"Making Time" What does that mean?

Making Time 

If you've come here to read my post, thank you for making time(pun intended) to read it.

This has really been on my mind lately. 

How do you make time? 

Last time I checked, I'm not God; creator of all things...including time.

It just isn't humanly possible!

Then we get people who are thinking, "Well, Trema, it isn't to be taken literally."

No? You don't think so. I have heard and seen so much about people having to make time.

They say things that tell people, if you want time, make it.

Here are a few quote/memes that I came across.

"Don't force someone to make time for you. If they really want to they will."

I'm calling total BS on this one! I cringe every time this meme pops up.

There are a ton of times during my day or week that I would love to sit and chat or visit with family or friends. Lack of doing so has 0% to do with me making time for them.

"It's not about having time. It's about making time."

Again, I'm not God.

"We all make time for what we feel is important in our lives."

Again, I can't make time. There are so many people and things that I value and think of as important, but I just don't have time. 

I'd love a whole girls' day, a day to take a 3hr nap, time to have full conversation without having to multitask or cut it short, a night to actually finish a board game with my kids.

My point is this.

We live in a time when over multitasking or over crowding our lives and schedules has taken over.

We make ourselves and others believe, if we feel unacknowledged, unwanted, or unimportant, that it must be because someone didn't make time for me.

If we didn't finish the laundry, dishes, or a book. If we didn't play long enough with our kids or ask them about their day, then we obviously just didn't make time for them.

It is so draining and unnecessary to any human to make them feel uncaring for not being able to MAKE TIME.

Our mental health today is horrible. People wake up every day already stressed out and anxious because of all they have to figure out how to accomplish before their head hits the pillow again tonight!(Let's not even start on insomnia! Thank You!)

You wonder why some say, "I didn't even want to get out of bed today."

This may be why. Ask them? Do you have a lot going on? Can I lighten your load?

And if you do ask, then mean it. 

Everything we do, or don't do; is constantly being judged.

We slept too late.

We ate too much.

We didn't spend time with 400 family members last Thanksgiving.

We don't teach our kids life skills anymore.

We preach this or that.

We don't include God anymore.

We don't spend one on one time with our spouse/partner.

It just goes on and on!

Whether it is mental or physical time, sometimes it just cannot be done.

Please, stop feeling guilty because you didn't or can't make time for whatever it is.

We all get just 24 hrs in a day.

We all have 100% different lives. Even others in your own household do not live the exact same 24hrs that you do. 

Cut people some slack and yourself too!

Smile, pray, hug, love

Less stressed, more blessed!

I've Been Reading: Book Reviews

 

Hey all,

I hope everyone is getting more reading time in than me. I feel like I am pulled in so many directions lately. My favorite things to do for myself are crochet, write/blog, and read! The latter I haven't found much downtime to do.

I used to be able to zone the world out and be completely engrossed in anything I was reading. Now, it seems every little thing irritates me when I'm trying to read. The train or traffic outside, phones ringing, kids arguing, T.V. up too loud, or just my brain in over-drive.

Lately, I've been depending on audiobooks to get in my reading. Our library has an adequate amount of books you can download through the Libby/Overdrive app, and it is 100% free! Bonus! Libby also has ebooks. There are several other apps. Audible, Scribd, NOOK, Storytel are a few I've seen on Google Play store.

The last two books that I have really enjoyed are,

Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton

This is Dolly's latest book. Did you know she has written 7 books? Including two children's books. I had no clue!

It's no secret that Dolly Parton is so loved in our household. My 8-year-old wants to BE Dolly Parton when she grows up. No joke.

I came across this book while scrolling through Libby. It always shows books that may interest you, based off previously read audiobooks. I read a ton of memoirs, bios, and autobiographies. It is one of my favorite genres.(people's stories/lives fascinate me)

Then I download it and realize Dolly is also the narrator of the audiobook! Yes. Bonus!

This one really does make you feel like Dolly is right there with you. Just chatting away. She is so confident and comfortable in herself. I just love her.

Her message has always been, everyone is different. Everyone has their own story. Everyone makes mistakes. Don't judge, love more. Love life, love each other.

I definitely recommend the audiobook over the physical book. 

