The Worm Farm

One of my goals has been to start composting. I finally did it!

Not only did I make a rubbish pile in the back yard for yard waste, but I also got the stuff for a worm farm.

Originally I saw the "Can of Worms" on the Oprah show when Julia Roberts was on there talking about her worms. Initially I was interested, but that was several years ago while we were living in, well actually I don't remember where the hell we were.... we have moved too many times! Joe wasn't thrilled about the idea of a worm bin in the house.

So I put the idea aside, but kept wanting one. They seemed to be so helpful, and if Julia and Oprah endorsed it, how could I go wrong!!

Well I finally I saw the Can of Worms at a garden show that I went to. I was so impressed by the entire worm composting that I needed to get one. The lady at the show was charging almost double the cost of what I had seen on amazon, plus she wanted over 45 dollars for a pound of worms! So I waited and ordered online.

I found the Worm Factory for much cheaper than the "Can of Worms", and it is the same thing, with a square design.

Joe was sweet enough to find me a lady in our area who sells worms. We got a pound of the red wigglers for 20 dollars. With the Factory and the worms, I was ready to start composting.

I set the entire thing up in our laundry room. Joe was really concerned about it smelling, but there really isn't any! The worms are busy eating all of our household food scraps, so I don't feel as bad throwing food away- it is making compost! It is neat (and a bit gross) to open the layers and see them squirming all over the place!

Update 101 in 1001

It has been a while since I updated this...in fact I forgot about it :)

Time to start again with renewed vigor!!

The Blue are in progress, The Red are completed, The Brown are Abandoned

1. Become a member of AAFP and complete the monthly CME quiz.

2. Read the ER book by the time we leave here.-just didn't finish it all :(

3. Every month while I am in the ER, draw blood and start an IV so I don't lose my skills.(9/9)

4. Go to at least 3 social events with work people before we leave here. (3/3)

5. Renew ACLS

6. Take on a new task at work.- Radiology Wet Reads while Eric was gone.

7. Once a month date night where Jordy has a sitter.

8. Take Jordy to play group at least 10 times before we leave here (Korea). (10/10)

9. Find a wonderful daycare for Jordy once we get to Florida, one that is bilingual.

with all the problems with speech delay Jordan has had, we were just happy to get him speaking one language!

10. Work with Jordy, when he is ready, to learn spanish.

11. Take a family trip to Everland.

12. Take a family trip to Mt. Sorak.

13. Start going to church here, go at least 10 times (hey I am being realistic!) (0/10)

14. Find a church once we get to Florida.

15. Have professional pictures of us done.- will do this once Baby Girl arrives!

16. Have a big family Thanksgiving where I do the cooking.

17. Take Joe on a romantic weekend alone.

18. Take Jordy on a camping trip.

19. Go on a cruise with family.

20. Make a letterbox and place it.

21. Make 8 weekly menu plans to alternate. (2/8)

22. Learn 5 vegetarian recipes. (2/5)

23. Learn to Eat Clean and Incorporate some of these recipes into the regular

24. Go an entire two months without buying anything for myself. (2/2)

25. Go without tv for one week.

26. Get one of my scrapbook pages published in a magazine on a website

27. Close accounts that I am not using.

28. Master Quicken.

29. Make and keep a monthly budget.

30. Save "enough" for a down payment for a house in Florida.

31. Start saving for Jordy's College.

32. Get Joe a car when we get to Florida that isn't too outrageously expensive.

33. Get an annual credit report for both Joe and I. (1/3)

34. Start a garden to grow vegetables.

35. Start composting.

36. Have a big yard with a doggie door for Pezzy.

37. Make a cleaning schedule and stick to it. (4/32)

38. Buy Joe the tv of his dreams.

39. Have people over for a home cooked meal and a movie.

40. Get pictures from my dad, sister, and a few others to have enlarged and displayed in my home.

41. Send 5 thank you cards to people for how they have impacted my life. (0/5)

42. Test drive an extravagantly expensive sports car.

43. Get Botox.

44. Play golf for the first time, and not miniature golf.

45. Read 15 books from the library, or other second had book. (4/15)

46. Stop swearing! This one isn't measurable, but I really need to stop being such a potty mouth.

47. Knit a sweater.

48. Participate and complete the 365 Portrait Challenge

49. Take a Class at the Community Center on making paper crafts.

50. Lasik- Sadly this had to be abandoned, not for my lack of trying though. I found out b/c of my incredibly dry eyes, I am not a candidate for it! Guess

