Good Morning to everyone!! Today is Saturday the 31st of October..today my oldest child turns 24!! On of my biggest prayers is that this time next year we will be together! Life is indeed blessed but this is a perfect example of one of the downsides of living in another country away from 97% of your family..
So, creativity has been flowing over the last few days and here is the finished product..now hanging proudly in our 2nd kitchen area..bright colors filled with a travel theme ;D. I have to admit, living in this part of Germany during the fall-winter months can be a challenge for me, the sun doesn't come out to play very often and it is dark very early in the evenings..lots of colors, candles, music and journaling to help me stay positive and upbeat!!-I took the above picture yesterday about 0730, very pretty in it's own right I think..another blessing is that our grapevine we planted earlier in the year has been very productive..how yummy do these grapes look?? And, knowing that grapes that had to be shipped in from who knows where are at almost 5 Euros in the grocery stores right now make these taste even better!! Okay..the house is quiet, as it is about 0515..time to spend some time in conversation with God and work on my meditation skills (a new experience for me) before beginning the day with my treadmill and tennis shoes!! I wish you all a very Happy Halloween!!! and a wonderful weekend in general!!
Hello to everyone!! Sorry, I had to take a break from as many electronic devices as possible for a while..I was way too connected and had no down time and after spending abut 6 months solid in online courses (so far am maintaining all A's in my courses) and traveling all over (work related) I needed to administer some "self-care"..which meant focusing on me, spending time at home with my husband and turning off the outside world as much as possible for a while. Lots of time reading, journaling, exercising,
hanging out with my critters, coloring ;D, and recentering! The good news is..that I am feeling much calmer now and ready to continue this crazy journey!
As promised..pictures of the wonderful finds (and purchases) from my new favorite store the Secondhandboutique "Finderlohn" located in Aurich, DE..as previously mentioned not only for the amazing clothing and accessories that you can find but also for the wonderful owner who makes you feel right at home the minute you walk through the door! I have been organizing our closets and have goodies to take in for resale... am sure I will discover at least a couple more items that will be "must haves"..The concept of secondhand may cause some to turn their noses up, but to me it is great..especially in a store like Finderlohn-up to date items that you cannot find in a regular retail store..which means..there is 1 of something and not 50..I don't know about all of you, but I don't necessarily want to wear what everyone one else is wearing!!
Fall is upon us here in NW Germany, the weather has changed, the leaves are falling, and that means that time spent outdoors is increasing..that also means it is the season for delicious friuts such as plums and sharon fruit (Kaki)..so excited as I can eat these by the bucket full-finding the Kaki in the grocery stores after almost a year is just a big ol happinessness booster for me!..yes, I know..it doesn't take much!!
After my time out my creativity is ready to play..started a new decoupage project yesterday for our second kitchen area-should be able to show you all the finished project tomorrow :D.
For all of you FSF readers and followers that remember the work in progress that is the new back fence-patio project..well, it is finished except for new furniture and some deco items , but those are going to have to wait for a while..as it is no longer the season for outdoor living!! See picture below for the results of my husband's hard work.. Okay..time to get to work on my studies..the morning date with my treadmill has been checked off, as has the arm and ab work for the morning..enjoying a cup of green tea and am thankful that God is so good!
As always, I wish you all an amazing, blessed day..and don't forget to share your smile!!
Guten Morgen !! Ughhh..am in the final 3 days of this session for my courses, have 1 fairly large project left and despite all of this my brain is blocked..it is like it is just tired and refuses to function..kind of like Max the Wonderdog when he doesn't really feel like going for a walk so he just stands and doesn't budge. But on the positive side-made the pup treats from the last of the pumpkin puree-these called for rice flour which turned out to be a bit difficult to work with and pumpkin oil which was a little on the pricey side at 10 Euros for a bottle..but the results were worth it-the fur babies scarf these up and come back for more! I tried one also-would be really good with one of the more intense flavored cheeses that are out there.
Since no coursework was getting done after about 1500 yesterday I found my way back into the kitchen to make a Vegtable Lasagna that turned out to be pretty tasty..my husband had 2 servings!! I expect like most dishes like this it will taste even better today once the flavors have had time to meld together!!
The mornings have seen me on regular dates with my treadmill, had bumped the distance to 6.4 km and am scheduled for another increase this morning to 8.6 km, this is 5 miles-to all of you natural born runners out there that may not seem like a lot but for those of us who are not so the "runner type" but trying hard to get there ...this is a good-though short- distance and a small something to be proud of!! Of course after the run, and the fat is crying (sweat!!).. come the arms and abs. -the time spent taking care of my body like this every morning pays off, for the rest of the day I feel good and am sleeping like a rock at night.
