Author Archive
Review of Date Night Cookbook
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This week you have made a commitment to resurrect romance. What better way to do that than to spend time cooking together. After all, you have to eat so why not make it fun and romantic? In Date Night Cookbook, Meredith Phillips olffers romantic recipes for the busy couple. Phillips dishes up appetizers, salads, soups, entrees, deserts, and drinks. If my math is correct, that constitutes six courses, or five if you don’t include the drinks. My romantic dinner is usually a salad and an entree but that seems to work really well.
My favorite recipe in the book is Roasted Chicken With New Potatoes. While the chicken is roasting I can prepare the Green Garden Salad - Boston lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and carrots tossed with Master Vinagrette or Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing. Total cooking time for the chicken is approximately 90 minutes. There is plenty of chicken for sandwiches the next day.
You might not think of chili as very romantic but when the weather is cool there is nothing that I enjoy more than a warm bowl of chili. Phillips Classic Cook-Off Chili is a real winner at my house. It tastes delicious the next day too.
Happy cooking, happy eating, and happy date night. Keep nourishing your relationship.
The Date Night Cookbook: 25 Easy-to-Cook Menus for the Busy Couple
Celebrate National Resurrect Romance Week
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The week of August 8th to the 14th is National Resurrect Romance Week. This observance encourages men and women to find ways to be romantic every day this week by using their hearts.
Remember when you first started dating. You were so excited to see each other. You didn’t even need to spend money to have fun. Just being together and having fun was enough.
If you are not sure how to resurrect romance, check out Fun & Creative Dates for Married Couples. It’s a great read with some unique ideas to celebrate creative romance. Here are 5 ideas that really got my attention because they won’t cost you anything:
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Picnicking under the stars. Put stars in your eyes as you gaze at the harvest moon and make wishes on shooting stars.
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Backyard camping. Get out you grill and put on some hot dogs and/or hamburgers. Remember how much fun it was to roast marshmallow over a campfire? You can do this on your grill.
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Test-drive your dream car. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a minivan or a shiny red sports car – it’s your dream. Test it out.
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Window-shopping. If there is an upscale mall in your area you can browse for electronics or get decorating tips for your home.
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Shall we dance? When was the last time you danced with your spouse? You don’t have to go anyplace special to dance. If you feel like you have two left feet you can check out some dance instruction DVD’s at you local library. You can even find some great music CD’s at the library. Now, there are no excuses!
Here are two more great ideas that I just couldn’t resist including:
Trip Down Memory Lane – Recreate the day you met or your first date.
The Great Cookie Hunt – This could get dangerous and expensive! Sample cookie from around town and decide which one (or more) is your favorite. If you wait for a holiday there will be lots of cookies to choose from.
Go ahead – celebrate creative romance and bring back the magic.
Fun & Creative Dates for Married Couples: 52 Ways to Enjoy Life Together
S.K.I.R.T.S in the Boardroom: A Woman’s Survival Guide to Success in Business and Life
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You don’t have to be an executive to appreciate the advice offered in S.K.I.R.T.S in the Boardroom: A Woman’s Survival Guide to Success in Business and Life. The book offers practical, motivational, and inspirational advice and strategies for the new generation of women.
In many ways, the corporate world continues to be a man’s world. Women today have more income, more education, more opportunity, and more entrepreneurial drive than ever before, however, the glass ceiling still exists.
S.K.I.R.T.S. is an acronym for Sisterhood, Knowledge, Integrity, Respect, Tenacity, and Substance. These are the often-overlooked qualities that extraordinary women require to maximize their potential in business and in life. Evans will show you how to develop these qualities and unbeatable business savvy using personal stories, exercises and real-life examples.
You will learn:
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How your attitude sets the tone for your relationships
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How those relationships determine your ability to influence those around you
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Turn your dreams into reality
- Combine confidence and compassion
- Target your talents
This book is a must read for for any woman who wants to maximize her professional potential. It will definitely help you navigate the male-dominated corporate world and keep you inspired when you’re unmotivated and unsatisfied with your career.
Just Let Me Lie Down
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Working mothers are a special breed. They have to balance the responsibilities of being a mom with the pressures of working a full-time job. I know how difficult it is because I am one of those moms myself. We are truly a special group.
Kristen van Ogtrop, editor of Real Simple, offers a humorous look at the demands that working mothers face in Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom. Starting with the letter A and working her way through the alphabet, van Ogtrop offers witty commentary on her role as a working mom. My favorite letter was G because it included the word guilt. I am not only a working mom but I am a single working mom. I can ride the guilt train all day! I didn’t find Speeding Ticket in the letter S but I can understand because the author is from New York and they have mass transportation. Unfortunately, most working moms in Florida have to drive. Imagine my horror when I discovered that everyone in my son’s small private school knew why he was late that day! Again – riding that guilt train.
This would make a great book to give as a gift.
Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom (Hardcover)
Celebrate Single Working Women’s Week
Posted by: | CommentsAugust 1-7 is Single Working Women’s Week. Single working women today do it all. They bring home the bacon, they cook it, and then they clean up the kitchen! Single working women earn the money, buy the groceries, and take out the garbage. Thry feed nurture, and clean up after both children and pets.
