Finally Dawned on Me

One of my dreams has always been to start my own business. Lately I've been thinking that this will have to be one of the things I do once our children (I hope!) are graduated from high school and moved on and out. My priorities are my husband and family; there will be plenty of time for starting my own business later on in life (and if there isn't time, or time is cut short, then I will be glad that I didn't spend all my years busy with a business when my top priority was my family).
I used to say that I wanted to run a coffee shop, especially after such a good time working here. Love the idea of creating a space for people to meet with friends, or work on their own projects while enjoying a hot beverage. BUT, unless you are a major coffee chain, it doesn't seem like the best business plan, to open a shop where people spend hours of their time and only $3 from their pocket. That hardly pays to keep the lights on, or to have a barista to make the drinks. Most Ma&Pa coffee shops that I know have to do other things in order to keep afloat (sell other merchandise in their shop, or include a lunch menu, or cater, or, or, or, or). I also thought it would be fun to have a bookstore, but we all know how well bookstores are doing these days, sadly.
Another idea that I have thought of is a slow-food restaurant. Where you come in, order off of the limited and changing menu, and then I make you your meal from scratch. The menu would probably contain all of my comfort foods (soups, sandwiches, pizzas, pastas, bread, cheese, etc). There would be a greenhouse attached to the back of the kitchen that grew some of our produce. And in both of these dreams we would roast our own coffee, of course. But I've always thought it would be too stressful to run a restaurant. So many regulations, and as always working with perishable items seems risky to me. Order too much and you end up wasting. Order not enough, and you're constantly running out of food and running out of customers. I do like the idea of restaurants who are only open until they run out of food each day. That does ensure a freshness, and probably less waste, I would guess.
Another idea I've more recently had, that doesn't include perishable items (at least not very many) would be a handicraft shop, that would provide three services.
1. It would sell handmade items made by myself and other local people.
2. It would sell crafting supplies.
3. It would provide space for people to work on their projects.

Fun, right? Maybe that is how I will spend my retirement?

And then it dawned on me. I can do all these things without having to try to figure out the business-side of things AND while making my family my first priority (well, actually Jesus is my first priority, but that is regardless of whether I have a family or a job or where I live or what I do. It is a given for me).
In raising a family, I definitely can plan and make healthy and from-scratch meals and work on whatever my craft is to benefit my family. I can support my husband in his work and ministry by opening our home and providing space for people to meet with a friend, read a book, drink a hot beverage, eat a good meal, be creative, study, think, etc. You guys, in just a shade over half a year, we will have the privilege of working with 20-30 young adults in a new Discipleship Program. Why is this just now dawning on me? Perhaps this is what all these dreams are about?

Here is a promotional video for the new discipleship program. Perhaps you know of someone who would be interested in applying? They should go here to find out more information and apply!

Simplifyyyyyyyyyy

One of my goals, always, is to simplify.

Lately I have been feeling the ache of clutter. We are in a time of transition, of temporary-ness, and we are half unpacked, half packed. A time of waiting, if you will. And I think you will. We did just get done with Advent, after all. 

In this time of waiting, I've come to realize that we have managed to survive for....over half a year without using some of our stuff. Longer for some of it. Some of it, I miss, and wonder if I should just go unpack it, or just wait until we are wherever we are going to move to. Most of it, I don't miss. And I wonder, WHY ARE WE KEEPING ALL THIS STUFF? We clearly don't need it. Someone else might. Like our extra coats and blankets for example. Or all the sweatshirts and shoes I don't wear. For example.

So an obtainable goal, I think, is to go through a box or a drawer, just one a night, and get rid of stuff. Regardless of where we live after this place, I don't want to keep carrying around STUFF that we never use or don't need.

I am aware that simplicity does also come with natural complications. For example, if I want to get rid of a bunch of clothes, perhaps I will have to do laundry more often. Or maybe not....if I already only wear the same 4 outfits all the time anyway. Or maybe, if we decide to eat more simply. Only foods with ingredients we can recognize. Or only foods that we can prepare at home. Well that means that preparing meals or grocery shopping might seem more complicated for awhile. I am aware of the complications that come with simplicity.

Ultimately, it comes down to what we value. Do we value stuff more than people? What do we treasure?

Here are some especially convicting Scriptures (for me).

Matthew 6:19-21: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."

