Originalslushey

The Beginning

2016-01-02T16:23:00.001-05:00

If you have followed me for a while you might have noticed I have taken a break from a few of my social media accounts like Facebook and this blog. I needed to take some time to start to really work out how I felt I could best utilize each different site so they all remain fresh and fun and interesting. I am finally starting to get it worked out in my mind and thought the start of the new year was the perfect time to get back into the routine of posting here.

I have done a lot of experimenting on this blog testing out different types of content and different ways of presenting it ultimately trying to decide how best to utilize it to connect with other people all over the world while staying true to myself and my interests. I find many bloggers to be very repetitive across their different forms of social media which I personally find to be very boring and wasteful and probably keeps their channels from exploding in ways they don’t realize should be happening for them, and that is something I would desperately like to avoid. I want my internet friends to find something new and interesting everywhere they turn when it comes to my social media. I want subscribing to my content in each location to benefit you in different ways, but to still reflect our mutual interests in each location and my goal of sharing multiple passions and interests of mine with others. I want the content to jive in ideas without being repetitive and I’d like to be able to direct you to the different social media sites when it makes sense to do so without sending you there to find out it is an exact repeat of what you just saw. I want it to be interactive because that is what makes blogging fun for everyone and I like the idea that if you are going from one form of social media to another when appropriate it should feel exciting or interesting almost like a treasure hunt would be.

I believe that the biggest reason why social media is so popular is that we (meaning those of us who use social media regularly) are all searching for safe forms of social interaction and ways to share and connect with people who want the same. We want to learn new things and try new things and compare opinions on new things and then share those new things with other people who also want to learn and try new things and share opinions. We want to connect with people we would never encounter otherwise and really we just want to have fun and relax and escape from our stressful lives for a while.

I’ve decided I really want this blog to be a place where we DO things together and I mean literally do the same things at basically the same time so that we can share and interact in real time. I want us to sometimes do new things and sometimes old things and sometimes different things and sometimes harder to find things and maybe sometimes even repeat some things we have done before so we can see if we still feel the same way while giving new friends a chance to catch up.

So, what does all this mean? Well, my intentions are this… we will begin with something that we can do together and as we finish one activity we will begin another… together… and I will give advanced notice on what is starting when so you have time to acquire the item if you need to. For example, if we are going to be reading a book together I will tell you what book it will be and when we will start it ahead of time, and I will even try to share where you can get your hands on it if you need to. Then as we move through each activity together we can share and connect over it. My hope is that as we progress from one activity to the next we will begin to build connections by trying new things and even though they will be very different each time there will always be some thread that weaves them all together. A book might lead us to a movie which might lead us to a soundtrack or a product or a recipe and so on and ultimately we just keep doing together and trying together and sharing together.

So, if you are looking for people to DO things with from the comfort of your own home or your car or the break room at work or your bathtub or wherever and you don’t really care what it is that you do because you enjoy new and different experiences then you’ve come to the right place. If you want to share the experiences and connect with other people then stay tuned. You are in the right place and I will be announcing our first activity very soon. Be sure to subscribe or at least bookmark the blog so you don’t miss a thing. The connection train will be leaving the station shortly and you don’t want to show up to the party late.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eye Liner and Gentle Eye Make Up Remover - Review

2015-01-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

I recently was sent the Rimmel London Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eye Liner and Gentle Eye Makeup Remover to review. I'm just going to keep this one short, sweet, and to the point.

The eye liner is very intense creamy black liner that stays on all day. It is ideal if you are after a very dramatic look.

I actually like to use a flat angled eye liner brush to smudge it out slightly along the upper lash line for a softer everyday look that is much less harsh.

The Gentle Eye Makeup remover is one I have used in the past. It requires a bit more product on a cotton ball than you might be used to if you generally use a creamy eye makeup remover, but works very nicely with no water needed and causes absolutely no stinging or burning of the eyes.

Both items can be purchased right around the $4.50 price range at most drugstores and big box stores.

For more information and future product reviews be sure to subscribe and comment below.

Candy Cane Lane Green Tea by Celestial Seasonings Review

2015-01-19T17:34:00.000-05:00

Today I am reviewing the Candy Cane Lane Green Tea by Celestial Seasonings.

How cute are those polar bears with their giant candy canes? I mean seriously!

This flavor is part of the Holiday Tea line and I would have reviewed it much sooner but I didn't receive it until immediately before the holidays. It was sent to me for review purposes and my only regret (aside from not having it in my hot little hands much sooner) is not having more than 2 tea bags because I would have loved to have been able to share it with my readers.

For those of you that don't know Celestial Seasonings is touted to be 100% Natural Teas. This particular version is both gluten free *WOOT!!!!* and naturally decaffeinated so it is perfect to sip just before bed with a really good book. The ingredients listed are as follows:

Peppermint (obviously), Decaffeinated Green Tea (also obvious), Orange Peel (here is where they throw in a little twist), Natural Vanilla and Mint Flavors with Other Natural Flavors (what are these mysterious other natural flavors and why do they not have to tell us what they are? What if I'm allergic to "Other Natural Flavors?!? I could die here people!!! Lives might be at stake! BUT I digress. So anyway...), Cinnamon (Yum!), Milk Thistle (??? The Magic 8 Ball says that milk thistle apparently can be good for type 2 Diabetes sufferers because it has been shown to decrease blood sugar levels by improving insulin resistance and also improve cholesterol. It can mimic estrogen in the system though so women with fibroids or endometriosis or breast, uterine, or ovarian cancer should probably avoid it.), Blackberry Leaves (Another surprising twist!), Roasted Carob (What the?!? An almost, but not quite replacement for cocoa and chocolate), Roasted Chicory and Vanilla Bean (This is where the lack of a comma throws me off. Is it Roasted Chicory and Roasted Vanilla Bean? OR is it Roasted Chicory *insert comma* and Vanilla Bean? just plain old vanilla bean? Inquiring minds want to know. BTW... roasted chicory is often used as a coffee substitute in case you were wondering.)

The instructions are to use water just at the brink of boiling over the tea bag because using slightly cooler water to brew green tea apparently results in a "smoother, more delicate flavor." (Oh NOW they want to use a comma.) Anyway, you pour the water over the tea bag, steep it for three minutes, remove the tea bag, and then add milk or sweetener according to whatever floats your green tea boat.

Upon cutting the bag open I was immediately hit with the peppermint-y fragrance which at first was much more peppermint much less candy cane, but after the first few seconds while the fragrance dissipated from the bag the candy cane fragrance settled in a bot more and it became a bit of a tug-of-war of the senses between the two. (Is that the roasted carob causing the subtle but noticeable difference between peppermint and candy cane? The more I sniff the more I think so.) Is smelling a bag filled with tea bags bad for you because I'm pretty sure I just spent 10 minutes straight huffing this fragrance and my sinuses are feeling icy cool like I wiped them down with a York Peppermint Patty. I'm not complaining. I'm just saying am I at risk of an addiction? I think maybe. I should probably get on with the steeping and drinking portion of the program just to be safe.)

By the way... this is what the tea bags look like in case you were wondering.

Upon first taste it really is more peppermint than candy cane albeit it is peppermint with a ZING. (There is that icy coolness again.) I find that with some Celestial Seasonings teas (like Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride for example) that the full flavor doesn't come out until you add some sort of sweetener. I decided to add the same thing I typically use which is a single packet of Equal. This did open up the flavor some, but I would still describe it as more of a peppermint flavor than a candy cane flavor specifically but again, it does have that added zing which you don't get from a traditional peppermint tea. Either way, it happens to be a much better peppermint/candy cane flavor than any other peppermint tea I have had to date so all in all I'd call this one a WIN. It is smooth and soothing and delicious and I'd drink loads and loads of it all winter long if given the chance.

I generally buy my Celestial Seasonings Teas at my local Target store and the price falls somewhere between about $2.50 and $3.50 for a box of 20 tea bags. I happen to know my Target store carried this exact flavor, so chances are yours does too.

For more information on the Celestial Seasonings brand in general and the many types of tea they offer go to:

www.celestialseasonings.com

My Day In A Nutshell - Sweatpants Shaming

2014-10-27T22:20:00.000-04:00

Welcome to all of my new subscribers! So glad you have chosen to take a little time out of your week days to hang out with me!

For those of you who are following along with me, today's reading from The One Year Chronological Bible includes Zacchaeus the Tax Collector, The Triumphal Entry, and Jesus Clears the Temple. As always, some of the links I provide are affiliate links and I do receive a small (a very very small but very very important) commission if you choose to purchase using my link and some of them are just plain old links to sites that I’m not at all affiliated with but share with you anyway because that is what we do here. We share what we love and try to make life easier on each other.

If you are following along with me reading The Upper Room, today’s entry written by Marion Turnbull from Manchester, England touched on how God has given us the skills we need to do exactly what we were put on this earth to do well. As always I am using my Good News Bible in the Good News Translation for this particular reading mainly because it is written in a verbiage that is very close to the way we speak today and just makes it easier to follow along.

AND if you are following along with me reading The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer we read chapter 8 today and Man oh MAN it is starting to get good isn’t it?!? SPOILER ALERT… chapter 9 is super-duper (Is super-duper really hyphenated??? because Microsoft is forcing me to hyphenate it with their incessant squiggly colored lines underneath everything, but anyway…) short, so tomorrow’s reading will take no time at all. Sometimes that is a bit of a blessing if for some reason you feel rushed or aren’t really enjoying a book and sometimes it’s like “Oh MAN!!! I’m DYING to read more! Hurry up and be tomorrow already!” I’m not going to lie… I was tempted to just read it BUT I knew it would throw you guys off and I like to experience it at the same time you do. Soooooo… I’m waiting… but it is KILLING me! This book nails it on the entertaining factor for sure!

I want to know your thoughts on all of or any of these readings if you are reading along with me down in the comments below. Even if it inspired you or sparked something in you that doesn’t really have anything to do with what we read I’d still like to know. I tell you every time that happens to me and would love to hear how it happens to you also.

It is a beautiful day out today. I was hoping to get in a few miles of walking in today, but ALAS… I am behind on my laundry and basically have a pair of dress pants clean (and who wants to wear dress pants when you work from home… um no thank you) so the actual working out part is probably going to have to wait because it does take a decent chunk of time to complete and I do have some place I need to be by a certain time and no I am not going to get up early to try to squeeze it all in because for me sleep is crucial to my well-being and you guys know I’m horrible at it anyway. I will get back on track soon and I will still spend a little time outside to soak up some sun. It’s extra windy today so at least I will be spared the part where I choke on my own hair while I’m walking. You girls with long hair feel me on that right? Anyway, it doesn’t mean I won’t workout today. It just means it won’t be a 4 and a half mile walk.

Speaking of not having any clean clothes… I was forced to commit a major fashion faux pas today and pulled out a pair of Ohio State sweatpants that I’ve had since I was a kid and there isn’t even an Ohio State game today. *shame* *embarrassment* There must be some kind of sporting activity today though right? I mean with a school that big there has to be some type of girls table tennis match today or SOMETHING right??? Do they have a girls table tennis team? Is table tennis played in the fall if there is??? I NEED TO KNOWWWWWWWW!!!!!

So I tried the Yes to cucumbers soothing hypoallergenic facial towelettes today.

I have the 10 pack.

First they are much smaller than the Yes to Grapefruit but maybe it is because it is the travel pack. I'm not sure. They also are not textured towelettes like the Yes to grapefruit. I have a lot to say about these.

First, a facial wipe is useless to me if you can not remove your eye makeup with it. I mean maybe if I wanted to wipe off the sweat after a workout or something it would be fine but these are too expensive for that sort of thing.

Second, the scent is distracting. At first it kind of smells like cucumber, but then it morphs into something else that is more like a floral and it isn't that it smells bad... it is just distracting fro the enjoyment of the cleansing process.

