Utah!

I am currently sitting in Utah half in shock that I am currently homeless and jobless.

I am starting my job tomorrow and I am staying with my amazing cousin and her husband but still.  The changes that have been made in my life in the last 6 months have been crazy.  I have gotten rid of over 700 things. I got a new job. I quit my old job. I moved to Utah. 

Maybe I am having a mid-life crisis but in a good way. I wasn't happy with the way my life was going and decided if I wanted it to stop being the same old, same old I had to change something. So queue changes!

Excited for the new adventures in my new home state!

Moving

As excited as I am to move I have to say that I hate moving. I dislike deciding what I am keeping and then boxing it up and then packing the car but the thing that I hate is cleaning up the apartment for checkout!  

I really do not think that I am a dirty person. My apartment is cleaned regularly but I do not take the time to clean the blinds and baseboards or to pull out the stove and clean under it or to clean the walls.  At least they provided me with a list of some of the things they will check otherwise I do not think I would have thought to clean under the fridge and the stove (yep it is on the list).

So in preparation for my move this Saturday I spent my weekend sorting and boxing and mostly cleaning but on the positive side I am almost done.  Just a bit more to do before I leave!  Although I am very excited for this new step in my life I am also finding that the closer it gets to Saturday the more I am sad to be leaving.  Not enough to change my plans or anything but I was a difficult last Sunday with the wonderful Lone Mountain Ward that took me in and made me feel at home. So the old adage that "parting is such sweet sorrow" is ringing true!

Moving!

I am moving to Utah!  It is rather an exciting step in my life that I wasn't planning on but am embracing.  In the past 2 weeks I have applied to and was hired for a job in Salt Lake City and will be moving in 2 weeks!

I had my first partial breakdown today at work when I realized what I have done.  I am changing my entire life.  Moving to a different state, new job, new place to live, new ward, new friends, same family but closer.  I have been working for the same company for the past 5 1/2 years and it is strange to think that I am going to be doing something else.  Maybe my life needs to be shaken up and I need some "new".

 

While I'm excited to move and be in Utah it is a little overwhelming when I realized I am going to have to pack everything I want to bring in my car.  I decided against a moving van when I realized I was going to be spending more to haul my stuff then I bought it for.  Kind of sad but true.  Most of my furniture was bought secondhand and has fulfilled its purpose.  So my car is the moving van.  

Its a Chevy Aveo and not that big so I do have to choose what I want.  I brought some boxes when I went to my interview (optimistic I know) but for the most part I am getting rid of my stuff and starting over...  Also a little overwhelming but also freeing.  Really thankful that I have been working on this simplifying project for the last 4 month because it has helped me decide what I really want in my life.  I'm thankful I listened to the prompting to simplify my life because it has allowed my to be ready (sort of) for this new experience.  

For those like my mom, who I think worries that I have gotten rid of everything, I wont be able to fit everything I own in a backpack or anything extreme like that but I am hoping for just 2 loads in my car.  Only the things that I really love and that bring me joy.  

I am happy to be here but also happy to be in Utah in 2 weeks!!

Let the crazy begin!

Currently reading... 

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.  
Have been reevaluating all the things in my house to see if they "spark joy"!

Chia pudding

I was in the store yesterday and found some chia seeds and wanted to experiment.

So I made this last night and had it for breakfast.

(picture from ifoodreal)

I was a little scared about the texture but I really liked it! I used the proportions in the recipe on the chia seeds, milk, and vanilla but didn't think it needed to be any sweeter so I skipped the honey. I topped it with fresh blueberries and it was wonderful! 

 Projects I have been working on and finally finished!

Sometimes projects take longer then they should, like quite a few months of being in pieces in a box, but once it comes together it is really exciting!
(Inspired by this blog.)

361 things

The new count as of tomorrow is 361 things!  So proud of myself and excited to feel more peace.  The less things I have to keep track of the more I find time to read a book or actually work on a project instead of just packing around things for projects and never working on them. 

I have been loving the CLAN library system.  I have access to pretty much all the libraries in Northern Nevada and can get most any item (movie or book) that I have an interest in and have it delivered to the Carson library for my convenient pick up... AND I don't have to store the books at my house which is a big plus! Don't get me wrong because I love books but I was finding that they were taunting me from everywhere in my house.  The cookbooks that I never used but had 6, the 2 shelves of church related books, the 3 shelves stories of which I re-read instead of picking a new one, etc.  There they would sit almost accusingly as I then chose the library book to read instead.  Gone is the guilt of not reading them and instead replaced by the excitement of a new book.

(FYI I still have 75-100 books (that I feel are not taunting me) after getting rid of almost 200  between last year and this project so I am not completely book free)

175 things

So far in my attempt to get rid of 1 thing a day I have done pretty well.  In 21 days 175 items have left my apartment and more than that if you count all the expired bathroom items, individual jewelry, and electronic items (email, documents, and music) that are also gone.  I have really enjoyed looking at my list because I can see that I am making progress!  In my mind I still don't think that I have gotten rid of a lot. Lists are nice that way.  

The only thing I have missed is an ethernet cable that I had not used in around 4 years and probably wouldn't use for another 4 but my wireless internet went out.  I ended up replacing it from Salvation Army for $2.50.  After 21 days I have not even noticed the jewelry that is gone. The clothes. The craft supplies. The dvds. And other things. All I notice is that there is room where it used to be crowded and I spend less time moving stuff around now that there is less stuff.

Now I have had a few things that have made their way into my house in the 21 days and maybe I should start making a list of that too just to remind myself.  I have been making a very conscious effort to evaluate every item that comes through the door.  I have finally gotten ALL my boxes out of storage, even my holiday decorations, and I am going through them and seeing what makes the cut of staying in my apartment and what I want to store.  I am seeing that I have things that I will keep if I don't have to deal with them, aka in a box stored somewhere else, but if I am presented with the option of my apartment or gone it is easy.  Gone.

I have started making lists of things that I want to get rid of so I might start getting rid of multiple groups per day.  I find myself sitting on the couch and looking around and thinking "I wouldn't miss that if it was gone" or "when was the last time I even touched that? let alone used it?".  I guess getting rid of things is addicting... there are definitely worse addictions.

PS Please do not think that this stuff is ending up in the trash.  Most is being donated or used by others or just returned. Only my expired bathroom items ended up in the trash and they should have gone a long time ago.

ONE A DAY

Still going along with the de-junking kick I have been on lately I discovered this experiment and have decided to try it out- at least the getting rid of one thing a day part.  I am planing on moving in about a year and decided this would be a great project that doesn't make everything seem so overwhelming.  I'm thinking about making a running list on side to see what doesn't make the cut for the move.

We're Back!

We're Back! (You know from the children's book?)  Well actually its just "I'm back" but still pretty exciting.  I loved this book as a kid!  I think it was Tyler's book but I remember reading and rereading it. 

Made a delicious potato soup based on this recipe and have been spending my time cleaning out my apartment getting ready for the Cub Scout Yard Sale.  They are earning money to go to day camp this summer and it is the perfect time for me to get rid of those things that I have been hanging on to for no good reason.  My apartment is just under 500 square feet but I am surprised with all the stuff that it has be holding within its walls.  After getting rid of 2 bags of cloths (I hadn't worn any of them in at least a year), a coffee table, and 4 boxes of stuff I am feeling a bit more like its mine again.  Still have at least 2 more boxes to go.  I'm surprised with the amount of time I seem to have now that I'm not taking care of my stuff.  Most everything has a place and all those things that I just "had" but haven't used in the almost 2 years I have been living here are going.  There are a few things that I haven't been able to part with yet so I have made a deal with myself.  If I use them at least once before the yard sale it can stay for another 6 months.  This is the most interesting with kitchen gadgets and things in my bathroom.  The bathroom things pretty much just went into the trash because they were old but the kitchen things have been interesting.  I find myself cooking more when I have to use my pots and pans and I have notice that I really just like to use 2-3 of my cooking utensils.  Same spoon and spatula every time.  So why do I have 3 of each?  When I pay attention I see what I really actually use daily and which things have been in my cupboards but never touched.  When I started this deal back in February I placed something I wasn't sure about in a box and closed it up and just last week opened it again after I couldn't remember what was in it.  The box then promptly went into the yard sale pile.  In cleaning out my space I have also found quite a few things that I have "borrowed" from other family members aka Mom so she has been getting things back steadily.  Pajamas I borrowed when I came to visit and somehow made it back home with me, books and magazines that I have gotten decorating ideas from, Pyrex containers that I got leftovers in and other similarly interesting things.  I have also been finishing up some projects and letting go of some that I am realizing I have no interest in finishing.  Finally finished my college tee-shirt lap blanket (I will post a picture soon) and it is much smaller that my high school tee-shirt blanket but I have enjoyed using, seeing, and remembering.  Still working on my tee-shirt rug but hope to finish it soon and have been really enjoying a bunch of extra jeans that I got from Aunt Teresa.  I have almost finished 2 denim pot holders and look forward to getting rid of my old ones that have seen better days.

Wow that was a long paragraph but really therapeutic to write out and exciting when I can look back and see what I have been working on since I posted last. 

Currently Watching...

The Quiet Man...

I love John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.

Up next will have to be Mclintock just to get my fix.

Making and Watching

My Sunday evening is comprised of making White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies, Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, and watching Elementary.  Good Sunday evening.

Currently Watching...

 

The Great Escape

Broccoli and Carrot Soup

When deciding what I wanted for dinner I realized I had fresh cut carrots and celery (leftover from a homemade chicken soup I had tried) and fresh broccoli that needed to be used and searched the internet for an interesting soup to try. 

Wanting to use real food (not processed cheese or canned cream of anything) I found a recipe, Broccoli and Carrot Soup.

The recipe was really just a guide because I honestly don't have fat-free milk like it called for so I used whole milk and cream.  Also I don't really measure my vegetables, I just cut up what I have and add it to the pot. 

It is wonderful.  The cream-based veggie soup really hit the spot with a crusty bread. Defiantly trying this again!

PS: Next time try not adding the flour.  I think the cream made it thick enough.

Saturday

Some Saturdays are restful and relaxing but today it was also productive! 

It started off with a car wash.  Don't worry it was above freezing, right about 50 degrees.  But after the past few weeks of weather my white car looked a dreary shade of gray. 
Second up was a trip to the laundromat. My clothes are now not just clean but also organized for the week.  No baskets of folded laundry sitting around for days for me. It is all put away or hung up.
Next was a trip to a few of the thrift stores in town where I enjoyed some browsing but didn't find any real treasures. Although last week a found some prizes that I will have to take pictures of and post.
Quick trip to Cal-Ranch for some leather conditioner.

Then to the grocery store for food shopping for the week.
The library, post office, and finally Little Ceasers for pizza.
Once home I watched The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, did a tea tree scalp scrub (thanks to my sissy!), had a bath, and am now all cuddled up in my room with a blanket watching The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug trying to decide if I have the energy left to paint my nails or if I should just go to bed early.  

All in all a very successful day!