Be The Change | Till Then Smile Often

June 11, 2014

Lost and Found with a PSA

If you have been reading for any given time you would know my love for hiking. Basically the outdoors in general. I spend a great deal of time when the weather is nice hiking, camping or just being outside.

While I was hiking this past weekend I came across a big cream colored dog, playing in a stream. There was an older couple near by and they asked me if it was my dog. It was not, but I couldn’t believe the dog was lost. Aside from the paws covered in mud from the stream it was a clean dog.

I approached the dog to check for tags and luckily it had ID tags with a phone number. When I called it, the owner answered and was frantic. She was in the park looking for him. I told her where I was and she was going to make her way to me.

I stayed with the dog until the owners came, they got lost a few times and called me back a few times. I had to hold on to his collar because the pup obviously wanted to walk. The husband and wife came up to me and the dog got very excited. They had another dog with them as well. The husband tried to give me $20 for lunch but I politely refused. I know if it was Seamus I would be besides myself and would want someone to help.

A good PSA is to make sure your pet has an ID tag with a number to call in an emergency. I know Seamus has gotten loose a time or two where it would be helpful, though I was always chasing behind him calling his name and cursing.

This isn’t some grand gesture and didn’t cost any money but is at the very heart of what I want people to get out of these posts. The basic desire to help others, to do what you can, to treat people with a little kindness, to help when you can even if it may cause you to be late or to stop what you are doing. Sure I could have kept walking saying “It’s not my problem” or “Someone else will help” but what does that say to those who watch or when you may need that same kindness.What do you want the world to look like in the future? Are you putting out in the world what it will take to make that happen? Nobody is perfect myself included but every moment is a moment to make a change and a difference.
Are you considering doing your own Act of Kindness? If not, what is stopping you? Grab a button if you would like to spread the word. The change that we seek in others has to first come from within. This year I hope you decide to Be the Change You Seek.

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I am also Guest Posting over at Cupcakes and Crossbones with a Summer Strawberry Salad recipe so head on over for a peak.

June 10, 2014

Citrus Explosion

Who wants some citrus flavor?! It is finally getting hot here, and as much as I disliked the Polar Vortex I really am not a fan of sweating just for breathing. So that means lots of poolside or porch sitting and drinking cold beverages. I don’t drink during the week, really my body can only take one day on the weekends, and this citrus cocktail was on the menu. Yes, I’m old. It just so happens that I had all the ingredients on hand aside from the grenadine.

Ingredients: 1 Shot of Parrot Bay Strawberry Rum ~ 1 Shot of Smirnoff Orange Vodka ~ 2 Shots of Pineapple Juice ~ Lemon Lime Soda ~ Garnish with Slices of Lemon, Lime and Cherries.

Directions: Do we really need any here? Mix it all up and toss the garnish in or on a fancy stick. Stir and enjoy! Poolside is best but it’s not required.

Can you just picture the palm trees now! 😉

What is your favorite beach day drink? Alcoholic or Non-alcoholic.

June 9, 2014

Bringing the Heat

Well we can officially say the warm weather is here. It reached about 86 degrees here, or was that just inside my house?! Either way it was all about trying to stay cool while still trying to get outside to enjoy it. I think I managed to strike a good balance. I did all my chores for the house on Friday night so I could be sure and have the weekend free, aside from grocery shopping of course.

Saturday: I started off the morning with a filling breakfast of french toast using low carb bread and a side of pineapple. Had to get my morning cup of java too in my new mug thanks to Steph.

Then I hit the Sprint store for an extra charger cord, then to Walmart to pick up a new Hydration pouch for my hiking pack. Then I hit the trails. No filters on these pictures either, just amazing weather.

While i was there I came upon an opportunity for a Random Act of Kindness but I will tell you more on Thursday. I headed home and grilled some lunch. I made a chicken sausage and some asparagus.

After taking Seamus for a walk I went grocery shopping then relaxed for the rest of the night with Orange Is The New Black on Netflix. It was the perfect ending to a long day.

Sunday: I started my day like usual, with some reading and a cup of coffee or two. I watched a few more episodes of OITNB and then headed out to do some shopping. Not before I saw a Rooster in my yard. Yes, I was dumb enough to call it a Turkey but I am blaming it on the heat and lack of sleep. I knew I messed up once it was already too late. Oh well, if you can’t laugh at your dumb moments someone else will! 😉

I got my Dad his Father’s Day gift and hit Target for some essentials and some new sunnies. I grilled out again for lunch and just relaxed for the rest of the day. I was going to go kayaking but I was a little worn out. Perfect ending to the weekend.

