Giving & Thanks

Happy Saturday!

What a great day. So many things in this life that are worth smiling about.
Here's some things that I'm grateful for:

-Cupcake the kitten loves the broom, it's adorable and encourages me to clean more frequently.
-Fresh, ice cold water.
-S'mores.
-Grandparents.
-Wall decorations.
-NEW phone, thanks Nik :)
-Special boot socks.
-Air & trees.
-Toes.
-Mashed taters.
-Sidewalks.
-Amazing deals online.
-Candles.
-Waves from strangers.
-Sewing machines.

What about the "giving" part about Thanksgiving? I have been giving this a lot of thought lately. What can we give to leave a mark that is going to be worthwhile? A check? Donate your things? Volunteer work? Or is it enough to just give yourself into the greater good of everything? To put yourself into everything with your whole heart, is that enough to satisfy your inner need to be generous? I am curious to know what others give, especially those who are strapped for cash and time.

Please comment, what are you thankful for? How do you intend to give during this beautiful and blessed season?

Always believe, the best is yet to come!
taylor

Cupcake the Kitten

Well as some of you know, I have a new addition! A kitten addition! :) 

Her name is Cupcake, but sometimes I call her Cuppie, Cakers, ChiChi, CuppieChi, MuffCakes, Muffers, Miss Moomoo, MissyPoo, Tiddlywink, and many other variations.

Her favorite color is mandarin orange. Her favorite flavor of meat is beef. She loves her laser pointer. She is a frequent napper! She can't quite meow, it's more of a squeal. Her paws are so tiny and cute. She has the ability to climb the brick fireplace. She enjoys munching on paper. She might be allergic to socks... Her favorite place to hang out is on my arm. She loves her daddy, Nik, and likes to hang out on his shoulder and take naps and lick his beard. Not only does she love feathers, but she also loves the carpet. Her latest fascination is with helping me read books on my Kindle, her paws can make the screen do fun things. 

Last weekend, Cuppie and Bixley (her cousin) got to meet for the first time. It was SO adorable. Lucky little duckling got to hang out with Auntie Jenessa. Unfortunately, Bix is about 2 times her size and they had fun chewing on each other. Ahem, Bix had fun chewing on my love. Poor little dittles. But she did a great job in her new environment, from what I heard reported back from Auntie Nessa. 

All last week, Cakers and I took afternoon naps. Each nap/cuddle sesh would end in her licking my face and nibbling on my nose. What a great wake-up! Only 20-30 mins each is how long she could stay sleeping. Purring is her favorite, she does it the loudest when she's pet on her belly and chin. 

Here are some ADORABLE photos of Cupcake... 

^ She's so fluffy!!! It's hard to be cute. 

^ Very wise and peaceful as she sleeps.

^ A quick glance at her teeth. So small, yet so powerful...

^ Oh, wait. That's me dressed as a cat...

^ The paw of an angel. 

^ Cat nap! That beard DOES look so cuddly and fuzzy. Good idea, Cakers.

Lunch List

Hey! 

This is what I discovered during lunch the last couple weeks:

-love comes in all colors, shapes and sizes.

-it's hilarious when people trip. hilarious.

-some dogs slobber more than others.

-it's obvious that your hair color isn't natural, you're not fooling anyone.

-flippy flops aren't acceptable to wear while motorcycling.

-drug deals are illegal, even if they're conducted in broad daylight.

-skip merrily wherever you're going, it will make you happier.

-it's fun to bust someone texting & driving.

-please learn to speak English correctly.

-DT offers a wide variety of sidewalk concrete. 

-quality trumps quantity in almost every situation.

-no sir, you can't park there.

-we can all hear you singing Katy Perry.

Always believe, the best is yet to come! 

Taylor

Sing my face off.

Singing!

Often times I wonder what life would be like if I could actually sing. I mean sing, as in Beyonce singing. Not just church-choir-girl sing. That would be the frosting on top of my cookie life.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You caught me wishing and hoping to have someone else's something.

But please, don't get me wrong. I still use my voice to sing like I would if I had Bey's voice. Literally, I feel bad for my neighbors. I wonder if there is a recording out there on YT of me. From someone else. Let me know if you find anything.

