Fail

I have failed.  In more ways than one, evidently.  The reason for this blog in the first place was to keep me accountable to my New Year's resolutions.  Remember those?  So my first goal was to run the 5/3 River Bank Run, which occurred last weekend.  Did I run?  No.  And I have no good reasons why I didn't, just that I wasn't ready.  Its not like I didn't have enough time to prepare or anything, I just wasn't ready.  I can't run any farther than a mile and a half so I didn't see any point in signing up for a race in which I could not run the whole thing.  That was my point anyway.  So my new plan is to run the Seaway Run in June.  And now that I've put it out there for everyone to read (all 2 of you people that read this!) I have to do it. 

So what about goal number 2?  Again, fail.  I paid the first bill down to almost nothing, but life has interfered and other bills took precedence.  First, I had to pay DD #1's housing deposit for college, which has been done.  Next, I have to pay for DD#2's trip to Africa with the missions team at church.  I'm paying that today.  Then I have to pay for my son's trip to Green Bay, WI with another missions team from church.  I'll pay that today too.  So, I guess I'm not doing too badly overall.  Now I can concentrate on paying that stupid bill off which will be done within the next 2 weeks.  I should cut myself some slack.  Life rarely happens in an orderly fashion. 

 

Green things

Last week, we had temperatures in the 80's so of course, this past weekend, it was back to the 40's.  It is April, after all.  While it was warm, I got a lot of yardwork done; picking up the leaves that were stuck against the fence, digging leaves out of bushes, weeding, that sort of thing.  I also cleaned out the area around my shed.  Two years ago, when my oldest graduated, we threw a bunch of stuff into that space and put up some fence pieces to hide it from the open house guests.  And then we promptly forgot about the junk.  So that area is all cleaned out and ready for different junk.  Hahaha! 

My seedlings are growing like... well,... weeds which both tickles me, and makes me a little afraid.  I'm pretty sure I started my squash plants way too early and of course, they're doing very well.  I can't plant these things until June, at the earliest.  And look at 'em!  They won't last in my house that long.

And look at my cucumber.  Its already developing tendrils.  (That sounds like a disease doesn't it?)

The basil plants are doing well, and are just the right size for this time of year.  When the time is right, they'll go out into the yard.  I'm  going to plant them in the flower border because I'm not going to have enough room in my tiny garden for them.  No one will notice anyway.  I've grown basil every year and usually let it go to flower/seed because I don't know what to do with it.  But my friend Lori told me about the wonders of pesto and all the ways you can use it (as a facial!  and a cleaning product!)  (Those two things are lies, by the way - just made it up.)  But really, pesto freezes so I'll be making some of that to have on hand next year when the bread baking begins again.  And of course, its good over pasta. 

I'm also growing some Moonflowers.  They bloom in the evening and stay open all night.  They almost look like they're glowing.  Here in Michigan, they're considered annuals, but I planted one a few years ago and its come back every year.  A couple of years ago, I read an article about "White Gardens" in which every plant grown is white.  Sounded really boring to me, but the pictures were gorgeous.  So it is one of my mini-goals to plant at least an area of the garden that is all white.  So the 5 moon flowers that I'm growing will go there.  Wherever "there" is.  Haven't figured that out yet...

Anyway, this is what they look like so far:

These are also "tendrilizing" so that makes me a little nervous. 

And then there are the 24 tomato plants that are growing in my window sill.  24 tomato plants!!!  How many tomatoes does a person need?? And does the word "tomatoes" have an e?  Don't know for sure.  Too lazy to look it up. 

You poor people!  Having to look at pictures of my seedlings, like they're my children or something.  Just humor me.  Smile and nod and say "Oh, aren't they cute!"  or "My how they're growing!" 

And then when I show you the end products, you'll be wishing you lived closer so I could share!  : )

Progress:

And in other news...

Goal #1:  I ran 1.5 miles twice last week, and I've walked a few days as well.  This race I'm running is in about 2 weeks so I'm not feeling too bad about it.  I don't care at all about my time, just want to run the whole thing.  So this week my goal is to run farther than 1.5 miles.  And as stupid as this sounds, one of my biggest issues with running is that my ear buds for my ipod won't stay in my ears when I run.  So I'm constantly pushing them back in while I run and then I get frustrated and ticked off and look for reasons to just go back home. 

Goal #2: Uh... This month, my goal is just to pay the extra stuff that my kid's activities are requiring.  The oldest needs a college housing deposit by May 1st, the middle one needs the balance of her Africa trip paid by May 15, the youngest needs his mission trip balance paid in May as well.  Feeling mighty poor.  I just paid the taxes too which doesn't help that feeling.  But I'm thankful that we have money to be able to do these things, and that my kids are healthy and able to participate. 

