Sunday, January 31, 2010

Saturday, January 30, 2010

30 Days continued...(day #10)

Day 10 → A photo of you taken over ten years ago

I don't know if I'm going to be able to narrow this down to just 1 photo. That doesn't seem quite fair... let's see what I come up with. Digital cameras were not the norm back then so I don't have many photos from those days on the computer.

Okay, let's go back starting with the most recent. This was 10 years ago this May or June. It's from my junior prom. I went with my best friend also featured in this amazing photo. Don't let the fancy clothes fool you, while we clean up nice, we were not as sweet and/or innocent as we look. I wore pink purely for the shock value.
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This was also 10 years ago this June. This was one of many senior proms I attended although I did not attend mine. This is the obligatory Charlie's Angels shot. The only time you'd see me in a dress or without black lipstick that year was for a holiday or a prom.

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This was 10th grade. Road trip with my parents and my female best friend at the time.

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Let's flash back a little further...
This might have been a Halloween photo. It was very telling of things to come.

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You KNOW you're jealous...
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This is my favorite photo ever taken of me ever. I was probably like 3 or something here.

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So, what did you look like over 10 years ago?

Friday, January 29, 2010

30 Days continued...(day #9)

Day 09 → A photo you took



Embarassing but true...

I have never read Catcher in the Rye and I thought JD Salinger was a character from a tv show.

This is coming from someone with straight A's in English through her entire academic career.

What I do know about the book is that Law & Order and other movies and tv shows have used it to show that someone is unstable. Crazy serial killers tend to collect different editions of the book and that tips the cops off.

Have you read it?

Thursday, January 28, 2010

30 Days continued...(day #8)

Day 08 → A photo that makes you angry/sad:

This is Gozer. He was the bestest bunny ever. I miss him terribly. I can't even look at pictures of him without getting all choked up. He played fetch like a puppy and LOVED opening wrapped gifts and tossing around his snuggle bunny.


Wrestling a Bear

that's exactly what it felt like today when I had to take apart my vacuum. the damn thing would not suck anything up. i was half tempted to just put it away and worry about it another time but i knew in my heart of hearts that was not the right thing to do.

with my new found motivation i threw it down and got to work.

by the time i was done it looked like i had pulled a whole cat out of the suction system. seriously, between the carpet and the fur i could have had a new pet. it was ridiculous.

once that was taken care of i vacuumed the entire living room and emptied the container several times so that i would know when i was done. i went over that rug until the canister was empty.
yay me!

Tango quickly set forth to take care of the situation and rubbed his face all over the floor like a weirdo.

I also did about 45 minutes of cardio at the gym today and burned more calories than any of the other times i've gone.

I'm feeling pretty good about myself.


Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Daily Challenge

Today's mission was to dust the nick nacks and what not in my living room.

DONE!

I also put some pictures in picture frames, went through mail and fliers that had built up since September and *gasp* through out the crap, and filed the important stuff!

I am quite proud. Tomorrow I shall vacuum.

What did you do today that you're proud of?

30 Days continued...(day #7)

Day 07 → A photo that makes you happy


This was taken on my camera phone at 12:01 AM January 1, 2007 exactly 1 minute after I got engaged.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

30 Days continued...(day #6)

Day 06 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Well this is nice and broad for a topic isn't it?
I'm going to tell you a little bit about myself to help you understand why this journey from lazy to lady has been so hard for me. It's not an excuse, it's just a disadvantage that I have to learn to work around.

I have fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia (pronounced fy-bro-my-AL-ja) is a common and complex chronic pain disorder that affects people physically, mentally and socially. Fibromyalgia is a syndrome rather than a disease. Unlike a disease, which is a medical condition with a specific cause or causes and recognizable signs and symptoms, a syndrome is a collection of signs, symptoms, and medical problems that tend to occur together but are not related to a specific, identifiable cause.

