Monday, May 31, 2010

Self Help Paradise: A New Earth

Disclaimer: This is a longer post than usual.
I might as well get my fifty cents worth while I have you here, right?

<span class=

I am a happy person. It can drive people around me crazy, I know. I often am accused of having an easy outlook on life. The funny thing is that I work hard to be happy, it's not effortless. Every morning I wake up and make the decision to create happiness for myself.

Not long ago, I read the book A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. For those of you that don't know me personally, you may not know that I am addicted to self help books. It all started when I was on the heels of a nasty break up in my mid-twenties. I had moved to Atlanta to make a new life for myself. One sunny afternoon, as I sat in my living room and cried for the one hundred millionth time because I had a broken heart, I made the pivotal decision to read any self help book that Oprah told me too. It was the best decision that I could have made because it was so much cheaper than therapy.

I've grown so much through every single book she featured on her show over the years that I've decided to do a series of book reviews of all of the best self help books out there. I will call this series Self Help Paradise. Trust me, I've done all of the hard work in reading these books first and I promise you that if you have a restless soul that these books can be a roadmap to healing. I'm no Dr. Phil but I have read all of his books. (Ba-da-bump!) Oh I love that Dr. Phil and his crazy Texas sayings. Like the one time he was drilling into this young guy for ignoring his wife to watch sports. The poor fella looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Dr Phil jokingly said "I know what your thinkin'. You're thinkin that I'm about to have a donkey barbecue and you're supplying the ass." Genius...genius I tell you.



I digress, the point is, (focus Leigh) I read the book A New Earth. To say that it was life changing would be putting it lightly. "Eckhart Tolle provides practical teachings for waking up to a new, enlightened mind-set. If you're seeking a more loving self and a more loving planet, A New Earth has the tools to begin your transformation. Start reading today!" Okay, I just totally copied that from Oprah's website but her people said it much better than I ever could. One of the many perspectives that I took from it is that our ego can create drama in our lives to make us feel special. I learned this first hand one day in what I will call "The day I realized that I was an idiot."

I fear boredom. It's terrible, if life gets too calm then I start to feel complacent. At least, that's what I used to believe. One morning, life was calm all around me. It was a normal day and as I tooled around the house doing my daily chores, I started to get worried and I wondered...was my life special? It just seemed so normal, something had to be wrong for everything to seem so right. Crazy? Yes, I was.

So, I created drama for myself. On a subconscious level, of course. I stubbed my toe and I stubbed it BAD! You know, when you hop up and down, cuss like a sailor, and pray that you didn't just break your toe. Oh...I managed to feel good and sorry for myself for the duration of that day. I didn't stop there though, just after the sting had worn off I decided (subconsciously again) to splash boiling hot water all over my belly when I tossed some boiling noodles into the colander in the sink. I screamed and yelled. I was pregnant with Koen at the time and Roger totally fawned over me. As I lay on the couch crying with an icepack on my belly, Griffin came over to console me. Roger was very concerned about me and as the tears rolled down my face, I realized what I was doing, my ego had won. I had created a reason to cry. How absurd is that?

I made a choice that day. I decided that what would set my life apart from everyone else would be that I would make the healthiest choices for myself. That meant that I would accept my calm life that is essentially drama free and let the drama queen in me go. I released my need to create problems for myself. It was as if for the first time in my life, I allowed myself to be content just being me. No more crazy antics to make my life seem more interesting.

So, now, a year and a half later, I wake up every morning and decide to be happy. As I go through the day, I choose to make every possible turn to create peace for my family and my home. It takes work and it's not easy but I am getting better at it. I don't let the little girl in me that is scared of complacency have her temper tantrums any more. I let that girl go and found a joyful person living within me. I still have bad days and I'm not always happy but, for the most part, I love my calm and normal life. Okay, I admit that sometimes I pick a little fight with Roger just to keep things spicy.

