AGE

 

“Aging is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person that you always should have been.”

– DAVID BOWIE

I CONCUR!!!

ROCK THE HIVE

 

PETRICHOR

 PETRICHOR: The smell that fills the air after a fresh rain. 

INNER GROWTH

“Real growth is about becoming more of who you already are.”

– LORI GOTTLIEB

In my forties I undertook the project of finding myself.  It all started when my children asked what my favorite ice cream flavor was, and I didn’t know. I looked at my life and realized somewhere along the way I had lost who I was. It wasn’t really about ice cream, but knowing me as an individual.

Learning to become you is tough. You have to stop listening to everything around you and focus on the person within. 

I found the things about me that had I loved, and I found gigantic wholes in myself that I had to reconstruct. 

Finding me was the hardest project I ever did. But by far one of the most rewarding. 

I also learned that you can reinvent you into a far better version of you. Becoming someone that you not only like, but whom you truly love. After all, you are the only person you have to wake up with every morning of your life. 

By giving yourself the right to keep evolving, you will learn to love the life you have.

I learned to really like myself, then I learned to love who I am. It was a game of life changer for me.

And… Rocky Road, the kind with marshmallow swirls, not the little marshmallows. This is my favorite ice cream. Followed closely by butter pecan!

KEEP GOING

 "Maybe the bravest thing we can do 

is keep existing, 

keep creating, 

even when the outcome 

is uncertain."

PD

But... I never again want to merely exist. Life is far too short. Existing is not truly living. There is no effort in existing. And I for  one want to put all my effort into living. Being a better version of me today than I was yesterday. Being kind and loving to those in my life, not just those in my inner circle. 

Be Brave... Live Well! 

YOOHOO?

 I tried my first YooHoo today. 

And to my surprise it tasted just like chocolate milk!

I love chocolate milk, even though I rarely drink it.

Then I looked at the amount of added sugar...

and I poured it right out. 

Now I know! WooHoo...I mean YooHoo!

MOVE

"If your world doesn't allow you to dream, move to one where you can."

- Billy Idol I’m a firm believer in the knowledge that you don’t have to live where you were planted.  It’s a big world… LET’S GO! am

DEFAULT STATE

 Happiness is the default state. It’s what is there when you remove the sense that something is missing in life.

N R

FAST FOOD

I read this article this morning:

America’s Favorite Fast Food Restaurants by State

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-each-states-favorite-fast-food-restaurant/?ck_subscriber_id=3056517229&utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=For+a+happier+relationship%2C+order+takeout+-+20322411

And I was delighted to find that YES I am a product of my environment. 

If you know me at all, you know that as an Arizona native, there is not much I wouldn’t to for a ‘Jack in the Box’ taco. I will HAPPILY drive two plus hours just to get one… or an entire bag of them!

But last nights experience taught me that my current location, here in Kentucky, is also a dead ringer… 

We don’t get take out pizza very often, but Pappa John’s is my go to (easy app, customizable options, super thin crust and it’s close to my home).

 Last night was Friday night, and the wait for my pizza order was longer than usual. As I pulled up to the pizza hub, it was PACKED! This isn’t a shop where you can enjoy your pizza at a table, it’s strictly a pick it up and go type place. So upon arriving I was shocked to see over a dozen cars parked everywhere. 

The app showed me that my order was still being prepared, so I parked by the sports store behind the pizza place and watched the show… The amount of cars in line for pick up stretched into the alley. The Smart Car delivery driver truly looked like an animated wind up toy darting in and out at the speed of light. I guess I had never picked up a pizza order there at 6pm on a Friday night before, but it was very entertaining. And showed me that, YES, Papa John’s Pizza is a Kentucky favorite. (And yes, my thin crust pizza was perfectly yummy!)

SHOWER UPGRADE

 This is awesome! I totally recommend this purchase!

And it was easy to install!!

YEARS END SURPRISE

 

We were invited to celebrate the marriage proposal of dear friends New Years Eve. It was an awesome way to end 2025 and start 2026! 

