Feel Good Friday

Wordless Wednesday

You may have seen this on my FB page yesterday. I saw this bumper sticker and I instantly smiled. How true. This Governor of ours has created a very unfriendly state for helping those who are the most vulnerable. It has made for the most miserable few months at work and made me question my profession and state of residence. In my line of work, it is going to take something terrible and a huge PR story on that terrible thing to change how the state is functioning in their lack of support for those in need. SO SAD. Not sure how we live in the Bible belt and have the most "un-Christian" like people guiding us. Now insert the multiple cuss words I like to use to describe Brownie.

Lemon Brownies

In the summer I think anything lemon tastes so refreshing! Ironically, I do NOT like to be at a restaurant where they put a lemon or lime in your water. What  I'm really talking about lemon desserts and dishes that add a little citrus flare.   Recently I made a lemon brownie recipe I found off Pinterest. I completely failed to snap a picture but took them to a pool outing yesterday and they were a hit. Super easy to make too! Check out the recipe here!

Feel Good Friday

Dishing It

I'm convinced that Thomas has one of the best dishes in KC, Buttermilk Chicken. Not something I would normally order but it is DELISH. Totally recommend it and if you haven't been to Thomas, get yourself there. They've got live music Tuesday-Saturday and it will instantly make you smile!

#woofout Wednesday

To a few weeks ago, just home from the hospital after having minor surgery to a tornado warning, in a home with no basement. Gather the dog(s), pillows and blankets and Mom and I hunkered down in the bathroom. It was more than hilarious.....

Monday Magic

This little "pen" from CVS for under $6 can clear up your grey strands of hair in about .25 seconds. A growing problem in the weeks in between hair appointments. UGH.

Goulash

A few posts ago, I wrote about all the meals I made at a recent Freezer Meal workshop. One of the meals was 2lbs of Smoked Tomato and Mozzarella seasoning Hamburger patties. I decided to break the hamburger up so I didn't have a plethora of hamburger patties and turned a lb of the meat into goulash. I am not sure the last time I had even had goulash so I took to Google to help me find a recipe. I came up with Grandma's goulash and cut the recipe in 1/2. Oh so good and so tasty on a Sunday night after a completely boring weekend. (aka, where is the freaking sunshine and pool weather, Summer?)

29 Gifts

A  few years ago I learned of a book called 29 Gifts. I may have even written about it in this blog but I cannot seem to find the post.  The morale of 29 Gifts is that of a giving prescription. Give a gift every day for 29 days, small or big, and see how it comes back to you and lifts your spirit. In talking about a gift, it could be a gift of a compliment or a gift of holding the door open or the gift of a donation to charity.

My friend Ashley and I both tried the challenge. This was the second attempt for me at 29 Gifts. June 1st began the challenge and I kept track on my fridge each day. I pinned several ideas on Pinterest for Random Acts of Kindness, I am sure that made this experiment not so random but I am a planner and knew I would need a little bit of help to complete the challenge. In fact the first time I tried I only got to day 16. In the book it shows a philosophy of making the challenge "random."

The first week, I think my gifts ranged from everything to thank you notes for donations from the MGA Run to taking homemade banana bread to the nurses at KU Med thanking them for all they do for me to buying my mom lunch and making a donation to the COR Beds Program.  My best gift in the challenge was I had purchased a Groupon for Starbucks and one Sunday decided to use it after church. Pulling in, I had decided I was going to buy the person behind me in line's coffee. Low and behold in pulls a car with a big Jayhawk license plate behind me. Ugh. We all know how much I love the Jayhawks. So I pull up to pay and tell the barista I also want to pay for the car behind me. She tells me "Are you sure? They have a huge order?" Yep, $11 later some Jayhawk had a very nice gift. While in South Carolina I snuck out of the hotel room at the break of dawn to grab my parents some coffee and bring my dad back the newspaper. The only flaw in that gift was I thought my mom drank decaf. Sorry mom!

In the book it talks about how you will notice your giving coming back to you.  Within the first week of the challenge I received a large gift back which definitely lifted my spirit. I got an email from the County that I was getting a pay increase effective January 2015 because my salary was not quite up to the national average and I would be receiving back pay. WHOA. I was stunned.

