February Thoughts & Happenings

----The chickens are still making a racket multiple times per week. I'm thinking we'll be getting rid of them. The feed store owners (the mom of my gal N) said she'd re-home them if we want and offered new chicks, but I think I'm done til we have legit property one day. There's a good chance that hub would prefer to, um, eat them.

----We've offered hub's pride and joy old jeep to one of my vets who is in need of a vehicle. He's been hard pressed for months and as much as that Jeep is an extension of hub, these are the moments when I love hub's huge heart.....even when he tries to keep it hidden. However the jeep has its own quirky issues, is uninsured/unregistered/parked in the garage, so we'll see what happens.

----I don't know that this much TV has been on in our house non-stop and daily channel turning to MMA (mixed martial arts). We're still adjusting to four of us in the house but I'm oh so hopeful. My coworker has been looking at places and hopes to get a place in April. We have yet to discuss a timeline with hub's friend. My coworker is amazing though as a housemate. Luckily the guys and hub have been off enjoying themselves at the Newport Seafood & Wine Fest this weekend, so it's been nice for the doggies and I to roam the house freely.

-----My supervisor asked me to reconsider leaving my vet position, which I had a feeling she would. She also said I could re-create the job to better meet my and the center's needs. The pay is amazing and I actually found out that it bumps up my pay in my other job too.....but I'm still not sure I could do another year. There are pro's and con's to every thing---and honestly I keep hoping that something else might open for me to do a lateral transfer.

----Although I did "put the smack down" in the center last week, as mentioned in my clothing post. Ironically one thing I love about working with vets is a) some of them respect me more now because of it and b) they're so used to that sort of thing that most of them were back to being jolly and normal within two minutes......but for the most part, they DID get the picture and that's good to see.

----Book club was today. I was (sigh....) almost 30 minutes late....and yet this seems to be a return to hub's and my standard. We also were 15 minutes late to a joint vet mtg together yesterday....although in our defense, we were 10 minutes early to my work dinner! (Which work dinner went AWESOME btw!) Being late does make me feel bad...slightly. Only because I know that a lot of people that love me.....also despise being kept waiting. Anyway the gals also chose to go with Joy for Beginners---so we'll be reading that this month.

-----Today I was thinking of 3 high school gal pals and how much we've loved each other through different phases of ourselves. When I think back on all of our changes in 15 years.....it's amazing, and yet they've accepted me for me (almost) every step of the way. I love these girls because I can be any side of me and it's always okay. If I'm caring and idealist, withdrawn and needing space, or blunt and bitchy.....it doesn't matter. They accept who I am at each crossroads of life....and I am beginning again to realize just how much I appreciate it. I don't have to be anyone but me with them and I never have to worry about offending....and I seriously hope they feel the same way.

-----I have a weekend trip in April to San Antonio. I am beyond excited to see my gal....and in a total moment of irony, I'm seriously looking forward to being back in the south. Amazing culture/food in San Antonio AND 80 degree weather. Also on the docket: see my childhood friend again AND make it to Austin (definitely on the lifetime list)!

----I seriously love when Roxi comes running back into the house in the evenings and just careens into her cushy dog bed.

----I took a nap today and have been 100% lazy and it's been absolutely perfect.

----I found another awesome remix fashion blogger that y'all should check out: Putting Me Together.

----I'm still in my anti-social stage--I'm just not feeling it. I know I'm in a total selfish stage period---want my little moments with hub, want flexibility to spend lazy weekends grading and working out and running errands and flexible, and honestly I'm just not wanting to get too deep into thinking about life. I seriously love and missed my friends who care so deeply, but right now I'm just not there and it's hard for me to want to go there. I work with people who need a lot and who are hardened to the world in many ways....and well, I think it's rubbed off. My idealism is a whole lot more realism than I ever would have cared to have....and in a lot of ways I don't feel as much like talking about what could be or should be or thinking about how to make life better, etc ... it is what it is.

-----Hub aced both his bio exams this last week. He's such an academic rockstar---I'm legit proud of him.

-----The Air Force is supposedly recruiting for Public Health officers....I emailed the health professional recruiter for more info. Side bar: every 2-3 years I research and contemplate joining the Air Force or Coast Guard.... thus far it's never been the right fit. I still don't expect it to be the right fit, but it is interesting to say the least. However 5am and I have never been friends, and I'm also learning that while management might be an okay fit for me, I'm not sure it's my favorite.

-----We're headed into Week 8 of the term---although I'm headed to a conference in Salem on Thursday, so it's just two evenings of teaching this week. I'm thinking about trying to spend the night at Granny's and hopeful I can see one of my other gals who is pregnant and who I have only seen twice in the year we've been back.

-----On the docket this summer: two of my gal pals from high school and I are road tripping to our other gal in Arizona. We've been talking about a Summer 2012 trip for two years, and I re-arranged my teaching schedule within the timeline the other gals have available (K-12 schedule starts late August). One of the gals is in San Fran so picking her up is the perfect halfway mark, and it just happened to coincide with my 30th. (Three of us turn 30 this summer actually.) I'm seriously so stoked to be making this happen! And my parents deserve an award, because they're tentatively agreeing to swap the Sorento for their Prius---cha ching!

------On the docket in the next three years: potential opportunities for international travel, but I've been sworn to not mention any of it. Although I can tell you that one place would add a new dream continent, include potential mission work (my heart swoons), and get me that much closer to achieving my lifetime goal of traveling to all continents. The other trip would be a lifetime dream for a friend and would be an amazing celebration of her, of which I would feel honored to be a part. (And it's all of course dependent on what I do for work/finances in the next few years....and what all else life might decide to throw at us) Add on to this my heartfelt desire to buy hub a vacation, the fact that we currently have friends stationed in Italy, AND that in the next 9 years I legit need to return to Argentina. (Hmmm......when does hub start racking in the bucks?! :))

-----Have I mentioned my department head is amazing? He seriously recognized that I need a vacation this year and so allowed for me to plan my summer schedule to grant me most of September (to potentially visit my gals in Georgia) and to rearrange our original plan so my gals and I could make it to Arizona. He deserves boss-of-the-year award! And just in case you're wondering I'm teaching twice a week in person and two classes online.

