Christmas is right around the corner and with that comes the chaos that we all seem to enjoy, until exhaustion hits Christmas Eve at midnight. People are so tired that they can barely function, yet the excitement of Christmas carries us through the next day. Unfortunately many have to go back to work the next day. Remember, the weekend is nearby, lol. During Christmas we should take stock of how crazy we want the next years' holidays to be. We are creatures of habit and we DO love the thrill, but not the exhaustion. Since childhood we all had exciting expectations of the holidays, the presents, the cookies, family and friends visiting, and it has left us all with a incredible illusion of the holiday. Maybe it will snow! Actually it is not all about the toys, etc. It has a different meaning for each of us. I have the fondest memories of holidays mostly centered around family. I am a Christian so the holiday is historically important to me on a spiritual level. Not every one has the same belief. It is my responsibility to respect everyone's beliefs. But it is generally a time to take pause and have gratitude. As we approach the conclusion of this year, we have a chance to count our blessings. There are lots of things wrong with the world, but if we can just reflect on what we have control over. Ourselves. Change starts from within, and it is the power of the beautiful people in this country to improve ourselves and our country. My desire is fueled by my beliefs, my sweet husband, grandkids, family, friends and giving back to the beautiful community we live in. Make a promise to yourself, your family and friends that you are willing to be the best human possible. Find out what your greatness is. This is how we start. Merry Christmas to all of you. I am taking a break to enjoy the holidays and look forward to restarting January 1. Blessings, Barb
I write this with hesitancy as we are living through a divisive time and it is affecting all of us. We seem to have forgotten our commonality, thus, One Heart, Two Lungs. We are turning on one another with such vehemence that feels unprecedented. James reminds me that there have been equally disturbing times, but I personally don't remember this level ever. With 9/11 we turned toward each other with kindness, gratitude, patriotism and almost a new found love of one another. A respect that we were all in this together. Those days seem so distant and now we burn mail boxes, rip political signs out of each others yards, and people are scorned for wearing a hat or a t-shirt with their party affiliation and worse yet, and relationships have been destroyed. What are we teaching our children? Why is it so important to alienate friends, family, etc to prove that you are right? Of course this is a critical year. The most critical that I remember. We are all afraid of the things coming true that each candidate espouses, but aren't we united enough in our communities to withstand whatever does happen? Do we need to turn against one another and create more hatred? We are seeing enough of that on tv with the candidates. So, please look inward. Think about the stress on your body, your spirit, your family, friends and colleagues. Is it worth it to put all those things at risk to be right? Remember, One Heart, Two Lungs. No matter who wins, that does not change. We are all only human.
I am very pleased to announce that my Sister-In-Law, Linda Murphy would like to share her very successful program called Women's Empowerment Series out of Belmont, North Carolina. Please read her introduction to this group below. *My name is Linda Murphy. I am a co-founder with my business partner, Amber Verna for our Women's Empowerment Series. Our mission is to bring like-minded and like-hearted women together for growth, community and creating new friendships. We have been thrilled with the scope of our series, as we launched our 3rd season this past September, 2024. We have monthly meetings, highlighting speakers for each gathering. Being among these women has been very powerful for all as we interact with everyone leaving our meetings feeling uplifted by the topics of our speakers, and being in the company of other awesome women. Our focus this season has been highlighting "tools for our empowerment toolkit". My video on our WE You Tube channel talk about many of the personal tools I have accrued throughout my quest to figure out who I am as I experience my own life's journey. Perhaps you will find these tools to be a helpful addition to your personal tool kit as you move forward on your life's pathway. *Please find the link to WE YOU TUBE channel below. https://youtube.com@womensempowerment.belmontnc *the link was long, couldn't highlight. Please look it up on You Tube.
I have never received as many comments as I did with the article re "88 Touches Per Day To Remain Human". I loved it because it made people stop and think. Maybe they felt a little embarrassed as they started taking toll of their own touches. It did me, feel embarrassed, when I read the article 10 years ago. Remember, this is not necessarily intimate touch. Maybe it is just a touch on a shoulder when greeting someone, comforting someone when they are upset, experiencing a loss, or maybe it is a high 5 out of joy. Some have suggested it is because of Covid, maybe a bit. The article was written ten years ago, so I am suggesting that even then it was an issue and I believe if we are honest with ourselves, you will be a bit embarrassed at how little you touch daily. I was. So lets' create a new image of ourselves, one that is more personable, one that when you walk down the street your eyes don't avoid the other person, one that is willing to comfort a friend, one that can touch a shoulder or do a high 5 out of joy. Try it, then check in with yourself in one month. I believe we will all feel better.
