I got hooked on Twilight

picture from here

About two weeks ago one of my friends followed through on a promise and loaned me her Twilight books. I took the first one on our trip to Sequioa National Park, planning to read it on the drive.

I started the book, and wasn't in love. Well, the story hooked me about a hundred pages in, and in the next nine days I read all four books, plus the novella about Bree Tanner, plus the unpublished Midnight Sun. Yeah. I got addicted.

I didn't want to get obsessed with these books. I've heard so many people criticize them, but I liked them. Yes, they're not classic lit material, but they're for young adults! I thought the characters were great and I really wanted to know what would happen to them next.

If you started the series but haven't read them all, I would recommend finishing the series. Twilight's the weakest book, in my opinion. The last one, Breaking Dawn, was really good.

Since I sprinted through the books in order to learn what happened next, I'm re-reading the books to really read them this time. I so don't have the time for this, but I enjoy it so much!

Camping Weekend!

We spent the weekend in gorgeous Sequoia National Park. It's a really nice park: not too crowded, plenty of hiking options, and not too far from LA! I would highly recommend it to others.

The best part of the trip: hiking on relatively empty trails with pretty things to see

The worst part: no showers. At least we had running water and nice bathrooms though!

Blog I Love

http://newdressaday.wordpress.com/

This woman alters one garage sale-type item a day and the end product always looks amazing! Reading this blog I can get inspired for clothes and it doesn't make me want to shop!

Shirt Designs!

As mentioned in the last post, I've been helping my husband with http://www.southbayopencarry.org/. Since I'm the more capable one with graphic design, I have been tasked with shirt designs. I would love your input on the shirts! These are some options, so tell me which you like best.

Possible Shirt Fronts:

1. To be on a pocket/in the pocket area:

2. To be centered on the shirt:

Possible Shirt Backs:

3. This would cost more since it's color:

4. But we could just have it in b&w:5. This is the simple one I started with:


6. I call this one guns

New Cause- South Bay Open Carry

So a lot has happened in the last couple of weeks! Namely, my husband has founded a movement. Or rather, he's founded a local branch of a statewide movement: Open Carry. Right now the CA legislature is attempting to ban the open carry of unloaded handguns in the state. Since in many areas of California it is practically impossible for everyday citizens to get a concealed weapons permit, open carry is the only way most people can protect themselves and their loved ones in public. (If you are not aware of the connection between carrying a gun and being able to protect oneself, read this article here).

Anyway, I've been busy supporting him in this. Checkout the website: http://www.southbayopencarry.org/

A social experiment in my very own home

Hello people,

Exciting things have been happening in my house! Well, exciting for me. You see, I'm a planning person. I'm also a productive person. I dislike when plans get changed for the worse, and I dislike wasting time. This can lead to minor hissy fits or breakdowns on my part when an evening is, in my opinion, wasted. Plans are changed and at the end of the night, not enough has been accomplished to satisfy me.

After one such evening last week, we had a change in my household. We decided we both were not respecting the wishes and time of the other person enough. We both felt that we were trying to do things to make the other person happy, yet neither of us was happy. My hubby and I decided to change the way we viewed each other's time. We decided to be more independent in our activities, and with respect to time, interact more like roommates.

For example, we would not guilt the other person for not doing what we thought they should be doing. Or I would not expect him to come to the gym with me. If I wanted to I could invite him, and I would be okay with whatever answer he gave. I was not expected to make him lunch, and he was not expected to make me dinner. In short, we would each do what we wanted, and we could invite the other person to join in if we so desired.

It sounds weird, but it's worked. In fact the only problems have been when one of us did not follow the rules of the week. Overall, my husband has not dropped the ball and become completely irresponsible about household tasks, like I feared :-) He still pitches in to walk the dog, fold laundry, do dishes, etc. I enjoy feeling like I can truly do whatever I want. Then, if something doesn't get done, the only one to blame is myself.

Marriage can be difficult, as proven by the high divorce rate and today's separation of the Gores. It's important to work on respecting each other and maintaining some independence. This week's experiment has been good for us in these respects.

I love the magic eraser

So once upon a time I had a dirty bathroom tub and a dirty linoleum kitchen floor. Well, they weren't dirty, but they sure looked it. I cleaned them with every cleaner imaginable. I tried bleaching the tub. Nothing would get rid of the stains and marks! Nothing, that is, until the magic eraser:

Image from here.

Disclaimer: I actually used the target brand magic eraser, not the name brand. Still, this thing is amazing! I know I'm like five years behind on discovering this thing, but I must share the good news for those of you who are also behind the times :-)

Wordless Wednesday

Introducing Molly!

Hi guys!

I am finally done with another semester of classes. In case you don't know, I am earning a teaching credential in high school math. So what does this mean for you? It means I have the time to blog consistently! That is one of my summer goals. Here is the first installment, photos of our new dog Molly!

This picture was taken at Noah's (our first dog) birthday party. We'd had Molly for all of 48 hours, and she was still pretty zoned out from the shock of being recently spayed and then getting a new home. She slept for most of the party!

