So its the end....

Have you noticed a decided lack of blog posts recently? Yeah.... so about that.

I originally started and designed my 1001 goals while working a night shift at a long-term care facility. I had no idea what I was doing with my life and my husband had no idea what he was going to do in his life. We were just drifting along, doing whatever came up.

We had both been in school for a long time, but for whatever reason neither of us had really spent any time figuring out who we were, or maybe more importantly, who we wanted to be. We just were.

And so we drifted. In and out of school, through jobs that were ok. Even through entertainment and friendships. We were rudderless.

And so when the storm hit, we just drifted around. And crashed a bit, and got bruised, and then continued to limp along. The goals came after I started reading stuff online about intention, simplicity and minimalism. Organization. Living out your dreams. Security. These were things I dreamed about, but didn't think I would really get until I was about 40. And I guess I just figured I would eventually bump into them, and somehow understand what to do and how to do it.

I wrote most of these goals to help me figure out who I wanted to be. After I spent some time thinking about this, most of the goals became about forming habits to become this person that I decided I wanted to be. The original goals had some totally random stuff on it, some stuff that was purely dreams, and some stuff that was work.

While doing the goals I have moved provinces, realized how much I love my profession, come to realize how much I love my current position in my profession, start to begin to realize how my profession works in my home life, how my social and emotional health interact, how my spiritual life can be fed, both socially and personally. And just so, so many things. We really have had a busy 2 years.

And we've stopped drifting. Today I asked my husband what he thought his purpose was, and he actually had an answer! And didn't have to go into detail, because he could just refer back to all the other conversations we've had about this. We don't know exactly what we are going to do in life, but we are moving in a specific direction and are clear on the end goal.

So, while I clearly didn't finish all my goals, I think I completed the main goal. I needed to find intention in my life, and I needed to figure out who I was, and how comfortable I was with that person. I needed to figure out some areas to work on, that I actually cared about, not just what someone else or a self-help book thought was important. I needed direction, a role, and... of course more goals!

But this time I don't have 101 goals for the next 3 years. I have about 5 goals for the next 5 years. I have realized in the past little while that much of what I want to work on now is about attitude and ways of living, not just one-time events.

So.... I don't know what's going to happen to this little blog. For now, I haven't found much I really want to write about in this space, but maybe in the future I will! If you want to keep up with what I am doing in my life check me out on instagram where I am taking a photo each day. I've really been having lots of fun with that. Also, if you want to see which goals I completed and which ones I didn't check that out here.

So, friends, this might be it.... or it might not be. Let's see what the future will throw at us, ok? Hobey ho!

For this week...

I really think this is a cool photo - even if its a bit depressed looking. I promise I'm not depressed.

Hey Guys!

Guess what happened this week? I didn't complete any goals.

For real.

Nada.

And also my end date for all of my goals is only 34 days away! I really gotta start cracking.

But this week with sickness, pains in the neck, and as usual lots of work for both of us there is just no time to blog.

If you want to know what is happening in my real life check out my Instagram feed, where I am doing a photo a day - hopefully for a year, but we will see. Maybe forever? Maybe 6 months. It's basically the highlight or best picture of my day.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Goal 85. No TV or Movies for a whole weekend

Hi Friends! This week I've had some difficulty getting my posts up at their usually scheduled time. This is why I am glad this is just a hobby and not my job. Hopefully next week I can be a little more organized.

This past weekend we didn't watch any TV or movies. And I don't think my husband noticed. We enjoyed a great weekend, and want to share with you some ideas for how to have your own tube - free weekend.

photo by autowich on Flickr

One thing we have to explain is this - we did not have a screen free weekend. Our computers do so much for us, that are both helpful and fun, so avoiding those for a whole weekend would certainly take a lot more effort. But we didn't just swap out watching the television for watching marathons of shows we download on itunes. We avoided those too.

