Monthly Archives: November 2016

My Perfect Kind of Day!

Good afternoon!

I am dreaming of my absolute perfect kind of day!! I could so use one of those, right about now!!!

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Oh my gosh…doesn’t this just feel dreamy??? Yeah! I think it will be a while before I get to savor a day like this, but I know it is coming soon, and I CAN NOT WAIT!!!

Here is to a comfy, rainy, reading a good book, hanging out in your jammy’s all day, kind of day!
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Thursday, November 10, 2016

Good morning, world!

I have so much to do today!! Already my brain is on overdrive, trying to figure out how to go about getting it all done!! EEK!!

I have to go take my car into the auto body shop – I was backed into in my local grocery store parking lot. The damage doesn’t appear to be very bad, but mama still needs it fixed!

I then have to run over to the employment office, where I have to meet with one of their staff members, to finish the process for qualifying for unemployment. Side note: unemployment is such a cool thing! I never once thought I would ever need it, and now that I do, I am just so thankful that that service is there!! YEAH!!

I then have to prep a video for my YouTube channel, to post tomorrow. In all honesty, I have no idea what I am going to vlog about yet. I was in a little bit of a funk all day yesterday, and didn’t take the time to do any of my normal prep work, like I usually do. I had a couple of appointments, had lunch with a girlfriend, and pretty much sat around, the rest of the day, watching the telly, and avoiding social media as much as possible! Not my proudest moment of wallowing & self-pity, but today is a new day!

Moving on…I then need to get my scooty booty home and pack like a crazy person!! I only have 7 days until my sister, from AZ, gets here, and I DO NOT want to have to pack while she is in town!!! So, let’s just say I am going to have to get my hustle on!!! 🙂

Oh man, so much to do, and only 24 hours in which to do it in. How do you people get all of this stuff done!?!?!?!?

I am going to have pull out my Super Woman cape, and get a crackin’!!!

Here is to an AMAZINGLY productive day!
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Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Good morning, world!

Well, I awoke this morning to learn who the new US president is going to be. I am surprised, and saddened by it all. Today is a very scary turning point for this country, but I pray that with love as our focus, we will be okay.

As I look to the future of this great nation, I pray that we continue to stand united. I pray that we continue to fight hate, bigotry, misogyny, and segregation, and I pray that we can, somehow, make love the foundation of this great nation. I am firmly standing by what I said yesterday. We need love more today than ever, and it is up to each of us as individuals to share that love with all those around us.

I am signing off early today to go spend time with those that I love.

No matter what, here is to a love-filled day,
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Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Good morning, world!

Well, I am not sure how your day is going, but here in the United States it is voting day. I am never one to share my political beliefs because 1) I can see both sides to every story, that is part of my supah-powahs as an empath 2) everyone has an opinion, why do you care about mine?and 3) I find that when I share my opinions, no matter what those are, I find that a lot of negative Nancies come out of the word work to tell you why you are wrong, which is not so much fun for someone who is such a strong empath!!

I am not going to tell you who I am voting for, but I will tell you that no matter how this election turns out, I am going to keep my number 1 priority as loving others. Why is that such a hard concept for people to understand? Loving others is not such a difficult task, matter of fact, it is actually quite easy to love others.

In case, you are one of those people who feel that this can be a daunting task, I have decided to give you a little bit of help, and share 101 simple ways you can love others, every single day!