Molly was Noah's birthday gift from us. I don't think we could have given him a better gift. Having two dogs is amazing- they play and have so much fun.


This is Molly and Noah and my hubby a couple weeks after we adopted Molly. We took them for a hike. While Noah is my cute white fluffball (bichon mix we believe), one thing I love about Molly is how her fur doesn't get dirty as fast. We think she's a daschund/terrier mix.

Now the requisite plea to please adopt your pets! We have adopted both these dogs and have had nothing but wonderful experiences. Molly came from a pretty harsh LA County shelter, but that has had no ill effects on her temperament. In fact, I think adopted dogs love you more!

Oh! I almost forgot- angry moment!

Guess what happened yesterday? Someone took down a political yard sign we had put up! I was so disappointed that someone would infringe upon my right to free speech. Especially because I have a strong suspicion that it was a neighbor.

So, on Saturday afternoon, a friend of our who's running for state assembly brought a yard sign for us to put up. We put it in a little planter on the street, stapling it to the wood fence behind the planter for support.

Sunday afternoon, my husband found the sign by our trash area. This is why I suspect a neighbor: our trash area is behind a gate. It doesn't look like a trash area: it looks like a gate between two houses that would lead to a backyard. Why would someone open a gate that looks like it leads to a backyard? I don't think someone would unless that person knows it is a trash area. Who knows that? Only neighbors. PLUS, one of our back neighbors always throws his cigarettes over there after he smokes in the driveway (gross, I know). So he's used to being out front and throwing stuff there. Another point against them: from what we've seen, we suspect the neighbors have political leanings that are opposite to our own.

So what did we do when we found the sign? We got out the staple gun and stapled it to the eaves of the garage! It is now much more visible to passerby, and significantly more difficult to take down. Now if it disappears, it's 99% sure that our back neighbors did it. They're the only other ones who can get in the garage and take out the ladder that would be needed to take down the sign.

The thing is, who does that?! It really made me think less of our neighbors, that they would take down someone's sign. It's not an offensive sign, and the candidate is really moderate. Of course even if that wasn't the case, they had no right to take it down. We live in America! People should be better than that. Humanity makes me sad.

I guess a lesson can be learned: don't take down someone's sign. All it will do is piss that person off, and they'll do a better job reposting the sign :-)

Smoothies & Health

Hi there,

I have time to blog because instead of having a big 'ol lunch, I had a yummy smoothie that I made this morning! I *love* smoothies! Why, you ask? Well, they're delicious. They help me get my servings of fruits and veggies. I don't get any pots or pans dirty making them. I don't overeat with them. So what's not to love?

Today I had a smoothie because I've been feeling a little under the weather yesterday and today. We had friends over on Saturday night, and I had a few drinks. I really didn't drink that much, but I think my body has become more sensitive to alcohol. Recently if I have more than two drinks, I don't feel well for a while. I don't get hungover, I just don't feel well. I think that's because I'm so darn healthy the rest of the time, the alcohol really shocks my body. Who knows, though.

The other reason I wanted to have a smoothie is I've been feeling a little... large. As in, maybe I gained a pound or two. I've been bad about snacking recently, so a little weight gain makes sense.

To address these issues, I decided that in lieu of lunch I would make a smoothie and take that to work. How does that help, you ask? Well, it is a common practice in certain parts of the world to eat less when ill in order to allow the body to focus on fighting illness rather than distract it with food digestion. Plus, I'm getting all kinds of illness-fighting goodness in my smoothies.

Regarding the weight thing, drinking 16oz. of smoothie is a lot less calories than I would have in my lunch. Plus, since it's light and doesn't give a significant "full" feeling, it breaks the cycle of always needing to feel full. I have a bad habit of eating when I'm not hungry, and having a smoothie day reunites me with eating because I'm hungry, not because I'm not full.

What do I put in my smoothies, you ask? Well, I put in frozen bananas. (I buy big bunches of bananas at Costco. When some are really ripe, I peel them, cut them up, and freeze the pieces). I put in frozen blueberries (bought at Costco). I put in spinach if we have it (you don't taste it and it majorly ups the health factor). I also put in some ground flaxseed and chia. These keep me from feeling hungry soon after eating, and they add great nutrients. I put in soymilk, orange juice, and also some water. Then I blend! I used to not put in water, but it really helps the consistency without adding any calories. Plus there's already so many solids, some water doesn't make it "watery."

I now conclude my "ode to smoothies" :-)

I. Love. Buffy.

Image from http://planetwhedon.com/

Did anyone else watch Buffy when it was on the air? I loved that show. In retrospect, it probably wasn't the best thing for me to watch at that age, considering how easily scared I was. Now, though, I'm enjoying revisiting the episodes. They're definitely dated, but whatever. They're enjoyable.

Happenings!

Sorry, blogosphere, for my extended absence! I have had a combination of too many things to do and, when I did have down time, no desire to write. But I'm here now! And I don't plan on being absent like that again for a while :-)

So what happenings have kept me from this place? Well, we got a new dog!!! Pictures to be posted soon! I'll leave all the details for when I appropriately introduce her here.

