Tag Archives: Summer

Rebellious Taste Buds!

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Hello Y’all! The World Cup is here, and so far it has been a blast – that is …for the soccer lovers out here. Anyway, I hope you are doing well in your part of the world, and yes, It’s so good to be back writing again. It’s still the same spinning-plate scenario of juggling multiple tasks within a set time frame, but with less stress, which is nicer. So far, Summer is already here, and the heat in North Texas has been intense, but hey…we’re still better off than the folks in Arizona, so who’s complaining?

As a certified foodie and a lover of different kinds of foods from different ethnicities, I will try something at least once to see if I like it. At the same time, I’m also a fitness lover and have an active lifestyle, so that helps with balancing out the calories…or else Humpty Dumpty would be an understatement of my physical appearance …ha ha! I often get asked what kinds of food I like, and quite frankly, I love the majority of foods on the taste bud spectrum, which range from sweet to salty, umami to sour, to bitter. As a connoisseur of hot and spicy food, I didn’t know that the term spicy was not considered a traditional taste. Per science, it is considered a chemesthetic sensation – a type of somatosensation that detects chemical irritants in the mouth, nose, and throat. When it comes to the term spiciness, this sensation bypasses the taste buds entirely and includes smell, texture, and chemesthetic sensations.

What is Chemesthesis? According to AI, this is a category that includes sensations like cooling (menthol), tingling (carbonation), and pungency (mustard or wasabi).

Have you ever experienced a situation where your taste buds change on a whim – I mean, like you love a certain food or condiment and then you wake up one day and don’t want to see, taste, or smell that item ever again. But after a while, you crave that particular food, and so the cycle continues. For the Mommas out there, this is not pregnancy, certainly not illness, age, nor is it hormones. I have just reached the conclusion that my rebellion has seeped into my taste buds, and I feel strange.

Five basic taste areas on the human tongue with zones of sour, bitter, salty, sweet, and umami tastes in the mouth.

So what do you do if you find yourself with rebellious taste buds:

  • Try E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. Explore and find out the new flavors your body has accepted to tolerate in the moment. Pretty much like the new flavor of the week.
  • Maintain good oral hygiene – need I say more?
  • Stay hydrated and ensure you are not nutrition deficient.
  • Sometimes, a change in taste buds can be due to medication and your body’s reaction to it. Keeping track of and monitoring your body’s responses is vital.

Folks, I know a lot of people stay in their lanes when it comes to foods, but what fun is there if you aren’t curious to try other dishes, even if just once? And if you have a rebellious taste bud, then exploring all your options is a great idea. Until I come your way again, I hope you stay cool, hydrated, and positive this Summer. I remain,

Periwinkle Starr

Massive Let Down… But Summers Already Here.

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Hello Y’all. I hope you are doing well in your corner of the world. The Fourth of July holiday is a day away, and it’s going to be a nice, long weekend with cool temperatures and fun. But if you’re in the States, you have been hearing of massive layoffs and cuts going on recently across the board. It’s hard on people, and it’s even harder on families. But what are they going to do about it? Summer is already here, there are things to do, vacations to take, and plans to be executed. If you’ve lived long enough and worked for any length of time, you should have experienced at least one layoff. We’ve all been there, and the first reaction is panic.

Questions like ‘What will I do? How will I live? How will the bills be paid? Vacations are already planned?’ runs through your mind, and some immediately start putting out applications in panic mode, which isn’t the worst thing to do, but I’d love to share some tips on a better approach to dealing with this than what I’ve experienced and witnessed in the past.

Helpful Tips from Yours Truly.

Try to decompress and get over the initial panic – know that layoffs happen.

Realise that companies will always put themselves first, no matter your loyalty or dedication. In this day and age, most companies aren’t like they used to be. Many view their employees as numbers and not people with families and responsibilities. So be shrewd, take your breaks, have boundaries; if you work for a ‘taking company’, return the same energy.

