Happy Sunday!

Hello, blogging world.

It's a dreary Sunday morning here - flat gray sky, misty rain. I managed to make the most of it by settling on the sofa with a mug of chocolate coffee and a freshly baked scone with clotted cream and homemade strawberry jam (compliments of the roommate). And a little Jeff Buckley for background music.

The New Year's goals are going well. I've been to Mass every week, I'm still decluttering, I've reached out to a few friends that I haven't talked to in awhile. I feel like I started the year with a rush of adrenaline... I was determined that everything would get done. Now I've kind of plateau-ed. I know that I'm working towards some big goals, but I can't get them all done at once. And some of my goals are easier than others.

Surprisingly, I've found the decluttering project to be the easiest and most fun for me. I think because it yields immediate results. As soon as I go through a file or a box or a drawer, I can instantly see the difference. However, the resolution about making better food choices is more difficult (as is evidenced by the scone and clotted cream, lol). I don't keep junk food in the apartment, with the exception of chips and salsa. We have leftover Christmas chocolate, but I'm not a big chocolate eater. I don't keep ice cream or soda around, and most of the Christmas cookies are gone. I think my main problem is starches and carbs... bread, bagels, pasta, pastry. I cut out white bread a few years ago, so that was a step in the right direction. I can't quite get on board with the whole wheat pasta, though. The texture is a little funky for me.

But anyway, it's progress. Things are getting done and I'm feeling a little better about myself.

Today I'm going to spend the afternoon at my best friend's birthday luau! Yep, a luau in January :) I'm excited about it. I even pulled a Hawaiian shirt out of my summer clothes storage for the occasion. It'll be a fun time: old friends and (yikes!) good food. And tomorrow is a holiday, so I get a whole day to do whatever I want! Can't beat that.

Slow and steady

I'm still working on the declutter project. I'd love to just be done with it, but it's time consuming. And as a recovering pack-rat, it's very hard to just throw everything away without looking at it first. I've been finding creative solutions for storing the things I can't bear to part with... but that's another post for another time.

Today's focus was on towels. I know, so thrilling! But I was straightening out the hallway closet, and I came across a box that has a bunch of towels and rags and potholders... all the stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else (we have a TINY kitchen with little storage). I moved all of the cleaning rags into one spot, then I sorted through the rest of the pile. Any towel that was stained or old or ratty looking was placed in a tote bag. The rest of the good stuff went back into the box with the potholders and the spare tablecloth. As for the tote bag - my brother and his wife run a dog rescue, and they're always looking for donations of certain items. Old towels and washcloths are high up on their list (dogs are messy!). So the next time I see Doug, I'll give him the bag of towels for the rescue to use. Decluttering leads to donation... everyone wins!

My other project for today was to go through my recipes and find a few things I don't make often. I chose one thing I've never made before and a few things that require ingredients that I don't normally have on hand. So tomorrow I'm going to make beef stew in the crockpot (for dinner), baked potato soup (to freeze for later), and sweet couscous with dried fruits and nuts (new recipe from Food Network). Can't wait to get cookin'!

Goodnight, nobody. Goodnight, mush.

I started back to work on Monday, so I've spent a few days readjusting to my "normal" schedule. Over break, I stayed up too late, slept later than usual, and didn't have a schedule for eating. I didn't realize how routine-driven I'd become until a few years ago, when I started to get summer insomnia. No matter how tired I got, I couldn't sleep. I don't have that problem in the summer anymore, because I make sure to stay on a schedule and work a summer job (if possible). But for some reason, I don't keep a schedule over Christmas break. I think I fool myself into thinking I can handle it. And I can't.

Anyway, I've been having trouble falling asleep the past few nights... my brain wouldn't shut off, and I started to think so much that I got anxious, which prevented me from falling asleep. So I had to work out a nighttime ritual to help me settle down. I asked a few friends for advice, and combined their best ideas into the following plan:

1. No reading in bed. (They also said no TV in bed, but I don't have a TV in my room.) Reading stimulates the brain, which makes it difficult to fall asleep. So now I read in the living room until I get tired.

2. Make sure the temperature is cool enough to need a blanket, but not so cold that I need several blankets. Low body temperature apparently helps you sleep. I didn't know that. I was always freezing at night, so I adjusted the thermostat a little.

3. No caffeine or alcohol before bed. That one was no problem. I only drink one mug of coffee in the morning, and then I have water for the rest of the day. And I rarely drink alcohol on a worknight.

4. Write in a journal before bed. I've chosen to write 5 accomplishments/happy thoughts for the day, as well as 5 goals for the next day. A friend suggested that making a to-do list for the next day would kind of give my brain permission to stop thinking about things that need to be done. I like that idea.

5. Light a lavender scented candle. It calms me.

6. Lights off when I'm tired.

7. Pray.

8. If I can't sleep, a few friends advised me to get out of bed and go into another room to do something else until I get tired.

I tried it for the first time last night, and it seemed to work. I felt better after writing, I fell asleep in the middle of prayers, and I slept until my alarm went off. So far, so good. I'm going to try it again tonight.

