Distractions

Sometimes...we're all just lazy.  Or we procrastinate.  Or...or...or.....

Ok yes.  Obviously I am putting off the things I need to do right now, but I'm releasing my distractions and focusing them all into this blog post to help myself and anyone who reads it to grow :-)

Well that's what I'm telling myself anyway.

I leave for Rome (this is where we're staying) & Sicily (woo hoo!) in 3 days and I have an env. bio. test in 2 days.  Let's see, I have more assignments to do than I can count on all my fingers and toes...so what have I been up to today? 

Oh I did some wedding planning, lived vicariously through my fiance's birthday glory -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVEN! Did all my laundry, started packing -- you get the picture.  I will admit I was highly productive last night till 2 am.  Which resulted in me waking up at 11 am. yikes.

Now you ask - well, Kelly? Why the random run-on sentence of all the things you're doing and what does this have to do with anything!?

Seriously yall, I'm the queen of procrastination.  It's something I struggle with constantly - and I KNOW I'm not alone.  I am well aware that we procrastinators outnumber those of you who always seem to stay 1 or 2 steps ahead of life.

I find myself not appreciating the things that I do accomplish though.  Sometimes I say - oh man, where did my day go?  Why haven't I gotten any studying done?  When in actuality, I do get SO much done - I cope!  

I've learned that if I'm not going to focus - no matter how hard I try to force myself - on the things I know I have to do, sometimes it's more productive to just get other things done too.


I mean, I know the cover of this book is pretty...but try reading it all day ;-)

Those things that I do instead may not be number 1 priorities on that ever-growing to-do list, but they're still important.  Yesterday I got my FAFSA filled out - CHECK! Today I did laundry and packed - ahead of time - that way I have more time to realize things I've forgotten and make adjustments before we leave - CHECK! Last night I got all my TA stuff done for the week - made graphs and charts updated grades sent everything to my professor nicely organized - CHECK! 

I even made a super healthy dinner with some of those roasted veggies I've talked about before and mixed with a little freshly shaved parm cheese (ok, a pretty good amount!) and bulgar wheat cooked in chicken broth (the grain they put in tebbouleh - um YUM!)


This is what it looks like:

Pretty right?  It absorbs twice it's volume when it cooks (so 2 cups water or broth to every 1 cup bulgar)  Start out in cold liquid, bring to boil, turn to simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes.  Can substitute for rice in any dish and is soooo yummy :-)


I digress.

So yes.  It's 5:15 on Tuesday evening and I'm just getting started on my work - but you know what - in 5 minutes I got more done than I probably would have all day because I can focus now.  I don't have all those other things that I wish I were doing instead distracting me anymore.  I didn't waste all day just sitting here trying to make myself do something I couldn't really focus on anyway.

So that's how I cope with procrastination - some may see it as counter-productive to do all those other things when instead I should just keep my head in the game...but the way I see it is, if I don't approach life this way, I just end up sitting on the sidelines...and I wanna play!

XO


p.s. this song just came on pandora & makes me very happy - Steve and I probably sing it about 800 times every time we drive between CO & FL:


Billy Joel - Piano Man (Live)


I'm mildly obsessed.  This man has more talent in his pinky toe than I do in my whole body!

Beauty Coping

All right, now I am a girl who was lucky enough to grow up with relatively blemish-free skin.  However, the older you get, the more one little pimple can make you feel like you're 13 again!  I have combination skin, and it wasn't until recently that I finally found a regimen that works for me.  I searched for YEARS looking for the right combination of methods and products - I really think I've tried everything.  And then I found it.  In Bath & Body Works (WHAT!)

Yes! There it was - beaming in all its white-packaged glory from the shelves in the back near the check out counter, kind of off to the right....literally, almost in the stock room.

WEXLER.  If you've tried it and hate it - hey that's your deal.  But let me tell y'all, this girl is hooked.

The acnostat line is what I use.  Try the starter kit: cleanser (with exfoliators - yay!) a serum, a daily hydrator, and this like miracle working acne treatment.  I also recently just started using the night-time acne fighting treatment and it's WONDERFUL - it moisturizes while you sleep & fights those darned bacteria!  Plus, I wake up with my skin feeling soft and fresh - not oily and dirty.

You can get your starter kit here!

Ok - so that is what I use.  I have had such a great experience since I started using it about 9 months ago.  There are all different lines though: anti-aging, sensitive skin, skin brightening - seriously - give it a try!

These people should hire me.  I digress.  (I will not lie, I know a lot of people who love Proactive too)

As with any skin care regimen, I've learned that it's not always about what you use - it's how you use it.  If you think you're going to go all night with your make-up on, sleep on it, and then not break out?  Well - if you can I am jealous.  Most girls can't.  ALWAYS wash your face and remove your make-up.  I don't care how tired or lazy you feel.  DO IT!

