Sometimes...

Sometimes I feel like I am too blessed, like I should give away some of my happiness because I have too much. Thinking about all the suffering in the world, all the people hurting, and all the people who want just what I have, makes me grateful. Sometimes I am awed at how kind the Lord is to me.

Sometimes, I wonder why life can't go my way. I want to control everything. I want to be able to define things, to put a nice neat label on them so I can understand them. Sometimes I yearn for the things I don't have.

Sometimes, I am awesome. I am on top of things. I get to work on time, and my hair looks good, and I have a healthy lunch packed. I am kind to others, I keep my house clean. All my bills are paid on time.

Sometimes, I suck at life. I struggle just to get out of bed. I only think about myself. I speak unkindly to people that I love the most. Things that should be easy, I make hard.

Sometimes I forget that life has it's highs and lows. I want every day to be sunny, but I forget that without the rainy days, nothing would grow. Sometimes I remember that the low points only make me appreciate the highs that much more.

Aw Man...

My resolutions are lame compared to this guy's.

I Need Patience. NOW

I'm not the most patient person. When I want something, I want it now. That's what caused all my credit card debt in my early 20s... (Man, I feel old, I can actually talk about my EARLY 20s!) Since my life consists mostly of waiting right now, I have come up with a few things to do when you Just. Can't. Wait. Anymore!!

1. Play the piano
2. Call someone
3. Write rambling blog posts
4. Clean something
5. Watch TV
6. Read a book
7. Scrub something with an old toothbrush
8. Clean out your closet
9. Get on Pintrest
10. Go for a run
11. Bake something
12. Add things to your Amazon wish list
13. Balance your checkbook
14. Take a nap
15. Do some yoga
16. Floss
17. Reorganize your kitchen cupboards
18. Try to do long devision in your head
19. Try a new makeup look
20. Write angry letters to businesses 
21. Drink some water
22. Edit Wikipedia articles
23. Change your voicemail message
24. Paint your nails
25. Play Just Dance on the Wii
26. Start a new sewing project
27. Become a Dr Pepper expert
28. Rearrange the furniture
29. Take a walk in a park
30. Vacuum the couch

 

New Years Resolutions

I finally narrowed down my huge list of things I wanted to accomplish this year to two actual New Years Resolutions.

1. Establish routines for cleaning the house. Our house never really gets that dirty, there are only two people living here, but I never feel like I am really on top of things. I am going to start with small morning and night routines, and add one thing every few weeks until I get where I want to be.
2. Become and extreme couponer. I'm already starting to get frustrated with this. I ordered the Sunday paper a few weeks ago, but it STILL hasn't come. I'm tired of calling the newspaper company every Monday to complain... If it doesn't come in the next two weeks, I am going to take it as a sign that it isn't meant to be and forget it!! I know there are other ways to get the Sunday coupons than by getting the paper delivered to my house, but I am lazy, and I don't have time to go searching for them...

I was really leaning toward running 520 miles, but I decided that I am just hitting my stride (pun totally intended) with running, and I don't want to put a lot of pressure on myself to run a set amount and not make it fun anymore. If couponing doesn't work out, I'm going to go with trying one new things from Pintrest every month!

Washing with Oils

I read a while ago that it can be good for your skin to wash it with oils instead of soap. The science behind it, allegedly, is that oil dissolves oil, so you can cleanse your skin without stripping it like soap does.

The hippy in me just had to try it! I've been using it for a few weeks now, and I have to say, I really have noticed a difference in my skin! While my breakouts have been about the same (which has more to do with my diet than anything else), my skin has been less irritated, and I don't have to worry about excess oil anymore.

I have been using a blend of two parts castor oil, one part olive oil, and a few drops of tee tree oil. The castor oil goes deep into the pores to cleanse the skin, the olive oil moisturizes, and the tee tree oil helps clear blemishes. If your skin is more dry than oily, you would want to use more olive oil than castor oil, and if you don't have breakouts then skip the tea tree oil altogether. I mixed it together in a $.99 travel bottle from Wal Mart. I squeeze about a quarter amount onto my hands, then rub it into my skin for a minute or two. It feels weird at first to be putting oil on your face, but you get used to it. Then put a really warm (but not hot) wet washcloth on your face and let it steam for a bit, maybe a minute or so. Rinse out the washcloth and wipe your face well.

The first few days, your skin will probably freak out because it's used to producing oil to make up for what the soap is taking out of it. But after a few days, it should even out.

Cheap, effective and natural. Who could ask for more??

One More Thing...

Thanks to Pintrest, I now have one more thing to add to my ever growing list of New Year's Resolutions. Add cleaning and de-cluttering to the list! Not that I have THAT much stuff. I'm a serial thrower away-er after all, but living a more minimalist lifestyle has been appealing to me more and more lately.

I went to a baby shower last week (it was super fun, great food and no one made me smell chocolate in a diaper!) and I was so overwhelmed with the amount of STUFF that you get when you are having a baby... As if adding another person to your family wasn't enough, now you 'need' 20 bibs with coordinating socks and enough bedding to last the child through his college years. Then I watched the documentary Babies, and it showed that kids that grow up without all the 'stimulating toys' that we think are so important, develop at almost exactly the same pace! So, once again - our stuff basically means nothing.

So the point of that little rant is, I am thinking of becoming a minimalist. Because I'm tired of the stuff.

I still have no idea what I would like to focus on in 2012, and only one more week to figure it out. Is it possible to focus on 20 things at the same time?? That way I won't have to choose!

Christmas at the Mall

I went to the mall twice in the last two weeks. Both times I went to buy a jacket (it was an epic battle between my desire to be cheap, and my desire to be warm). I rarely went to the mall this year, since I couldn't buy anything there anyway, and when I did go, it was usually to go to a specific store (hello Sephora!!) and then go home.

Both times I went, I was struck with just how much STUFF there is. Stuff that we are told that we need. Especially for Christmas. While I am in the stores, I think, if only I had the money to buy all these fancy things. Think how nice m life would be! If I could get an expensive hair cut, have a designer purse, and the cutest boots, I would be so happy.

Of course, that isn't true. Nothing that can be bought can decide if I am happy or not. Only I can decide that. But the advertising is strong. The people who make commercials and set up stores know what they are doing, and they do it well!

I made it out with a jacket (both warm AND cheap AND cute) so I felt like it was a win, but it was an eye opening experience for me. I will be able to shop at mall stores in less than two weeks, and I hope I remember that buying things there won't really change my life!