joy in the gloom

happy monday

 today is monday and i had the day off. lots of 'life' stuff going on. it felt good to spend the day de-cluttering, if you will. life gets so busy and i find myself wanting to squeeze it ALL in. and that is exactly why i spent the last two days sleeping! so apparently i can't do everything :( even right now as i am writing, my mind is thinking of all the 30 other things i could be doing. how do i make it stop?!

it's funny because i actually get less done the more i want and plan to do. it pays to slow down and focus on one thing at a time but boy does it take practice. it makes it hard to enjoy life when you are running around trying to accomplish 10 tasks at a time and already on to the next thing. multi-tasking is great, but i definitely need balance in my life. it's my number one goal in life is to find balance! i believe life is better with balance because it helps with my ever present anxiety. yes, that's right the a word. sometimes i have so many things i want to blog about that i get so overwhelmed and don't blog at all. hence the month in between blogging. not cool.

my friend posted this picture to face book today and it could not be more true:

lol.

i have to say i see so much growth in my self lately. normally the doom and gloom we have been experiencing this MN winter would totally drive me crazy. but i am trying so hard to find joy even in things i cannot control. for instance today i found out that somebody did indeed steal my wallet last saturday and decided to spend $900 at foot locker on me. i had cancelled my credit cards as soon as i knew they were gone but even in the little time between, someone managed to do some damage. now it's the process of reporting the fraudulent purchases and spending a good portion of the day talking to my credit card company. i just made the conscious decision to not let it ruin my day though. it's totally out of my control. there is nothing i can do about it. such is life. so many things are out of our control. 

i love this caption. it's so true! i think i always used to think it would get easier. so far from true. if anything it gets harder!

so grateful for the opportunity to start each day a new and for the grace of God. 

i encourage you to take a moment out of your day and breathe. breathe in love and breathe out gratefulness. it's a beautiful thing.

p.s. watching a seinfeld episode always makes any kind of day lighter and brighter in my world

  ..

  U

<make it a fabulous day darlings>

annie carleen

let go of limitations

good evening lovelies!

days like this are wonderful for so many reasons. mostly they make all the bad days seem non-existent. 

my day started off with a wonderful substance podcast and then a relaxing hair wash and blow-out! blow outs have become my new favorite thing. i even cancelled my gym membership so that i could get a membership at blast blow dry bar. i still lift at home :) and try to get blow-outs once a week! lol. 100% girl here. a strong one though.

"Blast in....Blow out"

 if you get a chance to go to the westend location, please say hello to my friend Latoya. sweetest gal ever!

hope everyone else in minneapolis today noticed that the sun was actually shining this morning! wow what a difference that makes. hooray for vitamin d!

my day started at 7am and i am just now sitting down at home to eat. actually the chicken has to bake first so its in the oven. talk about a day! where do i start...

 it's only tuesday but i feel like my whole life has changed dramatically this week since sunday. everything always falls in to place. but it never comes easy. i still have plenty of stress through it all.....but we gotta hold on!

Zig Ziglar shared this slice of wisdom yesterday on his page:

i have had plenty of days where giving up seemed like the only option. lately i have felt a new spark of life flow through me. could be i got better at taking my vitamin d and fish oil supplements daily (thanks metagenics) or could be a combination of that and just filling my life with hopeful words.

i was just basically handed a supplemental job yesterday. so that 'tbd' in my last blog post is now 'd' meaning, determined. i will be working with Dr. Ta at modern eye wear in minnetonka as well as my wonderful SuNu family. could not ask for more!

i cannot convey enough the power of words in dictating my own life. i am currently reading this book entitled Change Your Words, Change Your Life by Joyce Meyer.  unreal how powerful this concept is. do yourself a favor and watch your words. they have so much power over you and they work in both ways. they produce life or they produce death. which do you prefer?

fun random fact: i have had microwave popcorn for the last 3 nights in a row. 

 visit my latest blog i created for SuNu at: http://sunuwellness.blogspot.com

i may not have a boyfriend (yet) but i sure have quite the pinterest board of wedding decorating ideas....and i finally get to put them to use! my lovely boss and friend is finally having her long over-due wedding reception. and i get to help plan it! you have no idea how exciting this is. i think i finally found a venue for her today. woohoo! details to come...

 when the going gets tough, its only an opportunity for you to rise above the impossible. don't limit yourself ever.

 

 

 off to bed. i have a coffee date in the morning. not sure what i am more excited about...the date part or the coffee part?! ;)

 

  ..

  U

<make it a fabulous day darlings>

annie

change is coming!

every year around this time....

winter is inching closer to being done (despite the snowfall/rain we are having this week) 

i can feel it! spring is coming and so is change! one day you just wake up and say "there is hope!" and today was that day for me. this winter has been plenty long. long for so many reasons. it's been a challenging season of life and once again i am reminded i only have so much control and that i can only control the way i am. things happen and you have no idea what good can come from them but yet it somehow does.

i tend to hibernate in the winter. i definitely am affected by lack of sunshine. winter in mn= perseverance. it makes us hardy people that's for sure!

i just got back from a family vacation in copper mountain, colorado and it was amazing! it was so nice to enjoy the mountains and sun! you start to forget what the sun is like and the warmth it brings. a few of us came back with racoon eyes :)

to give you a glance at what we were workin with....

it was rough. 

soooo i love this quote that my sis-in-law said when we were getting ready to leave:

"don't be sad that it's over, smile that it happened :)"  -tracy ann stanz

 it's so her too. she seems to find the positive in everything and i find myself wanting to be more like her all the time. but what a great statement! it can apply to almost everything. life is about perspective. you can find good in anything if you want to. after all, bad things are bound to happen its just a matter of when and how you react to them. 

changes i am looking forward to:

• a new living space aka MY OWN SPACE! 