Oh, and as for moisturizing - duh - I have that whole t-zone thing going on.  Therefore, I focus my moisturizing efforts on my cheeks and temples because if I put too much on my nose & chin - it's all over.  For the longest time I didn't moisturize, I was convinced I would break out less by just not using it! And don't forget your neck and decollete!!! (aka your collar bone & chest!) ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS use sunscreen!

Look around you - there are women who look like old shoe leather  - and then there are women who look half their age because they were smart enough to take care of their skin (my momma being one of 'em!)  Take care of your skin now, because I'm not sure WHAT kind of coping mechanism you'd need to deal with a shoe on your face!

Overall - after what probably feels like a 15 page essay - the point of what I'm saying here is that if you take the steps to prevent future problems - like premature aging and sun damage - you're already coping - you're making yourself feel better from the get-go!

And that's how I cope with skin that likes to act like I'm just starting puberty.

XO

The "healthy" in "healthy coping"

Woo hoo! Two blog posts in one night!


Now to the healthy part:


I feel like there are two kinds of people in this world: the ones who eat to deal with stress...AND those who don't.  Let me tell you, I EAT!


In the spirit of Lent, I disciplined myself not to turn toward the strawberry ice cream and chocolate sauce in my Frigidaire and went to Whole Foods instead to load up on fresh veggies.


The chopping of the veggies in and of itself was therapeutic, however, the eating part was a million times better, and I could actually feel good about what I ate after.


You may turn up your nose at brussels sprouts but DON'T until you've tried this! (NOTE: I'm not much on measuring when I cook, so these are guesstimations!)


1 C Broccoli Florets
3 Medium Carrots - in big chunks
1 C Brussels Sprouts cut in half
1/2 C Asparagus Spears cut into large pieces
1/4 tsp Paprika
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Fresh Cracked Pepper
1 Small Meyer lemon: Juice & Zest
              OR Juice of 1 lemon & 1/2 Orange - more or less        
              depending on the size of your fruits




*(really the amounts of juice and seasoning should be to taste and depending on how much of the veggies you use - remember some will get soaked up and some will evaporate during roasting!  Additionally, you could also substitute the juice of a ruby red grapefruit - they are usually sweeter and are DELICIOUS!  If you find your grapefruit juice is a little bitter, coconut sugar is an excellent way to balance out the bitterness and it's much healthier for your body to process as well as low in calories!)


Mix all together in glass pyrex dish - whatever size is appropriate to the amount of veggies you use - and make sure all are in one layer.  Roast in 425 Degree oven for about 20-25 minutes.  At this point they should be soft with a little bit of bite.  My favorite way to prepare them, however, is to let them go a little bit longer, maybe 10 minutes longer, so that the broccoli and brussels sprouts really caramelize and get a little crispy on the edges.  OH-SO-GOOD!


NOTE: this recipe DOES NOT need salt!  Don't do it!  Trust me!  All that citrus with even the littlest bit of salt will escalate it and make the dish WAY too salty.  This would also be really good tossed with some quinoa for a healthy protein kick :-)


I'm telling you - this is an EXCELLENT healthy coping mechanism - you get to nosh on something that tastes so decadent and tantalizing yet it's healthy: low in fat & calories!




XO

And so it begins!

I'm a BIG proponant of learning healthy ways to cope with the curveballs life throws on a daily weekly monthly and yearly (you get the idea...) basis...So I decided to jump on the blog bandwagon and hopefully my thoughts will have some sort of positive impact on someone else's life.  I plan to share my own personal wisdom but that of others too because not everything good in life can come from within :-)  


First random thought of the moment - haven't gotten too involved in AI this season and I just happened to turn it on - MAN these folks are flexing those golden pipes! (oh yeh, I love e-trade commercials!)


Day in and day out there are so many little things that make us happy and sometimes we don't take the time to recognize and appreciate that happiness.  Until we celebrate our accomplishments and learn from our failures we can never truly move forward! 


And so I come to the point of my first blog post: moving forward.


My grandfather, "Art," lived to be almost 92 years old.  He was an incredible man with incredible luck and he was a man who truly knew how to cope.  I was so fortunate to get to spend a LOT of time with him over the years before he passed, and the crazy thing is, I think I've learned from him more now than I ever did before.  One of the first things I can remember my Dad telling me that Art would always say was "move forward."  This is something that I always remind myself of when I really find myself having a hard time.  Those words echoing in my head really bring me comfort.  Sometimes I find myself chanting it to myself in my head over and over as a sort of meditation - it reminds me that there are always better things to come - God has a plan for us and we always need to remember that whether we like what we're going through or not.  He has given us the strength and tools to make it through this life and we need to trust that we are able.  

Always move forward!  Pick up those bootstraps.  Things are never as bad as they seem in that moment.  If you can just remind yourself that there is so much more to come, so many beautiful things in this life that are waiting to unfold. You have to find something that makes you happy - pet your dog, brush your hair, listen to your favorite song, go for a walk, call your best friend. Life is beautiful and we always must remember the only way we can enjoy it is to leave the past behind us, hold onto our memories and learn from our mistakes, and have hope for all that is to come.


XO