Meal prep and grocery shopping

 

Let's use a meal plan I had a couple of weeks ago, as our example.This is how my meal plan, grocery list, and "extras" are done.

Sunday - Homemade Pizza - supper & lunches next day - 2 pizzas - Dough: yeast, oil, honey, flour, & salt. Toppings: hamburger(1 lbs), sausage (1 lbs), pepperoni (1lbs), pizza sauce(quart), shredded cheese(about 2 lbs), garlic powder, season salt, pepper, oregano, butter(crust).

Monday - Beef & noodle hamburger helper, peas - supper & lunches next day - 1 lbs wide egg noodles, 1 lbs hamburger, 2 large packages dry brown gravy mix(equivalent of 7 cups finished gravy), 1 small can cream of mushroom soup, 2 cans or 1-1lbs frozen peas, garlic powder, season salt, thyme, celery salt, worchestershire sauce, salt & pepper.

Tuesday - Pork Loin, potatoes - Supper & guys lunches - thawed 2lbs pork loin, 2 lbs or 4 good size potatoes, italian dressing(marinade), season salt, pepper, garlic powder, celery salt, onions.

Wednesday - Chicken & Broccoli Casserole - supper only - 2 lbs precooked, boneless chicken(this was marinated in fajita seasoning), 2 lbs. broccoli florets, 1 large can cream of chicken soup, ground rosemary, thyme, minced green onions.

Thursday - Philly's - supper & guys lunches - Philly meat(already precooked)about 2 lbs., 2 small onions,green & red peppers, sliced Provalone or white American cheese, Hoagie rolls, chips, Strawberries Seasoning, thyme, minced garlic. 

Friday - Chicken Patties & Fries - supper only -  6 breaded chicken patties, bread, 2 lbs of fries, ketchup, mustard, mayo, pickles, onions.

Saturday - Leftover/clean out the fridge night. Whatever is left from the week is either eaten, froze or thrown away. 

My grocery list is prepared off that menu. I keep about a 6 month supply of my regular seasonings on hand at all times. I also keep monthly inventory of my pantry, freezers and fridges. So, just on a basic example:

2 lbs. Hamburger               1 lbs. Sausage            1 lbs. Pepperoni            2 lbs. Pork Loin

2 lbs. Chicken                    5 lbs. Potatoes            6 small onions                3 bell peppers

Strawberries seasoning    Garlic Powder                Season Salt                    Pepper

Salt                                    Oregano                        Butter                            Italian Dressing

Precooked, breaded chicken patties                        Thyme                            Celery Salt

Worchestershire Sauce        Pizza Sauce                Yeast                                Oil

Flour                                Honey                            Cream of Mushroom Soup - Small

Cream of Chicken Soup - large                            1 lbs. wide egg noodles        1 lbs. peas

2 - large brown gravy mixes                                2lbs. french fries                2 lbs. broccoli

Provalone Sliced Cheese                Hoagie Rolls                Potato Chips            Loaf of Bread

Ketchup                    Mustard                    Pickles                    Mayo                     

Obviously, your seasonings, flour, honey, chips, and condiments will last more than a weeks worth of meals...usually. So, those I consider investments...long term use. Since prices are all over the place, I couldn't really put a price on what these meals would cost. Some things are changing by the day. This does not include coffee, soda, tea, bottled water, juices, or milk. That would really be a variable for each individual person. 

I would recommend, if you can find a place that you can buy in bulk(if you have the storage area), that does sometimes save a little...but not always. Here's an example of that:  At a local store, 1 lbs. packages of 93% lean hamburger are $2.49. A 3 lbs roll is $10.74. So, 1 lbs = $2.49, or the roll = $3.58 lbs. It's cheaper to buy the single pound packages than a 3 lbs. roll. At the dollar store, you can buy 12 oz. seasonings for $1.25, but 2 lbs. at other stores are nearly $5. It requires you to break out the calculator or figure out the cost per pound/ounce. Sadly, this is the name of the game in this economy. 

By planning your meals, it can save you in a lot of respects. From the finance side, to the frustration every night, to the kids constant question daily - "what's for supper?" Typically, my meal plan is wrote out, and hung on the fridge or written on the calendar...even if I switch around some nights...the meals are generally followed each week. 

I hope this helps break down what I was saying in my video earlier.

Coffee Chat and more

 

Another snowy and windy day at our farm. Most of my family recovering from another illness. Lamb season produced 7 new babies over night. As for me, let's chat about this. Grab your coffee!

