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Hi there,

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it's Sue and thanks for joining me for Tips and Talk

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Day. These are bite sized topics that I pull from community

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questions and things that I'm observing in the world of handmade

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small business.

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If you'd like to submit a topic DME over on Instagram

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at Gift Biz Unwrapped.

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Before we get started,

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I'm gonna share a secret with you.

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One of my superpowers is the ability to get an enormous

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number of tasks and projects done each and every week.

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I easily meet deadlines,

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rarely forget to do something,

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and know at the start of each day what needs priority,

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attention and action type A personality.

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Yes, and a follow through on the Kobe assessment,

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which should have given me the clue,

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but it wasn't until people started commenting to me that I

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realized not everyone naturally knows how to do this.

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It's the biggest single contributor to the growth I always see

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in my businesses without spending hours and hours working either.

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It's about focus and doing the right things efficiently.

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Prompted by all the questions on how I do this,

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I went about finding a way to help you perform at

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a higher level too.

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I analyzed my methods and formalized my process,

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which is one many of my coaching clients now also follow.

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You can use it too.

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It's all part of a tool called the Inspired Daily Planner,

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made specifically for gifters,

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bakers, crafters,

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and makers.

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Make no mistake,

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this is not your ordinary planner.

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First off,

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it comes with a video explaining my productivity strategy and the

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physical planner isn't dated,

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so you can start using it the second it arrives at

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your doorstep,

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and that's not all included for each day is a motivational

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or business building tip and plenty of space to capture and

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book in time for todos scheduled appointments and all those ideas

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that are now getting lost.

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You can watch the video for free and then get your

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inspired daily planner@giftbizunwrapped.com

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slash inspired.

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As an empty nester,

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life has changed.

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Of course,

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when the kids were home,

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my happiness was different.

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Soccer and basketball games,

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volunteering at the schools shuttling kids from one thing to another

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and dropping on the carpool conversations.

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Okay, I admit it because we're all in the same car,

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right? Those days are long gone,

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but it got me thinking about what makes me happy today.

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First and top of the list always is when I get

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to spend time with the family.

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We're spread all over the country now,

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so it takes planning and is always so special when we

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can be together,

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and then when I move on to thinking about day to

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day things that I love,

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here is my list in no particular order.

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First off,

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the birds chirping at four 30 in the morning.

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Yep. That's when they start over here,

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and it's such a beautiful sound coming from the open window

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along with a light summer breeze.

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I know I have a little more time to sleep,

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but often I just lay there enjoying the peacefulness nature brings

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and anticipating the day ahead.

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Number two,

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you might be surprised is cooking dinner.

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I know you may be grimacing at this one,

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but it's on my list.

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We subscribe to Hello Fresh.

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So the planning and shopping is all done except cooking these

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meals is no joke.

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It requires time and lots of pots and pans and baking

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sheets. A huge thank you to Michael who takes on clean

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up duty,

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but I find cooking to be a nice transition from work

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day to the evening,

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and the meals are always delicious.

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It's very satisfying for me.

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Number three on the list is my favorite place in the

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house, which is a little nook on my front porch.

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Our entrance has a long stone space that spans the front

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of the house.

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It's covered on top and sheltered by big evergreen bushes on

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the front,

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and in the very end.

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In the corner,

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I have a table and two chairs.

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Whenever possible,

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you'll find me out there with my computer or sitting perusing

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a magazine,

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maybe even with a glass of wine.

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It's my little private piece of paradise.

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You'll even find me out there in the cold covered in

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a blanket as long as the season will let me,

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I stay out there and the very best is during thunderstorms,

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which brings me to my fourth favorite thing,

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weather, drama,

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thunderstorms and blizzards.

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Bring 'em on.

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As long as nobody gets hurt,

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there's never enough snow for me.

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Although we get our share here in Northern Illinois,

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I've told the story before,

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but when bad winter weather is heading our way,

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I hear from people literally all over the world who know

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I'm excited and looking forward to a white glistening wonderland.

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While we're on the topic of weather,

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another one of my favorite things is doing puzzles.

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Have you ever experienced a wooden puzzle?

