I've gone small!

 

If you know me then you know that I tend to carry suitcases for a purse. But today I decided to go small. I've never gone this small before.

Most of my purses have always been huge big because I've always carried my planner with me and or my journal and my planner is rather big aaannndddd so is my journal because I like to do a lot of writing.

As you can see by the above photo there is literally no room in there for either so I have to get a smaller notebook to carry in the back pocket of the purse or I just carry my journal with me separately in my hand which isn't beginning inconvenience, but I'm always worried that I just might lose it if I am carrying it.

And yes just in case you noticed that is a flask in my purse it's full of collagen powder.

The Little Applebee's Ghost

Meet the Applebee's Ghost. Back in March 05, I was at the restaurant with some friends and my family. My friend's daughter Allison was playing around with my camera phone and snapped the picture on the left. 

On the way to there I had asked my friend Sarah, who is a medium, if ghosts could follow someone home.  She said Yes, and this little one decided to give me an answer herself.

I believe this is the spirit of a young girl who hangs around the daycare I used to work at.

I do know that she is at my home quite a bit. My oldest niece Morgan has seen her in my bedroom.
When I got home that night a friend took the image and brightened it.

Morgan and I found that her name is Isabella when we used the pendulum. I found out a month or two before she found out her name.

Through the Looking glass : Daddy's scent

As I sit here looking at pictures of my Dad from my childhood, the memories of the day begin to surface. Along with those memories are smells.

~  I can still remember the smell of Dads Old Spice cologne.

~ The smell of his jacket that I used to curl up under when laying on the couch after having a bad dream.

~ The buttered pop corn he used to make after all 9 of us kids went to bed. I used to go out and sit with him in his chair and cuddle.

~ The smell of sawdust when I stayed home "sick" and had to go to work with him. 

Really I wasn't sick, I just wanted to spend the day with him. 

~ As I got older and started drinking coffee, we used to sit at the table drinking coffee. 

Me eating cereal and him with his coffee and the newspaper. 

My coffee had milk and sugar in it, he drank his black.

What smells and memories do you remember from your childhood?

Vaseline healthy white lotion

The older I get the more uneven my skin tone is getting. :(  I bought this in hope's of evening it out just a bit so it's not red and blotchy. I'm hoping that this will also cover some dark spots as well. 

According to the bottle I should start to see results in 2 weeks! You're supposed  to use it two times a day, but I used it once and that was just a few minutes ago around 8pm. I'll use it twice a day for the next two weeks to see what happens. 

Has anyone used this before? How'd it work for you? 

Perfectly imperfect

I am a hot mess 50% of the time,  rocking some crazy bed head hair most of the time. Though it does get brushed for work. LOL. Yep I seriously don’t have it all together at all, not one bit. 

I forget to text people back and for that I'm so sorry! I can literally go days or weeks without speaking to my siblings on the phone. even though we don't talk all the time I they know that I love them. 

I get stressed out easily and this causes me to at time's get all gloomy. I cry over stupid stuff and OMG if I see an animal that get's hurt or is hurt on tv then those water works kick in! 

My memory is trash which is why I'm constantly writing out lists of things I need to do. It’s a good day when I change out of my pajama's on my days off. I consider it pure luck when I actually remember to eat something through out the day. 

No matter what kind of mess I am in at the moment I know that it won't last. It's all a matter of changing my mindset and perspective. 

Where'd the snow go??

Well we had a white Christmas and it was nice seeing the snow while it was here, but now the snow is long gone and it's back to a leafy carpet on the ground outside my bedroom window.

The hill behind my house is covered with the leaves for so many fall's and when the maintenance guys from the complex snow blow the leaves, the guys blow them all on the hill or in the back corner there behind the townhouses.

That carpet of leaves covering the ground is currently shelter from the cold to the small ones and also a good place for birds, squirrels and other's to find food buried underneath.

While to some the leaves aren't a pretty sight, but to me they are beautiful and are much needed for the small ones outside to survive.

 

17 of my favorite things to do at Christmas time!

~ Put up Christmas lights. I always put them up on my trees and the headboard of my bed. 

~ For the past couple years I have sent Christmas cards, but this one I didn't. I lost my list of people during the move.  

~ I work at a store located in the mall so I'll wander outside the store and look at the Christmas decorations.

~ This year I wanted to make your own advent calendar, but never got around to doing it. I couldn't figure out what kind of calendar to make this year.

~ Decorate your Christmas tree. I always leave my trees up year round in my bedroom. The ornaments go off, but the light's stay on and are used year round.

~ I keep the radio on all the time when I'm home and Christmas music is always playing. I have some downloaded on my MP3 player as well. 

~ Decorate the house with decorations. I love making Christmas chains and snowflakes to hang in the windows and around the tree. I also decorate my desk as well. (see photo)

~ Watch The Christmas Chronicles with Kurt Russel as Santa! (My NEW must-have Christmas movie!)

~ I have a coffee/hot cocoa bar in my bedroom year round. 

~ Put up  a nativity scene. I have two up in my bedroom. 

~ I always buy myself some socks that are soft and fuzzy and wear those on my Christmas Day pajama day! 

~ I hang stocking and stuff them as I buy the stocking stuffers. There's only adults in my house so they don't look. lol

~ I always watch the Queen’s speech. I am a HUGE fan of the British Royal Family. The Christmas messages have been taking place since 1932.

~ I light a candle and then sit down to write up a list of things and people that I'm grateful for. 

~ I always have eggnog! I use it in my coffee a lot. 

~ I put together a Christmas gift tin for myself that I start in January. Then come December 25th I open it up. Half the time I have forgotten what I put in there. lol. There British sweets, gift cards, holiday stationary and pens and other items. Then come Christmas Day I open it up and enjoy what's in it.

~ Drive around to look at the lights. There are a few neighborhood that have amazing light shows and all of the houses are decorated.

Healthy hair habits I swear by

 I am a big fan of trimming my own hair. I've been doing this since I was a teenager. I've given myself so many bad bang cuts it's not even funny, the zig zag look amused me I guess.

I always wanted to be a hairdresser so I figured I'd use myself as a guinea pig. Needless to say I never because a hairdresser. Just couldn't cut it. lol

Now all I do is trim the rough edges and split ends. I usually keep my hair in a ponytail or up in a hair clip while I'm at work so it's not very noticeable. At least I don't think it is.

This is my weekly routine...

~ Washing your hair daily is really bad for you, your stripping away some much needed oils that keep your hair and scalp healthy. I was my hair and condition it every other day. I use Tresseme Full & Thick or Pantene's Repair & Protect, it depends on my mood to be honest.

~ Once a week I use a hair mask to add more really hydrate my hair. I actually don't have just one brand that I use, I love trying different kinds. 

~ I always brush my hair before taking a shower, this helps to combat my hair breaking. Wet hair  is more prone to breaking, so I brush it to help hinder that. 

~ They say you should have a hair cut every two months. This helps to keep your hair healthy. Personally, I haven't had a hair cut since last year. I do try to get one once a year though. I usually get one in July around my birthday on the 1st.

~ Last but not least leave in hair conditioner. I use Pantene's Pro Moisture Mist Detangler.

~ I also take care of my hair from within by drinking collagen and taking biotin supplements. I put my hair in a pony tail when heading for bed. 

Calm among the Chaos

 

2020 feels like one HUGE game of Jumanji. Everything and everyplace feels like it's in complete chaos.  Who ever is playing the game, please for the love of all things cheese STOP! We've had enough already!!

On mornings when I work, it usually consists of me waking up and rushing to get dressed and out of the house on time. I'm usually rushing because I have been having a hard time sleeping. This bloody pandemic is messing with my sleep. lol No rest for the wicked eh?

My night time ritual is this owl on my desk that is lavender infused and is amazing. It sits on my desk and is very calming and makes me a bit sleepy. It's also super soft! 

A nice cup of It Work's Sleepy tea is amazing as well. 

On days when I'm not working, I'm usually up ay 7:30am and on Zoom with my ItWorks teammates. Getting some early morning work in before I crawl back in bed for a little more snoozing. I definitely sleep better on my days off because I can sleep in longer. 

I'm doing a lot of personal development in the early mornings as well and meditating at night when I'm laying in bed. It's what work's for me so I go with that. 

Andrea's tree

I just got off the phone with my sister Andrea. She proceeded to lovingly rub it in my cellular face that she got Taco Bell from our sister Melisa and niece Morgan and I didn't get any.

 It's a little game the two of us play. lol Every time she eats Taco Bell she always calls me and says "You're gonna be mad at me.. I had Taco Bell and you didn't!" 

I call her and say the same thing to her only I always say.. "Guess what I had and you didn't?" LOL

Then she was all happy because my brother Steve brought a Christmas tree over and they decorated it together and he brought her cookies, he makes amazing cookies!

 Then she rubbed it in my face that he was making her his yummy Christmas fudge and cookies. 

This girl is getting spoiled rotten. lol Next week I'm going to send her some Taco Bell via Grub Hub and I'm hoping to go see her on Sunday. 

I have to email her supported apartment manager to see if it's ok to come.

Bedroom Coffee Bar

There was a time when my mom was sick and the smell of coffee made her feel very nauseous. So I had to move my coffee stuff into my bedroom. We moved into a new place and made a coffee, hot cocoa and tea station on the book shelf.

I'm planning to add a shelf or two to it so that I can add my coffee mug collection to it. A lot of my mugs broke while moving which is ok because I don't have much room for more as of yet. lol

I just need to get me some shelves from work that I can hang on the wall. I even thought about putting hooks on the wall to hang them there. Not sure yet, still debating. 

Wowzers!!!

So as I posted on Facebook my credit score was boosted up drastically. It jumped from 607 to 697. I only made 2 changes. 

I have a Chime account. I'll post a link here.  Chime has a new card called a Credit Builder Card.
You use this card to pay your bills with it and they report everything to the credit companies.

 

Also I opened up a Burlington credit card that is only used at the store.
So I figure with that I'll use it to buy water and snacks for break and not go overboard.
Once I got approved for the card my score went up!

Just a FYI... if you need Covid testing here in Rochester, NY..

~ WellNow Urgent Care says online when you first look up local testing places that you don't need an appointment... You actually DO need to make appointments to get tested. I tried two locations and there were no available appointments this week in both locations.

~ Park Ridge Hospital only runs tests on patients and the health care workers who work there..

~ MCC does testing, it's free. There are signs that guide you to the back where the tents are. We got there and there was not a long wait. The signs say that you need an appointment, but when we went they took us in, so you don't need to make an appointment to get tested. People in camo were everywhere, so possibly the reserves were helping out. 

Let's fly!

I'm looking for 5 motivated ladies in November who want to make extra cash for the holidays🎄

by working from your phone📱!! 

I just read this morning that almost 1/2 of American families (44%) rack up over $1,000 

worth of debt for Christmas 🤭. 

Y’all that is TOTALLY preventable with a business like this!!

If extra income this time of year would be helpful, we need to talk. 

I’m so thankful I said yes to this opportunity which is going to buy all the Christmas 

presents and holiday trips this year ❤️!!

Join ItWorks!

OMG.... This stuff is amazing!!! Updated 12/19/2020

OK so here's the deal.. 
I was planning to write this review after I went through the first bottle.
This Snickers creamer is absolutely amazing.
I looove it! It tastes amazing. 
It's more like a syrup in my opinion, a thick syrup at that! 
They say you only need 2 or 3 pumps, but you actually need more than that to get the full Snickers taste.

Downside is the PUMP! OMG this pump is a pain in the booty!
When I put the pump on it took me about 10 minutes of spinning to spout for it to open up.
Word of advice, get the spout up BEFORE you put the pump on the bottle because once the pump is on it doesn't come off, yep that's right.. it doesn't come off, which to me is a HUGE issue because there's still creamer in the first bottle and I can't get to it!
Hello.. wasteful!

These pumps *need* to be designed to be removeable because I have two bottles and can easily use just 1 pump for both bottles if it were easier to be removed.
When it comes to removing the spout I did Google it and found this "You can remove the pump and it is easier with a pair of channel lock type pliers where you can squeeze the collar and turn it counterclockwise at the same time to release it.".  

