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Celebrate! - Happy Independence Day

photo courtesy of http://santarosaredwhiteandboom.com/

Happy 4th of July!!! Can you believe it's July already?! I surely cannot. July 4th serves as a day to commemorate and celebrate our independence and freedom as a nation. Please take the time to think of our service men and women who put it all on the line so we can continue to enjoy our freedom.

Celebrate with family and friends and don't forget to celebrate yourself! Reflect on all of your hard work this year thus far as half of the year is already behind you. Summer is a time of fun and relaxation but also a time of preparation. Things tend to slow down a bit at work and school so take advantage of this slight breather and make sure you are still on track for whatever your goals may be.

Take in some fireworks if you can, but most of all have fun and be safe!

-TB

The Big O : Great Quotes to Inspire Organization in Your Home!

A lovely organized craft room. Photo courtesy of  http://tasramar.com  

Peter Walsh's Best Quotes About Organization

Memorial Day 2013

Happy Memorial Day! Here's to a safe and awesome Memorial Day weekend with friends and family. Please take the time to reflect on the service and sacrifice our soldiers commit to in order to keep us safe. We salute you!

Explore some new recipes, cook with the kids and invite the neighbors. This is the official launch of summer! Check my Yum! board on Pinterest for more recipes. http://pinterest.com/tinaterrell/yum-new-recipes-more/
Enjoy!

-TB

Not March...May Madness!!!

So...it's been 3 months since I've posted something on my blog. OMG! I can't believe I went that long without putting some inspiration out there. For those of you whom have commented, sent compliments or encouragement my way; thank you!

It is not for lack of content that I haven't posted. Spring cleaning, organizing, Easter celebration, new recipes, family gatherings are all topics I had been hoping to cover. Here's a consolidated post covering all of the sweet spots I missed. Check back monthly for updates to the new categories below.

Spotless : Cleaning Tip

Put all of your cleaning duties on schedule. Perhaps Monday is vacuum day and Wednesday is mop day. Either way never let your home become overwhelmingly in disarray. Knocking out cleaning duties day by day helps keep your sanctuary in pristine condition for unplanned guests and easy daily functioning.

The Big O : Organizing Tip

Many times when the weather transitions from cold to hot or hot to cold we find ourselves trying to get our closets in order to manage what we are wearing for the season. Be sure to utilize top shelving to fold down sweaters and heavy cardigans. A cheap investment can be a plastic storage drawer set on wheels. Slide this in your closet and use it to store extra scarves, hats, belts and anything else not worn on a regular basis. Leave only your go-to staple items in the forefront of your closet for easy access.

Happy, Merry : Holiday Gathering Tip

We are well on way to the beginning of summer, kicked off by the Memorial Day holiday. If you are inviting guests over for a gathering or barbeque, lighten your load by asking attendees to bring a side dish or beverage. If you focus your time and budget on the main course, a couple of simple side items and setup, this will leave less room for being overwhelmed and over your budget. Most folks will not mind bringing a simple side dish but be sure to make it optional and open to store bought items.

Yum : New Recipe

Try this! Easy Fruit Whip Salad

You will need 3 bananas, ½ cup strawberries, 2 peaches and/or nectarines, 3 Tbsp honey, ¼ cup sliced almonds and 1 container of sugar free cool whip. Simply chop fruit down to desired size, mix in cool whip slowly until fully mixed with fruit. Whip in almonds and drizzle honey over the top. This is great as a side item for breakfast, mid-morning snack or a low calorie dessert. Enjoy!

February : Love Is In The Air

Dear TBI Blog Friends,
As promised I am posting a little something in lieu of Valentine's Day. This day of love seems to always bring about a bit of anxiousness and feelings of obligation. How do you show someone you love them? How do you let them know how you really feel. What if you feel like you can't afford to do something fabulous? Maybe this will ease your fears.  Everyone expresses love and affection in different ways and everyone internalizes love and affection in different ways. One healthy way to figure out your partner is to take the 5 Love Languages quiz online. This short and simple quiz will help you and your partner determine your love styles. It's free and it's fun. http://www.5lovelanguages.com/profile/

Another simple thing to do is to repeat an activity that in the past you know put a smile on your partner's face. It can be anything such as cooking a favorite meal, a great massage, helping them organize a room or writing them a poem. There is no need to feel the pressure to go out and spend money you may not have or be extravagant when you're not sure of their response. Be creative! And remember most of us want to know that we are loved, we are valued and that we matter. And that goes for any time of the year. Make everyday a mini Valentine's Day.