----Tomorrow I need to run. Period.

-----But have I mentioned yet that at 10am today it was 39 degrees and slushing?!

-----And how totally bad a$$ is it that it's a Leap Year?!

And with my brain dumping successfully completed and you up-to-date (for the most part and only if you made it this far), I'm off to get teary some more about The Heart and the Fist....because damn it, I'm gonna read it first anyway! ;)

Jan-March Books

Image from here.

I'm not gonna lie, this book got a "so-so" review from our book club, as many of the gals thought it had too many details....which means that I seriously loved it. I didn't finish it before book club discussion but it was one that I made sure to finish before starting this month's book. It's definitely a different read than some of Bryson's other books and is an account of his thoughts and experiences throughout a variety of separate journeys he took across Australia. As I have not been to Australia, nor read/known much about it, I felt that the book was interesting and provided new details into an area of the world that I would love to travel! Bryson's usual dark sarcasm is present although less than in some of his novels. (But I will tell you I almost woke hub up from laughing so hard in the very beginning.) While the book might not be for everyone (especially if Bryson can rub you the wrong way), it is insightful as to the intricacies of Australia and entertaining to view the country via Bryson's lens.

Image from here.

So....an interesting detail about myself: certain areas of "humor" are not my favorite--of which stand-up comedians etc usually are included in that not-so-funny-to-me category. I have liked some of SNL but not all of it. I hated Princess Bride and the Monty Python movies. Hub busts a gut over It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, while I find it mildly humorous, etc. SO I definitely had mixed thoughts about reading Tina Fey's book, which was the selection for February. (Ironically, it also was almost the selection for January.) The book was interesting to learn about Fey's life and to read her perspective on women in comedy, within SNL, etc. Overall it was incredibly fast (200-some pages, double spaced, large font) and an easy read---which is one of the reasons it was selected---to give us a bit of a "break" via something light and funny. Fey provides her perspectives on numerous aspects of feminism and being a female in general---which I'm sure will be fuel for book club discussions tomorrow as we all have very different opinions on those topics. ;) So if you're looking for something incredibly fast and easy, while gaining insight to Fey's life....then definitely take a peak between its covers.

March: it's my pick and I'm wavering between Joy for Beginners-Bauermeister and The Heart and the Fist-Greitens. Incredibly different books but both equally thought provoking and timely.

Joy for Beginners is said to be a story depicting the journey of 6 female friends facing personal challenges.

The Heart & The Fist is the story of Eric Greitens, who has been both humanitarian, Rhodes Scholar, and Navy Seal. It's said to provide insight on the need for fighting the underlying issues of the world both via combat and thru a helping hand.

FW3: Three Days of Work Wear

TUESDAY: Office & Teaching

Something a bit different than I usually do but the layers were great for my too-warm evening classroom. Cardi came off, blouse was untucked and the class started. I also had white oval earrings on to provide a more youthful, contrary element to the uber-professionalism. I wasn't sure about the yellow-on-yellow, but decided I liked it better than the matronly look the white cardi gave it. This outfit also led to discussion with the guys in the office about the awesomeness of pattern mixing (polka dot top, pinstripe pants)---of which they laughed and indulged me---bahaha! The authoritativeness of the tailored pants and heels came in needed since I "put the smack down" in the office about some inappropriate commentary that had been happening---to say they knew it was coming but still didn't expect my furor is probably an understatement, but I had several other vets quietly tell me they appreciated it. 

(yellow cardi & gray pinstripe pants: Target; yellow polka dot blouse: Penneys; gray suede mary janes: Naturalizer)

WEDNESDAY: Office & Teaching

Honestly this is a wrap-dress that I'm never overly satisfied with, but it's long-sleeved and easy so I covered it with the white cardi & a belt, accessorized, and ran out the door. This look (dress, cami, cardi, belt) seems like it's fast becoming a new trademark outfit for me.... 

(gray/blue/black wrap-dress: Ross clearance; black cami: Target; white cardi: Walmart; belt: gifted; black heeled boots: Penneys; necklace: Freddies)

THURSDAY: Meetings & Teaching

This is called "I wanted 20 extra minutes of sleep," so I grabbed what I know to be my truly easiest and comfortable combo: cami under sweater, skirt, and flats. Since it's still chilly I pulled the tights on, and then accessorized with a black bracelet & earrings. Probably not my most professional look to lead the taskforce meeting this particular morning, BUT it worked. The biggest irony of this outfit is that one of my "hardest" vets told me this particular day that he considers me as "one of the guys," so I laughed and retorted "a guy in a skirt" to which he agreed. ;) (At least I know I've completely gained approval.....I suppose.)

(sweater, cami, skirt, flats: Target; jewelry & tights: Freddies)

It's been interesting starting to "follow" more fashion bloggers, although there are truly only a few that I regularly follow. The ones I enjoy the most are those that use budget conscious or thrifted items and repurpose combos of what they already own. What I realize about some is that even though their outfits are stylish and unique, they're almost always the same outfit----but I think most of us follow this. We find what works for us and we just make alterations on it. (Are you noticing this here?! :)) However there are also some fashion bloggers out there that I find and seriously think "what were they thinking?!".....only furthering me to believe that plain Jane sometimes truly is better. But anyway....one of my newest faves is Literate & Stylish if you're interested in checking her out. Sort of a Portland vibe with total professionalism on a social worker's budget---and always with thrifted or created pieces---love it!

Good Eats

Good eats, people, good eats. Lots of delish stuff showing up on Pinterest everyday and now one of our new housemates is an amazing cook! Tonight he offered his hand at preparing a meal and let me tell you---ah-ma-zing. Brussel sprouts like none other (sweet & sour from using red pepper flakes & maple syrup), rosemary baked red potatoes, gravy from scratch, and pot roast for the gents. Seriously amazing! I wanted to eat the entire bowl of brussel sprouts!!