And

Acts 2:42-47: "All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved." Emphasis my own. This community sounds amazing.


In related news, I am really enjoying -- looking forward to even, my daily blogging on the lectionary. I am working ahead, in case I fall behind. Either way, the goal is the daily study of Scripture. They are scheduled to started being posted on the first of January.

2014 Resolutions

It's early (well, 10 or so days early), but here are my resolutions for 2014.

1. First of the month photo journal
Take a picture of the view out my front door (or wherever, as long as it is the same place/time each first of the month). In the likely event that we move (just to a different house, probably), or if we happen to be out of town on the first of the month, I will find a different front door view. Will start this January 1st, of course.

2. Lectionary Blogs 
A blogpost reflecting on the day's Scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary. I have already started on some of these (thanks, scheduled posting!) for the likely event that I fall behind on this. Basically I am just going to read through the Scriptures and blog about whatever the Lord places on my heart. I'm guessing the quality will change from day to day...but mostly this is an exercise for me. If you are blessed/challenged by reading it, then thank God! I really desire to be in the Word regularly, and not only that but thinking about it and reflecting on it. So this is my attempt at that.

3. Prayer Life
I am terrible at praying. Period. Anything will be an improvement. Currently, my most consistent prayers are in the middle of the night when I am rocking with my son, who has trouble sleeping. I pray for obvious things like rest, and for our little family. If someone asks me for prayer, I pray right then and there, because I don't want to say, "I'll pray for you" and then completely forget. Let's face it. I will forget. Sorry. I don't want to forget. Ultimately I think that wanting to be a better pray-er is a twofold thing. I want to be closer to God, and I want to think of others more than I think of myself. The way I hope to accomplish this is yet unknown. I think that writing them down is a good start (or more likely, writing a note on my phone), and then checking the list throughout the day. That's all I have so far. I think a journal is a good idea...but I have never been a consistent journaler (journalist?). Blogging doesn't count.

4. Be the person I want to be
Continue working through this list. Basically I want to be a better wife and mom, and a better me.

That's it. Instead of doing something crazy like 14 goals for 2014, I've just taken the last number, 4. Four goals. Working through them daily is the goal (except for the first one, obviously)...but we'll see how I'm doing come January 3.

EDIT/ADDITION

5. 5K
I'd like to run a 5K sometime in 2014. Probably toward the end.

My heart's desires

I spent a little time this evening (a very little, actually, when I think of the amount of time I could have spent) reading through old blog posts of mine.

Ran across this one, and was very encouraged to see how God has worked in my life over the past few years. I turned 30 this past November, and am happy to report that I was able to finish seminary and have a baby right before 30. 

Looking forward to seeing what God has in store for the current desires of my heart over the next five (or so) years.

Also was reminded that I used to be a much better, thoughtful, and more consistent blogger.

Productivity

I'm working on a project...a Lent project! It will look verrrry similar to my Advent/Christmas/Epiphany project, and will start, Lord willing, on February 10: Transfiguration Sunday! Ash Wednesday isn't until the 13th of February, but like the other project, sometimes it's nice to get started a couple days in advance.

As always, I hope you enjoy (and even if you don't, I enjoy. So this is what you get, dear blog reader!).

Obligatory blog post. New Resolution.

Well, I didn't finish the book I thought I would finish yet. Maybe this weekend. 

I am seriously contemplating being done with Facebook by the end of 2013. Or at the very least down to checking it very infrequently, which is more doable. I just have so many pictures on Facebook, and I really do like people's comments and my own commentary on them. It's the closest thing I will probably have to a scrapbook. And for some of my facebook friends, I really have no other contact information for them other than facebook (which I guess could be remedied if I actually started using email for personal interaction). So probably will take a lot of work if I decide to completely deactivate my account. That's why I'm giving myself until the end of the year to figure it out.

By the way, if I do start using email more frequently, you can bet that I will never send you a forward. That's a promise. 

Anyway, that is an add-on to my first resolution. Still plan to give it up completely for Lent, and then go from there.

By the by, my weekly visitors for this blog have reached a special number:

favorite number

Anyway. The verses for today from the Revised Common Lectionary are: Psalm 29, Ecclesiastes 3:1-15, and 1 Corinthians 2:11-16.

Blessings.

