Vlog #2

     Welcome to my second ever Vlog! Was kind of surprised when a few private messages from my last one was about my makeup. For starters if you were one of those people, thank you. I WAS going to devote this post to what makeup I used, but where I actually feel like skin care is more important, I decided to share what I'm using during these wintery months to take care of my skin. Some of it came out more lack lister than I expected, but none the less here is Vlog #2

K, love ya, bye!
-Nancy

Having to push a little harder

     I've been cutting back my caffeine, and I was eating, for the most part terribly all weekend. As a result I feel kind of like a slug right now sitting on my couch.

     I forced myself to cook, and to get dressed. I'm looking at my ottoman, with dishes from breakfast I said I would take out when I went...I've been in the kitchen about half a dozen times since.

     Considering I've mentioned in the past I'm trying to be a more positive person, the start of this post has really made it seem like I've gone back to the dark side. Actually, it's quite the opposite. I do feel like I have a lack of energy right now, but I'm cutting back on caffeine which is good. I also am aware of how badly I was treating my body over the weekend, and know I need to get back on track. I may have forced myself to cook, and get dressed, but I did it. Guess what I ate breakfast! That is actually HUGE for me, I have gotten REALLY bad for not eating breakfast.

     I'm sharing this with you because we are in the months of resting and having less energy, so I'm sure I'm not the only one who is having days like this. I'm having to push harder to make myself do stuff, but I'm pushing. Tonight maybe I'll go to bed at a decent time, and get up later tomorrow. This is actually normal for our bodies this time of year, because the nights are longer. So if you're feeling like a lump most days and don't want to move, just push yourself a little harder, and know this is completely normal

My Very First Vlog

     I DID IT! I Finally did it my very first Vlog ever! So basically all I did was kind of a video hello, and explaining what I plan to do with the blog and vlog going forward.

     My video is so very crude. My lighting is actually natural lighting, I am sitting in my kitchen at the bar I have that overlooks my living room, so the light is shining in my living room window. My camera/microphone is my iphone 6s, and I think it did a decent job. My tripod, was 2 cookbooks, a rubbermade container, and a jar candle. I had 0 editing, a list of things to cover beside me, and all in all the most basic thing ever. I hope to slowly improve the quality going forward, but as of now it is what it is. 

Ok, Love Ya, Bye!

-Nancy

Christmas Wrap up/Christmas Prep

     Did you hear about that Cold going around? Lasting way too long and when you get to the Doctor, they tell you "it's Viral" and they can do nothing for you? Guess who got it! Basically the beginning of it was my reason for writing my last post "How to fight a cold". My typical methods of fighting the common cold. But here I am, 10 days in still fighting this thing (yes I said 10). I am on the mend. I just have a little cough, and one ear blocked at this point.

     As a result of being sick, I've lost 15lbs...this is not a good thing. losing 15lbs, if I'd done it the healthy way would have been reason to celebrate, but this was because I couldn't eat anything because I couldn't swallow. So my whole thing I started in late November, early December, may be impacted by this when I get back on track here.

     The thing I'm most bothered by though, is I didn't really get the chance to guide you through a Holiday wrap up as promised. As a result, let's nutshell it shall we? Yesterday I woke up and decided I wanted to take the day and slowly pack away my stuff. I had no intention of getting it done, because I wanted to organize it, and I get kind of down when I take down the decorations, but I did. My husband got me the entire series of Mrs.Brown's Boys for Christmas, so I popped it on and away I went. I can't be down when I'm laughing that hard. I got it all organized, and packed...all the stuff on top of the totes there is stuff I realized after I'd missed and will get into a tote.

     So that's it right? No thinking of Christmas again until I start the Blog in September right? WRONG! Okay yeah you COULD, or you could give yourself even more of an edge, and start Saving, buying, and gathering ideas now. Through the year, I will make a blog post at the end of the month, and it will highlight my progress for next Christmas. I don't celebrate Christmas as one day on the Calendar, it's a special time of year, that comes every year, and I enjoy preparing for it. So keep posted, because I'll be working away at it all year long! 

Ok, Love ya, Bye!

-Nancy

Fighting A Cold

     Hello from Death's Door! Okay slightly dramatic, but the reality is this is how I feel. I thought this MAY have been coming on on New Years Eve, but actually pretty well everyone I came in contact with that night felt the same way, and I think many of us are sick now. While I'm at work, and sleeping I tend to medicate, so I can get through the shift and sleep through the night. But otherwise, I like to keep it all natural. This is the 3 blog I've ever run, and I'm pretty sure I've done this post on more than one occasion, but here it is, how to get through a cold.


    1. Rest, you're going to need a day off for this, so you can just chill and take the time to get better. If you can stay in bed, all the better.