Last night I prepped the following for brunch this morning:

Recipe shared via pinterest: Overnight Peaches and Cream French Toast

Hub went back for thirds and the guys reported they all liked it. It was a little too egg-y for me in the center of the french toast, but definitely okay for most. Loved the peaches with it however! If I make it again, I'd probably do one less egg and a bit less milk.....and honestly maybe a different type of bread also.

 I've been meaning to share the following Kale & Avocado Salad, also found via pinterest:

I've only made it once for breakfast on a morning when I wanted something completely different. I made it with more cucumber and avocado---also delicious! I was reminded of it this evening when my gal Heather texted me to say her hub and her gave it a try and they love it also, plus hub saw the picture on pinterest last week and thought it looked like something I need to make for HIM!

 Wanted to also share another take on the meal I'd shared previously with the pre-made raviolis from Costco. Another take that hub prepares is this:

Spinach & cheese ravioli covered in pesto and feta, over sweet potato puree. YUM!

We're hoping to split up cooking duties within the house, so now that I'll have to be cooking maybe you'll see more food posts :)

Any good recipes you've seen or tried lately?!

Week Wear 3

So I might need a new photo location but spots with mirrors are even more limited in the house now! However, I'm also relegated to sitting on the bed and even worse lighting---my apologies. Although I'm pretty sure I'm only documenting clothing choices for myself---so then the photo quality doesn't really matter :)

TUESDAY: Work & Teaching

Not gonna lie---this is probably one of my new favorite combos I've put together since challenging myself. I know it's pretty plain but it totally fits my personality. 

(cami & burgandy ruffle button-up: Target; black pencil skirt & leather boots: Penney's; belt & bracelet: gifted; necklace: Freddies)

WEDNESDAY: Work & Teaching

This outfit I've had in mind since I saw the examples of pattern mixing at Freckles in April. I've still got another combo I want to try that mimics this outfit here, but this leaf skirt and striped tank combo was my next foray into trying. This definitely was a day when I had to ask hub what he thought---luckily he reminded me that pattern mixing is all the rage (he's so with it! ;)).

(white cardi: Wal-mart; brown belt & bracelet: Target; leaf skirt: Ross; brown suede boots: Penny's; wood necklace: Freddies; orange striped tank: H&M) 

THURSDAY: Meetings & Teaching

And honestly this counts for pattern mixing too because what you can't see is that those are gray pants with a white pinstripe. I'm thinking that it's time to get rid of the button-up however---it looks too young and casual, plus it's one that won't button up around my boobs--sigh. Not my favorite outfit this day---and it could have easily been altered. 90% of this day I also wore this with that cream boyfriend cardi I honestly wear all the time....I'm noticing that it shows up all the time. :) (You can understand why hub hates me constantly wearing cardigans!)

(brown tank & suede boots: Penney's; dress pants: Target; necklace: Freddies; pattern button-up: Walmart)

FRIDAY: COFFEE 

Mixed thoughts again: I thought maybe my legs were back to a point to wear my skinny jeans/jeggings again, but looking at this picture I'm not so sure! I think I'm just in an "I'm dissatisfied with how things are fitting/looking" stage lately. Today I felt like just being casual and a bit more plain, and honestly the pea coat and shoes are the statements of this outfit.

(red flats & black cowl neck shirt: Target; skinny jeans: Walmart (dang Louisiana!); black bracelet: Freddies; red hooded peacoat (Calvin Klein): Costco)

What are you enjoying lately?

Busy, Busy Love Bee

Ten minutes to post---and I usually spend at least 45 fine tuning what I want to say so apologies to keep it short and sweet. Tonight the homestead gets plus one and on Saturday, we'll be up to a full house. Woo---changes!

Monday was a whirlwind of activity but just about everything on that to-do list got accomplished. Recycled the old lap top, old batteries, plastic bags, CDs, an old cell phone, random cords. Filled the car with gas. Dropped off the bag to Goodwill. Sold books to Powell's and donated the rest. Graded last week's assignments and half of this weeks. Made the return to Freddies and returned all the bottles. Met the coolest guy at the bottle return who was a real gem and incredibly nice. Bought groceries, including sweet little somethings for hub:

Can I win an awesome wife award for buying him Cinnabons and our Louisiana beer?! :)

 The dogs and I reminded ourselves how much we love the Sorento over the Civic and we bought the straw for the chickens:

And I was reminded of why farmers aren't fat--hauling that straw took all my muscles! But the chickens seem much happier.

Add in a 4.2 mile run and vacuuming the entire house, including the nasty furry baseboards. The shower got scrubbed and the final touches of picking up the house occurred. An hour spent chatting with hub and then lessons got prepped and emails responded........and then the day was done!

Tuesday and today are just as full---but it's been our final days of alone time in the house. Here's hoping these changes will be good :)

Where'd Last Week Go? and a To-Do List for Today

Those of you long time readers know that last week was much more typical of my usual blogging style....and honestly will probably be more typical until this summer again. How I wrote so many posts in January floors me---except obviously my brain is back to constantly going again and I have a lot on my mind. My mental check-out/hiatus time in Louisiana is apparently over. Well, and I'm sure the fact that I'm trying to be more authentic in my writing has to help also! 

So what have we been up to? Oh you know, the usual busy busy. 

--Did I mention that hub is volunteering in the vet office on his campus and he's still been acing his exams? 

-- Mondays are now an extra catch-up day (read: everything I can't do in the actual office gets done & any leftover grading/prepping). Plus house work and errands.

--Week 6 of the term---which means students are stressed. Love my jobs but Tues-Thurs is usually very draining. Last week had many more meetings and lots of isolated issues to solve. 

--Thursday evenings have continued to be his and my catch-up nights...and we're living for our weekends of downtime. We're trying to continue to be engaged with others, but I'm not going to lie, for the most part I've been feeling purposely anti-social lately.

Extra busy: 

--Friday was the Northwest Environmental Health conference. Most the information I'd already read..but networking within the environmental health scene was great. A current colleague is a friend who I don't get to see enough, and she and I were able to grab (many) drinks after the conference.

