Clean Slates

It's not quite the new year yet but I have been thinking about the reset that we are about to have. I bought a dry erase calendar over the summer and it is always very nice at the beginning of every month to wipe it clean and start over:

You see it as a new month, a new chance to get you goals in. To really take charge of you career, your life, your world. Sometimes I write goals out on the side and the are carried over from the previous month, knowing that I didn't get to them. I should get to them, I might still not, but I've definitely made an effort in writing them out.

Here's my November, it looks towards Christmas and has repeat goals of things I would really like to earnestly have come to fruition in 2017. I already gave you a preview of my untitled Great American Novel....I will give you a preview of the children's book too. Whether it will be an excerpt or a character drawing.....only time will tell.

Here's to a new month! Here's to a little clean slate in this crazy world!

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

What Is Happening

        This blog isn't a place normally for politics or current events but I can't sit here and stay silent. This world has gone mad. We are ripping each other down daily for opinions that before social media we would have sat and listened to with an open mind. It's a lot easier to be an asshole behind a computer screen than face to face.
     
        Now nowhere is safe. School, church, theme parks, a damn nightclub! Every time I leave my house I feel like I need to be on extra high alert. Scoping out everyone and making sure I have an exit plan. That's insane and that's the world  we have built for ourselves. A girl was killed signing autographs for fans. Numerous human beings were massacred while dancing and drinking and loving life. Another girl was murdered because she broke up with her boyfriend! No one is safe and no one is taking the blame. Pointing fingers in a circle until we implode onto ourselves.

         So now the conversation about gun control comes back up. No, we shouldn't completely do away with guns. Yes, there needs to be a review of the laws. In other countries there are laws requiring classes every year, there are laws requiring a longer wait/processing time. There are so many factors of legislation to look into, none of which abolish guns completely. If you do that then it becomes a very active black market situation and then you are worse than when you began.

         We need less hate in this world. More TOLERANCE. More LOVE. More RESPECT for your fellow human beings. We are all on this planet for such a short time. We need to stop all this negative bullshit and violence and get back as one. Peace is missing, and has been for a very long time.


Keep on, Keepin' on,

M.

When Did It Become February?

So my life has been a bit topsy-turvy as of late. February came in with a bang and a slap and a hell of an attitude. Things are happening that are 1000% out of my control and out of my man's control and only now a week and a half later we have reigned in this crazy. I won't delve into details because for now it's a grey area and I might make a more in depth article/blog when it's properly settled down. Today I just want to say....

To my friends/family:
I'm very thankful for all of you and I appreciate all the kindness and support. I'm sorry that I shut down and I revert back into my little cave of aloneness and I shut everyone out. It happens, it's a defensive trait. I'm reaching out my feelers though and I would like some company very soon :)

To _____:
I miss you and I love you. I'm sad that you are so far away. I'm sad that you can't visit. I'm sad for this whole situation. It's terrible for all parties and I feel that there is some much better solutions than the ones that we are faced with now. I hope you are happy, I guess. I hope you are doing well in school, you are smart as a whip and don't let anyone bring you down. You are a shining little firecracker, don't let anyone burn you out. I hope this finds you somewhere out there, know that you are loved and missed by more than me and whenever you want to come back, we're here with open arms.

That's all for now.

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

Thanksgiving is Nearly Here!

The holidays are upon us friends! I am honestly looking forward to both Thanksgiving and Chirstmas this year. More than I have in the past few years and I'll tell you what: It's great :)

I've been in retail for going on 11 years now and as the holiday season has crept up faster and sooner, it zapped alot of the spirit out of me for many years. On top of some person drama during those years, I really gave up on good cheer, just putting on a nice front. This year things have come back to a bit of normalcy and drama has been squashed away, and even my store has gone companywide and given us a day completely off on Thanksgiving. The mall held out until November to put up their Christmas lights. I heard Santa isn't even showing up til after Black Friday!

