Archives for March 2018

Notable Quotable Thought Provoke-able 13

 

 

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better; whether by a healthy child a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

—Emerson—

Welcome to week 13 of 52 weeks of quotes meant to give you something to think about……..please do share your thoughts in the comments on my website in this post!  The opportunities in 2018 can be endless!

 

Thank you for reading my post. What do you dream about seeing, doing, being?  Got a bucket list? A life plan?  Want to start one?  I’d love to help you get there, check out my services.  The first step to believing ‘opportunities are endless’ is sometimes not as hard if you grab some inspiration under my blog category, “Bucket of Limitless Possibilities”.  If you like what you see, please let me know by “liking” my website. All comments are greatly appreciated.  You can even join my tribe to automatically receive new postings ‘hot off the press’.  There’s a place to do that right on my website homepage.  As always, please feel free to share my information with others who may find interest and value in PR Brady AdVentures!  Thanks again!

Spinach Mushroom Soup

Green is good! A super nutritious and tasty soup that Popeye the Sailorman would go crazy for can be moments away.  This is the perfect meal if you’re feeling a little energy depleted or feeling like you might be coming down with a cold.  Purchase all organic ingredients for extra assurance of top shelf health benefits!

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 16 oz box Organic Vegetable Broth
  • 6 big cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 2 T minced fresh Ginger Root
  • 1 carrot, shredded
  • 1 onion, sliced thin
  • 2 T butter
  • 2 C fresh mushrooms, sliced thick
  • 1lb bag fresh spinach
  • 1/8 t pepper
  • ¼ t salt
  • 3 “nests” of Vermicelli noodle
  • 1C water
  1. Place the garlic, onion, and butter into a large pot and sauté to wilt the onion.
  2. Pour the broth into the pot and heat for 5 minutes.
  3. Add water, carrots and Ginger Root, and heat to boil.
  4. Turn burner down to simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
  5. Add the mushrooms to the pot.
  6. Add the pasta nests into the pot (I like to crush them into the mixture)
  7. Cook for 5 minutes on low heat.
  8. Gently stir in the fresh spinach and heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until it wilts into the broth. Stir in salt and pepper, and ladle into bowls.

Serves 2 – 4 people

 

Thank you for reading my post. Does this recipe sound yummy?  If you try it out let me know what you think! All comments are greatly appreciated.  Check out more great recipes under my Killer Cookin’ blog category, and if you like what you see, please let me know by “liking” my website. You can even join my tribe to automatically receive new postings ‘hot off the press’. There’s a place to do that right on my home page.  As always, please feel free to share my information with others who may find interest and value in PR Brady AdVentures!  Thanks again!

 

Notable Quotable Thought Provoke-able 12

“Should you ever find yourself the victim of other people’s bitterness, jealousy, lies and insecurities….don’t be mad. Remember, things could be worse: YOU COULD BE THEM.”

—Anonymous—

Welcome to week 12 of 52 weeks of quotes meant to give you something to think about……..please do share your thoughts in the comments on my website in this post!  The opportunities in 2018 can be endless!

 

Thank you for reading my post. What do you dream about seeing, doing, being?  Got a bucket list? A life plan?  Want to start one?  I’d love to help you get there, check out my services.  The first step to believing ‘opportunities are endless’ is sometimes not as hard if you grab some inspiration under my blog category, “Bucket of Limitless Possibilities”.  If you like what you see, please let me know by “liking” my website. All comments are greatly appreciated.  You can even join my tribe to automatically receive new postings ‘hot off the press’.  There’s a place to do that right on my website homepage.  As always, please feel free to share my information with others who may find interest and value in PR Brady AdVentures!  Thanks again!

 

Notable Quotable Thought Provoke-able 11

“Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist.  Be curious.” 

–Stephan Hawking–

 

Welcome to week 11 of 52 weeks of quotes meant to give you something to think about……..please do share your thoughts in the comments on my website in this post!  The opportunities in 2018 can be endless!

