Discover Simple

Waving the white flag....

2010-11-04T19:10:00.002-05:00

I cannot get motivated to post on this blog.

I'm moving back to my old blog.

Hope you'll join me there.

I promise it will be a lot more entertaining than the non-posting going on here.

I'm leaving this one up -- you know -- just in case.

You can find me at my old home here, though:

Another Excuse to Procrastinate...

sleepyhead

2010-09-20T20:54:00.002-05:00

Can't get this out of my head... Thanks, Mr. D ;-)

Four Eyes

2010-09-19T18:40:00.005-05:00

Shhhh....Don't tell Mr. D....I'm in love with Warby Parker. :-)

Cute glasses for $95. Free home try-on. Free shipping. Freaking awesome (and bonus -- socially concious) company.

If you wear glasses or if you want a monocle (because really, who doesn't?), you should check them out right now. Go.

I've got an eye doctor appointment next week & then, you better believe I'll be placing an order asap.

long weekend & rainy days

2010-09-07T22:02:00.002-05:00

We were busy bees this past weekend which was thankfully a long weekend. Yea for holidays!

Friday night -- First Fridays in our historic downtown area. We went out with a few friends & had a great time.

Saturday -- Tailgating & Football. We did some tailgating from about 9:30 to 3:00 on Saturday. Took the dogs with us. I think they had fun. They were worn out when we dropped them off at the house. We dropped them off around 3:30, headed back up to campus for more tailgating, and then headed to watch the Aggie game. The weather was actually nice, so the game wasn't as torturous as it normally would be for me. I'm not so big on football, but I try.

Sunday -- Churchin' & Lakin'. Went to church in the morning & then in the afternoon we headed over to our friend's parent's house. They have a private lake. It was great to just hang out & relax for a while.

Monday -- Nothing & More Nothing. We pretty much hung around the house all day long & did absolutely nothing. It was glorious.......until I got a headache in the afternoon. Since then I've felt like poo.

Today -- Rain. It rained today....a lot. We even had a tornado warning at one point. Thanks to Tropical Storm Hermine & Little Bit, my house is filled with muddy paw prints. Exactly what you want to come home to when you feel like poo. There is a bright side to it though...our lawn finally got some much needed rain.

It's the little things...

2010-08-31T20:55:00.002-05:00

I just called Mr. D with Google. Awesomeness.

Yes, I am a dork ;-)

Watching that bank balance...

2010-08-31T06:42:00.002-05:00

I mentioned I have us on a strict budget. I do. And sometimes it sucks.

However, the best thing that has come out of my uber-strict budget is that we haven't been eating out. It's definitely changed my shopping/cooking routine...

Saturdays you'll find me at the farmers market or Farm Patch (a local fresh produce, etc. market). Then I head to the grocery store to get the other things we need.

Sunday (sometimes Monday), I'll be in the kitchen cooking up a storm. I try to cook things that will last the whole week for either lunch or dinner. Thus the two casseroles I cooked last night.

I've never been that big of a leftover person (except for a few things), so it's been an adjustment for me, but I do feel relieved when I look at our bank balance and realize there's still money in there.

And bonus, I've lost 5 lbs without even trying.

Mmmm, mmmm, good...

2010-08-30T19:28:00.004-05:00

Chicken spaghetti just came out of the oven and ravioli with meat sauce is not far behind...

73!

2010-08-28T07:28:00.002-05:00

Big Bit & I are hanging out on the back porch this morning because it's 73 degrees this morning! 73! Woo hoo!

Woof!

2010-08-27T06:33:00.002-05:00

Don't let the face fool you.

Someone is a tad hyperactive this morning...

Apparently barking at 5:45 am for no reason is now acceptable.

Craftiness...

2010-08-26T06:44:00.007-05:00

We had some old document cabinets up at work that were going to be thrown away, so I grabbed one. I'm planning on setting up a crafty area in our front bedroom which is also our guest bedroom. I'll need plenty of storage to keep the craftiness at bay, so this is Storage Piece #1. Now I just need to figure out how I want to paint it...

