Blog

Hey guys. I am sure you know that we just whizzed by Christmas and the new year is coming in hot! 2023 is just hours away and like most of you, I am excited going in to the new year. This year has had some great moments. It has also had some trying moments and learning moments. For some, I know it has been a very difficult and upsetting year. But like with every new day, every new year brings with it new opportunities. I’m not going to get into the things I have planned for this year, that is a whole different post. Instead, as I was thinking about 2023, I looked up the Chinese Zodiac and found that it is Rabbit.

It just so happens that my birth year falls within the year of the Rabbit. So I thought that it might be interesting to see what, according to the Chinese Zodiac, I can expect this year to bring me and us. According to several websites, the Rabbit is a “symbol of longevity, peace, patience, luck and prosperity” and for 2023 it is “predicted to be a year or hope.”

http://www.chinahighlights.com, http://www.chinesenewyear.net.

Hope. A simple four letter word that we can use on a daily, weekly or yearly basis in this case. It means to want an outcome that makes your life better in some way. I have hope that this year I can spend more time with friends and family, I can grow into a job I like for my skills, and that there is more money in the account at the end than the beginning January 1st. I am also putting hope in the people around me. I have a solid support system but I am hoping to add valuable people in my life. People who inspire me, encourage me, make me laugh. That is something to hope for in 2023.

This year, the rabbit will take more time to make decisions, not be as impulsive. This will give them the best chance to achieve their goals. I admit to having this problem. I jump into things quickly with out thinking about the odds or the steps that need to be taken. Taking that step back and making a game plan will help it move along more smoothly. Just dont get caught up in only the planning stages, you still need action.

Prosperity is also coming our way. I know with the way things are looking it might seem like a “yeah right” moment but think about what your definition of prosperity is. Prosperity defined is a condition of being successful or thriving. It is not limited to finances as long as you are growing. I am building more than a bank account this year. I plan to thrive in my relationships and in new skills. If we are talking in terms of business, businesses can grow in any environment if you can be flexible and creative. But you have to be looking for those opportunities.

Luck. I can only hope that luck follows us all around this year. And I mean good luck. Maybe you will find an unexpected financial opportunity. Or perhaps you will bump into a stranger randomly and that will spark a friendship or romantic relationship. I dont want to limit the things that can work in your favor. The thing about luck though, is that you have to be already moving in a positive direction. Put your thoughts and vibes on to the best outcomes, the greatest dreams you can. The universe will deliver.

I guess I might have gotten a bit fortune cookie here. Chinese Zodiac after all. But going into 2023, a new year sparks something in me. Just think if I had that same energy going into everyday what I could achieve. At least, as I finish up my cupcakes for the party tonight, my positive vibes are going and Im ready for the magic. Bring on the fireworks, bring on the new years kiss (excited to have someone to smooch this year? and bring it on 2023!! Lets kick some butt this year!! Have fun and stay safe, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Yesterday’s birthday activities were pretty fun. Tried my hand at some karaoke. Managed not to hurt too many peoples ears. Some of the other girls, though, really like to hit those high off key notes. Needless to say, we had some music, some laughs and some goodies. And we did get all dressed up.

Going out and doing something out of the ordinary can really get the creativity flowing. It didn’t help with my other post I want to write, but it did help me get the ball rolling on another project. Writing this blog is the first little step to getting where I want to be. Let me explain.

Distracted is a word that really describes my hobbies or side hustles. I’m always moving to and from things, but they feed off of each other. At the center is my positive outlook on things, my creativity, and my want to connect with others and help them. I am sharing things that motivate me or inspire me, even things that just make me giggle. Someone out there likes the same things as me or can hear the same phrase as I do and take it to heart like I have. So, I will share it in another form.

That form is Etsy. Whenever some special event comes up or I need something custom, that is where I turn. So many others have created businesses making things or selling things on sites like this one. For now, I will be creating content that I personally would use on a daily basis, starting with goals and affirmations as we go into this new year. Everything will be printable from home.

I will build my Distracted Damsel brand thru blogging and creating new things for my shop. My hope is that my readers, friends or family might like some of my designs or inspirational quotes. Or maybe some planner pages or coffee cups. The possibilities are endless.

The one thing I will say is that it will only be a creative outlet for me. It isn’t my priority or my intent to sell to anyone. It will be there for anyone who can relate to my specific brand of, let’s just say eclectic. I will keep you all posted when it’s up and going but I’m excited to give it a shot. Weekend projects here I come!

