My personal time with God.

I decided to make a ritual for me on Sunday’s and have morning tea on my lanai, to enjoy the view and the birds chirping. I like to think they are singing to remind how much I appreciate what I have in my life. It’s my time to breath and not worry about what is on the days agenda. I’m very present.

Love my new teacup and saucer.

I pay close attention to details from how I set my tray or to the way I plate my food. This is important because I am making it special for my BFF……Me!

I notice how doing this for me makes me feel special.  I beleive every women should know how to make themselves feel special.  It’s easy to forget because we already have someone doing our man-pedi’s for us. We go out to eat for someone to cook and serve us, which I love to do.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating to not dine out somewhere. What I am saying is how often do you take the time to create an experience for yourself to enjoy.

Morning I love my new tea strainer, it catches any loose tea that escapes my existing La Cruset tea pot strainer.

These days I love making a pot of tea and using my tea accessories. It’s what makes me feel happy and I focus on things that make me feel happy.

What are some of the ways you pamper yourself on a Lazy Sunday?

Let me know below and comment.

Homemade lemon garlic dressing.

This is my journey of healthy living.  For years I have yo-yo’d with my weight.  Then battled with being a foodie and my culture.  For those who are not familiar with Filipino culture, it’s all about being skinny.  Living in America, we do live a life of luxury compared to those in the Philippines.  So I’m USA Grade!

I am curvy and maybe too curvy in some spots for my culture.  Nonetheless, I do beleive in being healthier and at my age it is necessary to make healthier choices.  I don’t believe in diets, I feel like food is bad.  Diets just leave me feeling guilty which doesn’t give me a good feeling.  Like I said earlier, I want to do things that make me feel good.

I am having fun with plating my dishes I make for me.  I truly enjoy that part of cooking. To make my food visually appealing is so much fun for me. When I finally sit down, I feel proud of what I have before me.  I feel I am honoring myself by taking great joy in making my plate look beautiful. 

There’s more I need to do than just plating food. This year is going to be a great year for changes. It’s been a great year foe me already and we are at the half way mark of June. 

Adding a Ceasar Salad with my pizza. Who needs California Pizza Kitchen?

This year, I decided to do something different! Iam choosing to associate feeling good with what I am accomplishing.  I had to change my mindset for this to work on my terms.  It was resetting my neuro pathways to my association to my health and my goals. The goal, being to be healthier. So I made a few changes and stir things up.

1. I signed up for the Marathon in Honolulu on Dec. 13, 2015.  I know I can do this!
2. Cooking at home allows me to control of ingredients.
3. Salad  with my lunch and dinners or salad alone as a meal. Always make my own dressing.
4. Plating my food to make it feel like I am at a restaurant. I love it whenever I plate my food I feel like I’m being good to me.
5. Moving my body by signing up for The Bar Method, walking and starting to walk/jog. baby steps, right?!
6. Being grateful every morning I am listing off what I am grateful for in my life, I have my prayers and receive all the love God has for me.

This is where I will record my journey.  So feel free to follow along.

Let me know what you do and if you have any tips to share, please comment below.

Enjoying my exotic experience at home.

My inner Foodie has been having fun figuring ways to maximize what I have in the fridge. These days I’ve been shopping at Costco, I don’t know about you but I have a hard time eating all that stuff. Costco is great when purchasing in bulk. What I’ve noticed, I have a hard time eating everything. As a Foodie, I find myself getting bored eating the same thing over and over. To aleviate my dining boredom, I have to be creative.

The Kale Salad mix I chose at Costco works great as a salad, of course. As you can see it’s great in my:

Exotic Curry Fried Rice 

• 1 small Onion diced
• Cooked Jasmine Rice
• Kale Salad Mix
• 1 egg
• Kaiulani Hot Exotic Curry Rub & Seasoning
• Kosher Salt

Sautee onions and Kale salad mix and add kosher salt to sweat the onions on medium high heat. Add the cooked rice and Kaiulani seasoning to taste. Make a well in your pan and crack the egg and scramble. Then mix the egg with everything. Once it’s blended well and seasoned to your taste add dried cranberries and sunflower seeds which are included with the salad mix. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.

All you need for yummy goodness. Plus the egg. Mr. Egg was on another photo shoot.

I’m going to make Chicken dumpling soup with the rest of it. Check back soon to see that recipe.  Let me know how you use the rest of your Costco goodies. Just share below in the comments.

Happy Dining at home!

The Dove is looking right at the camera

The I in D.I.V.A. represents Inspiration!

So What inspires you? Who Inspires you? Do you Inspire others? Do you find Inspiration in your surroundings, etc?

