The kids are back in school. The leaves are starting to fall. The nights are getting chilly. You're starting to feel that tickle in the back of your throat. Fall has arrived and so has the beginning of the cold and flu season. You're probably shuddering at that thought. Maybe you got lucky last year and skipped through without catching one. Maybe you are like me and suffered through 2 colds and never went to bed without slathering vapor rub all over your self, in hope to breathe through the night.



 I don't know about you, but I also shudder at the idea of all of the chemicals I am putting into my body each season to cover up the symptoms that come along with the cold. Have you ever read the back of your medicine? There are words I can't even pronounce! A few years back I tried changing my diet and only putting food into my body with words I could pronounce. It was interesting to see how much better I felt while following this simple rule.



Keeping all of that in mind, this fall I will be replacing my old cold medicine with Maty's all natural cough syrup and vapor rub. Some things to consider when deciding to change out your current cold medicines with Maty's all natural options:

• The FDA does not regulate the use of the word 'natural' on products. What you see is not always what you get. Maty's makes products that are 100% natural with ingredients you can recognize. 

• All products are made with whole food ingredients that come from mother nature. No harsh chemicals or additives. You won't find parabens in these products.

• Maty's does not test on animals.

 If those things alone don't change your mind, consider my first impressions and thoughts:

The first thing I noticed about both the cough syrup and vapor rub was the smell. They both had smells I could recognize. The cough syrup was sweet smelling like honey and apple cider vinegar, while the vapor rub had a delightful mint scent. I didn't have immediate use for either product when they arrived but was able to really test run them this week when the weather started to change.

My allergies got the best of me and my nose was super stuffy over the weekend. I got frustrated that I wouldn't be able to sleep well when I remembered Maty's Vapor Rub. This rub is petroleum free and packed with eucalyptus, peppermint, and wintergreen: Three popular ingredients used as a cough and congestion remedy. I slathered some on my chest and was breathing freely in no time. I may have just found my new favorite love for the cold season.

Thankfully I only had allergies so I never fully got sick to use the cough syrup, but my dad visited this weekend and was coughing up a storm with his cold. I offered him a dose of Maty's Cough Syrup and within 20 minutes his cough was under control and he didn't feel so stuffy. He commented that the stuff tasted so good, he wanted to put it on a salad!

I am really impressed with the results and can't wait to test it further this fall. If you are looking to make the switch, you can pick up Maty's products at your local pharmacy or check them out online.

Will you be making the switch this Fall?

If you had to think about it, how many things could change in 11 days? Would there be good changes or bad changes? Were they noticeable to anyone other than you? In just 11 days away from this space I've noticed so many changes in myself and the way I view my blog.

Sometimes losing something for even a short while is enough to change your view. I wasn't really enjoying this space for the past few months. Letting it go by choice for those 11 days rather than letting it go because I lost interest was one of the best choices I could have made.

I've learned and I appreciated. Here's why:

Education 
Not only did I decide to take up a writing class, I also studied different courses on blogging in the past few weeks. Webinars and online course are so easy to find these days. You never have to leave your home to educate yourself on any subject. (This does not mean I am asking you to become a hermit!). I learned so many things by just taking notice and starting to spend time implementing some of these lessons on my blog. 

Writing 
My writing class started on the 16th It's a 6 week course broken down into 2 sessions a week. I am only 4 sessions in and I'm already feeling better about my writing. In addition to my class I have also been writing drafts of my future blogs posts down on paper. It helps the words freely flow onto the paper. I then leave it for a day before re-working it. It has really made the difference. I am noticing all the little things I don't like before I post it live. 

Community 
I spent more time reading blogs. Old time favorites and new ones. I connected with new people as well as connected with old friends. I was able to spend more time commenting and interacting with my social media accounts. It was amazing to have all of that time and interaction. Not only did I feel connected again, I also felt fresh with new ideas. 

Creative 
I was able to get out and enjoy myself. I read my book. I went to friends houses. I wrote in journals and colored in coloring books. I enjoyed the silence. I didn't feel bad. I knew I needed these moments to get back the creative feelings I had lost. I was inspired again to write. The little things in life help those creative juices start flowing. Remember that next time you feel stuck.

No Regret 
I may have left for 11 days, but I learned that my space was still here when I got back. It didn't die. People didn't forget. People left me comments of encouragement and that was all I needed to enjoy a few days away from a place that used to be fun. Today this is fun again. For this reason I do not have any regrets. 

Sometimes the mind needs a  break. I felt like this was the perfect time for me. Now I can focus on where I want to go. What I want this space to be. Who I want to be. I appreciate your patience with me and I am so glad you are back here with me today. Look forward to some great topics this fall. Make sure you are back here on Thursday, October 1st. Rumor has it there will be a pretty great giveaway!

Happy Monday folks.. I'm BACK! 