Always read the fine print: I have never read any self help book in it's entirety because as I read the book, I start to feel better about my life and then I just kinda quit reading said book. So, if you read any book that I suggest and the ending sucks...sorry about that. Also, I received no compensation for writing this book review. I did it out of the kindness of my heart in hopes that you might find inspiration in reading at least three fourths of this book too.

Last thing, I swear
. Scroll on down to see the winner of Freakshow Friday!

Winner: Pixie Love Edition

We have a winner for this week's installment of Freakshow Friday. Please take note that my super hilarious and non biased best friend was the judge. Here are the top three in no particular order.
Moooooog35
Wow...Tinkerbell really let herself go.

Caroline of Salsa Pie
All I can think about here because I'm pregnant
(and therefore hungry all the time) is how that cake looks pretty GOOD!

June
After snorting too much fairy dust.


The winner is...

Moooooog35

Wow...Tinkerbell really let herself go.

Moooooog35
is the funniest Blogger in all the land.
Please head on over to the midget man of steel's Blog
and marvel at this fantastic award he just earned
to proudly display forever.


Thanks to all the people who played.
Tune in this Friday for another instalment of Freakshow Friday!

Friday, May 28, 2010

Freakshow Friday :: Pixie Love Edition

It's time for another installment of Freakshow Friday. Where I ask my readers to come up with a caption or story for a funny photo. My best friend will be the judge and she's one hilarious freakaziod. So, bring it! Here is the week's photo, it's from this awesome dude's website that I like to pop over too now and again. He's extra special because he aspires to be Peter Pan, for real! You have to check out his place and marvel at his outfits. Anyway, I guess that love really is blind because he found himself a lady. Here is a picture from their actual wedding.

Who wants a piece of freak cake?

You got a better one for me?

If so, you may just when this awesome award
and have bragging rights forever.


If you win then I'll linkup to your
Blog and make a big deal
about how funny you are.
Simply leave your funny caption or story
in my comments section.

The winner will be announced on Monday.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Finding the sky.

I recently discovered a link up called
"You Capture" over at the blog I Should be Folding Laundry.
Each week there is a photo assignment.
Yay...another excuse to play with my camera.
This week's assignment was "Sky".
I didn't want to just go outside, point my camera up, and start shooting.
I decided to play around a bit
and I'm so glad that I did because
I found the dreamiest view of...


Photobucket

the sky reflected in the hood of my dirty car.

Photobucket

If you are visiting from I Should be Folding Laundry
then I simply can't let you leave without telling you about...

Photobucket


Every Tuesday I host
The Happiness Project.
If you want to jump on the bandwagon
simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy.
Then, steal my button up there
and include it in your post.

I can't wait to see what makes YOU happy!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Life's playlist :: Bad Company


My hand me down Luxury Lincoln Towncar that I inherited from my grandmother does not have a CD player. We are stuck with a tape deck and since it is not the year 1986, we rely on the radio to provide listening enjoyment as we drive around town. This has provided countless hours of entertainment as we listen to 97.1 The River. My kids are being exposed to all kinds of inappropriate classic rock and Griffin totally gets into it.

A song that has been in full rotation is "Feel like making love" by Bad Company. I realize that it is potentially gross to listen to such a song with your child but Griffin has a way of changing the lyrics into something a bit more age appropriate. I want you to listen to this song and pretend like you are a 5 year old boy. It will take you a minute to get to the chorus but trust me, it will be SO worth it. Okay, if you just can't stand listening to Bad Company then go ahead and take it to the 55 second mark.

Now, whenever you hear the words "I feel like making love" I'd like for you to close your eyes, put a fist in the air, and sing aloud the words "A real life Dracula".

Yes, you read that right...sing "A real life Dracula" to the tune of "I feel like making love".

That is what happens in the backseat of my car on a regular basis and it is awesome!

Welcome to my world and enjoy!




Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The Happiness Project :: Week 13

Photobucket

My sweet little hair clip.

