Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter

This is one of our favorite recipes!

image

It is so yummy and super quick!

It you are looking for something not so heavy (i.e. sans the butter) substitute it for Olive Oil!

We use the raviolis that we buy from Costco!

The sauce tastes fabulous with the Spinach and Cheese as well as the Chicken and Mozzarella Raviolis!

Definitely don't forget the Walnuts, they totally make the meal! 

Soo good!

Buon Appetito

Can-Do Challenge- Don't Take Anything Personally

The most recent book that I read that has absolutely changed my way of thinking is called The Four Agreements written by don Miguel Ruiz.

The next three Sundays will list the remaining three agreements and give a little snippet about each one :-)
(I have decided that I am going to share a quote from the chapter and the information from the inside panel so that I don't give away any juicy information!)
I would absolutely recommend this book! I have been wanting to do a little personal make-over recently, so this book really helped me!


I would absolutely recommend this book! I have been wanting to do a little personal make-over recently, so this book really helped me!

The Four Agreements written by don Miguel Ruiz shows its readers what self-limiting beliefs we have that restrict us of experiencing joy and creates suffering. The Agreements are based on Toltex wisdom which offer powerful codes of conduct that can allow us to experience freedom, true happiness and love.

I hope that you all have the opportunity to read this book, and if not, please read my posts because they really do help :-)

Don't Take Anything Personally

Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

 

"You take it personally because you agree with whatever was said. As soon as you agree, the poison goes through you, and you are trapped"

"Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves."

This week, do your best not to take things personally. It is so much easier said than done, I know this! Remember that when you find yourself taking something seriously to remember that it isn't about you, it is about them.


Enjoy your Sunday!

The First Fitting

My wedding dress is in!
I cannot even begin to tell you all how excited I am!
I got the call two weeks ago and Sweeter and I are driving up to the Bay Area tomorrow for the weekend so I can try it on, set up any other alterations and get it bustled!
I am so ecstatic right now!
Yay!

We are driving up today, after work, and staying for the weekend, yes a short weekend, but the weekend nonetheless.
I have my appointment on Saturday evening with two of my favorite gals and our moms!

Also on Saturday, Sweeter and I will be tasting cakes.
My Madre and I already tasted cakes...and Sweeter felt left out, so he will be in on the appointment this time.
My Madre and I really liked one cake with another cake's filling, so we asked them to make it and Sweeter and I will try it tomorrow.
We will make up our minds about what kind of cake...tomorrow!
This is all coming and going so quickly, its almost unreal!

Please have a wonderful weekend!
Stay warm and smile more than usual!
xoxo

The Honeymoon

It is final...

We have booked out flights for our Honeymoon!

We leave in mid June and we are taking two weeks to...

Hike the Alps in Switzerland and visit the most romantic city of Paris, France!

We are so excited to eat lots of cheese, bread and chocolate and drinks lots of wine and beer!

Oh, this is going to be the best trip!

We cannot wait!

We are planning to have a loose itinerary in case we love somewhere so much and want to stay

otherwise, we have our flights booked and that's it!

Now on to the fun stuff, shopping for the trip!

Woohoo!

Happy Hump Day!

Garlic Chicken

I was craving some Chinese food the other night...

I texted Sweeter and he found this recipe and bought all of the ingredients and made it for me which I nursed my hurt foot!

image

We made some brown rice and enjoyed our dinner while we watched some Dexter.

We just started watching it..it is a pretty weird show...to say the least! 

I recommend adding more Chili Sauce, otherwise, it is delicious!

Buon Appetito

I Survived!

I survived my first 6 day week and my first 4am working day!

Thank you for all of the well wishes, we all know I needed them!!

I was definitely worked hard, and it was a lot of fun!

So far, I have been dubbed the "tape-enator" 

because I am a master box taper 

 

I have learned to jog and throw paper

How to appropriately stack and wrap a skid

and how to identify when they are not appropriately wrapped

Oh, and drive a forklift!!

