Even More Change! & Kitties

I’ve neglected this blog for awhile now - my life as you know has been a bit upside down lately. A lot is going on and it is very distracting. But it is also making me take another look at myself, my goals, habits, motivations, etc. It has been an eye opener! Some disappointments of course, well…quite a few actually, but in a way that is good. Hopefully, I will focus on changing some bad habits that I’ve gotten into and re-enforce the good ones. Also, I think I’m becoming more focused on where I would like to be.



Started working on a self evaluation - I won’t bore anyone with it, but I had to laugh at myself when I was reviewing it this morning. There are the usual sort of Questions, Answers, Suggestions and I’m reviewing and adding to them when I came across this question:



- Do I play enough, work enough, sleep enough?



Here is the way I answered myself and the comment I left:



* You need to lighten up - seriously!


      > Life is a gift and a treasure, enjoy it!



That is a good start!! Have a good laugh at yourself, if will improve your outlook right away.



Things are going to be very busy the next several months both at work and on the home front. We have a new project at work, and several people, including myself are getting ready to move before the end of the year. This is a year of changes - hope I can keep up and post a bit more often.

The kitties are doing their best also - talk about focused! They have the simplified life down to an art.
It's time to eat - now!
I'd like to be brushed - now!
Leave me alone - I'm trying to nap!
LOL - but they are always full of love - darling little balls of fur.

Life is Change and Adventure!

Bug in the Sun

A Peek at "Plan B"

Life is a funny thing sometimes - lately it has been pulling me in several different directions at once. Plus my health has been unstable and a bit fragile of late. So I’ve spent some of my down time re-evaluating things, trying to get back on track. As I was reviewing my “plan b” I thought that my way of going about this is somewhat unique. I’ve read a bunch of self-help books, articles, watched tv specials, and listened to other people a lot over the years. I tried all kinds of stuff and plans etc. Finally I decided to make my own for myself. So far this has been working out, although I’m pretty sure it will change and grow with time - everything does. Since I learned so much from others I thought I should give an overview of what I’ve done for myself. However, I do not encourage anyone to copy it - we are each unique persons and each have a unique path to follow, you will do much better making your own.


I started with headings of areas that I wanted to work on or felt were important parts of my life and followed them with words to define what that means to me at this time in my life.

Body - Physical body / Healthy / Fit / Prepared / Exercise / Diet / Hygiene

Heart - Attitude / Mindset / Perspective / Desire / Love / Compassion / Inspiration

Soul - That part that belongs to God / Inner self

Spirit - The part still in this world / Inspiration / Creativeness / Direction / Seeking

Mind - Thinking / Analyses / Attitude / Knowledge / Learning / Habits

Home - Residence / Sanctum / Nest / Workplace / Retreat / Sanctuary

Money & Paperwork - Income / Budget / Investments / Savings / Files / Records

Work - For others and myself / Income / Growth and Learning

Family  - Care / Visiting / Helping / Communicating / Time / Giving

These are not in any particular order or Family would be first!

What I did not list here is what is under each heading. Each has a bulleted list of goals and /or objectives. After that is a dated update on progress and notes on things that are working and things that need attention. (in different colors - computers are fun!)

Once this was done I started a schedule - each month I list each heading and what I want to work on. At the end I have a To Do, Subject to look up at the library, and a list of preps to work on. It all makes a neat one paragraph package that is quick and easy to look at.

So now that I’m getting back on track and given you a glimpse into my funny little bug mind I shall carry on!

PS - I have an awesome family that has been a huge encouragement to me and I just want to take a moment and say THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU!

Life is a Good Plan B!