I also have been crazy busy with classes. Getting a teaching credential in California requires jumping through so many hoops! So I have been working on all that.

It also was my first dog's birthday, so we had a puppy party in the park. (The birthday was chosen by us since he's adopted). In fact, the new dog was the old dog's birthday gift!

Well, that's enough about the past month. I plan on keeping you up to date from here on out!

33. Change my name to my married name on all accounts

DONE

For those who haven't done this, it was a pain, but not as much as I anticipated. Once you have a copy of the marriage license, it's not too bad.

Surprisingly the most "official" accounts, such as credit cards, are the easiest to change; I just called them up and gave them my new name.

The pains were places like Frequent Flyer accounts. They all wanted copies of the marriage license. Luckily, though, I had my maiden name become my middle name. That meant I could have these pain places simply add my new last name to my account, and since nothing was deleted, they didn't need the marriage license!

Good luck to all of you who have to do this. It's not that bad, so I suggest you take an afternoon to just call all your account places and get it done.

To see my entire 50 Goals in 500 Days list, click here.

3. Speak at church about the health benefits of a vegetarian diet

DONE

I did the worship at my church's youth group (Pathfinders) and spoke about the biblical basis for a animal-free diet. It wasn't about the health benefits, but I think it satisfies this goal.

This presentation was several minutes long and had a sweet PowerPoint, but let me give you the condensed version here:

1. Eden: it was full of vegetarians!

"Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.'" Genesis 1:29 (NIV)

He gave them plants to eat, not animals. This is the healthiest way to live, the way that brings us closest to God.

2. What was the first thing God did after Adam and Eve broke the rules?

He killed an animal: "The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them." Genesis 3:21 (NIV)

This shows the connection between sin and cruelty toward animals

3. Animal Cruelty: God created all of these animals for us to rule, but not for us to ruthlessly slaughter for our whims. He values and cares for every life, even the birds. Go ahead and perform a google image search for "factory farm" and then tell me that God would want Christians to support that type of industry.

"Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." Genesis 1:26 (NIV)

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. " Matthew 6:26 (NIV)

4. The Environment: Unless you've had your head buried in the sand, you know that humanity is polluting the environment. You should also know that a major cause of pollution is the meat (and dairy) industry. If you don't know this, Google it. Why should we care, from a biblical perspective?

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1 (NIV)

God created this wonderful world, and nature is a place we can feel God's presence. We need to preserve nature and not destroy it.

So there are some of the reasons that leading a cruelty-free life is a part of my Christian walk. There are more reasons (including health ones!) but this was a 5-10 minute event, not a 30 minute lecture.

To see my entire 50 Goals in 500 Days list, click here.

An Award!

I feel honored to have been passed the Honest Scrap award by Holly at Scattered Words. So with no further ado here are 10 things you may find interesting about me:

1. I'm scary good at mental math. I can add, subtract, divide, and multiply in my head like nobody's business.

2. I would love to re-learn French and speak it well. I took 4 years of French in high school and knew it pretty well, but alas a lot of that is gone since I never used it.

3. I just got bangs a few weeks ago. I hadn't had them since elementary school, and now I have a full-on fringe. Plus, I love it.

4. I had my first green smoothie last week! It was soy milk, banana, frozen blueberries, and spinach. Verdict: yummy, but it really gets stuck in teeth! I look forward to having more since they're supposed to be so crazy good for you. I'm even planning on freezing spinach for these purposes.

5. We went to the shooting range this past week, and on my first shot with a target, I got a perfect bulls-eye! Here's a picture for proof (it shows the bangs too!):

6. I love Star Wars. My husband got me hooked on the movies/culture.

7. I hated onions until my now-husband introduced me to delicious cooked onions. Now I eat onions almost every day.

8. I would love to be an athlete. I didn't play organized sports after elementary school, and I always wish I had. I would try sports, but my family never supported me really getting into it. I'm trying to workout more, so maybe someday I'll have a sport.

9. I tutor for the S.A.T., and because of that I'm a grammar whiz. Now that doesn't mean I apply everything I know when writing a blog, so don't hate! I can pick up most grammar errors in a written work, though.

10. I love to read and wish I had more time for it. I also wish I could be the next J.K Rowling or Stephanie Meyer.

Miserly March Wrap-Up

Well, Miserly March was a good experience. Nothing earth shattering happened. We were able to save a bunch of money, but to be honest that's in part because we made a lot this month. My hubby's been getting overtime pay, and I did a lot of tutoring.

We did have some notable saving experiences, though:

1. Thrift Stores
We needed wine rack. All the ones I found at stores were overpriced for what they were. So I decided to checkout the local Goodwill. Well, the first two visits, I had no luck with finding a wine rack. That's the bummer about thrift stores: you never know what they'll have. Well, that plus the smell. They always smell funky. On my third visit, though, I found the best wine rack! It fits in our space perfectly, it's sturdy, and it was only $4!

