Man, OCD Christmas

I just got done spending wayyy too much time organizing Christmas ornaments (the ones that didn't fit on the tree, now that's sad)! I think I'm going to get rid of a few, since I actually bought too many (of the simple, plain ones). Since last Christmas, I've been trying to think of the most efficient way to store ornaments. I saw something on Pinterest last year, which was gluing solo cups to cardboard and putting the ornaments in the cups to protect them. We tried it, and most of our ornaments didn't fit :( It wasn't very efficient or minimal either. So I thought of another more simple idea: storing ornaments in shirt boxes. I know a lot of families do that, but it seems to be the best way. I've collected 3 different sizes. Normally, I would just get one size (since I'm OCD like that), but since I'm trying to take up the least amount of space possible, different sizes are appropriate. I went through the ornaments for my mini-tree too, since I never end up using all the ornaments I have.

Man, I hate how OCD I'm feeling right now. But maybe it's good? I'm working off of the motivation I've had. I've been trying to get my "craft room" back in working order. It's been very messy for the last few months. I can't wait until I'm back to doing my make-up in here. It gets way too hot in the master bathroom! I literally sweat the entire time I'm doing my make up, even after closing the vent. If I turn the heat down, it gets even icier downstairs. Our heating isn't the best. It's always boiling upstairs and icy downstairs. I'm just really happy I'm finally starting to go through all my stuff in this room. I've been putting it off for a long time, but it feels good to finally do it. Now I just have to sell, and donate things.

Boring lately

I really haven't a ton going on lately. Well, Daniel and I celebrated our one year anniversary on Monday! We went to Blue Ridge, GA in the mountains. It was very nice and we had a great time. It was exactly what we both needed.

I've been struggling with trying to eat healthy! It really isn't easy. Especially when there's unhealthy leftovers in the house. We had a Halloween party and lots of left over candy, a few cupcakes, cookie dough. I honestly don't even want to eat it, I just hate wasting food. I also bought 2 local made jams on our trip, and got some pumpkin butter and cookie butter from Trader Joes not too long before that. I didn't really think about the fact that it's not really good on anything besides bread. Maybe I could add it to oatmeal? I actually didn't eat too bad today though. I haven't eaten dinner yet since I had a really late lunch at like 4. But I don't plan on eating bad tonight. My biggest problem is finding a healthy, substantial portion of protein per meal. I know your body doesn't actually need as much protein as everyone acts like you do, but that's what makes you full. Maybe for dinner tonight, I'll make some quinoa with frozen veggies. Right now, I'm browsing the #veganfoodshare hashtag on instagram for food ideas. Not that I'm vegan, but I know that's like the healthiest way to eat.

Not Much Going On Lately

Wish I could say there was! I've been doing a lot of thinking about my future career as a hair stylist lately. I still definitely want to! I've just been trying to figure out how to make it happen. Well I know how, it's just a matter of finances. But man am I excited! I think about it all the time! It's just such a good feeling knowing what I want to do in life. Just making it happen financially is the hard part.

I just can't stop thinking about it. I imagine I will be so happy. How could I not be? I'm basically waiting for a certain thing to happen financially, but it's kind of personal so I'm not going to get into it.

At first, I really thought I was just going to go to a technical school. I even started sending transcripts to a school. It's cheaper and you supposedly learn the same material. But after talking to two girls who have a lot more knowledge about the subject than I do (they're both enrolled and close to graduating from a "high end school"), I quickly learned that going to a higher end school is the way to go. It's expensive, but worth it. They both told me that so many girls who went to a technical school ended up there, because they weren't learning what they should be and weren't passing the boards. So after a lot of convincing (from me to my husband) he agreed reluctantly it was probably the best route to take. But right now, we aren't making enough to make monthly payments on a loan. Our one year anniversary is coming up soon (next week) and we're going to a cabin to celebrate! After that, I'd really, really like to start looking for a new job. I'm not exactly sure how it's going to work out going to school and working, but I'm going to have to! Even if it's only a few days a week.

Anyway, just thought I'd make a small update. Just been living life besides that! I've got to start blogging more! I miss it!

Outdoors

I really want to go camping again this Friday. I brought it up to Daniel earlier in the week, but he didn't really say anything. I want to get out and clear my mind. It's getting all murky with consumerism and I don't like it. I just want to chill out by a fire, be surrounded by trees and soak in the cool breeze. When we went camping last time it had just rained for two days straight before, and we couldn't keep the fire going, so it was kind of disappointing. But since then we've bought firestarters and a really bright propane powered lantern. So I think we'll be good next time around.

Just Writing

 

I'm not even sure what I want to write about. I'm so sleepy right now, but it's not even 9. My life really hasn't been very interesting lately. We went to look for Halloween costumes today which was fun. I got most of the things I need for my costume. I want to be a girlier version of the black plague doctors. I bought a hat, hooded cape (hat goes on top of cape), and long black gloves. I still need to buy the mask. I looked at both of the halloween stores by us, but they both had the same one. It's black but has a lame gold design on it. I saw on the website for one of the halloween stores, they have the same mask, but in solid black. They said if you buy it online, they'll ship it to the store for free. So I think I'll do that. But I'm going to wear either a black skirt/shirt or dress with black tights, and these black heeled oxfords. I think it'll be really cute, and slightly dark. But just the cape, gloves, and hat looked really good together when I tried it on. Maybe I'll wear some red lipstick too or something.

I'm really excited because I ordered some Lush stuff online! I know it'll take a while to get here, but that's ok. Most of the stuff I got is available online only. And one of the items I bought online (that you can also get in store) is just to get the black pot it comes in as opposed to the clear plastic one they put it in in store. It's a facial cleanser called "Let the Good Times Roll." Then I got like 4 perfume samples (still had to pay for those), 3 bath bombs, and a small body wash.

:D

So after having a talk with Daniel, he pulled me next to him and asked," how would you like to go camping Friday night?" My God, my heart could not sing any louder. Asking me to go on a spontaneous camping trip is only a step below asking me to marry him. (I know I'm kinda crazy). I had really been depressed lately about not really doing anything outdoor related. I know that sounds weird, but it's something that really means a lot to me. I am happiest when I'm outdoors exploring, camping or whatever. It's funny, because I've never really considered myself an outdoors person. When I was young all the way until about middle school I was. Then it hit me again towards the end of high school. 

