Inspired Minute – Craft, Kids, Health, Money, Self, Gift, Community and more!
When a special occasion, such as a holiday or birthday arrives at our house, my husband and I like to make moist, rich Red Velvet Cake Balls from scratch.
If we are short on time, however, we do not hesitate to use our time-saving alternative recipe.
Either way, Red Velvet Cake Balls are a favorite in our family and I am happy to share our recipes and tricks in hopes that they become a favorite of yours, too. Read more…
As parents, spouses, children and friends, we are always so concerned with those around us, but often lose sight of taking care of the person that matters most.
However, as we have heard repeatedly…
“You first have to love yourself before you can truly love someone else.”
For those who rarely think of themselves and might be unsure of where to start, I have come up with a list of “10 Ways to Love Yourself First.” Read more…
In honor of Lincoln’s birthday and in celebration of Valentine’s week, I came up with a new twist on writing “love” letters.
Instead of just writing love notes to my family this year, I should write letters of appreciation to the great leaders who have added “life to my years.”
This includes the teachers, preachers and mentors, who have taught me valuable lessons and have helped make me the person that I am today. Read more…
“And in the end it’s not the years in your life that count.
It’s the life in your years.”
˜
Abraham Lincoln
Being a mom who loves to celebrate Valentine’s Day with her children just as much as she does with her husband, I am always on the look out for something fun, different, and inexpensive that I can do for the kids.
Last year I discovered Candy Bouquets and made one for each of my children, personalizing it with a special surprise in the bottom. Read more…
Presented with a challenge to come up with an easy way to avoid repeating outfits for important events, I decided that my write-on clothes hanging tag idea would work perfectly.
I also discovered that with a little modification, the clothes tags would work wonderfully to organize my kid’s clothes for the week, while teaching them to read and spell. Read more…
With all of the professional and personal demands placed on us, it is more important now than ever, to get work goals and tasks accomplished while at work, so that personal goals can be achieved and chores can be completed at home.
Having worked in several professional offices and now from home, I have learned that regardless of the location, the same tips apply to getting the most out of your work day.
These are my 5 Tips to Get the Most out of Your Work Day. Read more…
Just imagine all the long “discussions” that could be avoided, time wasted shopping that could be saved, and hurt feelings that could be spared, if we each just had a box with gift ideas for ourselves in it.
Now imagine how simple gifting for family members could be, if they each had one, too.
This article explains how to create a Gift Ideas Box not just for you, but encourages you to have one for you spouse and kids, too. Read more…
Thanks to a creative “pinner,” I decided to take a wonderful idea and spin it into a general behavior modification technique that I can use with my children.
All that is required is a see-through box, lock, friendly reminder note and resolution log.
This new method will help my children understand the consequences of their actions and give them a direct path, in writing, as to how to remedy the situation. Read more…
Years ago I found and printed a poem that helped remind me to focus on one of my most important priorities…my children.
I kept it in papers that I reviewed weekly until I recently began thinking that it was not getting enough exposure.
That’s when I decided for it to have the greatest effect that I would frame it and give it a prominent place on my desk. Read more…
Bacon-Wrapped Little Smokies are the perfect treat for any occasion….a cookout, holiday party, kid’s birthday, or Sunday afternoon football marathon.
With few ingredients required and a short list of directions, they are practically fool-proof and come out great every time.
Here’s how we make them. Read more…
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I wanted to give my husband a gift this year that was a little different than the usual “I love you” accompanied by a card.
I decided that for the two weeks leading up to the big day, I would do special things to show him how I feel.
Taking into account that my actions would need to be out of the ordinary for him to even notice, these are some of the ideas that I came up with to say, “I love you,” without using words. Read more…
One of the main reasons for my day-to-day organizational success is my smart phone’s calendar feature.
The more I have learned to effectively use this feature, the more my productivity level has increased.
Here are some suggestions of tasks and reminders that can be added to your calendar that will help organize your life by making your smart phone work harder for you. Read more…
As I looked at the long blank wall in the family room, my mind raced with decorating ideas that could fill the void.
It wasn’t until I found inspiration from a frame on an oil painting, that I decided I would design a wall decor vignette that I could “frame” in a style and hue similar to that seen on the painting.
With a sense of direction and a free afternoon, this is how I completed my Framed Wall Decor Feature project. Read more…
Once I started researching the best ways to break bad habits, I realized that science teaches that habits can not be broken, only changed.
After learning about the two foremost premises behind this theory, I was able to discover new ways to focus on changing behaviors through substitutions and by avoiding triggers.
These are a few of the methods that I’ve found that really seem to help change some of my less than impressive habits. Read more…