I want to check things off my to do list...

Some things on my to do list I would like to check off permanently. Putting laundry away and emptying the dish washer comes to mind, which shows that I apparently just don't like putting things away. But, like many chores around the house, they end up back on my to do list every week. There is no question, even if I put them at the bottom of the list and try to pretend they are not there- their reality stare at me straight in the face. So it's time to get down to business. Roll up those sleeves and get the not as fun stuff out of the way to get to the more fun activities that I have included on my list like yoga and reading. My reward for completion! Even though the chores keeps coming back, fortunately the satisfaction of crossing them out returns as well.

I want fresh flowers...

Flowers light up the room. I don't wait around for someone to give them to me, I buy them myself. Having them be the first thing I see sets my day off right. Simple pleasures in life is what keeps us grounded. Maybe it's your morning coffee, your heated seats in the car, or maybe the flowers- take a moment and love it, it never lets you down.

I want to trunk show...

This weekend I attended my first trunk show. Loooveed it!! I will be a returning shopper for sure. The energy was amazing- everyone so happy about getting a good deal on some awesome clothes and jewelry! In the mall it seems that everyone is trying to see who spends the most. A room full of savvy shoppers, this is the way for me to shop. I only had a limited amount of time to shop so only bought a shirt and a belt. They are totally rockin though! Woo hoo for me and my new found fun way to shop. Where has these trunk shows been my whole life?

I want to make friends like my dog does...

This is Penny Lane and her new friend Mia. They met for the first time today when a friend of mine came over for a walk. After their first smell, it took them all of five minutes to accept eachother. Then after the walk they ran around the backyard like they had been friends forever. My friend and I thought, wow, why can't people be like this? Why do we have to be so reserved? Without saying a word, the way we carry ourselves, tells people to not get too close. And if someone is friendly and starts talking right away, such as a dog getting their sniff in, we think they have crossed some line of private space! Dogs see what they have in common and go with it. Penny even shared her water with her new friend. After watching them, I will try to be as welcoming as they are to whomever crosses my path.

I want to drink tea....

I love hot tea. I love it so much that I have added it to my "If I were awesome list." If I were awesome, I would have three cups of tea every day. ivillage says that tea boosts our immune system, keeps us hydrated, protects our bones, and is full of antioxidents. How could you not drink it? I am accustomed to my cup in the am and occasionally the one at night, but to get checked off the, "if I were awesome list," I have to drink all three.

The cup of tea brings so much to my day. In the morning, the aroma gets my day started and I enjoy sipping as I greet my fellow teachers and students. If I have a tea mid day, I think it will make me slow down for maybe a second or two. You can't drink tea too fast because it's too darn hot! And in the evening, like a child, a little bedtime routine may help trick the body into relaxation. Will drinking tea three times a day make me awesome? Probably not, but it will help me make up for those other things I couldn't check off...

I want to do this....

Oh, how I have missed my yoga. Normally after seeing a picture like this, I would immediately get down on the floor and try it. I haven't practiced in almost a complete month due to an incision on my back that I did not want to re-open with every twist and turn. This picture comes from the yoga journal blog and even gives directions how to get into it. This gets me excited about Thursday when back to yoga I go! I love yoga because there is always another step, always a place to improve, or something to work towards. As we practice, we begin to understand our bodies and appreciate every part of it. There is beauty in the stillness, beauty is the movement, and beauty throughout the journey of yoga. Oh Thursday, how I look forward to you.....

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I want to be crafty...

So, I have been a-crafting away, making all kinds of stuff and getting all crazy about it. I decided that I needed to have a focus group to see where my strengths are and if anybody would buy what I'm creating. 22 people came over on Sunday to share their opinions of mine and my sister's work. It was great! Visitors stopping by all day, a little wine and mimosas, family time, friend time, and we received some great feedback. These were the big hit. Los Animales. So a new adventure is in the works! Selling crafts sounds like a great gig to me:)

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I want to drink a sophisticated drink...

While in Peru, we celebrated New Years. And celebrate we did. We went to a fantastic party where we danced until three thirty in the morning and we were the first ones to leave! My younger sister, my husband and parents & I decided it was the best party ever! For the party, you were supposed to bring your own bottle. We, at the last moment brought wine. But for the rest of the group it was Johnny Walker, straight. We felt completely inferior! So after watching all of the ladies and men at the party enjoy their drink and after watching four seaons of Mad Men, I have decided to give it a try. So, instead of green beer this St. Patrick's day, it was Buffalo Trace on ice. Sip by sip, it got better and better. I only had one drink, but I looked darn sophisticated doing it....

