Let me know!

Ciao!

May 13, 2014

The Secret to Happiness

 
Greetings!
I'm feeling especially good today. That kind of good where you just want to shout it from the mountain tops and spread it to everyone you possibly can, so that they can feel the same happiness you feel! Over the weekend, I had a chance to go to one of my favorite stores here in Atlanta called Phoenix & Dragon Bookstore. As a Mother's Day special they had a sweet woman there by the name of Laura Kaye who was doing Aura Photography! Not sure what an Aura is? Click here!

 
Let me just tell you the experience was amazing and overwhelming! She explained how the camera worked, gave you a Polaroid of yourself and gave you a small, let's say 10 min reading telling you about what she saw in your Aura. Apparently I have quite a few spirit guides, one male, and a lot of female guides. Is it weird to say that I feel like I've seen them before? When I was younger and at home by myself, I used to always see a dark shadowy figure that seemed to me to be a male. It never scared me because it just always seemed to just be something I saw out of the corner of my eye and the presence didn’t feel threatening. Thinking back though, I'm wondering if it was a spirit guide.
 
So Laura and I were speaking about happiness and she reminded me about something that I had forgotten.
"No matter where you are or where you go, you take happiness with you."
So in other words, maybe you're not happy with where you are in life, where you live, or what job you have, but within your day to day living, take happiness with you so that you have it always!

 
Sometimes, I get happy moments in snatches. Like yesterday for example, when I was leaving home, I saw that the neighborhood geese had cute, fuzzy, little black and yellow babies! They were so adorable and it made me smile, feel warm all over, and like everything was right in the world. That was my happy moment, and I carry it with me wherever I go.

 
A lot of times, it's easy to complain about what you don't have instead of thinking about what to do have and doing the things that make you smile. And I'm going to tell you a secret, so come close to the screen...
Happiness is a choice!!
There... I said it. Have you ever known someone that just loves to complain about their life and no matter how much advice you give them, how much you try to lift up their spirits, or how much you try to show them that they are loved, all they still want to do is lay down and cry? Yeah well, while everyone deserves to have a pity party every now and then, at some point you have to pick yourself up off the floor, knock off all the dirt and debris, and choose happiness instead of sadness! Sadness/complaining is a hard habit to break, but it can be done!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 
Action Plan: To help bring happiness in your life, start a happiness journal! Take it with you everywhere you go, so when you find yourself smiling at something or giggling uncontrollably, take a minute in the day to write it down. The fun part is going back and reading something you forgot about and smiling at the thought all over again.
 
Not a writer, you say? Well, then take a picture of the happenings and post it on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media outlet you like. Hell, do both! Just make sure it’s a way that you can go back and see what made you happy, because then you can pull it out and sprinkle yourself with happy thoughts.
Also, don’t forget that what you put out in this world comes right back to you. If you spread happiness, it will surely come back. That’s it for me lovelies! What were your happy moments today?
Ciao!


May 12, 2014

Weekly Wishes #10

Greetings!
Its that time again for weekly wishes! Did you set any goals for last week? If so, how did they go? Are you just joining me? Let me explain what happens for Weekly Wishes..

The Happenings: You share your weekly, monthly, or yearly goals/wishes/achievements and you get to be a part of this big group of people that are doing the same thing. Yay! Wanna join in? Check out The Nectar Collective and add a link to your blog!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today and this week are off to a very good start! I feel inspired, motivated, and full of love. I feel like big changes are coming in my life and I'm very excited about them. More on that in a different post. Let's talk about Last Weeks Wishes, shall we?
Last Weeks Wishes
* Make a trip to Goodwill - I haven't actually gone to Goodwill yet, but I have collected up a few things that I'm willing to part with.


