New Year's Link Up

A bad habit I’m going to break:  Using my credit cards. I know that sometimes credit cards can be helpful, but my debt has gotten out of control. I need to get a reign on it. As soon as I think about it (while I'm at home), I'm going to take all of my credit cards out of my wallet and seal them in a box. Then I will put this box on my bookshelf and not touch it unless it's an absolute emergency. Not having my credit cards in my wallet will definitely help quell my spending habits. I also need to remove all of my credit cards from all online shopping sites (PayPal, Walmart, etc).

A new skill I’d like to learn:  I would really like to learn a new language. I'm not sure if and when it would happen, but I would like to learn to speak Italian. I think it's such a beautiful sounding language. Ideally I would use Rosetta Stone or another like product to learn as they get the best results. I would also like to learn how to speak sign language. The community college in my town offers a couple of sign language classes. I just haven't had the time or money to look into taking one yet.

A person I hope to be more like:  I'm not sure that I really want to be more like anyone. I would like to be a better version of myself though. I would like to spend less on junk that I don't need and give more to the poor. I would like to get rid of the many pounds of excess weight that I've been carrying around for far too long. I would like to learn more and actually do what I aspire to do... write. I would like to better myself and become the best version of me that there can be.

A good deed I’m going to do:  I left this question for last. I skipped it and came back. I'm not really sure what good deed I will do this year. I fund raise for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. I donate my gently used clothes. I'm not really sure what I could do. I suppose I could look into volunteering somewhere. I've always wanted to do that and haven't. This one is really making me ponder.

A place I’d like to visit:  I would really love to travel to many places. I'm not sure that I will get to visit anywhere this year. I said last year I would be more mature and not recklessly spend my money so I could save up and go to Los Angeles. That's not going to happen any time soon, but I would love to go there. My friend Rick lives in LA and he told me if I ever made it out there, he would be my personal travel guide. He's an actor so I think that would be amazingly fun. BE MATURE, CRYSTAL!!! STOP BLOWING YOUR MONEY!!! I would also like to visit some random other places within the United States (Niagara Falls being one of them) and some other countries (Ireland being top of the list).

A book I’d like to read:  Wow. My goal is to read two books a month this year... I honestly don't know what's on my list. I'm currently in the middle of Allegiant (the third in the Divergent series) and I would like to finish it tonight or tomorrow so I can start the new year with a fresh book.

A letter I’m going to write:  I don't have any letters that I feel need to be written for any reason or another. I would like to start sending personalized birthday cards to my friends and family members. I'm actually going to create a Google document that my friends and family can fill out that will have all of the information I need to send cards and letters to them. I'm excited to get that started soon. :)

A new food I’d like to try:  This year I tried Thai food for the first time. It was incredibly spicy though delicious. I'm not sure what food or ethnicity of food that I would like to try this year. I guess I would like to try Indian food. I've never had Indian food before and it looks yummy every time I see it anywhere. I'm not sure that we have any Indian food places around me though. I guess I'll have to look into that.

I’m going to do better at:  Not procrastinating. I tend to have big expectations and make huge plans and then don't follow through. This means in regards to my job, my writing, my fan site, everything. For example, I was supposed to be launching a new layout for my fan site today and I haven't 100% figured it out yet. I'm currently working on it while watching Christmas movies. Good times.

Anyway, this was fun, and ...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Be safe and have a great night!

Winter Wonderland!!!

We were put under a Winter Weather Advisory on Thursday for Friday afternoon into Saturday around noon. It was already snowing when I got off work on Friday. I went home and didn't leave the house. When I woke up Saturday morning and looked outside, this is what I saw:

 

We were in a Winter Wonderland! It was so pretty!!! I can appreciate snow when I don't have to leave the house. Haha! It was so beautiful outside. It also helped put me into the Christmas spirit. I grew up in a family who always put up the Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving. That didn't happen in my house this year. 