51. Recycle aluminum Cans Regularly.

52. Once I am doing the cans, move on to plastics.

53. Stop buying individual yogurt cups, buy the big one and put in my own reusable container.

54. Have one day per week where I don't drive and use public transportation.

55. Buy/Find enough cloth bags to use for grocery shopping. (5/10)

56. Consistently use the cloth bags when grocery shopping for one year. (0/24)

57. Donate old clothes and other things rather than throwing them away. (2/4)

58. Start using natural cleaners in my home such as Vinegar and Baking Soda and lemon.

59. Buy an Air purifier to clean out the YelloW Dust

60. Stop buying paper towels and napkins for a month. (1/1)

61. Take the clothes Jordan has outgrown to the Consigment Shop on Base.

62. Eat Sushi 10 times (10/10)

63. Go to the Seafood Festival in Florida

64. Play video games with Joe at least 5 times. (1/5)

65. Go to 10 movies with Joe, or watch pirated ones here in Korea, that Joe picks. (4/10)

66. Find 15 new ways to tell Joe that I love him. (2/15)

67. Have a spa weekend with Jennifer, my treat.

68. Landscape backyard.

69. Try 10 new resteraunts. (10/10)

70. Make 100 scrapbook layouts.

71. Go on a picnic 4 times. (0/4)

72. Draw Jordan's Family Tree

73. Make a photo book of all of Jordy's pictures.

74. Go to Disney World

75. Go to Disney Wild Animal Park

76. Get an account on Facebook

77. Watch a Marky Mark movie with Jennifer while we drink strawberry daiquiris

78. Visit the Park's in Alaska.

79. See 5 plays/musicals/concerts. (0/5)

80. Find a Charity I am passionate about and help them raise money.

81. Participate in Gimme your Stuff

82. Send PostCarts in Post Crossing (5/5)

83. Exercise for health, not to maintain some unrealistic goal for myself.

84. learn to love myself, my body, and mind, even though there are countless flaws.

85. Go to Miami

86. Exercise regularly 3x per week.

87. Run a 5K

88. Get a perfect score on my next fitness test.

89. Laser Hair Removal

90. Do pictures for at least 5 groups of people. They can be family, wedding, kids. (0/5)

91. Stop buying bottled water. Get a filter for work so I can use a cup instead.

92. Continue to be a nonsmoker and encourage my patients to quit.

93. Have Joe and I both make "bucket lists"

94. Make a list of 100 things I love.

95. Go Hiking at least 10 times. (4/10)

96. Go to the DMZ.

97. Make Joe a new quilt.

98. Wear heels at least once per month starting in March 2009

99. Go to the Florida Keys

100. Write in my blog once per week.

101. Organize this list!-I just don't care to organize this list....too many other things in my life that need organizing :)

Personal Goals:

98. Wear heels at least once per month starting in March 2009. (0/30)

100. Write in my blog once per week.

101. Organize this list!

94. Make a list of 100 things I love.

92. Continue to be a nonsmoker and encourage my patients to quit.

80. Find a Charity I am passionate about and help them raise money.

81. Participate in Gimme your Stuff

82. Send PostCarts in Post Crossing (4/5)

97. Make Joe a new quilt.

92. Continue to be a nonsmoker and encourage my patients to quit.

93. Have Joe and I both make "bucket lists"

94. Make a list of 100 things I love.

95. Go Hiking at least 10 times. (0/10)

Environment Goals:

91. Stop buying bottled water. Get a filter for work so I can use a cup instead.

60. Stop buying paper towels and napkins for a month. (1/1)

61. Take the clothes Jordan has outgrown to the Consigment Shop on Base.

Fitness Goals:

83. Exercise for health, not to maintain some unrealistic goal for myself.

84. learn to love myself, my body, and mind, even though there are countless flaws.

