My husband is a genius

And not just because he married me! Actually, I have to say he is a genius in spite of marrying me. The fact that he hasn't tried to kill or divorce me kind of makes me worry about his mental health.

But I digress...

A few months ago I made a deal with my husband. I said if he would take over doing the laundry, I would do ALL the dishes. He hates dishes with a fiery passion, and I was hating laundry more and more everyday. This deal was what you call a Win-Win!

After a few weeks of laundry doing, it became clear that my method of folding (or stuffing them in the drawer) my shirts wasn't working for him. I explained that they got messed up anyway because when I was looking for a shirt, I had to dig to find the one I wanted.

So Steve, with his higher than average intelligence and spacial reasoning, implemented the filing method for my shirts. The picture might not look that impressive to you, but it is nothing short of a miracle that my shirts have been nearly folded for over two months!

So my marriage tip for the day is: play up your strengths! And also, try to marry someone much smarter than you!

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

 

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!

Someday I Will...

...Wrap presents in eco friendly recycled gift wrap with cute decorations.
...Bake Christmas cookies to give to all my friends and coworkers.
...Put up all of the Christmas decorations sitting in boxes.
...Do all the ideas I have pinned on my Pintrest Christmas board.
...Make homemade stockings to hang.
...Invite people over for a lovely Christmas party.

But not today. Today I am going to go to bed on time. There's always next year, right?

A New Diet

My doctor suggested that I go on a low carb diet as part of the treatment for PCOS. After obsessing over every bite for a few days, and freaking out because I didn't know what to eat, I decided that I needed more guidance. So I chose the South Beach Diet. It emphasizes eating whole foods, with lots of whole grains and not a lot of sugar, which is how I want to eat anyway. For the first two weeks, you can't have... well, anything really. No sugar, no wheat, no fruit, no happiness. Ok, you can still have happiness, but only in moderation. :)

The worst part about being on a diet is that everyone assumes that I am doing it because I am unhappy with my body. 'How much weight have you lost?' they ask. Which always makes me think- Do I look that chubby that everyone automatically thinks I want to lose weight? Is it bad that I'm generally happy with how my body looks? Am I a huge jiggly blob that walks, and I just haven't noticed yet??  I'm not going to lie, losing weight is a perk, and it is nice to see the scale moving down instead of up, but seriously, if I were doing it for the weight loss, I would have quit on the first day. A Bethany with no cookies is not a Bethany at all...

I just have to keep reminding myself that it will be worth it.  And on Monday, I get to add whole wheat and fruit back in. I have never been more excited for a piece of toast in my life!

What the What??

I can't believe that its already the middle of December... Seriously, where did 2011 go?? I still have to catch myself from saying 2010 (I think that is one of the downsides to no longer writing checks, I don't have a reminder about what year it is!) and here it is, almost 2012!!

Looking back on this past year, it really seems like a big blur. so much happened, and we were so busy! I learned so much, and I feel like I am a better person than I was 12 months ago.

For the first time... well... ever, I guess, I completed BOTH of my New Year's Resolutions!

My first resolution was to only buy clothes at thrift stores all year. This was harder, and easier, than I thought it would be. I did slip a few times- I bought a pair of jeans (mega on sale, they were $12 from Eddie Bauer! Great jeans! What was I doing in an Eddie Bauer, you ask? Well, I am quite the outdoorsman, you know...) and a few tank tops from Old Navy (they were $2 each! And I needed new tank tops! And you can't buy those at a thrift store!) and I also got a pair of grey tights from Banana Republic, for $1.89. Seriously. I also got some stuff from J Crew, but I had a gift card from work, and I only spent like $6 of my own money, so I don't think it counts! I probably shouldn't officially cross this off the list, since I still have two and a half weeks to go, and I'm going shopping tomorrow for a winter coat (crossing my fingers that the thrift store has a good one, otherwise I will crack. It's cold!!), but really, I have done much better than I thought I would!

My second resolution was to run a 5k. Done and done!! I actually ran two this year! My first one was in November, and I ran it in 40:30. My second one was at Sea World last week, and I ran it in 39:47. I know, with a time like that, its basically like I was walking fast, but believe me, it felt like running... I actually enjoy running now, and I'm planning on doing another race on the coast in March.