Why are some people scared of signing? I've always wondered that. Singing is just like talking, but longer. No one has ever said to me "You've got a great talking voice." Buuuut then again, no one's ever complimented me on my singing voice. Hahh! For real though. Why the hang up?

I've compiled a top list of my fave singing vids.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq8tK1rGpog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syRjXyA1Yew
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVHk4dc7yaE

 Hope you've enjoyed. Please sing something fun today.

Always believe, the best is yet to come!!
TayTay

Be Amazing As You'd Like

 Hola!

"Do something amazing everyday." is a sign in my office. So, I got to thinking, what is today's 'amazing' something? I would certainly say for me, is that I got out of bed.  :D

But for real. I am still determining my 'amazing' something for today. It's on its way here, I guess. Maybe I'll save a penguin from the highest tree branch.
Perhaps I will run a marathon, but instead of running, I will pogo-stick or scooter it?
What about if I donated all of my physical belongings and decided to travel the world.
How about if I treated every single person I met with absolute kindness?
Should I smash mailboxes?
What if I started to learn nun chucks? Oh wait, I'm already doing that. :)


What is your level of amazing-ness and excitement for today?
Did you know that "amazing" is a choice?!

I am a firm believer in making life what you make it. So get offa that thang, shake it... you'll feel better. Oh James Brown, you sure made am amazing jam.


Always believe, the best is YET to come.
TM!

Summer Fun in the Sun

Hello world.

I bet you're all sun-bathed and gorgeous, aren't you? :)
I'm glad you are. I'm not. This whole "adult" thing isn't going so well with my bronzing schedule. Oh well! I have been enjoying the sunshine and nice weather when I can. It makes me happy to wear dresses and wedges.

I think the last time I posted, it was a LONG time ago, so here is a list of things on my "current life" occurrences.

-As of today at 12.01pm, I am a Unit Leader with lia sophia! YAY!!!! 
-New home! Still getting things organized, but loving it!
-Seriously thinking of getting a kitty. Meow.
-Last week I was in Illinois for work, next week I will be in Iowa for work again!
-Nik and I will be going to Riot Fest with him and his pal in Chicago next weekend. We have VIP tickets. SO excited!
-Know Hope Soap is a fun, new project Nik and I have been working on! Selling soap, and donating to the homeless. Check us out at http://knowhopesoap.bigcartel.com/ to buy some goodies. We don't have a lot of our product line launched yet. So stay tuned! :)
-Getting quotes for car insurance.
-Abusing my air conditioner at home.

That is all, for my short post. Please continue to stand by, as I will be posting more exciting stories from my every day life. Man, I love the little things.

Always believe, the best is yet to come.
Taylor!

Garden. Haven. Taman. V4

Good day, loved ones. 

Today I'm here to celebrate my beautiful success with gardening. As far as I am concerned...these things are a miracle! Who knows if they will produce anything eatable!! I guess only time will tell. I am SO proud of my littles, they had to endure the big move to the balcony. They were terribly sad at first. But, they proved to be strong and can withstand ND's finest elements. I will for sure have more info on these gems when their harvest time comes around.  :) 

I have provided photos of the plant family... :) see below. 

 They are REALLY green. I'm going to take that as a good thing!! My other indoor plants are flourishing, vines are viney-er than ever and Spikey is so spikey. Teeheehee. 

Always believe, the best is yet to come. 

Taylor, mother of plants and all living green things. 

(Excluding grasshoppers, and other green insects of the like.) 

Power Pose

Good day my fellow creatures.

I watched an interesting Ted Talk the other evening. 

It was about "Power Posing" which is a practice to help increase confidence in life! The talk explained how body language can determine how your brain perceives your level of confidence. Basically, you stand/sit in a powerful position to trick your mind into feeling influential, positive and in control. Strike this pose for two minutes. The woman advised to "activate" yourself before something important, like a job interview, an exam or a meeting! Or in everyday life. I thought this was very interesting. 

The woman also shared the results of her findings from a recent study she conducted. You'll have to watch the talk for more info, but basically the data showed that people who strike a power pose before doing something important displayed more dominance, which led them to getting higher marks in their scoring. 

