Happy Friday, people! Where did the week go? I feel like I just got back from Hotlanta yesterday.  I've been all up in my recipes since Tuesday preparing  for a dear friend's going-away party. The party tomorrow is for 20 guests so I've been in the kitchen cooking since yesterday. I love it! 

Here's what's cooking:
-Date, Goat Cheese and almond bites
-Italian Kebabs: Mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, basil on skewers
-Apple-Cheddar scones
-Broccoli Gribiche: Brunch-y dish with fingerling potatoes, broccoli, egg and a traditional french sauce
-Baked Oatmeal: Maple syrup, rolled oats, mixed berries, bananas, walnuts
-Wild Rice Casserole: Wild Rice, Brown Rice, Cream, Gruyere, Onion, Mushrooms
-Lemon Pistachio Cake with lemon curd filling

Anyhow, this song has been in my head all week. For some reason, it always reminds me of summer. It also makes me wanna clap my hands and get my hair braided just so I can swing it all soulful like Rose Royce. It doesn't matter whether I'm in the kitchen or at the car wash, any place is THE place to get down to some 1970's funkiness! Enjoy the sunshine and the long weekend! 

Hello! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! I just got back from a lovely trip to the ATL where I got to spend time with new friends and old. I also got to attend the Wedding Day Hooray, an indie craft festival for all things wedding. 

For those of you who don't know, I AM a bride-to-be! The Mister popped the question in January on my 30th birthday, a complete and total surprise to me. Unlike some gals, I did not have my wedding planned before I hit puberty so this is all new to me. Thank goodness for friends and the internet! 

Nikki Mueller of Not Made in China turned me on to the event and subsequently snagged a booth to pimp her wares. Last Friday, we hit the road like Thelma and Louise. Here's what inspired and delighted me this weekend...

A few other notables that I didn't capture on camera...

Paper Acorn- Lovely custom luminaries
Olive- Darling dresses galore from darling designer Katriesa Raines
Limon Verde- Beautiful Handcrafted silver filigree jewelry
The Sugar-Coated Radical- Delicious  candy including exotic caramels and gourmet lollies 
Home.Made Catering from Scratch- All I have to say is Cheese Straw sandwiches with pimento cheese. Slap ya mama good! 

I left with a few loves including Save-The-Date magnets from NMIC and a serious hankering for a Guest Box and a brooch bouquet. My head explodes multiple times a day with wedding ideas. I'm not sure the Wedding Day Hooray slowed that down much, but it has sealed the deal on a few pieces of the nuptial puzzle. Our wedding date is set for October 13, 2012 which leaves me plenty of time to continue the hunt for handmade goodies.  

Headed to the ATL this weekend to kick off the unofficial happy days of summer.  My tour takes me to the ATL this weekend for the Wedding Day Hooray to Philly for The Roots Picnic and back to the ATL for the Adele show. I get to road trip it with my favorites and spend time with the best of the besties from now until the end of June. 

In honor of all that fun, I chose a song from some ATL boys that never disappoint. Me and the Mister shook it like a polaroid pickcha earlier today.  Now go get you some! 

   Someone once told me, "Blessed are the flexible, for they never get bent out of shape."  How very true. If I had nails, there would be claw marks leading into my office, up the back of the computer chair to my desk where a few noticeable impressions would be cursing the wood where I was desperately groping my way toward this blog post. 

 You see, l often forget that the best laid plans often go to shit for no other reason than I'm not the ruler of the Universe and have no real control over what happens. I simply have to be flexible. Every morning I wake up with the same resolution to go out into the world and be a productive member of the human race.  With goals in mind and to-do lists in hand, I'll venture out to happily tackle the day only to discover that the Universe has other plans. 

Sometimes it deals with my work life, clients who think it's fun to play a game of whack-a-mole with me and project deadlines (that was last week). Other times, it's the unsuspecting time suck errand. Still other times, it comes in the form of people who need genuine help that I am able to give (this week). 

At these times, the anal retentive time manager, list-maker, she-monster-devil sitting on my left shoulder wants to pull my hair out by the fistful and FREAK OUT! But then... the hippie angel, child of the Universe on my right takes a puff of the celestial good stuff and exhales slowly, "Chill out, man. Go with the flow. Blessed are the flexible."  

I've come to realize that my fancied hippie guardian is right. Chill the eff out, Keia.  All things that are meant to get done will get done, including a blog post this week. The Universe has a plan to which I am a small part. There is no blueprint of perfection laid out for each day, although I sometimes think otherwise. I don't call the shots, I just show up and play the game. 