ULTIMATE TRUTH

“A purpose of human life, 

no matter who is 

controlling it, 

is to love 

whoever is around 

to be loved.”

– KURT VONNEGUT

I believe this to be the ultimate truth.   ♥️

LIVE BETTER, HEALTHIER, LONGER

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IrVHB0Hp3F0%3Futm_source%3Djoin1440&utm_medium=email&user_id=66c4bf685d78644b3aa504c9

My take aways:

*Don’t worry alone. Share by talking to others.

Stress can cause physical issues (Fight or Flight). Sharing with someone; speaking with a friend or confidant, can help lower our stress and loneliness. Thus, helping lower our stress levels and bolstering our relationship level.

 *Relationships = Better, Healthier, Longer Lives

Being in contact with others, physically (touching - like hand holding) as well as talking, makes us feel safer. Which causes less stress. Bringing us a better, healthier, longer life.

2026 Night Sky

 Celestial Calendar

http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2026.html?ck_subscriber_id=3056517229&utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2026%20events%20to%20add%20to%20your%20calendar%20-%2020237381

A HAPPIER JANUARY

 https://actionforhappiness.org/calendar

NEW YEAR

 "Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life."

Live every day to the fullest.

Welcome the new; experience the things that take you out of your comfort zone. 

Speak from your heart and know that yours is a life worth living out loud.

Find the magic every day. 

Show your happy to everyone!

And never be afraid to invest in you! 

Let’s make 2026 

Amazing!

WONDER

 

“Wondering leads to wonder.”

– CARLOS WHITTAKER

I’m ready to let one lead me to the other!!!

THE MUG

 This came from Mrs. Claus… it reminds me of my Emmaly. ♥️

MERRY CHRISTMAS

 

THE COOKIES ARE OUT…

 

FOG

 This morning there was fog....the thick kind that makes it so you can't see down the road. It makes the world a bit quieter and it is almost like snow...kind of. 

I love that we have fog today and the skies are gray... since we aren't getting snow for Christmas, I am happy with FOG.

TRACKING THE SLEIGH

 https://www.noradsanta.org/en/map

MAY YOU NEVER BE TOO OLD

 To listen for sleigh bells on Christmas Eve 

THE IMPORTANT PARTS

 

“What’s important to us remains the same. It’s that inside stuff: the need for love and acceptance, and getting to know yourself and your place in the world.”

– JUDY BLUME

SIMPLE BEAUTY

OBVIOUS

 

MEAL PREP

 I have always been a fan of meal prepping. I’m not a huge fan of the work. But this weekend I manned up and did the thing. 

I put in a pick up order at Sam’s Club Saturday morning and I hit Kroger too. My vehicle was full of ingredients and my head was full of delicious ideas. 

As soon as the groceries were unloaded the prepping began. My kitchen was overflowing but I wasn’t overwhelmed. I had a plan. And I cleaned as I went. 

It took most of the weekend (I had a grandson visiting, he was my priority, so I put my crockpots to work for a couple meals). I picked the meals we enjoy and made large family batches. There are just two of us to feed, but now I have a rotation of dinners, portioned and labeled, neatly stacked in the freezer, ready to go. 

I made sure all meals would be ready to serve in 30 minutes. That way dinner would be fresh, hot and not a drudgery. 

FREEZER MEALS (45)

Minestrone Soup 2

Potato and Leak Soup 4

Chicken Enchiladas 1

Mexican Beef (for tacos) 3

Mexican Chicken (for burritos or enchiladas) 5

Meat Loaf 4 (we tried this on already, and I think I finally got my recipe right!)

Marinated Pork Chops 5

Marinated Chopped Pork 2 (for fried rice)

Pork Loin Roast (for a get together- serving 4) 1

Marinated Beef Steak 1

Pot Roast marinated with Veg 1

Asian Beef  1

Chicken Stew 4

Chicken Stew with Dumplings 2

BBQ Pulled Pork 5 

Dirty Rice with Kielbasa 4   

Stuffed Shells 4

Lasagna 4

Home Made Refried Beans (burritos)

I plan on making Turkey Pot Pie with the smoked Turkey in the freezer also. 

