Friday, September 21, 2012
This week has flown by! I guess not having to go in to work will make you really enjoy every day and make it seem like a blink of an eye 🙂
Today was filled with end of week odds and ends…balancing the checkbook and paying bills, errands (CVS, bank, library), dusting…and then some nice porch time after dinner and a movie planned for tonight!
I hope you enjoy my favorites from around the web this week…there are a LOT!!!
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Favorite “OMG that SO describes how I feel” article…when I read this article, “Stop Being Offended Today: The Cure for Everything That Irritates You” I couldn’t stop nodding my head in agreement. I need to increase my happiness immune system by following the simple advice in the article: 1) don’t be offended by anything you can’t change, 2) stop looking for things to be offended by, and 3) give others the space to be themselves. I think I should seriously read this article in its entirety EVERY time I go into work.
Favorite breakfast treat…Cranberry Almond Granola…this simple granola hits the right combination of salty and sweet in my opinion and is perfect for fall!
Favorite funny…LOVE
Favorite “be in the moment” article…“The Zen of Single Tasking”…in a world where many of us feel overworked, pinched on time, stressed, we can reverse these feelings by truly BEING IN THE MOMENT…focusing on one, and only one thing, for at least one task…it’s kind of like meditating…I know that for myself, this week I want to mindfully find the joy in immersing myself in one task.
Favorite snack idea…simple ingredients make for bite-sized energy on the go…
Orange Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Balls
Dark Chocolate Coffee Peanut Butter Balls
Favorite organizing tip…using Washi Tape as file labels. What is washi tape ??? Decorate low-stick Japanese masking tape which is being used in multitudes of ways in crafting projects…here to label folders…
Favorite pumpkin sweets…it’s that time of year!
Starbucks Clone Pumpkin Scones
Favorite inspirational blog posts…
….there are so many moments in my life I want to remember as well…if I don’t write some of them down, will I remember?? I just loved this post that captured simple, everyday moments and made them never-forgotten…
…WHAT do I believe in??…writing down my beliefs helps me to truly KNOW who I am…
Favorite cookie…has to be Chocolate Chip! This blogger posts her “Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie” that incorporates dark brown sugar, sea salt and mini chocolate chips…sounds like a winner!!
Favorite holiday inspiration…“A Simpler Approach to Seasonal Decorating”…I LOVED how the author of this blog post stated that Ma Ingalls was her hero…”would Ma Ingalls own this?”…a perfect thought to keep in mind as we all walk the seasonal aisles of our favorite department stores…will anything from those aisles IMPROVE our lives…I think not. This autumn I’m going to embrace nature and let it decorate my home…pumpkins, mums, tree branches, leaves…I want the simple beauty of the season remind me of the simple beauty of each day…
Favorite sweet spice…cinnamon it is…
Cinnamon Raisin Bread Smoothie
Baked Cinnamon Bun Donuts with Vanilla Cream Cheese Glaze
(I think I need one of those baked donut pans!!!)
Favorite TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF posts…
Each of these articles helped me see that I need to think about ME…(which, as a people pleaser, is difficult for me to do)…but every day I am learning that I am important!
How Is Your Other Half? (we usually cater to our responsible half…what about our creative half?)
How I Practice Self Care (what do you do to make yourself a happier, kinder, more-enjoyable-to-be-around person?)
The Importance of Liking Yourself (how many genuine moments of self-expression do you have…are you cultivating a life where you like who you are?)
32 Things You Should Stop Caring About (enough with caring so much about the past and what others think!)
Favorite soup…(minus the chicken for all of us vegetarians!) this Restaurant-Style Chicken Tortilla Soup impresses with spices for flavor, beans for protein, and toppings galore for fun!
Favorite “I want” decoration…loving this Glass Hurricane that you can change instantly with the seasons…fill with evergreens and cranberries during winter, peas and flowers during spring, seashells during summer, pinecones and mini-gourds during autumn…or random stuff too…coffee beans, rocks, marbles, etc…the ideas are endless!!
Favorite “keeping in real” blog post…“Anytime Fitness Conference 2012: Be Inspired and Be Inspiring.” Cassie blogs over at Back To Her Roots (love that blog!) and was recently awarded at the Anytime Fitness Conference for providing not the “notice me” extraordinary inspiration, “I do great things and therefore so can you” inspiration, but rather the “I’m very similar to you, I’m a normal person doing just a few things that are making me healthier/better” and therefore SO CAN YOU! I seriously love how she writes how powerful the ordinary is…how most of us live in the ordinary…but yet we CAN STILL be inspirational to others…a GREAT read.
Favorite Halloween costume!…absolutely LOVE this Jar Head Costume…this post gives step-by-step how-to.
Favorite techy article…“Your Life Is Fully Mobile”…is there any other technological gadget that we are more attached to than our smartphone??
Favorite apple treats…another taste of the season…
Apple Squares with Maple Glaze
Favorite pro-blog post on calorie counting…I like the tone of this article, On Calorie Counting: Weekly vs. Daily Goals, that argues that counting calories CAN help drop the extra pounds, even though it is time-consuming and kind of anal…having a weekly goal, to allow for flexibility in daily counting, helps take the pressure off every day being perfect and allows for special occasions…as someone who has TRIED intuitive eating and knows that it really doesn’t work for me, reading this article was more than interesting.
Favorite truths…
Have an AWESOME weekend folks!!!!
Okay, Kaye? 
Thanks for linking up my donuts and smoothie recipes – and wow, what a great post with all kinds of fun links. Love all those little balls, and the bars, so many yummy goodies you found!
You’re welcome…those recipes of yours look SO GOOD!
That article on being offended was something I really needed to read right now. Thank you for sharing. The pumpkin and apple recipes all look incredible, but I think I just gained 5 pounds reading them! You just reminded me that I have a glass hurricane jar and I’ve never used it. Now I’m inspired to find it and use it as part of my fall decorations.
Aimee…I completely agree with the fall recipes…actually it’s VERY rare for me to make those sweet treats I feature…BUT I still like to look and drool and read the recipes 🙂 Weird huh?