101 Simple Way You Can Love Others

  1. Smile at others
  2. Say a heart felt “Good morning!”
  3. Open the door for someone
  4. Let someone else go first
  5. Give someone a genuine compliment
  6. Listen to your mama, and use your manners – “please” and “thank you” go a long way
  7. Leave a post-it not of encouragement on a public mirror
  8. Leave a small piece of art with an encouraging sentiment on it, in a public location
  9. Call someone you’ve been meaning to call
  10. Invite someone for a quick walk
  11. Invite someone for coffee
  12. Invite someone to have lunch with you
  13. Bake a batch of cookies and share them with a neighbor
  14. Cut some wild flowers, arrange them in an inexpensive, thrift store, vase, and give to someone who would enjoy them
  15. Donate something of value that you no longer need to a place that gives back to your community
  16. Donate some money to a place that gives back to your community
  17. Better still, donate your time to a place that gives back to your community
  18. Go to a park filled with children, and sit down and read a few children books to anyone who would like to listen
  19. Share your talent on a street corner, sing, dance, paint, whatever, and don’t expect anything in return
  20. Wear a sign offering free hugs
  21. Pick up some trash as you take a walk through your neighborhood
  22. Drop in on an elderly person, who might not ever get a lot of visitors, and just spend some time listening to their stories. You’ll never know what you just might learn
  23. Write a love letter and share it with someone you love.
  24. If that is too scary, write a love letter and share it online, anonymously
  25. Collect soda bottles for recycling, and give the proceeds to a homeless person
  26. Give a homeless person all the change you have in your wallet. If you are anything like me, that will be A LOT of change!
  27. Next time you are at a restaurant, find one waitress who is doing an amazing job and give him or her an extra big tip!
  28. Bonus points if it is on a crazy busy night, and he or she is hopping, and possibly a little bit haggard!
  29. Write a thank you note, along with a story of greatness (a great product, service, staff, etc) of one of your favorite businesses, and send a copy in to the company, as well as your local news station, or newspaper, to help spread the word on this business’ awesomeness
  30. Go to a friends house and help him or her with a chore that he or she has been dreading doing
  31. Go on social media and invite anyone who would like to join, to come to a bubble blowing party at your city park. BYOB
  32. Host a potluck gathering for your neighbors
  33. Help mow someone’s yard who doesn’t have the ability, or health, or time to do it any longer
  34. Give someone a small, prettily wrapped present for no reason whatsoever!
  35. Volunteer at your local church, stuffing envelopes, or answering phones
  36. Organize a, once a week, walking group, where you can get to know some others from your community
  37. Teach something you know to someone who doesn’t know it, for free
  38. Always be prepared for one extra guest whenever you are making a meal for your family, in case someone in need comes to your door
  39. Pack up a few brown paper bag lunches, and take them around town, handing them out to homeless people
  40. Pack up some gallon ziplock bags with things like a pair of socks, a comb, some granola bars, a stick of deodorant, maybe some feminine hygiene products, a pack of baby wipes, and a $5 bill. You can pass these out to any homeless people you may come across. I would call these blessing bags!!
  41. Volunteer to read, to children, at your local library
  42. Volunteer to read, to senior citizens, at your local assisted living facility
  43. Spend some time at an assisted living facility, just visiting with the residents
  44. If you see an injustice, speak up about it, try to fix it
  45. If you see something broken, see if you can find a way to fix it
  46. If you see something dirty, clean it up
  47. Offer to pressure wash someone’s driveway, for free
  48. Offer to wash your neighbor’d car, for free
  49. Find someone who might be suffering from a serious illness, and offer to help prep a meal for them, do a load of laundry, or possible some other house chore that needs to be done
  50.  Gather up as many spare blankets you can find, and share them with anyone who is sleeping on the street (bonus points if you provide an easily cartable bag for them to store their new blanket in)
  51. Gather a group of people to make blankets for the foster kids in your town
  52. Gather a group of people to make premie baby clothes, for those babies born early
  53. Rake someone’s leaves from their yard without them knowing
  54. Invite someone over to share a meal with you and your family
  55. Invite someone over to share your favorite movie with them
  56. Volunteer at your local hospital
  57. Donate your read, but well taken care of, magazines to your local hospital, or doctor’s office
  58. Find a need and fill it
  59. Share your knowledge of something you love with others
  60. Do you have a Salvation Army, or a Boys and Girls Club? They can always use volunteers to help with their youth programs
  61. Donate some books to your local library
  62. Send someone a quick note, via email, to let them know that you are thinking good thoughts about them
  63. When getting a coffee, pay for the person behind you too
  64. When you see someone at a cash register, and they are a little short, cover it for them
  65. When you are at a cash register, and you see someone with a small set of groceries behind you, pay for it
  66. Go spend some time down at your local animal shelter taking care of the animals there
  67. Find a single parent, and offer to watch their child for the day, so they can go run errands by themselves, or better yet spend some time doing something that they want to do
  68. Pack a holiday meal and deliver it to a family you know is in need
  69. Find a family who might not being too well financially and surprise them with Christmas presents
  70. Let someone cut you in line, if you are the last in line
  71. Clean up someone else’s mess
  72. Take a child, from a large family, and spend the day paying attention to them, and listening to them
  73. Bake a cake and deliver it, with a card of thank you for your service to your local fire department, or police department
  74. Shop for someone who is ill, or unable to get out of the house
  75. Create some simple craft kits that can be taken to your local children’s hospital
  76. Write a sincere job referral for someone
  77. Donate blood
  78. Donate plasma
  79. Start a blog, or YouTube channel that can share information to help someone
  80. Forgive someone who has wronged you, even if it is forgiving them just to yourself
  81. Look for the goodness in people, every has a gem of goodness
  82. Do your best to keep your word
  83. Share a funny joke with some
  84. Wear clothing that make you happy, you will be happier, and that will automatically rub off on others
  85. Spend an hour just visiting with someone who might need your attention
  86. Share your favorite book with someone, bonus points if you buy them their own copy to have
  87. Share your favorite cup of tea with someone
  88. Write an actual, hand held letter to someone who could use some cheering up
  89. Start writing to a pen pal
  90. Reduce, reuse, recycle
  91. Start a community garden. Share the bounty
  92. Teach someone how to cook a recipe that has been passed down through your family
  93. Share one of your family’s tradition with someone you care about
  94. Adopt a grandparent, figuratively speaking
  95. Adopt a child, figuratively speaking
  96. Invite some of the neighborhood kids to play on your video game console, with their parents’ permission, of course (don’t be that creepy neighbor) 😉
  97. Make someone else’s dream come true
  98. Teach a craft project to a much of children
  99. Wave to people, whenever you get the opportunity. My favorite is waving to kids who are riding in the back of a school bus. They make me smile so hard
  100. Start a knitting/crochet club. Even if you don’t know how, this would be a great way to learn!
  101. Start a book club, and be willing to let everyone take turns choosing your group’s reading selections