When you have a pile of thoughts, piling up; it only takes a single piece of straw to break the camels back. I do not share much of my personal life, for a reason. What I can say, you can love someone with your whole heart and still want to string them up! In my experience, love does not fix everything, it tends to make situations more difficult. If it were ANYONE else, you'd have their head on a platter for poor behavior. You'd have fired them if they were an employee. Rather than arguing continuously, you tend to let more slide than you probably should. 

Some times, those thoughts end up flying out of your mouth before you really have thought it through. Then you have a cluster of thoughts out in the open without context. You don't have the conversations you need to have because the jumbled thoughts were not put into a perspective that the other person can understand. I'm guilty of this, a lot! I let a lot slide - from hurtful remarks, to disrespect, to allowing negative energy affect me, to feeling that a lot more needs to be said or spotlighted. 

Many of you know, I like to help people. It makes my heart happy and full when I can. I do know my limits, and I know those that have abused it. However, I'm not sure I could be selfish if I tried! I have spent most of my life putting other people before myself. I attempt to think things through before just popping off at the head. I do not burn bridges unless it's absolutely necessary. I give so many chances to people, I end up with tears, more times than I care to count. Sadly, it's never strangers that push me to that point. Which I believe is a deeper hurt. 

When something weighs on my mind, I NEED to talk through it. Writing helped for a while, but it's not so much anymore. I need conversations, even if I end up talking in circles for a bit. I don't usually need solutions, I just need the thoughts out of my head so I can find those solutions. I don't expect anyone to help me, I'm more than capable on my own. I truly believe that being independent, capable and not needing anyone is a good thing; it tends to push people away that are dependent on others. It's the "I don't need you, but I do want you" in my life scenario. Weaker minded people typically don't stick around. 

As life goes, things get sticky. Water gets muddy. It happens. Life is messy but it is also meant to be lived to the fullest. While I am grateful everyday for the blessings in my life, I am not capable of putting on a show or wearing rose colored glasses either. It is what it is. 

As I start feeling better, there are a lot of things that need done. Aside from some serious conversations, deep cleaning, seed starting, never ending projects, constant animal chores, and other stresses...I know there are changes to be made. I always have a to-do list longer than Santa's list! One thing I can say, some changes this year, including making time to relax will happen. I have a beautiful fire pit that has been used a handful of times in 2 years...it will be used this year!

I'm looking at adding several new garden areas this year. One large one will be simply for flowers. While flowers are beautiful, they are a necessity for pollinating my gardens. We have seen a huge decrease in bees, and I want to change that. I'm adding some trees to my orchard, and more berries. I'm going to add some raised beds to help reserve the big garden for other vegetables. While we have grown as much as possible until we can get more land purchased, I need to push for as much self-reliability as possible. Between the price increases and the supply chain issues...I can not let my family go without. Having issues with severe allergies, means doing things a lot different than normal people can. My kids and I struggle with store bought pork, milk, and a lot of other things. Finding dirt raised pigs, A2/A2 raw milk; are just a couple of the major areas I need to fix, if possible. We can't drink store bought milk at all. Whenever we do, we are sick and fighting stomach troubles. Fresh, raw milk is the only thing that does not cause that. Pork from a store is the same thing. Sadly, this is not a new issue, I've dealt with this for year, and especially since my kids were born. So, I learned early to watch what we ate. Until 2016, we did good with it. We were able to get raw milk, we had pigs, we had cows, and of course the chickens and eggs. We went 2 years away from that, and now the kids and I are back on regular allergy meds. It sucks. The illness in our home has increasingly picked up. It's time to make the changes again, as we did when we moved to our farm in 2011. 

It became so easy to purchase food at a store, and cook it. Buying the junk food I didn't have to make. Well, that has not worked out so well. So, I'm getting back to what I know worked, food from scratch/raw. I'm looking at hopefully this year, getting a miniature milk cow. Getting enough feeder pigs to feed out for our family for a year. As soon as we can get our steers to a butcher...we will have that taken care of too. We already have the eggs and chickens...but I will be adding a few more this year. I am going to back to doing what so many gave me crap for several years ago...but we will be more self-sufficient AND healthier! I'm tired of feeling like crap. A lot of things are coming to an end, and a few things are beginning. It means more work for me, but the only thing being added truly new, will be the milk cow. It just means rearranging things to work for me. 

I hope you all will continue to follow my journey. There never seems to be a dull moment. 