See below a quick recipe that you can indulge in on V-Day.

I Love You Berry Much

1 pound cake (baked or store bought)
1 bag frozen mixed berries (add some honey to sweeten & bring out flavor)
1 container of Cool Whip (try the sugar free)

Slice pound and arrange in an overlapping circle on a plate. Scoop a generous serving of Cool Whip over pound cake. After thawing, top with mixed berries. If there are extra berries, drop them in the bottom your wine glass for added flair. Enjoy!

Openness & Grace : TBI VBlog Series

Contentment : TBI V-Blog Series

Share Your Thoughts!

The Grass Comes in Various Shades of Green : V-Blog

Fear & Doubt : V-Blog

My First Radio Interview : Promoting Tina's Design Studio

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/pat-snipes/2012/03/27/tinas-design-studio-awesome-work-helps-orgs-make-impact

Fruitful! V-Blog

Bearing the fruit of your labor...
-Your efforts start to pay off
-Celebrate & share your accomplishments
-Success brings about more success
-Ride the wave & roll with the punches
-Get ready to be noticed
-Listen! Always stay open
-Take inventory & monitor what it takes to produce

Pruning the Vine

Hello there! As we continue to make our way through the chapters of Focused, Fruitful & Fearless, I hope you are finding bits of inspiration to keep you motivated, grounded and on the path to your definition of success. We now enter chapter 3 titled Pruning the Vine. Are you ready for the doors to open and the blessings to pour in? Well get ready. Preparation is key when you take any journey. So whether it’s a degree, a new career or relocation – make sure you are prepared. First of all remove all distractions and debris. This means anything that can derail your focus, including people, bad habits and negative thoughts. Your mind is very powerful and spending time talking against yourself will do you no good. Make room for the opportunity. Ask yourself, if I got what I wanted would my life be able to receive it? Next, build a team of support. Who are your people? This can be parents, siblings, friends, co-workers, mentors or anyone willing to be a sounding board or give great advice. Make a list of people you know you can count on to be honest with you in case you get in over your head. Develop conducive habits and a lifestyle that reflects the end goal. Nothing ever just drops from the sky and those who are well prepared always prevail. Finally, start walking and talking like it’s done. This doesn’t mean you don’t have more work to do but walk forward as if you know it’s going to happen! Prune the vine and get ready.

Daydreaming?...Wake Up!!

Hello movers & shakers. As promised, I will be blogging about different areas of focus from my upcoming book Focused, Fruitful & Fearless: 3 Principles of Success. Today we visit chapter 2 titled, Focused or Dreaming? If you are anything like me, you enjoy daydreaming and thinking about your future goals and endeavors. This is all well and good until you get to a point where you are fantasizing about goals and not actually pursuing anything. Everything starts with imagination, but then it needs to develop and manifest itself through your actions. Taking action is a very necessary step. Do you have a task list ready? Make one. Have you set short term goals and deadlines to keep you on task? Start a “to-do”list for everyday or every week with items that must be completed. Rank from high priority to low priority. Do not overwhelm yourself, but try to put some order to what you are doing. If something is taking up a lot of your time, but produces nothing – it’s time re-evaluate how you are utilizing your time. If you still find yourself spinning your wheels, here are 2 questions to consider; Do you know what you want? Can you describe in detail what the goal is? That is all for now my friends. Keep dreaming big, but remember to work it!

Where To Start

I’ve made a decision – in an effort to help push me to finish my book, at least one of my blog posts per month will focus on a chapter from my upcoming book. Focused, Fruitful and Fearless is a book of principles I use and have been using as I transition careers and make the most of my gifts. I hope by sharing my journey that I will encourage, inspire and motivate you to move forward.

The first chapter is titled Where to Start. The truth is, you can start whenever or however you want. The journey is yours to take, always take control of your definition of success. Think about or write down your natural talents and abilities. What is your dream job or career? What can you see yourself doing well? What is a recurring theme in the work you do? What do you find yourself drawn to?

