Category Archives: Self Improvement

A Night Out!

Good evening!

Let me warn you that this is going to be a short post. This is for a few reasons:

  1. I have family here and I want to keep visiting with them
  2. I am busy crocheting while I am visiting with them
  3. I am so blinking tired, I am not sure if I could even think of what to talk about this evening! 😉

So, let me at least tell you how my day has gone.

Work was pretty good. I am so in love how work is going right now!! My team is AMAZING! Boss is very supportive!! and my work load is slowly but surely getting done, but much faster than how it had been going in the past!! So all of that is good!! 😉 One of my new co-workers, Emily, very generously gave me a ride home this evening! She is as sweet as can be!! I am so glad that she has joined our team!!

After getting home, and getting some more house chores done my dad, and his wife Trudi showed up, which made me very happy! My sweetie got home not to long after they got here, and he helped me finish up with the chores, and then he went off to hang out with the guys for a birthday party, and I went off with Dad and Trudi to go have some fun of our own!

Dad, Trudi, and I ended up going out for a really yummy home-style meal of chicken fried steak with gravy and baked potatoes, and peas! The servings were sooooo huge that I immediately knew I was going to have to get a to-go box, and man was I right!! I brought enough home that Jason and I could both share it for lunch tomorrow!! 😉

After our super dinner, we all headed over to JoAnn Crafts and Fabrics, and I ended up picking up some more skeins of yarn for the HUGE blanket that I am crocheting for Jason!! I am really soooo excited to get it finished!! I know Jason is really looking forward to sleeping under it for the first time!!

Alright, I did warn you that this was going to be a short post this evening, and apparently I wasn’t kidding, because I am too pooped to type any more tonight!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! ;-)

Chunky Dunkers!

Good evening!

Welcome to the Chunky Dunker’s Club! Chunky Dunker’s is an online get-fit/healthy support group that meets every Wednesday around 7PM Pacific Standard Time. The purpose of this group is to support and cheer each other on as we work our way towards our get fit and healthy goals, whether that is to lose 5 pounds, run a mile, or to cut caffiene from our diets – whatever your health and fitness goals are for you – we are here to support you. Every week I post a little something to help motivate you, or cheer you on, and we all get together in the comments section to chat.

This is not a closed group, so if you would like to join us, please feel free to do so, the more the merrier.

Anyway, this week’s topic is: Is there a correlation between clutter and weight?

I have been hearing a lot about how clutter may be directly related to your weight.

Hmmm…that could explain a lot!! LOL!

There is a message that says that there is a direct correlation between how much clutter you have in your life and how out of shape you are. I am a firm believer that your external is a true representation of your internal, so maybe that makes some sense. I think that if this is true, it is because without having to deal with a cluttery house/life you have more time/attention to plan and prepare your meals, you have more time to exercise. More order in our living environment makes us calmer inside our minds.

Could all of the  stuff  be like a protective security blanket in the same way that excess weight provides protection? It is enough to make a girl want to go take another load of miscellaneous stuff over to my local Goodwill! 😉

What are your thoughts on clutter and weight? I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

A Night of Vision Boarding!

Good evening!

I have spent the past hour gathering pics from Polyvore to create an electronic Vision Board!!

The things that I am dreaming of is a passionate marriage, traveling, yoga, dancing, France, faith, family, friends, farm-living, photography, books, and a crystal chandelier for good measure!!

Anyway, I am getting back to journaling and time/goal management, which I realize are two different things, but I have found that since having not being consistent with these 2 things I have not been as happy as I normally am – not that I am sad, just not as happily as I could be! Nor am I getting as much done as I usually do! So, tomorrow morning, I am back to spending some time writing my morning pages, and I will have my to-do list written before I head to bed this evening!

Matter of fact, here it is:

  • At least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise
  • Drink at least 2 liters of water
  • Take iron pill
  • Eat a healthy breakfast
  • Eat a healthy lunch
  • Eat a healthy home-cooked dinner
  • Write morning pages
  • Morning skin care routine
  • Recycle at least 10 magazines
  • Do a load of dishes
  • 1/2 hour art studio clean
  • Put laundry away
  • Sweep floors
  • Spend at least 10 minutes meditating
  • Get in bed by9 pm

Ok, I think that list is long enough! 😉

Oh, I wanted to share some micro goals that I have come up with:

  1. Lose 7.6 pounds
  2. Finish cleaning art studio
  3. Make sure all books in this house have a place to “live”

These are small enough that they will get me closer to a few of my big goals, and they are small enough as to not be overwhelming! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

PS. I will “see” you Chunky Dunkers tomorrow evening, at about 7-ish!! 😉

Dreaming of Fall!

Good evening!

I am dreaming of Fall! Scrumptious grey rainy days, sloshing around in puddles with the kiddies, hot cocoa and mini-marshmallows with friends, thick feather comforters and a lovely good book, fuzzy-warm slippers on a crisp and cold morning, snuggling with the ones you love on the sofa after a long brisk walk in the chilly afternoon.

Sounds absolutely fabulous!!

While I continue my evening of dreaming about Fall, I would LOVE to hear your favorite thoughts about Fall.

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

Sunday Evening Update!

Good evening!

What a lovely day today was here in rainy Oregon! I just LOVE the rain! I love that it is cool, wet, and that a really good rainy day makes you want to stay inside all snuggled up reading a good book! Today, I did just that, amongst other things!!