The main symptoms include: (i'm going to bold the ones I experience most frequently)

Pain -
profound, chronic and widespread. The severity of the pain and stiffness is often worse in the morning. Aggravating factors that affect pain include cold/humid weather, non-restorative sleep, physical and mental fatigue, excessive physical activity, physical inactivity, anxiety and stress.

Fatigue -the fatigue of FM is much more than being tired after a particularly busy day or after a sleepless night. The fatigue of FM is an all-encompassing exhaustion that can interfere with occupational, personal, social or educational activities. Symptoms include profound exhaustion and poor stamina

Sleep Problems - Many fibromyalgia patients have an associated sleep disorder that prevents them from getting deep, restful, restorative sleep. Medical researchers have documented specific and distinctive abnormalities in the Stage 4 deep sleep of FM patients. During sleep, individuals with FM are constantly interrupted by bursts of awake-like brain activity, limiting the amount of time they spend in deep sleep.

Additional symptoms may include: irritable bowel and bladder, headaches and migraines, restless legs syndrome (periodic limb movement disorder), impaired memory and concentration, skin sensitivities and rashes, dry eyes and mouth, anxiety, depression, ringing in the ears, dizziness, vision problems, Raynaud's Syndrome, neurological symptoms, and impaired coordination.


So you see there are plenty of days/weeks/months where cleaning the apartment seems almost impossible. One thing flylady has taught me is that babysteps are better than no steps and that 15 minutes can lead to a lot of progress.

Monday, January 25, 2010

30 Days continued...(day #5)

Day 05 → Your favorite quote
I have three that I regularly use as my favorites and I try to use them as my words to live by as well. I think they all go rather well together.

"I took the road less traveled by and that has made all the difference."

- my family is a sports family. My brothers, my mother, all played sports at a level that some people only dream of. I, on the other hand am an artist, a writer, a creator. I tried softball and tennis I tried volleyball, I tried. I did cheerleading even making captain hoping that would count, it didn't and quite frankly I only did it b/c of the dancing and performance aspect. Oh well. I took a different road, carved out my own path when need be and have been doing just fine. Unlike my brothers and my mom and dad I was not the popular kid in school, I have no trophies to show off, no championship stories to tell, but I'm me and that's good enough in my book.

"
Not all those who wander are lost."
- I'm still trying to figure out where I belong and what I want to be when I grow up but I know who I am and I know where I am and I'm enjoying the journey and don't feel lost at all. I'm carving my own path when I need to and I'm not worried about getting lost in the "wood".

"To thine own self, be true."
- A lot of girls wanted to be like Barbie when they were little. I wanted to be like Gem. I have had pink hair, blue hair, rainbow hair, been a cheerleader, worn fishnets, wore doc martens with my wedding gown, and I did it all b/c it felt right for me. Not b/c someone else wanted me to, or didn't want me to. Not because it was cool, or popular. I can't always say I'm perfect, but I can always say I'm me.

What's your motto?


Lord Hill is FLYing

I need to take a minute and talk about my wonderful hubby.
He knows that I am trying to follow the Flylady.net program and has been so supportive that he has even started to help with the routines!

He makes sure the sink is shiny when he's done using it, he's been clearing off the table consistantly to the point where he found part of his valentine's day present, and has even been cleaning out the bathroom sink after he shaves.

He's the best and I just wanted to share that with all of you.

What little thing does your significant other do that makes you feel loved?

Sunday, January 24, 2010

30 Days continued...(day #4)

Day 04 → Your favorite book
oooooo.this is a good one. The first two are the books I immediately mention whenever anyone asks for a book suggestion. I am a huge reader, I read anything and everything from The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe to the back of shampoo bottles and cereal boxes. I adore the written word. The third book pictured is the first in a series of books by an author I recently got into sometime in the past 4 years or so. I eagerly await each new book in the series and that really means something. Just because I read everything, doesn't mean I like everything I read. You know what I mean? So, without further ado here are my 2 favorite books and one of my more recently added faves.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
A friend was reading this at school one day and I thought to myself "hey now, he doesn't really seem like the reading type, I wonder what he's go there." I asked and he said he'd already read it and that I could borrow it. I couldn't put it down. It's amazing. The book and the memories. Everyone should read this book. I seriously think it should be required reading for the entire population as should the next book down.