* Care Packaging - I haven't gotten this sent off yet or even gotten everything that I want to get, but I do have a list of what I need and I have all of the packing supplies. At least half the battle is done!
* Go to Bed on Time - To be honest with you, I don't even remember if I did it or not! I think I may have... but I really don't know. I was so tired last week and for some reason I kept having nightmares and waking up in the middle of the night. At least I got rest over the weekend.
This Weeks Wishes
* Post-It - Can I admit something? Half the time, I forget what my weekly wishes are and then I will remember them halfway through the day and be like, 'Oh yeah!! I was supposed to _____'. I can't do anything about it at the time, because I'm always at work. To remedy this, I'm going to start writing them down, that way it's in front of me all the time.
* Birthday Plans - I want to sit down and really think about what I want to do on my birthday on this upcoming 29th. Whoop! Whoop! I never... ever... everevereverever work on my birthday if I don't have to. So I have some planning to do. :)
* Write - I should really just stop being scared and just write some more on my book! It's just the first draft anyway. I think the intimidating part is thinking about someone reading and critiquing it. The thing is... I don't have to let anyone read it just yet, do I? The problem is, I also like feedback. Must.Push.Through.
Okay, that's it kiddies. Share with me what your wishes or goals are this week!
Ciao!!

May 11, 2014

Weekend Rambles..

 
Greetings Friends!
 
 
Hope everyone has had a great weekend, because I know I have! Are you just joining for Weekend Rambles? I like to think of this as a non-judgment, flowing freely thought kind of space. I'm curious about and welcome your rambles and thoughts for today. Enjoy!
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 
* I've recently had the opportunity to be around firearms. It's surprising to me how many people have guns! They've never been apart of my world, so I guess I've never thought about it. Do you like guns? Do you have one? I don't know if I'd be prepared to hurt and/or kill someone, if at some point someone was to roll up on me to cause me harm.
 
 
 
* Do you pay your bills on time? I'm always curious if people really do. I know it's silly, but sometimes I like holding on to my money as long as possible, just so I can see it there in my bank account, and you know... Just in case something comes up by surprise that I need money for. It's silly, I know... I can't be the only one.
 
 
 
* Speaking of money.. Am I the only one that curses and throws Salle Mae the Finger whenever you think about paying back your student loan? I swear that was one of the biggest and most stupidest decisions I've ever made in life. Damn your evil, non-forbearance giving having pass Salle Mae! ::: shaking my fist in the air :::
 
 
 
* Sometimes, I want to grab a blanket, lay out in the grass (or on my balcony) and stare up at the clouds and find shapes. I used to have this big rug, I would pull out of the storage room when I was a kid and me and my friends would lay on it in the grass and stare at the clouds for what seemed like hours. Good times.
 
 
* Why do people wear sunglasses outside when there's no sun!? I've never understood this... Are your eyes just that sensitive to light or are you just trying to look cool?
 
 
* I've finally pinpointed what I want to go back to school for! It's a reeeeeeeeeeeeeally good feeling to know what direction I want to go in now.
 
 
* Do you dream a lot? I go through periods where I remember I've dreamt and then others times I don't. I'm not sure what makes the difference. From what I understand, we always dream, but we don't always remember them. Sometimes in my dreams I'm not even me. Sometimes I'm a man who's this Indiana Jones type of guy who's on an adventure. Other times I'm just watching the dream and I'm not even in it. Have you ever been able to speak another language in your dream? I have! Now that was awesome!
 
 
* Stretch pants are meant to be worn with something over them whether you have a great body or not! Sorry, that's just my opinion.
 
 
 
* Happy Mother's Day out there to all the mommies today! I love my mom very much and I miss her everyday! She's a classy, funny, loving, generous lady, and I can't wait to be in her presence at the end of this month. :)
 
 
Well that's it for now! May your day be filled with love, joy, and only people that will uplift you and bring positive energy into your life and space! :)
 
Ciao!
 
 

May 10, 2014

The Saturday Short


Greetings Friend!

It's a cloudy and somewhat rainy day here in Atlanta, GA, yet cheerful nonetheless! The morning has been quiet with the exception of the drama our neighbors seemed to cause, but I refuse to let that put a damper on the day. You know how it goes... Every now and then a neighbor or two will have a disagreement and wake you up out of your peaceful much needed slumber with their car alarm... If nothing else it's entertaining. Especially when you get to talk about what happened with other neighbor who saw it all!