Did another closet clean oout and took the items to my new favorite store in Aurich..
It is called Secondhandboutique Finderlohn..a second hand store with newer clothes (for both women and men!) and accessories with brand names, the owner is awesome, super friendly, loves her customers..and I would guess knows everyone's first name!! The store is not so large but very tastefully organized
and easy on the eyes..for me personally going into this store is a small peice of joy every time!! Am super excited as I was there on Monday, bought a new outfit, belt, and small bag..but saw another bag that I did not purchase as it is a bit larger..more of an weekend bag but could not get it off my mind..she sent her a message and she is holding it until tomorrow for me..I promised myself that this purchase would be my "yeah-you finished the project" gift to myself!!;D..so a bit of incentive for me to get on the ball after this morning's workout!! and who doesn't love cute clothes and all the trimmings at great prices?? Will post pics of the goodies tomorrow!!
Alright..time to get on with the morning..be blessed, don't forget to share your smiles and have a great Wednesday!!
Hello to everyone!! Well, yesterday saw me hit the kitchen yet again..remember the pureed pumpkin?? Well, it was totally calling my name so I whipped up some yummy pumpkin bread and muffins..My freezer is so packed full of goodies right now..;D
I have included the reciped that I used..but have to admit I did some tweaking for what I had in the house..ran out of Cinnamon so added some Pumpkin Spice instead..and the dried fruit I opted to use were..raisons, dates, candied ginder, and pineapple..wowso yummy!! I doubled the recipe and ended up with 3 large loves and 6 large muffins.
What about fitness you ask?? As I know I seem to do quite a bit of baking--can't help it, it is such a passion of mine!! This morning saw another 6 kilometers before 0645 and I have already hit 10176 steps so far today and it is 0859!! As my time for my fitness room upstairs was up I brought my hand weights with me to the living room and will be working on arms after I finish here!!
So..made the vegtable tower dish last night, must say..mine did not turn out so pretty as in the picture, but they were tasty..added some yellow bell peppers for some more color ..would definantly do this again, even for company!!
So, have lots do do today..the house is already clean, floors have been both vacumned and mopped, tash is out, dishwasher is running-crittters have been fed..now is time to work on my arm muscles and hit the books... got sidetracked with the pumpkins yesterday and did not get as far as I had hoped to--
I wish you all an amazingly blessed day. It's Friday, take a deep breath, finish out the week..and of course..don't forget to share your smile!!
Show mw your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalm 25:4-5
Good Morning to you all!! Sad to say I woke up yesterday with a horrible stomach issue that kept me down for part of the day, but happy to say that this morning was much much better and the day started at 0430, with a conversation with God, reading a book from Joel Osteen- "Everyday a Friday"-for those of you who have not read this book and are looking for a good inspirational read I highly recommend it!! Right now I only have it on my Kindle but will be ordering a book version this week-as my degree has a concentration of Life Coach- to me this is a must have to add to my personal library. After getting my spiritual growth up and moving I got my self up and moving, 6 km before 0630..feeling much better afterwards and am loving the way my arms are gaining some definition-my husband posted a picture from our wedding day the day I turned 46 and it has served as motivation-the chest and arm definition in 2011 was awesome!! My next motivational book is already in que- "May cause Miracles" by Gabrielle Bernstein. Starting my days in the order listed ALWAYS seems to make things run a bit smoother- starting the way with God and taking care of the body he has blessed me with. My ultimate self reinvention goal is to be able to have my own business as a Wellness Coach-upon completing this first MA I will obtain a Masters Certificate in Nutrition and then a second Master's degree in Public Health with a Nutrition concentration, then my MSN..and somewhere in the middle of all of this earn my certification as a Wellness and Nutrition Coach-have a phone interview already scheduled for this to take place next week!! Excited!! Cannot wait to work with a Certified Wellness Coach to learn how to reach my personal goals while learning how to help others in this way!! When I started this new path I was not sure where it would take me, but God has been whispering in my ear that this is the way I need to go for quite some time now, it was me who kept trying to close the door because starting over is always scary. But God never hands us more than we can do and has blessed each of us with a special gift, this is such a great way to build on my years of working as a nurse, but due to location have really had to look for ways to contribute to society while being there for my family also..Thinking outside of the box really is an awesome experience!!
Am trying out a new Spa Water today-freshly grated Ginger, sliced lemons, and cloves-can't help myself as it is the season for all things Fall and Holiday. Tried a new hot drink yesterday- sliced lemon, honey, cloves, and cayenne pepper-tried it first without the honey but it was a bit too bitter for me so added a tick of sweet to take the edge off. Luch was the yumminess pictured above-Avocados, fresh figs, and tomatoes!! And for dinner this evening I will be trying out the below recipe..stay tuned for tomorrow's FSF to see the results!
