S'Most days I'm kickin it in my office
Sittin on conference-calls, feeling kindda nauseous
Encoding late at night...waking up exhausted!
Getting old stinks..getting lines and wrinkles
And when I sneeze I tinkle
I'm old like Rip Van Winkle!
I'm salaried, ya know..so I make minimum wage
Workin, writin, typin page after page
Runnin on empty in the old gas gague
I'm emailing, textin and faxin
My effort is considerable and taxin
Rather be kickin back and relaxin
My job is filled with glamour
Correcting y'all's bad grammar
Got a headache like a jackhammer
Seeking clarification - gettin the run-around
Measure them wounds, expound on homebound
Sharin all my wisdom, feeling so profound
Workin at Guardian Home Care
Sittin in my office chair
Dreaming of being a debonaire millionare
Can't get the laptops to sync
Please only chart in black ink
Law, I'm gonna need a shrink!
Callin me old is not adventageous
Good thing i'm so gracious
Cause I'm so cool it's outrageous!
Throw my hands up in the air
Fix you with a stare
As I read your plan of care
Playin quiet like a mouse
I'm on your butts like Levi Strauss
Old Lady Griffin IN THE HOUSE!!!!!!
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Lotions, potions and STUFF
Ever notice how many potions, lotions, gels, shampoos, soaps, creams, chemicals, etc that it takes to get yourself ready in the morning? I was in the shower and I just started laughing out loud at the sheer lunacy of how much STUFF it takes to get me from my morning bed-head to being fit for exposure to the public eye on a typical day. Let's count them up:
Shampoo, conditioner, shower-gel, shave-gel, lotion, deodorant, exfoliating cleansing cloth, moisturizer for my face, body spray, cologne, contact solution, concealer, eye-brightener, foundation, powder, blush, eyeshadow (in a minimum of 3 different shades, mind you!) eye-liner, mascara, chapstick, lipstick, lip gloss, toothpaste, dental floss, mousse, hair-gel, and hairspray.
If it's a day I want to paint my nails, add: cuticle cream, exfoliating scrub, lotion, polish remover, base coat, nail polish, top coat, and quick-dry spray.
I also occasionally use hair color, deep conditioner, a face mask,cocoa-butter bath oil, self-tanner, hair-removal lotion, face scrub, body scrub, foot scrub, neosporin, zinc oxide, Epsom salts, witch hazel, hydrogen peroxide, tooth-whitener, and jewelery cleaner.
Crazy!!!! Just crazy!!!! That is all. Deep thoughts today. Hahahaha!!!!!
Shampoo, conditioner, shower-gel, shave-gel, lotion, deodorant, exfoliating cleansing cloth, moisturizer for my face, body spray, cologne, contact solution, concealer, eye-brightener, foundation, powder, blush, eyeshadow (in a minimum of 3 different shades, mind you!) eye-liner, mascara, chapstick, lipstick, lip gloss, toothpaste, dental floss, mousse, hair-gel, and hairspray.
If it's a day I want to paint my nails, add: cuticle cream, exfoliating scrub, lotion, polish remover, base coat, nail polish, top coat, and quick-dry spray.
I also occasionally use hair color, deep conditioner, a face mask,cocoa-butter bath oil, self-tanner, hair-removal lotion, face scrub, body scrub, foot scrub, neosporin, zinc oxide, Epsom salts, witch hazel, hydrogen peroxide, tooth-whitener, and jewelery cleaner.
Crazy!!!! Just crazy!!!! That is all. Deep thoughts today. Hahahaha!!!!!
It's just a "One Time Thing"
Once, when Jaron was a little boy and he was mulling over the oft asked question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" He was giving the question some unprecedented thought. He had previously wanted to become a preacher because he said that he wanted, "to get up in front of a lot of people, yell at them and tell them what to do!" but he abandoned that dream for more the conventional, lofty boyhood dreams of being a lifeguard, a fireman and a Super-Hero. He always loved science....and thought of becoming a scientist (an interest perhaps sparked by the villains of his beloved Super-Hero comics??) or a businessman. He briefly entertained thoughts of becoming a farmer after we had watched a special on farming on the History Channel....and he asked his dad about raising pigs. After getting a detailed explanation about the logistics of raising the pigs, feeding the pigs, selling the pigs and what the pigs were used for (mostly food).......Jaron said, "Why would any body want to raise pigs??? Pigs are a one-time thing! You eat them and then they are gone!"
And that phrase came to be one of our family's favorite inside jokes. When trying to decide if we want to spend money on something......we'd always stop and ask ourselves Jaron's brilliant question...."Is this worth it for a ONE TIME THING?"
And today.......trying to pin-point the source of an increasing sense of restlessness and discontent that has become my constant companion in recent weeks.......I realized that I spend my life going from one "one time thing" to another "one time thing" and I rarely have the opportunity to contribute anything lasting.
