Just for fun

Stress Less Holidays!

November and December are often full of extra demands on time, energy, and budget and while the intent is good cheer and joy it can often start to feel stressful!   When the to do list gets filled with social events, shopping for presents, writing Christmas cards, decorating, baking, and everything else that goes with the season it can start to feel like too much.  Then to add to the pressure we often create unrealistic expectations of perfection, happiness, and getting everything done.  Time gets short and self-care often gets shifted to the bottom of the list so sleep, nutrition, and relaxation suffer.  If one doesn’t take care, stress can take over!  And the fun disappears!

As promised, here are some ideas to reduce stress and enjoy the holidays!

                           

The basic but powerful first steps:

          Make lists

           Prioritize

           Do one thing at a time, don’t multitask!

And here are the other ways to keep the joy and manage your stress:

Rather than stressing over choosing the perfect gifts, remember it really is the thought that counts not the price or perfection!

•           ask people what they want and save the stress of trying to be a mind reader
•           shop early and plan ahead so you can enjoy shopping
•           stick to your budget so you don’t create money stress later
•           think about what you enjoy about giving… and plan your gifting accordingly 

Family gatherings are one of the times expectations can be unrealistic and create stress.  Plan ahead to keep the warm feelings flowing!

•           if you love cooking, dive in but if not buy prepared foods 
•           ask others to bring favorite dishes and share the workload
•           cook and freeze foods ahead of time to avoid time overload
•           think of food as fuel for your body, allow indulgences then get back on track
•           don’t expect others to change but you can change your response to them
•           simplify holiday traditions where it makes sense

Schedule time for enjoyment

•          allow time for yourself. Remember to do things that you enjoy
•          simplify and make plans to visit some family and friends after the holidays
•          don't over-schedule yourself. Allow enough time to relax and recover
•          think about the things that you truly enjoy about the holidays and savor experiences

Attend to nutrition and health through the holidays

•        avoid overeating and overdrinking, but allow yourself to enjoy the things you really like
•        don't starve yourself in anticipation of a holiday party but rather eat smart before hand
•        take time to exercise, go for a walk after a meal, keep gym time on the priority list

Practice gratitude  

•       take time each day to recognize good moments and things for which you are thankful
•       volunteer or contribute to someone in need

Managing stress is important.  Short term stress can become chronic if not managed.  Long-term chronic stress produces an ongoing hormonal response that causes premature aging, adversely affects brain chemistry, compromises metabolism, brings down energy, stores fat (in all the wrong places), and ultimately can lead to the development of chronic disease.

My favorite sources of stress support

Happy 4th of July!

Isagenix...makes living healthy easier!

This past year I impulsively bought an Isagenix 30 Cleansing and Fat Burning Pak and have determined it was the best impulse ever!

 I have kept using products for the past 7 months and can't imagine ever giving it up.   Best benefits are energy, feeling healthy, and ease of use.   I've lost weight and maintained the loss after years of struggling to do so.  I no longer have the energy slumps I used to experience.  Pobably the biggest reason it works so well for me is that above being effective it is so easy to use.  I love that I can have a shake or meal replacement bar when I have patients scheduled over noon hour or I am running around and don't have the time to sit down for a meal.  

I love that the company seems to have good research backing the products.  Isagenix is geared for althletes, individuals wanting to lose weight, busy adults needing moe energy, and families with children.

And for those who like to party, there are even recommendations for feeling better!  LOL!

http://bjkingnd.isagenix.com/

Its hard not to share things that improve my life!   Ask me if you want to know more!

Horse Barn Art Projects

Feeling the need to be creative, I pulled out my old tubes of acrylic paint and made some paintings for the barn.   The bathroom/dressing area at the barn was a project taken on by several of the young women who work for my horse trainer.   I made some paintings to match the pink, purple, and blue spatter painter bathroom.   A barn full of horses and women is definitely a fun place!

New horse!

I am continuing to show my 10 year old mare in reining competitions and we are having a good year!  Reining is hard work for a horse so I have bought a yearling colt as my next potential reining horse.  He is one sweet little boy.

Boom Shernic Chic, also known as Dax, has just started training and hopefully will be ready for a couple of early fall futurities.

Randomness from my life

I am not being a very good blogger... crazy busy...yada yada...

but thought I would share some of the pictures I took at my trainer's barn last week

Ginger and Finn

Frosty February

I woke up with major spring fever....   and spring has been known to wait until May to show up in these parts.   That means a lot of weeks dreaming about gardening while waiting for snow to melt.   Thankfully,  it was a beautiful frosty foggy February day which reminded me of the beauty of winter.    It warmed up to 20 degrees F so took the dogs and my camera and went snowshoeing for a bit this afternoon.

Too many pictures of a warm winter day:

Dandelions are fine

We are on the northern edge of a snowstorm.   No blizzard warning for us all day but roads are shut down and it was a good day to play.  The first flowers of spring around here are dandelions.  So it seemed making dandelions was a good snowstorm project while dreaming of spring!

I have to say, I think these turned out pretty cool.   And I didn't have to buy anything.  All the supplies were found rummaging in my bins of 'stuff'.

Do they make you think of sunshine, kids playing in the spring, and lawns?

They are pretty easy to make.  I cut a piece of wire from a hanger and wrapped it in floral tape.  I cut a strip of yellow felt and made slits along one edge.  The yellow felt got wrapped around the stem and I used needle and thread to secure it.  Green felt was wrapped around the bottom and secured.  The leaf was secured using more floral tape.

They looks sorta cool stuck in an old wood spool with thick green thread.

Yep, it will only be a couple of months until the dandelions start blooming and the grass starts turning green.  There is a lot of snow to melt first....

Checking out dandelions on Google images to help with my creating.  A fun touch of summer in the middle of winter storm Orko.  (So who came up with the name Orko?  )

Valentine's cards and caddies

...and more paper play.   These are the rest of my Super Bowl projects.

Cards made using washi tape, stamps, and my new Sillouette Cameo.

And some paper towel or toilet paper tubes up-cycled into treat caddies.  This idea came from a number of sources on Pinterest.

Super Bowl Tag(s)

Truth be told, I am not a huge football fan.  I enjoy watching a good game, but don't plan my weekends around football.  And I always watch the Super Bowl, even if it is often to catch the advertisements.  And I usually am doing at least one other thing when I watch television.  This time it was making tags.

I am just finding the joys of washi tape.  I see more of that in my future!

 Stamps, Sillouette cutouts,  paper punch, and bits of this and that combined to make some Valentine tags.

Now what to do with these tags??  Guess I better plan on delivering treats to family and friends to use them.

 And a random deer thrown in.  There are some birthdays coming up for some of the guys in my family.

So the Super Bowl was a win for me!  I made a bunch of cards and treat holders also.  Those will show up in my next posts.  Hope you enjoyed your Sunday!  Football or no football!  Do you multi-task also? 


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