See? That shouldn’t be so hard to choose at least a handful of these to incorporate into your life! I know that I am now inspired to see how many of these that I can tick off. This will be a fun way to make new friends, after our move to Portland!

Here is to a world full of people who go out of their way to love each other,

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Monday, November 7, 2016

Good morning, world!!

It is hard to believe that our weekend is over. It is actually kind of hard to believe we had a weekend! We did SOOOO MUCH stuff in the past 2 days.

I put out videos, we did a bunch house chores, ran some errands, and we packed a bunch of boxes. So many that I am concerned that we are going to be run out of the house because of just how many boxes we have taking up space! 😉

We have so much more packing to go, and my sister from Arizona is coming in in 10 days, so I have to have the majority of our packing done before then so I can feel free to play to my heart’s content while she is in town!!

I just can’t wait to move. I can’t wait for this whole process to be over, but I am thinking that this process is actually going to take us a few tedious months to get through. You see, moving to Portland is only one part of what we are doing. We then have to finish fixing up some minor details in the condo, and go through the process of selling it. I have never sold a home before, so I am not exactly sure what all that will entail!! All the while, I will have to keep working with our mortgage company, because we are still upside down in our condo, by about $20,000. Not my proudest moment, but there you go! I am hoping that my mortgage company will let us do a short-sale on it. My husband works in Portland, I just lost my job, and we can’t afford to keep it – it costs too much to live here, and there is no way we would be able to rent it out, without having to shell out a fortune more on miscellaneous costs that we would not be able to get covered in the amount we can rent it for. And, who am I kidding? I honestly, deep down to my toes, just don’t want to keep it, even if that means my credit is going to have to take a hit for it.

We haven’t been happy here since we first moved in.

When we did initially move in, I knew it was a mistake at the get go. It was the first time I really heard the message of “it is so important to follow your intuition, it will not lead you astray.” Well, I didn’t listen, and because of that, we have had 10 long years in a place where we have not been able to entertain friends or family because there is really no parking to speak of, we live on a busy street and have to deal with an HOA that really doesn’t know what it is doing, which means we have not really had much peace being here. It has been good for being a place in which I can hide from the world. Now that I say it out loud, I am not sure what took me so long to make the decision to move. Somehow I felt I was being irresponsible because the mortgage was not payed off yet, but really, our quality of life is suffering because it has never really felt like a home.

That is what I am longing for, a real, honest to goodness, home!

People do have those right?

It is not just some hooey that you see in movies, right???

That is what I want, a home. I think that is why my YouTube videos are starting to lean to home decorating, DIY projects, cooking, and entertaining, because that is what I want in my own life. I have a psychology friend who is always telling me, you become what you need in your own life. Yep, she is right. This is what I need. Someone who can show me how to turn my house into a home, a place of love, friendship, and daily creativity, and turn my existence into a life, and who better to do that for oneself than your own self!??

