For Love or Money...and FIT TIP (#186)

Jewelry, fancy restaurants, flowers, chocolate...

just some of the typical ways to spend money this month.

 

All fine and dandy, but February
is actually the best time of the year to buy
the following 10 items:

 1.  Prom Dresses.  Obviously, this one isn't for everyone.
 2.  Boats.  Make a deal on the S.S. Minnow of your dreams.
 3.  Indoor Furniture.  60% savings if you do your homework.
 4.  Broadway Tickets.  Off season deals abound.
 5.  Home Electronics.  Time to reduce shelf inventory.
 6. Vday Aftermath.  Cupid-inspired gifts go on sale.
 7.  A/C Systems.  The whole supply/demand issue.
 8.  Winter Sports Equipment.  To use now & later.
 9.  Vacation in London. Fewer tourists, great deals.
10.  Indoor DIY Projects.  Incredible sales @ big box stores.

Now back to jewelry, candy, etc.   

Text from my daughter this morning:

Less than a week until Valentine's Day.

Time to come up with a plan!

Any brilliant ideas?

 

And then she sent me this:

Someone got into mommy's lipstick...and is pleased with the results!



(very appropriate) FIT TIP (#186):  (eat) Dark Chocolate

Words for the Week
{2.3.2013}

Words for the Week
{1.27.2013}

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."  --Marcus Aurelius

Oh My Word!...and FIT TIP (#185)

Words are Powerful

As 2012 was winding down, I thought about "my word" of years past.

My focus word.  One per year.

One by one they became my companions.

Helped guide and direct my actions

for a year and then stuck around after

a new year & word came along.

I invited them to stay.

 

As I was contemplating possible words for 2013

 

I couldn't help but realize the power of words.

They can encourage, comfort, inspire, uplift, teach, etc.

A simple word or two can do so much good.

I've seen it.  I've felt it.

On the flip side, and there is one,
they can hurt, harm, stifle, discourage, frighten, etc.
A simple word or two can do so much damage.
I've seen it.  I've felt it.

So, I started a list,

in search of "my word" for 2013.

That's how I do it.  The list gets long

before is shrinks.  I debate

with myself.

This became my short list:

--wholehearted

--magnify

--expand

--occupy

And then I read this: 

 

And it spoke to me.

Exactly the "feel" I was going for.

 I almost chose "extra".

And then it clicked.  Just like it always does.

STRETCH.

Take what I've got--

what I've been given, assigned, earned, etc.

and stretch it...



You know, that little extra.

S-t-r-e-t-c-h the norm...my personal norm.

My new word is almost 3 weeks old.

I'm liking it...feeling it.

 

FIT TIP (#185): Dream

Words for the Week

{1.20.2013}

Words for the Week
{1.13.2013}



Icicles in the Desert, not Dessert...and FIT TIP (#184)

This is Arizona, the Valley of the Sun.

These are icicles on our fountain.

Wasn't it just a few weeks ago

 I was bragging about doing yoga...

poolside?

Well, looky here, would ya?

We desert rats are freezing.

P.S. desert rats are different than

dessert rats. Right?

Even though I prefer my surroundings

without icicles,

I can appreciate and admire

the beauty of it all.

Reliable sources profess

our winter weather

will be back to what we are used to

day after tomorrow.

Phew!

Moving on from DESERT issues to DESSERT issues:

Our lemon tree is producing, and I think I'm going to fix something yummy and warm.
With sweetness dripping off the edges...icing icicles.  Yes, that's it!
I love anything and everything CITRUS-y!


FIT TIP (#184):  Show Up
No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up!


Words for the Week
{1.6.2013}

"One resolution I have made and try always to keep, is this:
TO RISE ABOVE THE LITTLE THINGS."  --John Burroughs

Hello, Goodbye...and FIT TIP (#183)

Welcome Twenty Thirteen

but first...

Adios Twenty Twelve
and thank you!
I liked you...a lot.  Actually I loved you.

I became a newlywed.  I moved.  I got a new (part time) job.
I love him more today than yesterday.  Everyday.
Our home is 1 mile from my office.  Score!

Grandchild count went up.  My six became seven when
Kendal gave birth to Knox.
Once upon a time he had to fight for his life.
He won.  Miracles...I believe!
HH has 5.  Do the math.  Yup, that's 12!

I became a Sunday School teacher to teenagers...again.
I plan and prepare lessons.  I learn.
I teach of Jesus Christ...the greatest teacher of all.

I left the country a few times...and the state
quite a few times!
Explored with HH.  Visited awesome places
and people.

I started a new book.  Can't wait to share.
The subtitle is "one simple act".  It's pretty great.
It is playing a big part in
my word for 2013.

Twenty Twelve, you will always hold a
special place in my heart & memories!

And now...Twenty Thirteen.  Let's do this!


FIT TIP (#183):  Gratitude Calms
A grateful state of mind induces a physiological state called resonance...associated with healthier blood pressure and heart rate.
Try this:  Begin a gratitude journal.  Practice praise.


Words for the Week
{12.30.2012}

All is Calm...and FIT TIP (#182)

 

All is Bright

This time of year I love to look at snow-covered images. 
I like snow...from afar.
Or for limited periods of time in person,
if fun is involved.