My boyfriend has been incredibly busy at work and didn't get out my Christmas tree (from the shed which I rarely go in) until last Monday. I had planned to put the tree up Friday, but didn't. With the snow outside, I wanted to get my tree up fast. I turned on the TV and found the holiday music station, but it wasn't working. I was confused for a minute until I realized our dish was probably full of snow. I bundled up, took Rusty out back with me, and cleaned out the snow in the dish. It worked after that! I went in and started putting up my tree!

I think my tree is defective. It's a pre-lit tree and when I put it up last year, for the first time, there was a section that I couldn't get to light for anything. I finally messed with almost every bulb on that section and it finally lit. The same thing happened this year... I finally finished fighting my tree and got all of the ornaments on only to realize that I didn't have my tree skirt or topper (I use a Santa hat). I donned all of my winter attire and ran out to our shed. It didn't take me long and I found the bag they were in... I went in, put on the skirt and the topper, and decorated my house with the little bit of decorations I put out. Then I took pics of my pretty tree:

The one on the left is with a flash and the one on the right is without. I love it! After that, I took a little bit of a break to eat some lunch and straighten up. Then I got to work on wrapping what presents I could. If you could look to the left of where my tree is, there was a huge pile of presents that needed wrapped. I got all but three or four presents wrapped and they're now under my tree. When I was done wrapping presents, I put together the quilt rack I bought myself. It was super easy and looks great so I can't wait to display it in my living room. Right now it's in the bedroom because there's no room in the living room with the tree up! 

After being so productive on a weekend (usually I'm super lazy and don't do much), I decided to take a relaxing bath as I hadn't done that in about a month. I soaked in the tub for a good hour and a half while I watched a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother on my Kindle. I'm finally on season 8 and can't wait to get caught up on the current season. Haha. I showered and put on some pajamas and then worked on my Supernatural site's scavenger hunt until about 10:30. Then I laid in bed and watched a few more episodes of HIMYM. 

Sunday wasn't as productive, but I did a lot of work on my website. I did a load of laundry and the dishes, but other than that, all I did was worked on my website and watched television. We still don't have a new clothes dryer and there are some things that just aren't as soft when they aren't dried in a dryer. We should be getting a new one no later than this weekend which is nice...

Today has been dreary in a wintery sense. We've had a chance of flurries all day and it's foggy out. My favorite phenomenon happens when it's foggy in the winter...

I LOVE when the trees look like this. I'm not 100% sure what causes it, though I'm sure there is a cause... I just don't know it. :) Okay, I better go. I have work to do.

Baby Dylan

My best friend had her first child at 26 weeks, 3 days gestation a mere two days ago. He weighed a mere one pound, 14 ounces at birth. In the first twenty-four hours of his life, he was able to be taken off his breathing tube. He is using a nasal cannula only, but at the first signs of distress, he will be put back on the tube. He is doing amazing and is super-duper cute! Please continue to pray and send well wishes to Dylan, my bestie Pam, and her husband Patrick. He's got a bit of a fight ahead of him, but he's feisty and doing so well! The following pictures were taken by Pam's sister-in-law Amanda. I haven't had the chance to go see him yet, but as soon as I'm allowed, I'll be there!

What motivates you?

Source

I've been severely lacking in the getting healthy department. I was hoping that Elf4Health would motivate me, but with the holidays, it hasn't. I'm completely bummed over this because I am needing a huge push in the right direction.

My weight is hovering around its highest ever. I didn't weigh myself this week so I don't officially know where I am, I just know that I feel super heavy right now. I want to be healthy. I could be healthy, but I just don't have the willpower right now. I can't get myself in the healthy mindset. I know I've done it before, but I'm struggling so much this time around. I look in the mirror and I'm disgusted at myself. I don't have a chin anymore... I've never NOT had a chin.

I really need to kick my butt into gear, but I'm really not sure how to do it anymore. What motivates you? What keeps you on track? I'm looking for all of the advice I can get so give your ideas!

Prayer Request

Source

My best friend gave birth last night to a baby boy named Dylan Michael. Dylan was born at 26 weeks, 3 days gestation and weighed in at 1 pound, 14 ounces. Pam is doing well and says the doctors say Dylan "will be [in the hospital] for a while, but he's doing really well". Regardless, please keep Pam, her husband Patrick, and baby Dylan in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you!