It’s Wednesday Dec 28th. That means we are half way thru the week between Christmas and New Years. For me it is a very weird ho hum week. Things at work have just been steady since most of the union workers are off and my sales reps take off. The house has been super quiet, since the woman I am currently living with is on a New Years cruise. And I’m pretty sure that my Boyfriend is decompressing from the last 6 weeks of the holiday UPS rush.

It has been a few days since I last posted. I didn’t quite hit the everyday until New Years mark but for the last two days I have had some writers block. I cant seem to finish the post I want to do about the Chinese Zodiac year of the Rabbit. I promise it is coming. And I also have another 2023 is coming post about what my intentions are for the new year that I am still working on. Doing two Christmases this year was fun but tough and let me tell you the runaround has left my behind on the couch with the exception of having to go to work.

I had good intentions for the week. Ramping up for 2023. I did my grocery shopping for my normal, not over the top meals. I’ve purchased my new planner for the year, even started writing down important dates in it. Coming up I’ve got two cruises, a birthday trip and a wedding in November, and a wedding even further out in 2024. I sat down to take a hard look at finances and all that goes with that, because we can all feel money is getting tighter. Even cleaned up y emails a bit.

All of that sounds good and productive but most was completed while snuggled up on the couch in my new Knights hoodie trying to find the motivation to get up and cook. It really just hasn’t been there this week for me. I feel like my brain has decided it is vacation until Sunday. But I am taking an opportunity tonight to hopefully jumpstart me out of this vacation, lazy because I can be funk.

Tonight is a birthday party for one of my close friends. She is turning 30 and to celebrate she wanted to hit a Karaoke Bar. This particular Bar is Kamu at the Venetian Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. What can I say she likes fancy. So as I am typing this, my hair is drying and I am about to go get all glitz and glam. Nothing brings you out of a funk like friends and getting your fancy on. Ill tell you how it goes and hopefully have some fun off beat songs to share in the next post. Or the other two posts lol.

If you have been there this week, what brings you out of the lazy days mindset? Maybe its the only couple days that you have to relax. Or maybe you are lucky enough to be traveling for fun between the holidays. Where did you go? Tell us so we have ideas for when this week rolls around again in another 365 days 🙂

And that is all she wrote. Lol. This is super short, but I just want to say Merry Christmas, happy holidays to you and yours.

We had our dinner and a few small gifts to open. But mainly the eve of the big day is just to enjoy the time with loved ones. To be fair, though, I did just complete the last custom gift and wrap the last few items.

I hope that after your shopping and wrapping and all of the run around, you can take a few minutes to see the magic. With your kids, your family, or your friends, there are so many things to be happy and joyful about. And for those who are struggling or missing someone, just know that I’m out here sending warm wishes and happy thoughts your way. Have a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas day!!

So tonight is the boyfriend’s annual Christmas party with friends. Complete with White Elephant Gift Exchange. I was not prepared and was unaware that there was a gift exchange. We were able to scramble to get a little something for me to wrap and gift.

If you have never played or participated in a white elephant, it is pretty fun. Of course your audience will determine the overall vibes but pick your favorite crazies and wrap some stuff.

For this group of friends, the rule was a gift under $30. Some people play with only regifted presents. Others will do homemade gifts or choose a theme for the gifts. It’s dealers choice. Our host set the under $30 rule. These guys are very into nerdy gaming stuff which isn’t quite my jam, but man, they get excited.

Someone has to start by having their name/number be picked. The first person opens their gift for everyone to see. The second person up has a choice to steal the gift the first person opened or to choose another present to open. And so goes the game. A present can only be stolen from three people before the present is locked in. This is where the heat turns up.

There were a couple of hot items on tonight’s game. A Yoshi Egg desk light, a super Mario’s glass set, a plushy and some Dragon Ball Z Oden character that I knew nothing about. I am new to the group so navigating the stealing and understanding the awesomeness of some things wasn’t easy. They were calling each other out, working side hustles to get the items they wanted, and teasing each other about the snatch and grabs going on.

In the end there were some after game negotiations. The boyfriend got the gift he knew another guy wanted. He waited to see what would be traded. In the end, he is going home with my original present, the Yoshi light that I wanted but got stolen from me. Little does bf know but I am stealing that back when we get home.

