March Check-In: Seriously, who has this much stuff?

Goal 1: Read through the Bible.

I finished Leviticus and started Numbers. Not as far as I had planned to get, but progress is progress. Need to pick up the pace, though. Numbers has me struggling.

Goal 2: Read 40 books.

I only finished one book (Hyperbole and a Half), BUT I read 500 pages Of Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII by David Starkey, and I'm hoping to finish it this month. I also got a handful of new free Kindle books that look really good, so hopefully I can bump this number up.

Goal 3: Less stuff.

Mooooore magazines. 32. I was not kidding about the magazines. So many magazines. Also 4 tiny containers, a skirt, a pair of shoes, and a pair of pants.

Goal 4: Organizing.

My haphazard bookshelf has been reigned in with canvas bins and magazine holders, so it no longer looks like a middle schooler's locker threw up. Can't say a whole lot for the rest of my bedroom, though.

Goal 5: Decorating.

I bought some pretty pencil holders & such for my desk, but they'd look a lot better if I cleared all the crap covering the surface...

Goal 6: Be less fluffy.

I started doing planks every day. I had to start at 25 seconds. From my knees. Good job, self.

I should've known that about myself

Fun thing we've learned: when Megan doesn't schedule posts, Megan doesn't blog. Good to know.

Reasons a Cat is Like a Toddler, Take 3

"No."

"No."

"No."

"What did I just say?"

"No."

"You know you're not supposed to have that."

"No."

"What are you eating?!"

"No."

Close Enough

(Listening to the Christian radio station)

Dad: Who is this? It sounds like Avril Lavigne.

Me: ...it's Mandisa...

Dad: Whoever that is.

February Check-In: Apparently I'm a Hoarder

Here we go....

Goal 1: Read through the Bible.

Made it through Genesis and Exodus and started Leviticus. Thus begins

Goal 2: Read 40 books.

I finished one. So, you know, go me. I read this. It was pretty good.

Goal 3: Less stuff.

2 pairs of jeans, 6 tops, 2 makeup bags, 1 travel toiletry bag, 1 purse, 2 carry-on size bags, 1 scarf, 11 magazines= 26 pieces of crap out of my life. This is barely a dent. Help me.

Goal 4: Organizing

Working on it. Actually put clothes away after I did laundry, and I've done some filing of the piles of papers that seem to multiply. I also have a pile of stuff that needs shredded.

Things I have found while digging:

Geology notes. My degree is in psychology. I hated this class. Gone.

A bra I forgot I even owned. Win.

Goal 5: Decorating

A lot of this stuff can't be done until it's nice out and furniture can be hauled outside, plus nothing is pretty when there is stuff absolutely everywhere. On hold.

Goal 6: Knit more.

I thought about knitting. Baby steps.

Goal 7: Be buff.

I have worked out zero times. You win some, you lose some.

365 Days of Me, Week 3

I suck at this game.

2014 Kick-in-the-Butt List

1. Read through the whole Bible. (Audio counts.)   For real this time. I'm already through Genesis. One down, 65 to go.
2. Read 40 books.  There have been points in my life where this would be no big deal, but lately I've been abandoning reading for more brainless activities. It almost the end of January and I haven't finished even one book. Not cool.
3. Purge 100 items from my apartment.  Yes, 100. I am counting old magazines which will easily account for half of this. This is probably really only a fraction of what I should be getting rid of. This apartment is big, but I have way too much stuff. I need it out.
4. Find an organizational system that actually works for me.  There are piles everywhere. I am a total slob. Half of the stuff I own doesn't have a home. It is not working.
5. Finish decorating the apartment.  This includes quite a few things, such as painting a dresser, hanging artwork, etc, but we have lived here over a year and it still looks temporary. There's a good chance we'll be here a couple more. It needs to feel like home.
6. Knit more.  I'm not going to quantify this one but I've been working on one hat for 2 or 3 years. I have a ton of yarn, and knitting is soothing. Time to get to it. 
7. Make it over the wall in the Mud Run.  I had a blast last year, but I was entirely unprepared and it kicked my butt. The wall in particular was impossible. I fell on my bum a couple times and then went around. This year, I will conquer. 

I can do seven goals, right? Two going on three jobs leaves me plenty of free time...
(It started out as five, but I'm an overachiever.)

Reasons G Is Crying

Have you ever seen the blog 'Reasons My Son is Crying?' Go check it out. Now. It's hilarious.

And I wanted to join in the fun. So here are some reasons the little boy I nanny, G, is crying:

>I wouldn't let him eat a tissue.

>He tried to crawl over me and got stuck.

>It took more than .2 seconds to warm his bottle up.

>I wouldn't let him play with his poopy diaper.

365 Days of Me, Week 2

Fail.

I missed a whole bunch of pictures. You get what you get. But I'm not giving up. (Hey, look. I wear makeup and stuff sometimes.)

Priorities

Things that don't concern me:

• Global Warming
• The possible extinction of giant catfish
• Dust on my baseboards 

Things that do:

• If naptime is going to last long enough for me to play SIMS do laundry
• What on earth is happening on Pretty Little Liars

365 Days of Me

For the record, I hate the word "selfie." I hate that it was the word of 2013. I think it's dumb. I think we're all getting a little too obsessed with ourselves.

However.

I saw this link and it made me think. Honestly? A lot of the time I don't like the way I look. If I take the time to get gussied up, I can be pretty hot stuff. But if I'm just sitting around, on an average day...meh. Not really a fan. And that's not really okay. God made me to be me. To be beautiful. And I want to like lookin' at myself.

So every day in 2014, I'm gonna take a picture of myself. And I'm gonna post it on the internet.

So...here's my first week! (I spent a lot of time being snowed in/lazing around. Thus the repeated gray sweatshirt. Is that gross? Sorry, I don't care. Pictures will get more interesting.)

Weird Things in My Purse

Yeah, that's a wine stopper.

Ways a Cat is Like a Toddler, Take 2

He pooped in my bed last night.

It bothered me much more than it bothered him.

Conversations

After a shoulder injury due to my extreme klutziness and lack of depth perception requiring the words "xray" and "physical therapy" to be thrown around by my doctor:

Me: I call bull on these muscle relaxers. I could take two of these and drive a U-Haul.

Mom: I'm sorry, but that's the funniest thing you've ever said.

I can't walk through a door properly, but hey, at least I'm funny.