Feeling hopeful January 21, 2008

I don’t really know what it is but… I’m just feeling this bliss-like rush that makes me emotional and hopeful, very hopeful. I like it but it scares me at the same time.  I guess it’s just a lot of positive energy. I have so many things in my mind at the same time, so many things I want to do short and long term. It’s kind of overwhelming actually. I’m rambling because I can’t explain it. 

Have I mentioned that I love Jane Austen!?!?! Yes, I have… and I love Masterpiece Theater for featuring her work. (Look for your local listings for showing times.) Last night I watched Northanger Abbey and even the hubster was impressed and liked it. Since we don’t have cable, I’m glad PBS is a great source of entertainment for me. I have 4 PBS channels and there’s always something on that catches my attention. It’s all around good stuff. Ohh… Mr. Tilney!!! *sigh*

I’m planning to open an eBay store and sell a lot of my things that are in great shape but I don’t use anymore (like purses!!!). It’s part of me wanting to buy (and sell) used, reuse, repurpose, and help. So when I set it up and have it up and running, I’ll post the address here. 

I’ve started knitting at least 3 different things and nothing is really getting done… yep, I ripped. I put everything down for a few days and started the Spangle Scarf in Woven Cables last night. We’ll see what happens with that… at least I’ve been trying.  

I’m not the only one making… January 8, 2008

What a sweet surprise! This is what I saw when I visited the Bluelines blog today.

They are all about making! And I love the 100 Reasons to… (that was one of my favorite sections from Blueprint). It feels right… it’s a great omen. Go visit Bluelines… let’s support what remains from something that many people loved even if it was only for a few months. I’m happy that I have all the issues published.

And then we were four! January 6, 2008

The hubster and I are happy to announce that we now have two new members of our family. We adopted two adult cats. They are awesome. I didn’t realize how much joy and fullness they can bring to a person. Without further ado meet Oreo and Rocco… guess who’s who!  

On my new year’s resolution, I’ve been doing good. I have knitted on the sock-in-progress I had started last year. It’s true that I screwed it up and most likely it will be ripped and restarted. But no hard feelings that’s part of the making. Something that I forgot to mention but still comes hand in hand with the making is thrifting. I will try to buy used and repurpose as much as I can (psst… that will also help balance the budget! I think I paid too much attention to the NH debate.).

2008 already? January 2, 2008

Ohh my goodness! Time is just flying by so fast! Another year gone, a new year started. All this jumbled all together. So I guess I’ll tell you about my resolution. Yes, singular… one main resolution that I believe will set everything else into place.

*Make more*

Make more everything. Develop my creativity. This will set me free. While making more I won’t have lots of time to watch TV which is a thing I want to control anyway. (See it all work out.) By making more I’ll spend more time in the kitchen preparing all kind of foods and that will make me feel better overall (spending less, cooking healthier stuff). By making more I’ll keep my mind busy and used… that’s always a good thing. I know I’ll feel better about myself if I make more.

 I didn’t know about this and it makes me really sad. Blueprint is not going to be printed anymore. My favorite magazine… the one Martha Stewart magazine that appealed to me. I really don’t know what went wrong with it… I just know I’m going to miss it a lot. Living will have to do it. I can still get my Blueprint fix at Bluelines (the Blueprint blog) but it will not be the same.