Re-visiting "The List" aka Why did I start this thing again?

2010-08-25T06:36:00.002-05:00

Way back in January when I sat down to start this blog I started "The List". Since I'm averaging about 3.75 posts/month, I figured I better get busy for August & re-visiting said list sounds like an easy enough prospect (ha). So here goes:

A little refresher...

Why we're here (aka The List):
We want to healthify our life.
We want to stop eating out so much & use our mad cooking skills more.
We want to start working exercise into our schedule on a more regular basis and work t.v. out of our schedule.
We want to work toward being more responsible consumers.
We want to live within our means. At the moment that means a strict budget.
We want to enjoy life, savor the good times, appreciate the rough times, and learn how to be.
We want to discover simple.

Where we're at...

Healthify - I'd say we're a little healthier. It's a work in progress.

Mad Cooking Skillz - We are using our mad cooking skills for sure. I've been making dishes on Sunday that we can eat during the week. I try to healthify them with lots of veggies, not as much meat, etc.

Excercise/TV - We did the whole start & stop thing on actually working out consistently, but we do have gym membership. That counts, right? On the TV front things are going well. We don't have cable anymore (we're going on 6 weeks) & we moved the TV upstairs (to the man cave!). We've been watching a movie once or twice a week, but other than that the TV doesn't get turned on....not too shabby ;-)

Responsible consumers? - This is a hard one. Another work in progress.

Budget fun - We are currently on a strict budget. Damn student loans. We may have to scrap the whole healthify/cooking thing for a while & go back to the college food experience (i.e. Ramen, mac & cheese, ?). *shudder*

Enjoy life, blah, blah, blah - This one has been kinda easy. We're both pretty content with where we are & where we're headed. Not that we don't have our days, but most of the time it's all good.

Discover Simple - hmmm... Getting closer every day?

Long week...ready for a long weekend :-)

2010-07-02T22:47:00.002-05:00

Yay for 3 day weekends!

I've had a loooonnnnggg week.

Went to see the Eclipse premiere on Tuesday night which meant sleep deprivation before a busy day at work on Wednesday. Totally worth it though. Then last night was pub quiz which meant more sleep deprivation. Time to head to bed & get well rested for the weekend ahead.

We've got family coming in tomorrow, church picnic & dog park play date on Sunday, & then who knows what on Monday.

Happy 4th bloggy world!

This is how we roll

2010-06-27T07:47:00.000-05:00

Testing, Testing, 1, 2

2010-06-26T08:55:00.002-05:00

Thought I'd make sure my blog was still here... Can't believe it's been 2 months. Our days have been filled with work, house cleaning, dogs, work, hanging out with friends, dogs, family, meetings, work, vacation bible school, dogs....and not much else lately.

We're about to head to the dog park for a doggy play date. We found a group of doodle owners in town (as in goldendoodles, like Little Bit, & labradoodles). Anyway, we've already met up with one of the goldendoodles a couple of time. The dogs have a blast & it wears them out which is wonderful.

Okay -- off to get dressed.

It's a bird!!!

2010-04-13T07:00:00.001-05:00

We've got baby cardinals at our house!

Over the weekend Mr. D noticed a cardinal's nest in the rose bush outside our bedroom window. It had 3 eggs in it on Sunday, but when I went to look at it today, I found 3 little baby birds. Yea!

Old Camera

2010-04-12T20:47:00.005-05:00

I mentioned the Old Camera app on my last post... It is a fun iPhone app to play around with. I think it was 99¢, but don't quote me on that. :-)

Basically, you take photo & it makes it look like an old photo. Good times.

Here's some photos I've taken since I got the app...

woo hoo!

2010-04-12T07:00:00.003-05:00

I found my camera charger, so after months of being sans camera maybe now I will get creativity back in my life.

The iPhone is great for taking pictures when you're out & about...and I am loving me some Old Camera app right now...but I was REALLY missing my Nikon. Funny how one little thing can throw your level of inspiration/creativity off.

unwind

2010-04-02T08:35:00.002-05:00

I'm relaxing on my back porch this morning. Enjoying the beautiful weather. I love mornings like this. There's a little bit of a breeze, it's mid-60s, and humid. I have the day off from work, Mr. D is home, and we don't have a single plan for the day.