"Blessed are the flexible, for they never get bent out of shape." Right on. 

Today's video is a bit of a nostalgic one. I'm headed to Atlanta next weekend to visit my besties and attend the marvelous Wedding Day Hooray, an indie craft festival for brides-to-be.  In lieu of hanging with some of the best gal pals I know is a song we used to blast out of the open sunroof on a proper girls night out. Everything But the Girl is a mainstay in my girlie collection.  Happy Friday! 

It's no secret that I love food. I love cooking food, sharing food, eating food and learning about food.  I love food so much that I would be remiss to not include it as the seventh way to add sunshine to your life in my Sunshine Seven Ways series. 

Suggestion #7: Nourish Your Body. Feed Others. Feed Your Soul. 

Food is an important component to happier living. It can bring people together in the kitchen and at the dinner table. It can heal you from the inside out,  improve your overall mood, and it's effin tasty. 

Here are just a few ways you can add more sunshine to your life with food: 

Cook something delicious for those that you love: The thought, effort and consideration that goes into preparing a meal for others is an experience that you shouldn't miss. It's rewarding and you get to spend time with your favorite people. If you can't cook, host a dinner party and invite your friends. 

Grow your own food: There is something profoundly rewarding about growing your own food. The act of digging in the dirt, watching seeds turn into plants and then harvesting and honoring your food in the kitchen is really a full-circle experience. No green thumb? Start small with an herb garden. 

Cleanse your  body: Food has the power to heal and it plays a big part to how you feel on the  inside.  Over the last few years, I have been learning about food by reading books on the food industry, making changes to my diet and trying new things, like cleanses. 

The Clean Program was first introduced to me by GOOP, a blog started by Gwyneth Paltrow. A friend coincidentally(if you believe in that sort of thing) gave me the book,  I read the whole thing, then tried the program for myself. It was a fantastic experience and my body thanked me. I still return to this program today when I need a reset.  

I have found that cleanses can improve my mood, give me more energy and heal my ailments. A cleansed person is a happy person, in my opinion. 

Food is a universal language. It's a means of expressing love to yourself and to others and it has had a profound impact on my  relationships with the world around me and distant from me. I call it foodlove and hope you'll find some of your own to share. 

Suggestion #6: Hugs
Give someone a squeeze today. You might make all the difference. Need a little inspiration? Head over here and see how hugs can change lives. Happy hugging! 

Congratulations to Carrie Hopkins for recommending a dope song that makes me want to dance my pants off! 

This song wins for a number of reasons: 
1. Carrie is the ONLY person who posted on the Facebook page for The Sunnysideup. 
2. Keyboards, Lasers, Beats at the  Speed of Light, Sunglasses, Q-Tip, Japanese and the phrase "Je Te Plumerai La Tete" 
3. I'm still dancing my pants off. 

Hope you all enjoy it as much as I am....Happy Dancing! 
P.S.- I didn't forget about Day 5 for Sunshine Seven Ways. This is one of my favorite ways to add sunshine to your life.

Suggestion #5: Dance!
It's simple. Move your feet, change your mood. Try it! 

It's Day 4 of Sunshine Seven Ways and I bet any money that, if you have followed these suggestions, you are practically glowing by now. I'm feeling pretty darn good myself.  

In fact, I've spent the morning at the YMCA National Prayer Breakfast (representing the Urban Ministry Center) for a massive gathering of people, agencies and organizations  to send up loving thoughts for the Charlotte community. It's no coincidence that today's suggestion fits right in with this morning's activities. 

Suggestion #4: Think Good Thoughts

We've all heard the phrase that "Thoughts become Things." I happen to believe this to be true.  Positive mantras are my way of telling negative thoughts that "We don't like your kind 'round here."  They keep the the negative tape track out of the cassette player and me out of Negative Nancy-land. 

Often, I try to cocoon myself with positive sayings and mantras like this chalkboard wall in my dining room and these stickers which live on my water container. I also like to tape notes  where I can see them on the daily, like my computer screen or bathroom mirror.  I also fancy this little resource which sends notes to my inbox everyday. 

So, on this phenomenal, extraordinary Thursday, I hope you will join me in thinking good thoughts for yourself and all those around you. 

If you're day needs a reset- try starting with this quote from Ernest Holmes who says, "Drop all negative thoughts from the mind. Do not dwell upon adversity, but think plenty into everything. Meditate on the things you are doing as being already done- complete and perfect."  

What are some of your favorite mantras? I'd love to hear from you.