DIY Closet

    My mediation dyi project this week was changing a cabinet into a closet for my son. I used an old glass cabinet from Ikea. The only thing I had to invest in was a bed sheet for $9 from Target to cover the doors. I used a staple gun to fasten it.

    I actually like this closet better since I can now easily see all the clothes. I discovered that I don't have to go school shopping since he has everything he needs! A win win all around!

    I love the result!

    closet

    closet

    closet

    closet

DIY Coffee Table

    Remeber the table I've been working on? Previous post here

    It took more than a couple of weekends, but it's now complete! My new diy coffee table. I'm very happy with the result. Creating and building things is my meditation. I love coming up with the idea and I love to process of creating something. This is a major contributor to my quality of life. What is your contributors?

    DIY table

    DIY table 2

Pure happiness

.We got back from vacation this weekend. Our trip to Sweden couldn't have been better. It was relaxing, we got to meet family and all of our friends, and we enjoyed a lot of time outdoors.

One day we went to a farm where we got to go on a ride with a horse and old milk carriage. We went around the village and forest for almost an hour. It was like stepping back in time. It was so beautiful and I felt so grateful for that moment. I remembered thinking that I need to remember that feeling when I get back to work. Pure happiness.

My son and daughter on the milk carriage.

hourse ride

Feng Shui Makeover - happiness

.I'm continuing my Feng Shui journey to improve happiness. I've found that soothing sounds of nature make for a calming environment and impact happiness. Try to create a playlist of natural sounds; gentle ocean waves, mountain streams, birds, a gentle breeze through the trees etc. When you listen to sounds of nature, your heart rate slows down, your breathing becomes more expansive and your nerves are calmed. It's important that it is a recording that’s made from the actual sounds of nature (not electronically produced), since the life-force energy flowing from natural surroundings will be healing for your body and mind. When your space is calm, your thoughts slow down and you can begin to hear the guidance from your soul.

We've started playing nature sounds and calming music every evening, and we've found that the entire family is calmer. Dinner time and homework is a calm experience now = happiness.

beach

Ketogenic salad - Green Bean Salad with Blue Cheese, Bacon, and Pecans

.Here is a great salad that will compliment Sunday's dinner well. Hope you have a great weekend and enjoy the holiday!

Green Bean Salad with Blue Cheese, Bacon, and Pecans 4 servings

Prep time: 5 min Cook time: 25 min Total time: 30 min

Ingredients • ½ pound of green beans • 5 pieces of bacon • 3.5 oz. crumbled blue cheese • ¼ cup pecans • Black pepper (to taste)

Directions 1. Rinse the beans and cut off the ends. 2. Set a pot of water to boil. Add green beans to boiling water and boil for 2 minutes. 3. Rinse the beans with cold water or put them in a bowl with ice cubes to cool down. 4. Drain the beans and place them in a serving bowl. 5. Chop the bacon and set aside. 6. Meanwhile, heat up a frying pan on medium heat. 7. Add the bacon and fry until crisp. 8. Place the bacon on some paper towels on a plate to drain excess fat. 9. Heat up a dry non-stick pan on medium heat and roast the pecans quickly (make sure they don’t burn). 10. Mix the green beans and bacon in the bowl and sprinkle with the cheese; serve. Enjoy!

bean salad

Feng Shui Makeover - your career

.Time for another feng shui post. This is about your career.

By updating our office space we can attract success in our careers:

- Personalize your office space and express who you are. - Add career inspiration to your office. Add photos of people who inspire you, or classical feng shui career success images such as a running horse. - Make sure the energy can flow through your office by keeping it clean and organized. - Move your desk so that you don't sit with your back to the door or the window. - Stimulate creativity by adding vibrant colors. - Keep healthy green plants in your office to purify the air and bring fresh and vibrant energy. - Adding a map of the world in your office is a good feng shui cure to open up your career path to more possibilities.

My home office. The room has four doors so it's impossible to not have my back to the door. We will see how it will impact my career...

office

Home project

.What do you do with a room that has 3 doors, a window, a staircase and is too small for any furniture? You turn it into a library! Here is my latest home project.

