The press, depress, pre surgery worries

Hello all, I am very excited to let you know that I have begun writing for another newspaper. Hurrah! I am currently working on a piece regarding cochlear implants, which is soo fascinating! Did you know that people with cochlear implants don't hear through their ears like we do but hear through the electrodes that are passed to their brains through channels. There are 12 different channels of pitches so hearing tonal languages like Mandarin or Khmu. It's quite fascinating. I need to do an interview today for that article.

Amidst this excitement, I find myself enjoying my coffee, quiet mornings, and a happy completion of my final classes, hip hip hooray! After basking in my success for a day or two, I reflected on what to do next. Deciding on huge life choices is a big deal and nothing to shake a stick at. I have a lot of ideas the most realistic of them being to get a full time job. Which, coincidentally a day after the completion of my degree I was called for an interview for a FULL-TIME job. Crazy how Gods providence works sometimes.

So I find myself in something of a quagmire in my current situation. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, so to say. I am having a major foot surgery in December. Therefore, making it quite a struggle for me to continue my degree. Yes, you just heard that pin drop. However, I find myself more and more thriving against struggle. I'm one of those people who likes doing things others might think are impossible. Nothing extravagant, really I'm quite an old-fashioned quirky girl really when it comes down to it. I like reading, canning, and writing letters. I love writing letters! My dad says it part of my charm.

Wishful thinking wants to complete my bachelors degree and work part-time or full-time. The completion of my bachelors will completely be off my own paycheck so I need to have a stable job to fund it. My parents are kindly funding my surgery, which I'm very grateful for but which leaves me to figure out the education side.


Backing up a couple steps. About this degree completion; my goal with having a bachelors degree led me to pursue a search of online degree and certifications. My counsellor also urged me to look at the possibilities of taking an online class. This is a very good idea as far as I see it. In fact, I have found that I actually thrive in an online classroom. So now, the controversial "egg hunt", of finding which online college is right for me begins.

Arggh..
I need solutions. I just have to remember everything will be accomplished in God's timing and to trust in his way.

Aside from all this I have been quite busy running the proverbial library card "slots." I love reading and the more information I read the more intrigued I become. Currently, I'm reading a delightful little book called Refuse to Choose, by Barbara Sher. Quite a thought provoking book. I like books that challenge me to think outside the box and question the reasonings and direction of my life. It's a thought-provoking, soul searching book to say the least.

Well, I hope through this post I at least gave you a good book suggestion or encouraged you in some way. If nothing it brought a little clarity to my mind. I hope all of you are having a rollicking Monday and not falling asleep at your desks or wherever you might be reading this.

Always in words,

Maggie

Inspiration and Peaches as an Alleviation for Thunderstorm

                             The rain clouds whispered their love notes to me as the puddles gathered on my porch. It had been a bright morning.

Do you ever get a sudden impulse to create something tasty? Well, last week I did just that with fresh peaches from my peach tree. I never thought Kansas peaches would be so good! They were delicious. The peach varieties I planted were clingstone. The fruit clings to the pit in these peaches. Which, all in all, is kind of annoying but quite tasty! Did someone say jam?

I had planted two cherry trees in the same area, one a Montgomery and the other a sweet.

These sadly enough do not produce hardly anything.

Since it's summer, biking is quite popular in my area. Though a small town I think the numbers of bikes gliding through town are increasing. I have a mountain bike myself that is in sorry distress. Yes, the gears are unbalanced and the bike chain needs greasing and whatever else.  Oh Lord, it is in my "mechanic shop." Haha, my laundry room. I, honestly, am learning on the job with this bike repair stuff, though I do find it fascinating. Hopefully,  my efforts won't be in vain.

My nighttime hobbies have changed since my sweetie left. I am learning to crochet better and watercolor. My efforts thus far have been something to laugh at but the show must go on.

Sounds like an awful thunderstorm is rolling in.

I am happy to have picked up another freelance newspaper job that gives me the flexibility that I need. The structure of freelance work fits nicely into my schedule, especially as my online classes are finishing up. The first economic development article I completed through the medium of photojournalism. Published online at the Belleville Telescope.