Happy

Have you ever been to an art fair?  Around here, you can find one somewhere just about every weekend during the summer.  Etsy.com is like an online art fair where people make stuff and you can buy it.  And just like a regular art fair, some of the stuff people make is a little iffy.  Someone started a website called Regretsy, which makes fun of the iffy stuff on Etsy.  Check it out some time.  Keep in mind, though, that some of the stuff they post is not for the easily offended. 

aaaaaand.... back to reality

We woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow this morning!  Do I seem excited about it?  I'm not really.  I'm tired of the snow, but it sure makes everything look pretty and clean.  I don't know if my snowblower works but I do have a shovel so I'll be out soon trying to clear my drive way.  Or maybe I'll just drive over it repeatedly to pack the snow down and call it good.  That works too. 

One of my favorite things in life is to be inside with a cup of hot coffee while the world outside is covered in snow.  Living along the shore of Lake Michigan, lake effect snow affords me many of these days.  Just another reason I love where I live.   

Time to address the goals:
Goal #1:  I've been on the treadmill twice this week so far, doing mostly walking, but throwing in a burst of running every now and then.  My sister is doing a little running too so at least I'm in line with her.  We may not finish with lightning speed, but at least we'll finish together. 

Goal #2: I've paid 75% of the original balance of the first bill I'm concentrating on and should be able to pay that off in 2 weeks.  Yay!  Progress!  This of course, all depends on what my tax guy says today.  Last year we paid a lot, which I wasn't prepared for, so this year I'm at least mentally preparing for that.  I've been keeping money untouched in a couple of accounts so that I can pay my taxes and hopefully still pay that 1st bill off. 
Darn you Uncle Sam!!! I want to keep my money!

Happy
I've always enjoyed watching figure skating and remember many Saturday afternoons as a young kid spent watching it on TV.  For a hot second, I even planned on figure skating in the Olympics! (Didn't we all plan on doing something in the Olympics?)  Last night I stayed up late to watch the women's figure skating and was so impressed with Joannie Rochette. Her mom passed away just a few days ago and she was still able to skate with such grace and poise.  Obviously I wasn't in the audience, but it seemed that when she skated, the entire audience was pulling for her, and it wasn't about a competition between countries, but a collective show of support for this girl.  And that made me happy.  If you are lucky enough to still have your mom living, call her.  She'll love it.  And tell her you love her.  : )

Bread and Progress

Last night I made bread...again.  I've been making at least 3 loaves a week for the past month.  Its actually very simple to make bread, and its very cheap although maybe not as cheap as buying it at the bread store.  But it sure is delicious, especially warm from the oven, and slathered in butter.  I'm trying to be more adventurous in what I add to the bread to change it up just a little.  Last night I used warm beer instead of water which resulted in a very fluffy and delicious bread.  Later this week, I'm going to post my recipe and some pictures.  If I can make bread, anyone can.  Trust me on this!!!


Guess its time to review my progress. 

Goal #1:  I have been doing NO running for a while.  I don't know if I mentioned this but I have suffered from plantar fasciitis in the past and after a busy day at work, I can really tell.  When getting up in the morning, it sometimes feels like there are knives shooting up into the bottoms of my feet.  I'm just so afraid that running will make it return that I'm hesitant to run at all.  I do plan on buying a new, decent pair of running shoes, and I'm going to get some new inserts for them.  I'd also like to buy a pair of Dansko shoes for work - I hear good things about them from other plantar fasciitis sufferers.  They're just sooooo expensive!  (maybe if I consider it an investment in my health I'll feel better about it)

Goal #2:  I've been using the Quicken program for just about 2 weeks now and it is really enlightening.  It takes a little time to set up and I noticed that unless I reconcile some entries, the account balances aren't correct.  But once that's taken care of, it gives me a nice pie chart that shows where most of my monthly payments are going.  And while I knew where most it was going, its quite a shock to see it in pie chart form (in full color!).  According to Quicken, most of my monthy expenditures are towards credit card payments.  But because I made a huge payment to the first bill on my list, this only makes sense.  And until its paid off, I imagine this will be the way it is.  I just have to keep telling myself that its allright.  

Its a Beautiful Day

Today is one of those days that I just love.  I have no concrete plans and I can do whatever I want.  Oh, there are plenty of things I should do, but I don't have to if I don't want to.  That's the beauty of being an adult.  So I'm just sitting here at my computer, looking at my still-decorated tree (which may or may not come down today) with the snow outside my window, and a cup of hot coffee to sip on.  In this moment, life is pretty good. 

