Category Archives: Goals

A Productive Sunday!

Good morning!

NORMALLY, I have a hard a fast rule about not working on Sunday! However, today I have to make an exception. I am sooooo far behind in my work, at work. Our team of 4 has diminished to essentially 2, and I am waaaaaay behind in my portion of the work. Being salaried does have it’s perks, but getting paid to work overtime isn’t one of them. SO, I am going to be heads down for a while today, and just work work work to get some of my tasks completed, so I don’t have to try and squeeze them in while I am dealing with all of the interruptions, and other fires to put out, so to speak!

As for my sis moving back to AZ, I think I have come to terms with that. Ok, well, at least I am no longer bawling about it!!! Her bravery has given me cause to take a look at myself and see what things I have possibly been settling with, and what changes Jason and I can make to get closer to where we want to be. Little farm, here we come!!! 😉

As for my simplicity project, I made a HUGE dent in my magazine collection yesterday!!! I am not sure I am ready to deal with what the appeal of having so many magazines are, why can’t I just up and recycle ALL OF THEM??? but i think I decreased it’s size by 1/4th and I am hoping to be able to say that I have decreased it by another 1/4th by the end of the week!!! I find that it is easier to deal with the stacks, if I just take a few out every day, instead of trying to deal with it all at once.

Talking about dealing with it all at once, I am planning on putting a HUGE box together to go to Goodwill this morning!! I know, how am I supposed to get all of this done if I am working??? I don’t know, I will figure it out. All I know, is that I am SO determined to get rid of all of the THINGS that are taking up to much space in my life, both literal and mental!!! I have been selling a lot of stuff on eBay, but it has been time consuming dealing with so many questions for buyers, packaging purchases, dealing with the post office, then having to  bend over backwards to make sure everyone is happy, just so they won’t give you a back review score. I am trying to decide if all that is worth it. Maybe, maybe not!! I will let you know what I end up deciding!!!

Anyway, onward and upward!!! I am off to go get my day started – and a late start it is, at that!!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS day!!! 😉

Project Simplify!

Good morning!!

My mind is racing a bit this morning – I have A LOT of stuff to get done!! I just have to stop in my tracks and decide what is important to the big picture and what isn’t! As you may know, I have been really trying to simplify my life/home/work etc. etc. etc. Some of it is working BEAUTIFULLY and some of it is proving to be a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. You see, I have a sponsor child in Mozambique. I have been sponsoring her for about 2 1/2 years now and I try to write at least one letter to her every month. She has basically nothing, and lives in a one-room hut with her entire family; so when I write to her I am not supposed to comment about what we have, or give too many details about anything that might make her feel bad about not having much herself. That really wasn’t leaving me with too much to talk about and I was really having a hard time not repeating myself to her letter after letter – how often can you talk about the weather???

Anyway, about 6 months ago, while trying to come up with topics for my little girl’s letter, I made the realization that my life had become more about things and possessions then it did about people and experiences – that is what started me on this journey. I wanted to, and am currently working on transforming myself into a people focused, experience loving person!!! I finally understood that when I die, none of these ‘things’ are going to go with me, why had a placed so much importance in them???? So, that is where I am and how this whole journey came about!!!!

There had been some basic housekeeping-type duties that were falling by the wayside, and it was really starting to depress me, so I started looking for ways that I could make those weekly duties much more simplified!! What I came with, so far, looks something like this:

  • Make the bed and empty the dishwasher every morning
  • If needed, cycle the laundry as soon as I get home from work and then fold the clothes in bedroom, so that they can get put away right on the spot
  • Every evening set out clothes the night before to make getting ready in the morning a breeze
  • Tuesdays is the dogs’ bath day
  • Saturday mornings are cleaning mornings, including sweeping/ mopping/vacuuming floors, thorough cleaning of  bathrooms, and changing bedding
  • Sunday is cooking day: pre-prepare foods/meals/lunches to help make preparing meals a little quicker and easier (for example: making a large pot of veggie soups in handy to-go containers so that you can just grab and go for lunches)

So far this has been going really well, and has made it possible to get a lot more important/fun things done during the week!!! Spending more time with family and friends, and more time getting out there and LIVING MY LIFE!!!! 😉

Other, bigger, simplifying things I have been doing have been:

  • Getting rid of unwanted book
  • Magazines
  • DVDs
  • Purging old/unnecessary paperwork in my office/craft room
  • Deciding what craft supplies to keep/donate
  • What clothes/accessories/jewelry I wear/don’t wear
  • Really taking stock of what is important in my life and what is not

So far, not everything has been easy, but it has been worth it! I can’t wait to see where I end up with all of this, but I really want to get off of the materialistic rat race that I had seemed to stuck on. I think that is where my idea of living on a small farm stemmed from, and the more I dream about it, the more excited I get about actually winding up there!!!