While at the thrift store, I also found awesome brand new pink heels for $6! They still had the sticker from the store on them! It made my day :-)

I don't love thrift stores. I dislike the smell, and the stigma of being there. But, logically, I appreciate them. Thrift stores allow me to get stuff in an earth-friendly way: I'm saving stuff from the trash, and I'm getting something without energy being used to produce it, since it was already produced and used. Plus thrift stores are inexpensive, especially for household stuff.

2. Costco in Moderation
Don't get me wrong here, Costco's great. But everything there does cost a decent chunk of change, and I am prone to getting stuff we don't really need, or at least we could live without. So by going to Costco less often, we end up saving a whole lot on groceries! I think we went only once in the whole month of March, which is great for us!

3. Going Out to Eat/Drink
We only went out once this month, I believe. At the beginning of the month we made an effort to eat at home, and that quickly became a habit. Now we usually eat at home, but we had taken to eating out when in a hurry or far from home. In March, we really tried to take food with us instead. This was surprisingly easy, even for a sandwich-hater like me. (I don't hate all sandwiches, just PB&J, which is the one type for which we always have supplies). When we took food, we made pitas with falafel we'd made a few days prior. We spread some homemade hummus, put in spinach and falafel, and voila! A yummy portable meal.

When we did go out, it was to visit with friends. We went to a local bar with a great happy hour, so it didn't cost us much.

Well, that's my Miserly March wrap-up. Sorry it's not too exciting :-/ Hopefully someone else gets some ideas to help save money!

Vacations

I've been bitten by the vacation bug! I like vacations. Specifically, I like seeing someplace new. I did just go to Hawaii last October, but right now that seems like eons ago. Plus, it wasn't a new place: I'd been to the same exact place twice before. Now I want to do something new! The biggest problems are that vacations take time and money. I'm already crazy busy, and we're trying to save money, not spend it!

For the past, oh half hour or so, I've decided that I've come up with the perfect solution: take a backpacking vacation! Drop the dog off at my sister's, and we can just go explore the wilds of California. (I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but we do have mountainous natural areas that are far away from LA and urban sprawl). We could go for just a few days, plus the only costs would be to get some gear.

We could see pretty things like this:

Of course I'm currently very optimistic about the physical effort involved in backpacking, and

I'm thinking of it as a good opportunity to get a workout :-)

Has anyone gone backpacking? Would anyone recommend it? I think it's something I'd like to try. But there's a lot of things i say that about.

Welcome to Miserly March!

Geez, it's already the 3rd and I haven't had an exciting Opening Day celebration yet! Let the saving begin!

So what have I done in the last few days to save moolah?
-On Sunday night I made lots of food so that we'd have plenty of stuff for lunches, and no matter how busy I was in the morning, we wouldn't have to buy lunch.

-Last week (pre-MM, I know) I made choc. chip cookies for people instead of buying them gifts.

-I'm currently holding off on grocery shopping until we're out of everything perishable, both so that nothing goes bad, and so I make less trips to the store and avoid impulse buys.

-I'm being extra hardcore about turning off lights when I'm not in the room.

One unexpected windfall is that we received our Costco American Express cashback redemption thing in the mail. So next Costco trip we'll use that, meaning we won't have to pay anything, and we'll get cash for the amount leftover. Yay!

Other exciting upcoming frugal events include:
-making split pea soup! This is an inexpensive (and delicious!) food, plus it'll help us use up some leftover carrots and celery.

-Making some mock meat stuff! This is one of those non-perishable things that I never get around to because I'm too busy using up perishable stuff. I might use some recipes from Vegan Dad, or Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. I was given vital wheat gluten for Christmas, and I'm ashamed to say I've only used it once! I will do more in March, my friends, and I will catalog it here.

An Awesome Cause

I know there are a million causes out there, and most of them are for a good reason. There's one, though, that I especially like. It is Hackers For Charity, and its main project right now is Johnny Long and his family living in Uganda and working to help people there learn vital computer skills. These computer skills will help them get jobs, and can help these people rise out of poverty.

I would recommend taking a look at Johnny's blog. It's a great insight into what it's like to give your life over to God, and to doing his work.

Wordless Wednesday

Well, you know I can't be TOTALLY wordless, I don't work that way. I am going to keep this short, though, as a break from the books I write as posts (I know they're long guys). This is my Noah on New Year's Eve. He'd just been groomed, hence the cute bow you can spy on his collar.

Noah is my little fluffball of love :-) He's hardcore on giving kisses to anyone who'll accept them. We probably feed into this by letting him kiss us all the time.

He also jumps like a cat. From the back side of the couch, he'll jump up to the top of the backrest part. My husband taught him that little trick :-/

No matter what Noah does, though, he just wants to give and get love. He dislikes being yelled at, and will just roll onto his back and show us his belly, saying "Sorry guys! You're the boss!"

In short, I love my Noah.

Miserly March

Holly at Scattered Words celebrated Frugal February, which inspired me to practice Miserly March. The idea is to limit expenses as much as possible for a month. I tried to do this in February, but I was a Frugal February Fail. We went out to eat, we bought stuff, we were NOT frugal.