 

Thank you for reading my post. What do you dream about seeing, doing, being?  Got a bucket list? A life plan?  Want to start one?  I’d love to help you get there, check out my services.  The first step to believing ‘opportunities are endless’ is sometimes not as hard if you grab some inspiration under my blog category, “Bucket of Limitless Possibilities”.  If you like what you see, please let me know by “liking” my website. All comments are greatly appreciated.  You can even join my tribe to automatically receive new postings ‘hot off the press’.  There’s a place to do that right on my website homepage.  As always, please feel free to share my information with others who may find interest and value in PR Brady AdVentures!  Thanks again!

60 Long Hours

Admittedly, I’ve been pretty cocky since I got my health back. My immune system is stellar, I’m pain free and back to normal, and well, I’m pretty much invincible.  That’s what I tell people. It’s been an amazing adventure!  In fact I actually brag about how I simply don’t get sick.  After all, who has time for that?  Especially me, since lately I’ve been averaging 3 – 5 hours of sleep a night for weeks, attempting to juggle a number of priorities at once that I just “had” to get accomplished.

And then my friend came to visit from Pennsylvania. You could say she was the straw that broke the camels’ back.  She arrived on my doorstep Saturday March 17th. We hadn’t seen each other in years!  Lots of catching up to do.  Of course as we shared what we’d been up to since we last saw each other, I had to tell her my story of healing and getting a new lease on life.

“…and, I have been surrounded by sick people here and there for months and I just don’t get sick!” I proudly exclaimed.  I’m strong!  My immune system is rock solid!  I’m invincible!”

So that night we went to a jazz club for dinnner, then out to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day. Nothing too extreme, unless you consider a ferris wheel ride in 40 degree weather extreme?  Anyway, it was a great evening.  We were back to my place at a respectable hour.  Can’t for the life of me figure out what went so horribly wrong after that?

8 AM Sunday March 18th

Woke up feeling a little “off” and a little tired. No wonder, since I’ve been burning the candle at both ends for weeks now.  I ignore the feelings and push ahead with my day, get ready to go out for breakfast with my friend.

11 AM Sunday March 18th

Starting to get a scratchy throat and it’s uncomfortable to swallow. Within an hour I begin experiencing occasional coughs, coming from deep in my chest.  I’m really tired.  But we’ve got a bit of shopping to do, so I press on, even though my symptoms are growing through the afternoon.

4 PM Sunday March 18th

I’m whipped. I’m exhausted.  I suck on a throat drop and take a nap, as does my friend.

6 PM Sunday March 18th

We’re up and heading to the neighbors for dinner. Sensing that I may be headed for trouble, I make a flu-bomb cap, pop another throat drop and try to suppress my cough as best I can. I visualize being healthy.  “I am not getting sick. I am not getting sick.”

7:30 Sunday March 18th

Back home and incredibly tired. This cough is deep and getting somewhat uncontrollable.  I’m starting to feel warm, like a fever is coming on.  I make a cup of flu bomb tea with a shot of Jameson, a table spoon of honey with a drop of clove, and fall asleep on the couch while my friend reads.

10:30 PM Sunday March 18th

Waking up I feel miserable. Yup, I’m sick. Between the eyes awful.  Hot, feverish, sore throat and coughing.  Stuffed up.  Achy all over.  Death warmed over.  It got me. I make a batch of my special chicken soup and have a bowl.  I make a cup of flu bomb tea with a shot of Jameson and do a tablespoon of honey with a drop of clove.  I smear Breathe across my chest and neck and crash on the couch. My friend goes to bed.

3 AM Monday March 19th

Wake up coughing again. Oh my throat hurts!  I’m hot and feverish and ache all over.  I drink 16 oz of lemon water and have a bowl of chicken soup. I smear some Breathe on my chest and neck, make a flu bomb cap, take that with another tablespoon of honey and clove, and call in sick.  I go up to bed.

8 AM Monday March 19th

Wake up exhausted, bursting with congestion, fever and feeling dizzy. But my sore throat is virtually gone!  I make a cup of flu bomb tea and go back to sleep.