What were you up to this weekend?

Linking up with Leeann from Join the Gossip and Biana from B Loved Boston.

June 6, 2014

Today Was A Good Day

Yeah, so I failed to show up yesterday because I passed out at 8:45pm Wednesday night. I get about 5-1/2 hours of sleep a night, maybe 7 if I get to bed early enough but that never happens and I think it just caught up with me. At least it is mostly ready for next week. This week had a lot of good things so I am sad to see it go, though I will never be sad for a weekend. Hopefully going to get out for a hike since the weather is supposed to be nice. I want to also get some reading done hopefully on a patio somewhere. Not really sure but I want to be outside.

Favorite Song: I must confess I am starting to like country a little bit more than I have been. Don’t get me wrong I will always be a rocker chick but I am expanding my tastes. After creating a Sam Hunt station on Pandora I found this song by Lee Brice that is so me. It is probably the reason my ex and I broke up too, I kept pushing him away.

I’m hard to love, hard to love, I don’t make it easy,
I couldn’t do it if I stood where you stood,
I’m hard to love, hard to love, you say that you need me,
I don’t deserve it but I love that you love me.Favorite App: Amanda from The Lady Okie talked about this numbers game and I just had to check it out. Needless to say I am now addicted to it. You are supposed to combine like numbers before the board fills up, the numbers add up until you reach the goal of 2048.

Favorite Quote: Friends are so important, but more so the right friends.

Inspirational Quotes About Friendship | life inspiration quotes: Number of friends inspirational quote

Favorite Recipe: I might have to try this tonight. The Angry Cuban: rum, pineapple juice, splash of grenadine, top off with Angry Orchard crisp apple ale.

The Angry Cuban: rum, pineapple juice, splash of grenadine, top off with Angry Orchard crisp apple ale.

Favorite Funnies: On Tuesday I was walking Seamus and I got 2 compliments within minutes of each other. One guy slowed down so he could yell out “your beautiful, honey” and a women stopped to say “love your dress”. In my head I was thinking:

I got a notification that Glades Season 4 is now on Netflix so this will be me this weekend.

I haven’t seen frozen because I’m not 12 (kidding, but not) but I would say this too.

I don’t really mind the Kardashian’s but this was just funny. Plus love Norman Reedus.

How I have felt this whole week.

That is all I have for you peeps! Let’s get this weekend started!

Tell me what you have going on this weekend?

Linking up with Amanda

Also linking up with Natasha for 5 on Friday.

June 3, 2014

Watermelon Pineapple Salsa

I wanted to make a nice light, fresh salsa for the summer to enjoy with some chips and margarita days on the patio. This recipe was the perfect mix of sweet with a hint of heat. The crunch of the red onion and the smoothness of the watermelon and pineapple really makes a great balance of texture.

Ingredients: 1/2 Mini Watermelon, diced (approx 2.5-3 cups) ~ 2 cups Pineapple tidbits (20oz can) ~ 1/2 TSP lime juice ~ 1/2 red onion, diced ~ 1/2 TSP salt ~ 1/2 TSP Pineapple juice
Directions: Dice the watermelon, red onion, and place in a bowl. Sprain the pineapple tidbits but reserve the juice for use later. Add the pineapple to the watermelon mixture. Sprinkle with the salt. Mix in the lime juice and pineapple juice and stir till fully incorporated.

Enjoy with chips or spoon onto grilled chicken, or eat it by the spoonful!!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Watermelon Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients

½ Mini Watermelon, diced (approx 2.5-3 cups) ~ 2 cups Pineapple tidbits (20oz can) ~ ½ TSP lime juice ~ ½ red onion, diced ~ ½ TSP salt ~ ½ TSP Pineapple juice

Instructions

Dice the watermelon, red onion, green onion, and place in a bowl. Sprain the pineapple tidbits but reserve the juice for use later. Add the pineapple to the watermelon mixture. Sprinkle with the salt. Mix in the lime juice and pineapple juice and stir till fully incorporated.
Enjoy with chips or spoon onto grilled chicken, or eat it by the spoonful

June 2, 2014

Weekend of Leisure

This weekend was so productive. I really enjoy not having a schedule and places to be! I have a feeling my weekend recaps are going to get boring this summer so I may have to start skipping them and posting something else. The weekends are mostly spent doing errands, cleaning, reading, and creating recipes of course.