I wash laundry......and try to take satisfaction in a job well done, only to realize that as soon as the last article of clothing is folded neatly and put way.......there's another pile of laundry already waiting on me.
I study my magazines; pour over my cookbooks and Pinterest boards and come up with delicious menus, make the grocery list, shop for the groceries, and cook the food. We eat the food and wash the dishes. And again.....it's a one-time thing. I like to bake and decorate cakes and desserts.....which are gone within a day or two at most. One time things.
I sweep and mop the floors......30 minutes later (after Sophie goes out and comes back in again....) they are dirty again. Another one-time thing. I clean the toilets.....a week later and my house smells like a truck-stop bathroom. The clean doesn't last. I push the mower and mow the grass....a week later, my yard is an untamed jungle again and I realize.....just another one-time thing.
At work, there's always another chart to review. Another meeting to attend. Another problem to solve, another phone call, another complaint, another............whatever. None of the work I do seems to last longer than a mere little bit of time.......until I have to start all over and do it again.
It's not really like this for my husband. His projects tend to be more finite and lasting. He builds a fence. The fence is there for years and years. He plants a tree. The tree grows for years and years. He seeds the grass......we have green grass for months and months. He paints the trim.....and it doesn't have to be redone for years and years. He builds a bird house and the birdhouse lives in our yard for years. He built a lamp for his desk a few months ago. That lamp won't need to be rebuilt. It's done. Finished. Something to stand back, admire and say...." I MADE THAT!"
Perhaps I have chosen the wrong hobbies. Maybe I need to develop a different skills sets. Choose projects that last longer than dessert and clean laundry. Maybe I need to build something that lasts.
But then again, maybe it's just that I'm looking at things in the wrong light. Maybe I do make things that last longer than the proverbial "one time thing." Sure, my dessert may be gone in less than 5 minutes......but the memories of sitting around the table and laughing with my loved-ones while we enjoy the dessert do last. Maybe I will have to continue to wash the clothes and scrub the toilets and clean the kitchen and mop the floors......but my husband can say that all these years, I've kept a nice, comfortable, and welcoming home for our family and friends.
Maybe the paperwork at the office is never done......but maybe...just maybe I can touch someone and make a difference in their day along the way. Maybe the fingerprints of the way I've treated someone kindly can leave a lasting impression on them. Maybe I can say a word of encouragement that can lighten the load for someone who's hurting. Maybe I can just offer a hug to someone who's lonely. It doesn't seem like much..........but maybe, just maybe that's how I can find value in my existence. Because after all, living our lives is just......a ONE TIME THING.
And that phrase came to be one of our family's favorite inside jokes. When trying to decide if we want to spend money on something......we'd always stop and ask ourselves Jaron's brilliant question...."Is this worth it for a ONE TIME THING?"
And today.......trying to pin-point the source of an increasing sense of restlessness and discontent that has become my constant companion in recent weeks.......I realized that I spend my life going from one "one time thing" to another "one time thing" and I rarely have the opportunity to contribute anything lasting.
I wash laundry......and try to take satisfaction in a job well done, only to realize that as soon as the last article of clothing is folded neatly and put way.......there's another pile of laundry already waiting on me.
I study my magazines; pour over my cookbooks and Pinterest boards and come up with delicious menus, make the grocery list, shop for the groceries, and cook the food. We eat the food and wash the dishes. And again.....it's a one-time thing. I like to bake and decorate cakes and desserts.....which are gone within a day or two at most. One time things.
I sweep and mop the floors......30 minutes later (after Sophie goes out and comes back in again....) they are dirty again. Another one-time thing. I clean the toilets.....a week later and my house smells like a truck-stop bathroom. The clean doesn't last. I push the mower and mow the grass....a week later, my yard is an untamed jungle again and I realize.....just another one-time thing.
At work, there's always another chart to review. Another meeting to attend. Another problem to solve, another phone call, another complaint, another............whatever. None of the work I do seems to last longer than a mere little bit of time.......until I have to start all over and do it again.
It's not really like this for my husband. His projects tend to be more finite and lasting. He builds a fence. The fence is there for years and years. He plants a tree. The tree grows for years and years. He seeds the grass......we have green grass for months and months. He paints the trim.....and it doesn't have to be redone for years and years. He builds a bird house and the birdhouse lives in our yard for years. He built a lamp for his desk a few months ago. That lamp won't need to be rebuilt. It's done. Finished. Something to stand back, admire and say...." I MADE THAT!"
Perhaps I have chosen the wrong hobbies. Maybe I need to develop a different skills sets. Choose projects that last longer than dessert and clean laundry. Maybe I need to build something that lasts.
