Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Hi, my beautiful friends,

Hot days are over, and fall is officially here! All windows and heart are open for the fresh breeze, warm colors, inspiration, and joy fall always brings!

During fall even the hard work doesn’t make me feel exhausted. The sense of calmness, the warm colors and warm food always give the romantic touch to life. The idea of having a hot cup of tea with cookies in the middle of the day soothes me. And this is what gives me energy and inspiration to move forward throughout the day.

It is magical how each person has a favorite season. Mine is definitely autumn. What is yours? When do you feel comfort, joy, and happiness the most?

While I haven’t finished my coffee here are my weekly offerings.

Today’s Friday Coffee Date Features:

Beauty: Fall is the time when you need to rethink your beauty routine. The 50 Best Tips for Glowing Skin has plenty of great advices I always follow. Except for dry brushing.

Food for the brains: Considering the number of events nowadays, problems, speeches, etc. filtering the information is crucial. Watch this honest How to seek truth in the era of fake news TED Talk to have some general idea regarding the fake news.

Lifehack: Don’t waste your used coffee ground, reuse it. 16 Creative Ways to Use Old Coffee Grounds offers some amazing ideas.

For your soul: We live in the busy world and very often we miss opportunities to create our lifetime moments.  This The Power of Moments inspired me to look differently at everyday life. You can, and you should create moments for yourself and loved ones whenever you feel it.

Artistic: Lochner | Carmichael account reminds me of a museum. The amazing and inspiring account that pushes the limits to see things differently.

Latest on Instagram:

• Caprese Sandwich 
• Fear of camera

That is it for now. Just a couple of casual sharings. But do take the fake news problem seriously. Do not let someone fool with your ideas and beliefs.

I wish you an inspiring and positive weekend.

Lots of love,

Maria

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Hello sweet friends,

I hope you had a wonderful week and ready to catch a break this weekend.

A lot of things going on in September, and we need to take proper care of ourselves during this month. My head is spinning around with all the things I need to finish. At the same time, the soul is asking for some inspiration and strength. We all have so many things to deal with but never should forget about taking care of ourselves first. The car won’t drive without the fuel.

For that reason, please enjoy the pick me up Friday coffee date edition.

Today’s Friday Coffee Date Features:

Health: The list of 50 things to fight anxiety already makes me anxious. Don’t you agree? Instead, grab this 8 Drug-Free Ways to Battle Anxiety. The shortest and clearest pieces of advice. Moving, bedtime and live in the moment are my savers. What’s yours?

Health #2: Because it is all about taking care of yourself first. Not all of us including me are fans of meditation. I tried to meditate. And tried really hard. Maybe in the future, I will give it another chance just not right now. So for me, stress relief yoga is the best kind of meditation.  Find 20 minutes preferable in the morning for it, and you will be amazed at the feeling after it. Give it a chance. Try this Best Easy Yoga For Stress Relief. You don’t need to be a pro. This is an easy yoga for all levels.

Planning: I’m not really good at planning fun. I usually just let it happen, except the times when I need to schedule something. But I do love to check out some fun ideas of things to do in fall.

Have some laughs: Disney Characters Surprise Shoppers. Cute video to unwind for a moment.

Movies to watch: If you have time to spare for yourself, just you, lady, watch Eat Pray Love. Such an undervalued movie. Maybe because critics were all men? Anyways absolutely must-watch female film. And better to watch it alone or with a glass of wine. If you have kids watch Lilo and Stitch. My all-time favorite cartoon. Funny, colorful, with a good message. And a movie to watch with the entire family is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. We all have an adventurer. You just have to let him out.

Latest on Instagram:

• Caribbean Festival in Cambridge.
• The amazing peach crisp to accompany the movie.
• Sweet and Sour pickles for the football season.

There you have some practical ways to fight the September rush. Life is always busy for most of us. The best what we can do is take care of ourselves in the tense moments. Find the time to breathe and recharge. Otherwise, you will be stuck in the middle of the road without any fuel, map, and clues what to do and where to go.

Take some time this weekend to recharge and renew yourself. There is the most beautiful season ahead. Prepare yourself to fully indulge it.