Photobucket


If you want to jump on the bandwagon
simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy.
Then, steal my button up there
and include it in your post.
Don't forget to link up to Mr. Linky.

I can't wait to see what makes YOU happy!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Winner : Prom Night Edition

We have a winner for this week's installment of Freakshow Friday. Please take note that my super hilarious and non biased best friend was the judge. Here are the top three in no particular order.
R Montalban
The evening was going super well for Julie
until she was attacked by a gang of pre-schoolers
and savagely beaten with a stick until candy fell out of her!

Much More Than Mommy
And no one ever knew that Susie
had actually used her dress to smuggle friends into prom.

KarmaPearl
I bet this is what the inside of a crazy person's head looks like.

The winner is...

KarmaPearl


I bet this is what the inside of a crazy person's head looks like.

KarmaPearl
is the funniest Blogger in all the land.
Please head on over to his Blog
and marvel at this fantastic award he just earned
to proudly display forever.


Thanks to all the people who played.
Tune in this Friday for another instalment of Freakshow Friday!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Je me sens de fantaisie. Translation: I am feeling fancy.

Photobucket


I adore the film Amelie. I make it a point to watch it at least once every six months, just because it makes me so happy. The first time that I saw it in 2001, I marched into the salon that I worked at and demanded that my co-worker dye my hair jet black and cut it just like sweet Amelie. We did just that and I felt so French.

I watched it last night for my semi-annual viewing and although I am not going to dye my hair black in her honor, I will try to be more like Amelie today. I will wear red and green together, even if it's not Christmas. I will flip up the ends of my hair and wear red lipstick. I will do something kind for a stranger today, without them knowing it. I'm not sure what it will be but I will be on the lookout for any opportunity.

If you haven't watched Amelie recently, I suggest that you do as soon as possible. It makes the ordinary moments in life seem just so much more fantastic and that is a beautiful thing! A film like this one is just good for the soul.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Love for Daffy.

One of my favorite Bloggers needs our prayers and support.
Daffy over at Batcrap Crazy lost her sister unexpectedly.
This is a terrible loss for her and her family.
Please go show her some love.



Send a prayer up for her as well.
I am so sorry for your loss sweet Daffy.

Please scroll down for a little comic relief and play Freakshow Friday!
Laughter really is the best medicine.

Freakshow Friday: Prom Night Edition

It's time for another installment of Freakshow Friday. Where I ask my readers to come up with a caption or story for a photo taken from Awkward Family Photos. My best friend will be the judge and she's one hilarious freakaziod. So, bring it! Here is the week's photo, this couple probably did not win Prom King and Queen. I almost feel sorry for them.

Josh still felt like a pimp even though he took his cousin to Prom.

You got a better one for me?

If so, you may just when this awesome award
and have bragging rights forever.


If you win then I'll linkup to your
Blog and make a big deal
about how funny you are.
Simply leave your funny caption or story
in my comments section.

The winner will be announced on Monday.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

The Stay at Home Mom Chronicles: Destroying TJ Bearytales

I'm realizing that my days around here seem to run together.
Ordinary moments unfold around me daily
and I need to stop and relish in them.
One day, my boys will be out living life
and I will miss these everyday experiences.

So, I am taking the time to document
the simple moments that pass between us.
I'm calling this little collection of memories
The Stay At Home Mom Chronicles.

Photobucket

My child is slowly driving this bear insane.

This is TJ Bearytales and he tells stories.
Koen loves him.

My sister-in-law gave it to us as a hand me down
and from the moment Koen met him
it was love at first sight.

Photobucket
(actual photo of their first meeting, can you feel the love?)

He loves this toy so much that he is slowly destroying it.

He drags poor TJ around the house by one arm.

He boxes his head and grabs his ears and shakes him to no end
.
He attempts to sit in the bear's lap.
It cracks me up to watch him
stand in front of Mr. Bearytales, turn around, back into his lap,
knock him over, and then pull him back up by his nose.

