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Showing posts with label Interesting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interesting. Show all posts
Monday, September 28, 2026
Monday, September 21, 2026
Quinoa Salad
Greetings all!
As I was making a grocery list for my next store run, I was also looking for recipe inspiration – and found this quinoa salad in my bookmarks! Then, I also remembered my friend MK's super easy quinoa salad – and voila, you now have 2 recipes!
Photo: Joe Lingeman/Kitchn; Food Stylist: Brett Regot/Kitchn
MK Salad
- Quinoa, cooked and cooled
- Arugula
- Beets
- Red onion
- Mushrooms
- Feta cheese
- Creamy Balsamic dressing
The Kitchn Salad:
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa, cooked and cooled
- 1 large English cucumber, chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
- 4 ounces garlic and herb goat cheese, crumbled
Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
Combine dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk. Add cucumber, roasted red peppers, Kalamata olives, and quinoa to the bowl and toss to combine. Garnish with fresh parsley and goat cheese. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Bon Appetit! Let me know which version is your favorite!
Monday, September 14, 2026
How to Spend Less
Greetings all!
Do you want to be more intentional and thoughtful about your spending?
If your answer is YES, try this lifehack from financial advisor Suze Orman.
Every time you are about to buy something,
whether it costs $10 or $1,000, stop and ask yourself:
Is this a need or a want?
If It’s a Want
If you are really serious about reining in your spending, forego spending on
wants. Or build in guardrails: I will spend only $X a week on wants. Either
way, by stopping and identifying a potential purchase as a “want,” you are
elevating it as a potential source of saving - either by forgoing the purchase
entirely or by opting for a less expensive option.
If It’s a Need
Even with needs, you might be able to reduce your spending. The less expensive
brand - whether it be food or clothing - meets your needs and can save you
money. And it’s even more in play for huge expenses, such as buying a car or a
home (or the place you decide to rent). A car to get to work is a need. As is
shelter. But what you choose to spend on both is up to you. Asking yourself if
you might be able to fulfill the need and spend 10%, 15%, or 20% less can
transform your finances.
I really like how simple this Need vs Want test is to help us pay more
attention to how and when we choose to spend money.
Monday, September 7, 2026
Monthly Oracle Forecast for September-2026
Greetings all!
Did you know that some astrologers call September a “wiggly” month, with a calmer start before the energy begins building again?
September asks us to get very present with our own lives
instead of waiting for the outer world, or anyone else, to tell us what to
think, feel, or do. That's where discernment comes in.
Independence is key now as you step into your journey
today. Others may not have the vision or resources that you need. Recognize
that all the wisdom you’ve acquired along the way makes you particularly
competent, capable of moving forward with assurance. Self-reliance is
important.
Another aspect to consider is creating and maintaining
clear boundaries between you and another. Be discerning about your partnerships
at this time. When you know who you are, and have a healthy sense of where you
end and others begin, you’re able to enter into the best kind of relationships and will attract people who mirror back your wholeness. Interdependent
relationships are always mutually supportive, stimulating, and transformative.
You can achieve anything at this time.
All manner of opportunities are presented to you at this
time. You’re able to truly manifest your dreams, and your goals are in
sight. Don’t remain small and contracted. Instead, expand your horizons beyond
what you believe to be your limitations. You have a unique voice that needs to
be expressed in the world. The universe is supportive of new ideas and
approaches at this time, so speak up and speak out.
Allow for a greater vision to replace old ideas as you
dream a grander dream.
And there's encouragement here too. Whatever you're being
asked to release may be making room for something better, even if it doesn't
feel that way in the short term.
You’re being gently encouraged to step into your power,
into the dream of your life. New things are out there to be explored, and the
nurturing power of the universe is giving you a nudge in the right direction.
You will get the help you need and won’t be alone in your quest. Every step you
take right now is supported by the wisdom of the universe!
You are on the right path . . . keep going.”
The Essential Message is: You are capable and competent!
What you might want to reflect on: What dream, goal, or possibility are you being encouraged to take one more step toward today?
Source: https://www.colettebaronreid.com/ / Image: https://www.facebook.com/colettebaronreid/posts
Monday, August 31, 2026
Monday, August 24, 2026
Thought of the week – Your Time Is Thin
“Whether you have ten years left or a hundred years left,
your life is an incredibly brief moment. We know for sure you won’t be here in
a century.
But today? Today you are in the Great Game. And this moment you have right now might as well be the most important moment in the universe. Your time is thin. Go out and live fully now.”
~ James Clear,
Image: https://deepai.org/
Monday, August 17, 2026
Amazing Gardens Around the Globe
Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
Image: Kjersti Joergensen / Alamy Stock Photo
Jardin Majorelle, Marrakech, Morocco
Image: Jacek Sopotnicki / Alamy Stock Photo
Image: Jacek Sopotnicki / Alamy Stock Photo
Monet’s Garden at Giverny, Eure, France
Image: Oleg Bakhirov / Shutterstock
Palace de Versailles, Île-de-France, France
Image: Andre Quinou / Shutterstock
Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, New Zealand
Image: Hanna Tor / Alamy Stock Photo
Quinta da Regaleira, Lisbon, Portugal
Image: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden, Port Louis,
Mauritius
Image: Natalya Sterleva / Shutterstock
Villa d’Este, Lazio, Italy
Image: Marco Rubino / Shutterstock
Monday, August 10, 2026
It’s Good to Do Nothing
Greetings all!
Today, I had an amazing meditation session! In fact, it was so good that I listened to it three times in a row. And then one more time so I could transcribe it for you!
“It’s good to do nothing. In meditation, you sit around and you do nothing, and at the same time, this doing nothing is an exploration that makes your life better.
And it all happens at once: the doing nothing, the exploring, and the making your life better. Somehow doing nothing improves everything.
You arrive here, in this present moment, and you let yourself be here. You let everything be here - the sounds happening outside you, and these feelings and thoughts and sensations happening inside you.
You just sit right here, in the middle of your life, and you do nothing and it’s good for you.
So this sitting here, doing nothing, is absolutely the essence of meditation. And sometimes it’s easy, and sometimes it’s hard because our mind can be skittering around like a squirrel on the linoleum floor. And if this is you today, you are in good company. [Side note: that made me laugh.]
And the move is to give your skittery mind something to do, something of your own choosing. You can choose to focus on your breath or on a sound outside. You choose something and then you do your best to stay with it.
And you are just sitting here, being here, in this moment, sinking in, not trying to change anything or upgrade your situation.
And you keep doing not much of anything.
Sometimes subtle resistance can come up - It’s hard doing nothing, I need to do something. And that is fine. You can try to notice any impulses like that with some humor, maybe even compassion. And then you go back to doing nothing. And you are trusting as you do this, that something deep down is getting calmed, down in the depths, ever if the surface still feels jumpy.
Nowhere to go, nothing to do. All these sounds and sensations are happening all on their own.
Part of what’s good about doing nothing is this clearing out that can happen. It’s a bit like the noise of our busyness, all this constant pushing and pulling and scheming, it starts to cool out, just a bit. And as it does, then it can be this very simple feeling of being just a little more available to life. Like you have a little more space. It was just waiting here, all along. All you had to do was nothing.”
I have to confess: I did 'upgrade my situation' before I started for a more relaxing experience - I wore toe separators, put a strawberry mask on my face, and had my legs up the wall. And after 3 rounds of doing nothing, I felt amazing and refreshed!
What did you think? Drop me a line! Or actually, don’t - go sit and do nothing!
Sources: CALM
Monday, August 3, 2026
Unbelievable: Matthew McConaughey in My Inbox
Subscribe here: https://lyricsoflivin.com/
un·be·liev·a·ble
adjective
Not able to be believed. Unlikely to be true. Extraordinary.
What a foolish word. A
rude and disrespectful word.
We think we use it to
flatter, to give credit. What an unbelievable play. What an
unbelievable film. What an unbelievable act of courage. What an
unbelievable sunset. What an unbelievable break.
But why would we define
things that are incredible and awesome - things that actually make us believe
more - with a word that means the opposite? Something spectacular, phenomenal,
outstanding, most excellent, is most definitely not unbelievable.
Awe-inspiring? Magnificent? Prodigious? Extraordinary? Yes. It just happened. You just witnessed it. You did it. Believe it.
Unbelievable? Quite the opposite. Give incredible more credit.
A man flies a suicide jet
into the World Trade Center. A coronavirus comes. Hurricanes ravage. Fires
burn. Enron’s a scam. The government lies to us. Our best friend lies to us. We
lie to ourselves. Our fiancée says “I do.” We won an Oscar. Our child says his
first words. One day we find a cure for cancer. One day we die in peace.
Unbelievable? No.
It happened. You witnessed it. You lived it. Believe it.
Acknowledge the existence
of greatness and phenoms, excellence and extraordinaries - pleasures and pains.
Recognize them as real entities, both beautiful and horrible, tragic and
heaven-sent. Be not naïve to awe-inspiring feats of good or good fortune, nor
gullible to mankind’s capacity for evil. Be not blind to the credence of
natural beauty or disaster.
Nothing God or Mother
Nature does is unbelievable. And if there’s one thing you can depend on people
being - it’s people.
So why am I bothered by
the usage of this word? Because we are not only saying it, we are also living
it. What I really think this comes down to is us - each of us - individually.
Unbelievable also puts constraints on what we believe we can reach AND it stops
us from enjoying our success and ease.
First, the
constraints we put on ourselves, the limits we assume about our potential,
those are man-made.
Who the hell do we think
we are putting ceilings over ourselves? We’re barely tapping into eleven
percent.
Take the Icarus story. We
think the wax on our wings is melting because we’re flying too close to the
sun. Most of the time, there’s still ice and snow on the ground. It’s not even
close to hot enough to melt the wax. We’ve got so much farther to fly than we
give ourselves credit for.
It’s arrogant for us
mortals to put a roof overhead and say, That’s as good as it can get.
That’s as much as I can succeed. That’s as much as I can love. That’s as sad as
I can be. That’s as happy as I can be. No more.
Secondly, we don’t
know how to enjoy success or ease, even the five-star treatment. I
struggled with a non-deserving complex for years. If things were going too
well, I’d get anxious, masochistic, judgmental. I’d interrupt the flow with a
faceplant instead of being cool - enjoying the grapes and palm fronds.
What I know now is this:
there’s no need to make it hard on ourselves when it’s going well. It’ll get
hard soon enough.
So take the roof off.
Say, No - this isn’t even close to as good as it can get. Trust that we
have far more capacity than we allow ourselves to believe. Putting a ceiling on
ourselves isn’t humility. It’s arrogance.
And learn the art of
running downhill. Don’t trip yourself while things are going well. That
mountain you want to climb? It’s just around the corner. Don’t invent drama.
It’ll come on its own.
Unbelievable happens all
the time. Sometimes it’s divine. Sometimes it’s a loogie in the face. Don’t
deny it. Depend on it. Expect it. Believe it. Enjoy it.
REASON
Here's a study a
lot of people call unbelievable. When in fact, the conclusion of it is that
belief is what makes it true.
Harvard psychologist and
researcher Ellen Langer ran the famous counterclockwise study. In 1979, she
took elderly people to a retreat designed to make them feel it was 1959. They
listened to songs Perry Como and Jack Benny from the 50s, watched Ed Sullivan
on black-and-white television, discussed 'current' events and even dressed like
it was 1959.
By the end of the week,
their physical health reflected the psychological reversal of time: They showed
improved flexibility, memory, hearing, posture, cognitive ability and
wellbeing. They even looked younger than before the retreat according to people
who knew them.
They believed it.
Monday, July 27, 2026
Interesting Botanical Facts
Greetings all!
Did you know that lemon trees have thorns? I did not until recently – when I plucked a lemon from a neighborhood tree and got a painful surprise. Apparently, lemon and lime trees, similar to porcupines and hedgehogs, developed the thorns for protection.
Here are some other interesting botanical facts:
- All berries are fruit. But not all fruit are berries.
- Watermelons are berries. And so are cucumbers, cantaloupes, squash, and pumpkins! Banana, grape, melon, orange, and avocado are also berries.
- Strawberries and raspberries are NOT berries; they are “aggregate accessory fruits”, and apparently each tiny seed is technically an individual fruit. But unfortunately, one strawberry with multiple seeds does not count towards your daily recommended dose of fruit!
- And finally, I just discovered that I love drupes! Cherry, plum, peach, and olive are all drupes, also known as stone fruit. A drupe is a fleshy fruit that usually contains a single seed.
What did you think? Drop me a line!
Sources:
Monday, July 20, 2026
Cat-Modified Reproductions Of Famous Classical Paintings By Svetlana Petrova
Do Cats Like Human Kisses? /
"The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt
The Creation Of Cat-Dam /
"The Creation of Adam" by Michelangelo
The Purrsistence Of Cats’ Meowmory /
"The Persistence
of Memory" by Salvador Dali
Bathing In The Pond Of Water Lillies And Other Summer
Delights /
"Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies" by Claude Monet
When You Date A Cat-Lover /
"The Abduction of
Psyche" by William-Adolphe Bouguereau
Do Cats Love Irises? /
"Irises" by Vincent Van
Gogh
The Furry Night /
"The Starry Night" by Vincent
van Gogh
Cats Are True Angels /
"Sistine angels" by Raphael
Source (and more!): https://www.boredpanda.com/hilarious-orange-fat-cat-photobombing-classical-art-fatcatart/
Monday, July 13, 2026
Thought of the week – Get Better at Saying No
“If you'd like to get better at saying no, try this:
Keep a list of things you say no to. Whenever you ignore a
distraction or turn down an opportunity, add it to the list. As the list grows,
you begin to feel a sense of accomplishment for your ability to say no and
remain focused on what matters.
Turn each no into an achievement.”
Monday, July 6, 2026
Monthly Oracle Forecast for July
Greetings all!
Someone recently randomly mentioned “Mercury in retrograde” and said to be mindful and do your best. Then I got an email from Colette Baron-Reid with her July forecast and a message to stay close to what truly nourishes us.
“July is a packed energetic month!
The first half of the month, especially, feels big. There may be moments that
feel tense, disappointing, or even a little shocking.
July includes a Mercury retrograde in Cancer, making it a
month that's worthy of your attention. Things left unfinished may resurface.
Conversations, relationships, or situations you thought were behind you may ask
for another look.
While we may find ourselves witnessing things that feel
unfair or confronting, our energy is better spent staying connected to the
people who matter most, contributing in meaningful ways, and choosing our
battles wisely.
This isn't about bypassing reality or pretending everything is fine. It's about
being smart, staying grounded, and asking yourself, How can I
contribute? How can I stay out of unnecessary drama?
There's also a deeper theme running through this month around partnership,
connection, and discovering what truly feels purposeful and aligned.”
Stay grounded, avoid drama, and a find a way to contribute!
Image: https://www.colettebaronreid.com/resources/pick-a-card/
Monday, June 29, 2026
Football Smash Cocktail
Greetings all!
Are you following the FIFA World Cup? Here is the Football Smash cocktail to help you stay hydrated for the remaining matches.
Recipe and image: https://www.totalwine.com/cocktail-recipes/football-smash
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 parts Sauvignon Blanc
- 1/2 parts agave syrup
- 2 strawberries
- Handful of mint
Directions
- Muddle mint and strawberry in the bottom of a rocks glass
- Add agave and Sauvignon Blanc
- Stir until well mixed
- Top with ice and the remaining Sauvignon Blanc
Bon Appetit! Let me know how you like it!
Monday, June 22, 2026
TripAdvisor Best of the Best: 2026 Travelers' Choice Awards
1. Bali, Indonesia
2. London, United Kingdom
3. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
4. Hanoi, Vietnam
5. Paris, France
6.Rome, Italy
7. Marrakesh, Morocco
8. Bangkok, Thailand
9. Crete, Greece
10. New York City, United States
Source (and more!): https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Destinations
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