•  finding and raising a rhodesian ridgeback puppy cousin for rosie :)

• dog sitting for rosie girl at the end of march

•  supplemental income (tbd!)

•  starting a blog for SuNu Wellness

• practicing more positivity! 

• investing in uplifting friendships and removing toxic people from my life

• long hair :)

love this!

and finally, my heart and mind are set on this verse:

2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. - Romans 12:2

God's will is perfect. His timing is sweet. He cares about every detail of our lives and all we need to do is trust in Him.

  ..

  U

 

<make it a fabulous day darlings>

 

annie

will I be my valentine?

~happy day of love~

sweet potatoes baking at 11pm on valentine's day and while many single girls might be crying over not having a valentine, i am rejoicing. not because i hate men, not because valentine's day is completely over rated (which it for sure is) but because i can honestly say i thoroughly enjoy  just being me (single status and all) and the awesome people in my life. i love my life. i wouldn't change it for anything right now. valentine's day is about sharing love with everyone.

~

do i see a family in my future? of course! but there is plenty of time for that. right now the important thing is that i enjoy where i am at at this present moment in life. and also that i truly love and respect myself. 

         ~                          

i am realizing just how many ridiculously amazing people i have in my life. i feel so loved and supported it doesn't even seem fair.    

i encourage you to be in love with your life. find the little things that make you come to life. this picture is of some of my favorite things in life. they are simple yet bring me so much joy.

they may not seem like a big deal but to me they make me so happy. i mean, who wouldn't be excited with the latest jen aniston news?!? lol. we are all unique ;)

~

and most of all!

  much love,

annie carleen 

Productive Pinning :)

~merry monday~

Waking up to lots of fresh white fluffy snow this morning! Best part is the fact that big kids get snow days too I guess :)  I am working from home today. It's nice to change it up once and a while.

I swear for everything good thing, there is a 'Keep Calm' image. I love them; they always seem perfectly fitting.

Such a fabulous weekend doing absolutely nothing. Those are always my favorite. Doing 'nothing,' however, includes laundry, cleaning, organizing, working out and getting nails done by the way. Oh and yes drinking some wine of course and catching up on my pinning. Pinterest is by far the best idea ever. I can't even say I waste time really because I have gotten so efficient in my pinning. Thank you Pinterest App!  I know what I like, I see it, I pin it. I have been told several times by people how much they like my pins. Not sure if I should be honored or embarrassed?

I tried a new recipe I found on Pinterest last weekend and they were a hit! Check it out: 


No-Bake Energy Bites

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Method

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. (Mine were about 1" in diameter.) Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Makes about 20-25 balls.

They were extremely easy to make and so yummy to eat.  I had all the ingredients in my cupboards which was great!

I am obsessed with the song "Sure Be Cool If You Did" by Blake Shelton right now. 
Play....Repeat & Repeat again. My room mate probably wants to kill me ;)

Love this! It's sooooooooo true it's sad.

Haha that's for all my fellow single lady pinners who have their whole wedding planned out on Pinterest!

..
U

<make it a fabulous day>

 Annie

let it be.

why waste energy on things you can't change? 

i found this vintage image of letting go

it's hard to be patient. i am not good at it! letting things go is the best thing you can do for yourself. 

~

today was a beautiful hot, sunny day! 

i am so blessed to be able to work with such amazing women and also help such amazing people. my job has meaning and purpose! i love seeing people restored to health through chiropractic, nutrition, and massage. 

we are a spirit, we live in a body, we have a soul. 

all three of those areas need to be taken care of. make time for yourself! mind, body, spirit

tonight, i absolutely was tickled to have time to paint my toe nails hot pink. it fed my spirit and nourished my soul and my toes look pretty darn cute:)

also, i picked up a lovely bunch of pink gladiolus at trader joe's tonight that made me smile. nothing like fresh flowers to brighten a room!

 

refreshing weekend at the lake!

this weekend i spent my time at my favorite place, the lake. whenever i need to be refreshed in my heart and soul and spirit, this is usually where you can find me. i was actually home for a wedding but i got some lake and sun time too.

here is what i experienced this weekend in a nutshell:

glorious!

notice my dad out there watering the lawn. he works very hard to grow green, thick grass!

then, my favorite part of this whole weekend was this morning. i sat on the dock and read and drank coffee and it was fabulous. SO peaceful and refreshing. there was no one to be seen or heard. it was just me, my coffee, and my book. no wonder i am feeling a little melancholy right now about being back in the big city. 

happy girl

pure bliss