Grumps

Sometimes, no matter what I do, I'm in a bad mood. 


Today was one of those days. 


It got worse when I found out we're teaching nursery again tomorrow. For the third week in a row. 

I'm Surrounded by the Obnoxious

For some reason, I get all sorts of junk email. But not just the real junk. Notices and updates from websites where I've ordered things, like amazon.com and Wal-mart. Subject lines of "You haven't ordered in a while. We miss you!!!!". I find this annoying. You don't miss me, you miss my money. Plus, there's the real junk, like "check your credit score NOW", or offers for inappropriate things. 


Then, there's the junk calls. In the past 24 hours, I've had 7 calls from unknown numbers. When I looked them up, they all have reviews saying that they're telemarketers. I'm not sure who sold my number, but I'm royally ticked off. 


At least I don't get a lot of junk mail in my real mail box. That is my saving grace. 



Clean as Spring

There is something to be said for spring cleaning. Nothing is better than throwing open the windows and letting in fresh air. It feels good to pack sweaters and scarves away. 


A place for everything and everything in it's place. 


I've spent the day getting my home ready for warmer weather. Dishes are done, the bed is made, the floor mopped. I even scrubbed down the shower and cleaned off my bedside table. 


Small apartments have a benefit. It takes much less time to get the cleaning done. At least, the visible cleaning. I still have several closets, a wardrobe, and a few drawers calling my name. 


But today I feel good. I have gotten rid of several things I no longer need, and was holding on to for no reason, other than just to be holding on. 


Today I am letting go. 




And just for fun, here are some lovely flowers, found outside Mr. Shakespeare's home in Stratford-upon-Avon. They feel like spring to me. 







On Display

It's amazing how once you start cleaning something out, you realize that you didn't really need as much as you were holding on to. 


Like drawers of socks. Suddenly, you have so many mismatched socks. 


And email folders. Suddenly, you've been carrying around tons of emails from classmates trying to set up study groups from Psych 101. 


Cleaning out my email today was very cathartic. It made me realize that there's a whole lot of little things in my life that I don't really need. So I'm cutting back. I'm decluttering. Everything has got to go! 


Along with that, I've found that there's no use in holding on to things that you like if you never see them. That's why I've started making a memory book out of my London collections.  And hanging things up on my walls, putting pictures into frames. Collecting things does no good if no one sees them. Especially if you aren't seeing them. 


I suppose, in a sense, that's why I'm writing here still. It's a place to showcase my life and my writing. 



Need

Sometimes I feel like I'm living my life for other people. I want to live an authentic life. 

I want to get back to my resolutions at the start of the year. 

I need to take more pictures and write more personally. I need to record. 

I have found passions. I need to act on those. 

I need to create. To write. To read. 

I need to learn.

I need to live. 


Equal Pay

Today is Equal Pay Day, a day set aside to acknowledge that men are still making more money than women (the least depressing pay gap? Women are earning 77% of what men are). With stats like that, and the portrayal of women in the media, and the new laws about birth control and abortion, it's hard to feel like the "war on women" is just made up jargon. 


But these make me feel just a little bit better.











Top 5: My Future Home

I titled this board "My Future Home" because they are all ideas that I would love to have now. I'm not saving them for a "dream house" or for "someday". They are for turning houses into homes. But because I lack any kind of budget, they are for the future. 


1. A Laundry Space. I love the colour on the walls, the space saving washer/dryer, and a place to store all the laundry things. Plus, that ironing board. 




2. Lovely beachy room. I love those colours. 



3.  I want to live here. Now, I know the photo has a lot of contrast going on. But I love the turret and the little mini balconies everywhere. Inside I imagine all the little rooms common in Victorian houses. 


4. I have wanted one of these in my bedroom for as long as I can remember.




5. A stunning kitchen. I love how open it feels. 





Regrets

I'm not often one for regret. Usually I see mistakes I've made as learning experiences, and I grow from them. 


But 4 years ago, I went to England. And I didn't blog about my experience. In fact, I barely wrote about it. At the time I was too busy experiencing things. I took lots of pictures, but I didn't write very much. 


Now, I'd kill to have posts and more writing about what I did when I was there. 





How to Feel Rich: Part I

Here is part one of a lengthy series on how to pretend that you're a Rockefeller. Ready? Oh good. 

Clean out your car

And I mean more than just throwing away the fast food wrappers. Clean out everything. The papers, the random pencils, the water bottles. 

Then dust off the dashboard. Clean the centre console. 

Disinfect your steering wheel. 

Spray it out with Febreeze {but DO NOT hang up a little fragrance tree. That is not what rich people do}. 

Wash the windows. 

Clear out the back seat {bonus points if you clean out the trunk}

Then, once you've finishes, roll down the windows and drive around town blasting rich people music. What is rich people music, you might ask? That, friends, is a post for another day. 

Top 5: Projects

Next in my Pinterest series comes pins from my project board. That's the only lead-in I've got. 


Oh. Are you working on any projects? 


1. Pressed penny charm bracelet. I love these, and I think it would be a great keepsake from all the places we travel to. 




2. DIY clutch. The middle one is my most favourite. 

{Originally found on joann.com, but the link does no longer exist}


3. Glass marble pendants. Super easy. Bake them, then put them in cold water. 


4. Homemade lavender sea salt scrub. I've even started growing my own lavender bush. Plant? Shrub? What is lavender, really?



5. The Beatles cross stitch.  I'll still be working on this When I'm 64





One Thousand Words

I think this every time I take out the garbage. That's why I usually have Luke do it.