But then again, maybe it's just that I'm looking at things in the wrong light. Maybe I do make things that last longer than the proverbial "one time thing." Sure, my dessert may be gone in less than 5 minutes......but the memories of sitting around the table and laughing with my loved-ones while we enjoy the dessert do last. Maybe I will have to continue to wash the clothes and scrub the toilets and clean the kitchen and mop the floors......but my husband can say that all these years, I've kept a nice, comfortable, and welcoming home for our family and friends.
Maybe the paperwork at the office is never done......but maybe...just maybe I can touch someone and make a difference in their day along the way. Maybe the fingerprints of the way I've treated someone kindly can leave a lasting impression on them. Maybe I can say a word of encouragement that can lighten the load for someone who's hurting. Maybe I can just offer a hug to someone who's lonely. It doesn't seem like much..........but maybe, just maybe that's how I can find value in my existence. Because after all, living our lives is just......a ONE TIME THING.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Winter is the season of my discontent............
The month of January is a long and often depressing month for me. It comes on the heels of the excitement and the flurry of activity of the Holiday season and there is absolutely NOTHING exciting going on. The days are short and miserably cold and the nights are long and seem to drag on endlessly and miserably cold.....and the lack of daylight plays right into the wheelhouse of a sad winter seasonal depression for me. Friends and family are gone back home after festive parties and visits and I've packed up all the Christmas fun and tucked it all back into boxes in the attic for next year. In January we all begin our diets and healthy resolutions and it becomes almost a season of denial and deprivation. Holidays and vacation days are over and there is nothing left to celebrate for several months. Superbowl Sunday? Might as well be Stupor-Bowl Sunday as far as I'm concerned.
It's especially wearying for me now that my kids are not home. There's no routine of homework or playing taxi-car mom; no dance lessons, PTA meetings, karate lessons or band practice to fill my evenings. Many nights, I'm home alone. I'm stuck inside...even on the weekends.... because it's too cold for hiking, motorcycle trips, neighborhood walks, gardening, or even sitting outside by the fireplace at night. And there are lots of gray and overcast days. Dreary, misty, gloomy, lonely, and seemingly endless winter days. We don't get a lot of snow....just drizzle and cold. I hate how the grass turns brown and dead-looking and the trees look so bare and naked and cold without their leaves. It's almost as if the earth herself is in mourning.
I am a much more temperate climate kind of girl. I don't like the extremes of hot and cold. I love autumn and spring...when it's chilly in the mornings and evenings...but warm enough during the day to be out and about and enjoy the outdoors. I love sweater-weather. I enjoy sunshine and warm breezes and flowers and green grass and the hope of spring......or the kaleidoscope of Autumn leaves and brisk, golden, poignant days of fall. Not the brown of the dead of winter.
That's not to say that there is nothing to love about winter. It's not ALL bad. I love the way it looks in the early morning at sunrise when there is a heavy frost on the fields behind my house and a mist clings just above the frosty diamond-crusted grass. I love watching the deer skitter and romp through the frosty fields. I love a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning....the rich aroma and how just holding the mug warms my hands. I love snuggling under cozy warm quilts on cold nights. I love warm fuzzy socks and bowls of hot soup. I love curling up under a blanket to read a good book and I love that my favorite shows on TV are not yet reruns. I love leafing through gardening magazines and dreaming of what all I will plant in the spring time! I love wearing sweaters and scarves and hats. I love snow days! I love the way my cheeks get pink when we walk in the cold. I love wearing boots! I love to bake in the winter...warming my home with my oven and the tantalizing aromas of baking cookies or brownies for my husband. I love filling my bird-feeder with suet cakes and lots of seeds for the winter birds who frequent my yard. I love hot baths on a cold night....slipping into a tub of soothing, steaming water that soaks out the coldness and fills me with warmth.
I love that Valentine's Day is in February and I love that the day we celebrate LOVE is also my wedding anniversary! I love celebrating each passing year with the love of my life.....and realizing that our love only grows sweeter as we grow older and seeing how our relationship has evolved and matured over time into such a deep, enduring, and precious love. It honestly does keep getting better and better....beyond my wildest imagination. I never knew my heart could be so full.
I love Groundhogs Day. I know it's goofy to like such a weird "holiday" where we humans ask a buck-toothed rodent to predict the weather with his shadow....but I do love it.....and the fact that it's kindda goofy makes me like it even more. I guess because it's a somewhat lesser holiday with no hype or pomp and circumstance, no decorations and no greeting cards....and I'm always such a sucker for an under-dog! I think I will plan on making Groundhog Cupcakes this year to celebrate! I might go whole-hog and decorate a Groundhog Tree!!! But probably not.
