Day 2: Words

Page 4 of the Romeo & Juliet counting primer that arrived today.

Is it strange that I ordered a baby book for myself?

I couldn't pass up the darling artwork and figured it will get used someday.

I really wanted the Pride & Prejudice one, but it's on backorder.

See their whole collection at www.babylit.com

Day 1: My view today

Working from home has a lot of perks. 

Today I decided to sit at the dining room table.

I wanted a bigger window, more space. 

The fresh flowers didn't hurt.

February Photo-A-Day Challenge

 

Here's how to play [from fat mum slim's blog]:

1. Use the list above as inspiration and take a photo everyday. For example for number one on the list, 'your view today' you'd take a shot of whatever it is that you can see today. This would be a wider shot of your office space, where you went for a walk, or whatever it is that you can see!

2. Share on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, your blog or where ever it is you want to share. If you're sharing on Instagram or Twitter use the hashtag #FEBphotoaday so everyone can find them. There's a great community around the photo sharing, so do share!

3. Check out everyone else's pictures. I do it before I go to bed each night and it's so fun to see how different everyone's photos are. There are people from every corner of the world playing.

 

Who wants to play? I think this could be a fun way to liven up a rather dreary month before spring creeps in!

You've got questions? I've got answers!

Taking this bit from my sister - ask me anything. Anything at all and I will answer honestly. Silly questions, serious questions, what do you want to know? Also, I've enabled anonymous commenting so be brave all you lurkers. I know you're out there.

To start off, I'm answering the questions my sister was asked:

What were your favorite TV shows as a kid? - the two shows I remember never missing were Saved By the Bell and Where in the World is Carmen Santiago?. One fulfilled my desire to pretend to be a cool kid at school, the other satisfied my nerdy side.

Do you have any recurring dreams? Absolutely. I have two that pop up all the time - one focuses on me trying to graduate (it varies between high school and college) and finding out I never attended a specific class (usually something like advanced chemistry or calculus) and now have to learn an entire semester's worth in one day to pass the final. The second dream focuses on me trying to get to the airport in time for a major trip - running late, lots of delays, running through the terminal, only to discover that I have left something behind - my passport, my airline tickets, my luggage.

What's the most daring/dangerous thing you've ever done? Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm not exactly a thrill-seeker/risk-taker. I suppose the only risks I take are financial. So the most daring thing I've done is purchase a new home in Asheville before I sold our other home in Charlotte and while our tenant announced they were moving out of our investment property (their rent covered the mortgage for that property and for our land in Asheville). That was a stressful couple of weeks where we seriously considered backing out of buying the house we now live in. It all worked out in the end. :)

Don't be shy! I hope I get LOTS of questions. (and welcome to February!)

At the concert Saturday night, I glanced up (because the guy is like 6'7") and noticed I was standing right next to Tyler Ramsey. Tyler is a member of Band of Horses and also a solo artist that lives in the Asheville area. I love his music and find it extremely calming. So much so that I listen to it on my iPod when I go to bed every night. I whispered to Jon that it was a bit strange to be standing next to the man that sings me to sleep every night. We decided it would be too weird to say that to him directly. hah hah.

After the concert, I was introduced to the drummer from Floating Action. Turns out we grew up in the same town and knew a lot of the same people. He knew my family as "the Mormon Peacocks"...which was pretty much our identity in that town. Small world.

Last night I finished my first book of 2012 - "Journey Into the Whirlwind" by Eugenia Ginzburg. She was a political prisoner arrested for doing nothing more than being acquainted with someone else they had arrested. For her supposed crime, she spent 2 years in solitary confinement and 16 years at a Soviet work camp in Siberia. Extremely interesting read and made me realize (again) that as bad as I think some things are in America, it hasn't gotten to this point and I'm grateful. I know this probably goes without saying, but Stalin was a bastard!

I've had a couple emails requesting another renovation update...but we simply haven't done anything since my last post. Our main goal when purchasing this home was to get the major construction and renovation projects completed, refinance to pull out our costs and then work here and there on the remaining updates. With the basement & addition completed, Jon has been able to take on clients that can actually pay him. : ) No complaints here! We are toying with the idea of moving most of our things downstairs so we don't have to work around furniture, but that might still be a few weeks off.

Anything interesting going on in your little world?

Five Things Friday

Reading: all about Dooce separating from her husband. I don't even really read Dooce anymore but it's been reported by so many blogs and news sites that I do read, I had to investigate. It's sad when a marriage ends, especially when there are kids involved. It seems like a lot of people I personally know are splitting up these days and I'm now at the age where peers have been married long enough to go through the whole cycle and get divorced. I think back to my 10 year high school reunion, how many people were newly married and then I think of my future 20 year high school reunion...I wonder how many will be divorced or on their 2nd marriage. Strange to think about. And it makes me feel old.
Watching: Jennifer is a Party Pooper makes me laugh every time I watch it.
Cooking: from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" cookbook. It has hundreds of recipes that range from simple to complex, but I love how he breaks everything down. And in most of the dishes, he has a vegan option. I made my very first fresh pasta sauce this week and I'll never buy the jarred stuff again. I think getting back to the basics in cooking is going to help us stick to this new way of eating.
Experimenting: with Apple Cider Vinegar. After reading this post on The Daily Muse, I decided to give ACV toner a try. After two weeks of using it, I can already tell a difference in my skin - it seems to even out my skin tone and also keep my skin from being dry/itchy in some spots and oily in others. Have you ever used ACV in your beauty routine?
Listening: to Floating Action in preparation for their show this weekend. They are a fantastic local band and their song "Don't Stop Loving Me Now" gave me a good steady beat on a hilly section of my run last weekend. Check them out!

Any fun plans this weekend? Happy Friday!

Stress Busters

Stressed out? Here are some of my sure-fire methods to break from that teeth-grinding, nail-biting anxiety.

Exercise: The endorphins released from exercise are the same released from sex. That's good enough for me. So the next time you're stressed: go for a brisk walk, a run, do your favorite workout DVD. Though I suppose you could just have sex and get the same benefits. :)

Loud Music: make a stress mix of your favorite songs. Mine lean towards loud music with upbeat tempos...quite a change from my normal folksy/singer-songwriter tastes. Another pro of working from home is that I can blast my music as loudly as I'd like and the only ones that will complain are my dogs.

Clean House: my college roommates can attest that when I was stressed about exams, papers, or boys they could find me deep-cleaning the fridge or wiping down all the baseboards. Something about zoning out and cleaning my surroundings has always relaxed me when I'm at my most anxious. I have an entire 600 sqft attic whispering at me to be organized...

Hot Water: take a shower with the hottest water you can stand. This is where an on-demand water heater comes in handy. If I had a sauna I could sit in or a hot tub to soak in, I would do that, too. For now, a long shower so hot my skin turns red does the trick.

Dress Up: when you're stressed, it generally shows in your appearance. I like to combat this by dressing up more than usual. The hot rollers come out, I put on some eyeliner, lipstick, wear real earrings, a necklace, bracelets. Maybe I'll wear my uncomfortable date-night shoes and a nice blouse and paint my nails. If I look put together and polished on the outside, it usually helps me sort through my internal stresses.

And when you're really stressed out, do all five and then repeat as many times as you need until you feel better! What do you do to combat stress?