I'm still crafting my resolutions for next year, I have a few really good ideas. I think the reason I was so successful this year is I had something really specific that I could actually cross off. You can't really measure 'being nicer' or 'being healthier' but I can specifically tell you that I did, in fact, run 3.1 miles (twice!), and I did (for the most part) only buy clothes at thrift stores. So I'm keeping that in mind for next year. Some things on the possible list:

• Become an extreme couponer
• Run 520 miles (over the year, not all at once!)
• Do one thing from Pintrest a month
• Have a baby (just kidding... sort of)
• Bake 12 new kinds of bread
• Run a 5k in under 30:00
• Write a mission statement (a la 7 Habits)
• Pay off my student loan

Cool-Whip, Continued

I posted last week that I wanted to start looking at how I was spending my time. I have been thinking a lot about how I spend my time, and I have decided that I need to be much more intentional. The conference talk A Time to Prepare really drove this idea home for me.  The whole talk is amazing, but I especially liked the end:

Time marches swiftly forward to the tick of the clock. Today would be a good day, while the clock of mortality ticks, to review what we are doing to prepare to meet God.

After thinking about how I spend my time, and think about what I actually want to accomplish, I found three main areas in my life that I feel need more focused, intentional attention:

1. My relationship with God.
2. My health and physical fitness.
3. My relationship with others.
4. My home.

My inclination is to rush into all of these things, set lofty goals, work furiously toward them for about a week, burn out, and then watch TV for three straight days. So I decided this time to set small, achievable goals, modeled after Martha Beck's Four Day Win.

I'm going to write a separate post for each goal, so stay tuned!

If you're interested in learning more about designing a life with intention, try reading the very inspirational blog Make Under My Life (there's a link over on the right).

You can't connect the dots looking forward you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path.

-Steve Jobs, 1995-2011

Cool-Whip

I've been thinking a lot lately about my life, and the way I spend my time. So this came at a perfect time for me. It's long, I know but the end is totally worth it:



When I was little, I used to sneak into the fridge and get a huge spoonful of Cool Whip, and then another, and then another, so I can totally relate to this!!

It made me think about the 'Cool Whip' in my life:

1. TV- I watch way too much, and get nothing back in return, except maybe some excess fat...
2. Blogs- I follow seriously 50 or more blogs. Some of them add to my life, but most of them don't.
3. Reading- I don't think reading is a bad thing, but sometimes I read instead of doing other, more important things. Also, the quality of the books I read is not always the best.
4. Internet- I can spend HOURS online, looking at everything and nothing. Only occasionally will I see something that inspires me to DO. Don't even get me started on the time suck that is Facebook...

I wanted to challenge myself to get rid of the Cool Whip and start doing all the things I have been putting off, but I honestly couldn't think of anything. Which is scary. So this week, I plan to make a list of things to replace the Cool Whip, and next week- DO SOMETHING!!

Join me?

PS, I Love You

I have been trying to be more consistent about posting the last few weeks, and the best way for me to do that is to write a bunch of posts when I have the time/have a few ideas/feel like writing and then schedule them to post later.

Usually I only write a day or two in advance, but I was thinking today, what if I got really ambitious and wrote thousands of posts and schedule them months in the future. And then someday I die in some freak accident and then my posts will speak from the dead.

It would be PS I Love You all over again! Except I wouldn't be giving Steve tasks to complete. And he hopefully wouldn't go back to my hometown in Ireland and fall in love with my best friend...

PS This is not a death wish. I hope to live a long long time and have my posts speak from the living not the dead!

Oh, and PS-I Love You ;)

Stealth Veggies

I have a love/hate relationship with stealth vegetables. You know the kind, where you're having a delicious meal and then the cook casually mentions that she put 13 heads of lettuce in the main dish and you had no idea.

On one had, I love it. Eating more vegetables is a good thing! And getting picky eaters (children or husbands!) to eat them can sometimes be difficult. And I would love to feel like I was getting something good for me when I eat a whole pan of brownies by myself (not that I have ever done that...).

But on the other hand, do you really need to trick people into eating something good for them? There are tons of studies out there showing that people tend to like the food they are exposed to. So, if we give kids/husbands broccoli, the first second or third time they might only have a bite or two, but the fourth, fifth, or 100th time they will dig right in (this of course is not true for every food. I grew up hating hot corn meal cereal, no matter how many times my mom made it!). And wouldn't it be better to teach someone to like a real veggie then to trick them into thinking that brownies are good for them? What happens when you are not there to stuff a vegetable into everything?

