 Hi, Hope your summer is going well. August is my birthday month and like all good leo's I begin celebrating in July and go into September, lol! (That would be a funny story, but it is actually true, lol) One of the treats I bought for myself to celebrate was a SketchBox. (Because I clearly do not have enough monthly boxes, hahahahhah!) Oh and by the way, I really did purchase it, this isn't sponsored. The first box arrived August 1st and sadly I have not had much time to draw, but I am excited to use the supplies when things slow down. Let's look inside the box:  Front  Back I opted for the Premium Box. It is $35usd a month plus shipping. You never know what you are going to get, but looking at past boxes they included such favs as Copic Markers, Koi Watercolors, Charcoals, and other mediums I was excited to try! They theme the boxes so you can try a new medium with all the tools you will need to finish a project. They have also just recently started including a "How To" video on the website to help you learn to the use the products, which I love as well.  Inside  I love the collectable pencil tin! Inside the box:
While I love all the pencils, as you can see it wasn't much of a savings over retail. But of course the Lightfast oil based pencil set isn't on the market yet and it does seem to be incredible. I can't wait to play with them all! The Pros:
I liked the box and will enjoy using the pencils. They will complement my already large collection and I feel it was a fair price, maybe not a HUGE savings, but the items were very good quality. I'm going to give it three months to see what supplies are included before deciding to cancel or purchase a yearly subscription. What do you think? Do you subscribe to this box? Do you think it's worth the money? I hope to take some time off this week and use them all.  The sunsets are totally inspiring me to draw, paint and spend more time relaxing. Catch you later!
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 I'm still alive! Hello! It's been awhile and I have no excuse other than I have had company almost every single day since late June! The last bunch is leaving Monday and then hopefully I can catch up on blogging. Life is really good now. I have really enjoyed visiting with everyone and exploring the area. Its great to see things through other people's eye. You, or at least I, forget how beautiful every day life can be. So truthfully we are spending most of our time outside in the garden and of course eating!  (From one ladies snapchat, lol. I'm glad they liked my vegan food. :D)  Bring on the vegan food!  OMG! These were soooo good!  And the tacos are flowing!  Meanwhile the plants are blooming..  My garden is kicking-ass!  My toad crop is really coming in nicely this year, lol!  Free range crop is not amused.   We have been chasing sunsets..(that's actually a sunrise, cause sleep is for losers)  (Sunset in progress) I'm enjoying a low key summer for a change. There are so many AMAZING travel deals right now, but I cannot get away from work yet. I'm still working almost every day, but hiring additional folks has really helped, so hopefully by next year we can return to the travel life. (Fingers crossed.)  We are in the monsoon season and it's been really nice and cool lately. Perfect weather for exploring in between rain storms.  I also have a TON of boxes and other goodies to share with you! I took lots of photos so expect to be bombarded with posts soon!  #Yum!  Newest Obsession! I really hope you are having a great summer!
I promise to put together a proper post soon, Until then-  I haven't been reviewing any boxes lately because I actually figured you were tired of seeing the same old thing....but I did get a Spring Fab Fit Fun box in and some really awesome Vegan snacks though and thought I would share. Are you like me and love mystery subscription boxes? It's really nice getting something other than junk mail or bills in the post, lol. So here is what I received in March:  Spring Fab Fit Fun box!   Full Magazine explaining everything that is included.  I had to read - but the mask is VEGAN leather. #Win! There were a few items I didn't really care about and a few that were not vegan so I donated, but for only $49.99 I still feel like I got my money's worth. I will probably go ahead now and purchase a yearly subscription. You save $20 by doing this and get first pick on "add ons". If you want to try and a box (and save some money too!) use this link: SAVE You get $10 off your 1st box! (This is my 3rd box!) It works out to right around $200USD worth of stuff...and almost ALL of it is full size, so you get to actually try the products out.  The purse is Vegan Leather too!  The pattern + the cool mint color really feels like spring.  New beauty products included this month.  Oh my, LOVE the COLORS!!  I did read this is made with honey, so I will be donating it.  And a cute bag of lip masks.  Oh! Almost forgot this nice soy candle was also in the FFF Box.  Vegan Cuts had over 15 products!  March Vegan Cuts box was jam backed with goodies!  So much stuff!  I am glad to see this in a "take away" size package.  There were a lot of snacks and also this FULL SIZE box of spaghetti. I buy this brand, so am excited to try.  This tea is REALLY NICE! The Vegan Cuts box is $22.95 (including shipping) - it goes down in price if you buy a 6 month or year sub. There are always at least 10 and sometimes 15 products inside. I didn't take many pictures, because at the time I wasn't planning on posting a review. UH OH....but yeah you get the idea right? I have been getting this box for over 2 years and it only gets better each month. #WIN And not from a box (but notice my new candle, lol) I have been eyeing these marble trays for some time. I finaily broke down and bought one. I love it and have no idea why I waited so long!  Nice, right? I paid a little more to get a size big enough to actually use. So what boxes do you get? Are there any good ones I should check out? Leave me a comment - I'm always looking to try new products and find cool, vegan or off beat stuff.
