Empty house

So my guy just left me... for a whole week. He's heading up to Smith's Falls, Canada to go duck hunting with a couple of his buddies. This is Jarrod's biggest hobby and definitely where he spends most of his money... and most of his time during the fall and winter.

It's been a long time since we've been apart for this long. He actually took this same trip back in 2007. Then of course there was my stint in Myrtle Beach where we only saw each other about every other weekend for the better part of a year. But the last time I think we spent more than a day or two apart was probably when he went on a cruise with his family, which I think was in the spring of 2009. So I'm not prepared for this at all.

At least I was able to work it out that I had today off from work so I could see him off this morning and we could have breakfast together. But now the house seems so empty when I think that it's just me and the dog for the next eight days. I've been working hard to book myself up over the next week, so I don't notice it quite so much. I am sad that he won't be here for Halloween. Guess it's just me and the trick-or-treaters.

So I'm hoping to make the most of the situation and get some of those things done that you don't always get done with someone else around... like read before bed or spend time with the girls. I've also got an engagement party coming up soon that I'll definitely use this week to get some planning done.

But for now, I don't like the empty house. Maybe going shopping will help...

A day off

It's 10am and I'm sitting at my kitchen table at home. I have the day off. But don't get too excited for me, I have to work Labor Day in a couple of weeks, so I suppose it all evens out.

But since I have a free day, yet nobody else does, I'm hoping to be very productive today. Actually, I already have been. I've already accomplished a couple of big things on my list. One - I'm not quite ready to talk about yet (the suspense is killing you, isn't it??) and Two - I got a crock pot full of NC BBQ simmering on the counter.

Now onto what's next... I had planned to make a trip out to the outlets in Mebane today, just because I can, and because I want some new Yankee Candles, but I think I've decided against that since I'd prefer to save the gas and the money I'd spend once I got out there.

I have a couple of craft projects that I need to finish and/or start on, so that's my main goal for now. I started painting one of the cabinets in my kitchen, just to bring in a little color (since they're all white), but never finished. Right now I have one random square of Oyster Bay colored paint in my kitchen. So finishing that up in priority #1.

Secondly, I've decided that my wall photo collage that I put up in January is not working for me. I love the way it looks, but at the same time, it's a bit of a pain because the pictures are constantly getting out of whack. Which is very hard for someone as anal as I am about my house. Plus, I accidentally broke one of the big frames and I just don't think I like the whole thing enough to replace it. So I'm working on a new wall project and I have a couple of ideas of what I actually would like to make for it. I'm so not a crafty person, but I'm feeling more and more so this week. Let's hope it lasts! Or it may just be delusions of grandeur...

OK, now it's time to actually get to it. Onto project #1!

Comfort in silence

Wow, I've been very absent from the blogging world this month. And it's not even that I've been unusually busy. I think it's more that I've been caught up in day-to-day life and although I've had the chance to spend a lot of this month with the people I love the most, it's not been anything particularly inspiring. I've actually been very productive this month (but I'll get into that in my month-in-review post tomorrow), and I'm glad to have made some progress on the more mundane aspects of my life.

As I said before, much of this month was spent with the most important people in my life. Jarrod and I found some time to relax and unwind, just the two of us; I got to host dinner for my bestest friend and her new husband, before he heads off to military training; I got to see my beautiful big sister looking gorgeous in her wedding gown (and fabulous new shoes!) and celebrate with her at a bridal shower; and now my awesome cousin is in town from Florida for the week, so I've been trying to grab as much time as possible with her.

There's that quote I've heard before, something like, "The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've had." Well that's what this month has been like for me. Nothing earth shattering or newsworthy. Just being with the people I care about. Sitting on the back porch after a cookout playing word games on your phone with the people sitting next to you...

Wordless Wednesday: Love my new wall collage!

And Another Year Begins

Well, I'm a couple of days late on the whole start-of-the-month/year goals. Blame it on the long weekend I took. My mind was just on vacation!

But here we are starting off 2011. Looking ahead, it looks starkly different than the past year. (However, as of January 3rd last year, I didn't know how much the year had in store for me.) There are still some very exciting things coming up: I already have 3 weddings planned (including my sister, my bestest friend, and another close friend) and know of 3 babies on the way (my cousin, Jarrod's cousin, and my future sister-in-law). So there will be lots going on with all of those events.

My plan for this year is going to be more focused on "settling in." Settling into the house, settling into marriage, settling into puppy parenthood. I had so many things going on last year that I didn't really have the chance to focus on myself and my growth. I hope that's what this year will bring.

