{A Couple Things I'm Working On}

It's the little things that make up the whole.
Here are a few items I'm turning my attention
to right now, in the hopes that it's habit forming...

#1, cooking dinner during the week
- Now that's it's not 115 degrees in Phoenix, I'm feeling motivated
to cook a bit. We were eating out a lot, and I'm hoping cooking will
help us save on money and calories. Plus, it's just nice to be home
and hang out together in the evening rather than driving to a noisy
restaurant. Wednesday, I made soup. It was easy to make and
good to eat. I love when I find a crock pot recipe that's healthy
and meatless. The consensus was to forgo the eggplant and add
potato and zucchini along with more vegetable stock and garlic.
Another really nice thing about this particular recipe is there
wasn't a lot of waste produced by it. I used four cans and a
cardboard box (from the stock) all of which are recyclable, plus
a few bits of decomposing friendly vegetable leftovers like carrot
peels and tomato cores. I was very pleased with that!

#2, driving the speed limit
- I hate driving, but when I do get behind the wheel, I speed.
And then I get tickets... And I hate tickets. There are speed radar
cameras going up everywhere around here. I've gotten two
of those stinkin' things this year. I don't want my insurance to
go up, and I hate forking over two or three hundred dollars for a
ticket. Mostly though, it adds unnecessary stress to a commute,
it's not safe, and it's not environmentally wise. So, I'm really
working on it.

#3, using less toilet paper
- It's a small thing, but it can add up over time. So far, I've cut
my normal number of squares, which is way more than one needs,
in half or so. (Believe it. I really am telling you this.) Living a less
wasteful life is about paying attention to all the things you use.

#4, making plans and reaching out
- Last week, I connected with Cynthia for a movie.
This week, I emailed Mandi (her husband works with mine)
to see if she wanted to get together. Even though it was a
last minute idea, she was down. I love that.

#5, printing pictures from 2006
- How sad is this? I have so many to print from Ireland and all
the visits we made to Michigan that year. It feels like it costs
a lot to do all at once. So, I decided to do it in increments and
only print what I'll put in a scrapbook or album. My second
batch is now ready for pick up.

What are you working on?
Here's to hoping you have a good Friday and reach
whatever goals you have for yourself, big or small.

p.s. I have a lot of posting to do in the remaining days of
November. So, I'm soliciting your thoughts. For those of you
who check in to my humble little blog, is there anything you
want to know or see? I'm taking suggestions and questions
now... (If you're new to commenting -- click the "comment"
link at the end of this post, type your thoughts, and pick a
way to ID yourself. You don't need a blogger account to do it.)