To me/for me, this Christmas season does feel calm...and bright!
Last December was bright (and exciting)
but not calm.

Knee deep, but not in snow.  We (HH & I) were 2 months away
from becoming Man & Wife.
Busy combining 2 into one.  Two households, two lives.

a portion of our Christmas tree

 

 

Busy working our 3 piles.  Keep, Give, Toss.

Busy finding renters for "my" place.

Busy turning "his" place into ours.

Busy, fun, exciting, but not exactly calm.

I have vintage ice skates, and although I am kind of in love

with the above image

I will not be using my skates in a centerpiece.

Anything that was once on any one's foot does not

go near my food. Ever.

Maybe on a small side table in the home office?

 

 



So, the busy-ness of last Christmas season has wonderfully
become calm and bright.  Still fun and exciting...but calm.

Packages sent off late, oh well.  Who doesn't love to open
a few surprises after Christmas?  Extending the fun!

Calm and Bright.  Focusing on what the
Christmas season is really about.
Not just the birth of Jesus Christ,
but his life...his lessons.

Wishing you calmness and brightness this season!



FIT TIP (#182): Cuddle
Cuddling before bed relaxes the brain, reducing the process of over thinking, making it easier to fall asleep.



Words for the Week
{12.16.2012}

Pop of Red...and FIT TIP (#181)

 





A glorious pop of red is something I adore.

(not to be confused with red pop **which I don't adore--

but I know an adorable lil girl in Texas who does)



It is such a bright, cheery and festive color.

 

I don't use a lot of red

in my holiday decorating.  Just a

pop, here and there.

 

Heck, I don't use much red in

my none-holiday life

either.

But I do love a good pop of it.



You know how I feel about animal print.  Love.

I'm conflicted with the above image.

 

I don't love the coat.

I feel like I should.  I don't.

I love the pops of red.  They save it.

I do own a red handbag, stiped T

and lipstick **another story altogether**

pops

But I won't be imitating this look.

 

Before I get back to holiday

pops of red

I have to mention another everyday

pop that I simply love...

Red Front Doors.

Two of my kids have them.  Ahhh! 

 

 

A few more pops to enjoy:





 

Hope your weekend is merry & bright

and includes a few pops!

 

 

FIT TIP (#181): Love First 

 

 

 

 

Words for the Week

{12.9.2012}

 

Yes, it 'tis...

After doing this **December, Holiday Season, Christmas** for many, many years I happen to believe that the key to the whole JOLLY thing is strongly tied to SIMPLICITY.


Have you noticed how SIMPLICITY has become CHIC?  How awesome is that?  Very, very.
Speaking of Simple Chic, check this out:
 

not positive, but pretty sure credit for this brilliance goes to Lovely Things
 

Yesterday, when I realized that odds where high I'd still be at the office during the lunching hour,
 





I quickly **and simply** threw a healthy lunch together...and was even a bit giddy when I realized how festive it looked.  I mean really, I took a picture of cottage cheese?  

 

 

 And something I'm super JOLLY about these days, thanks to Handsome Husband:

 

diamonds are a girls best friend...in the niche that leads to the master bedroom.  I smile every time I walk by his handiwork. 

 

 

 Speaking of Jolly, Festive, Simple and Chic.  This is what I will be serving

 

for breakfast this weekend in honor of HH and his birthdate!  There will be some celebrating going on, for sure.

'tis the season, so have a JOLLY weekend!

Really, I Could...and FIT TIP (#180)

Cross my heart, I could...

see myself going to a Christmas party in this very place...honestly, I could.  Would you like to come along?  No jackets required!

And how about if instead of calling the above "graham crackers", I could start calling them "graham wafers"?  I saw them referred to as such in a recipe.  I kind of like the sound of it. 

Then I could make homemade graham wafers to be used for S'mores that I could also make, after roasting marshmallows in the backyard fire pit with Handsome Husband.

Ahhh, this floating candle.  I could make a handful of these as easy as 1,2,3.  I have the few supplies necessary on hand...including H2O!  I love the simplicity of this glow.

This evening I could throw together a bowl of these...my new obsession.  I have always loved edamame.  Warm, cold, in the pod or out, seasoned or plain.  But then I fixed these one night as an appetizer and whoa! 

16 ounces frozen shelled edamame
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt (is there any other kind?)
1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
(or 1-2 teaspoons alternate seasoning)

Thaw edamame for an hour or so.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Gently pat edamame dry.  In mixing bowl toss edamame with olive oil and seasonings.  Taste to test seasonings.  Spread in single layer on a sheet pan and roast 30-40 minutes.  Stir every 10 minutes.  Their color will darken and the exterior will be dry.  You will hear them "singing" as steam escapes from inside the bean.  Best if eaten within a few hours.  They never make it that long around our house.  Yum!

And then I could serve roasted edamame at an outdoor picnic...in the snow.  Wait, no I couldn't.  I don't live where it snows.  I live in the Valley of the Sun...where

I could just do yoga out by the pool instead, like I did the other day.  Yoga by the pool in December.  Crazy!





FIT TIP (#180):  Happy Chemicals
Smile. Even if you're in a bad mood, it will immediately improve. The simple action of thinking about smiling and using the muscles is enough to trigger happy chemicals in the brain.



Words for the Week
{12.2.2012}