I never really realized how much I enjoyed the outdoors until we started camping a couple years ago. I've only gone 2 or 3 times, but I've loved every minute of it. I'm always so relaxed when I'm outside. (Mosquitoes and heat being the only things I don't like). 

Anyway! I'm very, very excited! I don't think I could be happier!!

I really need to get back into it!

Man the cabin trip really messed me up as far as food and fitness are concerned. Since then I really haven't been working out or eating better. I've kind of tried off and on, but not very hard. I just kind of gave up. I wasn't seeing the results I was hoping for. I really need to jump back on bored though. I've taken too long of a hiatus. Well, tomorrows Monday, which is a perfect day to try again!

Sea of Emotions

Lately, I've been feeling all sorts of weird. I feel like lots of things are changing or happening at once. My mom and step-dad (and possibly brother) are probably going to be moving to Florida. She's confused about it as well. I know that's where her and Ray (my step-dad) have always wanted to be. We came to Georgia for the good schools and you get more for your money here. I haven't been that close to my mom the last few years, but honestly it's from what I mentioned before. I get tired of her laying all her problems on me every time we talk. It takes a lot out of you, especially when you have your own problems to deal with. I've came to the conclusion (and felt this way from the beginning): it's going to suck, but she deserves happiness. If not seeing her in person, but having a skype conversation where she's finally happy happens, that's worth it to me.

The house she's in is wayyy too much for her. It would be for anyone. I got overwhelmed living there, which is why I moved in with Daniel and his mom two summers ago. They already refinanced the mortgage, which added on like 15 years to a 40 year mortgage. So realistically, they'll never own it. But anyway, she would be downsizing. She's talking about buying a cheap house with cash and maybe getting a loan to fix it up. I honestly feel like that's whats best for her. I really wish I would've known about downsizing, debt, and not biting off more than you can chew when they bought that house. However, she probably still would've wanted to buy it. Last year she almost bought a house than was even bigger than the 3,000 sq. ft. one she's in now! I'm so happy it didn't end up working out.

On a different note, Daniel and I discussed going to cosmetology school. Daniel told his mom I was interested in that and she talked to her best friend who is a hair stylist. She basically said that that amount of money is ridiculous and that you end up learning the same thing at a technical college. She went to Gwinnett Tech, which is where I first thought about going. It all comes down to passing the boards. She also brought up trade shows (I think that's what they're called). Basically, I think they're like expos, (several every year) where you learn how to better your skills and learn new and coming things in your trade. I would definitely be interested in that.

If I did that, we would only be out a couple hundred probably instead of several thousand. Plus, I already have taken my core classes, assuming they transfer.  I'd most likely be going the Spring semester, so after Christmas. Daniel is fully supportive of it. That makes me very happy and makes me feel a lot better. His support has really been important to me and helps me realize everything is going to be ok. He's not only supported me, but pumped me up. It's really made me excited for the future.

So yeah a lot of changes are happening, which is kind of scary, but life can't stay the same forever!

Getting Inspired

It's weird how buying things can make you inspired, maybe it's just me. I've desperately been wanting to decorate, so I went to Michael's today and bought a few small things. I bought some feathers, fake flowers, a tiny hanging terrarium (it's empty), an tiny autumn floral stem, a wide potter and a tiny bird cage. I'm pretty happy with my purchases and it only came out to $13. A lot of it was on sale. My little craft room is starting to come along :) It's only the beginning, but I like where it's going. Anyway, I feel like Michael's is my new favorite store! They have good prices and sales on a lot of items and I can customize my decorations rather than just buying some. I also went to Pier 1 and bought 4 tiny white bowls that were $1.50 each. I saw them the other day, but didn't buy them. From cooking more often, I've realized they were perfect for putting random ingredients in. For example, oil, eggs for sealing egg rolls wraps ect. So I went back and bought them today. They're actually bigger than I remember, but that's ok. We have 4 tiny glass bowls now that we use all the time so it'll be nice to have some extras.

It's so hard to walk into Michael's and not want to buy everything! Well mostly the fall stuff lol. I think I want to make a flag garland thing for the fireplace once fall gets a little closer. There really aren't any good colors to represent August. Every time I go there I always get caught up in the scrapbook section. I just love looking at all the stickers, papers, and little random things for scrap books. I don't know why, but I've always been drawn to little pieces. As an example, when I was younger, I didn't really care for Barbies that much, but I was more interested in their clothes and accessories. Polly pocket as another example. Scrap booking supplies kind of remind me of that.  I really liked all the stamps and decorative hole punches they had there as well, but I don't really have a use for them. Maybe around Christmas to make handmade cards or something, but that's all I can think of.

Lately, I've kind of been wanting a record player again. However, I think I want a modern one this time. And probably one with speakers built in. I miss the crackly sound of a record player.

Cooking With Hubby

Well, he did most of the work! Lol. For dinner I had an idea that I wanted to cook something together with Daniel. We decided on something easy, turkey shepard's pie. It was delicious. And the whole process was very fun, and exactly what I needed. It's really nice to spend time with Daniel doing something other than walking around a store or watching tv. It's been so long since we've cooked together, so it was really nice. 

We also went to a variety of stores before dinner. We went to Michael's and I got sort of inspired, but for what I don't know lol. I just got a good feeling from being there. Oh, I bought a twig wreath :D weird I know, but I've been wanting one since I moved in. I saw a neighbor that had one on the porch and fell in love. I'll have to wait for fall though ;) it just doesn't seem appropriate now lol. 

I'm getting so excited for the future and what I'm hoping it will bring. I'm ready for change for the better!

It's Mornings Like This

That make me miss living with my mom and siblings. Morning, summer, humid, listening to 88.5 (Georgia State College Radio), feeling dirty since I haven't showered yet. Lately I've been sort of lonely. I miss my family. I'd go and see them more, but every time I do it's depressing. My mom lays a lot on me. I know she doesn't have anyone to talk to, but at the same time I'm not her psychiatrist you know? I just want to enjoy her company. That really is the reason why I don't visit more often. I leave feeling more sad than I did when I got there. But from that also brings a certain amount of appreciation for the lack of chaos in my life. In a way, I do sort of miss the chaos. There were good parts with the bad. There was always something going on.

