6 on Sunday, #yeeeeeeeyeah

Hello, New World! 

I come to you tonight, a much happier and healthier Sciato! Yahoo! :) 

I have 6 wonderful things to share with you tonight! Get those jazz hands ready!

This week's edition is brought to you by several labors of love, all that happened within the last 8 days, much of which is sponsored in part by Picstitch. The app I always forget I have... Until I need it most!

1. Master bedroom facelift. In a big way! See before/after picstitch below...

Yeah, that's a darker blue accent wall by the window! Finally- we are starting to piece this room together! No more dark sad colors in here!! Now, we gotta do some decorating!

2. We aren't embarrased to bring people into our kitchen!! B Asthton "01" is gone!!! 

New World, if you are unaware, Janissa's house used to have a sponge painted kitchen, with SEVEN hand-oil-paintings of unidentifiable fruit. One such atrocity was signed (but my newest theory is that a friend of our former owners signed it for fun- who knows what we might let our friends do if we've had enough booze!) ... Regardless of its origin, it was a disgusting trend that needed to go. Bad. 

Well... B Ashton and all 7 of his works of wonder "art" are gone!! Buh-bye!  See the befores and afters, new world!

They even sponge painted the garage DOOR! So we just painted that white. Well, "Balance" to be exact. Yes. I choose paint colors like I choose nail polish and eye shadow- a very strict process of which has the best name. 

3. I picked up my wedding band this week!!!! It's shiny and perfect and I want to wear it now!!! Unfortunately, Heffe won't let me:) and he's put it on lockdown until the Big Day. No pics for you yet, New World. Just have to wait- like me!!

4. Project Yard Clean-Up has begun!!! 

You can make your own judgments of the previous homeowners based alone in their paint choices... Truth be told, they maintained this house incredibly well... And for being almost 21 years old... I can only hope we keep it in the shape it's in. It's great for us. Anyway. They spent a lot of time and money in their landscaping. Unfortunately, a few trees and plants did not grow according to their plan. We have some major clean up to do- so we started today!

Don't judge us, New World. We live in Ohio. It's only March 9. We'd gladly like to NOT put our yard waste bags on our front porch, but we have rock salt in the empty garage space... Which we will probably need this week when the low is 7 after 3 days of 60+degrees. Smh. 

Anyway... Project Clean-Up Yard has begun. :)

5. Heffe and I food prepped for the week!!

It's no secret that when it comes to self-control about indulging ourselves... Janissa has none. So, trying to avoid that, we went back to our roots and food prepped breakfast and lunches for all 5 days this week. Baby steps, but we're gettin back on the wagon!!

6. Heffe and I started building one of our wedding registries!!! 

YAY!!! SO fun, SO easy... We can only hope our other registry goes just as smoothly!!

BONUS, New World!!!! 

7. Time. 

I find myself usually stressed (shocker) about the time change when we "spring forward." I love the extra daylight, but it's so frustrating to have an hour taken away... We all know how precious time is- it's by far our most valuable resource. 

Well, this week, New World, I reset my outlook on life, and this weekend, I reset my clocks. And without skipping a beat, Heffe and I were able to do so many things this weekend- we were efficient, but also able to soak up every memorable moment. 

My goal for this week is to keep a firm grip on my reset outlook, and to remember that every once in awhile, time really can be on my side. 

What are your 6 .. Or 7:) ... on this Sunday? :)

Until next time, new world...

This is me, bein me. 

Cheers. :)

Tuesday Troubles aka- I probs shouldn't be blogging about this.

Hello, New World.

That should sum it up- this is my first post EVER to not greet you with enthusiasm. 

Well. Today was the culmination of the past... long time.... and all its stresses. 

That's right new world, I took a (borderline mandatory) mental health day today. 

I'll save you all the rant of "woe is me, I'm a teacher and I work 9-3 and get 3 months plus breaks off"... I think you all know me and my colleagues well enough to NEVER say that in our presence. Not only teachers... time is valuable to EVERYONE. And I mean EVERYONE- even if we are single without kids! (That rant is for another day, New World. :P)  If you are still wondering how I could possibly be stressed from glorified babysitting 6 hours a day... ask Heffe. He'll explain to you in grave detail what a work-a-holic bear I've been lately.

This may be news to you (ha!), but Sciato has very high expectations for herself, and doesn't let herself slack off much. She struggles a LOT of the time to maintain work-life balance. I have conversations with my teammates that go something like, "When my home life is perfect and my house is clean, my school life is chaotic," or "My home life is in shambles... but I feel prepared for work!"... I really need to work on figuring out that balance... but ultimately, this constant battle to successfully maintain all different categories of my life (and yes, for my life, they need to remain different categories... sue me, I want my personal life to stay personal) is NEVER going to be okay in my book.

With that being said, I lose balance often. Things seem to pile up all at once. I take it out on EVERYONE around me...and I take it out the worst on the people who are closest to me. Heffe. My team. My family and friends don't get the quality time they deserve. I take it out on MySELF, and eat fast food, drink lots of wine, and skip the gym. I lead myself into the pit of despair... becoming the worst version of myself... It's been going on for about 2 weeks now. 

If you're still having trouble picturing this... think Jessie Spano. 

All fun and games, right? But seriously. Girlfriend has a point. There's never enough time.

So today, I committed to catching myself up on things I needed to... which I did, and I feel much more centered and balanced. If nothing else... I feel better and calmer for NOW. 

But mostly... I reset my outlook. 

Like my least favorite country band, Sugarland, says, "I believe happiness is something we create," I did that today. I dug deep to find and dig myself out of the cave, and lift myself back into the light. I am so blessed and thankful to have people in EVERY "category" of my life who care enough about me to have those difficult conversations to knock some sense back into stubborn, anxious, sometimes unreasonable Sciato.

Now, New World, I'm not going to keep going on this pity train. I've picked myself up.

Have you ever felt like this before? What do you do to cope? I mean REALLY cope. Alcohol, taco bell, and tears only get Sciato so far. :) We gotta help each other out, New World!!

So. Until next time... Thank you, New World, for keeping Sciato honest... and for putting up with Scary Sciato's borderline nervous breakdown... and for reading and listening and believing- both in me, and that there really is a light at the end of the tunnel. :)

Until next time. 

This is me, bein me. :)

Cheers:)