Anyhow, The Boo and I plan on getting out and about today to do some shopping! Maybe I'll find some deals and cutely rain boots to be stylishly chic in. I really like these. I'm even going to go get a picture of my aura taken (because I'm into that kinda thing) for shits and giggles.
What are you up to today?? Let me know!
Ciao!

May 8, 2014

Weekly Wishes x 9!

Greetings!



Its that time again for weekly wishes! Did you set any goals for last week? If so, how did they go? Are you just joining me? Let me explain what happens for Weekly Wishes..

The Happenings: You share your weekly, monthly, or yearly goals/wishes/achievements and you get to be a part of this big group of people that are doing the same thing. Yay! Wanna join in? Check out The Nectar Collective and add a link to your blog!
_____________________________________
This week has been a very busy one for me at work and at home! Monday was just bonkers, but in a good way. :) I've been pretty determined to get more healthy after I had my Week of Being a Vegetarian. It's like after that week, everything about what I need to do has been put into perspective! So far, I've been killing the water and getting in my 8 glasses a day and I haven't had any fast food. Yay, for me! :) No fast food is a really big feat. Let's talk about last weeks wishes.
Last Weeks Wishes 
* Start the Purge Process - Let's say that I got halfway on this one. I ended up putting some shoes on eBay! It seems to me that it's going to take a long time for stuff to sell. At least shoes anyway. I know I'm very leery about buying shoes online whether it's eBay or DSW! Maybe I can do better with purses?
* Revamp the Blog - Yeah well... As you can see this didn't get done, but I still plan on making some changes. Do you have a site you like to use for templates?
* Weight Train & Exercise - I didn't do as much as I wanted to, but now I'm on the right track! I've really been working it out this week so far. I'm hoping that between the workouts and the water intake I will start to see improvements soon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This Weeks Wishes
* Make a Trip to Goodwill - There are some things that just won't sell on eBay, and I'm not that girl that can just throw my clothes and once beloved treasures in the trash. So it's off to Goodwill I go! I need to clear out a lot of shirts I'm not wearing anymore and some shoes I'm still delusional about keeping. You know the ones.. It's those shoes that are really ridiculously cute and you love love love, but they hurt like all get out, and every time you think about wearing them, you can't fathom the thought of having them on for more than a couple hours. Yeah... those shoes.
 * Care Packaging - My bestie just had surgery and is cooped up in the house for a while. I thought it would be nice to send her a care package full of fun things to do and play with. My mother & I have co-consipirated in the makings of said package, so I hope it will turn out well! I was actually inspired by the gift swap I did a while back.

* Go to Bed on Time - As of late I've been staying up when trying to watch TV and/or finish doing something when I know I should be in the bed. I've gotta get some rest dude. I just must!



Alright friends, that's it for me. I hate that I'm posting this as late as Thursday, but what can you do? Share with me what you accomplished so far this week or what you're still working on!

Ciao!



May 4, 2014

Weekend Rambles

Wist List


Acquaverde jumpsuit
revolveclothing.com




Call it SPRING gold jewelry
$20 - debenhams.com


Fedora hat
swell.com


Butter London nail polish
butterlondon.com


Greetings!

Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend thus far. :) Yesterday I went to a huge flea market that probably had everything you could think of, even some Beats headphones for $15. Ha! There were booths selling shoes, clothes, beauty & bathroom products, electronics, original Nintendo games and and assortment of gaming consoles, kitchen appliances, and lets not forget the food stands selling fresh fruit by the cup and wheat chips by the bag. Have you ever seen wheat chips before? I hadn't. They look like fake round orange slices. Never would've guessed they were wheat and people were buying up a whole bunch. Everywhere we went there were a ton of kids nomming on those things!

Today I'll be out and about window shopping, enjoying the sunshine, and obsessively looking at my eBay stats! I finally listed something on eBay! Check it out Here and Here.  What do you have going on today?


Ramblings 

* As you can see I have my latest Polyvore set above! I love fashion and I have seen more and more people wearing overalls again. Can I just say how excited I am about this. I.love.overalls. I salivate. I must have a pair before the Spring & Summer season is over. The great thing about them is that they can be worn with heels or sandals.