It’s been a fun night. I’m getting to see how these guys chill and how cut throat they are in this circle lol. And I got a cute duck light, yes duck light. We are wrapping up the night with another game where you answer the question or you take a dab of hot sauce. I dont recommend it for the weak of heart but I do recommend the white elephant. Set your own rules and see what your friends bring to the table. 🙂

I know it’s a bit late at night but I didn’t want to miss another day. So, it’s a t-minus 55 minutes to get this posted. Lol. Anyways this week and really, this time of year is just so jam-packed full of food. Every activity has food, people bring you gifts of food, there are holiday foods. It is literally everywhere right now and I am sure I am not the only one who has partakes in five too many cookies. But I digress.

Today, we started off with one of our sales reps supplying the store with Cracker Barrel breakfast. It was my idea to do breakfast because the last two days lunch was provided by different reps. Pancakes, bacon, hash browns, and their cinnamon roll pie. Everyone was stuffed and had no complaints. I was full right up til I left work to go to plan Christmas breakfast with my boyfriends mom. And that is how we got to comfort food.

I told the boyfriend I would be at his house and I asked him if he wanted dinner. Usually I give choices but this time he had one for me and one I would really like to make. Beef stew. Of course, him being the goof that he is, he sent me a Dungeon & Dragons recipe. Link attached 😉

Now I didn’t follow it exactly since I didn’t have any Dijon or rosemary. I added some Italian seasoning and some basil. I turned my cooker on with the veggies and some beef broth while I browned the meat in the skillet. Combined it all in the cooker and let it cook down for an hour and a half.

While I was waiting for the boyfriend to change and shower from work, I also made up some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Some with walnuts, some without, since not everyone likes or can have them. When he finally came downstairs, I had a hot bowl of stew, some sourdough slices and a fresh baked cookie. Come to find out at dinner, he was having a rough day, and the stew sounded like a good option 🙂

He isn’t one for many words but that bowl was gone and on to another one real quick. He said he was satisfied, and it was awesome. I liked it too. I’m not gonna lie best I’ve had in a while. But I’ll take comfort food for the win! What’s your dish? What sounds good when your day is off this time? Share some recipes 🙂

Guys, I don’t know about you, but the time seems to be going in warp speed to the big day. Not so much for work, that is dragging, but the after hours and all the activities. So many things to get done like shopping, wrapping, baking and all on top of the normal things like dinner, dishes and laundry. The laundry mountain seems to triple in size too. I really don’t know if I will get to check the list twice lol

Yesterday, i wasn’t able to get words to paper or in this case, words to screen. I wanted to have a quick break between our activities, but they spread out longer than planned, and I needed some rest after the long day. I went from work to meet up with my family

In my family, as we count down to Christmas, we try to squeeze in some traditions. Probably not too far off from many of yours. We bake cookies, watch The Santa Clause, and have a shopping trip or two. But the real fun part is going for a family outing. In the past we have gone to play in the snow, take a holiday train, see a movie together etc. This time we took a drive.

My sister, brother in law and my nephew met up with me for the last few items we needed to get to complete the Christmas shop. And then we followed that up with some Mexican food. But the main event we went back to Mom and Dad’s house and the six of us piled in their car, in our matching pjs to go see the glistening lights of Cowabunga Bay. It is normally a water park, but at Christmas, they turn the parking lot into a drive-thru light show.

My nephew rotated between me and his mom’s lap as we drove through the singing animated light bulbs, saw Santa’s reindeer, and right thru polar bear lane. He loved the lit tunnels and told us everything he saw. Something super magical for kid. We had fun rocking out to the station in tune to the lights. Even Dad was bouncing around.

There are only 4 more sleeps til Christmas as some will say. I have a shop night, a cook night, a Christmas party and family Christmas Eve. My countdown includes our church’s Christmas service, family dinner and a present on Christmas Eve. And hopefully, a kiss under the mistletoe with my boyfriend. As it keeps coming up, I hope you enjoy your list, your traditions and maybe a few special family outings. Go see some lights!

Nowadays, it seems like time just flies by. Whether it’s looking back on the year 2022 and thinking it just started yesterday or rounding a 3 year work anniversary at a temporary job. For another friend of mine having a baby who is already 7 months old, or my cousin who just posted 6 months married. The thing is we blink and things change, people come and go in our lives, memories are made. When you look back, it’s the relationships that matter.

The title of the post is Quality Time. It’s a pretty simple concept, but as I was thinking about this weekend, I was thinking about the things/people who matter to me. For whatever reason, the last 3 days have moved at a steady relaxing pace. And I had plenty packed into them. The thing is, none of what I did was anything special, but because I enjoyed the company of others, I give the overall weekend a 5 star 🌟. Let me explain.