85. Know that having a few jiggles here and there doesn't make me unlovable.

86. Exercise regularly 3x per week. (0/

87. Run a 5K

88. Get a perfect score on my next fitness test.

Work Goals:

1. Become a member of AAFP and complete the monthly CME quiz. (1/32)

2. Read the ER book by the time we leave here.

3. Every month while I am in the ER, draw blood and start an IV so I don't lose my skills.(1/9)

4. Go to at least 3 social events with work people before we leave here. (0/3)

5. Renew ACLS

6. Take on a new task at work.

Family Goals:

7. Once a month date night where Jordy has a sitter. (1/32)

8. Take Jordy to play group at least 10 times before we leave here. (0/10)

9. Find a wonderful daycare for Jordy once we get to Florida, one that is bilingual.

10. Work with Jordy, when he is ready, to learn spanish.

11. Take a family trip to Everland.

12. Take a family trip to Mt. Sorak.

13. Start going to church here, go at least 10 times (hey I am being realistic!) (0/10)

14. Find a church once we get to Florida.

15. Have professional pictures of us done.

16. Have a big family Thanksgiving where I do the cooking.

17. Take Joe on a romantic weekend alone.

18. Take Jordy on a camping trip.

19. Go on a cruise with family.

64. Play video games with Joe at least 5 times. (0/5)

65. Go to 10 movies with Joe, or watch pirated ones here in Korea, that Joe picks. (0/10)

66. Find 15 new ways to tell Joe that I love him. (1/15)

67. Have a spa weekend with Jennifer, my treat.

68. Visit Heidi in Kentucky and meet her family.

Travel

96. Go to the DMZ.

99. Go to the Florida Keys

New Blog

http://katsyear.blogspot.com/

This is the blog where I will post all my daily pics...Enjoy (or not....)

Life...

We had a patient come in the other night who was found down in a bathroom. I got to go along on the transport to the civilian hospital. On the way his heart stopped and we had to start chest compressions. I don't think he is going to make it.

It really made me realize how fragile life is. One minute you go to the bathroom, the next you are being worked on in a ambulance, and then you die.

Whatever you are putting off till tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year...DON'T! Tomorrow may not come.

Tell your family how much you love them, make sure that plans are in place should something happen to you (wills, insurance..), and think about your life goals!

One of my goals in 101 in 1001 was to make a bucket list. Now seems like the perfect time:

1. See the Great Wall
2. Take a romantic trip to Italy with Joe.
3. Have a huge family holiday, sit down to a dinner with all my loved ones.
4. Take my kids (Jordan + more) camping.
5. Dance with Jordan at his wedding and tell him how happy I was when I had him.

That is all I can think of now, but I will add as more come up.

101 in 1001...

I just wanted to update everyone on the process of this list. Just a warning to everyone that I have taken half a tablet of Ambien and drank a Mike's Cranberry prior to this. But still can't fall asleep...

One of the goals was to give up paper towels. I did this for the one month time period I challenged myself too, and have to say the month was really hard. People who can do this dont' have children. Kids require so much clean up and maintenance. Stuff that I don't ever want to see again- not even to through that poopy mess in the washer! Maybe in a time of grown up children I can try this one again, but right now, NO!

Also I wondered what people who don't buy paper towels do when they fry something. What do they put it on to help soak up all that grease?

One of my goals was to play video games with Joe as a way to be interested in what he does. WE actually found a game that I was really excited about. Katie- get ready to laugh- It is LOST!! They have a game! It is really cool so far! We have a blast playing it together.