Perfect morning to unwind.

I need to unwind. I've been stressed.

Stressed about money. Stressed about people. Stressed about all the little things I shouldn't be stressed about.

On mornings like this I remember to relax and forget all those silly little worries.

Hang out with my hubby. Play with the dogs. Enjoy life. :-)

and by "tomorrow" I meant a week later...or more...

2010-03-30T21:22:00.005-05:00

"Still waiting..." I'm finally delivering on my promise of "torn up phone books, cute puppies, rainbow cupcakes, lasagna, & who knows what else!", so here goes...

#1 - Phone Book

We had a phone book die at our house a few weeks ago. Okay, it was slaughtered by our lovely dogs. We found pieces of phone book for days after this happened:

#2 - Cute Puppies

And boy are they cute :-)

# 3 - Rainbow Cupcakes

I made rainbow cupcakes for St. Patty's Day. You can find the directions on how to make them here. They turned out awesomely. I used the McCormick NEON! Food Colors instead of regular food coloring, so they were VERY bright. So much fun :-) Wish I had gotten a better pic, but you get the idea.

#4 - Lasagna

We hosted our Young Adult group from church for the monthly get together a couple of weeks ago. I made lasagna. Lots & lots of lasagna. It turned out great & I think everyone had a great time. One of the reasons we bought this house was that it is so comfortable feeling and we wanted people to be able come here, relax, & enjoy themselves.

I love hosting people and seeing how they interact in/with our house. I can't remember if I've written about it on here before, but our house was built between 1897-1900, so it is well-used. I love the look on people's faces when they walk across the big front porch for the first time. It's like they automatically relax. I'll have to tell you about the house story another time & show you some pictures. We don't usually have phone books spread across the living room. ha ha ha

#5 - Who knows what else!

When I wasn't enjoying the above few things & the good times we had with family and friends over the last few weeks, I was busy trying very hard not to stress completely out. All I can say is I'm thinking it should be "no money, mo' problems" :-/

Also:

- This too shall pass.

- You have to go through rough times to appreciate the good times.

- We're doing pretty darn good for a 20 something couple that has one part (Mr. D) embarking on the wonderfully aggravating journey of navigating the waters of entrepreneurship.

Disappeared...

2010-03-20T08:07:00.002-05:00

I've been missing because my mom & cousin are visiting for spring break. I'll be back tomorrow though with torn up phone books, cute puppies, rainbow cupcakes, lasagna, & who knows what else!

Distracted Driving...

2010-03-08T19:31:00.003-06:00

I am not one to share forwards, but this is something that I think is important to share. I got this from a co-worker today. She shared this email from one of her friends who lost her husband in December.

If you saw Oprah's show about people driving while using their cell phones, you've seen more tragic stories like this one. I saw that particular show and haven't gone a day without thinking about it since, so when I got this email today, I knew I needed to share it.

----------------------------------------------------

Honor Chris today - Pledge to never drive distracted again

Today is Chris' birthday. He would have been 35. It would have been his first birthday that Colleen would actually remember. It would have been a day filled with joy, laughter, and Chris' infectious, beaming smile. While every day is hard, today is especially heartbreaking.

I have not described the car accident that took his life in detail in these notes. Today I am ready. Today I want to tell you all about how you can honor Chris by helping to avoid the type of accident that caused two people to lose their lives on December 29, 2009.

On that day, Chris and I were driving from Corpus Christi to Dallas to be with his sister - who was in labor with her first baby. We were having a great time in the car. We were so happy about being able to be in Dallas for little Sophie's birth. Chris had just won his fantasy football league championship. Colleen was safe at home in Corpus with my parents. Our weekend could not have been any better. We stopped for food in Seguin, and were continuing our trip on Highway 123 between Seguin and San Marcos. I remember being in the car with Chris, talking about Colleen and our great weekend...laughing and joking like we always did. The next thing I remember is hearing voices, and thinking to myself - "They are talking to me. I need to wake up".

