Our Dining Room

Although I may not be a design pro, I have found it extremely therapeutic to piece together various rooms in our new home. In our dining room I was going for a rustic beach look. This is what I created and how it stands before the upcoming kitchen remodel (window coverings to come...)


  

(Images via traveltalkteach)

Happy Friday!!!

Forgive Yourself Today ♥

"When you hold onto the past with bitterness and anger and don't allow yourself to experience the present moment, you are wasting today. If you hold onto bitterness and grudges for a long time, it has to do with forgiving yourself, not the other person. If you hold onto old hurts, you punish yourself in the here and now. Often, you sit in a prison of self-righteous resentment. Do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy? Forgive yourself and stop punishing yourself."- Author Unknown

Happy Thursday!!!

Monday Mood Modifier

Everyone needs live plants in their home and most importantly a money tree. The braided money tree is a fixture of Feng Shui and symbolizes good fortune. For those like myself that lack the "green thumb" this is the perfect starter plant because it is difficult to kill and requires little water :). Not only are live plants beautiful, research has shown that they have healing powers. Studies on hospital patients found that patients exposed to live plants experienced a decrease in blood pressure, reduction in stress and reduced muscle tension. Additionally, patients were found to have a quicker recovery and needed less pain medication when they had a view of greenery and plants. Brilliant!

Here are some photos of my money tree and a succulent that I received as a housewarming gift:

(Money Tree from Ikea)

Happy Monday!!!

Aquarium Therapy

Need a new way to help reduce stress and anxiety??? Head to your local Petco with a few dollars in hand and invest in some fish! Studies have revealed that simply watching fish swim in an aquarium can help reduce blood pressure, stress, anxiety and increase ones' ability to relax. Furthermore, research on Alzheimer's patients who were exposed to aquaria were shown to need fewer nutritional supplements than those patients who were not exposed. Fascinating huh?

These little creatures not only have significant health benefits, they also add unbelievable colors and aesthetic value to your home. For a grand total of $12 I got a beautiful glass fish bowl, a turquoise Beta fish (to match my color scheme), turquoise and blue gravel and some fish food! I named my fish "Vida" with the intention of getting his sister "Pura" as in "Pura Vida". Unfortunately Beta's are fighter fish that need their own territory so Pura will have to have her own bowl or wait until the hubby builds a divider for Vida's bowl. Vida lives in his little bowl on our entry table:

Happy Sunday Funday!!!!

This is why I love traveling...

China never ceases to amaze me...

http://www.wimp.com/vegetablemarket/

These are some photos of my drive through Guatemala with a similarly absurd highway setup. The local market is so important that they only leave room for one car to drive through the center of it at a time :)...

Are you puzzled about why you are cranky???

This article provides a great reminder about things you can do to avoid those unbearable moods and crankiness.

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/healthieryou/6-surprising-reasons-cranky

Happy Sunday!!!