In one year plus some change, I will be 30.  I’m far from being in the best shape of my life.  Recently, I realized I needed to change that.

It’s hard.

It’s really easy to want to quit.

There are so many excuses.

But, I refuse to buy bigger clothes and I refuse to have a double chin.  That may seem shallow, but there are inner self goals as well.

Insecurity SUCKS. (Sorry mom and Jody, you hate that word, but it best describes it!)

I have struggled with insecurity for as long as I can remember.  The bullies in middle school weren’t so kind and when you gain weight easily….well, it’s  really easy to start to feel bad about yourself.  The problem is, for a long time I just didn’t think or want to do anything about it.  It is so easy to take a so what mentality.  I’ve decided that that isn’t good enough for me anymore.  I’m still at an age where I can do something about it and I really don’t have an excuse to not try.

My dear friend Sarah, who I’ve always looked up to, is nearing the 100 mark in her weight loss journey.  Can we get a round of applause and an amen!?  It makes the 25 I need to lose seem like a pretty wimpy goal in comparison, but for me it’s definitely a mountain standing in my way.  But – I know once I get started, it does get easier.  Like today.  We went for a run and had planned on steak and potatoes for dinner.  After the run, I decided we really didn’t need to ruin the good work by eating potatoes (because that meant we’d be eating them tomorrow as well for lunch).  We went with cottage cheese and fruit instead AND I got over a serving of fruit which pretty much never happens.

A few other things that have helped me get motivated:

1. Making a killer workout playlist.  Keep adding/subtracting songs so you don’t get bored.

2. Buying dedicated work out clothes.  They don’t need to be fashionable, but it’s a lot easier to work out in clothes that are meant for that job.

3.  A good pair of running shoes.  When I started, my old shoes didn’t have enough support and it would take me 2-3 days to fully recover from a run which isn’t really ideal.  I just ran in my new shoes and feel great!

4.  Having people keep me accountable.  I’ve come up with an achievable goal (it’ll be hard, but is possible) and now I’ve told y’all so…I don’t like to fail!

I will attempt to update as much as possible how I’m doing which adds a whole other level of accountability.

1. Wild – Royal Teeth

2. Just Give Me a Reason – Pink

3. Stay (radio edit) – Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko

4. Let it Out – Girl Talk (language warning)

5. Pompeii – Bastille

6. This is the New Year – Ian Axel

7. I Love It – Icona Pop (language warning)

8. Fjogur Piano – Sigur Ros

9. Do You Hear the People Sing? – Les Mis OST Extended Edition

10. Paper Ships – Dead Man’s Bones

11. If I Lose Myself (Acoustic) – OneRepublic

* I stopped linking songs to YouTube and the likes because the links seemed to keep going dead.  I prefer to listen to music online using Grooveshark, but most of these songs are also available on YouTube and Spotify

Enter the blue bracelet.  The kiddos I work with are not necessarily from the most affluent sector of our society.  We rarely get gifted anything other than a smile or a hug or the knowledge that we helped a kid out.  Truly, that is enough for me.  Some students get real creative and make us “gifts.”  Wednesday morning, one of my kiddos came into the classroom beaming.  Being in the mood that I was, I stayed focused on the kiddo I was working with.  I overheard the other teacher say, “Well, when Mrs. S. is done helping (Student),  you can give it to her.”  Oh boy.  I heard the words “made” and “all by myself.”  Usually not a great combo.

The student handed me a blue bracelet.  Clearly from a ninety nine cent machine or possibly from a siblings stash, definitely not homemade.  Who knows, but that kid had pure joy radiating from them with the fact that they could give their teacher a gift.  And like the Grinch, my heart grew a whole lot more than it had been at the start of the day.

I’m just glad it fit.  I’m worried it will never come off, though…

Natalie Groves is an Iowa implant and I LOVE her work.  I saw this one at the Iowa State Fair and am so glad I now have it! I literally screamed when I opened it.  See more Natalie’s work on her blog and in her etsy shop.

The rest of our artwork comes from Domestica and purchased with Christmas moola from various family members.

I could not get good lighting for this guy, it’s much more vibrant in real life.  It’s actually a greeting card, but it looks exactly like our Binx and the face he makes when I put his costume on him.  Thus, I have named this Business Binx and have several places I can think of to hang it.

I love birch trees from our trips up to Northwoods Wisconsin.  Grandma Carol’s favorite bird was a cardinal so these seemed like a very fitting choice.  A sweet reminder of her.  They will go in our guest room since they match the vintage inspired quilt that I made in there.  I love them.