52 in 52

Back at the end of October, I agreed to read 52 books in 52 weeks, starting November 1st. If you're good at math, you'll see that I'm a little bit behind, but still trucking along.

Here are the books I've read so far:

1.

Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church, Soong-Chan Rah

2. 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (reread)

3. 

Siddhartha

4. 

Life Together: A discussion of Christian fellowship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (reread)

And since I've been posting these in advance, I hope to be done with Crouch's Culture Making by the time this list is posted.

New year's rezzies from 2008

Back on my old blog, I was a little more ambitious about my new year's resolutions. Let's see if I've accomplished any of them since 2008. I will write my current thoughts in a different color.

1. Go to Boston
STILL have not been to Boston. In the Fall, or ever.

2. Get new glasses
Just the other day, I got my second pair of glasses since writing this list.

3. Visit a dentist
In December I visited the dentist for the second time since writing this list.

4. Apply for seminary
Applied, attended, and finished! Wahoo!

5. Go to Washington DC
Still haven't. Lame.

6. Write a children’s book
Need to revisit this.

7. Buy a Digital SLR Camera
Done and done. Need to find time to use it more, now that I have a baby and an iPhone.

8. Give all the clothes you don’t wear anymore to Salvation Army
Done several times. Have some boxes that need to be delivered as I type this.

9. Go to Niagara Falls
Twice.

10. Illustrate the children’s book you plan to write
See #6

11. Save a little bit of money each week
The bank does this for us.

12. Write a letter or note to someone and send it in the mail once a week
FAIL, but really should change that, since I would like my mom to have a job for at least a couple more years. We sent birth announcements out via the mail, so we have that going for us.

13. Go Colonial Williamsburg
Not yet.

14. Call your Mom once a week
I hate talking on the phone, and my mom doesn't have the internet. So we don't skype as often. But we do text almost daily.

15. Enter a photography contest
Didn't. Don't really feel the need to do this anymore.

16. Go one day without lip balm
Yeah, right.

17. Go to a Boston Red Sox Game
Still on the bucket list.

18. Learn something about each presidential candidate
I did, for two elections since writing this list. I still don't affiliate myself with a political party. Though I find myself leaning a certain way these days. Trying to keep that to myself though. If voting was meant to be a public thing, they wouldn't have us cast our ballots behind a curtain. I heard someone say that.

19. Get promoted
To motherhood! Love it.


20. Go for a walk three times a week
Though I haven't gone for three walks this week, I can probably say with confidence that I've averaged three walks a week since writing this list.


21. Go to The Poconos
Not yet.


22. Organize your recipes
Sort of.

23. See the Statue of Liberty
Not yet.


24. Go to New Hampshire
Not yet.


25. Grow your hair ridiculously long
I have, at least twice. And cut it really short twice too. I tend to do this. I never maintain a haircut.


26. Call a friend once a week
Nope.


27. Go to Vermont
Nope.


28. Shave a little bit of your legs with every shower
I have. This is just so routine now, it is as important as shampooing.


29. Dress up for church
Sometimes. We don't really go to that kind of church.


30. Learn more about investing
Nope, unfortunately.


31. Go to Connecticut
Nope


32. Be able to do one pull-up/chin-up
Though I haven't tried, I'm guessing that I can't.

33. Get an I-pod
Got an iPhone, which is better. Steve has an iPod.


34. Get more dress clothes
I did. I could maybe use more. Though in my current profession it isn't required.


35. Go to Maryland
Nope. Got pretty close though.


36. Learn some new words in another language
Lietuviskai


37. Learn some new English words
Probably did.


38. Put some towels away for later
They are still put away, thankyouverymuch


39. Go to Delaware
Nope


40. Clean the oven
I'm sure I've cleaned a few ovens since writing this list


41. Go camping in a tent
I think I did, can't remember.


42. Cook a meal over a campfire
Yep.


43. Go to New Jersey
Nope.


44. Eat more fruits
Yes, thank you blender, and now Vitamix!


45. Develop a taste for berries
Yes, thank you blender, and now Vitamix! Actually not quite there on all berries. But getting better.


46. Leave the continent
Yep. Europe.


47. Invent a new recipe
Yep.


48-97. Read 50 books you’ve never read before
Having gone to seminary, I'm sure I've easily done this.


98-122. Reread 25 books you have read before
Probably have, I do like me a good reread.

