Friday Faves – Edition 23

Friday.

Edition 23.

This week has been a strange week for me. But here we are on Friday! And I definitely have some faves to share today!

Big Mr was invited to go to Myrtle Beach with a friend (luuuckyyyy) and left on Saturday. He’ll finally return home sometime tomorrow. Mr. D is helping his dad rebuild the entry. And of course, as it is with most home projects, under the surface were more problems (I think there’s some kind of correlation to life in this truth). Anyways, it’s a big project, but they are making steady progress. Miss Sunshine has had a social-filled week.

Declutter.

On Monday and Tuesday, I was the decluttering queen. Purging left and right… mostly papers! I finished up the laundry (which is usually a never-ending cycle, so I was pleased as it would set Wednesday up quite nicely). I thought people might like to eat so I did a little grocery shopping.

Have you ever been at the store and something jump out and say you need to eat this? No, not chocolate! Something you think is a little strange that you’re craving and something you’ve had about twice in your life.

Well maybe you haven’t, but I did.

Radishes.

And it was radishes! Radishes! I thought they might be tasty on my salad. I almost didn’t get them, but I have a tendency to listen to my body. And if it said radishes, it must want some nutrient found in them.

I looked up their benefits and found that they contain folate, potassium, riboflavin, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, copper, manganese, and of course, fiber.

I’ve been adding them to my salads and they’ve been very tasty. I did not expect to like them because they can be hot. These happened to be pretty mild.

What about you? Do you like radishes?

Camera Controls.

I’ve spent some time trying to learn the different controls on my Sony Alpha this week. I’m still having an issue figuring out how to change the aperture, so I will be digging into the operating manual. I was very used to my Nikon’s controls, so I was a little frustrated by not being able to have this camera do what I wanted.

Since my children weren’t around, Maverick got to be my test subject. However, sitting still when outdoors isn’t his strong point! But, oh my goodness! That face!

Speaking of faces…

TruSelf Organics.

Miss Sunshine mentioned facial masks. And it got me thinking… while not perfect, I am conscientious about her toxic load.

I remembered that I had won this skincare set by TruSelf Organics on an Instagram giveaway (and ya’ll, I never win anything!) It came in right before my trip to Europe and then life was busy so I haven’t had a chance to test it out.  I’m excited to try it because it says that its made with organic ingredients and has no parabens, no sulfates, no bad stuff. Perfect for my preferences for Miss Sunshine! And while I’m at it… me too.

Also, their products are cruelty-free and according to the FAQs, with the exception of their raw honey lip gloss, they are vegan-friendly.

Plus their mission is about #selflove. And I know that I could stand to learn a little about that!

I shared on yesterday’s post that I took Wednesday off.

Downtime.

I blew bubbles on the back porch every time I took the dog outside.

I stayed away from social media.

And the biggest reason that I stepped away from that space for the day was that I was beginning to base my self-worth on whether or not people liked me enough. It takes work to build something out of nothing. I get that. I have no problem with working hard. But the follow/unfollow game made me feel like I was a pawn in somebody’s game.  The up and down numbers, the need for constant usage to hope to be seen in the algorithm, basing the quality of my photography on whether I garnered enough likes… it made me feel like I was in high school again, hoping to be popular (for the record, I was not. I’ve even given serious thought to throwing out my yearbooks during my decluttering because of the negative memories they dredge up. But there were good times and good friends as well, so for now, they still remain on the shelf).

I needed to step back and assess whether I was still finding joy in social media.

I did post yesterday, but I will be conscientious in the future of what I’m allowing to have power over my thoughts. Positive thoughts lead to a positive life. Numerous studies show that what we tell ourselves about ourselves is what we come to believe.

My mother posted this photo of me in Glasgow on her Facebook page. And while I wanted to pick it apart because I am hypercritical of myself… I’m sharing it because of what she said:

Of all the photo’s I took in Scotland this is my personal favorite. It reminds me of “Audrey Hepburn” in a classic photo.

And so I decided to see myself through her eyes. 

And I felt beautiful.

Our words can have such an impact on somebody’s life.

Vision Board.

I decided to start collecting images or words to create a vision or dream board. Granted, I only have Yoga Journal magazines available right now, but the image on the left was the first that I tore out. That night, mere hours later, I kid you not, I walked into my room and the magazine on my nightstand was open to the page of the ad in the middle. I think the Universe is trying to tell me something. The only other photo I have so far is the long exposure shot of a rushing stream. It was a soothing photo. The article with it was quite interesting as well. It talked about how we shouldn’t meditate in complete silence because silence increases our instincts of listening for danger.

I wonder what photos I’ll end up adding.

Have you ever created a vision or dream board? Did you notice a pattern?

Music

My song this week, I stumbled across some weeks ago. I’ve been waiting until the time I felt was the moment to share it. I looked up the inspiration behind the lyrics and found it’s about the human instinct of fear and conformity rather than risk. This version has people talking about “what it means to be human”. It speaks to my soul every time I watch it. I hope it speaks to yours as well.

As you go into the weekend, I hope that you’ll take a moment to have your eyes meet those of a stranger. An entire conversation of kindness and compassion can be had in just that moment.

Everyone wants to know they have worth.

Show them that they do.

Let your light shine!

Amy