Leslie's Litter

For years I have heard about how great it is when their significant other buys them something... roses, jewelry, their favorite coffee, something special from Target, anything.  I always roll my eyes and think, seriously?  Why?  Just go buy it yourself if you want it; why waste money on flowers that will be gone in a few days; who needs the extra desserts; etc. However the more time I have spent discovering myself, and the things that I need, I have also found that some people need these gifts.  They need to them feel love in the same way that I need my husband to hold my hand, put his arm around me on the couch, or play footsie under the table with me. In my research and reading through the years I have come across "The 5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman.  He goes in depth about each of the 5 Love Languages, how to tell what your language is, and to remember that just because you need to be loved in one way, does not mean that your partner feels the same way. We...

  2021 will be the sixth year that I have decided to choose a word for my year.  I have read about this for years, and have found that the practice has been more helpful for me over the years then making resolutions that I forget about by Mid-January, or goals that get sidetracked with the first misshapen. However choosing a word.... it allows you to just go back to it day after day for motivation and hope.  More often then not the word I focus on will mean something completely different by the end of the year, but it will still  exactly what I needed. In 2020 my word was Organize.  I planned to organize my goals, my house, my pictures, my computer, anything that needed to be decluttered and organized, I was going to get it done.  Instead, everything shifted with the onset of the Pandemic.  I had plenty of time, but the motivation and energy were being pulled in all different directions.  I quickly realized that I needed to organize my priorities....

 Over the years since I have started this blog I have gone from posting daily, weekly, randomly, and sometimes not at all.  I have always had the hope that I would be able to turn my blog into an income stream that would not necessarily support me and my family, but at least support my passion - traveling.  However, with my lack of consistency I have lost out on opportunities over the years, but it has all been at my own hands. I would like to say that 2021 is going to be THEE year.  The year that I focus on my blog. The year that I put my own wants first.  The year that I find consistency.  The year that I earn any kind of income from all of my writing.  However, in actuality, how do any of us know anything?  Who knows what 2021 will bring.  Who knows what TOMORROW will bring?   We can only control our attitude and our effort.  So, yes, I am going to go into 2021 with a positive attitude.  And yes, I am going to put forth...

  We all seem to have something that we find enjoyable or peaceful, that others think is strange, or just don't understand. Mine is surveys and product reviews.  I love doing this, and have done it for years!  It is calming, and a form of self-care.  I also love the benefits that I get from taking the surveys, and offering product reviews.  Yes, it can be time consuming, and sometimes I go weeks or months without logging into my accounts, but they are always there when I want to pick them back up. Just this year I have earned over $1,000 in gift cards to Target, Amazon, Macy's, Paypal and more.  I have also had the excitement of trying out new products including shampoo, conditioner, face lotion, and most recently an electric toothbrush. My husband used to make fun of me because I would sit up at night and do my surveys while we watched TV, or while he was out of town with work and I would be up all hours of the night.  Now, he enjoys the perks, and we...

In 2017 my team was tasked with exciting job of catering to the LPGA Marathon Classic for their week long golf tournament here in town.  We had less then 4 months to prepare, and we had never done anything on such a large scale before.  It was both exhilarating and terrifying, especially for an Enneagram 6 like me.  We are loyal and committed, but our biggest needs are security, and we fear not having the support and guidance needed.  What a way to walk into a task like this.   I was suddenly tasked with finding organizations to fill close to 200 shifts for concession stands, as well as around 75 employees to help me make this event a reality.  It took a lot of time, planning, questions, stress, and a roller coaster of emotions, but we did it!  It was amazing the feeling that you have after you accomplish something like that. Since then we have continued to receive this job each July, and each year has gotten a little easier.  We have ha...

I continuously make a commitment to myself to work on this blog... and I continuously fail to follow through.  Does anyone else have problems keeping promises to themselves? Now, here I sit at 11 p.m., on August 1st, writing a post.  Earlier this week I told myself (yet again) that I need to make my blog, and myself a priority, and yet I never took the time to sit down and write until I was ready to crawl into bed.  I forced myself to turn my computer back on and KEEP MY PROMISE TO MYSELF! So, here we are.  The beginning of another month.  Another opportunity for each of us to create our goals, organize our thoughts, and get back on track.  I find that every month on the First, I get to re-group, and realize where I stopped, and think about which parts of life I actually want to start up again. This month, I am going to remember to make time for myself.   It has been quite the year so far, for everyone, and so why not just take some time for yours...

This will be another fun holiday to celebrate, in quarantine. Luckily, things are starting to loosen up around our area so we are able to spend quality time with some of the family that we normally celebrate with, I was gifted a beautiful cart that we have had for close to 10 years sitting in our backyard.  My husband refurnished and repurposed it into a garden area for me so that I can enjoy my plants, without rabbits eating them, and without having to bend over to weed them and take care of them.  I also get the bonus of it having wheels, so when it decides that it is going to snow in the middle of May, I can just wheel it into the garage! This afternoon B decided to decorate the side of it with chalk, telling me how much she loves me, and that I am the best Mommy.  I planted tomatoes, mint, rosemary, kale and cucumbers.  Let's see how much of a green thumb I actually have! I was also given some lavender plants, as I have fell in love with lavender ove...