I don't remember anything about the accident, but the the officer who investigated our case was incredibly thorough. Here is what he found:

On that day, an 18 year old girl drove from Seguin to San Marcos to purchase a car - a 1990 Jeep Cherokee. She was driving home, following a car with a few of her family members. As she drove, she was using her iPhone.

On Highway 123, she got distracted by her phone, and didn't anticipate a curve in the roadway. She was in the right hand lane, and started to veer towards a guardrail on her right. When she looked up from her iPhone, she overcorrected, and jerked her wheel to the left. She crossed three lanes of traffic on the undivided highway at over 70 miles an hour and slammed directly into our car. There were no skid marks - she was too distracted to try to stop or avoid our car.

The officers found an active text message on her iPhone after the accident. The police report officially states that she was "distracted by cell phone usage". She was not wearing a seatbelt, and was ejected from the car. The ejection ripped off most of her clothes. She was not drunk - but she was under the influence. She was under the influence of the untrue belief that it is possible to drive and use a cell phone at the same time.

We all think that we can. We all think that we are good enough drivers to be able to text, read and write email, surf the internet, and make calls while we are driving. Chris did. I did. The 18 year old girl who hit us that day did. And I would bet that most of you reading do. The truth is: we can't. No one can. It doesn't matter if you are 16 or 45, using a cell phone while you are driving is too distracting to risk.

I know you are thinking - "There is no way I can give it up. I am a good enough driver. I have years of experience. It will never happen to me." I am here to tell you - it can.

Chris was not on his phone during the accident. He was not distracted, and his focus allowed him to see the oncoming car, and maneuver our car quickly to the right before the impact. That maneuver, the last thing that he did, saved my life.

Today, on his birthday, I ask you to honor Chris' memory by pledging to never drive distracted again. Honor his memory by never riding in a car with someone who is driving distracted again. Every time someone texts you, or calls while you are driving, think to yourself, "Is sending this text worth risking my life? Is taking this call worth risking the life of another driver?" No call, no text, no email, was worth losing two lives on that day.

My heart aches for the family of the girl who also died that day. She didn't think that she was doing anything wrong. She never had a chance to live her life. I mourn for her, just as I do for Chris.

I ask you today to pledge in memory of Chris to never let your phone distract you while you are driving again. For your own sake, and for the other drivers around you - do not take the chance that your actions could take another life or your own.

Chris was a wonderful husband, amazing father, loving son and brother, and fiercely loyal friend. There is not a minute in a day that I don't think about him. I miss him desperately. But, Colleen and I are living our life. We laugh and smile and enjoy the blessed moments that we have together every day. We thank God for the time we had with Chris, and trust in God that he has not left us, and will never leave us alone.

Here are some links for more information on the dangers of distracted driving, and what you can do to help:

Oprah's "No Phone Zone" - http://www.oprah.com/questionaire/ipledge.html?id=4
Official US Government site for distracted driving - http://www.distraction.gov
FocusDriven: Advocacy group for victims of crashes caused by distracted driving (similar to MADD) -http://www.focusdriven.org/index.aspx

----------------------------------------------------

UPDATE: This was a blog post on the wife's blog here

aha Moment...

2010-03-01T21:27:00.002-06:00

Don't you love when you have an "aha moment"?

I had one last weekend in the grocery store. I have this plan. Well, it isn't exactly in plan form, but it is a plan. I want to get us as switched over to organic foods as I possibly can. I think it matters big time what we put into our bodies.

Trash in, trash out. I see and hear about so many people with health issues that it gets me thinking. I want to be as healthy as I can be inside and out, so that when we start having children, I am the best I can be. I also think if I can get into good habits now, I can pass on those good habits to our kiddos.

Anyway, I've got this plan, but I've also got some....ahem....budgetary restrictions. You know...the whole living within our means thing. I have it in my mind that there's no way I could switch us over to all or mostly organic at this point due to the expense. However, that was until I found myself standing in front of the organic meat at our local grocery store.

Yep. Ground beef got me inspired.