I texted my sister the other day. I said she should come over soon since we haven't seen each other in forever and she never wrote me back. I'm surprised she didn't write me back. I mean it's probably been a month since we've talked. I'll just try again soon I guess. I'm proud and jealous of my sister. She recently finished grooming school. Her work (Petsmart) paid for it and now she has a 2 year contract for them. I think it's funny we're probably both going to end up having careers in cutting hair. I really want to go to hair school. However, I probably won't be able to until at least the winter semester because of money.

I just messaged a girl on facebook who I used to work with that now goes to a cosmetology school. I wanted to get some basic questions answered like if she likes it, how much it costs ect. I knew she went to a particular school, but I didn't know how close it was to my house! I just did a brief google search and found that out. It's like a 12 minute drive according to google.  I'm getting really excited now since I found that out. It's funny how thoughts take certain paths. Like being upset about my sister led me to doing research on my dream (which I've really been needing to do and get the motivation). I'm feeling very optimistic. I did an estimated net price calculator and it was pretty pricy. However, it is cheaper than Aveda and the other one I was looking at (I can't remember the name). But still I'm assuming better than going to a community college. There's financial aid available. It probably won't be able to cover near what I need it to, but that's ok. I understand how to pay off debt. I need credit anyway. And also I can't expect to better my life without giving a little first. I'm feeling so excited right now! :)

I Did It

I worked out for the first time since before we left for the cabin! Sure it really sucked while I was doing it, but I feel sooooooooooooo much better now. I've kind of been in a funk since we got back and haven't been healthy at all. Lots of junk food and no working out. I didn't realize how depressed that made me! But I made myself get my butt off the couch and do it. I unfortunately had McDonald's for lunch though. I really didn't care at the time, because I was starving and we had no food at the house. But we just got back from shopping not too long ago. So for dinner, I'm eating a spring mix salad with falafel (I just discovered Kroger carries it) and carrots. The mix has herbs in it, which I thought would be good, but it's actually kind of weird. Certain bites are really intense. Either way, I'm really proud of myself. Sure I still feel like a blubbery walrus, but I did it. And I'll do it again tomorrow. I set an alarm on my phone for 6:30 pm to work out. I'm hoping doing that will get me on some sort of schedule and force myself to do it. I kind of want to go for a walk tonight too, but I may not. I always feel weird walking by myself and Daniel probably won't want to go with me.

I have quite a few recurring dreams. One of them is being back in high school (I've seriously had this dream at least 20 times). I had that dream again last night, but this time it was mixed with another one of my unfortunately less, but still recurring dream, that I'm in some Scandinavian country and it is freaking beautiful. I looked up pictures of Iceland on google and my dreams pretty much match that. So I was in high school (even though I had already graduated in my dream) in this beautiful country, I'm just gonna say Iceland. Man I want to travel there so bad. I really want to visit all the Scandinavian countries. The only thing that looks different in my dreams is that the houses are on hills.

All of the pictures are basically like what my dream is like. It's crazy because I've never looked up pictures of Iceland before today. I just imagined and dreamed that's what it would look like and it does. However, I usually think I'm in Sweden in the dream.

I Need a Hobby

Like desperately. I really liked the whole idea of the "being outdoors more" thing, but it's not realistic right now. Mostly because of gas. We're trying to cut back on driving, because we do it A LOT. Most days we go to different stores and stuff because we're bored. I really need a hobby that doesn't require much driving. I just can't think of anything! I've tried knitting and always end up giving up out of frustration. I'm really not a huge fan of tv.

Man I am so ready for fall it's ridiculous. Everything is better during fall.

Cohousing

What an interesting idea! I'll just use the definition from Wikipedia, "A cohousing community is a type of intentional community composed of private homes supplemented by shared facilities. The community is planned, owned and managed by the residents – who also share activities which may include cooking, dining, child care, gardening, and governance of the community. Common facilities may include a kitchen, dining room, laundry, child care facilities, offices, internet access, guest rooms, and recreational features.

It's basically a bunch of people living together and doing chores together and helping each other out. I forgot this existed. I first heard about it in a documentary I watched about happiness. It seemed like these people were truly happy caring for and being around others.

For some reason, I've always been interested in hippie-type communities that they show in the movies. Where people end up becoming family, even though they're not blood related. Maybe it's comforting to me because I've always had a small family. I really only talk to my immediate family. And even them not as often as I'd like.

I just think it's a neat idea. It's like trying to bring back villages like their used to be.

Cabin Trip

Man I had so much fun! We went hiking, tubing down a scary river, and shopping. I've got to say, I think one of my favorite things in the world is going either camping or getting a cabin with my friends. I always have a really great time.

So this lead me to think of an idea for a new hobby: becoming more active outside! Mostly what I'm interested in is hiking and kayaking. I really enjoyed hiking and I really like kayaking as well. Daniel and I both want to buy one though. There's a rental place by us, but it's pretty pricey. But I figured this would be a good thing to get into for many reasons. 1) it's physical 2) I love nature 3) mainly upfront costs 4) involves spending time with Daniel 5) nature is good for the soul and happiness 6) I don't feel anxious or OCD about anything outside. My main passion now is interior design and I get very OCD and perfectionist about it, which stresses me out.

Unfortunately, there aren't many trails by where we live now. We'd pretty much have to drive at least 15 minutes to get to any, which isn't horrible. But most of them are 20 or more minutes away. There is a lake somewhat near us though. For a lake anyway. It's like 30-40 minutes away. Although there's water in Suwanee we could kayak on too. The biggest thing is saving up for 2 kayaks. I'd like to get some hiking boots too.

I'm really excited though and hope we actually pursue this!

Trim "After" Pictures

In the second picture, you can see where on the outside of the door frame some of the paint peeled off when I took off the paint. I'll have to touch that up whenever I paint next time. Much better though!

 

Weird Lately

Lately, I've felt somewhat depressed and I'm not even sure why. I don't like it. It could be because of trying to get in shape. I mean yes I feel good about myself for the most part. There's still the thing I'm most self conscious about which is my butt that isn't really doing what I want. I'm mad at myself because I keep making unhealthy decisions. I'm still staying in the 110-112 range, but still. I feel like the cellulite won't go away unless I eat even healthier. It's usually one thing that gets me per day. I just want it to go away. Last night to try and cheer myself up, I made a list of things that make me happy. It was kind of a nice/weird brain exercise that at the time actually did make me feel a little better. I just reread the list. Not the same effect, but still nice. I also kind of made it so I could get an idea of what I should do more of. Since you should do more of what makes you happy (according to Pinterest lol). It's funny how much of it had to do with fall/autumn and food.