I can pick up a quarter with the fork

I will bet you a dollar that you can't!

Have a Terrific Tuesday!

Spinach Pesto & Pasta

Sweeter and I are trying a lot of new recipes now that we are living together!

 We are having such a blast cooking together! It is so much fun!

Image

We made this last week and it was delicious!
We used a different type of noodle and it was still soo yummy!

If you like lemon, this is the dish for you, otherwise, use less lemon to have a not as strong taste!

Buon Appetito!

Can-Do Challenge- Be Impeccable With Your Word

The most recent book that I read that has absolutely changed my way of thinking is called The Four Agreements written by don Miguel Ruiz.

The next four Sundays will list the four agreements and give a little snippet about each one :-)
(I have decided that I am going to share a quote from the chapter and the information from the inside panel so that I don't give away any juicy information!)

I would absolutely recommend this book! I have been wanting to do a little personal make-over recently, so this book really helped me!

The Four Agreements written by don Miguel Ruiz shows its readers what self-limiting beliefs we have that restrict us of experiencing joy and creates suffering. The Agreements are based on Toltex wisdom which offer powerful codes of conduct that can allow us to experience freedom, true happiness and love.

I hope that you all have the opportunity to read this book, and if not, please read my posts because they really do help :-)

Be Impeccable With Your Word

Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love

"Your word is the power that you have to create."
"Tell yourself how wonderful you are, how great you are. Tell yourself how much you love yourself. Use the word to break all those teeny, tiny agreements that make you suffer."

This week, do your best not to tell yourself anything negative...using your inside or your outside voice :-) Also, do your best not to use your words against anyone else.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Pecan Sticky Buns

 I am hoping to make these on Sunday.

I think that they will be the perfect treat after a long 6 day work week! 

Happy Saturday to All!

Sad, Sad Story

2 weekends ago I hurt my foot :-(

It is still hurting and I think that it is not healing because I am standing on my feet all day long at work.

All of that said, my Sweeter is taking such great care of me!

He got me a new and improved icepack that wraps around my foot! 

So I come home and I sit on the couch and rest my foot while he takes care of me and makes us dinner!

He is quite the house-honey!

I am one lucky lady!

(to have a Sweeter like mine, of course...not to have a hurting foot)

Another sad truth is that I have to work tomorrow :-(

On a Saturday?!

Eek!

Wish me luck!

I am done {tomorrow}in the shipping and fulfillment department and I move to the Bindery
My new hours, you ask?
4:00AM -12:30PM
Oh boy!

I wish you all a wonderful weekend full of everyone that you love and doing things that only make you Smile!

Happy Weekend to you all and TGIF!

This

I heard this song on the radio last night on my drive home from work and I love love love it!!

Enjoy!

Have a Thumbs Up Thursday!

Hey Baby, What's Your Sign?!

Alright, so what is the deal with our Astrological signs changing??

I am not one to study signs,

I do not really know people's signs,

It is not something that I am super in to...
however, I find myself confused because people always ask, "What is your sign?" you respond "_____" and then they reply "I can totally see that, you are such a _____..."

How will this conversation ever happen again if the signs are change?!

The new astrological signs:

Capricorn - Jan 20 to Feb 16

Aquarius - Feb 16 to Mar 11

Pisces - Mar 11 to Apr 18

Aries - Apr 18 to May 13

Taurus - May 13 to Jun 21

Gemini - Jun 21 to Jul 20

Cancer - Jul 20 to Aug 10

Leo - Aug 10 to Sep 16

Virgo - Sep 16 to Oct 30

Libra - Oct 30 to Nov 23

Scorpius - Nov 23 to Nov 29

Ophiuchus - Nov 29 to Dec 17

Sagittarius - Dec 17 to Jan 20

I used to be a Virgo, and now I am a Leo?!

What does this mean?!

A sign has even been added?!

