Christmastime

This year has been the most challenging we have had in a while. As I reflect on it, I am looking for ways to keep my family and friends as comfortable and stress free as I possible can. That includes sharing ideas on how to unwind and to get to know yourself better. 

This is what I have been doing to help my every day routine be smoother, and to move away from worrying and stressing what I cannot fix.

One thing I have recently taken up and am loving, is Kabbalah studies and meditation. I am learning a lot about about myself, others, and about the way we evolve as living beings. It's beyond fascinating!

I also continue to meditate with healing crystals and jewelry. It honestly takes me to another level. Just putting them on makes me feel hopeful and optimistic.

Another way to travel - in my mind - is lighting candles and reading my favorite books, which are too many to list.... So comforting. Caution, though, you might fall asleep.

Now, my favorite time of the year is from the first day of fall to the last day of winter and I am just enjoying the changes that are coming this new year with the Covid-19 vaccine, the elections outcome, among other things. After a year of doubt and uncertainty, it's nice to finally be able to fully enjoy the season.

I am not done with my Christmas shopping, which is shameful, as we are only 10 days away, but I will get there. The best gifts for me are the ones I cannot see. 

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones!

Much love and many blessings,

Kate

 

Fall and Scary Season

Fall begins next week and scary movies come with it.

I became curious about the paranormal when I saw my great-grandmother staring at me from the dining room table, while I was sleeping on the sofa at my grandma's with my cousin when I was 10 years old. She lived in another town and we woke up to hear that she had passed in the middle of the night.

Since then, I love learning about the unknown and supernatural, so I am always looking for a good movie or show to watch. I thought I would share my top 5 below and I explain why.

1. The Exorcist

The first time I saw this movie I was 16-year-old. It scared me so much that I spent the night sleepwalking because I was dreaming my family took off, and left me alone in the house. I still love this movie because it felt authentic to me. As a matter of fact, we had something similar (no dead people, though) happen in our family when I was a little girl. Not a pleasant experience from what I can remember and from what I have been told, but we experienced it all the same. 

    2. The conjuring

That movie is, to me, almost as terrifying as The Exorcist. Not only because it is a true story, but also the fear you feel for the kids throughout the whole thing. And why do they always have to kill the family pet in these movies? As an animal lover, I highly dislike that part, not sure why they make it so.

    3. Paranormal Witness and A Haunting

These two are my favorite shows just because they are based off true stories, which thrills and terrifies me. I do not even want to imagine what those people go through. I am amazed at how some people stay and live through some of that stuff. These play on SYFY and on The Travel Channel.

    4. Paranormal Activity 

Only the very first movie for this one. I went to see it at the theater by myself, it was the last show, which started around 10:30 pm. At the time, I thought this was a true story and I drove home terrified looking in the rearview mirror and at the back seat all the way home. I also slept with the lights on the first couple of nights until I decided to look it up to see if it was real. 

     5. Dracula

I know... there are so many! However, there are some good ones. My favorites are the older ones from the late 50s and the 70s. Dracula just looked more real and mysterious back then. I never look out a dark window in the middle of the night, especially if it is foggy or stormy outside. 

My fascination with vampires and ghosts started when I was very little. My much older siblings would watch the shows and movies when our parents were not around.

Those are my top 5. 

I feel like not many scary movies are really scary anymore. The effects seem exaggerated and the stories too fake. Sadly.

Let's hope for better scary movies going forward.

Much love and many blessings,

Kate

Almost Autumn

This has definitely been an interesting year!

I am pretty sure I had COVID-19 and my doctor is 99% positive I had it, too.

Since early April, I have had symptoms on and off that will just not go away. Symptoms include headaches, nausea, extreme fatigue, body aches, inability to taste food, fever and pressure in the chest that goes through the back.

I am lucky because I have not had any trouble breathing like some other people do, but having these symptoms return right when I start feeling back to normal does not help.

We are struggling with that and so many other things right now making every day a challenge. 

Throughout all this, I find comfort in my favorite things or what I call my addictions, the things that make me happy or bring me joy.

My addicitons are the fall season, books, fishnets, chocolate, candles, the mountains, crystals, my son, my pets, my husband, not necessarily in that order.

How are you doing amid COVID-19? 

What comforts you? I would really like to know.

Much love and many blessings!

~Kate

Skin Care

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
 I never paid too much attention to my skin before now.
Now that I am home more and not wearing makeup, I have become really obsessed with taking care of it.
Is it late to start now? Ideally, I would have started in my 20's, but since I did not, now will have to do.

My mother always used Lancome products, so I thought I would start there.
I started watching the Lancome Facebook page and one of its Ambassadors, Ricardo Costales, is my favorite. He has a great sense of humor and his skin glows!
So I thought I would go to their site and try some of their most popular, but affordable products.

I needed a few things anyway, I was out of foundation and needed face powder, and theirs are my favorite. I just purchased what I needed and they had a promo for a 7-piece gift that allowed me to get some samples of Genifique and Lancome Hydra Zen, Renergie Lift Multi-action and some other goodies. I also purchased a Genifique Starter kit and a few face masks to try. I love Visionnaire, too.

I tried my first face mask today and it felt amazing! SO nourishing. See pictures above.
I left it on for 20 minutes and my skin already feels different. I am confident it will also start looking smoother and clearer after a month of doing my routine. I will keep you posted.
In the meantime, check out Ricardo's Facebook for skin care and make up tips.

What your skincare routine?

Be safe. Much love and many blessings,

Kate                                                                                                                                    

Working From Home

Given all the people that have lost their jobs during this pandemic, I am grateful to have a job.
Our bosses are generous, loving people and I am grateful to them.
That being said, I can be a perfectionist when it comes to my job, and doing a job well done is a priority to me.

I have been sick on and off for the past three weeks, so it has been challenging to complete all the projects while being sick just because I spend a lot of time on the phone, and my throat has not allowed it for me to do that. And no, I do not have Covid-19, thankfully.
I have been working on weekends to compensate for the things I did not complete during the week and I have come to find out that working from home is, indeed, more work than working at the office.
I eat at my desk and I do chores during my 30 minute "lunch," which I do not really take most of the time.

The other thing I have realized is that I do not necessarily keep track of what day of the week it is. For whatever reason, I am very clear about Sundays, but not really any other day.
When I work Sundays, I usually listen to 80's love songs that I remember my sisters listening to growing up. I am also pleased to find out that I know most of the songs.

I am discovering other things during this quarantine and I will share some as I go, but other than that, back to reading my books and watching my shows when off work, whether it's Tuesday or Sunday.

What have you discovered lately?

Stay safe. Much love and many blessings,

Kate