One Nice Thing A Day/Week 4 Recap

The last few weeks have been a true reminder to me as to why we need to make time to do a little something for ourselves...each and everyday. Last week, I was busy getting ready for the Haute Couture fashion show, along with all the other daily necessities that always need attention, and I completely neglected to post my final week of my One Nice Thing a Day Challenge. While I neglected the post, and myself last week, happily, I have made up for it this week :) 

I came across this quote that I thought would be a nice way to close out this time of sharing;

So, what did I do during my last week of the challenge???

*I took myself out to my favorite little restaurant, Lula's for lunch and had their wonderful Grain Bowl. If by chance you are ever in Chicago, by all means, go to Lula's! Fabulous food, and you just might find me there too :)  

I adore African violets. I picked up 3 and made a little arrangement. They have continued to delight me with blooms.

*There's a wonderful little store here in Chicago called Bari Zaki Studio. They do book binding, have book binding classes, and sell the most delightful pencils, colored pencils, paper, and notebooks.   
.

I decided that I needed an art fix, so I went in and purchased 6 of their lovely colored pencils. The entire experience was one that truly fed my soul. They wrapped my little purchase in the lovely handmade wrapper that you see below. Even the receipt was given the utmost attention by putting it in the lovely envelope and adding their sticker. 

When I got home, I took a look at the clip and realized that attention had been paid to the smallest of details by wrapping the clip with a bit of Japanese paper. Six little pencils could not have given me more joy!

*I treated my eyes to something special. Just put the eye masks on for 30 minutes and let your mind float away. Heaven! 

*On another day, I soaked for an hour in an epsom salt bath.

*I love lilies! I had thought that I would just purchase the usual stargazer lilies, but when I arrived at the store, they had these lovely Asian lilies. Take note of how full the blooms are. Each and every time that I walk into the room, their fragrance reminds me that I took the time to do a little something just for me! 

*For the last day of my challenge, I sat down and finished the sweater that I had started. I just love it :) It's sleeveless, so more of a vest than a sweater, but it will be nice to wear over a long sleeve t-shirt next winter.

Although the initial challenge is over, as I said earlier in this post, I now see just how important it is to not loose sight of doing for ourselves. Going forward, I have decided to take a suggestion from Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way. Each week plan an "artist's date," something that I actually schedule so that I can look forward to it, even if it's just a trip to Starbuck's for a cup of tea. From time to time, I hope to share a few of those dates with you.

I hope that my little journey has inspired you, to maybe slow down a bit and do something that makes your soul sing. Night before last, I received a phone call from a friend's son. She had gone in for a procedure, something that was done in her doctor's office. During the procedure, her heart rate plummeted, and she was without oxygen for more than 5 minutes. In the blink of an eye, this precious soul was gone. Her passing has reminded me of just how fleeting this life is. By all means, take some time to be good to you.
 Rhonda 

One Nice Thing A Day/Week 3 Recap

Doing one nice thing a day for myself over the period of 1 month has proved to be quite the challenge. What has been especially interesting, in trying to do something lovely, something that I will enjoy, my mind has brought back some very interesting memories. Some of the memories have been good, and some...not good at all. The memory that has been the most difficult, is the one I am most grateful for having remembered. Taking a look at it squarely in the face has made me all the more grateful for now. 

My week held nothing that was especially exciting, but I did feed my soul, and did a few nice things for my body.

*Last Wednesday, I decided that it was time for a good detox. I usually try and do this 2 times per year. Bowel Detox, not fun, but something that leaves me feeling wonderful.

*With Easter approaching, I decided to treat myself to an Easter Lily. So lovely.

*Friday was sushi. YUM!!! One of my favorite treats :)

*On Saturday, I downloaded the new book by Tyler Perry, "Higher Is Waiting." I will do a book review soon and talk more about it as  I was so pleasantly surprised, and I loved every minute!

*I really enjoy a citrus salad. One of my favorite combinations is blood oranges and grapefruit. What a lovely, refreshing treat this was on an Easter morning :) 

*On a roll, I decided to complete my detox routine on Monday by doing a kidney flush. It may be mind over matter, but I always feel so good once I do this. If you think you might be up for something like this, you can find the recipe in THIS post. 

*Tuesday brought something quite fun...I made the jacket you see below. I still need to add the buttons and buttonholes, but it made my heart sing to actually sew again! 

Rather than do a facing, I lined the entire jacket with the lovely raw silk fabric. I just love it!!!

When I began this challenge, I thought it would be easy, it has not been easy. I knew that I would grow, that there may be some unexpected surprises. I have one more week to go. It will be interesting to see where it takes me :)

Thanks so much for following along on this little journey. I hope it will inspire you to consciously do one nice thing a day for yourself.

