Waste Not, Want Not

Last year I ended up with a bunch of Christmas cards that I did not want to throw stuff away, so I decided that I was going to attempt to make something out of them. I saw something similar on my friend Tammy’s site, but hers were way cooler since she has the tag punch that makes cool shapes. All I had was a pair of pinking shears and a hole-punch. I am not very crafty, but it was fun anyway and they work, even if they are not beautiful.

In an effort to get rid of stuff and keep my suitcase storage unit life organized, I am trying to use things I already have to aid me in wrapping and boxing and ribboning. It is hard, because you don’t want to save too much stuff, thinking “I will use this later” (just like the similar, “I will fix this later” and “I will make this later” where stuff starts to easily pile up), but I hate to have to go out and buy something that I know I could have easily already had.

Even worse is when you do save something to use and then you can’t find it so you have to buy it again anyway. This happens to me when I am traveling. For example, I went to Missouri in June. It was HOT. As autumn started to arrive, I had to buy a couple of sweaters even though I already had plenty at home. Since I was not going home any time soon, it was the only solution, other than having some sent. However, I solved it by buying them at the thrift store for two dollars each.

Oops, I got sidetracked. What I was trying to say is that this year I not only saved the cards from last year, but I made something out of them AND found them so I could use them again this year (that last part is key). Score, score and triple score. I even talked my Dad into using some of them! He’s weird though. He doesn’t care if they match the wrapping paper or not. Doesn't he know they are supposed to match? (yes, I know, I am the weird one)

What you’ll need:

Pinking Shears

Hole-Punch (or you can buy one of those punches at Michaels that make your card into a certain shape. They are really fun. There are round, flower shaped and many more.)

Colored Pens

Last Year’s Christmas Cards

Cut the cards into different sized squares (or whatever shape you want really.)

Punch holes into them. I couldn’t decide whether to do it in the middle of the top or the corner of the top. I ended up choosing the middle, but after using a few, I may use the corner for some of them next time. 

If you want, you can write “to” and “from” on them now. I did some for now and then wrote on others once I wrapped the gift. It’s up to you. 

Now you have fun Christmas tags! 

Attach the tags to presents using ribbon. Voila! (matchy, matchy)

Do you re-use anything from last year’s Christmas? Do you make anything crafty out of your old Christmas items?  What do you do with your old Christmas cards?

Way Back When-sday (1)

Going for the Rod Stewart Hairdo. Christmas 1979.

Feel free to make your own caption for this photo.

Inspired by Allison.

Were you the first one up on Christmas day when you were a kid?

Less is More

The other day, this girl wrote a post about being a minimalist. She spoke of people who had packed up their entire life into one car and drove off into the sunset. She said that sometimes she wishes she could be like that, but on the other hand wanted to know if we thought it was wrong to want stuff.  She asked us if we were “minimalists”.  It really got me thinking.  Am I? And is it wrong to want stuff? This question is especially prevalent during the holidays.

I have mentioned before that I live in a hotel most of the time. Let me explain. Roughly 7 years ago, I gave up my (much loved) apartment in San Francisco, put all my stuff into storage (Yes it all fits. I gave my furniture all to my brother) and headed to Europe for an adventure extraordinaire! Six months later, my savings had run out and I came back home, wondering…now what? 

But yes…now what? The great part was that I had no ties. I could go anywhere I wanted. I thought about joining the Peace Corps (I still think about that from time to time). Of course I had friends in the Bay Area, but they had lived without me for six months, so they could stand a few more. So I was all of a sudden at this wonderful and horrible place, where the world was my oyster. I could do what I wanted.

I just had to figure out what that was.

It is very freeing to not have a lot of stuff. You have nothing holding you back. You don’t have to make sure the dog is in the kennel or the kids have a babysitter. You don’t have to worry about moving boxes and boxes of books, a couch and a bedroom set down 3 flights of stairs. All of these things sway your decision making process. They make it a lot easier to remain right where you are. However, having no excuses NOT to do something is hard too. We are used to letting our responsibilities, our friends, our THINGS, make our decisions for us. Making a decision without these factors is strange (and difficult!). 

