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Archive for the ‘inspiration’ Category

Friday’s Fresh Five! (3/18/11)

Posted in About me, Entertainment, Health, Helping Others, inspiration, Photography, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Get out the umbrellas again! Another weekend of rain is approaching! As I sat at my desk this morning thinking about the rain, my thoughts turned to umbrellas. And while thinking about umbrellas, I happily remembered some umbrellas I photographed while in Italy. The thought of them instantly transported me to a beautiful summer day in Cinque Terre where I snapped photo after photo of these colorful, sun-loving umbrellas from the window of my hotel room. Reliving that moment made me smile and forget about the dismal weather outside. But despite my whining about wet and soggy days, I am ever appreciative of having a roof over my head and a loving family around me. All is put into perspective, when considering the misfortune and struggles of others.

#1 – Before and After
Before and after satellite photos of the areas most hard hit by the earthquake and the ensuing tsunami in Japan tell a horrible story of devastation that words inadequately try to describe. To view the before and after photographs from this New York Times interactive presentation, slide the center bar to the right or left to see entire photographs.

#2 – Donations
As I watched the videos coming out of Japan, I knew I had to help in some way. There are so many legitimate organizations poised to help the Japanese people, but there are many fraudulent ones as well. To make sure my donation reached those in need, I sought out two reputable organizations. Please consider making a donation to assist with the Japanese relief effort. To make it easier for you, here are the links:

The Salvation Army

American Red Cross

After selling lemonade for three and a half hours, a group of nine-year-old children in Northern California raised over $300 dollars to help the Japanese. And out of the mouth of babes, one of them very wisely said, “You can do anything from any place you are.”  Life’s teachers and life’s lessons come in many different forms and sizes.

#3 – Knoword Game
Want to play a fun and challenging game that will expand your vocabulary? Here’s how to play Knoword: When you begin, you will be given one randomly generated dictionary definition along with the first letter of its corresponding word. You must fill in the rest of the word to experience a gain in points and an added time bonus. You will start off with one minute before the game ends, and every word is an opportunity to extend your time. If you’re ever stuck on a word, just hit the skip button and a new puzzle will present itself. If you’re able to string together correct answers, you will notice your Word streak counter increasing. You can accumulate badges and additional points by achieving certain amounts of consecutively correct words… How far can you get?

Even though I’m not very good at this game, I find it addictive!

#4 – Foods That Aid Productivity
Looking for ways to become more productive? Perhaps you have to look no farther than your own diet. This article provides an easy-to-read chart which lists 100 foods and the ways they affect our bodies and ultimately assist our production. Wow, I never knew that pound cake improves digestion and sleep!

#5 – What I Can Do
I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. ~Edward Everett Hale

Stay dry and safe this weekend!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (3/11/11)

Posted in About me, Creativity, inspiration, Photography, Recycling, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

On a day when the sun failed to shine, Mourning Doves gathered on tangled branches of a weeping cherry. With feathers fluffed and appendages pulled in tight, they longed for the warmth of each other, but found the distance between them too great. As I read over these sentences, I’m thinking about how to improve them. They need to be more descriptive, yet tighter. Here’s my challenge to you – send me your best, brief description of or story about (three sentences or less) the photo above and I’ll share some of them in an upcoming post! Give it a try . . . it’ll be fun!

#1 – One Sentence Stories
Don’t underestimate the impact of a single sentence. Can a story be told in one sentence? As a matter of fact, yes. With just six words Hemingway wrote this story: “For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.”

Here are some great examples of Hemingway-style, six word stories by other well-known writers:

“It cost too much, staying human.”
– Bruce Sterling

“From torched skyscrapers, men grew wings.”
– Gregory Maguire

“The baby’s blood type? Human, mostly.”
– Orson Scott Card

“Wasted day. Wasted life. Dessert, please.”
– Steven Meretzky

“Streets full of water. Please advise.”
– Robert Benchley

“Starlet sex scandal. Giant squid involved.”
– Margaret Atwood

Feeling inspired now? Go to One Sentence and challenge yourself to submit a sentence or just enjoy reading others’ efforts.

#2 – Save Trees
You probably already save trees by carrying your own grocery bags into the market. Another way to save trees is to decline printed catalogs. It seems every time I pick up my mail, it’s loaded with catalogs that just end up in my recycled paper bin.

According to an article in Earth 911, Nineteen billion catalogs are mailed out to American homes each year. The production of these catalogs requires 53 million trees, 53 billion gallons of water and emits 5.2 million tons of carbon dioxide. While some send catalogs to the trash instead of their recycling bins, all municipal recycling programs accept catalogs.

