Monday, December 26, 2016

Year in Review

So....2016 was kind of a rough year.  It was not great health-wise.  We lost a couple of family members (VERY recently).  It was just a difficult year.  Which I was kind of expecting.  2015 was so fantastic that I was kind of expecting 2016 to be a little bumpy, just because that's how things usually work.

But instead of focusing on the negative, I'm going to focus on the positive things that happened in 2016 (and there were a lot!)

*I visited my family in Nebraska
*Hubby was appointed an elder
*Hubby had a Circuit Assembly part
*We traveled to Four Corners (NM, AZ, UT, CO)
*We had a great 6 year anniversary weekend in Santa Fe
*My sister came to visit
*We had a lovely guest stay with us during Pioneer School
*Husband got a new, much less stressful job
*Got lots of house projects done
*Walked a 5K and did pretty good
*The Cubs won the World Series
*My sister-in-law and nephew came to visit
*Had another successful Black Friday shopping outing
*Gilmore Girls was revived on Netflix
*We got our Emergency Preparedness bags completed

So actually, it wasn't that bad of a year after all!  :)  We'll see what 2017 brings!

A Surprise Visit

In November, my husband and sister-in-law pulled off a major surprise.  I was expecting some overnight guests from Ohio, and instead, in walked my sister-in-law and one of my nephews from Nebraska!  It was the most surprised I've ever been in my life.


We had SUCH a great time.  We went to the observatory, the aquarium, relaxed at home, and ended our visit with a drive up to the top of the mountains.
















It was the best gift ever.  My husband is amazing!  He always knows just what I need.  :)

Duke City 5K

Earlier this year, I signed myself and my husband up for the Duke City 5K run.  I'm not sure what inspired me as I hate running.  But I thought it might be fun. A couple days before the run though I was at Urgent Care with an awful sinus infection.  So race day came on Saturday and we ended up switching to the 5K walk instead of the run.  It took a lot of pressure off, plus saved my lungs.   

It was fun.  AND we ended up both finishing first in our age class.  Not too shabby!!!





Kitchen Cabinets

Wow, it's been a while!  I was going to do just one giant post about everything that's going on since I posted last, but I decided to break it up a little.  I basically just went through the photos on my phone to see what we've been up to.

In the beginning of October, we repainted our kitchen cabinets.  This was a pretty big project.  We've been wanting to do it for years, but have put it off because, well, time.

Here's the before:



It was a mess.  We tapped off the kitchen from the rest of the house, covered everything up, and used our garage as the painting area.  Then we sanded, primed, and painted.  

And here are the beautiful afters:







It looks sooooo much better!  It was a ton of work, but so incredibly worth it!  The kitchen looks so much bigger and it just brightened everything up!

Monday, September 5, 2016

Farewell Hastings

Hastings is a store that sells new and used books, movies, music, comic books, figurines, and a whole array of other (sometimes odd) things.

It was my 'go-to' store for books and movies and tv on dvd.

They've gone bankrupt, so they are closing all of their stores nation-wide.  It's so sad!  Their prices were great, especially when they were having sales. Most of our tv series on dvd came from Hastings.  We don't buy nearly as many movies as we used to (new from Target or Walmart), because we would always wait a month or so and get a used copy at Hastings for less than 1/2 the price.

One day last year they were having a sale on all of their used books:  Buy one at regular price (usually between $3 - $10) and get 2 more for $1 each.  My husband and I spent the day driving all over town browsing.  It was SO MUCH FUN!  Just searching through all of the used books and getting so excited when we would find one on our list was a blast.

We don't have any other 'chain' used books/movie stores here that I know of.  I'm hoping we might get a Half Priced Books now or something.

Today, since it was a day off, I made one final trip to Hastings.  I only went to one, the one we usually go to:


I browsed through the movies first, then the books.  Then the movies.  Then the books.  I took my time and walked through each aisle.  I known it sounds silly, but I was a little sentimental about it!

Today, I bought 5 books and 2 movies for about $30.


I am going to really miss this place.  Thank you Hastings for the years of entertainment!

Friday, September 2, 2016

On Reading and Sleeping


So….reading.

I love reading.  Always have, always will. 
 
Lately I’ve been discussing with my doctor (I’ve been doing some cognitive behavioral therapy to help with my social anxiety) some sleep issues I’ve been having.  We also discussed my love of reading and how I should do it more often.

