Commence to Start.

This got me thinking about a LOT!

1) I will stop panicking about what is out of my control.
2) I will not let others take control from me to the detriment of my own happiness.
3) My happiness may influence others, but it is not decided by others.
4) Life is too precious to spend it worrying.
5) Resting is extremely underrated.
6) I won't wear uncomfortable pants.
7) Rat races are pointless.

I often find myself motivated by the simplest things. Gardening, listening to music, dancing, Mad Men. These things can't be explained or defined or justified. They just are. I like these things. My joy is found in different ways than others'. This is how it is and how it should be. So then, it's strange to think that though these simple things bring me profound joy, I look elsewhere for it. Like, money, popularity (even out of teenage years, popularity crisis can still occur), fame. We humans are odd. We look everywhere but in the place where we actually find peace, for security and happiness. There is nothing worse than ruining a perfectly beautiful day than by worrying and "trying" it away. Of course, personal awareness and growth is good, necessary even. But it's not everything. In fact it's nothing without inner peace.

Kurt often will call me out and tell me to stop being like the "Runaway Bride" character when in the movie Julia Roberts is caught saying her favorite way to eat an egg is the same way her current beau's is. This is classic me. Unfortunately. However, I can say with pride that I have gotten much better in this type of circumstance. Just to prove it, here is a list of thing I know I like.

Tater Tots
Ginger Ale
Dancing
Scrabbled eggs
Bread
Sleeping
Sunny days
Basil
A clean kitchen
A clean refrigerator
A spotless bathroom
A cozy bed
Holding hands
Shoes
The color black
The color green
The color pink
My hair long
Bangs
The country
Country music
Dogs
Horses
Whales
The smell of laundry
Reading non fiction
Cooking shows
"Real Housewives" of anywhere
Camping
The idea of swimming in a lake or the ocean
Bikes
Organizing
Decorating

I don't like stress, anxiety, or heart ache. These things I hate. I will avoid them at all costs.

Have a Fabulous Friday!

It seems that winter is settling in around the U.S today and it makes me all but curl up and read, eat, and nap all day. (Darn work and responsibility!)

Meanwhile grab a cup of thick hot chocolate and warm cinnamon rolls and check out some things from around the interweb~

Two new food blogs I just discovered! One, Two.

I'm clearly hungry and on a food kick! But, I've never had lox and this looks simply diviiine!

Dancing with my husband, cheek to cheek=best moments in life, period.

The aforementioned cinnamon roll. Yeah, it's no joke.

Veil, Lily of the Valley, Feathers, just can't get any better. Look at those eyes!

The Best Open Faced Sandwich. Ever. What?

I have begun reading Goldie Hawn's book and it is very good so far....I'm sure I will be posting more about it, as it is about something that I hold very dear-children's health, happiness, and education. 

And lest I forget-WE HAVE A NEW COUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pics soon to come, of course! I'm in love with it! Thank you Kurt, I love you!!!!

Have a Safe, Happy, Healthy, Food-filled Weekend! :)

Finding Peace of Mind

As Goldie Hawn so eloquently put it, "I lost my smile". I will read her book, soon, too! I'm sure it will be inspirational and full of funny reminders on living the life I (we) are supposed to live!

It being the beginning of a new year, I'm determined not to live one day without being the most honest to myself that I can be. I've done a lot of trying to make myself feel a certain way (about a job, a person, a place, a hobby) and I don't find it that great!

I'm a happy person. I always have been. I'm determined to always remain that way.

I will take more walks, do things more independently, read more books (again, after reading Boosypants by Tina Fey, I'm setting out to read Goldie Hawn's 10 Mindful Moments: Giving Our Children-and Ourselves-The Social and Emotional Skills to Reduce Stress and Anxiety for Healthier, Happier Lives, says a mouthful doesn't it?), express love to my husband to my fullest potent, and create healthier and fuller relationships with my friends. It may seem like I'm asking a lot of myself, but really it just comes down to my Peace of Mind...

Surrounding myself with people and things I love...

