Happy Friday. Be lazy this weekend :)

Well friends it's been a while which means I have a lot I want to chat about! My goal is start blogging at least every other day, that way my posts don't end up looking like a novel. For now I just want to introduce you to the newest addition toour wonderful Austin home and family.

This is Bonnie our six week old baby. She is spunky, sassy, adventurous, curious and (as my roommate put it) an attention whore (did I spell that right?). She is finally starting to understand what the purpose of her toys are and praise the Lord for that. On the other hand her brother is more into human flesh than the toys. Meet her partner in crime, Clyde.

As you can see, as he helped himself to Taryn's lap for his evening snooze, he is our cuddle bug. His big blue eyes will melt your heart as he just sits and stares you down. You will often find Bonnie tugging on his tale or ears and this little patient sweet heart will just go along with it. He likes to be next to his sister and totally loves snuggling with her. He attempts to be adventurous but usually gets stuck and/or lost. He is the calm one. We often ask Bonnie why she can't be more like her brother...

Of course I just about had a breakdown yesterday. If you don't know me I tend to be a tad bit obsessive about cleaning, organizing, getting rid of clutter, being on top of things (such as email, my calendar and sales/coupons) and smells. Yesterday all of that went flying out the window as I frantically was running around cleaning up number 1's and 2's (except puppies number 2's are more like 1.5's if you know what I mean). I was Febreezing the house so much if you lit a match I might have caused an explosion. I burned through several candles and washed my hands dry. But dear friends, I would say it will be worth it. These little ones need a home and good care so they can gain strength and get healthy so they can be ADOPTED!!! Wahoo! Today I start posting advertisements and showing their cute faces to foster websites. What a neat experience!

More pictures and adventures to come. Believe me, I woke up to find them covered in number 1.5 this morning. So they experienced their very first bath! Now they smell of Herbal Essence Human Shampoo and probably hate me ;)

love.love.love

Reading, Watching and Crafting

Reading

Since taking a break from self-help books I have stumbled across several fabulous reads that I want to pass along to you blog readers. A while back I wrote about the book Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and how unbelievably amazing it was. Well, I have read my second book of her's and have fallen even more in love with her passion for the Lord and putting it into words for thousands to read. The Atonement Child was more than words can even explain. I honestly think I learned more about myself and relationship with God than any self-help book could have done. I believe everyone can relate to this book, even if you aren't dealing with the same struggles as Dynah, her trust in God's faithfulness is just breath taking. So, if you are looking for a good read to bring on a vacation with you this summer I would highly recommend this one! Trust me, it's life changing.

Watching

Movie #1 I watched over the past week was, "An Eye for an Eye". Netflix recommended me this movie because I enjoyed "Steel Magnolias". Now, the only thing in common about these two movies is Sally Fields. Don't get me wrong, I love Sally but don't go watching this movie thinking it is going to be uplifting. This is one of those suspenseful, thriller, drama movies,which, personally I love so I thoroughly enjoyed this movie!

Movie#2 Another Netflix request based on my ratings of "Ms Congeniality" and "The Notebook". "Murder by Numbers" Once again, the only things in common were Sandra Bullock and Ryan Gossling. If you can't tell by the title this is another thriller, drama movie. It will keep you on the edge of your seat, sorta like a Criminal Minds movie kind of thing...just my style :)

Movie#3 "The Chronicles of Narnia". So to be honest this movie took me about two-ish weeks to complete because it some what bore me. So I would watch 20 minutes here and 30 minutes there. I would have not finished it if I weren't OCD about finishing what I've started and if I didn't know how much everyone else enjoyed it. So this afternoon I finished it...in tears. No joke. The symbolism is fabulous and I just wanted to hug Aslan (spelling?)! So yeah, if you can make it through the first part or so of the movie the end is totally worth it!

Crafting

I pulled out my crafting supplies over the past week but unfortunately the side of my brain that is crafty wasn't working too well. The lack of crafting ideas left me with a messy kitchen table and about five projects started and unfinished, which then totally stressed me out so I packed it up and put it away this afternoon. I did experiment with chalkboard paint and a hand held sewing machine. But reread what I started with...no crafty brain and unfinished projects so that should tell you something about all that business. I did hot glue some magnets to the back of bottle caps from beer. So we now have brand new magnets on our fridge. So I did finish one thing :)

For those who are voting on the polls, thank you. I will explain my answers once the poll closes as well as talk about what we learned in group on emotional myths etc. Also, I will be retiring my Facebook in a few days. I have come to the conclusion that it just isn't healthy for me, or really anyone for that matter. I catch myself sitting at the computer and comparing other peoples major life accomplishments and new chapters while I remain in a drought. I get upset when someone writes on someone else's wall and not my own, which then turns into me over analyzing the situation and just knowing that that person hates me and I must have done something wrong for them to not be my friend. Yes, it's ridiculous. I figure those that want to remain up to date and involved in my life will find other ways to get a hold of me. I will still have my blog and email and phone number. I just believe it's time for me to have my life without comparing it to thousands of others through pictures and song lyrics. It's time to move on from Facebook...it's just time.