We live in a city that isn't that large which means no Whole Foods or Central Market. We are very lucky though because we have a locally-owned grocery store that works really hard to stock as much organic/natural/local food as they possibly can. We are also lucky because while it isn't the cheapest option, the prices are relatively manageable. Mr. D heard a quote somewhere, "Pay the farmer or pay the doctor." I'd rather pay the farmer myself, so (aha!) I think with some careful planning I'm ready to make the switch.

snow

2010-03-01T21:24:00.002-06:00

We did get snow last Thursday. It's kind of a big deal for here.

Can it be spring yet?

2010-02-22T21:41:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we had 70 degree weather. Tomorrow it is supposed to snow. Oh Texas weather, why are you so fickle?

The only silver lining to the snow clouds that are headed our way is that we get to wear jeans to work tomorrow. We're planning on playing in the snow tomorrow afternoon.* I'm not to into going outside in the cold, but if it means I get to wear jeans on a Tuesday, then I'm all for it.

* It obviously does not snow that often here.

Strengths

2010-02-18T07:00:00.002-06:00

Way back when I was a sophomore in college I took the StrengthsFinder test. If you haven't taken or heard of it, basically the whole idea behind the test/book(s) is that if you know what your strengths are and you focus on them, you will grow exponentially more than if you focus on your weaknesses.

I love it.

It has helped me more than anything else in figuring out how to deal with other people or handle certain situations. I love when I walk into a business where they've done the StrengthsFinder test and each employee has their strengths posted on the desk. It is fascinating to me.

I found out a while ago that we would be studying the Strengths Based Leadership book in a leadership group I'm in which meant that I re-took the test. At first I was worried that I was going to end up with all different results. I knew from the first time around that chances were my results would be the same (or at least close) because it has a test-retest ratio of .60 to .80. More than likely only one strength would be different.

I was still worried. I've owned my top 5 strengths for the past few years. They've gotten me through a lot. But being the inquisitive person I am, I broke down and took it again.

Surprise, surprise -- only one of my strengths is different. The order is a little different, too.

1st time

Adaptability

Input

Ideation

Includer

Maximizer

2nd time

Input

Adaptability

Ideation

Maximizer

Learner

In short, I like to learn. A lot.

Anyway, I'm curious to see if any of you have done StrenghtsFinder? Did you like it? Have you re-taken it? Thoughts?

They made sick days for a reason.

2010-02-17T21:50:00.002-06:00

No. I'm not sick.

My co-worker is & I'm hoping that I don't catch what she has (can we say stomach bug?). Here's the thing. She came to work today. She came to work after throwing up last night & getting no sleep. She has leave time to use & she came to work today. Why? That's all I want to know is why?

Needless to say I hand-sanitized religiously today.

L-O-V-E

2010-02-17T20:33:00.005-06:00

I know it's past, but did I mention that I love Valentine's Day?

I always thought it was a fun holiday. Red is my favorite color. I love chocolate. I also love complete & total mushiness.

It never phased me all the years I didn't have a boyfriend, because I never really equated Valentine's Day with only romantic love. I still don't. I think of it as a day to revel in all things cheesy. Not that I need an excuse to do that...I'm a pretty cheesy person most of the time.

Anyway, Mr. D is not so keen on Valentine's Day. Despite his lukewarm feelings toward the holiday, he did a good job this year. He surprised me with a CD I've been wanting, but keep forgetting to buy or download --- Zac Brown Band - The Foundation.

Early Weekend!

2010-02-12T07:16:00.002-06:00

I took a vacation day today, which means I don't have to go out in the cold unless I want to. Yippee!

We will be going out later to watch my cousin perform in the Wizard of Oz. She's playing a munchkin....a basketball-playing munchkin. Apparently, they decided to do a sporty Wizard of Oz. We missed last night's performance, so we'll be going to the during the school day performance. I think I better enjoy the quiet this morning before we're around all those high-pitched elementary school voices crammed into one cafeteria. :-)

Other than that little adventure, I'm planning on cleaning.

I. must. get. our. house. clean.

Missing School

2010-02-10T07:30:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I find myself missing college.