Third, these burn my skin somewhat. So do the Yes to grapefruit, but I expect it from those. These are supposed to be SOOTHING not BURNING. It even says it on the package.

They clean ok I suppose, but you really still will need to wash your face after. You can't just wipe and go like the package says and you will need to moisturize after if you did.

I also uploaded my latest empties video, so you can check that out.

I've also been having really bad reactions to gluten lately, so I am going to have to cut it out of my diet completely. I have started really looking into gluten free foods on the market and have tried the Blue Diamond Nut-Thins which I will be talking about more in some videos.

I'm really enjoying them, but today I tried the Honey Mustard version and it is no bueno. Actually the quality of the flavor is really good. You can really taste the honey and then it morphs into a real yellow mustard flavor. I just don't like honey mustard, so it just isn't the right flavor for me. Plain mustard I'd be totally down with. The Cheese and the Smokehouse and the Nut & Rice are good though especially with a nice Arla Dofino Chipotle Gouda cheese wedge.

That's enough for today. Come back tomorrow for some more chat!

My Day In A Nutshell - Sunsets And Workouts and Sneezing Oh My!

2014-10-24T22:39:00.001-04:00

So frozen was cute. It isn't in my top 5 Disney movies list, but it was cute. Olaf wasn't as endearing of a character as I wanted him to be but I kind of knew that already. Can I say that as much as I dislike the Let It Go song Demi Lovato did not get enough props for her performance of it. I like it better than Adina Menzel's version.

I wanted to show you our sunset from last night. Of course the pictures don't do it justice.

A few days ago they were fiery reds and oranges and now they are intense pinks and purples and blues.

New video alert! It's Friday so luckily I got some editing done today and my Weekly Favorites is up and running.

I'm the kind of person who is extremely picky about workouts and workout videos. I was a dancer and there are just so many inefficient and awkward workout videos out there and I have found that I like to watch a video first and see if it meets my needs or not before I do it. The best videos require you to watch them first anyway because the moves are at a level of difficulty that you need to familiarize yourself with them first in order to be able to complete them anyway. So, in my continuous search for videos that have instructors that can keep a beat I found this one that is a bit of a flash to the past for me because it is 90's style cardio that anyone can do with minimal injury risks. Bootcamp styles were very popular then just after kickboxing went out of style. This one isn't really a bootcamp video at all, but it will still keep your heart rate up consistently if you challenge yourself. Give it a try if you are looking for something new and like to mix up your workouts.

Today's lessons from The One Year Chronological Bible were Jesus Teaches About Spiritual Blindness, The Shepherd and His Flock, Jesus Teaches About Divorce, Jesus Blesses the Little Children, and The Rich Young Man. If you'd like to follow along with me or just read t\he Bible in the order we currently think it happened in you can as always use the link I've provided.. It's just so nice to have a few moments of quiet time to read it and think and be inspired no matter what you believe.

Insert the part where I ate a little bit of pizza for lunch and now my face is freaking out over it. Skin reactions are so

Anyway...

Today's Daily Devotional entry from The Upper Room was a story about offering acts of kindness to those you encounter throughout the day and as always I utilized my Good News Bible in the Good News Translation with it.

My book is starting to get good! If you are new to my blog I am currently re-reading The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer. If you aren't familiar with Brad Meltzer he was apparently the co-creator of the TV show Jack & Bobby which was on the WB back in the day. I'm going to have to add that to my future viewing list. I like to systematically experience everything a writer has to offer if possible. That's just how I roll.

Insert the sneezing fit that comes along with the pizza I had for lunch. (Have I mentioned it is almost 11:00pm? reactions can pop p hours or days after.)

STILL NOT COOL!

Anyway, that's all I have time for today. I'll see you on the flipside!

My Day In A Nutshell - Peace for the Aging

2014-10-23T22:26:00.001-04:00

Happy Thursday everyone! It’s another fun filled day of sharing the things in my day that I love with you so that you can give them a try if you’d like and maybe you will love them too.

First up, today’s entry in The One Year Chronological Bible. I have the New International Version. Today’s topics were the part where Jesus Forgives an Adulterous Woman and Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind. Whether you are Christian or not or believe in Jesus or not I really think that you can find a positive message that resonates within you and that will heal your soul in the readings no matter who you are or what religion you follow. I find something every single time and most of the time it is a simple passage that isn’t even really part of the main message. It’s usually just a sentence that makes me think or that reminds me of something I saw in the news or experienced recently or gives me guidance on how to handle certain situations going forward better than I have in the past. Today it got me thinking about how if we changed the way we approach trying to make a point (particularly during our interactions with strangers online) we might be more efficient at teaching a better way to others and reduce the amount of bullying online. While I do realize that there are some people whose whole point is to be mean to others online I really feel that it is an extremely small number of people and that most of us just don’t communicate well through writing or are misunderstood because intent and body language can’t always be expressed through writing. I mean that is why we have emoticons in the first place isn’t it? Because we realized we needed a way to express body language in our writing. But even with emoticons people begin to assume malicious intent and the smiley face that you typed because you have really do have a nice happy smile on your face is interpreted to be a sarcastic nail meant to drive your point home. It’s along the same lines as a person who is cheating always assuming and accusing their spouse who isn’t cheating of cheating because they know in their own heart the tactics they use to cheat and try to get away with it and the innocent actions of their spouse are then misinterpreted to be the same thing. A poisoned heart will only see poison in others even when there is no poison to see. It’s a learned paranoia based on one’s own evil actions. Anyway, I realized in that moment of reading that we have gone from walking alongside a person gently nudging them in the right direction through wisdom and ACCEPTANCE and LOVE (the way we guide small children with kind words and through play) to trying to hammer our point home chest to chest, pointed finger to pointed finger through judgment and criticism and anger. You’ll never convince someone to walk along with you in your beliefs by strong arming them into it. It is only through friendship and respect that you will ever convince someone that your way is a better way. You can only guide someone if you are willing to walk along with them rather than position yourself AT them. It isn’t at all what today’s entry was specifically about, but just a single line reached me in the way I needed to be reached today and hopefully my sharing it here will have a positive impact on the world that I could never begin to predict. Feel free to use the link I have provided to the book so you can follow along with the daily readings in The One Year Chronological Bible on the go if you’d like.

Next I read today’s entry from The Upper Room

using my Good News Bible in the Good News Translation. It was a story about a couple who sold off a large portion of their belongings and took the frightening journey of change and moved to a retirement center leaving their old way of life behind. Again this got me thinking about things that weren’t necessarily intended. I’ve worked in the past with many different programs that are designed to assist those that are aging through the transitions that often come as a part of aging. Sometimes this can include not being able to fully care for oneself without assistance anymore and a loss of independence and even a loss of home and family. The problem is that the people who create and work in these programs are still younger and have not gone through this situation yet and ultimately will never fully understand what it is like and will always be less efficient in their assistance because if it. Most of these people who are trying to help are fully aware and sensitive to the fact that they can’t really fully understand though and there is a kindness and empathy and generosity there because of this awareness. It got me wondering though how often do we really ask the people who are going through it about it and even if we did ask how many of them would feel comfortable being completely honest and even if they do feel completely honest discussing it do they even yet know what would help them or would have helped them through it anyhow and could someone younger even give that to them or can only someone who has already been through it provide any sort of real comfort or assistance? And then I felt a moment of sadness for how discarded and disrespected and embarrassed and depressed and lonely and scared the last legs of life feels for some people. When you think of all of the accomplishments someone might have achieved in their life boiling down to a bed in a shared room with a stranger who might or might not even recall their own name anymore and with nurses who are good people but too busy to do much more than pop in and out with medications and sponge bath and feeding schedules you can’t help but imagine that person who was once filled with so much life and who made such an impact lying there alone wondering what it was all even for and feeling all sorts of fear and despair. I can only imagine though because I have not yet been through it and in order to spare me from a truth that might hurt me in some way my friends and family members who went through it and since have passed didn’t share with me what it is like any more than any of the other people I met through my work in these types of places did even when I asked how they were doing and if there was anything I could do for them or that they needed. Maybe for some of them just the fact that I asked or in some cases needed to ask those questions felt shameful and embarrassing. I won’t ever really know until I am in their shoes and every person is different anyhow. All I can do is hope that they felt completely content and peaceful with their circumstances and that my encounters with them were an enjoyable bonus to their day. It doesn’t stop me from wanting to figure out how we can do better and make the process and the situations better in the future though. Anyway, like I said before… sometimes you should read things not for what is in them, but for what they inspire in you even if it doesn’t have anything to do with what was in there in the first place. I have included links to the iPhone app and the iPad app if you are interested.

Then of course I read a chapter of the latest book I am reading strictly for fun. It’s a book called The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer. It is a book I have read before, but it has been long enough ago that it is almost like I am reading it for the first time. All I will say today is this… has life ever gotten to the point where you were tempted to do something you knew was wrong because you couldn’t see a legitimate way out and had just enough rightful anger inside to begin to be able to justify it in your mind? Get the book and come along on this journey with me.

Then I had to get ready to film some videos and pulled out a sample bottle of the San Francisco Soap Company Milk Hydrating Lotion that I received from a stay at a Baymont Inn recently. It smells a lot like a mildly sweet pressed powder candy like a Sweet Tart or something along those lines, but as do most hotel body lotions the scent only lasts on the skin for about 3 seconds.

I filmed 3 videos, but due to an extended babysitting gig didn't get one edited or uploaded for today. Bummer. I did however spend time surfing and sledding down hills on boxes and painting handmade beads and making corndogs and hot chocolate. I also watched Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge. Not a bad way to spend a few hours of my day.

Just before the babysitting gig I was sent a free Redbox movie rental and decided it is finally time for me to suck it up and see Frozen. I always avoid things that become too popular and trendy, I will get around to seeing them eventually and I do enjoy animated movies so I tend to choose them first. It could be years before I bother to watch The Hunger Games or even the Twilight movies though. Watching Frozen is what I will be doing tonight. No promises that my ears won't be plugged when the Let It Go song comes on.

My Day In A Nutshell - Catching Up

2014-10-22T20:59:00.001-04:00

Last week was pretty stressful and my attention was completely focused on those issues, so we have some catching up to do.

The first thing are the rainbows that were sighted everywhere over the last two weeks.

My brother took this picture. I thought it was the perfect example of the beauty of life fighting its way through the ugly parts.

We also watched Twitches.

and Halloweentown

and a few Halloween episodes of cartoons like Sophia the First and Jake and the Neverland Pirates over the week.

I also watched two episodes of the Flintstones:

The Golf Champion (because I couldn't remember where I left off) and

The Sweepstakes Ticket

I finished another book and uploaded a book review about it to YouTube today but you can also watch it here:

But aside from uploading the video I should back up now and start with my morning today so here it is:

I started my day by reading today’s entry in my The One Year Chronological Bible. I happen to read the New International Version. Today’s reading included the bits about The Coming of the Kingdom of God, The Parable of the Persistent Widow, and the part where Jesus Goes to the Feast of Tabernacles.

The thing that I love about this bible is that it puts the stories of the bible in the order that we currently think they happened in. I find this so helpful for so many reasons. First, it makes it a much more cohesive story that I can follow and ultimately better understand. Second, because it puts the stories in order by the date that they possibly happened it helps me put the stories into context. Times were different then. I think many people who struggle with the bible do so because it doesn’t always make sense when it is assumed into the context of today’s culture. It seems overtly violent in some sections, and extremely misogynistic at times, and very materialistic at times, and so many other examples that just don’t click in our brains when we forget that it happened at the very beginning of the evolution of man and then the stories were passed down through the telephone game in many instances before the stories were put in written form and were then of course written into the context of that time period rather than the period when it is thought to have occurred and since then we have translated and translated and translated them time and time again trying to make them make sense for our current languages and culture. Third, because today's “preachers” are really not much more than motivational speakers these days and the actual practice of teaching the bible has gone by the wayside. So if you are like me you haven’t really had any solid biblical instruction since your childhood Sunday School lessons. Church has become more of an hour spent pumping up your ego and children’s church more of an hour of babysitting designed to just keep children entertained and not breaking things. So with all of this I find it so helpful being able to read the bible “in order” and am able to connect with it and understand it much better. It puts the logic back into it in a way that my brain can better process and understand and I would highly recommend it. Of course I have many different bibles and many different translations and I find value in every one of them, but I think having the stories told in order in bite sized chunks that can be read daily and finished over a year’s time makes it convenient for everyone from the beginner to the expert. If you have been feeling disconnected from the bible or religion at all or just feel like you don't know the bible as well as you would like to then this might be just the thing you need to get yourself plugged back in.

