Living Life To The Fullest
What’s something you’ve done that you never thought you could?
First thought that comes to mind:
I can do anything that I want to do. The question is do I actually want to do it?
Like, right now there some yoga positions that I would love to take on. But my mindset isn’t, “I could never do that.”
It’s more so, do I want to put in the effort.
Never say never, you CAN do it.
Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.
How do you manage stress?
I’m a mother of four under 10 and married, let me share how I manage stress.
I’ll give a little list with some explanations. If this helps someone I’m all for that.
If I am in a moment I do that almost immediately to calm myself down while patting my chest.
2. GET RID OF STUFF – many people are oblivious to how heavy stuff is. Your home, your environment, it plays a huge role on your well being. Some say it’s a reflection to what you got going on, on the inside. “If you find yourself constantly cleaning/organizing that’s good indicator to get rid of stuff.”
I am so big on this. This is so simple too. Donate, give away, you will feel relief every time. And also a good rule is if you buy something new, get rid of something old.
3. Say No – say no, and don’t feel bad about it. The friends and family that truly love you are not going to hold it against you. Know when your plate is full and just say no. Whether it be a party, a dinner, a favor, a hang out. It’s okay to say no when you are feeling depleted and exhausted.
4. Make time for your hobby – whatever that may be that gives you some peace. I enjoy doing yoga. Some people like painting, running, hiking, crafts, gardening, just sometime that is for YOU. And make that a priority.
5. Let Yourself Get Angry – it’s okay to feel those emotions. You need to cry, cry. You wanna yell, yell. You feel like screaming, just scream. You’re going to feel better. Then go back to number 1. Breathe. Don’t break stuff or doing something reckless. But again, it is okay to shout. And to me truthfully, if you are crying or yelling that is the ultimate sign that you need to get your stress in check now. That means you let it get too far.
6. Talk To A trusted friend/family member – and just vent it out. Sometimes I will call a friend and literally say can I just vent real quick to you. And then I’ll vent and they listen and truthfully that is enough. Sometimes when we speak it out loud we receive clarity just by talking about it.
Anyways, that’s what immediately came to mind for managing stress and I hope it helps.
Less is more my friends, I’m telling you.
Dive into a minimalist lifestyle and you will get it!
Carrot Cake:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs room temperature
1 (1-pound) package baby carrots, finely grated
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
8 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees then line the bottom of two 9″ cake pans with parchment paper. Spray the pans and paper with non-stick cooking spray or rub with butter and set aside.
(You don’t have to use parchment paper but the cakes can become a little hard to get out if you choose to butter your pans instead)
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, oil and eggs together until completely blended then set aside.
3. Finely shred the carrots with a cheese grater or if you have a food processor you can use that.
(If you have kids they can help shred the carrots with the cheese grater. Makes for a bonding moment.)
4. Then add the finely shredded carrots to the sugar, oil and egg mixture, stirring to combine.
5. In a separate mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Sift the wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients and mix until completely blended.
6. Divide the batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans and bake 20-30 minutes or until a butter knife comes out clean (oven time varies) .
7. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool for an hour and half. (Remaining in the pans)
8. While the cakes are cooling, start on the cream cheese frosting. Add the softened butter and cream cheese to a medium-sized mixing bowl and cream together until completely combined. Then, sift in the powdered sugar, stirring until perfectly smooth.
9. Add the vanilla and stir once more to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature until you are ready to frost the cake.
10. When the cakes are cool and the frosting has been made, remove the pans to uncover the cakes. Place the first layer on a serving plate or I use a big cutting board sometimes and evenly coat the top of the cake with frosting. Place the next layer upside down on top of first layer and press gently but firmly into place. Spread the frosting on the top and all sides of the cake evenly with the remainder of the frosting. Top with some cinnamon for some extra whimsy!
Enjoy now or refrigerate until ready to serve! So yummy!
***Original recipe here****
Ingredients
Instructions
Note: I like to serve this entree with rice. Any leftover mixture I have I eat it with tortilla chips and guacamole and it’s like having nachos. So yummy!
“Forever, O Lord, your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it abides. They continue this according to your ordinances, for all are your servants.”
Psalm 119: 89-91
Watch nature. Study it. It’s fascinating. Nature really does just know what to do.
For example, this is random, I smashed my finger awhile back and my thumb is currently growing a new nail. I never told my body to do that, it just knows what to do. To me that right there is miraculous. How does my body know how to just do that?
We witness this in so many ways. Birds migrating, caterpillars becoming butterflies, trees speaking through their roots, bees making honey, and how?
How does nature just know what to do? The answer is pretty simple and it says it in the scripture.
Because God says.
They continue this according to your ordinances. Ordinance means an authoritative law. Nature is following its own commandments from the creator himself.
They are all following the rules and how incredible to bear witness of this.
The earth has been around a very long time, and it abides (it sits and remains here for us) because God told it to.
We search and search for bigger explanations but it really is as simple as God just saying,
“hey earth, you’re going to chill here until I say, okay?”
And earth is just like, “yup, got it.”
This is evidence in itself that something bigger is at play.
I feel as we get older we become so accustomed to this place, this world, that we slowly stop wondering and asking questions.
And then we forget. Some of us forget entirely that this is all so temporary.
We forget that we have a creator. We forget that we have been gifted this gift of life to noticed and observe how incredible our creator is. We forget to ask questions. We don’t seek anymore like children. We become dormant.
Many people are searching for truth. And the truth surrounds them everyday, yet they can’t see it or they may be scared of it.
Which truthfully can be a little scary. However God tells us numerous times to not be afraid.
It is our responsibility to help others tap into that inner child, because it is that inner child that will ask the bigger questions. It is that inner child that is curious and wants and craves answers. It’s that inner child that will not stop asking, why?
Children are so incredibly thirsty for knowledge.
When we slow down enough to study nature, we begin to notice the order, the wisdom, and the wonder woven into creation.
And perhaps, in getting to know creation, we begin to know the Creator.
And the more we know God, the more our thirst changes.
We don’t become less curious.
We become more alive.
Because maybe the goal was never to stop searching.
Maybe the goal was to discover that what we have been thirsting for has been surrounding us—and calling us back to the One who gave us life.
And in knowing Him, we learn what it truly means to abide.
makes 6 rolls
What You Need:
3 bell peppers (yellow, red, orange)
1 onion
1 14oz package of beef shaved steak
Provolone cheese slices
6 Sub rolls
Butter
Steps:
Enjoy!
If your future self could send you one sentence, what do you hope it would say?
Stop worrying about your kids, they are living the most beautiful lives…….you did good, Marie.
*crying* 😭😭😭
What You Need:
4 cups water
1 teaspoon hondashi powder or can use onion powder
¼ cup seaweed cut or broken into smaller ½ inch pieces
8 ounces tofu drained and cut into ½ inch cubes or smaller
4 tablespoons of miso paste
1 stalk green onion thinly sliced (optional)
Steps:
What You Need:
Steps:
1. In a medium size bowl, whisk together corn starch and water. Add remaining ingredients (chicken broth, soy sauce, honey, and toasted sesame oil, red pepper flakes) and whisk to combine.
2. Warm up in medium sized skillet. Once warmed up add your chicken and vegetables.
So yummy and easy!
Note: I roast broccoli, chopped onion, and carrots in the oven with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
I cook the chopped chicken on the skillet, seasoning with just a little bit of salt and pepper.
Then I add all of the meat and veggies to the sauce and serve with white rice.
