Happy Friday!

So many of you enjoyed the postcard last week that I thought I'd share some more tulips.

From the back of the postcard:

"Cut flowers from Washington's Skagit Valley are shipped overnight across the United States almost year-round."

Roozengaarde Garden, Mount Vernon, Washington

The photograph was taken by Jon Gnass/Gnass Photo Images

A big thank you to the lovely Beth for being our hostess each week for

Postcard Friendship Friday.

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Sometimes Tiny Buddha just hits the nail on the head. I have edited the original down, but I wanted to share with you:


YOUR MOST IMPORTANT TO-DO LIST

This is a contribution by Jen Saunders

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” ~Pericles

Every day we are swamped by tasks. Catch up on work. Buy groceries. Reply to those emails. Do the housework. Hand in that project. Pick up the dry-cleaning. Make that appointment. Go to the gym.

The constant connection to social media, as amazing and valuable as it can be, adds even more tiny tasks to our never-ending to-do-lists. Upload. Download. Tweet. Reply. Blog. Comment. Follow. Pin. Update. Check-in. Watch. Like. Read. Send.

With all these never-ending tasks consuming me all day, it’s easy to become stressed, irritable, and negative, and to forget what is most important: love, happiness, kindness, laughter, and gratitude.

YOUR MOST IMPORTANT TO-DO LIST:

1. Smile at yourself.

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh

How many times do you see your reflection in a day? And how many times do you see yourself actually looking happy?

Smiling at yourself can make you feel just as good as when someone else smiles at you. You smile at your friends, your family, colleagues, peers, even strangers, so why not show that same love to yourself?

2. Smile at others.

“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” ~Mother Teresa

There’s a pretty good chance that anyone you smile at will smile right back at you. (And if they don’t, keep smiling anyway!)

Whether you smile at a loved one or smile at a stranger, it’s a great happiness booster for all involved. It will leave you feeling so good about yourself that you won’t be able to wipe the smile off of your beautiful face!

3. Commit an act of kindness.

“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” ~Lao Tzu

Give up your seat on the bus. Pay for the order of the person behind you in line at Starbucks. Buy someone flowers. Give compliments. Leave a love note on a bathroom mirror or on a seat on a train or in a clothing store fitting room.

Today, with the awesomeness of social media, you can perform a kind act for a stranger without even leaving the house! A great example of this is the DropALoveBomb crew, who write supportive comments every week on the blogs of people going through a tough time.

Whatever you do, being kind to others is a win-win situation, and one kind act can often lead to another—and another, and another—creating a ripple effect of kindness and love.

4. Laugh.

“A smile starts on the lips, a grin spreads to the eyes, a chuckle comes from the belly; but a good laugh bursts forth from the soul, overflows, and bubbles all around.” ~Carolyn Birmingham

Everyone loves to laugh, and with all the scientific research showing just how much we benefit from it, there’s no reason not to enjoy a good giggle everyday.

Watch your favourite funny movie or sitcom, hang out with that friend who always puts you in hysterics, or search for “laughing baby” or “sneezing panda” on YouTube, and let the soulful laughs roll!

5. Say thank you.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~Melody Beattie

Taking time every day to think of, or write down, everything you are grateful is an amazing way to boost your happiness and see the world in a more positive light.

Gratitude shared is even better, so say thank you to someone who helped you out.

Thank whatever higher power your heart connects with, for all the blessings in your life today, and for all the blessings that are on their way.

At the end of your day, whether you have completed all your tasks or not, if you have checked everything off this to-do list, you have succeeded.

***

I need to eat more veggies. A baseball buddy told me about Farmhouse Delivery. I could have veggies in season delivered to my front door every other week. Everything is organic, grown locally on small to medium sized farms. This is my first bushel and I'm eating well! Mustard greens, spinach, arugula, purple carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, a head of cabbage, oranges, grapefruit and tomatoes! The tomatoes didn't last two days. They were so sweet and delicious ... just the way home grown fresh tomatoes should be. The grapefruit disappeared quickly, too. I am enjoying the greens and am going to try the Arugula And Pasta recipe on the Farmhouse website. That's the other thing that I like. Farmhouse provides hints on how to store the veggies and lots of recipes to try.

Arugula Pasta with Bacon and Parmesan


1 pound fettucine or spaghetti
1/4 c. chopped green garlic
1 strip bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/4 c. grated parmesan
2 c. arugula
olive oil

Saute bacon in small skillet and cook till just done; place in large bowl with arugula. Use same skillet to saute green garlic and add to bowl with grated parmesan. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente. Drain and reserve 1/2 c. pasta cooking water. Add pasta and water to bowl with arugula and toss all together. Season wit salt and pepper. Easy!!

But veggies aren't the only things available at Farmhouse. I can order dairy products, grass fed beef, lamb, pork, chickens, eggs, bread, desserts! Oh, my! I'll be sticking to veggies while I find my way around Farmhouse.

Thank you to my baseball buddy and thank you to Farmhouse Delivery!

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled weekend!