Create and Heal

Today, while I was waiting for my computer to start up, I was sitting here (in a bit of a daze mind you as I have not long woken up) loosely planning my day. I was thinking mostly about my free time this afternoon. Through the week I purchased the ingredients to make Choc Cherry Ripe Muffins so I'm going to make some of them as a treat for my family. Then I will have a couple of hours to myself, after dinner so I plan to create and scrap. Anyway, in my dreamy, just out of bed kind of way, I looked at my Louise Hay Desk Calendar which still had yesterday's date page and affirmation on it and I leaned over to rip it off to see what today's affirmation is. The universe is a funny old thing really, isn't it? Today's affirmation is: I am peaceful when I am creative. I let creative juices flow through me as a healing force. Beauty just naturally manifests itself. It still amazes me every time life and the universe line up like this. It exhilirates me and leaves me knowing that at times like this I have definitely found the path that was meant for me.

Anyway, by now your mouth is probably watering for the Choc Cherry Ripe Muffins so I thought I would include the recipe. I haven't yet made these but they sound easy and divine. Enjoy!
1 1/2 cups of SR Flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup castor sugar
2 eggs lightly beaten
90g butter, melted
1 cup milk
1/2 cup white choc bits
2 x 55g(there are actually 53g now I believe) Cherry Ripe Bars finely chopped
Melted chocolate and extra chopped Cherry Ripe bars to decorate
Method:
Preheat oven to 190 C. Line 16 holes of 2 12 hole muffin pans with paper cases (1/3 cup capacity). Combine sifted flour and cocoa with sugr in a large bowl. Stir in egg, butter, milk, Choc Bits and Cherry Ripe until just combined. Spoon 1/4 cup of mixture into each paper case. Cook for 20 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer in the middle. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack. To decorate muffins, spread some melted chocolate in the centre of the muffin (when cooled completely) and then top with a piece of chopped Cherry Ripe.
I would like to give credit to someone for this recipe however I'm not too sure where this recipe is from as it is one I have collected over the years. I tend to cut them out of magazines. It looks like it could be from a New Idea magazine (as it's titled New Food) and there is a lady by the name of Barbara Northwood featured throughout the article.

Work Life Balance

How are you feeling right now?  Are you feeling like your life is perfectly balanced and everything runs smoothly with you having plenty of time left over to rejuvenate the body and soul?  No?  Well, I'd say, join the club.  You are probably feeling more like you are run ragged with an overwhelming feeling that you have so much to do and very little time to do it.  Would that be more like it?  And also feeling like everyone wants a piece of you and there is nothing left at the end of the day and so you fall, exhausted, into bed or onto the nearest piece of horizontal furniture and collapse/become comatosed at double figure times of the day.  I got it.  I totally understand.  Oh, and then perhaps to awaken at 2 am lying in the darkness, running through all the things that aren't being done whilst you are wasting your time trying to go back to sleep.  Is that really how life is(or close to it)?

Today when I was looking through posts by my fellow social networkers, I came upon a blog which I thought might be of help to you. It's called "Dumb Little Man Tips on Life".  Here is the link:  http://bit.ly/Lglh5.

Now I know that you may or may not be able to do everything that is mentioned in this post.  I get that.  It's a list of suggestions of things that you could do to make that balance easier; so that perhaps you've got time to have a five minute shower before you pass out on the bed at midnight.  What are the flexible tasks in your busy day?  How can you use this list of tips to re-balance your life and those flexible tasks?  Like I said, even if it gives you and extra 5 mins at the end of your day(there's alwasy the five minute holiday!).

One of my friends recently decided to go back to study.  We used to exercise twice a week together.  She was unable to exercise for two weeks and when I rang her she was inundated.  She said she just didn't have one minute to spend on anything else.  Not only had the children's extra curricular activities resumed after holidays, so had her husband's exercise and music lessons and not only did she have to fit in study lessons to twice a week on her already busy schedule, she also had to study at home some amazing amount of hours each week with assignments due weekly.  She said she felt like she hadn't got to spend any quality time with her family let alone do anything for herself.  So I sent her my time management schecule and asked her to work out, and diary in, what time she wanted to allocate to all the things she needed and wanted to do and at the end of the process she would have a plan to work towards for the coming weeks.  I also recommended she do it with her family so they all had a schedule and manage their time together so it was a priority for all of them and happening at the same time.  We are going exercising tonight(it's back on the schedule) and I am really looking forward to it.

