I'm just a work in progress....

So, I have made some progress this week on my short term goals for conquering the list. They are as follows....I have finished Harry Potter and I am starting book two tonight (check out my book review). I went by the recycling drop off that Hilary told me about and found out that they take cans, plastic, newspapers, magazine, milk cartons, and cardboard. I went and bought my bins for the house and I can now proudly say that I am a recycler...if that's a word! I also have done pretty well on the vegetarian diet, keep in mind it has only been three days, but it isn't as hard as I thought it would be. For example, tonight I cooked country fried steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls by request, and I made grilled portabella mushrooms for myself and they were delisioso!!! However, I did burn my finger pretty badly and had to eat with ice on my hand. I received a confirmation email from Habitat for Humanity and I am supposed to fill out the bio. form so that they can know what my interest are, ect. I have not done that yet, but I am planning on completing that and signing up for my first volunteer project tomorrow. I also have painted two new pictures this week. One was from a photo I took in Virginia and the other turned out to be some sort of Christmas tree...not my intention. I am hoping to get better with practice, but I think I can safely say that painting is not one of my God given talents! On a totally different note, I am attending the Avett Brothers concert in September and I am super excited!!! It's all I have been listening to and I still just can't get enough! If you haven't heard them, you must check them out....it will be worth it, and that is a BLANKI GUARANTEE!!!! Until next time.....

November Blue...Because my hair is yellow like the sunlight....and I've fallen like the leaves...

If I weren't leavin', would I catch you dreamin'
And if I weren't gonna be gone now, could I take you home
And if I told you I loved you, would it change what you see
And if I was staying, would you stay with me
And if I had money, would it all look good
And if I had a job now, like a good man should
And if I came to you tomorrow, and said let's run away
Would you roll like the wind does, baby would you stay

My heart is dancin', to a November tune
And I hope that you hear it, singing songs about you
And I sing songs of sorrow, because you're not around
See, babe I'm gone tomorrow, Baby follow me down

I don't know why I have to, but this man must move on
I love my time here, didn't know 'til I was gone
November shadows, shade November change
November spells sweet memory, the season blue remains
November spells sweet memory, the season blue remains

Your yellow hair is like the sunlight, however sweet it shines
Bit by the cold of December, I'm warm beside your smile

Oh lady, tell me I'm not leaving, you're everything I dreamed
I'm killing myself thinking, I've fallen like the leaves
I'm killing myself thinking, I've fallen like the leaves

Plans for the week...

So I am tackling the list hard this week, at least that is the plan. Being the queen of procrastination, I thought if I went ahead and blogged about my plans then I would be more inclined to follow through, so here they are...



#3-To read a new book every week...I have been reading Harry Potter for two weeks now, so my mission tomorrow is to go to Books-A-Million, get a cup of coffee and sit outside and finish the darn thing already. I have a dentist appointment at 11:00am, so i figured that if I went around 9, I should have plenty of time to finish it before my appointment....at least that is the plan!



#28-To keep a dream journal...I don't always remember my dreams, but when I do they are usually very strange and often funny, so I have decided to start a dream journal. This way I can write my dreams down as soon as I wake up, when the details are fresh and I can remember the most. Who knows, maybe I will have them analyzed one day and maybe finally get the explanation of my craziness...hee hee!!!


#37-To volunteer...I have signed up to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity via the Internet. My goal for this week is to call or go by there restore and get some more information and sign up for my first project...I am very excited about this one, but this is the one that scares me the most! I am always scared and nervous about the unknown, so I am really hoping to conquer this one!



#44-To start Recycling...I did some research last week and found that there is no recycling center in Tuscaloosa!!!! How absurd and sad is that! This town is too big and has way to many people living in it for recycling opportunities not to be readily available to anyone and everyone who is willing!!! No wonder the earth is in the shape it's in!!! Whilst complaining about this to my friends at girls night last week, Hilary told me that there is a place behind TMS where you can drop of your recyclable items. She wasn't sure of the details as far as what they take, when they pick up, who sponsors it, ect., so my goal this week is to find out the answers to these questions and get my bins necessary for the recyclable goods, and begin recycling!!!



#52-To be a vegetarian for a week...I often think that I should be a vegetarian because for one, I think that it would force me to think about and plan my meals ahead of time, therefore hopefully causing me to make wealthier decisions about what I eat. Also, I have read quite a few articles on the abuse and mistreatment of animals in the raising and killing of animals for food and have decided that even if a quarter of what I have read is actually true, then I would rather not be a part of that and definitely do not want to support it any longer. Having said all of this, I must say that I love food and I LOVE eating, so this task, with all of my convictions pushing me to do it, will be very difficult for me! The goal is to make this a lifestyle change, just one week at a time; I do better with short term goals!





#4 and #43-To paint more and to bake more...

