#3. House of Flowers

When I was a kid I use to fantasize about being an adult; the things I would do, and the kind of lifestyle I would have. One of those dreams was to own a home that always had fresh flowers in it. I’m not ready yet or will I be ready in 6 months to become a home owner, but perhaps I can decorate my rented living quarters with a beautiful arrangement. Hesitate at first with this idea, thinking that financially this might be a bit much, I had looked towards Martha Stewart to give me guidance. In Ms Stewart’s May issue of Living, she teaches ways of how to make the cheapest grocery store bought flowers like carnations look amazing in a vase, as well as how to display a single red rose in a very simple but sophisticated manner. Thanks to these great tips from Martha I can carry out my goal in an inexpensive way. With the exception of splurging every once in a while on special occasions.

With that said, on Friday I went to my local supermarket and headed to the floral section. They had great flowers to choose from, even my favorite, White Casablanca Lilies. Unfortunately, they only had one bouquet of those gorgeous flowers left and they looked like they had seen better days. Pondering for a while and analyzing each assortment, I finally picked the lilies that you see above. I took them home, cut their stems on an angle while immersed in water (which helps prolong there life), arranged them in one of my clear glass vases and displayed it on my kitchen table. Not only do they make my table look fabulous but it also helps brighten up my kitchen while emitting a slight aroma in the air.

#2. Reconnecting with the TIMES

Before I gave birth to Kayla I use to read the Times on a regular basis. I got started with this ritual of reading the paper daily from my first day of class at NYU. I knew getting excepted and attending this University was going to be a challenge, but I had no idea to what extent. On my first day the teacher held a discussion on events that was happening in the world, and to my embarrassment I had no idea what anyone was talking about. They weren't talking about the events that you would see on your local news station that everyone was talking about, instead they were conversing about current events that were written about in the New York Times. After that day I took it upon myself to start reading the Times, so I could be a part of the class discussions and not be clueless to it. Once I decided to make the Times a part of my life I realized the importance of it; for the knowledge and also to be able to hold an intellectual conversation.
Unfortunately, due to lack of time and financial expenses my ritual of reading the Times when I got home from work started to fade to a point that it became a non existent routine. Lately, I've been fantasizing about reading the Times again, but stopped myself from doing so because of my excuses of not having enough time to read it and not being able to afford it.
Today, for some reason or another, I pushed my lame excuses aside and went to wawa grabbed the Times and headed to Starbucks. There in caffeine haven, I ordered a grande coffee, which I loaded with milk and sugar, and spent two hours reading the Times from front to back, excluding the sport section which has no interest to me. Not only did it feel good to give myself some me quiet time, but it got my brain focused on current news instead of my everyday issues.
To be realistic I know that I can't read the Times everyday, but I will make it part of my life again by reading it every time I get the chance, and if need be making the time for the Times.

#1. Spring Cleaning

My first goal is yes, Spring Cleaning. I know this doesn't sound much like a goal, but I thought what a good way to start. Two weekends ago, I got rid of a lot of things that I didn't need but for some reason was still holding onto. I also dusted, vacuumed, swept, mop and organized everything I possible can. It felt great. A new start with a super clean apartment. The only thing I couldn't seem to get rid of was my daughter's old clothes. She's nineteen months and I have 4 big plastic bins of her clothes, which are sorted my size. My thoughts at first was to give the salvation army all the clothes that she couldn't fit into anymore and that didn't hold any sentimental value. But as I was trying to figure out which ones to ditch I realized that all of them have some kind of sentimental value, either because it was the first onesy she threw up on, or it was the first pants she wore when she took her first walk, and to be honest it mostly came down to because she wore them. But perhaps me holding onto all her clothes is for a good reason that I don't know yet. Maybe in my future I'm set out to have another child for which these clothes are meant for. Who knows? But I can assure you that everything else is organized and has been condensed. I encourage everyone to do this. As non meaningful as it sounds, it actually felt good. It helped me to feel liberated and motivated to continue with this project. Since the spring cleaning, every time I walk into my home I smile, and look around at the great job that I have done.