Mandy Hale via HealthyPlace.com
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement, Favorite Quotes, Friendship, kindness
Purple Clover via Cindy Basnett Thurman
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement, Favorite Quotes, Funny Signs - Humor
Zen to Zany via Cathy Ruggiero
Filed under Attitude, Bright Ideas, Encouragement, opportunities
No Sidebar via Stephanie Youmans Wilson
Filed under Encouragement, Favorite Quotes
Living With the Trees – WordPress.com
“Happy.
I don’t mean to point out the obvious, but I’m going say it: you’re not going to live forever. Neither am I.
I don’t know what makes you smile, laugh, or feel good, but you deserve to be doing more of it. A lot more. In fact, you deserve to be so giddy your cheeks hurt.
And if for some reason, you aren’t happy today, then find someone to make happy.
And you will be.”
Author Unknown
Filed under doing what you love, Encouragement, Faces, Favorite Quotes
Your Tango
“When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do not quit.”
Filed under Encouragement, favorite poems, Favorite Quotes
Shutterstock
Today, I asked my mentor – a very successful business man in his 70s what his top 3 tips are for success. He smiled and said;
“Read something no one else is reading, think something no one else is thinking, and do something no one else is doing.”
Filed under Challenges, Encouragement, Favorite Quotes
If you don’t already do this, don’t just concentrate on celebrating the special holidays of the year with the one you love. Don’t worry about whether he gets you something for Valentine’s Day, your birthday, your anniversary. Wouldn’t you be happier if he thinks about you and tries to make you happy MOST days of the year?
This doesn’t happen accidentally. It starts with YOU. When YOU show HIM that he’s special, thank him when he does something he doesn’t have to do that saves you time, effort, worry, he might return the way you make him feel in kind.
Yes, there are days you chase him around the house with a fly swatter when he’s being obnoxious. Yes, there are days you think about how satisfying it would be to bash him – just a bit – with a frying pan. Yes, there are days your feelings are hurt. Yes, there are days you want to yell until you’re hoarse. Yes, you might enjoy some time to yourself. That’s called living with someone who ALSO has wants/needs/ideas/hopes/dreams. Those feelings go both ways.
It’s up to YOU to see that the GOOD feelings/warm thoughts/melts-you-into-a-puddle acts go both ways.
And YOU go first.
Happy Valentine’s Day, and happy tomorrow, and happy the-day-after-that….
Filed under Attitude, Bright Ideas, Challenges, Encouragement
sun gazing via diana roggen bucke brown on 5minutesmoreplease.wordpress.com
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement
Nino Chaketadze-Zen to Zany via Cathy Ruggiero
Filed under Attitude, Dreams, Encouragement, Favorite Quotes
GrowingBolder.com via Cathy Ruggiero
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement, Favorite Quotes
Nanea Hoffman – SweatpantsandCoffee.com via Lisa Bearnes Richey
Filed under Encouragement, Favorite Quotes
Leo Tolstoy via SayingImages.com
“Happiness is not in our circumstance but in ourselves. It is not something we see, like a rainbow, or feel, like the heat of a fire. Happiness is something we are.” John B. Sheerin
funnyfact.com
“Fortify yourself with contentment, for this is an impregnable fortress.” Epictetus
images.designntrend.com
“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” Marcel Proust
“Happiness is a by-product of an effort to make someone else happy.” ~Gretta Brooker Palmer
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement
Oscar Wilde via sayingimages.com
Now that I’m older than dirt, many things are becoming clearer.
I would prefer that people like me. I love it when people enjoy my blog or some of my art work. I’m delighted when someone wants to spend time with me.
But more and more I’m self-contained. I have so many things I want or like to do that I’m never bored. I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by materials I can use to make things. I have wonderful books and magazines to read, plans to make on my greenhouse and raised bed square foot garden, new low carb, low sugar recipes I want to try, animals to love, a husband who annoys me only part of the time, (;0) – life is good and I’m so lucky.
I could stay up here on top of my ridge line for days at a time, only coming down for supplies of various kinds. I’m able to reach out to people via social media, my blog, chat programs, phone and letter. It just doesn’t get better than this.