Once again save $10 off your first FFF box here and enjoy your weekend! See you at the airport~  Happy April! I hope all is well in your world? Life is great here. Work is good, weather is pleasant and I've a trove of new books, lol So it's time to ask that question, "What have you been reading?" Do you have any new recommendations or books to share? Cause I could always use another for the TBR shelf. Currently I've changed my work schedule I have more time to read. #win! So I've a few books to review.  It time once again for me to upload book reviews for the past month. Some I have already added to Goodreads, most I'm still in process.  I'm continuing my Kim Newman reading tour.  I bought this one in Feb but didn't have time to properly enjoy it till March. This book is number two in the Anno Dracula series. I read book one here if you want to read my review. The Bloody Baron by Kim Newman I read book one and was hooked on the series and the authors witty style of including historical and fictional era characters in the story along with a good mystery. It's not your typical Dracula saga at all and if you are a Twilight fan - you will hate this.
 Judgment of Tears or The Dracula Cha Cha is number three in the series. I just finished it and will probably review it later in the month.  Next Book, not by Kim Newman, hahahhah  Tokyo on Foot by Florent Chavouet Another book I found via Goodreads. One of the people I follow had pick it up on a whim and reviewed it. I instantly fell in love with the sketch art. The artist/author is Florent Chavouet a French author who spent six months staying in Tokyo. His humor and insights make for a fun read, but the art and the energy he captures make this a treasured travllers book.
 The Art:    #Loveit!  Nice right? Part two coming soon!
See you at the airport~ Hey!
How are you? Instead of my random blog post I compiled a super short video. What do you think? Speak soon! 
Post contains affiliate links.
3..2..1..It's Monday!
How can the weekends fly by so fast? I know, its because so much happens in such a short time, right? Hope your weekend was good. I actually worked all weekend long. Friday was a twenty hour day at the office. #Yikes and Yes, I said 20 hours. #FML We have a big launch going on and are beginning new projects too, so it's really crazy. I mean long hours and lots of work. On the bright side the boss, (Aka ME) buys lots and lots of Pizza for everyone! #Win 
Loaded Vegan Pizza! #MyWeakness
This pizza place doesn't have vegan cheese, but the pizza is so good it doesn't matter. #IAteItAll
When not eating pizza at work, I have been trying to eat healthy. I have a smoothie or smoothie bowl every morning for breakfast and a bowl of greens before falling into bed. I actually have lost more weight, I don't have a scale but I was going through old clothes the other day, looking for something suitable to paint in and put on a pair of pants I have not been able to wear in 5 years.
So it just goes to show you can eat as much as you want (and eat WELL) and still lose weight. I have vegan nice cream, loaded with nuts and healthy toppings everyday. 
My smoothie bowl to go, lol
 SUPER YUMMY! I love brussel Sprouts!
Of course I also binge on Greens and not chips or cookies.
Did you know Brussel Sprouts were so good for you? They are an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin K. They are also a very good source of nutrients including folate, manganese, vitamin B6, dietary fiber, choline, copper, vitamin B1, potassium, phosphorus and omega-3 fatty acids. People say they taste like cabbage, but I don't think so. I used to either boil them or cut them in half and roast them in the oven, but I discovered you could eat them raw! So I am super lazy, after a long day - I make a big bowl and fall into bed to watch anime and munch on them before passing out. 
