Health Nut

My niece's husband was voted Tampa Bay's Healthiest Person yesterday! Congrats Ryan. He's not only one of the healthiest people in the area, he's also helping other get fit, stay healthy and keep themselves out of debt. What a good man.

Happy Polly Days

Today is the third anniversary of when Polly came to live with me. It was a day that changed my life forever. On March 1, 2009, Polly was just under 3 months old and part of the same litter as Finn. She was a wee thing only 2.5 pounds and a warm little bundle of fire.

When she was given up, it was only natural that she should come to live with me and to make my life whole. And God did have a plan because it was only 2 short weeks later that Finn had his first surgery and the struggle to keep my boy happy and healthy started.

The wealth of happiness she brings to my life is vast and still expanding. From day one, she shone a light on the bad relationship I was in and gave me someone to truly love that would love me. This opened me up to loving Paul and Millie and having a real family.

Every day she shows me the beauty of the morning with her jumps for joy and her excitement about another day's worth of adventures. Every evening she cuddles beside me and showers me with puppy kisses letting me know that she loves me more than anything.

She is my laughing companion, my shoulder to cry on, my walking partner and my co-pilot when on the road.

Now, 3 years later, she cuddles beside me and gives me so much pleasure that at times I weep from joy.

She is truly my Polly Princess!

And The Award Goes To ...

Prior to Oscars big night were the local Addy awards. Yours truly got a silver award for a self-promotion piece (it was a self promotion for my company).

That wasn’t even the highlight of the evening. The awards reception was at the new Dali Museum and it was a first visit for me. The building is impressive and though I had toured the art many times, the new layout was stunning. Our docent was fun and informative with tales about the Master and little tidbits that I didn’t even know. I highly recommend a visit if you get a chance when you’re in St. Pete.

Heart Healthy Month Tip: Take some time do take in some art. Anything from the Masters such as Dali here to those great works on the fridge done my children will expand your vision and keep you young at heart.

Slow Down You Move Too Fast

This year for Lent I am doing something new. Instead of giving up something just to give it up – like chocolate or drinking alcohol or such, I am instead focusing on taking more on. This means to volunteer more, give of my precious time more and take better care of myself. My life is so busy lately and I haven’t had much time to spend with those who matter most to me. So during Lent, and beyond I want to work on my relationships with my friends and spend some quality time with these wonderful people.

Of course this means giving up my very precious “me” time, but I can even build on the quality of that as well. I am taking 15 to 30 minutes a day to meditate and use my “me” time more effectively. It’s hard to slow down for that long and I am using meditation podcasts to assist me in finding this inner peace and voice.

Now mediation is nothing new for me. I’ve done meditation for years and know that it really adds so much to my life including clarity, peace of mind and greater happiness. But it takes a bit of work on my part to slow it down enough to really feel these effects. The free podcasts I use regularly are The Meditation Podcast and Meditation Oasis. Both are free on iTunes and run anywhere from 8 minutes to 30. These guided meditations help me disconnect from the physical world for a little while and address my spiritual needs.

Do you meditate? What do you use or where do you go to reach the inner you in peace and quiet?

Heart Healthy Month Tip: Mediation has been shown to lower blood pressure and even cholesterol levels – all the better for your heart.

Fat Tuesday is Just a Name

I just had to go with some Cajun fare tonight, but was too busy to make something downright dee-vine!

Solution: 727FoodNow and Anna Stella Cajun Bistro. Miss Heidi shared with me a gift card to use this food delivery service and I thought tonight would be the perfect time to not only try delivery, but this restaurant.

But why make Cajun just one night? Even eating healthy, I was able to fit in this deliciousness into a few days with an Oyster Po’Boy tonight and Crawfish Etouffee dinner on Wednesday. I couldn’t even finish the sandwich tonight, it was so rich and delicious, but I did finish each little crispy oyster! So Yum!

