The Kindness Bandit: A Better Bill

I don't know about you but when I first moved out on my own paying bills was such a thrill for me. I think mostly it was because it meant I was out in the world on my own, making my own money, etc. I used to even be excited to buy my own toilet paper. Over the years the thrill has certainly waned.

Now when I pay bills it is with significantly less enthusiasm. I have decided that I need to remedy this. I should be thankful that I am able to support myself and that I have a place to live at all. Sunday as I sat at the table watching my paycheck dissolve into thin air I began to wonder about my mood. After all of the bills were paid a subtle melancholy stuck around.

Yesterday it struck me that this melancholy was ridiculous. I need to change my attitude about the whole process and get back to being thankful that I am able to work at all. How to make bill paying fun? That was the challenge.

Soon I decided that the best thing to do was to think about the person who has to open my bill, it's completely boring to them (I imagine, but maybe it's a joy). I decided that to make bill paying fun for me I will make bill opening fun for someone else. I found a few sites with quotes about happiness. I have printed out the quotes, fortune cookie style and plan to enclose them into all of the bills I pay in the future. See I am already looking forward to the next billing cycle (sort of).

I invite you to submit your Kindness Bandit deeds (with photos if at all possible) and I will feature them on an upcoming posting of the Kindness Bandit. Just remember to be creative and to be kind! Additionally, I will link to your blog or website.Please submit your Kindness Bandit activities to maria @ planetwimmer.com
In the mean time I will continue on with the Kindness Bandit as always!!!

First Purchase for the Little One

Yesterday Eric and I happened to stop at a thrift store to just look around a bit. We were not actually planning to make any purchases. Sometimes we just love to look.

We found ourselves in an Arc, a local thrift store, when we spotted the little beauty you see to your right. Now you might be thinking, "What a lovely stroller," but you would be wrong. What you are looking at is a pram (it's made in England). We ran over to the pram and took a look. It is in perfect condition and it cost almost nothing, which makes it oh so sweet.

So, we made our first purchase for our little unborn baby. For some reason it made everything all the more real. We are awaiting someone and they've already got stuff here.

In My Desk

Last week I started the slow process of cleaning out my desk at work. Soon I will start training my replacement and I don't want them to feel like they are invading my space. I opened up the drawer on my desk and found this.

Note from Eric

A sweet note from my hubby. What a treat to find it on a day that was a wee bit melancholy (I really have enjoyed my job).

Note from Eric

I also re-discovered another note he had left for me in my drawer. Maybe my replacement would be a little freaked out if they found them, so it's best that I take them with me.

My Handsome husband.

I was reminded of how very excited I am to embark on this new adventure with Eric. A move. A baby. Life is changing, but some things never will.

Sautrday Morning Discovery

I took Bumblebee out early this morning, before the sun had risen above the buildings of the city. Outside it was quiet and still, but something had been happening over night.


I spotted it across the courtyard, the fountain in the pond had been spraying this tree and had frozen it. I ran inside and grabbed my camera.


When I got closer I could see that each twig had been encased in a sheet of ice, it looked like glass.


The spring leaves were frozen solid and the green looked so beautiful against the milky white.


I went a little crazy with the camera (who me?) and took approximately one billion photos.


I love stumbling upon little gifts like that. I often get a sense that it is my responsibility to see and appreciate these quiet moments before they have gone.

PS Eric and I are going to do Earth Hour tonight. We're turning off the lights for one hour. I hope we haven't packed all of our candles yet...

Spring Blizzard (Warning: Lots-o-Photos)

Yesterday we had ourselves a little Spring blizzard. I went to work and when I got downtown there was no snow and it just looked like a rainy day was on its way. Green grass, blooming flowers and all of the signs of spring were present.

Around 9 I looked out my window and noticed there was a little snow starting to build up. Nothing alarming, not enough to leave work. By 11:30 I noticed that the roadways were disappearing. My boss decided it was time we all head home for the day.

Suddenly the storm hit. I realized that it was going to take me a looong time to make it home. The roads were icy and the going was slow. Visibility went from bad to worse. At one point I could only see a car length ahead of me.