I am slowly eeking through application processes for 4-year colleges. It is quite a tedious task but I'm sure the rewards of doing something great are well worth the wait.  Though I have had multiple opinions---strong opinions offered to me. AHEM-AHEM. I am following the famished writer pathway, at least till I get a Bachelors degree. Heehee. It's quite a leap of faith but I do hope someday to create a work (in this case book) that will be shaping the minds for centuries. With my English degree, I have considered traveling abroad and teaching ESL through secondary education. This would require me to pick up an ESL license and a secondary education major or minor accompanied by a foreign language-- I'm shooting for Italian. Italian culture and Italy has always fascinated me. It's all very confusing but I'm sure it will all work out.

In the meantime, I'm keeping up blogging, making delicious cups of coffee, reading, writing, painting, and my new favorite PLANKING!!

One of my inspirations for planking comes from XHIT, which my morning routines have become entirely obsessed with. I'm not all that strong but I held a plank for nearly a minute and twenty seconds. I was pretty proud of myself. 

So through this post, I hope I've told you a little about my day and maybe inspired you to pick up some new hobbies. PLANKING? KNITTING? CROCHET?

Whatever, inspire you to invest in your imagination and set the world on fire! 🔥

addio!

Coffee Shop, Dinner Thoughts

 The hum of the espresso machine strummed out its sharp soothing lullaby. People gathered in front of this machine daily almost like a golden cow, a different concept I guess, but still. The soft drone of quiet voices echo their replies as the soft drone of background music fills the empty cracks of the shop. My favorites at coffee shops are Cortados but in a pinch, an Au Lait will suit. It's a nice refresher after teaching at the preschool.

Teaching is certainly not for the faint of heart! I love the little ones though, they're so sweet. Today's play agenda at recess largely consisted of making me very very tired. 

I was scrambling from swing to swing. My arms are so worn out! 

Hee hee, they also love climbing to the top of the jungle gym then crying for help because like a cat in a tree they've gotten stuck! 

Oh, Lawd let me tell you, I have figured out the heavier ones ;). But they all certainly fly high!... And I got in an extra arm workout :)

Center time today consisted of playdough and little rubber slippery gravel rocks. Quite a mess! They both wanted to be construction workers. Great boys!

When I got home I arrived at the dank smell of the canned salmon I thought I could remedy something eatable. OMG never again!! I did not buy the salmon, but improviser that I am, decided to take a crack at the canned salmon. TERRIBLE IDEA!!!!!

To make things worse, as I tried to throw it in my trash can, the mass dropped on my floor! Splashing salmon grease over my rug! Uggh Uggh. To make things worse the smell is haunting my house. 

On the bright side, I have kale! I know random, but quite delicious. I think it will go into a salad tonight for dinner. The day is rather grey though, so perhaps a kale soup might be more appropriate. 

Hawthorne and Teaching

As I lifted the plastic octopus a small boy squinted and enunciated oc-to-pus. The kindergarten boy was learning the enunciation of sea animals. It had been a long day already and it wasn't even half over, poor kid. After settling back in with his classmates I was assigned three books "The Quack Song (I don't have a picture of ducks so I used a chicken picture I took earlier this year at the school)," "Princess Party", and "A Quiet Dog." Four different rotations of students came to my table. Including a mischevious little boy, for the point of this post we'll call him Wilbur. Wilbur was having so much fun at the para's table being a complete distraction by farting, talking obscenely and shouting whenever I even glanced at him. This added to the three recesses I monitored was quite a fiasco! Quite a day let me tell you!

After a nice sunny stroll home I began making a refreshing cup of iced joe and sprucing up my blog. But just when I thought all the stress of the day over, my phone buzzes. My SO's car is on fire and his pants were splashed with battery acid! Thankfully he didn't get hurt. But made sure I got a video of the whole incident. My goodness, gracious. 

Faint Whispers of Spring

So the Midwest is a harbinger of blowy snowy weather. Pictured above is a vase of my favorites: roses, sage, and delphinium. It's a bit of hope on such a blustery cold day! Pictured below is Kansas today. 

Coffee, words, and yarn are what's on today's agenda. Haha! 
I started a new knitting project last night a scarf. It's a chartreuse color, which I absolutely adore, mostly because WHO DOESN'T LOVE SAYING CHARTREUSE! It's a neat color too, I think. 

