monday morning vignettes and inspirations no. 1

A kitten sleeping on my scarf next to me and a cup of coffee are a perfect way to begin a Monday morning. Especially when the coffee is in my awesome Doctor Who mug that my youngest sister gifted to me for Christmas. (She happened to watch one episode with me last autumn and was hooked. That show does that to people. I'm not even kidding.)

So, plans and inspirations for the week.

I plan to wake early each morning and read my Bible over a cup of coffee and perhaps some toast with jam. Waking early is a good feeling, though not always if one hasn't slept well. But if I wake even just an hour earlier than I usually get up, think how much more fulfilling my day can be. Besides, going to the fitness center early in the morning is probably better than when I've been going, which is shortly before lunch time. I'd rather there be fewer people there....

I have a painting project in the works, as well. Hopefully this will get done this week. Pinterest was my inspiration for that, but it's probably an inspiration for everything these days. ;)

Other plans include some major cleaning in the refrigerator and cabinets. It's amazing what one can forget about when it's shoved in the back of the fridge! My inspiration for tackling this seemingly impossible task is Pinterest, again, and the following three books:

 

 

 


 The latest issue of Real Simple is also serving as an inspiration.

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Seems like a lot to tackle in one week, especially when there are still the usual tasks to do and meals to cook. But since I like cooking and did most of the meal planning last week, that shouldn't be a problem. Besides, I gotta start somewhere, right? If I ever expect to start crafting/sewing/painting/gardening then I have to complete step one, which is to have a semi-organized home. And beyond saving money with the ideas and recipes in the above books, we have the added bonus of being inspired to mostly consume real foods and clean the house in a toxin-free way.

I sound a bit like a crazy environmental hippie, don't I? But I am genuinely inspired (yes, I keep using that word, but because it's true!) by the people who live this way. Besides, it's all a part of my quest to be healthier and live in a healthier home. And if "convenience" products disappear, it won't be a problem. :)

foodie blues (or, I really miss Olive Garden)

Yesterday afternoon while folding laundry, I decided to watch a little bit of television. I don't often do this so early in the day, but it was quicker than putting in a DVD because I'm too indecisive for that and I would have spent at least half an hour choosing something. Anyway. The channel I chose to watch was the Cooking Channel. (Not the Food Network -- hooray for two food channels!) As I was matching socks and sipping a mug of reheated coffee (black -- I was tired), I realized something. I am a foodie. A HUGE foodie.

This may not come as a surprise to some of you. I grew up in a household where my parents (especially my dad) tried to expose my siblings and me to as many cuisines as possible. Our favorite, to this day, is Indian, for many reasons. Dad's mom grew up in India as a child of missionaries, and the food got carried over to the U.S. One of our favorite dishes (and the most typical one Mom makes now) is chicken curry with rice. Oh, and don't forget the poppadoms! And my dear husband knows I'm not kidding when I say one of the tests for belonging with the Blieses is trying and liking curry! (Don't worry, he passed!)

Other cuisines we were exposed to at a young age were Japanese (Dad's been to Japan four times.), Chinese (which is always fun), Mexican (tacos, anyone??), and Italian. I also really like Thai food, but I obviously have a thing for anything Asian. Of course, I've eaten my fair share of European cuisine. Good old German food is always delicious, if a bit heavy (I love me some bratwurst.). And though it can be bland, I ate some delicious food in England, too. And I live for England's afternoon tea spreads.

But out of all of these, I think I've finally found my favorite. (Excepting Indian, because that tops them all no matter what.) My favorite, as you may have guessed from the title of this post, is Italian. Any time I see an Italian recipe, my mouth waters. I make simple spaghetti and meat sauce at home a lot. But all the experimenting I do in my too-small kitchen will probably never top the gloriousness that is Olive Garden. At least once a week I find myself craving a meal from Olive Garden. This has been happening with alarming regularity for the last few years, and it doesn't help at all that the closest restaurant to us is either in Milwaukee or Appleton. Since we rarely make it to Milwaukee, and then it's to visit family where we'll be fed amazing food anyway, that's kind of out of the question. And Appleton is rather a lot farther away, but we'd be more likely to eat at the Olive Garden there...

So you see my dilemma. My favorite restaurant is not close enough. And I haven't yet found a suitable Italian replacement in Sheboygan County. Le sigh. So I'm left with my severe case of the foodie blues once again. I suppose I can console myself with a yummy fish fry tonight at our favorite bar.

a thrifting journey

I mentioned in this post that I want to purchase only thrifted clothing this year. There are a few reasons for me attempting this challenge. Here they are:

• money (not a huge issue for us, but it's always good to save)
• thinking a little bit more about what I purchase
• my lifestyle change for the better will cause me to lose weight
• I adore vintage clothing
• it'll be FUN!

