GOALS - 2021

GOALS – 1/1/2021 RUN A SUCCESSFUL CANDLE/RESIN BUSINESS OPEN AN OFFICE SPACE HIRE AN ASSISTANT MAKE 100K IN MNG THIS YEAR AND TRIPLE THAT EVERY YEAR MAKE PLANS AND TIE ENDS TO QUIT PPD AND WORK FT AT MNG PURCHASE DREAM CAR SUBMIT ANCESTRY KIT AND TRAVEL TO THE COUNTRIES LISTED BECOME HAPPIER AND HAPPIER HAVE MORE PATIENT WITH MY HUSBAND AND KIDS BUILD MORE MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS WITH THOSE I CARE FOR AND LOVE TAKE BETTER CARE OF MYSELF. EAT HEALTHY, EXERCISE OFTEN, DRESS IN WAYS WHERE I’LL ALWAYS FEEL CONFIDENT, TRY NEW HAIRSTYLES, REGULARLY GET MASSAGES AND FACIALS. HIRE CHEF FOR MEAL PREP AND EVENTUALLY IN HOME GET CLOSER TO GOD REMAIN HUMBLE GIVE BACK TO THOSE IN NEED WHETHER MENTAL OR PHYSICAL. HAVE MORE EMPATHY APOLOGIZE AND FORGIVE OFTEN START PERSONAL (ME, JOSEPH & ALL MY GIRLS) AND MARRIAGE COUNSELING WITH AN AMAZING THERAPIST

Week in Photos. Pt. 3

Me and Joseph for our family photo shoot. Really Christmas pictures that we received 5 days after Christmas. Remind me to never use JCPenney or Lifetouch again.

Ice Skating at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. They turn the pool area into a ice skating rink and play Christmas movies on the big screen. It was so cool. Long lines but worth the wait.

Erin asked for a picture in front of the flower wall located inside the Venetian near Yardbird. I asked Emery to join. I already knew it would be like pulling teeth with Eden so I didn't bother.

Eden's birthday cake made by my cousin Tyra of TTgotcakes. Isn't she a beauty? Delicious as well

More family pics. Silly this time but apparently only me and Joseph got the memo lol

Erin enjoying her rock candy in the wonderful hotel bed. We stayed at the Venetian btw. It's always my first pick. Love the separated space

We wanted a group picture of all of the girls. Aren't they lovely?

Can't forget the Bellagio water display

Christmas morning at home

Bellagio garden is another one of my faves. I love the holiday transformation. Lines were long

Rae's Guide To Gift Giving for Kids 3, 8 and 12

As my girls grow I'm always surprised by something. Even if it's something repeated by each child. This Christmas my struggle included purchasing for my middle daughter, Emery who is 8 years old. 8.5 as she would correct me. I found purchasing gifts that'll suit her interests especially difficult this year as she's growing out of her toy stage. She'll still request a LOL OMG dolls here and there but that's about it. So where do you turn when your child begins to lose interest in toys yet they're so young. Luckily, sites like Pinterest make it a little easier. You can also count on YouTube to have a video as well. As for Emery, she's my little gamer and would spend every breathing moment on Roblox if we let her. I love to purchase gifts that people will actually use and like. I guess everyone does but for me you won't catch me purchasing something just to give a gift. I rather not gift anything. One year I bought my sister a new broom, mop, cleaning items and lotions because she'd often mention she'd need replacements of those items. Her boyfriend was so confused like "why would she gift you that?" but that's just how my mind works. Also, they say people gift you things they like and speaking from personal experience, I definitely wouldn't mind those items as gifts. It's been years since Eden went through the same stage and I've forgotten what I purchased but even if I did remember, I bet they're interests are nothing like. Eden and Emery are like night and day and I love it. One thing I do remember is searching Pinterest for ideas for both of them. This year I also watched a few YouTube videos I found helpful. With that being said, here is what I came up with for Emery. An Ipad because now that Joseph is working from home our home computer is always taken and both Joseph and myself would like our phones back. An electric scooter and helmet because I find outdoor play to be essential for all of my kids. BlackPink surprise doll and pillow because when Emery isn't playing Roblox she's working on her choreography to BlackPink songs. LOL Remix Surprise because that was the only toy she asked for. A jelly soap maker because I love to include arts and crafts as gifts and Roblox giftcard so she can purchase whatever her little heart desires on Roblox. Since we're on the subject, I might as well include my other girls as well. My oldest daughter Eden is 12 years old. She turned 12 this past Christmas Eve. I'm happy to report that she was a lot easier to purchase for this year. Should I say that as a 33 year old grown women many of my interest include things that kids her age like as well lol. No shame in my game. She loves kitchen gadgets, face masks and all the quirky things a tween's heart may desire. Her gifts were a face mask palette, skateboard and helmet, Ariana Grande Sweet like Candy perfume, Charli D'Amelio book, Power Bank, candle making set, tie dye lounge set and clothes she didn't trust me purchasing for her but I got them anyway. Lastly, as for my baby girl Erin 3 this may be the best age for gift giving ever. She's fully aware and loves everything. I bought her some shoes some months ago and she jumped up and down, screamed and gave me the biggest hug as she thanked me. So I had to gather some self control because I wanted to buy her everything. Some time ago a family friend gifted Erin their old scooter. She rode it until the handle broke so that was #1 on my list. I also snagged a stroller and carrier travel system from Costco that turned out to be excellent quality. I guess that shouldn't be a surprise. I've never had an issue with quality from Costco. Peppa Pig fancy house 40% off at Target, Aqua Magic Mat that received rave reviews on Amazon. What parent doesn't want art thats mess free? Melissa & Doug slice and bake cookie set and pattern blocks and boards. Lastly, Frozen Little People set because it was 40% off at Target and she loves Frozen. BTW Target circle is great year around but especially around Christmas. Every week they mark toys down by 30-50%. It's great! I hope this helps anyone looking to purchase gifts for kids whether it's for the holidays, birthdays or just because :)