--Saturday the health dept I teach in had a volunteer afternoon at Oregon Food Bank. We were part of a larger group, and together we sorted & bagged over 9,000lbs of frozen green beans! Afterward we had a casual dept meeting.

The weather has had a few bright moments so we've started thinking of all the yard projects to tackle this spring/summer. Also need to start thinking about the garden...and hub is looking at used food dehydrators. Obviously the good weather gets us back out running/hiking too! We've been letting the chickens wander around outside more during the days we're home. Pretty funny to see them at the backdoor with the dogs, as if they think they want in too:

Hub is seriously cracking me up with this whole "one-green-change-a-month" thing, which apparently has changed into a challenge between us at being "greener." Um, hub, I hate to tell ya but I was queen of the green & simple living scene before we got together...ahem, ahem. I'm not going to lie---it's been AWESOME because he's doing many of the little things I didn't want to nag about, except on his own accord. Our Feb challenge items (biking and green cleaning) are so-so, but bigger picture wise, I'm really proud of where we're moving toward...together. Just for your entertainment,  here's a recent convo in our house:

Hub: Did I see that you've finally started following my smart green trick of using the quick wash cycle in order to save water?

Me: Yes, weirdo, for most things I am....AND I almost always use cold water to save energy....beyond the green detergent we use.

Hub: Hmmm....(wearing an expression of "damn, she's got one on me....), well I just might have to start trying that.

As mentioned we focused much weekend energy on organizing and cleaning the house. Got word this morning that the new coworker will arrive Wednesday night---his room is ready! Hub and I have been joking that it feels like we just moved in with each other honestly: first time we've shared a closet and a bathroom in two years. With how much we like change, this house overhaul has been great so far. Hub rearranged the kitchen, we moved the desk into the living room, and the entry way shelf will be used as a bar in the dining area. Much cleaning and rearranging of pictures has occurred. And I'm not going to lie, I'm actually liking being in the back bedroom:

Which leaves me to today's docket. The system delete/recovery just completed on my old laptop, so it and two bags of stuff will be taken to Goodwill for donation/recycling. Need to make a return to Freddies and get groceries. Need to buy a bale of hay for bedding for the chickens. Need to grade the online assignments. Need to finish two picture collages and finalize cleaning the guest bathroom.  There's a bag of random recycling to be donated, and about 15 items I should take care of for my other job. Plus a few other things: but we'll see what all gets done!

Hope you all have a great week ahead of you! More than likely, I'll catch ya next weekend :)

What Week of P90X is this?!

The title of this post should tell you where I'm at with P90X. I know last week I wrote about my increasing desire to add some running in place of some of the cardio DVDs. The first day of running I covered 3.6 miles, which was pretty awesome considering I haven't run much in the last 3-4 months. The next day the outdoors, sunshine, and Vibrams were all calling my name again, and somehow I ended up going long enough to cover 4.5 miles.

Then Tuesday arrived which is a work day so I decided to do one of the weights DVDs (Legs & Back was on the docket) which also meant it was an Ab Ripper X day. Then I felt like I wanted some sort of cardio, so I added about 35 minutes of the Kenpo X DVD also. I was really surprised I had the desire to do the back-to-back DVDs but it seriously was awesome!

Wednesday was my off day and then Thursday I half-assed my way through the Core Synergistics DVD. I did it but I just wasn't into it. It'd been a long week, I'd skipped lunch, and hub and I were ready for some hang-out time, but I went out in the garage and worked my way through 95% of the exercises.

I had every intention of working out Friday and Saturday BUT for the first time since New Year's I let myself be flexible with what the day brought me rather than worry about rushing home to get my work-out done. So needless to say....no work-outs occurred, but ironically the 8 miles of running last week definitely has made me feel slimmer than the first six weeks of P90X ever did.

I wanted to make sure to get a run in today if the weather cooperated. Hub and his new buddy hiked to the summit of a nearby mountain, and I'd thought about tagging along but wanted to get the house organized better. My old running partner in Louisiana (Heather) and I finally decided to try to set up some motivation/accountability across the distance starting this week.  Somehow I made it to a 10k today and I seriously was shocked when I came home to double check all the mileage from my different routes! Not to say I wasn't sucking by the end, but I'm still seriously impressed.

We'll see what I end up doing tomorrow but I'll definitely be getting in the weights DVDs for this week sometime in the next few days. I'm really liking the flexibility of having the DVD program and running both as options. It's nice to know I have a way to work-out easily in the evenings when it's dark and it's been a long day at work. And I do have to say again that I'm pretty sure I'm only jumping into running these distances because the P90X program has done a great job of building my stamina to work-out for longer periods of time than I was previously used to doing.

So here we go....moving into Week 7?! Well, sort of. 

So Much Stuff

So I have to start by saying two things. One, I've known that I had a few unattended to-do items around the house that I've been wanting to get to since we moved in. Two, I seriously think that I try to be mindful about not having too much stuff around and I try to either not bring too much in or I continuously weed out stuff.

BUT let me tell all y'all, we have SO much stuff! I seriously don't even know how we've accumulated so much. I recognize the furniture came in bits and pieces til we had a full house....but I don't know how we've filled SO many nooks and crannies in the process also.

All this realization came into being today as hub and I have been tackling rearranging and reorganizing the house. Why are we doing this you might be wondering? Well because starting this coming week and then by the beginning of March, our two "extra" rooms will be used by other people. Our first housemate is to arrive sometime this coming week and then our friend will move in by March 1st.

Over the holidays hub and I had moved our couches around, so we started out today by moving back to the old lay-out which is more space conscience. Then hub and I decided to move our bedroom to the one that has a bathroom adjacent to it. This way once we're all in the house, there will be two people per bathroom rather than 3 using one and 1 using the other. Our spare bedrooms were being used as a guest room/my closet central and as hub's man cave/office/closet. So with the new lay-out, hub lost his man cave and the desk moved out to the living room, and the guest room is becoming less personalized with our things and will be used as a furnished room for my new coworker.