People always say,” Man, If only I didn’t have (to) _________ I would go with you to Europe”. But would they? It’s not like I twisted your arm and MADE you buy that new ____ which is now making it so you can’t afford the trip. It’s not like I signed you up for a 6 week ______ class so now you don’t have the time. You chose that. You chose that over the trip to Europe.

They also say, “I would totally love to have your lifestyle” (living out of a hotel, having all their stuff in storage, traveling).  But they really wouldn’t. Could you live out of a suitcase 9/10 of the year? Could you wear one pair of shoes and 2 pairs of pants for the next year? Could you avoid buying things so you don’t have to lug them around? 

I sometimes want to putter but I have no place to do so. I want to have a mindless activity such as re-organizing my already organized closet/bookshelf/pantry.  But then I sit and actually think about it, and I don’t really need that. I like having no clutter, nothing holding me back. If that means I can’t re-read my favorite book or wear that great red suede jacket I bought on sale at Nordstrom, so be it. I can do what I want, when I want. I can go wherever I want or need to at basically a moment’s notice. 

At the point in my life when I came back from Europe, I could do whatever I set my mind to. But. I was out of money. So in this case I could do anything I wanted, but I would have to somehow get money. Why would I need to get money? I needed to live. I needed food. For that I would need an apartment, and then I would need a fridge. Then I would have to buy food. So to get money I would need a job. To get a job, I might need something other than the one pair of shoes and the holey pants I had been wearing for the last several months. 

So, we’ve come back full circle. In order to live, we DO need a certain amount of stuff. In order to exist in society, we need stuff. So, we buy things. We buy what we want. We DO what we want. And then sometimes we use those things to be our beard for why we don’t do or can’t do other things (that maybe we don’t want to do?) We say we “have too much stuff” when in reality what we have is the stuff we chose to have. 

So, stop hiding behind your stuff. Stop making excuses. Do what YOU want. If it’s buying 100 new t-shirts a year, or every new gadget that Best Buy has to offer, or a Pottery Barn candle holder in every different color, do it. If it’s signing up for pole dancing classes or the gym, if it’s buying a new house or car, or if it’s traveling, or going to a new restaurant, or going to a play, do it. If it makes you happy, do it! And then be happy with the decision that you have made. 

I don’t think it’s a matter of how much stuff we have, but whether or not that stuff we have makes us happy. We can have fewer sweaters if we want to save our money for travel, or we can have more sweaters but not be able to afford that vacation. You can buy things in order to check them off your "I should have this" list, or you can buy them becuase they make you happy. You choose. 

It’s a matter of quality, not quantity. 

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Today I am being featured over at The Many Thoughts of a Reader. Go and check it out HERE!

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Are you a minimalist? Do you think that it is better to be a minimalist?

A-List Monday II: Books

This year, I joined AudrieAnne at Who’s Your Editor for a Bookmark Break Challenge. She challenged everyone to get out those old books and read them, to free the bookmarks! The challenge was that if you read more books than she did this year, you would win a trip to Aruba. Just kidding. No Aruba, but bragging rights and a spot on her page. So, thanks to her, I read a lot of books this year. So far, as of today, I have read 63 books in 2011.

I admit, not all of them have been very good. I was on the road for about half of this year, and sometimes the selection in English was nil. Thank goodness for the Kindle Reader that I downloaded on my iPhone! Yes, I read many a book on that tiny screen. But many were good. Luckily later this year, I actually put on my big girl pants and got a library card of my very own. And then there was no stopping me! Below is a list of a few of them that I really liked.

The Help - Kathryn Stockett: I know it’s a book that everyone liked, so it’s not news to anyone, but there is a reason it was popular. It was easy to read and speaks of a time and place that were controversial and fascinating. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to be a black person in the south in the 60s. Or ever really. This book tells a very difficult but heartwarming story.

My Korean Deli - Ben Ryder Howe: A white man and his Korean wife, who are currently living with her family in New York, decide to all pool their money together to buy and run a deli in Brooklyn. It is a fun story about the trials and tribulations of dealing with his mother in law (and other in-laws), dealing with his wife, living with her family and attempting to run a convenience store in New York. (review HERE)

Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts: Although I actually thought the author was a bit of a blowhard, I liked this book. It tells of an Australian escaped convict who goes to India and lives in the slums of Bombay and becomes a drug dealer, mafia member and eventually a Mujaheddin guerrilla. Some of it seems a little far-fetched and you are always wondering what is real, but it’s full of adventure and an inside look into India that I sure as heck didn’t see when I was there! It gets points on interestingness.