As I write I'm wearing a knitted hat, I made, with a cabled ring in the same yarn. Quite a topical color I think! I also like periwinkle, which again is a beautiful color but oh so fun to say! 




Now that I've surely confused my readers about odd sounding colors I'll proceed with the core topic of this post-- the paradoxical weather and the harbinger of Spring. 



With this Spring comes a completely new feeling as the creeping white periwinkle drips the dew of a brisk morning in my new city. This new feeling of independence is so reviving like a sweet summer wind full of the faint smells of flowers and harvest. This Spring is full of so much promise as I dream about my honey and I dancing in the moonlight or visiting our favorite art museum. My heart is full!






I have found a very nice place to stay that I'm inquiring about, fingers crossed. Maybe, just maybe, I will be in my new city within the next week. Goodness gracious that would be a dream come true! I would be in a location stockpiled with jobs and the modern convenience of a grocery store, coffee shop and bookstore within walking distance. Funny how dreams work. I can't even count the songs I've listened to about dreams just staying dreams. It's quite a battle to dream freely. 

My readers make me happy as well! It is so nice to see that someone is reading my writing and that I'm not just throwing my words at a brick wall. So thank you! Cheers to a wonderful day! 

Morning Has Broken

As I cracked an egg into my mug of Vietnamese coffee I scanned the Classified's job section. Vietnamese coffee is made with eggs. In fact, the whole egg, shell included! Relaxing for me includes watching coffee videos on Youtube. 

                                Vietnamese coffee has a rich flavor of tiramisu. It's a great variation to the ordinary cup of Joe. Its layers are similar to custard and the taste is absolutely exquisite. Besides,  eggs have protein. If you're looking for that extra protein boost plus caffeine in the morning, then this might be your answer. The eggs used in this coffee are processed in boiling water so there is no need to be intrepid about the raw egg factor. 

Tasting coffees from all over the world is a favorite activity of mine. I have been experimenting with everything from Mexican to Vietnamese coffee preparation styles. Drinking coffees with preparation styles from all over the world is an exciting way for me to begin my day. I enjoy reading the paper in the morning, knitting and reading my Bible. I wake up way too early, generally speaking. Which, in a sense is a blessing and a curse. My mornings I try to be productive but recently I've been in rather a glitch. It seems that I'm stuck on trying to escape my ordinary life. I want a change of pace but I want to make an epic move in life. My grandmother, who's an amazing lady!, has a refrigerator magnet that says "Ordinary women did not go down in history." 

                                              Is being unordinary bad, I think not! So with my quirky early morning waking coffee habits, and my endless flame of new ideas and inspirations I'll travel on through this life being grateful for every day I'm blessed with. Thank God for Vietnamese coffee and early mornings!

Housing, Jobs, and coffee

Sorry for my prolonged absence, readers. 

My life has taken an amazing turn for the better. I am now juggling two volunteer opportunities and two jobs plus a couple side gigs. I’ve also moved into a house. A nice little ranch style kinda thing. It’s spacious and nice. I am so blessed to be working part-time for a school district that is an easy commute for me. With this new house, grocery shopping became a weekly biz and I discovered the wonders of Eight O'Clock coffee, which is just sooo splendid! I went on a coffee kick for about a week consuming rash amounts of coffee per day. My grocery list the first week was quite comical, I consumed vast amounts of purple cabbage, oatmeal, and coffee. I have refrained from using vegetable oil and now only use coconut oil which is tasty and nutritious!

So here are some more things I cooked my first week. 

Then on week 2, I came down from my coffee-new-house high, and switched to herbal tea and a gluten-free diet.

 Which in all actuality was a quite pathetic attempt. It didn't last long. My oven in the new house is quite temperamental, seeming to threaten to burn the house down when I turn it on. So I've vied to not use it. Which has shortened my hobbies considerably, considering that I so enjoy baking! So with all this grocery store confusion, I'm trying to figure out how to balance my diet. 

I guess I've just been trying to figure out a rhythm of eating, that's affordable and healthy. I will share recipes I'm trying and have tried as I adapt to this cooking for myself conundrum.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and I brought a little sunshine into your day!