Another goal was to find 15 new ways in which I tell Joe I love him. One of those was accomplished tonight as I sat through another awful movie. We watched Watchmen- while it was not a awful movie, the movie was made awful by the theatre cuttng out about 45 minutes of it! Suddenly the movie ended abruptly and we were all confused as to what had happened! Joe went home and got on the internet and discovered we had missed a huge section!

So that is number 1- sitting through a plottless man movie.

I am happy to report that I am still a non-smoker and have no desire to ever light up again! Although that changes from day to day! Encourage your smoking friends to give it up, and if they fail, try not to judge them too harshly and encourage them to give it another shot!

Here is my full list:

1. Become a member of AAFP and complete the monthly CME quiz. (1/32)
2. Read the ER book by the time we leave here.
3. Every month while I am in the ER, draw blood and start an IV so I don't lose my skills.(3/9)
4. Go to at least 3 social events with work people before we leave here. (1/3)
5. Renew ACLS
6. Take on a new task at work.- Radiology Wet Reads while Eric was gone.
7. Once a month date night where Jordy has a sitter. (2/32)
8. Take Jordy to play group at least 10 times before we leave here. (5/10)
9. Find a wonderful daycare for Jordy once we get to Florida, one that is bilingual.
10. Work with Jordy, when he is ready, to learn spanish.
11. Take a family trip to Everland.
12. Take a family trip to Mt. Sorak.
13. Start going to church here, go at least 10 times (hey I am being realistic!) (0/10)
14. Find a church once we get to Florida.
15. Have professional pictures of us done.
16. Have a big family Thanksgiving where I do the cooking.
17. Take Joe on a romantic weekend alone.
18. Take Jordy on a camping trip.
19. Go on a cruise with family.
20. Make a letterbox and place it.
21. Make 8 weekly menu plans to alternate. (2/8)
22. Learn 5 vegetarian recipes. (0/5)
23. Learn to Eat Clean and Incorparte some of these recipes into the regular
24. Go an entire two months without buying anything for myself. (2/2)
25. Go without tv for one week.
26. Get one of my scrapbook pages published in a magazine on a website
27. Close accounts that I am not using.
28. Master Quicken.
29. Make and keep a monthly budget. (3/32)
30. Save "enough" for a down payment for a house in Florida.
31. Start saving for Jordy's College.
32. Get Joe a car when we get to Florida that isn't too outrageously expensive.
33. Get an annual credit report for both Joe and I. (1/3)
34. Start a garden to grow vegetables.
35. Start composting.
36. Have a big yard with a doggie door for Pezzy.
37. Make a cleaning schedule and stick to it. (3/32)
38. Buy Joe the tv of his dreams.
39. Have people over for a home cooked meal and a movie.
40. Get pictures from my dad, sister, and a few others to have enlarged and displayed in my home.
41. Send 5 thank you cards to people for how they have impacted my life. (0/5)
42. Test drive an extravagantly expensive sports car.
43. Get Botox.
44. Play golf for the first time, and not miniature golf.
45. Read 15 books from the library (0/15)
46. Stop swearing! This one isn't measurable, but I really need to stop being such a potty mouth.
47. Knit a sweater.
48. Participate and complete the 365 Portrait Challenge
49. Take a Class at the Community Center on making paper crafts.
50. Lasik
51. Recycle aluminum Cans Regularly.
52. Once I am doing the cans, move on to plastics.
53. Stop buying individual yogurt cups, buy the big one and put in my own reusable container.
54. Have one day per week where I don't drive and use public transportation.
55. Buy/Find enough cloth bags to use for grocery shopping. (3/10)
56. Consistently use the cloth bags when grocery shopping for one year. (0/24)
57. Donate old clothes and other things rather than throwing them away. (0/4)
58. Start using natural cleaners in my home such as Vinegar and Baking Soda and lemon.
59. Buy an Air purifier to clean out the YelloW Dust
60. Stop buying paper towels and napkins for a month. (1/1)
61. Take the clothes Jordan has outgrown to the Consigment Shop on Base.
62. Eat Sushi 10 times (1/10)
63. Go to the Seafood Festival in Florida
64. Play video games with Joe at least 5 times. (1/5)
65. Go to 10 movies with Joe, or watch pirated ones here in Korea, that Joe picks. (0/10)
66. Find 15 new ways to tell Joe that I love him. (0/15)
67. Have a spa weekend with Jennifer, my treat.
68. Visit Heidi in Kentucky and meet her family.
69. Try 10 new resteraunts. (2/10)
70. Make 100 scrapbook layouts. (5/100)
71. Go on a picnic 4 times. (0/4)
72. Draw Jordan's Family Tree
73. Make a photo book of all of Jordy's pictures.
74. Go to Disney World
75. Go to Disney Wild Animal Park
76. Get an account on Facebook
77. Watch a Marky Mark movie with Jennifer while we drink strawberry daiquiris
78. Visit the Park's in Alaska.
79. See 5 plays/musicals/concerts. (0/5)
80. Find a Charity I am passionate about and help them raise money.
81. Participate in Gimme your Stuff
82. Send PostCarts in Post Crossing (5/5)
83. Exercise for health, not to maintain some unrealistic goal for myself.
84. learn to love myself, my body, and mind, even though there are countless flaws.
85. Know that having a few jiggles here and there doesn't make me unlovable.
86. Exercise regularly 3x per week. (0/
87. Run a 5K
88. Get a perfect score on my next fitness test.
89. Laser Hair Removal
90. Do pictures for at least 5 groups of people. They can be family, wedding, kids. (0/5)
91. Stop buying bottled water. Get a filter for work so I can use a cup instead.
92. Continue to be a nonsmoker and encourage my patients to quit.
93. Have Joe and I both make "bucket lists"
94. Make a list of 100 things I love.
95. Go Hiking at least 10 times. (0/10)
96. Go to the DMZ.
97. Make Joe a new quilt.
98. Wear heels at least once per month starting in March 2009
99. Go to the Florida Keys
100. Write in my blog once per week.
101. Organize this list!

