"Mrs. Shimp," our resident class bully / tattletale says earnestly.
(As usual. Recess is over, so it's time for his daily tattle.)
"G was butting me," he complains. "And he stepped on my foot, and pushed me."
"That's a real shame," I say, "because you know what? I know G. And he's a really good guy, I actually really like him. And I know you, and you're also a really good guy, and I really like you, too. So it's too bad that you had to argue.....I mean, couldn't you have thought of something better you two could have done?"
I've got some suggestions ready: stay away from each other, let it go if he butts you, maybe calmly explain that he hurt your feelings when he did that.
T immediately responds with his own suggestion: "Maybe, we could just be best friends instead!"
And suddenly it's resolved, and they are best friends instead.
Our tenth Airbnb guest was a PhD student. She was on sabbatical in the United States, studying chemistry with a BYU professor. I chatted with her while I was making dinner, and accidentally cut my finger with the knife. She brought me a band-aid and told me to please be careful, and then we laughed about how her mom had called, and yelled at her about the fast food she had been eating.
"She's really nice," I told one of my friends.
"Yeah, well," they replied, "She didn't bomb your house, so that is nice."
Which I thought was not nice. Because our guest was a Muslim girl from Iran, but she was also a teacher, and a traveler, and a potential best friend, and you wouldn't know that if you only focused on a few things about her.
She told us all about her life in Iran. Her students loved her, because she was a very relaxed teacher. She always had to cover her face, but she liked how she didn't have to here. They have all four seasons in Iran. She didn't much like traveling and never expected to go anywhere as far as Utah again in her life. If I wasn't there, she seemed uncomfortable having conversations with Stephen and instead would just say a quick hello and then retreat to her room. She didn't like spicy foods. Alcohol is not allowed in Iran, but unlike America where everyone raged against the machine and started up speakeasies until it was re-allowed, no one seems to care in Iran. Dating is also very different - she said there is no touching, and you would never be alone with each other.
And talking with her, and sharing my home with her, just made me wish that ee'rbody in the world had the same viewpoint as T, and would take a step back and maybe, just be best friends instead. We're all people, after all, and we aren't all that different. We all feel feelings, and we all shiz out of our buttholes, and we all like Instagram better than Facebook.
And we can all be best friends.
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Monday, October 12, 2015
Friday, May 15, 2015
Whole 30 - The Fun Part is Over.
Fair warning, this is one of those posts that I care about writing, but probably no one else will care about reading. If you are interested in how Whole 30 has been going for me, read on.
Let's talk about how hilarious the universe is, and how right at the end of my Whole 30 stint, one week before going to Hawaii, I encountered my greatest challenge yet: Teacher Appreciation Week.
Tips for Surviving Whole 30
1. Plan it leading up to a vacation. This is great motivation! The first two weeks are okay - it's all new recipes and exciting spices and fast results and enthusiasm. But then come the two weeks where you are starting to hate eggs, and even nuts are getting a little lackluster, and you're not quite tired of sweet potatoes, but you are definitely tired of trying to buy them and for some reason finding them out of stock yet again at Walmart. But if you make it through the first two weeks, you only have two weeks until your vacation, and you kind of have to see it through to the end at that point. Plus, then you get a vacation to congratulate yourself for your amazingness! Which you will totally deserve.
2. Just make it easy on yourself and eat peanut butter. And store-bought mayonnaise.
3. Don't plan your Whole 30 month to coincide with Teacher Appreciation Week. You may recall that this is my absolute favorite week of the entire school year. This week of love and gifts and notes and cute printables attached to free food....it just doesn't get much better than that!
This year was a little different. I still loved it! Just maybe not as much. The theme was "How Sweet it is to be Taught by You," and right away, when I saw that, I knew that I was in trouble. Not only was my door decorated with donuts and a sign proclaiming that "We Donut know what we would do without you!," but also, my desk was decorated the entire week with more things I couldn't eat. Cupcakes, cookies, Oreos, candy bars, chocolate, and cinnamon rolls.....I was dying. All of these things that I would have loved any other month were suddenly so sad to look at!
4. If Teacher Appreciation Week does happen to coincide with your Whole 30, it's still okay. Lots of the things you get will be wrapped and non-perishable, meaning you can save them and eat them later.