American Gods by Neil Gaiman
This book is amazing. My copy is beaten up and torn and water damaged and has been to more countries than I have. I think it's actually a copy I got from a friend who suggested I read it after he had loaned me Good Omens. These books are by far my favorite mostly b/c they are a great read but I'm sure a little part of it is b/c of the memories I associate with them. Those were good times.


The Odd Thomas Series by Dean Koontz:
Everyone is always talking about Koontz. I'm not a big mystery person, I don't dig detective or cop stories but I was told I couldn't call myself a reader if I didn't pick up one of his books. One day at Costco I came across a book (NOT THIS ONE) by him called Forever Odd. Not realizing it was part of a series and not the first book in it either I spent $4 on the hardcover and devoured it in the course of a weekend. I immediately saught out the first book in the series and then the next and then had to wait for what seemed like an agazonigly love 8 million years for the next book to come out. There is supposed to be another one coming out but I'm not sure when and I can't wait to get my hands on it.


If we want to talk about an amazing book that I will love forever and ever well then I have 3 more to talk about.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit
by Beatrix Potter
This was my favorite book when I was little. I still read it whenever I see it in the bookstore.

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
I took this book out of my school library almost every single time we had Library when I was little. I loved this little book.



The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Dude... if you need me to tell you why this book is awesome, I'm not sure I want you reading it.
The caterpillar eats it's way through the book. It's amazing. It's colorful, it helps kids learn how to count, and it's about a caterpillar. I HATE caterpillars now, they scare me and freak me out but this little guy is like a childhood friend.


What was your favorite book growing up?
What do you think I should read next?


Saturday, January 23, 2010

30 Days continued...

Day 03 → Your favorite television program

Glee! Hands down. It's a new show so I feel funny saying that but it's amazing and I love it.
I love all things that come in the form of a musical.
Between Puck's hot mohawk, the bitchy cheerleaders, Amazing Sue Sylvester, the great voices, and fabulous guest stars it just doesn't get much better than this.

I can't believe the show is on hiatus till April. Boo.

At least I have American Idol to keep me entertained in the mean time which is yet another one of my favorite shows.

I also LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Sex and the City.


Before Glee, Sex and the City was my favorite, and honestly now that I'm thinking about it, I think it probably still is.

I like to think of myself as a a combination of all 4 ladies rolled in to one. I probably identify closest with Carrie. I'm a write/artist myself and also change hair styles and have a fashion sense that is... eclectic. I live in an apartment, I was a serial mongoamist before marrying Lord Hill, and I've had my share of Aidens, Burgers, and Big. Samantha is more like my college years, I was never as well, sexual as she is, but I definitely used my womenly powers to get ahead in life and I enjoyed being a powerful woman and never really let anything stop me. I think Miranda and I share our insecurities and our fears. I also see a relation between her trying not to fall in love with Steve and the way I tried to push Lord Hill away for years. I'm glad we both woke up and realized what we had in front of us.
Charolete... well, I guess she's sort of who I'm trying to become more like while I'm on this journey of lazy to Lady. She's the domestic Goddess I could only dream of being. Her perfect apartments, her perfect clothes, her manners, her aprons, she's just such a perfect house wife model and yet she worked outside the home too. She's perfect, but lacks the edge the rest of the woman have. I also identify with her loyalty to her friends.

Which TV character do you most identify with? If that was the original question for the day I'd have to say Punky Brewster.

Weekly Progress

Since the purpose of this blog is to showcase my daily life while I try to go from lazy to lady I guess I should take a few minutes every week to discuss the ups and downs along the way.