Please comment below and share any recipes you think would be beneficial for the recent mover!

Dappled Notions and Unquenched Succeses

 This morning it was very cold I could tell you because I was running outside thankfully I was running because I probably would've frozen if I had been.  Amazing how movement can keep you so warm!




I've been making gains with my health.
And have acquired a new fancy for doing planks.




I went to a dashing good concert a few nights ago.
That was a premier for the band "Sons of the Republic" it was truly an amazing concert! The little restaurant they played in was hopping that night, we were all packed in there like sardines!

It Happened to be.

It happened.
I ran.
I ran as the wind twitched the grasses.
My strengthening workouts giving wings to my feet.
Magic.
Absolute Magic.
A miracle.

My boyfriend asked how far.
But, it doesn't matter how far
I say.
I ran.

I ran away
From believing I couldn't
I ran from the ghosts of yesterday.
That beckon with every regret and painful blood smear.

Every ounce of strength
Every grain of being.
Living for God.
Living for Grace.
Venture abroad.
See a new place.

I ran to that place.
I ran from the heartbreaK
That had confined me so any years.

I ran
And
I carry the sun in a golden cup.
The moon in a silver bag.

I ran and saw the stars
Shimmer at the drop of every step
As I glided into Reno.

Fill 'er Up Pump and Coffee

I woke to the chirping of a bird tweeting in the lonely mass of grey clouds and the chilly tree branches. It was a grey and cold morning that held a solemnness that seemed to hold quite an air of sadness.

Followed shortly thereafter by triumph and relief. I had received a text from my friend telling me that he had accomplished the very long and arduous ruck he had been training for. What a relief that was to me to hear that he had made it back safely.

I had a delightful mug off French-press coffee this morning and a Wolfermann's English Muffin, quite a topical breakfast!

This morning I met with another of my dear friend over coffee. We had a jolly time conversing on what's going on in our lives and the triumphs and struggles we're dealing with. She is very empathetic and a wonderful person, good friends are like diamonds in the rough.

We went to a little coffee shop, Jitters, and had house coffee, haha writers fair ;).

I have been writing and freelancing quite a bit today. 

So, after all, it wasn't such a lonely day, but a quite happy one!

Camel in Postage

Recently I received a camel in the post, from one of my dearest followers. This morning I was up before the sun, or should I say fog. It is extremely foggy here this morning. The rain is dripping from the crystally trees as I here the coffee pot perk downstairs.

It's a good day and I am filled with God's grace.

I'm baking cinnamon rolls right now, a new recipe that I'm trying from the https://thestayathomechef.com/best-homemade-cinnamon-rolls-ever/. Let me tell you the smell is soo good!! My camel is perched on the counter watching the whole operation of me earnestly stirring the dough and periodically sprinkling bits of flour in.

 The relationships in my life are blooming and I feel a sense of hope as winter sets in .
 I've taken up water coloring which makes me very happy and is an outlet for my creativity.  I like painting when it's gray outside. I spell "gray" "grey".



Quite a paradox that my creativity peaks when it is so forlorn looking outside


 I hope reader that you are having a wonderful day and that this post adds a smidge of inspiration to your day.

Cheers! 

Truth Sweep me Up

 I'm waiting
For the truth
To sweep me up.
For something
Or someone
To sweep me away from this place.
This loneliness,
This concert of silence,
The aloneness
Seeps through
My organs
Like whiskey
That braces your lips
Where I should be.

Chocolate Cookies and Thymes of Onions

I sit surrounded by onions and chocolate and resumes...
I know quite an odd combination.



Let me explain, so this morning began with sun... just kidding, actually, I blacked out my windows, so no sun. I did this intentionally to dupe my long-night of term papers and homework. With the recent time change, the sun soaks through the shutters with a persistent glare. Despite my efforts in sleeping longer, the farm has given me an internalized alarm clock.

A random wine glass full of rose petals, playing some Clair de Lune.

So, I began my morning with a challenge to cook a beef roast. I am not too familiar with cooking meats, so this is a rather new venture for me.