Lots of love,

Maria

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Hello friends,

I’m here with my ever so changing Friday Post…

I like the transit from Weekend Planner to Friday Coffee Date posts. Now I’m trying to shape it into something short but full of useful information. It also needs to be binding. Food is good for biding, but coffee talks are even better. Although my blog is not yet big enough for a lot of comments, but I’m getting there. The number of guests is growing, and hopefully soon regular guests will become friends, and we can get to know each other better through these posts.

So here is a tiny change I’m making. I will reduce coffee date features to 5 things. I find it the right number to keep your interest without tedium. Let’s be honest blog posts with tons of links may sound good and you want to check them all. But after a while, you find them overwhelming, right?

I will also name each paragraph for easy navigation. Let’s say you are interested in beauty talk but not into entertainment. That will help you to easily navigate through the post.

Let’s try it this way and see how it goes.

Today’s Friday Coffee Date Features:

Beauty. Always wondering EXACTLY* HOW OFTEN TO GET A HAIRCUT, DEPENDING ON YOUR LENGTH. The question is answered with the detailed guide for every hair length. Check it out.

Health. The Dirty Dozen: 12 Foods That Are High in Pesticides. Every year I check this guide to be sure when to choose organic. Not that I 100% trust it but still this is a useful guide for a general idea. Sadly, for the past couple of year strawberries consistently top the dirty list 🙁.

Smarty Pants. How scary is the smart home?! Every single smart tech toy installed in your home is spying on you. Orgasm is a very personal thing, and not one company should collect such sensitive and intimate information. If you decided to update to a smart home, please check this What your smart devices know about you and make a proper decision where you are OK to be spied on.

Financial Wisdom. I am always skeptical about the debt-free articles. They are usually full of useless advices. But this 12 Daily Habits Of Debt-Free People caught my attention, and I’m excited to share it with you. We are proud to be a debt-free couple, and we do follow at least 7 pieces of advice from this article. Start taking your financial freedom seriously.

Let’s laugh! Every time Gas Station Karaoke video cheers me up. They both have beautiful voices, but the guy also has an unbelievable charisma.

That is it for this Friday Coffee Date trial. If you like it this way, say it. I’m still shaping up the whole blog, and some of your suggestions and thoughts will help me to make it more personal and engaging blog.

See you next week with the delicious pulled chicken sliders and a new coffee date.

Have the relaxed and quiet weekend.

Lots of love,

Maria

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Hi there,

Last day of summer is almost over. Did you have a great, full of fun, memories and flavors summer?

Mine was, well… busy. On some days frustrating, on other days happy. Haven’t crossed many things from my summer to do list. But that’s OK. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in planning way too many things without considering the real-life happenings.

But I’m thankful for the fun and memories I had this summer. And so happy I made time for the beach.

What is your favorite summer memory, or maybe a moment, or a treasure find? Is there something you are excited to share? Share it. So curious how other people are enjoying their summer.

Here are today’s Friday Coffee Date Features:

*Let’s talk some serum stuff. It is super hard to find good advice for the skincare. Years of experiment taught me one ground rule. Always ask your skin what it needs! Follow this serum guide to see what skin conditions you need to target and choose the serum accordingly.

*This brings me to my recent precious beauty find – Thayers Alcohol-Free Cucumber Witch Hazel Toner. After two weeks of use, I noticed significant results: tighter pores, clearer and more refreshed skin. After I finish this bottle my next will be Rose Petal Toner. This is not sponsored in any way! I searched for a good not over drying toner for a very long time and exciting to share my discovery with you. Give it a try. I bought mine at Wholefoods. You can buy it online. I also know Target carries it.

*If you happen to be a Sephora shopper, don’t forget about the Beauty Insider Appreciation Event. Insider – 10% off. VIB – 15% off. Rouge – 20% off. Ends September 3rd.

*I love Seth Godin. With all my heart I love, respect, and share his ideas. This short The wrong bus article may be a slight wake up call if you are still sitting in the wrong bus.

*Embarrassed to say but for the third time in my life I’m watching Back to the Future trilogy. I love it. It is so tastefully done that even after so many years it is still pleasant to watch. Also so cool to see how Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale saw the future of 2015. If you have never watched this trilogy, then do yourself a favor and watch these iconic movies.