Next I read my daily devotional from The Upper Room. Today’s entry touched on the Friendship with God through Christ. I use my Good News Bible in the Good News Translation for this because I find it to be my easy reading version of the bible that has been translated and simplified into a telling of the bible that most matches our current vernacular and just allows me to focus more on the point of the devotional itself and less on the effort to understand the meaning of the words and the sentence structure of the bible itself.

Then I read a chapter of the book I’m just reading for fun. It’s a book called The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer. I’ve actually read it before but am reading it again because I systematically read through my collection of books over and over and over again. After all, the whole point of having books is not to just fill up space in a home, but to actually read them. So imagine if you worked at a private bank that handles money for only the richest of clients who have to be invited to keep their money at the bank in the first place and you discover that there might be someone in the bank working an elaborate scheme stealing money. Sounds like a pretty heart pounding position to be in doesn’t it? If you answered yes to that question you might want to read this book.

We also did some fun things like sliding down a hill on a cardboard box and might or might not have had some Halloween candy. I'm pleading the fifth on that last one.

There is a lot more I could tell you about, but how much are you really going to read in one day anyway? I'll save some for the next time.

How was your day?

My Day In A Nutshell - Ways To Manage Stress

2014-10-14T17:33:00.003-04:00

My life is extremely stressful. More stressful than most although still less stressful than for some people whose lives are plagued with extreme situations. I am continually grateful that I don't fall into that category. The problem is that most of the stress I deal with now is completely out of my control and I am extremely reliant on others in many ways and the future for me is one gigantic question mark. This is a huge time of transition for me, but it is a necessary transition and every day I spend at least 16 hours or more fighting to carve out what it will look like.

So anyway... the stress...

The problem is that my body can no longer handle stress. Most of the time we are told that some life stress like the type that would be experienced at work or in a competitive situation is good for us. The affects stress has on me though unfortunately mimics in many ways the same affects lengthy terminal illnesses have on others and no one so far seems to know why. My body is breaking down and the symptoms have this domino effect that compile and continually worsen and it is this downward spiral that will have an unhappy ending if I don't turn it around. I have had multiple doctors who had no interaction with each other tell me (some might say warn me is a better way to say it) that I have got to reduce the amount of stress I am under even though I never even discussed stress or my emotional status with them. One completed exploratory surgery on me and had something to say about it after based on what she saw internally. Another actually went as far as to "prescribe" it to me writing it down on her pad and underlining it over and over and over again. To complicate things I suffer from food allergies and medicinal allergies, but the truth is that it is one of those "which came first the chicken or the egg" types of situations.

I made a huge and frightening decision a handful of years ago based on how bad my health had gotten that I believe saved me, but at the same time was the catalyst for the uncertainty that my life is in today. I spend a lot of time now just praying that the support I need will continue to come and that the obstacles I deal with are sorting themselves out with time and I just keep relying on my creativity and my intelligence and try to have faith in myself that I will come up with the right formula that will help it all work out.

In the meantime I am at the mercy of others and I spend most of my nighttime hours trying to manage the stress and anxiety that comes along with being in that type of a situation.

I'm writing about this today because I know that there has to be at least one other person on the planet whose situation is like mine and I believe very strongly that most of the time the things that we do have the power to reach someone right at the exact moment when they need it the most. I also believe that you should try and help others through whatever medium you have at your disposal. There are a lot of ways that I wish I could help others but just don't have the means to do right now, but what I do have is the ability to write and share myself and my story and my truth and while I'm not the best writer on the planet I'm at least equipped with enough creativity and currently the electronic means and medium with which to reach out a hand in my own way.

So the positives are that even though I live with an extreme fear of not knowing what will happen to me tomorrow in more ways than one and I don't have a sense of security in any way I have a peacefulness in my soul that I didn't have before I took the leap. I also have time to do the research that I need to in order to solve the medical problems for myself and maybe others that the medical industry doesn't yet know how to fix. Even though it still progresses I have slowed the downward spiral that was my health dramatically and have learned so much and have faith that I will be able to figure it all out. I also have an amazing relationship with my niece that I would not have had at all if I had stayed on the path I was on. I would have only been able to see her every other week for an hour or two and I am thankful every day that I had the courage to make a change that allowed us to have time together (and have time with my family in general.) I have also been able to help my family in other small ways by being available in last minute situations and to do things like be at a certain place at a certain time to manage things like deliveries and construction and keeping trespassers at bay and other situations that seem small but didn't really have a solution without me. We can't get so caught up in the fear and the bad things that we don't see the good and we can't forget that sometimes things happen for a reason.

So how do I try to manage the stress and anxiety that I still do have?

Well, I talk about and share the different ways here often through my stories and links that I post so others can gain from the things I find helpful. I turn to my spirituality. I meditate. I do things to distract myself like read or watch a program. I do research. I write. I journal. I use my creativity. I focus on work. I work on changing the things I CAN control. I use music. I exercise. I learn. I rely heavily on faith. I try to attract positive energy into my life through the principles of the Law of Attraction. I pray. Sometimes I just submit to what I'm feeling and let it out through tears or anger and just allow myself to admit what is so that I can avoid paralysis and can take action when I come out the other side. Sometimes I search for others who have overcome their own obstacles for inspiration. Sometimes I spend time just visualizing my dream. I spend a lot of time searching for mentors that I can learn from because we don't always have people around us who have the ability to teach us the skills we need for success. I also try to share and help others in as many ways as I am able. I work and I work and I work.

I often wonder how other people are doing? I mean how are they REALLY doing? What issues are they having behind their perfect Facebook smiles? How do they manage the obstacles they have encountered? Could you imagine if we all were just honest about our life journeys and shared what worked and what didn't? How would life for everyone improve if we all left our pride and our egos aside and just admitted to our vulnerabilities and our strengths and reached out to the world with these truths?

I might have to take some deep breaths throughout the remainder of my day to hold onto calm, but I have peace in my soul just from sharing and knowing that what I wrote today will help someone somewhere sometime even if only in some small way.

How do you manage life struggles? Share your truth and help someone else along the way.

My Day In A Nutshell - New Recipe Alert

2014-10-13T20:56:00.001-04:00

My day started with an undercover CIA style beauty project just after having the worst night of sleep I've had in a while which of course means I got up much later than I wanted to. I may have to switch to a "chores in the middle of the night" routine. I don't really want to film then, but when I get up late it makes me feel rushed even if I'm not and I generally am dragging myself up and that lack of energy is always obvious in my videos. I could fake it but there are enough of those types of videos on YouTube already. I'm determined to keep my channel true to who I am and if that means I have to wait for a sporadic good day to film then I will. My YouTube friends understand.

When I'm tired the first things that get scrapped are my makeup and hair routine. As much as I love beauty stuff I need breaks from it. I don't know how people do it 7 days per week. Not doing it every day makes me enjoy it more on the days when I do.

I might be a bit too comfortable in my own skin.

Anyway...

Last week I promised to show you which polishes I used for my manicure, so here they are.

I started with a single coat of Avon Nail Experts Adhesive Base Coat (far left)

followed by two coats of Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Color in the shade I Do (far right)

followed by a final coat of Sinful Colors Professional in the shade Mystery Moonshine.

So what do you do after you have had a night without sleep?

You come up with a new drink recipe of course!

First I should mention that I single cup brew my coffee old school style straight into the cup without the use of any electronic equipment, so if you'd like to learn how to do that then you will have to comment below to let me know.

Second I will mention that 2nd round coffee and tea is the second use of the grounds and tea leaves. (Don't try and store them or save them. We are talking within an hour or two of the first use here.)

Third, a shake is a packet of Equal and a splash is a splash of milk.

So the recipe for today I'm calling a

Feeling Blue

Put a second round Bigelow Green Tea with Blueberry tea bag into your cup.

Single cup brew your second round Kroger Ground Select Blend Coffee over the top.

Allow your tea to steep just a few minutes in the coffee.

Add a shake and a splash.

Also, managed to squeeze in a viewing of Phineas and Ferb Night of the Living Pharmacists. That cartoon will forever be one of the smartest cartoons on television.

Go watch it...

Seriously...

"Lots of me. Lots of Me. Lots of me."

My Day In A Nutshell - Square Pumpkins and Green Tea

2014-10-10T20:10:00.000-04:00

My day started with a lovely Rock & Republic (remember them?) eye shadow in the color Scorch which I of course forgot to bring with me so I could show you a picture and/or a swatch.

DOH!

Anyway, I've been working on my perfect look for the month, so I should have it just the way I want it right in time for the month to be over because that's how I roll.

I seriously cannot get enough sleep this week. I'm trying to fight off some sort of mucus related infection-y sort of thing that just won't hit the road. The jury is still out if it is diet related or not, but either way I'm sleeping much later than I normally do aside from the few hours in the early early morning that I've been waking up every day. The upside is that I always sleep much better when I'm sick. The downside is... well... that I'm sick and need more sleep and don't get nearly as much done.

One of the things I didn't get done... laundry. The other... filming my weekly favorites

which is fine because I'm debating whether to keep doing those videos or not. They don't get as many views (surprisingly) as some of my other videos so if I can come up with something people would enjoy more or just save myself the trouble all together I should. If I were rich I would only do haul videos because they always get he most views but alas...

So anyway...

The next notable thing I did was watch

Spookley the Square Pumpkin (Here is the movie link, iPhone app link, iPad app link, book link, another book link option.)

This is one to add to your collection because even though it isn't really a classic yet it will be for this generation. The kids now are going to remember it as one of their all time favorites from when they were a kid and it does have a good message behind it (but you are going to have to watch/read it yourself to find out what it is.)

Since I've been sick and the weather is cooler I've been drinking a lot of hot tea lately. Today it was Bigelow Green Tea with Mango, but I think my favorite that I've had is their Green Tea with Mint. You can actually buy it by the case (which is 6 boxes worth) for just under $18 which is a good price if you really enjoy tea and drink it multiple times throughout the day or entertain on a regular basis.

I do have a new manicure to show you, but you are going to have to comment below if you want to know what I used.

I like to call that audience participation.

And oh by the way, you should subscribe or follow by email so you don't miss anything.

Anyway, here is what it looks like.

Super fun for the month of October!

(If you can't tell those are orange, green, and purple foil bits.)

That's probably enough fun for one day. I'll see you on the flip side!

My Day In A Nutshell - 30 Day Challenge Round 2

2014-10-09T15:28:00.001-04:00

You might have noticed that I haven't talked about the 30 Day Challenge much lately. That is because towards the end of the 30 days it should be much easier to stick to your actionable goal without much thought. At this point it should fall within habit territory and the amount of will power it took at the beginning of the month to stick to your plan should not be necessary at the end of the month. That being said, if you are still struggling with your first actionable goal, if it is not a habit yet then you either need to break it down into even smaller steps (you bit off more than you could chew) and just pick one of those steps (remember that your actionable goal should not require any additional steps to complete it successfully every time) OR you just need another 30 days to continue to make turn it into a habit which is fine. Most habits do require 90 days or more to build and it is just fine to need more time. It just means your goal for the next 30 days will be to keep on keepin' on with your first actionable goal.

