Mark Twain's Top 9

I was reading The Positivity Blog the other day and came across Mark Twain's Top 9 Tips for Living a Kick Ass Life, and decided he was dead on.  I highly suggest you read the article, but I will summarize it for you =)

1. Approve of yourself. - “A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”

Plain and simple. Be comfortable in your own skin.  If you're not comfortable with your actions, behavior - yourself, you will probably walk around feeling uncomfortable and inadequate. If you approve of yourself, then you feel empowered and at peace to continue to work towards your goals.

2. Your limitations may just be in your mind. - “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

I'm so guilty of this one.  People set up their own road blocks all the time. If you think something matters, it does, or it will - because you will always be looking for that reaction, whether it be good or bad.  If you decide that it doesn't matter, then it won't and that part won't become a self-imposed roadblock in your life. It is, for instance, seldom too late to do what you want to do.

3. Lighten Up and Have Some Fun! - “Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.”

Humor and laughter play a huge part in a productive atmosphere because your body and mind are not filled with negative emotions. Solutions to situations become clearer and more work is accomplished.

4. Let Go of Anger. - “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”

Anger is pointless and does more harm than good to the one that is experiencing the anger than to who the anger is actually directed at. Most of the time, the other person doesn't even realize you are angry with them in the first place. 

5. Release yourself from entitlement. - “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”

This is sometimes hard to accept due to our culture.  The media, for instance, portrays some "celebrities" as people who haven't actually done anything impressive with their lives, but they are rich or were on a reality TV show, so we follow along and actually make them MORE rich by caring about them - Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Nicole Richie - just to name a few. It doesn't help that if you grew up in middle class America your parents probably worked hard to give you 'the finer things in life' and as you grow older you feel some sort of entitlement.  It can cause anger and frustration because it's not just handed to you.  It can be, however, liberating, because you are now in the driver's seat - you can take your life wherever you want it to go.

6. If you're taking a different path, be prepared for reactions. - “A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.”

There are a million ways to do something, and if you decide to try something new or take the unbeaten trail, you may get adverse reactions.  It's most likely not about you but about the person passing judgment.  It goes back to the roadblocks because most likely people won't act as negatively as you think they will if you let it bother you. Or maybe they will love it, you never know.

7. Keep your focus steadily on what you want. - “Drag your thoughts away from your troubles… by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it.”

Dwelling on negative things in life is a choice and only you have the power to overcome it and succeed in your goals.  What you focus your mind on will greatly determine the outcome.

8. Don't focus so much on making yourself feel good. - “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”

I love this one! I wasn't having a bad day yesterday morning, but I am a firm believer that your day can always get better (and most of the time always worse ;) ) but we were in with a patient and to hear her talk about how much she loved the hospital, the staff and the overall experience she was having even though her daughter was super sick was very motivating and gave me a wonderful sense of pride.  It definitely brightened my day and let me know that what I'm doing matters and that I made a good choice to work there. That's not always what the situation is going to be, but you've probably heard 'negativity breeds negativity'?  Well, positivity causes an upward spiral - it's contagious! =)

9. Do what you want to do.

Love it.  Do I even have to say more. I think Mark Twain sums it all up!  Write this down and keep it in a VERY visible place - maybe your mirror so you can read it every single day!!

   

SKOL Vikings!

It's Football Season in MN - and everywhere else there is NFL ;)  Which, to me, means lots of great food, wonderful friends, delicious beer and chilly fall days =) My beautiful sister, my brother, my uncle and myself were fortunate enough to receive tickets, that my Grandma won at a benefit, for the first (pre-season) Vikings vs. the Cowboys Game on Saturday night.  It was a blast!!

Skyler (my sister) and I laughed a lot because we felt like we were watching the cheerleaders' awesome moves more than the game, haha.  We had phenomenal seats - 9th row behind the end zone!!  We lost, but the atmosphere was so fun!  Also, the fans did 'the wave' 9x around the stadium!!  That must be some sort of record?!?!  Another great thing about living in the TC, there's access to all these sporting events and it doesn't take 7+ hours to drive there one way...

I'm looking forward to actual season opener - Sept. 11th.  We will be celebrating at a college buddy's house!  This year we are going to take turns hosting Sunday games. I can't wait =) Do you have any football traditions?

DIY: Coasters

I love do to crafts!  A couple years ago, I decided to make my own coasters with a theme that matches our house - "Northwoods".  This is what I came up with:

I used slate tiles from Home Depot, a stamp from the Internet that I found, permanent ink, some felt for the back and some polyurethane sealant to keep out moisture and keep my pictures nice!

My cousin is having a bridal shower in the TC today(!) and since she won't read this before I go to her shower I will tell you that I decided to make her a set.  I've included instructions in case you want to make your own or just love to read about DIY projects! =)

Some of my supplies:

Ink, Slate tiles, and decorative stamp!