5. Other gifts you get are not non-perishable. Things that fall in this category would be, like, the fancy cupcakes, homemade cinnamon rolls, chocolate-drizzled popcorn, these perfect-looking cookies all bagged up with a bow and a printable note about how "We are smart cookies because of you!".....yep all those things. You can't eat them. You have to give them away. Don't unwrap them and smell them, just to see what you're missing. Don't stare at them all day long. Don't ask other teachers how it all tasted. Just grit your teeth and give it to another teacher and then go think about your vacation.
In the end, I ate one bite of a {holycowdelicious} cookies'n'cream kinda Oreo cupcake, and I did eat the apples in the Ruby River apple cobbler they fed us for dessert on Thursday. I'm sure they were loaded with sugar but I didn't eat the whipped cream with it or the crumblyness on the top. I feel like this is okay.
Do we all agree now that that vacation is absolutely necessary after all this??
6. If you do need a dessert (you do), I discovered a good one. It's super-easy!
-Put a bunch of pecans and walnuts in the oven at 350* for 5 minutes, or until toasted.
-Take them out and drop them in your blender.
-Add a bunch of honey and some cinnamon and salt.
-Blend it all up.
-Eat it on apple slices.
The good news is, it's almost over! And despite my one bite of Oreo cupcake, I am really proud of Stephen and I for actually sticking it out this long. In some ways it was harder than I thought it would be, but for the most part, it was easier than I'd expected. tT
And I loooove how it looks on Husband......holy hotness. Just wait for our Hawaii pictures ;)
Let's talk about how hilarious the universe is, and how right at the end of my Whole 30 stint, one week before going to Hawaii, I encountered my greatest challenge yet: Teacher Appreciation Week.
Tips for Surviving Whole 30
1. Plan it leading up to a vacation. This is great motivation! The first two weeks are okay - it's all new recipes and exciting spices and fast results and enthusiasm. But then come the two weeks where you are starting to hate eggs, and even nuts are getting a little lackluster, and you're not quite tired of sweet potatoes, but you are definitely tired of trying to buy them and for some reason finding them out of stock yet again at Walmart. But if you make it through the first two weeks, you only have two weeks until your vacation, and you kind of have to see it through to the end at that point. Plus, then you get a vacation to congratulate yourself for your amazingness! Which you will totally deserve.
2. Just make it easy on yourself and eat peanut butter. And store-bought mayonnaise.
3. Don't plan your Whole 30 month to coincide with Teacher Appreciation Week. You may recall that this is my absolute favorite week of the entire school year. This week of love and gifts and notes and cute printables attached to free food....it just doesn't get much better than that!
This year was a little different. I still loved it! Just maybe not as much. The theme was "How Sweet it is to be Taught by You," and right away, when I saw that, I knew that I was in trouble. Not only was my door decorated with donuts and a sign proclaiming that "We Donut know what we would do without you!," but also, my desk was decorated the entire week with more things I couldn't eat. Cupcakes, cookies, Oreos, candy bars, chocolate, and cinnamon rolls.....I was dying. All of these things that I would have loved any other month were suddenly so sad to look at!
4. If Teacher Appreciation Week does happen to coincide with your Whole 30, it's still okay. Lots of the things you get will be wrapped and non-perishable, meaning you can save them and eat them later.
5. Other gifts you get are not non-perishable. Things that fall in this category would be, like, the fancy cupcakes, homemade cinnamon rolls, chocolate-drizzled popcorn, these perfect-looking cookies all bagged up with a bow and a printable note about how "We are smart cookies because of you!".....yep all those things. You can't eat them. You have to give them away. Don't unwrap them and smell them, just to see what you're missing. Don't stare at them all day long. Don't ask other teachers how it all tasted. Just grit your teeth and give it to another teacher and then go think about your vacation.
In the end, I ate one bite of a {holycowdelicious} cookies'n'cream kinda Oreo cupcake, and I did eat the apples in the Ruby River apple cobbler they fed us for dessert on Thursday. I'm sure they were loaded with sugar but I didn't eat the whipped cream with it or the crumblyness on the top. I feel like this is okay.
Do we all agree now that that vacation is absolutely necessary after all this??
6. If you do need a dessert (you do), I discovered a good one. It's super-easy!
-Put a bunch of pecans and walnuts in the oven at 350* for 5 minutes, or until toasted.
-Take them out and drop them in your blender.
-Add a bunch of honey and some cinnamon and salt.
-Blend it all up.
-Eat it on apple slices.