This is getting painful!

Update on 101 in 1001:
So far I haven't bought anything for myself for the entire month of January. This does exclude food of course.

My real weakness is online shopping. Right now I am dying b/c there are all kinds of sales that I can't get in on!

There are clearance sales at Victoria Secret that are just killing me. They have this gorgeous convertible dress on sale:

I have been looking at this dress forever. It is so pretty and versatile (you can wear it 7 different ways!). Now don't think I am delusional, because I do recognize that I will not look as fabulous as this model in it. But gosh darn it- I will feel good in it! And remember I got this flab by making a person! Remember that will ya!

Since not buying stuff for myself has been one of my goals, I am doing pretty good. Joe has even cut down on spending this month. I think that for the first time we will come really close to meeting the monthly budget. Shocking I know...I almost heard Katie fall over from amazement and wonder! Seriously though, Katie is the woman! She got us all turned around! It is such a good feeling knowing that our money is being used appropriately and we are just blowing every month.

So for now, no pretty dresses, no strappy sandals, no designer bags for me. I am saving all my money for a new house in Florida. Of course once we get there I will be wearing rags, dirty and stinky from not having showered (read previous Post).

Not buying anything for two months (only a few weeks in) and I have already learned how little we need to survive. As long as we have food, shelter, and eachother, nothing else matters. Although things are much nicer if we have a good tv, DVD player, a Wii, Playstation 3, and a lightening fast internet connection. Oh and an good heater and water heater. Boy do I miss the states!

Only 6 more weeks...

Okay not buying anything for myself for two entire months is really really hard. I keep coming up with all sorts of devious ways that I could get something that I "need". I thought about continually mentioning to Joe that I need a pair of gloves to prevent my hands from getting frostbite and then requiring amputation so that he would feel prompted to go buy me some gloves. Clearly this would be a manipulation of his tiny man brain (just kidding, his brain isn't tiny, or rather it is- he has a surprisingly small head for someone as smart as he is).