I always hope for snow. We don't get much snow here in Tennessee...but when we do it's a major event! Everything closes down, it takes 6 hours to drive the distance that usually takes 20 minutes and folks go NUTS....buying every gallon of milk and loaf of bread in the tri-state area. I'm not sure WHY we buy so much milk and bread. But we do; it's mandatory snow-day procedure. We turn into milk-and-bread-craving-zombies. We must also make snow-cream.....a most delicious confection made of snow, vanilla, and some kind of beautiful, beautiful voodoo magic!! I love the way it get so quiet when it snows. The world becomes soft and white and peacefully silent. The beauty of pristine white snow covering everything with clean pure whiteness is the very imagery of how grace and forgiveness work in my life. They cover up the ugly and dirty and make me white as snow. Such a lovely thought! I also love how in the gazillion and gazillion of snowflakes that fall.....no two snowflakes are exactly the same.....another testimony to the majesty of creation!
So....I guess winter is actually just another season......not good nor bad....but ever-changing, ever-moving. It's sometimes enchanting and sometimes harsh. I suppose I just need to change my perspective....for without the bitter coldness, I'd never longingly anticipate the warmth of springtime or the summer breezes on my face or the tickle of newly green and tender grass underneath my bare feet. It takes the experience of one extreme to learn to appreciate the others. Each season unfolds it's own beauties and secrets and magic. The trick is to learn to search out the magic and treat each moment as a special blessing.....winter, spring summer or fall.
My assignment that I'm giving myself for the next few weeks: Seek out the magical, the special, the splendorous and marvelous things about winter!! I want to pay attention and live in the present....fully engaged. I want to look for the blessings and diminish the complaining and whining and the pity parties. It's bound to have a profound and positive effect on my outlook and ease my loneliness and heartache to catalogue everything that's good and wonderful all around me!
Challenge accepted!!!
It's especially wearying for me now that my kids are not home. There's no routine of homework or playing taxi-car mom; no dance lessons, PTA meetings, karate lessons or band practice to fill my evenings. Many nights, I'm home alone. I'm stuck inside...even on the weekends.... because it's too cold for hiking, motorcycle trips, neighborhood walks, gardening, or even sitting outside by the fireplace at night. And there are lots of gray and overcast days. Dreary, misty, gloomy, lonely, and seemingly endless winter days. We don't get a lot of snow....just drizzle and cold. I hate how the grass turns brown and dead-looking and the trees look so bare and naked and cold without their leaves. It's almost as if the earth herself is in mourning.
I am a much more temperate climate kind of girl. I don't like the extremes of hot and cold. I love autumn and spring...when it's chilly in the mornings and evenings...but warm enough during the day to be out and about and enjoy the outdoors. I love sweater-weather. I enjoy sunshine and warm breezes and flowers and green grass and the hope of spring......or the kaleidoscope of Autumn leaves and brisk, golden, poignant days of fall. Not the brown of the dead of winter.
That's not to say that there is nothing to love about winter. It's not ALL bad. I love the way it looks in the early morning at sunrise when there is a heavy frost on the fields behind my house and a mist clings just above the frosty diamond-crusted grass. I love watching the deer skitter and romp through the frosty fields. I love a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning....the rich aroma and how just holding the mug warms my hands. I love snuggling under cozy warm quilts on cold nights. I love warm fuzzy socks and bowls of hot soup. I love curling up under a blanket to read a good book and I love that my favorite shows on TV are not yet reruns. I love leafing through gardening magazines and dreaming of what all I will plant in the spring time! I love wearing sweaters and scarves and hats. I love snow days! I love the way my cheeks get pink when we walk in the cold. I love wearing boots! I love to bake in the winter...warming my home with my oven and the tantalizing aromas of baking cookies or brownies for my husband. I love filling my bird-feeder with suet cakes and lots of seeds for the winter birds who frequent my yard. I love hot baths on a cold night....slipping into a tub of soothing, steaming water that soaks out the coldness and fills me with warmth.
I love that Valentine's Day is in February and I love that the day we celebrate LOVE is also my wedding anniversary! I love celebrating each passing year with the love of my life.....and realizing that our love only grows sweeter as we grow older and seeing how our relationship has evolved and matured over time into such a deep, enduring, and precious love. It honestly does keep getting better and better....beyond my wildest imagination. I never knew my heart could be so full.
I love Groundhogs Day. I know it's goofy to like such a weird "holiday" where we humans ask a buck-toothed rodent to predict the weather with his shadow....but I do love it.....and the fact that it's kindda goofy makes me like it even more. I guess because it's a somewhat lesser holiday with no hype or pomp and circumstance, no decorations and no greeting cards....and I'm always such a sucker for an under-dog! I think I will plan on making Groundhog Cupcakes this year to celebrate! I might go whole-hog and decorate a Groundhog Tree!!! But probably not.
