When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?
What did I wanna be as a grown up? When I was five, the world was actually a pretty exciting place! I’ll be honest, I don’t remember that far back. But I know as a little kid, there were so many things I wanted to be.
I wanted to be a Veterinarian! Especially one that worked on BIG animals! Elephants and Rhinos and Tigers! I could imagine myself doing surgery and saving these amazing creatures! Until I figured out that I’d have to deal with animals that were dying or have to put them down myself. Then it didn’t seem so great.
Naturally I had to think of something else cool! I wanted to be the FIRST female MLB player! Girls were just as good as things as boys were. So why shouldn’t I be able to play a sport with them? We know that there’re still no female players in “mens” leagues, and unfortunately any chance of that is just getting slimmer under our government’s administration….
I wanted to do anything that dealt with the Ocean! Because the Ocean was amazing! I wanted to be a Graphic Designer, I wanted to work in the government making people’s lives better! At least I kept one theme up with all these dream jobs. I wanted to help people or animals. And I’ve always wanted to help others. I love helping people and bringing people joy!
I’m extra lucky to get to do that as a Stay at Home Mom! Honestly, it’s probably the hardest job I’ve ever had! (And I worked in retail management! IYKYK!)
But now I can’t wait until my daughter is 5! What will her dream job be? What kinda jobs will there even be when she’s grown? Will she wanna help people? Will she be creative? Will she work in technology? Only time will tell, but I’m excited to see where she goes! ❤️
What tattoo do you want and where would you put it?
My Queen Bee 👑 🐝 For my Aunt who passed 💖
This is one of those questions to ask myself often. As someone who got their first tattoo on their 18th(I almost left this as 8th and not 18th, ha!) birthday, I have quite a few, and want a ton more. Tattoos are akin to that haircut you get when your boyfriend leaves you. You know you need to do SOMETHING, and it’s something that’s kinda big, but also meaningful or empowering to you.
I’m not saying every tattoo has to be for your Grandmother or for your mom’s birthday or whatever symbolic idea you have. Some tattoos can be fun, for the hell of it. I mean we only live once, right? (YOLO…or whatever the kids say these days…I’m literally always a generation behind on the slang….I’ve become one of those moms.)
But tattoos are such a fun way to decorate the body. They show who you are as a person in a way not much else can. They have a way of letting your soul shine on the outside of your body, instead of just the inside.
My Current Tattoos
Personally I’ve gotten most of my tattoos at large changes in my life, or for some significant meaning. (Not that I don’t have a “For fun” tattoo, I totally do) But those have been the times I’ve had to scratch the itch, and do something drastic to my body, to show the world (and myself) that something large enough has happened in my life that I need to permanently make note of it. On my body…in my skin.
I’ve gotten a tattoo for turning 18, one for when my first husband left me out of the blue (a story for another time) one for when my Aunt passed away and a matching tattoo with my brother and one with my cousin. I’ve gotten a tattoo with a friend from high school who I now only speak to on occasion. (She has since converted hers.) So many of my tattoos have a meaning, or at least had a meaning, at the time. But I don’t regret a single one, and someday when I have a little extra money, I can’t wait to get another.
What tattoo will come next?
And although I knowwhat my tattoo will be for, (Yup, this one has meaning!) I can’t for the life of me decide what it’s going to be of. I know I want a tattoo for my daughter. For my incredible little Lorelai. I was thinking of a Bee at one point, as it’s symbolic of my Aunt who passed, and because bees always seem to pop up on places of importance in my life, even when there’s zero reason for a bee to be there.
The reason behind a name.
And yet, we named her Lorelai, from the German name for the Siren of the sea, who lures fishermen to their demise. This may sound a little sad or creepy, but as a Feminist (especially in 2025…IYKYK) it feels fitting. I know my daughter is strong willed, sharp as a tack, and honestly funnier than most adults (and she can’t even talk yet!) I plan to teach her that no matter what life throws at her, to never let a “man” stand in her way.
Here is a link to the story of Loreley if anyone is interested!
So would a siren tattoo be more fitting? I’m starting to think so. Something beautiful, yet slightly scary. Maybe based on the original German legend perhaps? A Beautiful maiden upon a rocky cliff? Or maybe stick closer to the more simple mermaid legends? Time will tell, and we’ve got plenty of time. If I did a mermaid of some sort, I’d absolutely want it to have a “frame” and be on my calf. So at least I got the placement down.
My brother and I have these matching tattoos (his is Bart choking Lisa 😂) It’s very fitting for us.These are some flowers I got because I found them beautiful, and I wanted them to go with my Queen Bee. They are “Pigsqueak” and Snapdragons. Both native to Maine and also both beautiful 😍
Outfits or Home Accents? Toddler Toys or Fancy Meals? If I Had the Cash for a Shopping Spree, Here’s Where I’d Go!