I love cooking and baking, especially birthday cakes (it's the decorating that I really enjoy) and want to do it more so that I can get better at it (practice makes perfect). This week I made Jackson's birthday cake (the one that he got to dig into) and all in all I think it was a success! Jackson seemed to enjoy digging into it, literally!!!




I also love painting, keep in mind that I am not that good at it, but I enjoy it so much that I have decided to keep up with it and who knows, maybe I'll get better, I'll let you be the judge.

Can't Believe a year has passed...

This is just a little note to wish my sweet little Jackson a Happy Birthday!!! I can't believe he is a year old!!! Time has flown by! It seems like only yesterday that I was driving to Birmingham to meet Lil' Jack for the first time!!! That little boy is so amazing and I hope all of his dreams and wishes come true on this birthday (as many dreams and wishes a one year old can have) and throughout his life. Aunt Blanki loves you Jack!!!!

#34 Going to the movies alone!

So I have officially completed #34 (to go to a movie by myself) on my list of things to do, and also technically #20 (to take more chances and get over my fears). The latter includes a broad spectrum of things, but doing pretty much anything alone is definitely taking a chance. I planned on going Saturday, but some things conveniently came up and I was unable to go; or in other words I totally chickened out. I decided today would be the day! On my way there, I was a little nervous and, as silly as it sounds, scared. As I pulled in, the thought of turning around and going home crossed my mind, but I fought the urge and and put one foot in front of the other and walked up to ticket window. I bought my ticket and made my way to the theatre. I made my way to the back row, middle seat, and just breathed. The hard part was over. So I relaxed and and waited for the movie to begin and come to find out, going to a movie alone...not so scary after all! Actually quite the opposite... I enjoyed myself so much. The movie was GREAT! I laughed, I cried, and sometimes did both at the same time. I loved it so much, I think in part because Julie reminded me of me in so many ways. Very funny, very relatable, and very inspirational, especially to someone like me who is just looking for my niche in the world, for my something that is just mine. I also would love to read and learn more about Julia Child, because if she was the way she was portrayed in the movie, then she was nothing short of amazing. She seemed so happy and full of life, so dedicated, and so very loving, especially to her husband, whom she absolutely adored. All in all, this movie is a MUST see!!! Don't take my word for it, please go find out for yourselves...I hope you do! As small as it may seem, I feel like I made a huge leap today in facing one of my fears. I hope these feelings of accomplishment and courage will stay with me as I continue to face, and hopefully conquer, my long list of fears! Keep your fingers crossed just in case.

The Negativity

So, have you ever noticed that there are those certain people that you come across at different times in your life that seem to just ooze negativity? Why is that? I started thinking about this yesterday when i noticed it rubbing off on me. I realized that these types of people are all around and very toxic. Why do some people always look for the bad in situations, or worse, the bad in people? I admit that I tend to be the "glass half empty" kind of girl sometimes, but that usually relates to me and my feelings of insecurity and the "I should be doing more" thoughts that cross my mind. I try to always see the good in people, not questioning their motives until I have a reason to. My mom always said "you have to play the hand that's delt ya" and it drove me crazy when I was younger, but it's true. As I've gotten older, I have realized that that "teenager" attitude that "lifes not fair" and "why do I have to do that" isn't neccessarily a "teenager" thing at all, it seems to be the way a lot of people go through their entire lives. I for one think that this way of thinking is sad and very unproductive. Sometimes in life we have to do things we don't want to do or don't see the point in doing, but it still has to be done, so why complain? Why take it beyond complaing to saying cruel, hurtful things? I would love to let one day pass where all the negative thoughts and words and attitudes ceased to exist....wow, what a day that would be! Maybe sometimes my opinions on people or situations may come across naive, but who cares! I love looking at the bright side of things. After yesterday and my new found realization that negativeness sucks, I am going to make a life goal of mine to not be one of those people...ever, in my personal life or my professional life. I know that I am rambling, but i just had to put this out there. Until next time.....

My first official blog!

So my wonderful and patient hubby set my whole blog up last night for me and all I had to do was fill out my about me and interests parts of my profile...easy enough, right? Wrong! I went to change the picture he had uploaded and ended up clicking something (I am very click happy with the mouse) and waited a good 15 minutes for something to upload and guess what it was....nothing! No picture was there at the end of all of that. People think that I make these things up, but i don't...computers do not cooperate when I am around, it's like they know it's me or something! I digress, blogs up and functional...let's hope I don't break it! I am embarking on a new project and I plan to use this blog as an outlet to share my experiences with you...hope you enjoy it! I have recently made a list of things that I have always wanted to do, wish I could do, been afraid to do, ect. and I plan to experience/conquer each and every thing on my list over the next few months. As of right now there are 53 things on my list. I am very excited and nervous about pushing past my comfort zone and just doing it...hope it goes well....I'll keep you updated!

Hello world...this is my first blog....im already confused:)