Info found Here

Laugh Today

“Reclaiming 

the belly-laugh 

can cure 

a world of woes.”

― Jamie Sams

Make sure that you laugh, a lot today!

It is contagious...

....and I can't imagine a better thing to be contagious!

Happy Tuesday!

Good Morning on Monday!

It is a fine, fine Monday here in Southern California! 

The sun in shining and the air is warm!

Sadly, I am at work right now, I do not get to celebrate the holiday with my Sweeter :-( Oh well, we will have Presidents day together!

We had an amazing weekend...

Friday we celebrated our friends engagement at a yummy restaurant

Saturday we ran some errands and we went for a picnic and a stroll along the beach

And Sunday I ended the weekend with a lovely brunch with a high school friend of mine and then I met up with Sweeter and our friends and we played some Wii and ate burgers and sweet potato fries! Yumm

It was a wonderful weekend spent in the warm sun with only the best company!

1.  Do you like your ice cream in a dish, waffle cone, pretzel cone, sugar cone or cake cone?

In a dish, I am not usually one to eat the cone, so it is a bit of a waste
2.  Do you read the newspaper daily?

Sadly, I do not.

I do however, turn the news on in the morning while I am getting ready for work!
3.  Marinara or meat sauce?

Meat sauce...actually, I think it depends on the meat that is being used...
4.  Last time you cried?

hmmm, I cried a couple of weeks ago because it seemed like every day there was something else going wrong at our apartment...fortunately {knock on wood} nothing has happened since!
5.  What word/phrase do you find really annoying?

"You would"

I think that it is rude...I really dislike it...like, a lot!

Can-Do Challenge- Accept What You Cannot Change

As I mentioned a few Sunday's ago, the next few Can-Do Challenges will be coming from a book that I bought as a result of a college class that I ended up dropping and I was unable to part with this book!

I hope that these are as helpful and beneficial for all of you, as they were for me!

Stress Free For Good, written by Dr Fred Luskin & Dr. Kenneth R Pelletier, is a book that has seriously changed my life and how I manage myself :-) I hope that you all have the opportunity to read this book, and if not, please read my posts because they really do help :-)

The tenth and final life skill written about in this book is: Accept What You Cannot Change

"Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowering air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet air to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the gentle night to you.
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.
Deep peace to you" (204)

Purpose:

~To earn to choose battles you have a chance of winning
~To learn to practice peacefulness whenever you can
~To learn to accept things you cannot change

Practice:

~Remind yourself that to solve the problem you need serenity and wisdom, not anger and dispair

~Ask yourself, "If I can't change this situation, what can I do to make peace with it?"
~Fully accept your life in body, mind and spirit

Tips:

~Trying to change a situation that isn't in your control leads to frustration
~Your mind and body suffer when you get angry
~Feeling less frustration allows you to focus on the things you do that might make a difference-if not to the circumstances, then at least to your response.

Application:

~When you find yourself getting frustrated by a situation that won't go away
~When you find yourself getting frustrated by a friend's or family member's irritating behavior
~When you have a financial setback
~When yo don't get the promotion you feel that you deserve
~When you're experiencing changed circumstances, such as retirement or a move
~When someone you love dies

Life Skill:

"In the words of the Serenity Prayers, 'Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference'" (207).

Again, all of this information comes straight from the book...I have paraphrased and generally it is not verbatim-I only chose a few items that have really helped me, that I hope will help you :-)

Kisses

A kiss 

is a 

lovely trick 

designed by nature 

to stop speech 

when 

words become 

superfluous.

~ Ingrid Bergman

happy monday to all!

i hope you had a marvelous weekend!

Food, Inc.

I just watched Food, Inc.

Wow.

Just, Wow.

It definitely put all types of food into perspective for me.