Also, in moving over here to St. Pete, we have bonded with a wonderful block and now I have a pair of lovely ladies to craft Christmas bobbles and garlands with! We're so happy to get together and just enjoy each other's company. My parents had a neighborhood group when they lived in Chicago and they always talk of it with fond memories. To this day I'm pretty sure they still send each other Christmas cards....30 years later! This is the neighborhood we have found, this is where we'll stay :)

When I do crafting, trust that I shall put a few DIY blogs up!

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

November Thoughts

It has been a pretty tough month over here. As much as from the outside it may seem nice and sunshiny, it's been quite a struggle. We planned way too much for two people for Halloween and the party, went way over our heads and subsequently ended up too stressed and too tired to even enjoy ourselves. On top of blowing money on a party, my man had serious truck problems that threw a sizable wrench in his life. So here we are miserable and still having to try and put on a good face. It's really hard. When your body and mind separate and won't go back together it is the absolute worst thing in the world.

Cut to Halloween, which was actually pretty fun and we ended up going downtown with our friends.

The next day was a meltdown of uncertainty and fear. When you need a huge piece of your business is disabled and things are seeming to fall apart it becomes very damaging to your psyche and thus your body. Your brain can make you more ill than any virus or bacteria, it's insane.

Cut to the next day and things began the upswing of all upswings.

This year has been the hardest of all my years. It's had the lowest of lows and highest of highs and to be perfectly honest it's really worn me out. A lot of change has come about, mostly for good, but still it's been exhausting. I am for once very much looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas this year and also 2016. It's time for a new year clense in this little family unit I have and make our lives richer than before.

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

Great and Wonderful Days!

So I submitted a piece to the website, HelloGiggles. THEY ACCEPTED IT!!! YAYAYAYAY!!! I was pushed towards what I want to do, did it and things are happening!!! Really going full force now and signing up for writing courses locally to expand my mind and tweak my skills. I am becoming happier every day and I think that it's really paying off karmacally(SP??).

In other news I am piecing together items to form my voodoo witch queen head-dress extravaganza. I am not sure why I have such a dramatic flare when inevitablly I know that I will hate and eventually remove this piece by my drunkeness at around 2am. But if I come out this year with some cool photos in our backyard swamp, I suppose it will be worth it. Beauty (swamp fashion!) is pain.

Using this little guy as the centerpiece starting on my forehead:

These friends as some sort of decoration on the costume. Currently they are playing Sia and swinging from our chandelier.

This is my wig. Not using those flowers, but wanted to give her a ~look~ (Feeling those Lana Del Rey VIBES)

All in all I am excited with life. I shall more than likely update on the head-dress construction. Look out for it soon!

Keep on, keepin on,

M.

Ready For Fall!

Hello Internet Friends!!!!
   I have missed this. I am ready to take this blog and really do it a great service. I'm also really ready for Florida to be on the autumnal trend. Let's hear it for sweaters and boots for real y'all. But back to the blog, I really do like writing when I get down on it. I need to stop making silly promises to the ether and make serious promises to myself. What good is having a creative outlet if you never use it? It just makes more brain clutter, not to be confused with brain matter, haha you need that! Ahhhhh anyway....I'm going to write. That's it, that's all. I'm going to just get out there and do it or else I'll always kick my own ass on what might have been.

New to this blog at least, I want to start giving you a visual into my little ramble world, so thus now I shall add photos of said skunk or adventures or cool things my man and I create.

Speaking of my man, he and I are starting to plan and build for our annual Halloween shin-dig which is in the third year of life. It is the most fun I have all year. I love planning a costume, I love decorating, I love making party food and drinks and I LOVE having a blast with my friends.

Here is a taste of the first year:

And then last year(Where we really went all out):

What does this year hold? I'll tell you that the theme is a VooDoo Bayou after our fantastic trip to New Orleans this January. I think I've settled on being a swamp witch, but who knows? I tend to be indecisive when it comes to costumes! Trust that this adventure will be well documented this go-round. Til then....

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

Night Blogs

I feel that when I don't keep up with this blog, I'm doing a disservice to my soul. Like I want to be a writer. I want to put out the next great American novel. I have no clue what it will be about and I'm pretty sure I won't know until that idea hits me a 3AM on an idle Tuesday.