If you fall into the category where you feel you are ready to take the next step then keep reading.

The first thing you need to do is pull out your original goals sheet. This was mine.

Just a brief recap, we came up with 5 categories of our life that we would like to work on, we put them in order first by importance and then by the amount of effort required to change them from easiest to hardest. We focused on the list by effort because in order to not quit you have to be able to make realistic changes successfully in order to stay focused (If you tackle unreachable goals first you set yourself up for failure and probably will not stay the course.), and also because sometimes the harder goals either rely on the easier goals be accomplished first to even be attainable or will fall in line on their own as the easier goals are reached. Then we took our first and easiest category and broke it down in to 5 actionable steps that require no other steps in order to be accomplished and also put those in the order that makes the most sense. (If you have to accomplish one in order to accomplish another then you can't put the first step last obviously.)

So, you should now be able to cross the first actionable step off your list.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pat yourself on the back!

You now only have to keep living that step exactly the way you are right now and you will always be living one step that brings happiness and satisfaction into your life. The old behaviors are gone and the new one is your new way of life.

It is time to begin Round 2 of the 30 Day Challenge!!!

Now, our next step is to take the second category in our list by effort and break it down into 5 actionable steps that require no other action in order to accomplish them.

As you can see from my list my next category by effort is home, so I will now come up with a list of 5 actionable steps that have to do with what I consider to be an improvement of my home or my life at home. I;m going to write them down with pen and paper because it has a bigger impact on your soul than typing ever will. I encourage you to do the same.

My list example looks like this.

Now, since you have accomplished your first actionable step from your original list you can remove that item from the list, move the last 4 items up one line and then add your FIRST actionable step from this new list to the number 5 spot of your old list.

My example now looks like this.

Now, your goal for the next 30 days is to successfully accomplish your first actionable step. My example would be that I will be eating at least one serving of raw vegetables every day.

So you might be wondering why bother updating the entire list every single time if we are only going to be focusing on one actionable goal? Well, first of all the action of writing your goals helps to solidify them in your soul as I stated before. Second, by writing them down you actively put 5 goals into your consciousness and you may find that as you begin to feel better and successfully accomplish your actionable goal you might find that you are also subconsciously doing some of your other goals also. For example, according to my example, last month I was supposed to drink one less can of soda per day. What I found though was that because I had my health at the forefront of my mind I also was doing things like replacing bad food choices with good ones and many days ate raw vegetables just because I felt good about accomplishing the goal of not drinking as much pop and was spending energy focusing on my health. Just having those extra goals in mind now could make accomplishing them in later months easier. Having them happen now doesn't mean they won't still be 100% our focus later, but if you happen to do more positive things during your 30 Day Challenge unintentionally then so be it. Like I've said before, sometimes just achieving one goal successfully changes our entire perspective and our environment so much that other goals just start to fall in line. The more rounds of this 30 Day Challenge that you complete the more you will find this to be the case.

Are you ready to get started on another 30 days of success???

Consider today day 1. Start right now.

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

MAKE IT COUNT!

My Day In A Nutshell - 30 Day Challenge Day 22 - Dealing With Parental Guilt

2014-09-30T21:07:00.000-04:00

Today was one of those hard parenting days. It wasn't overtly traumatic in any way, but if you are a sensitive person like myself you tend to package up guilt for no reason and carry it with you forever.

Basically it was a situation where the munchkin got in an unusually excessive amount of trouble during the school day which included their first blatant expression of defiance towards a teacher following what has turned into more and more consecutive days of getting into some type of trouble and then was topped off by lying and saying they got a perfect behavior score for the day and trying to trick me into not checking.

Now, I have to be honest and say that after all my years of teaching and without actually knowing the teacher, but knowing the child very well my intuition is that the teacher has not successfully established themselves with the children as an authority figure and is struggling to control the classroom OR needs to better learn the children's personalities so they can do a better job of redirecting them or having a preemptive approach BEFORE the behaviors happen. At some point they have to realize that if the same problem is happening over and over again that they are playing half of the role in that problem by expecting something different to magically happen especially when dealing with the youngest children. For example, if you know that at the end of recess you have a child who is wound up and excited and tends to continue talking to their friends in line or who is typically so engrossed in what they do that they will not hear directives, then you can't keep expecting the child to suddenly change even though you continue to allow them to get in the back of the line where it is harder to hear you anyway. Instead you bring that child to the front where they are directly supervised, where they are not distracted by other children, and where they can more clearly hear you and you stop the problem before it even starts. Over time the child will then acclimate to how they are supposed to behave in line and you can start to allow them to mix back in with the other children because the proper behavior has been successfully established.

Anyway, it isn't all the teacher's fault. The child does have to learn and since I'm not in a position to teach the teacher I can only be responsible for the child.

Enter the first time the munchkin has been in "big" trouble with me.

Most serious issues on the table =

1. telling the teacher they weren't going to finish another assignment after the teacher asked them to do some task (essentially talking back and establishing control over the teacher which is another indicator that the teacher has not established themselves as a person to respect since this isn't at all typical behavior for the munchkin to this degree) and

2. trying to be deceptive so I would not find out they were in trouble during the school day.

Enter the point where my stern teacher voice comes in and the fun after school stuff gets eliminated (no watching Hocus Pocus, no playing outside, no books or toys or sidewalk chalk) and writing the sentence "I will not talk back to my teacher or tell fibs." until the page is full or it is time to go home comes into play instead. We also have to explain to Grandpa why his TV has to stay off and why the Munchkin is writing sentences.

Enter the point where it all clicks with the munchkin and the tears start to trickle while the sentences quietly start to be written.

Now, you have to remember that this is the first time ever in her whole life that she has been in this kind of trouble with me. She has of course been in trouble at home on a few occasions and has been redirected or verbally reprimanded by me, but never has had the scenario set up to make the point to her that this is a big deal and is much more severe than before.

So, the tears start to trickle because now for the very first time ever she is encountering the sense that she has maybe disappointed someone whose opinion of her matters to her and she is feeling the first trickles of the guilt and shame and regret that good children feel when they have made a bad choice and are learning from it.

It is an extremely positive sign because you can immediately see that she gets it and she has evolved a conscious and empathy and she has just learned that there are consequences more important than having to write sentences when you make bad choices.

Yay! She is an amazing loving child!

Enter the parental guilt.

Man that lesson is so hard to watch evolve in a child and be a part of isn't it?

Now, of course once the sentences were written we talked about her choices and why listening and respecting teachers is so important and we re-affirmed that I love her more than anything in the whole wide world which elicited the biggest hug ever.

Enter more parental guilt mixed with exploding love.

These types of lessons are the hardest to teach aren't they? It is always harder on a good child when they are disciplined than on a child (or adult) who is less empathetic or connected to others. If you were one of those good kids who would rather die than disappoint someone who loved you then you know exactly what the munchkin processed and learned today AND you are probably now the adult who carries the guilt of having to teach that lesson with you until the end of time like I am.

MAN it's so hard!

The good news is that because I am the type of adult who carries that sort of guilt just because of empathy let alone because of past mistakes around I understand how I got here and I can keep her from repeating this portion of the program. Tomorrow when there is less emotion tied to the incident we can talk about it again in a much more relaxed way and re-affirm how much she is loved and how much better life is when you make the right choices, but that no matter what she is loved and what she did today does not make who she is tomorrow. She will learn that she is not her mistakes so that she can let go of them as she learns.

Yesterday we also discussed that mistakes are learning here on the blog. We just discussed it in a in a different capacity than today. (Just when I think I might not have a topic to discuss for the day one I have thought about many times in the past presents itself perfectly and suddenly here we are.)

Really today's post though is for the parents who carry guilt over nothing. It's one thing to feel guilty for abusive behavior or foul language or manipulation or neglect and those are issues that come with a type of guilt that has to be worked through and processed as well. The guilt I'm talking about here is borderline pain and suffering that we feel just watching what we know is just the beginning of a lifetime of lessons your child will learn because life is hard and most of our biggest breakthroughs come out of our greatest suffering.

One of the many reasons I chose not to have children is because I already know that I am excessively sensitive to these types of things and watching the thing you love most in the world struggle through life lessons is just not something I can sign up for. Some people handle it much better than others, but for me it falls under my" not at all good at" category. Some of you feel these things as deeply as I do, but weren't as lucky to know it before you had children and are now struggling to know what to do with those feelings.

Believe me... I feel your pain... literally.

If you search parenting guilt topics you find all kinds of support for parents who used to beat their kids or neglected their kids or had some type of problem that affected their parenting like drugs and alcohol. What you don't find is support or guidance for parents who are doing as good of a job as anyone could possibly do and still feel guilt for the times that they have to be the parent or for any of the times that their child suffers in any way just because life is sometimes hard. There is support for all of the things we feel we did wrong, but there is no support for the people who are suffering even though they didn't do anything wrong. It is one thing when you can understand that you are inherently judging yourself harshly for the past because that is something we could process through. But what about those of us who are just carrying around pain because we can empathize completely with others and it just ends up looking like guilt because there really isn't any other box to categorize it into nice and neatly? It doesn't fit into the "I leave my kids with a sitter because I have to work and provide for them" guilt box or the "I feel guilty because my child was born with a disability and I'm wondering if it is my fault" guilt box or the "I just lost my temper with my child for no reason" guilt box. It doesn't fit anywhere. It just is.

I think that is the key to letting some of it go. Knowing for sure that the pain you feel isn't from something you did wrong (because that is really what we are wondering isn't it? "Why am I feeling this way if I didn't handle life wrong? I must have done it wrong or else it wouldn't hurt.") The pain is just empathy from that moment and once the moment is over it is ok to let it go. If they aren't feeling it anymore you shouldn't be either.

The definition of an empath is this

"(chiefly in science fiction) a person with the paranormal ability to apprehend the mental or emotional state of another individual."

I'm prepared to argue that the word isn't just a concept written for entertainment purposes in science fiction novels. I believe there are people who can relate to what another person is going through so deeply that it has a lasting affect or deeply impacts them in a permanent way and living a lifetime this way can almost lead to effects similar to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I also think that the better your memory is the harder it is to leave these empathetic memories behind. Trying to process your own life issues and everyone else's too is a lot to handle.

The only advice I can give you is this...

if you can at least be aware in the moment of your pain that you are in fact just in the moment and are feeling the echo of old suffering you are headed in the right direction. It is ok to feel the pain, but just remind yourself that this is old pain and it is ok to let it go. Feel it, have an awareness of it, allow it to subside, and then breathe it out and allow it to leave. I think just feeling ok about letting it go is the most important part. We almost sentence ourselves to continue carrying it don't we? It's like "I don't know why I'm feeling it so I must have done something to deserve it so because I take my punishments seriously I should really roll around with it and make it count because I must have earned it." Once you realize that it wasn't earned and is just a sort of residue that has attached itself to you then you will find it much easier to let go.

It will take a while to not constantly remember how I know the munchkin felt today as her awareness matured, but I am equipped to make sure she doesn't carry one little bad day with her for the rest of her life and I am able to allow myself not to carry it with me either. Your example might be different than mine, but whatever it is, you don't have to carry it either. Put it down. Who cares if there isn't a box to put it into that fits perfectly. Just put it down and walk forward and breathe in the air of a fresh new day.

My Day In A Nutshell - 30 Day Challenge Day 21 - Perfectionism Can Be Paralyzing

2014-09-29T21:22:00.000-04:00

Sorry to my loyal readers for the lack of posts at the end of last week. I took a very needed mini vacation. I would have prepared you for it ahead of time, but you really have to be careful about announcing to the world when you will be out of town. There are crazies out there who might decide to take advantage of your absence or follow you to where you are going. I decided to just not say anything and assumed that you are all evolved enough to forgive me once I explained myself when I returned.