Glue and felt for the back!

1) The first step is getting all your supplies - the whole project only takes a few hours so it's best to have everything ready. 

2) Clean your slate tiles with a damp cloth, then let them dry completely before going to step 3.  You want to get all the dirt and grime off so the ink sticks better.

3) Ink your stamp and place on designated area of tile. 

4) Let them all dry before proceeding to step *6*.

5) While the tiles are drying.  Take your felt and cut them into square pieces that are near the same size as the coasters, but not equaling them (you don't want your edges to show).

6) Place tacky glue on the felt and pick up tile and place 'square on' the felt.  Push down to secure the felt in place.  Now you have a no scratch surface for the bottom of your coaster - they are glass and wood safe!

7) Spray the adhesive polyurethane all over the coaster and let dry!

Viola!!!  You are done and have a beautiful new set of coasters for yourself or to give as a gift!

*For Sale - please contact me if you are interested in purchasing a set of you own - different styles/colors/sizes available. 

An Evening Out

I can't say med school is all work and no play.  Tuesday evening the hubby and I had the pleasure of going out with some friends to Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge in NE Minneapolis. The Hawaiian atmosphere was perfect for the hot humid night we had in the TC.  We started the evening with some great drinks (mine was in a tiki cup!) and wonderful conversation. 

Then, we headed to the deck for dinner. The hubby and I ordered Suzi's Supreme Deep Dish Pizza and another group of our friends ordered a chicken pizza with a white sauce - both were AMAZING!!! 

 

 Our only disappointment was our friend Jess's ridiculously small Caesar salad and our other friend's request for a beer refill that took 3 reminders - it was super busy there though. I'd still recommend it.  We had a blast - but maybe it was just our company ;)

National Banana Split Day

Today, my friends, is

National Banana Split Day!! 

Now, I'm not sure where this originated, but in my family, it was my Grandma Bev that started this tradition.  She always had a calendar of National Holidays and Banana Split Day was always listed on it.  It is always on August 25th and it just so happened to be the perfect ending of summer before we started school the following week.  My siblings and myself are the only grandchildren of my mom's side, so Grandma always made sure we invited any 2nd, 3rd, 4th cousins...etc. and all our friends.  It became quite the tradition and very well known, locally!  My Grandma passed away from a 34 year battle with cancer last November, but no worries, her legend lives on in each of us - and this year, in National Banana Split Day!! My family is having a Free Will Donation National Banana Split Day Celebration at the city hall in our home town.  All proceeds will be donated to the COLEG fund at the Lancaster Public School.  How I wish I were home to help out with this wonderful tribute!  Grandma would be proud.  She worked at the school for most of her life and I know the COLEG fund would be her ideal place to donate the funds.  Even though I cannot be with my family today, we will be celebrating here.  I think I will stick with the traditional toppings and ice cream flavors, but tell me, what do YOU like on your ice cream?

Once Upon a Time...

...in a land far, far away.....

Okay, this isn't really THAT kind of story.  It is, however, where I tell you about how when I was growing up I watched all sorts of Disney movies and as you are familiar with, Disney movies almost always have some form of princess and of course, a CASTLE!  I was always going to be a princess and my husband will argue that I still think I'm a princess. So, why argue with him - here are the castles that I want to live in....  (kidding!) but I do want to visit them.  Again, in no certain order...

1) Chateau de Chaumont - France

Chateau de Chaumont was purchased by Catherine de Medici in 1560, a year after her late husband, Henry II died.  In 1569, Catherine forced her husband's long-term mistress, Diane de Poitiers, to exchange the castle for Chateau de Chenonceau - that one's next - who do you think got the better deal?

2) Chateau de Chenonceau - France

 

This is the picture of the back of it.  You really should look it up and view the other angles - so amazing!  Henry II gave the castle to his mistress Diane de Poiters and it is she who is credited with designing the arch across the River Cher and beautiful gardens.  After "house swap" with Catherine, more gardens were added and the first fireworks display in France was seen when Catherine's son Francis II ascended the throne.

3) Chteau de Chambord - France

This castles is the largest in Loire Valley, where most of the French castles are located, and was the 'hunting shack' of Francois I, but was said to be built so he could be close to his mistress, the Comtesse de Thoury, Claude Rohan, who was the wife of another prominent gentleman in France and who lived next door.

4) Peles Castle - Romania

Located in the Romanian mountains, Peles Castle has over 34,000 square feet and 170 rooms.  Construction was started in 1873 with King Carol I ruling (and owning) the land.  The official inauguration was in 1883 and it was estimated to have cost 120 million US dollars (today).  In 1953, the estate was classified as a museum. 

