Showing posts with label Book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book. Show all posts

Sunday, February 3, 2019

My Experience With The Miracle Morning

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I wanted to share my experience so far after reading The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod and including the practices into my mornings. Hal Elrod who is a writer and motivational speaker and he developed the system of incorporating the six SAVERS into your morning. The savers stand for silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and scribing. By doing these six tasks each morning, it does not take long before you start reaping the rewards of putting in that time each morning to focus on yourself. You can do it for an hour or even as little as 6 minutes. One morning I decided to try the shorter version, so I did each task for a couple of minutes and still felt like I got the miracle morning experience it was more like 15 minutes for me. I was thinking of incorporating knitting into my mornings soon once I buy yarn for a new project. I have really been enjoying the meditation part of my mornings and use an app on my iphone called Insight Timer. It was recommended by vlogger named Chelsea Dinean, so I gave it a try and I love the guided meditation and talks to incorporate into my mornings another good one my sister uses is called Headspace. The meditations make me feel calm, at peace, and confident.

The books I read and write in for January
I first heard of the Miracle Morning by watching a vlog on a book review for the book by Milk and Honey Life. I was fascinated after watching her vlog because she explained that it was all about working on aspects of yourself that I have wanted to focus on in more depth for years. They were always on my to do someday list like mediate, read some personal development books, exercise in the morning, and read affirmations.

I am currently doing the savers in the order of meditation, affirmations, visualization, writing in my journal, reading, and then exercise. I do it in this order because the meditation calms me and gives me clarity before I begin, then the affirmations are motivating. The visualizations follow because I can then visualize the future I want to have after the affirmations are read a few times.  Then I journal and write in my notebook about the day before or what I will be doing or focusing on the day of the entry. Then I write a list of three things I am grateful for. I will then fill out my Q&A book I have, I am on my second year of filling it out now. Last year sometimes I forgot about filling it out for days and weeks, but now I have it in my basket so I will do it every morning. Then I am onto the reading and I have been reading the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. The time to read these types of books in the morning is wonderful because I usually put off reading in the evenings or get too tired, but now I have the energy to read them in the morning. Then I exercise for 10 -20 minutes. I have been doing yoga as my preferred workout for my miracle mornings because it continues to create a calm and peaceful morning and I enjoy stretching in the morning to wake up my body.


The Miracle Morning has already been positively affecting my life after doing the routine for 20 consecutive days, and I feel more motivated, focused, strong, and am accomplishing my goals. You can read more about it on the Miracle Morning site here.  I plan to do the 30 day challenge of doing the Miracle Morning and I am almost there.

Please let me know in the comments below what your morning routine looks like and if you have tried this routine before.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you have enjoyed your weekend and have a good week ahead!




Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Fall Craft Show, Knitting Progress, and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I had a wonderful weekend, spending time with my family and my boyfriend's family. Yesterday, I went to the Milton Farm Craft Show that they put on every year. There were so many wonderful things to look at and this year I bought a couple lovely things. I bought a ceramic berry bowl for my boyfriend's stepmother for her birthday. I also purchased some beautiful, soft alpaca sock yarn from Alpaca Time. I am so excited to get started on knitting socks with this yarn. My sister who crochets, also purchased some yarn to crochet a hat. It was an exciting find for us. I loved our trip there this year and looking forward to going to more upcoming craft fairs in the Winter hopefully.

Yarn I purchased from Alpaca Time at the craft show
Just a few of the many stalls set up at the show

Me with some craft show finds

In knitting, I have been working on knitting up the first stocking as part of the project for this Christmas to have handknit stockings for my boyfriend and I. I am using the Jumbo Christmas Stockings pattern on Ravelry. It is a fun, fast knit and I love working with big, chunky needles and thick yarn around this time of the year when it is getting a bit cooler. I am liking the way the stocking is looking so far, except I added an extra row in by accident right after working on the gusset but I think it isn't too noticeable.