Writing for me is a huge part of my spiritual journey in life. Everyone has their own "thing" that helps them decompress, let off steam, get out the bad stuff and move on, or whatever else their "thing" might do to heal/help/express their soul. I hated writing as a kid mainly because you were always told what you were supposed to write about. Writing only works for me when I feel inspired. The words just flow for me then. I'm not a particularly great writer. Sometimes I use punctuation and sometimes I just don't feel like it. Sometimes I type or spell words wrong. I excel at proofreading someone else's work, but am terrible at proofreading my own, so half of the time I don't even bother much more than a quick skim just to catch the obvious errors.

I've always felt it was a good idea to keep a journal but typically only wrote in mine when life had reached such a boiling point that I had to get all the negative out in one big negative word vomit in order to free myself of it and get on with things. I found it hard to journal other times because if it wasn't a particularly eventful day there really just wasn't anything I felt like writing down. Then other times when I would have these positive bursts of inspiration it didn't make any sense to write them in my journal because to me it feels more like "God's message" coming through me and is completely wasted in a journal that even I might never read. I think a lot of bloggers or authors who write daily devotional type books probably feel similar to myself. I write here because even if only one other person on the planet ever stumbles across it, I find that it is always the exact person who needed to hear exactly what I wrote at that exact moment in their life.

This morning I was a bit conflicted about what to write because I was feeling very inspired to write about why I write which might inspire someone else to find their own outlet or form of self-expression, but I also have this topic that was on my mind last week that just kept pushing its way back into my consciousness over and over again this morning because it is a topic that really resonates with me and I think could help a lot of people. Ultimately I decided to try and figure out a way to make them both work. After all, they wouldn't both be in this complicated brain of mine at the same time if God didn't want me to cover both right? So, this is my attempt to do that.

Last week I was listening to a podcast by Chalene Johnson that had to do with being an entrepreneur and was talking about how successful entrepreneurs fail over and over and over again before they hit on what works. It is just a part of the process that they repeat time and time again as they create more and more successful ventures over time. It's interesting to me because over the years I've found that when you are talking with other people and you say something like "that could be our billion dollar idea" or "your family should get together and start a business doing that" or whatever the statement in the moment might be the response always goes something like this "yes but then we would have to do such and such and you have to find someone who can do so and so and you have to figure out how and where to do whatever and whatever", etc. and before you know it they have laid out a million reasons why they will just continue to live right exactly where they already are in life even if they hate it because even in a conversation that really was just meant to be for fun they have already expressed that a fear of failure or challenges has them stuck.

I've realized that I don't really know any truly successful entrepreneurs because entrepreneurs tend to spend their time with other entrepreneurs and worker bees tend to spend their time with other worker bees and if you were born into a worker bee environment it is extremely hard to break out of that environment and into the world of extremely successful people because you were never taught to be where they are. It is even more hard to bring your worker bees along with you on the ride and even harder to keep them from trying to pull you back. Their fear of trying something new often extends into a fear for you as you try something new. In my search for successful entrepreneurial mentors I've had to resort to using the internet to try and find and absorb as much information and energy as these people have been willing to share publicly because I haven't been able to find them in my real world. It really is an entirely different world that they live in with an entirely different language full of insider secrets that make them more successful that many times feels completely over my head because no one in my world talks about these things or has examples or stories to tell about these things because no one in my world has ever tried or probably would ever try to delve into them because the fear and sense of risk is too high. Anyway, my search is what brought me to this podcast to begin with.

In the podcast Chalene brought up a topic that I have thought about in so many different ways at so many different times and for so many different reasons over the years. She presented it as part of the discussion that if you want to be successful at starting a business (or at just about anything in life) you have to get past your fears and just try things knowing that many of them will fail and that failure is just part of the process.

She was talking about how so many of the smartest people on this planet are so stuck because they want to get it perfect. Part of what she discussed and what I want to discuss right now is this...

Overly critical parents breed perfectionist children who evolve into adults who are paralyzed and trapped by their own fear of failing.

How many of you can relate to any part of what I just said? You have great ideas but are afraid to try them or anything else new whether it be a sport or what-have-you because failure is not an option. You just stick to what you already know you are good at even if you hate it and that's it. Or maybe you used to be that person who had to get everything right and always be right and always be in charge of everything and everything must be perfect and you were so overwhelmed and unhappy and had to swim around at rock bottom for years before you slowly started to fight your way out of it but the struggle is still real and still every part of every day for you. Or maybe you have all of those super posed super perfect family photos on Facebook right now where you are wearing the right thing and your hair is perfect and even your children look perfect and you are at that perfect destination because you can afford it because you and your perfect spouse both have the perfect jobs and it all looks perfect except for the pain that we all can see in your eyes just above your perfect smile full of perfect teeth if we really stop to look because at any minute the house of cards could come crumbling down around you and you live every moment in fear of it. Maybe you are married to that overtly critical person who demands perfection from your children and you because their parents demanded it from them and not getting things right immediately is not acceptable because it wasn't allowed when they were growing up either. Maybe you are the critical parent who is catching yourself yelling at your child when they spilled the milk or when they throw the ball and it accidentally hits the car or they say "Hey Mom look!" and try to show you something they are trying to figure out and then something goes awry or makes a mess or whatever and you immediately yell and then suddenly their smile dies and their bright eyes glaze over with a dullness that is their pain and a bit of their soul suffering and the joy and excitement they just had about showing you something has instantly been converted to pain and failure and the understanding that you feel disappointment related to them. Then over time you realize that when you say something to them like "come over here and try this" (whatever new thing "this" happens to be) that they don't want to and pretty much never want to anymore because now they are afraid to try something new because they have learned that if they do it wrong the first time there will be negative consequences and you don't even realize that you did that to them.

Now the idea here is not to make anyone feel like a failure or a horrible parent or to feel shame or guilt about what is already done because you can't go back in time and change it anyway. The idea here is to just breed some awareness in you so you can catch yourself when your are doing it and choose to react differently next time. OR if you happen to be the person frozen and trapped by fear of trying something new to realize how you became this way and that it is ok to let that fear of failing go. It's ok to mess something new up a lot because each time you will learn a little more and a little more until you eventually get it right.

So there was my attempt at covering both topics in one post. How did I do? I'm not sure, but what I do know is even if it isn't perfect I at least tried it and trying isn't failing. Trying and failing isn't failing either. Not trying at all is failing so with that in mind I believe it was a success and if I ever decide to try it a second time I will be even better at it because I will have learned from this first time.

My Day In A Nutshell - 30 Day Challenge Day 17 - #TBT And Laundry Organization

2014-09-25T17:39:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the complete lack of post yesterday. Some days there just isn't anything that I feel super inspired by and while I could tell you all about how I brushed my teeth and how many times I went to the restroom I'd imagine it would be about as interesting as no post as all, so I just went with no post.

Today is #TBT so in the spirit of things here is my contribution.

Bonus points if you were familiar with that one already!

So, a while back I mentioned that I would break down my laundry organizational habits for you. Might as well do it today.

First I use a 3-bag laundry sorter/hamper just like this one (except the bags on mine are all cream colored).

As the dirty clothes come off I divide them up by the temperature of the water they are supposed to be washed in. The bag on the right gets all of the cold water laundry (including all bras because I find they last forever of you wash them in cold). They bag in the middle gets all of the warm water laundry (and all underwear because the warmer water will kill more bacteria than cold water without damaging the fabric by washing them in hot water). The bag on the left side gets towels and blankets. Basically anything that should be washed in hot goes in the left side. (I realize that some people like to conserve energy and wash everything in cold, but I prefer to use water temperatures that ensure the fabrics will last longer OR that is hot enough to kill the bacteria and critters that reside in certain pieces of laundry.)

Then when I am ready to actually do a load of laundry I already know what the temperature of the water should be and from there it is super easy to separate what is in the specific bag into whites, light colors, and darks. The exception is that my hot loads (the bag on the left) don't get separated by color. They get separated by "like" purposes. I tend to wash bath towels and blankets and even pillows together (because they get fabric softener). I wash dishtowels together (because I don't want any funky food particles or mold or mildew that might be hiding in a used dishcloth mixed with my washcloths that I will be scrubbing my face with). I wash cleaning rags together (because I don't want harsh cleaning chemicals like bleach or rust and limescale remover to possibly discolor my nice bathroom towels).

You know that I normally do one load per day. If I have laundry for more than one person it might mean a second round of the same load (for ex: I would wash my cold water whites and then do a second load of my child and my husband's cold water whites combined) or a second load of bath towels every day if I had guests.

I used to wash all three loads of colds in a row, then all three warms, then towels over a period of about a week, but I actually found that because I hang my clean clothes at the back of my closet and continually rotate through my clothes (I refuse to own clothes that I never wear and this process ensures that I am forced to put everything to good use) doing my laundry this way meant that the exact same items were getting hung back up in pretty much the exact same order every time which was making my outfit selections too repetitive and my chore life boring.

Sooooooooooo

here is what I do now...

stay with me here...

Just for example's sake let's just say that I'm starting with a cold water load. So I grab the first item out of the bag on the right and let's just say it is a white item. So I take the items out one at a time so I don't miss any white items and socks stay together and nothing hides in a pant leg or anything like that. I put the whites in a hamper and just start piling the rest one on top of the other on the floor or wherever. I'm washing whites.

Then let's just say that the last item I pull out is a dark. So as I start to put the "non-white" items back in the hamper I put the darks in a hamper and the only items that end up back in the hamper are light colors. The darks get washed tomorrow.

Then the third day I do the same thing with the warm water items in the middle bag. Whatever color is on top gets washed first and whatever color is on the bottom gets washed the next day and whatever color is left goes back in the hamper.

Then I do the same with the items in the hot water bag on the left.

After that is done I start over with the cold water bag again and since we know that what was left in the bag the last time was light colors I start with those and the process begins again.

It's a bit detailed I know, but it really works for me. All the laundry gets done and the never ending piles are maintained, but my closet never ends up stale and boring since I don't do it in the EXACT same order every single time. It makes mixing and matching your wardrobe that much more fun and I would suggest it if the process of making things organized is fun to you, but you don't want life to be too repetitive. It is the laundry version of color coding your planner or of alphabetizing your DVD's. It also still works if you like your closet to be organized by color which I go through phases with (while still rotating the items so everything gets worn).

If you don't really have a plan or if you have a plan that you are bored with then give it a try. Sometimes we just need to change things up in order to keep chores interesting.

My Day In A Nutshell - 30 Day Challenge Day 15

2014-09-23T22:21:00.000-04:00

I am reading a book that is a collection of short stories from various writers that are all in some way a story about modern day suburban witches.

It is a book that if I asked a collective group of people to hunt down and read together would probably not generate much excitement aside from having a witch theme leading into fall and Halloween because it is very random no matter how you look at it. It is a random book that most people have never heard of edited by a person most people have probably never heard of with a cover that while I find interesting is almost generic in nature. It is filled with stories written by authors that most people probably have not ever heard of and just by the nature of it being a collection of short stories is random in that the stories all stand alone and are not at all related other than by this one theme insisting that it must include the idea of witches regardless of how that word might be defined from author to author which invokes an entire conundrum of randomness within itself just by design. It is the kind of book that you would expect to see in a box at a garage sale that has been pulled from someone’s basement stuck down in between a whole slew of generic romance novels and one or two cookbooks published by Better Homes and Gardens back in 1978 and possibly one outdated Weight Watchers guide book from 1987 (probably titled something like “The ABC’s of Eating Out”) that tells you how to know what foods to choose from fast food restaurants that either don’t exist anymore or if they do no longer sell the items listed in the guide and includes a slot where a cassette tape used to reside so you could inspire yourself into making those “right” choices on the drive to the restaurant. This is the kind of book that you would likely flip right past in that box and never see anywhere else in your life ever again even if you are an avid book hunter.

