Still Ridin' That Train

So maybe I fell off the bloggin' waggin' there for a few weeks.  I've been busy.  Well, maybe busy is not the right word, but right now it's the best word for this space.  I've been busy and we've been busy.

One thing that has kept me busy over the last two weeks, since our yard sale, is the realization that even after we got rid of SO MUCH STUFF, we've still got a lot of stuff left.  Stuff that is taking up space where stuff we love should go.  Stuff that I feel "eh" about is in front of stuff that I want to grab if the house catches on fire.  Some of this stuff was transitional stuff  (that's what I could afford at the time) or trendy stuff (a whim, a sale, a deal) or one day stuff (projects that I'll never finish, saving this for my [already passed] wedding day, Christmas gifts).  Basically, there still a lot of stuff that needs to be sorted.

Physical and emotional stuff.

So I've spent the last two weeks being busy and starting to work on the best ways to sort through the stuff.  My first step has been for Marco and I to get back to our priorities.  We have already shared some of our goals for this new house/life together, but priorities are different.  Priorities are goals more than "to do"s and sometimes they get shifted or changed, so this has been a great time for us to reorganize our goals, share them with each other and make sure we are on the right tracks.

I am sharing my priorities here, in this space, because I think that sometimes the stress/panic we feel in day to day life is directly related to the variance between what we want to spend time on (our priorities) and what we actually spend time on (other people's priorities).  Sometimes just taking that step back and saying "Ok, now wait a minute, what are MY proprieties in this situation and how can I make sure my needs are being met?" will help us to refocus and become more productive.

So without further ado:  because this post is already super wordy and philosophical.  My personal priorities and the priorities of our house- Marco can share his own one day if he feels like it.

My priorities:  My husband and our dogs- health, home and happiness; our food- where it comes from and how it is prepared; our home- how it is cared for, maintained, and resale value (I know, I know, live in the moment, but if I'm being honest, I worry about resale a lot and I might as well own up to it); debt repayment- mostly student loans; our community- developing a stronger sense of community and neighborhood projects.  And the list goes down from there..

Our house's priorities:  Family health- skin infections for the dogs, anxiety and work pressure for us;  Project completion- we still have several phases of projects and we'd like to get more of them checked off now that the 100*+ weather has broken; settling down- creating routines, hanging pictures, building the life we want.

You'll notice that there are few house priorities- that's because the three that are listed are big ones.  Those "projects" we want to finish are everything from "recover the couch" to "build a shed" to "fence back yard" to "strip paint off every hinge/doorknob in the house."

But how will these lists help us in the future?  Right now when making decisions, purchases, life changes, we are asking ourselves, "Will this help us to finish projects, become healthier, or settle in?"  If the answer is no, then we make a different decision.  Plus, it's nice to know we are both on the same page on different topics- health and food and money being the big three.

And now back to making some of those priorities physical projects- starting with staining our new deck.  Pictures soon.

On The Clock

I didn't have to go to work on Friday because I had to go to a Staff Development day instead.  If you have ever had the pleasure of having your staff developed, you can imagine how it was.  In fact, I'm sure Staff Development days everywhere are basically the same... no one wants to be there, the seats are uncomfortable and inevitably there are always people who have tons of questions for each speaker.  *When in Staff Development, the answer to "Does anyone have any questions?" is ALWAYS "No."*

Anyhoo- right after our lunch break we were treated to a nice Sit and Be Fit lesson.  I don't know which branches get the luxury of sitting during the day but I can say for certain that we are not one of them.  But the lady who led the demonstration was really cute and spunky, and her calves were fantastic. 

First she led us through the basic arm stretches and calf pumps ("Tap it, tap it, tap it.  Why is the back giggling?") but my favorite part was when we all got together as a group and squeezed our butt cheeks together in hopes of lifting ourselves off our chairs.  Me, my boss, my co workers with beards, everyone was engaging his/her butt muscles in unison. She kept yelling "SQUEEZE" and the entire room would lift up.   It was like some kind of Whack-A-Mole game meets Richard Simmons... 

And that is how I bonded with my co workers on Friday.  

I was sore the next day, so it must have worked.  Touche Staff Development day, touche.

Since Sliced Bread

I know that I didn't invent the "broccoli salad" but some nights I sure feel like it. We are trying to eat more of our vitamins and minerals (as apposed to simply taking them in pill form in the morning) so we have swapped lettuce for broccoli in 90% of our salads. I make a great dressing with it too.

Out broccoli dressing is super simple. I pour it into an empty canning jar, or salsa jar, or olive oil bottle and just shake it before we serve it. Below is a list of what I put in it. Notice these are not exact measurements. You really can't screw it up so don't worry too much..

Equal parts olive oil and apple cider vinegar (usually I make about a cup total)
Some sugar (eh... A tablespoon?)
Salt and pepper (2 teaspoons-ish)
Oregano and parsley (a teaspoon each)
Tony checker's seasoning (we like a lot, but it's kinda spicy... So start with a tablespoon, you can always add)

Shake and pour! Yay veggies! And vitamins!

Just Feel Like Sharing

I was going through our digital photos and deciding what to have printed when I came across this picture from our wedding day. I love this picture for so many reasons. It is completely candid and truly captures our honest feelings on our faces and it is a reminder of how much our friends and family love us. Laura Beth snuck everyone those flower petals and they had this whole exit planned out. I never saw it coming...

What a wonderful reminder as to what beautiful things can happen when you trust your friends to take care of you.

I just felt like sharing that today.