Everyone has a love language. There are 5 of them: words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, physical touch and receiving gifts. There are questioned tests that you can take to determine yours. It’s interesting to learn because not only does it help with a partner, but you can even see it on your daily relationships. You may have guessed it by now, but mine is Quality Time followed closely by touch.

You see, I would rather spend a night with family driving around town looking at Christmas lights than spend money on an expensive night out. I would rather end up at two different Costcos on a sunday, trying to find a specific printer with the boyfriend than going out to a show or a football game. I don’t consider it a trade off but a choice well made. I surround myself with friends and family as much as I can, even if it is to do something so simple because the time is important to me.

In another post, I mentioned what I had planned this weekend. A holiday party, date night with the boyfriend, shopping and other things. I feel special when friends think of me and invite me to hang out. I feel right at home running errands and sharing dinner with my guy. Simple things I wouldn’t trade. But your language is different from mine. Maybe you want someone to tell you that you’ve been doing a great job, or maybe you just need that hug from someone after a long day. Your love language is personal and specific to you. I challenge you to take the test, find out which you are and use that this holiday to give you the feels. What better time of year to spread a little love?

https://5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/love-language

I bet that wasn’t quite where you thought this post was going. Keep in mind with me you never can tell where we will end up. But here’s a little spoiler for tomorrow. I am goi.g to give you guys my take on Avatar. We will call it Movie Review Monday. Avatar was already on the list but what movies would you like me to review? Hit me with some in the comments 🙂

Good morning. Where I am it is 6:44 am, the house is quiet and the sun technically hasn’t risen yet. The picture above is the one in my head of what cold winter mornings should look like. While I am feeling warm and cozy, I have been wide awake in my bed since 5:15. Amazing how on the days I have to get up for work I can’t get up and on the days I want to sleep I’m bright eyed and bushy tailed. Cruel irony if you ask me, but here I am.

I’m awake but I am still a bit foggy, trying to organize my thoughts. I’m not a coffee drinker so it takes a little bit of time. There are a variety of studies on the benefits of early risers from health benefits to being more successful and happy in life. And though I dont always get a chance, or really make it a priority, I can see the benefit.

Right now I am taking a few extra minutes to plan out my day. I’m not being rushed out of bed by an alarm just to hop in the shower and go go go. I am setting my intentions like so many authors/speakers say and ill even add in a few minutes of meditating. Meditating is a practice truly because you have to bring back your thoughts to breathing, to calm and not let them slip into chores, tasks, work, drama etc. Reflecting or meditating is best for me at sunrise or sunset, sunset more common lol. Watching the glow and feeling the warmth and light enriches the soul.

Not needing to be anywhere til 9, I have a whole extra hour to do another lesson in an investment course I am enrolled in. Early risers can take that extra hour and better themselves. It could be any number of things from hitting the gym to self improvement reading, checking the stocks, studying etc. I have a few things I am working on. I am taking an investment class because right now the economy and our financial future isn’t looking bright. I am still reading The Magic of Thinking Big and it is giving me inspiration for where I want to be and new things I want to achieve. This time of year I am trying to focus on being thankful for the things I have. And, oh yeah, trying to make sure I keep this blog up 🙂

My flaws at this moment do include my lack of early morning work outs. So many advantages for getting up and hitting the gym or the treadmill first thing. You get that endorphin buzz after a work out that keeps you moving and feeling good for hours after. since you are awake longer you will also burn more calories throughout the day. And sometimes its really tough, when you just aren’t feeling up to it, to jut get it over and move on with your day. It’s good for your mood, your, heart and blood flow, your overall health. I struggle with work out consistency because I am at work by 6 everyday and to get up at 4 to work out is extremely hard for me. But then again trying to pump myself up for a work it after a long day when I am ready for relaxing and dinner, doesn’t always work either. So I add in Saturday workouts at 9, which is where I have to be.

Clearly I haven’t gotten it all figured out. Habits, routines, better sleeping are all things that could help put me on my early risers plan to success. But I am a real person and I have real struggles. And you know what? It’s ok. I am lucky that I have been given this day to get up with the sun and try again today to make things happen. Everyday is an opportunity whether you get up at 5 am or 2 pm. Always strive to be a better you. I promise to do that and tell you about all the bumps along the way. 🙂

I’m not going to miss a day but this is super short. I’m at a holiday party and it’s one of the busiest shopping weekends left of the year. But I was scrolling and saw this. To all of those who can only do the basic, or the little stuff. Let me remind me you it is enough!! Never feel bad or embarrassed to give your best no matter how small.