Stay sweet and have a fabulous week.

Myths About Emotions

Look to the right of the screen - - -> and you will see that I have two new poll's up. These are from an exercise we did in group last week. There are many myths (lies) we believe about our emotions and feelings that can be challenged to prove that they aren't true. It sounds easier than it is, trust me. So take some time and truly think about whether or not you agree or disagree with these two myths. Again, it's anonymous so no need to worry about that!

Here is an example of another one:

Letting others know that I am feeling bad is a weakness.

Challenge: Displaying emotions can be a sign of strength and good communication. Vulnerability can help others move in the right direction. BOOM.

All Natural (Pronounced: Al Nat-ur-ell)

So, it's been a while, yeah? My apologies for that. You would think that not being in school would slow my life down a little bit but I've actually been really busy. Also, apart from being busy I have been experiencing just a whirlwind of emotions and ups and downs over the last few weeks. I could sit here and write three hours worth of everything that has been going on but for now I'm going to keep it brief and then leave you with a "What's To Come" table of contents. So stay tuned!

First of all, for those of you who answered my poll thank you for much. You're awesome. I will continue talking about recovery as well as what God is doing in my life, I find that those two things go hand in hand. If there are more specific questions/comments etc. then let me know and we can focus on those! caitlan.salerno@gmail.com if you want to remain anonymous then just send me an email!

As for the new poll question; we have been discussing emotions in group and today we talked about different myths that we often believe about feeling emotions that aren't necessarily true. So I'm curious to see what you think about one of the myths that I personally have a very strong opinion of (which I will tell you my answer of the myth once everyone votes ;)

Now to the All Natural part of this post. I have recently been trying to figure out and learn how to solve some of my problems the natural way. Let me explain what I mean by problems.

1.) Insomnia: High anxiety often leads to a very long restless night, full of tossing, turning and watching the minutes pass by on the clock. My first solution to this was Tylenol PM and it worked but kept me tired throughout the entire next day. No bueno. Plus, taking Tylenol when you don't need it can lead to serious organ problems down the road, again no bueno. My second solution was getting a prescription for sleeping pills. Yes, they were magnificent and worked and I was ready to go when my alarm went off in the morning but you are suppose to take these things on an as need basis....I became dependent on them to say the least. Really not good. Plus an unfortunate combination of sleeping pills and antidepressants left me in the emergency room for a night.

- So for the natural solution: Yogi Bedtime Tea For the past few weeks I've been trying to drink this about an hour before I go to bed, while I wash my face, finish watching a TV show or read a little. Seriously, I don't know if it's what is in the tea or if it just calming to drink something hot and turn off the over head lights and turn down the volume of the music and TV but whatever it is it's calming. Also, getting an actual eight hours of sleep is so important. So figure out what time you need to be up and count back eight hours and then count back an extra hour to start getting ready for bed, and drinking your tea ;)

2.) Acid Reflux: I have serious heart burn and acid reflux, like bad. Mine has a whole lot to do with the amount of caffeine I consume in a day as well as the amount of peanut butter, cheese and chocolate I eat. I never thought the foods I ate where high in acidity but after a little research let me show you what I discovered. High Acidity Foods

- Natural Solution: I have been watching my caffeine intake, for real you would be proud. Instead of eating two cheese sticks per day and a yogurt I am trying to add some non acidity food variety swap outs. I have also switch from eating peanut butter to almond butter (make sure you find either natural or organic brands). Almonds aren't as high in acidity and provide awesome vitamins and minerals that peanuts don't. Check it out - - > MaraNatha All Natural Almond Butter Comparing Peanut Butter and Almond Butter

Another solution to look into is taking Papaya Supplements. Sound weird? Well, obviously I am not a doctor but I was told by several health conscious adults that Papaya is a good supplement to take to help aid your food in the digestion process which in turn can help reduce heartburn. So I have switched out my Zantac and antacid's for papaya supplements from Whole Foods. So far so good :)

3.) Acne: I have given up on dermatologists, all they do is prescribe a new pill and a new face cream every time you go see them and personally I don't like taking so many antibiotics that won't even work. So I took matter into my own hands.

Solution: Earth Science Products I have been using their face wash and moisturizer for a few months now and LOVE IT! Check out their website and the ingredients they use and don't use and try it out. I just recently purchased their eye makeup remover and can't wait to try it out. I have also been taking the Vitamin E, B-6 and Z-Bec to help with acne control. Vitamins to help fight acne! My face has been unusually clear since I've been using organic face products and vitamins! There are also certain types of foods that are very good for your skin that you can add to your everyday meals.

4.) Chemicals in cleaning supplies and hand soap: Mrs. Meyers Products her website says it all. I'm obsessed with her basil scent hand soap, I wash my hands all the time. Seriously, considering buying one of her products next time you are at the store and compare them to regular 409 or Windex, it rocks!

Okay, well that's all for now. I'm exhausted and ready for bed. I'll type the "What's To Come" table of contents tomorrow as well as get the poll question up. Until then, stay sweet and be good.

love.love.love