A quick welcome!

Thanks for coming by to visit. I’ve been working on this blog for months and I finally have the nerve to make it public. I hope you enjoy cruising around the site and checking things out. I plan on writing on a regular basis and posting at least once a week. With all that’s going on in the world right now we all need a place to go to escape the noise. I hope you find this to be that place for you…at least for a few minutes. So enjoy…comment and tell your friends to come on by and join the fun.

Shelly

Are You Still Sane?

So, it’s Friday night and it’s day 8,455 of the quarantine. Some things are starting to slowly reopen and folks are feeling all kind of ways about that. Earlier this week I was determined to stay hunkered down and be conservative. Now I JUST want to go to Target and to get a manicure and pedicure. I want to hug my friends! I miss you guys so much.

With all the time I’ve had at home you’d think that my condo would be spotless. Oh honey. Let me tell you. I have so many projects I could be working on but I’m just not feeling it. I haven’t even felt like writing. This time is so unprecedented that we don’t really know how to respond. Being stuck at home and out of my normal routine really has me feeling out of sorts.

Instead of focusing on getting a mountain of things done today, I decided to focus on staying well…staying sane. You don’t have to be productive every minute of the day right now. It’s okay to rest and think and to breath. Today will be for self care, whatever that might look like. Whether you are going to recharge yourself physically or spiritually just do it . Read a comforting scripture or give yourself a foot massage. Or do both! Just take care of yourself and those that matter to you.

This pandemic will end. We don’t know how but there will be an ending to this. Our new normal might be unfamiliar but who’s to say that it won’t have positives of it’s own? Right now do the best that you can. Stay safe and sane. Be well my friends.

Ahhh…

The last time I was at Atwater’s at Belvedere Square working on my blog, I noticed that they have a Golden Latte on the menu. It’s one of the few hot drinks I enjoy so I ordered one and was not disappointed. It was rich and creamy and the spice level was just right. None of the individual spices were overwhelming. It was perfectly balanced with just the right amount of sweetness. Here’s a copycat recipe if you want to try it at home.

What you need:

  • 1 cup vanilla almond milk.
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric.
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger.
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
  • Pinch of black pepper. (helps you absorb the curcumin in the turmeric)

In a small pot over the stove, whisk all ingredients together on medium heat until smooth and hot. Sweeten to taste with your favorite sweetener. You can also let the mixture cool and pour over ice for a chilled treat.  And if you’re in need of a pick-up, try it with a shot of espresso.

Some believe that turmeric is one of the most effective nutritional supplements around. Thanks to its active ingredient curcumin, it can have powerful effects on your body and your brain. Curcumin is a champion when it comes to its anti-inflammatory abilities. 

Why should you care about anti-inflammation? 

Inflammation is actually a good thing. It helps your body fight off disease causing agents and is crucial to cell repair. Without inflammation pathogens could easily take over your body. This short-term inflammation is good for the body, but the problem is prolonged, low-level inflammation. According to Healthline.com, scientists are now seeing that it plays a part in Western diseases like heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, and Alzheimer’s disease. 

So, fighting this low-level inflammation that is so widespread can help prevent, and in some cases treat, these types of diseases.

Taking curcumin in supplement form and in your diet (as long as it is consumed with black pepper so you can absorb it) thought to be as effective as some anti-inflammatory drugs without the side effects.

Try this delicious Golden Milk Latte as a caffeine free (or add a shot of espresso), anti-inflammatory afternoon treat. Include it in your night time wind-down. Or drink it just because it tastes good!.

Alexa, Adult for Me Today…

I regret every nap I passed up as a child. Now naps are like gold! Who has time for a nap when the car need to be services and there are groceries to be bought? Being responsible is hard, y” all. I feel like a juggler trying to keep 10 balls in the air at once. Between working full time, devoting time to my spiritual life and remembering to water the plants I’m spent. I really need an assistant of some sort. Maybe they have nannies for grown women? But seriously. I need to do better at balancing everything. Make priorities and set attainable goals, they say. How do you guys manage it all?

I have friends who work full time, devote dozens of hours a month to their ministry and have a family. I look at them and wonder how in the world they do it all. Do they never sleep? Do they have a secret helper that does their cleaning, errands and goes to their doctors appointments for them? I know they don’t but I feel like I can’t even take care of me and the cat! Something always seems to get neglected. Something always falls through the cracks.

I guess they us their time more wisely than I do. I know that if I simplified my life I could get more done. If I weren’t always wrestling with a pile of clothes on my dresser I could get ready faster and with less stress. If I cut down on watching TV that would give me more time for reading and meditation. Meal planning would mean I wouldn’t end up standing in a long line at the cafe at work because I didn’t have anything to bring for lunch. A schedule…a water tight schedule would be a game changer.

At a local private school they give the girls “get yourself together time” in homeroom and at the end of every class. I’d need about 500 hours to get myself together! I’ve always been “day dreamy” and unorganized. As a kid I’d get lost in thought or in a book and before you knew it hours had passed. Something’s got to give. Maybe I’m not taking full advantage of the technology that I have…that I wear everyday. Maybe I should make my smartphone my personal assistant. How do you guys stay on schedule? How do you make the most of your time?

I want to be one of those people who crosses off everything on their to do lists. I want to get more out of the wonderful life I’ve been given. I want to not feel guilty because there are probably dust bunnies under my sofa. I’m tired of getting the Sunday scaries every week. I want to be the girl relaxing with a cup of tea and her journal before bed. I can do this thing. I can get it together. I can…

Check back soon to see how I’m doing and leave your tips in the comments section. Then come back to see how others are winning at being the boss of their lives!

Could you do it?

Could you go a whole month without shopping? Could you? No new clothes, shoes, make-up or accessories. I’ve tried and to be honest I’ve never succeeded. A girl need to get her shopping on, right? There are people online who have gone a whole YEAR without shopping! They only replace things that wear out. I think the only clothing item I’ve ever honestly wore out was one pair of jeans and maybe a pair of flip flops.

Honestly, the minimalist vibe really resonates with me. I’d love (I think) to have a small capsule wardrobe of high quality mix and match pieces. I think it would make my life simpler. If you only have four skirts it’s hard to get too hung up on which one to wear. Your bedroom shouldn’t look like a walk in closet!

Do you know how I know I have too much stuff? I once wore one black pump and one navy pump to a meeting. At the time I had so many shoes it was hard to tell heads from tales. They were all over the place! If I only had a few pairs of shoes that wouldn’t happen again. I’d be out the door in a jiffy instead of staring sleepily at a closet busting at the seams with clothes. I get overwhelmed because of the amount of clothing I have. It’s hard to choose when you have so many options and it’s hard to find what you’re looking for too.

I once work at the airport and wore a uniform. It was itchy and not at all fashionable. I remember how easy it was to plan for the week, though. I had a choice of grey pants, a red skirt or a grey split skirt thing. For tops we wore a striped button down shirt and a tie. I had two red cardigans and that was it. I rotated two pair of black pumps and a pair of black sneakers. Thinking back that wasn’t so bad. What if I packed away all my clothes except a select few pieces for 6 months? That would be a good test. I already wear the same black skirt twice a week anyway. I bet I wouldn’t miss a lot of the things I have. Hmmm…

  I got the shopping bug early and I know it’s a habit I need to get in check. I shop like it’s a sport not a necessity. I shop when I’m bored and when I’m happy or sad. I need ( and want) to change my mindset when it comes to having more things. Would not shopping for 30 days give me the jump-start I need? Would it help me focus on the more important things? Would it help me be more content with what I have? Well… I’m up for the challenge. Are you?