One morning after unsubscribing to a bunch of email solicitations on my computer, I took a few minutes to make calls to companies that send me catalogs. I informed them that I shop online and requested that my name be removed from their catalog list. Get the word out!

#3 – On the Tip of Your Tongue?
Ever have moments when you’re talking to someone and there’s a word on the very tip of your tongue? Try as you may, your brain cannot conjure it up? Tip of My Tongue is a site that can help you during those frustrating moments. Type into the text boxes what aspects of the word you know and it provides a list of possible words for you!

#4 – A Breathe Deep Moment
Photographs do not need words; they inspire them. Here’s a photo you can escape into when you need a “breathe deep” moment.

#5 – Rich or Poor?
“If someone were to pay you 10 cents for every kind word you ever spoke and collect from you 5 cents for every unkind word, would you be rich or poor?”
Unknown source

Enjoy your weekend!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (3/4/11)

Posted in About me, Entertainment, Health, Helping Others, inspiration, Photography, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 4, 2011| 1 Comment »

Sometimes life calls for us to be resourceful and to improvise with what we’ve got. The squirrels in my yard do all that and more. Last week when the sky unzipped and let out a torrential downpour, I spied something unusual as I walked across my family room towards the French doors. Moving very slowly across my deck was a squirrel’s tail with seemingly no body attached! “How could just the tail walk?” I murmured to myself as I leaned in for a closer look. Peering through the glass panes, I could make out the rest of the squirrel’s body. While nibbling on sunflower seeds, that had blown down from a feeder during the storm, this clever rodent had flipped his tail over the top of his body to shield himself from the deluge! Despite the fact that I’ve had minor struggles with squirrels in my attic and in my yard, I laughed and gave this guy a thumb’s up!

#1 – Make Lists to Lift Your Spirits
Whenever you need a pick-me-up consider making a list. Demanding Joy is a lovely site where I found an article entitled, “50 Lists to Write to Lift Your Spirits.” The author provides 50 thought-provoking topics which you can personalize. For example, make a list of the things you’re good at or list the ways you have grown since your early 20’s. The author says of these lists, “They’re sort of an inventory of your life and all the good things in it.”

#2 – How Well Do You Multitask?
Considering I’m a mom, I thought I’d mastered the art of multitasking. Well, after playing these multitasking games for a while, I’m apparently not as good at it as I thought! A note of warning: if you play these games at work, turn your computer’s volume down, lest the electronic-sounding music give you away!

#3 – Past and Present
By superimposing photos from the past onto scenes of today, this interesting collection of photographs pulls the past into the present.

#4 – Time to Burn Those Calories!
Here’s a calorie burn calculator that does the opposite of what most calorie counters do. Instead of telling how many calories different activities burn, this calculator tells you how long it will take you to burn “X” number of calories at that activity. For example, for me to burn off 2000 calories, I would need to do high impact aerobics for 5 hours, 1 minute and 53 seconds or I could do computer work for 17 hours, 46 minutes and 40 seconds!

#5 – Apologizing
Apologizing does not always mean that you are wrong and the other person is right. It just means that you value your relationship more than your ego.
Anonymous

No matter what the weather, have a wonderful weekend!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (2/25/11)

Posted in About me, Health, Helping Others, In The Kitchen, inspiration, Jewelry, Photography, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on February 25, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Outside there’s nothing but rain. But, metaphorically speaking, rain falls inside too – it falls into each of our lives, sometimes in “drizzles” and sometimes in “downpours.” How we weather our storms depends on our outlook. We can choose to simply drown or we can let the waters cleanse our perspective and refresh our purpose.

#1 – Gift of Hope Update
My friend Laura, whose inspirational story I wrote about in Laura’s Gift of Hope, just received the most wonderful and miraculous news – she is in remission! Thanks to all who sent prayers and positive energy her way! But let’s not forget about the others who continue their fight against cancer. For as little as $25.00 you can spread cheer and give hope by donating a Gift of Hope (a bouquet of daffodils) or a Bear of Hope (a Boyds Bear stuffed animal for pediatric cancer patients), both of which are delivered anonymously to someone undergoing cancer treatment during the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days, the week of March 22nd. Mahatma Gandhi once stated, “Be the difference you want to see in the world.” The last day to donate online is Monday, February 28th. To be the difference to someone, click here to donate.