(I wasn't joking.)
There really hasn't been anything on lately I wanted to watch, so I'm back to anime. I did just watch Altered Carbon this month and really enjoyed it. What did you think?
Some people loved it and others were lost. I like SCFI so even though it was learning new lingo, (how many sleeves did that lady have??) I thought it was a good watch. 
I am also doing my best to mask and hydrate before bed. All this cold weather has us running the heater nonstop and it's pulling all the moister out of the air. Even though I live with a water bottle in each hand, this can really dry out your skin.
I love the "point" style masks.
Have a great week and see you at the airport!
 127 Blog Posts! This is my 8th blog post of 2018. Last year I blogged 127 times, that makes 10.58 blog posts per month, almost 2 blog posts per week. HEY THAT’S NOT BAD. Considering that it is a luxury to actually have time to sleep. I even made the effort to update the look of the website and added video headers, plus some new pages. I have also opted to add a few affiliate links. I’m actually not sure if I want to continue them, we shall see. I also tried to refrain from bitching about work and being constantly exhausted all the time. My 2018 new year resolution is blog at least 3 posts per week. I have never really cared if anybody reads this silly little blog, it has been more about documenting some of the places I’ve been and the insights I’ve had. So I am always surprised that people do follow. I want to say a BIG THANK YOU! 🙂 for your continued support. Okay back to reviewing 2017...  It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...  No, actually it was a good year. I spent most of it in New Mexico.  Which is a state in the USA, not the country of Mexico. Confusing, right?  We are still in the same house. Which we love very much.. This is somewhat surprising. We are still here, on the outskirts of Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. I post mostly landscapes and of course food picture from here or random selfies, lol. Honestly I am so in love with the mountains and the blue sky here and of course the house. We have a nice garden and mostly this feels like heaven. So I try to keep the house tidy and minimal even though it's big 2 story with 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and a huge bonus room I use for an office, but I don't actually talk much about the house. The kitchen is nice, much better than what we had in the UK, but not as well thought out as the kitchen in France. But it works for us, as you may have noticed I am sharing more food picts and recipes. More Vegan Food I have posted more and more vegan recipes and cooking stuff in general this past year. Mostly because I have been home more and have the ability to cook more. I still want to remind you I am NOT a food blogger.  #MsOneCooks  (Avocado pudding.)  (Mango & Chili Nice Cream) 2017 hair I think I have taken more selfies in 2017 than all the past years combined. Remember when you wondered what I looked like? Yeah, those days are long gone. But back to my hair, it is still blonde - And yes, I’m bored with it. I considered cutting it off this year, but I think I will wait another year. It grows pretty fast though and if I do not flat iron it you can see it is really thick. Using the flat iron may make the style look better - but I hate how thin and flat it looks. :(  See? It's everywhere.  Vs Flat Ironed and styled. Travel in 2017 Travel this past year was sparse. Well, compared to other years when I'm running back and forth to NOLA, Florida or France. But I did mange a few adventures...  Another day, another hotel room... Janurary here in central New Mexico started out snowing... I am still impressed with snow. It was fun for a few days and then it was over. #Goodtimes  Snow around my yard. Jan - left the odd snow storm and headed to New York City. It was dark, cold and snowing there too. But New York is always amazing no matter what the weather is like. This trip was part busines/part fun.  In February we left the dark and flew to Iceland. This was a destination that's been on my son's bucket list for years, but I was not that excited. But guess what? I LOVED IT!  It is so friggen' awesome! And totally not what I expected. It did snow while we were there, but we still managed a night trip to see the Northern Lights. We stayed 7 days and it was not long enough. I'm sure we will return soon.  There was much more Vegan food than I expected and while the shopping is costly you can still find inexpensive gifts too. March was a short Vegas get away and April was me at home planting a garden and experimenting in the kitchen. May I had company and showed them around the area here. You can read about it here. I also started a mini food diary to share what I eat (people still ask) and what I typically purchase at the market.  This is the Isleta Resort and Casino - which my guest always want to visit.  