The Loyal Wife by Natalie Barelli

Another of my  favorite genres is definitely Thriller/Suspense/Mystery.
This one has it all.

Mini synopsis:

Trusting her wasn't a mistake. Betraying her was.

She thought she had the perfect marriage...

Tamra knows something about Mike. Something he did. Something evil. And she was prepared to carry the secret to her grave.

Not anymore.

This is the first book I have read by this author, but it probably won't be my last.

She definitely can grab you from the start. The middle got a little slow and ehh, but it did have a twisty ending. 

Again, this one I chose the audiobook, so maybe the narrator during multiple characters is what got fuzzy for me. It was still a 4/5-star book for me.

I hope you'll check these out. I'm glad I found them. Audio or physical, maybe even ebook(I haven't done those much), I recommend them both.
I actually did begin reading an actual book this week, When August Leaves by Amy S. Foster.
Hopefully, I'll get it read and be able to post a review.

Do you prefer audio to physical books?
What's your favorite genre?
Happy reading!

National Vinyl Record Day

 National Vinyl Record Day!

How cool is that?

I've always been pulled back into my childhood when I think about vinyl records. Being born in 1980, to me, it was the time of change between 8 tracks and records. Although, that really isn't factual.

8 tracks actual came out in September 1965, and records were out way before that. Almost 100 years before that.

My mom had/has a TON of records. Have you ever seen a picture or scene in a movie where the girl is laying in her room with records everywhere? Piled or strewn around as she listens. Yup! That was my mom,...and my sister and me.

The first record ever made wasn't even made of vinyl. Nope, it was made from shellac. Many inventors had been trying for years to find a way to record sound and be able to play it back.

Thomas Edison actually did record himself saying a piece of the nursery rhyme, Mary Had a Little Lamb, on a phonograph in 1877.

10 years later in 1887, German inventor, Emile Berlinger created the first device that recorded and played back sound on a lateral-cut flat disc, the forerunner of the modern record.

He founded the United States Gramophone Company in 1894.

It really is fascinating. Whether you speak German or not, it is pretty cool to hear the first recorded record.

CLICK HERE

In 1948, Columbia Records released the first actual record made from Vinyl.(Shellac records stopped being produced completely in 1960)

Vinyl is Polyvinyl Chloride(PVC)

This was a huge upgrade. Prior to vinyl, shellac records could only hold/record 1 song on each side. Approximately 5 minutes of music. Vinyl made it possible to record whole albums of songs.

Can you imagine being a teenager during this time?

It would be like in the 90's when we didn't have to rewind or fast-forward our cassettes. We could just choose a number of the song we wanted on a CD and play it right where we wanted it to start.

These kids would be mind-blown!

There are now, 7 main types of records.

LPs-long playing

10 inch(long playing microgroove records)

7 inch-singles

12 inch-albums(single cut at 45 RPM)

EP-extended play(somewhere between single play and LP)

Flex Disc(flexible, super thin disc)

Dub Plate(popular with DJs)

From 1887 until the 1960s records and record players were improved and standardized, with 33 and 45 RPM records supplementing most other formats in the years after WWII.

What we see today is pretty much been the standard record since around 1970.

Even with records remaining and being considered durable, we've still been through 8 tracks, cassettes, CDs, and MP3 players.

Surprisingly, in 2020(wasn't a total bust), vinyl record sales actually surpassed the sale of CDs.

Surveys have shown it isn't Gen X or Boomers doing the majority of buying, either. It actually is Millennials doing all the vinyl record buying!

Retro is in, I guess. I'll take it. 

Again, there is something totally nostalgic about a vinyl spinning out our favorite tunes.

A couple of the biggest selling albums today are,

Michael Jackson-Thriller

The Beatles- Abbey Road Anniversary Edition

If you don't have a record player, there are tons of options available from new, vintage or used.

Shut. The. Front. Door!

Check out this vintage looking gramophone!

Vintage Gramophone @HomeDepot

Gorgeous!

I would love it!

I could also go for something more modern and retro, like this

Crosley Journey Turntable in Turquoise

Both are beautiful, and I can see myself listening to records for hours!

What is your favorite style?

Do you still own any "Vinyl"?

I hope you've enjoyed learning as much as I have. Happy National Vinyl Day!