I didn't make this up, but I read this idea 10 years ago in an article. I recently revisited this thought as we were going through a particularly busy time in our lives. I realized that we were no where near that number. Have we forgotten how important touch is? Maybe. We as a civilization are so busy almost every minute of the day that we ignore the basics. Busy is different for each person, work, kids, family, home, projects, computer time, etc. Remember though how good it feels when you are truly hugged. Remember when you sit down and pet your fur baby for a bit, the love that they exude. So my challenge to all of us is to remember to touch one another more. It can just be a gentle touch, nothing more. Be conscientious about it and see how many touches you DO partake in, then start doubling it. Enjoy!
This morning I was driving into town and passing a bus stop with a shelter. There were two men, both elderly. One of the men was literally propping the other up because he had tipped over. The temp at 9 am was 100 degrees. I quickly went to the store, less than a half a block from them, to get water. As I pulled up, the bus came to take them to their destination. I felt relief for them. Idea. What if during these immensely hot days we carried water bottles and looked for vulnerable older people to give it to them? The heat can cause sunstroke so rapidly in this age group, and even someone younger. Reach out to those in need. It will feel good.
Today I realized something that made me sad. I was in and out of stores as I was painting and needing a few supplies. I realized I needed some sustenance, lol, AKA food. It was 107 degrees so I only thought about ice cream, right? As I walked into the grocery I noticed that no one looked up, no smiles, etc. I realize it is 107 and there is not a lot of joy in this kind of day, but no one even made eye contact, no smiles, etc. Now, I am a person that needs smiles. I am part time in SMA where almost EVERYONE smiles and says Hola or Buen Dias. I love it. BUT, I am trying to adapt to California again. I was sad, but doing ok, until I rounded the corner to get my much needed frosty treat. I paused to let a woman pass sitting in her cart. I smiled and she looked up and called me a scumbag. What????? Now, I had a little paint on my shorts, but definitely not a scumbag. What has happened to people? I thought about it a bit. I have been blessed to travel to 7 states and one country since May. (We promised to help James' brother build a sunroom so we took off on our adventure to North Carolina). All across the country people smiled, waved, or said hello. I even went for walks in our guests' neighborhood and not one person ignored me, even kids said hello. What is up California? We are supposed to teach our children to be friendly, kind and warm, let alone us being that way. What happened? Don't we realize that we are teachers and human beings? So I am inviting all of you to start a movement. Maybe you don't want to say HOLA, but maybe a smile, maybe a pleasant gesture and God forbid, eye contact. We are creating isolation, adding to mental health issues and just not being nice if we ignore one another. A smile never hurts! Please think about this and let's create a movement! PS It is two days later and I am rereading this note looking for errors, etc. The last two days since I wrote this article, I went to the park for my morning walks. The park is supposed to be a happy place. Ten people in two days, and not even any eye contact. Come on California, you are better than this. I hope.
I have given into wearing those slip on shoes you buy during the summer then throw away. I am not sure if they are rubber or plastic, but they get so dirty, especially in the desert. I looked at them and said, they are almost brand new but they are grey. So, I searched for an answer and it was so easy! (Picture shows blue though) Renew them with Armourall Tire Cleaner. Brand new!! Took two minutes and perfect! Sometimes things are just easy and cheap!
When is the last time you did something "off the cuff". Are you retired? Think no one would enjoy it? Too tired? What if you threw a party, a theme party? Was at a friends tonite and had a great idea. It won't happen until the first of October, but what a great idea to just have fun. It will take some planning, but so what? We are not so old that we can't think of fun ideas to bring people together to have a good time. The idea of the party will be a Mexican party, complete with dress that is whatever you want it to be, but everyone has to speak Spanish. Yikes! I will make paella, sangrias, sopapillas, etc, etc. The women will probably be glitzy and the men will be debonair, but the idea is to have fun. Think of it as a pre-holiday party to start the season. What could you think of for a party? Or a gathering? Past a book club, or a morning walk in the park? Let's all have some fun this season and use your creative juices to bring life back into your existence. You can be the one that perks everyone up! Try it!
I am an ex-Roundup person for years. I thought I would share my weed control concoction. One gallon white vinegar 2 Tblsp dish soap (everyone loves Dawn, but it can be any soap) 1 c salt I have a one gallon vinegar jug that I write the recipe on and save it. This works. A little slower than traditional weed killers, but I feel much better not poisoning the ground and definitely feel more conscious. Plus, it is cheap!