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I want to live inside real simple...

When I look in the mail box and see my Real Simple, I cannot not smile. By the end of the night I will have looked through the whole magazine and a fresh to-do list will be made. I want to live inside this magazine. Everything is just perfect and their ideas make me say out loud where ever I may be, "these people are genius!" From fashion to food, to cleaning and organization- I am a slighty obsessed reader. Making the chores of life real simple gives us more time to enjoy the other parts! Here's to a real simple, simple life!

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I want good things to happen...

With the earthquakes and tsunami in Japan and the news of family and friends who are ill, my usual peppiness has been turned down a couple of notches. The worst part is, that in situations like these, all I can do is sit back, watch and wait.
I'm waiting for news of recontstruction and waiting for stories of reunited families. I'm waiting to hear surgery results from family and friends. I'm waiting for news stories that don't make me cry.
All I can do is wait. And while I wait, I pray that the good stories are coming. I can't do anything to take all the pain away, but I can send hope for the future. For the sick and for the devestated, they must have hope. Hope will help the wait not feel so long.

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I want to buy used..

Due to my recent room switcharoo, we had to buy a few pieces of furniture to fill our new found space. We are savers, so buying new furniture was not in our budget for the month. Although, when I want something, I kind of want it right at that moment. So off I went in search of these new discount pieces. In my search I still wanted to buy local, made in america, and this time, buy used. Why do I need chairs that have never been sat in? Why do I need a table that has never had anything placed on it. I need a story with my piece and that is what I set out to find.

When you know what your looking for and are flexible, shopping is easy. We knew we wanted a bench, and when I searched for wooden bench on craigslist, this is what I found. It even has drawers- perfect! Instead of buying the same one from a store, we found what we needed from someone who no longer needed it!

Find #2 was at the Habitat for Humanity Restore. Two wooden chairs-$10 each! All they needed was a new cover and some love. And I must say that I am pretty proud of my self upholstrey job. And I found a perfect lamp for the hubster's new sitting room/office.

Find #3 was at Sleepy Poet, the most wonderful place full of antiques and just cool stuff. Here I found a set of three side tables at an awesome price- just what we needed.

So....woohoo for buying second hand! A little love can fix just about anything! It sure looks better in my house than in someone's trash can!

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I want to buy local....

I have stepped it up buying local at the farmer's market recently. Although I know the bananas and oranges I bought are not from the area, I am making a sincere effort. I have also decided to try buying local in general, to the businesses in our city and neighborhood. I live in an awesome (yes, awesome- see 3/10) part of town where music and art are celebrated daily. Lucky for us the local music venue holds an all arts market every couple months or so where local artists come in and sell their work and a variety of stuff! This visit, thanks to our room switcharoo, we had to get a few things. Here are just two of them. Where else could I have bought this pillow case? And the painted door, that weighs about fourty pounds is going to look perfect in our new guest room. The artists live here in the neighborhood or just a few miles away. Talk about made in the USA! Diane Sawyer had a special on recently about "made in the USA" and after learning that we could create 200,000 jobs by just paying a little extra to be made in the US, I think it's worth it. This will be difficult with my love of World Market. But if this means that we just have to travel there ourselves and buy it from the artisans themselves, that is fine with me. I will give my very best effort.

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I want to be awesome....

This picture may seem like a strange choice for my title, but it actually is pefect. These pots and pans are awesome- they are reliable, they heat fast, no stick, easy to clean, come in all sizes, and what comes out of them is (usually) delicious- Awesome! And that is what I want to be. The past couple days I have been thinking about what I would do if I were awesome. For example, if I were awesome, I would get up early every morning to meditate, do yoga, walk the dog, make a scrumpcious breakfast, pack a healthy lunch and get to work early looking all put together in a great outfit. If I were awesome I would eat by Michael Pollan's food rules daily, drink three cups of green tea, read amazing books, and keep up with the news. My awesome list keeps getting longer every time I have a new idea. At least if I think about that awesome person when making decisions I may make awesome decisions or I will get a good laugh at my craziness....

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I want to give comfort....