I always hope for snow. We don't get much snow here in Tennessee...but when we do it's a major event! Everything closes down, it takes 6 hours to drive the distance that usually takes 20 minutes and folks go NUTS....buying every gallon of milk and loaf of bread in the tri-state area. I'm not sure WHY we buy so much milk and bread. But we do; it's mandatory snow-day procedure. We turn into milk-and-bread-craving-zombies. We must also make snow-cream.....a most delicious confection made of snow, vanilla, and some kind of beautiful, beautiful voodoo magic!! I love the way it get so quiet when it snows. The world becomes soft and white and peacefully silent. The beauty of pristine white snow covering everything with clean pure whiteness is the very imagery of how grace and forgiveness work in my life. They cover up the ugly and dirty and make me white as snow. Such a lovely thought! I also love how in the gazillion and gazillion of snowflakes that fall.....no two snowflakes are exactly the same.....another testimony to the majesty of creation!
So....I guess winter is actually just another season......not good nor bad....but ever-changing, ever-moving. It's sometimes enchanting and sometimes harsh. I suppose I just need to change my perspective....for without the bitter coldness, I'd never longingly anticipate the warmth of springtime or the summer breezes on my face or the tickle of newly green and tender grass underneath my bare feet. It takes the experience of one extreme to learn to appreciate the others. Each season unfolds it's own beauties and secrets and magic. The trick is to learn to search out the magic and treat each moment as a special blessing.....winter, spring summer or fall.
My assignment that I'm giving myself for the next few weeks: Seek out the magical, the special, the splendorous and marvelous things about winter!! I want to pay attention and live in the present....fully engaged. I want to look for the blessings and diminish the complaining and whining and the pity parties. It's bound to have a profound and positive effect on my outlook and ease my loneliness and heartache to catalogue everything that's good and wonderful all around me!
Challenge accepted!!!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Plans for 2013
Well, since 12-21-12 came and went and there was no appocalypse......I suppose it's safe to go ahead and make my plans for 2013!! (wink-wink!)
1. I want to continue our weekend trips, exploring the local areas and finding cool places to visit!!
2. I want to continue to exercise and be physically active! I really DO feel better when I exercise regularly and it's now become a habit!! Yay!!!
3. I want to learn to take better pictures....hone my photography skills! I want to learn to do creative pictures and maybe even frame a few shots for my office.
4. I want to decorate my office at work. It's a disorganized messy mess right now. I think I could be much more productive and positive at work if my environment was neat and pretty!!
5. I want to dress more professionally....and less frumpily. I have a few new things in my closet now that actually fit me...I just need to learn how to put things together to look less "Aunt Bea" and more pulled-together.
6. I want to celebrate. EVERYTHING! Big things, little things....all things. I am so blessed...I need to exude more of an attitude of gratitude!!! Be more mindful of the blessings, and complain much less.
7. I want to take some more painting classes...maybe some writing classes? Pottery classes? I just want to flex some creative muscle and learn!!!
8. I want to make use of my new craft-room and be crafty!!
9. Trips for the year? This year, we are planning a trip up the New England coast to see as many light-houses as possible....and perhaps in the fall....a trip out to Nevada to the Grand Canyon and to Las Vegas. I made it to the airport in Vegas this year...but was only passing through. I don't care one bit about gambling....totally not my thing...but I do want to see the magnificant hotels and sights in Vegas! We were thinking about a trip to Europe this year....but maybe not....maybe we will see more the the US and tackle Europe next year.
10. I want to continue motorcycle trips with Steve...SO much fun!!!
11. I want to become an encourager.....to reach out to at least one person per month who is struggling and lighten their load....either spiritually, emotionally or physically.
12. I want to learn to take time for myself without feeling guilty. Maybe set aside one night a week to do something I enjoy instead of working: a bubble bath, coloring in my coloring books, snuggling with my puppy, watching a show with my husband....the activity doesn't matter....the fact that I just take some time off and DO it and not feel guilty for doing it is the important thing.
13. I want to learn how to effectivly parent my adult children. It's hard being hands-off and so far away from them. The last 25 years of my life I've spent focusing on being their Mommy. Now I need to learn to step back and let them be their own selves...even when I don't agree with their life-choices, their circumstances or values. My prayer is (as it has been the last 25 years)....."Lord, Just let them know how much I dearly love them...even when I don't get it right."
14. I want to write more. I have good intentions....but not so good follow-through. And writing is SUCH good therapy!!!
15. I want to go horseback riding! I've lost 94 pounds so far....so it won't be as unfair to the horse now...maybe in the spring time?
16. I want to enjoy antiquing with my husband. I just love browsing around, looking at vintage and old things. There's just a certain charm about items with a history that intrigues me!