Do a quick snapshot of your current financial status, including bills, savings, debt, investments, etc. If you have been responsible in the past, financial institutions are more likely to work with you on certain commitments and reduce some of the initial stress.

Let your immediate family know. This is a tricky one because sometimes, the affected individual doesn’t want to panic the other members of the family. But this doesn’t always help. Communicating effectively helps with better decision making, especially incorporating cutbacks and conserving existing finances.

It’s OK to have rollercoaster emotions and down days. Take time to feel your feelings, but don’t stay there.

Reprioritize. Being laid off is not always a bad thing. Sometimes it brings families together or gives birth to a new business idea that may provide better stability.

Be optimistic. Life is full of ups and downs, and sometimes the down times are where we really get to reflect; and we don’t have the noise around us to distract us. Some of the best decisions I’ve ever made were made during down times, when I was able to chart the course of my next steps as I emerged from the rut I was in. Once things returned to normal, it was smooth sailing. I already had a plan and a charted course and was not distracted by the passing frivolities that tend to distract us along the way.

Find a way to enjoy your Summer break. It doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. You are alive, you’re healthy, and have people who love and care about you; that’s more than enough to give you the boost to get up and make it in life. There are so many fun things to do that are great if you’re on a budget. Finding fun and cost-effective ways to get through the tough times makes you stronger, not just mentally but all around in life.

Folks, I have been spur-of-the-moment baking these past weeks and haven’t had time to share some of the pictures. I made a very simple GF Carrot Cake.

I hope you enjoy. Until I come your merry way again, I remain,

Periwinkle Starr

Summer is Upon Us – Finding Cash in the Attic!

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Hello Y’all! I hope you’re doing great in your corner of the world. Summer is upon us, and it’s time to declutter and get ready for the new. Spring was amazing in North Texas. We had it way cooler than we usually get this time of the year, and it was fabulous! Spending time on long walks out on the trail, sitting on the deck, and enjoying the cool breeze and the sometimes annoying birds was a welcome treat.

Be Your Own King/Queen of Decluttering

You can do it.

I love to consider myself the Queen of de-cluttering ha-ha! But only because I believe living spaces should literally be just that – living spaces. I also have the belief that having balance in life is not just an internal thing, but also external. It’s also been proven by science that a person’s surroundings can often dictate what is going on mentally with a person. Even before my profession, growing up, I always liked balance, clean lines, a good use of space, marrying form and function, but also a sprinkle of “Feng Shui” aka funkshway – which is an ancient Chinese art and science focused on balancing the energies of a space to create harmony and enhance well-being. It involves arranging furniture and designing spaces to promote positive energy flow. Essentially, “Funk Schway” refers to the same principles of Feng Shui, aiming to create a harmonious environment.

As I swap out the last of my Spring items and organize my Summer wear, I extended this to the whole house; going through, organizing, throwing out, and setting items aside for resale. If you are a minimalist, this may not apply to you, but if you live like the rest of America….you probably have stuff sitting around that you don’t need or don’t use, and probably will never use, and is collecting dust. A lot of times in the past, I would tell myself I’d take care of it later, often reorganizing or temporarily storing it somewhere inconspicuous, but that didn’t address the issue.

My 3-Step Plan to Decluttering

  1. Re-Gifting
  2. Resale
  3. Trash (Dumpster or Recycling)

It is daunting to set aside time to declutter your space, whether its an office, your home, or a storage unit. To ease my brain into it, I like to break it up into small sections or a room with frequent breaks. Every qualifying item is grouped into one of the three categories above. There are a bunch of sites to resell items. Here’s a link to a list of 10 great sites: https://www.top10.com/best-places-to-sell-your-stuff-online

Folks, Summer is already knocking at the door. As we race into the sun, freeing our lives and personal spaces from clutter will go a long way in improving our health and wellness. Do it for you, do it for your family, do it for your space…because you deserve it. Until I come your merry way again, enjoy whats left of the cool and get ready for sunscreen, brain freezing cold drinks and lots of sunshine in North Texas. I remain…

Periwinkle Starr