He does this over and over and over.

The poor bear has minor freak outs in response to this kind of abuse.
I'll hear a strange noise and trace it to TJ Bearytales.
He randomly starts talking or malfunctioning
at any given time during the day.
It's a little freaky to see this bear flailing his arms around
while shaking his head and wiggling his ears.


He might just have it in for us.

My nephew owned it for 5 years and
it was in pristine condition when they gave it to us.

My kid has it for one month and the bear has gone crazy.


No toy is safe in my home.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The Butterfly Effect

Photobucket

This necklace makes me feel mighty pretty!
I found it at a Fine Arts Festival in the mountains.
I spent twenty minutes in a tent admiring each butterfly
and trying to decide which one that I wanted to buy.

This one seemed to call out to me.

I have gotten tons of compliments on it
and I'm sure that I stand up straighter when I wear it.

It's so nice to find a piece of jewelry
that makes me feel so feminine.

I just have to pass the information onto you
so that you can feel beautiful too.

You can find YOUR butterfly here!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The Happiness Project :: Week 12

Photobucket

Standing at the bottom of a waterfall.


Photobucket


If you want to jump on the bandwagon
simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy.
Then, steal my button up there
and include it in your post.
Please let me know if you decide to join in.

I can't wait to see what makes YOU happy!



Monday, May 17, 2010

Winner: Playing Possum Edition.

We have a winner for this week's installment of Freakshow Friday. Please take note that my super hilarious and non biased best friend was the judge. Here are the top three in no particular order.

Tom and Karen Mortensen
"Mrs. Possum was so proud of her boys.
This is a picture she cherished always."

Jeremy from We Took The Bait
"Mortified to be in this picture,
young Jimmy Ray wishes that he, too,
had the ability to play dead."

KarmaPearl
"There used to be THREE brothers.
But he didn't smile in the last photo, so a replacement was found."

The winner is...
Jeremy from We Took The Bait

"Mortified to be in this picture,
young Jimmy Ray wishes that he, too,
had the ability to play dead."

Jeremy from We Took The Bait
is the funniest Blogger in all the land.
Please head on over to his Blog
and marvel at this fantastic award he just earned
to proudly display forever.


Thanks to all the people who played.
Tune in this Friday for another instalment of Freakshow Friday!

I'll Stop the World and Melt with You.

<span class=

The amazing view at Vogel State Park.

We are back from our amazing trip to the mountains. We had a bit of good fortune because Dave FM was having a Flashback 80's weekend on the radio.
Being that my inherited Lincoln Towncar has no CD player, this made our weekend so much more fun. We drove through the mountains with the windows down and sang REM, The Cure, The Smiths, and Jane's Addiction songs at the top of our lungs. The radio in the cabin was tuned to that station as well so the cabin was filled INXS, The Go Go's, David Bowie, and all the other fun artists that made being a kid in the 80's so awesome.

Saturday night, the most delicious storm rolled in. We drank White Russians and sat on the porch swing to watch the storm. The sound of the raindrops falling all around us seemed to wash away all of the stresses of life and parenthood. The lightning flashed, the thunder cracked, Roger put his arm around me, and we looked at each other and smiled. It's the simple moments that I enjoyed the most.

(We got back late so I will post the winner to Freakshow Friday as soon as I think that our judge is awake. I don't want us to have a cranky judge from being woken up by an early morning phone call. Please check back later!)

Friday, May 14, 2010

A romantical weekend and I promise that even though this is my second post this week pertaining to alcohol that I am not a lush.