5) Mont St Michael - France

Mont Saint Michel is located about a half a mile off the coast of Avranches (NW coast of Normandy France) and until pretty recently was only accessible during low tide.  Since the 8th century AD it became the seat for the Saint-Michel Monastery (where it gets its' name).

6) Hunyad Castle - Romania

    

Legend says that Hunyad Castle is where Vlad III of Wallachian was held captive for 7 years - we all know him as Dracula!!!  It was however, a prominent defensive structure in the 15th century. 

7) Bran Castle - Romania

Bran Castle also claims that Dracula made his home there. From my research I found that Vlad III did take over Bran castle for a brief time period (1 year) in 1459.  So maybe he made this his home and then got captured for 7 years????  I have no idea, but the architecture is beautiful!!!

8. Leeds Castle - England



Leeds castle is beautifully set 5 miles outside of Kent, England.  There were  a whole slew full of different Kings and Queens that lived there and attempted to make their mark on the property.  King Edward I and his wife Eleanor were the first inhibitors of royalty in 1278.  The last private owner of Leeds was Lady Baillie, who, besides living there..etc, used it as a hospital during WWII to take care of burned airmen.  1976 marked the year the castle became open to the public. 

9. Alnwick Castle - Northumberland England

 

This castle is CURRENTLY occupied by the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland - how cool is that!?  Of course they don't need ALL that space so they rent it out to various organizations...etc.  Plus, do I hear any HP fans out there?  Harry Potter was filmed using different parts of this castle at different times.  Way cool! 

10) Eilean Donan Castle - Scotland

Built in 1220  for Alexander II as a defense against the Vikings, Eilean Donan sits in the Great Sea where the lochs meet. For the better part of the past 200 years the castle lay in ruins, until 1911 when Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap rebuilt it and it opened in 1932.  It is said to be the most photographed castle in the world. 

Whew!  10 castles - being a princess is hard work ;)  Of course I didn't mention my favorite German castle, but that was a previous post.  I'm sure I missed a few that are even more beautiful than the ones I chose, but it was a big selection!  It's incredible to me how many castles there really are.  A lot of them are in ruins, but even still there are so many.  I didn't mention Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Pembroke, Prague...the list goes on and on. So, tell me, what's YOUR favorite castle?

Day of Frustrating Things

I know it's Monday and I'm hoping everyone in blogworld is coming back from an exciting fun weekend, so I don't mean to put a damper on anything, however, I need to vent about just a couple teeny tiny things.

1) My husband lost his phone over the weekend - again.  In the past 5 years, he has lost 3 phones to the water, lost one and did have one that we gave to charity.  My husband needs one of those military phones that are indestructible - because if it can break, he can manage that.  It's not sooo much the breaking though, it's the dropping it into the lake that's usually the problem.  This time, though, he just left it at the hospital. He came home on Friday evening and told me he forgot his phone there.  Now, if it were me (because I love my phone) I would have turned around and went back for it, especially on a Friday, knowing I won't get it until Monday.  Nope, not him.  He said he left it in his white coat so he will pick them both up Monday.  Well, guess what, it's Monday and it's not there.  SO, hopefully some good Samaritan turned it into security or something, but I'm not too optimistic.  Being the "organized" (haha!) wife that I am, I checked out our account to find out eligibility for upgrades, what our insurance would cover, etc.  And you know what?  He would have been eligible for an upgrade on Sept. 9th.  Yep, like 2.5 weeks away.  Nice.  As far as I can tell we don't have insurance on it either. So what we will probably have to do is use my upgrade (since I'm eligible) and get him a new phone and then I'll use his upgrade in Sept - just like we did last year when his phone took a swim in Lake Bemidji. 

2) People that have blogs and have used the url of something I want but aren't actually utilizing their blog. For instance, I still need a new name, so I looked up metoo (dot) blogspot.com and it's taken.  allthatglitters is taken too and so is allthatglittersisgold.  I don't know I'm attracted to the names with glitter in them, probably because it reminds me of princesses and I feel I should have been one ;) wait, that's for a different post - my castle one (at some point) =)

3)  This is a split complaint - celebration number because a) my co-ed softball team won the championship last night and it was a blast!!!!  BUT b) I hurt my foot/ankle/heel..not sure what you want to call it by my whole foot throbs and I can't walk on it very well and that's super frustrating.

4) Because my foot hurt so  much I didn't want to get out of bed, which made my morning not as productive as I'd like (hence the later blog post) and also made me miss getting my caffeine shot - my tea. 

5) and I'm freezing.  This office is so cold - all of the time.  I have a sweater on but it's not helping and then you go outside and it's 80+ degrees....makes no sense to me at all. 

Okay, done.  Now that I was able to get that all out of my system I can smile and the rest of my day and week will go well =)