If you want to make God laugh, tell him you plans - Woody Allen

I'm sure God gets a good cackle out me often because I'm a planner by every definition. My Friday at work typically consist of planning the weekend and coming week. If things don't go according to my plans, it causes me major anxiety to the point where I'm often sick to my stomach. Our escrow closed a day late which delayed us getting the keys to our new home and I'm embarassed by the amount of stress it caused me. To my defense all of our belongings were now packed in a uhaul, we had already been sleeping on the floor and I had to return to work the day after the new move in date. That just an excuse. Not even a good one but here I am justifying my actions. Let's backtrack a little... Yeah we sold our first and only house and moved closer to our hometown. Just in case this blog pops off and I get famous lol I'll leave the specifics out. For privacy reasons or whatever the "net famous" say. But yeah we moved closer to our hometown which was the goal, pulled the girls out of their current schools and enrolled them in a much better school district that we hope and believe will provide them many great opportunities. We've only been in the new spot for a week and a half but it feels temporary. I feel major changes are coming and coming fast. With the sale of the house we're able to pay off about 75-80% of all of our debt and still have a nice savings. Joseph and I have wanted to travel with our girls for some time now but his business, our house, my job, debt and lack of savings had us in a bind. Now that all but one of those things are pretty much non existent, we both feel free to do as we please. Initially our goal was to go to Africa for a month. Ghana to be exact but we'd like to travel all over the world and I personally feel starting off closer to home, SoCal, may be the better option. We've been doing a lot of research on Merida, Mexico and feel it may be our starting point. Personally planning gives me something to look forward too. Besides me allowing it to make me sick which it doesn't go according to my plans, I don't see it as a problem. Life is full of changes and I'm on a journey to embrace it.

Let's Catch Up!

Let me actually start by scrolling back to late March to see what we were up to and figure out how much catching up we need to do. Stand by... Ok, I'm back (that took hours btw) First pic is Erin who just turned 3 on August 16th. This was my first time putting her hair in pony tails and she loved it. Next was my first time using the griddle on our new stove. I made pancakes and also tried to perfect shrimp and cheesy grits which was a fail. For one I like my shrimp with some char and I couldn't perfect the cream, seasoning to cheese ratio with my grits hardening. I'll leave it to the pros for now. Pros being my friends Crystal and Frank. Next 2 are the Cal Poly Farm Store that I wish I had discovered long ago. We visited back in April and haven't been since but it was so nice, especially during that time. We made been in the house for weeks and a trip to the farm store was just what we needed. It's kid friendly, plethora of products including my fave which is fresh produce and plants. Try it. Pomona, CA Last 5 photos are from Descanso Gardens in La CanAda Flintridge, CA. This was our first social distancing day trip and let me tell you, we all needed it! You have to make reservation. Mask are required. The garden is huge and I'm happy I changed our reservation because there's no way we could've seen 1/4 of the garden in the 1.5 hour time slot I initially chose. Oh and last but not least they also serve margaritas you can walk around with. Pictured is their pineapple jalapeno marg.

Anniversary - Mini Getaway

9/5 marks our 12 year marriage anniversary. Our finances have been a bit on the rough side this year due to income being cut drastically. With that being said I know we usually plan an anniversary getaway every year but I was considering skipping this year, however, my husband made a very valid point by mentioning "every anniversary is worthy of a celebration." Can't lie, it immediately made me want to give him a big bear hug because it's so true. This year we decided to keep it simple and we with Las Vegas. It's about a 3.5 hour drive and a good drive. Good meaning there's lots to do and see along the way so the time flys by. My wardrode is in need of a serious overhaul. Between the covid 15 weight gain and not purchasing clothes in a long while, I just need clothes! While staying on budget I purchased some items from Forever 21, 1 romper The Wildflower Shop and lastly I used my Nordstrom and order some Teva sandals that I'm probably most excited about. Teva 'Original Universal' Sandal (Women)$49.95 - Nordstrom

Forever 21 - High-Rise Biker Shorts $8 - Leopard Print D-Ring Belt $7.99 - Cuffed-Sleeve Pocket Shirt $19.80 - High-Rise Straight-Leg Jeans $29.99

I'm sure I've mentioned it before but I still love Forever 21 as a 33 year old woman. I keep it basic when purchasing their items tho. I sometimes find myself power walking to something that catches my eye only to flip it around and see a "I love peanut butter" graphic on the other side. We'll be staying at one of the most beautiful hotel, The Venetian. They have a BOGO offer for essential employees. You have to call in and show proof when you check in but how can you pass on that deal? Not only that but they gave us the most expensive night as the free night. That's unheard of! I made reservations for Hell's Kitchen. A few years ago I recall my coworker Lucy say there was like a 2 or 3 month wait to dine there. I've been watching vlog about what to do out there with all the restrictions but even if we stay in our room and dine out once, I'll be satisfied.