123. Reread the Bible (this will be counted separately from the 25 other books).
Yep.


124. Go to North Dakota
NOPE. How ridic.


125. Drink at least 3 glasses of water a day
Easily.


126-177. Take 52 interesting photos
I'm sure I have.


178. Encounter some Rough Giraffes
Yep, though rough giraffes probably means something different now than it did when I wrote this list.


179. Go to Canada
Yes, though I would like to visit it some more. Loved Toronto, would like to see Montreal and Vancouver and Winnipeg, to name a few.


180. Try fish again (you don’t have to like it)
Try it every summer at the cabin. Still prefer to eat other things.


181. Plant a tree
Someday, someday.


182. Floss daily
Fail.


183. Finish a Friday crossword
I think I did?


184. Plant some flowers
I don't think I did.


185. Watch 24
Negatory


186. Print photos and put them in an album
We did, for my mom.

187. Move out of Western Pennsylvania
We did....and then moved back.


188. Paint a picture
Not as many as I would've liked.


189. Finish off the lotion you have before buying more
Still working on that.


190. Go on a date weekly
Not recently, with the babe and all.


191. Watch The Office
Haven't. Might not.


192. Send Christmas cards
Some years, yes.


193. Write to your Compassion Child once a month
He turned 18 a while back.


194. Pray for him daily
I wish I would've been better at this. I wish I prayed more.


195. Get rid of two pairs of shoes for every new pair you buy
I did do this for awhile. Was a good practice.


196. Find a Bible study outside of Western Pennsylvania
I did, and then when we moved back, I found three more (though I've scaled back to just one again....might add another this semester).


197. Devise a list of verses to read every day for advent
I've decided to let the Revised Common Lectionary do the work for me. It's been fruitful.


198. Visit a lake
Yep.

199. Go swimming at least once
Yep, thankfully.


200. Go sledding
Crap. I don't know if I've gone sledding since the writing of this list.


201. Watch a James Bond movie without falling asleep
Not that I know of.

202. Go golfing
Yep. But not that much.


203. Wear earrings for a day
Bjorn and Aly's wedding.

204. Get one more belt
I didn't. And now the one that I had doesn't fit anymore.

205. Learn some guitar chords
I didn't learn anymore chords since the writing of this list...and I probably forgot the ones I knew.


206. Write a song
Nothing official


207. Maintain your eyebrows
Sometimes


208. Spit in a new ocean
Does the Baltic Sea count? Or whichever ocean is by Turkey?


209. Go to a Minnesota Twins game
Been to quite a few. Only one in MN, at Target Field.

210. Organize and update your quote calendar
Sadly, I don't even know where my quote calendar is.


211. Let bygones be bygones
Some.


212. Get rid of all the extra bags
Not sure what this was originally about, but even though we have a million cloth grocery bags, we still manage to accumulate a billion plastic ones. Lame. I would like to get rid of these eventually (they do make great small garbage can liners).


213. Wear sunscreen
In the summer, always


214. Acquire a frame for the map of the world
Haven't, but it is hanging in the baby's room.


215. Learn how to make plum jelly
Have made plum jelly twice since this list was written. The second batch turned out better than the first, and lasted for a long time.


216. Burn a candle until it is gone
Several.


217-226. Develop 10 new characters
Meh.


227. Create your own coffee shop
Only in my head. This isn't as strong of a dream as before.


228. Sing in front of an audience
I'm sure I have. But not as much as I used to.


229. Grow your own peas
Haven't tried.


230. Care more about people than their grammar
Really have been working on this. Have complimented a few people on their proper usage.


231. Get a manicure
Not sure if I did. Not a professional one at least.


232. Get a pedicure
See 231


233. Get a massage
I did. It was glorious.

234. Research the possibility and personal practicality of owning a bicycle
Got a bike. Rode it a few times. The seat got stolen. Has been chained to the bike rack ever since (over a year now).


235. Write a short story
Maybe. I don't know.


236. Write a long story
I have a good one in my head. No time to write it (or to research some of the things that I would need to research to make it a good story....it's sort of science-fiction-y)


237. Write an essay
Tons.


238. Write a letter to an editor
No, and I really don't want to either.


239. Finish this list
Not yet.

Goals for 2013 (or, "We shall see")

Some goals for 2013.
I'm going to try to keep them simple. On Twitter I've said, "Thinking of New Year's #Resolutions for 2013. Might keep them simple this time. Spend more quality time with people, buy less, be healthy."
and
"Less stuff. Fewer things. #NewYearsRezzies"
So let's at least start there.

