Need to work on those nails

It is a beautiful fall day in October!  Doesn't it make you feel like drinking a pumpkin latte and baking warm cookies and curling up with a good book? 

                                              

Wish I lived near a Starbucks...yes, I know I could make my own (Thanks Pinterest!).

Well, pumpkin lattes and cookies are NOT on my listbliss.  Apparently I have no problem indulging in yumminess!  BUT, books ARE on my listbliss.  I am currently reading the next book for my book club, Big, Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.  Never mind that I have about a dozen other books on my Amazon wish list.  I love to read but need to make more time.

Next are my fingernails.  They require some serious intervention.  I have always admired women with beautiful nails but have been unable to achieve that well-manicured look.  I know it is nasty and gross to put your fingers in your mouth.  I have almost completely broken myself of that habit.  But, I do pick at my nails and the skin around them.  This makes for an ugly set of hands.  On my first listbliss I put on my list to get acrylic nails.  I loved them!  However, much to the despair of my manicurist, they just wouldn't stay on. A couple kept popping off.  I can't go for that. (No can do)  So I decided this time to grow my own nails.  
                                        
Nails that look like this would be perfect.  However, mine look more like this:
                                         
Those, by the way, aren't my own nails either, just a picture from Google images.  But you get the idea.  So what to do?  Not sure, so I'm going to research and get back with you next week.  

Enjoy your day!

Saturdays

 I love Saturdays.  What a beautiful day of possibility.  First thing in the morning, I think, "Hmmm, what am I going to do today?"  I make grandiose plans such as croissants, exercising, cleaning the house, running errands.  Later in the morning, I think, "I've got plenty of time..." and pour myself another cup of coffee and turn on the tv.  As the afternoon progresses and naptime is over, I think, "I don't really need to make croissants or exercise today, I can do that another time."  By evening, I think, "Well, I didn't get anything done but I sure had a great day doing nothing!"  What is with that???  All joking aside, what a blessing it is to have a couple days of rest.  Time to reflect and think about the week to come.

I haven't posted in over a month.  School started.  Enough said.  But now the year is underway and things are going more smoothly, I can look ahead and make my plans. I realized the other day that I have less than a year (10 months) to complete my current list bliss.  It is so good to have a deadline and a focus.  Just like my Saturday plans...I know I will put things off, and off, and off.  It's just me, and I have a feeling I'm not alone in this!

Here's an update.  I am continuing to exercise 5 days a week!  I get up early and use the eliptical while watching episodes of "Breaking Bad".  It is a great motivator to get out bed and exercise so I can find out what Walt will do next.  Side note, that show is a wonderful public service announcement for why you DON'T want to get involved in drugs.  Eeeek! Even though I am exercising faithfully, the truth is, the weight just isn't coming off.  It could be a number of factors.  #1 What I eat.  #2 My middle aged metabolism. #3 Not enough or the right kind of exercise. #4 Combination of all of the above.  Who knows?  I will continue to exercise and try to make good food choices, but I'm not going to starve myself.

Here's what's left on my list:

#1 Reach ideal weight and maintain.

# 2 Vacation in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

#3 Learn to make croissants

#7 Pay bills/ banking online

#9 Learn how to do graffitti

#10 Take a cruise

#11 Post weekly on my blog (Ha!  I'm getting there!)

#13 Start a garden

#15 Teach cooking classes

#16 Catch a fish

#19 Grow my fingernails

#20 Send more cards and handwritten letters

That's a lot to accomplish in 10 months!  I think I'll go write some letters...sounds like a perfect Saturday plan!  And maybe paint my nails.  And...

Summer just flew by!

I had a wonderful summer vacation!  What a blessing to have the opportunity to take several weeks off from work to do all the things I put off during the school year!  Karl and I enjoyed spending time together working on the house.  We are done with many of our home improvement projects and now patiently waiting for the hardwood flooring to be laid.  Pictures to come later once that is all finished.

I have been continuing to work on marking items off my listbliss.  #5 Exercise 3-4 times a week is a struggle, but I've been doing it!  In fact, I've been exercising 5 times a week all summer!  That is huge, considering I was exercising 0 times a week just a few months ago.  It's not something I love, but I am creating a habit and that's the first step toward meeting #1 Reach and maintain my ideal weight. 

Next, #12 Read one book a month is another one that I have been working on.  I have decided to modify my item a little bit.  Why?  Because I wrote the list and I can change it if I want!  I have joined a book club and am so excited!  There are five of us in the club and will be reading a different book and meeting every other month.  This is wonderful because I will be held accountable by my club members to get the book read and there will be a deadline!  You know deadlines are so helpful to me!  Our first book is Orange is the New Black  by Piper Kerman.  I love the series on Netflix, so I bet I'll enjoy the book! So now my list has changed a little bit to say, #12  Read one book every other month.

By the way, haven't made croissants yet...I keep putting them off. I'll let you know how it goes!

Updates

Oh my goodness, we have been busy!  The painting is done, the furniture has been purchased, the floors are prepped and the hardwood is going in this week!  Our house has looked like a tornado ever since my last post, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Next, I have been faithfully exercising and watching what I eat.  As a result, I have lost 7 pounds! What a good feeling to see the scale going DOWN instead of UP.  I just watched an inspiring movie on Netflix called, "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead".  It is an inspiring documentary about the powerful benefits of juicing.  I think I am going to give it a try.  Maybe not an intense 10 day juice fast, but incorporating healthy veggie/fruit juices into my diet.  We'll see...

