I Resolve to .....

You got it, I am a big fan of the New Year's resolution! Do I always follow through? Well, I spent years resolving to lose weight and not procrastinate, let's just say, ummmm - still a struggle. Still, I am a firm believer in goals. Okay, so in general, I am an extremely goal oriented person. The only times I truly struggle with depression like issues is when I have no goals. So I am always trying to set up goals for my life. I look at the NY's Res as short term goals and sometimes jump start goals. I actually started my vegetarianism as a New Year's resolution. (Just hit the three year anniversary of that decision, yip yip!) So I have three resolutions this year. One health and consumer related and two are purposeful pursuits of favorite hobbies, that I often let slide by the wayside.

1st one, I have given up soda of any kind for the year. This means no more vanilla Coke habit. Granted, I have never been one of those, I have pop everyday at every meal and for daytime pick-me-ups, but I have been drinking more and more of it. For the longest time I wouldn't drink any soda at all, but it had crept back into habit. Soda has no real value and is wasted funds at this time, so out it goes (for at least a year, then I will re-assess.)

Goal number two: Read one book a week. Reading has been a passion of mine since before I could read myself. I have always loved the written word and the various places it can take you. I have often said, if I could find a job that all I had to do is read, I would do it in a heartbeat. (Now no comments on becoming a book editor, or critic - I said all I had to do was read, not anything else!) The problem is I am often unintentional about my reading time and then I have no time or energy. I recently realized for someone who proclaims a love of reading, I was not reading enough, I couldn't even be trusted to read the monthly book club selection (luckily that is not a requirement for the book club, I love my book club!) So a book a week, granted if I don't complete the book of the week, I may substitute with a reading of Green Eggs and Ham, hey, it's a book!

Goal number three: Letter writing - I love getting them, I love sending them, and I want to have that personal connection with my friends, so I plan on sending out a card or a letter to a friend or family member once a week. In the past, I have selected a person to send a letter a week - a friend doing a year of voluntary service in Africa, a friend doing a year vs in Seattle, a friend going through a year of chemotherapy. I even connected with an older woman at my church after a chance encounter where she talked with me about her continual struggle with grief of the lose of her husband. I made a continual effort over many months to send her thinking of you cards. Now, I am not giving this examples as a way of patting my own back, but as examples of a simple action that can have an impact. Everyone of these people appreciated the letters and I was able to forge bonds by this purposeful act. Emails and Facebook (while I LOVE LOVE LOVE them) don't have the same power as receiving a card or letter handwritten. There is a certain magic in that.

So there you go, a much longer post then I intended on my goals for the year. I plan on posted about the books, so perhaps my posting will increase. FYI, for the first week (being all of two days) I read a guilty pleasure book - Mary Higgins Clark Take my Heart. Watch for my next post about Luke Dempsey's book on birding - a subtle Eco lover book.

I relented.

Two days of poor Emmy bouncing off the plastic was enough for me to take the plastic off the bedroom window. I couldn't take it anymore. (Though it was funny!)

Funny side note

I didn't get all the windows covered with the plastic stuff yet, but I did the one in my bedroom and this morning I got to watch Emmy be denied when she tried to jump on the little ledge which is now covered with plastic.  She jumped like normal but bounced off, she was not pleased to say the least.  Funny incident did result in three tiny tears in the sheeting but some tape should cover it.  Poor kitty is losing all her ledges for the season, an unexpected side effect.  As a devout animal lover, I will not deny a little twinge of remorse for the poor dear. (Though not enough to take the plastic down.)

Baby, it's cold outside!

Given the drop in temperature and the snowfall in my lovely corner of the world, I have decided to post on keeping those tootsies toasty. First, take stock. Look at yourself, how are you dressed right at this moment? Could you be wearing the same thing in April? May? September? You know, when it is warmer out? If so, you probably have your heat tuned higher then necessary. One of the joys of winter is bundling up in those cozy sweaters. So dress the part. You can save some energy (and some pennies) by turning down the thermostat. For example, at this moment, I have long johns, jeans, knee high socks, house slippers, long sleeved t-shirt, and perhaps the plushest, coziest house coat on the planet. (I am not wearing a sweater because the housecoat is soooo cozy, sweater tomorrow!)
Other things to do, check the windows - are there drafts? The coop is not the most sound of places, but as a renter, I am limited. So I invested in the Duck brand Window kits. The amount plastic is bothersome to me, but it is less impacting then the heat loss generated.
Also, something as simple as indulging in that cup of hot cocoa or tea. The internal warmth created helps bit the need for bumping up the thermo.
My other big step is to invest in a small space heater. I purchased a forced fan variety because they are safer for the furry friends. It pleasantly heats the little nook I prefer to sit in to watch a movie or read a book. I am keeping my heat between the 63-65 range and have been very cozy. Stay warm! Give something above a try or turn the heat down a degree or two. Remember, baby steps are as important as leaps, both keep you moving forward.

Baked Oatmeal

My favorite breakfast food.

1 cup oil
1 1/2 cup Sugar
4 eggs
Mix until glossy

6 cup quick oats
1 TB & 1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Salt
2 Cups milk
Add & beat until Blended
1 9x13 pan (or a bunch of little Pyrex or corning ware containers)
400 degrees 30-40 minutes

Options: add 2 peeled, cored apples and 1 tsp cinnamon or 1 cup raisins & 1 tsp cinnamon
I prefer to add this after, I don't like mushy raisins.

It doesn't raise a whole lot so fill the Pyrex about 3/4 full.

Breakfast to go.

Some mornings are hard to get out of bed, especially in the winter when the bed is so nice and toasty. As a result, sometimes breakfast is sacrificed. Well, maybe not sacrificed - more like postponed. Often I stop at the little coffeehouse on my way to work and purchase baked oatmeal or buy the "breakfast" option the school has for the students (or the really unhealthy muffins they have.) The problem with these is packaging (and transport but that maybe taking things to far.) I have been actively trying to avoid any and all Styrofoam use and individual packaged items. The aforementioned breakfast items violate both of these. So I decided to try to make my own baked oatmeal and freeze it. So I dug out the little Pyrex and corning ware containers and my large muffin muffin pan and got to experimenting. SUCCESS! Today I had a rushed morning, so I grabbed a baked oatmeal muffin out of the freezer, microwaved it at school and ate it while taking care of morning emails. Yeah! (and this will be cheaper in the long run for the frugalistas out there.) I will post the baked oatmeal recipe soon.

Embarrassment Ensues

So I can't believe it has been two months since I posted and that my last posting was about Whiskey. Good Grief! (To quote that good ol' boy, Charlie Brown...I have been watching way too much CB lately.) Yikes, I have nothing more to say. Hope all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, new posting for all four of my lovely followers to come.