17. I still want to go to a drive-in movie. Didn't get to mark that off my list last year, so it's a carry-over!
18. I want to go on picnics!!!
19. I want to visit an amusement park....and be more adventurous than I have been about riding the rides. I've always been a scardey-cat. I'm tired of being afraid of everything!
20. I want to have a systemic way of keeping my house cleaner and clutter-free. Hmmmm. Organization is not my strong point. I need to research a way to stay on top of it and not let it become overwhelming.
21. I want to become a more "giving" person. In so many ways, I'm selfish and I need to learn that there's more joy in giving then in keeping.
22. I want to grow a kitchen garden for REAL this year. Last year, I had a good start, but got lazy with it. I really, really want to grow my own vegetables and herbs.
23. I want to make my own soap. I just love hand-made soaps!! I have some of my own herbs I've grown.....and I want to try my hand at making my own soap!! :)
1. I want to continue our weekend trips, exploring the local areas and finding cool places to visit!!
2. I want to continue to exercise and be physically active! I really DO feel better when I exercise regularly and it's now become a habit!! Yay!!!
3. I want to learn to take better pictures....hone my photography skills! I want to learn to do creative pictures and maybe even frame a few shots for my office.
4. I want to decorate my office at work. It's a disorganized messy mess right now. I think I could be much more productive and positive at work if my environment was neat and pretty!!
5. I want to dress more professionally....and less frumpily. I have a few new things in my closet now that actually fit me...I just need to learn how to put things together to look less "Aunt Bea" and more pulled-together.
6. I want to celebrate. EVERYTHING! Big things, little things....all things. I am so blessed...I need to exude more of an attitude of gratitude!!! Be more mindful of the blessings, and complain much less.
7. I want to take some more painting classes...maybe some writing classes? Pottery classes? I just want to flex some creative muscle and learn!!!
8. I want to make use of my new craft-room and be crafty!!
9. Trips for the year? This year, we are planning a trip up the New England coast to see as many light-houses as possible....and perhaps in the fall....a trip out to Nevada to the Grand Canyon and to Las Vegas. I made it to the airport in Vegas this year...but was only passing through. I don't care one bit about gambling....totally not my thing...but I do want to see the magnificant hotels and sights in Vegas! We were thinking about a trip to Europe this year....but maybe not....maybe we will see more the the US and tackle Europe next year.
10. I want to continue motorcycle trips with Steve...SO much fun!!!
11. I want to become an encourager.....to reach out to at least one person per month who is struggling and lighten their load....either spiritually, emotionally or physically.
12. I want to learn to take time for myself without feeling guilty. Maybe set aside one night a week to do something I enjoy instead of working: a bubble bath, coloring in my coloring books, snuggling with my puppy, watching a show with my husband....the activity doesn't matter....the fact that I just take some time off and DO it and not feel guilty for doing it is the important thing.
13. I want to learn how to effectivly parent my adult children. It's hard being hands-off and so far away from them. The last 25 years of my life I've spent focusing on being their Mommy. Now I need to learn to step back and let them be their own selves...even when I don't agree with their life-choices, their circumstances or values. My prayer is (as it has been the last 25 years)....."Lord, Just let them know how much I dearly love them...even when I don't get it right."
14. I want to write more. I have good intentions....but not so good follow-through. And writing is SUCH good therapy!!!
15. I want to go horseback riding! I've lost 94 pounds so far....so it won't be as unfair to the horse now...maybe in the spring time?
16. I want to enjoy antiquing with my husband. I just love browsing around, looking at vintage and old things. There's just a certain charm about items with a history that intrigues me!
17. I still want to go to a drive-in movie. Didn't get to mark that off my list last year, so it's a carry-over!
18. I want to go on picnics!!!
19. I want to visit an amusement park....and be more adventurous than I have been about riding the rides. I've always been a scardey-cat. I'm tired of being afraid of everything!
20. I want to have a systemic way of keeping my house cleaner and clutter-free. Hmmmm. Organization is not my strong point. I need to research a way to stay on top of it and not let it become overwhelming.
21. I want to become a more "giving" person. In so many ways, I'm selfish and I need to learn that there's more joy in giving then in keeping.
22. I want to grow a kitchen garden for REAL this year. Last year, I had a good start, but got lazy with it. I really, really want to grow my own vegetables and herbs.