1. Spend more quality time with people.
One way that will hopefully start this is to get off of social media for Lent, and then see where it goes from there. While I feel that social media, Facebook especially, can be a good way to keep in touch with people, too often it is used to spout opinions, share things that used to be reserved for email forwards (BALEETED!), and waste a ton of time. I rarely feel encouraged or up-to-date on people's lives when I check Facebook, yet it is an addiction for some reason.
I am also giving up Twitter for Lent, because it falls under social media, and things I spend too much time on. It will maybe be even harder to give up than Facebook. We shall see.

Hopefully with all this extra time on my hands, I will have more time and focus to spend on family, friends, and books. I'll keep you posted. Lent is February 13-March 30th. I won't be giving up blogging or email (nor will I promise to blog or email more).

2. Buy less. Less stuff, fewer things.
If we don't need it, don't buy it. Simple. Get rid of stuff we don't need. Not as simple. Time consuming. We decided that for now, cloth diapers are just not in the cards for us. So we have all these giant diaper boxes. We've started filling them with clothes to give away. Amazing how much more simple/less cluttered our lives will be if, at the end of the year, we'll have boxed up and given away stuff with every single diaper box that we get? We shall see.
I do have some conflicting feelings about this, as some people think we need to spend more in order to boost the economy, but I just can't feel good about spending more. Sorry, economy. Sorry, blog-reader, for being so opinionated. If you want to spend more, go right ahead. We can still be friends.

3. Be healthy.
We got a Vitamix blender for Christmas. Hope to use it on a regular basis to get the daily serving of fruits and vegetables that we often skimp on. Also want to experiment on a weekly basis making things from scratch instead of buying the preservative-filled version of the same thing from the store. We get a ton of our meals provided for us (thankful), so that's why the making things from scratch is on a weekly basis. Someday when we are the ones providing our every meal, we will hopefully make a lot of them from scratch (thanks, Vitamix!).
Also hope to walk more than drive, if possible, especially when the weather is nice.
Will we be healthier at the end of 2013? We shall see.

That's it. Looking forward to 2013! Happy New Year!

Reviewing 2012

Well, apparently I made some resolutions last year. Six of them. Let's see how I did, shall we?

1. The Birthday Project 
I did not do this, nor did I make an effort to. I can't say that I will do better next year on my birthday. The only thing I can hope for is to hopefully do 30 acts of kindness before I turn 31. But I'm not making that a resolution for 2013.

2. Less Snark, More Positivity
There were plenty of opportunities for this in 2012, that's for sure. There isn't really measurable way to know if I was less snarky, but I like to think I was. I am continually working on being more positive, even if it just means that I refrain from saying the snarky thoughts that so quickly come to my mind.

3. Show Interest
Trying to. Hard when all I really want to do is talk about my baby. But like #2, it is something I consciously am thinking about when interacting with people. Whether I take action on these thoughts is still iffy.

4. Soap

I did not open an Etsy shop (well, actually I did, but I never posted anything on it or told anyone about it). Being pregnant and soap-making did not go hand-in-hand for me. But I do want to continue to make soap. I do love it. But as it is now, I think only for a hobby and to give away, not to sell (I really can't compete with all of the million other soap shops on Etsy at this point). My sister on the other hand, *did* open an Etsy shop. And I am happy to promote it here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/emvintagethrift

5. Finish Well
I did. Yay for completing seminary and having a Master's degree!

6. Blog more
The numbers don't lie. I blogged very little in 2012. Still trying to figure out what this blog will be in 2013. Probably expect more things like the Advent project, if anything. In trying to be less snarky, I've also had less to blog about in 2012. Which is telling. 

It probably won't turn into one of those "mom blogs" if you know what I mean. You're welcome. Like soap shops, I can't really compete with the billion other mom blogs out there. Nor do I want to.