Disconnected December 25, 2007

‘Tis the season to be… emotional… I guess. The hubster and I got our first real Christmas tree (early in the season) and garland with lights for the stairs. I got my Nativity scenes (gifts from Mom and Dad) out and the living room looks very nice. We got cats for Christmas! Yes, cats as in plural as in actually two of them as in Oreo and Rocco. But there’s still something missing. I thought when we got the tree that it was going to be a great one. It’s been good don’t take me wrong… I love being with the hubster and just hanging out the two of us… well, the four of us now. But last Christmas went down as one of the more fun of all. I miss my family and seeing the kids being all excited over the Holidays. I thought I was going to be able to fill some of that void with house projects like making, baking, knitting, blogging, decorating… all the -ings that one does during this time. But I’ve caught myself not doing much and only thinking about wanting to go home and that I have a home now with the hubster and I want too many things in my life that conflict with each other and it becomes quite a struggle to prioritize and be happy and merry and all that stuff. I know the problem is the thinking… too much of it becomes inertia… somehow it drains all your energy and renders you, well, kind of useless, really. It’s not that I want to be somebody that I’m not but I read other people’s blogs and I’m amazed of all the creative things they do and I can’t help myself but feel a little disappointed and wish I had just a little more will to do things and unleash my creative power. I’m just a bag of mixed feelings… I think it will pass after the Holidays.

Being thankful… November 24, 2007

 

 

I’m a day late for the expected “I give thanks for” post… but we all know that “all year long should be Thanksgiving Day”. 

 The reality is that I’m truly thankful for everything I have… and so begins the countdown:

• the husband – because he is my mate, he loves me unconditionally and he supports me on whatever I decide I want to try
• the family – because they also love me and support me even though we’re far
• the house – because we have a nice place to live where we are building our future
• the job – because I have an honest way to make a living and help support our family of two
• the friends – because they are my family too and I love them

The secret door November 20, 2007

We’ve been living in this house for 5 months now… and today the hubster discovered that our living room has a secret door that slides from the inside of a wall. It’s the weirdest thing because there are two ways to get into our living room (from the dining room and from the kitchen/staircase) and we thought they were just entrances without doors. Now we can close one side. I thought it was hilarious! We’re still getting acquainted with the house but that’s all right; every day I love it more and more.

Reality check… check! October 28, 2007

I’ve learned so much about keeping my finances straight from working at a credit union the last couple of months… it’s unbelievable. Just by seeing other people go through economic hardship because of stupid credit card debt and multiple loans. One does not have to be a millionaire to be debt free or at least as close to it as possible. It’s about being smart and having your priorities clear.

I have a story… As trivial as it may sound, this event made me realize that I do not want to live with the debt burden. So I went to a department store to buy a couple blouses for work. Of course, I had to go look around… and of course, I saw a coat that caught my attention. It was $260 and I do not need a new coat. I loved it… I wanted to take it home with me… I tried it on… it made me feel beautiful. I do not need a new coat. I do not have $260. What to do? What to do? Maybe I can put it on lay away, I thought. I asked the hubster, my wonderful hubster. He said no. Rarely he says no to me. I was disappointed. I cried… I wanted it. But then it hit me… this is exactly why we have debt. Lack of control, compulsion, numbness of the senses, material desire, I believe it is called just being plain irresponsible with your life. I’m not saying it is wrong to have things… we need things, but we have to be cautious. Wanting stuff can become my doom. We talked about it. Debt can get unbearable in the blink of an eye. We are starting our life together. We are lucky… we own a house… we own a car… we have jobs. We have a future waiting for us. We are growing up… learning to be adults. We took matters into our own hands. We got rid of our credit cards and decided on a way to pay off our debt. We can sleep at night. Nothing is for sure in this life but now I know that there’s stuff I can do to help me live it fully.

Eye Candy Friday September 14, 2007

My first!!!

He’s gone! =( September 4, 2007

How sad! My friend Dave came over to visit and now he’s on his way back home. I didn’t want him to leave us so soon. He came last Saturday. I’m so glad he was our home’s first visitor! We had a great relaxing time. Of course, Yei and Seb also spent some time with us. The hubster too! There was some hanging out of this kind (with dancing and everything)…

and of this kind…

We went to the mini golf and the zoo and pretended to do something other than eat, drink, sleep, and talk (not necessarily that order). Although we had a dashing (that is the hubster’s influence… full force) time, we missed the other members of the gang that couldn’t come. I know we’ll get together soon and have a proper house drinking party.