Rhonda

One Nice Thing A Day/Week 2 Recap

I found this little bit of advice and thought it was quite powerful;

Although it's something that we want to do, long to do, taking care of ourselves, finding time for ourselves is a very difficult task. The day begins with so many things on our to-do list, and before we know it, the end of the day has arrived, and all we want to do is fall into the bed. 

I especially found this to be true this past week. There was my step-father's funeral, added to the mix was jury duty. But, I had made a commitment to myself, and I was determined to stick with it. 

I began last Monday with downloading the pattern for the vintage Adrienne Vittidini sweater that you see on the top right below. The previous week, I had downloaded a pattern from Purl Soho. I love it, but the small needles were a little difficult for me, so I thought something with a larger needle would be good to help work out the nerve damage I am experiencing. It was! I began the project on Monday evening, and then sat down again on Wednesday evening and finished the front. What fun!

*On Tuesday, I had to be downtown, so I decided to take a little time and do a little window. Such a wonderful way to accumulate a little inspiration. The dress in the top left hand corner below I found at Anthropologie.
*When Thursday evening rolled around, I was exhausted, but still wanted to do something I would enjoy, so I sat down and watched the entire episode of Project Runway. I usually wait until I can watch it on demand and then fast forward through the show. On Thursday, I just sat and vegged out on the entire thing!  
*On Friday, I decided to try and do a little sewing. I started the red dress you see below. I just need to add the binding to the neckline and hem the dress and sleeves. More on the dress in an upcoming post. 
*A friend had recommended the movie, The Mustang. She always seems to be spot on with movies that I will like. So, on Saturday afternoon, I took the time to go and I am so happy that I did!
*The Haute Couture Club of Chicago had a Tambour Beading and Embroidery workshop on Sunday. The doctor had told me that as long as I was sitting down, I could take the brace off at 8 weeks, and work without it. I was a day early, but I really wanted to take the class, and so I did :) 
*My skin really took a beating the last 2 months as it was so difficult to try and wash my face with 1 hand. Last night I gave myself a mini facial. The green tea detox mask was heavenly.
*For today, this really doesn't count as I do it everyday, but it is a good thing, at least I think so. Each and every morning, whether I feel like it or not, I put a scoop of green foods powder in a glass, mix it with water, and drink it down. I became serious about doing this when I was told that I have a high risk of colon cancer. I had a colonoscopy last November and it was the best I've ever had! It may be just luck, and it may be the green food powder. I think I'll keep drinking the green food powder :)  

  
Doing something nice for yourself each and everyday takes effort. But, the payoff is worth it! 

I hope that my little journey will inspire you to do something nice for yourself each and everyday :)
 Rhonda

  

One Nice Thing A Day/Week 1 Recap

Doing one nice thing a day for yourself seems like it would be a fairly easy task, and it is...

FOR A DAY!!!

The last few days have been a bit of a whirlwind. My husband and I were on our way to a dinner and concert last Saturday evening when my phone rang. If it's a number that I don't recognize, I typically will not answer, but something about this call made me feel that I should. It was a police officer who told me that my step-father had been in an accident and my mother needed me. Long story short, he had a massive heart attack and died while driving. The car did run into a wall, but thankfully, no other person was injured. Although he has been ill for quite some time, it's still quite shocking when death makes its call. 

As I drove home from my mother's house yesterday evening, I was tired, and just felt like going home, but I was reminded of just how short life is, and that it was of the utmost importance that I still do something nice for myself. So, I swung by the store with the intention of buying stargazer lilies. As I drove home, the fragrance wafted through the car. It was beautiful, and such a lovely gift. Yes, it is important to celebrate each and everyday, and remember to not only do for all of those who surround us, but do for ourselves as well.

For those of you who are not on Instagram, here is a collage of the things I did for myself last week...

Last Monday I saw the surgeon for my 6 week check-up. When I went to sit down, I looked over and saw a magazine entitled "Garden & Gun." My first thought was that I had surely misread the title, but no, as you can see, that's the title!!! As it turns out, it is a lovely magazine, strange as it may seem :/ The title made me laugh, and the content captured me, so I gave myself a one-year subscription.

The next day, I downloaded the audio version of "Where The Crawdads Sing." I will be doing a review later this week, but it was wonderful!!! My husband and I listened to it together, and we were captivated from beginning to end. 

As it turns out, I did have a little nerve damage to my thumb and pointer finger when I broke my wrist. I had mentioned to the therapist that I like to knit. She thought that it would be a great idea to begin a project and work those 2 fingers. So, I ordered 2 skeins of silk yarn from Purl Soho, and began a new project. I'm slow, but I have noticed a difference in my fingers, so I am quite happy :)

On Thursday, I decided to soak in a hot tub. What a lovely treat it was!