Summer

Back in February, I was dreaming of a time where I would have hours a day to devote my time to hobbies. I was also hoping, fingers-crossed, that by this time, my morning (and afternoon....and evening) sickness will have alleviated (it has, thank God) and I would be able to also eat and be awake for the summer. Of course I didn't mention all this, because we hadn't publicly announced our pregnancy at that time. Yes, we are old-fashioned and waited awhile to share our exciting news with the public. Yes, we are old-fashioned, and are not going to find out the baby's sex until the baby is born. And though we have a few names picked out, we are not settled on any yet, and will probably wait to meet the baby before we officially give a name, to make sure the name fits. Soapbox aside, we are excited, and we won't blame you if you want to do all the opposite things of us, announcing your pregnancy the day you find out, and the name on the same day you find out the sex. A parent's prerogative. And this post is about summer, anyway. Not about opening Christmas presents in August.

And I need some motivation. Apparently when I have hours a day and no structure, I lean toward spending a lot of time playing Angry Birds. Not only is that not on my list, but it is not fulfilling in any way. Also, even though doing nothing and having nothing pressing to do sounds awesome....it can get old fast. I need some structure. So back to my old list. Also, I will add some more things and give some explanations (in purple).

Here is the list I made in February:

1. Figure out container gardening. Because our yard is not our own...and because the idea of planting and growing some of your own food is so appealing. I pinned it awhile ago, and there is some information here. I need to get started on this. Also, if all else fails, there is a Farmers Market in my city every Monday. I just need to remember it sooner than Monday at midnight (when it is apparently no longer open).
2. Relearn to crochet, and practice with the giant hook you bought (perhaps you know that I crochet extra tightly. I would like to crochet in such a way that it is enjoyable (more crocheting less wrestling to get the hook through my tight tight knots), less painful for my hands, and more productive (it takes me forever to accomplish anything. See the parenthetical thought next to "enjoyable."). I think I will make a couple of cute baby hats. If I can get the hang of it in a non-tightly-wound way.
3. Finish that mini-quilt you started a last year. The quilt is tiny and fall-themed and gender neutral, just like the Babe! Who would have known?
4. Master making your own laundry-detergent (using a bar of soap you made). I did actually do this already, and have used it several times. It works just fine, thank you. For next time, I will grate the soap even smaller, so it blends better with the other ingredients. It takes some effort, all that grating, but other than that it is super easy to make your own laundry detergent.
5. Read for fun. So far I have been mostly rereading for fun. I have read the first two book in the Chronicles of Narnia (The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe), and plan to finish them all soon. Then I will move on to rereading the Harry Potter books.
6. Canning. If I ever grow anything, or remember to go to the Farmers Market, I will have something to can.

Things I am adding to the list:

7. Make soap outside. Other than feeling sick and tired and busy for much of the semester, I also haven't been making soap lately because, even though our apartment is quite drafty, it is not well ventilated when it comes to making soap. I am a cautious preggo, and don't want to breathe in any unnecessary fumes (that may or may not come from soap-making) and cause unnecessary injury to the Babe. But now that it is summer, I think I will try to bring the fume part of soap-making out on the stoop and make it there.

8. Get the Babe's room ready. We aren't going to paint or anything (not planning on living in this apartment for the next 50 years), but still need to get the appropriate baby furniture set up (still need to make some room in there, since it is currently both a guest room and an office....and a secret closet).

9. Sort through all of our stuff and see which things we really need to keep, and which things can be given away/tossed/sold. Spring cleaning, in other words. This might help with number 8.

10. Read up on parenthood. My instincts on parenthood are low-ish, and I would still like to figure out a way to make cloth diapers work (and which ones will work best for us). Since we share laundry with students, we are wondering if it is an ok idea to hold a monopoly on the machines to wash poopy diapers on a regular basis. I still think we can figure this one out. Just need to be creative.

Well, I better get on some of this stuff. It is always in the back of my mind that I should be searching for  jobs, because I just graduated and all. And even though I am obvs preggo, people still ask me what my plans are now that I've graduated. Well, my plans are to be an awesome stay-at-home mom with a Masters degree, for the first year at least. 

I sometimes wonder if I should get a summer job, but then I remember that we are planning on going to visit our family in the middle of summer, so I would need to take off then, and I am not getting any less pregnant as the summer goes on. If you would like to hire me for something temporary, that allows me to take a couple weeks off in July, does not require heavy lifting or coming in contact with potentially toxic material, then let me know! Also, I need frequent breaks to eat. And pee. I will need to be done by September. Thank you for your consideration.

