Morning Rituals to Set Your Day

The blaring sound of the alarm echoes through my bedroom and then--

I turn it off in frustration, because let's face it, life can get pretty hectic. For me, it begins on Mondays. Always on a Monday. Actually, sometimes on Sundays, too. So to lessen the load I've made a list of morning rituals that I started doing to get my day going. Not all the time. Mostly. Hopefully, you can find some solace in these or at least a bit of inspiration.

Exercise:

I know how hard it is to get into a routine, but all you need is thirty minutes a day. If you suffer from anxiety like I do, it helps. Truly. My favorite exercise is old-fashion walking. I know, I know, boring. Simple. Yet I've found great success in just walking alone, and it started way back when I was in high school. I never do it alone. Either with my husband or son or both. The best part, it's quite simple. It could be around your block/neighborhood. Maybe the backyard, a  big enough one. Or how about the forest? If safe. I couldn't stress this more. Steps (as I call it) could also help you get used to moving your body and releasing added stress. Best done in the morning, trust me. It feels pretty amazing. If you are more advanced then I try things like high-intensity workouts mixed with weight training. Again, it doesn't have to be over an hour. Just something enough to get you moving.

Coffee:

There is nothing more refreshing than simply sitting in your living room or on your porch and just enjoying a warm cup of coffee. Hell, even tea. You don't even have to speak. Sip slowly, savor the taste, and let your mind focus on the flavor alone. Or daydream while sipping. Think about that upcoming vacation. Places you'd like to visit or explore. What about that first coffee you fell so enamored with? Try it. So I ask you this: When was the last time you truly enjoyed a cup of coffee without the noise?

Sage Burning:

I love this one. If I'm being honest, I don't do this every single morning because I don't have time. Yet I try to fit sage burning (white preferably) around the house in the morning, while humming, to clear up any negative energy from dark spaces in the house. I say this, respectfully, trust in the sage. The thickness shows you exactly where you need to focus and if you like the smell of burning leaves it adds a woody fragrance around the house. Try to open up windows while doing this, and always make sure to let out the last smoke at the front door.

Music:

I find music to be so inspiring, especially when working in a creative field or cooking, which is creative if you think about it, anyway. In the morning, I usually choose something cool, calm, and collective. It doesn't have to be songs with words. I think that music compositions work just as well. For me, even better. Imagine laying in your bed, headphones on, and just listening to the sound of the beat. The way the piano hits a note or the violin stringing beautifully in the wind. Music helps, I promise.

Writing:

Last but not least, if you're a writer like me it's always good to make time for it, preferably in the morning. For me, before work. Or perhaps early Saturday mornings before I leave out for the day or the house gets crazy. In fact, I find setting aside either words (100-1000) per day gets what's in my head on paper (word file). Or setting aside minutes. Usually, it takes me about an hour if I go this route, especially if I'm editing at the same time. Please. Don't do both, editing and writing. Ugh. It takes way too long and sometimes you can grow un-motivated, and we don't want that. Try writing in the morning, it'll help.

If you have any morning rituals list them below, I'd love to hear them.

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Yellowjackets - Finale - Took a Cultish Twisted Turn - and I'm Here for It!

this post contains spoilers,

Episode after episode the big bad has finally been revealed, and in a shocking new twist: Lottie Matthews. The empathic girl that could still be alive and manipulating a new pack of vulnerable people or survivors. Let's face it, if she had this superpower ability before the crash she would have been the leader and not Jackie. Yet out there in the forest, Lottie has tapped into some serious voodoo magic that nine times out of ten uses blood and sacrifice to do its bidding. In fact, she had us all fooled, I give her that. Seriously, there was something really dulcet about her. But as time progressed her sweet nature transformed into a sour, bear-slaying, while spilling eerie riddles. She's a witch man and she's casting spells and not the good kind either

Image credited to Showtime.

Speaking of Jackie, what a way to end her character. And it was brilliant if I'm being honest. There was nothing more heartbreaking than Shauna's cry for her best friend Jackie, just seeing her there frozen to the death put the show on my top list of unexpected endings. Honestly, I thought they were going to chase her down, as we saw on the first episode, and gobble her down like yesterday's leftovers. But no. Jackie didn't want to be around the girls anymore, especially after that night of weirdness, and the fact that Shauna isn't her little minion anymore. Yet her death was tragic. Poetic. And I would have loved for them to keep her around just a little longer for that added tension that she brought to each episode.