Perhaps, by posing these questions to yourself you may discover something new. Or you may come back to what you already know. Either way, do something with it. Even if it’s starting a blog! Nurture the gift, cultivate the talent. You may be surprised with the result. So today my friends, I urge you to move.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

I went home for the holidays and stayed an extended visit so I could be present for my father's retirement celebration. I was very anxoius about my visit. How would I get anything done while I was away? Would I pack enough without over-packing? Would my home be safe? All in all everything worked out well & I have learned some things fix themselves when you stop worrying. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay. Coffee time with my mom, watching daytime television together, her random & witty advice, making her laugh at my ridiculous catch phrases never gets old. The same with my father, him telling me old jokes & schooling me on how things used to be makes me remember how far I have come. My sisters are my anchors. One on either side to help keep me grounded. Very different spirits, but each one just as important. Everyone in their own way is responsible for who I am today. (Thanks family!)

What was even more interesting is that I thought I would be tired, fatigued & tapped out when I returned. This was alarming as the new semester starts tomorrow for school. But what actually happened is to my complete surprise. The extended time with my family served as a fuel for me. They poured into me in ways they didn't realize. Encouraging ideas I had, asking about details of my new venture which made me talk about it & therefore speak it into existence. Sometimes all you need to move forward is to share. Sharing my dream for Tina Brown Inc., my vision and long term goals made it more real than jotting down thoughts in my handy notebook. And when you least expect it, encouragement from dear loved ones, the ones who know you best can go a long way. So instead of being tired, fatigued & disoriented, I am restored, excited & renewed for the new year. I am ready to take on 2012.

My thought for you this evening is to share your dream with someone close to you. Don't assume they won't listen or have good feedback. When you share your vision or passion it's like leaving a little piece of yourself with them. Don't have any expectations & you may learn something new. I learned home is where the heart is.

Ink Your Dream

I decided to go through some of my old sample books of stationery and paper products. I was amazed at how much work, research and preparation I had put into launching my product line a few years ago. I'm not even sure what made me put it all down and not pursue it. At any rate, the product bug has struck me again and I have decided to refine a lot of my original work and create new work for a product line launch in the near future.

I guess the lesson here is sometimes dreams, desires or aspirations are deferred for a reason. Perhaps I wasn't ready for the commitment, sacrifice or exposure at that point in my life. So today, I urge to search, ponder and really think about some of the original ideas & desires you had. Is it time now to start that catering business? Maybe now is the time to finish that degree you keep putting off. Or maybe it's as simple as finishing that painting and having it framed. Whatever it may be, let this be a season of uncovering, revitalization or revelation of what could be the first step to a more fulfilled life. Ink your dream.

Countdown...5,4,3,2,1

Thanks to all of you who are reading the blog! I hope you can possibly find one thing that inspires to take a step forward with one of your own projects or endeavors. There's nothing quite like the holiday season - bright lights in the city, fresh pine, pumpkin, spice, cranberry, the glorious aromas of the holiday season. While I am ready for the year to wind down, I still have quite a bit to accomplish this year. Knock out my final exams, launch the first phase of the Tina Brown Inc. website and attract at least 30 people to follow my blog (please tell a friend if you feel so inclined!).

My book unfortunately, has been put on hold for now as I am not able to focus and write. There's a lot of anxiety for me this time of year but the adrenaline is what pushes me to finish strong.

I hope you all enjoy this Thanksgiving holiday and if you have any spare time at all, take the next step forward for whatever God has given you to do. Ink the Dream. (trademark pending)

Once Upon A Time...

I decided last year that I would stop living out of fear & truly walk by faith. Much easier said than done as you can imagine. I left corporate America. That has been by far the bravest act yet. So far (2011) has been this beautiful and crazy ebb and flow of school, work, volunteering & brainstorming for my new venture. Is it easy? Absolutely not. Would I make the same decision again? Yes. Being in corporate America allowed me to indulge in all the things I thought were important at the time.
There is value in that. There is a great deal of satisfaction in that. But what if I could match my natural abilities and talents with my purpose and create a role or position for myself that filled me to the brim? What if I could help people realize one small thing that would help propel them forward? Or offer one word of encouragement to someone who's never been encouraged? Now that is what really resonates with me.

I am finishing my BA in Psychology with a minor in African American Studies. I plan attend grad school for Counseling Psychology.

This blog is simply the prelude to Tina Brown Inc.'s official launch. The vision is big and not even fully complete but this is the start. Through all of this I figure why not document the journey? Sharing is therapy for me. It allows me to sort my ideas and thoughts and speak my dreams into existence.

So, check back in often. I will post stories, suggestions, interesting articles and links for your enjoyment. I will also provide any info regarding workshops and presentations I may be doing. Feel free to comment or share with a friend. Stay tuned!