Great experience overall. I highly recommend trying 727foodnow or a delivery service in your area. It was so easy, they were right on time and the delivery fee and tip aren’t much more than a tip if you went to the restaurant. In fact, I will probably continue this little treat monthly to save me some time from cooking and cleaning while enjoying a wonderful meal.

Heart Healthy Month Tip: Even when you overindulge, like I did tonight, you can still keep a heart-healthy lifestyle. Have a healthy breakfast and lunch using most of you calories at dinnertime. Split restaurant portions into sensible portions before you indulge. Add a little extra exercise to your routine that week. If you know in advance that you are going to splurge, you can workout a little bit more or harder a day or two in advance. This way you can have extra without the guilt. All good for your heart.

I Love You The Purplest

When most people think of February the color that comes to mind is usually red (or black if you’re unhappy with the love month). But Feb babies dream in purple.

Amethyst is the birthstone of the month---dramatic and rich with royal appeal. I’ve been in a purple mood lately with the giddy heart-felt love of the month paired with a little blue (not as in sadness, but more like regal hues) that make me want to craft in every shade of this brilliant color.

Projects of cuffs and flowers

Cuffs for the winter saying goodbye and flowers to welcome the spring. I actually made these cuffs a couple months ago (this purple thing has been going on for quite a while) and I got a lot of use out of them while we were in the mountains during the holidays. I even got to sport them at home for a couple cool dog-walking mornings. The flowers are inspirations from Nicky Epstein’s Knitted Flowers. I just love this book and there are so many fantastic ideas. I’ve spent the past few nights knitting little gems, but now what will I do with them all.

Heart Healthy Month Tip: For February, add purple fruits and veg to your menus. Sweeten things up with your sweetie when you serve blueberries, raspberries and blackberries as a dessert. Need a pick-me-up at work or in the afternoon? Grab some purple grapes. Give your heart a boost with red cabbage slaw or make a Greek salad with extra beets. Snack on a few blue (purple) corn chips or potato chips, just watch the portion and the fat. Purple and deep red fruits and veg have loads of antioxidants that not only help your heart, but also have been shown to help prevent some forms of cancers. Plus, the ingredient that makes these such an inviting hue is great for your hair and skin so pack on the purple!

Blogs I Love - Getting Crafty

Blogs I Love

I don’t have a whole lot of time to cruise the Internet looking for great idea pickups. When I do get a few moments to scan through craft, food or any other sites that grab my fancy, I like to save the best ones to share with my friends and to visit later. Here are a few crafty pals I have picked up on the way.

Ellinee Design House
This is such a great site if you want to try a new craft or even order some wonderful designs from those who are the experts. I just love their paper flowers. I have had a thing for paper lately and adore how these paper petals can bring life to any occasion. Thanks to the free template, I am inspired to add some Springtime to my workspace and liven it up a bit. (Plus working in Marketing, we always have out-of-date paper samples around the office that would be perfect for transforming into flora.

Quiet Lion Creations
I love cool DIY projects, especially when they are fashion forward. I'm not the trendiest girl around, but I could always use a little pick-me-up especially this delightful bracelet, plus what a great gift idea and a way to use any leftover fabric. I also love the trapeze earrings and have decided to take up jewelry making. Thank you Allison for all your inspirations.

Keeping It Indie
Can I just say, I love Brandi! This is such a great site with things to make, inspirational interviews and just so many pictures to make the heart beat faster. So far my favorites are the printed candles, rosette bracelet, Carla Dyck photography, and oh so much more. You just have to visit the site to find out about what you’re missing.

The Cheese Thief
Not only is this one of the best names for a blog (or anything for that matter), but I just couldn’t help getting caught up in all the great ideas found here. Since I am on a jewelry kick, I just couldn’t pass up this beaded ring. And that was only the beginning, how about this wonderful Birthday decoration – perfect for cupcakes and cake.

Maggie Makes
These pictures caught me.

Heart Healthy Month Tip: Making new friends, learning new things and creating something always makes the heart happy.