The good news is, it's almost over! And despite my one bite of Oreo cupcake, I am really proud of Stephen and I for actually sticking it out this long. In some ways it was harder than I thought it would be, but for the most part, it was easier than I'd expected. tT
And I loooove how it looks on Husband......holy hotness. Just wait for our Hawaii pictures ;)
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Whole 30 Week 1 - Still Enthusiastic
So, I'm 1 week into Whole 30.
Seven days.
An eternity.
Actually, it's not that bad. Truthfully, I am really enjoying it. And I'm not just saying that to trick myself. I've been feeling very strong, and my six-pack is already starting to come in, so that's fast enough results for me to be a believer.
Here's my basic life:
Monday - Friday. Err morning, drink a green smoothie. I pre-packaged frozen fruit, flax seeds, and spinach in ziploc baggies in the freezer, and I just throw one of those and some almond coconut milk in the blender. It is so loud and wakes up probably the whole neighborhood and most likely makes our renters hate me. I hope they wear ear plugs or have a loud fan roaring at them all night and they miss it. For lunch, I have leftovers and an apple and lil cutie. I go home after school, we work out at UVU, and then for dinner, we have whatever I planned :) It's a great life. Here are the challenges I have faced (and overcome!) so far:
Seven days.
An eternity.
Actually, it's not that bad. Truthfully, I am really enjoying it. And I'm not just saying that to trick myself. I've been feeling very strong, and my six-pack is already starting to come in, so that's fast enough results for me to be a believer.
Here's my basic life:
Sunday, plan the menu. Prep meals for the week that I can prep. Create a grocery list. Look through ads so I can ad match at Walmart.
- a donut for Coleman's birthday
- crepes for Danielle's wedding reception uhhhhhh they looked so good!
- also the wedding cake but I don't really like wedding cake and this one was green so that wasn't too hard
- lemon cake for dessert on Sunday - that I made, people.
- candy at Alex's house
- all the candy all the time in my drawers at school
- also all the granola bars!!
- soup, bread, chocolate-covered strawberry, and roll at Zupa's when I went with friends on Saturday. I literally picked off the chocolate and ate the strawberry plain'ol
- all the candy at Stephanie's dessert party for her graduation
- also the Nutter Butters there which for some reason looked so freaking good
- also the chocolate fountain. I just ate strawberries and bananas because that was all I could eat!
- the jelly beans we gave our kids on Sunday
- the Reeses peanut butter cups we gave Aleya (one of our girls at church) for her birthday
- the free popcorn at Ace Hardware where we got fertilizer
It was so hard!!! But also, not that hard at the same time. I don't really miss those foods. If I was hungry I think it would be harder, but I've so far been really good at planning meals and prepping them ahead of time, and so I feel full after meals and enjoy what I'm eating, so it's good. It is also easier because Stephen is doing it with me. We follow some rules but not all.
- white potatoes are technically allowed, but we don't eat them.
- they limit fruit and I'm like I will never limit fruit, thankyouverymuch
- if you want mayonnaise or almond coconut milk, you have to make your own. .........we do not.
- they say no beans and I'm like that's stupid, and we eat beans.
- they also don't allow you to make fries / chips out of sweetotatoes or other vegetables, or like pancakes out of bananas and eggs, because that's tricking yourself and psychologically you still feel like you need those foods. But I'm like whatever, if I'm just slicing my sweetotato and putting salt on it and baking it, then I can have these fake chips.
- apparently peanut butter is also not allowed, and neither are peanuts. But other nuts are so I don't participate in that discrimination.
- fruit juice isn't allowed but we welcome it into our smoothies.
Full disclosure, I did have a mini-meltdown this week. Natalie had a play on Thursday, so we got a salad at Wendy's, went to the play, and then didn't get home until 10, and then Stephanie graduated on Friday, so we didn't eat either dinner I had planned for that night, either. So I was starving for basically two days in a row, and on Friday, after Stephanie's graduation party, this conversation went down:
me: I'm soooo hungry.
Stephen: I'm not even that hungry. I just want to go to bed!
me: Can we please go home? I need food.
Stephen: Let's just stay here, they have food and it's free!
me: I can't eat any of that! I've literally had nothing but strawberries and bananas and I'm starving!
Stephen: I can make you some eggs?
me: I'm just so hungry.
Stephen: Well, what do you want?
me: Okay Stephen I am not a rational person right now! Stop talking to me like you're expecting a logical response! I just want food to be in me! Like this isn't good! I'm supposed to eat! I'M STARVING!