The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows: Try saying that one five times fast! Set in World War II, this book talks about life on Guernsey Island, which is one of the Channel Islands between England and France. It tells of a small village who survives Nazi occupation by starting a book club, named the Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society (interesting fact: they did not have flour so they had to make pie crusts from potato peels).

The Postmistress - Sarah Blake: Also set in WWII, this book is told from the view point of several people. One is a radio broadcaster who is living in England during the war and broadcasting from the front. She sees a lot of things that most people would not be able to handle and then tells the story over the radio (with Edward Murrow). One of the other players is a postmistress in Cape Cod who decides to withhold someone’s mail from them for their own safety and peace of mind. It is an interesting story and you really get a good feel of what it was like, especially from the radio broadcaster’s story.

The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak: I guess I am on a WWII kick, because this one is also set in WWII in Germany. It is told about a little girl who goes to live with a family during the war. She loves to read and she uses books to get through a very terrible time. At first I didn’t like the storyteller; it is told from the voice of Death, but I warmed up to it a little ways into the book. It’s a sad book; it may make you cry, but it’s a very good story.

Surviving the Extremes – Dr. Kenneth Kamler: This book was very informative. Dr. Kamler talks about what happens to your body when you go into extreme conditions, such as high altitude, underwater diving, and extreme cold and extreme heat. I found it very interesting. Not only does he tell a little story, but he puts things in layman’s terms so everyone can understand them. It made me really appreciate my body and everything working together to help keep me alive. I also have a better understanding of why I always have to pee so much when I get into high altitudes!

The Paris Wife - Paula McClain: I am not a fan of Hemingway, but this story, told from the viewpoint of his first wife, was interesting and illuminating. I am still not really a fan of him; he seems like a self-absorbed drunk to me, but I am probably going to read A Moveable Feast now, just so I can see what the same time period in his life was like.

Here are a “few” more that I think are worth recommending:

Blink - Malcolm Gladwell

Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Islands - LM Montgomery (classic)

With No One as a Witness - Elizabeth George (mystery)

The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest - Steig Larsson

Sea of Glory - Nathaniel Philbrick (historical, but not boring)

Forrest Gump - Winston Groom (Different than the movie! Still good though!)

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (a classic!)

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins (fun, quick read!)

Room - Emma Donoghue (about a boy stuck in a room with his mother all his life)

The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein (told from the POV of a dog)

So, what’s the plan for 2012!? I think that I will try to read at least a book a week, which would be a goal of 52 books. I also have a lot of books on my shelf that I need to read before buying any new ones. So, it’s a two-fold goal à a book a week and at least one a month has to be one from my dusty shelf (the others will most likely be from the library). So it’s a 52 and 12 in 2012, to go along with my 12 in 2012 Fitness Goal (get ready, there will be more 12 themed goals later!)

What was your favorite book that you read this year? Even though my shelf is full, I am always looking for recommendations! Do you have any goals for 2012? Are you going to join in on any 12 in 2012 goal lists?

What Adults Do

I had a good week mostly filled with running and recovering from running. Last week, I had a great time in Sacramento. I ran a Marathon and met up with Kim, who is the inspiration of the Grab a Beer meme. Unfortunately, we are bad people and we didn't take any photos. I was running around, trying to find the coffee shop, get ready to run and make cake pops (this seems to be a theme every time I visit my friend's house). So here are a few random photos of last week and this week.

Last week, I stayed with my friend, who is an adult. Do you know how I can tell? She has a coffee station. In her house. I mean, is this not the coolest thing you have ever seen? She also has so many fun gadgets that I don't even know what they are! What'll it be? Espresso? Latte? Half caf with a shot of vanilla?

I went out for margaritas, which culminated in my getting my fingernails painted black. By a boy. With a not so steady hand. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate having my fingernails painted? 

I finally got around to reading this book. 

