MINDIANNA

This week...

#1 I got the job I mentioned in my last post!  Yay!  My first day in January 24th.  I'm nervous but really excited at the same time.  Everyone seemed so nice and I really love the place.  Feels like home.

#2 I got approved for the apartment I wanted.  I'm SO excited!  My move in date is January 21st.  I've been supressing a squeel...it's not really my thing...but inside I'm squeeling.  I can't wait to get everything set up!

#3 I've lost a few more pounds with weight watchers for a total of 8 pounds so far!  Woohoo!  8 down 12 to go :)

#4 I finished the book Jackdaws by Ken Follet...I LOVED it.  Flick was such an awesome character.  I love reading books with strong female characters.  *Thank you Matthew for recommending it.*  After finishing it I started 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami.  I'm only 40 pages into it, but I'm loving it so far.

Currently listeing to Harvest Moon by Neil Young...such a beautiful song :)

2012

2012 is going to be quite the year for me actually!  Here's why:

1. I'm moving to a new city...and having my own place for the first time!  I've been procrastinating about this for the past two years, but the time has come and it's really happening!  I'm moving to Fort Worth!  Yay!  I've been rooming with my sister and brother-in-law for quite a while now and they are buying their first home!  I really have no other option, but that's good...this is the push I needed to finally go for it.  I have an interview this Thursday and I'm sooo nervous!  Wish me luck!
2. I'm losing weight and getting in shape this year.  Over the past three years I've steadily put on about 20 lbs that I never had before now.  I started Weight Watchers in mid-December and have lost 5 lbs so far!  5 down 15 to go!  I've found the point system to be so helpful and tracking my daily food intake has really been an eye opener!  And to be honest...I have so much fun with all of the tracking!  Once I get moved into my new place (hopefully by the end of the month!), I'll have the extra space and privacy to do my video workouts...30 Day Shred/Tae-Bo/P90 here I come!
3. I'm going to read at least 24 books!  In 2011 I read a total of 18 books (and loved them ALL!) and I'm determined to make it to 24 this year.  2 per month?  I got this.
4. Learn more about making soap!  I really want to explore melt and pour soap a bit more, and I REALLY want to successfully make cold-process soap.  Aside from soap I also want to learn more about/make lots of lotions,body butters,lip balms,salt/sugar scrubs,bath bombs, and pretty much anything you'd find in a bath/body store.  So fun!!!
5. Spend more time outdoors!  When I was very small I spent nearly EVERY waking hour outdoors.  As I got older and having a computer in the house became the norm...I slowly retreated indoors and became a hermit in my bedroom.  I like being a hermit in my bedroom...but I spend WAY too much of my down time sitting in my room and mostly playing on the computer.  I NEED more time outdoors.  I feel like technology has taken over my life and I want to get back in touch with nature.  I plan on going on lots of walks/hikes this year and I really want to go camping a lot too.  I need to find some outdoor hobbies...kayaking, birdwatching, camping, hiking, tree climbing!  Any ideas?

What are you doing in 2012? 

Christmas: 5 Questions

I got this idea a while back from the girls at Muchu Mucho Bueno Bueno and thought it would be a perfect little post to kick off the month of December!  Feel free to use it as a post on your blog as well or even just leave your answers as a comment if you like!  I'd love to read them! 

1.  Are you a lover or hater of Christmas music?  If yes, what are your favorite Christmas Albums? 

I do love Christmas music...but I don't start playing it until the first of December.  I know this probably sounds Grinch-y of me, but I can't stand seeing Christmas stuff going up in October and listening to Christmas music before December has even begun.  I get burnt out and it's ruined for me by the time it gets here.  Once December 1st gets here though I'm REALLY excited to start decorating and listening to Christmas music!  My favorites include anything by Elvis, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and Sinatra! 

2.  What is your favorite memory about Christmas?

One year my dad had set up a scavenger hunt for a gift we were totally not expecting.  It took us about 15 minutes or so to get through the hunt until we finally found it.  It was a go-cart and it was awesome!  It was really thoughtful of him to set up a scavenger hunt like that. 