As for now, my morning chores are done, and I am heading off to work!!!

Have a FABULOUS morning!!! 😉

I Just LOVE Swim Night!!

Let me repeat…I just LOVE swim night!!!

Nette, and the kids just left for the evening! I had so much fun swimming with them tonight! I almost didn’t make it since I had a raging bout of …er…well…uhm… let’s just say I had a stomach ache! HEE! HEE! HEE! *BLUSHING!* ANYWAY, I finally pulled myself together, got my bathing suit on, showered and headed into the pool!!! FUN! FUN! FUN!! Those kids are why I MUST get into shape!!! They are getting older, and they are so energetic! I want to be able to join them in some of their fun memories!!! I want to be able to keep up with them – I want to keep my status as a FUN AUNTIE!!!

I am tired and ready for a GREAT night of sleep!!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS night!!! 😉

Getting a Move On!!!

Good morning!

I have found my pep again this morning! WHOO! HOO!! I can see a good day coming on!! YEAH!!! I didn’t go to sleep any earlier than I had been ( I drank too much caffeine yesterday to actually go to sleep early), but I did get in bed for an extra long reading session by 9:30 last night – that always seems to recharge my batteries, so to speak!!!

Another thing that I think really contributed to my feeling of get-up-and-go syndrome is that Jason and I tried something new last night before heading upstairs! NO! Not that!!! 😉 We did a guided meditation together last night. I was rather impressed with it, really! It took less than 10 minutes, and after we were done I felt more relaxed, but also rejuvenated at the same time! Does anyone else out there meditate? What are your experiences with meditation? I would love to hear your stories in the comment section above! 🙂 Anyways, I am so motivated by that one experience, that I am wanting to try it again tonight, and see if I get the same effect as last night!!!

Also, I had been telling you that dreaming has been something that I have done my whole life, and I have found that within the last 2 years I really haven’t dreamed too much – at least not that I can remember, but I dreamed seemingly all night last night!!! They were GOOD dreams too!!!  HELLO, PATRICK SWAYZE!!!! YUM!!! 😉 That was SAH-WHEET!!! 😉 I am wondering if I can attribute that to the meditation too, or possibly the fact that I ate several smaller meals yesterday verses 3 big ones??? I will have to test that again too!!! 😉

On another note, it is swim night tonight, I HOPE!! I can’t wait to see Nette and her family, it has been over 2 weeks since we have spent any quality-time together! They just got back from Hawaii, and I can’t wait to hear how everything went, but I will be able to know if it was a good trip just by seeing Megan’s face!! She is sometimes like an open book!! MAN, I LOVE THAT LITTLE GIRL!!! I MISS YOU, MISS MEGGY!!! 😉 I found this picture of her when she was younger, and I JUST CAN’T BELIEVE HOW FAST SHE IS GROWING!! She is 7 going and 22 – she just wants so much to be a grown-up!!!

Well, I have got some business to attend to this morning! I am working on simplifying my life, and right now that means selling loads of stuff on eBay!!! It takes a lot of work, but I am LOVING the extra money that is coming in because of it! Money has been tight, and right now, every little bit helps!!!

I will write again this evening, and keep an eye out for today’s quote – I will be posting that sometimes later today too!!!

Until then,

Have a FABULOUS day! 😉

Peppiness…Where Art Thou?

My inspiration!!

Good morning!

I DID NOT go to bed on time last night – I am in the middle of a book that I just don’t want to put down. Not because it is a terribly good book, mind you, but because it is a series that I have been reading for a long time, and am just curious about WHAT THE HELL IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT!!! OK, ok. it’s ok – I’m breathing!!! Hee-Hee-Hooooo!!! 😉

So, my peppiness is waning this morning, but I still KNOW that I am going to have a good day today!!! Work yesterday was quite FANTASTIC, actually!!! Which is a HUGE BLESSING since it has been at least 6 months since I have truly had a peaceful day at work!!! The bad juju has left the building!!! WHOO! HOO!!