As some of you may know, I am a pretty confident person. So I decided it would be best to try this power posing in my own daily life. I often come off as being comfortable in my own skin, to say the least. But I did it anyways and went ahead with my experiment. The results are IN! I tried this in a couple different situations. During a meeting, before a meeting and one morning before my day began. In each situation, I felt like I was in control of the outcome. I literally made my body position trick my brains into thinking I could handle anything that came my way. I would have to say that the morning experiment was also done in conjunction with my "eating the frog" edits to my daily life. BUT it did have a more positive response than just a normal eat the frog kind of day. In conclusion of my tireless effort to become a more awesome person, I will be striking these "power poses" whenever I see fit. I strongly urge you to try this fun thing out! See how it helps you in your life. You can view the video here: http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are.html  

So if you see me in the bathroom at work striking my pose, you'll know why.

Happy living, loved ones.

Always remember, the best is yet to come! 

Taylor 

Garden. Haven. Taman. V3

Good morning, bright and beautiful world! 
Today is going to be spectacular. 

I apologize for not updating my garden's status sooner! :) But fret not, my friends. Today is the day.

Quick side note: I'm awake. It's so early!! 

Last week, I made the trek with my sweet plants out to the balcony. It seemed like perfect timing- the sun was shining, they were freshly watered and I was feeling agile. That day and the next 2 days were sweltering hot with the unforgiving sun beating down on them. They started to look a little sad! Their leaves got a little less green, their step had less spring. I felt terrible. No matter how much talking and loving they got from me, I didn't notice any positive differences. Then came the weekend! I enjoyed some hammock time on the balcony with them as I started to see strides of improvement! The sugar snap peas seemed to have stronger stocks, and my pepper leaves were vivacious! The carrots, however, are still quite reserved. 

Everyone seems to be adjusting to their new climate and conditions outside. They're blowing in the wind and experiencing life as if they were in a real ground garden.

Let's all stop and think for a moment about fruit flies. They are such a pest!!! That was another huge motivator for the plants making the big move. I started noticing my little green friends were producing and fostering their growth and reproduction. I quickly realized that 2 flies turns into about 40 in a couple of days. Murrph. NOT what I was hoping for! So I decided to make some traps for them; I made a couple different models, the total captured? 3. A realization hit me: these little guys wanted to be with the plants and in their dirt, not flying around in my apartment. So that was pretty cool. There were a couple stragglers that made their way into my kitchen. But not to worry. My ninja-like accuracy and my cat-like reflexes made me the ideal fruit fly capturer. 

Anyways- next time I shall have photos and more stories of their gallant efforts outside. Please post any comments if you have specific questions about the plants and their overall well-being. 

Always believe, the best is yet to come! 
Taylor (the plant whisperer)
 

The true meaning of Earth Day!

Good day! 

It sure is. It's Earth day! Yahoo!! 

I've only recently started thinking about what the American dream is, and what it really should be. Is it creating a life for your family and your future children that is more expensive than the one that you had? My thoughts are that the "American Dream" should be one that creates a sustainable lifestyle for generations to come, and not just sustainability, but creating something more, a world full of vitality and beauty! Is that really so much to ask? Instead of worrying about adding square footage to your home, shouldn't we be passionate about reducing waste? Growing our own food? Teaching our children about survival without smartphones, running water and clean socks should be higher priority than teaching them about "keeping up with the Kardashians." 

This is why it is of utmost importance to teach yourself these things before teaching others, and understanding the volume this lesson will teach the future.

 

That is my little ditty about Earth, and this special day devoted to making it better.

 

Always believe, the best is yet to come!

TMM (a daughter of Mother Earth)     <--- side note... too hippy-ish?! 

Garden. Haven. Taman. V2

Hey gang!
I'm back at it again with some fresh looks at my blooming buddies! As all of you can imagine, these little beauties are totally and completely treated like royalty. :) it's just too darn fun to spoil them!

Anyways- on Tuesday of this week, I repotted my toddlers into their first pots. SO cute! They grow up so quickly!