But….there are only certain types of books that I can read during certain times of the day.  I started reading before bed, but I noticed something.  Whenever I read fiction books, specifically ‘present-day’ fiction books (not historical fiction), they keep me awake.  Or it takes me forever to fall asleep (because I’m thinking about the book), then when I fall asleep, I dream about the book.  Which is usually not good.  A good example was ‘The Girl on the Train’.  FANTASTIC book.  But….when I finished (one evening before I went to sleep), I had horrible nightmares that basically put me in the plot of the book (if you’ve read the book, you’ll know why it was very disturbing to be IN the plot in my dream).  I was up most of the night.  I would wake up, and then when I would fall back asleep my dream would pick up right where it left off.  It threw my whole week off and I just couldn’t get caught up on anything (due to tiredness and lack of sleep).

So…no more fiction for me before bed.  I allow myself to read those books during my lunchtime at work.  That’s it.  I keep my current book in my desk so that I’m not tempted to bring it home and finish it that evening if it’s really good. 

So…what can I read before bed and any other time?  Pretty much everything else.  Historical fiction, non-fiction (on any subject – biographies, history, health, etc.).  My doctor is an avid reader as well and has given me a few good suggestions already about non-fiction books that were either biographies or history that she loved.  For some reason, I don’t have any issues with those types of books keeping me up at night.  I don’t have as many dreams as I used to and am sleeping better.

I also bought a lavender candle (Mrs. Myers) that I light as soon as I started my bedtime routine.  Lavender is a calming scent.  At first I thought it was too strong, but I must be used to it, because now I love it and I think it’s helping.  (My husband blows out the candle when he comes to bed a short while after I do).
 

Thankfully our bedroom is usually picked up and clean, but if it’s not, I try to do that before bed.  A clean, calm bedroom really helps me to relax and be able to fall asleep.

So between being selective about my evening books, my candle, and always having a clean bedroom, I hope to get my sleep health back on track!

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Taming the Paper Clutter Monster with your Planner (and more dental stuff)

This is another post about the wonder that is my revamped bullet journal and my six-hole punch.

The picture below is the paper ‘clutter’ that was brought into our house just yesterday.  AND, this isn’t even all of it.  Any mail that is addressed to my husband I set aside for him to open and deal with.

I separated it into 3 piles:  Dental, bills, coupons.
 

I had a dentist appointment yesterday with a new sedation dentist.  With my horrible experiences that I’ve had with dental procedures in the past, it was time to find a new dentist that would knock me out for anything – simple cavity fillings, cleanings, anything.

Yesterday I had x-rays done and a gum evaluation done.  And then they formed a treatment plan.  And then (it’s a fancy-schmancy office) they presented everything to me in a nice folder with their name on it, two business cards with my upcoming appointments, my treatment plan, and two other informational sheets.  It’s a nice thought…but it’s stuff like this that makes me nuts and makes paper unbearable.  *On a side note, I walked into this office and it smelled like lavender (relaxing).  As I filled out my paperwork, I noticed a little glass-doored refrigerator full of bottled water and juice.  Then while I was in the dental chair waiting for my exam, the hygienist whipped out a laminated sheet and asked if I wanted any complimentary services:  lip balm, a warm blanket, a warm pillow, an ipod to listen to with music of my choice, etc.  The plastic gloves they used are flavored (pink for bubblegum, green for mint).  And everyone that worked there was pretty and sort of acted ‘stepford-wife-ish’, but in a good way.  Super friendly, almost fake, but not quite.  And they were either wearing white or black.  The rest of the office was lavender colored (calming).  Anyways….a little insight into my new dental office.

So I brought home the folder they gave me, then checked the mail to find it stuffed with ads, coupons, and the electric bill.

I immediately threw out what I could (the envelope and other stuff that comes in the electric bill), and also the ads of places we never go (Albertson’s?  come on….even when their stuff is on sale they are WAY more expensive than any other grocery store here). 

I went through the coupons and clipped the ones I might use.

Then I went through my dental folder and pulled out what I needed.  I recycled the folder (meaning I put it in my ‘folder stash’ at work to use for something else).

This is what was left:
 
 

I got my planner and wrote down my appointment times for the dentist.  Then I 6-hole punched my other documents and filed them in the week of my appointments (after-care instructions for after my sedation appointment, etc.)  I did the same with the coupons and filed them as well.
 