I have also been expending a lot of energy being creative – YEAH!!! I have been making colorful bookmarks with inspirational quotes on them! I am taking a couple to my girlfriend, Chris today, and am just hoping that she likes them!!! That is the hardest part of creating for me, it is the sharing them with others part!! I don’t want someone to think I am have completely lost my mind or something!!! 😉

Anyway, as for today’s to-do list:

  • Dinner tonight: Spaghetti
  • Blog
  • 1/2 hour walk
  • Track food
  • Drink 2 liters of water
  • 1/2 hour read
  • Set out tomorrow’s outfit
  • Be in bed by 9:30
  • Recycle at least 2 magazines
  • Clean out 1 shelf in the fridge
  • Make the bed
  • Research depression treatment alternatives
  • Prep eBay package for mailing
  • Shop for healthy groceries

Ok, well, that is all I can think of for now! This list kind of feels like busy work right now, but I know that every positive step I take will lead me one step closer to my goals!! I will post again this evening to tell you how my day has gone!!

Until then,

Have a FABULOUS day!! 😉

Back to Work Monday!!

Good morning!

I am up, showered, dressed, and ready to go face this new day!!! It is back to work for me this week, which is good! I am thankful that I was able to take time off (11 days, matter of fact!! WHOO! HOO!), but I am ready to get back to the office and see my office-mates again!!! I have missed you, Chris!!! 😉

Anyway, as for my 60 Day Life Makeover plan, I did take time out last night to not only plan my weekly goals, but my daily ones for this week as well!!! I have a lot of work to do, but I am excited to see the new me – I KNOW SHE IS IN HERE, JUST RARING TO GET OUT!!! 😉

My biggies for this week are:

  • Lose at least 2 pounds
  • Walk at LEAST 30 minutes each day
  • Go to church this week
  • Put an extra $100 into savings this week
  • Read at least 1/2 a book
  • Finish cleaning, organizing, purging the office

WHEW!!! I can do this, I just have to stay dedicated and focused!!! All of my 60 day goals help support me in getting my little farm – at least in some small way!!! I just have to visualize myself walking the trails on our farm, laughing with our visiting friends and family, or reaping the harvest from my little vegetable garden, and it gets me motivated all over again!!! I am so excited to think that that little farm could be less than 5 years away!! Less, if it is in God’s Will!! 😉

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:13

On another note: I slept GREAT last night! I could have slept a little longer, but that is what happens when you don’t make your sleeping schedule a priority while on vacation.

Talking about vacation…my sis, Nette, and her family just got back from their honeymoon/vacation in Hawaii! I can’t wait to see them and hear all about it. I know that they had fun, they did send us some pics while they were gone!! The pics were of Megan dangling her newly tanned little self from a bamboo tree, and Morgan and the guys were all looking like they were having fun snorkling!! I can’t wait to see you guys!!! 😉

Anyway, I am going to finish up getting ready to head out for work today! I know that today is going to be a MARVELOUS DAY!!! I can just feel it in my bones!!

Have a FABULOUS day!!!

My Vision Board!

Here is that vision board I had told you that I was wanting to put together…

Sorry for the blurriness – I tried something new, that didn’t work out as expected!!! but the gist of this board for me is that I want a simpler life that I can share with my husband, with a small farm, a sweetly chic country home, a child (or 2), and a home furnishing/accessories business. I am loving the idea of long walks out in nature, planting my own gardens, lazy afternoons spent up in the orchard picking fruits for jamming, and pies, and such, and room for friends and family to come over, replenish themselves and make some fun memories together!!! Ok, so I may be dreaming of a slice of the Barefoot Contessa’s life, but I sure there will be enough room for everyone!!!

I can see my future as clear as a bell – the trick now will be figuring out how to make it come to fruition!!

Wish me luck!! 😉

Quick Update for Today’s To-Do List!

Today’s to-do list looked like this:

  • Blog – Done!
  • 60 minutes Fitness plan – No
  • Track food – Done!
  • Confirm church times for tomorrow – Done!
  • Drink 2 liters of water – Done!
  • Read for at least 1/2 an hour – Done!
  • Change bedding – Done!
  • Put laundry away – Done!
  • Vacuum/Sweep/Mop – No!
  • Spend at least  1 hour filing creative paperwork – Done!
  • Go through current bills –  Done! This took a lot longer than expected!
  • Update electronic bill tracker – Done!
  • Go through at least 10 magazines – No!
  • Bathe Faye – This will be the last thing I do before bed!
  • Make time for playing! – Done!

I am quickly realizing that this blog is slowly becoming a daily to-do listing. That is not my goal – I have got to put my heart back into my postings!! Sorry about that! I will make more of an effort!!!