Stephen: Okay, so you want me to make you some eggs, or do you want to go home.....?
Me: What did I just say? I WANT FOOD
Stephen: Well I'm just trying to figure out what you want -
*Me throwing myself dramatically on the bed*
Stephen: Okay! Okay sorry! I'll make you some eggs.
So he made me eggs and bacon and I stopped being a monster.
Conclusion? If you're going to do Whole 30, get good at saying no. Also, convince your Stephen to do it with you. He is a fantastic support.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Our Diet Starts Tomorrow
Two things you need to know about me:
1. I don't like the word diet.
2. I'm not interested in losing weight.
But for some reason, I have decided that Stephen and I need to do Whole 30 - starting tomorrow. Monday, April 20th. (Maybe it would be best for everyone to just stay away from us during the first few days so we can grump in peace.)
Here are the reasons:
1. I want a 6-pack. Not all the time, and I don't want to be a bodybuilder. Just when I flex, I want some lines.
2. I have heard really good things about it. Like that you feel more energetic, sleep better, get rid of unhealthy cravings....and yes people also lose weight and most of the time that's why they do Whole 30, but if you're just trying for a 6-pack, it will help you with that too.
3. We are going to Hawaii and need to LGmN (look good mostly naked).
4. I think I have a dependence on carbs. I could literally eat nothing but carbs for about a week and be perfectly content. I love macaroni and cheese, nothing is better than fresh bread, and when I'm feeling salty, I reach for chips and guac. I literally have rice, bread, tortillas, chips, or pasta with every single meal. And I'm curious to see how I feel without any of those things.
5. While in Hawaii, we are going to be doing lots of active things! Tons of hikes, swimming, and exploring in mountains, jungles, and the ocean. I don't want to miss out on things because I don't have the energy or the strength, or because I'm sore from the activities of the day before.
I think those are really good goals. They're like, good things to strive for. But here's the most common reaction I've gotten: "Why? You really don't need to."
Although I guess that's nice, it isn't very supportive. It's kind of like saying, "You already look fine so the one reason a person might have for wanting to eat healthy is irrelevant to you."
But come on! Shouldn't we all be interested in living a healthy lifestyle, whether we weigh 300 lbs or 100? And shouldn't your lifestyle be driven by more than just looks? (Although, I actually think looks are a fine motivation for eating healthy and working out....but please don't misunderstand that. I'm not encouraging extreme dieting or self-torture or eating disorders.)
To be honest, we aren't going to follow the program perfectly. Whole 30 says no to beans and legumes, but beans are good for you - they've got a lot of protein and fiber - and since we're not all that concerned about losing weight, we're going to eat the beans. Also, Whole 30 says no to honey - but occasionally, I'm going to add it to my breakfast smoothies.
Mood this weekend: I had a little panic attack and ate all the things. I acted like the world was about to be over! Stephen and I went to Pizza Pie Cafe to enjoy our last few carbs.
Stephen didn't seem nervous or excited. He was being very nonchalant.
Current mood: I feel fine. I'm actually really excited! I've never done anything like this.
Stephen, on the other hand, is wandering around the kitchen moaning about how I'm trying to kill him. He just ate about 10 sausages and an apple, and tried to eat a very expired granola bar before he decided he didn't need to stoop that low. I don't know what's got him so upset. We haven't even started yet....but maybe it's the fact that he just barely looked up Whole 30 and now he knows what it is.
Wish us luck!! We've all got goals, and it's nice to know that there are people out there who are cheering for you and hoping you'll succeed at your goals. What goals do you have?
1. I don't like the word diet.
 |
| via |
But for some reason, I have decided that Stephen and I need to do Whole 30 - starting tomorrow. Monday, April 20th. (Maybe it would be best for everyone to just stay away from us during the first few days so we can grump in peace.)
Here are the reasons:
1. I want a 6-pack. Not all the time, and I don't want to be a bodybuilder. Just when I flex, I want some lines.
2. I have heard really good things about it. Like that you feel more energetic, sleep better, get rid of unhealthy cravings....and yes people also lose weight and most of the time that's why they do Whole 30, but if you're just trying for a 6-pack, it will help you with that too.