And before I go... a quick resolution update. Project Declutter is on temporary hiatus until the Christmas decorations are put away. Although, if you think about it, getting my apartment back to normal is a big part of decluttering. And I've been weeding out the decorations as I'm packing them away. Some things didn't get used this year, so they can get trashed or donated... depending on their condition.

Ok, time to start my bedtime ritual. Goodnight!

Do it write.

Today is my last day of Christmas break. I had nothing planned, so it seemed like coffee, laundry and my sofa were going to be on my agenda. Then my brother called to say he was stopping at my parents' house for a few hours. I abandoned my laundry and met him over there for an afternoon of wii with my parents (Mom's new Christmas present from Dad). It was a lot of fun and it got me out of the house for a few hours. Can't beat that. A wii has been on my wish list for a little over a year now, and I think I'm finally going to break down and buy one. It's a hell of a lot better than sitting on the sofa surfing the 'net or watching bad TV ("Full House," I'm looking at you...) and they're a lot cheaper than they used to be.

Anyway, moving on. Today my decluttering project started with me taking down this year's Christmas cards. Some got thrown away, some of the fronts got saved for Christmas crafts for next year (recycling is good!), and others went into an old shoebox in my closet that's filled with greeting cards. While I was there, I decided to declutter the shoebox. I'm a sentimental pack-rat, so it's very hard to get rid of things that have meaning. I managed to weed out some cards that aren't worth holding onto, but I put the rest back into the box. Things I saved include:

~ cards from my grandparents (all 4 have passed away, and it's nice to see their handwritten messages on old birthday cards)
~ a few cards from my godfather (also deceased... when I was little, he used to make the letters in his words look like animals with ears and faces)
~ some cards from my brother (a few hand drawn, most with funny messages)
~ cards and letters from my now 18-year-old godson (especially the older ones when he was just learning to write)
~ any card from a friend or family member that has a personal message written inside
~ wedding announcements, programs, invitations and thank you cards from the weddings I've been in
~ photo cards of the children of my friends

For now those things are all in the shoebox. Maybe someday I'll get them into some sort of scrapbook or memory book, but as long as they have a place and aren't taking up space, I'm okay with keeping them where they are.

I've been searching the web for other blogs and websites that embrace my newfound love of simple living. I'm going to start listing them (and other sites that I like) over in my links section in case anyone is interested in them. Today I found a site called Small Notebook and this post about ditching the label maker in favor of your own handwriting really got me thinking about my resolution to keep in touch with people. When I sorted through my Christmas cards, I was saddened to see how many people didn't bother to send anything this year. It was also interesting to see who wrote a personal message instead of just signing their name. Some people didn't even bother to write MY name on the card, which makes it even more impersonal. I know time is hard to come by for some people, but I managed to handwrite a small message in each of my holiday cards. It's one of those things that has started to go by the wayside, much like letters written in pen on nice stationery. Sure email and texting is fast and easy... but isn't it fun to get actual mail? So I think one of my goals for my "keeping in touch" resolution will be to send a letter or postcard or greeting card with a personal message to each of my friends at least ONCE this year. Whether or not they choose to reciprocate is up to them.

Staying on track

It wasn't my goal to write a blog every day, but I'm still on Christmas break from work so I have more free time than usual. And because I just made all of these resolutions a few days ago, I think writing daily helps keep me in line.

So far, I'm doing well on a few of the resolutions. Namely the ones that I've been able to tackle in the first two days of the new year. Resolution #1 was "Go to church." Done and done. I went New Year's Eve (since Jan. 1 is a holy day) and I went tonight, to fulfill my Sunday obligation. Now I just need to keep that up. I actually really like going to Mass, but I get lazy about it.

And resolution #6 "Simplify and declutter"... I spent a good part of today sortng through a pile on my desk and a huge storage bin that's been sitting in the hallway since I moved into this apartment in September. I threw stuff away and filed other things into folders to be dealt with later. That's another project for another time.

I'd do more decluttering, but tonight I feel like honoring resolution #4... having more of a social life. Now I just need to figure out how to do that.

New year, new goals.

Happy New Year! I can't believe it's 2010.

I spent last night with some good friends. We drank beer, ate fondue, and lit a fire in the fireplace. We rang in the new year in our jammies, toasting with sparkling cider. By 1:30 AM, my friends were in bed and I was dozing off on their sofa... a far cry from the drunken New Year's Eves of my past. But it was nice to skip the expensive, crowded bar scene. I'm just not that interested in it anymore.

Before we made the fondue, Erin and I each wrote our own list of New Year's resolutions and then read them to each other (and to Mike, who opted not to make a list). I'm pretty happy with my list. Not sure how many of the resolutions will make it past the first month, but I'm going to make an effort.

Here's what I came up with for this year:

1. Go to church on a regular basis.
2. Money management (set up automatic bill payment, put some money into separate savings account, put money into 401K)
3. Get back to writing, in any form (blogs, poetry, journal).
4. Make effort to improve and maintain social life (including keeping in touch with friends who are NOT on Facebook).
5. Make better food choices.
6. Simplify and declutter.
7. Read books I already have before buying new ones.
8. Walk more.

In the coming weeks, I hope to be back on here (see resolution #3, lol) to elaborate on some of these and to update the blogging world at large about my progress (or lack, thereof).

And so it begins.