Until tomorrow…

Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉

60 Day Life Makeover, Day 8!

Good morning!

Today is day 8 of my 60 Day Life Makeover, and I thought I would give you an update of how it is going! Before I tell you that, however, let me remind you (and myself) what my goals are!

My top 5 60-day goals are:

  1. Lose 20 pounds. This body will only carry me for so long, and being at the weight I am is truly starting to become a hindrance, and an anchor to where and what I want to be doing.
  2. Find a church home. I NEED a church home.
  3. Clean, organize, purge my house from top to bottom, so everything in it has a home.
  4. Purchase, refinish, and sell one piece of furniture to slowly but surely get my business off the ground.
  5. Put $1000 extra away to help build my wealth.

Ok, so now for the updates!!!

  1. Lose 20 pounds. As of this morning, I have lost a TOTAL of 1 POUND (they do say that ‘slow and steady wins the race’ – I REALLY HOPE THEY ARE RIGHT!)!!!
  2. Find a church home. We did go to church this last Sunday. Church was fine, but it wasn’t our “home”, it was just too large – we kinda felt like cattle!!! Anyway, we are going to go to a different church tomorrow morning. Our fingers are crossed!
  3. Clean, organize, purge my house from top to bottom, so everything in it has a home. It quickly became evident that this task may take a lot longer than 60 days. Right now I am focusing on our office/craft room. I am going through each item deciding what needs my attention, what needs to go into the e-bay pile, and what just needs to be gone!! Not easy, but I am already reaping the rewards of the hard work I have been doing. Yesterday I got to spend a good portion of the day creating! That was SOOOOO WORTH all of the time I have spent filing, and clearing out the clutter!!
  4. Purchase, refinish, and sell one piece of furniture to slowly but surely get my business off the ground. I haven’t started actively looking for this yet, this will happen as soon as I get my craft room done!
  5. Put $1000 extra away to help build my wealth. I have created quite a stack of belongings that are going to go up on e-bay tomorrow, so I am hoping that will start my efforts to create this $1,000.

So onward, and upward!!!

For today:

  • Blog
  • 60 minutes Fitness plan
  • Track food
  • Confirm church times for tomorrow
  • Drink 2 liters of water
  • Read for at least 1/2 an hour
  • Change bedding
  • Put laundry away
  • Vacuum/Sweep/Mop
  • Spend at least  1 hour filing creative paperwork
  • Go through current bills
  • Update electronic bill tracker
  • Go through at least 10 magazines (I have at least a hundred of these all over the house)
  • Bathe Faye
  • Make time for playing!

Wow! I had better get busy!!

Have a FABULOUS day!! 😉

Happy Friday!

Good morning!

Happy Friday!!! I can feel a good day happening! I am going to spend today being creative, and possibly taking my sweetie to the movies! He has been wanting to go all week! However, he is happily spending some time gaming today!! So, we will see!!!

My sis, Alex, and her kiddos came over last night, and as they were leaving, Alex mentioned that she wanted to do a vision board! I think that is a good idea!!! I think I will make an electronic version and post her with you!

Also, I stayed up super-later last night finishing that book I was telling you about, Live a Thousand Years by Giovanni Livera. What a GREAT FIND that was!! I actually found this book at Goodwill for the grand price of $3.99! It was mistakenly tucked into the children’s books!! Probably hidden there, just for me!!! 😉

The premise of this book is that there is a man, named Nick, who is busy rushing through life, and it is quickly passing him by. Time stops, literally and he meets the “Keeper of Time”, who’s name is Max. Max, through the use of the numbers on Nick’s pocketwatch, teaches both Nick, and you, the reader, how to live twelve times the life experience of the average person. Most of us measure our time by clocks and calendars. Live A Thousand Years reveals the power of measuring your time and your success by moments and experiences. I would highly recommend this book!!

The Twelve Chimes are:

Chime One: Time for Yourself
Chime Two: Time to Be Positive
Chime Three: Time to Give
Chime Four: Time for Relationships
Chime Five: Time to Learn
Chime Six: Time in the Moment
Chime Seven: Time to Dream
Chime Eight: Time to Play
Chime Nine: Time to Work
Chime Ten: Time to Forgive
Chime Eleven: Time to be Brave
Chime Twelve: Time to Reset

I have a lot of practicing to do to get good at all of these chimes, but this book has interigued me, that if I want to have the time of my life, the work will be worth it!!!

On that note…

Have a FABULOUS day!! 😉