Where I seem to spend 99% of my time..  August I began "What Are You Reading?" A quick review of my recent reads and such. Work was still very busy, but I made my mind up I was going to make time to read and relax more.  I'm an eclectic reader, so people seem interested in what I've read and my reviews. It has been nice comparing notes with fellow readers.  I'm still doing book reviews here and there. September another review and of course the hurricane hitting my home in Texas. I actually didn't talk much about it. Maybe this year I will be able to share more, it's just completely overwhelming. STILL. October was Halloween and I was supposed to go to NOLA for a right old party, but I came down with a bug and spent it in bed. #FML (But look out this year!) November I blogged about American Myths and more book reviews. We debated on going somewhere exotic for Christmas, but decided against it. After spending the holidays in Europe and other amazing places it was nice to just stay in and chill for a change. We did explore around the area, here some. Check out this short video if you want to see an ancient Native American site we hiked. I also posted more about my not so secret love of flowers and house plants this past year.  The bright side of being home more is I am able to garden. So I posted more about gardens and houseplants than ever before. It's not quite an obsession, but almost.  Rescued succulents from the "dead" tray at Home Depot. So all in all it was a great year. We didn't travel as much as usual, but that's okay too. I'm so thankful we are able to live in a nice place, with lots of natural beauty and good people.
I'm also thankful for you, taking the time to read my silly little blog. I appreciate it and the encouraging emails I get from ya'll. Thank you for your friendship and support! Do you have big plans for this year? I can't wait to see what adventures 2018 will bring! See you at the airport- 
I am Valentine shopping today and I thought I’d share some of my finds with you. If you are like me, you want to get a nice, thoughtful gift for your best-y, but also don’t have time to search the entire (internet) mall for a cool gift.
I have a couple of girls that I buy for and then of course everyone in my office gets a little something. Here are a couple of thoughtful gifts I found so far:  
For my "I Want To be Healthier" friend you can't go wrong with a Ninja Professional Blender. There are a lot of different blenders out there, but if you are going to actually use it, then get a professional quality. This baby has 3 speeds, pulse, and single-serve functions. Perfect for making all those amazing vegan delights! This top shelf blender will pulverizes ice to snow in seconds making creamy frozen drinks and smoothies in mere minutes. #Win
If you really don't want to spend that much, but still want an amazing gift.. One of my close friends is just discovering the fascinating world of aroma therapy and I know she will love a diffuser.  
I like the unique and compact design of this aroma diffuser. It puts out a good mist of oil and can run up to 10 hours! Mine only runs 3 (puts an extra one of these in the cart for me!) Plus it is super quiet and has adjustable LED lights. I think Vanessa will love this one! #AnotherWin
 
I also need a housewarming gift for a co-worker and found this lovely stain-glass panel. This lovely 10 Inch Stained Glass Tiffany - "Tree of Life" Art Glass piece will be a great addition to their home and it is nicely priced at under $70.
Everyone else on the list is getting this:  
This is a set of 6 (vegan) handmade bath fizzers. The mixed flavors are, RELAXATION (Lavender), DETOX (Vanilla), ENERGIZE (Grapefruit), DESTRESS, SINUS (Peppermint), CONGESTION RELIEF (Eucalyptus). So I figure everyone else in the office will LOVE these.
Next shopping post will be for Valentine gifts for the guys! Please note that these are affiliate links and I do make a few pennies if you purchase from them. It does not change your cost and helps keep me in tofu and paint supplies. Also I would never recommend anything I didn't personally love. Catch you later- 
A strong cup of coffee and a good book...is there any better way to pass a cold winter night?
I sometimes acquire books with every intention of reading them but then I don’t. For some reason they get pushed back and forgotten about. So this month I am clearing out that stack.
Tbh, what’s the point of reading if you don’t read diversely?
The Artists Way is one of those books I was super excited to read, but never got around to. So many people have told me about it and how much it helped them push their creativity forward. TBH I know personally when I'm stressed I can't create...ANYTHING! Including a good dinner, mush less paint or write, so I'm think I should read this book today, lol. Not that I'm stressed, I'm just uber busy at work. (Okay, read that as stressed from approaching deadlines.)
