Author: Tea with a Taurus

Welcome to Tea with a Taurus—a self-help and soul-care space brewed with honesty, heart, and a hint of humor. I'm Ashley, your resident Taurus, advice-giver, and tea-sipper. This blog started as a creative outlet and evolved into a cozy community for anyone navigating growth, healing, or just figuring life out one cup at a time. Here, you’ll find journal prompts, real talk, gentle encouragement, and reflections on everything from ADHD and self-worth to relationships and resilience. Pour yourself a mug, take a breath, and stay awhile—you’re in good company.

40 Things

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As I walk into this first week of 2023, a couple things stick with me. I will be 40 this year!! And there are some things I’ve been putting off.

We all do it. We get busy. Life happens. People and things demand our time. Honestly, it’s inevitable and I don’t mind it at all. I like being busy. I’m always one to add more to-dos to my list. But I am very guilty of putting off doing things for myself.

With that said, I have decided this is the year to get things done. I am devoting time to do things I want to do, things I’ve been putting off. I refuse to feel guilty for spending time and/or money on myself (within reason). I am compiling a list of 40 things to do this year, my 40th year. My birthday is in April but I am giving myself the entire year to complete this list. I’ve started adding things to my list in 4 different categories. I’m focusing on – health and beauty, adventures, home improvements and overall challenges. I do not quite have 40 items but by this weekend, I hope to have the list complete.

One of the challenges is to get back to blogging. So, look at this, I’ve already started checking one item off. My hope is that if I focus time on certain challenges this year, they will become habits and part of my daily/weekly schedule.

Here are my 40 things so far:

What do you think? Do you have suggestions on things to consider adding. Once my list is complete, I’ll break down the reasons behind each one and my motivation to get them done.

Happy 2023 friends.

February / March Brain Dump

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What a month it has been! Since using my planner, I’ve been ending each month with a huge brain dump and planning for the month ahead. I adopted this method to help start each month with a fresh start. I thought I would share this last brain dump with you guys.

  • I started a new job.
  • My wardrobe is severely lacking.
  • I’m coordinating a special event with another business owner for May.
  • We have teamed up with a bunch of other businesses for a March Business Crawl.
  • I introduced a new product to my store.
  • My youngest started football practice last week.
  • My stepdaughter is signing up for volleyball.
  • My oldest is thinking about running track.
  • All these sports make my brain spin.
  • I started taking courses on Skill Share.
  • We’ve upped our YouTube game.
  • I start CDL classes next week.
  • It’s time to start my garden and I’m nowhere close to being ready.
  • My shoulder pain is getting worse.

It’s so good to get all this down on paper or in this case a computer screen. Have you every done a brain dump? How do you brain dump? Do you want to know more about anything in this post? Comment below and let’s talk about it.

Planning in 2021

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One of my goals for 2021 was to be more intentional. To accomplish that, I have been planning my weeks and days in a planner. Now, I am no professional planner with fancy layouts and tons of cool sticker books. So, if that is what you’re looking for you are in the wrong place.

I found my current planner on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3rtNTfZ)

I like this planner because it gives me a monthly & weekly layout. I use the monthly layout to keep track of bills and appointments. I use the weekly layout to plan out my day. I like to prioritize my 3 most important task and then separate task based on business and personal. I also meal plan my entire week. For the month of January, I tried four new recipes each week. In my planner I gave each recipe up to 5 stars depending on how well my family liked it. I’m going to keep trying new recipes each week and the recipes that receive 3 or more stars will be added to the rotation.

This planner also gives me a “Checking In” page where I can talk about the previous month and a section to discuss “Wellness” and “Gratitude”. Each month also has a “This Month” page where I focus on three areas – Start, Stop and Keep Going. There is also a Notes section where I talk about my focus for the coming month.

After using this planner for one month I am extremely happy with it. I can also say that I have become more productive by being intentional and using this planner. I’ve also started using a Travelers Notebook. Look for a post talking about that soon.

Let’s Toast!

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I promise I haven’t been living under a rock but where has Sweet Potato toast been my whole life? And why am I just now learning about it?!