These days we get caught up on our everyday responsibilities, our families activities, social media, and attached to our handheld devices. Today’s society is at it’s peak of being connected globally due to the internet. Yet there is a huge disconnect with having a true connection with each other because of it.  I’m just as guilty as the next person of being attached to my cell phone.  We are all caught up in catching up electronically we forget to look up and see what’s around us. Inspiration comes from our surroundings and our experiences of where we are at in the present moment.

These days it’s critical to remain connected with the people, the places, and the sounds which surround us. I know for me that is when I am able to appreciate the beauty of others and my surroundings. It makes me see God’s awesome wonder. Start to appreciate the beauty life has to offer.

Inspiration is personal and only YOU can determine what inspires you. Maybe it’s a strong confident empowering woman, then again it can be the gentle soul helping someone unconditionally, it can even be a butterfly you see flying to on it’s journey to the next flower. Basically, it’s wherever you find inspiration. Only you can determine what inspires you.

If your reading this and wondering how you can find your inspiration, remember this, you too can learn to find inspiration in your everyday lives. Yes, you too can LEARN to see inspiration. First you have to have the willingness and be open to see it.

So I challenge you! Go out and find 5 things that inspire you today and share them with me.  I’d love to hear what you find out.

]]> http://www.MyraGrefaldia.com/839/feed/ 0 http://www.MyraGrefaldia.com/back-after-personal-loss/ http://www.MyraGrefaldia.com/back-after-personal-loss/#comments Sun, 19 Oct 2014 14:58:33 +0000 http://www.MyraGrefaldia.com/?p=957

Propsal Garden at Sonya’s Garden in Alfonso, Cavite Philippines. Taken when I was in the Philippines for my grandfather’s service. Finding beauty during a time of sadness.

I’m back after my grandfather’s passing. This summer has been a whirlwind for me. The last time I saw my grandfather was, Christmas break last year, with my family. It’s tough because one of the last things he asked me is, “Will you come to the Philippines if I die?” My response, “Of course! That’s a pretty sad thing to ask right now but of course I’d come. I love you!”

That’s rough to hear from a man you know who was always a man of steel. He’s was my gramps that was strong physically and mentally. So to hear him say that was tough.

I’m so glad I spoke to him a month before he passed. He sounded great, happy, and was feeling great physically. In the back of my mind I knew it would probably be soon. Regardless of knowing the time is near, it doesn’t make it easier.

Before walking my Mom down the isle with my Grandfather.

I apologize for being MIA. I promise not to be gone for so long. However, with all the sadness and the goodbyes; there’s also new beginnings, projects, and fierce determination. All driven by connecting with my grandfather at a whole new level. It’s sad it takes death to see another side of loved ones.

This challenges me to be closer and creating stronger connections with my loved ones. I don’t want to know about my friends and family after they’ve passed away. The photo above I took at Sonya’s Garden in the Proposal Garden from my father’s hometown of Alfonso, Cavite in the Philippines. I’m so glad I was able to see beauty in a time of sadness.

The present is here and now! After all, the present is a gift!

Embrace the present! Embrace the people around you! Put the handheld devices down and put it on silence. Finally see the person across from you, experience them, and enjoy the time you have with that person.

Time is fleeting. Make use of your time with the people you love and cherish!

To my Gramps:

I Love You and Miss You! Thanks for all the laughter!

I can go on and on, I think you get my point.   We are always taking care of everyone and the most important of all is taking care of ourselves.  We can better serve our family and friends when we are replenished.  I’ve learned that everything is energy.  When your energy is running low then the people around you never get a chance to experience all of who you are. Stop robbing yourself and your family and friends of experiencing all of you.

I’m not going to lie, I get in the same cycle too.  The difference these days, I’ve learned to recognize when I have forgotten about taking care of myself.  When I forget, I begin to feel frustrated. The frustration is I haven’t had the chance to feed my needs and desires.  Right now I want to get back to learning Italian.  I’ve put it off for so long.  It’s time for me to get back on the horse.  So I’m starting my Saturday morning with my green juice and cold slices of apple and attempting to read my beginning Italian book of short stories.

I hope you find time today to get started in taking care of yourself.

There are times you have to listen to that small voice inside. It’s your soul telling you what you need. After my week, my soul needed these flowers.  It’s a reminder to me of God’s awesome power.  He created such beauty for everyone to enjoy.  If we could all just take one minute to appreciate the beauty He’s given us.  I’m fortunate to live in Hawaii, everyday there’s a rainbow to enjoy.  It’s a reminder of God’s promise to Noah that the entire earth would not flood again (Genesis 9). I love how He promises in color.

