Say Anything

As long as you keep it positive, say something! Tell someone you love them, or their hair, or their shoes, or their smile. Give the gift of making someone feel good with your words. It doesn’t cost you anything.

**I love these colorful, beautiful prints from thewheatfield.**

By the way…you can definitely compliment me when you see me in my new overalls. I have been waiting ten years for these to come back.

I have a lot to say about avocados. Mainly that I am obsessed with them and eat them literally every day. Avocado toast  is my fave. Thank you Healthy. Happy. Life. for the recipe!

Finally, sweeten up the world with this jelly bean cake. Easter is coming! Thank you for reading. xo

Great Expectations

One thing I have learned is that expectations are kind of a bitch. Not having them is much smarter when it comes to friends, family, your job, or anything. If you lose the expectation — you will constantly be pleasantly surprised and not constantly disappointed.

Now, if you order something amazing online you can expect it to arrive in a timely fashion. Take these monogrammed necklaces I found on ETSY. So sweet, right? The perfect gift. I had to choose the Mary one in honor of my amazing little sis.

Another thing you can always expect is that Oscar sunday will happen, rain or shine. Absolutely love the idea of the popcorn cupcake from the always innovative A Beautiful Mess!

I like to share my fave things here, you can always expect that I guess too. :). I love to give succulents as gifts. It is the perfect present for the person who has everything. Now, the Knotty Bride takes the succulent to a whole new level for her wedding. Prince would be proud.

I try to think of everything that comes my way as a gift – sometimes in unusual wrapping – but there are always lessons to be learned and challenges that help us face fears or get to another level within. When all else fails … I always say grab a pal and go have a great slice of cake!

Silver and Gold

Ebony and ivory. Stripes and Plaids. Breakfast for dinner. I love putting two contrasting ideas or elements together for maximum, soul-inspiring enjoyment. I just saw a silver and gold Christmas tree display and it was completely stunning. I think it’s really important to mix things up and not follow the ‘rules’. Wear white pants for the holiday party (if you have to go to the party!). If it makes your soul happy, then go for it.

The girls behind A Beautiful Mess know exactly what I am talking about. LOVE their simple knot braid tutorial. Just really love the knot braid. and the red hair.

Food is one of the best examples where you can be creative and mix it up. Who wouldn’t be happy to see these Pecan Pie egg rolls on the dessert table? Thank you Kristen Duke!

One thing you should not try and put together. Dogs and birds. AKA Dirds. Thanks to my friend Shaily for sharing with me. I am not sure whether to laugh or wince.

At the end of the day, I encourage everyone to be brave and live your life to the fullest. I am starting to really buy into the self-belief stuff. Oh yeah, and buy stuff on ETSY!

An Inside Job

I never thought I would find inspiration from Mike Tyson, but just listened to his interview with Oprah on Sirius where he talks about life now, and how to find happiness. “It’s an inside job.” Well said, Mike. Happiness truly comes from within I have learned. It is a choice. And who wouldn’t want to be happy? Those who don’t realize their own power and are distracted by their own internal storytelling. So please, decide to be happy today. It’s that simple.

Happy bird. Word.

After you’ve figured that out, it’s all icing on the cake. Now, back to sharing! This faux leather jacket for Fall from Kut from the Kloth ( great line that’s super stylish, soulful and affordable!) is a must-have. Dress it up, dress it down and be happy, naturally!

Halloween is near — absolutely one of my favorite times of the year. Pumpkin lattes, skulls and Michael Meyers. What’s better than that? Love this spooky wreath by LollyJane.

Someone who finds happiness every day in many ways is Jordan Ferney. She knows that it’s all about presentation. Why bring a plain apple pie when you can top it with this brilliant apple topper? Genius.

Wishing you a calm mind and grateful heart.

Quest for Fire

I am always on some sort of mission it seems. Maybe it’s the Virgo in me — but I always have a mental list of things to work on/do/find (like eating better, being conscious, being kind, finding the perfect pair of jeans or boots). It never ends. In the eating better department, I found the perfect protein bar. It’s called the Quest bar – I highly recommend them (especially if you pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds, they are like brownies!) Please remove the wrapper first friends!