I have improved in my website browsing though. Amazon is definitely on my list of do not visit sites. Mostly I have been reading a lot of saving advice and dreaming of houses that I may someday be able to live in.

In my perusal of blogs I came across an interesting post on homeade cleaners. Interestingly this was one of my goals in my 101 in 1001 (goal #58 to use natural cleaners).

I also found another post, sorry I didn't save that link, about all the uses for bar soap. The author used it for everything from washing clothes to brushing her teeth (seriously!, brushing her teeth). It got me to thinking, why are we so brainwashed to think that we need a different soap for dishwashing, clothes washing, and all other kinds of washing. For face and body soap, I can understand that bar soap may be too drying- but does it matter if your clothes get too dry? Most of us use fabric softener anyways-

OH that reminds me. I found a site that recommended rather than buying fabric softener to take cheap conditioner and dilute it. They said you can use it the same as fabric softener for a fraction of the price. Interesting...I will let you know how it turns out.

Well all of these ideas are wonderful, but they still have to pass the Joe test. If a cleaner, food, or other product does not have a name brand slapped to the side of it Joe automatically declares it is inferior and refuses to use it. Then he will go out, behind my back mind you, and buy all kinds of name brand cleaners. What he doesn't realize is that having a closet packed to the brim of name brand cleaning supplies does not do any good if you do not use them!

We did it!....kind of...

One of my goals for my 101 in 1001 was to go on a date night every month with Joe where we get a sitter. (Heidi please refer to the link to get the low down on 101 in 1001).

Well tonight was the first date night where Joe and I left Jordy with a sitter. In preparation for leaving Jordy with someone other than my mom or Trent's family, I did a lot of investigation. I found someone who has three kids of his own, three grandchildren, is an excellent ICU nurse who is up to date on all pediatric emergencies. If anything happened to Jordy, this man would know what to do.

I felt pretty good leaving Jordy with the sitter. Joe wasn't as sure, and nearly broke into tears when we left. Jordy of course was crying and clinging to our legs...

We made it to the movie theatre and apparently I had read the schedule wrong because I thought we were going to watch the Benjamin Button movie, but instead got stuck watching the worst possible movie two parents could watch after leaving their child alone with a practical stranger...."The Changeling".

Incase you haven't heard of it, which I hadn't, this is the terrible tale (true story mind you) of a woman who has her beautiful son kidnapped while she is away from the house for just a few hours. She then embarks on a heart wrenching journey to find him. Finally the police bring back a kid and she hopes it is him, it's not. Then the police think she is crazy, she gets locked up, then released once it is found that there is a crazy maniac who is chopping up little boys into bits. Some of the images were quite disturbing and I thought I would have to leave.

Surprisingly we made it through the movie. Once the final credits ran, Joe and I jumped out of our chairs and made a mad dash back to our apartment to snatch little Jordy up and hug him tight. Of course our sitter wasn't a crazed maniac, but after two hours of watching innocent little boys get brutally murdered and a poor mother screaming "Where's my son"- who wouldn't get a little paranoid.

As I type now I am tempted to go get Jordy out of his bed and snuggle him tight.

Anyways, next month maybe I will find something else for Joe and I to do on our date night! But I will update my list:

7. Once a month date night where Jordy has a sitter. (1/32)

Buy Nothing for Two Months

It has only been 6 days and this has been really difficult. I don't know how I will continue on. There all kinds of things that I keep thinking about that I really NEED!

Okay I don't need any of these things, as they are not food, shelter, or other life preserving items. More of comfort really.

One of the things is a pair of gloves. It is so cold here in the mornings when I leave work. When I am driving my hands feel like they are frozen into position.

Then while checking my email, I keep getting all kinds of sale notices. All the stores are having huge after Christmas sales. This is so painful.

I read a good posting on a blog by Frugal Dad. It kind of reminded me to be happy with what I have now. I really do have enough.