3.  Do you have Christmas traditions?  Do Tell!

For as far back as I can remember, it was a tradition to make Christmas cookies every year.  My stepmom has THE best cookie recipe that she keeps secret.  She bakes them up and we decorate them.  My dad and stepmom divorced years ago, but my sisters and I still go to her house every year to make them like we always have.  It's one of my favorite things to look forward to around Christmas! 

4.  When do you get your tree and decorate?

Honestly, it's different every year, but usually right after Thanksgiving.  We used to get real trees when we were younger, but then we got a fake one one year and we've stuck with it ever since.  Next Christmas may be my first Christmas living somewhere other than home away from family and my new tradition will be to decorate my tree December 1st. 

5.  When do you take your decorations down?

I like to take down Christmas decor the day after.  I like everything to be stowed away before the new year.   

A Little Scarce

I will most likely be a bit scarce for the next couple of months I imagine.  I'll try not to fall off of my blog completely, but with Working/Making Xmas Gifts/Preparing to Move I'm going to be stressed to the max as it is.  I'm also starting the Weight Watchers diet and a running program.  I need to take care of my body and spending less time on the internet.  Peace!

P.S.  I finished The Girl Who Played With Fire four days after I started reading it.  It was sooooo good!  I ended up ordering the box set and can't wait to start the third and final book: The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest.  I also watched the first two films and loved them :)  Can't wait to see the American version in December!   

Roll With the Punches

I want to do these two things:

1)Roller Derby! via here
2)Boxing!via here

Honest To Blog

I was inspired by Caitlin's very honest post over on her blog To Make Love Stay about how honest and true to herself that she is on her blog.  She takes pride in the fact that she portrays herself exactly how she is in person and I love that.  If you've never visited her blog before, please take a moment right now and visit her by clicking here! 

There's a lot more to my story than what I'm sharing today (which I'll share at another time I promise!), but I have had a serious problem comparing myself to others since 7th grade.  When I started following blogs I won't deny the fact that I fell head over heels for the picture perfect life that I so enjoyed seeing and reading about.  The adorable outfits, the so well put together home decor, and the handmade lifestyle.  I also won't deny the following:

1. I never do outfit posts because I keep telling myself to wait until I have a new wardrobe.  Until I have really cute outfits to share.  I don't go shopping very often because I honestly can't afford it (mostly because after I pay bills I spend a lot of my money of books and movies).  If you were to take a look at my wardrobe you'd find a couple pairs of jeans, plain t-shirts, sweats and basketball shorts, a few cute tunic tops, and a few cute dresses.  One pair of nike running shoes, 2 pair of TOMS shoes which is what I'm normally wearing...the fabric is starting to come off the toes because I literally wear them EVERY day, and a pair of flip flops that are hiding somewhere...the dog may have actually chewed them up I really don't know anymore.
2. I've never shared photos of 'my space' before because (as you're about to see) 'my space' is a total disaster area!  I currently live with my sister and her husband and I mostly just live in my bedroom.  I occasionally venture out to socialize every few days for a few minutes...but I'm really a hermit mostly :)  I like my me time.  The fact that I have a rather small room and I'm in here at all times when I'm not at work...I make a mess.  This is something that I need to work on and when I move to my new place...I plan on taking the bare minimum and being clutter-free.  The less stuff I have...the less of a mess I can make right?

Sooo after reading Caitlin's post I was inspired to be honest and share the real me...the me that I'm too afraid to put out there because I want to project a perfect image of what I want/wish my life was right now.  I guess the reason I felt the real need to post this is because I want to stop comparing myself to others and just be me.  Maybe this is me giving myself a push.  Are you ready?