I'm getting excited about the cabin trip though! We leave on the 18th. I know it's going to be really fun. It just needs to hurry up and get here.

Exteriors

This is what our house looked like the day we bought it. It no longer looks this clean and landscaped. Lately (well always), I've been thinking about the outside of the house. I really want to get it back to looking like this. Today I picked so many freakin' weeds. I was probably out there for probably 45 min. just picking weeds. It looks a ton better now though. Right now, the yard needs to be:

edged
bushes trimmed down
deweeded (I got like 98% of them)
remulched

I think that's it. I really want to paint the shudders and door too. It's still a toss up about what colors. Daniel thinks black door and black shudders. I really think it would be cool to have an orange door then black shudders maybe, but I'm scared it'll look like Halloween. We may have to play around in photoshop. I do actually think the scheme now is cute, but I want something different.

Man there's so many things I want to do with this house. I know they'll all take time. It's very difficult being patient. I figured I'd start on what I can actually do right now which is pick weeds. It's actually kind of fun, but I'd rather them not there at all of course.

I'm Done Until the Cabin Trip

I actually don't think I've mentioned it, but we're going on a cabin trip with 5 other people. We leave the 16th I believe. I am unbelievably excited. But fitness and food wise I need to kick it into gear. I gotta look good for the hot tub! I've ate bad lately. Yesterday wasn't bad...until I went to my friends house for a rescheduled 4th of July party. Which I mean I allowed myself that. But still. I'm going to try not to drink until we get to the cabin. If I eat well from now until then and continue exercising like I have been, then I should be good. Hopefully.

Fruit flies!

Having fruit flies are a bitter sweet thing. Good because they let you know you're eating lots of fruit. Bad because they're annoying and destroy your fruit. We made a trap for them by cutting the top half of a water bottle off and flipping it upside down then and taping it. There's vinegar and nectarine juice in there. It's actually working really well! I had to put all my fruit in the fridge though :( but I discovered something. Cold bananas are delicious! I don't know if its because they're carrying a different type of bananas now or if its because I put it in the fridge. But somehow they got so sweet and delicious! I'll probably still put everything outside once the problem is gone. I think it was the nectarines. Because I've never bought those before and have been buying the same fruits minus those and have never had a problem. 

That reminds me though, I ate bad the last two days :( one I will kind of excuse because it was a holiday. Actually both days it's mostly what I drank that was problematic. Oh well. It's better than last time when I ate a whole box of cookies! I guess I had to learn my lesson, because I had never done anything like that before. And I hopefully never will again.

I don't know what I'm going to eat today, because we really don't have much. Oh yeah lately, I've been eating a lot of frozen vegetables since those stay fresh longer. For protein and carbs, I've been eating brown rice and seasoned black beans. I really want to buy some rice paper wraps from Super H-Mart, but I forgot last time I went. They look so cool and fun :)

Hopefully I'll convince myself to run today and do some strength stuff. Cause it's been two days since I've done anything. 

Spit and Fingernails

What an odd combination, but it works wonders for getting oil paint off of the floors. Very, very tedious though. I never posted an after picture of the trim in my room. Probably because I was embarrassed about all the paint that snuck through where I taped off. But I've got like 60% of the room done now :) My nails are getting messed up, but I don't even care lol. I just want the paint off the floors. 

I'm really itching to start the trim in another room. However, we're pretty broke right now, and paint isn't cheap. My goal is to have the house done by Christmas. I keep imagining this beautiful clean white mantle with stockings and modern, but simple Christmas decorations. Before we bought the house, I kept imagining how awesome it would be to wake up in our own house on Christmas morning. We missed that by a few months though. That's ok. At least we're able to this year!

I have a few ideas for things I want to do in my multipurpose room. Which I'm excited about, but of course I need money to do them. I want to paint a table I already have and paint two mirrors I have. They're black, but I want to paint them white. Also, I want to buy a new mirror (mine broke) and add wood to the outsides of it and make it look all vintagey. I also have some shelves to hang in there (nothing to put on them though lol). I'm also thinking of buying some feathers from Michael's to put in a vase I recently got from a thrift store. I think this rug is cool. It's $40 from ikea, but I have a feeling I would get tired of it fast and regret buying it. 

I'm actually surprisingly satisfied with our bedroom! All we need are blinds, trim, a mirror over my dresser and either another mirror or some kind of art over the bed :) We don't have room for much else lol. Maybe a rug. We talked about getting an ottoman thing too for linen storage since we DON'T HAVE A LINEN CLOSET! :( I still don't know what I want to do on the top of my dresser. I want to keep it simple. Maybe some flowers, perfume tray. Something classy. 

Ahh so many ideas floating around in my head! After all interior design is my passion ;)

Day 2 of No Facebook

And it's great! I gotta say, I really thought I would miss it. The first night I kept catching myself going to check it, so I deleted it off my phone and ipad. But now, I really haven't even had the desire to check it. I'm very happy about that. I mean I'm not saying I'll never go on it again, but I just wanted to see if I can do this. I don't know if I said this on my last post or not, but I also went through my instagram and unfollowed probably 50 or more people. It was so excessive. I was mostly following vegan food pages, but I really didn't need all those. I just kept the ones I liked the most. It was taking me way too long to check my feed. It's been really nice.

I'm gonna try to get some of my house cleaned today now that I have this new found time. It's pretty dirty. Mostly everything is picked up, it just needs to be swept and wiped down. It's supposed to be rainy all day, which is even more motivation for cleaning the house.

I really need to get rid of some stuff soon. I don't have a lot, I'm just tired of looking at it.

Sometimes You Have to Take a Step Back

I'm struggling with something that I wrote a post not too long ago about comparing yourself to other people. It really is a difficult thing to do. I'm writing this post to hopefully talk some sense into myself. I really need to be thankful for who I am. I can't be another person. As pretty as someone is or how good of shape someone else is in, I cannot be that person. 