But I intend to redeem myself. I even found a way to make my March goal alliterative! Yay Miserly March!

First off, I want to ask: do you have a spreadsheet where you track your monthly income and expenses? I'm a finance (and excel) person, and I have to admit that even I wasn't tracking this stuff as well as I should have been. Now I have an Excel sheet that's amazing. I track all of our income, subdividing it out by where it's coming from. Then I track our expenses, subdividing them by card, account, or bill. I separate out fixed expenses (car payment, loan payment), from those that vary: gas, electric, credit cards. This really helps me see just how much control we do have to change a given month's bill, and how much is locked in. Overall, this spreadsheet is great to see how much our income is (hopefully) outpacing our expenses, and how much we can save each month. So with this wonderful financial data in hand, I look forward to seeing how much of an impact I can have with Miserly March! Who knows, if it's successful I may just have a Miserly May as well!

Purposes of Miserly March:
1. To see just how much we could cut expenses if needed, in order to make sure we have plenty saved in our "emergency fund".
2. To use all the pantry items that have just sat there for way to long.
3. To learn how to cook new, inexpensive meals.
4. TO SAVE MONEY (duh!)

How To:
1. Shop less. We have an unfortunate habit of buying food when we still have stuff at home. This makes our pantry area uncomfortably full, plus sometimes stuff goes bad. Plus, every time we go to Costco, impulse purchases happen. The total effect of that decreases if we go less often! Also, the money we spent on the food is just sitting on the shelf, not doing anything, while we're spending more that *could* be earning interest.

2. Only buy essentials. No, I don't really need a new pair of jeans. But even more than that, I don't need to buy the expensive olive tapenade when I can instead make hummus for cheap!

3. Eat in! It's so difficult to do this ALL THE TIME, especially when we're busy. We're pretty good about doing it 92% of the time. We need to get better! To be honest, I'm the bad one in this regard. A couple days a week I'm away from home for 14 hours, and I find it difficult to bring enough food. I need to get more creative, keep food in the car, do something.

4. Cut down on gas/electric/water usage. We're already allstars in this dept., but I'll try to improve. Shorter showers, making sure ALL the non-essential lights are off ALL the time.

5. Perform a financial analysis to make sure our investments and loan payments are being alloted as efficiently as possible. Investment performance changes. Everyone must constantly re-evaluate investments and make sure that his/her money is being utilized well.

Now I must admit, I do have some purchases I plan on making prior to the onset of Miserly March. Well, just one really: we just bought some wine, thanks to BevMo's 5cent wine sale, and we desperately need a wine rack. So I'll be cruising Target/Big Lots/Cost Plus to find one that's not too expensive, in honor of the upcoming Miserly March.

Feel free to join in the fun, and post about your cost-saving tips!

Are You Kidding Me?!

That is the thought that passes through my mind 95% of the time that I map a hot vegan spot I've heard of. Why this thought, you ask? Because all of these places are SO CLOSE to my old apartment in Hollywood. The apartment that, when I lived there, I wasn't vegan. I was becoming a vegetarian, and I was way too removed from the LA veggie web-world to read blogs that talk about all these veggie food gems.

So now I'm stuck miles away, in a vegan food desert. Well, we have some options, but they're pricey. I'm stuck in "Whole Foods Vegan World" and the hollywood area is "Cool Inexpensive Vegan World with a Million Choices". I'm about 25-30 miles away from these great places, and in LA traffic that's a decent distance.

I know a lot of vegans would like to be "only" 30 miles from many vegan restaurants, but it's really not close enough to conveniently visit these restaurants with any regularity. We stopped at one place on the way home from visiting family last weekend, and it was still a good 40 minutes from the restaurant to home. Today's had a lot of bummers, it's one of those days, and reading about yet another vegan place in Hollywood was just too much.

Juggling

I often imagine myself as a juggler, trying to keep track of all my activities and not letting one of them fall. The thing is, I figure most jugglers max out at four balls/bowling pins/sticks of fire. I have a lot more than four things going on. I have school, two jobs, my own business, plus a house, a husband, and a dog!

While this blog seemed like something that might add to my workload, in reality it helps me streamline and prioritize my work. Many of the tasks I added to my 50 in 500 List were related to my major tasks. These mini-goals on the list help me stay focused and motivated. Plus, when I do accomplish something, it's great to come back to the blog and write about it. I love seeing the items on my list get crossed off.

To be honest, I would not be half as productive if I didn't keep lists. It is so easy to get sidetracked, or be lazy and not get something done. When I have a task written down on a list, though, I feel this push to get it done and cross it off. This is the only way I get around to finishing stuff that I don't want to do, but need to do.

To give you an idea of my list mania, let me tell you about my winter break. (Yes, I had a winter break. I work at a college. They have to give us holiday breaks to make up for the low pay.) In Excel, I titled columns with different types of projects: work, home, urgent, business, etc... Then under that heading I listed the tasks I wanted to accomplish. I ended up with a list of 35 tasks. I then implemented a multi-level system of coloring in and crossing out to show my level of completion for each task. Plus I kept track what percent of the tasks I had completed.