#2 – Words and Images
More photos with food-for-thought quotes – check out the slide show at Pix Placcebo. My favorite slide? It has to be, “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” Mother Teresa

#3 – Oatmeal at McDonald’s?
Since I eat oatmeal every morning and know that it’s been a factor in lowering my blood cholesterol, I was happy to see that McDonald’s is advertising and selling “healthy” oatmeal for breakfast. Then I read this article, How to Make Oatmeal . . . Wrong and was shocked to learn that “. . . the McDonald’s product contains more sugar than a Snickers bar and only 10 fewer calories than a McDonald’s cheeseburger or Egg McMuffin.”

#4 – Baking Soda Is Not Just for Baking!
One of the major ingredients in my Fizzy Bath Bombs recipe is baking soda. It’s the component that softens the water. There are many, many other uses for baking soda – 57 to be exact, according to an article in Everyday Wisdom. For example, entries 1, 2, and 3:

1. One of the most popular uses for baking soda is to deodorize your refrigerator. Just place an open container inside, stir every couple of weeks, replace it every couple of months.

2. After you have used the baking soda in the refrigerator, don’t throw it away! Put it in the sink drain or garbage disposal. Add a cup of vinegar and let it stand overnight. Run hot water through it in the morning; it will help keep drains clean and smelling fresh.

3. One of the more important uses for baking soda: Keep a box of baking soda near the stove. In case of a grease fire, you can sprinkle baking soda on the fire to extinguish the flames. This will not damage counter tops or the pans. It is safe for use on electrical fires.

#5 – Two Quotes That Make a Difference

The purpose of life is not to be happy – but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all.
~Leo Rosten

Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Linnell’s Notes on Her Design Concept for Laura’s Layered Necklace
In order of bottom layer to top:

The Swarovski crystal: Pink represents the color of breast cancer awareness.
The base layer: “Hope is an anchor for the soul.” Hebrews 6:19
The oval ring: Faith is constant and frames our hope.
The heart: Love makes us whole.

Make a difference to someone this weekend!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (2/18/11)

Posted in About me, Art and Crafts, Creativity, Gift Ideas, inspiration, Photography, Recycling, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Like a million, twinkling, little lights, raindrops decorate the thin bare branches of ornamental trees and raindrops fall creating overlapping, concentric circles in the already rippled water of the pool. Gusting winds turn bird feeders into revolving circus rides for hungry little birds trying to feed. And as the feeders swirl around and around and up and down, the birds hold on for dear life as they peck away at the seed. Even during a storm, my yard is a source of wonder.

#1 – Umbrella Art
I have rain on my brain these days and with thoughts of rain comes thoughts of umbrellas. I never considered umbrellas as an art medium, but after seeing these photos of umbrella art installations, I’ve changed my mind!

#2 – How Much Rain is A Lot of Rain?
Just how much rain is a lot of rain – it’s all relative, right? My curiosity led me to the Big Site of Amazing Facts to find these answers:

The average city in the United States might receive 25 to 45 inches of rain in a year. New York receives about 43 inches, and Dallas about 32 inches.

In Cherrapunji, India, it rained so hard in 1861 that the rainfall totaled more than 1,042 inches, that’s about 87 feet!

Lloro, Colombia, in South America receives the highest average annual precipitation on earth, which makes it the wettest place in the world. An estimated 523.6 inches (1,330 cm) of rain falls every year, according to the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

#3 -Reuse It!
Other than using it to cover your head from the pouring rain, there are many different ways to reuse newspapers. Here’s a cute and clever idea – make gift bags out of them! The blog How About Orange has a tutorial on how to make gift bags from newspapers. Now when I read the morning paper, I’ll be looking for colorful ads to use for the gift bags I’m going to make!

#4 – Droplets of Water
You’ll be impressed by these amazing and creative photos taken by Steve Wall, an amateur photographer. With his macro lens he captures the reflective beauty of water droplets. After seeing his work you’ll appreciate both the work of nature and the work of the artist.

#5 – Gentle Rain
Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots.
Frank Howard Clark

Whatever the weather, enjoy your weekend!

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Laura’s Gift of Hope

Posted in Helping Others, inspiration, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on February 16, 2011| 7 Comments »

Can numbers tell a story of courage and inspiration? Consider the staggering numbers in this story and the incredible story in its numbers.

