Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Blog Buttons & Blouses: Really Useful "How-To" Tips for Both.

Whether you need information about blog buttons or clothing with buttons, this post provides some good "how-to" tips for everyone!  

Buttons can be found on both blogs and blouses




For Non-Bloggers:

 My button box is a bandaid tin

Unless you are a blogger, you might not find the topic of blog buttons very interesting. However, if you scroll down lower in this post, you'll find some information that could be really useful to you! 

For Bloggers - Some Tips About Blog Buttons:

Friday, April 22, 2016

Happy Earth Day Today and Arbor Day Next Friday!

Today is Earth Day and next Friday is Arbor Day (in the USA.)


Every day should be arbor day and earth day!

The first Arbor Day was celebrated in April 1854 when J. Sterling Morton proposed a tree-planting holiday. The first Earth Day was observed on April 22, 1970. Arbor Day (as stated on the Arbor Day website) "celebrates the role of trees in our lives and promotes tree planting and care." The focus of Earth Day is on the environment. These April holidays have their differences, but both are about helping our planet to be healthy and a better place.

If you go back to the post I wrote last year about Arbor Day, you can learn more about Arbor Day and take a quiz to determine which tree your personality most resembles! In that post, I mentioned a tiny pine tree

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

How to Be More Productive: Follow Good Routines

"Routine : a regular way of doing things in a particular order."
 (definition provided by Merriam-Webster)

Have you ever noticed that when you follow certain routines, you are more productive and more likely to accomplish everything you need to get done in a day?

Actually, I don't usually give my routines much thought - until I deviate from them. When that happens, a lot of things seem to fall apart.

Here are just a few examples of how routines have affected my productivity:


First cup
I often feel like I can't function until I've had my first cup of coffee in the morning. It is not that I need the caffeine to wake me up or energize me. It's just that drinking coffee is the first step in my morning routine; without it I feel a bit lost and I can't seem to get organized to tackle everything else.
Activities of daily Living
Most of us follow certain habits when getting ready for the day or going to bed. It is because we have established a habit for when we brush our teeth, apply deodorant, and pack our lunches that we remember to do these things. I always take out (and apply) my right contact lens first and then my left - this habit makes it a lot less likely that I will mix them up. By keeping my car keys always in the same spot, I am able to easily locate them the next day. It is usually when my daily routines become disturbed that I become less organized.
Medication schedule
I used to struggle with remembering to take my daily vitamins. A few years ago, however, I became much better at it. A veterinarian prescribed a daily medication for our dog which I give to her before bedtime, usually right after she comes inside for the night. I began taking my pills at the same time, and I almost never forget them now. Never, that is, unless we are out of town and the dog is not with us. Without the routine of bringing in the dog and giving her a pill, I sometimes forget my own!
Routines at work are as important as they are at home 
In my first job as a registered nurse, I worried that I would never figure out how to keep track of and stay on top of my many responsibilities.  I soon learned that the best way to meet all of my patients' needs was to set and follow some routines. Trying to do certain tasks in the same order (with every patient, every day) kept things orderly instead of chaotic. Of course, when caring for ill patients there are always many interruptions to the best thought-out plans, but a general routine to follow kept things running smoothly most of the time. 

You are less likely to skip parts of a multi-step task if you stick to a routine

Preparing a photo for a blog post is a multi-step process that includes taking the photo; uploading it to a photo-editing program; adding a watermark, a border, a caption; and resizing it appropriately. By always performing these tasks in the same order, I am much less likely to forget one of them. Following a set photo-editing routine can save me a lot of time. 

Routines keep us on the right track

Back in January, I published a post called "My Blogging Routine Broke." I described how my new exercise routine of getting up early was interfering with my previous pattern of writing and blogging late at night. I'm happy to report that I've stuck with the new exercise routine, but I have been slow to establish a productive new blogging schedule. This is partly because I have been taking a few on-line classes and doing some other writing; which are both tasks which I have not previously incorporated in any of my routines. 


Are all routines good ones?

A routine, as stated above, is "a regular way of doing things in a particular order." A good routine is one when all things to be done regularly are accomplished in an order that is maximally effective.
 Example of a routine:
  •  You get ready for bed, brush your teeth, and read for a while. 
  •  Right before you turn out the light, you're ready to take your pills - but one of them cannot be taken on an empty stomach. 
  • You go back out to the kitchen, drink a glass of milk and eat a cracker; take the pill. 
  • Brush your teeth again. 
  • Get into bed and turn out the light.
Example of a good routine *
  • Drink a glass of milk and eat a cracker, and take your bedtime pills
  • Brush your teeth, get ready for bed, and read for a while. 
  • Turn out the light - and get 5 to 10 more minutes of sleep than if you follow the routine above!
* Note that these are the same tasks as above, but the order in which they are accomplished is more efficient)
Routines help us remember to get things done. Good routines help us to get things done in an efficient  and timely way. 

Have you established good routines?

Think about all the things you need to accomplish on a regular basis:
  •  Evaluate whether you do those repetitive activities in an effective order. 
  • Are you doing them at a time when it makes the most sense and/or you have the maximum amount of energy for them? 
  • Are these all things you really need to be doing, or can you streamline your list of tasks?
I am taking a close look at all of my routines and trying to figure out ways to improve my own productivity. I know the secret lies in good routines, and I hope to soon re-establish better writing and blogging ones. When I do - you will see a lot more writing from me!

How about you? 
What can you do differently to set up some good routines?

Thursday, April 14, 2016

7 Easy Ways to Make Someone's Day Better

My husband used my car to run some errands on Sunday, just before he went out-of-town for a few days. After he left, I experienced a warm, fuzzy filling when I discovered this little guy perched above my steering wheel, smiling right at me.



It was a silly little gesture by my husband - but I knew that I was being given a hug. He placed this happy little red doll (with his arms held out wide) right where I would see it, as a way of telling me he loves me.  It

Thursday, April 7, 2016

April 7th is No Housework Day!

Sometimes when brainstorming ideas for an article, I will look at the National Day Calendar or the Cute Calendar website to see what we are supposed to be celebrating on any given day. These calendar observations are actually copyrighted, and I'm often surprised by some of the topics! Take today for instance: April 7th is No Housework Day!

April 7 is No Housework Day

According to the Cute Calendar website, No Housework Day originated in 1987 and it is to be observed worldwide by "people who don't like housework." I cannot believe

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Montanans Are Tough - But a "Bison Run" Down Main Street?


Montanans have faced many tough challenges in the history of the state, and cowboys often put themselves at risk. So, maybe it is understandable that I read about three-quarters of an article about a bison run on Main Street in Laurel, MT before I began to question the truth of it! Only then did I note that it was written on April Fool's Day.

Here's the link:

True or not, this story is entertaining, well-written and really not all that far-fetched in comparison to the annual Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain.  


Mark Twain wisdom

Have you ever seen a bison (buffalo)? 
They are huge and can be very dangerous!


Happy Weekend!



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