I don’t think I took one picture on Saturday. I spent the majority of the day doing yard work, tilling the lawn, planting grass and setting up the sprinklers. I had to make a second trip to Lowe’s after the hose wasn’t long enough to stretch the length of my lawn.

I ended up watching The Awkward Moment with Zac Efron on Saturday after all the yard work was done. Not what I expected but still pretty good movie.

Sunday was filled with lots of laundry, dishes, and cleaning. I made the salad that I mentioned here and it was delicious!!

I did some reading and then took Seamus for a trip to the Dairy Queen for a very rare treat. I mostly just wanted to get him out of the house since the neighbors were going to have a graduation party at night and I wanted to wear him out a bit so he wouldn’t be too stressed with all the noise. I got a small vanilla cone for him and he had a little bit of it. The ice cream on his nose and down his chin was just too funny.

When I got home I took him for a walk to burn off some of the ice cream. He really loves rolling in the grass.

I spent the night cooking food on the grill for the week, and this Watermelon Pineapple Salsa I will be sharing tomorrow.

What were you up to this weekend?

Linking up with Leeann from Join the Gossip and Biana from B Loved Boston.

May 30, 2014

Invisibility Shield Activated

Gotta love short weeks so we get to Fridays faster! Just counting down the minutes to the weekend. I have a lot more home projects to get done, reading to do, hopefully some hiking if the weather holds out and some rest planned. So lets get to my favorites from this week.

Favorite Recipe: This salad just looks and sounds amazing that I am going to have to make it this weekend. The perfect blend of veggies, fruit, and crunch. The Chili lime vinaigrette is the icing on the…salad. Click the picture to go to the recipe.

Crunch Lover's Chopped Chicken Salad | iowagirleats.com

Favorite Song: This song by The Veer Union called Borderline is seriously one of my new favorite songs. It makes me want to raise my fist and rock out!

“Try, to speak, out loud, your silence me but now,
I’ll stand my ground, I’ll let you know that:
I’m tired of being told to bite my tongue,
I wanna scream at the top of my lungs.
It’s like a nightmare but I’m lying awake,
It’s got me thinking that I am borderline.
About to loose my mind
It’s time to face my fear
And then I will make it disappear.”

Favorite show: This show is on Thursdays and it leaves me cracking up every time. It is charades, name that tune, Jeopardy, Family Feud and more rolled into one with celebrities and one contestant per team. Money goes to the willing teams charity of choice. Win Win. It is hosted by Jane Lynch who is just hilarious.

Favorite Quote: I can’t agree more with this quote. I have been very lucky in life that the majority of negative people I have met have been really easy to distance myself from quickly. Some are harder than others but its necessary. Choose your friends carefully.

positive thoughts 9 Be all you can be (18 photos)

Favorite Funnies:

Happens every time on the weekend!!

This just made me laugh so hard so hard to share!

How I feel if anyone asks me to do anything this weekend. Invisibility shield activated:

This is me at 4:30pm today! Let’s get this party started and by that I mean sweatpants and a good book. Let’s be real.

What are your plans for the weekend?

Linking up with Amanda

Also linking up with Natasha for 5 on Friday.

May 29, 2014

Special vs. Important

I think the rain for the last 5 days is water logging my brain. I am not normally such a procrastinator but this post came to me at just before 8pm last night. I was going to just scrap posting but then it hit me.

This question popped into my head would you rather someone say “You Are Special” or “You Are Important”. I mean both are compliments that I would love to hear but is one better than the other?

Does it matter to distinguish between the two?

Does just the act of someone giving you a compliment because they care for you negate the words chosen as long as they are kind?

Does it make a difference who is giving you the compliment, in how it is received?

Does it matter if you are Special or Important, to one or many?

Either way I wanted someone to feel special even for just a moment. This can be in your driveway for a spouse, significant other, parent, a child, a sister or brother. It can be any word/s just say it with meaning! P.S. I got the sidewalk chalk at Walgreen for 99 cents. Score!

What word would you chose?

Are you considering doing your own Act of Kindness? If not, what is stopping you? Grab a button if you would like to spread the word. The change that we seek in others has to first come from within. This year I hope you decide to Be the Change You Seek.

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May 27, 2014

Things That Make Me Happy

I hope everyone spent some time yesterday remembering those who have fought for our freedom, and continue to fight. I spent a good portion of this weekend close to home either shopping, cleaning, reading, sleeping or watching Scandal. It was such a relaxing weekend but no major happening. I want this to be a light week so I can get back on track with a few things so I am taking a page from Lauren’s book telling us what she wanted us to write about.

