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Some things in this world just bring you joy or make you smile. The thing is that they don’t always have to be some monumental or life changing thing. This week, I have had a few despite the craziness and busyness of the days. I’m going to share a few. Please share some of yours.

I was getting into spring cleaning mode, and I grabbed a box that I hadn’t unpacked yet. Inside, I found a piece of the past. I found my iPod from my senior year in high school. Of course, I only found it, not the charger. So I ordered one on Amazon and charged that bad boy up. Oh man, did the music come flooding back. Songs I completely forgot I loved or knew. I’m just going to leave this one here. Judge if you will. Hahaha 😆

Spring is here and with it the changes of weather. One day it’s sunny and almost 75, the next it’s 40 and snowing on the mountain. Today was all of the above. It’s not super cold, clouds here and there. I wasn’t prepared for the 5-minute shower I got caught in since my weather app only said clouds. But I had to laugh as I was walking in the rain while everyone was huddled at the entrance or waiting in their cars. I would have danced if I wasn’t in a parking lot but fun enough to feel the sprinkles.

It’s easy as you are walking thru a grocery store to snatch the snacks that look or sound yummy. But what if your boyfriend wants something in particular? Smiths has rice Krispie treats but only the basics. My man wanted ones with fruity pebbles, too. I got to his house on Saturday, and he had the stuff for us to make them. We went back and forth on the rice to fruity pebbles ratio and how many cups of marshmallows. I put them in the pan to cool, and he got out a spatula. Watching him extra squish them into the pan cracked me up. We both agreed upon tasting. They were delish and way too sweet to eat more than one.

One last one. You’ve heard me talk about doing things with my nephew. Little projects that we do together once a week to keep him busy and have Auntie time. This week was some Easter fun. I saw this craft where you draw in white crayon pictures or images on a piece of white paper. Then you paint the paper with water colored paints, and what you drew magically appears. My nephew wanted me to show him the magic and do some more. He figured it out, but the smile and the confusion before he did was super fun to watch.

These are simple, silly things. And there are so many more examples. Maybe someone brings in donuts when you are hungry. Or your dog does something really cute and makes you laugh. Or you got to go out to a farmers market and see all the pretty flowers. (Which I am hoping is coming up on the agenda). I can splurge for that extra unnecessary bag of jelly beans because they sound good right now. Or come across a favorite book and read a few pages. I hope you stop and take a look this week/weekend for your simple Pleasures. Drop them here and share 🙂

I’m going to say that has two meanings. The act of physically planting flowers and veggies and the new personal growth as we go into spring. It’s kind of become our yearly tradition. Dad takes my sister up to Utah to buy the plants 🪴. Then I help dad with the soil and the planting. I really enjoy getting my hands dirty.

This was the batch for us this spring. Smaller than the usual 2 or 3 full boxes, but it took us several hours to garden. Dad does a variety of tomato and pepper plants, sweet peas, onions, lettuces, and herbs. Then we have pansies, poppies, daffodils, bells, and other bright colored flowers mom picks out. It always ends up colorful.

It takes a bit of patience to grow plants of any kind. From seed to stem and leaves to producing fruit, it takes time and care. We add some growth vitamins to each hole for each plant to give them a little extra chance to be full and plentiful. Two obvious things are water and sunlight, but keep in mind that both if overdone can be detrimental to the plants.

Really, it’s a natural metaphor for personal growth. Plants will grow in the environment they are in, but will they flourish? The same goes for people. What environment are you in? Can you be transplanted to greener pastures?

We need nutrients in life. Water, good food, vitamins, fresh air, sunlight. Your soil is your foundation. I have a strong foundation with a good system of family and friends that have my back, a place where I can grow and learn and flourish. What we feed and water ourselves with is very important.

Water yourself with belief, with positivity. Feed yourself with wisdom and knowledge. Constantly be soaking up the good vibes. But be cautious. Sometimes storms will come, the wind will shake you, and the water will rise. The battles that come will make you stronger, will give you experience to get thru the next one. Constantly growing your roots, expanding your branches, and showing the fruit of your labors.

Too much symbolism? Well I hope you really think about it. Spring is the perfect time to reflect on new growth. It’s a chance to find new flowers to grow and new focus for the year. I encourage you to go to Lowes or Home Depot and find a flower or plant. Water that daily and at the same time find a book or a podcast to water your mind. Let’s see what fruits we can grow for harvest!