I'll figure it out

 

I just made this comment again this morning. It's been weighing me pretty heavily in recent months. I have mentioned many times that I am exhausted. I am truly believing that the majority of my exhaustion is stemming from emotional and mental exhaustion. So, I am going to attempt to dive into some of this. Maybe putting words to thoughts will ease it.

So, this morning's conversation stemmed from trying to figure out how to add in extra time in my day to make multiple trips to the barn to feed the bottle lambs, plus check the still pregnant mommas. All while still trying to keep my daughter's school work on track, keep up with laundry, meals, dishes, cleaning, everything else. Sure, the trips total will take maybe an extra 2-3 hours total, but that is the same amount of time away from my regular chores at the house. I love having the babies at the house, where I can still do what I need to, while caring for the lambs. As usual, my response: "I'll figure it out."

There is never a mention of getting any extra help in my schedules, I guess I am just expected to be capable of squeezing 20 hours of work into 10 hours of time. It's ok though, I'll figure it out. I always do, even if it means some things don't get done in a timely manner. Yet, I'm the first one to hear about everything I don't get accomplished. So, here in lies another thought. What would everyone do, if I wasn't here to do all I actually do? 

There is a lot of things I do, that truly suck! I hate fighting with my daughter to get school work done. I hate crunching when I walk across the floor. I hate to wash dishes in a stained sink. I hate cobwebs anywhere! I hate overflowing trash cans. I hate clutter. I hate when things are not put where they belong. I hate toilet paper rolls not being replaced. I hate feeling like I am battling a no-win battle on every front. So, now that that is out of the way, here are the things I love! Dancing at home, romantic gestures(I love you notes, an occasional flower or two, paying attention to details about me), I love conversations - deep and/or productive conversations. I may be low maintenance, but I deserve some reminders of being more than everyone's battering ram. I have always been the, "I'll figure out," type of person. It's easier to to figure it out than argue. 

The thing I think many forget, even though I CAN figure it all out on my own, I SHOULDN'T have to. I'm going to put this out there, and maybe it will inspire some thought. Do you get married, to just have the status, or do you get married to have a partner in life? In your home, do you live there and use it as much as everyone else in your home? If you do, what are you doing to help maintain that home - not just regular repairs but dishes, laundry, cleaning? When is the last time you asked your partner about their day, and actually listened? When was the last time, you actually had a meaningful conversation with your partner? When is the last time you did something, without having to be asked, to lighten the load for your partner? Do you know your partner's favorite flower/color/perfume/dreams/fears? 

So, for today, I'm going to end this writing and work on something productive. There may be some music involved while I work on cleaning up the messes around my home. 

S.

Coffee, and always more

 

Being mid way through January, I had hoped to be able to be further along in my organization and deep cleaning than I am. I've battled in my own mind, about the need to push myself because I've found a lull in motivation. Doing only what has to be done, has me at my wits end already. The past couple of years, I've myself kind of coming off the "fight or flight" mode, and focusing more on preparation - not just in the pantry/freezers but also in relationships. What I mean, is accepting where I stand with people, accepting that I am who I am and I am definitely NOT for everyone. My opinions and beliefs are not conventional. Honestly, sometimes they are challenged even by those closest to me. I'm sure everyone has heard the expression, "opinions are like assholes, everyone has one." Well, it's true in my experience. Doesn't make any of us right or wrong...not really. It's the point that our opinions stem from what we know in the moment, and are subject to change. As we learn more, we should be growing from the learned knowledge.Sadly, some just refuse to see what is right in front of them, because it challenges their perceived knowledge. It is what it is.

The thing for me, is learning and growing. It's understanding that while I do know some things, I don't know everything. I can't even pretend to. We live in a world of perpetual lies and false pretenses. Where to question anything is to become a conspiracy theorist, and a science denier. Isn't the exact purpose of science to question everything? So many demand proof and yet, won't believe it when you do provide it. They lack the ability to understand, let alone research for themselves. 

As I have taken time to learn, I've learned so much that it's almost unbelievable. Politics aside, the vast amount of betrayal to regular everyday people, is mind blowing! Sadly, so many people are being lead on wild goose chases by people. As I said earlier, we all have opinions. I can not buy into a lot of theories, as I pray and ask for guidance on so much, I've had to learn discernment. I've listened to the religious theory of what is happening in our world. I listened to people "supposedly" in the know. I read the narratives put out by MSM. The ONE thing that I keep coming back to, is my own research. This is information that I have dug into myself. This is information that took me down some very dark paths, and lead to a lot of tears, a lot of anger, and has actually caused me to have to take a step away from for a bit. I get that people will only grasp what they are mentally able to absorb. I do. The struggle to remain in a place of blind trust, is unfortunate. I have to wonder how many scandals must be brought to light before the light bulb goes on? 