When Sweeter and I went grocery shopping together for the first time we told each other that we wanted to buy only healthy items and cut back on all of the "bad-for-you stuff." We vowed to buy only organic meats, dairy and produce and to make sure to read any and all labels on packaged foods. We decided that we wanted to do this, even though it is a little pricey, because we feel that it is important for the environment and more importantly to our bodies (not to be selfish). We want to support local farmers and farmers who treat their animals and their produce with respect and who practice environmentally friendly alternatives in the process.

This movie was very eye opening...not that my eyes aren't already open. It just puts so much into perspective.

I have noticed, in the blogging world and outside of it, that many people are doing what they can in 2011 to eat right and exercise.

To start this kick off right, make sure that you read the labels on what you are buying. Generally the rule of thumb is to put the item back if it has more than 5 ingredients in it or if it contains an ingredient that you can't pronounce...makes sense right?!

Also, after watching this movie, a light bulb went off in my head...think about this:

Farmers feed their animals and fertilize their produce with hormones and pesticides to make them grow faster and bigger - essentially to get more "meat" out of each of their products {for lack of a better general term}. They slaughter the animals or they pick the produce that has been chemically fed, once they reach a certain size/weight which is usually sooner than it would be if the product was naturally maturing, and then they sell it to supermarkets, we as consumers then buy these products and then eat them...result: we are eating these hormones that they put into their products to make them grow prematurely as well as bigger...if we are all on diets and/or watching what we eat why do we put this stuff into our bodies knowing that that is the result?! And then we are feeding our children this stuff to make them mature faster?!

How does this make any sense!?

I am definitely promising to double check and make sure that the items we are purchasing are organic - Check out this Real Simple article

I do understand and can appreciate that items that are organically grown are more expensive than items that are processed and packages and have long shelf lives...do we really want to be putting items into our bodies that have super long shelf lives?! I know that I don't!

I would rather cut back on other spending and pay a small, extra, premium price for products that I know are good for my body. Products that I know will make me feel good, inside and out. Products that I know are made in an environment that I know is safe and comfortable and is environmentally friendly!

the image above has 10 things you can do to change the system...

 "People have got to start demanding good, wholesome food of us, and we'll deliver, I promise you. We are very ingenius people and we'll deliver."

You can vote to change this system,

Three times a day.

Buy from companies that treat

workers,

animals,

and the environment

with respect.

When you go to the supermarket,

chose foods that are in season,

Buy foods that are organic,

Know what's in your food,

Read labels.

Know what you buy.

The average meal travels 1500 miles from the 

farm to the supermarkets,

Buy foods that are grown locally.

Shop at farmers' markets,

Plant a garden. (even a small one)

Cook a meal with your family and eat together.

Everyone has a right to healthy food,

Make sure your farmers' market takes food stamps,

Ask your school board to provide healthy school lunches.

The FDA and USDA are supposed to protect you and your family.

Tell Congress to enforce food safety standards

and re-introduce Kevin's Law.

If you say grace, ask for food that will keep us, and the planet healthy.

You can change the world with every bite.

Hungry for change?

go to

http://www.takepart.com/foodinc

or http://www.foodincmovie.com/index.php

the above has been copied from Food, Inc. (the end credits of the movie)

Wow, that was a long post..I wasn't expecting to need to rant for as long as I did :-)

Thanks for sticking with it...if you did 

This is all really important stuff

and if we educate as many people as we can, maybe something will change :-)

Top 2 Tuesday - Strange Addictions

Top 2 Strange Addictions

1) Chapstick

image

I actually had to cut burts bees out of my daily routine because my addiction was getting out of hand..haha!  

(Sweeter has been my sponsor ha!)

I have moved on to carmex and blistex :-)

image

image

2) Email

image

I am constantly checking my email whenever possible!

I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!!

Make A Wish

image

It is January 11, 2011

@ 11:11AM

i.e.

1-11-11 

@ 11:11AM

1-11-11 11:11!

Make a wish!

It will definitely come true!

Have a Tip Top Tuesday!