I am chopping onions, potatoes, thyme, 3 cloves of garlic and butternut squash, which I will be putting in a cast-iron pot. Oh and I forgot the pot roast, oh well I suppose that outta go in if we are indeed making pot roast ;).



Meanwhile, I'm prepping three dozen double-chocolate cookies, that admittedly are pretty darn good! I found the recipe in my Sweet Treats, William-Sonoma, cookbook that has a lot of really tasty recipes in it. My intention for creating these, of course, is to try for my bakery that will be opening come December, one month!


Recently, I was gifted a LODGE CAST IRON 12-inch cast iron skillet! I am very excited as this will be a skillet I can use for the rest of my life.  This skillet is going to be cooked in throughout my life.  When you get a gift like that, it really puts life in perspective, I think. Can you imagine this skillet is probably going to last longer than me?




Well, that's all, for now, folks, hope your day is a real winner!

Pumpkins!

This is the greenhouse, this Spring, while we were struggling to get the plastic on a very windy day!

Today, on the farm the hoop houses are getting cleaned out. It is a very cold day so that will be fun... This past year the farm grew lots of vegetables including tomatoes, raspberries, pumpkins, blackberries, squash, and lots of onions!
That definitely deserves its own blog post, COMING SOON!

I grew these little beauties in our garden!

The pumpkins that are still in the field are glazed over with white and just barely holding their shape after this freezing weather.



This year we grew a giant variety of pumpkins that grow up to 500 lbs! I did have a picture but ayiyi! They were very big, to move them they had to be rolled onto pallets! Only two would fit in the bed of a pickup at a time.



Thankfully we don't just grow those monsters but other colorful varieties like Rumbo, pie pumpkins, One-to-Many, Casperita, etc.
The pumpkins that we ship wholesale go all over Kansas and some into Missouri.

Detail of pumpkin harvests later, for now, pumpkin tangent done. 😏

Overheated Coffee and Books

This morning began with the urgent moans of the alarm clock at 5:00, which I was not very happy to hear. Last night I was a night nurse so I had a very late night! I did a brisk walk after silencing the alarm, I may or may not have thrown it at the wall...


Pour-over coffee is a hot thing in my house nowadays, which my family turns their nose up at which is fine by me, as I guzzle the pot dry :). Realistically speaking I only fill it half full, three or four cups is enough to make a girl sick!


Putting spices in your coffee is the best for pour over I think. Cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg are favorites of mine.
Note to reader: all spices should be very gingerly added (pun intended).



The pot that I use is a BODUM 4 cup pour over coffee maker. Which is fabulous!



Anyway, it is definitely flannel weather here on the farm. December in November. Cold weather is such a nice thing to have after the blazing hot Kansas summers. Winter on the farm is a wonderful time to read. Reading is such a wonderful way to expand your mind and experience vicariously what others write about. To write a book is a painting of the soul, that I endeavor to accomplish someday. Some books that are on my shelf this winter are "Two Years Before the Mast" by R. H. Dana JR., "Summa Theologica", Thomas Aquinas, "Three Methods of Prayer That Will Change Your Life", by Philip Kosloski- this is really good this is my second time reading.



I think I've got my work cut out for me!

A Morning of Cupcakes, Chickens and Planks

                                   Ok, so clearly there is a slight problem with being fit and being a baker. I have that under control though. Taste-testers for cupcakes are not hard to come by and its a great way to make people happy. Haha, and making cupcakes is sooo much fun! Next years sales will be off the charts I hope, haha fingers crossed.



This morning began with planks. So, one of my friends and I have a bet that he can out-plank me, which in all reality is probably true. I was quite elated this morning when I was able to plank for 1 minute though! I have been lifting as well which is so nice when the sun is just peeking over my Kansas horizon. I really enjoy talking to that friend he brings me into perspective and is rather witty!



My chickens were doing really clucky today they're not too fond of this cold weather though. They just have been slacking off incredibly, the egg production has almost been reduced to 1/2 of what is usually.