I’m sure that all of us in our younger years said, “I can’t wait to be big.” And now looking back, I’m sure we have changed our minds and said,”I wish I was a kid.” I’m guilty for sure. Some days, you just wish that you could run from your responsibilities and play with your friends. Well, tonight, despite my initial refusal to play hide and seek, I was reminded about how much fun simple kid games are.

I have a nephew that I try to see and entertain once or twice a week. We like to do “projects” together. Could be planting terrariums like you’ve seen me post or making cookies. Doing crafts. Anything to try to keep him occupied and having fun. It’s our bonding time. Some nights he can sit and do them with me hour after hour. Other nights, before we even get started, he is trying to get 17 other games going.

Tonight, I didn’t come prepared. Work ran late, and I didn’t have time to get our St. Patrick’s day craft supplies. But of course, little man being kid creative as he is, grabbed a box and told me what we could turn it into because “we have to do a project Auntie!”

I asked him what he wanted to make, and we settled on a spaceship. Took all of about 2 cuts of scissors and a few staples for him to move on tonight. I, of course, had to finish the spaceship. I’ll admit not my best work, but hey, my helper left. But while I was gluing craft paper to a box, he must have asked me 20 times to play hide and seek.

If you have ever played hide and seek with a kid under the age of, let’s say, 8, you don’t have to count or look because you know exactly where they are. They can’t help but giggle or wiggle or say, “Come find me.” Not to mention they haven’t learned the good spots to hide. And once they think they have an ok spot under the covers, they keep going back to it.

My sis told Booger that we would play after our project, and when I say there is no escaping, I mean it. He is relentless. So I caved and started the counting. Not really paying attention, just random numbers til I said, “Ready or not, here I come.” I heard his loud feet up the stairs and heard him ask mom to cover him up. Even heard the giggles. But you can’t let a kid down and grab them right away. You have to pretend to look. “He’s not in the bathroom. He’s not in the closet.”

Just enough to distract him and goose him! If I find you, you get tickled 🙂 Of course I won, but now I had to hide. But I am much wiser and practiced in the ways of hide and seek. I don’t make it easy, I sneak and whisper, hide in places I know he won’t look. The second time around, he called for backup. I was in the spate room closet listening to him yell, Auntie! Come on, Auntie! Where are you?” Mom helped find me, but you know where he hid next? Exactly where I was.

They may not be the greatest at it. They may not catch on to the best hiding spots. And you know where they will be if you show them a good one. But hiding and anticipating them finding you or you surprise attacking for a tickle fight is just fun. They make up rules as they go, and each time, no matter who is seeking or who is finding, the round is won by giggles.

Sadly, growing up, we get so banged up by the world. We don’t get to laugh and play. We get to work and pay. We lose that sense of silliness and let the responsibilities of life bring us down. I encourage you this week to do something silly. Monday is over on this daylight savings time week. What fun activity can you add to bring back some life into your step? Can you take ten minutes to ride the swings in the park? Or find some chalk and color your sidewalk? Do something this week that you loved to do as a kid and see just how quick your mood changes. I double dog dare ya!!

We get so busy caught up in our stuff sometimes that we don’t notice how the people around us are doing. How’s your bestie doing? What’s going on in your partners life? Have you checked in with your kids besides to see if their homework is complete?

I know I have been so focused on my struggles lately and focused on getting better. But I also have realized that the more I stay in my issues or bed, the more distant I feel, like something is missing. I had to take a step back today and take some time to reach out to the friends I love but haven’t talked to in what seems like months.

I have three friends in different states far from me, who I talk to on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. We talk about everything from work to kids to drama and the tv shows or books we are reading. You see, it really doesn’t matter what we talk about but having a distraction from one’s struggles that matters.

My nurse friend fills me in on all her workplace drama and the crazy cases that she has. There are so many politics in her hospital that she wants to move, but she loves the patients. I love hearing the late night ER stories, and then I do my part to encourage my friend or give her ideas for changing things.

Another has had relative problems for the last few weeks. Specifically a difficult aunt who likes to stir the pot. I’m thankful my aunts aren’t really that difficult and try to help her see the humor in the things her aunt does. I get distracted with her family tea and forget about some of mine for a while.

