Things to consider

I know these are things we all are aware of, but it never hurts to be reminded. 😊

Have a wonderful week everyone!

The weekend awaits

Capital Weather Gang

Widespread, oppressive and dangerous heat to roast much of the U.S. through the weekend

I hope everyone affected by this heatwave stays safe and cool for the next few days.  It is incredibly hot here, rather hard to breathe outside. I will be heading up north to Wisconsin early tomorrow morning, and the projected temperature there is much better than in Illinois. Time for another family visit. I hope you all have a great weekend! 😃

Goofy things

These made me smile and scratch my head at the same time..

Man Takes Perfect Photo Of His 16 Sausage Dogs All Lined Up

You can now become your cat by turning their photo into an incredibly realistic mask

 I would like  to see Q, GJ, and TW do this. P is welcome to join in as well. 😄

Have a great week everyone!

Summertime musings

The heat of summer is definitely upon most of us. Air conditioners are running, bugs are biting, and the sunsets are beautiful on a clear night. Storms have been frequent as well, but sometimes I enjoy a good summer thunderstorm. It really is one of my favorite times of the year.

My tomato plants have been enjoying the mix of steamy heat and rain. They look very hardy and  are producing many tomatoes. Nothing red yet, but I don't think it will be long before that happens.

( Please excuse the netting, definitely needed to keep the critters out.)

The sweet peppers are growing a little slow but I think they will be productive.

Duncan is enjoying his time on the patio when the weather is cooperative.

       I recently bought a new ring with one of my favorite sayings. I think we all can agree with it.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Tuesday

You may have noticed that the Mon/Wed/Fri posts that Q and I decided on already has failed. I have not done one on the correct day yet. 😄 Oh well, I guess it will be a surprise from week to week.

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 😄

Time to celebrate again!

Another week, another birthday.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY Q!! I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating with your loved ones. I thought it was about time for us to visit the tropics once again. This is the perfect occasion to do so, even if it is only in our imaginations. 😊

Let's start our day with some delicious food.

Mermaid Mimosas will hit the spot.

We should do something active after brunch, snorkeling sounds like fun!

Then we can sit back and relax.

No party is complete without sweets.

Here is something for the chocolate lovers! There is a bit of fruit as well so I declare this healthy 😉

Have a great day Q!!

Silly

I couldn't help but laugh..

Have a nice weekend everyone 😄

Birthday party!!

Our dear friend Regina celebrates her birthday today.  We certainly want to wish her the best as always! Thanks for sharing your blog with us and allowing us to have so many fun, inspiring, informative, sometimes sad, often goofy conversations together. Have a wonderful day 😃

So let's get this party started!

I believe these are required .

Enjoy your special day!!