1. Plan or go to a party - This weekend we got to go to a birthday party for our dear friends baby, who is now 1! A party is a great way to spend time with friends and near-by family, plus it helps you focus on connecting to real people, thus avoiding TV. If you haven't been invited to a party this weekend, why not throw your own! A full-out dinner party, board games and nibbles, or just dessert and catching up. Another great way to spend time with people is to invite them for Sunday lunch. 
2. Go outside - A surefire way to avoid TV for a whole weekend is to go camping! It is great to be in the outdoors and not even be tempted by our sedentary past-times, which I think is why so many people enjoy camping. But, if weather would not permit camping, or you have other commitments, try going on a walk. Even just a half an hour around your neighbourhood after dinner distracts you from flopping down on the couch to digest and then getting sucked in for the rest of the night.
3. Make it hard - One of the ways that we avoid watching too much TV is that we don't have a television and watch all TV shows online. I use a website called Sidereel to keep track of my favourite shows. Since organizing my shows this way I find that I naturally avoid just looking around for things to watch and am much more purposeful in what I actually do watch. Avoiding all the advertisements and just the ease of flipping through channels really makes watching TV more of an actual choice, not just a habit. 
4. Get ahead on work - This doesn't sound like what you want to hear? Well, maybe its not, but using your weekend to get ready for the week sure takes a lot of pressure off those weeknights. Whether your version of getting ahead means actually going to the office (or school for my teacher-husband) or just simply prepping food for lunches and ironing your clothes, being ready for the week takes up most of our Sunday night, and makes Monday morning go a lot smoother. 
5. Get committed - Another way to connect with friends, or possibly make new friends is to be involved. Attending your kid's sports games, taking your own classes (exercise or otherwise), joining book or interest groups and being involved in your church will help you spend your time on worthwhile activities connecting with the people around you. 
6. Work on a project - Want to plant a garden? Re-paint your bathroom? Be the kind of mom who does cool crafts with her kids? A gourmet brunch-maker? The weekend is a good time to do this and more. 
7. READ - Yeah, I sound like your mom. Well, she was right. 
8. Listen to podcasts, audiobooks, music - Maybe you just want some background noise? Well, TV is actually much better at being the focus, not the background. It is really hard to actually be productive with a TV show on. Hey, they're actually designed to be looked at. A podcast isn't. It's designed to just be listened to. So it makes good background noise. Go figure. Same goes for audiobooks and music. 
9. Plan some margin time into your weekend - Give the activities in your weekend good margin, so that you can actually be restful. Give yourself time to be a bit late getting home, a moment to stop in at a cute shop or pick up some extra ingredients for a yummy dinner. Give yourself a chance to explore, even the common places in your life, like the grocery store or that park by your house you just never have time to stop at. Instead of whizzing through your morning routine exactly like you would do it on a weekday morning, go a bit slower, taking your time, getting lost in what you are doing or in following a tangent. Simply build in time to do whatever interests you in the moment, instead of rigidly following a schedule. Or be like my dad and whiz through whatever you want to accomplish, and then spend all afternoon just following your whims and interests. Just not ones on TV. 
10. Sleep - Sleep in, go to bed early. Much simpler when the TV isn't distracting you. 

Do you ever avoid watching TV? How do you spend your time?

In the Kitchen: Yes, you can make your own salad dressing!

There was a point in my life that I decided I was going to go 100% real food. I had dreams about grinding my own grain, baking everything from scratch and never having a box of kraft dinner in my house again (how sad!). 

Then I realized that if I wanted to do that, it would be a full-time job. And I already had a job I liked and it actually paid in real Canadian tender. Which was a big deal in my book. So I never got to go fully real food, and a few years away from those dreams I am still totally happy with my decision. 

During that time I made some real strides to eliminate questionable food (as in foods with ingredients only my chemist husband can understand) from our diet. But it had to be easy. Things that would be way too time-consuming to make from scratch just won't work in our lifestyle. 

One of the foods that I have been able to make completely from scratch for a while now is salad dressing. Making my own salad dressing helps me control what type of oil is used, as well as how much sodium and other non-pronouncables are put into them. And darn is homemade salad dressing ever tasty. Oh yeah and easy! I just throw all the ingredients in a jar and shake them. Here are my favourite vinaigrettes:

For Really Fast Days
- drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil over salad greens. Toss. 
Could not get easier!     

All-purpose Italian Dressing (lasts several weeks on the counter)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/4 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dijon-style mustard

Poppyseed Dressing (great on spinach salad)
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp. salt
1-2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. poppy seeds

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette (great on grilled chicken salad)
2 tbsp. honey mustard
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
(if you don't have honey mustard use 1/2 tbsp. each of honey & mustard)

Next week I will share my favourite creamy dressings. I hope this will inspire some of you to try your own salad dressings! 

Do you make your own favourite dressing? Share below in the comments!

Goal 32. Purging my University "stuff"

Our house is small. And there is a lot crammed into it: 5 years of marriage, christmas decor, a treadmill, 3 guitars, hockey gear, oh, and two or three degrees worth of papers and books. We try not to be, but sometimes we are "selective-hoarders."

I have gotten rid of many things in my house, even things that at one point I thought I needed. But up until now I have held on to all of my old nursing notes and textbooks.

In "The Happiness Project," (which I am currently reading), Gretchen Rubin talks about aspirational clutter and nostalgic clutter. But there are lots more.  My "Someday, I might need this" clutter actually comes from a sense of fear that somehow I am going to desperately need great notes on, or an extra quote regarding... wound healing? A History of Women and Health Care in British Columbia?

Yeah.... that seems unlikely.

With the internet I can find resources regarding both of these subjects much quicker than I could by looking through my notes. Not to mention that they are only 4 years old and already becoming out-of-date.

But, if I throw them away, then I am truly closing that chapter of my life off. And, for me, it's been a chapter of my life that doesn't feel quite finished. Since leaving nursing school at the end of Year 3 and not being able to return, I have always felt that chapter remained open, unfinished. I was always working towards completing my degree or working on a plan to get me closer. I wasn't really an LPN, I was an RN in LPN clothing.

Well, today, I am stating: I am an LPN. I work as an LPN, I am registered as an LPN, and I quite enjoy being an LPN. 

If I become an RN, that would be great. It would be wonderful to accomplish that task. But, it is simply something to make my work better, not to make it legitimate. Keeping old school notes doesn't let me room to add any new notes. They are just hanging on, so that I don't have to close that chapter. I don't have to move on and let the past go.

Sometimes clutter can be a representation of what is going on in our lives, not just what happens in our house. Today I am getting rid of some of that "mind - clutter." Maybe you see yours, lurking behind your own cabinet door. 

Do you keep clutter that is holding you back? What about "mind - clutter"?