The first story in this book was weak and boring at best and the kind of story that makes you think if THIS was the story that the publisher thought was a strong lead in and would suck the reader into continuing on with the book then this is going to be much worse than I thought because it was so boring it makes even the word boring sound exciting.

The second story in the book was a bit more interesting but still kind of missed the mark. It at least had a little bit of excitement but it was also a little too ridiculous and although the character development itself wasn’t necessarily weak the actual character WAS weak and while you understood how you were SUPPOSED to relate to him and his bumbling ways and the predicament he was in you never really were able to.

The third story finally started to hit the mark. It was cute. It had magic that we want from a story about witches. It even referred to two cult favorite TV shows, one of my personal favorites Charmed and another that I know many of my readers are dedicated to Buffy the Vampire Slayer in a way that was a respectful nod to the people who love this type of genre and made you think “ok, now we are talking.” It is the first story that actually reaches what was likely intended to be the target demographic (or at least a large portion of it) when the book was actually published. What jumped out at me from this story though almost as a side note and is the whole reason I am telling you about this book now was this concept within the story that whatever you do to someone else comes back and is done to you as well. In the story it boiled down to teaching youngsters the lesson that if you try to harm someone else in some way you should expect that harm to come back to you as bad and possibly even worse in order to instill in them a sense of fear to keep them from ever doing it in the first place and also a sense of respect for the person that they intended to harm or those that might also be harmed in the process as a sort of collateral damage.

Anyway, I then find myself thinking about something else that I then heard a rector tell in a podcast where when he was younger he met Martin Luther King Jr. who said to him that when someone is the victim of an act of racism or any other type of victimization that there are actually two victims in the scenario. Both the victim and the perpetrator suffer from the act because evil makes us all its victim in the long run and while the victim suffers from the consequences that we are all aware of the consequences that the perpetrator will and already is enduring could be far greater whether we have sympathy for them or not. He was conveying the idea that if the perpetrator were not already suffering he would not be able to complete this horrible act against another in the first place.

So, this is twice within about a 2 hour timespan that this concept has been conveyed to me through two completely different mediums. It’s the same message presented in two different mediums in two different formats surrounded by two different stories told from two different angles that if you aren’t able to connect the dots could easily be missed. Thankfully I was in a space of awareness to receive it.

Now, If you are a regular reader of mine then you are either already participating in or have at least thought about or are talking yourself into the 30 Day Challenge. (Today is the halfway mark! Can you believe it? Definitely is slowing the passing of time for me.) All of us involved are changing our life in some way. It might be spiritual. It might be health related. It might be financial. It might be related to relationships. Your journey could be about any number of things and since we are just beginning and by the simple nature of the challenge itself and how we break down our long term goals into such minimalistic actionable steps (mine being to cut out one can of soda from my diet per day) in order to ensure the likeliness that we can successfully achieve them it is easy to forget that this one little actionable step you are taking which might seem silly or superficial or too simple to focus on for 30 straight days is part of a much bigger picture which lies within the core of who you are as a being on this planet. It is a meager step in the larger goal of living in a way that is true to your inner spirit. It is a step in this journey we take called life where we are born pure and connected and then suffer and then from that suffering work to awaken and live consciously connected again, re-learning to be present in and appreciate each moment in order to become one with the universe in a way that we never could before and live the life that we were always meant to live and that has been there for us the entire time if only we had taken the time to be present to see it.

This idea that what we put out into the universe, good or bad, comes back to us in spades is one that resonates throughout different spiritual teachings, different scientific teachings, different moral and ethical teachings, different cultures, and even shows up in a random book filled with random stories written by random authors about witches that one random person (that would be me) just happens to read at just the right time to receive it and who just happens to write these messages in this little blog with the hopes that they will reach even just one other random person (that would be you) at just the right time to receive it. Suddenly what become clear is that all of this randomness isn’t random at all. It is a testament to the idea that when your eyes are open and you are ready the messages that are already out there waiting for you become so clear. What you put out you will eventually get back. Awaken to the idea of working towards becoming your true self and eventually you will find you are living true to yourself. Open your heart and your mind to growth and you will grow. In that growth you help others to grow through example. It is all connected. We are all connected. When your spirit is shut off from the universe you feel isolated and alone and unhappy and maybe even angry or anxious. When you awaken your mind and your spirit the universal connectedness reveals itself. It was there all along waiting for you to be present and see it. Put out what you want to get back. Be present yourself and you will inspire others.

My Day In A Nutshell - 30 Day Challenge Day 14 - Praying In Color

2014-09-22T22:50:00.000-04:00

Today I was introduced to the idea of praying in color. It is such an inspiring concept to me that I feel driven to share it with others which is why I am sharing it with you now. The idea is this… sometimes we don’t really know how to pray. We don’t know what to say or how to say it. We don’t know if we are doing it right or not. We don’t always know who to pray for or even what to ask for or if we are showing our gratitude often enough or not. The truth is though that you really don’t have to say anything at all unless you want to. Through the use of color you can express your thoughts and emotions without having to say a word.

If you already feel completely comfortable with prayer then the use of color can make your time of prayer that much more of an experience that utilizes more of our senses or makes it an ultimately more intensely felt experience. You do not have to be Christian to use this idea either. Chances are that even if you aren’t Christian or particularly religious you do believe in some other concept such as do unto others as you would have them do unto you or the Law of Attraction or Karma or the idea that the energy you put out into the world is the energy that comes back to you. No matter what you believe, starting to put this concept into practice is easy. Grab your art supplies and try writing the name of the person you want to pray for or attract good energy towards. Then as you pray or think of them just begin to color in the bare areas on the paper using whatever colors and whatever strokes of the pencil that appeal to you. An example might be that a member of your family is having trouble finding work. Maybe you write their name and just start thinking about them in their own office or work environment smiling because they are holding their pay stub that has a much higher rate of pay than they have ever had before from an employer that they love for doing a job that they love. While you are imagining good things for them you can use blocks of color, doodles, or even writing to express the good feelings and wonderful experience you can imagine is waiting for them. Use the colors however they speak to you. You will find that your thoughts are easily expressed this way. Over time you will have an entire book filled with positive energy, beautiful colors, creative expression, and you might even begin to see how some of these pieces of artwork have come into fruition with time. If you can find just 5 or 10 minutes every day to quiet your mind, center your thoughts and just allow your creativity to flow and your good thoughts and positive energy ad love to flow along with it you will be amazed at how the universe will show up for you in response.

My Day In A Nutshell - 30 Day Challenge Day 11 - Written For The Insta-Generation

2014-09-19T17:24:00.000-04:00

Bagged some orders. Werq!

2 videos filmed. One edited and uploaded. Score!

Turned on the heat. Bummer!

Ate some pizza. Bad!

Need a nap. Repeat!

30 Day Challenge. Success!

Nerd Girl Night. Check!

It's Friday! Git outta here!

My Day In A Nutshell - 30 Day Challenge Day 10 - The Letter People

2014-09-18T22:28:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning at about 9:00 AM and felt exhausted. My energy levels were completely depleted. I did a small amount of work just to distract my brain enough so that I could fall back to sleep. I figured I would sleep for maybe another hour to an hour and a half.

Fast forward

Eyes Open

12:51 PM

No laundry. No filming. No makeup. No nothing this morning. It was a quick shower and off to the bank I went.

The thing about having a dysfunctional immune system is that there are more days like this one than not. Most of the time I don't actually get the sleep in, but I pretty much always feel the way most people do when they are the sickest they have ever been. Remember that time when you were so sick with the flu and you literally couldn't do anything but sleep? Maybe you woke up every now and then and were able to stay away for about 20 minutes but 22 and a half of your 24 hours were spent sleeping while your body fought off the illness and worked to repair itself. That is how it is everyday when you have an overactive immune system. The amount of energy that is eaten up between your body attacking itself and trying to repair itself whether it needs to or not is astronomical. The truth is you need more sleep than everyone else because you are always in some phase of illness and/or recovery. Most of the time you fight it because it doesn't fit the standards that society has placed on us, but sometimes you reach the point where you just can't fight it anymore. You shouldn't ever fight it really, but unfortunately it isn't recognized as a disability and people just don't understand and who wants to be suffering all the time anyway? Sometimes you just fight it because you want to pretend you are normal for a little bit and just ignore how bad you always feel. I'm getting better at listening to my body sometimes and not putting as much pressure on myself but there are always consequences to that and now instead I will suffer the consequences of feeling very very behind.

Oh well.

Sometimes you have to know when not to care.

Today a friend of mine reminded me of a show I love that was very popular when we were kids and that we used to watch in our classroom in the 3rd grade (and I prayed would be on and used to watch when I stayed home from school sick).

In the spirit of Throw Back Thursday #TBT I think I'll share this little gem I found with you. Call your kid into the room to watch. If it was good enough for my generation it is good enough for them too.

How are you doing with your 30 Day Challenge?

Truth!

The sad thing is I still feel like I need more sleep right now. I jumped up in such a panic because of the time but in a perfect world I should have slept some more. I'm going to have to film 2 videos tomorrow now instead of one, but I might just need to sleep and not worry about it. We will see what happens I suppose.

Have you noticed how sometimes I am anal about punctuation

and sometimes I just need to leave it out because it annoys me?

I actually prefer typing linguistically.

I like my writing to sound the way I think or the way I speak. I want you to know exactly how it would sound if I were standing in front of you saying the words one friend to another. Sometimes that means I use punctuation properly and sometimes I don't. It is an acquired taste.

Well, it's official... I've filled out my 2015 YouTube video planner. Let's just say

Anyway... that's enough for today. I'll see you on the flipside!

My Day In A Nutshell - 30 Day Challenge Day 9 - Holy Socks and Not Much Else

2014-09-17T21:12:00.000-04:00

You know how sometimes you just decide to go get stamps at 6:30 in the morning?

No?

Well never mind then.

So the towels are clean. I pulled out a blush to use that I forgot to bring to show you guys so you will have to wait for the video on Friday. I also filmed a video of my empties to go up tomorrow.

I'm a little sleepy today. I almost even forgot to type this blog post because of it, so I have a feeling this might be a short one. I'm a bit off my game today. Just need some serious Zzzzzzzz's. Didn't screw up on my 30 Day Challenge though. That is on my "get it right no matter what" list.

You know how you have those days where you feel like you can take a breather and just relax a little which means that tomorrow you will discover that you are super behind because even though you were kind of caught up you weren't super duper ahead? Yeah, I think that is going to be the theme for today and tomorrow. I really want to get caught up on some YouTube videos regardless though to see what people have to say about some of the things that are out right now.

I'm itching to get my wardrobe completely swapped out for fall, but I'm waiting because it isn't fall and it will be 80 degrees again on Saturday anyway. I think I'm just bored with my summer stuff and when most people feel that way they shop, but all I have to do to get interested again is re-arrange my wardrobe because I can make any old think look like something new just with the way that I pair it differently. I always get asked if such and such that I have on is new and it pretty much never is and is usually an item the person asking has seen on me a million times.

You know how when you were a kid and got a hole in your sock it meant you got to try and talk an adult into helping you make a sock puppet with the other one? Then you became a young adult and a hole in the sock meant you threw both socks away and took the excuse to buy new ones. Then you get a little older and think about re-purposing the sock into things like sock buns but most of the time probably don't. Then you get older and a hole in the sock means you take the other sock and pair it with any other lone sock and suddenly you have a brand spankin' new pair of "boot socks". Comment below if your socks in the winter time pretty much never match. You know it's true. Let's face it, sock matching sessions kill brain cells. Anyway, today I found a sock with a hole in it and I'm fine with it.

Well, since I don't really have much to tell you about today (or just don't have the brain power to convey it) I guess I'll end with a joke.

See you on the flipside!