Sundays are my food prep day and this past Sunday I decided to try a recipe I saw in a YouTube video recently. I’ve always been a fan of sweet potatos but the idea of replacing my morning toast with a thick slice of toasted sweet potato has never occurred to me. But I’m so glad I stumbled onto Downshiftology’s video.

Sweet potatos are highly nutritious. They are a great source of fiber, vitamins and minerals.

  • The fiber and antioxidants in sweet potatoes help gut health by promoting the growth of good gut bacteria.
  • The antioxidant responsible for their orange color, beta-carotene, is the same antioxidant found in carrots. When you consume them, beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A, which aides in healthy vision.
  • Vitamin A is also important for a healthy immune system by helping to maintain healthy mucous membranes in the lining of your gut. This lining is responsible for protecting against many disease-causing pathogens.
  • One serving of sweet potatoes provided one-third of your daily value of magnesium. Studies suggest magnesium deficiency has been linked to a risk of depression, anxiety and stress.
  • Sweet potatoes contain choline, a nutrient proven to reduce inflammation.

So, it was a no brainer for me to switch out my morning toast. And luckily for me there are so many ways to prepare Sweet Potato Toast.

My favorite is with an over easy egg and a drizzle of hot sauce. Sometimes I even add a little spinach and garlic. But there are so many other options.

First start with a spread such as almond butter, avocado or cream cheese. Next add anything from chopped nuts to fresh herbs, bacon or berries. The toppings are endless.

Tell me, have you tried Sweet Potato toast? Is so, what are your favorite toppings. If you aren’t a fan, what is your go to breakfast recipe? Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and I rarely skip it.

Looking forward

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December was crazy!!! Well, let’s be honest 2020 was a hot mess.

But specifically speaking, December was a little much. I honestly didn’t know if I was coming or going half the time. Our little businesses picked up toward the middle of the month and online sales were nuts.
And… I thought it was a good idea to take a full time substitute job the last two months of the year! What the heck was I thinking?!!

Don’t get me wrong, I am beyond happy and recognize how truly blessed we are. I know there are a lot of people going through very hard times right now. But we worked hard for the little bit of success we had. We put in 16 hour days from black Friday all the way to Christmas Eve.


It all paid off though, despite being in a global pandemic both of my little businesses had record breaking years. And I plan to keep this momentum going.


As 2021 begins, one of my goals is to make meal prepping a priority. Tonights dinner was supposed to be shrimp & gouda grits topped with shaved brussel sprouts and bacon but the Walmart was all out of brussels when I made my order yesterday so we compromised. I had half of a leftover spicy tofu wrap from my lunch date with my bestie and some super greens, so they made it to my plate.

The guys enjoyed a huge helping of grits and shrimp with leftover cornbread. Everyone left the table completely full and satisfied. I have meals planned for the rest of the week and I’m determined to keep the momentum. I don’t set resolutions, per se, but I do start the year with a couple of “focuses”.

So far, I have a few “focuses” I’ll be talking about in upcoming posts. Stay tuned.

Happy New Year.

Garden Fresh

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Last year we planted a small raised garden bed in our front yard. We chose this location because we knew if we had to walk past it everyday we would be forced to acknowledge it and work in it.

I admit, we can be a little scatterbrained and lazy at times. But we were determined to have a garden. Unfortunately, life got in the way and we didn’t have much luck with our little garden.

This year we aren’t quite as busy and we decided to add another raised bed and plant another garden in the ground.

We’ve been enjoying romaine and kale since March. We also planted Brussel sprouts, peppers, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes and more. Our plants are big with a few fruits per plant. I’m excited to see how it does this year since I’m out there almost daily pulling weeds and pruning when needed.

Girl drama takes another victim

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Apparently there was some major girl drama today in the 4th grade glass. My 10 year old said it was a great tragedy. I asked him for the definition of “tragedy” and he agreed “drama” was a more fitting word.

My boy is me made over, tender heart and all. And when a friend is upset, even over something a little silly, he feels it deeply.

He went into detail over dinner about how one girl decided she no longer wanted to be friends with another girl. The second girl just so happens to be his “girlfriend”. She told him all about it and then said, “today is not the day to be messing with me!”