This has also meant that we've had to consolidate closets....and move into our own bedroom....and honestly that might be the hardest part for us. I know we've been spoiled with the extra space and honestly even in Louisiana we had separate rooms/closets at times. Since we've been in Oregon, we've created a unified master but we've really grown to enjoy being able to get dressed in other separate rooms. We're able to have more space for our stuff and also don't disturb whoever is still trying to sleep. Somehow we were able to cram all our stuff into the one closet in our new bedroom space, but there's no longer space for any of the other things we'd have in our closets now either. So the hall closets are also getting re-organized and we're going to have to tap into some new storage options (ie using one of the two closets in the room that our buddy will have and moving some stuff into the garage).

But honestly, what all this reorganization is showing me is just how much stuff we have accumulated. Honestly when it comes to the clothes and shoes, hub and I actually wear almost all of what we have throughout the year (we're both big on layering) so I don't feel like much of it is unjustified in those areas. Where I am noticing extras is with books, paper, electronics, hiking boots....and all those little things that add up and take up space overall. I'm also realizing that I really need to suck it up and find myself a two drawer file cabinet, so I can have my teaching stuff, etc all organized and easily accessible.

This evening I collected one garbage bag to take to Goodwill and a bag of paper recycling. I also have another smaller bag of cell phone cords/parts, used CDs, etc to take to the recycling center. There is still so much stuff to get rid of and I seriously just keep looking around in our closets and in cupboards asking myself over and over "Do we actually use this stuff?!"

Hub was amazing today and did a ton while I was gone for a work/volunteer session and meeting. Even the chickies have a new housing lay-out out in the shed that hub researched and created for them today. By the end of this evening, all the furniture has been moved inside. So tomorrow will be my job to keep organizing and getting the final touches in place. The catch is getting rid of enough....but ensuring I don't pass on or recycle any of the items that hub is wanting me to hold on to---always a tough one!

Woo---here's to a day of organization and cleaning tomorrow! But hopefully it'll end with a lot less STUFF and a bit more piece of mind, while creating space for two others in our home. :)

February Week Wear 2

SATURDAY: Happy Hour

Just a snap shot into a lazy day where I felt like a sweatshirt fit my mood. A day of sunshine culminating with an afternoon happy hour at a pub with my cousin. I seriously love this patchwork skirt in summer...

(black flats & black cami-Target; patchwork skirt-thrifted, gray sweatshirt-H&M basics)

MONDAY: Errands

An afternoon of needing to throw something on to run errands. I'm contemplating again getting rid of the brown suede coat----thoughts?!

(jeans-clearance Gap; brown flats-Stage; cream cardi, pink flowered shirt, brown suede coat-Target)

And this is why I don't leave the grocery area of Fred Meyer nor like to shop without hub. Talk about goal-of-not-buying-anything-new-or-anything-beyond-necessities FAIL! Fashion jewelry and winter accessories were all massively on clearance...I'd been contemplating wanting more variety of fashion jewelry.....and I came out with 4 new necklaces and a new bracelet.

TUESDAY: Work & Teaching

This was a little beyond my norm but I wanted a pop of color on my feet this day---however the gray tights made the orange shoes pop even more. They were much talked about both by the vets and the students---all reported liking them but all were surprised too. Guess it's good to keep it interesting! :) This entire outfit (minus the new blue necklace) was all from Target also.....have I mentioned I shopped a lot at Target for clothes?! (Can't beat J. Crew like items at Target prices.....)

WEDNESDAY: Meetings & Teaching

Completely new combo and I actually really liked it. It's taken me a really long time to be okay with tucking my button-downs into skirts.....

(brown tweed skirt & brown suede boots-Penney's; wood necklace-Freddies; white cami & gray/white pinstripe button-up-Target)

THURSDAY: Work & Teaching

I liked this outfit too.....and this particular evening I lectured on communication styles, of which the message one's clothing transmits is part of my conversation on non-verbal convo styles. (I mentioned that I always try to dress professionally, especially since I recognize I'm younger than what many would expect for a college instructor....) After class a student approached me to say that she always enjoys my fashion and that she thinks I dress perfect for my job----both professional and yet youthful. It was actually a great compliment to hear and kind of fun!

(black long-sleeve shirt, flats, & patterned dress: Target; white cardi-Walmart; black belt-gifted; black tights-Fred Meyer)

FRIDAY: Environmental Health Conference

I'm not going to lie, while this outfit is somewhat bland (lots of brown), I loved being able to dress casually earthy but with a professional twist to attend the environmental health conference this day! (More on the conference later.....)

(brown tweed skirt-Penneys; brown flats-Stage; brown cardi, bracelets, & pink shirt w/ embellishments-Target)

11 Things

I was tagged by my gal Heather over at Then Comes Baby. I don't know if she knew of my absolute addiction to these types of surveys, but after already sharing so many randoms, I'm blanking on what all to add to it!


Rules:
1. Post these rules
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them that you’ve tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people.


11 Randoms About Me
1. As a child, my favorite color was purple and I loved Barbies. It was a big deal when we moved to Oregon and mom painted my bedroom lavender.....and beyond having the Barbie hair salon, Corvette, tropical island, and mansion, I owned approximately 30 Barbies. AKA I will admit I was well loved......and maybe a tad.bit.spoiled.
2. Chocolate makes me break out---signed, sealed, and delivered EVERY TIME..and usually in the exact same spots.
3. In my personal life, I call male and female genitalia "hmm hmms".....I blame it on my older brother calling them that, but I promise you that when I lecture about reproduction I have no qualms using the right terminology....vas deferens anyone?!
4. I don't like following some pop culture when it comes to TV, books, movies, etc. Thus I've never seen Lord of the Rings, much of the Harry Potter movies nor read the books, nor read any of the Twilight books.
5. I actually always thought I would marry someone who was racially or ethnically different from me. In fact both my mom and an ex-boyfriend dreamed that I would. The fact that I married a very tall, dirty blond, all american football-playing soldier sometimes makes me chuckle inside.
6. I believe women in the US should ensure they buy bras that fit and cover correctly (can you tell I'm watching WNTW as I type this?!).
7. I love flavor but I have a sissy mouth when it comes to spices. Randomly, the times I was on "the pill" my tolerance was much higher and I could enjoy spicier foods.
8. I never thought I'd be a runner. Even after all the running I did in Louisiana and growth I made with it, I still don't consider myself a runner. Running is something I do, but I don't think I'll ever think I've "made it" to be worthy of the title.
9. I so totally pine for rain water barrels....and recycled glass counter tops....and salvaged floors......
10. Deep down, I wish I had more tolerance and patience to improve my sewing skills.
11. My feet easily get cold, so in the evenings I wear thick wool socks. But I absolutely hate sleeping in socks and 9/10 I will wake-up mid-night in order to take them off. (And ever hopeful Roxi is always so glad if they fall on the floor for her to run off with......)

