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Monday, May 28, 2012

30 Day Journal Challenge




I know I keep returning in an attempt to complete one of these challenges, but I feel I really can and will complete this one next month since by next month things will be somewhat more settled for me. We close and move into our new house this week and then I'm off for a week in STL with my family and friends. I'm so excited to see my family, I think since I moved here has been the longest I've been away from them. So, tomorrow after work I have to run some errands and pick up a new journal to start my challenge out right!! Hopefully on Friday I will start it and stick with it for the whole month!! So, excited, if anything I always like to read and be inspired by Janel!!

~Natasha

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

30 Day Journal Challenge

30 Day Journal Challenge





I am super excited that Janel is having another Journal Challenge. I've taken some of her journal classes and I'm always inspired! I'm so excited to journal in June since it's going to be such a busy and amazing month. I've been attempting to journal daily, but I seem to have some laziness and motivation challenges. So here we go, something else to help focus my blogging as well!!

~Natasha

Living it Up!

EarthFest 2012-Boston, MA

Since the weather has gotten nice here we have been living it up! I am loving all the things that are available to do here in New England. On Saturday we went into Boston for breakfast at this great Diner called the Deluxe Town Diner and then went to the Esplande in Boston for EarthFest 2012, so much fun!! There was also a Zombie Crawl going on in the city which was fun to witness as well!












Good Harbor Beach- Gloucester, MA

On Sunday we went back up to Gloucester to hang on Good Harbor Beach which was so relaxing. I totally got a sun tan! After the beach we went to the Cape Ann Brewing Company for dinner, delicious beer and lobster rolls, yum!!  






 Amazing Lobster roll, still looks so delicious!

 I'm loving these jam packed weekends, can't wait for them to be filled with spending time in our new house soon!

~Natasha






Thursday, May 17, 2012

Baby Bunnies...

Last week while I was sitting outside waiting for friends to come over for dinner my dog was barking and freaking out about something under a bush in the back yard. So, I went over see what she was getting all excited about. I didn't see them a first, but once I noticed something moving under all the leaves and dirt I saw these little guys...




They are too adorable! Luckily my dog managed to not eat any of them, though I know she wanted to!

~Natasha

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Acton Arboretum

Acton Arboretum
Something that makes me super excited about living in Acton, MA is that there is this awesome little Arboretum there that is perfect for walking with your dog, meditating in nature, or having a picnic. Acton is so awesome about dogs too, they have a leash dog, but if your dog is under good voice control they can be off leash. How awesome is that?! My dog happens to actually do much better off leash than on leash so I'm so excited about joining this community. Here are some photos I took this past weekend when we went for a little outing with my in-laws to show them around.













Everything is so green right now, thank you April showers in May!

~Natasha

Monday, May 14, 2012

Weekend Day Trip

Day Trip: Gloucester & Rockport, MA
Jeff and I decided to go on an adventure this past weekend and headed up to Gloucester and Rockport to get a view of the ocean. The day was soooo perfect, we couldn't have asked for better weather. Here are some pics from our day! (I got to play around with my camera)

 Famous Gloucester Statue

The Following are all in Rockport, MA


Bearskin Neck Road



Lobster Traps!!


 Lobster Rolls from Roy Moore

They core their cupcakes and fill them with frosting, so much more frosting!
One of those things you hang your fish on I think...
Jeff meditating on the ocean...

Any fun day trips that you recommend? (Especially in the New England Area...)

~Natasha

Thursday, May 10, 2012

It's OK Thursday


Its Ok Thursdays


I know I have been MIA from blogging for a few months, but I have to say that I seriously love the "It's OK Thursday" linkup with Neely over at A Complete Waste of Makeup. She really cracks me up with her list of OKs. So, for me this week!

It's OK....

- To not blog for months and then try to return to the blogging scene! Luckily my return is assisted by some education:

 

-To wake up this morning and be kind of pissed that it's not Friday already!! 