This is short! We have had very serious rain storms, complete with the heaviest lightning I have ever seen. Brilliant, in fact. I had unplugged computers, tvs, etc thinking how smart I am, lol. Last night I did not and apparently lightning came to visit again. I got up this morning to turn on You Tube music and it appeared dead. I was starting to think about budgeting for a new tv. THEN I got the brilliant idea to unplug and re-plug, duh! It was fine. Two lessons for me. Unplug at night during this season, #2, unplug and re-plug if not working.. I am sure you all know this, but just a reminder from someone who THINKS she is fairly intelligent, lol.
The word bored comes up frequently as I talk to people, especially retired people. I am blessed that that word is not in my dictionary, but it is in a lot of peoples' vocabulary. An example is my husband. He is a brilliant man, highly educated and I think that may be part of it. He gets bored. When you look at life on certain levels, you may not be looking at the smaller things that are possible. He made a job change 11 years ago and it was the best thing in the world for him. He has since then become a Marriage and Family Therapist, but his hobby was renovating homes. (Guess who got drug into that, lol?) We are done with that phase, thank God. I was never bored with anything as his hobby became mine and there are only so many hours in a day. But much to the exclusion of my hobbies, we muddled through it and I am grateful at this time as we live where we live. BUT, the point is how do we define our hobbies/goals from our partners? How do we find fulfillment in life separately? Book clubs, garden clubs, take up running, pick a 10 k to run, write a book, volunteer, redo landscaping, start swimming, start a dinner club, etc. Do something, but do it with passion.
I found mites on my very established Philodendron. Ugh! But thanks to my horticulturist, Sis, she shared her wisdom which is nontoxic. Here it is: Wash both sides of all the leaves. Use Ivory liquid dish soap or Murphys oil soap. Those are the only two safe soaps to use. Clean the outside of the pot with a very damp rag or towel that you lay over the dirt in the pot. Submerge the pot into a tub of water briefly. Mites don't like water or humidity. You can use a spray bottle with 3 cups water and a few drops of Ivory. As you clean you will barely see the spray on the leaves, in other words, a light spray. Keep this spray around for any eggs that might hatch within a week.
Some experts think of microbiomes, a collection of microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and their genes that naturally live in our bodies, as a hidden organ because it is so important in the function of our immune system to decrease chronic inflammation. Studies conclude that your gut communicates with your brain through pathways in the gut brain axis. Changes in the microbiome have been linked with mood and mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety though it is not clear yet exactly how this works. It is important to increase the fiber in our diet as a first step. There are two types of fiber: insoluble, which helps you feel full and encourages regular bowel movements. Some examples include bran flakes, brown rice, quinoa, corn, oats, popcorn and nuts and seeds. Soluble fiber helps to lower cholesterol and blood sugar. Some examples are beans, carrots, avocados, fruits, flax seeds, sweet potatoes, etc. It is important to concentrate on both. We need approximately 14 grams of fiber per 1000 calories that we ingest. If you have trouble eating enough fiber, you can take OTC fiber supplements in the form of powder, capsules and now even chewable fiber. What about fermented foods? They contain pre and probiotics. Many fermented foods undergo lacto- fermentation in which natural bacteria feed on the sugar and starch in the food. This helps to remove simple sugars and create good bacteria, ie Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium. In addition to probiotics, fermented foods may contain enzymes, B vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids. A reminder, it is all about balance in our diet, but we can easily tip the scale a bit toward healthier food and avoid all the fast food and processed foods. For more articles re; health: https:/www.health.harvard.edu
Just a quick idea but a good one. Had to make a French apple pie for a gathering, and realized I didn't have my usual deep dish pie plate. I decided to use a 10 inch cheesecake pan instead. I crossed my fingers as I was afraid the juice of the apples might run out, nope! I made the crust a bit more stiff to be able to mold it into a deeper pan. It came out great, held its shape, surprise, surprise, and I loved it. It was elegant in appearance and super easy to cut. Whew, a disaster averted.
I have a good friend who is so clever. She could be PINTEREST on her own. Send me your projects, ideas and cleverness and I will post it.
Of course you are! You are working full time, kids schedules are so difficult to keep up with, and didn't you have a brief vision about going to the gym to work out? Wake up from that dream. What can we do about dinner after late night soccer practice? Don't drive to fast food. It is cold, unloved and horrifically fatty for kids and adults. And don't forget the spread as we talked about on another post. You know the one from sitting too much. Ideas. Pick a night. Let's do Sunday night after Sunday dinner. Take a whole chicken, clean it, 3 minutes. Put it in a crock pot with a ceramic liner that you could put in the refrigerator. Put seasonings on it, 30 seconds, a little chicken broth or water in the base, 1/2 inch, add cut up potatoes, washed and cut in eighths, 2 minutes. The secret is to put it in the refrigerator with the keys to your car so you won't forget to put in heating unit of the crock pot in the morning. 5:30 minutes. When you come home there will be a wonderful aroma of chicken/potatoes and it will automatically create a sensory vision of home and peacefulness. When the troops arrive, have chilled applesauce, 30 seconds to put on table, and cut up some cucumbers for the table, 60 seconds. We are talking 7 minutes. You would wait in line at McDonalds that long. One more thing. I suggest everyone leaves phones in their bedroom and we talk, no tv. The engagement of the family fills a social need plus sets a really nice standard for the kids to open up about their day. Expect a little dissent regarding this new plan, but that is ok, you are tough! Good luck!