It's sick, I know. What's amazing, though: I completed 30 projects in about two and a half weeks. Some were big, some were small, but they all got done. Now you quick ones may have notices that I said there were 35 tasks on the list, and 30 were done. The remaining 5 have either been completed since then, are in progress, or were determined by myself and my hubby to be unnecessary. I'm okay with them not getting done in that two and half weeks. To be honest, I know that I make my lists a little.... demanding. It means I push myself to do my best and I don't slack off.

43. Make decent throw pillows

DONE

Look at my gorgeous pillows:

I actually made these a while back. A few were made from leftover fabric, and I bought some fabric at Joann's for the rest.

Pillows are really easy to make. The most difficult challenge is how to keep them from being lumpy. Using filling, it's really hard to avoid lumps. The material just doesn't stay smooth. So the key to un-lumpy pillows is to line the inside of the fabric with quilt batting. I put two layers of it. Here are my quick instructions:

1. Decide what size pillow you want and cut fabric, leaving a seam allowance.
2. Cut some quilt batting to the size of the fabric. 1 or 2 layers of batting is best. It is difficult to sew through more layers than that.
3. With wrong side of the fabric out, and the batting outside that, sew together 3 sides of the pillow. NOTE: the batting might be caught in the presser foot. Make sure to push down on the batting by the foot so it doesn't get caught. ALSO, I think the pillows look better if you round the corners as you're sewing the fabric. Square corners end up looking awkward.
4. At this point, I sew together about 80% of the 4th side, leaving 20% open so I can stuff it.
5. Tie the thread, and flip the pillow right-side out.
6. If you want to sew a button onto the pillow like some of mine have, do it at this point.
7. Stuff pillow. I break up fill into small bits so that it is less likely to be lumpy. Don't understuff: the pillow won't be comfy.
8. Sew the opening up by hand.

Pillows are pretty simple to make, and they look quite professional. The biggest thing is sewing the quilt batting to the fabric so that the pillows aren't lumpy.

To see my complete 50 in 500 List, click here.

13. Train dog to NOT bark at people who walk by the house

DONE

I didn't even realize I'd accomplished this until I was reviewing my list, and I realized the dog doesn't bark at people who walk by anymore! Training the dog is work because he is part terrier, meaning he is very strong-willed. We really have to be consistent, and even then it takes a while to modify his behavior.

Since I absolutely love my dog and think he's the cutest thing in the world, here are few pictures of him. This one is of him mid-leap running on a dog beach we visited recently:


I absolutely love that picture because he just looks so darn happy.

This picture is of him digging a hole in the sand on the same beach. He LOVES to dig in the sand, and we don't mind it because he's so funny doing it!

Also, we rescued Noah from the SPCALA shelter in Long Beach. The shelter was really nice and clean, and the dogs were pretty happy. Noah is a great dog and I am so glad we have him! Everyone who is able should rescue a pet today.

To see my entire 50 Goals in 500 Days List, click here.

10. Get a new "in a pinch" dish

DONE

I have become a pro at several new dishes in the last few months. One of my go-to favorites recently has been chili. I got tired of buying canned chili that wasn't that good and seemed expensive for the ingredients. So I transitioned to buying chili spice packets and using my own ingredients, and now I completely make chili from scratch!

It's really pretty simple. First I saute some onions. Then I add in a rinsed can of kidney beans, a can of diced tomatoes, about 1/3 of a can of vege-burger, some pasta sauce, some tomato paste if it's on hand, and spices: cumin, chili pepper, oregano, etc...

I simmer everything for about half an hour or so to blend the flavors.

We usually make chili dogs or chili burgers with the chili, but occasionally we eat it on its own.

Some things I love about chili are that it's warming and satisfying, plus it's healthy.

To see my entire "50 Goals in 500 Days" list, click here.

48. Hang pictures up

Done!

Checkout my handiwork:

Well, it wasn't all me. I got the frames, painted some of them, and figured what was going to be hung where. The hubby hammered in the nails.

We had a lot of nice white walls in our place. I liked them. They looked clean, and they made our small home feel larger than it is. But the place was.... bare. So I took this one wall, which is bound by two windows, and made a little display! I think it warms up the place and gives it more personality.

Let me walk you through the pictures of our lives, starting in at the left and progressing to the right.
Wood frame: cool kitchen towel my mom gave me, with one of my favorite verses. I'm also an animal lover.
Black frame: picture of USC endzone in the Coliseum. I love Trojan football, especially since I attended during a few national championship years.
Red frame: pretty card I had held on to, and thought would look nice here.
White frame: picture of Don Quixote my husband had.
Wood frame: decoupaged wedding invitation and announcement. My hubby's great uncle made this himself, including the frame!
Metal frame: painting of Priest Lake, a favorite childhood vacation spot of my husband.
Wood frame: picture of my husband and me.

This was a pretty fun project, and easy too.

To see my whole "50 Goals in 500 Days" list, click here.

11. Bake something and Give it to Neighbors

Done!