But then there is a friend who has fun things to celebrate now and coming up. Birthday dinners, baby’s first birthday, and a trip to see the Easter Bunny. To look in on how quickly things can change and grow in a year is amazing. A year can feel like such a short time or such a long time, depending on what side you are on and your perspective. I couldn’t imagine past a few dates (never having a long-term relationship), and yet here I am, and my boyfriend and I are almost a year.

I don’t know who you have in your circle. If they are in the same town as you or states away. If they are friends, family, coworkers, or mentors. I do hope, though, as anyone pops into your mind that you reach out. You never know who is having struggles or needs a friend or distraction. Perhaps you are the one who needs to hear about something other than your own drama. I dare you to reach out. Check in every once in a while 🙂

I don’t know about you, but I 100% struggle with mornings. It might be because I don’t sleep well. Or it might be because I know work is looming in the near future. But either way, they just seem to be not so fun for me. While I’ve been struggling with this sinus infection for 3 weeks, the morning routine has been more difficult with the bouts of coughs. But I’m beginning to feel better, and I heard something today about setting yourself up for the day.

I’m always looking for new audio books. I listen to them at work or while I am riding to and from. Sometimes, I even listen to them as background noise instead of the TV. I think this one populated in my suggestions because I already have Atomic Habits and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People in my library.

Listen to The 6 Habits of Growth by Brendon Burchard on Audible. https://www.audible.com/pd/B0BBY76WP4?source_code=ASSOR150021921000V

I’m about half way thru the audio, but in the chapter on Motivation, Brendon gives three things to you to do in your morning routine to set the intentions for the day. The 3 things are reading, goal planning, and movement, and you really only take five minutes for each. I can do 15 minutes to put me in the right spot for the day.

So I have a daily planner. In the morning, I write out 3 things I want to accomplish for the day – goals. From there, I get into my Spotify and find my daily motivation or a new podcast. I also have a self-help book right next to my bed-reading. I have a yoga stretch video I follow if I have enough time or I have my 20-minute bike ride to work-movement.

These might be more than the 15 minutes total for the three things, but it is how I am implementing them into my day. Today was my first attempt, and by the time I got to work, I was ready to face the stack of orders waiting for me. My day started on the right foot, and overall, now that I am at home and about to have dinner and relax, I feel accomplished. I will do this for the rest of the week and see what happens. Anyone have any other get you going morning routines?

Guys, I don’t know about you, but February, hands down, kicked my behind. As you can obviously see, I haven’t posted in a while. I won’t go into everyone one of the details, but here are the highlights of the month.

Car breaks down before my birthday. Took me all month to find and purchase a new one while riding my bike, rain, sleet, or snow in Las Vegas.

Valentines- he did get me flowers after all 🥰 boyfriend for the win.

Day after down for the count. Not from covid or strep, but 2 weeks later, I am barely back on my feet.

Office takes 3 of the weeks to move (all while sick), get settled, and be 30 orders deep, down two helpers, and demanding customers.

That sums it up. It was the longest, never-ending “shortest” month of the year. It seemed like, at every turn, there was something. And I had high hopes of telling you more about my savings struggles and my car buying efforts, but for now, I will just say this. Changing the habits before and during being at home sick, I was able to save an extra $500 in the month of February. It doesn’t seem like that much, but do that for a year, and you have an extra $6000. It all adds up.

I learned a lot about used cars and car loans. We went thru brand dealerships and used dealerships. Looked thru inventory here in town and in close states. Took 4 test drives to find the right one. I signed that line, and I was more relieved that the process was completed than actually driving off in a new for me, but 201, less than 30000 miles, used Mazda. It’s perfect for me and my budget 🙂

I can only hope that as March marches in, it brings with it a smoother month. If there are rough waters ahead, we will press on. I am looking forward to spring and possibly a new opportunity, which I might post about later. For now, I am going to take another round of cough suppressant and say good night. Keep Marching, guys!

Literal miles, on the bike that is. This new journey of mine into the cycling world is really something. But they, whoever they are, did lie to me. Have you heard the saying it’s like riding a bike? It just means that it comes naturally. Well, these last two weeks have been nothing but natural peddling around town. There are so many things to figure out and adjust to. Roll with me through the week.