His tender heart didn’t interpret this properly and he was convinced she was upset with him. He even said he gave up tossing the ball around with his boys to play tag with her to hopefully make her feel better. 💜

I explained to him that sometimes the best friend is the one who lets you yell and get all your anger out and then stays by your side while you compose yourself and go back to your normal activities. I assured him that he did the right thing and that maybe tomorrow will be less of a tragedy and more of a comedy.

A Vegan Holiday Feast

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Veganism at the holidays can be extremely stressful, especially if you’re invited to a dinner and the host has no intentions of taking your diet into consideration.

Luckily, my family is made up of planners. We talk about a get together well in advance and everyone is responsible for providing some type of dish for our Holiday meals. Another plus for me is my aunt and uncle are veteran vegans, so my aunt and I split up the vegan dishes and there’s never a shortage of vegan fare.

Now, I know not everyone can be so fortunate. So, here are a few tips for the non vegan, hosting a vegan for a meal (holiday or otherwise):

  • Substitute your butter. Trust me, no one will be able to tell you substituted butter for a non dairy version in your mashed potatoes. Offer traditional butter for your guest to add to their plates but make recipes calling for butter with a substitute. This is a very easy swap.
  • Use vegetable broth in place of beef or chicken brother in your vegetables/casseroles. This is also helpful for any vegetarians you may be hosting.
  • Look for vegetable recipes that contain things like nuts and berries. These recipes can be filling for the vegan who may not have a lot of other options at mealtime. My favorite holiday vegetable dish is roasted brussel sprouts, covered in a balsamic glaze with dried cranberries and walnuts or almonds. So delicious.
  • Appetizers are easily vegan friendly. Think guacamole and chips, hummus and pita chips, fresh veggies, nuts, fruits, bruschetta.
  • Desserts can be tricky and expensive to make for one or two vegan guest. Choose a fruit salad if you don’t want to make an entire dessert for that one vegan friend or family member.

The one thing I would like you to remember is, communication is your friend when you want to include anyone to dinner who may have dietary restrictions. We don’t expect you to plan your entire meal around our diet but we do appreciate being invited and don’t expect to have to cook an entire meal for ourselves to bring to your house when we are your guest.

If you are inviting a friend to a meal who has a dietary restriction, talk to them about the types of things they eat and do a little research about ways to alter your favorite meals to suit their needs. It’s probably a lot easier than you think.

Going vegan in my 30s

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Wow, it has been almost a year since my last post!! I have been so slack, I apologize. This blog started as a way for me to talk about my life and the last few months I keep coming back to writing more about my life but the timing has not been right.

In May I finally finished school! No more online classes, no more late nights cramming, no more weird online proctored tests! I’m finally finished with school.

In June the business really took off. We went into our first antique mall with a “Man Cave” inspired booth, also featuring our beard products. We also went into three new retail locations. We are now in about 11 different retail outlets with our business.

This month I cut back to only one day a week at my job and started focusing more on the business and spending time with the kids.

About three weeks ago, The Beard and I decided to start eating a more plant based diet. The plan was to integrate a vegan lifestyle slowly into our meals while finishing off the meats and non vegan food in our fridge and pantry. But that isn’t what happened. As soon as we started making meals full of veggies and trying new things, we no longer had the desire to eat the meat in our freezer. We aren’t forcing this lifestyle on our children, so they will be the ones eating those things or they will be tossed as they become expired.

A few days ago The Beard has surgery. It was a minor surgery but one that will put him out of work for at least four weeks. The last couple days have been difficult. He’s relying on me a lot. I’ve been making every meal by myself, while also working and taking care of the children.

Today was especially difficult. The first two days after surgery, he was pushing himself a little more every few hours and seemed to be doing really well. Today, not so much. He is feeling very ill today. I’m a little worried about his recovery and I am keeping a close eye on the things they went over. I look forward to the coming weeks when he’s feeling better and we actually have time together to be able to go to the farmers market and cook together more.

I’ll talk more about our vegan journey but until then, enjoy some photos of recent meals.