The last batch of successful soap I made. In January. Before we knew we were preggo. Because all blog posts are better with a picture.

Done.

Just. Turned in. My last assignment for the semester. All that's left is a presentation on Monday (pending a snowstorm that's apparently looming), and attending the last few class sessions. But papers are written. Projects are complete. And if they are done well (or well enough), I will graduate on May 12th (consider yourself invited!). What will I do in the meantime? I mean, once I get over the shock of not having to be doing schoolwork every minute, I will need something to occupy my time between now and graduation.

Here's what I can think of so far:

1. Get a haircut. The last time I had a haircut was early January, which is actually still fairly recent, considering I can count the number of haircuts I've had in the last 5 years using only 7 fingers. But I feel like my hair has grown a mile since January, and summer is a-coming. I have a pinterest board dedicated to ideas.

2. Clean out the fridge. I am estimating that over half of the items in there are expired or no longer edible. If I'm feeling up to it, I will keep some statistics and let you know how it goes.

3. Clean up the guest room, to make it nice for graduation guests. Currently it looks like Monica's secret closet, so I have some work ahead of me. I would've posted it here so you could watch it right on the blog. But youtube won't let me. Instead, you have to click here.

4. Get more stars on Angry Birds, my latest addiction. I only need 23 more stars before I have them all (Easter levels included).

5. Utilize my free rental from Family Video.

6. Read these two books for fun (Steve just got them...early graduation gift!).

7. Make my own deodorant. That is, if I can find all the ingredients in Beaver County. So excited about this!

8. Make up an itinerary for graduation visitors. I have so many fun things in mind for when our parents come for graduation! Also, it will be nice to have both of our mothers here for Mother's Day!

9. Send a couple of care packages that I've been meaning to send.

10. Mail/Give out some graduation invitations. I was given 25 invitations for free...and while I can't think of 25 people that will be able to go out of their way to drive/fly to Pittsburgh for a weekend, I can probably think of 25 people that would like to at least put an invitation on their fridge. Plus it will be a nice time to catch up on my correspondence. 

Dream Big.

First off let me start by saying that I have already driven a car today.

...

But while I was driving, I was daydreaming a daydream I often have, about how I would love it if cars weren't "necessary." Now of course I got a taste of this living in Europe, where we didn't own or really even drive a car for 2 years. Yes, sometimes it would have been more convenient, but mostly, we didn't miss it. I liked having the grocery store and work and church, etc, all within walking distance. And with sidewalks that led to these places. And for a reliable bus system that had bus stops within walking distance for those days when your destination seemed to be too far away. For longer trips, we were within easy walking distance to the train station and bus station. There were always shuttles to and from the airport. There was always a way to get to where you needed to go without having to worry about taking care of a silly car.

Here in the US (or, at least where I live), we don't have good sidewalks. We don't have reliable bus systems. I can't just walk to the grocery store, or to church. I can't walk somewhere that will shuttle me to Pittsburgh, or to the airport, or to a bus station. People complain about gas prices all the time, but really it falls on deaf ears* when you're talking to me. I don't think the "solution" is for someone else to lower gas prices. I think the solution is for us to drive less...but unfortunately we're not set up for it. 

But I wonder how my life would be different if I insisted on not driving for most of the time? Would I be able to survive on the few groceries I could scrounge up? Would I be willing to walk all the way downtown to buy a few groceries (uphill on the way back...and 1.1 miles away). What sort of things would I have to give up? In what ways would we benefit?

Maybe a project for this summer. If it isn't 1000 degrees fahrenheit out every day.

The first picture I could find on the computer that had people walking.

*Pun recognized. I know I am hard-of-hearing.

Check

Perhaps you remember what I wanted to accomplish in Arizona:
1. Black Queen with Grandma.
2. Sun. Warmth.
3. In-n-out Burger.
4. Avocados aplenty.
5. Pool. (swimming, not billiards)


Success.

1. Black Queen with Grandma.

2. Sun. Warmth.

3. In-n-out Burger.

4. Avocados aplenty.

Ok, ok. We ate the avocados before we could document it. But here is the start of a potential avocado tree for Grandma's yard!

5. Pool. (swimming, not billiards)

Taken with my phone. We actually swam here every day. Just never took the camera over.