I miss staying up late and getting up early to study or read or write papers. I miss walking as fast as I could to make it across campus in time for my next class. I miss figuring out where to sit on the first day of class. I miss spending hours on end at the library. I miss stopping in the student center to pick up breakfast on my way to class. I miss being around learners. I miss being around so many different people every day.

Then I remember that I am happy to be out of college now.

I'm happy that I can come home and relax after a long day at work. I don't have to worry about what test I have coming up or when my next paper is due. I don't have to figure out how to work my job around my school schedule. I don't have to study. I have free time that isn't spent feeling guilty because I should be studying. I can to go to bed at 10:00 pm an it's okay because I'm "old". I can read the books I want to read, when I want to read them. I don't have to be around so many people every day.

The big 2-7!

2010-02-09T06:46:00.007-06:00

It's my birthday today! It's been a pretty low-key day -- work & then hanging out with the pups. Anyway, I figured what better day to reflect on some of the goodness in my life?...

My Wonderfully Amazing Hubby

I am so very lucky to have him in my life. You hear about how married people become more alike the longer they're together. I haven't found that to be true. I feel like the longer we're together, the better we make each other. He's my sounding board. He calms me down and helps me see things from another perspective. He loves me even when I'm not being the best me.

The Pups

Their joie de vivre is contagious. They love everyone & everything. They keep me on my toes as evidenced by the photo below. When I got home for lunch today I noticed that Big Bit had a pink face and their was red all over the floors and dog bed. He had managed to find a tube of red paint to chew on while I was at work. Thank goodness it was watercolor!

Sunshine!

The sun was shining today! It was cold, but the sun was shining! Yea!

And on that note...

Super Sunday

2010-02-07T08:44:00.006-06:00

We've got quite a bit going on at the D. household today.

Churching, hanging out with friends, softball practicing, laundry washing, packing, traveling, & Super Bowl/birthday partying with family...whew!

All I've got to do is sit back & enjoy the day. I love lazy Sundays, but I think a busy Sunday of doing stuff with friends & family (or by myself) is great, too. It gets me energized and ready for the week.

What about you? What plans do you have for the day?

Step 4: Zzzzzz...

2010-02-03T06:56:00.003-06:00

I need to get on a schedule.

I have two alarms set on my phone to wake me up in the morning. One at 6:15 and one at 7:00. Most days I turn the alarm off at 6:15, go back to sleep, get up when the 7:00 alarm goes off, lay on the couch until 7:15, and then run around like a crazy person trying to get ready & up to work by 8:00 am. Not a good way to start the day.

All the way through elementary, junior high, & high school, my mom & I commuted to school (she's a teacher). It was a 45 minute drive one way. I went to bed at 10:00 pm & got up at 6:00 am. I ate my cereal with my eyes closed, but hey, at least I was up & somewhat at it.

Of course, that changed in college. I did still try to go to bed at a decent hour Sunday through Wednesday (I get really grouchy without sleep...just ask Mr. D), but Thursday through Saturday meant late nights and sleeping in.

Now that I've been out of college for 4 years (OMG! 4 yrs), I'd like to get back to my old schedule.

I don't know that I'll make it bed by 10:00 every night, but I am going to try to not stay up past 11:00 for sure (barring special occasions). I'm also planning on getting up at 6:15. We'll see how it goes.

Step 3: Getting on (and off) track.

2010-01-30T08:04:00.007-06:00

We've had a "get-off-track-and-do-everything-you-can-that-doesn't-involve-working-toward-a-healthy-existence" week at the D. casa.

It was the first week since November that I didn't have anything planned for Tuesday and Thursdsay nights.

For the last 12 weeks I've had a boot camp to go to those two nights. From 5:30-6:30 you could find me doing squats, mountain climbers, running, and generally killing myself in the parking lot of my company. We have a personal trainer that comes out to our office to do a boot camp. This last round of boot camp was the first time I had ever taken advantage of that opportunity and I did enjoy it.

