The Secret Is In the Sauce Blogathon!

For those of you who don't know, "The Secret Is In the Sauce" (also known as SITS) is not only a blog, but a wonderful community. I happened to stumble upon this site one day while reading another blog and noticed the cutest little button:



I was amazed by the support and comradery incited by the writers of this blog. They introduce you to a new blog every day and each day, it's like making new friend. I'm new to blogging, and everyone who has visited my blog has been great!

Here are a few of the blogs I've discovered and new friends I've made through SITS:

Pennies In My Pocket

American In Norway

Mama's Losin' It

With Love Sincerely

Life Just Keeps Getting Wierder

All of the women who author these blogs are witty, entertaining, funny and just plain amazing. Their subjects and styles have given me more confidence in my writing. Finding SITS has made blogging so much more fun!

(You should really go check it out for yourself!)

Another Wedding?

While I do think being a guest at a wedding can be fun, if you don’t know anyone there, it can get pretty boring. So when I heard I would be attending another wedding this weekend, I wasn’t exactly excited about it.

On Saturday, while getting ready, I was having trouble finding the right outfit. Don’t you hate that? By the time you’re finished, you’re not only running late, but your entire closet is now on your bed, which means you will have to clean that up when you get home. And to top that off, you still don’t feel like a million bucks in the outfit you finally “settled” for, which leaves you in a not-so-great mood.

Little did I know, this would be a very different occasion.

Within 10 minutes of the end of the ceremony, I felt different. I actually felt happy to be there. I didn’t quite understand it yet, so I just did the usual, being introduced to different people and this large but amazing, wonderful family.

Eventually, though, I caught on. This family was fabulous! They didn’t just give you the usual smile, handshake, and “nice to meet you”…they embraced you! Not necessarily literally embraced you or hugged you (although some did)…but with that smile and handshake, you felt more than welcome. You felt they truly and genuinely loved meeting you and were happy to have you there. (I live in Los Angeles, and quite frankly, we don’t get a lot of that around here.)

Shortly after that, I noticed that I was in a really great mood! Hmmm…maybe a little positive energy being spread around here? Maybe a little love? When I tell you that I could “feel the love” at this reception – I really mean it. This family was so positive and had so much energy – most of them had me laughing hysterically! Not one of them was afraid to be goofy on the dance floor or to just be themselves and “let go”. And each one of them had big personalities – so bright and very funny. I was so impressed.

At one point, I remember thinking how I had just been through a couple of days that were fairly emotional. I wasn’t really thrilled about going to this wedding, but now I was having more fun than I’ve had in a very long time! Then I realized what was different…the energy – the positive energy, and the love this family has for each other – which comes through to other people, whether it be old friends or perfect strangers, like me.

For the first time in years, I didn’t care about my usual worries, or that I really didn’t like my outfit , or for that matter, what people thought about it. And I didn’t even care that my hair was starting to frizz!!! Nope! No self-conscious garbage last night! It was just too much fun to be there!

By the time I left, I honestly felt like a full-fledged member of this family. I only hope that I can remember to be that positive and loving to my own friends and family – and even people I don’t know. What an impact such a small change in attitude can make!

Oh, and by the way…today I was told that this wonderful family “loves” me…I guess I made a good impression! -- But really, what’s not to love?

Tip for the week: Pass It On!!! (it will feel great - I promise)

Photoshop Elements 7 - SITS October Giveaway!

The Secret Is In The Sauce is giving away Photoshop Elements 7!
Click here for the info!

Free Designer Inspired Handbags! until 10/15/08

Handbag Planet will be giving away a free handbag every hour for 24 hours on the day of their launch. They are high fashion, trendy handbags - inspired by popular designer brands. No credit card required and there are no S/H fees!

Please click here to find out more: http://www.handbagplanet.com/

It's All In Your Head - Literally

I can’t tell you how many times in my life I have heard that phrase. There have been those who have been in pain, have gone in for a Doctor’s Visit only to be told that there is nothing wrong with them, and that it was “all in their heads”. I have noticed that in recent years, more and more people are discovering that yes – it IS all in my head – Literally! By that I mean, it’s all a mind-set . Whatever you believe you can do – you CAN do.

If you believe you’re sick, you will be. If you believe you’re thin, you are. If you have a thought somewhere in your lifetime that you will always be in debt or struggle with saving money – even if you never dwelled on that thought or really gave much time to it – guess what? You WILL be in debt and you WILL have trouble saving money! If you believe you don’t deserve better, you will never have better.

After watching this past season of CBS’ Reality TV Show, Big Brother (Season 10), I realized that there were at least two people on the show that I could really resonate with. One of them happened to be the winner, Dan Gheesling, who is a Catholic School Teacher and Football Coach from Michigan.

During the show, sometimes difficult competitions would have some of the houseguests giving up on themselves. On more than one occasion, I heard Dan tell them, “It’s all mental”. Since the conclusion of the show, I read an article written by his sister, in which she writes that this phrase was something that Dan would frequently say to her. (http://detroit.metromix.com/tv/article/big-brother-10-detroits/636577/content)

I’m not sure if the others knew what Dan meant by that – but I did. I knew exactly what he meant.

Additionally, another article that I read stated that before Dan left for the show, he had no doubt whatsoever in his mind that he would win – that he was 100% confident. (http://www.pressandguide.com/stories/092108/loc_20080921003.shtml)

Have you ever heard the phrase, “what you think about, you bring about”? Basically, that means that whatever you dwell on, whatever thought you decide to put your energy into…will be. It will happen – whether you like it or not. Remember all of those times that you just “knew” something bad was going to happen, and after it really did happen, you said, “See, I just knew that was going to happen”? Well, you were right – it DID happen, and you KNEW it – because you held that in your mind, you put your energy to it and you had no doubt about it, whatsoever.

The benefits of thinking positively and believing in yourself are far more than just making your day a little brighter. That’s what I used to think. I always hated to hear people tell me to think positive when I was having a really crappy day or something bad was happening in my life. I used to think it was all BS. But now I know better.

So for now, just remember to believe in yourself – no matter what the situation is. Let all doubts fly out the window. You don’t need them anyway! And when you think you CAN’T – just remember The Little Engine That Could … “I think I can! I think I can!” It really IS that simple.

**All of the views expressed in this blog are the Opinions of its author.**