So, money. It always comes down to that, doesn't it? And unfortunately, purchasing clothes is not cheap if you want quality. Cheap clothes from Wal-Mart and Old Navy don't last. Especially not when you spend a lot of time outside, like Nate and I do. That leads right into my second reason. Impulse buying is something we all suffer from occasionally and on different levels. To be perfectly honest, my impulse buys are usually books, but I'd rather not start being impulsive about clothing. :) And yes, I am eating better, exercising more, not sitting for long periods of time, getting enough sleep, etc, which will have the awesome side effect of slimming me down. Why buy new and possibly expensive clothing that may be cute but I won't be able to wear in a few months? Seems logical. Plus, I do adore vintage clothing. I probably won't purchase much in the first half of the year while my body is changing, but still. It's fun to make awesome finds that you can share with your friends! And the whole process of thrifting is so much fun. It's an adventure!

Will any of you, my lovely followers, join me in this adventure in 2013?

incandescent wanderlust, you ask?

Yes, of course! The blog has been rechristened as an incandescent wanderlust. Being an indecisive person, this could change yet again before I am fully satisfied, but let's just say for the sake of everyone who reads this that it's the new name. Why? First of all, I was born with a serious case of wanderlust. For most of my life I've been randomly planning trips to see the world. (When I was 13 I decided that I wanted to see the Arctic and travel as far north as was possible. I'm not kidding.) None of them have come to fruition, yet, though I have seen much of the United States and have been across the pond to dear old England (which needs visiting again...). And I was going to christen this a bright wanderlust, but decided that incandescent was a much prettier word. Unless you, my dear followers, think bright was more appropriate.

As you can see, the name is new, and the colors on the blog are new. The layout is basically the same because I realised I really like this one. I'm still working on a few tweaks, like side button links to my favorite blogs, links to my Pinterest page, etc. Also, eventually there will be a different picture of me, not just the one in my profile. And hopefully I will have a pretty banner in place of the boring title, though I do like the font.

This is quickly becoming a labour of love, so I would love some feedback and perhaps some advice on how to pretty things up and truly make this blog mine. I have grand dreams for this blog, though I have grand dreams for everything so I guess that's not saying much.

ch-ch-changes (for the blog)

Seeing as it's a new year, I have a few things in mind for my blog. I would really like this to become a regular thing. Granted, I'll probably never be as awesome as many of the other blogs that I follow, but with a little tweaking it might look pretty.

• a new name (not 100% positive about what it will be)
• a new layout
• more links
• more pictures (which will only happen once I have a camera, though occasionally there might be bad quality iPod photos like the one above)

There are a few other things playing around at the back of my mind. It is, after all, the time of year to think "new and inspired" and I wish to carry that all the year through.

here's to making 2013 fabulous!

Happy New Year to my dear followers! I apologize for not posting regularly on here. There have been a lot of ups and downs over the past year, but I am determined to make 2013 better than 2012. We humans, being imperfect sinful messes, always say this every time a new year rolls around. Occasionally it works, and more often it doesn't. We make resolutions to lose weight, read more books, make new friends, stop smoking, eat better food, travel more, etc.... The list could go on forever. And while resolutions can be good, I think it'd be helpful to realize that we will never be perfect no matter how hard we try.

So. I do have resolutions, though I am calling them goals because that just sounds more attainable. Besides, my goals are meant to be habit-forming and thus a change for the better, though a few of them are just fun. So here is my list.

• read my Bible more often
• treat my body better and get it in shape
• drink a green smoothie at least once a week
• eat breakfast
• snowmobile with Nate as often as possible while the trails are open
• play the piano more, and teach myself Claire de Lune
• take up knitting again
• learn how to crochet
• perfect the art of making a latte (I consider it an art anyway...)
• sew a fantastic Halloween costume (gonna be the Miller High Life Girl!)
• take more walks/hikes
• work my way up to running
• plan at least one weekend up north camping trip for this summer
• write something every single day
• purchase clothing only from thrift shops (this is a goal I will expand upon in a later post)
• shop local: both shops and farmer's markets
• write monthly letters to friends and family
• plant a vegetable garden
• harvest dandelions for wine again
• purchase a DSLR camera (I even have my eye on one... ^_^)
• read 50 books, at least 10 of those must be non-fiction
• begin making Christmas gifts at a decent time this year
• BLOG BLOG BLOG 
• don't forget that it's okay to dress up and put on a little lipstick just to do mundane shopping
• always remember that each day is a gift from God and try to enjoy it

There you have it. It's probably not a complete list of goals, but I also tend to overshoot when I plan things out for myself. I think I'm addicted to life, specifically experiences in life. I want to do everything, go everywhere, see all the beautiful sights this world has to offer. Realistically, I know that'll never happen, but I can begin a little closer to home and enjoy what the Lord has blessed me with, which is a fair bit of goodness.
And I mean it when I say 2013 is going to be fabulous!

nothing special

Hi all.

I think I am going to take a break from blogging (at least on this blog). Maybe it'll be for good, I don't know. I feel like this blog doesn't really have a solid purpose and all I do lately is rant about things I can't change. What's the point? Maybe I'll still write book reviews on my other blog, but hardly anyone reads those anyway so maybe not.

My writing sucks, so I won't subject anyone to it anymore. :-P

Thank you for your time and see you around the interwebs.