Having a set time to work out (& accountability) has its pros. It had its cons, too - aka the cost. When you divide it out the price per boot camp day is low, but you only get those two days a week. Also, it was only for me to go, so Mr. D wasn't necessarily benefiting from it. Because of that, it went bye-bye with our budget cuts.*

....so.....

What did I do this week?

(Hint: No set workout time = major avoidance of healthiness.)

Not only did I not work out, but we ate out this week....a lot.

We went to the wine bar on Tuesday for wine & a cheese plate, can't remember what we did on Wednesday (I'm thinking we went to Sonic & then watched t.v.), Mexican food & then to an Irish pub on Thursday, and a bar & grill for giant hamburgers last night. Yeah. Not an example of self-control.

It isn't that I feel like I have to work out every day or that I have to eat healthy constantly, but I did get off track from the overall goal of healthiness. Not to mention the budget.....

I'm okay with that though. I'm young. I'm still learning.

I didn't make any specific goals because I knew there'd be hiccups along the way. There always are.

Starting today though, we're getting back on track....at least for little while.

*No worries. In a couple of weeks we are planning to sign up for gym memberships and I fully intend to take advantage of their classes & facilities.

Weekend Part 2: The Food Edition

2010-01-25T22:23:00.003-06:00

Friday night: After the banquet, we headed over to our favorite wine bar and enjoyed some good wine. It's always nice to unwind after a long day.

Saturday morning: We headed over to the Farmer's Market around 10:30, so a lot of stuff was already gone. We did manage to find some yummy tomatoes, homemade noodles, and a big container of fresh chana masala. Delicious.

Sunday night: I made us a pasta dish (covered in cheese of course) accompanied by a super healthy (& pretty) salad. Yum.

Weekend Part 1: Building Houses

2010-01-24T21:53:00.006-06:00

We had a great weekend.

It started on Friday evening with an event that Mr. D & I attended. The speaker told an inspirational story that I'm guessing I've heard before, but this time the message really stuck with me.

The story was about a home builder that wanted to retire....

The home builder was telling his wealthy friend of his plans & he said that even though it would be rough financially for him to retire, it would be worth it to spend time with his family. The friend said that he needed a new house and asked the home builder if he could do the job. He said he would pay him really well. The home builder agreed and set out to build the house.

Shortly after he decided that maybe if he used cheaper materials he could pocket more of the money. He got more greedy as time went on and ended up using all cheap materials.

Now when the builder's friend came to look at the finished product, all he saw was a nice looking house because you could not tell from the outside how awful the materials that built the house were. He told the builder that he had done such an amazing job and that he had a surprise. He patted the builder on the back and said, "My friend, welcome to your new home! I didn't really need a new house and you are such a great friend to me, that I've decided to give you this beautiful home you built!"

Now, I've completely paraphrased the story and it isn't quite the same reading it as hearing it told, but the whole point the speaker was trying to make was that we need to be aware of how we're building our "houses". Whatever we put into this world is what we have to live with.

It is a truth, and it is a truth that I often forget.

I get pulled into negativity and complaining and laziness. I don't always give 100%. I forget to help build people up, by reaching out to help or stopping to compliment them. It's another thing to work on and I think that is a life-long process for a lot of people. I know it will be for me.

An exception to the t.v. thing...

2010-01-21T20:34:00.003-06:00

I had to turn the t.v. on at 7:30 tonight. Parks & Rec was on...woot! woot!

In other news, Little Bit is growing like a weed. I'm pretty sure he grew two inches over night. At the moment he is laying on his doggie bed and pouting. He got in trouble for chewing on my shoes. He does not like to be in trouble. I'm going to have to go cuddle with him now...

Step 2:Enjoy Life...or Else

2010-01-20T19:59:00.011-06:00

Ahhh...The face of puppies who think you need to spend

more time appreciating the good things in life...like them.*

Part of discovering simple is most certainly learning how to savor the little moments. I'm pretty sure I can't do that while I'm sitting in front of the t.v., so at some point I'm going to have to significantly cut back on the amount of time the television is on each day. It isn't that I watch a ton of t.v. right now, but I do tend to have it on quite a bit while I'm at home.