The book I read today was the Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder! I have the whole set, and I actually had just gotten to reading them today. This first book was such an enchanting peek into Laura Ingalls Wilder’s pioneer life as a child living in the woods in Wisconsin in the late 1800s. One of the things I really loved about reading this story is that they tell you how they did a lot of things that our modern culture really take for granted such as churning butter, making maple syrup, homemade cheese, how to make homemade bullets, and the dangers of living out in the wild, and off of the land.

The  Little House in the Big Woods is a great story, about love, hope, family, and all of the exciting adventures that Laura Ingalls and her family has growing up together, and it is quite a fun read – especially for a rainy day! It ALMOST makes me wish I could live the way that her family did…

ALMOST!!! 😉

Ok, maybe for a weekend!! 😉

Anyway, on this fabulously rainy day, I have also helped get some of the house chores done – you know the typical cleaning, that you have no problem helping everyone and their mother do, but you would rather chew off your own arm instead of doing it at your house – that is what we did today!! Laundry, dishes, vacuuming, making the bed, etc, etc, etc!! 😉 I have also spent a fair amount of time crocheting some more on my sweetie’s blanket!! I had discovered that I had made a mistake somewhere and not wanting to just ignore it, I ended up having to pull out 10 complete rows, which if you know anything about granny squares, that is A LOT!! To put it into perspective, when I had first discovered my mistake the blanket covered me from chin to toe, and after pulling out the 10 rows, it is once again a small lap blanket!! DARN!! But, all is good – I am glad I pulled it out, I want to be really proud of this blanket, and make it something for my sweetie that I know I did the VERY BEST that I could on it for him. He is TOTALLY worth it!!

As I get back to doing some more crocheting before bed…

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

AAAAACK!

Good evening!

AAACK!! Only 15 minute until I have to get this post posted!!! EEK!! Remember, I am trying to post at least once EVERY day for at least one year, and I am almost just 3 months away from making that goal!! I DO NOT WANT TO START OVER AGAIN!!! 😉

Oh my gosh!!! Talk about cutting it close!! I have just gotten home from a GREAT day hanging out with friends!!

First thing this morning we headed over to my girlfriend Fahlene’s place, in Independence, and Jason helped her dad assemble some captains beds for Fahlene’s nephews! I helped Fahlene and her mom sort and fold a bunch of clothes for the boys too!

After leaving Fahlene’s place, and making arrangements for Fahlene to meet me tonight for Girl’s Night, Jason and I then went to Annette’s in West Salem to have lunch. We had never been there before and thought it might be fun to try something new, and MAN we were NOT disappointed!! The place reminded me of the diner in Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe! They had great old time jazz playing, beautiful decor, delicious food, HUGE portions, and the people were SUPER friendly, and the prices were very reasonable!!! We will be back!!! We even bought our lunch for tomorrow from there, on the way out the door!! I can’t wait!!

Anyway, Jason and I then headed over to my girlfriend, Dawn’s place to help move a washer, dryer, and refrigerator because they were selling them to another friend. I caught Jason bringing the dryer up a flight of stairs by himself – no dolly!!! I worry about that man! He isn’t 21 anymore!!

After we were done there, Jason headed out with Errin to have some guy fun, playing video games, and Dawn, Sammy, and I headed out to go to my girlfriend, Rachel’s place, where we met up with Fahlene to have dinner and fun for our Girls’ Night! After dinner we had so much fun playing cards, laughing, and getting to know each other – SO MUCH FUN!!! 😉

What a great day!! I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!!! WHEW JUST MADE IT!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

A Friday Night Short Post!

Good evening!

I am in the middle of crocheting like a fiend – I am really wanting to get this blanket done for my sweetie! I have already crocheted 4 skeins worth in the last two days, and have 5 more skeins at my disposal, thanks to my sweetie!!! 😉

This picture is the color of variegated yarn I have chosen, chocolate, tan, and baby blue!! I like it because the baby blue is the color of my sweetie’s eys, and the brown is the color of mine! Even though it will be his blanket, he has agreed that the best place for it will be on our bed in the master bedroom! Which is just PERFECT, because our walls are a very beautifully coordinated blue color, and everything else in our room is either white, or a beautiful chocolate brown.

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section! 🙂

I am crocheting this blanket like one GIAGANTIC granny square, that way it ends up in a very large, simple, but lovely blanket that should cover our bed very nicely! 😉

I did promise that I would share pictures of it with you, but I am determined to get it done and THEN I will share pics with you!!! I guess you should probably know, I am just stubborn like that! 😉

Anyway, as I get back to crocheting like crazy…

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

A Granny-Squarin’ Fool!

Good evening!

I almost forgot to blog tonight – EEK!! That would have messed up my goal of posting 365 days in a row. My sister, Alice, taught me how to crochet granny squares this past week, and I have been a granny-sqaurin’ fool ever since!! She also helped me fall in love with variegated yarn, which I have used a lot in the past, but only for crocheting scarves. So, I picked out some cute yarn, and I have been just crocheting away!!

I have been down and out the past two days, only venturing out today because of a dentist appointment I couldn’t afford to miss, but other than that, I have pretty much been stuck in bed or on the couch!! Long story, but crocheting my little granny squares seem to have helped me pass the time, and not move around too much.

I am thankful to report, that I should be back up and running/ or at least hobbling along as carefully as possible, tomorrow!! Which is great because I am THE WORST patient EVER, just ask my sweetie – God bless that man and all he has to put up with. I honestly don’t know how he manages to put up with all of my hub-bub!

Anyway, I will try and remember to take pictures of my squares, and blanket that I working and share them with you tomorrow!! 😉 In the meantime I am going to do just a little more crocheting before I have to go to bed for the night!!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