On Friday, it was off to get some fresh color in my hair, and have my hair washed, cut, and styled. Not much can beat that!!!

Saturday morning I was quite busy with a Haute Couture meeting. Knowing that I would have to be out that evening, and also knowing that for whatever reason, I still tire rather easily, I decided to take a nap. I laid down on the sofa, and drifted off for a very blissful hour. 

_____________________________________ 

So, did you decide to take the challenge and do one nice thing a day for yourself? If you did, what did you do? Were you able to keep the commitment to yourself  for the entire week?

Just remember, it's not too late to make a commitment to yourself, to do something nice for yourself each day. As simple as it may seem, it can be a struggle. It's awfully easy to allow the day to go by, get to the end of the day and realize that we've allowed no time for ourselves.  
By all means, don't put it off. We only have now.

Rhonda

One Nice Thing A Day

Life throws us what seems to be a curve ball, and then we find out that the ball was thrown on purpose to teach us a lesson, maybe just one, and sometimes, many. 

As the last 6 weeks have passed since I broke my wrist and had the subsequent surgery, I've had a LOT of time to think. One thing that became very apparent to me was that even in such a predicament, I was putting others first, and sadly, at my own expense. What ended up happening was those "others" thought nothing of what I was going through, and only of themselves. I was deeply hurt, but then I realized that there was a lesson to be learned.

Somehow, we can get caught up in thinking that if we do nice things for ourselves, we are being selfish. The act of being selfish only comes about when one thinks ONLY of themselves. Being good to ourselves, making time for what we need, and what will bring joy into our lives is not about being selfish, but about nurturing. I think too that it can send a message to others, that we value ourselves. After all, how can we expect others to value us if we don't value our lives, our time, our health? And then too, there are times when doing what's right for us is saying that all too difficult word...no. How is it that the word "no" is one of the first words a child learns to say, and say easily, then over time, becomes one of the hardest words to say?

After the surgery, I was unable to wash my hair, and I knew that if my husband did it, well, it wouldn't be good. He is a precious man, but he is not a hairdresser ;) I had asked him to help me pull my hair up so I could wash my face. OMG!!!, I thought he was going to pull the hair out of my head. For those of you who have, or have had small children who fussed and cried when you tried to brush their hair, well, that was me. I sent him to the store to buy hair clips that I could use to pull my hair back with my left hand. I also decided that I would go and have my hair washed and blown dry. What a gift that was. I only went once a week, but truly, a gift. 

Whatever was used to sterilize my skin before the surgery wrecked havoc on my skin and nails. I couldn't do my nails, so I decided to make an appointment and have them done. What a gift, and how it lifted my spirit.

April 1st has always marked, at least for me, a time of new beginnings. This year that is especially true. April 1st will mark 6 weeks since the surgery, and it will be a bit of a graduation day for me. If all goes well, and I think it will, I was told that the surgeon will allow me to stop sleeping with the brace. Then, I should only have 2 more weeks of wearing it during the day. WooHoo!!! 

I've decided that as April 1st rolls around that I will give myself a challenge, do one nice thing a day for myself. As I thought more about my little challenge, I thought that maybe you too might like to join me. Doing something nice for yourself does not need to cost anything, and then, it might be splurging on something like getting a massage, or having a facial. Doing one nice thing a day doesn't need to take a lot of time. It could be something as simple as making a cup of tea and sitting down to read a chapter in a book that you have been longing to read. 
Two things to keep in mind;
It's something that you are being consciously aware of, not the normal things we do each and everyday, like take a shower and getting dressed. 
It is something special, something that will bring a bit of joy into your life.  

Here are a few ideas, a few things that I will be doing;

*Listen to a podcast  
*Finish that Blueprint class you signed up for ages ago
*Go for a walk
*Take a bubble bath
*Get a manicure
*Buy a bouquet of flowers, just for you!
*Make a commitment to be good to your skin
*Grab your cell phone, go for a walk and take pictures of flowers 
*Go to bed early one night, like...really early!
*Put on some music that you love and dance!
*Go to a coffee shop and buy your favorite drink
*Be conscious of everything you eat for 1 day
*Get a facial

I would love to hear your ideas for something special, something that will bring a bit of joy into your day. 

Beginning April 1st, I will be posting a picture of my one special thing for that day on Instagram. You are welcome to follow along if you would like. I know that not everyone is on Instagram, so my plan is to do a recap here on the blog on Fridays.

I think this will be a bit of a journey, a time of discovery, and most likely a challenge as it is so easy to allow life to happen, leaving us with barely enough time to breathe. A thought just occurred to me...maybe one day during the month, we just set aside a few minutes to sit quietly and breathe :) 

I hope that a few of you will join me. Who knows what it might mean in your life?!

Rhonda