Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Creature Comforts

I am unapologetically a creature of habit.   Every night I watch Frasier until I fall asleep.  I’ve done this for as long as I can remember, even before the days of Netflix when I would schedule my bedtime to catch the re-runs on Lifetime.  The same goes for The Golden Girls in the morning.  No […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Growing Pains or Midlife Crisis?

I think I’m having a midlife crisis. As strange as it seems to put that out into the world, it’s a weight off my shoulders to get it out of my head and into the universe so I can work toward fixing it.  While I don’t consider myself old by any stretch of the imagination, […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

The Art of Optimistic Apathy

Yesterday I decided to treat myself to a lazy Sunday morning in bed with the dogs and spent most of my morning having my French press and re-watching Van Wilder for no less than the 15th time.  While it’s an admittedly silly raunch-fest full of “bro humor” (AKA my favorite genre of film), there was […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Catching Up and Common Sense

Well.  I would love to just be able to pick up where we left off in mid-March, but considering that since then we’ve weathered a global pandemic that shut down the economy, murder hornets, “Tiger King,” the great 2020 toilet paper shortage and are now in the throes of nationwide racial protesting, riots, looting and […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Corona-mania

Unless you’re living under a rock, I’m certain that all of you are being bombarded with “coronamania” just like me.  From tv to social media, it seems that everywhere I turn, this virus is all anyone can talk about.  And while I do think it’s important we take note of illness that is easily transmitted […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Simple Pleasures

Simple Pleasures I read somewhere once that people are basically just plants with more complex emotions and that all we need is food, water and sunlight to thrive. That may only be partially true, but I do believe the things that afford us our best lives are simple, easy and mostly free. That’s right. Despite […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Alone or just lonely?

One of the lessons I’ve had to learn as an adult woman is the difference between being alone and being lonely.  At a time in my life where I am hundreds of miles away from family and friends and starting my life over from scratch, it’s sometimes hard to differentiate between the two.  I feel […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Be careful- you get what you give

I am not what most would call a particularly spiritual or religious person.  I tend to stick to more practical explanations to life’s great wonders and believe only in things that are tangible and measurable.  I do not think I am right in this line of thinking, or that anyone who is religious is wrong, […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

The Dark Side of the New Normal

I have to get a little serious this week.   Every morning I get up and turn on the Today Show while I’m getting ready and making breakfast.  It’s mostly background noise, but certain things will pique my interest and I will tune in for a moment to catch up on what is happening in the […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

The Root of Insecurity

In my efforts to connect with more people during my time spent in Nashville, I reached out to an acquaintance from college who has lived here for several years and asked her for some recommendations that might be accommodating for a single 30-something new to the city.  The girl was gracious enough to not only […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Mind Control

Following what has been probably the most hectic and exhaustive few weeks of my life, I was excited for my monthly meeting with Therapist last weekend.  I hadn’t spoken with him since I started my new job and with a couple of other personal matters exploding in my life, an unbiased and well-trained ear to […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Home Sweet Home

Being away from home so much as of late has really inspired a new love of my home here in Tri-Cities.  It’s funny how most of the time to truly appreciate something, you have to lose it in some capacity. I never acknowledge how wonderful it is to taste food until I get sick and […]