I will be 30 in less than 6 months and right now, today, as I type this, that is the 2nd most terrifying thought in my brain. The 1st one is for another night.

How do you know when it all starts falling into place? Do you ever know? Or do you just tell yourself that lie of complacency that you've been taught. This is halfway where I thought I'd be 5 years ago. I'd like to be fullway where I thought I'd be a year ago, but I'm just better sometimes at coasting through than actually making hard, uncomfortable choices and leaping off that cliff.

Here's to August being the month I really write full force and change my life!

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

Sunday Morning

Hello and welcome to February everyone :)

Update from the last blog: My NOLA report will be live on www.lifebetweenweekends.com Feb 9th! YAY! I am very excited and very grateful and very happy.

In other news, I've kicked around the idea for a few years to start a little business and see if anything happens. So thus I give you Renate Rose Jewelry! I have a shop coming soon to Etsy and of course will keep this blog up to date on all details and pages to see and whatnot.

Ok, shameless self promos over.

This has been a strange and frustrating 2015 so far. Yes New Orleans was amazing. Yes I am excited for new ventures and randomly wonderful opportunities. But despite all that it has already been a hell of a struggle in the back burner personal side of things. Outside everything seems pretty smooth and together but inside certain things are just ripping apart my good nature. I've always been good at squashing things and no letting the bad show, which at some points have made me feel like I have robot parts. Can't let those rust so you can't cry over every little thing.

When you're little you are told that you have the whole world in front of you and you can do anything. When you grow up that stops and suddenly you're painted into a corner and given all these roadblocks that prevent you from just going for it. I think it's time that those walls get steamrolled right down. Live your life at any age still believing that you can do anything. Don't them anyone make it hard. Don't let yourself make it hard. I've spent too long getting painted and now I've come to the conclusion that maybe it was always me holding the brush.

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

Writing This Blog With A Skunk In My Lap

Hello!

I have been back home from NOLA, but not yet back to work. Tomorrow I shall finally return to the retail world. I actually can't wait. Yes I love vacations and yes I love to have lazy days, but after so long you just itch to get back out there and work! In my dreams and goals, I very much envision myself working from home and all that freedom. Work for myself, make my own hours, not worry about other possibly rude people. It's definitely something that I would like to make a reality in the next few years.

In accordance with my being back from vacation, I am posting about my trip. However it will be a guest blog on another website, run by a dear friend and her husband. It is called Life Between Weekends ( www.lifebetweenweekends.com ) and I highly recommend you check it out. It's all about living everyday like Sunday, which for most is their best day. Why not make everyday your best day? I will be sure to update when the NOLA post goes up.

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

DAY TEN

WEEKEND BEFORE NOLA

Awwwwwwwwww YEA I'm excited. Monday morning we leave for New Orleans. I have never been and have made a list of all sorts of places to check out. Can we pack everything into 4 days? We're sure as hell going to try! My man, my best friend and his best friend are road tripping up and passing through Mobile, Gulfport and Biloxi as well. I am ready for southern countryside and adventures.

Won't be blogging during the trip but will be returning with a megablog of all the shenanigans!

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

DAY NINE

First proper day of vacation and what's planned for today? Cleaning.

We are going on vacation and I have learned that coming home to a clean house is easily one of the best things you can do for yourself. No one wants to come back from relaxing to do work. You want to come home and still relax.

So today I clean. And probably write an article about St. Pete for my friend's website.

It's called Life Between Weekends and it helps you stay energized and positive from M-Th :)

Keep on keepin' on,

M.

DAY THREE

Lazy day for sure.

Last night we went out to St. Pete's First Friday with a very dear friend and her friends from Germany. It was awesome!! We had a ton of fun and ended up dancing until the bar closed. The holidays were so quick and packed together this year and both of us have been pretty exhausted, but sometimes going out spontaneously is just what you need.

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

DAY ONE

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's 2015. What will this year hold? Who knows! That's the best part, to live by adventure. In 12 days I'll be starting my 29th year on a fun vacation with my man and my best girlfriend to New Orleans. I can not be more excited to start my year of travel around the US in such an excellent city.