Something pretty big happened this week. It's going to sound so trivial but to those of you who live in CHAOS and are surrounded by clutter I think you'll understand.

A friend came over for pizza.

Not only was the apartment not so destroyed that they were allowed inside, but I was comfortable enough to invite them to stay and actually eat and talk for a little while.

I haven't done this in a long time. Hubby has his best friend over whenever he's in town, but frankly he's a boy and he's known my hubby practically their whole lives so he's not likely to judge me based on the cleanliness of the house. How well I play a video game, whether I can identify Gentleman Ghost, or the amount of White Castle sliders I consume, sure, neatness, not so much.

So anyway, that was a big deal for me. I'm proud. She's actually the friend who gave me the fabulous penguin table runner featured in an earlier post that inspired me to findclean my kitchen table.

I have been having trouble getting dressed to the shoes every day. To be honest, I've just been too sore and uncomfortable to wear anything other than sweats and a tank top and my joints and feet hurt too much for lace up shoes. BUT I have not totally forsaken this task. Instead I swap out my pjs for either gym clothes or lounge pants and I wear a pair of slip on sneakers. This seems to be helping quite a bit though not as much as really dressing to the shoes.

The good:
Had company over.
My sink is still shiny.
My kitchen table is still clear.
Christmas decorations are all taken down and put away. (Thank you hubby)
There is more than just a small walkway from the bedroom to the office.
Recycling has been sorted.
Litter boxes are done (again, thanks hubby)
When the gym was too packed to work out we went to the highschool track and did laps instead.
Had a great night out with the ladies tonight. Had so much done at home that there was no guilt at all about being out on a Friday night instead of home worrying about the mess.

The not so good:
only got to the gym once this week
Tango had to go to the vet and is a pain in the ass about taking his pills.
Stressful week at work.
Didn't complete my weekly to do list.


All in all it's been a good week.

What were the highs and lows of your week?

Friday, January 22, 2010

30 Days continued...

Day 02 → Your favorite movie
Oooo. These questions are hard!
I don't have a favorite movie. I do however have movies I could watch over and over again and not get sick them. Here are a few that I know every word to and could probably recite from beginning to end if I had to.

The Princess Bride
(Disney)Alice in Wonderland
(Disney)Robin Hood
(Disney) The Little Mermaid
The Breakfast Club
Mallrats
Pretty in Pink
16 Candles
Empire Records
The Craft

What's your favorite movie?

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Welcome to...

...30 days of Lady Hill.
Post your answer in the comments!

Day 01 → Your favorite song
This is difficult, as I have many many favorite songs. I guess my answer right now would be the same it was when I was 19. It's a song I was introduced to in College and just could not get enough of. To this day whenever I hear it I feel like I"m back in the quad sitting on my wall listening to it blast out of someone's dorm room window.

O.A.R.'s Crazy Game of Poker.
Live version - Skip to 4 minutes 20 seconds


Day 02 → Your favorite movie
Day 03 → Your favorite television program
Day 04 → Your favorite book
Day 05 → Your favorite quote
Day 06 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 → A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 → A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 → A photo you took
Day 10 → A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 → A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 → A fictional book
Day 14 → A non-fictional book
Day 15 → A fanfic
Day 16 → A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 → An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 → A talent of yours
Day 20 → A hobby of yours
Day 21 → A recipe
Day 22 → A website
Day 23 → A YouTube video
Day 24 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 → Your day, in great detail
Day 26 → Your week, in great detail
Day 27 → This month, in great detail
Day 28 → This year, in great detail
Day 29 → Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 → Whatever tickles your fancy

Santa is Watching

Christmas is finally over in the Hilliverse.
Our tree is down, the garland and lights are down, and everything is *gasp* put away!
It's not even February yet!
I'm quite proud of this and yet a little bummed b/c honestly, if I could keep my home decorated for Christmas year round, I probably would. It cheers me up and reminds me of my very first "job".

