Whenever I visit somewhere new, I make a point of choosing a magnet to remind me of the trip. It is a small, simple keepsake, and each one brings back wonderful memories of the places I have been. Once I return home, however, I am faced with a familiar problem. My refrigerator, like many modern models, has a finish that magnets simply will not stick to. The only metal surface in my kitchen is the sides of my wall spice cabinet, and that is where my collection has been living. It is not the best way to display such special mementos, and the space is quickly filling up. It was time to find a better solution, one that would give these little treasures the attention they deserve.
That’s when I came across the DIY Cookie Sheet Magnet Holder blog post by Mrs. Happy Homemaker. I knew I had to make one of my own.
Here is my process.
I found a sturdy cookie sheet at my local thrift store for just 99 cents. Before putting it to use, I gave it a thorough scrubbing with medium grit steel wool to remove any built-up rust and residue. When working with steel wool, I always recommend wearing a good pair of gloves. Small fibers can break loose during scrubbing and easily prick the skin, so it is best to protect your hands.
Once the cookie sheet was clean, I rinsed it well and dried it completely. Any remaining moisture can keep paint from adhering properly.
For the color, I chose Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch in Lagoon. It is a lovely, cheerful shade, even though it does not match anything else in my home.
I cut open a large black trash bag to protect my work surface, laid the cookie sheet on top, and began to spray.
The patient approach is to apply the paint in light, even passes, moving from right to left and then left to right. Each coat should be allowed to dry completely before the next is added.
The impatient approach is to go back over any spot that looks thin before the first coat has had a chance to dry. This often leads to drips and an uneven finish.
I chose something in between. I applied one generous coat and let it dry fully before adding a second.
Next, I turned the tray over and painted the back the same way. It was a bright, sunny day, which helped the paint dry quickly.
To hang it, I attached 10 lb Command Strips to each short end of the cookie sheet and pressed it firmly onto the wall.
As you can see, my new magnet board is already filling up. It may soon be time to make another one, and to start planning my next trip.
This trip meant no cell reception — which is exactly what I needed.
Earlier this month, my partner and I made a trip about 3-hours out from San Francisco for a pleasant stay at Orr Hot Springs Resort in Ukiah, California – this was my first visit to both a hot springs and this particular resort. Orr Hot Springs has a long-time history dating back to 1867 as a resort times two, but the individual cabin resort was founded in 1938 passed on by an association of hippie community members. Today, Orr Hot Springs is owned by Leslie Williams as a sole proprietor. The tranquil eco-resort is where soaking in mineral waters is the main attraction. Just a short distance up is the Montgomery Woods State Reserve for a nice hike among the redwoods.
Here are some photos of Orr Hot Springs, my visit to Montgomery Woods and the town of Mendocino.
Because the resort does not have cellular reception, I took this vacation to the max by not use my phone for any purpose while staying here. The pictures are from those people that have shared on Google reviews. Credit goes to them. Also, Orr Hot Springs doesn’t allow pictures of the water area – credit goes to the facility for supplying those pictures.
When you walk into the entrance at Orr Hot Springs, this is the the view you get to embrace. The check-in desk, community house and communal kitchen are to the left.
A serene, green grass lounging area to the right. Plenty of chairs available for sitting with a good book. The bathrooms and more cabins are also here.
This is a close view of the communal kitchen. You need to bring all your food & drinks up here; except salt, pepper and table sugar. There is adequate dry and refrigerated storage available and every guest receives stickers to label their containers.
Steak & Veggies
I really enjoyed cooking on that vast stove there with my favorite pan, the cast iron skillet. I didn’t enjoy forgetting to bring my morning coffee, but the adventure taken to find coffee was fun. If you forget any perishable items, the grocery store in Ukiah is about 20 minutes away.
View of more rooms available. These ones are outside the grounds, but close to the main entrance.
This is the start of the sulfur springs on the property. Which are open 24/7.
The first spring – in the back – is the warmest one available. It is hard to see but the showers are there to the right. Left is the lockers and restroom. Massage rooms in the back.
The springs are clothing optional. This was a new experience to me, so it was a bit awkward. But by the end of my 3-day stay, it wasn’t a big deal to be nude among the crowds. No one cares.
Next it heads up to this patio with 2 sulfur tubs available. This is a popular spot. It is probably best to go during off-peak hours to grab a spot. Like late at night because the sky is epic to take in.