How I stayed sane during this pandemic

 

When you're stuck inside and not allowed out then you tend to loose track of time and people. It's easy to get lost in your head and emotions and yes your mental health could suffer. 
Even now that the world is opening, I still stay home and isolated as I worry about bringing Covid home to my family. I only go out to go to work and grocery store.

Every so often I'll sit on the front porch in a chair and do some writing on my days off. If I'm not writing then I'm daydreaming about what life will be like when this pandemic is over.

2 things I do..

1.) I connect with friends via Zoom and Face Time!
We talk and just hang out. When you hang out with other and you can see their face's, you are honestly not alone. 

2.) Personal spa day's. I do this once a week and on this day I stay off social media and meditation is amazing and it's very calming. 

Changes are good.

I was sorting through a box and found my story binder! I thought I lost it during the last move to Ayer St. This girl is super happy right now! I found my novels that I actually finished. lol

I also found a poem I wrote back in 1988. I know I was in a dark place at the time as in suicidal dark place. Yeah I was a serious mess back then. Here it is..

"Through the shadows of darkness I have searched.

I have listened to the silence of the night for you.

I wait patiently and you never come.

I have always known the truth.

I know I'm not worthy and never will be."

My family used to drive about an hour away to see relatives who lived on the beach. When they were gone I used to order pizza all the time. Mom used to tell me that they would take bets on whether or not I had ordered one or not.

If only they had known what was really going on in my head they wouldn't have left me home alone back then.

For the record, I'm not in that mind set any more.

Drinking tea is actually good for you!

 

 Ever since this whole pandemic kicked in I have been feel very off kilter especially when it comes to mental health. OMG I've been so moody and climbing the walls.
I LOVE being home and in my own space away from everyone so this feeling is very unlike me. 

Long night's become shorter and the day's just seem to linger on and on like an eternal loop. I prefer the long night's personally, my energy levels are low and I'm just so tired all the time and I just want to sleep!

I feel sluggish and just.. bleh. No I'm not sick, just mentally worn out. I'm left alone in my head too much and it's scary at time's. lol

One thing aside from shopping on Amazon that has helped me to deal is drinking my endless supply of hot tea. I have a huge jar full of PG Tips tea bags and other jars with Yorkshire, Typhoo and Twinning's Earl Grey loose leaf tea. I'm literally set for the rest of this year and part of next year. lol

The Benefits of drinking tea are..
1. Drinking tea has the power to delay Dementia.
2. Tea reduces depression and anxiety.
3. Tea's flavonoid compounds boost the health of your blood vessels and it helps to manage your blood pressure.
Caffeine boosts your mental awareness and helps you to concentrate while the L-theanine helps you to remain calm.

Too blessed to be stressed!

 

Soo a grocery shopping trip that normally only takes about an hour actually took 3 hours! 

We weren't at the store 3 hours, just running around. 

Groceries are bought, school supplies too and we ended the trip with Taco Bell!

I forgot my regular debit card at home and luckily I had this one handy!
Normally forgetting my card at check out would have had me stressed, but my back up card is always handy.

Soo this shopping trip was possible thanks to It Works!
It's always good to have a back up plan in place and It Works is mine. What's yours?

5 Random Questions About Moi

What are you reading at the moment? At the moment I'm reading The first Witcher book "Blood of Elves". It's a great book and I'm also watching the Witcher on Netflix with Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. 

What do you do to switch off and relax? I try to unplug from the internet once a week. I'll find something else to do online and then when I come back to the web I'm ready to go. There's too much drama on Facebook and it's super depressing. So much hate.. people need to calm down.

Craziest thing you always carry with you? In my purse the craziest things I carry is a bottle of Gorilla Glue and two flashlights. 

What does your perfect weekend look like? Sleeping in and waking up naturally, not at the sound of an alarm for the many Zooms that I need to attend for my ItWorks job. 

How are you and how have you been coping in 2020? It's been good, a bit stressful at time's, but it's good. When we were in lockdown I was able to catch up on my sleep.. I literally slept most of my days away. For some reason I was exhausted and all I did on a daily basis was house work, reading, hanging online and sleeping.