23. I want to make my own soap. I just love hand-made soaps!! I have some of my own herbs I've grown.....and I want to try my hand at making my own soap!! :)
Things on my MASTER BUCKET LIST!! (In no particular order...and a work in progress!):
Visit all Seven Continents
Visit the Redwood Forrests in California
Swim/Float in the Dead Sea
Ride in a Gondola in Italy
See the Aurora Borealis
See Mt. Rushmore
Go on a Safari
Visit/bathe in a Geothermal Spa
Milk a Cow
Visit New York City
Broadway Play
Statue of Liberty
Central Park
Times Square
Have dinner at a Murder-Mystery Theater
Have dinner at Midevil Times
Visit France
Eifel Tower
Coffee at a Sidewalk Cafe
Lourve
Notre Dame
Visit Hershey Pennsyvlania
Ride in a Helicopter
Visit the Holyland
Grand Canyon
Niagra Falls
Ride on a Zipline
Go on a Sleigh ride with jinglebells!
Walk thru a Corn Maze
Ride in a Dune Buggy
Go Kyaking
Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
Ride in a stretch limosine
Go Parasailing
Ride one of those giant Ferris Wheels
Visit the Taj Mahal
See a Radio City Christmas show
Send a message in a bottle
Visit the Rainforrest
Ride in a fanboat in a swamp
Learn how to Ski
Walk through a field of sunflowers
Have my potrait painted by a sidewalk artist
Go tubing down a river
Go for a horseback ride on a beach
See the Pyramids in Egypt
Visit Chile
Visit Rio de Janerio
Get an "Extreme" make-over
Have a surprise party thrown for me
Visit European Castles
Write a Book
Visit Prince Edward Island
Visit the Florida Keys
Visit Hawaii
See the Tulip Fields in Holland
Visit Hawaii
Visit Alaska
Visit all 50 US states
Visit all Seven Continents
Visit the Redwood Forrests in California
Swim/Float in the Dead Sea
Ride in a Gondola in Italy
See the Aurora Borealis
See Mt. Rushmore
Go on a Safari
Visit/bathe in a Geothermal Spa
Milk a Cow
Visit New York City
Broadway Play
Statue of Liberty
Central Park
Times Square
Have dinner at a Murder-Mystery Theater
Have dinner at Midevil Times
Visit France
Eifel Tower
Coffee at a Sidewalk Cafe
Lourve
Notre Dame
Visit Hershey Pennsyvlania
Ride in a Helicopter
Visit the Holyland
Grand Canyon
Niagra Falls
Ride on a Zipline
Go on a Sleigh ride with jinglebells!
Walk thru a Corn Maze
Ride in a Dune Buggy
Go Kyaking
Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
Ride in a stretch limosine
Go Parasailing
Ride one of those giant Ferris Wheels
Visit the Taj Mahal
See a Radio City Christmas show
Send a message in a bottle
Visit the Rainforrest
Ride in a fanboat in a swamp
Learn how to Ski
Walk through a field of sunflowers
Have my potrait painted by a sidewalk artist
Go tubing down a river
Go for a horseback ride on a beach
See the Pyramids in Egypt
Visit Chile
Visit Rio de Janerio
Get an "Extreme" make-over
Have a surprise party thrown for me
Visit European Castles
Write a Book
Visit Prince Edward Island
Visit the Florida Keys
Visit Hawaii
See the Tulip Fields in Holland
Visit Hawaii
Visit Alaska
Visit all 50 US states
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Looking back over 2012
Well. It's been a very busy and eventful year here in my crazy life!! Since this time last year, I've managed to lose 94 pounds.....but I'd rather focus on what I've gained this year!! I was looking back over my list of things I wanted to accomplish in 2012 and I'm very pleased to say that I've managed to cross off quite a few things!! This was the year that I stopped THINKING about living and started DOING THINGS!!!
Before I make my list for 2013, I wanted to look back over my personal goals for 2012 (they were all a bit silly and shallow...but they were things I wanted to DO!!!) and see how far I've come!
Wear a pair of Go-Go boots! I've wanted a pair my whole life, but they've never fit! Well, I didn't exactly get Go-Go boots...but I got a pair of combat boots that I wear when we ride motorcycles and they make me feel VERY bad (in a very good way! Hahaha!!!) and yesterday, I bought a pair of dress boots to wear with my winter skirts!!!! I've always, always, ALWAYS wanted to wear boots!!! So I'm gonna say that this goal was MET!
Ride Steve's motorcycle with him! I've always been too heavy. We've been riding all over tarnation!!! And I LOVE IT!!!!! I love the feeling of flying through the country roads and seeing the scenery close-up...but mostly I love the feeling of holding my man tight and sharing in something he loves so much! This goal was MET!!!
Go Horseback riding (Don't worry....I'll wait until it's fair to the horse!) haha! :) Still haven't had a chance to do this activity....I will add it to my "to-do" for 2013!!!
Go Hiking!! This goal has been MET!!!
Wear high-heels! This goal has been MET!! (But my feet still ache.)
Go on a romantic Picnic This goal has been MET (twice!)
Dress up in Fancy Clothes and go to a Fancy Party. This goal has been MET!
