Happy Halloween!

I hope you have a wonderful, fun filled 

spooktacular Halloween!

Kitchen sink vegetable soup

I love...love vegetables and this Summer I discovered how much better I feel when the majority of my diet is fruits, vegetables and protein. Hard for a vegetable loving yet CARB addicted girl. One trick I discovered and it is great this time of year since the days are chilly, is making vegetable soup. If you make a large batch it will last you all week. Then you'll have a quick, healthy lunch you can warm up.

Jilian my little kitchen helper!

I call it kitchen sink vegetable soup because each time I make it I use what ever vegetables I have on hand. The two things that are always the same, one can of crushed or stewed tomatoes and one cup (or can) of chicken broth. As for the vegetables use what you have, leftovers work great! 

This time I used zucchini, broccoli, celery, cabbage and some corn. About a cup each. The corn was leftover corn on the cob that I cut off the cob. Add a little pepper, garlic and parsley to taste. Cook just until the vegetables are warm and soft. Maybe 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Mini Halloween Banner

Last Saturday I got a special treat and got to go scrapbooking with a couple friends for the whole day. As you already know, I LOVE Halloween! So, I made this mini Halloween banner before starting my scrapbook pages.

October Afternoon (my all time favorite scrapbook company) came out with a package of vintage Halloween postcards. Of course when I saw them at the store I had to have them. I added a little glitter to this one just for fun.

Chevron makes me super happy especially in this great shade of orange! The paper for the banner is from Stampin' UP!, the sweet little embellishments are by Jolee's Boutique except for the fun little bat. I stamped him using one of my Stampin' UP! stamp sets, Googly Ghouls and cut him out.

Wednesday is my day at Standing On Peace...

so I thought, each Wednesday I can share what I've written. Also, this week the book giveaway is my choice, One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, be sure to visit Standing On Peace for a chance to win!

You mean I’m not as bad as I think I am? Part Two - Changing negative self-talk

Do you experience negative self-talk?

You can choose to change it.

Changing negative self-talk is difficult and does take work, however the end result is worth it.

At first you may feel silly, perhaps kind of stupid or you may even feel like you are lying to yourself. But I promise that changing the way you talk to yourself will have a great impact in all areas of your life.

You will gain an increased sense of positive self-worth. The black cloud created by the negative thoughts will be there less and maybe even gone completely one day.

8 Tips for changing negative self-talk

1. Stop the tape before it starts. When we are triggered and the negative thoughts begins, turn it off. Think STOP.
2. Think of a key phrase, word, Scripture, something meaningful to you. I borrowed mine from Bible teacher Beth Moore. To overcome negative thinking she used the phrase “Crucify That”. Each time a negative thought would pop-up I would think “Crucify That”.
3. Next, do something to shift your focus. Pray, read, exercise, write or call a friend.
4. Replace the negative thought with a milder thought. Instead of thinking “I’m a terrible mother!” Think, “I’m not a terrible mother, I lost my patience. Next time I’ll do better.”
5. Remember to be kind to yourself. No one is perfect. No one can be one thing all of the time.
6. Write a list of your negative thoughts and write a list of the corresponding positive thoughts. For example: Negative thought: “I’m a horrible person” Positive thought: “I’m a good person. I’m caring and I do things for others.”
7. Make a list of your good qualities. For example, I’m a good listener, I’m trustworthy, and so on. This may be difficult if you aren’t used to thinking positive things about yourself. Ask someone you trust what good qualities they see in you. Save your list and read it on the rough days.
8. Trust God. “You are fearfully and wonderfully made” Psalm 139:14. Believe it or not, God has created you to be exactly who He wants you to be. Scripture is full of what God thinks of you. Search Scripture.  Tuck those treasures in your mind. You will then begin to believe them too.

Remember nothing worth doing is easy. It will take effort on your part to make change, but you are worth it.

Start today!

Embellished witch's hat

Super fun and easy witch hat! 

I found this blank witch hat at JoAnn's. To decorate it I started with a coat of black spray paint, then I embellished it.

I took thin silver tinsel and wrapped it around the base. 

I hot glued a piece of netting, some silver tinsel and a black scrapbooking flower on the front.

The small frame is a scrapbooking embellishment. I printed "October 31st" onto some Halloween scrapbook paper and cut to fit the frame.

Spooktacular!

I wanted to share...

One of my first posts on the new blog Standing On Peace. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, be sure to go visit. There are some wonderful posts and a book give away each week this month to celebrate the launch.

You mean I'm not as bad as I think I am? Part One - Recognizing negative self-talk

As long as I can remember I have struggled with negative self-talk and condemnation. Never believing I was good enough. The simplest mistake would start the tape rolling. “I’m stupid, bad, a failure, I shouldn’t have ever tried.”

It only got worse once I became a mom. Fear of “doing it wrong” plagued my mind. Almost every time I lost my patience or the situation was difficult, I would hear “you never should have become a mom, what were you thinking?! You weren’t meant for this!”

By the Grace of God and being intentional with my thoughts my negative self-talk is a lot quieter. It still pops up from time to time but it no longer has control.

What is negative self-talk? It is self-blame. Self-condemnation. Self-limiting messages. Breaking this habit is possible, though it takes effort.

Some common negative thoughts:

• I’m not good enough.
• I’m ugly.
• I’m too fat/tall/short/young/old.
• I’m stupid.
• I am not lovable.
• I am a bad parent.
• There is something wrong with me.
• I never have enough time.
• I don’t deserve …
• I can’t …
• I’m a failure.
• I’m not worth it.

Negative self-talk can be automatic. Often we aren’t even aware our tape is playing.

Do you experience negative thoughts? The first step in changing negative self-talk is recognizing it.

The second step is discovering what triggers it. Over the next few days pay close attention to your thoughts. Is there a tape of negative self-talk that starts when you are upset, frustrated or something has gone wrong?