* I've been thinking about going back to school, even though I'm not of the traditional age anymore. Have you gone back to school. Did you hate it? It seems a bit scary. Let's not even talk about having to apply, needing transcripts, waiting on acceptance letters, possibly applying for grants and/or financial aid. Ugh..

 * I love tea... Black tea, green tea, chai tea, white tea. Love em all. Is it just me or does tea just not sooth the soul! I really need for a Teavana tea bar to come on down to Atlanta or just more tea houses to pop up in general. Just a nice place to go and chill, read a book, and sip some tea. 

* How cool would it be to grow your own herbs? I'm wondering how difficult it will be or if I would use the herbs enough to where I wouldn't waste so much?

* Why is gas so HIGH right now!?! In my neighborhood gas has jumped up to 3.80!!!!!! Whaaaa.. No. This is unacceptable. Thankfully, I only work 15 mins away from home. Je-buss!


So what have you been up to this weekend? Tell me your ramblings. :)

Ciao!

 


May 2, 2014

The Vegetarian Life

Greetings! 

Happy Friday!

Last week I decided to eat absolutely NO MEAT!! It's a big deal folks! I'm a total meat eater. I'm talking about I could have only a meal that consists of meat (and most likely cheese) and be just fine. Every now and then though I believe that we must push ourselves past our comfort zone. It allows you to grow and learn many things about yourself as I did this past week.

So you ask, why did I decide to ditch the meat AND for only one week? 
To be honest I've been fed up with trying to eat healthy and just wanted to commit to eating healthy! I chose to do only one week, because quite frankly it seemed like a lot and I couldn't imagine going longer!

What was it like and what did you learn?
When I went grocery shopping to prepare for this meatless week, I actually became very panicked. Even though I had a list of what I wanted,  it still felt like ALL MEALS EVER MADE required meat! It was almost like I was afraid I would starve to death if I didn't have meat, which of course I know isn't true...  At the time though it was a #shitjustgotreal moment. Lol!  In all actuality, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I'm a total emotional eater, so when I'm stressed out I just want a warm fuzzy hug and a nice juicy burger with cheese and bacon! Of course when I was having a hard or long day,  the first thing I wanted to do was comfort myself with a savory treat, but I didn't. For the most part I didn't even miss the meat. What this showed me was that even if from time to time I get frustrated with my weight journey, I do actually have willpower and commitment power. That in itself is priceless. Now, when I'm struggling I think back to that week and I know that I can have good eating habits, because I proved it!

What kind of foods did you eat?
Well breakfast was easy. Bowl up some cereal or some oatmeal and call it one. Lunch was somewhat difficult if I didn't have meatless leftovers and sometimes I just didn't feel like having leftovers. On those days I went to Subway and got the veggie patty (which is actually very good) sub and some chips. Having the chips made it feel like a normal meal. Here are some of my lunches:




For dinner The Boo and I made spaghetti with bell peppers, onion, and zucchini. Before last week I would've sworn up and down that I didn't like zucchini, but now we've become fast friends.

We also made pizza which was fun! We got some pizza dough from Publix and smashed it down with our hands. I sauteed some bell peppers and onion and sprinkled them all over the sauce. Then topped that off with baby spinach leaves, Basil, oregano, S&P, and lots of cheese!
So.Freaking.Good.





The best meal though were the veggie enchiladas with fajita rice! I found the recipe on none other than Pinterest! Isn't Pinterest amazing for food ideas? I've pinned so many and cooked none until now. I went in search for a zucchini recipe and found it that way. The green chili sauce is what you'll see in the blender below. It had just the right amount of spiciness! 











Speaking of Pinterest, I'm totally going to do a Food Challenge in the month of June. One new recipe per week and I'm thinking maybe have some kind of theme. Wanna join me?? :)


So those were my foods for the week! All in all I felt a lot lighter and did't feel the need to eat as much. I'm thinking that I will plan more meatless meals from now on and I will definitely have that veggie patty again from Subway. Are you a vegetarian or vegan? What recipes do you like? Do you have any struggles or miss meat?? Let me know!

Ciao!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...