The house is peacefully quiet and broad bands of sunlight stream into the room through large windows as my friend Laura eases herself into a comfortable recliner that is her safe haven for most of the day. An eight-inch scar races down her abdomen and painfully reminds her of her sixth cancer-related surgery. With her aging dog lying at her feet, she shows me colored photos of the cancerous “stalactites” that peppered her peritoneum, the membrane that forms the lining of the abdominal cavity. I am in awe of her while she calmly reminds me about the details of her eleven-year fight against three primary forms of cancer. While most of us would be daunted by the prospect of a single round of chemotherapy, Laura is about to begin her fourth – she has Stage 4 peritoneal cancer. Saying that Laura is one of the most courageous and inspirational people I know is clearly an understatement and is one that I wish I didn’t have to make.

“What do you say to yourself every morning when you wake up? What gives you the strength to get through the hard days?” “What words keep coming back to you as you go on this journey?” A couple of weeks ago I asked Laura to think of several words that answer these questions. Because she is a gift to me, I want to make a gift for her. I want to know what “her words” are so that I can make an indelible version of them for her to wear close to her heart – in a necklace. The words come easily to her: “Faith, Hope, and Love.”

As bright as the sunlight that streams into the room, so is Laura’s hope. The mere fact that Laura is involved in fundraising for three major cancer organizations while in the throes of her own battle is proof. As an eight-year active volunteer for her county’s American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days Campaign, Laura has an ambitious goal. She hopes that during Daffodil Days as many cancer patients as possible will be able to receive a Gift of Hope. A Gift of Hope is a bouquet of daffodils that is donated anonymously and is delivered to someone undergoing cancer treatment during Daffodil Days. She vividly recalls the day, more than a decade ago and during one of her chemotherapy sessions, when a stranger walked into the room and handed her a bouquet of cheerful yellow daffodils. That person was a cancer survivor and an ACS volunteer. Laura’s eyes light up as she explains to me how much receiving that bouquet meant to her that day. Her emotional words and her dedication to this campaign make it clear just how very much that bouquet means to her even now.

Last September Laura and nine of her friends participated in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Walking thirty-nine miles over a two-day period can be a grueling task, but for Laura, who had just finished her third round of chemotherapy, and her friends, each step gave them another measure of hope. With Laura by their side as an inspirational guide, they all completed their 39-mile journey and raised almost $40,000 to go towards breast cancer screening, support, treatment, and research.

Laura is a gift to all who know her and is a gift of hope for all cancer patients that she tirelessly raises money for in an effort to find cures. If her story inspires you or if you want to bring hope to people facing cancer and help save lives through cancer research, please consider donating a Gift of Hope during the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days Campaign. You can access Laura’s Daffodil Days donation page by clicking here. Online orders can be made through February 28th. Laura and I thank you.

“Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.”
Lin Yutang

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (2/11/11)

Posted in About me, Entertainment, Gardening, Holidays, inspiration, Photography, Recipes, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on February 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The sun bathes my skin in warmth as I tend to the rose bushes in my garden. The hard work of pruning is finished, but I am far from done with my work. To receive gifts of magnificent blooms, such as the heavenly one in the photo taken last year, the bushes need a little more TLC. What living thing on this earth does not benefit from a little extra love?

#1 – How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
Instead of buying Valentine’s Day cards at the grocery store, try doing this for each special person in your life. In your own imperfect handwriting, make a list of all the reasons you love him/her. At the top of your paper write Twenty Reasons Why I Love You and begin your list. Obviously 20 is just a number used as an example. Don’t stop at 20 if you have more reasons why you love this person. Think about what this person does that makes you smile or laugh. Consider the ways this person allows you to be yourself. Write down how you feel when you are around this person. What does this person bring to your life? You get my drift. What better Valentine’s Day gift than telling your special people what is truly in your heart!

#2 – Kiss Me Pink
Like to sip on cocktails, but, for whatever reason, don’t want the alcohol? DrinkAlternatives.Com has a list of Non-Alcoholic Mocktails Recipes that you’ll want to check out. Here’s a recipe from the list that would be perfect for a Valentine’s Day brunch:

Kiss Me Pink Mocktail
Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup sparkling cider
* 1/4 cup cranberry juice
* 1/4 cup pineapple juice
* whipped cream

Recipe: Mix sparkling cider with pineapple and cranberry juice. Top with whipped cream.

Garnish: Add a small lime slice and a maraschino cherry on top.