    2. Hydrate, a LOT. So I have a timer set when I'm sick for 60 min. In that 60 min, I have to consume an entire beverage. I drink, Water, tea, Orange Juice, and if I happen to have some on hand (and I do right now) home made broth. I guess that's one lucky point, I still have so many turkey bones left making broth was simple. If you never saw my post about making broth check it out here.

       

    3. Get the grossness out! If your nose is congested, or it's all in your throat, there is mucus there. If you blow it out, or hack it up, get as much of it out of your body as possible.

     I'm not saying this will make you 100% better, but it sure does speed up the process!

Start packing, organizing and purging

     It seems every year, I have an excuse to procrastinate this next step in the Christmas wrap up, and this year is no exception. Taking down all the Christmas decorations, organizing them and putting them away. I have several reasons why I wait (in some cases to February) to take it down. This year here are my top 2. I'm actually sick right now, and would feel much better were I decapitated (I said it). The other reason is my brother is coming to visit and he's never seen how I decorate for Christmas, so it's 100% staying up for him.

    In previous years it's also been lack of motivation, energy, and also, I love Christmas, so it makes me a little sad when it's time to pack it up for another year. Honestly were my brother not coming, I would likely be doing SOME packing up. To avoid getting down or overwhelmed, I usually just allow myself a half hour to get stuff going. If I'm still good after the 30 min window, I keep going, if I'm bummed or overwhelmed, I take a break. Does it take me longer than the average person? Absolutely, but to be fair, I also started much earlier than the average person.

     I bought a new big red and green tote because they're my favorite for Christmas decor (I'm up to 3 now, but I'll point out I actually put my tree in one). SO it should be pretty easy to organize, but I want to make sure I go through stuff I didn't put out this year. This is where the purging comes into play. Do I have stuff to get rid of? One of my spring cleaning plans is to purge a LOT of stuff from our house, and actually do a yard sale at some point, so this can get added to the stock.

    Just another step in the Christmas wrap up!

Okay, Love ya, Bye!

-Nancy

What I want for 2017

     So many people roll their eyes at New Year Resolutions, and I think it's something to do with the way most of us approach them. We're super motivated today, we are going full gear into these ideals we've set out for ourselves, and somewhere down the line, we realize how much we've taken on and get overwhelmed by the mere thought of it. This is why most resolutions don't make it to February.

     I have like 9 things, I would put on my resolution list, which sounds like that full gear super motivated deal right? HOWEVER my approach this year is a little at a time. I'm not expecting all these things to be 100% implemented in my life tomorrow. I'm mentally trying to prepare for when I have an off day, and not allow it to completely bring me down. Which brings me to one item on the list, less negativity and more positivity . I have an exceptionally jaded side to me, I could sit and analyze it, but the reality is it's there, and it's something I've been trying to improve on for a very long time, the battle continues. Falling into line with that is my lowered self confidence. The reality is my self doubt is unfortunately really high, and I know I'm smarter and stronger and more capable than I give myself credit for. If you know me on a one on one basis, most think I'm super confident, basically it's me making it until I break it. It has helped me get better than I was, and a big player in that is the more positive environments I've put myself in.


    With our resolutions, we try to become a better us, to be better for others, so another thing I'm doing is trying to take better care of myself both physically and emotionally. So I'm working on motivation, and still continuing to improve my eating habits (though they may have taken a little hit over the holidays) and get moving. I also want to keep myself motivated to do this and more. On the note of emotionally, I want to build deeper and stronger relationships. This goes for Cale, and my friends and family. I do find it quite easy to make friends, I always have, but the reality is there are the ones you make deeper connections with than others, I want to nurture these.

     I also want to find ways to give more. I'm really not sure how I'm going to do this.  I've given it some thought, and maybe I'll get involved in some charity events or something, but recently I've started thinking about this a lot. I've kind of come to the conclusion that if you're not doing something to help out others, you're just existing, not living. I'd like to brighten a day here or there, realize how lucky I am, and try and help others to be as lucky. This is one I'm planning to grow with.

     And finally, this is the one that I've been debating back and forth about if I want to share it publicly or not. I've decided I do, not FOR attention, more so to get rid of unwanted attention. Cale and I want to start a family. For some people, this is not news. It's not a new thing, it's just been a very private thing, which as a result I feel like it's put extra pressure on us. We've both been seeing doctors to make sure we're all good, and I'm still waiting for some, but yes we are trying. As I post this, I share this request. PLEASE don't ask us how it is going, I plan on sharing a lot on here. Please don't keep telling us how great it's going to be to have them, we want to learn this for ourselves and that's added pressure. Please don't tell us in some way we have to have kids because something is owed, if you're here to collect some debt through our child, it's a negativity we DO NOT need in our lives. Support and love are always welcome, but please realize this is something that can be, and has been very emotional.

Okay, Love ya, Bye!

-Nancy