Bug in the Sun

Progress - In Baby Steps

I thought it might be nice to take a moment to note my success's and progress so far. Although I've not been able to do all I would have liked to - I'm still moving forward and that is worth a note.
First on the list as far as simplifing life goes - I've gotten rid of the TV. I haven't been connected to any channels for at least a year now and to be honest I haven't missed it even a little. I don't even watch my DVD movies all that much so it was just taking up space. If I want to watch something I do it on the computer. Frankly reading is more my thing and is more enjoyable and edifying then the mindless and often misguided nonsense that is on the TV these days. That's is my opinion and it has worked for me.
Secondly I've been making my own, shampoo, toothpaste and now laundry soap and am very happy with the results so far. The next project of making face and body lotion is well started in that I've printed several recipies and just need to gather the ingredients to start trying them out.
Another thing of note is my food preps - prepping is just trying to be prepared for future difficulties, anything from a power outage, job loss, or even a terror attack - I've been trying to get a few months of food on the shelves for just in case. Except for a few items this was going along very well.  Unfortunately my money issues mean I'm tapping into this back stock. On the one hand this is good because I will be able to find any weakness's or flaws in my lists. On the other hand I'm concerned about replacing what I use. However, I have to say it is nice to know I've got food to eat even if it is a bit basic.
Finally - I'm starting to get as least some exercise - this can only be good and I'm hoping to continue to expand on it and really get on the road to being fit again.
I still have a lot to do and lots of things to accomplish. However the only way to move forward is One step at a time, even if it is only baby steps.

Life is always moving forward!
Bug in the Sun

Plan B

Well this is turning into an exciting year - good and bad. The money troubles are a major downer but I will manage somehow, I always do. Other things are fun and exciting! Mom is trying to look for a house in a town up in the mountians near where her sister moved - I'll miss having her up the street but it will be a great excuse to visit the mountains more often! She has been wanting to do this for some time now so I am happy for her. The hard part is getting ready to move - she has some mobility issues so I'm trying to help as much as I can. Also, she has lived in this house for at least 30 years...oh ya it's a lot of stuff to got through and get rid of, let alone pack! She keeps working at it and is making progress so good for her! Another good thing is that my brother and his family are moving back to this city so he will be close which is great!
Meanwhile...Since my life got...lets call it rearranged just a bit I had to rethink a couple of things and the results is Plan B and yes that is what I'm calling it LOL. I had made a plan for this year and some lists to go with it and then I was scheduling stuff to work on every month - when I hit the bump in the road so to speak that stopped. I had been making some good progress so I was a little discouraged. Determined to carry on I took some time to redo the plans and started a new schedule for this month. I'm not going to be quite as ambitious as before but I think it will get me back on track and focused again.
So for this month :
Increase exercise - the morning tea workout has worked out very good so I want to expand on that.
Make time to relax and be peaceful - ya I know that seems like a no brainer but I'm a bit of a worry wart.
Go to the library and get some books on how things work or maybe engineering.
Take time to play and/or find a new game. Maybe the kitty's will help with this one a bit ;).
Try to make my own face an body lotion.
That is just a sample but I'm trying to cover a lot of things while not over doing it.
So far I've had success with the exercise and making my own shampoo and laundry soap. BTW I LOVE the laundry soap I won't be going back to store bought! I might try to adjust the recipe a bit but it works great! There are plenty of recipe's online so try it out and have fun!.
The things that didn't go so well or I didn't get done will be moved to a different month and I will keep trying till I get it done or decide to move on to something else.
Wow! I didn't think that I had this much to say! Guess I should post more often. I know my brother would like that - he is doing great on his blog and posting almost every day. What an inspiration!!
Enough for now! More soon - I hope LOL.

Life is Good for a Bug in the Sun!

