Small Minds

This is going to be a short blog. A small blog.

Today I was thinking about how I dislike small minds, but I think there are two kinds of small minds out there. There are the ones that are small because they aren't open to new ideas, and then there are also small minds that choose to be that way for necessity. Which of the two are you?

Small minds that are not open to new ideas and think they have it all figured out. Sorry, but life throws curve balls. You and I don't have all the solutions to life's problems. No one knows it all. Not you. Or me...

Some small minds choose to cut certain items from memory. These small minds omit things like worry, hatred, or regrets; they know there is no room for that. Some small minds know what's best for them... and they adjust accordingly.

Then there the really big minds that accept and take it all in. They take all of the good (not the bad) and cram it into their mind space, and they expand at each chance given to them. Big minds that get bigger with every opportunity amaze me.

Big minds are a completely different story.... gotta love those big minds.

Comfort Food

Comfort Food: food prepared in a traditional style having a usually nostalgic or sentimental appeal

Here are some definitions for the word "comfort" that I found on Merriam-Webster's website:

1 : strengthening aid:  a : assistance, support   b : consolation in time of trouble or worry : solace 
2 a : a feeling of relief or encouragement  b : contented well-being 
3 : a satisfying or enjoyable experience

While Nate and I were in Michigan, we ate at Vivio's in Indian River. Their pizza is always great, so of course we ate some when we dined there. During dinner, both my aunt and my dad exclaimed how the pizza is still exactly the way they always remembered it when they were younger. I don't have as many years to base my judgement, but I don't think it has ever changed since I've been consuming it either.

Vivio's pizza is a great comfort food, because not only is it satisfying but it has a sentimental appeal too. Knowing that some things never change can be incredibly comforting in an ever changing world. Even when the only thing that's constant is change... there are some things that never do change in life! Thank goodness for comfort foods that offer a feeling of comfort and safety when we need it most. Funny how the word comfort can be defined as "consolation in time of trouble or worry". Maybe that's why chocolate (or insert favorite comfort food here) is so great in times of need; it offers just what we need when we're troubled or worried.

The more you worry, the more comfort foods you need, then you gain weight... then more worrying and stressing over the weight, then more eating of comfort foods... it's a vicious cycle! So try not to live a stress filled life, and you'll need less comforting via food. But who can resist a great comfort food every once in a while?! Not me.

Aspire to Inspire

I love this inspiring story about the writers of my favorite blog, The Lettered Cottage.

After reading the above story about how a random act of kindness changed their lives, I thought about one of my favorite quotes because they are the epitome of this:  

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." -Mark Twain

Kevin and Layla, from The Lettered Cottage, are definitely the great people who inspire others to be great as well.


Giving is one of the most important things that "successful" people can do. Remember to give without expectations though. You get what you give, and I firmly believe in that. Some of the most amazing employers treat their employees like gold, and the employees work as if they are loved and valued!


I would love to give something to people every day of my life. You may give hope, a smile, knowledge, or anything really. It's sometimes easier said than done, but even the smallest things can have the biggest impact. A couple of weeks ago, I was moved to tears when a homeless man standing on the side of the street gave me one of the kindest things anyone can give. He gave me one of the most genuine smiles I've seen in a long time. Even though he may not have had material things to give, he gave what he could as he was standing on the street trying to get others to give him even just a little pocket change. Not only did he give me hope that strangers do care, but he also helped me put some things into perspective. Never forget to be thankful each and every day for the things that you do have in life. Some days it may not seem like you have a lot, but you often have more than many people will ever have in their lifetime.


Inspiration and hope are gifts that you can give to anyone, and the even better thing is they don't cost a thing. 


"The best things in life are free!"


Some day I hope to have a fulfilling job, and that has nothing to do with how much I make. I'm much more impressed by what people give up to do things they love, rather than how much money people make doing things they do not believe in or value at all. It's not success if you can't share it.


Now if only I can practice what I preach....

Short Trip to Michigan

Since we were married in Denver, we decided that we would have parties in both of our hometowns in order to celebrate with people we would have liked to have at our wedding. We married months ago, but I wanted our party in Michigan to be outside so waiting until summer was the plan. The weather started out a little overcast with some rain showers, but overall we had pretty great weather. I could not have imagined things any better than they turned out!

