New Year's Resolutions 2015

2015 Resolutions to complete by January 1, 2016.  

Lots of these are repeats from my 2014 list.

1. Reread the Harry Potter series, a total of 7 books.
2. Read 5 books in addition to goal #1.
3. Utilize the gym more often other than going to spin class.  I want to see how far I can get in 30 minutes on the treadmill.  I'm currently at 2.41 miles.
4. Complete 1 road race.  The last one that I did was in 2012.
5. Limit new make-up, clothing, and craft supplies.  I have enough of all three categories.  I made a separate beauty resolutions list here and I did a makeup inventory (this was quite the eye-opener...).
6. Do at least 10 volunteer events. 
7. Try at least 10 new recipes (baked goodies/desserts do not count). 
8. Get back into my eBay and Etsy groove.  Specifically, reach 1000 Etsy sales.  I'm currently at 897 sales.  I actually got my first eBay sale today: a lot of 11 paperback books for $11.99, yay!
9. Get more restful sleep.  This means not being on reddit at midnight, not taking so many naps that it prevents me from falling asleep, and not ruminating on bad thoughts or things I can't control.  This will also help me get up on time to go to work, duh.
10. Comment more on blogs and YouTube videos that I read or watch. I've been mostly a silent observer, but I think it's important to reach out and say "Good job!" or "That (fill in the blank) looks great on you!" or "I really agree with what you said about (fill in the blank)."  This goes with people in real life too.  Compliments cost nothing and can really brighten up a person's day.  Source: me.
11. Plan/hold at least 5 cousin-only events. As my parents' generation gets older, I think it's really important for us cousins to remain tight.

Oh, and I almost forgot...maybe get another cat?

WHOA. Where did THAT idea come from?!

Whew...um, hm.  Looks like I got my work cut out for me this year.

Snow Day

O hai! Can I have some chicken?

The weather forecast called for a 1 - 3 inches this morning, and I didn't really think it was going to be that big of a deal so I did not bring my computer home from work last night. When I woke up this morning and turned on the radio, I heard that OPM had an unscheduled leave or telework policy for today and several schools were delayed or closed.

The county schools first decided to delay schools and then they decide to close them.  I thought it was kind of weird because the closure happen after the kids, at least the high school kids, were already on the road. Talk about unsafe! I kept tabs on Twitter, Facebook and the local news and the roads were a mess out there.  GoogleMaps was displaying lots of red lines, indicating traffic congestion. 

Even though I did not have my work computer with me, I was able to download Lync onto my personal computer so that I could telework and continue to receive and make calls as necessary.  Email wasn't as much of an issue since I could access it via the Internet and on my phone. I got an email saying that the big boss was ordering pizza for the brave souls that went to the office today.  How generous! :)

In between conference calls and answering emails, I made a batch of this crockpot chicken that I made on Saturday.  I have one serving left from my Saturday batch, which I'll eat for lunch tomorrow.  Yay for planning ahead.

Makeup Inventory and New Card

Makeup Inventory: This is going to sound really gross but my washer was smelling kind of weird last night so I looked up how to clean it on Google and I found out that you can clean it with some vinegar and baking soda. While I was waiting for the machine to cycle, I sat down with my computer, opened up a spreadsheet and made a makeup inventory of my "collection". I didn't really include free gift with purchase items that I got from my mom from Estée Lauder, with the exception of 2 blushes and a concealer. I still have a lot of make up that I really would like to either throw away or use up by the end of 2015.

At some point this week I will also do a nail polish inventory. I think it's good to write these things down to keep me accountable and to know what I have.

New card: Julie asked me to make a card for someone she knows that broke his fibula.  She wanted the card to feature an origami giraffe or alpaca wearing a cast.  I went with an alpaca because cutting out spots for the giraffe would take too long.

New Haircut

I successfully made it to one hour spin class this morning, yay! Afterwards I went to my parents house to take down the Christmas tree and decorations with my sister. I also emptied ánother half of a box of my old belongings.  Recycling ensured.

When I got home I took a shower and then I went to Hair Cuttery to get my hair cut. I had a coupon in my email that I wanted to use before it expired. It'd been a while since I've been in that mall and I noticed there was a lot of construction going on. I asked the receptionist what new stores were coming and she said Ross and TJ Maxx and Michael's which I was really excited about.

I asked for a trim and my bangs cut because everything had grown out since my last haircut.  I thought the hairdresser seemed very nervous and I felt that the haircut took a long time for something that seemed pretty simple.  When the appointment was over, I realized that I didn't purchase a full blow dry and so I didn't see the full effect of the cut until I ran my hair straightener through it when I got home.

Decluttering (Again)

I've gone through several rounds of decluttering since moving to my townhome and somehow I can still find things that I want to throw away, donate or recycle.  It's nuts!

This is how I spent my Friday night yesterday.

Step 1: Tackle a box from parents' house. A few days ago I went to my parents' house and I retrieved 1 of the 3 remaining boxes of my old things. Inside there were some old books, 2 graduation caps, a photo album and some old timesheets from previous jobs.  This part entailed a lot of shredding.

Step 2: Tackle textbooks. I tried to find some books that I could resell, specifically my public health textbooks. I already recycled my old chemistry books.  Unfortunately, I only found one that was worth anything, and and I will get $15.25 for selling it back. I wish I had thought of this sooner because the versions that I have are not worth anything anymore.

