An inviting place for individuals to share inspiring ideas
Boy do I love this cornbread recipe!! I got it from my little {6’0} brother who lives half way around the world from me. It is so awesome I knew I had to share!!
Easy Cornbread
Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a greased 13 x 9 -inch pan. Bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes at 375 degrees.
Butter and eat while hot!!
:)
Robynn
There are so many moments when I look into my daughter’s eyes and see glimpses of the past where I almost feel like I am looking at myself and am overcome with a feeling of “I’ve seen that face before.” Then there are times when my mind shifts to a place where I wonder what the future will be like for my little princess. This Mother’s Day, we would like to share some of our favorite MoThEr & DaUgHtEr MoMeNtS with you!
~Robyn (Jersey Girl)
We couldn’t think of a more fitting song for such a special day…please enjoy one of our FaVoRiTeS!
In My Daughter’s Eyes by Martina McBride
HaPpY MoThEr’S DaY
Do you have a desire to try something new or achieve a lifelong dream but can’t muster up enough CouRage to give it a try? At the beginning of the movie “The Mighty Macs” the woman asks two questions that I will never forget:
Could I deal with rejection and temporary pain
OR
Should I suffer a life filled with regret because I was afraid to take the risk?
I can think of numerous times that I tried to talk myself out of trying something new because I feared negative feedback, failure or embarrassment. I have learned that these brief moments of feeling uncomfortable are well worth the satisfaction and confidence you experience by working toward something you LOVE.
I have been running my Letter Block Shop business for almost 4 years now. I can honestly say that majority of the days I LOVE what I do and get excited to watch how much it has grown. It is only a handful of days per year that I actually experience the “not fun/uncomfortable” stuff. Wouldn’t you say it is well worth it? The good days definitely outweigh the bad!
So, what are you waiting for? Don’t live a life filled with regret! Take the risk and start Living-It today!
~Lara
I couldn’t let the week go by without sending out a great BIG ThAnK YoU to all of our readers who are teachers! As our country celebrates National Teacher Appreciation Week I want to remind you all that whether you are teaching first graders (as I did for 8 years!), Sunday school, high school, music, art, coaching little league, teaching your granddaughter to sew, or your children how to plant a garden…YoU ArE making a difference in the life of a child!
A truly special teacher is very wise, and sees tomorrow in every child’s eyes. ~Author Unknown
~Robyn (Jersey Girl)
If you’ve been following the Suede Sofa, you are no doubt familiar with what we call the “LiVe-It LiSt” which is similar to a bucket list but with the focus on living every day to the full rather than on dying. With the “Live-It List” I was DeTeRmiNeD to take care of all my “unfinished business” in 2012. One of those items was to PubLiSh a book that has been saved on my computer for nearly three years. Well, I can now check that item off my list. My books were delivered to my house this past Friday. What made this accomplished goal even SwEeTeR is that my family, father-in-law, and Lara’s family were there to witness me cutting open the box and seeing my book for the very first time. A very sweet moment indeed.
My book, “The Truth Behind Real Success”, compares the definition of success given to us by our society and culture with that of real, AuThEnTiC success. For more information you can check it out at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com
Do you make decisions based on the people around you? DeeP dOwN did you decide to buy a new car because all your friends and family recently upgraded theirs? Did you put your kid in t-ball because you felt the pressure from the other parents? Have you recently felt the need to go on an extreme diet because you bumped into an old classmate that lost a bunch of weight?
Whether it is what you buy, the vocation you choose, how you raise your kids, or the way you live your life, we must ask ourselves this question:
If I couldn’t see others and what they are doing, would I still be making the same decisions?
So many times we forget to think on our own because we are heavily influenced by other people. Doug and I talk about this a lot. In our decison making we have to constantly remind ourselves that, if we didn’t care what others thought, would we still go down the same path?
Taking buying a home for example. Would you have purchased your home if you didn’t know what type of home everyone else lived in? Without thinking about it, you went house hunting feeling obligated to want certain things because you knew what other people have. Even though they weren’t there, the influence talked you into buying an expensive home, and you are left with the stress of keeping up with the payments. (If you are in a financial struggle, read our finance posts for help)
When you are at a crossroad to make a decision, ask yourself WHO you are doing it for. Like a race horse with blinders on, tune out what’s going on around you and focus on what YOU want. It isn’t always easy, but living YOUR life will be the ulimate pRiZe when reaching the finish line.
~Lara
Tired of keeping up with the Jonses? Read my post called Goodbye Jonses! Hello Freedom!
Have you stayed focused on the goals you set for yourself to accomplish before the summer months hit? Are there areas you need to target as the weather warms up and the BBQ’s get grilling? I think we all start out with great intentions to succeed, but somehow LiFe just gets in the way of achieving our goals.
For me the struggle continues to be diet and exercise. I’m not going to lie…It’s been weeks since I wrote a post about starting The Lazy Girls Workout and this lazy girl has not worked out OnCe since that day. That is unless you count a few games of freeze tag around the yard with my son, but other than that…NoThInG!