My Day In A Nutshell - 30 Day Challenge Day 8 - Conversations With Santa

2014-09-16T21:21:00.000-04:00

So obviously last night I did laundry (darks in warm water). Tonight will be towels and blankets and such. The only 2 loads I haven't told you about yet are colors in both cold and warm water and those will both happen next week. Maybe one of these days I should just write about how I manage my laundry. Would that interest you? Comment below and tell me. What would my organization friends like to see?

Today I left early for the grocery. I needed the essentials for my 2 cats. I also am getting back into spending more time in the stores because the holidays are a-comin'. Of course you know I am basically done with my holiday shopping, but you see... Santa and I are tight! I am pretty much his personal consultant. He is non-stop up in my ear with "Shannon, what is the perfect gift for little Janie?" and "Shannon, 11 year old girl alert! She hates toys and she hates clothes! Help!" and "Shannon, little Tommy likes to play dress up! They don't have dress up clothes for boys at Christmas time. What do I do?!? Help me!" and "Shannon, is that fungus under my toenail? I think I'm not letting my socks dry out enough before I go back out into the snow. Is there a cream or something for that?"

Ick! Why does he does that to me?!?

Anyway, you get the idea. It is important for me to know what is out there, where to get it, and how much it will cost.

I shopped my stash today and pulled out a Baked Matte Satin Eye Shadow by Lorac in the color Drama.

More on that on Friday in my Weekly Favorites video.

So, we have finished our first week of our 30 Day Challenge! What an accomplishment! Time normally goes by so quickly. It's amazing how focusing on making a change can make time slllllllllloooooooooowwwwwwwww down. For many of us this has been the longest week EVER. That's ok. Part of feeling happiness and satisfaction is being more present in the moment and having an awareness of time. Remember when you were a child and you had those moments of such extreme boredom that you thought it might possibly kill you? On the other hand you also experienced such excitement and happiness at times with butterflies in the stomach and laughter so intense you almost couldn't catch your breath and your side cramped. Remember those times?

Some of you might have noticed that you suddenly were making better choices during the week that had nothing to do with your current actionable step. It's amazing how feeling good in one area can influence your life in other areas.

Some of you barely made it through the week. That is ok too. Part of the reason we are focusing on this one actionable step for 30 days is because it can be so hard to do. By the end of the 30 days and it becomes much more of a habit it will be easier I promise. Even if it doesn't because let's be honest, some battles just never get any easier, know that those successes are the ones you will feel the most proud about in the long run.

We have 3 more weeks to go. How are you doing?

I'll see you tomorrow. Super Soul Sunday is back on and I'm already two episodes behind. See you on the flipside!

My Day In A Nutshell - 30 Day Challenge Day 6 & 7 - Want To See My Package?

2014-09-15T22:53:00.001-04:00

Days 5 & 6 of my 30 Day Challenge were a success! If you haven't started the challenge then click the link and get started. Every day is a new opportunity to improve your life.

Every other Sunday is technically supposed to be my day off, but it never REALLY works out that way. I filmed and edited a video for today (my Birthday Haul). I also am completely done with my Christmas shopping aside from a few odds and ends that you can't ever really get until the holiday shopping season is in full swing. I even squeezed in a little Bengals Football and BW3 spicy garlic wing sauce because I do have to eat at least once in a day. I stayed up late to do the bits and bobs that I normally have been doing in the morning. I'm a night person and I'm experimenting with just doing that stuff at night after work and sleeping later into the morning since that is what comes naturally to me anyhow. So I started my laundry at about 1:00 AM (whites in warm water) and flip flopped my day by turning my morning chores into my... well... into my MORNING chores.

Today I started at about 9:00 AM and filmed another video. It seems a bit strange starting my day backwards. It's harder to sort out what I'm going to tell you about when a lot of it I won't even be getting to until later. I did get an unexpected package in the mail which is always exciting. I guess I should say I knew I was getting it, but had kind of forgotten about it because so much time has passed since I was notified, but it finally showed up and was more awesome than I expected. I'll be posting pictures on my social media so make sure you follow me there to see. I'll give you a hint...

Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnn...

I have other blogs that I write along with this one, so I had some work to do for one of those. I'd refer you to it, but it is more of a local thing and wouldn't be very relevant for most of my Originalslushey readers.

I decided to watch I'm Fine, Thanks. It's a "documentary" about a guy who wanted to leave his work life and chase his dream of being a filmmaker that I heard about from a podcast I listened to. It tells the story of individuals who found themselves on a path in life that made them dead inside. It's meant to inspire people to go after the dreams they buried in order to be responsible or at least to show how people that feel stuck and unfulfilled got there and how they are everywhere. You might be one of those people. The most important part that you should not miss before you make some drastic decision is when he explains how he had access to an entire team of people who were already successfully established in all of the fields that he needed in order to make his adventure successful. Most of us don't have that.

What makes me curious is why did we not hear these stories from generations before us? Were they just happier in life than we are or were our expectations set too high from the start? Has life gotten harder? Maybe. It certainly isn't getting any more simple. Are we expected to do more in all facets of life than they were? I wish my grandparents were still alive to ask that question of. Maybe the pressure to be happy is just higher. How would that be for irony? I don't know what the answer is, but I know the more simple my life is the happier I tend to feel. Don't get me wrong, I have big dreams but there are things I enjoy doing and I make time to do some of them even when there are some that I can't do now for one reason or another. I enjoy doing some things methodically. It's how I found this film and from this film I will jot down some notes and find some other things to watch or learn from. I take a little something from everything I interact with even though I won't be taking any hugely drastic steps to turn my life completely upside down. Some people might tell you that I've already been there done that and am doing it right now. Anyway, I will watch it once for effect and then I will watch it again soon in order to jot down a few notes for future methodical activities. I already have an intrinsic focus on improving life every single day just one day at a time and doing the little things keeps anxieties from life pressures at arms length. (Yes. That is a reference to the 30 Day Challenge. If you haven't started it yet what are you waiting for? I want you to tell me in the comments.) It is ironic though that the creator of this documentary is also from Ohio. Maybe the struggle for people in Ohio is legit. I believe location can sometimes matter. Anyway if you don't want to watch the video for free with ads you can pay for it for $5. No I'm not affiliated, so it's just your choice.

Well, that's enough for today, I have laundry to do. I'll see you on the flipside!

My Day In A Nutshell - 30 Day Challenge Day 5

2014-09-13T21:06:00.002-04:00

I woke up this morning basically because I needed a potty break. I'm not sure what time I fell asleep but I know I shut off my podcasts at about 5:00 AM. When I woke up I expected it to somewhere between 6:00 and 7:00 AM. I felt so tired and really didn't want to get up but knew my bladder was going to make me so I was thinking to myself how good it was going to feel to get it over with and get right back in bed under the covers. I rolled over to get up and looked at the clock and HOLY COW it was almost 11:00 AM!!! I was devastated and concerned and shocked all at the same time. I couldn't believe it was that late! I blame that part on the drastic weather change we have had recently. It has been gloomier and much colder and the light that streams in my window and the cool temperatures at 11:00 AM are the same as the light and temperatures of the early morning hours last month. My perception has not yet caught up to the changing season. So, I was shocked that it was so late and I was devastated that I was not going to be able to crawl back into bed AND I was concerned. Concerned because my eyes felt like I haven't slept in weeks and that ALWAYS means I am getting or already am sick. Now, you all know I have been sick and haven't quite kicked it yet but the state of my eyes this morning had me wondering if I don't have either round 2 or another illness all-together festering in my body and waiting to attack. Do your eyes feel like they can't open and are sunken in and feel like you haven't slept in weeks when you are getting sick or is that just me? Tell me in the comments because I really would like to know. Anyway, now that I am awake I do still feel tired and like I need to let myself get some more sleep, but in general I don't feel horrible. I still have the same amount of lingering illness hanging on like I did yesterday but all in all I don't have any other obvious indicators of anything bad coming so that's good.

Speaking of commenting... I want to remind everyone that this platform is a form of SOCIAL MEDIA which means you are supposed to be SOCIAL here. That means you are supposed to ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE here by commenting, liking, sharing, and whatnot and make sure you have subscribed because we are building a family of friends here and if you don't subscribe you will miss out on that. In fact, if you have a friend that you think would enjoy becoming a part of our family then share this blog with them as well. It's always more fun to do things together. Now I do appreciate my faithful readers and love that you enjoy my writing and come back day after day to keep up with the latest but if you don't comment and tell me how you are doing and give me feedback then it becomes a bit more stalker-ish and a bit less social. I actually want to know who you are and how you are doing and what you are into and even get feedback so PLEASE do not forget to actively participate while you are here. Getting to know you is super duper important to me!

Day 4 of my 30 Day Challenge went well! I really wanted a second soda with my dinner but I sucked it up and had a glass of water instead and all is well. If you are new to this blog feel free to start your own 30 Day Challenge. Just click where it says 30 Day Challenge and follow the directions on how to start your challenge. It doesn't matter if you're not on the same day as we are. What matters is that you start. By the way, anything you see on my blog in that hot pink color is a link and sometimes the photos are links as well and by clicking on them I take you directly to whatever it is I happen to be talking about so you can enjoy it as well. I only share the things I am super passionate about in some way so if you enjoy the same hings I do and can relate to my personality then I encourage you to check out the links regularly. You might find some gems that you didn't know existed and will be able to add one more thing to your own personal "Things That I Enjoy" list. That is the whole reason I am here in the first place... to help people enjoy life in both big and small ways. Hopefully I will succeed.

So, I needed to play catch up on my Joel Osteen viewing. I'm not a huge fan of his and sometimes I just play his show in the background and it doesn't really reach me but every now and then he says something that really resonates with me. Just by the nature of the programming he can be a controversial figure but if his message reaches you at the exact time that you need it then that is the universe working on your behalf. Some people love him and some people hate him and most people fall somewhere in between and that middle ground is a pretty good place to be. No matter how you feel about Joel Osteen and his particular message if you enjoy uplifting spiritual music then I encourage you to try the album called Free To Worship.

Click the link or the picture and preview the album first and if you enjoy what you hear then download the entire album for $9.99 or purchase individual songs for $.99. Since it will then be in your iTunes list you can transfer it to a disk to take in your car or add it to your MP3 playlists or even listen to it on your phone, table, desktop, or laptop. If you are thirsty for inspiration or for your own quiet moments of enjoyment or for just something to fill up your tank then this might be just the thing for you. Check it out! It never hurts to try something new.

Next up... the Ohio State vs. Kent St. football game.

GO BUCKEYES!

I just have to show you this...

A tomboy girly girl's DREAM right?!?

Sorry... fashion distracted.

Anyway...

I'm also about 3 episodes behind on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. There might be a reason for that. I'm just sayin'...

ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

This season is just too fake. It feels like they are TRYING to do things to be interesting for TV which has the reverse affect for me.

Did you know that there is an album that is called A Tribute To The Real Housewives Of New Jersey? Talk about a conversation piece! I had a boyfriend back in the day who used to love lounge singer type music. It was just his sense of humor. This isn't lounge singer-y really but I TOTALLY would have bought him this album for realz. In fact, now I'm trying to think of a party theme just so I can have an excuse to play this album. What could it be? Give me some ideas in the comments.

I'm also behind in episodes of The Witches of East End. It has the same feel for me as Ravenswood did meaning it is so close to being a huge hit, but they are missing the mark by a margin. If you liked The Secret Circle you might like this.

That's probably enough for today. How did you spend your Saturday? Let me know! See you on the flipside.

My Day In A Nutshell - 30 Day Challenge Day 4 - New Bubble Bath

2014-09-12T21:34:00.000-04:00

Day 3 of my 30 Day Challenge was a success! The hardest part for me is always later in the day when I finally get around to eating and am having something that a pop would taste so good with and nothing else really replaces it. There is always water though and that is usually my go to. Anyway, so far so good. Tell me in the comments how things are going for you with your 30 Day Challenge.

I'm addicted to podcasts. They relax me at night and often inspire me in the morning. You can guess what I did first thing this morning before I even really got myself out of bed.