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Their laser cut and are actually real wood pieces that I

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get such pleasure in handling.

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Actually, I learned about these after I broke my wrist because

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it was a great way to do physical therapy in terms

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of movement of my hands,

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and from then on it was love of puzzles.

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Most of these also include pieces that go with the theme

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of the puzzle,

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so it's just really fun to put them together.

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This is my obsession.

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During the time when we are more inside October to May

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all year long,

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I also love taking walks outside.

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Okay, not in the rain,

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but otherwise sunny days,

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windy days,

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even snowy days,

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I'm out for a walk.

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The fresh air is grounding to me and I look forward

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to that personal time.

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Most often listening to a podcast or an audio book as

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one foot goes in front of another,

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I find it also a great time to get in touch

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with the kids or other members of the family where I

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know the conversation is going to be very long.

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Number seven on my list.

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Speaking of connecting with people,

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getting together with my girlfriends always leaves me feeling uplifted and

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joyful. Whether it's friends from high school,

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a dear group of girlfriends I met as the kids were

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growing up,

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or friends I've met through work,

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I always look forward to hanging out together and I always

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leave our gatherings feeling regenerated.

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We're already at number eight.

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I feel so fortunate to say that after 37 years of

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marriage, I still love being with Michael,

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and after all this time,

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we still honor Saturday date night.

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We both enjoy going out together,

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and many times it's just the two of us.

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We have one server who always comments that we actually talk

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and laugh with each other over dinner.

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I guess it's not always a common site anymore.

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We also really enjoy traveling together.

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We have our set system of travel,

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and I look forward to each and every trip.

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I think this next one is going to be a safari.

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I'm so excited.

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Moving on number nine.

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Okay. I was trying to decide whether I was gonna be

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honest and add this to the list or not.

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It's my guilty pleasure.

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I look forward each day to crawling into bed and watching

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shows like The Bachelor Survivor,

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dancing With the Stars and Grey's Anatomy.

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Yes, I do my fair share of Netflix and Hulu binging

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too. No judgment here.

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I'll just leave it at that.

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Number 10 on my list is the only material thing that

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I have here as a favorite.

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My Aura ring.

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Have you heard about these?

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It's a ring I wear on my finger that helps keep

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track of my health.

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It monitors my sleep,

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oxygen level activity,

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pulse temperature,

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so many things.

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Each morning when I wake up,

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I see based on my physical stats,

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how prepared I am for the day.

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Sometimes it says to take it easy,

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but most of the time I'm set and ready to go

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and I wanna know these things to keep myself vibrant for

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each and every one of my days.

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I have to add one more brand new bonus favorite to

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the list,

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and that is Biscoti,

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our brand new puppy.

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In all our years of marriage,

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we've always had a dog in the house or two,

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but for the last six months we've been dogless.

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That's about all we could handle,

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and I'm happy to say we now have a fun new

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furry puppy working his way through his teething and learning all

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about the world.

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I still find it hilarious that after I did his DNA

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test, he isn't any of the breeds that we thought he

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was not a single one.

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I can't wait for him to see the first snow.

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I started an Instagram account for him too.

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You can take a peek at all.

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The antics over at his Instagram account at Biscoti Tales and

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Tales is Ta A I L S.

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Now, why am I sharing my favorite daily life things with

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you? It's because I want you to think about yours.

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I found that once I wrote down this list,

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I gained even more pleasure in all the activities because I'd

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say to myself,

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this is one of the favorite things on my list.

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How fortunate am I write this minute to be doing what

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I love?

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And do you notice most of these are simple pleasures,

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okay? Not the traveling but the others.

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It's really true that the small things bring the most happiness,

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the things that make up our day to day minutes as

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we pass through time.

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By recognizing them,

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perhaps you'll find ways to fit them in more often and

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appreciate them even more.

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Here's to our small daily favorite things that put a smile

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on our face and warm our heart.

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That's a wrap.

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I'm a get to the point kind of girl,

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and this is what you can expect from these quick midweek

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sessions. Now it's your turn.

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Go out and fulfill that dream of yours.

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Share your handmade products with us.

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We want them,

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and they bring us both.

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So much happiness.