Our cabin awaits us!
(Photo taken from B&B website)

It has been three years since the hubby and I have gone away together for a weekend. The last time we went on a getaway together we ended up at a casino in Cherokee, North Carolina. Which just so happened to be a dry county. Who puts a casino in a dry county? It was awful. We drove thirty minutes in the rain to get box wine from Walmart and then got drunk in the Holiday Inn across the street while we watched that show The Deadliest Catch. After we had a decent enough buzz to brave the fluorescent lighting in the casino, we headed over to the slot machines where I wasted a hundred bucks. A guy on a stool next to me fell out of his chair and I got so excited to see another drunk person that I threw my hands in the air and shouted "Woo!" only to discover that it was a handicap person who had lost his balance. Don't judge me. It wasn't my proudest moment.

Well...we are giving it another shot and I am so excited. We are off to a little cabin in the woods to celebrate our seven year anniversary. We are leaving the kiddos at my parents' house and heading to the mountains. I see southern food, scenic drives, antique malls, winery tours, and romance in my future. I've packed the Skip Bo cards, Scrabble, and I've got all the ingredients to make White Russians. There is a porch swing and a hot tub awaiting us. Fun times are coming our way!

I just pray that there are no casinos in the area.

Scroll on down to play Freakshow Friday!

Freakshow Friday: Playing Possum Edition

It's time for another installment of Freakshow Friday. Where I ask my readers to come up with a caption or story for a photo taken from Awkward Family Photos. My best friend will be the judge and she's one hilarious freakaziod. So, bring it! Here is the week's photo, being that I'm headed to the mountains, I thought that I would select a photo of the type of folks I might be encountering when we stop at the gas station.

Helmer loved that possum more than he loved his two boys.

You got a better one for me?

If so, you may just when this awesome award
and have bragging rights forever.


If you win then I'll linkup to your
Blog and make a big deal
about how funny you are.
Simply leave your funny caption or story
in my comments section.

The winner will be announced on Monday.






Thursday, May 13, 2010

A collection of life's recipes.

My lovely mother is retiring this year so as a gift I made her a cookbook. I collected recipes from her friends, family, and colleagues to fill up the pages. One day when she was out with my dad, I secretly took photographs of her kitchen and dining room to serve as the photos in the cookbook. I also photographed food to put with the recipes as well. It was a true labor of love and I proudly presented it to her yesterday at her retirement party. I've recently discovered that I really am at my best when I am being creative. Working on this project over the last two weeks has been a pleasure for me. I thought that I would share with y'all some of the photos that I took to be included in the cookbook that I entitled...

Retire to the Table.


Photobucket


Photobucket


Photobucket


Photobucket


Photobucket


Photobucket

She LOVED it and I was so proud to give it to her.
I know that it's something that our family will treasure for years to come.
If you are interested in seeing the cookbook
in it's entirety you can view it here.

Be sure to hit the "full screen" button on the top right
of the image of the cookbook if you want to get a better look.

If you are interested in any of the recipes I can e-mail them to you!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Ass smackers unite!

Warning: You are about to read the words
smack, ass, or ass smack about 20 times in the post.

Many moons ago when I was wild and in my twenties, I went to a company Christmas party with Erin. Thank God there was a full bar at said party and praise further be to God that Erin won twenty free drink tickets in a raffle. We promptly cashed in tickets for copious amounts of vodka drinks. As the night progressed, the dance floor (which was full of stuffy "work" people) started to call my name.

I suddenly found myself in the middle of the dance floor smacking my own ass to the beat of the music. It felt amazing to just haul off and smack it. It wasn't just a little swat either, I would swing my arm over my head and "POP" my hand onto my ass and then shake my hips. Sometimes I would circle my hand above my ass as if I was warming up before I would smack it. It was ridiculous. An older woman (at the time 50 seemed old) approached me and said "You go girl, what are you doing?" I then proceeded to coerce this sophisticated woman into raising her hand over her ass and giving her own ass a smack. She felt exhilarated and ran and grabbed some of her friends. Pointing to me she yelled "Watch her, you gotta do this!" I then taught about 4 other women how to smack their own asses. We all stood in a circle laughing like crazy and smacking our asses.