There are so many things in my life that make me happy but these are a few of my favorites in no particular order:

1. Seamus – No surprise there right?! You really can’t have a bad day around this little cutie!

2. Coffee – I really does make the world go round. With this new mug from Home Goods I never run out, plus I get a pep talk! 😉

3. Reading – I am never without a book in hand or on my kindle. I finished 2 books and started a 3rd book this weekend. Are you following me on Goodreads? Currently reading:

From Goodreads: Meet the Bird family. They live in a honey-colored house in a picture-perfect Cotswolds village, with rambling, unkempt gardens stretching beyond. Pragmatic Meg, dreamy Beth, and tow-headed twins Rory and Rhys all attend the village school and eat home-cooked meals together every night. Their father is a sweet gangly man named Colin, who still looks like a teenager with floppy hair and owlish, round-framed glasses. Their mother is a beautiful hippy named Lorelei, who exists entirely in the moment. And she makes every moment sparkle in her children’s lives.

Then one Easter weekend, tragedy comes to call. The event is so devastating that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear the family apart. Years pass as the children become adults, find new relationships, and develop their own separate lives. Soon it seems as though they’ve never been a family at all. But then something happens that calls them back to the house they grew up in — and to what really happened that Easter weekend so many years ago.

Told in gorgeous, insightful prose that delves deeply into the hearts and minds of its characters, The House We Grew Up In is the captivating story of one family’s desire to restore long-forgotten peace and to unearth the many secrets hidden within the nooks and crannies of home.

4. Text Messages from friends – Really just connecting with them makes me happy. *To protect the innocent no pics of this one. 😉

5. Spending time with my family – Aren’t they just adorable?!

6. Hiking / Being in Nature – I am most happy being outside. Hearing the birds sing, crickets chirping and seeing squirrels. The fresh air is soul renewing. I used to pitch my tent in my Dad’s backyard just so I could fall asleep and wake up to the birds chirping.

7. Owning My Own Home – Even though it eats all the spare money I ever save it still feels good to own my home. Getting to re-decorate is fun too.

Bathroom re-do last year.

8. Victoria’s Secret EVERYTHING – I may have ordered some more workout gear this weekend, okay I did. 🙂

9. The Beach / the sound of the waves – I can’t wait to take my kayak out but just sitting and listening to the waves is perfect.

10. Volunteering / Giving Back – This is something that I have always enjoyed. I found Seamus while I was volunteering at an Animal Shelter, I have sat with the elderly at the hospital and written to soldiers serving overseas. I am doing the Random Acts of Kindess for Be The Change but I am thinking I want to maybe volunteer somewhere local again. There is a horse farm that needs volunteers that I am looking into if it will fit into my schedule. Either way big or small giving back always make me happy.

These are just a few of the things that make me happy. There is so many small things everyday that make me happy, you just have to notice them.

What are some things that make you happy?

May 23, 2014

You Are Looking Good

Hello Friday, you are looking good! Nothing makes a Friday fly by than a 3 day weekend. I have a lot of projects I want to get done, but a lot of books to read too. I plan to not get out of my jammies at least one day this weekend too. Who is with me?! Well then let’s get this Friday started!

Favorite Quote: Like they say, you get what you give. Be sure you are putting out good.

Favorite Song: I am stepping away from the normal rock songs I share for a new favorite of mine. It is a sort of Southern Bluegrass song but I am not sure what genre they fit into. I couldn’t find an official video for them so this one will have to do. It has the song that I downloaded from iTunes so it is at least the right one even though it’s titled wrong.

Favorite Post: If you have been struggling with what to blog about Lauren share some of what she wishes you would blog about, so check it out here. So many great ideas. I’ll be doing the photo an hour one soon.

Favorite Recipe: PEANUT BUTTER + MAPLE SYRUP!! Boom! Can it get any better? Click on the picture for the link to the recipe.

This peanut butter maple syrup is seriously liquid gold. I could blasted drink it! ohsweetbasil.com

Favorite Funnies: I just thought this was hilarious! I am linking the picture to the pinterest pin since the source took me to a video game site. Hate that.

There are some visitors to our office and unfortunately one of them sits next to me and types like he has bricks on his fingertips.

Seriously can this get any cuter?!

Funny animal gifs - part 90 (10 gifs), Samoyed puppy playing with human

All real baby!

I say that in my head all the time.

Now go out and enjoy the weekend! Do you have fun Memorial Day plans?

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