Banana Blackberry Breakfast Smoothie…

In this edition of ridiculously easy and extremely healthy breakfasts, I am featuring the Blackberry Banana Breakfast Smoothie.  Since it has only a few ingredients and can be whipped up in minutes, it’s a breakfast that is very much “work-friendly.”

“Yet You Can…”

“The cow runs away from the storm while the buffalo charges directly toward it — and gets through it quicker.” ~Wilma Mankiller, the first ever female chief of the Cherokee nation

http://www.freespiritart.com/front-range-storm.php

Ever notice sometimes that the more you resist something, the worse it gets? Whether it’s something you don’t want to happen, an event you are dreading, a task you’re avoiding, or something someone else is doing to upset you, it seems the more you try to avoid that very thing, the more it affects you.

MANGO!

No, not that kind. Today I’m talking about the yummy and beneficial fruit you can add to your salad to create a light yet filling summer meal – it involves no cooking, little time, and it’s delicious!

Get Creative: Some Right-Brain Thinking

 

You’ve heard the terms “right brain thinker” and “left brain thinker” before, and have probably classified yourself as one of the two. In a nutshell, left-brain thinkers tend to be more technical and better with numbers, while right-brain thinkers tend to be more creative. They are the inventors, storytellers, and designers. If you are interested in getting your right-brain cranking, pick up a copy of  ”A Whole New Mind,” by Daniel Pink. It’s a great motivator, and a very interesting book that will change the way you look at things and approach business and life. Here are some tips that are featured in the book to get your right-brain juices flowing, so you can unleash your creativity for whatever project you’ve been wanting to start:

DIY Firepit for Neat Freaks: Outdoor Project #2

Yep, it happened. DIY is officially our drug of choice. And while we were already on our outdoor DIY kick, we decided it was time to build a firepit. But not just any firepit, of course – as anyone who has ever met my husband knows, his obsessive compulsive-cleaning-disorder-brain couldn’t possibly build something without thinking of the potential mess it would create, and this meant weeks worth of deliberation on how we could build a filth-free firepit. He was determined to have the best of both worlds. For two straight weeks it was a one-man tug of war between “Me want fire!” and “Oh, dear, but we can’t have a mess!” It was like watching a UFC fight between Martha Stewart and a Caveman. It wasn’t easy. But his research paid off, and it finally happened – the Firepit for All Neat Freaks was born! And what better timing then right before Memorial Day? It’s simple because it doesn’t involve any cement and it’s very easy to build. And it’s neat because you can clean it in a matter of two minutes – just lift the bowl out and dump the ashes in the woods, or use it as fertilizer for your garden. Check out the finished product below, then scroll down for the DIY instructions. And don’t miss the delicious smores recipe at the end!

The Firepit for Neat Freaks

Umm…is it just me?

Good Lord! Are we not even safe from our own food anymore? I innocently went to the grocery store to pick up some Nasoya hummus, and this is what I found when I took the lid off the package…

Really, Nasoya???

Commenters, feel free to share your best caption! And Nasoya, if you’re out there, you got some ‘splainin to do!

Like Two Passing Ships in the Night…

For details on this print: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/two-ships-passing-scott-rhoads.html

This past weekend, we went to NY for the wedding of my first cousin. She married the man of her dreams, and if you spend just a little bit of time with them, you can see they are meant to be together. We were at the wedding because the bride is my cousin, yes, but the groom is also a friend of my husband’s. The funny thing is that they both attended our wedding – separately. Before their first date, before any get-to-know-you talks, before they even spoke to each other, they were in the same room watching us feed each other wedding cake. My cousin was a bridesmaid in the wedding, he was a guest. Neither of them brought a date. They began dating less than a year later, thanks to a re-introduction by my sister and her husband, and have been inseparable ever since, but we couldn’t help but notice the clip in our wedding video where they walk right past each other, both looking opposite directions, through the Viennese hour. The first time we saw it, it was like watching a movie: “Holy crap! Just turn around! How are they not even seeing each other?!” But alas, no sparks flew over chocolate fountains and cookie trays. No matter how many times we watch, there is still no hooking of arms while feeding each other sips of champagne; no flirty glances from across the room. How could this be?!