Wear a Swimsuit (It's been a while). I haven't worn it in public yet. Still building up the nerve. Will move it to 2013's list.
Keep my toenails painted nicely (now that I'll be able to SEE them!) :) I've even gotten a few professional pedicures!! This goal has been MET!
Get a massage on a monthly basis for pain control (Thank you, Massage Envy!) This goal has been blissfully MET!!
Create and organize my craft room (which is an empty room with boxes right now). This goal has been MET (with the wonderful help of my amazing husband!)
Take more painting classes. I haven't had a chance to do this because of the press of time with the changes at work...so I will have to move it to 2013!!
Get involved in a small group at our new church. Still haven't managed to find the right fit. :(
Consistently do my Bible Study. Not as consistently as I'd want to admit.
Learn how to apply my make-up. I'm in a bit of a rut. This goal is partially met. I've been experimenting! :)
Visit Nappa Valley. This goal is MET!!!! The trip was FABULOUS!!!!
Make my Japan Scrapbook (I've got hundreds of things to put in it...I'm just intimidated!!) This goal was MET!!! It took a total of 4 scrapbooks, but they are DONE!!
Cruise to Mexico for 25th Anniversary (scheduled for Feb. 2012!!!) This goal is MET!
Schedule at least 3 romantic weekend "get-aways" (Day Trips) Callaway Gardens, Atlanta, and Chicago! This goal is MET!!!
Study local history and visit local historic places This goal is MET!! (Belle Meade Mansion, Cheekwood Mansion and Botanical Gardens, Percy Warner Park, Centennial Park, TN Bicentennial Mall, Nashville Farmer's Market, Antique Archeology, Burgess Falls, Natchez Trace, Red Boiling Springs, Nollensville, Stones River Battlefield, Murfreesboro Greenway, Cannonsboro, Milky Way Farms in Pulaski, and more so far!! ) Will continue this goal into 2013...there are still TONS of local places on my list! :)
Take more thoughtful photographs (go back to my plan of photographing churches and such) I've taken over 20,0000 photos this year!! This goal is MET! (and will continue!)
Send at least 1 encouraging note a month to my friends who are struggling. This goal is MET! I find that I end up being the one encouraged.....will most definitely continue this practice!
Open my home to my friends more often for entertaining. I'm tired of being lonely!!! This goal is MET! Definitely doing more entertaining and I don't feel nearly as isolated.
Do something extra special for Steve on a consistent basis (monthly??) to let him know how much I appreciate and love him. This goal is MET! I also find that I enjoy doing things for him.....and it only serves to strengthen our relationship! I will most definitely continue this practice as well!
Get a frilly 50's style retro apron to wear while I do housework and cook! This goal is MET! Not only did I purchase one....I received one as a gift from a dear friend! Now I feel like Donna Reed! :)
Before I make my list for 2013, I wanted to look back over my personal goals for 2012 (they were all a bit silly and shallow...but they were things I wanted to DO!!!) and see how far I've come!
- Plant a fig tree in the back yard....I want a cutting from my Grandpa's tree! This goal is partially met. I have 5 "Fig-Twigs" that I cut from my Grandpa's tree that I've nursed all summer long and pray that they winter over and become "Fig-Sticks" in the spring with leaves!
- I want a lemon tree! And maybe a lime tree too! I will bring it inside in the winter and keep it outside in the summer! Still no citrus trees. Will have to move this one to the 2013 list. :)
- I want to be serious about my little garden this summer and not be lazy and forget to water it like I usually do. I want a big beautiful harvest!! And I want to use my produce to cook healthy meals! Partially met. I made it until late August before I got lazy with the watering. I had a few peppers, tomatoes and lots of fresh herbs. I will definitely try it again next year!!
- I want to organize my closets and drawers! And have them STAY organized for more than a week! My closet is FINALLY organized!! Goal is MET!
- I want to FINALLY make a fairy garden for my back porch! I've talked about it for years...I want to actually DO it! Still didn't do it. Will move this one to next year!
- I want to decorate my work office....something with a cohesive theme! It's plain, depressing, ugly and non-inspiring right now. Moved to a new office.....still need to decorate it.
- I want to make at least 2 new friends this year. At least 2. I'm so tired of being lonely!! This goal is MET!! I still get a little lonely...but it's getting better!
- Maybe in the spring when it's not too hot, I'd like to go to a Drive-In movie! I haven't been to one since I was about 5 years old! Haven't made this one yet. Will shoot for spring 2013!
- I want to learn to use an ipod or MP3 player...whatever it is you call them (just realized that I sound like I'm 80 years old now!) and I'd like to upload all of my favorite music to listen to while I work out at the gym. Instead, I'm watching Roku and working out at home now...so it was a trade off, but a good one! :)
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