Let’s be real — as a SAHM with bills and only one income, a shopping spree isn’t exactly on the horizon. But hey, a girl can dream! If I had the chance, I’d be filling my bags with goodies for both me and my daughter, sprucing up the house with some fresh decor, and treating myself to an amazing lunch.
I’d definitely hit up some name-brand stores: Hollister for my favorite jeans, Boot Barn for yet another pair of cowboy boots (because honestly, you can never have too many). I’d grab new bras from Victoria’s Secret and stock up on toddler clothes at L.L. Bean. And for home decor? I’d wander through the fancy boutiques in Portland’s Old Port — you know, the ones where you browse politely, admire everything, and quietly gasp at the price tags.
Well, now that I’ve been lost in a day dream for a while, thinking of all the wonderful things I would buy…I suppose I should go get something productive done with the rest of my Sunday. I attached a list to my Benable that gives you links to all the things I’d wanna buy on my spree! Maybe it’ll give you some ideas as well!
What is your middle name? Does it carry any special meaning/significance?
You know when you’re in middle school, and everyone plays the “guess my middle name” game? Mine starts with a P, which always threw people off. I didn’t have a typical middle name like Mary or Beth. (Usually guessing my middle name took longer than anyone else.)
My middle name is Patricia. It’s uncommon, but a nice name. I’m named after my Great Aunt Patty. I wish I knew more about her. She was one of those relatives I’d see at family gatherings, the kind who’d tell me how big I’d gotten and remind me I was just a baby the last time she saw me. (I have an extremely big family.) I don’t know much about her, but my mom was close with her, and that connection always made the name feel special.
Now that I have a child of my own, choosing her name was one of the hardest decisions we made. We had lists for days, and honestly, we didn’t settle on her name until we were heading to the hospital. Since we didn’t know the baby’s gender, we had both a boy and a girl name ready to go.
It was important to me that the middle name flowed with the first name and honored someone meaningful to us. If we’d had a boy, my husband wanted the middle name to be Gideon — his first name — to follow tradition. But if it was a girl, I knew I wanted her middle name to be a tribute to one of my favorite people in the world: my Mom.
My mom shaped me into who I am today. She taught me perseverance, how to find the positive in every situation, and that all people deserve love. (“They put their pants on the same way as you and me,” she’d always say.) Her name is Yvonne, but we felt it was a little long and didn’t flow quite how we wanted. So, we settled on Eve.
It was perfect — a simple, beautiful name with so much meaning. And it became even more special when my mom helped deliver my perfect child into the world.
What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain.
“Are you sure?” Do I answer politely, or use the sarcasm bubbling up inside of me?
Sarcasm, often times comes out, even when I don’t mean it to. “Are you sure?” We’ve all asked someone this. And we’ve all been on the receiving end of this question. Yet every time someone asks me “Are you sure?”, I can feel the sarcastic remarks knocking around in my brain. I usually take a moment before I give my answer to think about the context, situation and the person asking. Do I know them well enough to give a sarcastic response? Did my tone imply that I’m not sure? So they know something I don’t know?
And unless I’ve known you for a while, I’ll probably hit back with “Yes, I’m sure.” Because in reality, I’m not going to agree to do something unless I’m sure. Even if you think it’s going to be an inconvenience to me. It’s not. So you don’t need to ask. I’m happy to do whatever it is I agreed to do or get.
You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence?
Is a well lived life defined by your achievements, your failures, or a combination of both?
Man, this was a tough one! One sentence? I feel like discussing one’s life is so complex. It is so full of ups, downs, joys and misery. And everyone’s story is so vastly different. How am I supposed to know where to start? What’s the most exciting moment in my life? So I start high? Or start low? I guess I’ve not lived enough life to feel a need for an autobiography just yet.
Although, I suppose I could start early. Then someday, when I’m old enough to actually write an autobiography, I wouldn’t have to try and remember the younger years.
Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on.
You know when you’re scrolling the internet looking at all the beautiful pictures of people DIY and you’re like “PFFTTTT, that looks EASY. I could do it with my eyes closed!” That is me. For every DIY project I take on. And look, I worked in a hardware store for 10 years. So needless to say you pick up some skills after being around building supplies that long.
I’ve re-upholstered furniture, I’ve refinished an outdoor table into a beautiful new patio piece. I’ve installed NUMBEROUS laminate and LVT floors. I’ve even changed the alternator in a car with a YouTube video. I’ve never been afraid to give a DIY the old college try. (So long as I have the right tools)
But man, refinishing cabinets….I’ve done it twice. I. 2 houses. And while satisfying when done, it NEVER looks Pinterest good. And for all the hard work, the cleaning, the sanding, the sorting of the hardware so you don’t loose the screws, the getting the doors back on correctly (these were old houses, with original cabinets). Even new handles, just look like a better version of what it was.
