Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

A Day of Firsts...

Yesterday I was so overwhelmed with, well life that I just could not find any time to blog, I’m sure we have all had this happen! Anyways yesterday was my first day of classes, my first day of Weight Watchers Meetings and my first day back to work after a 3-day weekend so as you can see I was a bit preoccupied!

School: went well, fairly easy (first days usually are)




Weight Watchers: very cool! I learned a lot and received a lot of great reading material and when I say a lot, I mean A LOT! I set up my etools minus the app on my blackberry because I’m having some trouble with it downloading properly. After work I went shopping and found some great snacks and Weight Watchers food to kick start this whole new process! I’m super excited and am diving head first into this with all I’ve got! So my next meeting/weigh-in is in a week and my goal for this week is to lose 3 pounds. When I was checking out at the store, the clerk asked me if I had joined the program and how it was going…  Since it was my first day I didn’t want to mislead her but I told her it was AWESOME!! Too misleading??

Returning back to work: well it was atypical day and nothing really news worthy happened… went basically like this: Work, lunch, home… (That’s the short version).

When I got home I had planned to blog but I was so caught up in reading my Weight Watchers material that before I knew it, it was time for bed. 







Keep Reading, 

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Attention City Girl Readers:

Recently I've received a few emails from readers suggesting that I focus my blog on Inspiring and Empowering other women. I didn't really think that this was the right focus for my blog at this time but then I thought long and hard and reviewed my own life and the journey I have had.  I struggled with the idea of talking so freely about my personal experiences but then I was reminded of something that I've always wanted to do and that was to help people. I never knew how or to what extent I would do this, all I knew was that I had a desire and a passion to help in some kind of way.

Last night, I thought more about the idea of inspiring girls and women and empowering them to live their best life possible, "Could I do this, did I have what it took to help these ladies?"

Right now, I don't know but I really want to try and I'm willing to take this adventure head on. So within the next few days and weeks you will see changes and updates being made to my blog. I'll be focusing on topics that inspire and empower girls and women, I'll be providing personal development posts which will be largely based on my own life, lessons I've learned and research I've done or information I have obtained from professionals.


During my life I have overcome bulimia, depressions, abuse, suicidal thoughts/attempts and so many others issues. I was always ashamed to talk about these things mainly because people close to me made me feel ashamed but then I realized that I had overcame all of this for a reason, an important reason and I could use these experiences to help others realize that there is a rainbow at the end of every storm and a light after every dark day. Life can be inspiring and can be lived out in the best way possible!

Additional experience includes working within teen peer-groups to help support girls who struggle with life and all it's pressures. I believe all of this experience will aide me in my quest to help others.

Keep your eyes opened for many changes to come!


Keep Reading,



Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Another Day In The Closet...

Wow, I’m so excited about another Cleaning Out The Closet Wednesday over at FTLOB’s! If you all recall, last Wednesday I really went in and pulled out a lot of old baggage the needed to be removed. This Wednesday I think I’m going to stay on the surface and just take a look at what needs immediate attention.

So if you've been reading, last week was really rough but I’m getting over all that inner drama that I caused and have regrouped and centered myself. I know I have a lot of personal issues I need to sort out which is another reason why I LOVE Wednesday’s theme!  I think today I want to focus on things that have recently taken place in my life, the struggle I’m having with myself and fully understanding why I’m here. 

My entire life, I’ve always believed that God has a purpose for every person and that everything means something, that there really are no coincidences and that in due time the meaning of everything will be revealed, so that being said; recently I took a hard look at my life and at almost 30 years old I felt like such a failure. I could not think of anyone whose life I had impacted in a positive way, I have no children, and I really think my job is meaningless I mean I'm a Coordinator! As a child I always wanted to be able to help others and to be honest my job just does not afford me this opportunity and really I feel like I'm worth so much more than this. Besides being married, I have not accomplished any big feats in life. So imagine if you will, for your entire life being under the belief  that you are special in God’s eyes and that He put you here for a special purpose and then basically getting a slap in the face by realizing that almost 30 years in, He still hasn’t used you to do anything worthwhile!! Maybe He passed me over for someone better! Yeah those thoughts really hurt to think about!  

