Lists

Monday is my favorite day of the week. The normal routine has begun again and so I usually spend the day making lists - goals for the week, errands to run, chores to complete, appointments to make, phone calls to return, etc. Jim and I enjoyed a fairly quiet, cozy weekend due to the four inches of snow we received overnight Friday, so today it was time to look ahead and get down to work.

The kitchen got a good cleaning and decluttering. I cleaned out a closet and inventoried our hygiene stash. I did some work on the checkbook and added some items to my price book. Some magazines finally got the run-through and put into a pile to take to a local doctor's office for their waiting room. Well, you get the idea!

We played Cards Against Humanity last night as a family and we had a great time. I was the winner, too, which actually means that I am very good at being inappropriate and off-color! The game ended at almost 6pm and my plans for dinner had to change because of the lateness. How nice it was to whip one of the Paleo cookbooks off the shelf and quickly prepare a healthy, tasty meal in about 30 minutes. I am so happy to have invested in a bunch of Paleo cookbooks as we all are enjoying the recipes immensely. I'm doing pretty well with my quest to eat better. My sugar cravings aren't too bad, but I made a pan of brownies for dinner tonight. I've gotta work on the drinking water thingy ... bleh. I just don't like water!

I bought one of those ebook bundles last year and I have a course waiting for me to take at Vintage Remedies called "Herbs & Oils - Beyond the Basics" and I believe that I will begin that sometime this week. If I can get motivated this year, I only have to write a research paper on some aspect of aromatherapy and then I could gain my certification in that from Aromahead Institute. I am going to be going through the material again and finish a few classes that I never started in order to learn how to make items for gift-giving. I love diffusing essential oils in my home as they are so much fresher smelling than heavy candles or plug-ins.

I read a wonderfully interesting book on Saturday called The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball. In it, she describes how she came to fall in love with a man who wanted to run an organic farm without much mechanization. I was totally fascinated and read the entire book in one day. Their farm is at Essex Farm CSA and Kristin has a fantastic website where she shares her experiences living the dirty life. I would love to own some acreage and produce my own food, but that isn't something we can do right now.

I still haven't started my CAL blanket, but it's mostly because the medicine I was taking for my bronchitis made my head a bit wonky. I found it difficult to concentrate on my last week. I still felt a bit bleh this morning, so decided to put it off one more day. It's not like it's going anywhere and I can catch up any time as needed.

Guess that is all for now. I have many, many thoughts in my head today. I'm pretty sure that I have undiagnosed ADD which also makes sense in that I procrastinate and then, once I do get something started, I may or may not finish the task at hand ... sigh ...

The view from my window

We had a light snowfall this morning and this is the view from my kitchen window. I absolutely LOVE snow! I love to listen to it hit the ground. I love how it makes the world quieter. I also love how it feels under my feet when I'm walking through it and the joy it brings to my dogs as they run around in it! I cannot wait for there to be a good snowfall of 4-6 inches that covers the grass completely.

So many thoughts running through my head over the past few days. I quit my job yesterday and am glad I did. It was a distraction that I know will pull me away from my goals for myself this year. It feels great to not have to worry about when I will get called in and what I will be doing. It was a good decision!

I purchased three books by Maria Emmerich on ketogenic eating and looked through them last night. I cannot wait to get started with this lifestyle as it proposes so many positive things for me and the issues that I deal with on a daily basis. I know it won't be easy in the beginning, but the recipes in the books are easy and tasty. I have to source a few common ingredients before I begin, but I hope to start in February while I work to wean myself off of sugars this month. I have been working on only eating when I feel hungry and avoiding gluten as much as possible and I'm already feeling better plus have lost a couple of pounds. The meds helping me with my bronchitis have me feeling a bit sleepy, but I just nap when I feel like it and all is well.

This morning, I received my email for week 1 of the crochet-a-long (CAL) that I will be taking part in early this year. I hope to keep to the weekly projects and finish the blanket in about 8 weeks. I cannot wait to start on this blanket this week. I do believe that these colors are going to inspire the changes we want to make in our home. We already have some of these colors in our decor, but I love the addition of the purples! Yummy!