When I was a little girl I got a letter from Santa telling me that he was so proud of what a good little girl I had been that he would like me to be one of his helpers. He even sent a little ornament with my name on it as official proof that I was one of his helpers. It could not have gotten any cooler than that. I would put my green Santa-esque hat on after school every day and help my mom do chores. I'd even wear it to the grocery store. I used to pretend to light all the Christmas candles every night at the same time and then go and "blow them out" before bed. I felt a real commitment to my job and my duties. I had to be a good girl, remind other children to behave, and help my mom and dad with all things Christmas related. I think I did a pretty good job. I never got fired. In fact, I still call myself an "Official Santa's Helper" and I still have the letter (somewhere at my parent's house) to prove it.
For now, my green hat has been put away along with the stockings and the tree. Maybe I should keep it out as a reminder that Santa is still watching and there are still chores to be done. Eek. I hope the fact that I'm TRYING will keep me on the "Nice" list this year.

Not the best shot of it, but this is the famous Santa's Helper hat. It even has my name on it!

How long do your Christmas decorations stay up? Be honest, Santa's watching.



Monday, January 18, 2010

Weekly To Do List

This is not a very exciting post, but it is a necessary one.
Follow along, or post your own. I'd love to see what everyone else has to do this week.

  • TAKE DOWN CHRISTMAS (i know, i know, i know.)
  • Return 8 million bottles and cans
  • Find/get new box to store greeting cards in
  • Find "homes" for everything in the "this doesn't belong in the room" box
  • Go to Gym at least 3 times this week
  • Go grocery shopping
  • Make menus
  • Mop Kitchen and Bathroom
  • Organize Living Room Closet
  • Vacuum Living Room

All of the above are in addtion to everything else in my Control Journal for the week.

Some days I feel like I'll never get anything done. Those are the days where I take a step back, evaluate the priorities and work on getting at least one thing done. Everything does not need to be done "RIGHT NOW!!! " Slow progress is better than no progress. Change doesn't happen over night. My apartment didn't get this cluttered/out of control over night and it won't get clean that quickly either.

Patience and organization are two personality traits that I am working on.

How bout you? What do you plan to do this week to help better yourself or your surroundings?

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Ridiculous? I think so.

Today was not as productive as I would have liked it to be. It was a lazy Sunday for the most part.

I did get some errands in though... an unplanned trip to Walmart thanks to my hubby being so sick that he actually went to the doctor for the first time in over 5 years, and needing immediate antibiotics.

We do not have insurance, but we make too much monthly to qualify for any sort of assistance program. (which is a joke, how people survive making what you need to make to qualify baffles me)
Anyway, because of this, I always call around to find the best price for any medication we need to get.
Usually we luck out and my meds are $4 at Walmart. Well, not this time. Apparently the generic form of Augmentin is not part of Walmart's $4 plan.


They charge $59.99 for 20 pills. WOAH. So I decide to call around...













Walgreens charges $84.99




















Rite Aid charges $95.00

FOR GENERIC.

Are you kidding me? It seems a bit ridiculous that medication is this expensive to begin with. The fact that some locations charge almost double what another location charges just blows my mind. I could almost understand if we were talking about small "Mom & Pop" type stores that don't order in large quantities, but these are huge major pharmacy companies.

I'm usually not one for government involvement but I really feel like it's time these companies had their prices regulated. The cost is high, but the fact that some places are charging almost double for the same "LIFE SAVING" products feels like robbery.

What's your take on the situation? Have you ever run into this issue? Do you have any ideas on how we can stop companies from doing this? I'd love to hear from you.