*I’m laughing hard every time I watch this Hilarious Golden Retriever video. Wondering what was the girl thinking by giving such test to Golden Retriever?!

*What if we replaced politicians with randomly selected people?  Genius idea! Definitely a must watch and must think Teds Talk.

Alright, guys that is it for now.  Hope you enjoy this coffee talk. See you next week.

Have a fantastic and relaxing weekend!

Lots of love,

Maria

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Hi there,

One week and summer is gone… Sad and happy. Sad to say goodbye to all the sunshine, light dresses, summer produce… Happy to welcome my favorite season –Fall.

But summer is still here, and I’ll do my best to squeeze all the fun out from one week.  I plan to go at least one more time to a beach, do the peach picking and a picnic afterward, and summer biking.

What will be your closing of the summer? Any things you planned but haven’t done yet? I have plenty L

Today Friday coffee date features:

* As a constant thinker pretty often I have problems with falling asleep. I know so many tips and tricks, but in this 7 Tips For Better Sleep the sun exposure was new to me.

* Alright, these Avocado Peach Summer Rolls with Coconut Basil Sauce looks sooooo yummy. For some reason I never can make myself to buy rice wrappers. Always want to make such rolls but never have courage or patience.

*Came back from a farm with way too many zucchini and squash? Done it countless times!  Have no fear, check this 25+ Things to Do with Zucchini & Squash for some inspiration.

* Rag’n’Bone Man – Human is my favorite song of the year. Thank you for creating such touching lyrics and music. When I feel I’m not enough this song reminds me that I’m a human after all.

* For the second time, I watched the Imitation Game. I can talk about this movie for hours. But this time sexual orientation discrimination brought up in this movie afflicted me. It was many years ago, and probably not all are aware of how gay people were treated in 1940s. In short: first, it was illegal just to BE GAY! Second, if someone finds out, you had two choices, go to jail or be treated with drugs! DRUGS!!! How da hell drugs supposed to treat his belief, his difference, his self-acceptance? Pretty much they killed one of the brightest minds who gave the push to the thing we cannot live without – computer. We are still in the age of rejection of everything that is different. And there is a long road ahead of us. I want to believe one day we will have the acceptance of every religion, every race, belief and have the respect of every person’s choice. There should be no specific categories, classes or beliefs every person should fit in. We are what we are. And no one should have the power or right to judge or treat the person who is “different” from the Society Norma.

* I’m always curious about beautiful buildings and architecture but never really thought of the creators behind them. Thanks to Teds’ Talk I learned about The genius behind some of the world’s most famous buildings – Renzo Piano. It inspires me when I see people who are moving in sync with the world, with technologies and everything. His every building represents something: represent the era, or event, or idea. Moreover, I never knew how lucky I am to experience one of his works on a regular basis – the Harvard art museum. See some iPhone pictures I took in my IG stories.

* Working on my body Flexibility Flow with Action Jacquelyn. Great hip opening yoga. ALWAYS train your hips with caution. Never push it too hard. I did that couple of times, and the healing process afterward throw me back to stiff hips 😌😒

This time it’s a bit longer coffee talk, and my coffee is already cold.

I hope you guys enjoy the Friday sharings. You may agree or disagree with some statements I make. If you disagree just be respectful. We all have opinions and as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone you are free to express it here. Remember, intelligence is what differentiates us from cave people.

And always do post comments. There is so much I want to share with you and step by step I’m exploring the ideas. If you have any requests or ideas just say it.

Have a fun last week of summer!

Lots of love,

Maria

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Hey there,

Little change in weekly posts. Before it was Weekend Planner, where I shared what I did on day offs. But I didn’t feel so much connection with you. Plus, you guys are coming to my blog from so many countries so sharing what I do in MA doesn’t make any sense.

So let me introduce the new category – Friday Coffee Date. Every Friday I share some weekly highlights like the things I learned, the book I’m reading, the movie to watch, my thoughts and opinion about event or article, handy life tips and trick, beauty secrets, and all the things we usually talk about on coffee dates.

It should be a fun and an awesome way to connect with you and share a part of my life routine.

Let’s dive in into the first Friday Coffee Date, shall we?!

