On a Cold, Snowy Day : Daybook Entry

I haven't posted a Daybook entry since last summer and I'm going to try and do better this year, shooting for once a month.  It's an interesting way to take a glimpse of your life on any given day and especially to see how things change (or stay the same) from year to year. 

Outside my window... snow, beautiful snow.  I've been waiting for this and now that it's here, I'm making sure I enjoy it.  This could be it for the winter.  Who knows?  The weather has been so weird.

The dogs love the snow and even though we're having frigid temperatures, they go out and play and then come back in to warm up.  I was surprised to see them running across the frozen pond, a little nervous that they would break the ice and fall in, but it's been really cold here, so I guess it was ok.

I am wearing... jeans, a hoodie and my Merrill shoes ( my best apparel purchase of the season!)

I am listening to... the dryer, making lots of noise.  I think there's some change jingling in there.

I am thankful for... so many things!  A warm house, a wood stove that's been burning nonstop to fight the chill of these cold days and nights, healthy fats (avocados, cashew butter and hummus- more on this later), and a schedule that allows me to enjoy snow days, 

Around the house... I've been slowly getting things back in order from the holidays.  When I put things away this year, I put a lot of thought into what I really loved and wanted to keep and what could go.  Over time, I've accumulated so many decorations and each year, I find, I want to bring out less and less.  Something about the beginning of a new year makes me want to clean drawers and closets and clear clutter.  I've lined my bedroom dresser drawers with the loveliest rose scented paper and some times I just want to open them and sniff.   What a little thing that feels like a luxury.

In the garden... not much going on right now.  The seed catalogues are filling up the mailbox though and it's fun to browse and dream of warmer days and hands in the dirt.  I didn't get my asparagus mulched this fall and with this extremely cold winter, I'm nervous that it might not survive.  Oh, I hope it will be ok, as this will be the year I can cut and eat all I want. The garlic is safely under straw, so I think it will be ok, and I did mulch the strawberries, so I'm crossing my fingers for some sweet fruit this summer.

I'm not a fan of... cleaning bathrooms (which I just finished doing).  I'll do laundry, cook and clean the kitchen, vacuum and mop, and be perfectly ok with it, but I don't think I will ever learn to enjoy cleaning bathrooms.  But I try to do it with a good attitude, mostly.

I'm loving... feeling healthy.  This month I've been on the Fast Metabolism Diet and my body feels completely cleansed of all the holiday indulgences (which I totally loved).  My vegetable crisper has been overflowing and I've been eating a rainbow of delicious foods.  Fruits, lean proteins, healthy fats and a few whole grains compliment all those vegetables and I've been trying really hard not to focus on the things I can't have- like dairy, sugar, wheat, corn, potatoes...  But I feel great!  And my blood sugar is the best it's been in years, so I will try to maintain the healthy habits I've picked up from this diet when I begin to reintroduce some of my regular foods back into my diet.  Dairy comes first, oh how I've missed my milk, yogurt and cheese.

I am reading... Right now I'm finishing up a few books, Boundaries,by Dr. Cloud and Dr. Townsend   has been my nonfiction pick for January and its an excellent book.  It won't be pushed onto a shelf and forgotten when I'm finished, as it's a handbook on relationships that I really need.  I'm reading Serving Victoria by Kate Hubbard , about life in Queen Victoria's Court as seen through the eyes of her servants. The British monarchy is one of my favorite subjects.  I just finished  Between the Lines, by Joseph Fielding McConkie and I loved it.  He's one of my favorite teachers at BYU Education week and as I read his book,  I felt as if I were sitting in one of his classes, except this time I didn't leave with a headache.  Sometimes he gives me a headache because I have to think so hard about what he's teaching.  He doesn't spoon feed, he expects his students to work to gain the knowledge.  I like this about him, even though I know I have to be prepared with my Advil. 

I am creating... a new peachy rose colored scarf.  I'm knitting the seed stitch and it's really pretty.  I also have a new book with twenty dishcloth patterns, for when I need to whip up something quickly.  Sometimes I just need to start and finish a project in a few days and dishcloths fit that requirement. I'm also into a photography project that I'm pretty excited about.  More on that later.

I am learning... about how my body metabolizes food and how I should eat properly.  The diet has been an eyeopener for me.  I'm also learning how to use all the fancy gadgets on my new car.  It takes a while, but each week I pull out my handbook and learn something new.  I've learned how to do a "right twist" in knitting and thanks to some cool websites, I've been learning about the planets, stars and moon phases.  These cold clear nights are great for stargazing.  

From the kitchen... it's all healthy.  I've made soups and roasted vegetables. I've made hummus weekly.  I made a diet friendly spaghetti sauce and tried brown rice pasta (which wasn't bad at all!), I've been having salmon and tuna, chicken and steak.  And I've found a chipotle chicken sausage that is out of this world that I've used in spicy rice bowls and scrambled egg whites with veggies.  I've been a real snob up to this point about chicken sausages, but I've been humbled.  Turkey bacon on the other hand, is simply not fit for consumption.   Sorry, I tried.

30 Day Challenge... my challenge this month has been this diet.  And I'm almost to the end and super glad that I chose this one first.  Not the easiest, but the best way to start off the new year.  You can go here to read more about my 30 Day Challenges this year.

Family news... Dillon and Jantzen have been in NJ recording.  I'm looking forward to hearing their new stuff and watching their last Old North State concert this weekend.  I say that with some sadness, because I've loved the music that band has produced, but I'm sure I'll enjoy the new sound .  Kenzie has moved to Asheville.  She's happy, and I'm happy for her.  But I miss having her around.  It's awfully quiet at my house.

I am pondering... " A quiet heart is content with what God gives.  It is enough.  All is grace.  Our enemy delights in disquieting us. The choice is ours.  It depends on our willingness to see everything in God, receive all from His hand, accept with gratitude the portion and the cup He offers.  The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances."       Elizabeth Elliot    

I am hoping... for a little mini vacation soon.  I need it.

Living my faith... I continue to join with friends one day a week to read the Book of Mormon.  It's an interesting group, not one I would have probably chosen myself, but one that teaches me something almost every week.  Unit conferences are in full swing and I'm traveling with my counselors to visit the Primaries in our stake.  This takes a fair amount of time and energy, but is always worth it.  I'm studying the Old Testament, just barely into it, but looking forward to receiving new insights.  I have a leadership training meeting to attend this weekend with Elder Perry (who's visiting in our area) and I know it will be good.  Just anxiously engaged, you know how it is.