1 PM Monday March 19th

Not sure what time my poor friend came downstairs –she doesn’t know what to do for me. I’m so tired and I hurt from head to toe! I have to blow my nose like mad—I think I used half a box of tissues in 30 minutes!  I’m so stuffed up I can barely hear. Time for another bowl of chicken soup.  I drink two 16 oz bottles of water and try to do something productive; put some dishes away. Oh my goodness that was too much—I went back to bed.  My friend escapes to visit other friends.  I’ve been left alone to die a slow agonizing death by crud.

4:30 PM Monday March 19th

I wake up with a little cough, but it’s not as rough or painful. I don’t feel nearly as bad as I had.  Ha! I’m nipping this crud in the bud!  I drink 16 oz of water, and have some more chicken soup. I smear some more Breathe on my chest and neck and decide to try to go to school, armed with throat drops and Kleenex.

6:15 PM Monday March 19th

Well I get to school and cough my brains out every time I move, even after applying more Breathe to my chest and neck. After one awful hour of coughing and blowing my nose I give up and go home.  Point goes to crud.

7:30 PM Monday March 19th

Home and feeling completely drained. Ugh, just shoot me now.  After drinking another 16 oz of lemon water I make another flu bomb cap, take more honey and clove, smear Breathe on my chest and neck, and it’s crawling back to bed.

2 AM Tuesday March 20th

I wake up burning up AND freezing! I’m dizzy and hot and cold at the same time!  I am parched!  I blow my nose and think I’m going to blast my brains out. I drink two 16 oz bottles of water with lemon.  Clearly I’m in no condition to go back to work.  I call in sick and go back to bed.

6:30 AM Tuesday March 20th

I wake up sluggish, achy, and pretty much wet from sweating, and I’m totally stuffed up. I blow my nose for an eternity, drink 16 oz of lemon water, have some chicken soup, do 1 tablespoon of honey with a drop of clove, and go back to bed.

11 AM Tuesday March 20th

I wake up noticing that I have no pain in my throat. Feel pretty good as I sit up, so I get up and try to pick up around the house for about 20 minutes.  All of the sudden there’s a heavy crushing pain between my ears and in the back of my head, and running from my sinuses, down my glands to my neck—-then—-BOOM!  My sinuses clear, my ears pop, and instantly the TV becomes too loud!  Wow!  I turn down the TV and feel like I’ve somehow won a round of this crud.  Still have to blow my nose like mad, but it seems to be a more “productive” event.  After making my egg bake for the week, I have a slice and crawl back to bed, exhausted.

4 PM Tuesday March 20th

OH my goodness I wake up breathing normal and my skin is not on fire. Still a little stuffed up, but my hearing is still much improved.  I’m feeling so much better!  Still tired, still have an occasional little cough, and some slight sniffles, but wow, so much better!  My sinuses are clearing.  I make some flu bomb tea, and go back to bed.

7:00 PM Tuesday March 20th

What? I feel great! I wake up feeling human again!  Trying not to get my hopes up, but it would appear that I’ve knocked this crud out of me!

8 PM Tuesday March 20th

So now here I am, reporting in on my situation. I am still feeling rather drained, but I don’t have a fever, I’m not coughing, my sinuses have remained clear, and I’m just a tad congested—hardly at all.  I’ll be going to bed pretty soon just to make sure I get enough rest.  But truthfully I think I’ve kicked this crud to the curb in short order.  Enduring 60 long hours is quite long enough!

Like I’ve said all along. I don’t have time to be sick. Especially for weeks on end like so many people get during cold and flu season. Life is too short!  I may not be completely invincible, but I am one heck of a force to be reckoned with.  I am grateful to have the knowledge and tools that will impact how I may respond to getting sick.

I’ve shared my complete timeline to demonstrate exactly what I did to shorten my down time.