Heather's 11 Questions for Me:

1. You're singing karaoke. What's your song of choice? I'm writing down the first title that came to mind: Red Dirt Road--Brooks & Dunn; otherwise  second choice: Country Girl Shake it For Me--Luke Bryan
2. What is your most prized possession? My sense of self /my faith.
3. What was the worst job you've ever had? Worst---hmmm, how about most difficult? and that would be working at child welfare....in my hometown....with non-supportive coworkers---some of those cases I'll never forget.
4. Do you have any phobias? Lately I realized I'm slightly afraid of heights, but mainly when I can't control the situation. AKA ladders are good---skydiving will stay in hub's skill set however.
5. You are wearing your favorite outfit. Do you put on heels or flats? Depends where I'm going! My favorite outfit would probably have flats---sandals to be exact or a ballet flat. However with 9 inches of difference between us, I think hub likes when I wear heels.
6. Have you ever met anyone famous? Yes---Michael Jackson came through for a tour at the House of Parliament in London at the same time my class was there---after all the plastic surgery he looked as funny as you think he did. AND Zach Roloff from Little People, Big World is a student at my campus---this term I see him walking around twice a week at least. 
7. Do you have any pet peeves? Moi, have pet peeves?! Bahaha but of course! Noise when I'm trying to sleep pushes me over the edge. Dirty counters---although I've had to let this one go. When cupboards are left open.....or things are "out of place" in my space. 
8. Name the best concert you've ever been to and why. DON'T LAUGH----but for the first bday gift hub ever got me, he took me to see my high school/college favorite band ever: Creed. He hates Creed and he had worked a 12 hour day and had to report back to work at 4am the next morning---and the concert was 2 hours away.....but he still took me. It wasn't the most amazing audience experience ever----but it was incredibly meaningful to me, especially that summer, that he put so much thought and will into making it happen. And they sounded great!!
9. Do you collect anything? Uh.....do grudges count? Sigh and mainly kidding! I used to collect antique tea cups and shells from different places I've been, but really I try not to have attachment to most things and I hate the idea of filling space with unusable things....
10. Favorite breakfast food to eat? Breakfast burritos win hands down but only when served for dinner. For actual breakfast food at breakfast time, I LOVE me some french toast!!
11. Let's play "Do, date, dismiss" (hahaha): Ryan Reynolds, Bradley Cooper, Tom Brady :) How did you come up with these missy?! Um, Ryan Reynolds is definitely the main pick there---but my "free pass" from hub is for Billy Currington----mmmm mmm mm.

11 Questions for Those I Tag:

1. Favorite meal to cook at home?

2. Favorite item in your wardrobe?

3. If you could go anywhere in the past or to an ideal location for a week starting tomorrow....where would you go and why?

4. If you could sit down with someone "famous" past or present for dinner, who would it be and why?

5.  Most influential person in your life?

6. One of the coolest things you've learned from FB, blogging, or Pinterest?

7. Most interesting animal you can think of on the planet?

8. The song that takes you back to high school every time?

9. You have $500,000 to give to charity---who would you give it to?

10. Red high heeled shoes or leopard print flats?

11. Preferred way to spend 3pm?

And I'm tagging the following: Heather, Alissa, Shannan, Megan, Deirdre, Angela, Whitney, EcoYogini, Lauren, Laura, Maggie

Add Some Running to that P90X

Taken from Pinterest.

So I'm not going to lie to you---yesterday on day #39 I totally skipped over my P90X YogaX work-out and the reality is that I don't even really care. The push-up & arm routine from the evening before had somewhat tweaked some muscles just north of my trouble spot within the first five minutes of the 50 minute work-out. I stubbornly made it through the next 45 minutes, but I still woke up sore the next morning and wasn't too thrilled about the idea of multiple arm/back yoga moves.

Plus here's the other truth: Week 6 has been the absolute worst to motivate myself to do. The first five weeks I was totally into it.....and then it dawned on me that in 5 weeks while my muscles had gotten stronger and leaner, my pudge areas weren't that much slimmer than they were when I started. I'm still in the same size jeans in fact and I almost always see a difference within four weeks of a new work-out plan, especially when I've been so mindful about watching what I'm eating. In fact, my entire day is pretty much spent interspersed with mindfulness on both eating well (& enough protein) and on completing my P90X work-out. And I'm not going to lie either when I say that I've been missing my Louisiana running routine, where I ran every day, pretty much enjoyed whatever I wanted to eat, and as long as I ran consistently I still fit into my ideal jeans.....(Ahem, Heather, how can we do some accountability running from afar?! Twice a week mileage to tackle? Are you game???!!!)

Add onto all that the ab-so-lutely gorgeous last two days we've had and all I've been wanting to do is run and go on some long hikes. Hub was at a conference all day Saturday and Sunday was the super bowl so hiking wasn't an option. (Hiking alone in the woods, even with the dogs, is one thing I'm not too keen on doing.) But yesterday, I was desperate to get outside and to do something different, so I decided to replace the YogaX with some running cardio!

