Dreams Benny

As Keith and I pulled up to the stop light the other day, he remarked that the guy in the car next to us looked like Ryan Gosling with a beard.

His observation let loose a long stream of thought from me.  I have never understood Ryan Gosling's sex appeal.  I mean, he isn't that good looking.  And what was it with all those memes I would see on pinterest and the internet?  "Hey Girl, blah, blah, blah"?  What did that even mean?  What movie was that from?  Why would anyone swoon over such an ugly phrase?  Why not "Darling" or "My Dear"?  Make it beautiful, not stupid.

Keith laughed at my diatribe and suggested that perhaps my imagination was more advanced or my fantasies more sophisticated to expect to be called darling or dear rather than hey girl.  I rolled my eyes as I've never been one to harbor celebrity crushes, let alone fantasy about them. The light changed, and as we drove on, the conversation was forgotten.

I think Keith was right, however, to say that my fantasies are more sophisticated than Ryan Gosling. 

The proof??  

That night I dreamed of Benendict Cumberbatch.

News

I have a bit to catch up on when it comes to blogging.  

You might wonder, what has Jill been doing all these months??  

Well, I haven't been doing much, 

but I have been working on a project 

that has me feeling exhausted and a little bit queasy at the end 

(or beginning, and sometimes in the middle) of each day;

 namely, this:

I'll let you know how it goes.

Spring

Valentine's Day/February 15th

I had all sorts of plans for a fancy dinner on Valentine's Day. I was going to make wedge salads for an appetizer (you know, those salads that restaurants charge $9 for, but are only a hunk of iceberg lettuce with some bacon and blue cheese?), then we were going to have Steak Oscar (steak topped with crab and Bearnaise sauce) with roasted potatoes and asparagus, and to finish, molten lava cakes for dessert.  It was going to be a fantastic and romantic meal.

But, by the time Valentine's Day came, our plans changed.  Keith ended up having the day off of work, I ended up not feeling like cooking a big dinner, and we ended up going to a Chinese buffet for lunch instead.

Seriously, nothing says LOVE like stuffing your faces together--and being 100% comfortable while doing so.

After lunch, Keith set up his new computer, I rearranged our furniture, and we had a perfectly lovely, relaxing day.  No stress, no pressure.  It was wonderful.

Keith had to work his regular Saturday shift the next day, and I began missing our big fancy dinner that we never had the day before.  I set the table with a cloth and my makeshift candlesticks.  I set out a salad fork, a dinner fork, knife and spoon, a dessert spoon at top, with a goblet, instead of a glass.  Since I hadn't bought the planned steak and crab, I basically just cleaned out the fridge to make my dinner.

Once Keith got home (an hour plus late), I lit the candles, popped the bubbly (sparkling white grape juice), and served dinner--chicken alfredo pizza (one of Keith's favorites).  It was fun, having the table set so fancily and prettily, with all of the utensils and such, only to eat dinner with our hands.  We did have molten lava cakes for dessert, like the original Valentine's Day plan, and boy, were they sure delicious!

I loved our little February 15th celebration. I loved the casual fanciness and the randomness of our dinner.  A new Valentine's/ Belated Valentine's/mid-Frebruary tradition?  Maybe.

Overall, it was just a great Valentine's weekend, mostly because I got to spend it with my Valentine.  He may drive me absolutely crazy at times, but I absolutely love him.  Lucky for me, he is stuck with me forever.

Weekend Visitors

Some of our favorite people came to visit this weekend!!  Edmonton friends Lauren and Analee were in BC visiting family, and they made time to swing by our neck of the woods.  Keith and I drove up to Vernon after church on Sunday, Analee and Lauren drove down, and we met at Caleb and Monica's.  It felt like old times!  We had dinner together, chatted, played games, and just enjoyed each other's company.  We all slept over, then headed out to breakfast before Lauren and Analee had to drive home. 

It was a quick visit, but it was wonderful.  We love our friends and were so happy to see them!!!

Crafting

I've been trying to get more into crafting.  It is difficult, however, as I haven't the money, the space, or the talent required.  But, I do have a hot glue gun, some fishing wire, and a few ideas.

I wanted to do something crafty for Valentines day, but again, I was hindered by the fact that Keith was out of town and I didn't have any supplies.  It was then that I had a wonderful thought: Subway Art.  I had a computer and I had a printer, so why not?

Using my few Publisher skills and a few free fonts I found on the internet, I fit words and phrases together the best I could.  I then walked to the dollar store and bought a $2.50 frame, causing me again to wonder why it is called a dollar store when, in all actuality, very few items actually cost only a $1.

I was fairly pleased with the final product, especially as it was a first attempt.  I liked it so much, in fact, that I decided to do something for St. Patrick's Day, too.

I was further impressed with my craftiness when I made makeshift candlestick holders later that day.  The dollar store had candles, but no holders, so I found a few spice jars that the candles almost fit.  Once home, I took out my trusty hot glue gun, and glued the bottoms of the candles to the bottom of the spice jar. And viola!  Candles to light our fancy belated Valentine's dinner.

Yep, I've got skills.

My projects were definitely easy, which anyone can do.  And in all, I paid $5 for the two frames (which was a little of a splurge, as I could have gotten cheaper, uglier ones), so they were relatively inexpensive.  It is good to know that it I can still do a few crafts on our tight budget.

Now the question is, what to do for Easter?

This Guy

This guy drives me crazy.  

He rarely smiles for pictures.

He leaves his socks all over the house.

He rubs his hands on my face because he knows I hate it.

He makes a mess whenever he's in the kitchen.

He insists that he knows more than me.

He constantly mocks my American accent. 

And he never listens.

However,

This guy is my favorite.

He is a goofball and makes me laugh everyday.

He is smart and super handy.

He loves and protects his family.

He studies the gospel and has a strong testimony.

He works hard and is a great provider.

He makes me happy and is my best friend.

And I love him more and more everyday.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Enough

Lately I've been thinking a lot about money and finances and provident living.  We've been living on only one income our entire marriage, and sometimes it is hard to feel like we have any extra spending money or wiggle room in our budget.  We aren't super tight with what we spend, but we can't go crazy, as we are trying to pay off debts and save for the future.  We don't spend much on eating out or entertainment, we try to be conservative in our purchases, and I am always looking for ways to cut back and save more.  We don't have a car.  We don't own a house.  A lot of our furniture is second-hand.  The last time I bought myself clothes, I bought them at a thrift store.  I use coupons.  I use rebate apps on my phone.  I shop the sales.  We live as simply as we can according to our circumstances.

I find that I tend to have a jealous nature.  I look at other people's lives and I think, "Why can't my life be more like theirs?".  Why can't I have my own house, or go on vacation, like they do?  Why do they get to do all these fun things when I can't afford them?  I am constantly comparing my circumstances to others and feeling discontent with the disparity.  

This last week, I was reorganizing our food storage and I was suddenly hit with a feeling of contentment.  We don't have much, but we have enough to have a little extra.  We may not be able to spend a lot on entertainment or fancy restaurants, but we have food to feed us each day.  We may not own our own house, but we have a comfortable, albeit small, home.

Along with my contentment, I felt gratitude.  I am very grateful that Keith has a job and that it pays enough that we can survive on one income.  I am grateful for Keith, for going to work every day and for supporting and providing for our family. I am grateful for a mother who taught me gardening, how to coupon, and food preservation.  And I am grateful for parents who taught me how to work hard and be responsible for my finances.

So, while we still might not have very much, we have what we need, and for now, that is enough.