Marking Time

Haven't got my food calculator up and running yet but I thought I would update a few other things. My exercising while making tea in the morning is really working. Although I am not loosing weight or getting super fit - I do feel the difference and am gaining some strength. On the rare day I don't do it or just do a couple of stretches my body really misses it and is stiff and uncomfortable all day. Hopefully I can add more time soon and perhaps something a bit more intense. Yes I think I'm about ready to add a new habit of exercise!
This morning I was trying to think of something different to do with the one egg I had left for breakfast. So I threw some stuff together and made a sort of veggie burger. It wasn't too bad but I think I will work on it. Started with chopping onions, celery, and broccoli (what was left of the carrots is in the garbage) then added some thin and finely chopped potato. Instead of smushing beans I just added a bit of garbanzo bean flour (it is normally used to make hummus but I use it for sauces) the egg and some chopped avocado jut because I needed to use it up. Oh and some salt, pepper, garlic powder, nothing fancy this time. Mixed it up and let it set for a bit. Fried little patty's in some oil, not bad at all! Got a couple left and I think I'll take them to Mom and see what she thinks.
Hmmm wonder what we could come up with using refried beans and corn....mmmmm.
While surfing ye old web yesterday I came across a new diet that I might try. Not the kind to lose weight, I prefer the eat in moderation and excersise way to do that. No this is for people with digestive issues (like me), it is called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. The only thing I don't like is it is even more restrictive then the allergy reducing diet I'm following now. But if it would really help me heal faster...I'll get the book and maybe talk to the doc and see what she thinks. It is a no grains diet...that would be really, really hard even for me. Wonder if I can find the book at the half priced book store. Anyway I also found a recipe for mayo made with hard boiled eggs...may have to try that.
We made a small batch of the laundry soap yesterday and Mom say's it works very well, today is my laundry day so I'll get the chance to try it out myself, and post the results later.

That is all for now
Life is Moving Right Along!
Bug in the Sun

New Plans and Updates

So now that things have started to settle in my mind and I am starting to adjust to my new situation it is time to start figuring this out. Since my main issue besides my health this year is going to be the shortage of funds and the unexpected debt that seems to be the place to start. So budgeting **sigh** should be where I start but that is kind of depressing. Hmmmm food is much more interesting and the one place I have a little control of the situation...maybe.
Well anyway, just to track expences and perhaps find even more ways to do more with less, I created a spreadsheet to calculate how much a meal costs me to make. Once I've given it a test run for a few weeks I will either post it or at least report on it. I tend to make a lot of one pot meals so that makes it a bit easier I think. In any case this should be a great way to track cost effective meals and foods. Oh yes! Much more fun than budgeting.
Now an update on some of the other things that I've been trying. First, it is unlikely that I will get the chance to try out the solar food dryer this year. There is just so much else going on that we just won't have time for it. However, my sister sent me a bunch of little pie pumpkins and we have started cooking them by cutting them in wedges and roasting them in the oven. We used a bit of oil and salt is all. We also left the skins on to roast and cooked them for almost 40mins at 400 degrees. Then we let them cool and peeled them and put them in bags to freeze - we are thinking up all sorts of fun things to try!
The shampoo saga has worked out rather well, mostly I just use baking soda to wash and diluted apple cider vinegar to rinse and my hair and scalp now feel clean and healthy. I don't usually make the tea anymore, but still might sometimes. I'm thinking of other ways to use baking soda and vinegar for cleaning. BTW I just use baking soda for toothpaste too and although it tastes salty, the results are great.
We haven't made the laundry soap yet but will need to soon and I will report on how that goes.

That is all for now - gotta get to it! Lots to do.
Life is Eventful and Good!
Bug in the Sun

Just When You Got a Plan...

That is how life is - just when you have a plan...well life happens and you have to rearrange things. So many things have happened to change my plans that I think I will have to start over with a new plan! Not bad but kind of annoying. But some of the stuff that is happening is good! Some is not so good. My budget got blown out of the water by an unexpected change in my income, that is a big ouch! Somehow it will work out but right now I'm not sure how...more planning. But some potentially fun and good things are happening for Mums and I will be helping her so that will be fun. More details later.
So here we go! A new adventure or two.

Bug in the Sun
Life is a Changing Maze but always an Adventure!