To not overcrowd this post, here are the total breakdowns of what we got out of the finale. Keep in mind, there are still a lot of questions not answered.

1. Misty is more than just cunning, she's a blood-thirsty killer and a part of Lottie's cult.
2. More sinister things happen out there that meets the eye - just ask Nat who tried to off herself before a group of freakish-looking cult followers took her away.
3. Shauna is haunted by Jackie and is living a life of guilt.
4. Taissa may be a part of the cult, too, as down in her home of darkness she has a voodoo shrine of offerings ( her dog's head is one of them ) to a god not even mentioned yet. And then with her malevolent smile at the end after she won the race confirms that the forest still has a hold on her.
5. Who was Adam, anyway?
6. Antler Queen is . . .

Image credited to Showtime.

Lottie.

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Ways to Get in the Mood for Valentine’s Day

We are a few weeks away from Valentine's Day and so I decided to set the mood a little, you know, fill the soul with dashes of positivity and of course sprinkles of stardust love. Lots and lots of love.

Number One:

Decorate your house with:

SWEETS

The obvious choice on Valentine's Day, right? Seriously, who doesn't want chocolates and cupcakes or dainty teacups or chocolate-covered strawberries on Valentine's Day? Below, are a few ways to decorate your home until the coquettish day filled with an aura of endearment arrives:

As you can see above, I added chocolate hearts and little bags of Lindor on top of books I simply adore. But you can get creative here. Try a few on your mantel. Perhaps even a few by the TV or bar area. In your bedroom. The goal here is to set the mood and get your mind ready for such a dazzling day, even if it's a day you celebrate alone. No judgment here. Do you.

Number Two:

CANDLES

At this point in time, you should be obsessed with candles. Not only do they make your house smell good, but they're also visually enchanting, especially when scattered about in the house (safety first). Below, are a few I think would work well to set the mood. But not only in your home, you could actually give these away as gifts. The point is to be creative:

You have many choices to pick from as far as colors and scents. Places like Yankee Candle, Bath & Body Works, Target — all carry different sizes of candles and scents for every occasion. My personal delectable scents, and my absolute favorites for a day like LOVE day, would be something that smells like cherries, cinnamon, vanilla, champagne, chocolates, or even cupcake scents that has most of what I mentioned in them. These are all things you could find at your local markets. But what we do with ours is we place the red candles in the bedrooms, a few on the bar. The smaller scents can go in dens or bathrooms. We also like to match them with bigger pillar candles (white preferably) to really set the mood.

Number Three:

MORE DECORATIONS

but without pictures:

 
• A crimson bedding piece with snow-white pillows
 
• Satin black Sheets – any color of your choice
 
• Potpourri that smells of flowers or mint
• Decorative Pillows
 
• Rose peddals for scattering about in bathtubs or on top of beds
 
• Heart Soaps for the bathroom
 
• Balloons – your choice

Well, that's about it . . . for now. Keep checking back for other Valentine's Day posts of meal suggestions and more personal favorites. Until then, be safe, be nice, and always, and I mean always choose:

LOVE

Oh, and if you have any more to add, feel free :)

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What Really Is Going on with Yellowjackets?

For weeks I've been glued to the TV screen watching this show unfold with only half-answers but definitely lots of mystery. We are one episode away before the show finally wraps up its season one with basically nothing really answered . . . at least not much.

And I know what you're thinking (yeah, get used to this phrase, haha) that they have answered us with this whole cannibalism bit or whatever. But have they? Have they really? Come on now. The wolves have yet to prove that they're even real. Mind you, the girls themselves are now making ravenous, weird animal noises as if they've truly lost it, leaving me with even more questions. Like for example: why would anyone sleep in an attic that had a dead body in it? Who the hell was Adam, anyway? We still don't know who killed, Travis (Kevin Alves) -- the kid version of him as we never got to know the adult one. And why haven't we've been told who survived out there besides the main four, though, there were plenty of other survivors.

So far the only thing that they all need to be afraid of is Misty and now perhaps, Lottie. Seriously, what is up with these two?

Come on now, just give us more before we have to wait a another year to get better answers! 