I have been looking over my list and trying to decide which task I am going to tackle next.  I have decided that my next listbliss adventure is making croissants. It looks difficult and time consuming, but I have always wanted to do it so NO EXCUSES!  I'll keep you all posted!

Home Sweet Home

Our house has needed some updating for quite a while.  We've lived here for over 16 years and have done very little to it.  As you might remember from my last listbliss, I completed Decorate my front room!  Other than that, pretty much everything else has stayed the same.  When I made this new listbliss I knew we had much work to do in regards to the house.  

We are having the outside of our house painted.  That is project number one!  Our house currently is white with pinkish trim.  It is time for a change.  We picked light gray for the main color and a dark gray for the trim.  Then we are going to paint our front door red!  Project number two, new flooring in the front room and living room.  So, Karl ripped up the carpet in our front room to expose the hardwood floors underneath.  There is some damage, so we have hired a gentleman to repair and refinish the floor in the front room.  While he is here, he is going to lay hardwood in my kitchen and living room.  It is going to be beautiful!  He'll be here in a few weeks.  So, that inspired us to project number three, paint the kitchen and the living room.  We thought, with such beautiful floors, we want beautiful walls to match.  We also had a friend who is an interior decorator come over and give us some help.  She suggested taking out our built-in entertainment center and also converting our front room into a dining room!  We loved both ideas.  Karl has ripped out the entertainment center and is prepping the walls.  I am stripping floral wallpaper border.  It needed to come down!  Once that's all done, we'll paint and rip up carpet.  It sounds like a lot, but it was necessary.  Summer is the perfect time for us to get these projects done.

YAY!!  I am well on my way to completing #6 Attempt home improvements! Don't you love the wishy-washy way I included the word "attempt" on my list?  When we get everything completed (goal date is the end of the summer), I will post some pictures!  

Losing weight without losing my mind

It is time to discuss the items on my list that I have been avoiding.  Namely, #1 Reach my ideal weight and maintain and #5 exercise 3-4 times a week.  These are very difficult obviously because losing weight was on my FIRST listbliss....and I didn't make it.  I know I can do it, I've done it before.  But it sure is a defeated feeling to know that I was once my ideal weight and I threw it all away.  How did it happen?  Very slowly.  An extra pound here, an extra pound there all adds up.  Now I am as heavy as I was when I was pregnant...and I'm NOT pregnant. 

However, I am not going to wallow but instead I am going to take action.  Believe it or not,  I have actually been exercising regularly for the last two weeks!  So far I work out 35 minutes on the elliptical. My goal is to get up to one hour. My sister, Diane, has really inspired me to get healthy because she is doing it too!  Way to go, girl!  Oh, thought you all might find this as funny as I did.  I took a picture while on the treadmill....watching FOOD NETWORK!!!

This takes me to my next point.  I read recently that losing weight is 90% in the kitchen and 10% in the gym.  I don't know if this is true, but I bet it is.  Here's the problem, I love food!  I love to cook and be in the kitchen!  I love to try new recipes and watch cooking shows!  If I have to go to rice cakes and celery sticks and salads I will lose my mind along with the weight. What to do??  Well, I have decided that my first step will be portion control.  Less on my plate and no second helpings.  Maybe a sweet treat only once or twice a week. 


Lastly, I need to weigh myself more regularly.  When things started going bad, I intentionally stayed off the scale.  I don't know what I was thinking.  Maybe I thought being in denial would keep the weight off.  Who knows.  So I have weighed myself and accepted the fact.  Now I must move on.

So there you have it, a plan to mark TWO things off my list!  How about you?  Do you have a goal that you are working toward? You can do it!

Idaho, the perfect state

Here's a little bit of info about myself that you might not know:  I love Idaho! The big question is, why?  What is so appealing about Idaho?  Why would I be crazy about a place I've never been? 

I'm so glad you asked!

Many years ago a friend told me that Coeur d'Alene, Idaho is the most beautiful place in the world.  I've heard that it has mountains and a lake and so much amazing scenery.  Apparently people flock to this area because it is so wonderful.  So let's just say I became a little obsessed.  To add to my obsession, I have made it my personal mission in life to live somewhere that is free from natural disasters.  (Those of you that are around me for any time at all have already heard these ramblings many times...just go with it.)  I live in tornado alley and that is not a comfort.  Even though I have not been personally harmed by a tornado, I think the mental anguish of running to our basement every time a tornado comes barreling toward us on the radar is scary enough. 

When I heard about how beautiful Idaho is, it got me thinking...do I ever hear anything about Idaho other than they grow great potatoes?  I think not.  No earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, or gigantic sink holes.   As several people have mentioned to me, Idaho has snow.  Okay, I can live with that.  Anything else???  Nope.  It sounds blissfully peaceful and I want to go there.  

Way back when I started my Listbliss journey, I had visit Idaho on my first list.  I didn't make it there.  So I put it on my second list---#2 Vacation in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  It would be so lovely just to visit for a long weekend, however it is very far from where I live.  Very far.  Therefore, it will take great planning and money to get there.  Here's a sneak peek...enjoy!