For Christmas, we decided to give delicious vegan baked goods to all of our friends and family. This was a huge undertaking, which we didn't realize at the time. Since I am the one who bakes, it led to me having quite a few frantic and stressing days.

The problem was that it was difficult to find recipes that travel well, utilized the ingredients we had, and could easily be made in large quantities. Plus I had to account for a few diabetics, which meant using agave nectar in lieu of sugar.

I ended up making brownies, coconut bars, lemon cookies, oatmeal and dried cranberry cookies, and mint chocolate chip cookies.

The initial batch of cooking went well, but when filling the tins, I found I didn't have enough cookies. So I used what I had, and then had to make more! That was frustrating because I'd been so happy to be done with the baking.

It all turned out just fine, though. We ended up having extra cookies, so I made little boxes of them for the neighbors, thereby accomplishing #11 on my list! So all the effort was worth it, right?

I've decided that for next Christmas I will give many family members aprons, which I will sew myself. I plan on getting started in the summer. Then they can make their own Christmas cookies!

To see my entire "50 Goals in 500 Days" list, click here.

6. Go Vegan for a month

Done!

Well, I've actually been 99% vegan for a few months now. I've just slacked on blogging about it. I've been a vegetarian for a few years now, eating no meat or eggs, and very little dairy, plus avoiding many products that have been tested on animals or are made from animals . That made the transition to a vegan lifestyle relatively easy.

Some challenges were:
1. Companies put dairy and egg in so many processed products because it is cheaper to do so. Even many vegetarian foods are not vegan. I really had to turn up the label reading!
2. Social situations. When people are preparing food for me, it's kind of awkward to broach the subject, especially as this is a new experience for me and for those around me.

Some great experiences were:
1. My hubby being willing to have a vegan household. (He still eats cheese when we're eating somewhere else).
2. Making and tasting some new, yummy vegan food.
3. Pizza without cheese. It isn't greasy or heavy, and I don't feel gross after eating it! I prefer this to pizza with vegan cheese, really.
4. Being proud of myself for taking a stand against the inhumane treatment of animals, taking a step to healthier living, and engaging in an environmentally sustainable lifestyle.
5. Feeling better!

Here's a picture of some delicious vegan chocolate chip cookies, from this recipe:

To view my "50 Goals in 500 Days" list, click here.

23. send out Christmas cards (on time!)

DONE

Well, my Christmas cards were sent out in a timely manner, even if my post about them is done a little late :-) There's really not much to say about them, except that the fact that anything was sent out at all is due in a large part to my amazing hubby. He got us out to the store to get holiday paper (we wrote a letter and mailed that out), he wrote the letter, and he was a major part in the stuffing/sealing/mailing. All I did was print the labels and help put stamps on them!

To see my original "50 Goals in 500 Days" list, click here.

7. Make Vegan Ice Cream- Recipe Included!

DONE!

I made coconut milk ice cream using this recipe from Novel Eats, and it was delicious! Here's a shot of the ingredients mixing in my ice cream maker:

A few tips:
1. Put the ice cream maker on the mixer and hook up the white mixing attachment BEFORE putting in the ingredients. This is because if your ice cream maker is nice and cold, the ingredients can freeze to it and then the white mixing part won't be able to move around, and you're SOL. We made this mistake once, it's not good.
2. Definitely add peanut butter or some other flavoring. We've included dried coconut, chocolate chips, etc... The basic recipe is kind of bland. It's good, but added flavors are better. If you're adding something chunky, add it in during the second half of mixing.
3. We used light coconut milk. It still tasted plenty rich and satisfying.

That's it! Enjoy! This stuff is delicious.

To see my original "50 Goals in 500 Days" list, click here.

9. Make Vegan pumpkin pie

DONE

I have now made this delicious cruelty-free pumpkin pie not once, but twice! Everyone (including non-vegans) should make this pie because:
1. It is incredibly easy to make
2. The only dirty dishes it creates are the blender, some measuring utensils, and the pie pan
3. It's delicious, and relatively healthy for pie
It is healthy and easy to make because it does not have a pie crust. Seriously, though, the filling is so good, you don't miss the crust. I made this pie for a couple different gatherings, and it was quite the hit.
Sadly, I do not have a picture of the pie :-( But to remedy this problem, I am giving you a bonus: an apple tart picture! So here is my delicious apple tart, right before it went in the oven:
I'm having trouble posting the recipe here, so look for it in a future post!

To see my original "50 Goals in 500 Days" list, click here.

21. Go to a shooting range (again)

DONE

Oh my gosh, apparently I don't even know what's on my list! Please see the post a few posts back that reviewed my recent shooting range visit. It goes to show how well I made my list: I want to do the stuff on it even without the motivation of crossing it off the list!

To see the original "50 Goals in 500 Days" list, click here.

45. Do a Full House Cleaning

DONE

This one took a lot of time over my winter break. I discovered two amazing cleaning supplies, though: magic eraser and bleach solution.

My friend suggested I use a magic eraser for scuffs on the kitchen floor, and that suggestion changed my life! The magic eraser cleaned every mark off the kitchen floor. It cleaned stains off the bathtub that I thought would outlive me! I don't know how it works, but it is definitely magical. I already had a clean house, and the magic eraser made marked improvements.

