Foolproof Life Lately March 2021

Spring is here and I cannot be happier. 

There are two things that I have very little experience with. The first one is gardening and the second one is grilling. 

My big goal for the rest of this year is to tackle these two warm-weather activities. I know that I have a long road ahead but I am excited. 

The Current State Of Our Backyard:

As you can see from the pictures that I literally took 5 minutes ago, currently there is not much in the backyard. It is a blank slate and I feel like it is begging me to play with it.

Here are a few things that I am planning on doing:

Set up Raised garden beds: 

The first one is for edible plants like herbs, heirloom tomatoes, and salad greens and the second one is for flowers. I have always wanted to grow dahlias. Not sure if I will be able to succeed but I want to give it a try.

Since I have absolutely no idea about growing anything in a raised garden bed so I invested in Peter Shepperd’s book, Introduction to Raised Bed Gardening (affiliate link), and have been reading it. 

I haven’t received them yet but I have also ordered two of these wooden raised garden beds (affiliate link) and one of this small garden bed (affiliate link). 

As I mentioned earlier, I am in the very early stages of my gardening adventure but I am super excited to learn and share it with you here on the blog.

I plan on documenting all of my learning in the months and years to come so stay tuned. Also, if you are someone who is experienced in the subject matter, please do share your experience with me. I am all ears. 

Up My Grilling Game:

Growing up, my father was the one who was in charge of grilling. I never felt the need to learn. After I got married, Dwight took over my dad’s grilling responsibilities. 

As a result, I have no idea about grilling. This year, my intention is to change that and share more recipes with you in the months and years to come. 

We recently bought two grills, one gas grill (affiliate link) and one charcoal grill (affiliate link). They are currently in the garage, waiting for my dad and Dwight to set them up but once they are set up I might turn into the grilling master that I was born to be. 😉

I’ll be sure to update you here and on Instagram as I learn. So, stay tuned for that as well. 

What Is Working:

• Foolproof Living turns 8!!: I bought the domain for Foolproof Living on my birthday, April 4th, 8 years ago. All I knew was that I wanted a place where I could document my life in the Caribbean and share my mom’s recipes. I had no idea that it would become what it is right now and I am beyond grateful for that. The logo you see in the picture above was my very first logo. I guess you can tell I like colorful things.
• Just got vaccinated: Both my dad and I are now vaccinated. I still have one more to go but I am so happy that we are somewhat protected. Who knows when life is going to go back to normal fully but it felt wonderful to do something to head in that direction.
• Planning trips for summer: As many, we didn’t do much last summer. This year things will be different. I plan on spending some time in Maine with Dwight and enjoy the beauty of New England summers. Last month, I went to Miami for work and it felt wonderful to spend time with a few friends. Needless to say, I am thrilled to be planning about these trips and socializing with friends and family again.
• Finally got some furniture delivered: We sold most of our furniture before we left Vermont. We bought a few pieces back in October but due to the pandemic they had a long waitlist. This past week, we received a few of the pieces. We finally have a dining room table and a side table for our living room. I am not sharing photos just yet because I need to do some decorating before I share them with you. ????

What Is Not Working:

• I’ve got hit with yet another Google Algorithm change: Google changes its algorithm regularly to make things better for its users. Most of these updates affect us bloggers in a positive way, especially if you are someone who is regularly updating your blog. However, sometimes they penalize you for something and finding that is very hard. Last month, that happened to me and I have been navigating the deep waters of Google ocean with no idea what to do. I am getting some professional help but it has been so hard to see my traffic (and small business) go down.
• Witnessing how hard it is to be an elderly person: If you are following me for a while, you know that my 73-year old father has been living with us since December. Having been spending more time with him, I see clearly how hard it is for him to keep up with the changing world around him. This is especially a problem when it comes to technology. I gifted him with a new Iphone, thinking that he would enjoy having a new phone. Sadly, with all the pop ups and password requests,  it does nothing but frustrate him. I help as much as I can, but with all the security measures and changes happening every day, witnessing him struggle is not fun. 

April 2021 Zoom Live Class – You Are Invited!

The live zoom class in February was SO much fun. Most people attended and cooked with their significant others, which made it even more fun and interesting.

Sadly, after getting so hard with the algorithm updates I had to take a break in March to figure it all out, but now I am back. This month, we are making frozen pineapple margaritas and serving it with a vegetarian spring pasta recipe packed with mushrooms and peas.

You can reserve your spot here. I would love to have you join us. Check out the reviews from some of the attendees from my previous sessions, if you need a bit of convincing.

And as always, let me know if you have any questions, ingredient substitutions, and/or anything else I can help you with.

I Leave You With This

Every week, James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, sends a short and sweet email newsletter with thoughtful quotes. The one below was from his last newsletter. Having been feeling so beat up with everything happening around my business, I am taking it to heart. 

“Fear of failure is higher when you’re not working on the problem.

If you are taking action, you are less worried about failure because you realize you can influence the outcome.”

James Clear

I think it is important to understand there is only so much you can control. And after you take the next best action the only thing you can do is to surrender.

It is easier said than done, but I think we are all trying.

Until next month…

Aysegul

Enjoy Reading These Life Updates? Here are a few more:

• Foolproof Life Lately November 2020
• Foolproof Life Lately October 2019
• What I Know For Sure
• Foolproof Life Lately April 2021