Again, the desire to learn will typically lead to a change in you, as a person. This goes for every aspect of who you are. My own transformation began several decades ago. Anyone that comes from a divorced family will tell you. Learning to readjust after an dealing with a ugly divorce by parents, is hard on the kids. Then you throw in several health issues, including a cancer diagnosis, major life changes, and trauma is a big part of your vocabulary. Some people use trauma as a crutch to continue on a pity party and repeat poor behaviors and choices. Others use trauma, as not only a catalyst to do better but also a defense mechanism to avoid intimate relationships. I'm not talking about sexual relations here. I'm talking about keeping people at arms length to avoid anymore trauma. I myself have fallen into all of the above, at one point or another. One point I got to was anger. I was mad at the world for having to deal with so many things. Then I met a great friend that opened my eyes to something beyond what I had known. A couple of the many things he taught me, self confidence and knowing my value. While I have truly struggled with both over the past 20 or so years, I knew and felt both. The past handful of years, I have experienced more "enlightenment" or self-awareness, or something. Honestly, I'm not sure what you'd call it. I've spent time praying, I've spent a lot of time learning, I've struggled through some very scary memories, I've battled trying to find my own space in this great big world. 

Honestly, I know some of this comes with this phase of life that I am in, but I refuse to believe that accounts for all of it. Mainly because I know a lot of others in this phase, and not even half of them have experienced a fraction of this. Maybe it was their upbringing, or their own mental state. Maybe they choose to believe in one thing or another. I honestly do not know. For me though, this has brought a lot of questions, a lot of memories I wish I didn't have, some "trauma" that was unnecessary, but has also brought about a desire to break the curses or patterns. Most of this, I have dealt with alone, as it is not something I care to make public. Also, so many people don't want to hear it. They don't want to have real conversations. Too many are comfortable with surface conversations and gossip. So, at least for me, it becomes about writing in my private journals, have some conversations that while are deeper...aren't really to the depth I need. It becomes about finding a means to release bottled emotions and thoughts. 

This time of year is usually harder on me, because I can't be in my gardens or taking off a walk. Yes, I can still walk/hike, but I get too cold and do not want to deal with anymore illness than I already do. My time outdoors, whether it's gardening, walking, hiking, or mowing - are my releases from this pent up energy. I love spending time with all my critters. They are a nice distraction for about 30 minutes a day. As I have said before, I used to dance once in awhile too. Since I hurt my back, I have been afraid to do too much. Realistically, it doesn't take much for it start throbbing again. I know I need to keep working on rebuilding those muscles. 

This leads into another kink. My days are usually pretty full. Up with the guys for coffee before they leave for work, do a little research, start laundry or do dishes from the night before. Check emails, visit social media, change laundry, do some pick up around the house, then it's breakfast for my daughter and I. Then we start our school day, deal with phone calls or messages while teaching. Then lunch, and a little free time before diving back into teaching. Then it's independent study while I run out to do my chores, and start meal preps. The guys get home, I start supper, they do their chores, we eat supper, they talk about their day and any animal/farm stuff going on, everyone does their showers, and then the noise box and technology takes over for the rest of the night. Now, in my day is feeding the bottle lambs a few times during the daily schedule, as well as ,checking the sheep during my lunch break. Now, you multiple that by 7 days a week and you have my schedule. When too many "other things," get thrown into my schedule it puts a burr under my saddle and sets me off. Trying to find time to take a break of my own is not existent. So, for those moms that are able to take a night out, I am proud of you for giving yourself that break! 

So, I'm going to finish this out as it's time for another little sheep feeding. I know I am truly blessed with so many things. Some days, it's difficult to muster the energy to keep going when you feel like you are going sideways, rather than up! 

Sometimes you have to care less...

 

 

 

I read this on Facebook this morning: "Sometimes you have to care less, to see if they'll care more." Sadly, I can say, been there done that, and was truly disappointed by the results.  What does this mean?

To me, when you quit making the extra efforts to care for the relationships and people in your life, and they choose to leave your life, they choose to do even less to show their appreciation, a relationship falls apart or people just continue to take advantage. This have been proven to me time and time again. 