Then I did my typical morning devotionals and laundry (another load of darks in cold because I let my laundry slide while I was sick and had too many darks to do in one load yesterday.)

There wasn't any school today so I sort of gave myself a few hours off and hit up the Dollar Tree for the first time in weeks. I'm behind on a few of my typical shopping related needs and gave myself a good hour or two to just try and remember what I need, plan for what I will need, and see what is new right now. It was productive. Could have been better, but I'm getting back on track so it's all good.

I got two giant boxes in the mail today. Always exciting. The first thing I always do is dig down to the bottom of them to locate the new catalogs and start browsing what's new. The best part is my brand new bottle of Fresh Orchard Apple bubble bath.

I have not taken a bath in years. I have a pretty small tub and just stopped doing it. I decided recently to get back to taking baths on Wednesday and Sunday evenings like I used to do. If I don't then you will see it as one of my actionable steps in a future 30 Day Challenge. I will make it a priority to make taking baths a priority.

I forgot to mention that I did try a new hair oil today but I will be talking more about that in an up coming video.

Okey dokey! Well it's Friday and you should take some time to enjoy it so get out of here! I'll catch you on the flipside.

My Day In A Nutshell - 30 Day Challenge Day 3 and Remembering 9/11

2014-09-11T21:10:00.001-04:00

Welcome everyone! Please subscribe now if you haven't already!

Day 2 of my 30 Day Challenge was a success! What an accomplishment! If you also successfully made it through your second day of the challenge then take a moment to congratulate yourself. Breathe it in. Pat yourself on the back. Allow yourself this time to feel a sense of pride and happiness that you have completed another day doing something that will have an important impact on your life even if your current actionable step seems to be a very small and insignificant one.

As you know, my current actionable step is to simply drink only one can of pop per day instead of drinking two. It is a very simple goal which might seem ridiculous to spend 30 days of energy and focus on, but I know that it is just the beginning of what will over time become layer upon layer of increasing success. Know for yourself that this is the foundation upon which you will build a bigger and better life for yourself filled with more happiness and more of a sense of satisfaction within each present moment.

If you happen to have not been so successful then today is a new day and you can begin your 30 Day Challenge over again right now. I would first ask you to re-evaluate the actionable step you have chosen. I am inclined to believe that if you have stumbled then there is a possibility that you need to break the step down into smaller steps. Many people will find that there is an addiction involved with whatever it is that they are trying to accomplish and addictions are much more complicated than just powering through not drinking that can of soda. You may need to break your actionable step down into much smaller steps that include steps related to awareness, withdrawal, enabling, access, etc.

For example, if I am finding that I just cannot stop myself from drinking that can of pop then I need to step back for a moment and admit that there is much more at work here than the simple impulse of wanting to drink a soda because it tastes good and I am thirsty. My actionable step may really need to be something to do with allowing myself to drink the pop, but spending 30 days becoming aware of the thoughts and feelings that occur leading up to my grabbing that can of soda. I might need to tackle boredom or stress or avoidance instead of tackling the can of soda. Maybe withdrawal is interfering with my success and I need to turn my focus towards checking that I’m not diabetic or need some sort of medical guidance through a sugar or other type of withdrawal process. Maybe I need to work on my relationships and possibly someone who is enabling my bad habit by bringing me a pop when they go to get one thinking they are merely completing an act of kindness. Maybe I just need to tell them I’m not drinking pop anymore and they will start bringing a water instead or maybe I could start getting up five minutes sooner and getting the drinks myself and delivering one to them so that I can grab a water for myself and a soda for them and by doing so taking control over the situation. Maybe access is the problem and I need to first work on cleaning up my shopping list or working to remove myself from or eliminate an easy access situation. Just remember that you can only really change yourself so target your newly revised actionable steps so that you are not relying on someone else to make you a success. For example, if my spouse does all of the grocery shopping and my actionable goal is to diminish the access I have to pop I cannot approach it with the idea that I am going to stop my spouse from buying soda. Of course I could ask them not to buy it anymore explaining that I am trying to cut it from my diet, but I cannot expect it to become their responsibility to keep me from drinking pop. I might even be in a situation where they enjoy drinking the pop too and are not in an emotional space to want to stop drinking it with me and so it will always be around because they want it. Maybe my actionable step should be that I take on more of the responsibility of doing the shopping so as to enable myself to not bring the pop in the home in the first place, but even then I cannot expect my spouse to not have soda if that is what they want. Children are a different story. If I don’t want my child to have soda that is something I can enforce much easier than trying to control another adult. Whatever your revised actionable goal looks like just be sure to remember that it can never have to do with controlling someone other than yourself in any way and there needs to be no other steps required in order to be able to accomplish that goal successfully. If multiple steps are required then you will have to break the process down even further into even smaller actionable steps.

Before we go any further tell me how things are going with your 30 Day Challenge in the comments below.

So today started with some Eckhart Tolle. I went to sleep listening to him and I woke up wanting to listen to him even more and so I did. I really cannot get enough of him and his teachings. Oprah believes him to be a profit of our time and I have to agree with her. I wish everyone could listen to his words and understand because the world would change drastically to one of peace, but not everyone is ready for his message just like not everyone was or is now ready to understand the teachings of Jesus. You have to have reached a point in your life where enough suffering has occurred and you have the combined intellect and spirituality to need the message, to thirst for it, in order to understand it. Sometimes you have to reach a certain level of enlightenment to understand that enlightenment exists and that is the case with understanding the message that Eckhart Tolle was put on this earth to bring us. There are some people that at this time in existence will just never be ready. There are some that will be ready another day just not today.

Then I had to get on with the daily grind so of course I did laundry (darks in cold water). I know how much you organizers like to know exactly how other people manage the daily grind.

While doing my laundry I prepared my outfit for the day which includes this t-shirt memorializing 9/11.

It is a day I will never forget. It is part of my “Pain Body” as Eckhart Tolle would say. I no longer feel the emotional distress that I and so many others felt on that day and for many days after, but I can remember exactly how it felt and I’m aware that it isn’t gone completely. I can let go of it, but I don’t have to ever forget. I don’t believe in forgiveness in the way that most people say “you can forgive, but you don’t have to forget” or when they say “you have to forgive in order to move on”. I don’t believe that to be true. I don’t think you ever have to forgive someone that doesn’t deserve it or hasn’t earned it. The whole point is to not allow them to have any more control over you right? I personally think that to forgive someone when they haven’t done anything to deserve it actually hands them your control on a silver platter. I don’t believe you have to do that to move on. I feel very strongly that FORGIVENESS is the wrong word. What I believe you CAN and SHOULD do though is to just let go. You can choose to not carry them around every second of every day in your thoughts. Allow them to lose significance. You can choose to let the pain or anger become a part of the past so that it no longer has to be a part of your present or your future. You can choose to turn your mind to things that matter right now and not bring this person or event along mentally and emotionally with you into your future. That is what I have done with the awful day that was 9/11. I have allowed it to be in the past and because my focus is on being present in the moment and working towards my future it has slipped away from my every waking moment meaning I have let go. I will never forget it though and I will never forgive those who made that day happen, nor will I live as if there aren’t people now who have the intentions of trying to do other equally as horrible things in the future. Today I will wear the shirt as a reminder to not forget and to be alert to those types of people who might lurk around me, but I do not have to be trapped in a state of panic, anxiety, fear, anger, hatred, astonishment, violation, sadness, grief, chaos, disbelief, or agony that I experienced at that time. It is in letting go that I ultimately take back full control from the cowardly, murderous, contaminated individuals that caused the day that we now refer to as 9/11. I am at peace and THAT is their ultimate failure. I won’t forget or forgive but I will let go and live in peace and in all of that I have won. I wear my shirt today in respectful memoriam for those who died and in celebration of the time following when the United States once again became united along with people all over the world into one positive spirit that was joined together completely in support of one another. What an amazing and beautiful time that was!

Remembering 9/11

My Day In A Nutshell

2014-09-10T19:31:00.001-04:00

Welcome friends! Happy to welcome my new subscribers to the family. It's errands day! I had to go feed my bank account. It was starving to death from neglect. I knocked out well over 6000 words yesterday and decided to start my day with the part of my job that is a major benefit due to the fact that I need to be up on pop culture. I decided to catch up on Days of Our Lives. It appears that I am 16 episodes behind. (August 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 25th, 26th) I really need to redistribute my time to fit more of this type of thing in... staying on top of popular television, reading more magazines instead of just flipping through them, getting back in the stores more often for mental inventory, taking time to do more activities that are out of the house and not a part of my normal bi-weekly routine... It seems strange, but it really is important to my business and isn't at all about fun or relaxation. I will be working on that in time with my 30 Day Challenge so if you have something you would like to improve on feel free to start the challenge too. It will work no matter what your goal is.

Road to Success

Did you know that you can find some amazing styling ideas from a really good soap opera? I am in LOVE with the robes Sami and Kate are wearing although I am so OVER Kate's accent nail and green hair and is that embroidery on Jennifer's dress? Very sweet! Hope's blazer = super cool although she needs to size up and tailor for a proper fit.

Sorry... fashion distraction.

Anyway, as far as my 30 Day Challenge and my actionable step of cutting my pop drinking down from two cans per day to one... I did have a single can of pop first thing. There is just something about those first few drinks of an ice cold soda when it is the first thing you have had to drink and are feeling thirsty. It's a very unhealthy habit, but one pop per day is better than two and taking one small step successfully is better than biting off more than I can chew and eventually failing. The long term goals look much healthier, but for now this one short term goal done successfully is something to feel proud of. Taking action matters. Building on good habits over time matters.

Next up... a little Twitter business. I can't talk about it just yet but if you check my account tomorrow sometime after 10:00 am or so there will be a little post about something that everyone knows falls under my "favorite foods of all time" category.

It's a gloomy day today. Fall is making it's way here. The temperature is supposed to drop by about 15 degrees between today and tomorrow. I've been sick for a a week or two and can't quite seem to kick it entirely. I'm feverish at random times and still sniffly and sneezy at times and my voice still sounds more like a man than like myself. I don't know what being sick feels like for other people but for me when I'm sick it doesn't matter how much sleep I have had my eyes feel like I haven't slept in days and want to close even if the rest of me doesn't feel sleepy at all. I decided to make myself a nice hot cup of tea to ease the sniffles and it just seems fitting with the gloomy day.

It's a lovely Green Tea with Blueberry made by Bigelow. I like to add one Equal packet and some milk. Makes it feel like I'm doing something very luxurious and expensive. It gets a little froth on the top and goes down so smooth and warm. The mug BTW is from the Mainstays Home Collection since I know I will be asked.

It's amazing how much effort it takes to NOT do something sometimes. You'd think not doing something just happens, but when you are not doing something on purpose it takes thought and energy and effort. Trying to NOT drink a second can of soda when you are thirsty. Trying NOT to think about or contact that person you know is bad for you. Not posting a response to someone who said something mean on the internet. Not buying something you want but don't really need. Not cleaning your plate when you are full and have been taught there are starving children in Ethiopia. Not hitting the snooze button on the alarm clock. When something is a habit it takes real effort that is consistent over an extended period of time to not do it anymore. Some of us are already struggling with our very first actionable step which if you ordered your goals properly should be the easiest challenge you will have. It's ok. If it's on your mind. If you are trying not to do something. If you are having trouble talking yourself into doing something. If it was a piece of cake. It's all ok. I mention this here because some of us that have taken the 30 Day Challenge will be plagued the entire day with the struggle that is our first actionable goal. If it keeps breaking into your day at the most inconvenient times it's ok. You will get through today and tomorrow will feel proud for it.

I have LOT of work to do for book club. I've done the reading, but I have a lot of administrative work to do. I put it off while I was sick and will have to play catch up. This could take a while...

Up next... The Guild Season 4