Most of the drive I was just sitting, stuck in traffic.

I watched the snow blow sideways and I knew Eric was at home worrying about me. I didn't have a cell phone to call him and let him know that I was just moving at a snail's pace. Finally, after nearly 2 hours, I made it home. We headed to the store across the street just in case we were going to be stuck indoors for a few days.

When we got back there was a lull in the storm and we took Bumblebee out to play in the snow and have a little look around.

I absolutely adore when snow falls on flowers. I think it is so beautiful.

Bumblebee had a blast tearing through the snow and really enjoying herself. After her run in the snow she was so excited that she ran through the house barking with joy; I am sure our neighbors loved that.

I warmed up with a cup of vegan cocoa.

Later we had grilled soy cheese sandwiches...

and creamy tomato basil soup. Yum! We spent the night in (obviously) watching movies, chatting and enjoying the spring storm.

This morning I woke to cold and blue. Beautiful. There is a lot of snow, but not nearly as much as we anticipated.

I have the day off from work so we can take our time digging out today.

Blizzard and Painting Lesson#2

Well, today there is supposed to be a blizzard here in the city. So far the first flakes are just starting to fall. We had planned to head out of town tomorrow, but who knows at this point. I am kind of excited for a snow day. I probably won't have a full day at work, depending on when the storm decides to roll in.

We didn't have a very serious winter so I guess I am not going to complain about a little blizzard. Plus I want to make a fort out of all of the boxes Eric and I have been packing. Seems like the perfect day for that.

During the last blizzard Eric and I walked over to our friends/neighbors and watched The Day the Earth Froze and had a glass of wine while the snowed poured down. Once the snow had fallen we took Bumblebee out into the deep snow and watched her have a ball. Do you have any blizzard routines that you do?

Also, if you will recall I am blaming all of my procrastinating for the past three months on my early pregnancy exhaustion. You may recall that I began painting lesson #1 in January, right about the time I turned into a nauseous narcoleptic. If you have forgotten or are new to my blog you can check it out here.

Now that I am feeling more motivated I decided that it was high time I get busy with the next painting lesson. Now you're all ready to go and check it out by clicking here. Good luck and feel free to email me with any painting related questions!

My Thoughts Organized in an Unsystematic Manner

Looks like it's going to be a random day here on my blog. Where to start?

Spring is officially here, but we are expecting snow tomorrow. Flowers are blooming so the snow should be extra beautiful. I absolutely love flowers in fresh white snow.

Eric and I have started the great chore of packing up all of our belongings. Thus far we have gotten all of our books. I don't know about you, but we have a tiny library of books that we have collected through school, thrift stores and garage sales. It's all well and good until we have to move. Thankfully we have nearly completed the boxing of our library.

Just after announcing our move to Wyoming it was hit with a terrible spring blizzard. Yikes, good thing we aren't moving for a few more weeks! I wonder what life will be like there? I am so excited to be around my family, especially at this point in our lives. I am one of those lucky folks that have a great and supportive family, so I know this move will just be amazing for us. I am also getting really excited about leaving the fast pace of the city.


I often drive by this store as it is in the downtown area where I work. If you can't quite read the name of the store it is Family Cigarette and Grocery Store. I am always humored by the name as I get a mental picture of families going in, dressed in their Sunday best. I have never seen anybody going into the store so I cannot attest to whom it is that actually keeps this poorly named establishment in business, but it makes me laugh.

Speaking of laughing I think today requires a little joke. For those of you who don't already know, I am greatly entertained by terrible jokes. Let's see what bad jokes I can find...

Q: Where do horses live?
A: In neigh-borhoods.

Q: What did the limestone say to the geologist?
A: Don't take me for granite.

So yeah, those were examples of dumb jokes that I like. Have you heard any dumb jokes lately?

Kindness Bandit: The Scoop

So, this week for the Kindness Bandit I am taking on an idea that I have had for quite a while, but frankly I have been a little intimidated to take this on. This project is something that I can never fully succeed at, but I am going to go ahead and do my part. The idea is gross and dirty and not at all one that I am particularly excited about. However, there is a real need for someone to step up and get it done.