The chicken food container was tipped over.... I have thoughts on who the perpetrator was... possums, little baby possums. Baby possums getting into the chicken food is not good and will have to be taken care of. I had a friend over for dinner last night and as he was coming up the steps he almost tripped over a baby possum. Possum perpetrators! :)






















We have some wild cats that I've been feeding. They're kind of a mangy group, like a group of hardened fighters. Always showing up to the food bowl with different scratches and scars. We have a pair of brother cats, that when kitten played with each other and were besties. Then Frostnip, the princess showed up, she's kind of a drama queen cat! :) Now they absolutely hate each other and of course, Frostnip is sooo sought after. Haha, #farmcatenvy!

A Boo-tiful Morning

This morning was a boo!-tiful morning!

Happy Halloween to all my viewers.

It was a great morning to make skinny pumpkin spice lattes for my family, which I found on Pinterest from Inspired Table. They have a lot of great recipes including roasted pumpkin seeds and lemon blueberry layer cake. PASS ME A PIECE!!

Actually not now--fitness plans… urgh-- As my mom says, “Short-term sacrifice long-term gain.”

I woke this morning to the creaking of a door, I guess that happens in old houses; shifting houses… Darn creaks!

But I am so happy that the door creaked because it awoke me and I was ready to continue my new fitness journey. Same as always squat, squat, crunch, crunch... .no we’re not talking about cereal :).

This morning it was 27°. Another great day for training and making skinny pumpkin pie lattes... Haha, DIY-ing fun. My family greatly enjoyed the lattes too! Admittedly, I was a bit frightened when I heard something moving in the brush near our porch. I think it was just a cat, probably black…

The morning was so still and the wind hadn’t flinched one twig. A black masquerade opened my morning. As nature’s dance began, an owl hooted from a nearby branch. The darkness is chilly and somewhat spooky, great for a Halloween day.

Speaking of Halloween. Tonight I will be volunteering at the Halloween hayrack ride and soup dinner in the Great Land of OZ… Haha, my hometown is pretty amazing, and I have been called Dorothy one too many times.

It’s the small things that bring people together with laughter, costumes, and lots of hot chocolate that make Halloween such a great time!  

Fitness day #3, Thank goodness for that creaking door!

My Sunday Full of Purpose

Sundays are days of much-needed rest in a farmers household. Most Sundays begin with sleeping in past the old rooster crow! Aaah, those glorious days of sleeping till 8:00 😊.

Urggh... chickens, my detest of chickens will be discussed later... (clenching my teeth)

 On the farm, it's usually bright on Sundays with the sun glistening over the long shadows cast by the oak trees. This Sunday was different though. The sun was late but I wasn't.

This is later in the day

I woke to the long drawn call of a coyote harking to the black sky above.

Somewhat disgruntled at this rude awakening I awoke to a still sleeping house. It was a different kind of day though. 

A day full of integrity and a new found awakening to achieve what others said I couldn't. I dressed in my workout clothes and two hoodies, yes, I could still see little puffs of my breath as I did pushups and planks. 

The quiet night that surrounded me provided a thoughtful workout that filled me with motivation and a sense of purpose.

A workout in a still cold night with the wild cries of coyotes surrounding me. I was awake to this new life of fitness and doing what others thought I couldn't achieve, it was a splendid triumph of my own self-doubt. Self-doubt that said I couldn't be fit or have a purpose to make a dime and that I was someone who had missed the ship for the beginning of life.

Which had happened. Most of my friends are in colleges spread far and wide or following jobs far away. They were all making their own beginnings

This was just my beginning slow, steady and plagued with many boundaries.

I am too creatively distracted for my own good. I like having breakfast for lunch, reciting 19th-century poetry on a whim, listening to classics #Audible and getting to know new people.  

I've had lots of dreams over my life and never really any sure path until I read a book that changed my life. 

"Living Forward" is a book written by Micheal Hyatt, that truly set me on a different course and way of thinking about my life purpose. I am thoroughly enjoying it's helpful and thoughtful analysis on setting life goals and creating a plan to stop drifting and get the life you want. For this I commend Hyatt as I'm sure others have read and been changed by this, well, to say it simply, life-changing book. 

This quiet morning that was like black velvet I completed the chapter on writing your eulogy. Cheery stuff, I know, just kidding. Really though, writing your eulogy really puts your life in perspective. It provides a whole new kind of clarity that strengthens the reader's endeavors for this life. 

