It’s March 🌈

Holy cow, where did February go?! I’ve said it before, and it’s still true, that the time is flying by. In the spring we will have a giveaway with some low-waste goodies. I have a big announcement coming soon, so stay tuned for that. I also have a post coming up featuring the spring FabFitFun subscription box. After a social media break, I’m back. In case you haven’t noticed, I went from being significantly more active to slowing down a lot. Things have been a bit hectic. It seems like things start to calm down, and just when they do, another event comes and uproots everything. Long story short: Life was calmer, then things got a bit out of control, now they’re back to being less stressful, albeit just a fraction less.

Peace & Love, always!

Instagram and an Update

A few days have passed, and I figured I’d give a little update. Our older cat (my princess) had a health issue, but it has been fixed for now. Speaking of fur babies, they are quite spoiled! Our friends found the most amazing cat bed at the Goodwill! I don’t have a pic, but when I get one, I’ll update this post. I’ve been busy with my dissertation, and have been working on edits daily. What else? Oh, my fiancé and I have food poisoning (fun stuff, eh?), though his body’s reaction is far worse than mine.

More and more I’ve been looking at the lifestyle I choose to lead and can’t help but have my ideas splinter off in all directions. For instance, I try not to get too many things in wasteful packaging. When possible, it’s either the bulk section or containers that that can be reused/repurposed for me. I should state that there are people who need to have things in those plastics– the same with the whole straw issue. Regardless of what anyone says, it’s also a privilege to be able to live this lifestyle. A common misconception is that it always saves money and bulk bins are everywhere. This is not the case if you live in a food desert, don’t have the disposable income, etc. Okay, I’m going off on a tangent again.

So, take the thoughts I have on packaging that doesn’t always make sense, and I’ll start thinking about recycling. That will go into how effective low- and zero-waste really is, and why humans don’t do more on a global scale. I’ve stated several times that I know my personal choices won’t save the planet. No company makes one less straw because I no longer use them. Plastic bags are still made even though there are bag bans, and it’s not always wallet-friendly to purchase a ton of reusable bags. We often forget that not everyone has the resources many of us have available. Reusables are great, but the increasing demand for glass and stainless steel products leads to a depletion of more resources… and the plastic/single-use counterparts are still being made. I could go on for days because this topic isn’t so cut-and-dry. Maybe I’ll separate all of my thoughts into a series of posts 🤔 Let me know what you think about that idea.

I took a bit of a social media break, but I’m back to uploading. If you’re interested in getting a glimpse of life outside of the posts here, feel free to follow. I also post giveaways for my IG followers. One is coming up in spring! We will, if all goes according to plan, head out to the beach for a day of clean-up and to take a breather from everything else that has been going on. There is a market that I’m curious to check out because, not only do they carry the most delicious kombucha I’ve ever had, they also sell wares from local small businesses.

As I look around, I realize how lucky I am in many ways. Even though life can be a pain, I have the best cat babies and fiancé. Hope you all have a wonderful night!

Peace & Love, always!

Transparency

I’ve really tried to be as transparent as possible because I think you are owed that. The time you take to read/watch whatever is posted is valuable. Any time there are affiliate links, I’m going to post a link that will direct you to what they do. Using them doesn’t cost nor affect you at all, but gives a small commission (for instance, FabFitFun gives $8.00/subscription–not box) when an affiliate link is used. Each company is different and many offer discounts when affiliate links are used.

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Life-Changes for 2020

Not gonna lie, I’m kinda tickled that it’s 2020. Anyway, I don’t like resolutions because they hardly ever stick, which I’ve mentioned before. I prefer life-changes, or lifestyle changes, because those tend to stay around longer. This year, I’ll be experimenting with more low-waste living and buying less junk (food). I’m also focused on spending less, in general, so we can save up for a trip. This year is our 10-year (dating) anniversary. We’re hoping to do something awesome, so *fingers crossed*. I’m also doing my best to appreciate each day because life is no guarantee. On a similar note, I’m also going to try and let the people in my life know they are appreciated…unless they’re not; if that’s the case, then they probably already know.

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Thank YOU!

I’m not sure if I ever say it, but, I can’t tell you how appreciative I am that you all have stuck with me, even when I’ve taken long breaks. Sometimes life gets out of hand. I also want to thank everyone, and every company, I have collaborated with over the years. You all are amazing, and it’s truly an honor to work with you. That’s about it. You should know that you are appreciated, and it’s hard to put into words how grateful I am.

Peace & Love, always!

I’m Baaaack!

I just picked up my laptop and can’t wait to get back into the groove of things. In hindsight I should have postdated a bunch of articles, but I didn’t. Last week we were at CES, and it was a blast! Even though it was far more crowded, we got to see a lot, test a few things, and catch up with old friends. I tried the Impossible “pork”, which was okay. I’m not a fan of five spice, but that addition, plus the other things in the banh mi, definitely made it pork-like. I’ll have some images from CES up in a bit.

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Just like that, it was gone…

Night before last I opened my laptop (a very expensive MacBook Pro that was a gift), and nothing happened. The screen was black. The charging block was cold. My heart sunk. I tried everything to troubleshoot and boot up my laptop, but to no avail. My fiancé tried to get it up and running, also with no luck. I was hoping that it would be an easy fix; maybe something with the ports or cable. I held out hope, but secretly felt that whatever was wrong was really bad.

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Being Grateful: 10 Things, 10 Years

There are so many things that I am grateful for. I figured I’d share 10 of them, one for each year of the past decade.

Having a roof over my head.

This might seem confusing, but most of us are closer to being homeless than we realize. After volunteering to work with, and help, the homeless on Skid Row, I really began to realize how lucky I am, even if the situation isn’t ideal. The experiences also taught me to be less judgmental, since we don’t know everyone’s story. Sometimes we need to just stop and listen.

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Blogmas: Day 29, Room Remodel Update

Just one of the walls…did I mention that the lighting
isn’t the greatest?

After hours of removing the wallpaper, it’s finally gone! Well, all but the border, that is. Then I need to sand, patch, and prime the walls so I can get started on the paint. I’m not sure how the set-up will be. Since the beginning, I have had this idea in my head about the organization, which I think will have to change. There will definitely be an art wall and a storage wall, but now I’m not sure which will go where. I still need to clean out the garage and the shed. Since the weather has been cooler, it won’t be such a chore… At least, I hope not. This is going to be a short post. It’s hard to believe it’s already the 29th. I have 2 days (well, I’m giving myself 2 days) to finish up my dissertation and get cracking.

Peace & Love, always!

Blogmas: Day 28, Chronic Illnesses

When you look at people with chronic illness(es)/disabilities, what do you expect to see? The more I look around, the more I realize that people only think you have issues if you are wheelchair-bound or have some sort of aid. That’s not necessarily the case. My fiancé has several issues, and should be in a wheelchair, but isn’t. He needs very invasive surgeries (yes, plural). Looking at him though, you’d never know. People judge him constantly. Perhaps it’s how society has been conditioned to view those with disabilities/illnesses that are “invisible”.

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