As you can see from previous posts... this blog is about nothing, and everything, all wrapped up into one website.   This started as a place to discuss the actions that my husband and I were taking to r educe our spending,  pay off debt, and try to retire at an early age.  At this time we had 3 cats, and a mountain of debt; home, cars, timeshare, student loans, and lots and lots of credit cards. Since then we have become parents to an amazing little girl, that deserves the world, and knows it.  She wants it all...and she wants it NOW!  (and yes, we listen to lots of Queen songs, I mean, who doesn't!??) We have been lucky enough to have steady jobs, and lots of opportunities over the years to work sides jobs for some additional income.  We followed Dave Ramsey for inspiration by listening to his radio show, reading the books, and listening to podcasts.  With all of this information we were able to pay off all of our debt, including our home,...

How has COVID-19 been treating your family?  Have you been cherishing the moments together as a family, laughing, snuggling, and playing more?  Or have you been scared, yelling, frustrated, and just trying to get through each day so that you can go to bed for as long as possible before starting all over?  Maybe you are having a mixture of these days.  Maybe the good outweighs the bad.  Or maybe for your family the bad is taking over with just a few days of happiness mixed in to keep you going. Either way, KEEP GOING.  We are all going through something, but it is not the same as anyone else.  I read this quote the other day, "We are all in the same storm, but we are not all in the same boat." It resonated so much in life right now, and I am thinking that it is the same for so many of us. We are facing the same "COVID STORM" but everyone of us has a different set of circumstances. Have you lost your job?  Are you working from home, or do you...

Did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo yesterday?  If so, awesome!  We did too!   If not, WHY NOT?!?! I don't drink anymore, but I can still celebrate. We didn't get to go anywhere, but we can still celebrate. Take every chance that you get right now to celebrate.  When life is a little "off" and things aren't as easy as they used to be, then we need to look for joy.  We need to find these reasons to celebrate, and as often as we can. Last night we ate Fajitas - chicken and beef - with guacamole, salsa, and all the toppings.  We drew our best verision of a Mariachi singer, and we sat together as a family.   Nothing over the top, nothing miraculous, but we laughed.  We smiled. We celebrated. What is something that you can celebrate today. The sunshine?  Getting a workout in?  Getting 10 workouts in a row done?  Not yelling at your child?  Even better.... your child doing their homework without you having to yell at...

Any one with children in school right now knows that this is a time period like no other.  Every school district is different in what it is asking of their children.  Some have given them a few pages to do at their leisure over the course of a week.  Others have a full days curriculum for each and every day, plus bonus activities.  Some have weekly meet-ups, some have no contact at all, and others have full daily classes that the students are asked to show up for.   As an adult I have always known that I was not meant to be a teacher.  I have some all kinds of personality tests throughout the years, as well as spiritual guides, and real-life experience through being a leader at my company, and each and every time teaching is at the bottom of my skill set.  I do not have it in me.  I am not patient, or understanding when it comes to learning and teaching.  I do not know how to explain why 2 plus 2 equals 4.  IT JUST DOES! ...

Prior to "Stay at Home" Life my mornings were rushed, to say the least.  I do not like to wake up in the morning, but love to get a lot of things off my to-do list before I walk out the door... a catch 22 of sorts. I would force myself out of bed as close to 7:15 a.m. as I could, rush to work out, shower, get myself dressed and then yell for B to get moving because we were going to be late.  She needed to wake up, get dressed, and eat breakfast while I packed her snack, lunch, and water bottle for school.  We would run around, and often leave the house grumpy because I yelled at her, or she didn't get what she wanted for breakfast because there wasn't enough time to make pancakes or eggs that day. Some days I would sleep in, not workout, and then still run around yelling because neither of us woke up until 8 a.m., and we had to walk out the door by 8:18 a.m. or we would be late to school...again. I was in the process of making a change at the beginning of March....

Gratitude.  Something that you hear about so much, and yet so few people actually practice. Gratitude is " the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness" Do you recognize this in your daily life?  Do you take the time to be thankful for everything that you are given?  Do you even realize all that you have to be thankful for?  Just because something bad  happens, does not mean that the whole day...week...month...year....will be bad.  Just that moment was bad.  It wasn't what you wanted or hoped for, but there are plenty more things that you can be on the lookout for to turn your attitude. If you look for things to be thankful for, you will find them surrounding you.  If you woke up today and started looking for blessings - a hot cup of tea, time to read, a smile and wave from a neighbor, being lucky enough to have your health, etc.  then you will continue to keep searching for blessings....

