2016 {goals}

Whether or not you write them down, or tell others there is a strong chance that you will make New Years Resolutions. Lose weight, read more, cook at home more yada-yada. Generally the resolutions are generic, yet occasionally meaningful and inspiring. I don't think I shared mine last year, and the only reason I'm sharing them this year is so that I can keep myself accountable through you.

Just a quick {update}

Things are good.
I feel good.

Really though, this morning has felt... like... like I can breathe! Of course the simple fact of it being a Wednesday and not Tuesday or Thursday helps quite a bit.
I can breathe.

Read that again, just one more time; okay make it two.
The second time read those three words slowly, and as if you yourself feel like you can finally breathe once everyone in the dog-pile gets off of you and you finally have your breath after running as hard and as fast as you could for five minutes.

Do you understand now?

The feeling is so relieving, and exciting.
and terrifying. 

'What? Girl, why you sayin' it's terrifying??' (that's you asking me)
Because that means that at any moment the creeping fog will come in full force. Maybe slowly, maybe fast, maybe lightly or maybe so thick you can't see through it. That is why I try not to think about those moments where everything feels great, I can breathe and the mornings are smooth.

I have, however, been attempting to pay more attention to what I'm feeling these past few days so that I can provide a decent analysis for those of you reading. Over the past few days I've been feeling better, lighter if you will.

  (The weather is beautiful today, which also helped to keep my mood up. It's tremendously important to get out for even a few moments; especially when the sun is shining and the wind is beautiful.)

I've been taking vitamins regularly, incorporating supposed depression-fighting foods into my diet, as well as making it a point to ride my bicycle again. This morning there was even enough time to wake up to do a quick routine of morning yoga. (which I'll be doing again this evening as I've noticed my hips are getting a little tight.)

(We all know one of my strong points is confidence and over exaggerated vanity. Which is a bi-product of hiding my depression for so long...  Yet with that being said, it's important to find beauty in yourself. It's important to be silly and goofy.)

Unfortunately as hard as I try to keep some sort of routine going in my life it doesn't seem to fully stick. It's there, it's just not... exceedingly consistent. I'm currently seeing a handsome young man whom I find a little bit of comfort in his routine; it's actually a huge help for me. It's comforting and relaxing to know that I can rely on the knowledge of when I will hear from him. Yes it sounds silly, but it's true. I'm making a large conscious effort to build and maintain a set-ish schedule and routine. Apparently routines are a big help in our battle.
Thus far I know that keeping 2-3calenders is a big help for me staying on track. In each of them (well I try to keep them all synced) my attempts are to have most of my day scheduled, of course with room for movement.
For example I have:

• Morning yoga
• Shower
• Wake-up/Start getting LittleMiss ready
• Leave
• Study Time
• Class.....

and so forth... Keep in mind each day is different, this is a simple rubric I attempt to keep.

This all leads to....

Rule Four:
Establish some sort of a routine for yourself. Read my above routine again if that gives you so help. Keep it simple and short to start with. Maybe wake up every morning at a set time, follow it with morning reading/yoga/coffee/tea/walk what have you. Maybe take lunch at a within a set time frame everyday (such as between 1130 and 130, giving you wiggle room should something come up to hinder your leaving time). Maybe, just maybe your routine needs to be reading or journaling for thirty minutes everyday. 
Don't worry if at first it doesn't stick. This is all trial and error, do not, do not  stress about setting up and find your routine. Starting small is always easiest, always best. By starting small we are able to find what really works for us, what truly fits the best. 

;

2014 was...

Something I am ready to move on from.

Plenty of good days, tons of them.

Yet looking back all I can see are the lost days, the countless hours spent working.

Unfortunately 2015 is offering the same allure of hours, if not more, away from the house. My goal is to have a very set schedule, well as set as a toddler will allow. Although there seems to be a silver lining, the first few months are going to be quite busy.