Last night was New Year's Eve and we spent it with our dear friends a bit further north in Florida than our home. We were surrounded by acres of land and woods, had a huge bonfire, too many drinks and shot fireworks off at midnight. It was a great way to see one year off and ring in the newest.

This day is for relaxing, so I'm ending here. First of my year goals has started and I don't plan on ending til 12/31/15 :)

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

GOALS

Good bye to 2014 HELLO 2015!!

New Year's resolutions are always in full swing for everyone round this time of year, and I am no different. I think this year, this is the year I accomplish things! But seriously though, 2015 I want to accomplish ALL the things.

Presented to you, the internet and so that I have a record of my musings, GOALS:

1. Freaking blog here EVERYDAY. Really make the commitment.

2. Get healthy. I know, I know so cliche, but what's so bad about putting the idea in to get healthy?! NOTHING.

3. Save my money. I'm the worst at saving and penny pinching and I need to grown up manage my finances.

4. Go on more trips! Get that work/life balance, well, balanced! And plus saving money will help fund the fantastic adventures my man and I could take.

5. Read more. Unplug(hahaha as I write this on a laptop) from the internet. Take more time doing real life things with real live people.

That's what I've got for now, pretty alright list. Here's to sticking to it!!

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

December Ramble

People always tell me to write what I know and how I feel...and I'm not sure that my jagged thoughts would make a fine blog. I want to write as my livelihood and that is my goal in 2015. I think this whole blog has been about goals and wishes and promises. UGH. I want to do like 8 million things and I get a strike of fear and then I'm like NOPE.

It sucks.

I could write about my days in retail. I could write about my skunk. I could write about me. What does anyone want to hear about???

Who knows. Maybe I'll figure it out in the next month

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

When did November Get Here??

It's November and finally we get a break in the heat! Current temp outside is a breezy 54 degrees!

This has been one of the best Halloween months on record. Between Haunted Hike, our 2nd Annual Halloween party and all our gatherings with friends have been really fun and wonderful. We are already planning out our props and costumes for next year, I'm pretty excited.

On the front burner is Thanksgiving. Why yes folks, there is in fact a holiday between Halloween and Christmas :) We are having a "Friendsgiving" this year and with all the traditional food, I always like to slip in a new recipe. Haven't found the right one, but I'm pinteresting for sure.

On the other front burner is how I can organize my space! We moved here in May and I have A LOT of things still waiting to be unpacked. This could just be an eye opener on what I could purge right out of my life seeing as how I haven't used/looked at these items in 5 months...BUT I know myself and that self is saying oh you know one day I'll need this. Spoiler: I won't.

But that's what's on deck for my Sunday.

Glad I woke up early and gave myself the challenge of writing to you, the internet. Being slightly proud :)

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

Putting In Work

Ok here I go.

Going to blog everyday. Starting today. Right now.

Technically you might get 2 blogs today since I will probably write after I get back from the work that's paying my bills.

Yep. Doing this. Here's my internet diary.


Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

October is the coolest month....

It's October y'all!

Halloween is coming, fall has begun, and in some places seasonal leaf changing and temperature dropping is happening!

We are having an epic Halloween party this year, I am very excited and am currently living in the most decorated home on the block. I am quite pleased :)  I have always been a fan of the 10 month on the calendar, however being with Christian over the past 5 years has 100% improved my appreciation for all things spooky. I put a lot more effort into festivities and my costume. I am quite glad to have had this happen.

This year I am going classic monster movie and being the Bride of Frankenstein. The makeup is my favorite part, I've watched quite a bit of tutorials for inspiration and feel like it'll look great.

Here's to the hopes!

Keep on, keeping on,

M.

HELLO!

Hello fair readers!

Many apologies for my lack of bloggin' :(

It has been rather stressful around here and I sort of forget that I could de-stress by writing. I make a pledge to you (and me!) though, I shall be keeping up on this little journal very very soon! My man and I have found a wonderful place to live and will be moving in May 1st if not sooner. It's a lovely old house in St. Pete full of 1920's charm :) I feel it will be quite an excellent change in all facets of our life.

So, watch this space!
Keep on, keepin' on!

M.