Can-Do Challenge- Just Say No

As I mentioned a few Sunday's ago, the next few Can-Do Challenges will be coming from a book that I bought as a result of a college class that I ended up dropping and I was unable to part with this book!

I hope that these are as helpful and beneficial for all of you, as they were for me!

Stress Free For Good, written by Dr Fred Luskin & Dr. Kenneth R Pelletier, is a book that has seriously changed my life and how I manage myself :-) I hope that you all have the opportunity to read this book, and if not, please read my posts because they really do help :-)

The ninth life skill written about in this book is: Just Say No

Purpose:

~To remind you that you have choices
~To highlight the fact that, because you can say no, your yes is real and not forced
~To remind you that you're responsible for the choices you make

Practice:

~When someone asks you to do something that you don't want to do:
1) Take two or three slep, deep belly breaths.
2) Ask to get back to them
3) When you offer your response, choose one of the following:
"I've thought about this, and unfortunately I'm not going to be able to help you this time"
"I'm not going to be able to help you out in the way you asked; maybe together we can come up with a solution that works for both of us"

Tips:

~At first, practice saying no with people you trust
~Remember that you can choose to say no. Give the answer you want to give.
~You don't have to do something just because someone asked you to
~You don't have to say no, any more tahn you have to say yes; the choice is yours.

Application:

~When you're asked to take on extra work
~When you need to resist the bad habits of your peers
~When someone wants you to come over and you are exhausted

Life Skill:

"Just saying no is a way of setting limits, being assertive without being angry, and communicating what you do and don't want to do to yourself and others" (192).

Again, all of this information comes straight from the book...I have paraphrased and generally it is not verbatim-I only chose a few items that have really helped me, that I hope will help you :-)

My New Job

I am sorry that I haven't been reading all of your blogs! 

I promise to catch up next week!

I have been super busy with work and figuring out how to balance everything!

Please forgive...and thank you to everyone who is still interested in my {now} boring life!

Phew! I have survived one whole week at my new job!

I am really loving it!

I am working at a printing company, and I was hired to work for their Leadership development Program. Basically the company is training me to be management. It is a 3 year long program that allows me to work in every department of the printing shop. I started out in the Shipping/Handling and in 3 weeks, I will move to the bindery and be there for 3 weeks, then I will move to the Printing Press and be there for 3 weeks. {Yes, I will operating heavy machinery...and I have heard many-a-horror story about people losing finger tips or getting their arms stuck in the press and yanking it out and then having their skin ripped off...eek!} Anyway... After I am done with all of the hard/manual labor kind of stuff, I will move into more of an office environment and do accounting, estimating, customer service, sales etc.  

So far {since it has only been 5 days} it is a lot of fun!

I am learning a lot, everyone that I work with is patient and kind and ready and willing to help me learn and succeed in my new position! 

Isn't it amazing how the people you work with can make a world of difference?

Happy Friday and again, thank you for staying interested!

;-)

Happy New Year

Sweeter and I had the best New Years celebration!

During the day, we went ice skating!

 We obviously had a little too much fun!

 Aren't we soo adorable!? 

 haha!

After ice skating, we went back to the hotel and we got ready to go to dinner.

 We ate a yummy dinner and then went to a ghirardelli ice cream shop and got a mint ice cream sundae!

Oh it was tasty!

Then we taxi'd back to the hotel and we changed into more comfy clothes and went to our friends room and enjoyed some drinks and Champagne as we watched the ball drop!

 Oh how I love him!

 So, if you couldn't tell, I am small and he is not....

 ....so he enjoys throwing me around...

 haha, we were having too much fun!

{there are more pictures, they are just on someone elses camera :-)}

Happy 2011 to everyone!!

On January 1st, we went for a hike with a friend of Sweeter's and his wife

{now, our friends}

 Yes, we were sporting our 5-finger shoes!

 What an awesome way to bring in the New Year!

yes, I am sporting an 1<3 SF shirt in SD :-)

Happy Happy New Year to everyone!