Aside from my beautiful LittleMiss as a very good distraction, there is a gentleman who has caught my attention. haha I say gentleman, and mean it. He has been nothing but polite thus far. Even asking about LittleMiss. We have agreed that we will not be putting any pressures or expectation on anything, as he is only guaranteed to be in Arkansas for the next six months.

I'm staying optimistic about 2015, I even set a few goals {can't do resolutions, I tend to rebel against them}.

::2015 Goals::

• Gym/Yoga 3-5times a week
• Start Charity
• Bible Study 5-7times a week
• XXXX profit from my boutique
• Keep my house consistently clean
• Become an almost Minimalist
• Potty train LittleMiss
• Write to LittleMiss 3-4times a week 
• Completely Paleo//Glutenfree
• Start making Almond milk
• Start canning/making fermented foods
• Paint once a month
• 3.0GPA
• Teach LittleMiss colors/shapes/alphabet
• Relearn French
• Blog post 3-5times a week
• Refill my savings

hahaha That doesn't seem like too much does it? ;)

Other than that, my New Years Eve was brought in decently enough. Left work about 1145pm and had some laughs with the fantastic friends who were watching LittleMiss. Once she woke up, the fun really started: toddler dancing is the best ever.

{photo credit:Kunkle}

As all working parents know, there really isn't anything better to get me through my day or my shift as seeing/receiving photos of my baby.

Busy Day Ahead

Well the Storage Unit has decided to cut back my hours starting with the rest of this week. It's definitely stressful, but I am hitting the ground running with the business I just partnered with. It's so excited to be able to help other people while ensuring that my daughter will have a great future with health, financially and environmentally, and be able to help my parents as well. Can you tell I'm pretty excited??

I have my breastfeeding class today! I'm excited it's finally here! Excited and annoyed really... Hopefully I will receive my breast pump today!! But I will definitely be receiving my WIC checks, it's great because I need to go grocery shopping too! I'm annoyed because they are making me take the class. Granted I can see the benefits of the class. It's just that only after I have taken the class will I receive more on my WIC checks. At least that is the impression I am under, we will see... My mom will be attending the class with me, from our short conversation this morning I can tell we are probably going to be fighting.

{Weekend Adventures}

Thank goodness it's Friday! Hopefully it will be a lovely weekend! The sky is turning pretty shades of grey now as we are all in anticipation of the rain we dearly need! Listening to the news this morning, I was surprised to learn how many areas are considered to be in a drought!

Cutting Back Just a Little

With me opening the etsy and facebook shops, and expecting to have my daughter any day I'm going to be cutting back my posting just a little. Hopefully I can kick my exhaustion and lethargy in the butt so that I can be 90% prepared for SweetPea's arrival. Tuesday through Friday you'll hear tons from me, but Saturday through Monday I'll be working on building my shop stock up, so that on maternity leave I won't run out of anything. Since my time will be taken up with cuddles, feedings, small attempts at cleaning and coming in to work. Not to mention organizing and attempting to sell a bunch of things that are taking up space in Casa Giallo. I will also be working on my photography!

I've made up my mind...

...I think...

With all of this trouble finding a Birth Photographer, as well as my annoyingly tight budget, I have been very very inspired to become a Birth Photographer. Not only is it a fantastic opportunity to bring beauty to one of the most beautiful moments in life, but I'm hoping to be able to bring a service to families who are like me. On a tight budget.

Writing?

I love writing stories. According to my mom when I was little I used to 'write stories for kids' about cat families. She was impressed. I guess I should be too! haha Well with that said since junior year of high school I have been working on a story. It's taken this long because I move a lot and have had to pack it away multiple times! Not to mention past jobs not really feeding into any creativity or allowing for much time to finish said story!

College Fund

Boy do I wish I would have had one of these. Even if it were set up by me while I was still in high school working! Would have made things much easier! Don't you agree??