And it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Better IS better after all. And sometimes we just can’t afford a 20K+ new kitchen ya know? (And this was even a time before eggs were $7 a dozen! ) So I suppose in the end, yeah it was worthwhile. It looked nicer and made the room a hell of a lot brighter.
All in all I LOVE a good DIY. And I’ll keep doing DIY projects as long as possible. Plus, I’m too proud to pay someone to do something I KNOW I can do. Even if it does take me twice as long! You never know until you try, and if you don’t try you’ll never know!
Enjoy some random DIY projects I’ve worked on!
My updated cabinets! See…they look…fine. better than the super dark brown that they WERE. I wish I had a before image. I also did the countertops! Which I actually was fairly happy with! I made this headboard! I spray painted so many things during COVID quarantine 😅
I hung these shelves and made my bathroom feel a little fresher with my (*ahem* fake) plants.
What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?
I feel like this is an impossible question to answer. Especially given the current President of the United States. Everyday something changes. Something that will affect the American people and how we live our lives. And those changes are probably going to start showing in the next few months. Things feel completely unpredictable right now.
It’s hard to imagine what six months from now will look like. Will I have a garden in the side yard? Will I get to show my daughter what it’s like to try and grow her own food? (I’m not naturally good at keeping plants alive 😅) Will the United States be at war with our neighbors? Will groceries be affordable? Will my husband’s job be in jeopardy at the possibility of OSHA going away? There are so many unknowns that it’s hard to imagine what will happen by the end of the week, nevermind the next six months.
With a mountain of uncertainty rising higher and higher each day, I think about how I can overcome each challenge thrown my way in the next six months. How will I face the cost of living going up? How will I keep a garden alive? Is this where we want to live in the entire world?
So I suppose I say all this to realize that my biggest challenge is going to be how I face each challenge. What side of me will I allow my daughter to see? How I tackle a challenge will help shape her into who she becomes. So my reactions are important. This gives me pause, not so much because I am concerned about how I take on a challenge, but more so how can I do so so that she knows she can handle everything life throws at her? How can I use it as a way to teach her that she’s going to be a bad ass and will always have myself and her father in her corner.
Someday, I’d hope she’d even ask herself “What would Mom do?”.
Look, I’d love to say I love drinking water. Shouldn’t we all? We need it to survive after all. (Plus I’ve been breastfeeding my daughter for 15 months, it’s kinda necessary)
But I’ll be real with ya. Sometimes, I’m just a Basic B. I love Pumpkin Spice, Ugg boots, ya know the old school Basic White Girl nonsense. And I guess I follow the trend when it comes to drinks as well. (Yes I even own a Stanley Tumbler, judge all you want.)
But I’m a 3 Drink Girly. GRANTED, it’s usually what my next 3 drinks will consist of, instead of all 3 at once. But you gotta have a drink for Energy (I love a good Red bull or Monster, but lately I’ve been using Energy Drink powder mixes because they save me so much money!) Then a drink for fun, I love Dr. Pepper. But damn, soda is EXPENSIVE! I got some Seltzer water at Costco for a pretty good price, so that’s my fun drink! Then we need that Hydration! So water. I keep my Stanley full of ice water. Honestly, the colder the better.
So I guess, technically, my favorite Drink, is Drinks. It’s the 3 daily beverages I can’t go without. My Energy (I’m a toddler mom, I need as much caffeine as I can get…) My “fun” drink. Because plain water gets boring and old. And my water. Because H20 will hydrate me, and sustain my life and breastfeeding. And if being a “3 Drink Girly” seems like following a “Fad”, maybe we need to stop and realize that a lot of us are just more similar than we think we are.
So, thinking about this, I could take the easy route. The obvious road to this answer. Because of course, my daughter is my #1 favorite person. I can’t get enough of her ❤️ She’s my best friend, my whole world!
My favorite people are the ones who make my heart feel full. My Husband, my Mom, my sister in-laws. The friends I’ve reconnected with from highschool or previous jobs. Who I can be 100% me around, and can be themselves in return.
But other than her and my Husband and our animals….I enjoy being with people who put in the effort. The ones who match my crazy, who understand that being a mom is HARD. That sometimes I forget to respond(sometimes for days on end).
I’m thankful for my tribe, my village, and my chosen family. The real ones, the fun ones. The ones I can share my innermost self and innermost feelings with. Who cheer me on, from near or afar. Who I can cheer on as well.
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