Before - walls filled with wholes and old paint. The room didn't have a purpose.

library before

Added four layers of ultra pure white...

paint

library before

After. A new closet, plenty of space for books and a new light in the window for extra light for piano playing.

library after

library after

library after

Stellibell home project

.Can't let the week pass by without a home project. This week's project was to paint the legs on this bench which I built a couple of years ago. I painted them white (they used to be brown) to go with the rest of the colors in the dining room. Which are...you guessed it! White! My favorite color.

There is nothing better for the soul then a little home project!

paint project

bench

Bench 1

Kicking of the weekend

.It's Friday! It's time to kick of the weekend!

Growing up my parents did a great job of kicking of the weekends on Fridays so that we all started relaxing and got ready to enjoy a couple of days off. My dad would cook a nice meal and my mom would clean up and light some candles. We would all hang out and play a game or watch a movie together. I think this is a great way to make sure everyone relaxes a little after a stressful week and enjoy some time together.

I want to continue this tradition in my family so my husband and I try to do this every Friday, but it's tough sometimes with a busy schedule. Sometimes Friday nights is the only night we have time to go to the grocery store. Depressing but true.

But tonight I'm going to serve some delish ketogenic snacks - parmesan chips, dip and olives - and kick off a great weekend. What are your plans?

Happy Friday!

Chips and dip

Gratitude and happiness

.Phd. Robert A. Emmons recently conducted a study on gratitude at UC Davis which proved measurable benefits on psychological, physical, and interpersonal health for subjects who practice gratitude. He wrote that "Evidence on gratitude contradicts the widely held view that all people have a 'set-point' of happiness that cannot be reset by any known means." That means you can actually be happier if you practice gratitude. Gratitude and happiness - now proven by science.

So what are you thankful for today?

- Your family - Your friends - The nice weather - The smile you just got from someone - The great cup of coffee you are enjoying right now

So many things to be grateful for, and remember, it's the little things that make a big difference. So say thank you every day and let's live!

Oprah pinterest

Quality of life for everyone

.Last week’s events and this past weekend has made me reflect on my life and made me so appreciative about what life has given me.

As I mentioned earlier, last week I was fortunate to hear Jessika Kensky speak. Jessica was one of the victims in last year’s Marathon Bombing here in Boston. On Saturday my co-leader Jennifer and I volunteered at a local soup kitchen with our Girl Scout troop. The day was very humbling and rewarding. It made me not only very thankful for what I have, but it also made me realize that we have a responsibility to use what we have been given in life. Use it to help others. Part of that means to take care of yourself, so that you can take care of others. Taking the time to exercise doesn’t mean that you are selfish.

Take a moment today to say thank you, and then take care of yourself so that you can take care of others. Quality of life for everyone.

Let’s live!

Enjoy life to the fullest

.I went to the AdClub's women's leadership forum in Boston yesterday. It was fantastic. The speakers really made a big impression on me. It made me think about what quality of life really means and what Stellibell is all about. One of the speakers was Jessica Kensky. Jessica and her husband Patrick were both victims of the Boston Marathon bombing last year. They both lost their left leg in the bombing and has since the event been grappling with the enormity of all they have lost. Things we all take for granted; our legs, future plans, independence, ability to work, housing etc.

I'm on a daily mission of creating quality of life because I want to enjoy life to the fullest. Jessica's story and journey of personal triumphs and challenges reminded me of what is the most important part of creating quality of life. I still think that life in today's society is a constant battle which is why I provide all tips and services I can to make life easier, but it's also crucial to stop in our hectic life look around and appreciate everything we have. Life is wonderful and we don't know what is going to happen tomorrow, so let's live!

What are you thankful for today?

Reward healthy eating

.Rewarding your child with food doesn’t promote a healthy relationship to food. Therefore Stellibell has developed a point system you can use to reward healthy eating. Every time your child tries or eats a new or healthy food give him/her points.

Create a chart for tracking together with your child. Have fun and decorate it with stickers, glitter etc. You also need to decide what the price is when your child has met the points goal. A great goal is something you can do together - go to the book store and buy her/his favorite book, go to the movies or show etc.

Based on the points below, 100 points is a good goal.

Trying a new food (even if it's just a bite) = 5 pts Eating most the veggies/fruits = 4 pts Eating most of the protein = 3 pts Helping with the cooking = 3 pts Cleaning up the table = 3pts

The most important step, have fun!!