These days technology keeps us strapped to our mobile devices, it makes it easy to miss all the beauty around us.  I challenge you to to put it down and enjoy your inner voice’s request.  See what beauty is around you.  Otherwise go out and buy a bouquet.  What does your soul need to uplift your inner core?

Make Monday’s a Lovely Monday or a Loving Monday!  It doesn’t have to be gloomy or dreadful Monday’s! Why start the week on a negative note?

Even when I say the words, I feel my voice get deeper and my shoulders roll forward.  I feel the energy flow right out of me.  It’s no wonder everyone is cranky on Monday monday mornings.  When I choose to say Lovely Monday’s or Loving Mondy’s, I feel light, happy, and excited.  My shoulders stay back and I stand taller.  Give it a try and see what you notice.

Changing your thoughts is a process.  It wasn’t overnight you learned Monday’s were dreadful and gloomy.  That’s a learned habit.  In order to changed your thoughts, the process is one thought at a time.  If you’re willing to stick with it and go through the process, let’s get started.  No pain, No Gain; refers to changing thoughts too not only physically.

Hot To Make Monday Love Day’s!

1. Prepare: on Sunday’s whenever you think about tomorrow say to yourself, ‘Tomorrow is a Lovely Monday!”
2. Choose: two loving gestures one for you and another to pay it forward before going to bed.  Going to bed with loving thoughts helps reduce stress.
3. Rise: wake up and say out loud, “Today is a Lovely Monday!” If that’s not enough then jump up and say it really loud! If you don’t laugh at yourself for doing it or feel unusual after doing it then repeat.
4. Express: your chosen love gesture for you and your pay it forward gesture.
5. Notice: how you feel and your thoughts. Get excited that you were good to you and paying it forward.

My love gesture is my health, today I choose to make healthy choices to love myself.  I choose to help put a smile on someone who’s not having a Lovely Monday.

Leave a comment below.  I’d love to hear how you are creating your Monday Love Day!

I am my fathers daughter, as captured on camera.  My Dad taught me how to have fun and enjoy every moment in life.  I clearly gained my silliness from him, I love that guy.  My Step Dad is simply awesome! You’re the best Step Dad ever!!  My family would traditionally have brunch together to celebrate such occasions.  Living in Hawaii and having more than 5,000 miles of the Pacific Ocean separating me from the both of them, it kind of makes it hard to meet for brunch.

After chatting it up on the phone with the both of them, I decided to create my own Brunch for a party of one.  Tapas Style Brunch would be my stylo!  Tapas is Spanish for snack size, appetizers, or bite size morsels.  I’m all about having a sampling of everything, the Spanish are on the ball with dining tapas style.  While Brunch is the combination of Breakfast and Lunch which traditionally occurs on Sunday’s and lasts till 3pm.  Brunch started in the United Kingdom in the 1800’s and was later accepted in the United States in the 1930’s.  Light libations are provided at Brunch unlike Breakfast.

My Father’s Day Tapas Style Brunch is my way honoring my Dad and my Step Dad from a distance.  As I was preparing everything, I remembered my Dad taught me how to make country style scrambled eggs, fluffy scrambled eggs, over easy eggs, etc.  It made me realize my love for cooking started from him.  He would talk about how things were done in the kitchen.  Even till today we are always talking about cooking technique’s, what we’ve both cooked, or some old recipe Mom used to make back in the day.

Today I wanted to sample a little bit of everything.  I made fluffy scrambled eggs, ribeye salad, and mini bite size pancakes.  Although I didn’t have the fixin’s for a Bellini, I opted for a glass of Silverado Vineyards Sangiovese Rosato.  It was perfect! I didn’t get overly stuffed and I didn’t have excess food to store.

However you decide to celebrate your loved one’s today!  As long as you get the chance to say, “I Love You!” and share how you appreciate them, that’s all that matters…..Near or Far!!

Have a great Father’s Day Celebration today!

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It’s been a long week and I’m returning to my true love………….Dark Chocolate! I am treating myself to Awesome Goodness by Loving Myself, literally!

I’m giving a dose of healthy hearts of Dark Chocolate with Raw Almonds and Dried Cranberries and some hearts without nuts to myself.

I used my mini heart shaped silicone mold by Wiltons which is for baking, however, in this instance I am using it to make my chocolate hearts.

1. Melt Chocolate by double boiling. (the darker and organic the chocolate the healthier)
2. Add a few Raw Organic Cashews and Dried Cranberries to your mold. (make sure your mold is on a baking sheet)
3. Spoon in the melted chocolate into molds and tap the baking sheet on a hard surface to remove air pockets and let the chocolate reach between your filling.
4. Freeze till set and Enjoy!!

Have a great Friday everyone!