It's a challenge in this life to determine what our drive is and why we're here. It's a challenge to find happiness. Our own little niches of artistry that keep us from day-to-day madness. Yes, the kind that Lewis Carroll talks about in the quote from Alice and Wonderland as the Cheshire cat tells Alice, "We're all mad here." 

This quote by Carroll is truly a thought-provoking which I will explicate in an upcoming b log post. 

But for now, back to the velvety night and coyotes...

My phone was I'm sure very chilly, as the temperature upon my waking was a balmy 27°, just kidding not balmy at all!

As my dad jokingly says when it gets really cold, "Well, at least we don't have to worry about mosquitoes!" Point taken, thanks dad for elevating the conversation 😄.

After completing this workout, I moved onto a neurological kind of workout. I recently downloaded this dandy little app on my phone called Vocabulary Builder and being quite a word buff, let me tell you I am a huge fan! One of my recent favorite words being "Euphoria- extreme joy or Jovial- happy." I must say these words complete my personality.

Two other curious and unexpected things happened this morning.

After I dressed in leggings and a snappy bright turquoise and white striped little sweater that really just was perfect for the day, I made scrambled eggs and homemade espresso,. Sometimes, I think outfits are just suited for certain days. 

 I made my espresso in a little antique teapot. looking contraption that had a metal straw and a coffee chamber/ filter. I'm not entirely sure what it was called but it made a fine brew of coffee. 

With this brilliant early start, I was so happy to accomplish so much more in my day!

So for good books, early mornings and life goals I will raise my coffee mug!

For this, I am grateful for that mangy coyote that woke me up before the sun. 

College-- Maybe not a Destination?

Term paper due in 6 hours. Analysis of story due in 6 hours. Statistic sheet due in 6 hours... Oh my goodness, is no one else exasperated with their college career choice? For me, this is too much. I feel like its kind of a bottling effect. Too many deadlines. Too short of time to get things done. What can a creative mind do to fill her time and earn a living? 

Well, after a little grieving over my grade and my decision to drop a course, I decided to do a little research. So, after a quick search, my browser revealed a long list of careers that do not require ANY college degree. 

Wow, could you believe it? Profitable careers that don't require that horrible college algebra or that nerve pinching class you just can't pass? 

Yes, it's true. Because some of us are just not interested in the stress that college provides.

Here is a list of jobs for people who don't have degrees:

Appliance Repairer

Paralegal Assistant

Computer Service Technician

Electrician

Blogger... my obvious go to

Respiratory Therapist

Web Developer

UX Designer

Veterinary Technician

Personal Care Aide

Medical Assistant

Respiratory therapist

Insurance Sales Agent

MRI Technologist

Medical Secretary

Medical Records Technician

Computer Support Specialist

Optician

Diagnostic Medical Sonographer

There ya have it, folks, a whole list of careers you can do without a college degree. 

C'est la vie!

Coffee, Standing in the Way of Happiness?

Did you know that nearly 50% of American adults drink coffee every day? Praised by the media and daily drinkers, coffee has a high-ranking place in the American diet. Harvard studies show that coffee is high in natural polyphenols, which are micronutrients that have been linked with preventing cancer, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. According to, mensfitness.com, coffee also works as an antidepressant and spikes your Adrenaline levels.

Is this a bad thing? Not entirely.

While this news is all fine and dandy, coffee, on the flip side, has its negatives.

Coffee is a drug.

Yes, that’s right an addictive drug. Just this year Caffeine dependence was labeled as a new mental illness.

Do you ever get a headache around 9:00 AM? Do you have trouble sleeping? Increased heart rate?

Did you know that all of these symptoms can be attributed to drinking your morning cups of Joe?

According to MayoClinic, high consumption of boiled coffee (boiled or espresso) has been associated with mild elevations in cholesterol levels. Two or more cups of coffee can increase your risk of heart disease in people with a specific- and fairly common- genetic mutation that slows the breakdown of caffeine in the body.

So, next time you’re reaching to switch on the coffee pot, consider drinking milk or juice instead which offers nutrients and vitamins not found in coffee.

I hope I have enlightened caffeine drinkers with this insightful article.

Cheers!