The start of a Happy New Year!

 I admit...I'm a list maker.  Is anyone else out there inspired by clean calendar pages....

a new calendar...

a new year....

a new beginning.

I usually make lists on a weekly basis of things that need to be done, and I write them in a composition notebook.  This year I decided to use a real calendar.  

I read on a blog not long ago about someone who writes down three things "to do" a day.  When he finishes those three things, he does what he wants.  I love the idea.

There is someone in my life who looks for the negative. It started out simple enough, with a complaint here and there, but now it's full-blown negative.  I thought about having a chat with her and suggesting she look for one positive, inspiring, happy, thing a day. And write it down.  

I have not talked to her yet. 

But I decided before I suggest she do it, I do it.  

I've done it before and I know it helps.  

I've started a hashtag on Instagram #cindybeesinspiration

(I can be found on Instagram under cindybee58)

I'm going to try to post one thing every day that inspires me and is positive!  Join me if you want. 

 It'll be fun, and guess what?  It can't hurt!  

Post in my comments or on my Instagram post if you are going to do it so we can all follow each other!

New Years Day

 Growing up Mom always said you have to have cabbage on New Years Day for good luck.  Well, yesterday my Shug decided we were changing it to chicken & dumplings!!!  LOL!

 

I told him he'd have to help if that's what he wants.  So I made the dough, he rolled it out

 and cut the dumplings...

we took turns dropping them into the pan of chicken broth (he cooked the chicken too!)

YUM!  I decided I'd start my diet Monday!

This is the recipe we used, which came from his Mom.

I also finished an infinity scarf I started a couple of weeks ago.  I decided for the new year I am finishing my WIPs.  Yes I am.  If I don't finish them, I'm tearing them out!  I'm serious about this!

From your positive, happy, inspired, dumpling, serious Blogger friend,
Cindy Bee

PS.  Connie at Crafty Home Cottage is having a give-away...or two!

Keep it Simple....and Smile :-)

Last night I went to a very swanky affair....I was hesitant to go from the beginning. Simply because....well, I have a lot going on, I don't have a job at the moment (I was representing an organization I am currently 'on leave' from) and the fact is, I am just not swanky. I'm a jeans and "Keens" kind of gal. I mean...this place had real towels in the bathrooms, Not paper. I had no where to spit out my gum! I couldn't spit it out in the trash can because real towels were in there! Do swanky people not have trash? I wadded it in a paper and tucked it in my purse. My hobo bag. Not my little clutch. They had little bottles of mouthwash, in the bathroom, to gargle with.... I took one!

Look at all this stuff, just to eat with! Lord have mercy. When I went into the bathroom stall, I quickly pulled out my phone and sent a text to my Shug. "OMG!" I said, "Country bumpkin meets fancy schmancy. Going potty talk later live u." That was the exact text. I always make mistakes when I text. I meant love u.


And I'm sure someone probably wondered why is she taking pictures of her food! Well just look at it! That's why? Those are mashed potatoes under that asparagus. I ate every bite. OK I left a couple of bites of the meat. And thank the Lord for small blessings that the lights were low, because that meat was not cooked medium well, but it was yummy anyway.

Not a very good picture of the centerpiece, but it was beautiful. Not my colors, but still....beautiful....and creative.

I asked Becky, what's the silverware for above my plate? "Dessert." Creme' Brulee'....Decadent...sinful....close your eyes and moan with every bite good. That football was even yummy.

1500 people were in attendance. Everyone, that was/is anyone in our state was there, including our Governor. I saw a lot of people there I knew. Ex-bosses, ex-coworkers, ex-bible study friends, our Mayor (I knew him when he was just a punk). The event was to honor our town. The town I've lived in since I was 5 years old. Our town that rose up from 19% unemployment a couple of years ago. We were actually listed as number one in the nation for unemployment for awhile, running neck in neck with another small town in our state for first place. Unemployment is still an issue, but it's not 19%.

The creme' de' la creme' of the evening....not the creme brulee'......but Terry Bradshaw....the speaker. He used to be a quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, years ago. Won four Superbowls.

