Chalk Board Menu

What a cute and idea and way to stay focused on your upcoming event.

Source:  mudpiestudio: 101-ways-to-decorate-tiered-plate

Getting More Out of your Day with refined focus techniques

Stumbled upon this article from psychcentral today; believe it will be helpful to everyone trying to juggle a difficult schedule and of particular benefit to caregivers who are being pulled in a dozen directions every day.  Enjoy:

By:  By MARGARITA TARTAKOVSKY, M.S. 
Associate Editor

Pay Attention! 3 Tips For Finding Focus Every Day

Information opens up new worlds. It helps us make new connections. And it certainly sparks ideas. But too much information also eats up our attention.
In 1971, social scientist Herbert Simon noted: “What information consumes is rather obvious: It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”
And that’s the opposite of what you want when you’re trying to give your ideas life. The ability to pay attention is a vital asset in helping us produce meaningful work. It gives us a competitive edge in today’s distraction-driven world.
In Manage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus & Sharpen Your Creative Mind, edited by Jocelyn K. Glei, a group of authors and thought leaders share their strategies for creating amid a busy, buzzing world. Below are several tips from this valuable book.
Focus Block Method
This tip comes from Cal Newport, a professor at Georgetown University and author of So Good They Can’t Ignore You. He suggests creating focus blocks, or pre-scheduled appointments to focus on your meaningful projects.
In other words, on most days, you block off a substantial amount of time on your calendar to perform creative projects, uninterrupted. Think of focus blocks as a work meeting. It’s non-negotiable time.
So, as Newport writes, if someone tries to make an appointment with you during your focus block, you can say you’re already booked. If someone says you’re not responding to email fast enough, he says, you have a good excuse: “I was booked all morning and am just seeing this now.”
At first working for long periods of time can be tough. Newport suggests starting with small blocks of focused time, such as an hour. Then add 15 minutes to each block every two weeks. During that time, focus solely on your work – no social media or email or other distractions.
If you think online distractions will tempt you, work with pen and paper, Newport says. And try a change in scenery, such as a different room in your home or the library. (Laura Vanderkam thinks of her daily trips to the library as a mini-writing retreat.)
Positive Distractions
E.B. White has said, “Creation is in part merely the business of forgoing the great and small distractions.” Fortunately, you don’t have to eliminate all distractions. You can combat bad distractions with good ones, according to Erin Rooney Doland, editor-in-chief of the blog Unclutterer.com and author of the book Unclutter Your Life in One Week.Positive distractions can include setting a timer for a task, or giving yourself an unrelated reward for an accomplishment, she writes. For instance, after finishing a project, you might get something to eat or drink from the break room.
A Break For Your Brain

To continue reading click here:  http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/06/19/pay-attention-3-tips-for-finding-focus-every-day/

Photo Credit:  Psych Central

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Updated Publix Coupon Policy as of June 12, 2013

Publix accepts manufacturers' coupons (limit one per item), Publix coupons, valid Internet coupons, and coupons from nearby competitors identified for each Publix store. (Competitor names are posted at each Publix store.) All coupons must be originals—no copies.

• We will accept coupons from competing pharmacies for prescriptions only.
• We will not accept percent-off-items or percent-off-total-order coupons.
• We will only accept coupons for identical merchandise we sell.
• Acceptance is subject to any restrictions on the coupon and we reserve the right to limit quantities.
• Manager approval is needed for individual coupons above $5.00.
• For a buy-one-get-one free (BOGO) offer, each item is considered a separate purchase.
• We will not accept coupons presented via a mobile phone or device.
• We will accept a manufacturer's coupon and either a Publix or a competitor coupon on the same item.
• Digital offers cannot be combined with manufacturer paper coupons on the purchase of a single item.
• Dollars-off-total-order coupons will be limited to one Publix and one competitor coupon per order.
• The order total must be equal to or greater than the combined purchase requirements indicated on the coupon(s) presented.

Source:  Publix Official , Photo vigilanteassociates

LOVE THIS, "29 Ways to Carry Out Random Acts of Kindness"

Found this list on Life Hack.  Lots of ideas to living a kinder existence:

1. Send someone a hand written note of thanks.
2. Make a card at home and send it to a friend for no reason.
3. Buy a lottery ticket for a stranger.
4. Put some coins in someone else’s parking meter.
5. Buy a coffee for the man on the high street selling The Big Issue magazine.
6. Cut your neighbour’s hedge.
7. Walk your friend’s dog.
8. Give a compliment about your waiter / waitress to his / her manager.
9. Send someone a small gift anonymously.
10. Stop and help someone replace their flat tyre.
11. Let someone jump the queue at the bank.
12. Pay for the drinks on the next table at a café.
13. Treat a friend to the movies for no reason.
14. Give a huge tip to someone when they least expect it.
15. Hold the train door open for someone rushing to get in.
16. Give up your seat for someone, not just an elderly person.
17. Write notes of appreciation at least once a week.
18. Talk to a homeless person and have a “normal” conversation.
19. Pick up some rubbish in the road which would otherwise be lying around.
20. Compliment a work colleague for their excellence.
21. Recommend a competitor to a potential client.
22. Give another driver your parking spot.
23. Give a piece of fruit to a delivery person.
24. Help an elderly neighbour carry the rubbish out.
25. Tell all your family members how much your appreciate them.
26. Leave a copy of an interesting book on a train / bus.
27. Buy an inspirational book for a friend.
28. Send a thank you note to a person who has helped you in the past.
29. Smile a lot.

What goes around is sure to come around – happy help

I'll add my own # 30.  Leave an occasional note under the pillow of your spouse, and maybe a little chocolate mint, make him or her feel special as they are.  

13th Anniversary

Thirteen beautiful years ago today I married my best friend:

Photographs from Honeymoon and before:

Anti-Bloat Detox Drink

Found this recipe on Pinterest; worth a try!



Photo Credit:  http://www.juxtapost.com/site/permlink/bcc69a60-f3d7-11e1-b6e9-1b7735359f66/post/jillian_michaels_recipe_for_losing_5_pounds_in_7_days_/
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ana4life.tumblr.com

INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
-1 tablespoon cranberry juice (no sugar added)
-dandelion infusion tea
-60 oz. (about 1.5 liters) water

STEPS:
1. Brew a cup of dandelion tea 
2. Mix the brewed tea with all the other ingredients.
3. Keep in the fridge and enjoy throughout the day (I like to give it a little stir before pouring a new glass).  

It's that simple!  Some people say it makes you feel a little light-headed, but I haven't really had that problem.