What to do?

Today marks the end of the 4th of July weekend, and the last post was getting stale. I have to admit my mind is a bit stale as well, and I had absolutely no idea what to write today. I decided on a food post, because well, we all like to eat, right? So without further ado here is the meal I made yesterday.

It was nothing special, just a classic summer meal. Grilling out has been difficult this summer because of a lot of stormy weather. Yesterday was perfect though.

 I decided to make chocolate chip banana bread for dessert.

So that's that. 😄 The best I can do today. 

Have a great day everyone!

Happy 4th of July!

The day of patriotic flag flying and picnics is here once again. A summer ritual which ends with fireworks in the evening. I hope everyone finds a few moments to enjoy the day.

I will be spending the afternoon at a White Sox baseball game with my family. One of my favorite places to be on a summer day!

Have a great day everyone 😊

Wait, I forgot......

After our birthday goof ups I thought these would be appropriate. I think you will understand. 😉

Have a great memorable week everyone!

Serenity Now

It's been a tough week on the Blog.  We wish our dear friends' loved ones continued recovery through light, love and healing thoughts.  

Focused Breathing has been proven to be beneficial in times of stress.  It helps me when I am anxious, stressed or angry.  I thought that the end of this crazy week might be a good time to share them.

The first is called Calming Breaths.

1. Take a long, slow breath in through your nose, first filling your lower lungs, then your upper lungs.
2. Hold your breath to the count of "three."
3. Exhale slowly through pursed lips, while you relax the muscles in your face, jaw, shoulders, and stomach.

The second exercise is called Calming Counts.  This is supposed to be more calming that the previous exercise because it takes longer to complete and you really focus on the counting, not what worries you.

1. Sit comfortably.
2. Take a long, deep breath and exhale it slowly while saying the word "relax" silently.
3. Close your eyes.
4. Let yourself take ten natural, easy breaths. Count down with each exhale, starting with "ten."
5. This time, while you are breathing comfortably, notice any tensions, perhaps in your jaw or forehead or stomach. Imagine those tensions loosening.
6. When you reach "one," open your eyes again.

How do you cope with life's stressors?

Note from Roxie and QoS:  

Summertime schedules are here, so we plan to have posts only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (unless something exciting comes up on the other days!).  We hope this works for everyone.  As always, please pass along ideas for posts to either of us!

Midweek thoughts

Let's try to relax after the birthday celebrations.

GJ, this one's for you 😄