Wednesday, April 1, 2015

My Life in Chattanooga

Happy April Fools Day Everyone!



I hope everyone didn't get too fooled today! Keep it nice and classy as always right? With the weather being so beautiful lately, me and my husband have found ourselves traveling out and about, just to get out of the house. So where did we find ourselves traveling to? Good ole Downtown Chattanooga.

This is currently where we live, well we live on the outskirts, so coming downtown isn't too far from us and its pretty much the place to go if you like art, history, restaurants, and plenty of sightseeing.









This right here is the Hunter Museum of American Art...so prepare to see art decor all around the city.




My baby boy looking below!





 Now this restaurant holds a lot of memories for me and husband. When we were dating, this was the last place he took me out to eat before I had to fly back home. He actually was trying to find places to take me, and his sweet little heart found this. Its a Mexican restaurant, who have the best margaritas I ever had, with the typical taco/burrito menu. So definitely try this place out!





I can definitely appreciate the art aspect of downtown. You see all kinds of art downtown...Just keep your eyes open....







You might just see the art come ALIVE!!!














Of course I had to take a picture of my handsome husband...he's so good looking





And of course he wanted one of me 


My poor baby got so scared walking on the glass bridge.


Look Out below!!!




My husbands random pictures of me...





When you see open gates...go on threw



You might find hidden treasure














Beautiful art that makes your mind wonder









Well what a day well spent with my husband and puppy Kaiyu. People worry, stress, and work way too much in life. Everyone should take the time to spend quality time with family or their loved ones, You'd be surprised by how enjoying it can be to be around the people you care about outside of the everyday duties of life.


-T

Monday, March 30, 2015

Respect Yourself First

Happy Monday Everyone...





Well I wouldn't exactly say happy Monday, considering I've been having so many thoughts is the past week, I think its time I laid them out to clear the air...

I can't help but think where has respect and love for one another gone. Or even ones respect for them self. This whole year has been filled with so many negatives in peoples lives its beginning to make me rethink is everyone this blind? Your all wondering what the hell am I talking about? Okay well lets get started then..but before I do, this is a warning, this is all strictly from a woman's perspective, of course I know this can happen to men as well...but lets me real, i'm a woman not a man so I will speak for all my fellow ladies :)


Have you ever dated a guy and at first he seems so perfect, then after some time , or changes later he decides to switch on you and be the complete opposite of what you thought he was?

Maybe he hits you, lies you, makes you feel less of a person, things in his life suddenly arise, things you had no acknowledgment of unless he would've told you? The list could go on, but I figured i'd keep it at minimum before my blood began to boil.

What I found so fascinating is how some woman allow disrespecting behavior from their significant other to continue without any consequences! "Oh my man lies to me, or treats me less than i'm worth, but I love him and maybe after 20 more talks he'll change". Well for my own opinion, their ignorant to think that way. I've been there and done that for 5 years of wasted time. Well I wouldn't really say wasted time because dealing with a relationship that just brought me down taught me how to appreciate a real good man that actually loves you and treats you like you should be.

Being with a man who treats you less than what your worth, really does promote what YOU think of yourself. I know a few ladies, whose mentality is "I can't be alone, I need to be with someone, being single isn't me". They don't want to admit it, but their actions prove differently. They even put themselves in a relationship that is going no where, to prevent themselves of being an independent woman who can do everything perfectly fine on their own. Yet instead be with a man who they want to use as their crutch because of their inner fears. What they don't want to realize is that, when you find yourself being with a man because of that sole fact, you set yourself up in a relationship where you think the next guy will be the one to fix you, when really its you that needs to fix you.


After my 5 year relationship, I became a single, do what I want, No one can't tell me nothing, life is too short, I don't care woman. Your thinking, okay whats wrong with this picture. Well...I never gave time to fix me. To figure out what I wanted, what is it in my life that has changed in the past 5 years that I needed to fix. Where are my dreams and aspirations, what did I give up to be with that person that I ended up losing myself. After living the single life, I realized, I lost the true respect for myself. You can have confidence for yourself, but to not respect your true ones self, your nothing. I had to realize, I don't need a man to be happy, to work, to have fun, to live MY life. That the right man will come when you find out that truth and seek it.

I realized MY worth, and changed my life around. Now 2 years later I'm married to my best friend, my soul mate, my one true love. He had my heart lifetimes ago, but for a very long time, I was blind to see it, I hadn't found my true respect for myself yet. But when I did he was right there waiting. 