I just pray that my videos can, not only help me, but help someone out there who might be watching, who might be longing for a home of their own too. Then all of my efforts will definitely be worth it!!

I have so much more to do today, so I had better get on it!!

Here is to creating the future of my dreams,
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Sunday, November 6, 2016

Good morning, world!!

I feel a good day coming on!

Jason and I have sooooo much to do today. Because Jason was so sore from working this week, I only had him help me for about an hour or two yesterday morning, with all of the moving of boxes, while I packed. I was able to get all of our records, and movies packed, but not much more!!

Today we are going to run few errands, including picking up really small boxes for our books, and hitting costco to get some of our green smoothie ingredients…we are running low, which I guess ins’t surprising because we are going through fruits and veg so quickly, in this house, nowadays!! After all of that has been completed, I still have to get a video ready for tomorrow, and then we are packing as much as we can today. It kind of makes me sad, but I think our bedroom library is the next to be put into boxes. I think the bedroom is going to feel very bare without all of the books all around us!!

But, that will be worth it, since, my sissy, from Arizona is going to be up in 11 days, I can NOT wait!! I am soooo excited to see her, and I want to have as much packed as possible before she gets here, so I can spend more time playing, and not being stuck here packing boxes! BLECH!!!

Anyway, it is an extremely short post today, but I am sure you understand!!

Here is to an AMAZING day!!

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Dreaming of Our New Place!

Good afternoon!!

My hubby and I are spending this lovely, rainy day, here in Oregon, packing our house up!! I am so excited about moving to our new place, in Portland, and settling in!! I just want it to happen already!!

So, for this afternoon’s post, I thought I would share some Pinterest inspiration photos that are seriously rockin’ my world, right now!!

This is really similar to the layout of our new living room:
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Another potential living room furniture layout idea:
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Here is a fresh, clean, peaceful feeling I want for the master bedroom:
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Or how about this one?
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Although, for that look, I know I would have to scale it waaaaay down, because I think that our new room is going to fit a bed, and maybe two very small bed tables!

I am seeing a theme here…I, apparently, like white and soft grey, which is kind of surprising because, living in Oregon, it has a tendency to be grey here a lot, so I have always avoided decorating with that color. But, not in this new house! I am excited about the new prospects!!

Well, that is it for my break!! I had better get back to packing!! Wish me luck!! 🙂

Here is to dreaming of a new home for ourselves!!
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Saturday, November 5, 2016

Good morning, world!

This morning, I am getting a little bit later start than normal. My hubby and I slept in a little bit, which was really nice, and oh-so-needed!! 🙂

Jason has zipped off to go get some eggs this morning. He is the breakfast chef in our world! YEAH!!! 😉 I am in charge of making green smoothies, and dinners…well, at least the nights where I haven’t completely drained all of my energies working these insane hours!!! 😉 Last night he brought home Yum Bowls – OMG – those are soooo freaking good!!!

Today, since Jason is off work today, we are supposed to go have an outing of some sort, but I think I am going to put a kibosh on that, since we are so far behind on packing the house up!! We have a family event happening from 11.17 to 11.26, which means we will be unavailable to do any packing then, so we have got to get cracking!!! 😉

So, our first stop will have to be U-haul and pick up some packing boxes for our books. I have been packing up the small U-haul boxes with books, but holy hell they are soooooo freaking heavy!!! Jason discovered that U-haul now has smaller boxes, made just for packing books!! AAAAAAAH!!! Do you hear the angels singing?…no?…me either, that actually looks like screeching, but trust me, those are angels in the high heavens singing really LOUD!!! I have no idea how much they are going to cost, but I know that our backs are going to thank us for packing the rest of our 2,000+ books in smaller boxes!!

Crap! We are going to need A LOT of boxes!!! 🙂

Ok, so I guess if that is the biggest snafu we run into while moving, we are going to be just fine!!

Maybe we can do our outing tomorrow?
Yeah, that is what we will do!
That will make me feel better!!

Ok, now that that is settled!! I am going to get a crackin’ on our day!!

Here is to a day of getting the important sh*t done!!
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Happiness Friday!