Burn out is a real thing. Especially when you are having a million different great ideas and you can't keep them all organized. This summer really burned me out with the unlimited amounts of events that popped up along with some depression that hit me half way through. I came to my blog and posted, but I don't think they were my best pieces.

Today I am starting a 6 week writing course in effort to help me better focus on my writing. Once I get that under control I think the ideas will come to the paper (err uh screen) better. In the meantime I am going to take a brief hiatus from the blog. I want to be able to really focus on what I'm doing and maybe even post some of it here. It's about to get rough.. draft that is.

I am going to commit to a week and a half away initially. I will re-evaluate if that's enough time on September 28th when I plan to post again. Expect a fresh feel when I fully return in October! There is also a rumor of a giveaway..

In the meantime take a look around. Discover some of my older posts. Let me know if you want me to revisit anything you see here. As always this blog is always a work in progress as I find my voice and place in this community. I want to be able to connect with you all in the best way possible. That means not only writing for me, but writing what keeps you all coming back.

While I will not be essentially blogging, I will be posting here and there on social media. Mostly on my Instagram account and maybe showing my Facebook a little love. It's on the list of things to get work in this progress. If you aren't already following me on those accounts, would you do me the honor of giving me a follow?

Thank you again for all of your support and comments. It is what keeps me coming back to share my world with you all. See you all soon!

Happy Tuesday! Today is the day to link up your Blog Staycation posts! Didn't participate? That's okay! You can also link up your favorite blogging tips and then join us in January for our winter Staycation! We will be hosting the 4 day event January 14-17, 2016. It will be here before we know it!



I didn't get as much time to work on my to do list as I had hoped, but I did get inspired to start making things happen. I already had set up a goal to work on my writing in September and that is something that I think will take me a long way with my blog plans. I wrote down a lot of ideas and thought on what I want to do this fall on the blog. I also signed up today for a 6 week writing class that starts tomorrow!

I have been pondering one of the questions that was asked during a chat this time around, and I was wondering if you all could help me out.. If you want to monetize your blog, who would be your top 5 dream brand/company to work with? List your answers in the comments! I am on the struggle bus for this one!

Have a great day! Can't wait to read all of your posts! :)

So a couple of things.. Sometimes I forget how true the saying is "the older you get, the faster time goes". Seriously, where did September go? We are already half way through and I feel like I was just writing out my goals yesterday! I feel like I am always on the go and haven't been able to really pin down a weekend in months that was truly just for me.With that being said, this weekend review is starting on Thursday as it really was the start of my crazy busy weekend time frame if you will.

Thursday Today was the kickoff of round 3 of The Blog Staycation. A 4 day event that's all things blogging! Did you participate? Next, R and I had another wedding venue to look at. This is # 2 out of the 5 places we were interested in touring. I have to say I really liked this place as well, and feel sad that we may not be able to have our wedding there due to scheduling and needing to book fast. I would still like to follow through on the other 3 before we make the final decision. But more on that later this week!

Friday I FINALLY made it to a yoga class at Mighty Yoga. They were celebrating their 6th birthday and offering $1 classes all week. My week turned into one big appointment so every day I thought I could go, I realized I was already booked for something less fun. I REALLY needed this class. 75 minutes of stretching, strength building, and sweat was on the menu and I felt great after!

After yoga!

Saturday was my company's picnic. Last year it was rained out and we were denied our bounce house. Do you know how many adults kids were upset about that? This year was more promising as the rain held out until we were packing everything up (totally fun right?) and the bounce house showed up! R and I ended up leaving the picnic with 2 new camp chairs, a thermos, a waterproof backpack, and a full quarter keg. Yeah you read that right. Literally 2 cups were poured from the keg that was purchased and no one wanted to take it home. Of course we got suckered in.. So what's everyone doing after work today? Party at my place?

It may have been cloudy, but the park was beautiful at the picnic!

Sunday I headed back to Pennsylvania for the NEPA Bridal Show. I met up with my mom and 2 of my bridesmaids to check out all things wedding and bride. You might recall I attended my first bridal show back in August. This one was A LOT larger and really, really informative. I don't know what it is about northeastern PA but they are loaded with wedding and bridal companies. Like seriously you can find a bar AND a bridal boutique on every corner. Coincidence?  I think not. After a long day at home I drove home just in time to close out the Blog Staycation. Another successful event in the books and we look forward to seeing all of your posts starting tomorrow with a Link-Up. Make sure to stop by for that tomorrow!

So yeah, remember folks, the more you become an adult, the quicker (and busier) you get! Make sure to carve our some "me" time or "I'm doing nothing" time often. It really does make a difference! I hope you all have a wonderful Monday. If you don't see me tomorrow, you know we kicked that keg...

I don't know about you, but I always wondered why bloggers would hold comments for approval. I thought it seemed like a bad idea. What if you forgot to approve them? What if you missed something? It all seemed pretty weird to me. That is until I found myself in a situation where a negative comment was posted and I was not a happy camper about it. Now it completely made sense to me. Today I want to talk about other reasons why approving comments can really be a God send.