3. We are going to Hawaii and need to LGmN (look good mostly naked).
4. I think I have a dependence on carbs. I could literally eat nothing but carbs for about a week and be perfectly content. I love macaroni and cheese, nothing is better than fresh bread, and when I'm feeling salty, I reach for chips and guac. I literally have rice, bread, tortillas, chips, or pasta with every single meal. And I'm curious to see how I feel without any of those things.
5. While in Hawaii, we are going to be doing lots of active things! Tons of hikes, swimming, and exploring in mountains, jungles, and the ocean. I don't want to miss out on things because I don't have the energy or the strength, or because I'm sore from the activities of the day before.
 |
| via |
Although I guess that's nice, it isn't very supportive. It's kind of like saying, "You already look fine so the one reason a person might have for wanting to eat healthy is irrelevant to you."
But come on! Shouldn't we all be interested in living a healthy lifestyle, whether we weigh 300 lbs or 100? And shouldn't your lifestyle be driven by more than just looks? (Although, I actually think looks are a fine motivation for eating healthy and working out....but please don't misunderstand that. I'm not encouraging extreme dieting or self-torture or eating disorders.)
To be honest, we aren't going to follow the program perfectly. Whole 30 says no to beans and legumes, but beans are good for you - they've got a lot of protein and fiber - and since we're not all that concerned about losing weight, we're going to eat the beans. Also, Whole 30 says no to honey - but occasionally, I'm going to add it to my breakfast smoothies.
Mood this weekend: I had a little panic attack and ate all the things. I acted like the world was about to be over! Stephen and I went to Pizza Pie Cafe to enjoy our last few carbs.
Stephen didn't seem nervous or excited. He was being very nonchalant.
Current mood: I feel fine. I'm actually really excited! I've never done anything like this.
Stephen, on the other hand, is wandering around the kitchen moaning about how I'm trying to kill him. He just ate about 10 sausages and an apple, and tried to eat a very expired granola bar before he decided he didn't need to stoop that low. I don't know what's got him so upset. We haven't even started yet....but maybe it's the fact that he just barely looked up Whole 30 and now he knows what it is.
Wish us luck!! We've all got goals, and it's nice to know that there are people out there who are cheering for you and hoping you'll succeed at your goals. What goals do you have?
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Missing Husband Alert
Stephen is taking a super-butt-hard classload this semester.
It is so hard that he had to get special permission to take all these classes together because normally that's not allowed, so some guys had to look over his grades and interview him and be like "Are you sure you hate yourself, and having fun, that much?" before they signed off on it.
Also, sometimes his classes make me cry, and I'm not even the one taking them. Except one. Kind of.
So anyway. Sometimes, he needs to take tests that he studies for all week and all weekend and all day Monday before the test closes on Monday night. It is exhausting, and rough trying to get on a consistent sleeping schedule, and stressful....and I can only imagine how he feels.
Here's how to survive when this happens to your husband:
1. Leave a little lunch of leftovers and a nice note about how smart he is when you go to school. Congratulate yourself the entire drive on how considerate you are.
2. Then proceed to text him all day long with important questions like "Do you want to take a sailing trip in Hawaii?" and "There's a Groupon sale that's ending today, is there anything you want?" and "Do you think you'll take your test in time to go get a sandwich between 4-5 at the Corner Bakery?" Really the more texts the better. He craves those little distractions.
3. On your way home, think of a list of things you can do while he is taking his test. Get really excited about all the "me" time you're going to get!
4. Once you are home, make dinner halfway. You can go grocery shopping together for the rest of the ingredients when he finishes his test. Because, of course that's what he'll want to do!
5. Talk to your sister on the phone for an hour and 26 minutes.
6. Now it's a little later than you were expecting him to be home. Looks like you won't have time to go work out. Oh well....this has happened before. Learn how to make a YouTube playlist of all the songs that get you pumped up so you can work out at home.
7. Get caught up watching videos and let an hour and a half slip away while doing that.
8. Look up and pin all the at-home workouts that feature girls with 6-packs in the picture demonstrations. Since, that's the goal.
9. Get embarrassed that the husband is probably going to get home before you even start your workout.....and quickly start.
10. Finish one workout. The husband is still not aqui.
11. The playlist is still not over.....so do another workout.
12. Get a teeny bit annoyed that he's not going to see you working out when he gets home, so choose another one. Still no husband??
13. Google the UVU Testing Center hours. What?? They closed at 5? It is almost 9! Enter into full panic mode.
14. Call Mama Shimp and calmly ask if the husband is over there. He is not. Calmly hang up the phone saying you'll keep her posted.
