MINDFUL MOMENTS

Did you ever have a best summer of your life that you never forgot or a summer where you just felt absolutely carefree? Today is the last day of August and I feel as if summer has just swept itself from under my feet. All throughout the cold winter I dreamed of a magical place like the Swiss Alps to spend my summer but that was just a dream that didn't come true. This summer was filled with lots of anxiety and responsibility everyday except yesterday when I was given one carefree summer day. Imagine a day that feels like the pages of a fairytale? The universe provided that one special day for me yesterday and for that I feel truly blessed. Enjoy the remaining days of your summer and may you have lots of sweet carefree days! Just One Carefree Summer Day Just One Carefree Summer Day with my boyfriend came at last at the end of August with the rise of the sun over a freshwater Great Lake in Grand Haven. A morning swim in pure water and a walk on the sugary sand beach...

Have you ever had poison ivy? If not consider yourself very blessed because posion ivy is a real nusanice. Being outdoors is the name of the game for me and I sometimes forget that "mother nature" is not always on my side. Such was the case early last week when an annoying itcy rash appeared on my leg and spread like fire. I was in agony, absolute agony. The swelling on the back of my right leg was so painful I could hardly bend or walk. I was cursed with poison ivy! Remedies for healing poison ivy? I tried everything; apple cider vinegar, baking soda, bananna peels, calamine lotion, oatmeal, tricalm ointment, witch hazel....oh my gosh nothing helped cure the agony. I was ready to see a doctor until my thoughtfu boyfriend insisted that there wasa a cure for drying up the posion ivy rash. The miracle was a soap called FELS- NAPTHA.   Just one application took the swelling away and itching away. Another application the following day practically cleared the posion ivy rash ...

Last year I got a hammock for my birthday but I didn't get to enjoy it very much. Today made up for those lost days on a hammock. I took a walk in the verdant woods and found the perfect place to hang my hammock near the lake and harmonize with nature. Now I'm hooked. I plan on having plenty of "hammock moments" in the upcoming days because hammocking really melts the stresses away and brings relaxation to the body and mind. Who do we thank for hammocks? Historically the credit points to the Mayan people of Central America. 

Americans have a fascination with cupcakes. There are so many flavors of cupcakes to choose from and one can enjoy a cupcake in different sizes too. Cupcakes are glorious. They're fun to make and they make a wonderful gift. In fact yesterday I was gifted made from scratch cupcakes from my co-worker who happens to be an expert baker. She had promised to make some cupcakes for me for my birthday and I just couldn't decide what flavor to ask for. Finally we came up with the idea of a key lime cupcake batter with raspberry frosting. Oh my gosh....one bite of Angie's cupcake and I was in cupcake heaven. Who invented the cupcake? Amelia Simmons shared the recipe in her 1796 cookbook "American Eatery." Cupcake Moments are some of the very best moments in life so have a cupcake or two. Some flavor ideas: Apple Cinnamon Cupcakes Black Forest Cherry Cupcakes Brownie Batter Cupcakes Carmel Apple Cupcakes Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes Kahlua Cupcakes Key Lime Cupcake...