Do I have you on the edge of your seat? Let me just spill the beans. I am going to scoop other people's dog poo. I know it's a nasty one, but maybe that makes it all the more worthwhile. This will be an ongoing project because I am just going to make it my responsibility. My apartment complex has many lovely pet owners who dutifully pick up after their pets. There are just a few folks that leave the mess. Well, there are kids out there playing in the grass and it is a veritable mine field -o- poo.

While I can't pick it all up, that would be like trying to count the stars, I am going to make an effort to do a little each time I am out with Bumblebee. We're moving soon, but I have no doubt that wherever we end up there will be plenty of opportunities (I guess that's what we'll call it) to continue this Kindness Bandit project.

I hope you weren't eating your breakfast as you read through today's Kindness Bandit project. Don't worry, I will not give regular updates.

I invite you to submit your Kindness Bandit deeds (with photos if at all possible) and I will feature them on an upcoming posting of the Kindness Bandit. Just remember to be creative and to be kind! Additionally, I will link to your blog or website.Please submit your Kindness Bandit activities to maria @ planetwimmer.com
In the mean time I will continue on with the Kindness Bandit as always!!!

On the Move

Well, Eric and I have another big announcement. We are leaving Colorado next month. We're moving to Wyoming because Eric got a great job. We will also get to be near my family! I know it's not Montana, but we're on an extended plan to move to Montana one state at a time.

I looked up the 2007 census for the Denver metro area, where we are currently living, and the population was 2,357,404. Next I looked up the population for the entire state of Wyoming in 2007 was 522,830.

You may be asking yourself what two (soon to be three) vegans are going to do in the cowboy state. Well I am working on a list. Here's what I've got so far:

1. Visit Yellowstone. I have been there several times and it just doesn't get old to see buffalo, elk, geysers and a million tourists (excellent for people watching).
2. I can literally throw caution to the wind, because it is so very windy in Wyoming. I need to be careful with the wind jokes...I may become easily winded.
   
3. Visit Devil's Tower, it's really pretty darn cool. Click here for a photo. You may remember it from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
   
4. I may get to have my very own close encounter of the third kind (what are the first and second kinds of encounter?)

Also, did you know that Wyoming was the first state to give women the right to vote? That's pretty cool.

Do you have any ideas about what to do in Wyoming?

Map taken from here.

Flowers and Owls

Now that I am coming out of the foggy exhaustion of early pregnancy I am ready to get back to business. I have spent the last few months struggling to stay awake and my creative juices had seemingly disappeared. I would like to think that maybe I was just busy infusing the creative juices into my little one. Or maybe I was just satisfied that creating a human is creative enough... Either way I am feeling the creative bug once again and I am so happy to have the energy to follow through.


I started my craft project with a need for thank you cards (another area which had been a bit neglected--I like to blame everything on early pregnancy). Last Christmas I had saved all of the greeting cards with the intention of using the vibrant paper. I decided it was time to put those Christmas cards to good use.


I apparently had owls and flowers in my head as I set to work making my cards, as you will see.


I cut out all of the glittery snow scenes from the saved Christmas cards. I made petals and stems.

I have had spring on my mind, what can I say?

Owls are just so cute. They are also very easy to make.

After I was done with that I made some bread to deliver to my friend Irish. She took time out to cover all of the items that I will need for a baby. She typed a two page list of everything that she has found useful with her new son. So, she definitely deserves a serious thank you card and some thank you bread.

I felt sooooo much better to have done something beyond napping on the couch although I did some of that too.

Additionally, Eric loved the owls I made so he used them to make the new header for his blog. You can see it here.

FYI

Just so you know I am absolutely in love with this guy.

First Day-o-Spring!

First of all, I wanted to thank all of you for your kind words and well wishes about our pregnancy announcement. Eric and I have had so much fun reading through each and every one of them (a couple of times)!



About a week and a half ago I posted some photos of all of the tiny buds and springtime beauty. Just in the past few days things have come alive. Today is technically the FIRST day of spring and I am very excited.


The air is warm. The days are getting longer. Snow? What is this white stuff you speak of? I can almost picture it, but it's been so long.