15. Begin imagining all sorts of fun scenarios like your car sitting in a crumpled mess on the side of the road in just the right spot for no one to see it for hours, terrorists blowing up the testing center, you sitting in a pile of memorabilia sobbing and planning your husband's funeral, etc. It just adds some suspense.
16. Go back to texting and calling the husband incessantly.
17. Or twice, if he picks up the second time. And answers like nothing is wrong.......
18. Almost start crying because you're so glad he's not dead.
19. Discover that the testing center hours are wrong on the Google machine, but correct on the testing center website. Actually, it doesn't close until 9.
20. Swear off Google. It's stupid. I'm never relying on it again!
Moral of the story? Actually there are two. Communication is key, and don't go to college.
It is so hard that he had to get special permission to take all these classes together because normally that's not allowed, so some guys had to look over his grades and interview him and be like "Are you sure you hate yourself, and having fun, that much?" before they signed off on it.
Also, sometimes his classes make me cry, and I'm not even the one taking them. Except one. Kind of.
So anyway. Sometimes, he needs to take tests that he studies for all week and all weekend and all day Monday before the test closes on Monday night. It is exhausting, and rough trying to get on a consistent sleeping schedule, and stressful....and I can only imagine how he feels.
Here's how to survive when this happens to your husband:
1. Leave a little lunch of leftovers and a nice note about how smart he is when you go to school. Congratulate yourself the entire drive on how considerate you are.
2. Then proceed to text him all day long with important questions like "Do you want to take a sailing trip in Hawaii?" and "There's a Groupon sale that's ending today, is there anything you want?" and "Do you think you'll take your test in time to go get a sandwich between 4-5 at the Corner Bakery?" Really the more texts the better. He craves those little distractions.
3. On your way home, think of a list of things you can do while he is taking his test. Get really excited about all the "me" time you're going to get!
4. Once you are home, make dinner halfway. You can go grocery shopping together for the rest of the ingredients when he finishes his test. Because, of course that's what he'll want to do!
5. Talk to your sister on the phone for an hour and 26 minutes.
6. Now it's a little later than you were expecting him to be home. Looks like you won't have time to go work out. Oh well....this has happened before. Learn how to make a YouTube playlist of all the songs that get you pumped up so you can work out at home.
7. Get caught up watching videos and let an hour and a half slip away while doing that.
8. Look up and pin all the at-home workouts that feature girls with 6-packs in the picture demonstrations. Since, that's the goal.
9. Get embarrassed that the husband is probably going to get home before you even start your workout.....and quickly start.
10. Finish one workout. The husband is still not aqui.
11. The playlist is still not over.....so do another workout.
12. Get a teeny bit annoyed that he's not going to see you working out when he gets home, so choose another one. Still no husband??
13. Google the UVU Testing Center hours. What?? They closed at 5? It is almost 9! Enter into full panic mode.
14. Call Mama Shimp and calmly ask if the husband is over there. He is not. Calmly hang up the phone saying you'll keep her posted.
15. Begin imagining all sorts of fun scenarios like your car sitting in a crumpled mess on the side of the road in just the right spot for no one to see it for hours, terrorists blowing up the testing center, you sitting in a pile of memorabilia sobbing and planning your husband's funeral, etc. It just adds some suspense.
16. Go back to texting and calling the husband incessantly.
17. Or twice, if he picks up the second time. And answers like nothing is wrong.......
18. Almost start crying because you're so glad he's not dead.
19. Discover that the testing center hours are wrong on the Google machine, but correct on the testing center website. Actually, it doesn't close until 9.
20. Swear off Google. It's stupid. I'm never relying on it again!
Moral of the story? Actually there are two. Communication is key, and don't go to college.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
PERSPECTIVE
That is my word of the year for 2015: PERSPECTIVE. I like words that have lots of applications, and perspective is one of those. It means that I want to see things from other people's perspectives, and I want to look at the big picture, and I want to put what I want now on the back burner in lieu of what I want most. Which is all summed up nicely with my one word: Perspective.
Anyhoo, here's a few more goals:
1. Go to Hawaii, because
2. Read the General Conference talks again. I really want to read one err morning on my friend the FrontRunner!
3. Make a better organization system for my bathroom closet. I hope no one snoopily opens it when they come over for dinner or something, because it's so disorganized I just kind of want to cry.