The Love of Favors

So I know that I have posted a million and one times about my favors...

...I am just that excited!!

As you know, I ordered a set of the favors that I want just to make sure that they were good quality and they chimed just right...

They first set came in the mail today...

...I opened the box...

...dinged the bell...

...and tears of joy came to my eyes!

They are great!

I am soo excited!

Now to order the rest :-)

Top 2 Tuesday

On a side note:

I ordered 2 candles from Taylor's etsy shop

Sweeter and I light them every night at dinner

We love them!

I totally recommend!

Go buy one...or 2...for a good cause!

Top 2 Favorite Items from 2010! 

{I am loving the new button!}

1) Pirex Glassware

image

 Sweeter and I got rid of all of our plastic tupperwares and we replaced them with glass.

You don't want to microwave plastic...

....It isn't good for you :-)

2) iPad

image

I got an iPad for Hannimas...or Christmikah...whichever you prefer...

It is a fun toy and I am enjoying it...a lot!

Happy Tuesday to everyone!!

I'm a working woman

....again!

Today is my first day at my new job!

I am soo excited!

The last three-ish weeks have been so exciting and filled with amazing memories...and now I am ready to start my new adventure!

Wish me luck!

I wish you all a Marvelous Monday!

Homecoming Prep/Weekend

Alright

I just realized that I haven't shared the homecoming story with you all!

I shared some pictures, and I have a few more to share, so I figured that since I now have all of the pictures, I can share the full story with you all!

Let me take you all back to about 2 weeks ago...

Wednesday I spent running all around the Bay Area getting all of my "i's" dotted and my "t's" crossed. On Wednesday night I met up with my girlfriends in San Francisco at American Cupcake

{a recommendation from my blog friend Jacin--thank you!} 

It was a lot of fun!

Two of us ordered flights 

1 flight of beer and cupcakes 

{which sounds weird, but was actually really good}

  1 flight of wine/champagne and cupcakes 

 

  It was a fun night out with my favorite girls!

Thank you all for celebrating with me!

I will miss you all!

Come visit me!

 Friend and I spent Thursday with my Madre. 

I was feeling nostalgic and homesick {already} on Wednesday so I wanted to spend the day with my Madre before I left the house..for good...

I woke up early and I went downstairs and I snuggled in bed with her for a little bit.

Once Friendoodle got up, we all got ready and we went to lunch and then for Pedicures.

Friendoodle and I hit the road around 3pm 

we went back to her house to drop off her car and pick up her weekend bag 

then we hit the road

We drove for the rest of the evening and stopped for some Macaroni Grill...

so NAWT yummy

..oh well

We figured we should stop for a McFlurry for dessert to keep us awake...

also NAWT a good idea

...oh well! 

haha

We got to the apartment on Thursday night around 11ish and fell into bed and passed out!

Friday morning, I woke up early and I started to unload the car.

I was on my last trip around 8:30am when I put my car key in the trunk 

{on the plastic part, between the back window and the trunk}

and closed the trunk

The impact of the trunk hitting my car key, pushed the lock button and locked the car

Just use the spare key, you say?

oh that would be just too easy....

It was back, in the drawer of all of the spare keys at my parents house...

...where it belongs, of course!

Fortunately, Friendoodle has AAA and called them

While we waited, I cried {just one sob}

I was exhausted from the drive and so excited for my Sweeter to come home!

The first AAA guy came and we came to the conclusion that there is no emergency trunk release...

...thanks Shirley {my car}...

so he had to call another AAA to come..his boss!

While we waited for the second guy to come, we all went to get breakfast at the local French Bakery

The second guy came, and basically had to take my trunk apart from the inside to get the trunk to open so I could get my key.

The worst part about the entire thing?

I could see my key from the outside and I couldn't get it out! 

Eek!

Thank you AAA! 

And thank you Shirley for being so difficult to break-in to!