I am (obviously) conflicted about this, so while I make up my mind, try out this recipe for stuffed meatloaf. Tons of good for you spinach, but you can totally see it, so it's only semi stealth! Also, a great way to use up spinach that's a little too wilty to put in a salad but still good enough to eat.

Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf

1 pound ground turkey
2 egg whites (or one whole egg)
1/2 cup oatmeal (you can also use bread crumbs)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 oz shredded mozzarella
2 cups fresh spinach

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the turkey, egg whites, oatmeal, onion, 1/3 cup of BBQ sauce, and spices in a large bowl. Spread half of the turkey mixture in a bread pan. Layer cheese and spinach on top (trust me, put the spinach on after the cheese, it's much easier to spread the rest of the meat on!). Layer the remaining meat on top of the cheese and spinach. Cover with remaining BBQ sauce. Bake for 1 hour. Cut into 6 slices, and enjoy!

Nutrition: Calories: 262, Fat: 12g, Total Carbohydrates: 10g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 28g

Turning 'Have To' Into 'Want To'

I have been in a bit of a slump lately. I don't want to get out of bed in the morning, I don't want to cook, I don't want to do laundry. I just want to lay in bed! As nice as that sounds, my job would stop paying me if I stopped working (they are SO picky about stuff like that!!), and I would run out of things to eat and clean clothes to wear, and let's face it, it would get very boring!

But thinking about all the things I 'have' to do was overwhelming and depressing. In the spirit of trying to change my poor attitude, I decided to think about the benefits of the work instead of the work itself. And right away, everything turned into a 'want' to!

I do not HAVE to do my laundry. I WANT to have clean clothes to wear.
I do not HAVE to go to work every day. I WANT to earn a paycheck.
I do not HAVE to cook dinner. I WANT to save money and eat more healthily.
I do not HAVE to read my scriptures or say my prayers. I WANT a closer relationship with my Heavenly Father.
I do not HAVE to do the dishes. I WANT to have a clean house.
I do not HAVE to practice piano. I WANT to improve my talents.

Just a small change in my thinking has already made a huge difference!

Keeping It Real

I've read a few articles recently about Facebook depression, a new condition that is affecting many people, mostly teens. Basically, people are looking at other's on Facebook, and seeing all the awesome things that everyone else is doing, feeling that they are not measuring up, and then getting depressed about it. The problem is, people usually post only positive things that are happening. No one posts a picture of the week long flu they had or how they sit at home on weeknights wishing they had someone to talk to (of course, there are people who do that, but they usually make me feel uncomfortable and I de-friend them) or how they feel trapped by the ever mounting pile of laundry.

I also think that's easy to do with blogs. I read approximately 1,437,821 blogs every day, and usually people post great things that happen to them, pictures of their adorable house/child/cupcake/outfits. Which is the point of a blog, really, to share awesomeness. But it's so easy to compare the best of someone else's life (and probably photo-shopped pictures!) with the worst (un-photo-shopped picture) of your own, you know??

Not that I would advocate looking for the bad in anyone, but it is important to remember that no one is perfect, and that everyone has something that they would like to change. So really, the best policy is to not compare yourself at all, to find the best in everyone, including yourself, and take what you can from everyone. Don't forget to count your blessings!!

(Thanks to Abby from My Yellow Sandbox for this reminder. Also, an awesome place to get hair tutorials!!)

Preperation

While I am enjoying my life now as a DINK (double income, no kids) at some point, I do want to have babies. (Calm down Mom, I said AT SOME POINT) Along with thoughts of children comes thoughts of Oh My Gosh Am I Ready For This?? And of course, the answer is no. How can you actually be ready?? But I do think there are some things you can do to be more prepared.

I still need:

• A really nice camera. It seems like every mom has one of these, and posts adorable pictures online of her adorable children. I guess taking pictures with my phone just isn't going to cut it once I have a baby...
• A hobby. It seems every mom is into something these days. Scrapbooking, crafting, refinishing furniture, sewing. I have no hobby. Unless you count thrifting!
• An at-home business. Why do I get the feeling all the moms are trying to sell me something?? Oh right, they are. I need to start a candle/housewares/refinished furniture/scrapbooking business to help subsidize my thrifting, right??
• Friends- Ya, I know, I probably need those now, but I'm not very good at making them! It's hard! But what is staying home all day if I don't meet up with some gal pals for gossip and play dates? (Why yes, I am imagining my life will be just like Desperate Housewives, without the psycho drama and divorces. Just kidding!!)
• An adorable nickname for my children, so no blog wierdos can stalk them. I'm leaning toward 'the kidlet'. It's cute, easy to remember, and works for a boy or a girl!