4. Change the way I organize my school files. Breanne has her's organized in binders, one for each month. That's what I want to do, too! I am tired to files, and having 100 copies of the same blackline, and 30 examples that I did to show each new class. I want to cut it down to my bare minimum. I'm sure when I'm done with that project, I'll post about it :) I know, I know. You're all reeling from the suspense.
5. Be better at rock-climbing. I have never lead-climbed before, so my goal for 2015 is to lead-climb at least once. Even if I'm scurred! I just want to do an easy one. I can be brave.
And mybiggest hardest goal for 2015 is.....
6. Don't buy ANYTHING. I mean, of course I'll buy groceries and gas and register Carbaby and get her new tires if she needs them. I'll buy Stephen's books for his classes, and I'll buy makeup and shampoo and conditioner as I run out. But I'm not buying any new clothes. No new gadgets or home decorations or shoes or fun things I "need" from the Dollar Spot at Target. I know this sounds a little crazy.....but I think I can do it! I don't want more stuff, and I don't want to lose my money to things for all of 2015. I just want to save up and buy necessities and experiences. I am actually pretty excited about it :)
Anyone else have a crazy goal out there? Feel free to share with the class!
Anyhoo, here's a few more goals:
1. Go to Hawaii, because
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| Okay fine, I'll go. |
3. Make a better organization system for my bathroom closet. I hope no one snoopily opens it when they come over for dinner or something, because it's so disorganized I just kind of want to cry.
4. Change the way I organize my school files. Breanne has her's organized in binders, one for each month. That's what I want to do, too! I am tired to files, and having 100 copies of the same blackline, and 30 examples that I did to show each new class. I want to cut it down to my bare minimum. I'm sure when I'm done with that project, I'll post about it :) I know, I know. You're all reeling from the suspense.
5. Be better at rock-climbing. I have never lead-climbed before, so my goal for 2015 is to lead-climb at least once. Even if I'm scurred! I just want to do an easy one. I can be brave.
And my
6. Don't buy ANYTHING. I mean, of course I'll buy groceries and gas and register Carbaby and get her new tires if she needs them. I'll buy Stephen's books for his classes, and I'll buy makeup and shampoo and conditioner as I run out. But I'm not buying any new clothes. No new gadgets or home decorations or shoes or fun things I "need" from the Dollar Spot at Target. I know this sounds a little crazy.....but I think I can do it! I don't want more stuff, and I don't want to lose my money to things for all of 2015. I just want to save up and buy necessities and experiences. I am actually pretty excited about it :)
Anyone else have a crazy goal out there? Feel free to share with the class!
 |
| Any year that starts out like this is bound to be a good one. Happy 2015!!! |
Friday, May 16, 2014
How to Lay Down Flooring in 18 Easy Steps
Sometimes you want to do things the easy way. Sometimes, the hard way! As it turns out, Stephen and I prefer the latter. Here's how one easy part of our remodel went down:
1. Okay let's just put wood in half of the hallway. But first we'll have to paint.
2. But first we have to fix the holes in the hallway. Okay now we can paint.
3. In fact, let's sand these drawers and paint them white too.
1. Okay let's just put wood in half of the hallway. But first we'll have to paint.
2. But first we have to fix the holes in the hallway. Okay now we can paint.
3. In fact, let's sand these drawers and paint them white too.
4. While we're at it, let's replace the knobs/handles on these drawers.
5. Okay now we can put the wood in this hallway.
6. No need to finish the whole hallway. Let's just do half and then do the living room.
7. Rip up half the carpet in the living room. Move EVERYTHING to the kitchen / bedroom.
8. Put down one row of wood.
9. Hmmm.... Let's redo the entryway. So first we'll have to take off the door and paint in here.
10. Gosh what the heck is wrong with our mail slot? Time for a new one! {Scuse us while we go to home depot with the door off the hinges and pray that nothing gets stolen.}
11. Install the new mail slot. That takes about 2 hours.
12. Should we paint the door too? What color? To the Pinterest machine! Now back to home depot for paint!
13. We hate this color. Back to home depot for a different color!
14. This color is acceptable. Spend 40 minutes washing the thick exterior dark blue paint off our brushes and rollers. It turns the bathtub blue.
15. Put on a new door knob because, because. Put the door back on its hinges.
16. Continue putting wood down and finish the half of the living room that we ripped up the carpet on.
17. Now move all the things and do the other half of the living room!
18. Now move everything back and collapse on the floor in exhaustion.
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