You can only do so much, try so hard, give so many concessions for poor behaviors, and let so much go; then you have decisions to make. Only you know what those options look like, for you. In society today, priorities have flipped. People value things, and use people. That in and of itself is messed up. For some of us, attempting to be caring, empathetic, and helpful leads to turmoil, upset and even anger. Long term repetition of the same actions damage relations, whether friendships or partners, work or family. It can lead to serious self-esteem issues, self-doubt, and as I have been told the past decade...it leads to unhealthy coping mechanisms. It is the catapult that drives hyper-attention. For example, when you have areas of life that fit this scenario, you tend to be controlling, excessive, or for some...even compulsive. 

In my life, I either cut people out completely with or without notice OR I simply keep everyone at arms length. No one gets close enough to hurt me or break my heart. I don't allow the closeness anymore. Yes, people change and/or apologize. That does not mean they are instantly allowed into my inner circle. 90% of the time, they will never be there again. That's not to say I don't forgive, but I will not forget either. As life goes, sometimes you can fix areas that you regret by becoming better, facing issues and working through them. Other times, there are regrets that can never be repaired. 

I have spent a lot of years constantly playing the referee in so many areas. I've gotten really tired. I no longer have the will to play this role. I've extended as many olive branches on behalf of others as I am currently capable of extending. One of my biggest goals for 2023, set defined boundaries and enforce them. I have allowed too many to use me as a door mat for their gain, for their lack of effort, for their lack of empathy, and for their inability to manage their own thoughts and feelings. I am not everyone else's beating post, nor will I be the scape goat for poor behaviors or choices. That's on them. I am ONLY responsible for myself and my teenager.My husband is a grown adult, as are both my boys. 

This little statement, that I read this morning, was the sign I needed to implement this goal. It's beyond time. So, be careful of who you push away and how far you push...they may decide they like it there...and you will be out of luck.

Salli

Year in review - Family, Farm and Life

 

2022 Year Review - Definitely not 2020 part 2, but a struggle and blessings proportionately played into it. 

I usually keep a journal of everything that goes on in my life and around our farm - daily, weekly, monthly and annually. I am notorious for making lists, writing in journals, and taking copious amounts of notes. I am kind of old fashioned in the sense, that I would rather write everything out than keep everything on some technological device that have a knack for not working when I need them to. I don't share every detail of my life online, there are just some things not fit for public scrutiny, opinion or awareness. If you follow my social media, you may even notice when I do videos, I try to stay away from distractions and filming my family or too much of my neighbors/farm. 