I see a lot of lost woman, trying to find themselves in the men they are dating and usually those man are what they feel they are worth. You have the little boys that are still attached to their mothers nipple, boys that love to have their cake and eat it too, the lies, the players, the good at first sight and switch on you after you move in together, have a kid, oh ladies the list goes on. But with all this being said, I don't necessarily blame all men for the outcome of bad relationships. Us woman have a play in it too. If you find yourself making excuses for ones bad action that keeps repeating itself, isn't that ignorant? I can recall a close friend of mine, who repeatedly  made excuses for the actions of her ex. One minute he was telling lies, deceiving her, just being a down right dog to her, the next hes feeding her all the words in the world to have her in the palm of his hand and he would repeat this action several times. Until he absolutely just spit in her face with the lowest disrespect he could to her to finally end this storm. like the saying "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me". Now he just began a breed of mentality for woman. One that can't trust, who thinks every man is out to hurt her, and you wonder why its so hard to find a good man, but some are so lost in the hurt, they turn away the healing of a good man.


For whatever reason, these woman past were like for them to feel and do the things they do. I know my past there was alot of insecurities. The feeling that he wants me, because no one does, so I have to stay with him, make things work. You can't think like that...

A real man, will love you unconditionally, see no one but you as he lifetime partner, wont lie to you to achieve any goal he is trying to achieve for himself, care for you no matter the circumstances, build a lifetime of happiness with you. Relationships are team work. You can't have just one person putting in all the work. Its the dedication, love and respect for one another that keep the relationship going.

 I know there will be ups and downs, but as long as there is trust, love, respect, and commitment... there should be no reason a good man will love and care for a good woman. So ladies respect yourself, find your true worth, don't settle for anything less, because once you find your true calling the right man will find you.




-T

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Pallet Headboard

Happy Wednesday Everyone!


Well with how the weather is looking it looks like the sun will be shinning and I will be able to do more outdoor things till the horrible random rains come by my town.


Now as promised, I will be sharing one of me and my husbands latest DIY projects! In making this it only took about 4 - 5 hours depending on the tools you use and how much help your getting.





You'll need pallet wood of course but also look for what type you would want. The texture, the age and even the stability of the wood are very important in looking for the right wood. You want to make sure the screws you use wont ruin or break the wood. I used 1 pallet which was the perfect size since I wanted to downsize the height of our headboard. With the help of my husband he puzzled the pieces together so the headboard could have different dynamics. We also mixed bigger pieces with the skinnier ones which fit great!


Now the only thing I would've done differently was using the thin sheet of wood which we screwed all the pallet wood to. It holds up enough, but I feel like if it weren't up against a wall and fell back it would bend out and break. So make sure the sheet of wood you use is thick enough to handle wood being screwed into it without it bending or cracking.






This is one of the wooden poles we used to hold up the headboard, and at the bottom the stability boards we we nailed connected the two poles to each other.







  Other then that, after you have placed all the wood pieces and nailed it; sand it out all! Our sander is a bit old and seems to be burning out our sand paper, but it did its job!



Once your done sanding, wipe down clean all the excess wood dust with a wet cloth and let it dry.


Now depending on your preference you can stain the wood with the wood color of your preference or you can even paint it a different color! For me I wanted to keep the authentic rustic look, so I use polyurethane, which sealed the color of the wood but also gave it a shine coat.




Now for a fun look, we use the push on/off LED lights which are battery powered for each side of the bed.



Enjoy trying this out!!! Remember there's a reason its called a DIY. Do it yourself! You can always try and copy what you see but at the end of the day make it your own!


-T

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Vacation Time is Over

Happy Tuesday Everyone!


I am finally back ready as ever to continue my blogging journey with you all! Now there might be new changes, so please just bare with me!

It's been a crazy few months, with visiting family up north to our new adoption of a new kitty to our family!

Meet Athena Sky 



The story on how we got her was really a random act! We were literally at Petco shopping for dog treats when as usual I have to stop by the kittens and look at how cute they are. We instantly saw her and fell inlove not even intending on getting her, but the connection was just there! Hard to explain, but once they put us in a room with her and she jumped on my husband loving on him, he already knew she was coming home with us. She came from a home where the family was hoarders and she lived with 20 other cats, so I had my thoughts of would she be able to adapt in our home which is the total opposite? But as soon as she came home with us, she was fearless. She didn't hide under anything and instantly made our home hers as well. Even meeting our puppy kaiyu she was very open and loving towards him and got along perfectly!She is a Manx which means her breed has no tale, but regardless she is a precious addition to our family and such a loving kitten who loves her brother Kaiyu!



 Stay tune for tomorrow as I post me and my husbands latest project! A headboard made out of pallets....


