Day 24

Back to the normal routine, is how I would describe today. I awoke this morning at 6am, mainly because I had set an alarm on my cell phone to wake me up while I was away and forgot to disengage it.  Oops! So, I was awake whether I wanted to be or not. The morning was mainly about watching the boys groom the yard, which they did, beautifully. I took some video of how we've updated the front seating area and added a place to eat comfortably. It is really working well. Also, I was lucky enough to capture some video of a hummingbird taking advantage of the Compact Spicy Jatropha plant (Jatropha integerrima 'Compacta') and the special feeder put up just for them.  Enjoy the video!

  

The day is hot (at 4:48pm it is 99F degrees), but lovely on the front porch. I'm eating well and on plan with My Fit Foods in the fridge. Day 60 is when I will try on my black dress and see if I made it to my first goal point. I'm really tempted to go in and try the dress on now, but then I think it will either disappoint me or make me cocky. I'd hate to start thinking I can reach my goals in half the time because it will be sad when I don't make my benchmarks. So, I will wait for the right time, keep walking and eating as right as possible. Just remember, I'm not a machine! (That's what I tell myself when my nail art looks less than perfect!)

I sent away today for the packet of information that allows me, as a parent, to provide my child with driver training in the State of Texas. Apparently, this much harder than it used to be. My son will be 15 on his next birthday and it's time to start learning to be a safe Texas driver. Is there such a thing? Not in this town! People here drive CRAZY. Don't believe me? Hop on over to YouTube to my channel (you can search for Nancy Hemati) and watch any of my 'Commute' videos.  You'll see what I mean!

It's been a lovely day off of work and now it's time to do laundry and get ready for the rest of the week. Go look for someone like My Fit Foods (myfitfoods.com) in your area. They are wonderful and have really changed my life and how I think about food.  Until tomorrow, sweet dreams, Sweeties!

Redecorating a Closet

This is the weekend that I start the overhaul of my tiny, but functional closet. I am not a person with lots of clothing or shoes.  My standard is to keep the number of items to a minimum.  To accomplish this, I have only a certain number of hangers, spaces for shoes and handbags and etc. Everything has a place, so I cannot bring something into my closet unless something else leaves. At the moment, the closet is very inefficient.  The long hanging rod is deceptive. I could fill it with clothes, but if I do, I can't get into the closet. I'm certain the closet was designed as a storage space for out-of-season clothes, as there is a larger closet in my master bathroom. So, here is what my closet currently looks like:

As you can see in tall image at the left, the closet seems deep and there is a long clothes hanger pole to the right as you enter the closet.  A shorter pole is at the rear of the closet and it sits slightly higher than the long pole.  There are shelves above the poles and the closet is entered at an angle.  Yes, I said at an angle. To top it all off, the closet is behind the entrance to the bathroom. If my closet door is open, you can't open the door to the bathroom. The measurements of the closet are as follows: Back wall is 39" the left side wall is 42" and the Right side wall is 72".  The corner in the bottom photograph is where there is an 8" wide wall. This small wall is parallel to the 39" wall at the rear of the closet and this is where I hang my flip flops. At the rear of the closet, I have a black storage unit hanging from the pole that provides me with storage for scarves, polo shirts, jewelry box, handbags and dainty things.  You can see my shoes hanging in a matching black holder which fits over the door. Light is provided by a single, bare bulb with a pull string. Now that's class! You can understand why, at the moment, I spend as little time in this space as possible.

I've been working on a new design for several weeks. After a recent clear-out of the closet, I decided that I just couldn't stand how utterly inefficient the space is and that it's time to modernize. So here are a few details about the new design.

• The shelves, poles and laundry hamper are coming out.
• The walls will be painted pink (Olympic paint in Pleasing Pink, to be exact) with white trim.
• I've purchased a new closet organizing unit from Rubbermaid in Titanium that will fit along the back (39") wall.
• It will give me stacked hanging rods, 5 shelves and tons more space.
• I'm adding a 21"x 25" silver framed mirror over a 24" white hidden bracket shelf to hold perfume and a flower vase.
• The carpet will be replaced by 12.5" sq. ft. (or so) of natural cherry laminate flooring and lighting will be provided by a newly acquired and modified (adding a pull chain) pendent chandelier.
• The new space will also have a stool for shoe changing along with other great design features.

Here is a collage of some of the elements going into the new design:

Living in a house where I'm the only girl and I need a space I can call my own. Our house is perfect for us, but the only room I'm allowed to decorate with pink is my closet.  On July 2, 2013, we will celebrate 30 years in our home. This will be the first time I've ever painted anything pink and I can't wait! As soon as the closet is finished, I'll write a follow-up blog and provide complete photographs. Thanks for checking out the blog! See you soon!!

The Writing Plan

You can tell that it's been awhile since last my blog was touched.  I'll try to explain.  For a long, long time, I've wanted to write something for what I considered real publication. What I failed to realize is that I'm already doing it.  There is so much that I want to write about that I've been working for the last three months on ideas and just writing as often as I can in a very general way.  That activity has kept me from my blog; that and other silly things.  Now I know I can make this all happen and still have my blog.  Here's how I'll do it!  (You didn't think you were going to come out of this without reading a list, did you?)

The Writing Plan

AKA:  A List!

1. Decide what I'll write about.  I want to write about several things:
• Fiction, based on what I see in life.
• Leadership, based on what I live at work.
• Food, based on what I love to cook and eat.
• Life, because I love it and want to share my ideas with like minded people!
2. Set up a general blog.  That is this blog.  I can write about anything I like at HumbleVoyager.com and hopefully people will enjoy what they find.
3. Write in a big yellow tablet, two times a day for 30 minutes each on the subjects above.  One of the problems I have as a writer is my tendency to view anything I write on the computer as "finished."  It even looks finished!  All neatly typed and such.  This is a REAL problem for me.  I need editing and lots of it.  The danger of writing on the computer is that whatever you do looks finished as soon as it's typed.  These blogs are evidence of this problem.  So, I write in a big yellow legal tablet, because nothing in there looks finished...ever!  Then I take what I write there and transfer it into the computer editing as I go along.  This works for me!  (I bet you're wishing I'd done that with this blog right about now.)
4. Decide how I want to handle the food issue.  I love to cook, but I love to eat even more.  There in lies the problem.  If I'm going to write about cooking I have to cook and work on recipes. If I cook I want to eat, but I keep putting back on weight that I work darned hard to take off.  So, I've come up with a way to have my cooking and eating, but still lose a little weight.  Here is that plan:
• 5 days a week eat
• a 300 calorie breakfast (easy, I have several of these memorized by heart!)
• a packaged calorie controlled meal (like Lean Cuisine), a salad and fruit for lunch
• a Salad topped with protein, piece of fruit
• 1 day a week eat
• a fasting diet of no more than 700 calories
• 1 day a week eat
• whatever I want
• In general the plan allows for me to control things without counting a bunch of calories and still be able to have a treat of something I really want, if indeed I want something special, each week.  I'll know that days is coming each week, so when I'm tempted I can say to myself, "Nancy, just wait for X day and you can have that, if it's still what you really want!"  On the day I get each week to eat whatever I want, this is when I'll work on any food writing!  Yep, I think this will work.
5. Set up a leadership blog.  I haven't decided what this will be called yet.  I have to do some research, but mainly it will be tips, ideas and ways to make working in a leadership role more enjoyable and successful.
6. The bottom line is to just write.  A long time ago I learned that when I write I lose myself in the words.  I feel accomplished and positive about what I produce.  So, if when I'm happy I want to write, then I should be happy if I write all the time, right?  This isn't something I need someone to tell me to do or to validate that I do well!  I like what I write so therefore, I write.
7. Bring as much creativity into what I write as I can.  This will include, photography, ideas, plans, lists, recipes and etc.  I can't wait to share!!

So, that's what's going on now.  Be sure to check out more blogs as I work to organize myself and write, write, WRITE!

52 Things

Every year I prepare a list of 52 things I'd like to accomplish in my personal life within the next year; one thing for each week of the new year.  Since starting this, I have never once completed all 52 things, but I do believe I have accomplished more by having the list, than not.  Besides, it's a list!!  What could be more happy-making than writing a nice list?!?  There aren't many rules.  Each item has to be something I can easily accomplish in a week.  I don't have to do them in order and I always try to break each item down into workable units to get them done over the course of the week.  It's fun...really...I promise it is!!  Here's my official 2013 list!