And with that, here are my plans for the coming year:

-I want to read more. I think a book a month is a good goal to set, maybe more, once I get into the swing of things. I'm going to be starting off with a wonderful gift and recommendation from my best friend Rea: The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
-Start walking Rylie every day. I got out of the habit when it got cold and sometimes it's just easier to let her play in the backyard instead, but we could both really use the exercise!
-Finish the house. By this, I mean that I want to have each room clean and decorated. I don't mean that I want to complete everything I want to change in the house. But I want to repaint several rooms, hang up curtains in the bedrooms, make the guest bedroom (which has become a sort of "junk room") presentable and hang up some pictures and other things in those rooms as well.
-Cook healthier meals. This isn't a diet or a major change. I just want to include more fruits and vegetables and less sweets. (The holidays really got me hooked on sugar!)
-Set up a more definitive budget and stick to it! We've had a budget this whole time, but I want to really hone it down, cut some things out, make sure we have some spending and savings cash and then stick to it!
-Have a significant portion of a manuscript complete. I want to say just "completed," but I'm not sure if I'm ready to commit to that just yet.

So for this month:
-I'm going to have at least one chapter written. I've been doing some planning and research, but it's time to get some words on paper. Even if I end up throwing out the whole thing later, the process is starting!
-Look into graduate degree programs. It's something I've been thinking about for a while, so I want to see what my options are as far as time and cost.
-Put up picture collage in living room. Finally got some pictures printed off!
-Have a fabulous birthday celebration for my husband!
-And celebrate the wedding of my best friend in the whole world!

Time to get moving! HAPPY NEW YEAR, once again!

Farewell 2010

It's that time of year again... where we start reflecting back over the past 12 months and looking at what we've accomplished and where we fell short. This year is a little different for me. Usually I'm always ready for the year to end and another to begin. Christmas is a great way to wrap up the year, but the New Year always offers a new beginning and a chance to start over. I'm a big fan of starting over. I like that feeling of moving into the next phase fresh and with a clean slate, and that's what the New Year has always brought. But this year, I'm going to be sad to see 2010 go. This has by far been the most monumental year of my life. So many of those major life events happened in the past 52 weeks. So here's my TOP 10 OF 2010:

 

1. I got engaged on February 13, 2010 to the most amazing guy.

2. We bought a house together

3. I spent a weekend in the hospital

4. I moved... twice!

5. Jarrod graduated from NCSU

6. I planned a wedding in 5 months.

7. I married the love of my life on July 24, 2010

8. I moved in with a boy!

9. We started a family with our puppy, Rylie

10. I learned what it's really like to be an adult.

 

I don't think you can get much more packed into 1 year than that!

 

I've been on my own for over 2 years now, but this year taught me a lot about responsibility. I've had to deal with a real budget and learn how to live within those means. I've had to take into consideration that pretty much all of my decisions now not only affect me, but affect my husband as well. I've had to balance family and friends and puppies!

 

But now, I'm sad to see such an amazing year of excitement and celebration and growth move into the past. At the same time, it makes me excited to see what 2011 will bring. I've already got a lot to be excited about: my sister's wedding, 25th birthday (ok, maybe "excited" isn't the right word), 1st anniversary, my puppy no longer being such a puppy. I like to go into each year planning for it to be better than the last, although 2010 is going to be pretty tough to beat, but I'm gonna give it my best shot!

 

So from our house to yours, Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! and a Happy New Year!

Pardon the onion

I tend to get down on myself a lot for mistakes I make around the house. Like yesterday, I tried to make enchiladas with a sour cream sauce and mid-way through the recipe I realize I'm missing a key ingredient (of course, this is about 2 hours after I just ran to the store to pick up some other things) and it's much too late at this point to run out and pick it up. So I saved what I had and put it together tonight. It came out OK, but I used way too much onion. And I like onions,  we all know what too much onion is like. I can't imagine this taste in my mouth going away any time soon. But I find myself apologizing constantly for my little errors. "I'm sorry there's no dinner ready tonight," "I'm sorry I didn't make it to the store today," or "I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to clean up the kitchen."

I think one problem I have is I'm constantly comparing myself to my mother who never seemed to make these mistakes. But then I realize two things:

1. She'd had 10 years (or so) of practice before I even start remembering things! I'm sure she went through the same stupid mistakes that I make and, if they had cell phones back then, probably would've called her mom a million times in the grocery store when she couldn't find what she was looking for. (And Mom, if you didn't, then don't tell me and let me live in my little delusional world). I guess this is my time to have a go at it and make those mistakes now so I know better for the future.

And 2. She wasn't perfect at everything while I was growing up (Sorry, Mom). I remember this one Thanksgiving where we almost didn't have any turkey gravy because she'd gotten a new roasting pan and the teflon started flaking off in the gravy. What she did best was stay calm in the scenario. I would've been freaking out about how Thanksgiving was ruined and everyone was going to be so disappointed. But we kept it quiet and strained it out the best we could and served the teflon-laced gravy (If anybody asks, it's just some extra pepper and spices). Nobody knew the difference and nobody died of teflon poisoning.

I think I need to start handling things more gracefully and have a bit more of a "c'est la vie" mentality. I think it's the whole newly-wed ideology that I'm supposed to be Donna Reed and have the house spotless, hot dinner on the table (while already having cleaned the kitchen, I might add) and not a hair out of place. I hope to change this idea and just realize that next time I'll know to use less onion and more cheese. I'll see that I'm not a failure at life just because I forgot to pick up some more chicken broth at the grocery store. And I'll realize that I'll get the hang of things one of these days.