Erin called me over to her. "What the hell are you doing?" She asked me in a drunken slur. "Smacking my ass, come on, you gotta do it!" I replied. Then she said "You know, that woman over there smacking her ass is the head art director of the company and happens to be one of my bosses!" Holy crap...

The "ass smack" officially became my signature move after that night. If there is a dance floor and a vodka drink in my hand, then I am out there smacking it. My husband always tells people "I give it 5 minutes and my wife will have all of the ladies in the room smacking their own asses"

Well, this kid totally stole my moves!
I want to hit the clubs with this guy!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

The Happiness Project :: Week 11

Photobucket

Little bitty pink roses tucked into a very special bouquet.

Photobucket


If you want to jump on the bandwagon
simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy.
Then, steal my button up there
and include it in your post.
Don't forget to add your link to Mr. Linky!

I can't wait to see what makes YOU happy!


Monday, May 10, 2010

Mother's Day Tea Party

Griffin goes to a Montessori school and will have the same teacher for three years. So...for three years in a row, I get to attend a Mother's Day Tea Party hosted by The Green Room. This little party gets all of the Moms crying like Niagra Falls.

There are songs about how sweet we are and little speeches about how much they love us. That is when we start to pass the box of Kleenex around. Then, there is a slideshow with photos of the children and adorable quotes that the kids say about their moms.

Griffin's prompt was; "I love my mom because..."
His answer this year was "because she takes care of me and keeps me healthy."
Which was so much better then last year when he said
"Because she buys me toys."

So, I cried my eyeballs out at from all of the sweetness around me.
I thought that I heard a couple of ladies snort
they were crying so hard.

It really was such an adorable little party.

Photobucket

The table is always set up to look so cheerful.

Photobucket

Some of the Dads volunteer to strap on aprons and serve us.
Not my husband though...he had a deadline at work.
It's fun to check out all of the other lady's husbands
and boss them around a little bit.

Photobucket

My plate was never empty because Griffin would run off
and come back with more food for me.
I kept sending him out to get me
more of those petit fours.
Don't tell the teacher but I ate six of them.

Photobucket

Then Griffin came shuffling over with a present he had made
and when he opened it for me...I cried like a baby.
What's not to love about a little blue heart?

Photobucket

It was a good day!
Even though I cried all of my make up off.

Scroll on down to see the winner of Freakshow Friday.

Winner: 100 Acre Wood of Freaks Edition

We have a winner for this week's installment of Freakshow Friday. Please take note that my super hilarious and non biased best friend was the judge. Here are the top three in no particular order.
singedwingangel
"Little Nathan understood why they made him Tigger, he was rather active.
But he was pretty sure that what he just laid in his diaper qualified him to be Pooh.."

R Montalban
"What do you get if you cross Winnie the Pooh with a donkey?
Dhiarr-Eeyore!"

Tom and Karen Mortensen
This picture gives a whole new meaning to being committed.

And the winner is...
singedwingangel

"Little Nathan understood why they made him Tigger,
he was rather active. But he was pretty sure that
what he just laid in his diaper qualified him to be Pooh.."

singedwingangel
is the funniest Blogger in all the land.
Please head on over to her Blog
and marvel at this fantastic award she just earned
to proudly display forever.


Thanks to all the people who played.
Tune in this Friday for another instalment of Freakshow Friday!

Friday, May 7, 2010

Holy Cake Balls!

(Not my photo, I was too busy licking the bowl of batter up
with a spoon to grab my own camera. This is from Bakerella!)

I recently discovered the most awesome Blog called Bakerella.
I needed to make something tasty for
a Mother's day tea at Griffin's school and just
had to make these Red Velvet Cake Balls.
They are SO delectable and scrumptious that I am
passing the recipe onto you!
Now go make these for your Mama!

Red Velvet Cake Balls
1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

I also only melt a few pieces of chocolate bark at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It’s easier to work with when it’s hot.

Scroll on down to play Freakshow Friday!