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.