Serve: Champagne flute

#3 – Best Movies to Watch on Valentine’s Day
I love watching chick-flicks and all I can say is thank goodness I have sons who like to watch scary or deep, dark, action movies with my husband. Here’s a list of movies more to my liking – Better Homes and Garden’s Editors’ Picks for 30 Top Romantic Movies for Valentines Day:

1. When Harry Met Sally
2. Pride & Prejudice
3. Pretty Woman
4. While You Were Sleeping
5. Sleepless in Seattle
6. An Officer and a Gentleman
7. The Notebook
8. Bridget Jone’s Diary
9. Bull Durham
10. Casablanca
11. The Sound of Music
12. Shakespeare in Love
13. Sense and Sensibility
14. Overboard
15. Dirty Dancing
16. Say Anything
17. Rebecca
18. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
19. Ghost
20. Love Actually
21. Notting Hill
22. Moonstruck
23. Somewhere in Time
24. Emma
25. Room with a View
26. The Fabulous Baker Boys
27. Love Story
28. Dr. Zhivago
29. Always
30. The Thorn Birds

#4 – Romantic Destinations
Want to get away to a romantic destination for Valentine’s Day, but can’t? Take a look at these photos of some of the most romantic travel destinations courtesy of the Global Grasshopper. Oia and Venice are as romantic in person as they seem in the photos. I’m sure, though, they would have been a whole lot more romantic for me and my husband, if we hadn’t taken our kids with us!

#5 – Imagine Love
“It matters not who you love, where you love, why you love, when you love or how you love, it matters only that you love”
— John Lennon

Have a simply lovely weekend!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (2/4/11)

Posted in Creativity, Health, Helping Others, Holidays, inspiration, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 4, 2011| 2 Comments »

Seeing red? The month of February brings this powerful color to the forefront. The Chinese Year of the Rabbit hopped in this week bringing with it an abundance of red. Red is a color of happiness and prosperity in China and is used to attract good luck. Red firecrackers and red lucky envelopes abound. But February also takes a romantic turn as we think of cupids and love. Valentine’s Day is just ten days away and soon we’ll be deluged with red hearts, cupids and candies! And speaking of red hearts . . .

#1 – Wear Something Red Today!
Today is the Go Red for Women “Wear Red” Day. Go Red is the American Heart Association’s campaign that “celebrates the energy, passion, and power we have as women to band together to wipe out heart disease and stroke.” Heart disease is the number one killer of women. To learn more about the warning signs of heart attack, stroke and cardiac arrest click here.

Wear something red today – a red scarf, a red flower, a red pair of shoes,  a red whatever – to proudly show your support for women’s heart disease awareness!

#2 – Carrying Aspirin?
For Christmas my sister gave me a pill tote that attaches to a key chain. The intention is to have aspirin readily available in case of a heart attack. The card that accompanied it states, “Chewing at least two (81mg) baby aspirin or one regular-strength (325 mg) aspirin at the first sign of a suspected heart attack can help save your life.” To verify the validity of the statement and the dose, please consult your doctor.

If you are interested in purchasing a pill tote similar to mine, here is a link. Quantities are limited.

#3 – Street Art
The website Street Art Utopia states “We declare the world as our canvas” and has just posted the 20 Most Loved Street Art Photos. Creative and interesting stuff!

#4 – 360 Virtual Reality Panoramas
Have you ever wondered what the view is like from the top of Mt. Everest? Thanks to some of the best 360 virtual reality panoramic photographers in the world, you can enjoy this view and others, too! At panoramas.dk you can see the breathtaking panoramic view at the summit of Mt. Everest, as well as, many other locations and events such as New Years in Times Squares, Carnival in Rio, or paragliding over France. I highly recommend watching it in fullscreen mode and if you’re prone to motion sickness, take a Dramamine first!

#5 – How Big is Your World?
A person’s world is only as big as their heart.
Tanya A. Moore

Share your world with someone this weekend!

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Vows I Made

Posted in About me, Helping Others, inspiration, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 2, 2011| 2 Comments »

During our lifetimes we make many vows and take many oaths. Some are official and spoken out loud such as wedding vows and oaths of allegiance. Others are silent vows made to God or vows of love and protection that mothers say to their newborn babies when they are put in their arms for the very first time.

A couple of nights ago, while I was waiting for my computer to install updates, I decided to explore a new “magnetic” poetry application on my iPad. Like on a Ouija board, the words seemed to move and form groups magically by themselves. When all was said and done, I found myself staring at the the screen. No ordinary wordplay transpired here, as I noticed the messages behind the words. Then the impact of the words hit me and I realized that these thoughts were significant and were vows I needed to make to myself. When was the last time you made a vow to your true self? So from the depths of “magnetic” poetry, I share these vows with you.

Create Joy – I must create joy for others, to find joy in myself.