So, let's jump into this prior year in review, and thank God it's past without any further disruptions. After a fairly wet Spring and early Summer, it dried out terribly. The economy and supply chain took a nose dive. Inflation started playing into every aspect of the farm and our personal expenses. Fertilizer was sky high, if you could get it. We did not! The combination of no fertilizer and drought, meant not getting half the hay that we normally get from our farm. It meant pasture quality was not enough to sustain grazing as it typically is, and the short comings has and will play into our winter preparedness as having to buy hay has been another large expense, that we do not normally have. Grain, animal feed, human food, and most other expenses also increased 2-3 fold. By July, I knew I needed to be able to draw out Christmas shopping as long as possible, to make it fit in the budget a little better. So, that's what I did - that brought a lot of ribbing from my family and many others. While I let them snicker and roll their eyes about my timing, I knew making sure my 5 kids, and my husband and myself would have something under the tree to open on Christmas Day. April began our first raffle to help sponsor/pay for the annual veteran deer/fishing event. We ran the raffle until the second weekend of October, with an overall success. We had some great people helping to make sure the event was a success. We received several donations, that were such a blessing and a true push to keep this event rolling every year. Late Summer we finally started getting a little moisture, seriously..a little, but I was able to keep my garden growing. I was able to try a few new tricks to allow for more things to be put in the garden. I did a lot of canning, but sadly, there was a lot ready during September, and I just didn't have enough hours in the day to do it all. Also in September, we lost my mother-in-law unexpectedly. In a case such as that, you realize the necessities of making every day count - once you lose a loved one, you can't change anything you've said or done. You can't find time for things you enjoy doing together. You realize that we are all here on borrowed time, and at some point, we will all be called home. The end of September brought our veteran deer/fishing event. It truly was a success, and honestly I owe everyone who volunteered, who sold and bought raffle tickets - an enormous debt of gratitude!!! Those amazing folks, helped me stay on track when life was upended, they talked me through stresses, helped manage each and every aspect! We had such a great crew of veterans this too! I am always enamored to listen to their stories. October brought a lot of playing catch up in winter preparations around the farm, and both of my boys deciding to buy a house and spread their wings. I attended the annual gun show during the Villages of Van Buren Scenic Drive Festival in Bonaparte, IA. We raffled off the items, and sold a few shirts from the veteran event during that weekend. November always begins my annual chaotic months. I begin putting up my Christmas decorations usually on Halloween. I do not like that day at all...although, I did get informed that my daughter would really like me to decorate for it because it's her favorite "holiday." So, I'm going to TRY to make that effort in 2023. Anyway, it takes me like 3 weeks to get everything out and up! So, by that point it's Thanksgiving, and we typically have the holiday meals at our home. We ended up having to try a different cooking method for turkey this year, since you couldn't find one under 20 pounds, if you could find one at all. So, instead of my favorite deep fried turkey, my husband smoked one on the pellet smoker. It was good, but deep fried is still my favorite. Then the prep work goes in for our annual Christmas open house. That is 2 weeks of baking, making candy, and all sorts of goodies. Except this year, I was running behind on everything, so a week out from the open house...and I was just getting started. My daughter and I kicked into gear and got it done! In the 9 years we have hosted this, we have had anywhere from 15-53 people. This year we had 34. It's so much fun to get together with neighbors, family and friends, and just enjoy a few hours of real conversation, some goodies, soups, and honestly...it makes the holiday for me. I don't have little kids anymore, so seeing little ones playing and excited by the tree & lights, and cookies...makes it perfect! After that, is usually the final winter preps and getting ready for Christmas. Christmas Eve we enjoyed time with 4 of 5 of my kids, both my father-in-laws, and had to have some video time with my mother-in-law since she was battling a flu. We had the lovely artic cold snap that showed many how unprepared and exactly how cold we can get. We were very lucky to not have had frozen water lines, but most of our neighbors were not so lucky. We fought to keep tank heaters working so the livestock/chickens/ducks/goats would have access to water. We used a ton of straw to make sure all of them had enough bedding to stay warm. I was glad that I had been preparing as I do, and had plenty of food and water on hand, and had containers to be able to give water to the neighbors as they needed it. During this time, my husband was driving my Jeep to work and hit a deer. We didn't think the damage was too bad. Well, long story short...my Jeep is totaled because the cost to repair exceeds the value of my vehicle. So, There's that. I ended up with a chicken that had a suspected case of bumble foot. It is caused by mites that mice bring into the coops, and causes a scale build up and sore legs. I brought her indoors to treat her, as taking her in and out after having to soak her legs twice a day would have caused her to freeze to death. I got excited when she began to improve, and would start walking again. Well the 29th, she started going downhill again. She quit eating and drinking much, and could not stand up. She ended up passing away at 2 am Jan. 1st.  New Year's Eve, we always stay home. We fix a bunch of different snack type foods, play some cards, play board games, and we don't have to be out on the roads. This year, we had one of my brothers, his girlfriend, both his youngest daughter and his oldest daughter & her husband, my father-in-law and us. We ended up playing cards till nearly 2 am, and had a great night. 

So, I believe that is the nutshell of my 2022. As you can see, there were trials but there were also a lot of blessings. There were some pretty big lessons learned, and a few regrets. My daughter is on the final stretch of 8th grade, and the next 5 months will be a challenge, I'm sure. Then begins the bigger challenge, high school! I survived one, surely I will the second one too! I am constantly striving to learn, so I hope that will rub off eventually. 

There are so many projects on my lists, a lot of changes that have to be made, a little reconfiguring of affairs to make everything work, and some necessary time out for myself this year. I've allowed myself to get so busy being busy, that I forget to "stop and smell the roses!" I'm working on that. If I have learned anything this year, it's this: "Man plans, God laughs!" 

So, I hope each of you will enjoy this journey in 2023 with me. I'm not perfect, and I will undoubtedly get worked up from time to time, but I am a work in progress! I plan to share more videos, blogs, and updates on social media, and do better about responding to people in a timely manner. I'm definitely a much better "in-person" person, than call or text! 

There you have you it! Let's all work hard to make the best of 2023, and find the silver lining in trials. We can raise our own energy by focusing on the good parts, while acknowledging and releasing the bad. As a mentor once told me: You draw in what you focus on. So, if you focus on bad, you are drawing in more bad. So, instead focus on good...and allow more good to be drawn to you.