Tag: positive thinking

Challenge #2 – Bake (or Cook) for Someone!

A thoughtful gesture can go a long way in brightening someone’s day and boosting their positivity.

My mom used to bake cookies and cook meals for her friends and people at church all the time when I was little. During Christmas time, she made mountains of Jubilee Jumbles (a top secret family recipe) for anyone lucky enough to cross her path during the holiday season. Whenever Valentine’s Day rolled around, she spent hours rolling out dozens and dozens of heart-shaped sugar cookies and topping them with mouth-watering pink icing. If someone she knew of became ill or injured at any time, she graciously made the whole family a delicious home-cooked meal.

What did I learn from this? A thoughtful gesture can go a long way in brightening someone’s day and boosting their positivity. In the past several years, I have tried to emulate my mom by baking cookies and other treats for friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. Not only does it bring a huge smile to their faces, it makes me feel good too.

So that brings me to Challenge #2…

CHALLENGE #2 –  Bake someone cookies or cook a nice meal and deliver it to them this holiday season. 

It will make them feel loved and appreciated, and seeing their reaction will surely satisfy your soul. It’ll especially be impactful if you do it for someone who could really benefit from the thoughtful gesture. In case you want it, I’m including my mom’s sugar cookie and buttercream icing recipe below that I use every year. If you have any recipes or stories you’d like to share, please share them in the comments or send me a message!

Until next time, happy holidays and happy living!

=) Mary

Sugar Cookie Recipe:

Mix (with a hand mixer or stand mixer): 

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) softened margarine
Add:
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar
Add:
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm.
Using just part of it at a time, roll out dough to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness on a floured surface.  Be sure to add flour to surface and rolling pin.  Cut into shapes.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 7-8 minutes or until light brown.  Making thinner cookies and cooking them longer makes them crispier.
When they are cooled, use the buttercream icing recipe below. I like to add green food coloring to make them extra festive.

Buttercream Icing Recipe:

  1. Cream 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of softened margarine or butter using a hand mixer or a stand mixer.
  2. Add 2 cups of confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup at a time so you don’t make a huge mess.
  3. Add 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of salt to the mixture.
  4. Add 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons of milk to the mixture.

***Add confectioner’s sugar and milk until desired consistency/texture.

ENJOY!!!!

Challenge #1 – Practice Gratitude for a Week

When we think about what we’re thankful for, we focus only on the good things in our lives.

Do you ever notice your mind focusing on all the things that are wrong in your life? Do you often think about the “what-ifs”, worries, and stresses of the present and future? If so, we need to turn your negative thoughts into positive ones!

Positive thoughts create positive outcomes. One fast and very effective way to create positivity is through gratitude. When we think about what we’re thankful for, we focus only on the good things in our lives. This helps shift negative thinking to positive thinking. Gratitude is something I will continue to talk about in posts to come, but for now, here’s our first challenge….

CHALLENGE #1 – Write down ten NEW things you are grateful for every day for a week. (And try to continue the practice afterwards!)

If you do this every day for a week, you will have a list of 70 different things you are grateful for. You will become more aware of just how many great things, people, and gifts you have in your life!

To get you started, here is a list of 70 things I’m grateful for. Mine are a little general to give you more ideas, but you should try to be as specific as possible. For example: friends, family, food, animals, etc. should be listed as specific friends, specific family members, and so on.

  1. my friends (you can list each friend separately)
  2. my family (same as friends – you can list separately)
  3. my hubby
  4. my dogs
  5. music
  6. animals
  7. my super comfy robe
  8. meditation
  9. being able to pay my bills
  10. FOOD
  11. freedom
  12. trees
  13. obstacles in life (We learn from them!)
  14. Fall/Autumn
  15. parties
  16. paved roads
  17. colorful, changing leaves
  18. sports
  19. beaches
  20. sleeping in
  21. police officers, firefighters, hospital personnel, military, teachers, etc…
  22. indoor plumbing
  23. a fully functioning body
  24. Game of Thrones
  25. my kayak
  26. water
  27. Saturdays
  28. couches
  29. my house
  30. having a job
  31. being able to breathe clean air
  32. University of Maryland
  33. holidays
  34. health insurance
  35. my bed
  36. my perfect pillow
  37. Netflix
  38. the five senses
  39. therapists and life coaches
  40. exercise
  41. movies
  42. my backyard
  43. flowers
  44. sunscreen
  45. coconut oil
  46. creativity
  47. being literate
  48. sunglasses
  49. Cirque du Soleil – Varakei (the only show I’ve been to but it was great!)
  50. books
  51. pinball
  52. dog crates
  53. grass
  54. rivers
  55. socks
  56. flip flops
  57. warm slippers
  58. Internet
  59. the ability and freedom to pursue different careers
  60. USA
  61. PGSPCA (local animal rescue group)
  62. people who care about the environment
  63. a good pen to write with
  64. my computer
  65. being able to travel
  66. my car’s heated seats (It feels good to have a warm butt in the winter!)
  67. recycling
  68. creativity
  69. restaurants
  70. love

I have been doing this for about a month now, and I feel a major change in my mindset. It’s far easier to turn my negative thinking into positive thinking when I realize how many wonderful things I’m lucky to have in my life. So, what are YOU grateful for?

Until next time, happy living!

=) Mary