More foxes!  These are little 4x6ish cards.  One for each month…kind of obvious.  It came with a sweet acryllic stand to display one at a time, but I want to rig up something where they can all be on display because I love them.

The last painting was a complete surprise from Christy and Katrina that they got for us on their honeymoon in Puerto Rico.  I love all the bright, happy colors!

Next step.  Framing all of them!  Luckily, I have a trip to IKEA in the near future.  I’ll have to share where they end up around the house.  How do you pick the artwork for your home?

Our table is a hand me down from my parents.  I believe they got it at a garage sale at some point in the seventies? I could be wrong on that.  Either way, it’s a really nice table, it’s just really showing its age.  Not to mention the lovely orangey stain doesn’t really go with our floors or this decade.

I’m convinced that with a little wood glue and elbow grease, this table could be rejuvenated into something we can love for at least a few more years until we can afford a really nice one.  Seth, not so much convinced.  When I put up the numbers of $700+ for a whole new table and chairs vs. refinishing it for $70, he started to listen and finally gave in.  I promised it would be under $70.

Nailed it.  I may have gloated a little bit.

And…this is as far as I’ve gotten.  I got derailed by a massive cold/sinus thing and figured paint and stain fumes weren’t going to be helpful.  This coming weekend I’m out of town so it’ll be at least a week or two before I get my official start on this thing, but I’m super excited!  Stay tuned.  Will Seth love it?  Will I finally love our dining room? Can the table be saved?!?!?

Seth: So let me tell you a story
Of a bug
This bug (box elder bug) was on my desk when I came in today
Laying on his back kicking his legs
I felt pity for this bug so I flipped him over with a piece of paper
The rest of the day the bug and I lived in harmony
He climbed my dragon eraser
He climbed my monitor, even made it to the webcam
and even when he came towards my mouse I did not squish him
because I realized that I saved his life and he was probably just coming to say hi
I swear he even looked me straight in the eye
Now… alas, something happened to that poor bugs foot and he crumpled over
his face still twitching around
and then it stopped
his life stopped
RIP bug
me: that was really depressing
Seth: We had a connection

How could you not love him?

About a month ago, we had a book fair at school coupled with a couple books ordered from Amazon.  I devoured them pretty quickly and already have another huge stack of new (to me) books to start reading in the new year!

Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R.L. LaFevers

The description on this book said if you were a Harry Potter fan, you’d love this book.  While I love LOVE love Harry Potter, I can’t claim that these books have anything in common other than they are set in England.  Aside from that, I really liked it.  It’s definitely geared for younger readers, but when you work at an elementary school, it is ok to be seen reading kid’s books!  I loved that it had a strong female lead.

Amber House by Kelly Moore

This was another book fair pick and it was the one I was most worried about liking.  It ended up being a mega page turner that I could hardly set down.  It was a super easy read and had several plot twists that made it a really fun read.  I didn’t know going into it, that it was supposed to be part of a series so I’m actually looking forward to the future installments.  I don’t know that I would want my elementary aged child reading this book just because they are high school aged kids in the book who do high school aged things, but nothing too terrible.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Not going to lie – I bought this one simply because the cover was really pretty.  I am that person.  So, the fact that I really liked it made it a bonus.  I wasn’t quite sure what this book was going to be about going into it, but it had some really wonderful themes especially for young girls.  It was a book that just made me smile a lot.

The Runaway Princess by Hester Brown

I have loved all but one of Hester’s books.  The one with the finishing school was dumb.  I wasn’t sure she could top Swept off Her Feet (because it is one of my favorites), but I loved this one just as much.  Granted, this one seemed the least plausible of her stories, I still loved it none the less.  It was a really sweet fairy tale story for those of us who are a little too old to believe in Disney princesses.

The Jolly Christmas Postman by Allan and Janet Ahlberg

I love Christmas.  I love the Jolly Postman.  I love books.  That’s all.  It’s a children’s classic and a great gift for any kid in your life.

Young House Love by John and Sherry Petersik

If you are a young homeowner or first time homeowner or just plain a homeowner who isn’t DIY saavy, Young House Love is a really great resource!  I started reading their blog within the last year and have already learned quite a bit and even used some of their tactics.  Their book is a compilation of easy projects to help personalize your house.  Lots of great pictures and ideas!

Be on the lookout for more book reviews since I just got 10 new ones with her Christmas money!!!