1)  This is where I sleep.  I don't normally make my bed in the mornings...I sometimes do...but usually I don't.  I also leave my computer sitting on my bed and my phone if I'm charging it.  Oh and a book too!
2) This is my desk.  I don't normally use my desk.  I don't know if you've noticed yet...but take a look at the seat of my chair.  It's falling apart!  I'd love to repaint this desk and repair the seat cushion.  That will be a future before/after post because I plan on keeping that desk.  You can also see my little dvd player sitting in the lower left of the photo...I've made no attempt at concealing the connection cord which would easily just fit right over the back of the tv.  Okay I'm fixing that right now!  Fixed.
3) This is my little book shelf.  The remainder of my books are at the bottom of my other shelf or in my closet.  As you can see the shelves have been taken over by dvds.  I'll watch them and set them there when I put a new one in instead of walking four feet in the opposite direction to place them on my actual DVD shelf.  I'm sure you've also noticed the pizza box and trash bags.  I need to take those out.  Obviously this is just me being incredibly lazy!  Oh and the litter box and hutch I just sat there a couple of days ago after cleaning Daisy's living space.  She's outgrown the litter box and hutch.  And yes-that litter box is clean :)
Just for fun, here are a few of the most recent movies I've watched:
4)This is how dirty my floor is right now.  Daisy will be moving into a much bigger more luxurious space in a month (hopefully sooner!), but for now she resides in an indoor rabbit/ferret cage.  She constantly kicks carefresh out and it ends up being tracked through my room within a matter of a day or so.  Brando also sheds like crazy and his white hair shows up really well too.  It's everywhere!  Oh and by the way: my socks almost NEVER match :)
5) And this is what I look like today.  I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt with The Comedian from the movie Watchmen.  I'm comfortable.

My Hero

I just finished reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo yesterday and Lizbeth Salander, the heroine of the novel, is my new HERO!  The beginning was a little difficult to get inot, but once it started to pick up, boy did it REALLy get exciting!  If you haven't gotten around to reading it yet, or if you're looking for something you won't regret reading: READ THIS BOOK!  I immediately started book two of the series afterwards: The Girl Who Played With Fire, and it looks to be promising as well :)

I'm really excited to see the original Swedish version: 

AND I'm really excited about David Fincher's version which will be in theatres next month!

 

It's Official (almost!)

Over the past year and a half or two I've been saying that I'm moving to Fort Worth.  It seems as though it just keeps getting pushed back and it just hasn't happened yet.  I'm currently living with my sister Shelby and her husband David in a house that we're renting from my mom and stepdad.  To make a long story short: Shelby and David are buying a house!  This means that I won't be able to afford this place by myself so I'm making a move too!  I guess I'll call it "Official" when they start moving their things out next month :) 

Maybe I just needed a push like this.  I've never moved away from home to live by myself before, and it's a little intimidating and scary.  BUT REALLY EXCITING!!!  I've been apartment hunting and have a few on my list that I'd like to take a look at.  I can't wait!  Hopefully I can do that this weekend :)

I'm going to have so much fun decorating my new space!  I plan on making a LOT of my own decor so you can certainly look forward to a bunch of home-decor diy's and projects!  My first project is going to one of these:

 
Granny Square Blanket!

I've been crocheting for about two years now and I don't know why I haven't made a granny square blanket yet.  I'll try and pick up some yarn this weekend and get started!

Do you have any first apartment/moving tips?        

Five Facts

Jenny of Chandelier Jenny did this on her blog and I couldn't help but do one here too!

I occasionally stutter and stammer.  Sometimes I do this when I'm nervous or if I'm talking fast.  I have to stop and take a breath before I continue.

I'm messy.  My car and my bedroom are usually a bit of a mess.  This is something that I've been trying to work on, and when I move I'm not taking half of the stuff I own.  The less I have the less mess I can make!  My room isn't too terribly bad right now, but it's certainly not clean. 

I sketch.  This is something that I've kind of let go of, but that I really really must get back into.  Perhaps I'll start back up again and turn it into a weekly blog feature :)  You can see an example on Flickr here.  It's the last thing I sketched and it's been way too long! 

I make a lot of my own bath and body stuff.  I love handmade soaps and don't buy bar soap anymore.  It's fun and the lather is so much better!  Bath salts are fun to make too, and I have soooo much of it right now.  I promise to share recipes soon!

I'm a major dork.  If you were to walk into my bedroom one of the first things you'd notice is that I have a lifesize standup of Han Solo.  I love Han Solo! 

Feel free to do this on your blog!  Leave a comment if you do, I'd love to read five facts about you!

Birdy

When I'm in "craft mode" I love to listen to pretty music as I work.  I recently downloaded music by Birdy and all I can say is that I am so in love with her voice.  These videos are beautiful: