Your Virtual Kick in the Butt!

First of all, happy Friday everyone! :)

Every once in a while I need a good kick in arse. And I am old enough to know that I am too young to know a thing, so I often find myself looking for some external wisdom to get me on the right track. Sometimes it will be advice from friends and family, but often I find myself digging around the world wide web. Now and then I come across some gems that I bookmark to read again when I need a little boost.

Today I thought I’d share a few you with, so pick your poison! Read a good article, and get ready to take on the world…or at least the weekend! ;)

7 Vital Choices for Happy Relationships

How to Ruin your Life without even Noticing that You Are

10 Lessons from a Navy Seal

Things You Regret in Your 30s

51 Habits of Happy People

Wedding Bliss

Andrew and I have finally set a date! For a long time we had plans to elope, to keep it easy, simple and just us. However, like I'm sure most weddings do our plans slowly snowballed into having an actual wedding. And although I'm still a fan of the whole elopement idea, I must admit I am so exited to have a wedding with our family and friends.

We've decided to keep it small and intimate, with a modern rustic feel. We are doing a morning ceremony with a lunch reception to follow. It just felt more "us" and will perfect overlooking a lake on a bright summer day.

This past weekend I finally said "Yes!" to a dress and ordered it. Which is a big relief! I never thought that trying to find a dress I loved would be so difficult! I mean, they are all so beautiful. At my first appointment (1 of 3) I felt much like Carrie Bradshaw in the sense I was missing the bride gene. They all just felt so wrong, so puffy and silly. I felt very hopeless after that appointment, I found one I liked, but didn't love. I figured I should know, get that little bride feeling, shed a tear and jump up and down. By the next appointment I was getting more into the swing of things. I had a better understanding of what I liked and didn't like. Still didn't find "the one", but figuring out what I didn't like was all part of the process. Ironically enough, after my third appointment I had come to the realization that I actually did find my dress at the first store I went to.

After getting over the initial weirdness of trying these gowns on it actually became kind of fun. So I'm glad I got to experience it, and will miss devoting my Saturdays to hauling dresses on and off and then spending the afternoon stressing over which one is "the one". Luckily, finding my groom was much easier and gave me the tingling, jump up and down feeling right away. ;)

Easy Mongolian Beef

This recipe uses ground beef instead of flank steak which is probably a more traditional version of Mongolian beef. But this substitute makes it a super-fast weeknight meal that’s both sweet and spicy just like most of our favorite Asian take out items.

And much like take out, it’s almost better next day! :) Enjoy!

• 1 lb of lean ground beef
• ¼ of brown sugar
• ¼ cup of soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of sesame oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ tsp of ginger, minced
• ½ tsp of crushed red pepper
• Salt and pepper
• Green onions, sliced

1. In a large skillet brown the ground beef in the sesame oil, drain the excess fat.

2. Add the garlic, sugar, soy sauce, ginger salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Simmer for a few minutes. Serve over steamed white or brown rice garnish with green onions.

I Heart Organizing

Happy New Year Friends!!! :)

Is it just me or is January is the adult September? In my younger years I was always so excited to go back to school, it never lasted long but the idea that this year was going to be my year inspired me. I would go out and buy super cute notebooks, tabs, highlighters etc, and for that first week of school I took impeccable notes.

Luckily, for me, with age has come a little more dedication and my motivation lasts much longer then just a week.

January is all about resetting, cleaning up, getting the things done you have been putting off. And although these tasks seem daunting, when you break them down and actually get them off you to-do list, it is such a good feeling!

For example, since I moved last year the way my kitchen was unpacked has driven me nuts! But I ignored time and time again because taking everything out of the cupboards and trying to find a new configuration seemed impossible. But this year I finally did it! And man does it feel awesome!

Since blogging is all about the sharing of ideas, I thought I would share some of mine that make my life so much easier and more organized -

Make Lists
I am constantly making lists, I usually have 2 or 3 on the go at any given time. One containing things I want to accomplish by weeks or months end and the other for daily activities. I keep other lists on my phone of thing's I'm running low on, so next time I'm out I can check to see what I need. I even keep one for things I want to ask my doctor next time I see him. I write down everything I have to do to get out of my head on paper.

Chunk it Out
Break out your to-do list into small pieces. If you want organize your dresser for example. Make a commitment to sort out a drawer a night, by week's end you'll be done and it only took you about 10 minutes at the end of your day.

Maintain
Once you get some organized, make sure you maintain it. For example - every 6 months or year, make a note in your calendar to go through your files and shred any paperwork you don't need. Or clean out your closet of any unwanted items to donate or consign. Maintaining is always so much easier then dealing with it after it builds up for a long time.

Get Inspired
Before I reorganize anything I was check out what other people have done on Pinterest. I pull ideas from all over to come up with the perfect solution for myself.

Make the task fun 
Put music on, get your friends or spouse involved. Make it fun. And make sure you reward yourself after a job well done!

Happy Organizing! This year's going to be great! :)