Being passionate about life makes it so much more exciting. Why not give it a try?

Another area on my mind lately is meditation. For some reason I have not yet fully incorporated this into my life, even though I know it will be amazing. Yes, it’s on the list.

I love finding easy recipes, especially when they only take about 15 minutes. The Yankee Kitchen Ninja has so many great ideas – I have made the chocolate, peanut butter cheerio bars several times. Yum.

Be good to each other!

Time Warp

I don’t know exactly why I haven’t blogged for so long. My focus shifted — to say the least. I can also be fickle (understatement!). Here is what I am loving this second.

Coconut anything. The water, the scent, the oil (for cooking instead of olive oil — try it — it is amazing.) Reminds me of summer and Hawaii.

Coconut whipped cream. Thank you Oh Lady Cakes.

Memes on signs are still great. Thoughtful art – love companies like Help Ink who donate proceeds to different causes.

Just got back from AZ, where my 7-year-old nephew and his friends had the best time busting open a tiki pinata. Everyone should have their own mini pinata. Thank you Oh Happy Day!

It doesn’t matter what I am into one day and not into the next, the one constant is that every single day I am grateful.

Peace!

For Goodness Sake

I like to focus on the goodness in the world. I believe the more you fill your headspace with positivity, the more of that you will bring into your life (and hopefully those around you.)

Take Sevenly, for example, they make these super cool t-shirts. Proceeds go to helping important charities like feeding starving children in Haiti. There are new t-shirts every week to choose from. Lovely.

H&M is also creating good karma with their new recycled line, appropriately called the Conscious collection. Love the floral prints and the prices. Also love being conscious, don’t you?

Some sugary goodness, incorporating the seasonal Peeps we all love so much: Meet the Peeps Cake Batter Bars, by Cookies and Cups.

A final thought about goodness:

Hot Cocoa

Time to get back to basics…my love for chocolate and specifically, hot cocoa. If you have not been paying attention lately, there’s more to the beverage than Swiss Miss.

Exhibit A: Hot cocoa cake balls ala Sugar Derby.

Exhibit B: Mexican hot cocoa cake.

Exhibit C: Fresh mint hot cocoa (Thank you not without salt.)

If this is all too fancy – just throw a peppermint stick into your cocoa. You will be happy. Or grind one up into your chocolate milk shake. Life is way too short to not get a little decadent from time to time. Remember: No whining over spilled cocoa – or anything for that matter.

Awakening

This might be my favorite time of year — if it was only 80 degrees outside it would be even better. It’s a hopeful time, a renewing phase with so much opportunity. Forget last year and live right NOW. I think Eckhart Tolle said something like that — and he is pretty wise.

What else is very wise is to start planning the next vacation now. Something to look forward to is always nice. You won’t catch me in a trailer, but I do like this one.

Is it smart to ever wear a shirt with the F word on it? I wonder about that.

It’s always wise to have a Beethoven bust in your world. I actually have one of these I inherited from my dad — but it’s a copper color. I love it.

Fresh fruit is always a good idea. I know that for a fact. A Beautiful Mess knows how to make one mean smoothie – healthy too!

Resolutions

It’s not quite New Years yet, but I have been thinking about my resolutions. I think putting them out there will help me remember and stick with them…so here we go.

Live in gratitude each day – writing down things I am grateful for every morning and keeping that at the forefront of my mind.

Practice non-judgment and acceptance of others.

Give to others – compliments, gifts, prayers, love, encouragement…

Try new things and get out there in the world a little bit more.

Say yes more often than no to new experiences.

Challenge myself in new areas.

Laugh alot, bake more and eat less (this will be the challenge)!

Speaking of baking, I keep seeing this recipe for nutella cinnamon buns for Christmas morning. It’s a sign! So I guess I will have to make em…

Love this sleepy little bird and his COLORS! Gorgeous nature is all around us.

One more resolution for me!

Did I mention scarves are like the perfect holiday gift?

Peace out for now.