Good afternoon, I just wanted to share with you a few happy IG posts that I’ve stumbled upon this week, to spread the happy!! 😉

A photo posted by bella (@white.chihuahua) on

A photo posted by Christine Jolley (@cmjolley) on

A photo posted by Yogi (@yogitea) on

What makes you happy today?

Hugs to you!
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Friday, November 4, 2016

Good morning, world!

Jason has just left to go to work, and of course my sweet Sophie girl is curled up asleep, next to me, as I play on my computer this morning! This is starting to become our morning ritual, Sophie girl & I! I am so thankful that she is able to stay with me.

This transitioning to working from home can get really lonely really fast!

I talk to her a lot! and I mean, like, “Girrrrrrrl, has she lost here ever-loving mind???” a lot!! Don’t worry, she doesn’t actually speak back, like with actual words or anything, but we do pretty well understanding each other!

I am really in my head this morning. Hell, who am I kidding??? being an introvert, I am in my head a lot most mornings! Today, I am thinking about all of the work that still has yet to be done!

Like a crazy person, I have committed to posting 1 YouTube video every day of November, and then I had already decided that I wanted to do a 24 Days of Christmas series, which means I will be posting a YouTube video EVERY-SINGLE-DAY-FOR-54-DAYS!!! The reality of that boggles the mind!!

And if that weren’t insane enough, I have thrown a BIG move right into the middle of all of that!! The YouTube videos right now are a full time job, in and of itself, but then I realize, “CRAP!! Someone has got to pack this house up!!!” Well, that someone is me!

My hubby and I have moved A LOT in our 21 years of marriage!! So many times, that I honestly have lost count!! Moving has kind of fed the gypsy in me. The one that is always want to purge, pack, and start brand new. I haven’t moved in 10 years. THAT IN INSANE to me!! That might be where my longing for a change of scenery has come from, my soul getting itchy to stretch out and try on a new environment.

This is both scary and exciting!

What this has done for me, which is surprising to me, is it has reawakened my passion for decorating, decor, and home DIY projects!!

That is where I started my creative life, originally!

It is my roots, so to speak!

My mom was a very talented crafter, matter of fact people used to give her the moniker “Queen of Crafts”. I wanted to be crafty too, but someone in the family said, “We already have one creative person in the family, we don’t need two.” Well, apparently that person was mistaken, because here I am!!

The thing that I am finding most joyous about creating YouTube videos, especially having committed to posting every day for 54 days, is that it forces me to look around my world, and find ways to be creative, EVERY-SINGLE-DAY!!

That makes my soul sing, really, REALLY LOUDLY!!!

I think that is what my soul should be doing.

If I am going to spend a good half of my lifetime working, I want my job to be joyous, and make my soul sing really, REALLY LOUDY, at least once, EVERY-SINGLE-DAY! Now, don’t get me wrong, there are so many things that go wrong with the process of making YouTube videos, or creating, or just life in general. I can not even think to tell you how many times some computer-ey thing that I was trying to figure out how to do, has frustrated me to the point of tears. Way too many times that what I thought could be humanly possible when I first started my YouTube career!! 😉

But, at the end of the day, when the tears have subsided, and I’ve cozied up in bed, next to my hubby, for a good night’s sleep, I can honestly tell you that, when I close my eyes at night, I am seriously happy. Like down to my tippy toes, if I could do this for the rest of my life, with no pay, I would still die an EXTREMELY HAPPY girl, and is that what it is all about anyway!??

I know, I know, life is not all rainbows, and unicorns, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t at least try to make every moment as close to that as possible, does it? What is wrong with being happy in your work?

I have always believed that “work” was supposed to be a sad, depressing, durge. A task, that when you had completed a day of it, you were supposed to be left completely wiped out, with nothing left for anyone else. If it wasn’t, then you weren’t doing it right.

Man, oh man, I was so wrong!!

Now, mind you, I don’t actually make money doing what I do. I am not sure how that works, yet. But, that is okay with me. I am in the stages of learning the process, and doing the ground work, so that in 5 to 10 years, someone can say, oh look at Chrissie, she was an overnight success, and I can just stand back and smile, and laugh to myself, “Oh, if only they knew how much real work, and blood, and sweat, and tears has gone into this “overnight success”!”

Man, I can honestly say I can’t wait for that day to come!!

As for now, I am going to count my blessings, and just keep doing creative work, that continues to make my soul sing!!

Here is to a life filled with many happy songs!!

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