Sweeter and I will get a membership with you someday!

So after all of that excitement, Friendoodle and I went back up to my apartment, showered and got ready for the homecoming!

It was, sadly, raining so I couldn't wear the cute dress I had planned

We got in the car and hit Interstate 5 to head up to Pendleton.

We got on base and we headed to the Camp.

We drove around a bit to look for parking

While we were driving we saw a bunch of Marines getting their bags

We got soo excited!

Friendoodle rolled the window down and asked if they were with the Battalion that Sweeter is with and they said that they were!

We screamed in the car!

We quickly found a spot to park and jumped out of the car

We asked a Marine if he knew Sweeter and he said that he did but he wasn't with the same Company

We were a little deflated...

I called Sweeter and he told me that they were turning in their weapons and had to have a formation and then would meet us on the Grinder.

We waited...

...not for long...

Friendoodle, and the parents and I were all standing in a circle chatting when all of a sudden........

Sweeter came behind me and grabbed me by the sides, turned me around and lifted me up!

oh my gosh!!!

It was sooo exciting!!!

We all went around and gave our hugs

then we walked over to find his bags and put them in the car

Then we hurried up and waited...

...and waited...

...and waited...

for about 3 hours for him to get word that he was off for the day!

It was fine to wait because we were all together chatting and out of the rain!

oh my gosh!!!

It was soo magical and perfect!

Yay!

We came back to the apartment

I gave him "the grand tour" and he changed and we went to dinner with his family

On Saturday, we woke up early and got some other chores around the house sorted out

We went to Costco and we went to the grocery store

We met his family for drinks at a local restaurant and then we went wine tasting!

There is a tasting room right by our house!

 How fun is that?!

Then we went to dinner and back to the apartment to sleep some more

On Sunday

We met his family for breakfast and then we met one of his friends and his wife for coffee at Starbucks

We went home and did some more cleaning and putting away

The whole weekend was amazing!

When I had Sweeter all to myself we were talking and we came this conclusion:

The last seven months were the longest, ever

and now that we are together, we feel like we saw each other just yesterday!

Thank you all for sticking through this freaking long post!

I wish you all a Super Sunday!

Can-Do Challenge- Stop Doing What Doesn't Work

As I mentioned a few Sunday's ago, the next few Can-Do Challenges will be coming from a book that I bought as a result of a college class that I ended up dropping and I was unable to part with this book!

I hope that these are as helpful and beneficial for all of you, as they were for me!

Stress Free For Good, written by Dr Fred Luskin & Dr. Kenneth R Pelletier, is a book that has seriously changed my life and how I manage myself :-) I hope that you all have the opportunity to read this book, and if not, please read my posts because they really do help :-)

The eighth life skill written about in this book is: Smile Because You Care

"Something that didn't work that first 100 times it was tried isn't likely to work the 101st time" (174).

Purpose:

~To learn to recognize when what you're doing is not successful and to stop
~To learn to try new strategies that may have better results

Practice:

~When calm ask yourself if the way you've handled the problem so far has worked.
~If the answer is not, ask the relaxed part of you for a new solution to the problem

Tips:

~Feeling stressed isn't your major problem; it's your frustration over not knowing what will solve your difficulty
~You will never know which solutions work if you keep repeating ones that don't
~Have patients
~Solutions that don't work add a second problem-a bad solution- to the first problem of a difficult situation

Application:

~When you're frustrated
~When you feel that you've tried everything
~When people tell you that you need to change
~When you're judging yourself harshly
~When you have a bad habit

Life Skill:

"When what you're doing isn't working, calm down and find a better solution" (176).

Again, all of this information comes straight from the book...I have paraphrased and generally it is not verbatim-I only chose a few items that have really helped me, that I hope will help you :-)

Five Finger

Who wins couple of the year, now?!

I think we do!

{yes we have matching shoes! jealous?:-)}

Happy New Year!