Anyway, this book has now been out for 15 years! So it's past time I read it. There are also journals and workbooks to go with.
 
I will post my full review (including the other books I read this month) in February. In the meantime if you wanna read along with me. Grab the books here @ Amazon. (This is a paid link) By clicking it I get a few pennies (you don't pay any more) and I get to keep buying books and organic veggies.
Catch you later-  This post is about plants, another of my obsessions. Sometime back, (I think it was September??) I went on a plant buying tangent. I love plants, but being I travel so much it's tough to keep them alive. I do have a crew of nice people that help me take care of my house/yard and animals, but.... I love many different types of plants from Orchids to Succulents so it can be a challenge for people to tend each one on it's own schedule. That's why I stopped buying plants and cleared out my greenhouse in Texas. I have had plants on my balcony in Paris, (remember shopping for plants there? Where did I put that post?) And we had way too many plants in England, all of which I left when I moved. So I have held off on buying plants here, but I gave in and started collecting again, lol. #ItsAnIllness I always gravitate towards pretty plants when I'm out shopping, as you can see from my IG posts.  Just say, "no!"  They are so hard to resit! I think it was early September. I bought a set of these plants for my bedroom, but they ended up sticking out from the wall too far and blocking my entrance into the vanity area. So one ended up in the living room. The first thing I do when I add a new plant to my collection is repot it.  I bought pots on sale at Lowe's. They are okay for now.  So anyway remember when I bought these lovely Parlor Palms?  The plants as of today.  Both plants are growing and looking pretty good.  (Spot both plants in this picture?) They take low light well, but cannot tolerate a dry soil. With almost no humidity, (Remember I now live in the desert) and also running the heating, it is very dry inside. I have to mist them daily, to keep them healthy and full. When they do dry out they tend get yellow or brown tips on the leave fronds. So they require a bit of maintenance, but they lend so much color to the house! I'm so glad I was able to get them and keep them alive. I still have minimal furniture in the house so the plants really make it more homey and warm. Meanwhile my veggie crop... I didn't grow all that much this last year. I was so disappointed that the raised beds were doused in Round Up and therefore unusable. The previous tenants didn't plant or want weeds so poison was their answer. Because of this my veggies had to go into pots on the patio.  I also ended up with one more crop of bell peppers this fall.  But when the potatoes were gone, they were gone. They were outside and we had a freak hail storm and they didn't make it.  Big Potato harvest! lol I really didn't raise the potatoes for a "crop" lol. I had a potato sprouting and thought I would just throw it in a flower pot. I chopped it up and planted the pieces. It made a lovely thick plant for my patio.  The other plants including the herbs and baby succulents are wintering well inside.  I grew this Oregano from a seed. This is the Oregano I grew from seed last spring. It needs to be separated and it will probably make enough to share with the neighbors, lol. I love having fresh herbs all year long.  The Avocado is also doing well.  (Today)  I also added more succulents to my collection this past summer.  And these joined the collection in October. #HelpMe  Some didn't make it, but most are thriving. With so many babies I started to get creative. (I also ran out of pots, lol) I planted a small fairy garden with the tiny succulents I rescued from the "dead shelf" of Lowe's. I'm not kidding when I said I was on a buying binge. #Obsession  (Last summer)  (Today) I bought the tiny mushroom houses on Ebay for less than .50 for both, lol. Because the fairy's need houses right? I think it made it look so cute and the plants do seem to be happy. I actually have plants in every room of the house now. But I have slowed down on buying since it is winter. I plan on planting more veggies next spring after I return from Canada. In the meantime I intend to enjoy the plants here.  Catch you later~
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AuthorWelcome to my travel blog, my healthy Vegan lifestyle blog and my life! It's a lot, but it's my passions and I just love to write about it. Here I share tips, stories and photos from my adventures and life. This is the place where people can find daily inspiration to travel and motivation to live healthier lives. I'm just an average woman in the world. Follow my journeys as I travel, shop, and meditate my way through life... 
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