The first thing is first. I didn’t decide to ride a bike just for the fun of things. While I figure out my new car options, I am using environmentally friendly transportation. Way back in the dusty corners of the garage, we got out my ride. My dad and brother in law cleaned it up and gave it a test run. All set to go, a little old, but the basic pieces and parts were good to go. A little online Amazon shopping to complete the look, I got a helmet and some gloves, safety first.

When I say I haven’t ridden a bike in over a decade, I mean it. Random spin classes on a stationary bike do not count. Getting back on that seat and testing it out myself was a sight. I am sure the neighborhood got a good laugh from. I wobbled all over the place, unsure of the peddles and footing. Looked like a kid who just took off the training wheels. After about a mile or so, I did get in the groove. Even after a week and a half, I’m still not 100% balanced, but I am way more sure of myself.

Some things you don’t realize are lacking until you have to use them. I, for one, never realized that so many streets are lacking pathways or sidewalks. Or what about the sidewalks that didn’t plan for giant electric or light poles right in the middle of the walking space. Riding in a safe lane can be difficult. I live in a quiet neighborhoo, but my job, which is 2.64 miles away, is on a busy six lane street. The main street crosses over the freeway and narrows to a two lane street with gravel driveways. The only way to not be off roading on the side of the road I had to find quiet side streets.

So far, the tally of miles is 45 miles, give or take. Work days are a little over 5 miles, but on Saturday, I took the bike on a longer ride to get it looked over at the cycle shop. I knew from the age of the bike and riding it for a week that the break pads were shot. I was correct, so I got those fixed and new handle grips to get me through the week. I will take it in for a full work up after work Friday. I also had them help me adjust the seat height to make things easier on my knees and legs.

There are a few things I am still struggling with. Riding is a literal pain in the you know what. My bum has not adjusted to that hard seat. A little better each ride, I’m still working my way up to ride out of the saddle, standing. Helps to stretch the legs. The other thing is my appetite. My metabolism is going up the more I peddle, the longer the ride, I am constantly hungry. I will have to find that magical cocktail of vitamins and protein to offset the extra calories I’m burning and the muscles I’m building. Does anyone have suggestions?

Overall, it takes some getting used to, but I have been enjoying it. The weather, minus the rain and snow today in Las Vegas, has been really nice. I am saving money, and I am getting in daily exercise. I have a solid 30 minutes each way to listen to audios or think about my to do list. Just quiet time to get my thoughts in order and absorb the sunshine. I would recommend anyone give it a spin. Ha ha pun intended. 🤣

Just to be clear I am not wearing an orange safety vest and waving my arms around. I’m not placing construction cones or turning a stop sign. But I am however redirecting my thoughts this week. It is not easy to reroute my regularly scheduled thoughts but I am going to share with you some of what I have had to guide this week.

I am a little over a week into my no debit card February. What I have realized is I have a spending problem based on my moods and bad habits. I have had to think about every trip to work, every trip to the store and even about fun things coming up. Maybe you can relate to some of these.

If I know I have a long day ahead of me, I want to stop and grab a coffee or an energy drink. Thats $3 to $8 dollars spent before I start the day.

I had a long, trying day at work where orders were wrong or late and the task list never seems to end. So too tired to cook and we head thru the drive-thru. There goes $8 to $15 not even for good food.

Three different friends ask you out for drinks, dinner or to hangout in one week. Do you go for all three, narrow it down or push them off? $25 to $75 depending on the trip and the friends.

Those are just some of the food related things I have caught myself wanting to swipe for in the last week or so. But I have also thought about the things that I think I need to buy for home or work. Things that could be bought later on or things that I dont actually need but only want because they would be nice.

Spring cleaning is just around the corner and I am in the mood to finish cleaning and sorting the garage. immediately my thought is that I need to go to Costco and buy the big black and yellow, stackable bins. We have about 10 of them already in their nice little places in the storage unit. And they do make everything easy to find. But while I am saving up for a car, wouldn’t regular boxes I can get free at work be a suitable idea? In case you had a doubt, IT IS better to save the $50 and use the boxes.