Simply:

  • Don’t go to work.
  • Sleep. And Sleep. And Sleep.
  • CHICKEN SOUP! Homemade chicken soup. Lots of it.
  • Drink water. And water. And water. And tea, and water.
  • Medicate. When I say medicate I absolutely mean using all natural means.  No over-the-counter – synthetic – anything.  Herbs, spices, and pure therapeutic grade essential oils are all I use.  OH, and a little whiskey….it’s very medicinal you know…

Can’t wait to get back to work in the morning and give my friend the “all clear” to come back over and complete our visit! Off to make my flu bomb night cap!  Cheers!

Thank you for reading my post. I’d love to hear your thoughts!  All comments are greatly appreciated.  Life is an adventure—good or bad, and it begins today!  If you like what you see, please let me know by “liking” my website. You can even join my tribe to automatically receive new postings ‘hot off the press’.  There’s a place to do that right on my home page.  If you are interested in learning more about the amazing essential oils I used, please reach out for me! I would love nothing more than to help you achieve your healthiest self too!  I also offer essential oil wellness workshops for formal and informal groups.  As always, please feel free to share with others who may find meaning and value in exploring limitless possibilities with PR Brady AdVentures. Thanks again!

Expectations—Learning about Less Part 5

“All You Need Is Less” is my mantra of the year.

You’ve done the soul searching. You’ve asked yourself, and answered the hard questions without judging.  You’ve cleared the air.  You’re ready to make changes.  It’s time to create Less of a Schedule.

Let’s say I go to the laundry mat Saturday mornings, and do my grocery shopping. I also meditate for 30 minutes and work out at the club for an hour.  Next Saturday I need to be home by noon to have time with family from out of town.  I know these things:

Health and family are most important to me. But so are the chores.  I need clean clothes.  I need food.  I need family time.  I need gym and meditation time.  I want to get all 5 things done.

That said, I also know this:

  • It will take 25 minutes to load the car, get to the laundry mat and unload
  • It will take 30 minutes for the wash cycle
  • It will take 40 minutes for the dry cycle
  • It will take 40 minutes to fold, load, get home and put clothes away
  • It will take 15 minutes to get to the store
  • It will take 30 minutes to shop
  • It will take 30 minutes to get home and put food away
  • And then factor in 15 minutes of “this isn’t going so smoothly” time, just in case. This amounts to basically 5 hours of time.

Do you have this much clarity about your time?

As much as we’d like to resist looking at it this way, all of those things I want to do take a real number of minutes that can be quantified.  Few people want to be tied to the idea of that.  Who wants to live by a stopwatch?  Time can seem to be this intangible, invisible thing that simply happens. “Oh, I’ve got time.” And then you don’t.   “I’ll get it done, I’m not going to commit to some schedule!”   But the truth is, not being consciously aware of how long it takes to get any given thing accomplished on the front end, really does present the opportunity for a failing on the back end.  If you have trouble saying no, doing too much, procrastinating, or not getting things done, perhaps you have no awareness of time.

Combining a lack of awareness about time with an over-extended life, is the perfect set up for chronic failure. The foundation of succeeding with Less of a Schedule is in being acutely aware of time, and consciously choosing what you want to do with it.

Without anticipating any distractions, I will have to start my day at 6:15 to keep my commitment with the family. If I wake up at 7:00, make some coffee, start thinking about the laundry, the groceries and the park and then decide “I’d better get started on this stuff” at 9:00………….. good luck!  I’ve just created the perfect storm, and will fail to achieve one or more of my plans for the day.  On the other hand, if I know exactly what I need to do and how long it will all take, I now have the ability to manage my time—perhaps plan in advance—to make sure I can get everything done that I choose to.

What if my colleague “Fred” approaches me Thursday and asks me to work on a new project with him Saturday?

“Sorry Fred, I’m booked. How bout we find time next week?”

What if the neighbor is walking by and waving to me as I’m heading to the car Saturday morning?

With a big smile I say “HI! Great morning! Have a good one!” and keep going.

What if I pass by the sporting goods store and there’s a “HUGE CLOSEOUT SALE” sign in the window?