Last night I made some homemade bread.  After taking a bread class last week, and going to my friend Warren's house over the weekend, I was just inspired.  Warren made 8 or 9 different kinds of bread in the span of 6 hours and it was just amazing!  Variations on flour, yeast and water are limitless! So last night before dinner, I whipped up a sponge (flour, sugar, yeast and water) and let it do its thing.  And something about kneading the dough is very therapeutic.  But the best part was the still-warm-from-the-oven bread.  Words just can't describe how good it is.  I must say I haven't been this proud of myself in quite some time.  I can see this will be bad for the diet...

Tonight, I'm going to do something I haven't done in over 25 years:  play in a band.  I'm joining the West Michigan Concert Winds so that I can play in the same band as DD#1.  This will be the only time in our lives that this will happen (that I can foresee, anyway) and its only going to last for 1 semester.  But its something I want to do and I'm all about doing something for me, for a change.  And surprisingly, I can still get sound out of my trumpet!  I can't play longer than 5 minutes at this point, but that should come back.  It will be fun. There's something almost magical about playing music with other people who like to play music. Hard to explain... 


Progress
Goal #1  I'm running this afternoon (or sooner, if I'm so inspired).  So far this week, my goals are on track.  And I feel so much better when I exercise.

Goal #2  Payday is today.  Hallelujah!  I haven't been very diligent about getting the Quicken up and running though.  I have it installed, but I still have to fill in the necessary sections in order to actually use it.  So that's also a goal for today.  And then I need to work on a budget.  I'd rather go to the dentist!

As part of my money-saving efforts, I've committed to the Eat From the Pantry Challenge, hosted by http://www.moneysavingmom.com/.  The only thing I'll be buying at the store this week are milk and produce.  (Oh, and anything I REALLY need.) I'm not a nut about this, just trying to use up my stash. 

Monday, Monday

It's been one of those days.  When the phone rings and its your employer asking where you are, it kind of starts the day in a panic.  Oh, its not entirely my fault.  In fact, its not my fault at all.  And then at one point, my cell phone fell in the toilet.  And let me tell you, its not fun to retrieve ANYTHING out of a toilet.  Then, I received a call from DD#2 telling me that my son had run away from home because they were fighting.  The day was not a total loss, however, and I'm still laughing about my phone.  Thank goodness it works!

How am I doing?
Fine thanks.
But seriously...
Goal #1 I ran for 17, count 'em, 17 minutes.  (I believe my goal was 15.  If it was 20, I'm in trouble.)  And I also walked for a total time on the treadmill (which would best be abbreviated TTOTT hahahaha) of 25 minutes.  I didn't feel anything move, kidney stone-wise, so that's a good thing!  And let me just point out that those 17 minutes were consecutive.  Mmm hmm. 

Goal #2.  I spent 75 cents at lunch today and $33 on dog grooming (thanks to my mom for being a doggie driver).  What on earth could cost 75 cents?  Cottage cheese.  Oh yes, the good stuff.  But get this:  if I buy it from the salad bar, it costs $2.55! In a cup, its just 75 little cents.  I feel like I've found a gold mine, so to speak, and I'm a little worried that the cafeteria will be on to my devious plan and force everyone to buy from the salad bar.  Heck, then I'll just bring it myself.  Anyway, I figure I saved some money to add to my payin'-off-the-bills fund.  Yay me.  So things are on track...

Happy
Well, considering today, what's making me happy right now is a large glass of wine.  God bless the guy who invented it!

How did I get here?

In an effort to be accountable and successful in my New Year's resolutions, I've decided to become one of those people;  someone with a blog.  Yes, I've never seen the need to have one before.  Honestly, I don't have anything to say that is earth shattering, or wise enough or exciting enough that anyone would want to read it.  But I was reading someone else's blog the other day and it got me inspired.  The writer suggests that we try to make too many changes at once (which I always do) and that we run out of steam before we can make lasting changes (again, true).  One of his methods of change is to state your goal as publicly as possible, so its easier to be accountable.  So here we go. 


Goal #1

My sister and I are going to run a 5k in May.  Big deal, you say.  Well, if you know me and my sister, it is a big deal.  We don't run.  I've been a walker for years but have always envied those who run.  Why would I choose to do something I dislike?  I don't know.  There's lots of stuff I have to do that I don't like, but once I get done, I always feel a sense of accomplishment and pride. 


Goal #2

I'm going to pay off a big chunk of debt.  I suppose in order to be completely accountable, I should list the exact dollar amount of my debt but to be honest, its too embarrassing.  Suffice it to say that I have two large bills that I am working on and I'll list my progress in terms of percentage paid off. 


I also think that, even in the middle of the worst day of your life, you can always find something to make you happy, or something to celebrate so I'll be doing that too.  Maybe if something makes me happy, it'll make someone else happy as well. 

So there you have it.  That's why I'm here.  Feel free to help keep me accountable or make suggestions.   This is all new to me so cut me some slack offer up ideas!