Judge, Jury and Executioner

I haven't been feeling good about myself lately - I've been in a very negative head space and I think it's time for a change.  I've noticed lately that I've been very "Judgy McJudgerson"...I don't really know how else to explain it.  As an example, I stood in our kitchen for a good 10 minutes on Sunday watching our neighbours two doors down work on their backyard.  They've been laying sod for the last few days and have also been building garden boxes.  I found myself judging them because they were laying the sod over top of the weeds that have overtaken their yard since their topsoil was delivered last fall, because they hadn't leveled their garden boxes, because the garden boxes themselves were poorly built.....the list goes on.  I feel as though I've turned into one of those people who think their "shit don't stink" and I'm not really enjoying being such a Negative Nancy!  Looking at my own yard there are projects needing to be started and projects desperately needing to be finished.  My yard is no different than theirs, and really, what difference does it make?  So, I figured it was time for a reality check.  Clear out the negative air and focus instead, on the positive.  It will be 3 months tomorrow since I posted about my list of goals for the year.  Let's check in, see where things are at and focus on the accomplishments rather than what my neighbours are up to.


1.  Get driver's license - It's hard to believe I have had my learner's license for nearly 13 years and I have never gone for my road test!  Better late than never I suppose.
I haven't booked my test yet, but I have been driving!  This one is a work in progress.
2.  Reach goal weight - I plan to lose 40 lbs by the end of this year (curse you, baby weight!).  I've already lost 18 lbs since I started mid-November so I guess I'm doing pretty well in this regard.
I've lost 30.6lbs to date.  I've hit a bit of a plateau, but I'm hoping to get back on track and keep shedding the pounds!
3.  Bake buns - I need to find a good recipe and bake buns from scratch!  Time to start calling the grandmas & aunts!
My friend Tracy sent me a couple of recipes but I haven't tried them yet.  
4.  Purge home of unneeded items - I'm not quite qualified to be on an episode of Hoarders but it is getting a bit out of hand.  We've been moving boxes around that we continue to leave packed.  Why waste the space?
We haven't really done anything about this yet.  We may have a yard sale this summer...we'll see.  Either way, the crap is outta here!
5.  Plant a garden - I've always wanted to plant a garden.  Our yard at our previous home was quite large and daunting.  I'm ready to bite the bullet!  I even have a list of vegetables I want to plant on my cell (are you surprised?  I didn't think so...lol)
My garden box has been built!  I'm planning on picking up my dirt/compost this weekend and get to planting!
6.  Have a bountiful harvest from the garden - Here's hoping!
I need to plant the garden first!  Lol
7.  Throw a great 1st birthday party for the boys - 1st birthdays are kind of a big deal! 
The boys' 1st birthday party was AWESOME!  Uncle B & auntie E, auntie T & uncle D, grandpa P, grandma & grandpa B, great auntie T & both of the great-grandma's were here!  After much testing I found the perfect cake recipe (this could have something to do with my weight loss plateau...!), we made a video montage of the boys' shenanigans to date and had an all around great day!  I can't wait to start planning their 2nd birthday!  
8.  Have an amazing 7th anniversary - Our 6th anniversary wasn't so hot.  This year is going to be better!
Our anniversary was celebrated over two separate days.  The first was a Saturday spent in Edmonton.  We ditched the little boys at grandma & grandpa B's house and went out for some lunch and retail therapy.  The second day was our actual anniversary.  I got some beautiful flowers and made Scott an amazing dinner!  
9.  Go out for dinner with the boys - We haven't attempted this one yet.  It makes me a tad bit nervous to take them out.  Evenings are always a bit scary for us since the boys aren't napping much during the day.  Evenings usually end up in a full on meltdown by one, or both, of the boys.
We've done this a few times now, and really...it's not so scary after all!  The first few times we went were with grandma & grandpa B, and then with our friends Cam & Chelsey when they were here for a weekend.  We've since done it twice on our own, and like I said, totally painless so long as I don't run out of Cheerios to keep them busy!  Hahaha
10.  Go out for dinner without the boys - We've done this once, when the boys were about 2mos old.  Our wonderful friend Chelsey spent a few hours with the boys while we went out to Moxies.  It was great!  Now that the boys are older, and we no longer live in the same city, things are slightly more complicated.  We need to find a good babysitter (or two!)
Scott and I went out for lunch while we were in Edmonton.  We would have gone out for dinner but time didn't really allow us to.  An overnight trip is kind of out of the question as we have dogs.  Lunch counts...right??
11.  Go to a movie - This one also requires a babysitter (or a grandparent or two).
This one will have to wait until Scott's mom & dad come out for a weekend as there isn't enough time to go on a day trip to Edmonton.
12.  Become a full-time stay at home mom - It's very important to me to be able to raise our boys.  If we are able to do it financially I would love to be able to be home with them.
So far, not sure.  I'm working on setting up an extended leave of absence to keep my options open with my employer but it's (apparently) quite the process as I haven't heard anything back from them yet.
13.  Read 5 books you've never read before - I used to read a lot!  I've been having a hard time keeping up the momentum since the boys were born.  This is mostly due to the fact that I'm so busy with them during the day, and so tired when they go to bed at night that I'm lucky if I make it through 2 pages! 
1. Eat, Pray, Love (Elizabeth Gilbert) - It took me a while to get through this one.  However, I'd definitely recommend reading the book over watching the movie...the way the character was portrayed made me wish I could reach through my TV screen and punch her in the throat!  
2. Water For Elephants (Sara Gruen) - This book was incredible!  I am almost nervous to see the movie because I don't know that they'll be able to do the story justice.  
3. Sing You Home (Jodi Picoult) - I have a love/hate relationship with Jodi Picoult.  Some of her previous novels have made me so angry I want to throw them across the room upon reading the final sentences.  This one surprised me.  Based on the subject matter I expected it to have her typical blindside ending, it did not.
4. The Gathering (Kelley Armstrong) - I have read (and LOVED) all of Kelley Armstrong's other novels.  This is the first book released in a new trilogy.  It was not as good as the "Otherworld" series, but I will definitely be reading the second and third books when they are released.
5. The Vampire Diaries - Awakening (L.J. Smith) - I have watched TVD series and was unsure about reading the books.  I am currently reading this one (the first of four) and so far so good!  The series took a fairly large departure from the novel but I'm enjoying the novel so far.
14.  Tell Scott and the boys that you love them every day, both in your words and your actions.
Check! :)
15.  Send homemade items to Angela & Emma - This one is the result of a Facebook challenge.  You were to send homemade items to the first 5 people that replied to your status & they in turn had to repost it as their status.
I'm working on this one!  Angela's is in the works and I have wool picked out for Emma's.  Grayson nearly ruined the scarf I'm knitting for Angela the other day but I saved it just in time!
*Note to self....DO NOT leave your knitting bag on the floor where little boys could find it and pull out the needles
16.  Knit scarves for the boys for next winter - This one could prove challenging as I never remember how to purl or cast off.  I think I'll be spending a fair bit of time getting lessons from Scott's grandma.
Again, I have the wool picked out but have yet to start knitting.
17.  Spend an entire day without turning on the TV - How am I going to go an entire day without using Planet 51 to prevent an impending meltdown?!?  This could be interesting....
This one hasn't happened yet, and still frightens me as much as it did when I initially wrote it!  Haha
18.  Make a new friend - Since we've moved I've found myself a bit starved for adult companionship.  This has been made even more challenging by the fact that I don't drive, so getting out and meeting people is difficult.  I can't wait for spring & summer so I can get out of the house more often.  I'm going to be living at the park!  Haha
I've been trying to get out as much as possible since the snow melted!  It's been incredibly windy for about a week now so I haven't been out much.  *SIGH*
19.  Get back in touch with an old friend - I want to make a meaningful (re-)connection with an old friend.  Finding someone on Facebook doesn't count!
Work in progress.
20.  Bake gingersnaps that AREN'T for Christmas - Gingersnaps are my all time favourite cookie!  I make them every year for Christmas but then I find myself craving them throughout the year.  They take a bit more work than your average cookie, so usually I let laziness win and don't make them...not this year!
I think this will happen in the fall when I start to crave the warm, spicy flavour of gingersnaps.
21.  Make a conscious effort to drink 8 glasses of water per day - This might sound like a pretty lame goal but I've noticed since the boys were born that my water consumption has really decreased.
Check! 
22.  Pet the dogs every day - I'm committing to loving our dogs more.  The cats on the other hand, can go eff themselves!  Haha
Check!
23.  Stop biting your lip - This is something that I have always done.  It bothers me.  I'm going to stop.
Working on it.  It's gotten much better.
24.  Do yoga - I've never practiced yoga before.  It intrigues me, both in the sense that it is good physical activity, but a good mental activity as well. 
Someday I will have time to work out again.  When that day arrives I will attempt yoga!
25.  Do something that scares you - I'm not sure what this will be, but I'll know it when I do it.
I still haven't figured out what this is.
26.  Bake apple crisp completely from scratch.  No pie filling! - I've never done this before.  I figure it's time.
Like my gingersnaps, this will likely happen in the fall.
27.  Take the boys swimming - I always loved the water but I didn't start taking swimming lessons until I was in my early teens.  I want our boys to feel confident in the water from an early age.
Swim trunks? Check 
Swim shirts? Check
Swim diapers? Check
Swimming? Not yet...but soon!
28.  Spend more time at the lake - Scott's grandma Mil has a cabin that is only an hour away from us.  It's too close for us not to go!  She adores the boys and it's important for us to have her spend as much time with her (only) great-grandchildren as she can!
I'm thinking June, July & August will be good months to accomplish this one.
29.  Paint - I have an entire box of watercolour painting supplies in the basement.  I used to paint a lot when I was younger and I don't do it anymore.  I'd like to change that.  I'd also like to experiment with oils as well.
Not yet...
30.  Start a blog - I guess I've done this one already!  
Woohoo!  One down...39 to go!
31.  Write - Again, something that I used to do a lot when I was younger and have let slip away.  
Blogging counts, right?
32.  Re-upholster grandma's chair - I have an old chair that originally belonged to my grandma.  It's been living in our basement for the last 5+ years since my aunt gave it to me.  I'm looking forward to the day that the boys and I can snuggle up in it and read stories before bed, but first the awful yellow, orange & brown floral upholstery from the 70's needs to go!
This one is going to be tough.  First off, it's going to be more expensive than I anticipated.  Secondly, I'm having a hard time finding upholstery I like!
33.  Get your eyes checked - I haven't had my eyes checked for about 13 years.  I have an appointment booked for February 25th.  I'm a little nervous about this as I know my eyes aren't what they used to be.
Done.  Got glasses (I only need them at night).  And so begins the downward spiral of poor eyesight.  FML.
34.  Get a suntan...the real kind - I've been known to go to Fabutan to add a little extra to my summer colour.  I want to spend more time outside this year and get one the natural way!  The vitamin D will be a nice addition as well.
I've been spending as much time as possible out on the deck in the afternoon while the boys are down for their naps.  So far, so good!
35.  Start a compost bin - I've been after Scott for the last 3 years or so to build something that I can use as a compost bin.  I'm hoping with my garden this year that this might actually happen! 
Fingers crossed for next weekend!
36.  Save more, spend less
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!  I shouldn't laugh....I spent a whole lotta $ in Edmonton a few weekends ago with my friends Tracy & Brienne.  Gotta slow it down or I'm gonna have to get my ass back to work!  
37.  Fly a kite - I'm pretty sure my age was a single digit the last time I did this. 
Why haven't I done this yet?!?!?  Goodness knows it's been windy enough!  
38.  Build a sandcastle - Again, I'm pretty sure the last time I did this dates back to the single digits.
This will happen at the lake this summer!
39.  Spend an entire day outside
This one may be a bit tricky...I'll have to sneak in to make food for the boys!
40.  Go on a picnic
Later this summer....


Well!  Not too shabby!  I've accomplished quite a few things on my list so far.  Most importantly, I'm kicking Negative Nancy to the curb!  As they say on Sesame Street..."sunny day, chasing the clouds away.  On my way to where the air is sweet!"  Oh boy....I really need to finish #17!  Hahaha