The Fairy Tale - (For those that never heard it)

The Story of how we met is one as old as time.
Once upon a time there was a Fair Skinned Princess and a Young Naive Knight. One day they met at a palace(Nassau Community College) dance(Dance Class). After that fateful day all the Young Knight could think of was the Princess. Her smile, her laugh, everything that she was clouded his thoughts. As time passed the Knight wondered if they were to ever see each other again. As any good fairy tale goes, they did. Brought together by Sir Bob of Einenkel(our acting teacher) the two’s connection grew stronger. But dark times arose in the form of a Black Knight from the North. It turns out that he had claimed the Princess as his betrothed and stole her away to his castle. The land met with despair and torment. The Young Knights spirits slowly withered. Not knowing what happened to his princess or if she would ever return he tried to go on without her, to his dismay.
After almost a year of separation Sir Bob of Einenkel approached the Knight with a proposal. It seemed that one of the squires could not perform his role in the upcoming palace production and asked the young knight to take his place. The Knight agreed. With only 8 days to prepare the Knight focused hard and studied his part. It was the night of dress rehearsal. The Young Knight was nervously prepairing himself when the Fair Princess came into the Theatre. It seemed that the Fair Princess was helping with the production. This was a shock for the Knight. Fate had brought them back together and the Knight wasn’t going to lose her again. The two quickly reconnected and became closer than ever. The Princess was able to break the Black Knights hold on her and ran off with the Young Knight. Ever since then the Princess and her Knight have been inseparable and are soon to be Wed.
On March 28th 2008 The Knight will be with his Princess forever.
The End

The Knight and his Princess were joined together in Holy Matrimony the twenty-eighth of March in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand Eight

Look what I found!

It's our kitchen table!

I used flylady's crisis cleaning procedure today. I set a timer and spent 15 minutes in the kitchen cleaning, when the timer went off I reset it for another 15 minute and worked on the living room, reset it again and finished up in the kitchen.

I need to clean out all of the cabinets and return all of the bottles and cans but this was great progress for me. I am not proud of the CHAOS I have been dealing with for so long, but I am proud of the progress I'm making to cure it.

How bout you? Have you ever let the clutter take control to the point where you suffered from Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome? (CHAOS)

Friday, January 15, 2010

Life is Good

So, I'm waiting for a friend to come and get me so we can go shop for sneakers and head to the gym. At 9:00pm. LOL fun fun.

Tonight I made a delicious steak dinner with corn and mac and cheese as the sides. There is not a drop of food left so I guess that's good. I only made enough for 2 people so we didn't over indulge and that's great. I measured out all of our portions and everything. Unfortunately the mac&cheese has like 8million calories a serving. Hence going to the gym at 9:00pm

I started a household budget spread sheet yesterday. I think it's really going to help a lot. We have money, it's not that we're broke, but I'd like to start saving for a house or something so I'd like to keep track of where the money is going.

My sink is still shiny and I've been doing the 27 Fling Boogie. This whole process seems to be working. baby steps. I'll probably do a crisis cleaning this weekend.

Tango has been a great little dog lately. He's so funny. I like it when he is good for a few weeks at a time. When he's bad he's awful.
I actually caught him and Bella on the bed together the other day and they were not fighting and they knew the other one was next to them. It was quite a pleasant surprise.

Well, I'm off. I haven't mastered the whole "bed by 10" thing that the process suggests and I doubt I ever will. I need to let go of my perfectionist attitude though and just go with the flow and do what I can.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Shiny Sink!

A very important part of the flylady.net process is having a shiny sink.

Find out why this is important, and how to shine yours by going HERE.

This is my shiny sink. I am quite proud of it.

Shiny SInk!

New Year - New Blog

I (Kerri) am using this new year to jump start a new me.

My goals for this year are to get fit. Mentally, physically, whatever.

I've joined a gym and have gone 3 times so far. I hope to go at least that often every week.
I started using flylady.net and started putting together my control book. I hope to get my apartment organized as well as our finances, budget, and everything else.

I want to be more organized, try to be on time, and be comfortable in my skin.

I'll be posting to do lists, goals, achievements, tips, and other household related stuff here.

I'm excited about this year. It sounds so cliche and everything, but hey you gotta start somewhere right?