Fun Frugal Friday

Ahhhh… it’s almost the weekend, and you and your family/friends have been working hard all week.  Time to relax, kick back and enjoy your life a bit.  So on this first weekend of Spring (after an excruciatingly looonggg winter), what can you do that doesn’t involve a screen or a lot of money? 

How about planning a weekend picnic?  Gather family or just meet up with friends and do a pot-luck picnic in the park.  Nothing elaborate, just some sandwiches and salad – toss around a football or baseball or Frisbee, go for a walk/hike, bring the dog.  If you are blessed to own a grill and have a deck or patio or yard, grill up a yummy meal to start off the season – oh won’t it smell just grand?!?!? 

Start to look around your favorite home store like Lowes for spring flowers, bulbs, herbs.  You don’t have to buy anything – just think about what you’d like to put in a garden or flower bed and begin planning it out.  Maybe get one small little pot of daffodils or herbs to brighten up your kitchen.

Check out local activities in the newspaper or online.  Libraries, museums, zoos, nearby places of interest.  Any Spring festivals going on? 

Have an impromptu night with the girls.  Choose someone’s home, pot-luck the food, maybe do a vision board together (check out my posting on vision boards – click HERE).  You could even do it as a family, or with the hubs.  It could be a lot of fun.

If you are blessed to have a fireplace, snuggle up and make s’mores and put on some background music and just… gasp… talk!  Imagine that!

Do an old-fashioned game night with family, friends, neighbors - cards, board games, etc.  When was the last time you played Monopoly or Scrabble or gin rummy?

Make plans for lunch with friends after worship service – or invite a single person/student over to your place.  Reach out and get to know someone new and find ways to bless them this weekend.

Take your journal, a devotional book/Bible/inspirational reading, and go spend time outdoors in the local park and just “BE”!  Write down all your blessings, your hopes, dreams, prayers, goals.  Write down what you see around you – birds chirping, the flowers peeking out from their winter slumbers, new buds on the trees… be mindful and intentional of the sights, sounds, scents around you. 

Take a drive “down the shore” as we say here in New Jersey.  Walk along the boardwalk and enjoy the ocean.  I love walking along the ocean when it’s still cold, with a big cup of tea in my hand.  Ahhhh…. Let those negative ions sooth away your tension.

Whatever you choose, make it a point to be outside and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation this weekend, and spend time with those you love.  Spring is a time of rebirth, renewal and restoration.  Celebrate this season of new beginnings this weekend by loving on yourself and those around you.

Be blessed and be healthy,

Coach Linda Bush

Tickle Me Tuesday

If I live to be 120 I can’t imagine ever not loving glow-in-the-dark stuff.  I am a lover of fireflies, solar lights, campfires, fireworks, twinkle lights and anything that is beautifully and unexpectedly sparkly and bright in the night.  And with the 4^th of July only two days away, how much fun would it be to have something completely different to surprise family, kids and friends with at that picnic, campout or BBQ?  Oh heck, I admit it; I want to do this just for ME! 

Once again feeding my www.pinterest.com addiction, I came across this idea that just tickles me – Fireworks Bubbles.  Two recipes for making glow in the dark bubbles – how much fun would that be?  Naturally, you will want to alert your local neighbors and media that no, we are not experiencing an alien life form invasion!!  But imagine watching bubbles gently floating in the night sky with a soft luminosity as they dance on the dark night breeze!  I have always loved bubbles as well – I’m fascinated as they swirl and play with rainbows skimming the surface until they finally pop in celebration.

Now, the small trick to these bubbles is using either glow-in-the-dark paint, or the “innards” of a glow stick.  That being said, you need to let your recipe sit in jars for 24 hours before using, so you will want to get this party started either today or tomorrow so your nifty night surprise will be ready for July 4^th!  Hmmm… I wonder if it’s possible to find red and blue glow-in-the-dark paint?  Ah, no matter, as long as they glow. (P.S. if you are running short on time or just want a shortcut recipe, check out the end of the blog posting for a shorter method!)

Thanks to www.budget101.com for a great idea - be sure to surf over to see all their offerings!

So, exercise your crafty muscles, and whip up a batch of Fireworks Bubbles to delight your inner child as well as everyone else.  Remember, part of enjoying life is to find enchantment and pleasure in simple things each day!  