 The sweater is still in a standstill and I must work on taking the seam out on the left sleeve and redoing it. I definitely want my next sweater not to include sewing pieces together at the end as many people have said it is more enjoyable that way.


I am still reading the book Love the Wine You're With by Kim Gruenenfelder. I am liking it but haven't been setting aside time to read due to being distracted by school starting up again and different things. I will try to read a little bit each day so I can enjoy the book. I have also still been reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. I am on the chapter about paper and have been going through paper of mine and find that the book is helping so much to help me toss more things than I have before because we really hold onto things we don't need thinking we'll read it one day when we never do. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book and working through all of the items and having less stuff around. 


Joining along with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On, AsKatKnits for Unwraveled Wednesday, and The Little Room of Rachell for Yarning Along

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today! If you would like to keep updated on when I post, please follow me on Bloglovin', Google Followers, or you can subscribe by email at the top right corner for updates to your email. 

Have a great day!

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Preparing For Blocking, Healthy Smoothie Recipes, and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I had a wonderful weekend spending time with my family and going shopping and now all the summer sales are happening, so it is a good time to shop! We got our new Sealy mattress, bed frame, and headboard delivered on Sunday which we purchased at Sleep Country and it is so comfortable. It is taking me awhile to get used to it though, I have a hard time sleeping on different beds or in different places right away but I know I am already adjusting to it. I am looking forward to this week, I will be working on blocking some sweater pieces finally and continuing to finish my Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief.

I have the materials all ready to begin the blocking process for the pieces of my sweater. I have the blocking mats that I bought at Walmart instead of using some more expensive blocking squares I found. I also bought some blocking pins from Walmart. They aren't the T-pins I keep seeing people use, but I will give them a try. I will be sharing my experience blocking all the sweater pieces, along with some before and after shots in the next posts.


Close-up of the pins
 I have also been knitting more of the chevron lace scarf and loving this pattern. I am looking forward to wearing it towards the end of the summer when it is a bit cooler.  I am almost finished the last section of stockinette pattern before the final garter/eyelet section and finishing section. I hope to block the kerchief next week.

To be a scarf using the chevron lace stitch pattern

Kerchief in progress, almost finished
I have still been reading Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy by Helen Fielding and Into the Water By Paula Hawkins. I have not been reading too fast these days. I think I just need to pick a time each day when I sit down and read. I can't read in the late afternoon too much or else I will get too sleepy. I am really enjoying these two books!

I tried two smoothie recipes with the new Hamilton Beach Personal Creations Blender I bought on Saturday. It works so well, and it is so powerful for such a small blender. I love it because after you blend your ingredients, you can drink right from the same cup. It is so fast and easy, and cuts back on dishes. The two smoothie recipes I found and tried this week are the Hearty Fruit and Oat Smoothie from Martha Stewart and the Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie from Gimme Some Oven. Hope you give them a try!


Hearty Fruit and Oat Smoothie:


Ingredients

Ingredients:
I split all the ingredients in half for this smoothie because I am doing a weight loss challenge which requires me to eat only two servings of fruit each day(more about the challenge below). It tasted great with half the ingredients and it was enough to eat for me.

1 cup quartered strawberries  
1 sliced banana     
¼ cup raw almonds          
12 cup old-fashioned oats        
1 cup of low-fat yogurt             

1 teaspoon maple syrup         

Method: 
put all ingredients into the blender, blend and enjoy

Recipe from Martha Stewart 

What I thought: 
I loved this smoothie, I liked the taste of the almonds and the oats mixed in with the fruit. I felt so energized after drinking this and that it would fill me up for the morning. I can see this being a good drink for when you need a quick breakfast to take with you on the go. The only thing I would change about this smoothie, would be to make it colder by adding frozen fruit or ice to the mixture.

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie


Ingredients

Ingredients:
1 large banana peeled
1 cup of ice cubes
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 heaping tbsp of peanut butter
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, store bought or homemade

Method:
put all ingredients into a blender, blend and enjoy!