I think maybe I need to take a break from Instagram for a while. Because that's kind of what I'm talking about. Comparing yourself to fitness people and vegans. I mean yes it's inspiration, but sometimes it can have an opposite affect. It detours you from what you're trying to accomplish because it makes you feel bad, which leads you to not feel motivated. 

I just deactivated my Facebook account. It's not really the same, but I'm going to give it a try. When I actually look at the stuff on Facebook that comes in through my feed, it's really not very interesting. It's really just a time killer. About a week ago, I "unliked" the majority of the pages I was a fan of. Just to weed out what came into my feed. What was left were pictures that aren't that interesting and statuses that aren't that interesting. Even I knew the statuses I posted weren't interesting. Realistically, I'll probably go back, but I kind of want to take a break for a while. It's funny I keep getting that itch to check it.

There's certain things people think they can't live without, but they can. I didn't have a cellphone until my senior year of high school and I got around completely fine. I also wasn't driving then (because I'm a giant procrastinator). I actually kind of enjoyed not having a phone. Would I get rid of my phone now? No. Facebook? Maybe. We'll see how it goes. 

Probiotics

In case you don't know, probiotics are good bacteria that you can take, either drinking or in pill form, that help your digestive tract and immune system. I'm going to try and take these more often. I have a lot of digestive problems for some reason. I've always had a really sensitive stomach unfortunately. The things that bother my stomach the most are stir fries and salad when not washed properly. It's funny, I can eat a double cheeseburger and fries from McDonald's and have zero tummy problems, but sauteed vegetables can leave me out for the night. I've read that stir frying vegetables can be bothersome to the stomach and it's better to either steam or bake them. However, I feel like stir frying is the most tasty and easiest. Anyway, I'm going to take more probiotics to hopefully help me with my digestive problems. I haven't done a ton of research, but the little I did do said to take them often. I plan on getting some at Kroger whenever I go grocery shopping. They sell an 8oz container in the nature's market section for like $1.50. I know it's under $2.00. So if I pick one up every time I go grocery shopping, I should be good to go.

Boo

I've been bad the last few days food and exercise wise. Well I did better yesterday. I ate slightly better and went on a run and did some squats and ab stuff. I'm back up to 113, which obviously isn't bad, but it makes me a little sad. I've gotta work on not depriving myself of sweets. Because I NEVER used to crave chocolate and sweets until I started eating healthier. But I always deny it to myself, but that just leads to binging. So I bought an entire box of chips ahoy cookies for myself (Daniel got a box for himself too cause we couldn't agree on one). I have one row left. All I can do it get back on track which I'm doing.

I'm proud of myself for going running though. I don't mind running, it's just getting out the door that's the hardest part. It's so weird how that's always the case. I guess I had some extra motivation though from how bad I ate this weekend. My weaknesses right now are beer, chips and salsa, and toast (either rye or 9 grain I think it is). The toast I don't mind as much, because it has fiber and helps me from getting nauseous when I take my vitamins. I know I probably use to carbs at work too. But yeah I'm excited to see what running does for my body, because cardio and diet are supposed to be how you burn fat. I'd like to start doing physical stuff 5 days a week. I'd like to do yoga one day, then strength and running the next or something. Just to clear it up, when I say "strength" all I do are bicycle sit ups (right now 2 sets of 25) and squat 3 sets of 10. The weight is 20 + the bar weight. I should probably increase both of those soon. I know it's not much, but it's something.

I'm gonna try not to post weight updates from day to day, because it's pointless. I know the number really isn't important. I'm mostly interested to gauge what I'm doing. Figuring out what works and what doesn't.

I Did It and Bird Watching

I got to my goal weight of 110! I gotta say it doesn't feel like how I expected though. I expected to look a lot thinner than I do. Honestly, the only thing I'm concerned about are my butt/thighs.  It's funny, once I saw I hit 112 I got really excited, but started eating worse. But still got down to 110 and have consistently weighed that for the last 4 days. Now I want to work on building muscle. I really wish I had a gym membership, but we can't afford that right now. I'd really like to start jogging soon. I don't plan on running miles on end but I'd like to slowly build up. Master running 1 mile then maybe 2. I just really want to be fit. I know cardio is a great way to burn fat. I tried jump roping, but ended up getting frustrated with how often I was missing the rope.

Yesterday Daniel and I had a date night! That was really nice. I know this is weird, but we bought a bird feeder. Daniel really wanted to and I thought it sounded like a good idea. We bought a cheap one a week or so ago and it's already chewed up by squirrels. The new one we bought is metal. We put habanero seed mix in it since that's safe for birds but it burns squirrels mouths. For some reason birds don't have the taste buds to taste the heat. We learned this from the very knowledgeable and nice woman that owns the bird watching store we went to. After that, I was bad and got a medium java chip frappichino and then Daniel got froyo. After that we went out to dinner (needless to say I wasn't very hungry and neither was he) I also didn't eat very healthy then either but that's ok. No regrets. After that, we went to see Iron Man since we hadn't yet. That was pretty good! Over all we had a great night. I think it pooped us out cause we were in bed by like 11.

Post Decluttering and Goals

I really have a hard time finding out what to do post "decluttering stage" of minimalism. Maybe I should start reading. I've always wanted to get into it, but haven't since I've gotten older. I used to be a bookworm up until mid-middle school. Most nights I just end up browsing pinterest, facebook, instagram, and the blogs I read. That's about it. It gets kind of old after a while. I also like to just sit outside on the back porch and surround myself with nature. Daniel and I spend all off our time together when we get off work and usually spend the nights before we go to sleep on ourselves. He'll usually play xbox, go on his computer, write/play music.

I wish there was a park near us. I got spoiled by the old city I used to live in where there was like one park every 3 miles. I really like to go for walks and just talk with Daniel. Usually it's hard getting him to go on walks with me though :(

I was just out of curiosity reading an old post I wrote on my old blog about being my "fantasy self". I've surprisingly accomplished a lot of the things on there, which makes me happy! :) And I gotta say I'm a much happier person for doing these things. Some examples were do yoga 2-3 times per week, drink 4 cups of tea a week, eat more vegetables, drink more water, don't drink soda, take biotin daily. There were more than just health related things on there, but it turns out those are the ones I've accomplished. It really feels nice to set goals and meet them. I suppose I'll write a list of new goals. I have some on there from my old list as well. They're sort of in categories.