Another thing I realized about doing this experiment was that I become more intentional in my "giving" and in my thinking about giving. I began to really think about what would be important to other people and small pieces of my life that were good, that were positive, highlights one might say. One day I came into the break room at work and there was ONE piece of birthday cake left that had a note that said it was to be eaten. By God, we all know how much I LOVE cake so I took that piece of cake happily back to my desk. It was like the challenge coming full circle, one little piece of cake left just for me. Or when I was flying back from South Carolina and not going to get home until close to midnight and asked American Airlines if I could get on an earlier flight, crossing my fingers for a change in flights without a charge and that I was granted. Another gift that had come back to me.

29 Gifts is a definite challenge to ensure that you are "giving" something at least once a day. Sometimes the days roll by so fast and we are so wrapped up in life that we forget to seek out others and see how they are doing or what is important in their life. This challenge really examined that for me. One day at Curves there was a lady putting on her shoes to leave and I noticed she had really dropped some weight since I had seen her months ago and I commented that she looked great and her smiled rose from ear to ear and she responded with a thanks and how hard she had been trying.

I can honestly say I made the 29 Gifts challenge this go round and on June 30, I started round 2. See the purpose of the book is to create a lifestyle where you are always giving. My little fistula surgery messed up the start of Challenge number 2 so I had to start over which is a rule in the book if you miss a day. We are back on track and on Day 11.  It has been so much fun to reflect on living more of a "giving" lifestyle instead of a taking. I have always loved to give gifts but the intent and purpose of living a lifestyle where you are more intentional and feeding yourself with the reward of knowing you are making a difference is a no brainer. I highly recommend grabbing yourself a copy of 29 Gifts and starting the challenge yourself!

Carpe Diem!

Pic 1- Donations to a local food pantry

Pic 2- Hotel shampoos and soaps donated to wagon at church for the homeless

Pic 3- Coffee and Paper for Mom and Dad

Pic 4- Banana Bread for the nurses at KU

Pic 5- Fresh flowers from the Farmers Market for hosts of a party I attended

Last Pic- my list. Definitely recommend keeping a list to make yourself accountable!

Happy Giving!

Wax Bean Salad

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Here's a yummy new salad on a hot summer night that I came across, Wax Beans with Tomatoes and Bacon. I had to go to the Farmers Market in order to find Wax Beans, but no complaining there! I love a good trip to the Farmers Market. Basil from my plant outside. I wish I could say the tomatoes were also from my plant outside but unfortunately they were all EATEN by who knows what! Complimented with some Des Moines Bacon Company Bacon. What a great new recipe!

Life As We Know It

I barely have a sun tan. Wait, I don't have a sun tan and it's July 12th. Sad.  It's either been raining here or entirely too hot. Summer is flying by and while I can't wait for my fall wardrobe I am sad it's already a 1/4 of the way through July.  In addition, I spent much of my downtime last week in bed or resting. On Monday I went in for a scan of my fistula at KU Med because they believed I had a blockage in my shoulder. I did in fact have a blockage and they were able to clear it by doing an angioplasty in the same procedure which was great but made for a long week and cancellation of a trip to Texas to see a dear friend this weekend.  My mama and I's trip to KU this week maybe made for one of the funniest in awhile. First, they would not allow my mama to be with me in the room while they prepped me for surgery so when they finished they told me they would go get my mom. Apparently they called her name in the waiting room, she didn't hear it but a little old lady with white gray hair with curled bangs plastered to her face got up and thought it was her name being called. So imagine my face when this tiny little old lady opens my hospital room door. All I remember is saying three times rather forcefully, "THAT IS NOT MY MOM" and that little old lady with the curled bangs plastered to her face just starred at me. A portable toilet that extended from the wall like a Murphy bed with a lid that my mama I had to call for assistance to figure out how to open. We had to wait an extended time because not all the surgery rooms had working equipment. Yes? What? No, you read that write. And then a bandage put on my arm too tight made cause for my arm to profusely bleed. Oh, the joys in the journey. Ries and I shall finish out this Sunday in style. Three cheers for a better week coming up!

Feel Good Friday

This has been one of the longest work weeks ever and it was only 4 days. At any rate I am hoping this 4th of July weekend, fireworks light a fire under our Governor so he can get a brain and quits deciding to take it out on those in need. It makes working in my role quite stressful! 

Enjoy your 4th! Happy July!

#Woofout Wednesday

Oh Precious One has killed her 4th rabbit, hoarded all the dog treats at Wines and Canines, is afraid of flies and plays dead when it is time to get in the bathtub. Can we say hot mess? She's going to visit her Grammy and Gramps in a few days and I will miss her dearly.