It is background noise, but why do I need background noise? We have enough noise in our lives, so why do I feel like I need it at home, too? I want our house to be a place to relax. A place to unwind. A place to breathe.

It is a distraction. It distracts me from enjoying life. Being present. Doing the things that really matter.

Don't get me wrong, there is a time & place for t.v. There are some truly helpful shows. There are shows that are good escapes. There are shows that are cathartic to watch. I just don't know why the first instinct when I get home is to grab the remote. That is what I want to work on now.

I am going to make an effort to not turn the television on until 7 p.m. at the earliest. I am going to cut out the noise & enjoy life.

*Okay, maybe I read a little into their looks. Actually, these are the faces of puppies thinking...Really? One more picture?

Feel the Love

2010-01-20T17:48:00.001-06:00

Go read this post....now. It'll be the best thing you've seen all day. I promise.

A little inspiration...

2010-01-19T22:20:00.006-06:00

I found this in La Vie Claire yesterday while perusing the magazines at Hastings. It was the first time I'd seen that magazine. It was a great find because it is filled with all kinds of inspiring stories, quotes, images, and all-around goodness. Maybe one day when my budget isn't so teeny tiny I'll be able to subscribe.

Step 1: Squeaky Clean

2010-01-18T12:45:00.006-06:00

I am not good at housework. Okay, I'm not good at keeping up with housework. Once I get myself motivated, I can usually get a lot done. The problem is that most of the time I cannot get myself motivated.

For example, I am nearing the end of a three day weekend. I fully intended to get the house clean on Saturday, so that I could thoroughly enjoy Sunday & today. That is not what ended up happening and here I am half way through Monday with a dirty house. I managed to get a load of dishes into the dishwasher and I even started it (shock!) this morning. Impressive, I know.

It is definitely something I struggle with so I've decided to make a new goal. I am going to spend at least 15 minutes each day cleaning.

I figure on the weekends that 15 minutes will be more like 30 minutes to an hour (maybe more), but during the week I hope that a little bit will go a long way.

A little more about our journey...

2010-01-18T07:14:00.000-06:00

I guess before I jump right into posting about what we're up to, I'll give you a little background.

First the cast of characters:

There's me, Mrs. D. I've got your standard full-time office job. I work from 8 to 5, Monday through Friday. I don't have too many time commitments outside of work, but I do get that overwhelming sense of not having enough time pretty often lately. I'm convinced that it's because we don't have the healthiest lifestyle in the world. More on that in a few...

My hubby, Mr. D, does not have an 8 to 5 job. He started his own company last year. Not to bad for a twenty-something. He had been working for a company that did economic development (basically). Turns out the company wasn't the right fit. Mr. D soon found an opportunity to start his own company (basically economic development) and here we are. He travels a lot, he works around the clock, his paychecks aren't always consistent, but most importantly he's getting to help people.

We got Big Bit in 2008 right before Thanksgiving. He's a rambunctious lhasa-poo. He was an only child for a little over a year, so he's a tad bit spoiled and he definitely keeps us on our toes.

Little Bit is not going to be little for long. We got him right before Christmas and he's already taller than Big Bit. Little Bit is a goldendoodle. He takes instruction better than Big Bit, but he's got an ornery streak, too.

Why we're here (aka The List):
We want to healthify our life.
We want to stop eating out so much & use our mad cooking skills more.
We want to start working exercise into our schedule on a more regular basis and work t.v. out of our schedule.
We want to work toward being more responsible consumers.
We want to live within our means. At the moment that means a strict budget.
We want to enjoy life, savor the good times, appreciate the rough times, and learn how to be.
We want to discover simple.

I'm guessing The List will morph as time goes by and I hope that it does. For right now, this is what we've got.

Hello!

2010-01-17T12:24:00.001-06:00

Just a quick note to say hello & welcome to Discover Simple.

I've been in the blogging world for a while, but recently decided I needed a new space. A new space to document our journey to a simpler life. We're learning how to live within our means, eat more responsibly, enjoy life, and a million other things, too.

More soon!