1. Make up a new recipe and test it out on the family and then blog about it. Done.
2. Clean and organize the main bathroom linen closet. Done.
3. Read, Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head & Other Drawings, by B. Kliban. Done.
4. Read, First Grave on the Right, by Darynda Jones.
5. Go through Son's clothes and remove all of the ones he has grown out of, which should be many! Done.
6. Get all of the ingredients and make a big batch of Stuffed Grape Leaves.
7. De-clutter 1/4 of the garage (1of 4).
8. De-clutter 1/4 of the garage (2 of 4).
9. De-clutter 1/4 of the garage (3 of 4).
10. De-clutter 1/4 of the garage (4 of 4).
11. Complete a business trip to New York. Done.
12. Take my first leisure trip to Hawaii with my sister! (Okay...this changed to Las Vegas...Done!)
13. Take down the Christmas Tree!  (I'll be doing this one first on January 1.) Done.
14. Put up the Christmas Tree!  (So, this happens the same time every year, the day after Thanksgiving.) Done.
15. Go through my clothes, shoes and bags and remove those things which are no longer useful. Done.
16. Rearrange the furniture in the living room. Done.
17. Purchase and hang window coverings for the dining room. Done.
18. Paint the master bathroom. Done.
19. Clean all the windows in the house. Done.
20. Freshen and redecorate the front porch. Done.
21. Come up with a new nail art design and blog about it. Done (so many times everyone is sick to death of it!!)
22. Drive a completely different way to work each day of a the 5 work days one week and blog about it.  (That's right!  You too can be totally bored to death by my nonsense, just by reading my blog!! You know, like now!! :)
1. The MoPac way. Done.
2. The IH35 way. Done.
3. The Double Sneaky Back way. Done.
4. The Lamar to Breaker to Dessau way. Done.
5. The Metric to Rundburg way. Done.
23. Plan and prepare a week of only Italian food meals for the family and then blog about it.
24. Clean and redecorate the back patio area.
25. Plan and prepare a picnic for the family at a nice location near home.  (Let's see if they go or if I'm alone in this one!) Done.
26. Plan and prepare a week of only vegetarian food meals for myself and then blog about it. (My boys will never want to do this one!)
27. Detail my car.  (I must do the work myself!) Done.
28. Clean and organize the master bathroom linen closet. Done.
29. Purchase and install a new light fixture for the dining room. Done.
30. Select, purchase and install new outdoor lighting for the front porch and back patio.
31. Complete the 2014 travel plans for me and my sister. (She's stuck with me!!) Done.
32. Take a favorite look out of a fashion magazine and then try to recreate the look for myself for less than $100. Done.
33. Take a 2 hour hike in a local natural area.
34. Take a walk each day on a different walking trail in the area.
35. Clean out the drawer of my bedside table.
36. Learn how to better organize my blog. Done.
37. Make a video for YouTube on something I feel strongly about. Done.
38. Get my CHL.
39. Plan and complete the reorganization of my vanity area. Done.
40. Go to a concert. Done.
41. Take a weekend trip to a resort within driving distance of my home.
42. Try a different 30 minute workout routine every day for a week. Done.
43. Select a cookbook and make dinners from that book every night for a week and then blog about it.
44. Wear nothing but black with one pop of a different color each day, for a week and blog about it.
45. Plan and prepare a dynamite Halloween costume! Done, but didn't get to wear it!
46. Complete a full Spring cleaning of my home. Done.
47. Complete a full Fall cleaning of my home. Done.
48. Plan and prepare a week of Cowboy food meals for the family and then blog about it.  (Yes, there is such a thing!)
49. Select a favorite Cowgirl look from a magazine and then try to recreate the look for myself for less than $250. (I'm investing in me this year! ;)
50. Go through and get rid of all the unnecessary magazines there are around this place! Done.
51. Plan and prepare a week of German food meals for the family and then blog about it.
52. Take a 3 hour hike in a local natural area.

Also, there is a list of 5 things that I want to do for 2013 in general, all the time and we'll just call these my resolutions.  Here they are:

1. Eat when I'm hungry; stop when I'm full.  You know, like normal people do. Not so done.
2. Exercise at least 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week. Close, but still not completely done.
3. Stop weighing!  The number on the scale is not even important to me, so why do I still look at it? Done!
4. Take my lunch to work from home as many days as possible.  (Need the extra $ to fund some of my 52 Things above!) Done!!
5. Listen.  What? I don't think this will ever be DONE!

I'll update this blog posting each week and mark out something that I've accomplished.  So, I guess my list making is coming to an end for today.  I've had fun writing the lists, I just hope you're still awake!  Thanks for dropping by and I'll see you soon, Sweeties!