* Burt Lake in the summertime *

Michigan, more specifically Burt Lake, in the summer is my favorite place. The natural beauty of the lakes, trees, rivers, and everything else cannot be beat. There's something about small town America that makes me want to do cartwheels while singing a patriotic song. I just love it! My feeling of nostalgia might also have to do with sitting on a lake shore with the wind blowing in my face. I love that too. Summer in northern Michigan is incredible. If you like ice cream, fudge, candy, golfing, boating, swimming, tubing, sunsets, or anything else related to summer in northern Michigan, then I think you will enjoy your time there. Not to mention, the stars at night are amazing... and if you're lucky, you might even catch the northern lights. For anyone who hasn't experienced it, I hope you get the chance! We enjoyed our visit to Michigan in the summer, and Burt Lake will always be home to me.

"aaaaahhh"

For anyone who's interested in learning a little more about northern Michigan, here are a few informational links to take a look for yourself:

Indian River Chamber of Commerce

Wikipedia info on Indian River

Mackinac Island

Visit Petoskey, Michigan

Pure Michigan   (the rest of Michigan is cool too... I'm just partial to the northern part... and Ann Arbor too)

Everything at Once

I sit here with a cup of tea, writing a blog, with a half read entry from Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy (another great book) open to July 19th next to me, and my recipe binder next to that displaying a meal that I haven't made in a while; on top of that, Traditional Home magazine lies on the kitchen island open to a spread featuring a home in Harbor Springs, Michigan. Whew! I never used to start so many things without finishing them. Don't worry though; I'll probably put everything away before we go to sleep. Nothing like finishing everything you started right before you get some rest.

** Does your dining room table look like this too? **

What ever happened to the girl who wouldn't leave her lego city for dinner until every last lego in possession was utilized? I also used to start books and read them all day until I finished them that day. I've somehow become proficient at tackling too many things at once or not finishing what I started. Although, I do still finish what I start... it just takes me a little longer when I've got 5 things to finish and I get sidetracked along the way. Sometimes life gets overwhelming when you have so many things going on that you don't know where to start. Usually a good place to start is step 1, and for some reason it feels like that's easy to forget at times. Start with step one... you can't do everything all at once.

Get Cooking to Start Saving

I recently read a really great blog about how to save money each month by "shrinking your bills and growing your pantry". If you're interested in learning more about this, then check out the Grocery Shrink. If you sign up for her online newsletter, you'll learn more about her strategies and get recipes to make your own cleaning supplies. Those stinking things cost so much money, and I'd rather spend money on food we need than cleaning supplies any day! Here's the catch to Grocery Shrink's money saving tricks, she only spends $50/person for a month on groceries. Wowzers! So if you have a family of 4, you would spend $200 a month on groceries for your whole family.

I don't know how she does it, but if any one's up for a challenge... it's me! She does say that stocking your pantry is extremely important, because then that leaves you to purchase meats and fresh foods each week. If you stock your pantry with goods you can find on sale, then you save money and have a ton of food on hand to create meals. I know that we spend way more than $100/month on groceries for just the two of us, and I would love to figure out how to stick to this $50 per person budget. It's going to be tough, but we might as well try.

We enjoyed some steaks from Mike's Meat Market in Sterling, CO.... we received a gift certificate for the meat market from Mike's mom! We've got more in the freezer where this came from :)

Cooking never used to be so enjoyable for me. It used to be more like a chore, but I now find it fulfilling because I can use my creativity and artistic skills to create meals that nourish others. There's also something sort of relaxing about cooking.... standing over a hot stove watching things change from raw and rough into something delicious and edible. It's almost like paint by numbers.... you fill in all these spaces each number at a time, and in the end you have a completed work of art to enjoy. Oh the joys of cooking!

I hope that cooking more often will help us reduce how much money we spend on food each month. By eating out less and cooking in more, I really hope to shrink our grocery bills! I'd much rather use the money we save on groceries to pay off debt so that some day we can have a house, because then we can have a garden with our own fresh food. I need to keep that image of our future garden as a mental note to motivate us to save, save, save.