-T 









Thursday, January 29, 2015

Life in a Nutshell

Happy Thursday Everyone,



Though the weekend is right around the corner, I've felt so unaccomplished with some many of my daily duties, its been insane! I've missed yoga & zumba twice this week which I wish I hadn't. I also had the biggest scare of my life when I found out my husband passed out at work ( no worries he's okay!). But at the same time, I've cleansed my life of people who were unfit and filled my life with negative thoughts and filled those now vacant spaces with grand ideas and opportunities.

-I recently obtained a job again, something I had to take a break from since dealing with my illnesses prevented me from working and being around people, but i'm so glad to be able to keep myself busy and at the same time make some money to contribute for more fun activities for me and my husband to do.

-Since yoga has entered my mind and soul, I've just been so obsessed with the soul and mind, which has lead me to learning astrology and all the components that come with it. I've always felt so lost, a feeling I can't really describe but just imagine your mind running, but you don't know where to, just running. I truly and deeply want to find my soul purpose in life and find the inner me.

-Zumba has got to be the most funniest work out I have ever done in my life. My mother was a dancer when she was my age, so even though I don't professionally dance, I have always been the girl in front of the mirror jamming to my favorite Brittney Spears song, not giving a care in the world. So to be able to actually have a choreograph routine to each song is awesome and i'm hoping to memorize the movements and get better and better each class.


-Me and my husband have been spending more time with his mom and I've learned to appreciate this woman. To be around her and learn from her mind and soul, I can feel how genuine of a person she is. Though we can't change the past and I wish I could, wish to know her better, learn from her, grow with her. When you marry someone, you not only marry them, you marry their life, their happiness, their sorrows, their past, and their future. You must love all of who they are. His mother made who he is. and everyday I learn from her, I see bits of pieces of her son and that's when I began to care for her more than just his mother, but also as a friend.


Life teaches us things we sometimes don't want to understand, but if we just sit down, breath, and think about it, I promise it'll make a whole deal of sense. I'm still young and have so much to learn and grow from, but also tomorrow is never promised, so live and love, learn from mistakes, tell those whom hurt you, that you forgive them, and be a better you because life is way to short to leave it with regret and hatred,


Till Next Time
T

Monday, January 26, 2015

Signal Mountain Hiking

Happy Monday Everyone!!


With the beautiful wind blowing and the sound of waterfalls, we made our Sunday an adventurous day of hiking at Signal Mountain here in Tennessee! My soul had never felt so free and alive, but by the end of the adventure, she and I definitely needed to lay our self to rest for this is a long hike everyone, so prepare for some good ole long walking, climbing and possibly crawling as well!


So follow me as I take you on our journey!






At first you will see many wooden stairs...I promise you after your hike is over, stairs will be your enemy...




My mother in law conquered all the steps, and amazed me by how good she was at hiking!











There are plenty of places to squeeze in, so breath in and go!






The scenery is breath taking...





Big waterfalls, small waterfalls, waterfalls you have to climb to and water falls you have to bend down to see...either way they are gorgeous and well worth the trip.










This bridge over the water bed was just amazing to just stand over and watch...




Did I mention they had a little cave?....Little?












All this hiking was well worth it to finally reach our destination....and as breath taking as it was, being with family made it even more beautiful.


Till Next Time

T

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Kale Chips

Happy Tuesday Everyone!



I'm happy to announce that me and my husband will be traveling to New Jersey/ New York City for my birthday and boy am I jumping for joy! All I wanted for my birthday was to see my parents and spend all day with them and my hubby and I just feel so blessed that they all made it possible for me.


Now to celebrate such great news, i'm treating you all to a healthy snack I made yesterday called: Kale Chips. It's simple, easy,and fast to make!

All you need is a cookie sheet, wax paper, fresh kale, sea salt, olive oil, and vinegar(optional).


Now I preheated the oven to about 300 degrees, just remember the kale cooks fast so keep an eye lid and ear open for any quick cooking sounds.

First I took about two hand fulls of kale (keep them in any size pieces desired, I made small and big pieces) mix a tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of sea salt ( I'm not a huge salty fan) and a tablespoon of vinegar (optional) Mix together and then place wax paper on the cookie sheet.


Place the kale evenly on the sheet, sprinkle a little more salt if wanted.




Then bake! I baked mine for about 2-3 minutes and they came out crunchy yet still that has that vegetable texture. I also experimented using different seasonings like seafood seasoning, lemon pepper seasoning and even ranch! Try anything based on your desires! Food is what you make it!



Till Next Time

T

Copyright © 2014 Tracey Tant