This week take the time to celebrate all the single working women you know who make the modern world a better place and who find the money, time and energy to lovingly support others.
Audio Book Appreciation Month
Posted by: | CommentsAugust is Audio Book Appreciation Month.
Audio Book Appreciation Month encourages new listeners to learn more about the fascinating and current history of audio books in the United States.
Audio books on CD are great to listen to in the car. You can even get family friendly selections for your next vacation.
If you’re always on the go, take a PLAYAWAY with you. These nifty little devices are preloaded with an audiobook and don’t skip like a CD. All you need are a pair of headphones or earbuds and extra AAA batteries. They can also be connected to your car through the head jack.
I am currently listening to Simple.ology by Mark Joyner. Simpleology proves that success and happiness are easier to achieve than most people think they are. In fact, people can almost guarantee their own success simply by following a few simple rules. These “5 Laws of Simpleology” aren’t new; they’ve been around forever. Throughout history, these 5 laws have helped the world’s greatest minds amass fortunes and forge new paths.
Happy Girlfriend’s Day
Posted by: | CommentsAugust 1st is Girlfriend’s Day. Celebrate this special day by taking your girlfriend(s) shopping, to the movies, out to eat, or for a picnic. You could also bake some of those fabulous cookies or cupcakes that they rave about so much.
I’m waiting for my Oatmeal-Raisin Cupcakes from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes to come out of the oven right now. They are simply scrumptious and they’ve been a hit at several parties. Thanks, Martha!
There are 175 cupcake recipes in the book. Some are way above my culinary expertise but many are just my speed. My favorite cupcakes (to date) are:
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Coconut Cupcakes
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Ginger and Molasses Cupcakes
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Devil’s Food Cupcakes (for my son)
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Peanut Buttoer Cupcakes
Martha says that anyone can make cupcakes. Thanks for the vote of confidence
Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone’s Favorite Treat
Review of The Myth of Multitasking
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Are you a multitasker? I am and I used to be really proud that I could juggle multiple projects at once but after reading Dave Crenshaw’s The Myth of Multitasking I am ready to turn in my Queen of Multitasking crown.
The first sign of multitasking is a desk with piles of paper on it. I like to call it organized chaos. I’m guessing that you know exactly what my desk looks like.
Multitasking is not efficient. In fact, a recent study conducted by the Department of Information and Computer Science at the University of California Irvine campus concluded that an employee can only devote 11 minutes to a task before they are interrupted. Once you are interrupted you are more likely to continue to be interrupted and more often than not the task will go unfinished until another day.Clearly, multitasking is not cost effective.
You might think that you are multitasking if you are checking your e-mail and answering a quick question from someone. Actually, what you are doing is called switchtasking. You are not actually doing two things at one time but rather you are switching back and forth between two tasks. The process happens so fast that you are not even aware that you are dong it.
Multitaksing should not be confused with background tasking. When you are walking and listening to music you are background tasking. You are performing two or more tasks but only one of those tasks requires mental effort.
When you multitask while talking to someone, you are not completely listening to the other person. If you are not completely listening you are not making the other person feel important.
What steps can you take to stop multitasking?
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Recognize that multitasking is a lie
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Understand the difference between backgrund tasking and switchtasking
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Become aware of the truth about how you have been using your time on a weekly basis
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Create a new and realistic budget for how you will use yout time on a weekly basis
The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done
Review of Dogplay: The Canine Guide to Being Happy
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You might be asking yourself why I am reviewing a book called Dogplay or what this book has to do with Social Wellness Month. These are both excellent questions and I have great answers.
Social Wellness is about being happy and healthy and maintaing a positive attitude. Dogs are poster children for positive attitude. They are happy and optimistic and they love life.
You can’t help but smile as you read the canine affirmations:
“Become a pathological optimist.”
“Watch more reality and less reality TV.”
“If life insists on handing you drama, be the star.”
“Be more reliable than the postal service.”
“Give inner peace a chance.”
Kim Levin photographed the lovable canine’s in this wonderful collection and Christine Montaguila listened as the dogs offered their personal affirmations.
This book makes me smile and laugh everytime I look at it. Laughter is so healing.
Review of The Power of Apology: Healing Steps to Transforming All Your Relationships
Posted by: | CommentsForgiveness has become a vital theme in today’s world, yet the true makings of a real apology are not well-known. Beverly Engel, a psychotherapist, takes a new look at apologies and their healing power. The exchanges of apologies are “crucial to our mental and physical health and well-being”, Engel says. Engel gives insightful information on making apologies truly meaningful and heartfelt apologies and able to open new paths to deep spiritual forgiveness. According to Engel apologies should include:
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Regret
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Responsibility
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Remedy
She also discusses areas in which an apology just simply will not do and times when overapologizing can end up doing more harm than good especially when one’s self-esteem is involved. There is even advice on dealing with apologies in regards to issues in the workplace. Mrs. Engel sheds much light on the sensitive, yet powerful issue of forgiveness. Finally, the words “I’m sorry” can be said and we can know its true meaning.
The Power of Apology: Healing Steps to Transform All Your Relationships