Recipe from Gimme Some Oven

What I thought:
This one was my favorite. I am obsessed with peanut butter and banana, so I knew I would love it. I like that it is colder too because of the added ice. I really enjoyed drinking this smoothie for breakfast this morning and it filled me up until lunchtime. With its simple ingredients and delicious taste, I have a feeling I will being making this one a lot.

I have been still working on losing weight and getting toned by following the Cityline Weight Loss Challenge guidelines which is basically each day eat  3 protein, 3-4 fats, 1 grain (the hardest one, and no grain at dinner), eat lots of vegetables, and 2 fruits. I had fallen off the wagon a bit, but my mom and sister are also doing the plan and they encouraged me to get back on track and we have all be encouraging each other. So far I have lost 12 pounds but I feel a change recently again and I feel more motivated to resist temptation and grains at dinner so I think the loss will pick up again. I really want this for myself and I am feeling less bloated and feeling better lately which was my reason for starting.

 I still need to have my gelato in the evening sometimes!
Joining along with Frontier Dreams with Crafting On, The Little Room of Rachell with Yarning Along, AsKatKnits with Unraveled Wednesday, and Julie's Creative Lifestyle with Cooking and Crafting with J&J.

Thank you so much for dropping by! I hope you liked the post today. If you would like to keep updated on when I post, please follow me on Bloglovin' or Google Followers and you can get notifications on when I post.

Have a great day!


Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Yarn Along Wednesday: Knitlandia, Sweater Knitting, and Healthy Recipe Sharing

Hello Friends

I hope you are all doing well. I have been busy knitting up the front part of the sweater lately since I finished the back piece. I am looking forward to getting to the neckline which will be the part of the front piece which is really different from the back piece. I have also been knitting up swatches in different stitches for my Stitchy Saturday posts.
I have been reading Knitlandia by Clara Parkes. I just started reading it, and I can already tell that I will really enjoy it. I can't wait to read about all of her travels and knitting along the way.  Have any of you read it before? I am reading it on my Toronto Library account, they are affiliated with Overdrive ebooks and audiobooks so you can actually borrow books online which I find so convenient.

Knitlandia and front piece of sweater
I started the Cityline Weight Loss Challenge in January. It is a very popular weight loss challenge in the Greater Toronto Area. It is lead by Dr. Joey Shulman, who is a nutritionist and an author. I love the program so far I have been eating way healthier than before and really focusing on what I am eating. I have been drinking more green tea and herbal teas at night which is so calming. I like to drink the teas while I am knitting my sweater and watching tv. I really love some of the dishes I started making while on the plan. What I love about this plan is that it is not focused on calories but on the quality of the foods you eat that promote a balance in your blood sugar levels so you don't reach for things that will cause you to gain weight. I have also just finished reading Joey Shylman's book called "The Metabolism Boosting Diet" which offers so much more information about why we are eating certain foods and avoiding others.  I highly recommend this diet if you want to lose weight in a healthy way and also want to have more energy and feel better which is also what I have achieved from starting this diet.I will be sharing my weight loss journey with you when I am finished with before and after photos. Below are some of the recipes I have tried from Cityline.ca. I will include recipes below and links to where I found the recipes. The photos are all taken by me.

Chicken Pesto and roasted brussel sprouts (dinner) 
Pesto chicken with roasted Brussels sprouts
Ingredients:
  • 4 oz. piece of chicken
  • 1 tablespoon pesto
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1 cup Brussels sprouts, halved
  • ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Method:
Pre heat oven to 350F. Top chicken with pesto and tomatoes and coat Brussels sprouts with olive oil and sea salt.  Put everything in oven for 15-20 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink inside and brussels sprouts have softened.
GF = gluten free
recipe from Cityline
Greek Quinoa Salad (lunch)
 Greek Quinoa Salad
Serves 1
  • ½ cup cooked quinoa
  • ¼ cup green peppers
  • ¼ cup cucumbers
  • 7 black olives
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ lemon, squeezed
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 hard boiled egg, sliced in half
  • 1 tablespoon feta cheese
Method:
Add cooked quinoa into large bowl and add in peppers, cucumbers, and olives. In small bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon juice and oregano and add into large bowl. Mix everything together and top with egg and sprinkle with cheese.
Recipe from Cityline