I even baked Christmas sugar cookies. They are all wrapped in cute little Holiday bags ready for gift baskets.

A very full weekend, but so glad I did it! 

JACKSON

 We got the privilege of a sleepover with Jackson this weekend. This three year old is so smart and delightful. He was a blast to share the weekend with. (But I assure you, when he went home I took a nap!)

CHALLENGE EXCEPTED

 Set a 15 day goal that’s meaningful to you. 

Make yourself spend a few minutes working toward that goal each and every day. 

Once you have set your goal, it’s time to get to work! You have 15 days to get it done. 

Focus, plan and take proactive steps!

My GOAL is… to get my Creative Studio organized (so I can confidently leave the doors open. 

GO!

JOYFULLY

 “Perhaps the most radical act of resistance in the face of adversity is to live joyfully.”

– ARI HONARVAR

I LIKED THIS

 https://youtu.be/Vv_sjpclsZ8

BELIEVE

 Marie Curie

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.”

SHINE

 

“You can’t dim someone who learned to shine in the dark.”

– CASE KENNY

DECEMBER 2025

 

LEARNING SOMETHING NEW

We were out last night and I saw something I had never seen before. This license plate was super odd to me. So I looked it up and learned something new!

A license plate with "QQ" above the letters and numbers is a US Forces German plate, 

issued to US military personnel stationed in Germany. The "QQ" signifies a vehicle being exported from Germany, and these plates are a temporary measure allowing the individual to drive the vehicle before registering it in the US. Some of these plates may also have "USA" on them. 

Meaning: "QQ" indicates the vehicle is being exported from Germany.

Purpose: It serves as a temporary registration for US military members bringing a vehicle back from overseas, allowing them a grace period to get it officially registered in the US.

Issuing authority: These plates are part of a US military/NATO program for personnel in Germany.

STAND FOR SOMETHING

“Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that held its ground.”

​

– ROSA PARKS

HAPY THANKSGIVING

 

SNACKING

 

WOOLY WORM

 

I think his shade of black means a cold winter!

DOES THIS

 Ask yourself

“Does this support the life 

I’m trying to create?”

READY

 You’ll never feel          ready,

         Because ready       isn’t a feeling.

                It’s a decision. 

A BEAUTY

 

NORTHER LIGHT OVER THE OHIO

 In the middle of watching the UK game John asked me to put my shoes on. Here I am in my flannel nightgown and house coat, so I put my Ugg's on we headed outside. And in a couple minutes we were on the top level of riverfront parking garage. Because there in front of us was the Northern Lights! In Owensboro, Kentucky!

And here is from Jasper, Indiana

What an amazing sight!

WINTER WARDROBE

 I currently have more cloths than I have had in a very long time. I have branched out and expanded my attire farther than I think I ever have in my adult life. It all still fits in my tiny coat closet, but it’s expanded. 

In the last couple years I have lost a good amount of weight, and although I still have farther to go on that avenue, I’m loving the results as to things fitting better. 

Today on my piece of the map we got snow! The earliest snow I have yet to see. But it caused me to dress like an Eskimo to keep warm. So out came the winter wear. 

Living in the Valley of the Sun most of my life limited my need for winter clothes. But here in the MidWest, it’s totally game on for winter wear. 

Fleece lined knee socks and leggings, layering tank tops, long sleeved tops and sweaters. Fingerless gloves, scarves and boots. Yep I have them all. In lots of colors. 

After work today, I happily laid out my outfits for the rest of the week. Right down to footwear and jewelry. Normal, I stress over tomorrow’s outfit right before I go to bed. But not this week. 

Here is to winter! The best season for fashion!

A GATHERING

TG

TG

TG

TG

Thanks to Tom and Teresa Glass, and Mr Nate!!!

 

SNOW

November 10, 2025

THEN AND NOW

 Seven Years

FALL

 

THE BIG DAY

 

Just a few photos of The Riley’s Big Day!