And let me tell you, it felt amazing! It's probably been about three weeks since I'd gone on a run and I'll be additionally honest and tell you that the 3.6 miles was more like a jog, but IT FELT GREAT and it was exactly the change of pace I needed. The sun was out, I had enjoyable tunes playing on my Iphone, traffic was light due to the game, I was able to release a lot of withheld junk on my mind, and I felt my hips and upper legs working in ways they haven't had the opportunity to in weeks (thank you Vibrams!). My breathing was right on par with where it needed to be and I honestly probably could have jogged farther---maybe a half for my 30th this summer wouldn't be so far-fetched after all. ;)

But anyway what this probably means is that I'll start swapping out some of the p90x cardio days for actual cardio outside--whether those are runs, jogs, or hikes. I recognize that the cardio in the program is also based on increasing strength, but the program's cardio has been my biggest complaint overall. There will be some nights that I'll have to do the cardio on the DVD due to it being late & dark outside or raining & miserable (hello, springtime in Oregon!). But at least this lets me add in some freedom for flexibility while still staying committed, which is so much more my style.

Guess I'll have to report to my students that yes, I'm sticking with P90X but with modifications to my behavior change that are more likely to improve my overall success and commitment to the program---I love when real life goes hand-in-hand with theories and lectures taught!

Coconut Creme Brought Such Happiness

It's the long awaited post on.....coconut creme. Coconut creme creamer is a deliciousness I first saw mentioned in a post by another blogger---and since I love some coconut flavor these days, I finally found it in our local stores. While I definitely recognize prepared creamer is oh.so.not.healthy for hub and I, it's one of our habits we picked up when we got married and it's one I'm not yet ready to shake. Before hub and I got together, I used regular soy milk and some brown sugar, but now that we've switched to espresso there's just something oh.so.delicious about legit sugared creamer. (Please do as I say, not as I do in this case, dear health students.....)

So imagine my surprise when I posted a picture similar to the one above on Facebook, only to have commentary ensue about how there were healthier, less-processed alternatives available! Oh my word----I was in heaven!!! Forget the fact that I was being schooled.....I was being schooled!!!!! :) And I loved every.single.minute of it. Comments got added about where I could find homemade alternatives and how others were integrating less-processed, more natural homemade food into their lives. Rock my world---natural living is truly going mainstream....and I couldn't be happier. The fact that these comments and resources are routinely showing up on social media (Facebook and Pinterest, etc) and are being shared frequently leaves me OH SO HAPPY.

Which leads me to discussion on one of my high school best gals (of whom I have received permission to post about on this blog---I always try to ask permission before mentioning people). My best gal D is an Oregon gal through and through, although in many regards she and I have been incredibly different individuals throughout the 15? years that we've known each other. (Good golly 15 years!) We met in high school Spanish class and learned to enjoy each other as volunteer partners at our community hospital. And we've had all sorts of moments in between since then full of unconditional love and other moments of butting heads, which is why I consider her husband and her to be more like additional surrogate siblings rather than just my friends. (Plus have I mentioned my hub and her hub share a best friend, which is how hub and I met?!)

Over the years, D has read my blog off and on and while we haven't shared the same viewpoints on many things, becoming a mama this year has most definitely made D quite a bit crunchier....and while I'm always proud of who she is, I'm even more oh so proud of the advocate she's becoming. This lady is constantly teaching me new things about natural mama-hood and providing me links to things that I might pass on to others or one day want to know for myself. And really she's developed quite the following cause in a lot of ways she's the perfect candidate to educate others AND have them listen. Cause here's the thing: most the time when I post something about toxins, chemical exposures, natural living etc on Facebook people skim over it because it's just another post coming from liberal, public healthy me.....but the most amazingly awesome thing is that when D posts something similar people ACTUALLY pay attention, read, learn, and frequently attempt change. D has the uncanny ability to breech both worlds---those that are still very much in the mainstream mind frame and those that are already in or starting down the path of natural parenting/living, etc. And while it might sound cliche, it's legitimately a beautiful thing to be watching and I'm 100% enjoying learning from D as well. This year it's been such a joy to watch her develop via her pregnancy and birth her adorable lil man, who has created such a deep love within his mama. And the addition of watching her find and share this passion has been an even greater gift.

So here's to all the ways that natural living is becoming a new norm....and I'm oh so hopeful that it will keep continuing!

One Green Change

So I have to say---our one green change challenge totally rocked our worlds in a good way last month. Honestly, I had envisioned that we'd make lots of smaller changes and it would be challenging. Ironically, in January I feel like our one green change got the wheels a'spinnin' and we incorporated many of the other ideas I'd intended to use throughout this year.

Our green change in January was to only buy used for items beyond personal care products and groceries.....and we both did amazingly. We both only bought one new thing a piece (hub bought new clips for the dumbbells and I bought a new set of leashes for the dogs), and I honestly don't think I bought anything else the whole month. Hub ordered a few other used things but his overall spending was cut way back.

So what else in January did we do?

--Hub started to take his own lunches---this was going to be another thing for me to try to tackle and he did it all on his own accord. I've heard him mention at least three times how much money he's saving and it's great to hear. (He used to buy his lunch and sometimes dinner from the food carts---probably $5-$10 each go.) It's only really cute AND cool to see him packing his lunch of left overs the night before.
---Leading to: we've started actually eating left overs again!
---I started taking lunches period--making sure that I'm eating during the work day.
---I've started using my collapsible tote bag almost every single time I go to the grocery store OR carrying out items in my hands if I can.
---We've also started grocery shopping just once a week on Sundays---one list, one trip.
---We cancelled catalogs and a few magazines that we don't have time to read.
---Hub got himself set-up to be able to ride his bike to public transport to go downtown to campus.
---I've stayed out of Target.....and focused on using and reusing items already in my wardrobe.
---We are switching the dogs to dog food in recyclable packaging and that supports the local economy.

And honestly, I've been struggling to think of something realistic and energizing for February.....and it's now the 4th day of the month. I thought about not eating out---but we like it on occasion as a treat, it's a great social outing, and in reality we always eat places that support the local economy. I could choose some less-preserved foods or something else to benefit me on that level, but I'm not going to lie...right now time and energy for most things are lacking. So I asked hub the other day what he thought we should do for February. Our original idea had been not to buy anything this month, but I think we're going to stick with January's version of buying used...and also just trying to do without period. But anyway.....