There are some things that can not be avoid though and for me I did have to spend a little bit on my safety gear. I havent mentioned this yet but i have decided to ride my bicycle to work while I am saving money for my new car this month. The weather here in Vegas is nice in the spring and the added benefit of 2 workouts a day to me is worth it. I’m only 2.5 miles from work. Anyways I do ride on one busy street and the morning ride is dark and chilly. So I had to purchase a bike helmet and a pair of biking gloves so I can feel my fingers. I wanted to add a new pair of bike leggings, a new jacket and maybe a new pair of shoes designed for biking. My bad habit is to over shop when really I only need 2 things.

There are more examples of the habits I am seeing in my spending. But really they are habits in my life that I am noticing. Things that you dont realize you do until you look under the microscope. I hope I am not the only one that has been taking stock of things. Maybe you can relate, maybe you dont think those are bad habits, maybe your budget allows for more of the fun little stuff. Let me know what you overspend on or any tricks you have used in your budget to change your thinking. What directions have you turned?

I think we can all agree that more money is what we need. And I agree with that, but what if we need more money because we aren’t using the money we have in the best ways possible? I, by far, am not a financial guru. No where close. In fact, if I am being honest, I am always paycheck to paycheck, and that can be so frustrating. You plan for your bills, and something unexpected comes up and sets you back.

Well, my unexpected this week is my car. Luckily, it only left me dead on my street and not on a busy road or freeway. But as I sit here waiting for the tow truck provided thru my insurance, I am wondering what it will cost me or if I can afford a new car. It’s been an interesting weekend trying to figure that out and enjoy my birthday.

That being said, I took a hard look at my spending for the last couple of months. And there are some cutbacks that need to be made. It’s crazy to see how the little things add up like the gas station snack stops and the eating out. I truly thought I had been doing a good job on my budget, but looking at the debits and the swipes, it tells a different story.

So where am I going with all this? Well, let me tell you, I am not hitting a Wendy’s or a pit stop. I am not stopping for groceries every other day but making sure I meal plan. I am going to start a challenge this month to get my spending and budget under control so that when a car dies, I have some options. Or if I want to take a random trip, it’s already in the budget. Practical and silly things, but to have the peace of mind will be so worth it.

For the month of February, I am cutting up the debit card, so to speak. Of course, I will need to get groceries and gas. But I do not want to use the card for anything else. I want to know exactly what money I am spending and will give myself a cash allowance for each week. I want to see what I can save up in a month’s time. I am going to share the journey with you as well as the budget that I put together and the printable budget I will post on etsy. Follow me to see how this goes and hopefully join in 🙂

I dont know about you but so far January has been kind of crazy. Well I would say more bumpy than crazy. First two weeks I was off to a running start, nothing was going to get me down. Insert the bug that is going around. Everyone around me got sick with something. I managed to scrape by but have been busy looking after everyone. So busy that between work and that I havent been able to post.

I did have some me time in there this last weekend which catches me up on the crazy. I was entertaining a friend for five days. We took a quick but fateful trip down to Arizona. It was a very bumpy ride. The idea was to go down to Lake Havasu for the hot air balloon festival that I have been wanting to check out for years. I finally made the plans but the universe had different.

From starters, 15 miles to our half way point snow started coming down. Believe it or not it does snow in the desert and with my luck I found it. I am not a strong driver in the snow, it freaks me out. So white knuckling it for 15 miles to the first gas station I found was not fun. Snow is pretty but leave me at home for it. We didn’t get to the lake that night and ended stying in a really low budget motel but hey, we didn’t end up in a ditch.

The second part of the drive to the lake wasn’t great. My engine light came on. I figured it was a combination of things, the added weight, the elevation and the cold. So we stopped and checked at autozone and they said to google and answer. Epic fail. Had no choice but to drive it but it changed our plans. Didn’t risk the drive to the Grand Canyon after that. The sky was clear but the wind was insane.

Two days of a high wind advisory so we didn’t se any hot air balloons except a few that remained on the ground. So I guess the festival is still on my list. Anyway we came back to vegas, safe in the car other than the engine light and we did the tourist thing. It was fun but I have done it for so many friends that I kind of dont like living here. Tired and exhausted I hit the ground running Tuesday for work.

It’s Saturday. The day before my birthday. I have plans with my boyfriend tomorrow but today after the crazy of the last two weeks I am just going to relax. I hope that your January has been off to a good start. I know thru the last few weeks I have delayed some of my goals and plans but I am back on them. Full steam ahead! Let me know how things are going for you 🙂