-To decide to have a margarita instead of taking my dog for a walk right when I got home.... (even though it is well past Cinco De Mayo...)



-To maybe be slightly distracted at work, thinking constantly about your new house!!

Plants in the front yard of my future home!!

-To totally be mad about a state being completely unconstitutional; separation of church and state people!! (I hate it when people totally get away with going against the constitution... plus the amendment requires that opposite sex marriages be married via the recognition of the church, hello not everyone believes in god!! Last I checked I thought we were in America!! Land of the free of free religion, does anyone know their history?)
 
 

-To totally wait till the last minute to redeem a Groupon... (seriously was going to expire in like 3 days from when I activated my groupon...)
 
 Pilates classes...

-To take way too many pictures of my cats with my new fancy camera...

(From my very little knowledge of photography so far, I realized that my grey cat (Smitty) takes the best pictures because he is grey!!)

Yay it is almost Friday people!! Rock on!!

~Natasha

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Rhubarb...

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
I saw this recipe on Pinterest, and got so excited! The house that we're in the process of buying has a ton of Rhubarb growing in the backyard. I know! I'm really going to have to learn how to garden. My husband says I have a black thumb. I've managed to kill about every plant I've ever had (other than an aloe plant!).

 

I have so much to learn though, I've never cooked with rhubarb let alone grown it as well!!

I will definitely be posting how this recipe goes once we get moved in and I figure out what part of the plant I use to make this cake!

Any other recipes/ways to cook Rhubarb that you know? Would love any recommendations!

~Natasha


Monday, May 07, 2012

Attempts at Enlightenment: Rituals

Rituals
"This is what rituals are for. We do spiritual ceremonies as human beings in order to create a safe resting place for our most complicated feelings of joy or trauma, so that we don't have to haul those feelings around with us forever, weighing us down. We all need such places of ritual safekeeping. And I do believe that if your culture or tradition doesn't have the specific ritual you are craving, then you are absolutely permitted to make up a ceremony of your own devising, fixing your own broken-down emotional systems with all the do-it-yourself resourcefulness of a generous plumber/poet.”

-Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

  Within the short time that I started this Blog Love e-course there was some bit of advice that I felt I needed to apply right away. Elsie suggests that you stick with your own rituals to keep yourself sane with blogging. This advice though can certainly be applied for other aspects of your life; perhaps just to keep you sane in general. I know that we can all have good rituals and possibly bad rituals. I know that I have some bad rituals/habits that I've really been wanting to change so that I can approach life each day with a better mind set. 

  I found this quote about rituals by Elizabeth Gilbert. I unfortunately could not get through her book. I won't give a book critique, especially since I didn't finish it, but I wasn't feeling all that inspired by her writing. This quote is interesting though, especially about creating your own ceremony that fulfills your need to self preserve. 

  Since I moved away from St.Louis I've lost a lot of my comfort zone, and I've really deviated from a lot of rituals that I used to have. One ritual that I have been trying to incorporate in my daily routine is daily meditation. For some reason I have been so lazy to really make time for it. So, this morning I got up early, because I tend to just sleep till the last minute and rush out the door. I hate doing that, it totally makes me feel like I haven't really prepared myself for the day. Since I got up early I had time to shower, let my dog outside, feed my pets, and sit down to meditate and actually journal afterwards as well!! I felt so good afterwards, it was like I had already accomplished something for the day. It also allowed me some time to eat breakfast with my hubby before we both left for work. I know that keeping a ritual like this one would truly help start my day out on the right foot, and keep me feeling calmer during the week.



   What I believe though is most key to making a ritual really work and sticking with it, is to do it no matter what else is going on in your life. I know Elsie mentions this and I'm sure others recommend this as well. When you keep your ritual and don't let anything else throw you off then you've really started your day off more centered and you put in that special time for yourself.

What other rituals help keep you sane?

~Natasha

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