From there is another sulfur tub (not shown), the “cold ” pool – which is really a lovely lukewarm temp and has a fountain of the healing waters spraying into the pool at all times. Towards the back is another small sulfur pool, the dry saunas and a cold plunge pool to the right. I am not one to find joy in a claustrophobic, hot space – but I gave the dry sauna a try and was impressed for a good 5 minutes.
This little meditative space is where one can sit to smoke or just take in the quiet space. The deer often showed up at the fence looking for a treat. It was cute because many fawn were present as well.
There are multiple yurts on the property farther back, but this is Yurt 1, located in back of the meditative space shown above. The space is fenced in with its own lounging area.
The bed is quite comfortable and the accommodations are clean. In the morning, the sun shining through the skylight of the yurt was very nice.
Here is a glimpse of Montgomery Woods. It’s about a 2-mile hike around. The beginning has good elevation, then it descends into an easy, flat hike among the big coastal redwoods and ferns.
The pictures don’t do justice.
Photo op.
We ran into a mama and her fawn a few times on the trail. While we didn’t get close, they weren’t bothered by our near presence.
However, I am thankful the bobcat – we later received notice was in the vicinity – did not make an appearance.
This is from the cliffs in the town of Mendocino – an hour drive to find a great bakery and the coffee I was missing earlier. I recommend the GoodLife Bakery for some absolutely delicious baked goods. We overheard that someone drove 3 hours for those baked goods! Sorry no food pictures. Being feral for coffee, we didn’t have patience to take pictures.
Here we hiked along the coast. If I was to live in any coastal town, I think this would be it. The water is absolutely a blue gem, no filter needed.
But it’s also very cold.
We did take a nice walk down to the bottom of this cliff and I waded in the waters. It took some solid time to get used to the temperatures, but it felt so rejuvenating! I look forward to doing this delightful trip again. Especially to detox from phone and soak in the quiet space my body & mind craved. I hear room 6 has a private sulfur tub, but it’s also booked out a good 3+ months for reservations. Just FYI.
A while back I started Frugal to FI as a means to help me move into semi-retirement. Giving me the part-time job I need to transition into, allowing to me to work remotely, and allowing me to share all the good knowledge I’ve gained as a GenXer. But I sputtered when starting the the site, because I was soon reminded how much work it is to run a blog and website. I love the work, but when working full-time in addition to getting this business off the ground – it can be a lot. So, it took me a bit of time before I found consistency in generating content and finding my footing.
Now that consistency is happening, I am more involved in reviewing the growth patterns of the website and I thought it would be fun to share it all with you. The plan is to post total earnings once a month.
The total for (estimated earnings) for Month 1 in the Frugal to FI Website Earnings: $0.20! Here’s a closer look.
Google Adsense
1,672 page views with a $0.12 RPM equaling estimated earnings of $0.20. Yes!
At this time, Google Adsense is my primary focus in making money for Frugal to FI – and that is by design. It’s my base to growing my site to become eligible as an ad partner for Mediavine or Raptor and allows me to draw in revenue through impressions.
Positions
Why the impressions on Google Analytics is different in Google Adsense is beyond me, but I do understand the gist of what I need to know – to help me understand where I need to drive my attention. The average position is where I am seen on Google search pages. Right now it is a far way from being #1 for my content, but is to be expected as a new site.
This report above shows me where the one blip came from – and that was a click on the 10 Beans Every Frugal Kitchen Should Have Stocked post. That’s pretty good considering my content was on page 2 or 3 on the Google search engine.
Impressions
Here are some other phrases people searched for that landed me on Google search pages, but didn’t lead to a click.
Traffic
My top sources of traffic were:
Direct: website name typed in directly in the search bar, clicks to the direct URL from any of my social media pages
Duck Duck Go/organic : a search engine where people were looking for phrases that led to my site
Pinterest: an inspiration app that people still use frequently.
Google search
Focus
In September, the goal is to:
Keep writing consistently
Focus on my social media channels to bring in website referrals
Building a schedule so I can do all the things, while simultaneously understanding there are limits so I don’t face burnout
Thanks for taking a peek at the inner workings of Frugal to FI. I am excited to dive in and improve making income from Frugal to FI. Every month I will check back in and share what I’ve learned.