Before you lose hope that I will ever be prepared enough to have children, here is what I already have:

• A blog. But I will probably have to change the name to something like 'Mothering and Loving It' or something cheesy like that.
• A spare room. Because the kidlet has to go somewhere!

Of course, I'm totally kidding about this list. What other things do you think I'll 'need'?

Christmas in May!

Today was pretty exciting, and not just because it was scout night. We had two very exciting packages! One big one and one little one. The big one had a Dyson!! I have wanted a Dyson since I saw a commercial my freshmen year of college. And then Steve bought me one! Here he is putting it together! 

 And look at all of the boxes it came in!

 I bet you're dying to know what was in the second package! It was a scarf from my sister Jalenna! She got it in New York this weekend! So here I am vacuuming while wearing my new scarf! Is this the best day ever or what??

Not bad for only getting 2 hours of sleep last night :)

Lids Down, I Count Sheep, I Count Heartbeats

I can't sleep. Not even a little bit. I slept from about 11:00 to 12:30, but I've been up since then, counting down the hours of sleep I could get. Which reminded me of this clip.

It's almost 4 AM, and I've pretty much given up on sleep. I just hope that I don't end up agreeing to move to Tulsa today...

When Tragedy Strikes

I've been a little overwhelmed with current events lately. Earthquakes in Australia, earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan, just looking at the pictures is devastating. I also found out that a friend of mine from high school committed suicide. She has lost both of her parents recently, and I guess it all became too much for her to take.

All of these events make me feel powerless, and guilty. Powerless because there is nothing I can do. I can give money, send prayers and good thoughts to the victims, but I can't roll up my sleeves and get to work. I feel guilty that my life is so easy, that I take it for granted, and that I live in peace and plenty every day. Why are these people be suffering, and I'm not? Nothing makes me better than they are, I just got lucky.

The one good thing that has come from all of this is that it has given me some perspective. After reading about people who have not had water and electricity for days, I can't help but appreciate taking a hot shower and being able to flip a switch for light. I have a roof over my head, a steady job, plenty to eat, and a support system that would be there to catch me if life starts to overwhelm me. My little problems are so incredibly mundane and unimportant in comparison.

I'm not really sure if there is an answer here. My plan is to do what I can (I'm planning on giving blood next week, and donating some money to the Red Cross at work) and then stop thinking about it. I wont be logging in to CNN or listening to the news for a few days until I feel more ready to digest everything.

I Love Technology, But Not as Much as You, You See

I have recently realized how amazing the Internet is. I mean, I always knew it was amazing, but lately I have been more grateful for it.

1. It gives me instant gratification. I don't have to wait until the end of a movie to see the credits to find out who plays cab driver #1 in the movie I'm watching. I just look it up on IMDB!
2. The Internet never laughs at me when I ask dumb questions. Like the time I asked someone about the difference between a lamb and a sheep (I wish that hadn't really happened, but it did. I think I might have been absent they day we learned about farm animals in school...). I can just look it up myself!
3. It saves me money. No more buying how-to books and magazines. I just google it! How do I put together this furniture from Ikea? How do I spray paint the lamp I just bought at the thrift store? How do I pluck a chicken (hopefully I'll never need to know that)?

Not only does it make my life better, but it also travels with me wherever I go, via my phone! So here's to you, Internet. With all my love.

Please Pass the Tissues

It's no secret that I'm a cry baby. It's part of being a Call, my Grandma Call says we get it from her and my Grandpa Call. Really I had no chance at not being a cryer. But there are still some things that make me tear up that I can't quite explain:

1. The ends of sports movies. (A League of Their Own, I'm looking at you.)
2. Children's choirs.
3. Books where someone dies. Even the bad guy.
4. Extreme Makeover Home Edition.
5. The end of the Miss America pageant.
6. Hallmark commercials.
7. The Biggest Loser.
8. News interviews with former drug addicts.
9. Inspiring instrumental music.
10. TV shows where people lose their homes to fire.