A quick report- I planted the following flowers: cosmos, asylums, and moonflower! I also planted the following veggies: carrots, peppers and sugar snap peas! The race to see which is the quickest grower goes to my sugs. The race for most coverage and overall improvement goes to the carries. The one that looked like dirt the longest: peppers. And I honestly thought the moonflower was looking a bit like lettuce for a long while. Perhaps they were switched at packaging? :)

As you can see, each are getting to be so mature! I won't see any full maturation until another 45ish days! Whoop!

I was at Home Depot purchasing their new homes and I came across some strawberries, so I decided to purchase along with a pretty yellow flower situation. Hopefully they fit right in with my babies.

Garden. Haven. Taman. V1

Garden = English
Haven = Danish
Taman = Indonesian


Wow! What a great time of year it is. The snow is melting (slowly) and the sun is shining!
I have decided to plant some green things in my apartment. Some call me crazy, but I started from seeds! This extravaganza began on Thursday, March 28th!

Aren't they cute little guys? :)
Then I planted them into their individual cells during their germination period, which for my species is 7-10 days.
One of my highlights so far was when a couple of my pals sprouted before their due date! They were just so excited to get up and see who the insane lady was that was talking/singing/humming to them! (Disclaimer: that lady is me.)

I have been most impressed with the sugar snap family, they sprouted WAY early.

During the germination period, it is important to keep the little guys wet and warm. This is aided with a film that covers the top to let light in, and keep it moist. This is to stay on until they are tall and have a couple of leaves/appendages.

As we can see, the plants are STILL alive after day 7, so the good news is... I am so far successful!! Whooopie!! My plan for the plants is to keep them outside of my apartment on my balcony, and they will produce super awesome flowers and veggies.

I hope you've enjoyed my process so far. I will keep everybody updated on their progress over the next few months

Time IS Predictable

Hello all! 

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately. About the secret to a successful life. What do you think it is? It appears to me that all successful people have this same thing in common: determination and well-spent time. Isn't it true? Most things in life take an incredible amount of time: relationships, raises, interest on IRA accounts, self-started businesses, healthy lifestyles, art masterpieces... I mean these things don't just happen overnight! Think about how you spend your time? You don't get skinny overnight, and you don't get overweight overnight either. You don't become a billionaire by doing ordinary things. The key is to invest your precious time into something you are passionate about. 

The great thing about time is that all people have the same amount in a day! Although those days are different for everyone, we still have the opportunity to mold it into something. It's been very interesting to see how much time I take doing things. Even though I might spend 30 minutes a day on Facebook, that adds up to 3.5 hrs a week and 182 HOURS a year, which is about 8 days. 8 DAYS PEOPLE, more than a whole week. 8 days that you could've spent working out, reading, having a meaningful conversation, praying, or napping! WHAT?! And think, that's just 30 minutes a day. Do you know people who spend 3+ hrs daily watching TV?

I triple-dog dare you to take a look at the next 3 days of your life, and document how long you spend on activities. Average them out and figure out your life and what you spend time on. 

This wonderful realization of time management has some people in control, being able to discipline themselves long enough to make something wonderful out of it! With others, time management is something that controls them. It's like laziness is a disease, consuming your time that holds so much possibility and potential. 

It's amazing to me to work in the direct sales business. This is the industry where you find all levels of self discipline and time management skills. It truly is! I must say that I've been on both ends of that spectrum. It is SO evident to me that some people have total control over their business, they are the consistent achievers and high earners. This is NO trick, secret or miracle. These women earn their way to where they are. Although some might think it's true, women don't usually call me constantly until my schedule is booked. I have to work it until I get what I want. 

Isn't this true in all aspects of life? Not just business? Take a look at someone you know who has been struggling with weight issues, exercising, addictions, or keeping a healthy relationship! What do you notice? 

It may sound like I'm saying to have every minute of the day planned, and that is certainly not the case. I truly believe in taking "you" time to sharpen your saw. But what can you do to boost productivity in your daily life? Is it taking 2 minutes to drink an additional glass of water a day? Increasing your savings contributions an additional $50 a month? Time is your greatest asset, but it can also be your biggest threat to vitality. 