Hub reported that his green change goal for February is to ride his bike to public transport to go downtown at least twice a week. A good goal and one I hope he sticks with.....especially if it starts raining again! :) So tonight, for me, I'm thinking beyond not trying to buy much of anything, I'd like to try returning to greener cleaning products in the kitchen and bathroom----mainly vinegar and baking soda. If I make it my greener challenge, then I'm more likely to follow through with it!

Our green change for March might just be plain sharing the house with the new housemate(s)....and yes you saw that "s" right. There might be two--as we've also agreed to open our guest room up to a potential new hire for my college who would be moving out here from NY, should he desire to take it. Don't worry.....I'll keep you all posted. Sharing square footage is one of the greenest changes we can make---and with how particular I can be, it just might truly be a real challenge! :)

Any new green changes for any of you out there?!

The First Egg & Other Awesomes

THEY DID IT!

Our first egg. I discovered it when I went out to check on the ladies this afternoon. It's itty bitty but it was there! There was a second attempt at an egg that was a thin membrane that had torn during "laying" and the yolk was spread out on the bottom of the kennel. So really there were two in one day. Pretty exciting! I didn't expect them to start laying so soon, so it definitely was a nice surprise. :)

We have a full bag of all-purpose chicken feed unopened in the garage, so now I'm contemplating going and getting an egg-laying feed to mix in. But I'm so excited. The irony of all of this is that we just bought 18 eggs yesterday at the store, because I've been eating eggs like crazy lately for the extra protein! ;) We'll see if they continuously lay or how they end up going....but I'm so impressed. As much as we don't think of our animals as our kiddos, I felt like a proud mama hen today!

Other awesome moments of today:

-SUNSHINE and 50 degrees!

-Wearing a skirt w/ bare legs

-Finished work-out day #38

-Happy hour with my cousin

-Hub & friend joining at end of happy hour

-Hub picking up the check :)

-DVR'd episodes of WNTW & Dear Genevieve

-Catch-up chapters from last month's book :)

-Text exchanges with military friends

-Avoidance of grading & work! ;)

-Monthly phone call with M&D

-Chickies out into the great outdoors

Portlandia decor?

So hub and I have plenty of chuckles about the various episodes of Portlandia and this week while we've been looking at our carpets we keep thinking that it'd be the perfect next theme for an episode: pet inspired decor! In our case it's feathers from bird kill and dog bones! :)

Now I need to make clear that we usually don't leave feathers from birds hanging out on our area rugs BUT the vacuum stopped last week and we have on order a new belt for it. Until it arrives, the vacuum will suck up dirt and not dog fur (or feathers!), so until then we're chuckling at each carpet viewing! (The feathers are spread under the entire table.)

These are the best dog bones we've ever had. My mom picked them up somewhere and gave them to the dogs on our visit in December. The dogs have yet to make it through any of the four bones but haven't given up on them. No matter how many times we stack them up somewhere in the house, by the end of the day, they're back littering our carpets.

So should you be looking for new decor inspiration---just let your animals go wild and don't pick up after them! Give a whole new meaning to the Portlandia terminology of put a bird on it (although the bird itself got taken outside)....or in this case, put a bone on it.

On a side note: Major also has an uncanny habit of tracking muddy footprints all over the bathroom and last night he knocked an entire glass of water off my nightstand---so I guess he's really wanting to get into some interior design business. ;)

February Wear 1

This challenge for myself has me digging in my closet--I like it but it's also leaving me realizing just how much stuff I actually have in there! The good news is two fold. One, I realize I have no more reasons to claim I have "nothing to wear" and it's making me dig out items that I otherwise don't frequently wear. And I still have several "usuals" that I haven't touched yet. I definitely do not need to go shopping for the next year??!

SATURDAY: Book Club

Pinterest inspired. This dress has been in the "maybe-give-away-pile" for a few months, but I liked the way it came together this day.

(Sundress, utility boots, boyfriend cardi, earrings, bracelet, belt--Target; Blue tank--old Penney's)

SUNDAY: Evening errands

Honestly this is the day I did almost nothing. I threw this on after showering in order to buy groceries. Comfy like sweaters=I loved it.

(Purple sweaterdress--Dressbarn; leggings, utility boots, belt, earrings--Target)

MONDAY: Afternoon Meeting

Not my favorite outfit and I should have photographed it without the blazer also. I had a meeting on campus in the afternoon with a mini-presentation. This was one of the few days I followed a prompt from Freckles in April (although out of order). The prompt is: Something that Scares You. A) I don't like wearing light pants when it's that time of the month. B) This was a lot of purple together and included a corduroy blazer to boot (Rags to Stitches should be happy again!). C) I never would have felt okay putting gray and cream together before this challenge.

(gray dresspants, boyfriend cardi, lavendar cami, purple wrap tunic---Target; purple corduroy blazer--thrifted; gray suede heels--Naturalizer)

TUESDAY: Work & Teaching

Much more casual for me---but it felt great. A day in the office, followed by teaching my evening course, followed by participating in the Governor's Taskforce on Education forum (And the governor even showed up to chat!).

(dress pants--gifted Macys; cami, flowered wrap-top, blue cardi--Target; brown heels--Penney's)

WEDNESDAY: Work & Teaching

I call this outfit "pumpkin spice mocha/latte." Another day in the office, followed by a break at home, followed by a night of teaching. And this is my Bright Colors day.

(dress, boyfriend cardi, belt---Target; brown tights--Freddies; brown flats---Stage)

THURSDAY: Networking & Teaching

Here's a secret: pants and heels make me feel more authoritative. Today I had to present at a networking lunch for veteran services---thus authoritative was a good thing. And I suppose I could argue this maybe could be similar to the Open to Interpretation on FinA.

(gray pinstripe pants, cami, ruffle cardi---Target; gray suede heels---Naturalizer; white button-up---???, and you can't see my main accent---green dangling earrings from Target)