So anyway,  I really let this bother me and it completely rattled my soul. I started wondering all sorts of crazy things, like what I had done to God, or if He could even hear me, and  had He finally given up on me? All these questions ran through my mind…Then after taking a personal hiatus, I realized it was me, I had faltered in my Faith and trust in Him, I thought I had faith but then I would show doubt by having a plan B "just in case", what a contradiction! I had gone my own way instead of His.


So while I took my personal stay-cation, I was able to realize, it's not so bad, I’m still young and trying to figure this life thing out so maybe God is just waiting for me to get a better grip on my life and then He will give me my special job… 

So today, what I’m cleaning out of my closet is the fact that I feel so guilty for getting mad at God, for blaming and questioning Him instead of looking at my own actions and thoughts.  
It hurts me more to I think I’ve damaged my relationship with God then to believe that I've done the same with any person on earth. People come and go but God will always be there… 







Keep Reading, 

Friday, January 28, 2011

Food, Fitness and Top Model...


It’s Friday afternoon and I’ve had the day off from work so its been pretty laid back. I had a doctor’s appointment earlier this afternoon and am now home watching the Top Model marathon. You know I never really realized how much work models have to do and I don’t just mean keeping lean and thin, that’s a whole other workload they have.  So what I’ve learned is that models have to be able to do anything, I mean anything. They have to be able to understand the elements around them, they have to be put into harsh environments and face many of their fears and still deliver a great photo! They are critiqued and told what needs improvement and We really need to give these ladies a big hand because they deal with so much and all we think is that they just show up, put on something cute, smile and get a giant paycheck… Nope it’s so much more than that!
Coco’s been lying in her bed (a rocking chair in our bedroom near the window that she has recently staked claim on) and has been watching the birds outside all day. Every now and then she hopes down for a drink of water and then right back up. Just a side note: that green blanket is her favorite and she always had to lay on it.
My doctor’s appointment this morning was just a routine check up and I took the opportunity to talk about my recent weight gain so my doctor looked back over the past few years of my medial history and realized that I had gained a few extra pounds. Unfortunately, she didn’t supply me with any additional news that I already had not tried, work out more, eat more veggies, and get more sleep, blah, blah, blah… I’ve done all these things and still weight the same. I need something else, something major! So I pulled out a book that I recently purchased and decided that I really need to get serious about working out more on a consistent fitness plan. I just love food and love to cook so this combo is not working for my figure at all! So I’m hoping that with this new mindset and this book by my side I can really do this!

So wish me luck! 
Keep Reading, 
 

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Things To Do Before I'm 30...


With my pending 30th birthday in the horizon this summer, I checked my schedule and just don’t see any way I’m going to be able to celebrate this year so as much as I hate to have to do this, I’ve decided to postpone my milestone birthday and remain 29 for another 12 to 24 months. Oh, I just hate to disappoint and I was so looking forward to celebrating but I just don’t see any way around this…


That being said I now have some additional time to start working on some things that I want to do before I turn 30. First thing on my list, lose weight. Yes I know this is very cliché but this evening I pulled out the scale and wiped off 2 years worth of dust, breathed a deep sign, closed my eyes and stepped on… I’m not going to divulge the astronomical 3 digits that taunted me from the scale below, I will tell you that I had to reweigh myself and then take off all my clothing items and reweight myself a third time just to make sure I was getting the correct read… Yep… I was and very disappointed to say the least! I have a plan to lose 20 pounds and I know I can do it!
The next thing on my “To-Do Before I Hit 30 List” is to find a better job! Or I guess I should say a more fulfilling job. I’m so fed up with all the drama, nonsense and high school antics that take place by some of my co-workers that I don’t even bother to talk to anyone anymore. Of course there are other issues with the job and maybe I’ve just hit that point where I need something new but either way, I’m so ready to go, therefore this is right up there at number 2.
Next, I plan to revive my face so I have started a facial regimen be combat any early signs of winkles, I don’t have any yet but hey, now’s a better time than any to start the preventative method. Oh by the way, in one of my other posts I briefly mentioned that I wanted to share some of my facial products and this regime was what I was referring to. 