I am at a very happy point in my life. Our kids are doing well in school and work, Jim has job security and the chance for advancement in his company, and I am finally ready to focus on my health and do the hard work to make the changes needed to help me reach my goals. I can't ask much more than that at the end of the first week of 2017!

I love a new year!

I saw this today on Facebook and felt it described how I feel each year in January. I'm excited for this year and hope that big changes are in store for me. One thing I have already started is decluttering, mostly my clothing. I go through my closet twice year, usually March/April and again October/November and take out clothing that I haven't worn in a year. I try to pass the clothing to families in need, if at all possible. I have already gone through some drawers which I hadn't been into in a year and have a small pile started. I currently have some clothing in an extra closet and I want to get ALL of my clothes into my main bedroom closet.

Today is sort of a prep day. I'll be working on creating a grocery price book. Since I won't be working, it's time to make sure that I'm almost always paying the lowest price for an item. We have some great resources in town and I need to know what they sell and for how much. I don't mind a little extra driving if it means a big savings.

I will also be working on a daily checklist for making sure I'm eating well. I had an in-depth blood test done called an NMR Lipid Panel and the results weren't good. I'm in the worst category for "possible cardiac life event." I do not want to take statin meds for this as the side effects are horrible. I have some treatments to look into and I have bloodwork drawn every 6 months so I will be able to see if my ideas are helping.

I need to go through my crafting books and decide on gifts for all of my family members this year. That will be fun. My mom is going to teach me how to use my sewing machine finally. I really want to be able to create with it and it's been sitting on the shelf, never used! I am looking forward to deciding on the perfect gift for each person.

Finally, some cleaning needs to happen in the kitchen and bathrooms today! I have to admit that I'm not the best house cleaner, but I know I will get better since I'll be home more and won't be able to stand to look at the clutter or messiness. I like it when Jim comes home to a clean house and he likes it too!

Illness and rest

I was in the doctor's office today, diagnosed with asthmatic bronchitis. I was given a steroid shot, 3 prescriptions for an antibiotic, steroid pack and breathing treatments. Needless to say, I'm taking it easy today. This led me to search for a crochet project to begin and I came along this one - The Moorland Blanket - which actually begins this Friday! I went to Hobby Lobby and bought my yarn and should be able to make this blanket in about 8 weeks if I stick to the host's schedule. I'm going to try to create handmade gifts for everyone at Christmas so I better get moving now!

I've decided to ease into my exercise and change in eating plans. Exercise is on hold until my lungs are a bit clearer, so probably next week before I start swimming. This month, I'm going to work on less sugar & carbs and more water daily. I am not one who will succeed by going "cold turkey" with my change in eating. I figure there are 12 months in a year and I'm going to make total use of all of them! I would like to lose about 20 lbs., but would also be happy with a toned, strong body a few sizes smaller - however, the change appears, I will take it as long as it means I am in a better place than I am currently.

I am currently reading the 5th book in The Hangman's Daughter series by Oliver Potzsch called The Werewolf of Bamberg. I have truly enjoyed this series! I hope to read 2-3 books monthly. I have more than enough books on my shelves to keep me busy without adding any more to the library. Hopefully, the money saved will go towards a couple of projects needing to be done in our home. Plans are to get rid of the drop ceiling in the guest bathroom, update the fireplace covering it with stone or reclaimed barn wood and paint the house "greige" (grey/beige). There are also plans to update the landscaping along the front of the house as the rhododendrons have become overgrown and cannot be cut back without looking horrible!

I am looking forward to giving notice at my job this week and taking a break from working outside the home. I will then be focusing my efforts on our home, my health as well as my crafting and other interests. I've asked my mom to help me learn my sewing machine which I have had for many years and never learned how to use! I'm looking forward to taking care of me, for a change. Jim is totally for this and is actually encouraging me to take some time for myself this year. I'm kinda excited about it, too! It's great when you have support at home!