This is Penny Lane. This is her very serious, distraught face. During thunderstorms, pacing and crying accompanies this sad face. No matter the time of day of the storm, our energetic, happy pup turns into a nervous wreck. We've tried herbal remedies, blankets, and classical music. Nothing seems to ease her worried mind- it's awful for her and us. This anxiety exhausts her. She looks at us to do something, but we just do not know what. I want to comfort her-everything is going to be okay and this storm will pass. It reminds me of the hard times we all go through, where the anxiety and pressure and questions take over our minds. We can't snap out of it and it feels as though the storm will never end. For comfort this time, I'm trying treats, a game of indoor fetch, and I'm turning up the volume to the classical station. A little distraction helps me and hopefully Penny too.

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I want to celebrate Fat Tuesday!

Oh yes. This is how I'm celebrating fat Tuesday. An awesome bowl of cookies and cream. For lent this year I am not giving up sweets like usual. I am giving up cheese! Ahhh! So, I should be eating a block of cheese tonight, but ice cream was my choice on the way home from work. So here's to making it through lent without cheese and trying to live a healthy life!

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I want a space of my own....

This technically is not just my space but I have made it be the space I need. We live in some close quarters here- my husband and I can't share bathrooms or closets. Our closets are more like dorm room closets and so my husband uses the guest bathroom and guest room to put his things. We also have an office where he works. So somehow he has territory of the guest room, the office, and we share the bedroom. No me space!

Well, not anymore! I woke up Sunday morning with a fresh idea. We switched some furniture and room names around and I now have my creativity area of the house. Luckily my husband flows with my random craziness. (good weekend for husband I must say-farmer's market & moving furniture around!) A little rainy day idea will now give me many more ideas to pick from!

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I want hubster to farmer's market....

Wooo hoo! I call this a success! With a minimal amount of reluctance, the hubster joined me for a trip to the farmer's market this morning. It was an hour after my usual time, but that was to be expected. I did hear a few, "it's so
early," but after the trip he did thank me for it. I knew he would love it. I started him off on the right track by going to the breakfast stand. A hot, yummy breakfast made from local farms, made by local enthusiastic folks like myself was the way to hook him. He enjoyed every bite. And as expected, my husband made serious friends with one of the farmers. The hubs is what we call, "a talker" and can make friends with anyone. His genuine interest in everyone amazes me. I even had to step aside to get some actual shopping done while he chatted away. We would still be there now if I had not! So yay to him and yay for our yummy salads we will be consuming this week!

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I want to spend quality time with my mom...

Many Thursday nights, my mom will come over and join us for dinner. Sometimes I cook and sometimes she brings dinner. It's a nice way to end a work week. So this evening my mom had made and brought one our favorite Peruvian dishes, Papa la huancaina and then together we made humitas. On our recent trip to Peru, my husband and I fell in love with them. So good! This was no quick meal and was quite a process. So many steps and so many special ingredients. It really made me appreciate cooking and this ancient dish that we prepared. The dish turned out delicious and of course seeing my mom happy makes the evening even better. Quality time with moms is what so many people wish they could have. I'm so thankful for mine! Thanks mom!

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I want to shop.....

As the warm weather teases us, I have been called to look at my closet, in my drawers, and under my bed. I am ready to clean out and start new with my wardorbe. We all have this vision of ourselves and how we want to be presented. I am a product of watching thousands of "What Not to Wear." After watching episode after episode, Stacey and Clinton have drilled in my head that our clothes should not only be a reflection of who we are but also who we want to be. As I choose to keep or give away pieces I am reminded of them and their rules.

This urge to shop also stems from this weird age- this summer I will be saying adios to my twenties and hello to thirty. I should have had solid style and a solid waredrobe by now! Just thinking about the idea of this blog, "all the things I want to be," just makes me laugh. I should be all those things by now and I shouldn't be discussing my waredrobe!! Oh well. It's time to shop. I want to shop. I want it to be a bargain. I want it to fit perfectly. And I do not want it to take forever! Haha, like this is all possible. To the internet and stores I go searching for pieces of me....

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I want to be understood...

Just like everyone else, I just want to be understood. I feel that I display what I believe in very clearly and should therefore be easily understood. I care about the Earth, so I recycle and compost. I care about my health- I practice yoga and run regularly. I care about being on time, so I'm very prompt. Once people get to know me, there are not too many surprises with what I like and what I do not like. Or at least I think so.....Maybe it's me- I set my expectations too high or maybe I'm too busy trying to be understood that I stop being understanding. We should all get a turn to explain- without interruption and with open ears. So really, what I'm thinking now is....we all do not have to agree on everything, but if we were more understanding are minds may be a little more confused but our hearts would be open.

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