So I started using Oil of Olay Pore Redefining Scrub, Oil Of Olay Deep Cleansing Clay Mask, Oil Of Olay Active Hydrating Cream and Oil Of Olay Night Firming Cream. I use the clay mask about twice a week, the scrub once or twice a week and the other two products daily and I just started this facial treatment and have already noticed a glow on my face and my skin looks so much fresher and vibrant!
So there’s my short list and there will be more to come so stay tuned! 
Keep Reading, 

Friday, January 21, 2011

My Day of Inspirational Blog Hopping

Today is my inspirational day so I’ve hit up some of my favorite blogs to get big dose of creative juice flowing for this up and coming weekend! My first inspirational blog is one I refer to often for fashion ideas. Check out Everyday Eva if you’re looking for fashion on a budget! My inspiration from this blog is that my husband is always “complaining” that I spend too much money on clothes and shoes so now I read Eva’s blog to be a bit more cautious with my spending while still looking cute! Thanks Eva!

My second inspirational blog of the day belongs to Reflections of Something. I have had a heck of a week and only parts have actually been good, I have been in some sort of a foul mood and I have no idea why but this blog has help me to lift my spirits and also posed a challenge which I'm considering! (Thanks a lot Branson!)

My third inspirational blog of the day for me holds the crowning title because I came across her blog purely by accident though the Fab Friends Friday Blog Hop, but was so glad I did. Serendipity I’d call this, a fortunate mistake that has turned things around for me. This blog belongs to Rachel and is called Randomness with Rachel. Turns out we share the same love for Audrey Hepburn, Jesus, shopping and reading, oh who would have known there'd be another person who likes this same weird combination of things! Her most inspirational thing that helped me  through today was her homepage and it reads: 
So a big, BIG thank you to Rachel!
Lastly, I have decided to list Words by Katie as an inspiration blog for me today mainly because her blog just all around, cheered me up. She really had a great theme and I love her posts and concepts.  (Also we are both Tim Tebow fans!)

So to my fellow bloggers who have given me some inspirational thoughts and ideas as well as cheered me up after a somewhat bad week; you all have my gratitude! Thanks so much for doing what you do best (blogging) and inadvertently plastering a smile across my face!

Keep Blogging,
City Girl

Week Updates

My week started out pretty good, I had a four day weekend because I was off last Friday and had MLK Day  offon Monday, then Tuesday we had a 2 hour delay at work because of a crazy ice storm that hit.  I arrived at work safely and later that day I had a job interview which, well…

I’m still waiting to hear back but being the Christian that I am, I have faith that God will bless me with this job no matter how much I may have bombed the interview! I'm competing with about 20 other applicants and am a nervous wreck!

Wednesday rolled around and nothing out of the ordinary happened except one of my department directors gave me some tips on what I should do in the event that I make it to the second round of interviews so I took her advice and am keeping an open mind…

Thursday I was feeling pretty bummed out and realized that I had lost a few pounds because I had been cutting out a lot of calories from my impromptu diet so that cheered me up until I noticed that the Art House Projects that I had already paid for had not yet arrived at my house and the date to get the project postmarked and mailed in already passed! What a waste of $25, good thing I still have one more project to participate in! UGGH!! BTW: I emailed Art House to complain and still have not heard back, figures!


Then I woke up this morning with a bad case of the blues and I have no idea why.  I barely made it into work and didn't feel like doing anything so I decided to check out my blog when I noticed that I had a few comments congratulating me on being featured on FTLOB. WWWHHAATT....I almost peed with excitement! Lol, maybe that was TMI but, hey it cheered me up after a somewhat horrible week! 

So Thank you For The Love of Blogs!!!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Weight Loss Revolution...

For the past few weeks I’ve really been pretty upset with myself over my weight gain and yet I hadn’t done anything about it. Then on Monday I told my husband that I was going to start working out so I packed my gym bag and took it to work with me since the building I work in has a gym that all employees have access to. By Wednesday my gym bag was still sitting in my car and I hadn’t made my way down to the gym so I decided that I’d better bring it home in case I decided to work out at the gym near my house over the weekend. Last night I’d had enough of my procrastination and had a light dinner of Thai Curry Soup (very yummy) and got up early to head to the gym…

                             
As I dusted off my gym shoes I thought about the last time I had worked out and it’s been about 4 months (WOW). In the Fall I had been working out consistently and then I got really sick and couldn’t go to the gym for about 3 weeks and we all know just how easy it is to make excuses after you’ve gotten out of the routine… So by the time I started to feel better I kept saying, I’ll go back to the gym tomorrow and 4 months and 12 pounds later… Well you see my point. It’s actually sad because I have access to a free gym at work and then I have a gym membership near my home but I rarely go… But believe me, that’s all about to change, not only am I going to work out but I’m going to start eating better too! Watch out New Year’s resolutions cause I’m kicking butts and taking names and weight loss is next on my list!   
                              
So since today was my first day back in the workout saddle I didn’t want to over due it so I decided to keep it light, I did about 20 minutes of cardio and burned about 210 calories then headed home to shower… Of course as I continue, I’ll definitely up my workout time.
                                  
Okay, now to have a big bowl of pasta!  Just joking, though that does sounds really good right about now… 

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Greeks The Word!

When I got home from work I had been thinking about Greece and the fact that its on my Bucket List to one day visit the Acropolis in Athens. So I decided why not start practicing how to cook Greek food now to get in the Greek spirit! 

 

 

 

 

Another reason I decided to make Greek for dinner is because my husband and I really love to eat kabob from this little restaurant our home and I really wanted to learn how to make it so we didn’t always have to order out.









So with Coco in tow, we headed to the kitchen to get the stove all warmed up. I’m not going to actually post the recipe (yet) but will just post the photos along with my collection of cookbooks and of course my cutie Coco.











And my assistant chef: Coco

Friday, January 7, 2011

New Years Resolutions

I have been meaning to write this blog all week and with it getting closer to the end of the first week of the New Year, I felt I’d better get it done sooner than later!  A couple of days ago I posted my Bucket List under the Writers Block section and I was planning to leave it at that until I found myself chatting with Alaina, a friend of mine from work when she randomly asked me about my New Year’s resolutions and before I knew it I had come up with a few that I thought would go along well with my Bucket List. Turns out this year I plan to:
·        Attempt to do something new at least once amonth
·        Read more, watch less T.V.
 So by chance this past Monday I came across a few art projects from Art House and decided to sign up for one or two not really thinking they would fall into any my first resolutions but just because it looked really cool and interesting!
I decided to register for The Sketch Book Project which is described as similar to a concert tour but with sketch books! So far 28,835 artists from 94 different countries have registered (including me)!   What will happen is that we will send in our sketch books and they will go on exhibit in many different galleries and museums across the county. The cost to enter was only $25.00 and when the tour comes here (The Transformer Gallery in DC, April 11-30) I plan to go see my work on display and then I will truly feel like an artist!  By the way you have to choose a theme for your sketch book and I decided to go with Below the Surface.
The second project I have decided to register for is call A Million Little Photographs which is described as a way that viewers can experience the myriad ways that a single story can be captured in an image. You also have to pick a theme (mine is The Great Adventures Of…). It will also go on cross-country exhibit starting in September 2011 and a book will be made into print in December 2011 which I plan to purchase as proof that I am a publish artist! ;)
So I think I am thus far off to a good start on my New Year’sresolution! Check out our Links section to see the story that CNN did and to view the Art House Website, also  see our Video section and watch the "I joined The Project" video for more info as well!

Keep Reading,
CG Chronicles Editor in Chief
Faith M. Steward

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Bucket List

Last year I was having one of my regular over the phone chats with my older sister Ava when she casually mentioned to me that her son Christian had created a “bucket list”. Unbeknownst to me, she had planted the very beginnings of a seed that was about to blossom into a giant flower! If my 13 year old nephew had already created goals for his life, why hadn’t I? it wasn’t like I didn’t have things that I wanted to do, it was just that I hadn’t organized them into an actual cross-off list nor had I set out to actually take the steps to achieve them, instead as I did something in my life I would say or think “wow, I’ve always wanted to do that” and that was basically it, no crossing off, no celebration, or journaling about it. Then as New Year’s approached a few days ago I did my traditional reflecting over the past year and planning of my New Year’s resolutions (which as we all know rarely last longer than a few months) and as I was thinking of what I would add to my resolution list this year I decided to make a few changes and instead create a bucket list of things that I can achieve over a lifetime, why limit myself to only a year? Some of the things on my list I have already accomplished, others will come with time and will give me something to do with my free time or something to look forward to as I get older so drum roll please…

Faith’s Bucket List:
1.)     Visit Europe (Done)
2.)     Write a book
3.)     Have one of my articles featured in a magazine/website 
4.)     Work for myself one day
5.)     Visit the Acropolis in Greece
6.)     Visit Stonehenge
7.)     Stand under The Eiffel Tower (Done)
8.)     Appreciate the simple things in life
9.)     Finish the Bible cover to cover(work in progress)
10.)    Take life one day at a time
11.)    Create my own Happiness Project (will start this soon)
12.)    Help others
13.)    Create a website and keep it going!(work in progress)

So this is my current list but it will not end here, as my life changes each day so will the things that I want to do and I’m sure that I have left off a few things anyways. I read somewhere today that you should attempt to do something everyday instead of every other day or just a few days a week because the more you do it the easier they will becomes and the more it becomes a part of your daily. 
“So if there’s something that you wish you did more regularly, try doing it every day; if you do something every day, revel in it”.
First things first, update m y website every day with new content also start on some other daily tasks like reading the Bible cover to cover if only a page at time, start taking life one day at a time and begin creating my own happiness project.

Monday, January 3, 2011

New Year


Happy New Year!! I have not made any updates to my site in over a month because with the holidays, work and all the other stuff going on in my life, I have been super busy and have not had any time to write. I was so mad at myself because I kept coming up with some great topic ideas and kept thinking “okay, tomorrow I’ll write”, about that but then tomorrow came and went and before I knew it, it was a month later and I had nothing!!

Well it’s a new year and the holidays are over at least for a while (valentine’s day is quickly approaching)  so my life should be settling down which means I’ll be back to my regular posting, blogging and adding photos and videos and bombarding your minds with all my gibberish and random opinions on different subjects!

Recap of my year, I am so happy I started my site and to be honest it has opened a lot more doors that I never thought it would and has allowed me a creatively expression to all the things that I have been wanting to share with others for so long, not only that but through my site I have had the opportunity to meet and work with some great writers and some all around great girls who to this day still keep in touch with me even though they no longer write for my site. I also heard from one or two recently who have started their own site and found out that by writing for my site, they finally got that little push they needed to start their own site and I couldn’t be happier for them! I have checked out some of their site and they are wonderful! Ladies, keep up the great work!

I’ve very excited for this new year and have great hopes, ideas and dreams for not only myself but also for the site but as we all know, sometimes our plans don’t always go as we’d like so I won’t post any of my plans or dreams here but will keep everyone updated as things progress and unfold! Take care all and happy New Year to all of you! 

http://citygirlchronicles.webs.com/apps/blog/


Thursday, December 9, 2010

The 12 Days of Christmas


The theme of the past few days for me has without a doubt been seasonal! Not only is it cold outside but everywhere I go I see holiday items out on display, commercials for gifts, cooking shows for holiday recipes and foods, Christmas trees in our neighbors windows, my co-workers asking me if I’ve finished my holiday shopping, FYI: I have not even started and all the other little details that remind me so much of the holiday season!
Yesterday I went to Starbucks for my daily Grande peppermint hot chocolate with whip and chocolate shavings, yes I did just say that! This delightful concoction is my all time favorite winter drink because both the hot coco and the peppermint remind me of my childhood so just imagine them combined together to create a hot, sweet, savory mouthful of wintertime bliss! While I there the barista offered me this cute coffee mug for 40% off as part of their 12 Days of Christmas sale. For a split second I almost purchased it but instead resisted and said “My husband would kill me if I came home with one more coffee cup.” But since this sale is going on for the next 12 days, I feel confident that I will get to purchase something from this holiday sale.
Since I’m a big fan of the Food Network channel I watch it very regularly, mainly to get ideas for new meals and to pick up on some additional cooking and kitchen tips. I’ve notices that they have been airing many Christmas themed shows with some great ideas for Christmas dishes to get viewers in the seasonal mood and believe me I have been diligently talking notes on many of those recipes for our Christmas dinner.
At work, we put up all our Christmas decorations and really got into the holiday feel with a gift exchange and potluck lunch as well as an evening holiday reception (none of which I will be attending). Also every year we do a holiday food drive for the homeless shelters to help those who don’t have the money to make their own Christmas dinner so I decided to raid our kitchen cupboards and make a donation. 
Last night I called my mom and seems that some of my family members have caught some sort of winter flu, of course what’s the holiday season without someone getting sick!
So with all this Christmas cheer going on around me, I’m hoping that this year will bring a wonderful holiday! Fa La La…

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

What Could Be Worse?

Have you ever known someone who irks you to your very core and no matter what you do, you can’t seem to figure out why you remain friends with this person? I have, in fact I have someone in my life right now that fits this very profile. The trouble is I have no idea how to change the relationship with this person so that it works to benefit both of us, believe me I have tried all avenues to no avail. What I mean by “benefit” is keeping the relationship on happy grounds at all times, or most times.  For my part, this requires a lot of compromising and holding back my opinions and to be honest it’s exhausting to say the least. On the occasions that I do speak out it irrupts into heated arguments where no doubt I’m painted out to be the worst person who has ever walked the plant so to avoid this I try to keep my thoughts to myself and attempt to just get along with this particular individual.

So how do you deal with a person like this? What if this person is your family member, your spouse or parent … What then? I don’t have any real suggestions because I’m still trying to figure it out myself. I can say that sometimes, even with loved ones we have to take what they say as a grain of salt, let them say what they want and even if it hurts let it go, like dust in the wind… I have learned that people like this will never change, they will never consider themselves as being wrong and even if you attempt to prove to them that they are, they are so delusional that they won’t get it. 

In communicating with this kind of personality what I try to keep in mind that I’m dealing with someone who for the most part is egotistical, delusional and possibly lacking certain emotions that normal people have.  Knowing this can help get me through these situations and if that doesn’t work, sometimes I just hum a little song in my head while they talk, tone them out and let them ramble on, believe me they will have no clue because they are not really focused on you but on what they are saying.

Uggh the people we deal with on a daily basis!

Keep Reading
CG Chronicles Editor In Chief
Faith M. Steward


Monday, November 29, 2010

The Three R's of My "Staycation"


If I had to give a theme to the past few days, I’d have to say that it has been all about the 3-R’s: Reorganization, Reconnecting and a Redirection of my life.
Reorganization: 
I once read that to simplify your life you need to get rid of all the excess items that are holding you down. That being said, over this past Thanksgiving break I had plenty of time to myself to do just that.  Each morning I woke up bright and early ready to sweep through one room at a time trashing things that I hadn’t used in a while. I’m normally a person who struggles with getting rid of things because I never know when I might use it again but I decided that if I hadn’t used it, wore it, read it or even looked at it within the past year it was time to let go of it.   I was able to go though a lot of areas of my home, get rid of a lot of things that I no longer used. I reorganized things that for so long I have been meaning to do but for one reason or another just kept putting off.
So what was the final verdict: I now have room to walk in my walk-in closet which before I couldn’t even do, I have extra space in my home office, an area in my laundry room to actually sit my laundry basket and space in my kitchen that was once cluttered with things that I had collected over the years but never used.
I donated about 65% of my clothes to Goodwill along with some books and kitchen items and the rest went into the trash! It was shocking but I actually felt as if a weight was removed. I guess you never really pay attention to how “stuff” can add excess weight to your life and hold you down.
The lesson I learned here: If you don’t need it, let it go and this doesn’t just apply to stuff but to every aspect of your life.
Reconnecting:
One thing that people tend to do at the beginning of every year is say I’m going to start doing this or doing that and maybe we do for a few months but then life seems to always get in the way and those little things that we hoped to keep doing fade away until eventually we no longer remember why we wanted to do them in the first place. In the time I had to myself I was able to sit and think about different areas of my life that wanted to spend more time in or that I was already spending time on but not as much as I’d like. What I realized is that happiness is loosing site of the things you love to do but making time to do them.  Should we really put off today what we could do tomorrow when we aren’t even promised a tomorrow? It amazing the in 5 short days I was able to reconnect with myself, my soul and with the things that I missed and loved. Reconnecting with yourself is a lot like rediscovering who you are and then understanding why you let yourself go in a different direction.  Most people lose their selves in the daily demands of life and other commitments that caused them to push what they really want aside. How many times have you read or heard about those few people who just quit their job and go off to do what really makes them happy and to be honest, don’t those people seem happier, less stressed and more focused on what life is really about. No, I’m not going off to explore the world but I am taking it one step at a time and I’m so excited to see where my new reconnection is going to take me!
Redirection:
I have found that redirection is a lot like reconnection though for me; my redirection is with my faith and relationship with God. For a large portion of my life I have had a fairly good relationship with God.  However, I have been reading a book titled Crazy Love and the first few pages of this book completely took what I thought I was doing and tore it to shreds, all the times I felt I was close with God, nope I wasn’t even a flicker in His shadow. Because I put so much stock in my relationship with Christ, to me these realizations were so horrifying and I immediately knew where I needed to make the redirection to my focus in my life.
So these are the 3-R’s that I was able to journey through in what I call a 5-day “staycation” and to be honest I loved every minute of it. At times it was a lot of quiet contemplation and thoughtfulness while other times it was running around, cleaning and staying up late to get things done but no matter what, it was what I needed!
I know a lot of people are going to shy away from reading my site now because of my open expression to my love for Christ but that’s okay because where 10 leave, 30 more will join and even if that doesn’t happen, what really matters to me is that I’m giving glory to God, which to be honest is the whole point of what life is all about.
So that being said, you have probably noticed a few small changes to my site and a lot of them have to do with these 3-R’s, a word of caution: there will be more to come and believe me, it will all be surrounding these 3 topics!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The "Thankful List"

Not to be all festive or anything, but with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I have had a lot of time to contemplate what I’m really thankful for this year and in my life in general.  A lot of things have come to mind but there are a few really big things that seemed to stand out. I don’t think that I have ever mentioned it here before but those of you who know me personally know that I am a Christian and have a great love for God, you’ll understand why I mentioned that in a minute.
While many of you might say your thankful for your car or your job, your home or even that big diamond ring your rockin’.  All these things can easily be provided for you simply by having a relationship with God but he can so easily take them away so you won’t see any of these things on my list.

I have made my “thankful list” and checked it twice (just to make sure) and though all those things listed above are wonderful to have and without a doubt make life a bit easier I have decided on things that to me are less materialistic but instead hold a real and true meaning.  My “thankful list “ is about the things that matter most, or should matter most to us in the short time that we are here on this earth so without further ado, here are the top 3 things that I am thankful for:
First and foremost, I am undoubtedly thankful for my knowledge of and the relationship that I have with Jesus.  Without this, my life on the surface might seem to be “wonderful” but deep inside I would feel empty and lost so this is my number one thing, I can’t even express to you how truly grateful I am for this! Secondly, I am thankful for my family and thankful to my siblings for making our once small family now much bigger with the laughter of little children! Next, I am thankful for my marriage and the wonderful man that I have spent the last 11 years with! Through the good and the bad God has made a way for us and we have always been able to come back stronger! 

This Thanksgiving, I wonder how many people will ramble off a whole list of things they are “thankful” for and unquestionably half the things on their list might be materialistic items that can easily be taken away from them in the blink of an eye?  I know what I’m thankful for and what really matters in life… Do you?

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Back To The Bake-Off

Tuesday night I posted a blog about a Bake-off that I participated in for Charity and I received many well wishes from family, friends, and site fans. So thank you very much all! I wanted to clarify one thing though, the Bake-sale was not a contest, I was actually mistaken myself because the previous years that I had participated it was a contest, however, this year the judges decided that instead of awarding the winning Baker with a monetary gift they would give it to charity and I’m all for that so I’m super excited that I had the opportunity to participate. Not only did I bake 2 desserts, I also volunteered 3 hours to help serve and talk with our patrons who came by to eat some yummy desserts. I really had a great time and had some great conversations too!
So, many of your have sent in inquiring emails and message about how the sale went so I decided to write a follow-up article to satisfy your hungry desires to know.  We had a bunch of volunteers and we all had a great time talking and laughing together, getting to know one another and sampling the tasty treats (since we were volunteers, we didn’t have to pay). For 2 hours we served sweets and warm coffee donated by Starbucks!
My desserts were a big hit. All the Pumpkin Cream Pies Cookies were sold and the Baby Banana Cream Cupcakes received rave reviews! I even had people come back and ask for the recipe, all but 5 of them were sold and the rest I quickly gave away to the volunteers and others who had been waiting to get their hands on them! When I was finally able to take a breath and check my email, I had 3 more recipe requests from people who had been to the by the bake sale wanting my recipes. Wow, it went better than I had imagined! For all of our efforts and hard work, we were able to earn, in just 3 short hours, $500.00 to donate to charity! That’s wonderful. 

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Bake-off...

So tomorrow I will be entering a Bake-Off and I’m very excited about this! For that last week I have been researching, brain storming and inventing new recipe ideas to come up with the prefect dessert for this Bake-Off and there were 3 that stood out so I narrowed it down to 2 desserts!
Today I spent a total of about 4 hours shopping, blending and mixing, baking, burning, running back to the market, remixing and then baking again until the perfect mini desserts was created!

