Hear my train a'comin'

Normally I'd say I can't believe it's April already, but March actually felt like the entirety of the month of March! So I'm just slackin'. I'm also...working full-time again! I know, I know. I got my job back. I'm very thankful, because a source of steady income is quite nice.

To recap on my March goals-

Since I got my job back...I'm pretty much still ruining my hands. Sigh. I try and use cream every night, and it does feel quite nice.

I've been reading more, for sure. I'm still behind on my 1 a month, as I started late, but so long as I get 2 read this month, I'll be caught up. Reading is wonderful.

I've been eating less sugar, although it's not been cut out completely, as I still enjoy making baked goods on occasion. I've always used less sugar than what is called for, though. (1 whole cup sometimes? Jeez.) I have however been using more honey instead and it's nice.

This is back when Mr. T had his haircut. Look at his ridiculously adorable rabbit feet! I have loads of pictures to post, eventually...I promise I'll post more than just my cats, haha.

April goals:

Since my lunch break is now shorter and I can't bike home for lunch anymore, I want to start making myself lunches ahead of time to bring. So far I've just been making peanut butter honey and banana sandwiches with tea and an apple, as it gives me lots of energy for the remainder of the day and is easy to make. But I'd like to take more time on what I bring.

Start trying to practice my guitar...even just fiddling. I had back in January and it's so FUN.

Wake up earlier in the day, more regularly... I struggle with this. So far, I have been waking up earlier just because I have a regular work schedule, and weekends I work at 7am. But it'd be good to be up earlier so I can start my morning earlier and get more done.

Take off those glasses, let down your hair for me.

I have a whiteboard in my room which is divided into three sections. One has a to-do: section, for tasks/chores, one is my workout regiment, which I'm going to organize by days of the week now, and the last has a daily reminder for drinking at least 2 cups of tea, 3 glasses of water and 2 servings of greens, and then recipes I've chosen to make for the week. So in that way, I will be tracking myself on those things. For here, I figured I'd just write a few easy to accomplish goals, so I could feel like I'm doing something and not make anything stressful or overly eager. There is nothing wrong with big, powerful goals, but I think I'll be more satisfied with small things I know I can do.

1) Since I no longer have a job working with my hands, I'm going to start a new care routine to bring my hands back to a better state. They're by no means horrible, but I want to nurture them a little.

2) Read a book a month. (This has always sorta been an overall goal of mine, but I seem to end up waffling on it and a month will go by and I haven't read...) So far I've read one book this year. D:

3) Cut out white, refined sugar, and start using healthier substitutes. I don't like those fake sugar alternatives. More like - muscovado sugar, brown rice syrup, agave and molasses.

In other news, look how adorable my cats are! Don't be fooled, Mr. T is just stretched out. Buster weighs a lot more.

Song of the day: "Librarian" by My Morning Jacket.

I saw faces in the trees, I heard voices in the stars.

My birthday was the 8th. I'm 23 now. It's sorta frightening to think about, but I need to press forward and reach my goals. I have a set number of fitness goals for by the time I turn the big 3-0. I've gone backward a little bit, with traveling, moving and house-hunting on the agenda. We're settled in a really nice duplex apartment now, and I have floor space (right now anyway). I'm really looking forward to working out on a regular basis again. I've started getting back into it as of the last few days, and I have a lot of work ahead of me, but being able to do the things I want physically are very important to me.

As for my birthday, I received a few great things from my mom.

These super duper pretty lantern lights. And a new sports bra and running underwear. :D I'm really excited to use them. It'll be nice to not have my underwear get soaked in sweat. I also got a new bike seat for my bike. My old one is very ripped up.

Things I'm still pining after:

This awesome calendar by krankpress. This one is currently out of stock, for the south. They show what produce is in season to grow, and what is in season on the market. It's super cool! I love it. And there aren't any years on it, so you can use it over and over.

I'd really love to get into canning. I know I'd need the kit to vacuum seal the jars, too. I like this book .

 

I really need a horn for my bike, to easily let pedestrians know I'm there. In Flagstaff, calling out wasn't enough, and this is not a bike-friendly place at all, from my observation. I really like this one.

In combination with a horn, a mirror has been on my list for a while. It'd make things much smoother.

One day I'd really like to paint my bike completely black, so it no longer has any labels or stickers, or scratches. It's currently a teal color.

I probably have other dinky things I want.

Song of the day: "The First Time I Ran Away" by M. Ward.

Stormy weather moving in.

I really need to start taking photos again. I miss it. I don't know what's been stopping me.

So, since I've been packing and going to move out, whether I end up staying in Flagstaff longer and put my things in storage, or whether I go to North Carolina, or somewhere else across the country, it's been helping me to evaluate just how much I own. I have quite a bit that is still for the store, but, since sales have slowed to a halt, and since it's expensive to keep all of it during a move, I'm going to have to go through everything and figure out what is worth it to bring, and what will simply have to go to Goodwill. I'm really trying to now go through my things and whittle down even further what I want as my own. I've always wanted a very simple, uncluttered life. Somehow over the years I've made impulse purchases and accumulated knickknacks, etc. I've been really inspired by my goals to get my belongings down as much as possible. I have more clothing than I wear, although this is partially due to the fact that I have shirts I still love, but that are too big on me now that I have lost weight. I plan on turning these into new things, at some point. For the most part, I'm probably going to make my wardrobe more cohesive. It's interesting to see where my interests lie. When I was very young, being as simple as possible was very appealing to me, but then somewhere around high school into my sophomore year of college, I became interested in fashion and became quite materialistic, and spent money on far more clothing than I could possibly begin to wear. I've since gotten my closet down exponentially, but I still feel I have a ways to go. I'd rather have go-to pieces that I wear over and over, than more options than I can handle. This is also reflected in the types of blogs I've been reading over the years, and which have made their way into my blog-list on the sidebar. I used to follow many fashion blogs, full of frilly, pretty things. Though nice to look at, they weren't practical. I've updated it again, with blogs I'm enjoying. I find I prefer things with food, or simple, pretty lives, or nature. I want my life to revolve more around food.

 
Via: rawveganchild.
I'm a vegetarian, and I really enjoy it. I would really like more of my diet to be raw-food related. I'll still cook things and eat eggs and the like, but I've been eating fresh salads every day now and it's so wonderful. More fresh things where I don't have to do anything but cut it up and make a nice dressing or something for it seems so peaceful and healthy. Taken from one of my favorite blogs: Whole Larder Love. I really want to start canning things and living more seasonally.
This yard seems so beautiful and secluded. I'd love summer mornings sitting and eating breakfast here. I want more greenery in my life.

This room is so cool. I love that door all by itself, hovering in the wall that way. I also really like the big, open windows. I want my future home to have big windows, to flood everything in warm light.

I like this blog: Waterandwool. It's refreshing and down to earth. I like the simple life she leads, revolving around food, preparing for new seasons, knitting and her dogs. She doesn't have a super fancy camera, and some of her pictures are even blurry, but I think that's part of why I like reading it.

Song of the day: "It's Raining Men" by The Weather Girls.