I think when life gets too hectic to find time for ourselves or when we are finding it hard to get moving (in my case literally GeT MoViNg!) it is important to find things to use a motivators. For me it is going to be my new right out of the box Lands End bathing suit. Don’t give up on your goals…we all have time to get back in the GaMe!
~Robyn (Jersey Girl)
I must admit I’m not a big fish person. But when Scott came up with this twist on fish tacos I knew this was one fish recipe I could enjoy. (It’s healthy too!)
Fish Tacos
Makes about 6 tacos.
1.) Corn Tortillas – Scott made these from scratch. (Just follow the directions on the back of corn masa flour if you want the more authentic version.)
2.) Fish
Salt fish before dredging in flour. Saute in olive oil on high heat (about 2 minutes/side) until browned.
3.) Greek Yogurt Sauce
4.) Slaw
Dice your vegetables.
Assemble.
Enjoy!!
:)
Robynn~
I recently read a facebook post from a college friend. Much like the writers of this blog, she is a “get real” kind of gal. This week she decided to go against the status quo and post the top ten “not so appealing” qualities about herself and her daily life. I know I share many HONEST moments with you, but thought this may be a different and fun way for you to learn more about the “not so appealing” parts of me! So here it goes…
1) I spend most days wearing the same outfit I wore to bed the night before (usually a t-shirt and sweats).
2) Many days I don’t look in the mirror or get around to brushing my teeth until after lunchtime.
3) Even though I was a major neat freak growing up, I go to bed with a messy house and dirty piles of laundry in my bedroom.
4) I have a major sweet tooth and often eat milk and cookies within an hour of going to bed!
5) I yell at my kids when I’m stressed.
6) I am not a very good gift giver. I’m lucky enough if I remember to buy a person a card for a special occasion.
7) I get cold sores when I am stressed and am extremely embarrassed to go out in public when I get them.
8) I eat when I am anxious, bored, upset, sad, happy….you name it! I even eat after I am already stuffed.
9) I rarely mop the floor, even when I know guests are coming! I find it pointless since the kids will spill something on it within minutes anyway.
10) I don’t wear sunscreen every time I step out the door, even though I already had 4 pre-cancerous moles surgically removed.
11) I let my kids eat leftover homemade cookies for breakfast when I’m too lazy to make them oatmeal.
12) When I am on the phone I allow my kids get into all sorts of things they aren’t supposed to–whatever I can do to keep them distracted.
13) I make mistakes in my business (www.letterblockshop.com). When I mess up an order I obsess about it for hours and feel like a failure. No business is perfect.
14) Even as a grown woman, I use to be scared to stay home alone (at night) when Doug was away on business trips.
15) I always feel like I have weight to lose and areas on my body that need toned…yet…I rarely do anything about it (I hate to exercise!)
16) I don’t have a very good memory when it comes to historical facts and things I should remember from all my years of school. The game trivial pursuit terrifies me!
17) I spent 4 1/2 years to be a music teacher. I only taught one year, haven’t played the piano in over 4 years, I rarely sing, and I am not renewing my teaching certificate.
18) Since I limit my kids to 1 hour of TV during the day, it is very rare that I watch the news. I usually never know what is going on!
19) I feel guilty that I don’t spend enough time with my kids, even though I am home all day.
20) I procrastinate when I write these posts. I usually get them done the night before or the morning of!
Despite all of the above, I know that I am NORMAL and that in the grand scheme of things, none of this is a big deal. Hope this list helps reassure you of the same! No one is perfect. No one has their life together as well as it appears. Take a sigh of relief!
~Lara
In this day and age you never know what to expect when you have to call a store or company for information. Automated systems, press the number to reach x, y, and z, endless directories leading to nowhere, give me your mother’s maiden name and the first initial of the best man at your wedding…and that is all BeFoRe speaking to a real live person! You can easily spend the 10 minutes you set aside in your day to take care of what seemed like a simple task just trying to get through to talk to an actual human being.
Last summer I bought an AdoRaBle pair of Lindsay-Phillips SwitchFlops (flip-flops that have removable straps that can be changed to match any outfit) that wore out in the toe on one shoe. Since I had invested in the SwitchFlops and a variety of straps to coordinate with different outfits I was upset that the shoes only lasted half a season. I went onto the website and looked up the phone number for customer service. I left a message explaining the situation with my shoe and was pleased to receive a call back within a day. Not only was the woman who I spoke with friendly and helpful, but since the pair of SwitchFlops that I purchased last season was no longer available she let me pick out TwO pairs in place of the pair that I had! How’s that for customer service?!!!
In this fast paced, high-tech world we live in, it is nice to be reminded that there are still smaller companies out there that DO take the time to put their customer’s satisfaction first.
~Robyn (Jersey Girl)
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