I'm sure your dying to know what I have baked up, so without further ado, (well I’m going to post the actual recipes in our Girls In The Kitchen section) but for now here’s what I've baked!

Mini Banana Split Cupcakes:
With Banana cream cheese filling.

Pumpkin Pies: (in sprite of Thanksgiving)
With pumpkin cream cheese filling

Monday, November 15, 2010

Want Women Want

We women love our families, our children, our men; husbands and boyfriends, and even our best friend but there’s one relationship that no one can touch! Yes, that’s right I’m talking about the relationship we share with shoes! Our intimate and passionate relationship with and for shoes developed long before we could even wobble around in them. As girls we were told stories of Cinderella and her glass slipper and that was the beginning of the end for us. We learned early on that the right shoe yields the right man and thus we are crowned the “Princess”, and what little girl doesn’t want to be a “Princess”?  We’d see our Mother and Grandmother’s dressing up for work, church or just to go out and what was the one thing that we loved the most? Their beautiful shoes, and granted the makeup and outfit came in second but it was the shoes that tugged at our hearts and we longed for the day when we owned a pair of our own.
Little girls all over the world snuck into their Mother’s closets and tried on her heels, prancing around even tripping a bit. But we’d always get right back up again, determined to learn how to perfect our walk, meticulously watching each foot move in front of the other while wearing shoes 3 times too big for us!
When I was a little girl, my Mother bought me a pair of plastic dress-up Barbie “high-heels” and I wore them until the heels broke off, and then cried for another pair, or maybe I stole my sister’s pair, but then again, it’s been so long, I don’t really recall (in case my sister is reading this)!
What is it about shoes that we love so much? I think it’s the fact that no matter what you look like, no matter what body shape you have, what your age or what color hair or skin is, when you slip into a great pair of heels you are instantly transformed into a sleek, elegant, sexy, powerful and trendy women (yes, shoes can ignite all those feelings)!
The shoe is like the topping on the cupcake, the cherry, if you will. You can wear a great outfit but with the wrong shoes, why even bother! I recently read one of my favorite blogs about a girl that starts her outfit with the shoes and from there, worked her way up to the skirt or pants and the then the top she feels best suite the shoes, and if the cloths don’t seem right, they are instantly replaced with a new set but the shoes always remain the same. Interesting concept, I thought, “Pick your shoes, and then build the perfect outfit around them!”  Why not!
I personally have a shoe collection ranging anywhere from 150 -175 pairs of shoes, some of which I don’t even remember buying and some which have never even been worn but I keep them regardless because parting with them would seem, well… wrong. Most women (not all, I don’t want to put us all in a “shoe” box) have two great loves: shoes and chocolate! 
For me, when I arrive home with a new pair of shoes, it s like opening the best Christmas present that I could have ever imagined giving myself and soon that joy is followed by the familiar sound of my husbands voice asking, “Don’t you already have some shoes like that?” And of course my response is always, “What?!  No these are a lighter shade of green,” or something to that effect, but you get my drift. How can we be expected to limit our choices when shoes come in so many different styles, colors, designs, shapes, sizes and patterns and while one pair of shoes might look just “okay” with an outfit, another pair might set the tone and completely change the outcome of your day and no, I’m not being dramatic here, believe me it has happened!
From Cinderella, to Top Model to movies like Sex and The City, a womens love for shoes is apparent and very difficult to come between.  So, too all my shoe lovers out there, “Strike a pose ladies, because I feel your passion!!”

Monday, October 11, 2010

Note To Our Readers

Note To Our Readers:
I wanted to address a few things with our readers. First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to stop by and check us out, we love you all for that! Our site is fairly new (just went live about 2 weeks ago) and all the staff is working very hard to get more content added as quickly as possible so bear with us in this process.
Secondly, though we are called City Girl Chronicles, we are in no way trying to exclude the male demographics; quite the opposite in fact, we would love to hear from the men and there is always room for new writers on our staff (check out the Join Our Staff link). It just so happens that at the moment all the staff is female! 
Lastly, each CG Chronicle writer is here to make a name and showcase their work, we are not professional writers but we DO love to write and enjoy what we do.  Keep in mind that each individual writer is writing, researching, editing, and promoting their own work, therefore mistakes are bound to be made.  Again please bear with us and by all means, if you see minor mistakes, leave a comment and we would be happy to correct it (check out the Guest book or Contact Us link to leave a comment).

Total Pageviews

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...