Step 3: Tackle VHS tapes. I also sent off a box of approximately 28 VHS tapes to GreenDisk for recycling.  Yes, I had to pay for them for this service, but I would much rather do that and know that they are not in a landfill somewhere.

Step 4: Tackle personal library.  A coworker said to me last week that she doesn't own many DVDs anymore because she streams her movies. That thought came to mind when I was looking at my bookshelf. I have so many that I don't read anymore, and they take up space.  I figured that I could donate them and if I felt like reading them again, I could borrow a physical or e-book copy from the library.  For books that are from the same series/author, I hope to put in lots so that I can sell them on eBay.  With that said, I took a bag of about 10-15 books to the library to donate. 

For what it's worth, I know that one series that I will NOT be getting rid of is Harry Potter...too much sentimental value here.

So this morning was very productive with going to the post office to mail off the textbooks and the VHS tapes and then the library to donate a bunch of books.  I also did some grocery shopping, which was really good timing because I knew this afternoon would be rainy and gross, so it'd be a perfect opportunity to throw things in the crockpot and have some comfort food ready for dinner and for the next few days. While I waited for things to cook in the crockpot, I watched a ton of YouTube via my Chromecast (mainly Project Pan and Project Use It Up challenge videos.  The one lady (Amber F.) actually finished the entire Naked palette.  Every single eyeshadow. I was really impressed!) and used my spin bike.  I used this Real Simple Magazine Slow-Cooker Creamy Chicken with Biscuits recipe (Recipe #1 of 2015). I added potatoes and didn't include biscuits (it's like the inside of a chicken pot pie).  The next time I make this, I'll include mushrooms.  

2015 Beauty Resolutions

Spinning: 1-hour spin class, check!  There was a guy that rode the noisy bike despite several of us telling him that it would do that.  The clanking noise got so loud that the music couldn't drown it out. The lady next to him actually got up and left. One of the spinners told the guy on the clanking bike to move to her bike since she left.  Problem solved and everyone had a less distracting class. :)

2015 Beauty Resolutions: I wanted to make a set of beauty related resolutions for 2015, separate from life ones. These were also easier to come up with, so that's another reason why I'm posting them first.

• The theme for this year is to make a conscious effort to use stuff up and then I can allow myself to buy new stuff.  I've even written down a list of items that I want to be done with by 2016.  This should be pretty easy because I've made a significant dent in all of these already.  I can't wait to be able to put them in my empties box.
• Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Truffle
• Revlon Just Kissable Balm Stain in Honey
• Revlon Nearly Naked foundation in Shell 
• Jordana Twist and Shine Moisurising Balm Stain in Honey Love
• Estee Lauder concealer in light medium
• Estee Lauder blush in True Sand
• 2 Covergirl liquiline eyeliners in black
• 1 Jordana Made to Last eyeliner in Black Point
• Urban Decay Primer Potion eyeshadow primer
• 1 tube of Carmex
• 4 body sprays
• 1 facial mask
• 1 brush cleaner
• Not pictured because they are at my desk at the office: Revlon Lip Butter in Sugar Plum and EOS lip balm in Lemon Drop.
• No more new nail polish purchases.  Have you seen my collection?  I have enough.  Really.  I do.  I will make an exception for top coat because that's not really a colored nail polish.
• Limit myself to 6 new makeup purchases in 2015, like lipsticks and eyeshadows (roughly 1 new thing every other month).  Necessities like lotion, moisturizers, foundations, concealers, a black eyeliner (after the ones listed above are done), a tube of mascara (after all my backups are done), hair dye, shampoo, conditioner, etc. will not count.  If I can stick to this resolution, I'm going to be ecstatic!  Eek!
• Make an effort to use conditioner in my hair.  Wow, it really makes a difference!  Duh.

Mischief Managed

Happy New Year! 

I started the day off on the right note by making it to a 1-hour spin class this morning. The girl that had the bike behind me was totally singing along to the songs, which I found amusing.  Shake it off, shake it off!

Truth be told, I lipsynced my way though class.

Afterwards, I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to return a gift that I didn't end up giving away. On a whim, I went over to the home section because I had been thinking about getting a slip cover for the loveseat. RJ has sometimes used the edges of the armrests as a scratching post (even though he knows how to use the actual scratching thing that's next to the TV!) and the right side has frayed so badly that the foam is coming out slightly (?!). I had thought about upgrading my furniture since I purchased the sofa and loveseat from the house's previous owners, but OMG, I looked up furniture online and it's not cheap.  Not that I would want cheap furniture.  It would not be fiscally responsible to get something cheap and then have it fall apart in a year or so.  Wow, quite the reality check. Mom suggested that I get a slipcover since it'd be a cheaper alternative and I can wash it if necessary and if RJ ruins this one, it's not as big of a financial investment as new furniture is.

Anyway, I found one in chocolate...and it was on clearance and I had a coupon! #bestdayever Original price: $59.99, clearance price: $35.99 and then I had a 20% coupon. Yay!  I'm not in a rush to cover the sofa because it hasn't been a victim of RJ's mischief, but if the right one at the right price comes along, then I'll reconsider.

Another good thing that happened today was that I got a 2-card Etsy sale. Etsy sales 2 days in a row...double yay!