- Get enrolled in a hair program
- Set up various doctor's appointments

- Stick with weight lifting
 (Just for squats I really don't want to get bulky)
- Possibly start running
- Experiment more with cooking
- Drink less alcohol
  (That sounds bad. I really don't drink that much, but it's really not good for you
   especially when you start adding mixers. It's bad for your health and building muscle/losing fat)
- Work on eating healthier snacks
  (The snacks I eat aren't the worst, but not the best either)

- Find more activities for Daniel and I to do together
- More date nights
- Go on more mini-vacations
   (camping trips, weekend trips. I don't see this increasing a lot, but maybe taking one every 5 months
    or so)
- Spend more time with family

- Get all the trim in the house painted


I'm sure there's more small things, but those are the most important to me. The hair one and doctor's appointments are so difficult for me 1) because of anxiety and 2) because of money. So we'll see. I'm going to start tackling this next set of goals.

Breakfast Diners

For some reason, I've really been wanting to go to a breakfast diner type place. It's probably because that's like my favorite type of food. I know it's not the healthiest, but there's something so comforting about breakfast at a diner. I'd like to go to my FAVORITE breakfast place I think it's called The Original Pancake House (I should know this). It's in Atlanta and it is AMAZING.

I've really been wanting to do coupley stuff lately. Which isn't usually cheap. I've been wanting to go on a romantic camping trip. Just embracing the fact that I have a partner and a soul mate. Being appreciative.

Hair Struggle

It seems every week I want to do something different with my hair. It gets really annoying after a while. I haven't mentioned it on this blog, but a while back I wanted to grow out my natural hair color. And I did for 8 months. Shortly after I got married, I got really tired of the way my hair was and dyed it dark again. My natural color wasn't long enough for me to really tell if I liked it or not. I was just impatient about it.

Now I'm wanting to grow it out again for some reason. I think it's been like two months already. But now I'm taking vitamins and eating much healthier, so I think my hair will grow faster.

I just always see pictures of girls (for example the type of women/girls on the blog http://remainsimple.tumblr.com/) who look to be easy going, care free, relaxed. I know that's a weird description, but I can't think of any other way. Simple I guess. Just that sort of natural style. Her whole blog is just lovely.

It kind of goes back to the whole embracing your body idea I was talking about earlier. So we'll see what happens, whether I stick with it or not. I think I'm ready to give it another try though.

Correction 13 pounds!!

I'm even more ecstatic now, turns out I was reading the scale wrong! The little notch that I thought was the 115 notch was actually the 110 notch. So yes I weigh 112. This is awesome! Because my ultimate goal weight is 110. But that's with no exercise. But since I've been exercising, my number is going to be higher to account for muscle weighing more than fat. Wow I just realized this is the lowest I've ever weighed since I've got older. I'm so happy now! All my hard work is paying off!!

Comparison is the Thief of Joy

I'm not sure who said that quote, but it's a good one. Comparing yourself to others will only bring sadness and dissatisfaction. Anytime I ever feel jealous of someone or something, the thing that helps me get over it is remembering that you cannot be that person. You can only be your best self. Put that energy towards becoming what you want to be. As an example, if you want to be thinner, stop getting jealous about skinny girls and start eating better! 

You can only be your best self. 

It's funny, I actually don't get that feeling that much anymore. I used to all the time. I guess once you accept that a weight gets lifted off your shoulders. 

Embracing your body

I'm not gonna make this super drawn out, but I've recently switched to a natural deodorant! Lol. Since breast cancer runs in my family, I figured its time to switch to an aluminum free alternative. I've been using a powder deodorant from Lush called "Coconut". You'd think it smells like coconuts, but it doesn't. It's not a bad smell, but not super delicious either. Anyway, I've kind of been enjoying getting away from the harsher deodorant. The deodorant doesn't prevent you from sweating, but it absorbs your sweat. As you can imagine, it doesn't 100% cover your natural odor. But for some reason this doesn't bother me. Recently, I've been interested in being more natural. I mean I don't think they had dove and speed stick in biblical times. It's strange, but it feels better to be more true to my natural self. I even tried switching to a more natural face wash,  but that hasn't been panning out so far. Maybe it's because I've been drinking more caffeine than I usually do. Anyway, weird subject, but I felt it was worth sharing. Consider giving up aluminum enriched deodorant and opt for something more natural! 

I've lost 8 pounds!

Since I've started "eating healthier", I've lost 8 pounds! It feels really good. I'm still not where I want to be, but I'm definitely making progress. We finally caved in and bought a scale (which is why I'm just now finding out). I feel like I'll probably lose more too since I'm now eating even healthier than I was a week ago. Daniel and I watched the documentary Forks Over Knives and we're converted. We're probably not going to become vegans, at least not now, but we've drastically changed out diet. Daniel is eating as a vegan for a week to detox a little bit. I would've done it with him, but I had just bought some cheese and Greek yogurt ice cream. Which is funny since I don't usually eat that much dairy. 

I've done this by 

1) significantly cutting back how much we go out to eat 

 We probably only go out twice max per week now (at least me, Daniel gets lunches at work and eats out)

2) not eating much dairy 

 Besides my recent shopping trip, I really haven't been eating much at all

3) healthy snacking

This one is tough for me. The last few months I have been bad about the snacks I choose to eat, but the last week has been much better. I'll typically snack on fruit of some sort. I bought hummus, but I need to buy some good veggies to dip it in

4) eating A LOT of fruits and veggies

 This is what I mostly eat now. I'll have a sandwich here and there, but I've got a lot better about eating my fruits and veggies

5) doing my yoga DVD at least twice a week

I'd like to do it at least 3, but some weeks I don't 

6) not drinking soda or other sugary drinks

If I drink something it's usually either water or hot tea, more recently I've been brewing my own cold teas (other flavors besides your standard sweet tea) occasionally I'll have a diet soda, but not very often

7) no artificial sweeteners

I have been using stevia which is a natural sweetener for my teas and such

8) not giving up

This is probably the cheesiest, but most important thing. I've eaten many an unhealthy meal since I decided I wanted to change my health, but I haven't given up. I came very close, but I didn't. Consistency is they key to success.