Open-faced turkey and avocado sandwich (lunch)

Open-faced turkey and avocado sandwich 

Ingredients: 
  • 1 slice of sprouted grain toast
  • 4 oz. of nitrate-free turkey slices
  • Lettuce, tomato slices
  • Thinly sliced avocado
  • 1 tbsp light mayonnaise
  • 1/2 tbsp mustard

Recipe from Cityline



Thank you so much for visiting my blog and let me know in the comments below if you would like me to share more healthy recipes I find.


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Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Yarn Along Wednesday: Knitting Valentine Hearts

Hello Friends,


I hope you are having a good week so far. I have been busy finishing up my hat I have been knitting for a couple of weeks. I had to take it apart and redo the decrease since there are so many stitches (92!) I was not used to decreasing such a large amount of stitches, so I am still working on it.  I have also been knitting up hearts for Valentine's day which is coming up soon. This year I decided to knit up some Valentine hearts using a pattern I found on Mollie Makes blog. Please follow the link to find the pattern if you would like to make your own. I will be making some as coasters and I might attach two together to make pouches for candy as gifts to loved ones.

Hearts made from Craftsmart value yarn and using 6 mm needles.
This week I am still reading Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty. I have been enjoying the book so far and am looking forward to reading on and finding out what happens in the story.




I will be knitting up more hearts and will share them with you in an upcoming post! Thank you for visiting my blog and hope that you have a good week!


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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

A Day spent Knitting, Reading and Blogging

Hello Friends,


I hope that you are having a good day and enjoying these final days of October. Today I was spending time knitting my second sock with Charisma Heather yarn by Loops & Threads as a Christmas gift to my mom. She liked the socks I knit her last year so I am making her another pair this time in the denim color she liked. My sister also requested a pair for Christmas so I will be busy! I love this time of the year, Halloween is soon approaching with the thoughts of my favorite holiday Christmas coming in a couple of months.



I started reading a book called Zen and the Art of Knitting by Bernadette Murphy which I am really enjoying so far. I thought I would share this book because it discusses knitting as an art form, the benefits of knitting, why people knit, and shares stories about people knitting who the author has interviewed. I am excited to read more of the book, I started reading it last night and I was reading more today. Here is my cat trying to get my yarn while I take a photo!


I have been on Instagram more often now posting photos and following other people and liking their photos. I am really happy having new followers and being able to see other people's projects which they knitted or crocheted. It truly is a wonderful community and I am proud to be a part of it. You can follow me on Instagram by clicking on the link below this post :)

click here to follow me on Instagram!


Hope you all have a great day and thank you for visiting my blog!

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Friday, November 22, 2013

Kate Jacob's Friday Night Knitting Club book series

Hello Friends,


Today I decided to post about a book series that I love.  I started reading these books years ago and I have recently started reading "Knit the Season" which is pretty fitting given that it is the season and Christmas is fast approaching!  I love reading Christmas books at Christmas time it just adds to the spirit of the season.  The best book in my opinion is one that has both knitting and Christmas in ONE.  Both of my loves together.

The first two books of the series


The book Knit the Season is very good so far.  I will not say too much about what is happening so I don't give anything away for people who are just starting the series but I love the characters equally as much as in the first two books.  There have been a lot of changes but what has not changed is that they all care for each other like they are family.  They also still get together on Friday nights to knit! I sometimes wish I had a knitting club like the one in the book.  A group of friends to get together and knit with every week, sounds so comforting and sweet.  I am enjoying reading the book so far, I can't wait to see what happens !


Thank you as always for you support and kind words, I love reading your comments.

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