The main reason for approving comments would be the obvious reason: To keep negative and hateful comments off of your positive space. This can also help from a full on brawl happening on your blog for the whole world to see. I don't know about you, but that can't be fun for anyone. If your blog is your business or something you do to earn a means of income, keeping it positive and clean is the best way to go.

The next reason I found very helpful is that I DON'T miss any comments anymore. I have to physically approve all of them. To make sure I don't miss them I normally reply to them before I go on to the next. It makes it so much easier and less time consuming for me to get back in touch with everyone.

The last reason I believe helps when approving comments is the ability to have all the info in front of you. You can see all of the negative comments, which includes e-mail address and ip address, so if you want to report it you have it all right there without having to weed through all of your comments to find them. You can also see all of your happy positive comments right in front of you. I don't know about you, but that sure makes my day!

Do you approve your comments? Why or why not? I'd love to hear your comments on this! 

NYC Today - Adapted - Photo Copyrighted by The Trish List

Some days I really dislike how far we have come with social media and the instant messaging means of communication. We sometimes forget to talk to the people around us and have real conversations with words, and expressions, and annunciations. People get offended so much easier when you aren't right there in front of them to explain yourself further. It is making it that much harder for people to talk to each other face to face when there is a screen to hide behind.

I don't know about you, but when things get tough, people are more inclined to go to the internet to vent or write about the things that are bothering them, rather than talk to someone else about it. This is happening more and more within families, close friends, teachers, and spouses. When you spend more time sending e-mails or text messages, we start to lose the personal feeling of a simple conversation. We forget how to talk things out when things are hard.

I have personally experienced this is my own relationships with my close friends and family. We text through a whole conversation and then before you know it someone is upset because something you typed out came across differently then you had intended. Now you are spending more time texting back and forth trying to smooth things over. Now if we had just picked up the phone it could of gone a lot smoother and maybe the hurt feelings would of been avoided.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying I dislike social media and instant messaging for quick messages and keeping in touch with people, but when it comes down to important subjects or catching up, picking up the phone or talking in person is probably the better option.

I am going to start getting the people I love on the phone more. I am going to invite them over to appreciate their company. I am going to ask questions when I feel like I am misunderstanding someone. I want to make it harder to build walls around the important issues because someone's feelings might get hurt. We need to talk to one another. We need to get everything out, even when that means the hard stuff.

What do you think?

Do you ever feel like you are in blogging limbo? You know that place where you aren't exactly a new blogger anymore, but you also aren't well enough known yet to have a larger readership? That's where I am at the moment. I feel like I am on the verge of bigger and better things but I need to take a few more steps to completely get there. This is where it gets hard and sometimes confusing. Ever feel like that? After participating in Helene's from Helene in Between "Get Paid to Blog" webinar I have had this constant urge to push myself harder to reach my goals.


After some brainstorming of my own and listening to Helene's topics, I have narrowed down some of the things I want to work on to reach my goals. Listing them here will help me remember them and hopefully inspire some of you to leave feedback of your own. These topics don't have to be just for my blogger readers. You can use these topics to build any business. Today I am going to touch on social media.

Social Media: Any business owner can take advantage of social media as an outlet. We can use it to get our message across, engage with our audience, and gain visibility for new ventures. As bloggers we need all of these things to get our content in front of people. We don't only build an audience of readers, we also build community and professional contacts.

I personally need to work on my blogs Facebook page. I have had the hardest time getting it off the ground, lingering in the 400's for likes. It is the place I struggle the most and wish I could have more visibility. Any suggestions?

I do my best with Twitter and Instagram. I watch my followers grow there which makes me happy. It is a slow steady pace, but I do see it growing. I intend to step up my game this fall and really engage. Instagram is my favorite past time these days and I am working to improve my images so it will become a favorite to view. Not such a bad goal right?

I am working on my Pinterest page. I have had a Pinterest page for 4 years and used to pin like crazy before it became a popular social media outlet. When it started picking up and my feeds got super clogged with advertisements and recommendations I stopped using it. I know that was a mistake as it has become very useful for bloggers. Wedding planning has taken me back to pinning so we will see where that takes me.

Periscope has really grown in the last few months. I have an account but my phone is in desperate need of being updated so I don't do the best with it currently. I do team up from time to time with one of my friends to offer some TV commentary on shows like The Bachelorette which turns into a night of laughs and wine. I will announce the next time we are doing one and hopefully you will all join in!

Over the next few months I am going to work on a business plan for myself. I have decided to take my blog to the next level. I want to make it my own, yet a place where people want to come back and read. Join me in the next few weeks as I talk more about my goals in individual topics like this one. It would be to more overwhelming then it's worth ti post them all at the same time. Social media was a good place to start as it is one of the easiest ways to get your name out there.

How are you utilizing social media to get your name out there? What can you recommend that works for you?