Ⓢ Suzette Roberts

// fab friday... have a sweet weekend.~

Anakelly - Under My Thumb

(click on the link above to listen to this track)

The last day of November 2012 is upon us... this year surely flew by and I'm already thinking 2013... I`m excited for the new year ahead! Hope you are too... Today I'm off to enjoy some quiet relaxation and sweet bite-sized treats from one of my favorite bakeries in the west. 'Can't wait!

Five funky pleasures to take us into the weekend...

Sticking the tip of your tongue out to revel in the chilled, popped feeling of tiny snowflakes. (just like a kid)

Watching Arrow on another adventure at 1 a.m.-- handsome guy too!

Discovering a beautiful new artist for our travels along the subway lines. 

Creativity that celebrates all people, all cultures and the resilient human spirit.

Word for the weekend... (hint: supreme self-confidence)  C __ U __ Z __ A __.  

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*** Huge thanks to my sponsors (at left), readers and this month's creative geniuses.

Thanks everyone and have a super sweet weekend! Love, ~ Suzette

(Photo and recipe of those delicious bite-sized Pull-Apart Sticky Buns (shown above) by Monica Matheny; this week's music link: "Under My Thumb" by Anakelly courtesy of eMusic)   

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// Have a 'trotful weekend!~

                                           Koru - Closer

(music link above for your Friday: click to listen)

'Hope you had a great week. Being a horse sign (born in 1966), my love for horses has always been a constant and I'm always thrilled when I get the chance to enjoy a ride or two. Stepping away from city life allows for these exciting, reality moments. In many ways, horses remind me of young children, and not surprizingly, the two will always gravitate towards each other, regardless of the environment. Equestrian Camps have become increasingly popular with special needs children over the years as this form of recreation soothes the flux of emotional energy within these children. Shy and withdrawn children often 'open up' and literally 'come alive' when around these animals for even a short afternoon.  I think horses can read our internal make up a lot more than we may give them credit. Some simple yet key things about horses is that:

1. Just like people, horses have varying personalities and learning methods. There is no one size fit all concept. We have to read and communicate in their language to build a loving, long-lasting and successful bond.

2. Consistency is important to a horse. This is how trust and eventual respect is built.

3. Horses need time to adapt to and assimilate their training. They will get better, then worse, then better etc... be patient with them.

4. Without question, horses do distinguish between people: they will always remember the pleasant memories spent with a specific person and the individual who was always quick to criticize them. 

5 And most importantly, horses will only learn new techniques when they are calm. Being flight animals, they avoid rifts and potential fights and will gallop toward gentler surroundings for their remaining days.

... As we slow down our engines for the weekend and Thanksgiving in the U.S. next week, here's wishing you a wonderful weekend. A relatively new group to my music collection: Koru and the talented take-me-away vocalist, Liz Sykes serenade us into dreamland...

Thanks everyone! Love, Suzette 

(Top photo via Piccsy; other photos from Hold Your Horses and Don't Let Dreams Always Be Dreams; Some notes via "How to Think Like A Horse"music link: "Closer" - by Koru courtesy of Amazon)  

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// LIFE NOTES IN A NOVEL

Soulful books are a huge part of many of us as it keeps us human, and reminds us of those simple and treasured moments that add a continuous sparkle to our daily lives. Featured for this month is Anna Quindlen's life notes in A Short Guide To A Happy Life, and here are this week's fabulous five reasons why I love this book:

1. I'm reminded that it's important to surround myself with wholesome folks who are warm, gentle, easy-going, and kind-hearted, for my own wellness and contribution to the larger world.

2. I'm reminded that it's okay to cry and release my disappointments to the universe, when I've suffered the devastating loss of a loved one, an inhumane experience, and depressions facing another being in whatever form.

3. I'm reminded that wherever I am in the world, my home is within me and will always be present to face each new day, cool, calm, centered and at ease.

4. I'm reminded to let go more often than I'd care to, and to just be, without fixations on a particular coordinate on that life map, or that record-breaking statistical high. The future becomes yesterday sooner than we imagine... celebrate today and our 'right-now' moments.

5. I'm reminded that all of life's experiences, the joyous, the griefs, and the downright ugly, mold us into that uniquely perfect state. Over the course of a life, we become our own Buddha and are blessed with the gift of sharing our eternal spring with each other...   ~Suzette

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Say YES! to These...

sweet, heart-healthy cherries...

February is all about the heart in so many ways, and actually heart-health awareness month on the anatomical and physiological planes. Blessed are those feel-good emotions, as well as that good arterial and venous flows out of and into our fist-sized hearts! It's our life vessel towards optimal living. This Friday's fabulous five takes an edible look at that small bowl of cherries and all the kudos it adds to our body, and then some...

 

Red Cherries...

1. Maintain and lower (if needed) our cholesterol levels.

2. Help with arthritis and joint issues.

3. Relax our body and enhance that good, deep sleep.

4. Tea made from cherry stems (cherry stem tea) is excellent for regulating kidney function.

5. Contain a small amount of Vitamin B17 (inside the seed itself), that helps with the reduction of tumors and pain associated with cancer.

 

Happy Friday... our countdown to the weekend begins right now!...

(photo and notes via Herbal Encounter)

 

 

// ALMOST THAT TIME ...

... when we'll be packing up and jetting away as simple lovers tend to do, to our secret hideaway for that treasured escape ritual. The snowbirds have already left... Although winter is not my nor many's favorite season, there are a few things that I do enjoy at this time of the year, living on the 'frostier' side and below is this Friday's Fabulous Five...

1. Traveling on the train (especially our swanky new open-concept arrivals --makes us all smile), and watching the light snowfall out my window. Most times, I wish I could sit on board for the entire route but 'ack... work calleth'...

2. Rich, warm soups-- especially pea soups...

3. The increased mental creativity and desire to play with as many colors as I can, on any chosen day of the week, with us all wrapped up in that solid-colored warmth...

4. Listening to even more relaxing lounge music, as I prefer to hibernate indoors rather than jump into that pioneering role.

5. Always an ongoing love, especially during the chillier days, my favorite coffeehouse, Second Cup's white mocha lattes are a weekly joy!

*** Enjoy THIS* limited deal from Second Cup beginning next week Tuesday, (February 7th!)

Celebrate your own winter loves as we travel through the season... our countdown to the weekend starts rights now!

Happy Friday folks!

(photo of map of Australia with scrabble game pieces via Shannon Blue from Boulder, Colorado - US; new ttc trains via Toronto Life)

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