Doing things I love...

Remembering to stay positive...

Enjoying nature at it's finest...

Taking time out for myself (and trying HOT yoga!)...

Traveling to beautiful places with Kurt...

Enjoying the simple things in life...

What are you doing to make sure your living a happy, healthy life? I want to hear! :)

Fake It 'Till You Make It...

Resolutions-I wasn't going to make a post about them, seems...obvious I suppose, however, for my own sake of typing them out and making them known in black and white, I'm writing this post in a 'fake it 'till you make it' mentality. For those unaware of 'fake it 'till you make it', it's a saying my mom (I'm sure others have said it too) has said throughout my life. It means, until you master something, fake it and act like you have, eventually you will master it. I've used this mentality in my adult life A LOT already! I've always felt that remembering to 'fake it 'till you make it' gave me an ability go beyond myself and my self proclaimed restrictions. I love this saying!

With that in mind, I have a list of resolutions that I will 'fake until I make'- though I'm not sure MY resolutions need to be faked. I actually think My resolutions CAN'T be faked. So anyway...

1. Remembering what's truly important- I don't really need to have an itinerary for my daily life, do I?

2. Learn to sew...better- I'd like to be able to not fake this anymore, I have too many talented friends and family to teach me the techniques! 

3. Surround myself with things I love AND buy and eat more naturally- Beautiful things make me happy and I love the feeling of being as natural as possible, for human and nature's sake.

4. Go and Do- I don't really know how else to say it, but I want to just get up and go and do as much as possible. Travel, eat, play, read, canoe, camp, love, etc. 

There it is! In black and white! :)

Props To:

I'd like to give a little shout out to Elizabeth Rider of Whole Living Blog. I just used one of her bean soup recipes for dinner tonight! I love her enthusiasm for life and true health, not body size. Her website offers great inspiration into whole living, wellness, and making the most of the life and body you have! Check it out!

P.S. I haven't gotten her book yet, but I'm going to...

Tuesday's Tips: First Tip EVER!

Loving those bright poppies and tiny mini horse!

So I just had a brilliant idea of having a Tuesday's Tips series on my blog! Each week (obviously on Tuesday) I will post a tip. They will range from decorating tips to event planning/executing tips to how to fold a fitted sheet-you know, you all want to know! :) Sound good? Do you have any things that you would like me to cover in the Tuesday's Tips series? I'm excited!

For a little preview though, here is a mini tip, First Ever in the series:

(mini) Tip #1: Strategically place scented dryer sheets throughout drawers and closets in your home. I have a gillion in our linen closet and the table that sits next to our couch that is currently the home of all our blankets for the winter months! The idea is to not use sachets because they are an additional scent that may clash with the dryer sheets that you are already using. Plus, dryer sheets are much more pocketbook friendly than sachets and you can feel less guilty when throwing away a dryer sheet that has lost it's scent vs. throwing away an expensive, frilly, sachet that no longer has a scent. Sounds like a cent vs. scent,  win-win to me!

Book(s) of the moment

Perching. I always perch.

Gilmore Girls=all things good and right in the world.

As it usually goes I found myself meandering through the library for an extraordinarily long time. I found three lovely books-one of which I have been wanting to read since discovering that the beautiful Elizabeth Banks also read the book and made positive life changes in part to the read:

 In Defense of Food :

I love food. Food is delicious. I love reading about food.

 A Year in the Village of Eternity :

I'm all about living longer and enjoying life to the fullest capacity!

Starting Your Career as an Interior Designer :

I WILL be the next Martha Stewart. End of sentence.

Though one can only dream of me finishing all of these books (not a chance in Hell) I can tell you that having them in my presence is reassuring. Reassuring in the sense that self improvement is always possible and never out of reach. Enough with the deep talk... I like these books. They're inspiring and educational and fun. End of story-so to speak.

Do you often buy/borrow books that you want to read from front to back and never make it half way through? What types of books do you read? 

Giving credit where credit is due: Old fashioned library poto ; Gilmore Girl photo