 

Wow. That was a really LONG post about life. Sorry to get so DEEP for mid-April.  :) 

Always believe, the best is yet to come! 

Taylor! 

The Return of the Blog

Hola! 

Hi Blog, I've missed you. It's been way too long. 
It was one of my resolutions to keep up with you once a week. I have failed on that mission for February! :( Sorry. 

Other than that, 2013 has been quite successful! Not only did I read some great books, become more active, but I also recently earned third place in our company's wellness challenge! Neat!  

Blog, you'll be excited about this, I have become really passionate about up-to-date news events, which really helps with my "worldly understanding" of how things work.

Another great thing that I've been trying to get into is the financial industry. Well I guess, not necessarily the industry, but into how it works, and I'm trying to break down that tall wall the government and professionals have built to make it impossible for common folk to understand.  It has been really interesting so far, but I've just scratched the surface. I have been learning about how to make my money work for me, not work for my money. It's seriously the way of the world. Why do people go to work? Because they truly truly enjoy work? Doubt it. At least a majority of people would rather not wake up early and put on uncomfortable clothes and sit around all day... So what is it? Fear? Are we scared of waking up and being poor? Are we scared what others will say? What is the driving force in our daily "race" to get our paychecks? I think it is quite humorous, we all end up under crushing debt anyways at the end of the day. We want large homes, cars, toys, educations... but at what price? Even though an enticing low APR will draw us in, we are still sinking into a place where we feared to be at in the first place. Fear? Desire? What I'm wondering is why don't we make our money work for us? This is what has sprung my inner drive to find out more. I'll let you know when I find it, Blog.

 FYI, my new favorite word is "Murrph." It can also be "Merrph" or "Murrphy" or any variation of the sort. What does it mean, you ask? Well... I'm not entirely sure. Maybe an outer sigh of disgust, boredom, a describing word... anything, really.

Blog, I hope you have a wonderful day.

Always remember, the best is yet to come. 
Taylor 

Chilled to the bone marrow.

Hello you. 
You beautiful human being. 
You amazing homo sapien. 

I have decided that the extreme cold-ness we are facing in this part of the world is strictly to keep the scallywags away from our women and children. 

Here are some other possible reasons we are "blessed" with this temperature:
-to remove all flying and disease infested insects from eating our brains.
-it allows the dirt rest & amp up its nutrients for a successful farming season in the spring.
-it keeps clothes on hoes.
-it gives the homeless a home (if only temporary).
-keeping the ice frozen, we (those who stay indoors) can revel in people slipping and falling.
-it gives us time to do other fun things such as read pointless articles, run on treadmills, and even test run different hot cocoa mixes.
-we can have an excuse to not shave. Lol... but that's a year-round thing for me.
-to blog, while wrapped like a burrito in blankies and zebra-striped robes.

That is what I feel the cold gives us. 
So remember that, people. 
When you're whining about the cold.
Think of my blog, and giggle. 
That should warm you up. 
:)

That is all, for now.

Always remember, the best is yet to come. 
Hugs, high-fives and Netflix.
TM

Colors. An original poem.

The world has lots of colors.
Each of us is one.
But when we come together, we blend into some.

So give me all your colors.
And I'll give you some too.
Let's gather together and become sisters and brothers.
That's just what people do.

There's nothing more in this world that stands the test of time
than all of us here and our colors deep inside. 
No matter your outside color, what counts is in your heart.
In order to live to the fullest, we must learn to love that part.

Each person has a color. It can change with any life choice.
Violence and hate need to stop, someone must raise their voice.
So this is me, trying to unite and rejoice! 

Instead of being angry and full of despair,
start on loving yourself and each strand of hair.
From there you will see the beauty grow and grow.
Before you know it, you will be smiling to and fro! 

We all live in our own realities, our own perceptions make us see.
But choose to see the world with a certain positivity.

I know I'm no rap star,
I know I'm not a poet, either.
But I know I am an artist and a believer.
I am just a lady with a dream for the world to not fall apart.
Let's choose to see the best color in each person.
Choose to see with all your heart.

TMM