All of the buds and blossoms that I looked at last week are erupting. I am so excited. I love this time of year and it's finally here.

All of the leaves and flowers are just getting started.

Is it spring where you are?

You Deserve a Little Update Before I Get Back to Normal Blogging

OK, so a few of you were surprised (and a few of you had an inkling that you knew) what was going on over in my part of the world. Worry not, I have been documenting as I go along so I will quickly bring you up to speed.

First I found out I was pregnant. I don't really think there is a lot more to say on that subject except that I took all of the pregnancy tests because it was kind of like magic. They're kind of fun, if you've never had the opportunity to take one I recommend it. Although it's really only fun if you're pregnant...


Next Eric and I went in for the confirmation appointment. It was obviously confirmed. I spoke with my doctor about my vegan diet and she agreed that it is a very healthy choice for the baby, but I already knew that!


We were soon ready to break the news to family. We decided to surprise my Mom for her birthday. We gave her the necklace above. It reads Grandmother. When she opened the gift she gave us a look that said,"You'd better not be messing with me." My Dad and brother were a little slow on the uptake. I had to call Ben (middle brother) as he lives too far away. Eric called his family and we were told "It's about time." Next we called grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Otherwise I have spent the last three months sleeping. Early pregnancy left me exhausted. Until recently I was pretty much awake and aware for 8 hours a day. The rest of the time I was sleeping, thinking about sleep, falling asleep or being nauseous. Now that the 2nd trimester is upon me I am feeling a million times better!


Yesterday we had an ultrasound where we got to see our little one kicking, sucking in and out and generally moving around. It was more amazing than words can describe. Eric and I are so excited and can't wait to meet our baby.

Also, for those of you who have asked (and many have) we have indeed told Bumblebee and she is ambivalent so far.

The Biggest Little Thing EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Due September 2009

Jazz hands!

The Kindness Bandit: Pre-Easter Basket

For the Kindness Bandit this week I had two ideas. I wanted to give away something that would be fun for outside, because the weather has been lovely. Second I had an Easter basket on my mind. I know, it is a bit early for Easter baskets. What can I say? I was feeling Easter-ish.


I was delighted to combine my two ideas and I left an Easter basket with some fun outdoor toys and such. There are several kids in our complex so I know that someone will really enjoy this gift. I didn't want to confuse anyone, so my card read "Happy Pre-Easter." I know today is Saint Patrick's Day; I didn't want anyone to be completely confused and tear off their green button (or whatever bit of green they have on), thinking that it was Easter and then submit to a day of pinching.

Anyway, last night as we took Miss Bumblebee out for her nightly business I made a stealthy drop and took a quick photograph of the basket. I just left it in the foyer where any one of our residents would spot it.

The Kindness Bandit strikes again.

Noticing a Little Something Different

I love spotting something that is a little out of the ordinary, it makes my day so much more exciting. I think I have mentioned before that I am constantly fighting the tunnel vision that can happen when one has a regular routine. It can be so easy to miss the tiniest things that can change the entire mood of the day.


Recently I had one of those moments where I was pulled out of my regular routine. Eric and I were at the store picking up a few groceries. We had finished loading our haul into the car and I took off with the shopping cart to return it to the little shopping cart receptacle. I guess that's what you call it, but if you don't like the term shopping cart receptacle here are a few alternatives: shopping cart corral, shopping cart kiosk, a shopping cart area, or finally a shopping cart hub.


While returning the cart I happened to look up and I noticed that some person had vandalized (in my opinion they actually they improved) the little sign that has a picture of the shopping cart. Whoever it was had used some stickers to make the shopping cart look as though it had a face and it was shooting out a little exhaust. Presumably the exhaust would come from bargain days when coupon laden shoppers burn rubber to find the best deal, it can be cut throat here in the city.


I continued my scan of the parking lot and discovered that there were a few more that had been given faces. The face above seems a little aggressive, maybe it's the face that shopping carts get during the holidays...or else it's a vampire shopping cart. I know that my energy has certainly been drained after a long shopping experience.

Anyway, it was a nice little something different in my day. Have you spotted anything out of the ordinary lately?