Argh! Heavy sigh!  Just say no!  Keep on going!  Stay strong and keep going!  I’ve got plans!

Now of course you could always head out the door at 5:00 and give yourself an hour to play with. WHAT?  On a Saturday??? Not this girl!)….that’s the beauty of creating Less of a Schedule.  It’s entirely up to you how you want to manage your time.

Diligence.  Motivation.  Focus.  Will Power.  Accountability.

Oh my goodness this is just too much micro-time-management!!!

Let’s be clear. Creating Less of a Schedule isn’t a penned in blood, do or die inflexible commitment. It’s a planner.  It’s a tool to stay focused.  It’s a guide to follow.  It can be as big or small, detailed or broad based, full or empty as you want.  It’s a personal choice, used to follow through with taking care what is most important to you. And that brings us back to Less of a Schedule.

11 great reasons to use Less of a Schedule:

  1. To have a visual outline to help you decide what you want to make time for.
  2. To train yourself to be present with time and commitment.
  3. To stay on task when you’ve got a lot on your plate.
  4. To help you pay attention to what you’ve actually agreed to.
  5. To manage your time and not over extend.
  6. To help you set limits for yourself.
  7. For motivation to get more stuff done.
  8. For motivation to get less stuff done.
  9. Because when you put it all down on paper, it becomes real.
  10. To give yourself something to hold yourself accountable to.
  11. To simply remember it all.

When I was struggling with being home and physically broken—unable to do practically anything, I had plenty of time on my hands to reflect on the state of my whole existence. It became easy to see who was there, and who wasn’t.  It became clear what deserved my time and what didn’t.  It became obvious I needed inspiration.  I knew I needed to take steps – even if they were small steps–to stop carrying the whole load and feeling guilt when I couldn’t.

So here’s how I created my Less of a Schedule:

First I sat down and considered what I need for me and me alone to keep me happy with my world. It looked something like this:

Family, friends, being with my animals, yoga, meditation, working out, going out, earning a living, cooking, outdoors, hunting, fishing, gardening, watching paint dry, contemplating the meaning of life, and so on.

Considering all that was just too much to think about initially.  I knew that I was clearly not making enough time for those things and I should build all that into my schedule right off the top as  non-negotiable unless I choose to forgo any piece of that time. But it was too daunting at first.

Beginning with micro small steps, my Less of a Schedule was simply this:

Later, I was able to sort through my happy list and get it figured out.  Then I looked the things I “should” do. That’s where it got interesting.

What should we do?

For starters, you shouldn’t “should” yourself. You should, however, tune in next time for the last steps to creating Less of a Schedule!

 

Thank you for reading my post. Did it strike a chord for you or did it seem far and away from your own perspective?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!  All comments are greatly appreciated.  You can read about all sorts of ideas, opinions and feelings from the heart and soul of an outdoorswoman… there are lots of topics covered in my blog category, “Girl Outdoors”.  If you like what you see, please let me know by “liking” my website.  You can even join my tribe to automatically receive new postings ‘hot off the press’.  There’s a place to do that right on my website homepage.  As always, please feel free to share my information with others who may find interest and value in PR Brady AdVentures!  Thanks again!  

Notable Quotable Thought Provoke-able 10

“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances.  The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.” 

–George Bernard Shaw–

 

 

Welcome to week 10 of 52 weeks of quotes meant to give you something to think about……..please do share your thoughts in the comments on my website in this post!  The opportunities in 2018 can be endless!

 

Thank you for reading my post. What do you dream about seeing, doing, being?  Got a bucket list? A life plan?  Want to start one?  I’d love to help you get there, check out my services.  The first step to believing ‘opportunities are endless’ is sometimes not as hard if you grab some inspiration under my blog category, “Bucket of Limitless Possibilities”.  If you like what you see, please let me know by “liking” my website. All comments are greatly appreciated.  You can even join my tribe to automatically receive new postings ‘hot off the press’.  There’s a place to do that right on my website homepage.  As always, please feel free to share my information with others who may find interest and value in PR Brady AdVentures!  Thanks again!