 
 
And suddenly, my large stack of paper to deal with was no more!  Paper clutter is the WORST and I try to deal with as much as I can right as it enters the house.  Husband is pretty good about dealing with his stuff.  And we scan anything important that needs to be kept.  This new system has been great because all of my papers are always with me at ALL times.  I highly recommend it!
 

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Bullet Journal

Can you believe I'm blogging about another planner?  I can.  I'm not surprised.  My last one didn't work out because it was too big and cumbersome.  I should have known, but I had to give it a shot first.

When my sister came to visit in June, she introduced me to the Bullet Journal.  In a nutshell, it is a planner/journal/tracker/list keeper, etc.  All in one.  And you make it your own.  Basically, you can take any notebook (although a higher quality one works better, like a Moleskine or a Leuchtturm).  Then you create your planner, lists, etc.  I started off with a Moleskine.  I made a monthly page for each month, then a weekly page behind each month.  Then I made lists and trackers.  That's what my Moleskine consisted of.  A lot of people do doodling, practice their handwriting, etc.  But I just never got into doing that.  I was more into making my lists and weekly pages look cute by using stickers and Washi tape.  I am not a doodler.  I do like coloring though and I love using cute stickers and tape.

But then I had to make some changes.  I was carrying my Moleskine bullet journal around, plus my wallet, plus my coupons in a separate pouch, plus the bills to be paid in a separate pouch and my checkbook and stamps.  It was too much.  I'd be at the store and have to whip out my coupon pouch, then my journal to look at my list, then my wallet when it came time to pay, etc.  It. Was. Too. Much.  I wanted the Bullet Journal to make my life easier, not add one more thing to keep track of.

So I basically transferred it to a zippered planner.



I wanted to still be able to add some flair to my general monthly and weekly calendar pages, but I also wanted to be able to add to it and reorganize the pages as needed AND keep everything contained.

The zippered binder is from Office Depot.  It's not large, it's a standard 6 punch size.  It can fit into all of my purses.  The 'insides' are all from Michael's AND my former Moleskine bullet journal.


Above is my calendar for September.  

Here is October:



Very simple....a standard monthly calendar plus some tape and stickers.  

Here's part of a weekly spread:



On the left side is part of this week.  You can't see the right side of the week, because what I'm now doing is putting the bills to be paid in my journal as well. I add them to whatever week they are due.  This is our insurance bill, which is due on the first.  I will pay it tomorrow.  Once it is paid, I remove it and put it in my bill binder (which I keep at work).  

I LOVE having the bills to be paid not only in one place, but in due-date order.  

Behind the monthly and weekly spreads (which include the bills to be paid, AND monthly habit trackers), I have a section for trackers.  I pretty much just removed these straight from my old Bullet Journal and hole-punched them and put them in my binder:


Mortgage payoff tracker:

TV shows to catch up on:





This one probably only make sense to me, but I like it:



After the tracker section, I have lists and other miscellaneous items:

Highlights:


 Coupons:

Restaurant coupons:


I LOVE having the coupons all here.  They are in order by type (pets, food, health, etc.)  When I'm at the checkout counter I can just tear them out to be used.

I bought a 6-hole punch when I decided to go this route with my planner.


I was hesitant to buy it at first because I wasn't sure it was necessary, but I use it ALL the time.  I hole punch everything to stick in my planner.  Not only everything that I transferred from my Moleskine, but also coupons, receipts, and 'things to be done' like looking into this balance transfer offer below:



It has made using this system even easier.  Plus it's pretty and gold and shiny. 

I keep all of my bullet journal supplies together in these two bags:



The first picture holds my most commonly used pens and highlighters.  The striped bag holds everything else:




Pens, pencils, washi tape, stickers, stencils and stamps.  All in one place.

I also added a plastic pouch in the back to hold my checkbook and stamps:


And then I added a plastic insert to the front of my planner to hold my cards:


(The receipts on the left are ones I need to enter into YNAB).

So my bullet journal has now become my planner, tracker, lists keeper, coupon organizer, bill organizer, and wallet.


I LOVE IT!!!  I love that everything is together and contained.  Most everything was purchased at Michael's (with coupons of course).  They have a great selection of planner accessories, including starter packs (that are blank, so you can start on any month), stickers, tape, etc.  I also added the little tassel to make it a little more 'me'. (Also purchased at Michael's).



So that's the latest on my journal.  I have a feeling this is the ONE!!!

20 Years of Reading

20 years.  TWENTY YEARS OF READING. Okay, so technically this isn’t true.  I’ve been reading since I was 5.  So (here’s my age)…I’ve been re...