A day of this = a Good Day indeed. 

I sent out my last straggler Christmas cards. 

I spent a lot of time with this girl. Is she not the cutest thing ever. She loves Craisins! 

And there was this. You probably already heard enough about that here. 

The good thing about running a lot = Carb loading! Lunch at Ernestos. 

Occupy San Francisco. What a mess. 

Running at Lake Merritt. Can it get any better? It's 60 degrees here. I HEART winter in the Bay Area!

How was your week? Have you seen the "Occupy" in your city? Have you finished (pr started) your Christmas cards?

More Running = More Baking

Remember this? The bootie buster? I am still working on it! If you have not signed up yet, you still have time. You can go to THIS website and the information is on the sidebar! It is a great way to keep track of your activities during the holidays, when we sometimes tend to slip up!

Luckily I ran a marathon in this week's set of points! December 3-9. I ate 7 servings of veggies and fruits each day. This is accomplished quite easily actually, since I have been eating 4-10 mandarins a day, as well as the fact that I always have a banana with my breakfast and a salad or veggies for dinner (and others as well)! Besides, apple pie counts as a fruit serving!

Dec 3: 2 points
One mile walk (Sacramento -- we walked to the expo and back)
7+ servings of fruit and veggie

Dec 4: 28.2 points
Marathon (26.2 miles)
One mile walk from race finish to brunch
7+ servings of fruit and veggies

Dec 5: 1 point
Rest Day! No activity.
7+ servings of fruit and veggies

Dec 6: 1 point
Rest Day. No activity.
7+ servings of fruit and veggies

Dec 7: 1 point
Rest Day. No activity.
7+ servings of fruit and veggies

Dec 8: 5 points
4 mile run
7+ servings of fruit and veggies

Dec 9: 7 points
6 mile run
7+ servings of fruit and veggies

Now, I am off to make cookies. If you put Craisins in them and eat enough of them, it will count as another serving of fruit.

Are you staying active during the holidays? What is your trick to getting exercise when it's cold outside? What is your favorite holiday treat?

California International Marathon: Race Recap

As I said before, this was a great race. The course was beautiful and although there were rolling hills, there were no incredibly steep ones. And, like the sign on my back said, this was my first marathon. But, I am getting ahead of myself.

The expo was great. As I said in my Pros and Cons post, there were plenty of things to buy, there were discounts and there were samples. It was set up well and easy to find.

The race started at 7 am. I was ready! I struggled with what to wear. I was posing in front of the mirror for hours! Just kidding, I always have problems figuring out how to not wear too much and still avoid turning into a Popsicle. It was in the 30s in the morning. I wore shorts, a t-shirt, arm sleeves, a beanie, gloves and a fleece. I opted to not leave my fleece at the sweat check because I was still cold 20 minutes before the race. I actually did not end up warming up until about mile 8, so I am glad I decided to keep it. My goal was about a 4:20, so I started between the 4:10 and the 4:25 pace groups.

Obligatory blurry camera phone photo

The first few miles were fine. I felt great. I was running at about a 9:00 - 9:15 pace. I was a little unsure whether I should slow down and try to keep my energy or just keep going at this pace and see what happened. My fastest race pace is about an 8:11, so this would not be "all out" but it was a faster pace than I had been doing my training at (more like a 9:50 for long runs). I kept it up until mile 6, when I finally had to stop to pee, even though I really did not want to because there was a line. I lost a few minutes there, but it gave me a chance to take off my sweatshirt and readjust a little.

The best thing about this race is that since I am from California (and usually NEVER run races IN California) many of my family and friend came to watch me. They made signs and wore Santa hats and shook cow bells! I felt so loved! Here is my favorite one.

My biggest fan, Mom.

The plan was that they would be at the 13.5 mile marker, then once I passed, they would get in the car and drive to the 20, then once I passed, they would go to the end. I almost missed them at the first stop. Remember the Relay I was complaining about? My family and friends were mixed in with all the relay runners and spectators. But I did get a chance to give them a high five and hand over my jacket.