Overall I really haven't been super strict with myself, or maybe I have and don't notice it. I have a goal in mind which is keeping me on track. However, like I mentioned I'm ready to get more strict with myself. Eat less bread (I've been on a rye bread and peanut butter kick lately), close to no meat (I've been eating vegetarian all week besides a bite of a burger I had at work today), stick with healthy snacks (I need to remember organic corn chips and black bean dip that has cheese in it don't count as healthy snacks). I'd really like to start incorporating more leafy greens into my diet, but unfortunately, my history with greens isn't the best. I have a really hard time digesting them :( which is accompanied by excruciating stomach pain. I'm hoping as I eat more veggies my stomach will adjust better. 

I'm proud of myself. I've finally made the change I've always wanted to make with my health and I don't see myself going back to the way I was. 

Why I'm going to try and stop shopping at Forever 21

I really want to stop shopping at Forever 21. I'm so tired of spending money on poorly made clothing. I'm tired of buying dresses that shrink after one wash, shirts that have crooked seams, and wasting money on these things. Sure their clothes are cute and trendy, but I'm really tired of it. We'll see how long this lasts. I'm thinking Plato's Closet is where it's at. That's where I buy most of my clothes. Well there and Forever 21. You get so much more for your money there, it's buying second hand (but still in good condition), and usually the clothes are much better quality. 

Bittersweet

It's been a while! Last Saturday, my brother Anthony graduated from high school. Which meant my dad and step-mom came in from out of town. I always like seeing my dad. I miss him. I always love when he comes down, but then get so sad when he leaves, because I never know the next time I'll see him again. It was really fun spending time with him as well as my other family members. I forgot how much I miss being around my family.

We decided to have the graduation party at our house since my dad wanted to see the house and we love having people over anyway. The downside about that were all the leftovers. It was nice that my parents went all out, but we had tons of unhealthy leftovers. Which has put me off the healthy wagon again. I had Taco Bell for lunch :/ But I'm going to try to eat a salad for dinner.

I went to the eye doctor yesterday!! This is big news for me, since I ALWAYS procrastinate for as long as I can with that kind of stuff. I ordered a new pair of glasses which I desperately needed. I'm not in love with them, but they were the best there. They're brown/tortoise shell Ray Bans. I was between that and some black Ray Bans, but those looked a little masculine. I told myself my next pair of glasses was going to be more feminine. Also, I got some trial contacts. This is day two and so far so good. These are daily wear ones which means they're thinner. I'm really hoping they won't be super expensive, but we'll just have to see. I'm glad to have that taken care of. The next big thing on my list will probably be getting my moles checked out. I'm so paranoid about that. I have one on my chest that a doctor said she was little worried about. But just to watch it and see if it changes. I don't think it has but I just want to get it and a couple others checked out.

I'm thinking about possibly doing some blonde peek a boo highlights. It would just be a subtle change. I've never had any kind of highlights before. That reminds me, I can't believe I forgot, I had an interview at Sally's. Unfortunately, I did not get the job. It sounded like it was mostly going to be a sales job anyway. I mean I think I could've done it. I'm pretty bummed about it though. There is another Sally's in the city I live in that I may apply at. 

Trim

Man, trim is no joke! It's so tedious! I JUST finished my room today. I didn't even do the trim in the closet. Somehow, I forgot about it. I might come back for it depending on how burned out I get with the rest of the house. I'm just so ready to move on from that room. It wouldn't have been so bad, but I realized towards the end that I had used acrylic paint on top of oil. Which is a no go. So I decided to completely do at least one coat over everything I had just painted. (Which probably won't make any difference, but it eased my mind.) I'm hoping to do the living room or dining room next. I have a feeling our bedroom is going to be the death of me. I already know it's going to be a pain. I'm gonna try to get a picture up within the next day or so of the finished product of my room. 

Blogger Frustration

Bloggers keep leaving me. I know nothing is forever, but I don't like change! I've had so many blogs that I read on a day to day basis stop existing. Well, they still exist, it's just that the writers no longer write anything. It's pretty frustrating. My favorite blogger Miss Minimalist has basically stopped since she wants to focus on her new daughter. I understand, but I also miss reading her blog. Everyday Minimalist sold her blog to a couple of guys. Who does that? She also had a financial blog, so maybe they made her a good offer, but still. I do love finding new blogs though, but a lot of the time I'll stumble across them, forget to bookmark it, and never see it again.

Some Things are Not Important

In minimalist blogs I've come across many times to make a list of what's important to you and focus on the top three or four things. Usually anything after that isn't actually all that important, and tends to keep focus away from those more important things. For me in order of importance would be relationships, health, (this should be my fourth over third) the house, job/career.

I have to make sure these things happen. For example, today I spent some good time with my mom and sister. It's been way, way too long since I've seen either one of them, and I really missed them. I've also been kind of straying away from my health. A little car problem has my anxiety going haywire, so I made some bad food decisions today. And the last couple days. However, to make up for earlier, I ate a large cucumber, about 7-8 cherry tomatoes, and an apple for dinner. I wasn't even all that hungry anyway. I am NOT giving up. I'm gonna have a few bumps in the road, but I'm not giving up.

The trim is coming along pretty well. I didn't have time today to work on it. But all I need to do is another coat on the window, one entire door, an entire side of the other door and a second coat on the other side. That actually sounds like a lot. And that's only one room! It'll totally be worth it though. It already is and I'm not even done yet. The biggest pain, and what held me up the most, is the window. You have to make a perfect edge on 4 sides of 12 panes whilst attaching a piece of paper to each pane, to ensure it doesn't drip. Such. A. Pain. I'm dreading the rest of the house for that reason. But it gives me something to do, which is nice. Browsing Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram gets quite boring after a while.

And I actually somewhat incorporated my fourth thing today too! I had a much needed, good conversation with my mom about doing the cosmetology school thing. I found out today Aveda is in the $15,000-$20,000 range. I had no idea! I thought like $5,000 at the most! So that's out of the question.  My mom really encouraged me and motivated me to do it. I should definitely qualify for some financial aid and I should still have Hope. Plus, she was telling me at the end of the day all you really need is the certification. I have a business degree (associates anyway), and if I wanted to, I could open my own salon. (Or just work out of my house). It felt really good to talk to her about that, and it gave me the motivation I heavily needed. So I plan on looking into that within the next couple of weeks.