Growing up, we never used a bleach & water solution to clean. Well, my parents just didn't spend much time cleaning. I think that's part of the reason I'm so obsessed with it. I've eased into using bleach to clean, and I finally made a spray bottle of bleach solution as one last attempt to clean grout in the shower. I sprayed, opened windows to cut the smell, and then let it sit. After a few minutes, the grout looked a lot better. Plus the solution did most of the work, so I didn't have to scrub much! It was amazing.

The bummer about cleaning is that it's such a temporary thing. It is difficult for me to be understanding when the house inevitably gets dirty again. These two new supplies will help because they really make the place look a lot better when it is clean!

To see my original "50 Goals in 500 Days" list, click here.

#50: Paint a Picture

DONE!

Here is my artwork:

It's two birds sitting in a tree. I intended to paint this for my husband and give it to him as a bithday gift back in October, but that obviously didn't happen. So it was more of a "Happy New Year" gift. He likes birds, and we have a couple parakeets, so I thought he'd appreciate a bird picture.

To be honest, this thing took forever to paint. My formal art training ended in about 7th grade, so I have no idea how to paint efficiently. I guess art should be about efficiency, though. Well, I am glad that it is done and now proudly displayed in our home!

To see my original "50 Items in 500 Days" list, click here.

46. Reorganize closets in house

DONE

I went through all our closets, got rid of stuff, moved seldom used stuff to the garage, and organized what was left. Luckily Target had organization stuff on sale after Christmas! I love these metal shelves: they're a great deal at just $15, can hold a lot of weight, and last forever!

On the other part of the closet I tried to be resourceful and use cardboard boxes we already had, rather than buy new stuff. I think it'll last, though.

I'm happy to finally have the closets organized! I've already noticed an improvement in my quality of life.

Picture of the Paper Men

Here are our sweet targets, post shooting range.

Those Paper Men Had No Chance

So this past weekend my spouse and I had a fun adventure: we went shooting! Being in LA, of course this was at a range. It was at the LAX firing range, to be exact. It was so much fun!

We shot a couple different 9mm pistols. For those who don't know, a 9mm is on the smallish end of the handgun category. It's a pretty standard and popular gun. We tried a Glock, with wasn't that great, and then a Sig Sauer, which was easy to shoot and be accurate. A quick intro to guns: the heavier the gun and longer the barrel, the easier it is to be accurate and shoot the gun. The weight of the gun helps to absorb the recoil, and the longer barrel helps with aiming.

We spent about an hour at the range and went through 100 bullets between the two of us. It was kind of expensive, about $60. For those who're interested in just going occasionally, the Los Angeles Gun Club in downtown is a bit cheaper and is just as good of an experience. The LAX range would be ideal for regulars who purchase the club's annual membership, as that's likely the best deal in town if you go 2 or more times per month.

Wherever you end up going, I highly recommend that everyone go out and shoot a gun! It's fun and not at all difficult. The people who work in these places are really nice. Going to a range a few times is not going to make anyone a sharpshooter, but guns are a major part of our national culture and it is good to have a first-hand experience. I look forward to my next trip to a shooting range! I'll post a picture of our targets next week, so keep an eye out for that!

To Do List

Okay guys, I have accomplished a lot of the stuff on my to do list! That includes finishing painting a picture (longest project ever). But I've slacked in that I haven't taken pictures of my accomplishments, and we all know the post would be better with video evidence. So I have written it in my calendar to take pictures tomorrow, and the posts should be up sometime next week! Look forward to recaps of many exciting adventures!

2010: The Year of Enjoyment

Happy New Year everyone! As I look forward to an exciting new year, I have decided that, for me, 2010 will be my "Year of Enjoyment". First, let me summarize this past year. In 2009 I was very busy. There were a lot of changes in my life: moving, getting a new job, starting a post-bacc program, and getting a dog. Plus, we went on long vacations twice. Vacations are nice, but planning and being away from home are stressing. All of these activities combined with my high intensity temperament to make 2009 a whirlwind year. Not much time was devoted to stopping and smelling the roses.

2010 will be my year to smell roses. I will make a concerted effort to enjoy whatever I am doing, rather than focus on accomplishing it so that i can check it off my list. It is amazing how simply making this attitude shift has already improved my quality of life. On Monday evening I took the dog on our daily post-work walk. I truly enjoyed walking the dog and seeing a beautiful sunset over the ocean. Sorry if that sounds too hokey :-) It was quite a pleasant experience, though. I have also found that enjoying what I have rather than getting frustrated at what is missing transfers to many aspects of the home. I have chosen to be happy about the dishes my spouse washed rather than upset about the ones still left in the sink. I have chosen to appreciate the Southern California weather rather than complain about California's restrictive laws.

Now I don't know if I can maintain this attitude of enjoyment forever, but I'm liking it for now. The truth is nothing is perfect, so if I look for perfection I will always be dissappointed. Why not appreciate the positive aspects of what is in my life?