I still would like to improve, but I no longer want to be like others. I’m content within my own skin. I would like to lose some lard and feel stronger and more flexible. I would like to continue to learn things. I would love to have more time and energy to play in my art room.
I hope that many people live to look around and realize that their lot in life is pretty good. Things are never perfect, but they sure could be a lot worse.
Be content being yourself. Find things that make your spirit soar. Surround yourself with people you cherish. Live every day – embracing it, wringing every bit of joy out of it that is possible. “Be yourself….”
Filed under Challenges, Encouragement, Favorite Quotes
“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.” ~ Neil Gaiman, British author
It’s late to post this – on the 20th of January – but I think it’s important. Expanding your horizons, moving out of your comfort zone, is a way to keep your juices flowing. I hate it when people I care about start ‘closing down.’ I want them to be overflowing with enthusiasm about SOMETHING, whether it’s a new author they’ve found, a new idea for their home, a new exercise they’re trying, a new picture puzzle they’ve started, a new hobby….
My husband and I are so busy all the time we don’t know how we EVER found time to work full time – as we did for most of our lives. The day begins and it’s over. We cram as much as we can into each one, but always make time to relax and take a nap to replenish energy, if needed. The days go so fast our hair blows! We have too many good things to do for each day.
Right now we have two main things we’re focusing on: I’m trying to clean/declutter/reorganize our ‘stuff’ one area at a time and my husband is building a new computer for me.
Yesterday I
Meanwhile, my husband found a DVD via YouTube on TIG welding. He has done this for years, but really would like to do better. The DVD is wonderful, with an expert who makes it look easy. My husband is happy-as-a-pig-in-s_ _ t” watching the videos, ordering things he didn’t know existed to make his welding go more easily, plus downloaded a project to make a part for his metal lathe.
Also, meanwhile, I’m trying to get my greenhouse organized and functional, hoping to get a jump on the upcoming spring planting season. I’m researching, making notes, starting to spend a bit of time in my greenhouse as our weather is warming up a bit, listing plants I want to start, and figuring out how to get set up, at least initially, to start seeds.
Not to mention the newest member of our family, a yellow lab ‘puppy’ who is now 10 months old and 91 pounds, who is definitely giving us a run for our money.
The point is that we’re trying to branch out, do things that are a bit intimidating, trying to get healthier. Our interests are broadening and we’re loving our lives. We’re ‘Doing Something”
I hope you’re pushing yourself to ‘do something,” too.
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes, Encouragement
Stephen King via The Writers Circle via Cathy Ruggiero
Filed under Encouragement
ll-werk-Pinterest
I’m trying, once again, to control my eating and increase my movement. This image above describes my efforts to date. I have just started recording my food intake and exercise on MyFitnessPal.com in an effort to –
I had my usual breakfast. We’re planning to stop at the deli to bring lunch home (I will either get fish or chicken ONLY – no ‘meal.’) I was going to have leftover beef stew and some garlic bread for dinner, but NO! That puts me way over my limit, so we’ll have a large salad, instead. I’ve built in my orange dream bar for desert. This combo will bring me in under on calories and at my limit on carbs for the day. I’m also going to do 15 minutes on my elliptical machine and 30 minutes in yoga stretches this afternoon.
I’m doing pretty well until after lunch. Then I go nuts for some reason. I have no clue why, but instead of continuing to be disgusted with myself, I’m changing what I’m doing. If I can do this for a week or so, I can get back on track. We’re not planning to have or go to any holiday parties. My biggest ‘enemies’ are my husband and myself.
I’ll make it a point to fix some things that are on my diet to eat as snacks, in case I think I’m starving to death. :0)
Today is Tuesday. I’ll plan to get back to you about my progress NEXT Tuesday. Hopefully, I can report that I’m being good and making progress.
graphics
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, DIET!, exercise, Healthy Eating
Dave Hedges via WisdomtoInspiretheSoul.com via Cathy Ruggiero
Filed under Encouragement, Favorite Quotes
creativeartworksblog 