Quick idea for all of you that feel too rushed. On your day off, ie Saturday, rinse some pinto beans, set over night. When you get up in the morning, 1 lb pinto beans, one medium onion, 4 oz spicey chorizo, 3 tsp cumin, salt to taste, 8 c water. Cook all day, don't eat it! Save for the day you work, While this is cooking, cook 2 c brown rice, in 2 c water, 2 c chicken broth, 40 minutes. Don't eat it! Save it for the day you return to work and make burrito bowls, burritos, tacos, taco salad. The idea is to have food prepared to you don't have to go eat fast food. Nutritious and can be disguised over 2 meals easy. Under $7!
New hairdo? New makeup? New body? New music? New environment? Time to move to new city? State? Country? Just because we are at a new stage of our lives doesn't mean that we wither. Right? Change your music to something that vitalizes you, move those hips, feel sexy again. Come on ladies, shake up your world. Try a new hairdresser, go to Ulta for a makeover, grab a friend with a different taste in clothes that you, join a gym and get a trainer, Move? Well, that is a little harder, but have you ever explored life in another country? Well, I have and did. Watch for our Category, Life in Mexico. I have met so many expats who have done just that. In two weeks I will share their stories. Adios mi amigas!!
What does the word "bored" mean? The feeling of weariness because one in unoccupied or lacks interest in ones' current activity. If you are bored, it is time to expand your world. There is a transition that people navigate when they change from working, etc. It is not the end of the world, it is a beginning. Try and think about all the things you wanted to do when you were so obligated. I used to think about going for a run when I didn't have time, reading a book, gardening, alcohol ink projects or trying a new recipe. Have you thought of a book club? A womens' group? Starting a women's' group? Baking for a neighbor? Going for a hike with a friend? A long awaited home project? And last but not least, getting in shape, maybe for the first time ever. We don't have to approach senior years being frumpy. Surprise yourself and others and get in great shape. Your heart and thighs will love it. Join a gym, meet new people. These are basic ideas but they work. Being a little neurotic, I have a schedule that I have in writing to make sure that I do all the things I want to do because when I worked 12-13 hour days as a nurse I felt sad and a little jealous of women who had time to do those things. But then I found out that a lot of them weren't taking care of themselves and in a strange way, I felt better. It is something that women "just don't do" for themselves, well, maybe a select few. I challenge you today to be one of the "select" few and then knock that word out of your vocabulary. The CHALLENGE is on!
One of my readers shared a quick post with me. If you have pets, ie a cat, and propane stoves, it is easy for them to rub against the knobs to accidentally turn them on. Yikes! She was smelling propane and checked the knobs and one was slightly turned on releasing a small amount of gas. Very lucky that she has a good nose and detected the odor. Now, she shared, when she leaves the house she takes the knobs off. Very smart! Thank you Sis.
Volunteering is a thought worth considering. I've explored a few options myself, but I believe it's important to consider certain factors before committing. It is a beautiful idea and your heart is in the right place, but maybe slow down a bit before making a choice as to commit yourself yet again. Did you just retire? Were you working full time and life was just so obligated in every direction? Are you tired? Do you actually need a refresh and a time out in order to think straight? I did. I jumped into volunteering and unfortunately, the person I was trying to help was running a demanding business and had an ill infant. She seemed exhausted. Unfortunately, she was a tyrant toward customers and her staff. It took me a few weeks to realize that this was not good and was not going to change anytime soon. So, I quit because it was not good for my soul. There are many good organizations that need help. I know your heart is in the right place but stop and think about yourself first. If you are just retiring you have spent your whole life on a schedule, balancing life and probably coming in second place. Come in first place now. Go for walks, exercise, read, cook, get reacquainted with your home and your friends. Clear your mind. You have time now. Refresh yourself and your spirit taking at least 6 months post-retirement to see and feel what YOU need before reaching out to help others. You will be more grounded and ready to serve the many people that need your help. Just a thought.
Almost embarrassed to share this one. At grocery, looking for rags for dusting. I was also in the car wash section and there was the magic mit to wash the car. So guess what? I bought it to wax furniture. $2 and I am happy. Worked great.