A lot of parents, mostly in today's world with the younger kids having kids themselves, don't set up a college savings account for their children. I didn't get this set up as soon as I would have liked to, but I did do it early on for SweetPea.

Winning the Lottery

Or just making it big in general.
What would you do?
A few weeks ago my Pastor mentioned this during a sermon. and he hoped none of his congregation ever won the lottery. Everyone laughed, but I silently felt a tinge of agreement. It seems as though 90% of lottery winners inherit the 'lottery curse'.   Every now and then it pops into my mind, 'just what would I do if I won? Or made it big?'

One Phone Call is All it Every Takes

Pretty much all of you know that I am originally from California. Most of my family is there. Actually almost all of my family is there.

And I miss them terribly.

Whenever I go back some how or other I meet a ton of relatives I never knew existed. Or when dad calls, he informs me of a new family members.

Anyways, I miss California. The debate to move back has began again. Yes the cost of living is higher, but so is the pay so that it's (relatively) affordable. I have learned pretty well how to budget, I know I have tons of family that can offer fantastic advice. Best places to live, work, school, etc.  There are some great schools out there.

But before I start applying for schools, or looking for housing and jobs. I have two different things to find out:

1. Will I be able to move the baby out of state?
2.Will my college credits transfer?

Not to mention:

What do I take with me?
What do I sell to have money for said move?
Should I attempt to obtain a job here that will transfer me?

Quite a few questions to answer.

((I'm going to go ahead and warn you that this will be a bit of a ramble post...))

There are several DIY things I can do to sell so that I can make extra money for myself, my baby and the move.

Wow guys, I think this is going to happen. Actually happen. More than likely though, I'll move after the baby is born. The move will be so much easier and less stressful then. Don't get me wrong it WILL be stressful, just less so.

Okay then, the planning starts now; I've got a few months to get it all together.

Wish me luck!

Oh Goodness.

What have I gotten myself into?

I made the first payment for college last night, so you can bet your bottom dollar I will be attending both of my classes everyday and I will be making A's in said classes. College Algebra and Spanish. I'm kinda excited about Spanish since so many members at work have been teaching me things. :)

Mom is coming over to fill in her part on my FAFSA. While she is here I'm going to bring up that I will probably be living with them after the baby is born. They are at some point moving to Missouri, I will be going with them more than likely, but my travel is limited until the baby is born and even a few months after that.

I'll be applying for SAB for summer semester of school, very excited. I'll probably apply for work study as well.

Like I said, 'what have I gotten myself into?'

There are quite a lot of things that I have to restructure as a single parent. The support system that has made its self known to me is amazing. I wish I could say I'm 100% happy about the pregnancy, but this isn't quite how I pictured my life. I am very very excited and already love this baby more than anything else in this world, coupled with the people who are so supportive makes it even better. If any of them read this I hope they understand just how much all of their love means. It helps so much to know that besides myself, this baby has a ton of people who already love it!!!

Well I have to get back to cleaning before mom shows up! Hope y'all have a GREAT Tuesday!!

One Down, Three to Go

Yesterday I asked someone a pretty big question. They gave me the answer I was hoping for!!

I was so happy when she said yes!!!!
Not many people in the South have God Parents, mostly because most of them aren't Catholic. Now I'm not Catholic, but I am (part) Episcopalian. Which is what most of my dad's side of the family is. So of course I agree with having God Parents!! If something happens to me I already know that my parents won't be able to take care of Sweetpea as much as they would like. The task now falls that I find one more God Mother, and two God fathers. This is not anywhere as easy as I would like it to be, I've got a few contestants that I'm thinking about, I just wish they were as easy of a choice as Miss OKC was. No offense to any one else that I choose of course, but she has been one of my best friends for a long time. I know she will love my child like her own, and provide the very best she can for the little Sweetpea.


Those are also the qualities I have to make sure the other God Parents would be able to do, willing to do.

If any of you out there chose God Parents for your little ones, I would love to hear your stories!!

Hello 2013

Well I haven't much time to finish welcoming you. But I wont lie, I expect better out of you that I had from 12. I know it's a heavy burden but it's true. Don't worry, this year has been premarked with hardships, that only makes them easier. No blind siding me on anything though.

I finally planned my resolutions/goals for you:

read more.
Obtain high GPA's.
Have a better looking body than before I became expecting.
Rent a very nice house.
Be more organized.
Procrastinate less.
Get a better car.
Volunteer more.
Make extra money by selling crafts.
Accomplish a few of my 101's.
Call my grandparents regularly.
Fix my phone screen..

So there you have it!! 13 resolutions for 2013.
We've had a good first day, I look forward to the 364 more. :)

Firewood

I am so thankful for my grandpa. He is a bit to handle if you don't really know him or if you are a complete city slicker. ;)
I really enjoy going out there even if it is about an hour and a half drive. The view is beautiful and I always learn something new about him.

I also love to go visit him because he reminds me of the home and life that I want. I want a big family, I want a BIG house and a LOT of land. The house that I want I even wrote down most of the details. My plan right now is to manage to get a roommate for the remainder of my lease, possibly move in with my parents so I can start saving some money. I am very serious about buy a house and a lot of land. VERY. SERIOUS.

It was nice spending time with my family. We watched a few home videos from..the fifties. People I may have met once. My family may not always get along, but I am still happy I have them. 

 I want a beautiful view like these.

That is all the firewood my grampa cut for me. It just barely fit in the back of my car; Peacock is going to help me carry it up the stairs. I'm excited to use it. Right now I have a bunch of candle holders and a few candles in the fire place. I will use that set up one night also. It's so pretty. 

I hope you enjoy the video of my papa!!

ALSO! I will be doing a series of things that people can and should do when in Arkansas. 

Day Zero

So I am going to do this right this time around.

First I want to start off with a little information about the Day Zero 101 things to do in 1001 days challenge.

The Criteria: 
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).

Why 1001 Days? 
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple challenges such as New Year's resolutions or a 'Bucket List'. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, or outdoor activities.

It's really fun, I also found a list of the most popular 101's! I read this after doing my list and there are a lot of great ideas! I'll have to use it for my next 101! 

Start Date: November 12, 2012

End Date: August 10, 2015

1. Speak Spanish fluently
2.learn to salsa
3. Learn to waltz
4. Learn to jazz dance
5. Volunteer two days a week
6. Shoot an 8pt buck
7. Shoot three doe
8. obtain my conceal and carry
9. Own two hand guns
10. Own 100 arrows
11. Go on a cruise
12. Go to an apple orchard and pick a ton of apples
13. Go to a pumpkin patch
14. Finish one of my books
15. Sky dive
16. Catch up on sons of anarchy
17. See the Branson Christmas lights
18. Go to a southern Californian beach
19. Go to Venice beach and collect a mason jar full of shark teeth.
20. Have thanksgiving at my home
21. Go on a road trip
22. Go ice skating
23. Get a neck tattoo
24. Get a finger tattoo
25. Have professional couples pictures taken
26. Run a 5k for cancer
27. Runs a 5k for children's charity
28. Work at a soup kitchen
29. Make a gf cookbook for me and momma
30. Donate hair to locks of love
31. Shop at MOD in Fayetteville
32. Shop at pink boutique in Rogers
33 have an overall 3.5gpa at NWACC
34. Blog everyday for a month
Send all the letters I've written and 5photos to aunt Mary
35. Vote on something
36. Volunteer 5days at an animal shelter
37. Buy a house
38. Take Oliver for one f those official dog walks
39. Go horse back riding
40. Go to a drive in movie and stay awake for both movies.
41. Obtain a job with weekends off
42. Waxing
43.Obtain a current drivers license.
44. Go camping for two nights
44. Hike devils den
45go scuba diving
46.go to a wine tasting in AR
47. Go to a wine tasting in CA
48.go whale watching
49. Go deep sea fishing
50. Learn to snow board
51. Spend a dayTie dyeing 
52.make a dairy/gluten free souffle
53take a cooking class
54. Eat at tusk and trotter
55. Go to a ballet
56. Go to a zac brown concert
57. Inspire someone to wrote their own 101
57. Swim at a waterfall
58. Try yoga
59. Turpentine creek wildlife refuge
60. Hot air balloon ride
61. Run the paint race
62. Go to a paint concert
63. Go to a rap concert
64. Go to a Matt nathanson concert
65.  Listen to a live jazz show while eating a nice dinner
66. Go to Mardi gras
67. Buy a bicycle
68. Meet a financial advisor and invest
69. Visit miss OK in OKC
70. Join 3 meetup.com groups
71. Host a dinner party
72. Throw a dart at a map and go where it lands
73. Adopt an elderly person for Christmas
74. Buy presents for a child on the angel tree
75. Sponsor a child from another country
76. Have a pen pal(and actually write letters$
77. Make cookies for a new neighbor
78. Try Rock climbing
79.get a passport
80. Fly first class
81. Buy a digital camera
82. Buy a MacBook pro
83. Watch a sunset
84. Watch a sunrise
85.  Go on a picnic
86. Go to the zoo
87. Grow a lime tree
88. Have a girls only weekend
89. Buy a pair of glitter high heels
90. Enter a photo at a fair
91. Stay the night at a haunted hotel
92. Receive the magazine subscription I bought in APRIL
93. See a ballet
94. See a broadway play
95. Go floating
96. Put a hammock up
97. Make a homemade salsa
98. Make a gf homemade pizza
99. Donate blood
100. Plant a tree
101. Camp in the back of a truck



I am so excited about this list and to get it started. Like I mentioned yesterday, there is a chance of me doing things on this list two or three times. Which I am excited about. But the reason being I may do some of them by myself at first, then with Peacock, and lastly there is a possibility that I do them with Peacock and Little Peacock(his son). 

Which by the way Peacock met my parents last night. I think it went over well. :)  I didn't get any calls this morning about him from momma so I'm relaxed. 

Hope ya'll have a GREAT monday!!

Rainy Day

Ugh! This is definitely a QUICK POST!!

I actually woke up early this morning and took time to love on Oliver and just relax a little. I also finished my 101 in 1001 list!! Finally!! This one will not be changed or altered it WILL BE COMPLETED. I know I've attempted this at least three different times.

But! Because it took me so long to finish my list I know have to hurry and get dressed. Which stinks because I don't want to go to work, I just want to cuddle up with Peacock and watch a black and white movie. And have Oli laying next to us. He is a big scaredy cat when it comes to rain and small storms.

SO either tonight or TOMORROW I will have the new updated version of 101 in 1001. I'm pretty excited.

Also keep in mind a few of the things on the list will probably be done two to three times. Depending. ;)

Quick Phone Post

Here I am again. At the pool.

I've had a few eurekas and revelations in the past two days.

It's time to act like an adult.

(more frequently)

Big girl pants go on and stay on.

Gotta go.

Inspiration

Okay this is going to be a pretty quick post, I've got to finish my outline for my speech(if you're lucky I'll post it, the topic is very interesting).

I have been inspired.

I know what I want:

To live off a dirt road, with a lot of land. There has to be a creek, at the least. I was going through my blog reader, catching up on a lot of post I haven't had the time to read and came across this. And it made me start thinking of Oregon, and my grandparents and all the land that they have. Not to mention the family cabin. Or my dad. He has a beautiful house and there is a lot of land around it. I miss it.

But that is my goal. I will have a beautiful house(even if I have to build it myself :] )and I will have a few acres. At least 20. It's going to be grand. Just you wait!!

...and back to my outline...