I wish all of you such a wonderful day..Share your smiles and take the initiative to be the change that you would like to see in the world!!
So..the day started out not so good. Have you ever had one of those days where you just woke up annoyed?? For no good reason, just a little on the pissy side?? Well, that was how I greeted the day, but as a result every single window in my house had been cleaned before 0715 this morning..just in time for the rain to start..Yes, I heard your message God. Calm down and have a re-do, so that is what I did. As my husband is still working night shift my treadmill is of limits after 0545
and untill after 1830-well, let's just say that if I don't get my sweat on early I know myself well enough to know that it will not happen in the evening-so as he was already asleep, or at least pretending to to get away from my crap mood-that left me to 1. rearrange the livingroom-which took all of about 20 minutes and then 2. turned on some inspirational music-being negative is really, really hard while getting your praise and worship on by the way !!- and broke out the baking supplies-we now have pup treats for days and a Plum Crumble . I had bought the pumpkins to make pumpkin puree, which I did -for another type of pup treat and pumkin bread that will have to come on another day as my studies are calling me..and if I don't stay on track these next 2 weeks I will be in a mess for time!!
I wish you all an amazing day--by the way my mood is much improved, the house clean (even the oven!!), and goodies are ready to share!! And most importantly...
Don't forget to share your smile !!
Good Morning to you all!! Took a break from FluffySeeksFirm over the weekend due to doing a bit of exploring and relaxing with my hubby! Saturday saw me turning a year older (words can not express how overwhelmed I was with all of the birthday greetings and wishes-my heart was on fire with all of the love and friendship!), the annual Heidemarkt in Aurich, some shopping and the 25th anniversary of the coming together of Germany following WWII- Tag der Deutschen Einheit. For me personally, it is quite a priviledge to live here for this occassion. Even though relocating to a new country a bit over 4 years ago has not been so easy sometimes, as time passes I feel very at home here and very blessed for all I have learned, the experiences I have had, and for the amazing people who are now part of my life that I never would have met had I not taken this giant leap!!
I had thought about making Fluffy into a pure fitness and nutrition site but realized that perhaps this would not be the best for either myself or all of you wonderful readers out there- my life is rich with things that happen and places to see and I want to be able to share that with all of you and share the gifts that God has brought into my life..now by no means does that mean that the Fluffiness of following my drive to once more be Firm will be taken out-I am just not going to center every blog about how big my butt is or what the scale says-by now it is no secret that this is a battle I fight on a constant basis, but life is so much more interesting than all of that!! By the way the weekend did not see a break in the workouts- 5km both days and yesterday the scale read 71.1kg.
Today sees the beginning of week 7 of this session for my MA- am indeed happy to see the last 2 weeks on the horizon and the very short break in between these 2 courses and the next 2 as this has been very challenging without being at home and as a result my work has not been what it could have been, but am hoping my instructors show a bit of understanding, but are fair at the same time. Research paper and final exam this week, along with the normal postings and responses, and then week 8 will see another exam and a presentation. What feels awesome though, it that I registered and paid for my last session which will end in May--whoop whoop-that means 1 Masters done!!
For those of you who are wondering what Heide is--here is a picture, a winter hardy plant that is pretty to look at, easy to care for and adds a bit of color to days that can get pretty grey here. It comes in various colors from the gorgeous purple, to vibrant pinks, & shades of green and yellow. Down side-must be replanted every year, but is not expensive so a great way to change up the look of your garden or entryway. The day was beautiful and the sun was in it's full glory-as you can all see the marketplace was jam packed with folks enjoying the day. I hope you all enjoy the visit via photos!!
The last photo on the page is of some gifts and cards that arrived from the states and from my Mom the awesome flip flip banner-ideally I should live on a tropical island somewhere and where flip flops on a daily basis but life doesn't work like that right now so this splash of brightness will go up in my office to bring color and fantasy to my work and study time!! The necklace will be a summer addition to my wardrobe, which will be seeing some "Island Time" for sure this coming year!!
It is time to get busy with the day- me and the pups are enjoying a dark,
quiet morning-Max the Wonderdog is snuggled up on the couch and Missy is guarding the livingroom! The time for inspirational reading and time with God is now, before the sun comes up and daily living begins- I wish you all such an amazing, blessed day..
Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous sing, all you who are upright in heart.
-Psalm 32:11
PS..Dont't forget to share your smile!
Goal for the week: To see 69 kg on the scale, learn 10 new words auf Deutsch and 5 new words auf Spanisch!!