Over the past couple of weeks I have been very interested in Bicycles. Not the ones you ride, even though I have been going on more bike rides then usual as well, but the  decorative bicycles.  I have picked out some that I like for decoration on my porch, I have found note cards that have cute bicycles on them, and then yesterday for my birthday I received a card with an adorable bicycle filled with flowers, followed by an online picture that I was tagged in that read "Life is a Beautiful Ride" I kept thinking about how interesting it was that this kept coming up in my life, and so this morning I googled what a bicycle symbolizes.   According to  We Know Your Dreams  " Seeing a bicycle is a hint that you will reach somewhere."  It is a symbols of moving, going forward, and heading towards your future.  To me this means that I should start planning for my future, and deciding what I want my next step to be.  I have been thinking abo...

Today is my 35th birthday.   There is so much to celebrate, and so much to question at the same time.   We have been home with the "Stay at Home Order" since March 13th.  Seven weeks, going on 8 starting tomorrow.  This time has been such a blessing, but also a terrifying time for so many.  Sadly, the company I work for was shut down immediately on March 13th, and we still have no idea when we will be able to open our doors again.  We are in "Phase 3" and there has been no timeline given for when that will even begin.   I am choosing to look at the bright side of this venture, and realize that we can find something to learn in everything that happens.  If we just let things happen and just wallow in them, then what are we going to come out with on the other side.  We have to take the time to learn, and be willing to open our eyes to know there is more then just pain and suffering in this time.   Yes - People ar...

Have you tried these out yet?!   If not - you are missing out! I was lucky enough to receive these as a Free Sample from Kroger.   Now I can't go without them in my purse. Wonderful for before a meeting, after a Garlic dinner, or just to keep feeling fresh & clean! All the amazing things about Listerine - with the ease of a piece of gum. Tiny little tab that you can carry around with you, and at any time you need it - just pop it in your mouth!  Fresh breath, quick and easy, but you don't have to worry about getting rid of the gum, or chewing on anything, or it getting stuck in your teeth! If you haven't tried them yet - just go!  Check them out. Here is the link at Kroger - Add Them to Your Click List Now! Kroger - Listerine Ready Tabs #FreeSample #Ad

I received a free product for the purpose of my review. Opinions are 100% my own. I have been using the Mint Wipes for the last few weeks and I have loved them. The smell is amazing, and I love using these over the bleach wipes that always smell so strong and make me feel "sticky and stinky" after I use them. These 7th Generation wipes are nice and thick so you don't have to worry about them ripping with first wipe across your counter and I have used for everything from Kitchen Counter, trash can, cabinet handles, and light switch covers. These wipes have become a must have in our home! Pick Up your Own Wipes Here: https://smile.amazon.com/Seventh-Generation-Multi-Purpose-Wipes-Garden/dp/B07FYNMZZL/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=7th+generation+mint+wipe&qid=1548027610&sr=8-5

When school starts, that means it's time for the routines to set in, new schedules and activities to begin, and best of all....the weather to cool off and Fall Fun can Begin! I love jeans, sweatshirts, boots, bonfires, apple cider, pumpkin patches, even football.  Give me anything and everything fall!  However, this heat wave does not pair well with warm doughnuts and apple cider - it just makes for bees and overheating.  The pumpkin patches aren't as fun because you don't have on jeans and boots and crisp weather to make it more fun.  The barns stink from the heat when you are trying to feed the cows and enjoy the animals around the farm. This weekend we are going to make our Fall Bucket List and wish for a little chill in a the air so we can enjoy this beautiful season of life we are given.   We will continue to make new goals, improve on our good habits, and find new ways to love each other to the fullest.

This blog was originally started to document different things that we were doing in order to move towards early retirement.  That was years ago before we decided to have our Sweet B.  We planned to work, travel a little, and budget so we could retire and spend the rest of our lives doing whatever we wanted....  Life had other plans, and we now have the best gift of our lives - along with all of the expenses that come with having a child, as well as the want to not work as much so we could spend more time with her. Even with these new diversions, the goal remains - Retire Early, and Enjoy Life.  We have seen so many friends and family that are working into their later years, or who have too little money to actually enjoy their retirement, and even worse - those that never made it to their later years with the chance to retire and relax. Every year we give ourselves a large goal - one that is just enough of out reach to make us stretch for it, but realistic eno...

Now that we are home from vacation, school has started, and extracurricular activities have taken over our life it is time to get back into the swing of grocery shopping and cooking at home. We got home Wednesday night, and since then Bailey and I have worked every day; B has had school, dance, and a soccer game; we have attended a birthday party and visited with family and friends that we missed while we were gone; Sunday School starts today; and there are only a few weekends left that will be nice enough for golf, so off to the course Bailey heads this morning. With all of this going on I have decided to make use of my crock-pot so that we have hot food, with minimal effort in the kitchen.   Saturday morning after the soccer game I ran to the grocery store to purchase a new vegetable that I am doing a review on (a post to come soon) and while I was there I looked at the markdowns to see if there were any good deals.  Luckily they had some great deals on meat.  ...