LISTEN TO ME....

If. you. ever. get. an. opportunity. to. hear. Terry. Bradshaw. speak. GO. Do not stay home because you are busy, not working, and just not a fancy schmancy person. GO.

Points he made during his speech.

"Did you wake up this morning, pop open your eyes and suck in breath?" Then be happy. You get another day. Some people don't.

Smile, you never know who you are going to meet. People look better when they smile.

Keep it simple. The best football plays that won the games were the simple ones. (he would know!)

Keep it simple. (oh ...did I already say that?)

He said something like.....What is it with all of this left-wing right-wing bickering? They don't have a clue what's important. Cancer...divorce...loss of a loved one....Now those are important life issues. Get over your differences, stop bickering, move on and make a difference in the world. Smile. And keep it simple.

Are you breathing? Then make a positive impact on other peoples lives and in this world. Don't know what you want to do with your life? Ask God. He'll tell ya. He has to. It's his job to listen.

Keep it simple.

Love your family. Tell them you love them. They are the ones that will be holding your hand on your death bed. Not your friends. In the end, it'll be your family. (he wasn't saying to not love your friends, his point was so many people now a days don't take time for their family.) Pick up the phone and call your parents, your kids, your spouse, and tell them you love them.

Did you live through the day? If so, then you need to think of one positive thing that happened to you today, that you are thankful for, before you go to bed. How simple is that to do?

I am thankful that I was invited to this dinner. I am not a big-shot. I'm a nobody really in the scheme of things for this town. It was invitation only. But gosh folks, I was important enough to someone else that they invited me to attend. I'm thankful for that.

I am thankful that I was given the opportunity to put on my big girl panties and go to a swanky affair. Not because of the swank. I would have been just as happy in jeans.

Not because of the people, even though I enjoyed getting re-acquainted.

Not because of the Big-Whigs. I'm not easily impressed with who's who anymore. I had a ticket to go to the reception after the dinner and I opted to go home instead. Why? Because I have a loved one at home waiting for me. I'm thankful for my Shug.

Here's the thing. I'm thankful I was invited to this event because I NEEDED TO HEAR IT. You see, I went to the Doc yesterday because of this Burning Mouth Syndrome. It is awful. My mouth tastes like shit pretty much all the time. All.the.time. He thinks my problem is stress, hormones, lack of sleep, and vitamin deficiency. He told me to start taking care of me. His exact words. Guess what? I'm going to. Then after hearing my doc say that, I attend a motivational speaker/dinner, not even realizing what I was going to hear. Coincidence?....don't think so. Just two weeks ago I wasn't planning on attending either of these things. The doctor or the dinner. Someone higher up knew I needed this.

Sometimes folks, we just need to hear the positive.

Somtimes we need a whole day of it. We need to be hit over the head with it. We need to be told to

Smile,

Keep it simple,

Make a difference,

and love others.

Are things any better today than yesterday? No...I still have Burning Mouth Syndrome.

It. could. be. worse.

My MIL is still in a therapy center. (and she is a negative person when she's well, let alone ill)

I still have a lot of stress, but you know what. If things don't get done today, there is always tomorrow. And if I don't have tomorrow, I ain't gonna care that it didn't get done :-)

I'm gonna beat this stress and get well again.

And if it doesn't get done on your time schedule, then sorry, but it's My time. Not yours! (yeah I seriously just got a phone call from someone...who had a whole list of things for me to do. I'll try, I say. Smiling. No promises. I have a list going, I'll put you on it. Not on top though. I'm on the top of that list! It's MY life. You have yours and I have mine!)

And I'm going to think positive.

Don't even try to ruin it for me!

Do Not Get In My Way.

My question for you is this....if you do not take care of you....how you gonna

Smile,

Keep it simple,

Make a difference,

and love others?

And if you get a chance to hear Terry Bradshaw speak. GO! He is an animated, hold-your-attention, kind of speaker. I actually paid attention to the entire speech. Every single word. My mind did not wander. I had fun.

Do something fun today.

Be thankful.

Tis the season...

Smile,

Cindy Bee