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Disney+ Shows to Put on Your Radar - Like Now

When I was younger you couldn't pay me enough to be in the house. Yet now binge-watching or tuning in to TV shows is my idea of fun. Below, I've listed quite a few new Disney+ TV shows to catch up on if you haven't already. None of these will disappoint you, I pinky swear it:

 
• Hawkeye (Marvel, science fiction)
 
• Loki (Marvel, science fiction)
 
• WandaVision (Marvel, science fiction)
 
• The Mysterious Benedict Society (family-fun, mystery)
 
• Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Marvel, super hero fiction)
 
• What... if? (animated, Marvel, super hero fiction)
 
• Secrets of Sulphur Springs (family-fun, hauntings)
 
• Just Beyond (family-fun, hauntings, holidays)

That's it for now. Of course, I watch a lot more than these but wanted to get you guys started on Disney+, a network full of nostalgia. Stay tuned for more shows on other networks. Meanwhile, drop a comment if you'd like to add more to the radar.

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REVIEW: Hawkeye - A Love Letter to Clint Barton Fans

Like Kate Bishop, played by one of my favorite actresses of this age, Hailee Steinfeld, I, too, loved me some Clint Barton. Still do. Disney+ has released some pretty amazing shows and honestly, I can list about seven thus far that have captured my attention and heart. But Hawkeye was my absolute favorite. A true gem. The lead of course is Hawkeye, played by the legendary man himself, Jeremy Renner. The character has always been admirable, taking perilous missions though he's only a human with no super strength. He's just a guy (well, a family man respectively) that was born a hero: no matter the cost.

The show Hawkeye, however, was like a passing of the torch type of thing to newcomer Kate Bishop. An amiable girl eager to become the new Hawkeye, name and all. In fact, the moment we met our new lady in lead we got the sudden expression that she wasn't all that skilled yet but a girl who would soon become a force to be reckoned with, I wager. Kate Bishop has a lot to offer to the MCU. From her talented archery. To her wanting to be a hero persona. To her composed fan girl personality toward Hawkeye (totally adorable by the way). What's not to like?

The show offers a series of bad guys, also a couple of red herrings, and the return of Ronin. Track Suit Mafia makes an appearance. Echo, who I hear is getting her own Disney+ show. The formidable Kingpin (do yourself a favor and watch DAREDEVIL if your haven't already). And without spoiling too much, someone close to Miss Bishop herself. Did I mention that we get the cutest scenes between her and Yelena (Black Widow's sister), and played by another favorite of mine, Florence Pugh? It's a must-see for all of you Hawkeye fans out there. And if you weren't a fan yet, you will be.

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Yellowjackets - Episode 8 - Flight of the Bumblebee - Wickedly Pushes the Plot Semi-Forward

this post contains spoilers, read at your own risk . . .

Since I couldn't start this review where the show began, I decided to start at Episode 8: Flight of the Bumblebee. Besides, I love the name, and it was a really great episode xx.

I've been keeping up with this bone-chilling show since day one. It has an all-star cast with a few familiar faces. A storyline not only intriguing but deliciously addicting and at times quite creepy, which I love. So with that said, I'll keep this review short and sweet. In Flight of the Bumblebee we finally get our first visual death: Laura Lee, played by Jane Widdop. The poor religious, hopeful girl, thought because she read about flying planes that actually doing it would work. Just like coach Ben, played by The Originals own, Steven Krueger, I had my doubts. But not with what happened with the plane. More like treating it like a car. Yes, you may read about how to drive but actually doing it is two different things. I promise.

Now, Laura Lee is dead. Gone. Parished. And not because of an actual plane crash, which would have been some serious Final Destination shit, but because her freaking teddy bear caught on fire for no apparent reason. What in the paranormal hell was that?

I'll tell you what it was. This eccentric, phantom wolf-infested island is possessed by a couple of (dare I say) shamans. It just has to be. Noticed how I used phantom before the wolves? Yeah. I still don't believe they were real. I just don't. But I do agree with this: There is something malevolent at play here, and whatever it is, it is out for each their souls. Like Annabelle, attached them to like lent.

Think about it. This unexplainable mess was shown in the first episode when we see a girl (who I think was the empath Lottie, played by Courtney Eaton) running through the forest surrounded by echos of creepy bird calls, and then BOOM, she falls to her death and is eaten by the girls dressed as a tribe or maybe tree people? Who knows.

But with episode 8 we are finally at a point where some questions are finally getting answered. One, Adam, played by Peter Gadiot, is from the past, but who? Two, Natalie, played by the legend Juliette Lewis, is haunted by whatever happened out there and continues to turn to drugs to ease the pain. Three, Misty, played by another legendary actress Christina Ricci, is all kinds of crazy. Four, and not really an answer but another question: did only four girls really survive out there? We'll see.

In the meantime, tune in to

YELLOWJACKETS

if you haven't. This show is insanely good.

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