Overall, I feel like I had a good day. :)

Yellow Trim in a White House

So I've decided I can't stand it any longer; the yellow trim that is. I started painting the trim in my multipurpose room. We don't plan on doing the whole house in a weekend or anything, but rather take it slow and do a good job. Painting the trim and doors of the whole house will probably happen over the course of a couple months.

It's just been driving me crazy to have white walls and yellowish trim! I don't know what the previous homeowners were thinking with that. I'm like 90% positive they painted it that color rather than the white aging to a yellow.

I'm loving it already though! It's making me fall in love with the white all over again. For a while, I was thinking I pretty much wanted to repaint the whole house, but I'm not feeling that anymore. What you'll learn from reading this blog is that I have commitment issues when it comes to color. It's like a hair stylist with their hair. They're not going to have one color forever, they change it up pretty often. For this reason, it's unfortunate that I have a passion for interior design.  I think though, that I would like to repaint the bathrooms at least. I'm learning that white really doesn't look that great in a room that doesn't get any natural light.

I think my next priority will be either the trim in the bathroom or the trim in the hallway. I'm leaning towards hallway, since that's seen more often than the bathroom. I'd like to do more to my room tonight, but I'm out of painter's tape to tape down the drop cloth or whatever it's called. I'm excited though! I just need to paint the trim whenever I'm bored lol.

Minimalism

This is a photo of my desk. As you can see, it's very minimal. I love my simple desk. I actually don't even use the lamp. So who knows that may not stay. I thought I would give decorating a try. Besides the lamp, everything in my desk area has a purpose. And I love it that way. (Since this picture was taken I've taped the cords to the back of the desk, so they aren't hanging everywhere.)

 

This is the smaller drawer on my desk. I use everything here. The fabric looking thing is my hard drive/hard drive case. There's also a calculator. That's probably not essential, but it does come in handy.

My desk is in a room that is pretty much my multipurpose room. I use it as an office, yoga room, make up room, and safe haven. It's very bare, but I love it. I have (almost) no problem doing yoga in here. My chair does get in the way sometimes, but I'm usually too lazy to move it.

I'll probably post pictures from time to time of minimal areas of my life, because I think it's fun for people to peek into a so called "minimalist's" life.

Healthier Tuna Salad

I made a clean tuna salad today! It was very tasty and simple to make.

Ingredients:

1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 can of tuna
5 or so cherry tomatoes
romaine lettuce
half of an avocado
plain Greek yogurt (I used about 3/4 of an individual cup)
relish (not the cleanest ingredient)
Whatever seasoning you feel like!

Directions:

Blend the tuna, greek yogurt, avocado, relish and seasoning.
Add carrots, celery, and tomatoes to the side.

The celery probably would've been good in the "tuna salad", but I chopped in larger pieces, so I just put in on the side. I probably need a little help using complementing seasonings. I kind of have a whatever tastes good attitude towards it! If I were to make this again I'd like to add something sweet like grapes. Simple and clean!

On Life and Dreaming

photo: Rifle Paper Co.

I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do with my life lately. I got my associate's degree in business last May and have yet to use it. I did the whole "look for a job in my field" thing and didn't get a single call back. Did I try very hard? No. I can't help but feel like that's a result of me not wanting to work in that field. I can't imagine sitting in a cubicle every day. Believe it or not, I'm a hands on kind of girl.

This has become more and more apparent as the months have past. What else has occurred to me is that I want to follow my dreams. I want to wake up happy to go to my job. Meet people in a low stress environment and work on something I love everyday: hair.

I've had an interest in hair since I first dyed my hair in sixth grade. I actually haven't had it natural since. (I tried for 8 months, but that's a different story.) I cut my own hair now, but I don't like claiming that currently, since my layers are growing out and my hair looks a mess. I used to love my old hair style, but I miss having long layers. Anyway, I have a passion for hair, and have lots of experience cutting and dying it (with myself anyway). 

Having this epiphany, I realized that I indeed want to style hair. I've been mulling it over for a few months now, and I believe it's finally time to take action. I've started researching schools, but found out quickly that the best in the area are Aveda and Paul Mitchell. I'm going to have to do a little more research and price tuition, but I've taken the first step. This is a big deal for me since I am one of the world's biggest procrastinators.

Life is too short to not try to make your dreams a reality. Sure a hair stylist may not seem like everyone's dream, but it's mine. And I'm going to make it happen.

Yoga

I just got done doing some yoga for weight loss (a DVD).  It actually kind of kicked my butt, but in a good way. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I did some squats and ab work before doing the yoga. Thus, making some of the poses difficult to do without my poor legs trembling. I'm no yogi, but I did take a yoga class in college and thoroughly enjoyed it. Once the class was over, that was it. However recently, I've been actually trying get into shape.Yoga seems like a more relaxing, while still engaging, route to take. DVD's seem to be the easiest way to do it right now. There's a website I found called myyogaonline.com. It seems really useful, but I'm not willing to shell out the money to have access to all the videos. Youtube it is!

I've mostly been working out as opposed to yoga the last month or so. Last week was kind of rough, because it was my birthday week. I'm not too upset though, because I allowed myself to indulge for that.

We went grocery shopping today. We bought a bunch of produce and some meat. As much as I'd love to go vegetarian, I don't think I could. Eating mostly meat-free is a more obtainable goal for me. Maybe tomorrow I'll write a post about my first spaghetti squash experience. I have got to include pictures on this blog! I have another blog, http://thepseudominimalist.blogspot.com/ which is pretty much my public journal. This one maybe sort of like that too, but I don't want it to be restricted to only minimalism. This blog is more about incorporating minimalism, or phase 2, if you will. But seriously, this blog will most likely include minimalism, interior design, health, day to day life, food, possibly fashion. You know, whatever's on my mind. Looking forward to starting something fresh!

Welcome!

Glad to see you've stumbled upon my blog! My name is Lauren. I'm an early 20 something simple living enthusiast. I'd describe myself as a gentle minimalist. I don't live on a farm or anything, but I couldn't be happier than when I'm sipping tea on my front porch. This blog is going to cover anything and everything related to my (ideally!) simple life.