Blessings (and bubbles of joy),

Coach Linda

You can find this article by clicking on this link:  

http://www.budget101.com/4th-july/fireworks-bubbles-glow-dark-bubble-recipe-3862.html

You'll Need:

* 1 cup water
* 1 Tablespoon Dawn dish soap
* 1 Teaspoon of glycerin
* straw or bubble wand
* 1 clean glove (or sock) - (this is to keep the bubble from popping)
* 2 Tbs Water Based Glow in the Dark Paint

First, let me start of by saying, if you know that you have Hard or Soft water you'll need to use Distilled water instead. If you have nice spring water that isn't loaded with chemicals or minerals, use your tap water.

Glycerin can be found in the pharmacy section of most big box stores such as Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, etc. It's relatively cheap and lasts forever.

Mix water, Dish soap and glycerin in a jar until well combined, divide in half into 2 jars. Add 1 Tbs Water Based Glow paint to each jar (to make 2 different colors!), mix well.

Cover and let jars set for 24 hours before using.

Place jar in the sunlight if possible several hours before blowing bubbles.

Alternate Recipe Using a Glow Stick:

* 1 cup water
* 1 Tablespoon Dawn dish soap
* 1 Teaspoon of glycerin
* 1 Glow Stick
* straw or bubble wand

Mix water, Dish soap and glycerin in a jar until well combined. Cover jar and let set 24 hours.

Just prior to use activate a glow stick, carefully cut the end off and pour it into the bubble mixture. Stir well & Blow Bubbles!

Do it and share it even if you don't have kids - it's FUN!!!!!

Feel Good Fun Friday

Today I’d like to talk about doing little things that make you feel good, happy and perhaps give you a booster in self-confidence and accomplishment.  It doesn’t have to be a mammoth project or tackling a big bahonkin’ goal in 24 hours or as a weekend warrior.  I think sometimes we take on the world in our never-ending task list called life and wind up feeling defeated, discouraged and depressed when we don’t accomplish every single nitty-gritty “every T crossed every I dotted” line item.  I’m the worst offender when it comes to making the impossible mile-long task list that I probably couldn’t accomplish in a full week, and of course I expect, no… demand of myself that I SHOULD do it all, without effort.  I set myself up for failure and then feel lousy about myself when it’s not all done.  I become my own worst enemy and sometimes allow myself to feel so completely overcome that I go into analysis paralysis and the only thing I achieve is a big fat check off on the procrastination task – THAT I manage to do effortlessly… then hop on the guilt train to Bluesville where my esteem gets smaller by the minute, and my self-criticism grows at the speed of light.  Anybody out there relate?

Several weekends ago I accomplished a small something of which I’m really proud – I made gravy from scratch… yep, I made an old-fashioned roux from drippings, butter and flour, then added skim milk, horseradish and seasonings.  Now mind you, I realize this is not the healthiest of things to eat on a regular basis, but you know I believe that when you basically eat “clean” most of the time, there’s nothing wrong with having anything in moderation periodically.  I love to cook and bake, and thanks to an admitted addiction to the Food Network, I am learning some of the finer points of culinary skills, from the basics up.  Thanks to some help from Trisha Yearwood and Ree Drummond, my Valentine’s Day dinner was filet mignon (with said gravy), baby purple potatoes (seriously, they were my favorite color purple – could it get any better???), asparagus bundles wrapped in bacon, and pumpkin mousse parfaits (my very own recipe).  And… Sunday lunch was leftover roasted chicken quesadillas with fresh sautéed veggies, a hint of bacon bits (okay, I love bacon, what can I say?), horseradish cheese and kissed with a topping of salsa and a baby tomato slice.  I’m telling you, I feel like Julia Child!  I had soooo much fun just flitting around the kitchen adding this, stirring that and loving the wonderful smells and warmth.  It was absolutely therapeutic and I was giddy with a sense of culinary accomplishment.

Perhaps this sounds silly to you, and that’s totally okay – you may have other endeavors that jazz you and float your boat – cool beans!  The point I’m trying to make is that you need to do something that might seem small to you, but makes you feel terrific, even if it’s just taking 15 minutes to clean a disorganized spot, or finally tackling the beginning of a big project.  Maybe it’s just getting out of bed and showering and facing your day.  The fact is, you did it, and that’s a very good thing.  So exercise your “I’m going to do this seemingly teensy-tiny thing that will make me smile from the inside out” task today.  It will leave you with a HUGE sense of happy.

Blessings,
Coach Linda Bush