They Say It's Your Birthday...

Well, hey, it's MY birthday too! What do you know?! And what a nice, pleasant birthday it was. I got one lovely surprise after another from this sweet little family of mine. Alani made me these healthy, wheat-y, oat-y, blueberry filled pancakes that I LOVE, God bless her!

But I couldn't eat them all so I shared them. So yummy! (Yes, that is peanut butter and yes, I eat it with my pancakes. It's a quirky thing my dad's always done and it rubbed off. Don't knock it till you try it.)

My sweeties also did a little decorating.

Luke got me some of my favorite lip glosses!

Alani got this great set of bracelets!

She also got me a cute grey cardigan sweater that I didn't get a photo of. I think it's called a fly-away cardigan. It's the kind that stays open, no closures. It's kind of like this.

Then my sweet husband got me some workout gear, which I'm super happy about because I use mine so much, they get kind of raggedy after awhile.

Super comfortable and they fit great!

I also got a CAKE!! (Yes, that's right, I'm talking about workout wear and cake straight after. I'm kinda crazy like that.) The reason this whole cake thing is so exciting is because I haven't had cake since the summer. That's a long time! Oh just look at the lusciousness.

And it has coconut on it! *squeeck

Of course it had to have the proper number of candles.

So if you want to know how old I am, you're going to have to count. Mwahahaha!

As I get older, I think we're going to have to get a bigger cake...to hold all those candles...not because I want more cake. Nope, not that.

Even though there was so many, I got them all out in one breath.

And just when I thought I may not get a balloon this year...

Alani's friend, Nick surprised me with one! And also a Starbucks card. (Thanks Nick!)

Which is really funny because it says "Thank you". They gave it to him through the drive-thru and he didn't look at it until he pulled away. But I think it's better than a birthday one!

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, and everyone I got to see and hear from! I feel so blessed and am thankful for each of you!! My oldest is sick so didn't get to come, but I will see you soon, Q!

If you had a birthday yesterday too, or today, or this month, I hope your day has been beautiful and full of love! Until next time, Taniya

My Run-Around Saturday And A Pretty Cute Mug!

When you spend your day running errands, it's best to have a little fun too! You don't want your whole day taken up with stuff you "have to do". We need to enjoy everyday as much as we can. So if that means going here after your grocery shopping, well then that's what has to be done.

I also needed food.

Chicken, brown rice...

and some greens!

This is what my fortune cookie said.

Wow! Wouldn't that be nice? While I was taking this picture our cat, Buttons, started eating the other half of the fortune cookie.

So I gave it to her.

While I was out and about I saw this lady in a parking lot surrounded by so many seagulls! She was feeding them bread.

There were a hundred more outside what my camera captured. 

Check out these cute shoes I wore for errand running!

My daughter's friend takes custom orders and paints them up for you, and she does a great job! Here's some more shots of this pair.

If you want to check out her work, look up Shoeshavesoles on Instagram!

And finally, last but not least, this cute mug I found that I'm sending to my friend.

How cute is that!?

Oh, and I got a cute birthday card today!

Now tell me, who doesn't love a frog on a motorcycle? (Thanks Dawn!)

Until next time, I hope you threw some good times into your day any old way you had to!

Taniya

A Chilly Day and a Throwback

Well Folks, we finally got some rain! Just a little, but it's better than nothing. California is in for a BIG time drought if we don't get some serious rain and snow, so we are literally praying for rain! Here is a shot of our cloudy, sometimes wet, day.

A new pair of fringe boots included! Which are super comfortable so I love them!

Now for a bit of a throwback Thursday, I thought I would show you this fun little gem I came across the other day.

This is my sister and Me on my cousin Michele's bed playing with Barbies. (I'm in the middle) I always had the best time with Michele because she was patient, kind and has loved kids for as long as I can remember. She used to say that she wanted to adopt ten kids when she grew up! 

I hope this brightened your day, even if you don't like rain! Ha ha! Happy Thursday :)

Praying for (more) rain in Cali, Taniya

Why I Love Activated Charcoal

Yep, you read that right. I LOVE activated charcoal, and I'll tell you why. Activated charcoal is some pretty amazing stuff! It has saved us many times from some pretty awful circumstances...like the stomach flu. If you ever feel some sort of stomach/intestinal disturbance coming on, take a teaspoon of charcoal in some water, drink it down and you will feel SO much better pretty quickly. This is what it looks like.

One day I read all about it and it sounded so wonderful I just had to get some for our family. And I'm so glad I did! It has saved my children from having to suffer through food poisoning and the stomach flu. While others who got sick at the same time as us were spending a lot of time in the bathroom, we were recovering. We've given it to friends and family members and even have neighbors who come by sometimes for a dose! Now don't go thinking you can eat that piece of toast you burned this morning and get the same benefit. Activated charcoal has been put through a process that makes it's surface be covered with super tiny holes or pores that bacteria, viruses, and fungus stick to, and then can be carried out of the body. This is what it looks like under a microscope. It goes through your body like a little vacuum sucking up all the bad stuff!

Hospitals have activated charcoal on hand to give to anyone who has swallowed poison, as do ambulances. It can also be used to whiten your teeth and freshen breath. It's also used on the outside of the body for skin problems. This is the kind I get.

It's from a company called My Father's Healing Herbs at www.healingherbs.biz but you can find it in other brands in capsules, soaps, even toothpaste at health food and specialty stores. 

My bag is getting down to the last few tablespoon fulls so I just ordered a new one and thought, "Why haven't I told the world (well, my tiny, little blog-readers world) about this crazy great stuff?" So here it is, folks! And I hope you never have to use this, but, my goodness, it sure is handy if you do.

Until next time, charcoal kisses from Taniya