Breathe Hope – Hope is a force inside of me like the air I breathe in out out. As I inhale the power of hope from others, I must also exhale it to share with others.

Grow Imagination – More than ever the world needs people with imagination. I will nurture mine in every way I can.

Accept Love – I give love freely, but also open myself to accept love in all of its forms.

Thank Nature – For all the gifts that nature bestows upon me, I thank her by taking pleasure in them and by taking great care of them.

Applaud Gifts – I gratefully acknowledge my unique gifts and, like a super hero, will find ways to use them to make the world a better place.

Remember Dream – I will keep my dreams in the forefront of my consciousness and will work to make them a reality.

Feel Passion – To really live, I must feel passion or be passionate about something.

Shine – There is a light inside of me that shines through my whole being and is reflected in my thoughts and deeds.

Become Thought – If I am the sum total of my thoughts, then my thoughts must reflect the person I desire to be.

Show Heart – I will show compassion for others. Mother Teresa once said, ” Let us not make a mistake – that the hunger is only for a piece of bread. The hunger of today is so much greater: for love – to be wanted, to be loved, to be cared for, to be somebody.”

Live Life – With only a finite number of breaths in my life, I will breathe deep and live my life to the fullest!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (1/28/11)

Posted in About me, Helping Others, In The Kitchen, inspiration, Organization, Photography, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on January 28, 2011| 3 Comments »

“Enough birds,” my mom says. “What?” I confusedly reply. “Enough birds,” she reiterates. “Okay,” I say as her meaning sinks in. My mom thinks I’ve posted too many photos of birds in my blog recently. Admittedly, I have become a bit bird crazy. Today’s photo of a Black-chinned Hummingbird is one that took great patience and a little luck to capture, so I have to share it! But I’ll try to give the little creatures a rest and aim my camera elsewhere for a little while . . . .

#1 -A Giving Challenge
“Give one thing away each day for 29 days. Share your stories about how it impacts your life to focus on giving. Join the 29-Day Giving Challenge today. Why? Because to see our world change, we have to do something to change our world. Plus, the best way to attract abundance into your life is to be in a perpetual state of giving and gratitude. Be an important part of the global giving movement that inspires more generosity on our planet.” These are the words on the 29-Day Giving Challenge: Changing Lives One Gift at a Time website that I learned about at a workshop I attended last weekend. Take on the challenge and see if your life doesn’t change!

#2 – Great Quotes and Great Images
Many of my favorite inspirational quotes have been paired up with some great photo images or artwork on the Present Outlook site. Check them out and print some up.

#3 – Get Organized!
According to the National Association of Professional Organizers, January is the official Get Organized Month.

As I sit here in my office, I am surrounded by piles of junk. I impulsively decided to clean my study yesterday. Cleaning and organizing are my favorite forms of procrastination! After spending half a day pulling everything off the bookshelves to sort and dust, I now have a bigger mess than I had before. What to do? Well, right now I’m procrastinating by writing this post instead of choosing to clean up my newly-created mess. It’s a vicious cycle, isn’t it?

If mail clutter seems to be taking over your living quarters, then here’s a tip from a book I found yesterday while cleaning. Sheree Bykofsky author of 500 Terrific Ideas for Organizing Everything says, “Never let your mail sit around. Read your mail as soon as it arrives and sort each envelope into the following categories: pay, answer, file, dump. Then do it. Be selective about what you choose to file; think about whether you’ll ever need to locate that paper again, and if you do, will you really be able to find it? Your time is too valuable to spend constantly filing; and your home shouldn’t resemble the archives of the Library of Congress.”

#4 – Got Lemons?
Got lemons? Do what I do when I’ve got lots of lemons. I freeze some of them, so I can enjoy their flavor throughout the year. One way I like to freeze them is in round slices. After washing the lemons, I slice them with a sharp knife into thin rounds. Then I place the slices in a single layer on a parchment paper-covered cookie sheet and put them in the freezer. After the slices are frozen solid, I transfer them to a freezer-safe container, alternating layers of wax paper and lemon slices. When I have company over and want to serve them a refreshing pitcher of water, I just reach into my freezer and grab a couple of frozen lemon slices and toss them into the water. I also keep lime slices, quartered orange slices, cucumber slices, and melon chunks in my freezer just for that purpose, too!

# 5 – How Do You Say Thank You?
How do you say “thank you” for sunshine or health . . . for clear days or gentle rains . . . for happiness, joy or love? You say it by sharing what you have. You say it by making the world a better place in which to live.
~Thomas D. Willhite~

May you experience joy this weekend!

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