But back to the race. After the pee stop at mile 6, I maintained about a 9:10 pace. I still felt great. I had to stop (again!) and wait in line (again!) but except for the stops, my pace was pretty steady. I took my first chew at mile 5 and then pretty much took one roughly every two or three miles after that. There were a few hills which kicked my butt but I really did feel good. Miles 11 - 13 kind of dragged by, because I was antsy about seeing my fans (!!) and I also had the San Juan hills to contend with. There was a nice point right around mile 10 where you run through old town Fair Oaks, which is really cute! You also have to dodge chickens.

At the Half Marathon point, my time said 2:05 (but it took me about three minutes to get over the start line). I felt good about this, since my goal was 4:20 and if I could keep up my pace, that would be easy to achieve. I actually kept up my pace until about mile 20. I passed my family again, gave them another wave and a smile and I remember thinking, "what wall?" Right around mile 21, my knee started hurting and I slowed down and I felt pretty darn tired. I had to pee again and after that, I couldn't get back up to speed. My pace was around a 9:50.

Around Mile 23, as I was struggling to keep my pace under 10 minutes, the 4:10 pace group caught up to me. I thought to myself, "I will just run with them until the end". The pace leader said, "How is your first marathon treating you!?" I told her that my knee was hurting but my spirit felt good. She told me that it would all be worth it, that you only have your first marathon once, and that when I got to the finish line, I needed to make sure I raised my hands in the air and smiled at the camera.

I am not sure why, but that was exactly what I needed to hear. I quit telling myself that I would settle for hanging with the 4:10 group, and I picked up my pace a little.  The rest of the race was run at about a 9:20 pace.

Running down L street - Mile 26

I ended up beating the 4:10 group by two minutes. And Oprah, of course. My knees were a bit stiff but I felt good overall. I took the advice of John and drank a chocolate milk and two waters in rapid succession. 

Finally earned that sticker

Capitol Mall, downtown Sacramento

Final time (still as of yet unofficial) 4:08:27
Pace overall: 9:27 (gosh darn potty stops!)
Potty stops: 4
Family and friends cheering me on: 20 +/-
My first marathon: Priceless

It was pretty good. I was pretty tired for a little while, but felt good physically and mentally overall. Will I do it again? I think so. Afterwards I walked 18 blocks (I needed to walk out the stiffness in my knee) to brunch, where I met up with my family at Cafe Bernardos and we gorged ourselves on Amaretto French Toast with Almonds. Okay, maybe it was only me.

To hear about other people's fitness journeys, stop by Jills for Fitness Friday!

Have you run a marathon? How was it? Have you ever set a crazy goal and accomplished it? What should I do next?

Ben Lomond Hike

A while ago, I went on a nice hike with some friends of mine. The peak we hiked was called Ben Lomond, which according to what maps I have seen, is somewhere around 6500 ft high. The trail is (according to the forest service website) 4.8 miles each way. I am lucky to be in a place where you can literally just step out your door and take a hike. This one was a little bit of a drive, but what's fun is that I have never tried this trail before, even though it's pretty close to the house. So it was a new adventure!

Unfortunately, there was a fire in the area about 5 years ago and so many of the trees are gone. There are a few left standing and some smaller ones have grown back, but it is strange to see the mountains looking so naked. However, the good thing* about this is that you can see all the really cool rock formations that were covered by the trees before.

*silver lining

Sometimes the trails in this area are not well maintained, but this one is set up for equestrian use, and so was pretty clear up until about mile 3 or 3.5. Then we had to bushwhack our way through some scrub brush to get past a certain area, but it was worth it. The views from the top were amazing. I will let the pictures tell the story.

Trail signage

Bear print

Does it look like this? Yup.

Looking up at the mountain. See all the cool granite boulders? And the burnt trees?

More granite. And a bit of foliage.

View from about 2/3 of the way up.

Granite awesomeness. Can you see those tiny people in the foreground (wearing purple)?

View from the top

View of the mountain from the bottom. We climbed to that very tippy top point.

The day after our hike, it snowed.

Which means that we have really good timing, because we would have been slogging around in the snow instead of just bushwhacking! I love living in a place where I can hike every day if I want to! Hiking is not only a great way to cross train, but it is probably one of my favorite activities!

Where do you like to go hiking? Have you ever hiked in the snow? Do you like rocks?