• The song I keep singing in my head LP – Lost On You. The way she whistles is soooo sexy…
• Watched Larry Crowne movie.  Very simple and sincere comedy/drama. Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts are as always fantastic and so natural. A one-time see movie to relax and unwind.
• I had no idea breastfeeding was illegal in some states until NOW 2018! That took some time… Such a natural thing made women feel ashamed and scared to do in public. Of course, it is a personal preference of how you want to do it covered or uncovered. But definitely, no one has a right to judge the breastfeeding mother. And those who do, please, remember once you were a child and you’ve been breastfed the same way.
• Currently reading: Forty Studies that Changed Psychology by Roger R. Hock. I’ve been reading this book for a VERY long time. Because not only I’m wondering while reading it but I’m also trying to understand the way we think, dream, act, etc. This is a great book for a general understanding of human nature.
• Never too late to learn some safe, non-toxic sunscreens: The Best Sunscreens of 2018 (and Toxic Ones to Avoid). The list also includes safe kids sunscreens options! Better for your skin – Better for the ocean!
• Is it too crazy to crave for a big slice of good old-fashioned rich chocolate cake during summer? Choosing between CHOCOLATE NUTELLA LAYER CAKE and safer choice my own Baileys Chocolate Cake.
• Getting ready for the weekend with this Best Margarita Mix And Classic Margarita.

Will stop here. Because I hate those posts with tons of links and enormous text. It’s coffee date after all, not dinner talk.

Will think of the ways to shape this category into something fun and useful. So let’s call this one a draft 😉.

If you have any suggestions for this category, share them in comments.

And also don’t be shy to add your comments on anything above. Whether you agree or disagree, like or dislike things I post, say it out loud. Otherwise, I won’t hear it!

Enjoy the last month of summer, my friends!

Lots of love,

Maria

Hello weekenders,

I cannot believe it is the end of March! Winter this year just flew by!

As a general rule, we do cleaning by the end of the March. But here in MA March was super cold, and cleaning didn’t make any sense. Instead, I decided to do mind cleaning and let in some inspiration.

This week we went to MFA (Boston Museum of Fine Arts). I love this place. Every time I need inspiration or food for brains, I go there. This time it was a double pleasure to visit it. The Klimt and Schiele is the current exhibition there.

As luck would have it, I learned about Gustav Klimt from the Woman in Gold movie we watched a month ago. I enjoyed this movie a lot. The painting in this movie is so beautiful. I thought it would be nice to learn more about this painter. Later I received notification from MFA about Klimt Exhibit. Coincidence, I don’t think so… The Universe works around the clock 😀

The collection is magnificent. Don’t use this word often but it is appropriate here 😊

There are a couple of painting I fell in love with. You can see some of them on my Instagram profile. If you have a chance, do visit MFA and see it for yourself. Klimt is on display until May 28, 2018.

By the way, the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I painting from the movie is in Neue Galerie in New York. Visiting this gallery is on my list for the next NY trip. If you live there, take advantage and see it. If you are kind enough, please send me a video or pictures of it 😊. Can’t wait to see it myself.

Contrary seeing pictures on the wall next day we went to see picture on a big screen. We went to AMC to see Game Night. It is a decent funny comedy. I don’t like American comedies these days, but I enjoyed this one. Will I see it again? No. Did I enjoy it as a date night? Yes.

Have you already seen Game Night? I’m curious what you think about it.

Last but not least. This coming weekend is Easter for some of you. With all the bad news across the globe lately, I wish you to have a peaceful Easter that is filled with plenty of love, peace, and happiness. 🙏🙏🙏

Lots of love,

Maria

Weekend Planner Things To Do and Thoughts To Share:

• Things to do: Visit the local museum for some inspiration and mind cleansing. We went to MFA (Boston Museum of Fine Arts) to see The Klimt Collection. Left museum renewed, happy and inspired. Some pictures are on my Instagram .
• Watch Game Night movie in AMC. Good, one-time see comedy. Perfect for a relaxed date night.
• Movie to watch: Woman in Gold is about the famous painting and a strong woman who fought with Vienna for the rights of this painting.
• Places to eat: This week we went to two places: Café Nero and Rail Stop restaurant & bar.
• No wonder I love going to Café Nero. It is filled with antiques and old books. As a flea market and thrift shop hunter, I find this place extra cozy and charming. And coffee there is the way I like it, strong, bold, and perfectly roasted.
• It was our 2^nd visit to Rail Stop restaurant & bar. We still like it but the food this time was so-so. I ordered salmon, and it appeared to be farmed 🙁. Here is a tip for you. If you don’t like farmed fish, always ask the server what kind of fish they serve. For the 1st time, I didn’t ask relying on fanciness of this restaurant and regretted it later. I ate two bites, asked to wrap it, and my husband ate the whole piece next day.
• This brings me to video to watch: Paul Greenberg: The four fish we’re overeating – and what to eat instead. Both my husband and I never heavily ate salmon. We eat any fish that is in season or on sale at Wholefoods. So for us, it was an easy video to implement. If you love eating salmon, please think of other fish alternatives. Let’s take care of the ocean the way it takes care of us.
• Food to enjoy: This week we did a little of fasting and ate salads only. Simple vegetarian salads with lots of greens and balsamic vinegar dressing. Good for the body, soul and when you don’t have time to plan weekly meals and do grocery shopping 😉. As for the dessert, these Easy and Elegant Banana Coconut Bars are incredibly delicious. The tray was gone in three days!
• Panera Bread is giving a free bagel every day for two weeks. Please note this is for select members. You have to have MyPanera card, and it is in participating locations only. Check yours and have a free bagel. Offer expires 4/8/2018.  Remember because it is free it doesn’t mean you have to eat a bagel every day for the next two weeks. Stay healthy, my friends 😉

That is it for now. See you next Friday!

Have a beautiful, peaceful and cozy Easter!

Yesterday on January 7^th, we celebrated the Orthodox Christmas. At the table, I realized what people are missing the most nowadays. It is Love and Kindness.

I’m not much of the Bible reader, but my parents taught my sister and me well to follow one of the most important commandments:

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

All my life I have been following this commandment, and I truly believe people are missing it the most nowadays. This post has nothing to do with the food, but it does with the healthy lifestyle. Because I believe love, respect, and kindness is what makes us and the world healthy.

Photo by Nina Strehl on Unsplash

There is so much hate in this world right now. The news is filled with lie, violence, discrimination, and we are consuming it every day. All this negativity is keeping people apart. All the fear created in the news makes us believe it is no longer safe to accept, trust and love strangers. We are closing ourselves believing it will make us safer. We forgot that stranger could become our friend, our family, our life.

When was the last time you did something good to a complete stranger?

Do you know what act of kindness means?

Have you ever practiced it?

If yes, do you remember what an incredible feeling it gave you?

Basically, the act of kindness is to do something good to a complete stranger. Either to help if you see someone needs it, or to make someone smile.

For the inspiration and too see how the act of kindness works watch these two videos: Kindness Boomerang and Revolution of Love. Every time I watch it, it brings back me the faith in people and myself.

It doesn’t matter whether it is to help somebody in the grocery store or on the street, or donating to organizations you believe and trust, or creating the project or product that can change the world. It all starts with something small that creates something truly big and amazing.

You don’t even need money to do something good. Just look closely around you and see if anyone needs help. All of us need help at some point. Or just do something kind and nice. For example, buy a cup of coffee to a complete stranger, make a compliment, ask how his or her day is going, etc. You will be amazed how well you, and the other person will feel in seconds.

“The noblest art is that making others happy.”

P.T. Barnum

The positive energy that is realizing after an act of kindness is so strong that you will feel the butterflies in your belly. The universe feels this positive energy and responding to it with twice the power.

All my life I believed in the boomerang theory, where if you do good it always comes back to you in any form and as twice powerful. If you do bad, it will hit you twice harder. It is your choice whether you want to create something wonderful, kind and full of love or something destroying, terrible and full of anger.

After all we the people are building this world. It all depends on us in what kind of world we choose to live. Start practicing the act of kindness to bring more positivity, love, and peace into your and all of our hearts.

Don’t wait for the world to change just start changing it yourself.

Spread the love and kindness by sharing this post with other people. The more people start acting kinder, the faster the world will be filled with love, peace, and kindness ❤️❤️❤️.

And please, share in comments your recent acts of kindness to inspire all of us.

Thank you for reading, sharing and acting.

Love,

Maria