So you see, all it takes if you are feeling overwhelmed and out of favours for others is a few minutes to reasses your life and a few ideas of how to change.  Once you take the first step, it's easy after that.  Enlist the help of a friend to listen and share with or a coach to keep the momentum going and you will find the change effortless and smooth.

An Amazing Being

You are an amazing being.  Despite the fact that you probably have a long list of negative self talk that repeatedly tells you otherwise.  Think about if you met someone at a party or if you were talking with one of your friends.  What would they think you had done in your life that was brave, smart, funny, creative, loving(I'm sure you can think of many more adjectives)?  Make a list in your gratitude journal or on some paper so you can easily remind yourself of how fantastic you really are.  Review it regulary too, so as to rid yourself of negative self talk.  There will be lots of other people who will criticize you throughout your life, why should you take their side?  You need to stand up for you and remember all the great things about you.

Valentine's Day

I came across these fabulous love cards today on the website of Gary Chapman who wrote The Five Love Languages.  http://www.fivelovecards.com/ I think they are a fabulous idea, and they are free.  What a great idea for Valentine's Day (or any day of the year really).  I'm sure you could think up your own ideas to add to the lists for each of the love languages too. If you haven't read the book yet (I am listening to it at the moment on cd) I'm sure it won't matter.  You might already know which of the cards best suit your spouse or partner.  Otherwise, you can go to the the Five Love Languages website and profile them(or yourself) by doing a quiz. http://www.5lovelanguages.com/assessments/  Happy Valentine's Day.

Life in Harmony

I remember working for a large corporation and being 'told' (along with everyone else in the corporation) to smile.  The 'Powers To Be' wanted our customers to think we were happy (and let's face it, who wants to be greeted by an unhappy customer service person).  I guess what I'm getting at is that they wanted us to create a delusion, of sorts.  I remember being in some offices of this corporation and being in the area out of customer sight and there were signs near the door where you walk out to the customer area saying "Smile, you are back on stage".
The idea of having everyone smile or being happy is a great idea.  It would have sent a lot stronger customer service focus message, however, if the staff actually WERE happy the corporation would have seriously been a force to be reckoned with.  If our actions were in harmony with our lives, we would have actually BEEN happy and would have smiled anyway. 

What do you need to change to put your actions and your life into harmony?  What do you need to be, do or have to actually BE happy?  Instead of putting a smile on your face when you are back on stage?

Just to Make You Smile (or laugh even!)

One of the people on my Facebook page posted this link today.  I thought it very funny and wanted to share it with you.
http://riverviewfunniesopedpage.blogspot.com/2010/02/and-then-fight-started.html

Happy Smells

A way to improve our happiness levels is to smell happy smells.  Smells that are uplifting for us.  This is different for everyone.  Here are a list of smells that might make it onto your 'Happy Smells' list:
Burning scented candles or incense
Having a fresh bunch of sweet smelling flowers nearby
Bake a cake; carrot cakes are good or any other spicy scented cakes(let's face it, any baking smells good, whether it's a cake, biscuits or dinner)
Cook a curry (continuing along on the spicy smell theme)
Your favourite perfume (or aftershave for the guys)
Plant your favourite sweet smelling bush (gardenia, honeysuckle, jasmine, frangipani) near a window where you spend a great deal of your time
Take a bath with your favourite bubble bath or essential oil
Burn some essential oils in an oil burner
Mow the grass (yes, some people feel happy when they smell the smell of freshly cut grass)
What are Happy Smells for you?  What can you do right now to smell a happy smell?  When I put my son to bed at night, we often discuss the best smell we smelt that day.  It's fun.