Hello World!

Hello-Helloooo!  My name is Ginger and I want to welcome you to Ginger & Zimt!

Presently under construction, Ginger & Zimt is (will be) an eclectic blog about Life ~ most specifically Gen-X Midlife, Tween Life, Marriage, Home, Fashion, Self Improvement Projects, Current Events & Hot Topics, Reviews of my Favorite Things, and anything else which happens to strike my fancy on a given day.  Sometimes I will share deeply personal and brutally honest stories from my own life, sometimes I’ll share stories or articles from Other People’s lives that spoke to me in some way, and sometimes I will offer more fluffy topics such as Fashion or Creative Inspiration.  The point of this blog is to express, to inspire, to think, to connect, and to not feel like I am The Only One going through whatever it is I am going through!   So PLEASE, comment and share your thoughts on my posts!  =o)

A few random tidbits about ME:

I am the quintessential Gen-Xer who turned 40 this year (2015) and is STILL trying to figure out what I’m going to do when I grow up!  I’ve been in a serious Midlife Crisis for the past 5 yrs and it doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon (sigh).  While I find it to be incredibly annoying as well as mentally and emotionally draining, it has also been a catalyst for awesomeness in many areas of my life.

I’m a career (11+ yrs) Stay-At-Home-Mom of two daughters.  Rosemary is 11 and Lavender is 6.5 yrs (going on 12).  I hated the pregnancy through 8yo phase.  So far I’m LOVING the Tween phase! I know this makes me CRAZY.  I own it.  Check back in a couple years to see if I still love the tween phase.

The blog name Ginger & Zimt is a combo of my real name and my love of being a natural Redhead!  Ginger is a self explanatory nickname;  Zimt is the German word for Cinnamon, also tied to red hair, and is actually part of my real name.

I have a serious love for fashion and I cannot wait to share with you my budget friendly inspirations!  Putting on a Cute Outfit and creating a finished look is like therapy for me.  Seriously!  It was a valuable tool in helping me crawl out of a severe Postpartum Depression after the birth of my last child.  When I looked good on the outside and took the time to primp and pamper myself, I started feeling better on the inside.  It takes the same amount of time to throw on a cute dress, leggings and boots as it does a sweatshirt, yoga pants and sneakers!  But the effect of the look can have a night and day difference on your overall mood and the way the world interacts with you.

Another of my life’s passions is Archery!  Practicing the art and sport of Traditional Archery is one of my favorite ways to blow off steam and center myself.  <————–<<<

I am the total Volunteer addict!  I will try to volunteer for everything and anything, to the point that I should probably tattoo the words “Don’t Do IT” on my index finger to keep me from signing up on the next volunteer list.  I’ve just completed 3 years as “PTA” President and stepped down to VP for this year so I would have more time to do (no idea what) with. I’ve also been our school’s Carnival Coordinator for 5 years now and have no plans to ever give that up.  My children graduating out, notwithstanding.

Homemaking to me means creating Yummy Food and Celebratory Traditions, Seasonal Decorating/Crafting and turning on my Scentsy warmers!  Cleaning?  Who has time to clean anything!?! I hate cleaning and somehow manage to avoid it like the plague… which is a major source of frustration and battle fodder in my Marriage.

I love doing Self Improvement Projects (Mind-Body-Soul) and adopt a new focus for each year on my birthday.  My most successful endeavor was losing around 90 lbs, which took 2 years and I’ve managed to keep it off for 4+ years since!  Old fashioned portion control + daily exercise + being patient with how long it took = the keys to my success. I have all sorts of tips and motivation to share, so if weight loss is something you are dealing with, check back for my Self Improvement and Fitness posts!

I have very eclectic tastes and interests… it’s also called ADD.  Keeps life interesting and makes for random, quick change conversations with me.

So, why a Blog and why now?  I’m starting this blog rather late in the over-saturated history of the Blogosphere, I know.  It’s one of those things that I’ve wanted to do for a loooong time but didn’t because (insert excuse here).   I’m at the point in my Midlife Crisis where I no longer care about the countless excuses that I allow to keep me from doing the things that feed my soul.  I desperately needed a creative and expressive outlet.  I LOVE to explore different lifestyles, people and ideas, and I LOVE TO WRITE and to create (crafts, fashion, anything)!  Simply doing these things on my own hasn’t been enough, I NEED to do so where others can interact with what I’m exploring, writing and creating, otherwise what’s the point?  And if that isn’t motivation enough, I have my daughter Rosemary who has been BEGGING to start a Vlog for the past couple of years.  This gives her that platform and her weekly posts on this blog will be something we can collaborate on together; that’s a good thing as we grow from Tween to Teen!  I’m extremely excited about this and can’t wait to explore all the ins and outs of blogging, video making and creating content that others find meaningful in some way.

Thank you for stopping by, hope you will visit again really soon!

And, if you are so inclined, I’d love for you to leave me a comment, letting me know you were here!

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