Welcome 2018

Good afternoon from the first day of the new year! I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Years' Eve.  We had grand plans to hike up the hill by our house to watch fireworks over the town... but got a bit too cozy in pj's and didn't stay awake until midnight.  Still a nice night in.

I got Tom a vegan cookbook for Christmas - not that he needs one, since he's a natural chef - and we cooked our third meal out of it last night.  Sooo yummy. We are still about 90% vegan and I'm loving it.  I don't miss meat AT ALL (sorry dad), have been able to get around no eggs and no dairy and really only miss a sharp crumbly cheddar cheese.  I feel much more focused and energized too.  Tom has lost weight which we didn't think was possible, but he's excited that now his muscles are even more defined haha.  The only place I seem to have lost weight is in my arms (weird) which I'm liking - I'd fallen off the gym wagon but my arms still look ripped! hahah

Speaking of the gym, a very small gym has open honestly only 100m from our front door.  We got a "couples pass" the other day, to try for a month and have been twice so far.  Just got back from a workout this morning and man oh man do I feel it!  Looking forward to getting back into the swing of the gym, which I really think makes a difference in how I feel from day to day.  Much less sluggish and it definitely helps my posture too by snugging up my muscles around my back.

I have a much more positive and relaxed outlook on the year ahead, now that I have left Canfor.  Again, nothing against the company at all (!!!) but for me, I'm finding it's important to have a better work/life balance, and I need that time at the end of the day to unwind and do the things that I love.  I found that after the commute from Houston and after either a day in the bush (wrecking my back) or a day sitting at a computer (also wrecking my back) I felt like garbage at the end of the day.  I also never saw the sun when I worked in the office.  ANYWAY, moving forward, I feel so much better now and am filling my time with knitting, spinning, getting things in order and trying to find a more relaxed job close to home. 

As it's New Years' Day, I'm probably clearing the Christmas tree out of the house today, so I thought I'd take some pictures of the house for you before the warm glow of the tree's lights are gone.

Bedroom... pretty self explanatory haha

Yoga room with my finished sweater drying!!!

Living room complete with tree

Same room, tiny difference in angle.  Pls note Tom's new playstation controllers on the foot rest.... my fiance is turning into a teenager.  And yes, that's me in the mirror with a towel on my head... what a pair we are.

Tom chatting on the phone in the kitchen

Kirtchen

There you have it!  And the house is actually staying pretty clean now that I'm home.  Tom keeps calling me the crazy German lady because I'm constantly cleaning. I've noticed that by keeping on top of our tidiness, I'm finding "things" that we don't need or use and can just get rid of them on the spot.  I downloaded a new book that you may have heard of; Soulful Simplicity  by Courtney Carver.  Since it's a book about "being more with less", please note how I downloaded it onto my Kindle in an attempt to have less... not just a pretty face over here haha!  I've become interested in the minimalist outlook and way of living, so thought I would do some reading into the subject.

Another thing I've become interested in, is Ali Edwards and her project called "one little word".  It's all about her idea of choosing one word that means something to you, and living with that word in mind, for the entire year.  So for example, I've heard someone choose a word (which I can't remember) that reminded them to take time for them self and take care of them self, but at the same time reminded them to take care of those around them that may need a little extra time.  I think I might give it a shot and use the word "intention" to remind myself to do what makes me happy, do it with an intention in mind, only purchase things I have an intention for... on and on.  I think it will really help me get the most out of each day too, which I feel like I've been letting slip through the cracks recently.  Every day just melting into the next with nothing exciting happening.

Anywho... cue the random plant photo.

I was trying to get the snowflakes in the background... but in any case here is our plant who is so happy to have a real window in our house (compared to the basement we were in)

The cats are so happy that our -30/40 degree weather seems to have left, and have been going outside a lot to play with the neighbour's cat.  They still don't last too long in the snow, and eventually come in to warm up on the floor.

Bruce cat-mat

Odin and his well-loved box nearby. I haven't been able to bring myself to recycle it - Odi loves it so much

So! There you have it.  Still cozy and happy here in the mountains and living by the river.  I'll have to get some pictures of the river for next time.  Very chilly looking these days.

I hope you're starting the new year in the right foot, and taking some time for YOU!

Until next time, xoxo