Day 6........Yawn

Day 6. My goodness! Day 6 begs a repeat of days 1-5 because Thursday was crazy and with all the cooking, the kitchen is a little messy. Not bad, but not clean. Yesterday was a fun and hectic day too so we weren't home to clean or anything. Ok, I realize the past couple of days of blogging my 21 day challenge have been short and boring. I will find some creativity starting Monday. I'll be back then:) I need some rest!

Day 5

Have fun and get out of the house for lunch and a movie!

Day 4

Day fours challenge is to forget any hardships of Thanksgivings past and remember all the many blessings I have to be thankful for today. And I am so very thankful for all the miracles, big and small, that I have had the honor to be a part of.

As I have said, Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good bite:)

Day 3

Luckily, it's overcast and been raining so there's no need to dust today...yea! I finished the kitchen, I did a sweep up and vacuuming of the family room. I also mopped the wooden floors with polish. There so shiny:)

I spent yesterday pondering prayer and meditation and what I want from it. I think I came to some good conclusions. I think I'll keep them to myself though. After all, they're between God and me.

As for today, Day 3, I'm not adding anything new. Instead, I'm reinforcing the changes made on the previous days.

Day 2

Day 1 went well. I got a lot of house cleaned and finished half the kitchen this morning. I also inhaled more dust than Tinkerbell with a drug habit. So, here we are, Day 2.

I want to incorporate more prayer and meditation into my life. I've always wanted to read the entire Bible all the way through. I've had so many different copies of The One Year Bible I could have opened a Bible Book Store. I've read Genesis so many times I could probably recite the entire book. I think I will work on prayer and meditation and start The One Year Bible on January 1st. I tend to get confused when I start it mid-year. Today I will take time to reflect and be quiet. This is not an easy task for me. I know that when we're looking for answers, if we can just be quiet (for Heaven's sake!) we may actually get some.

I'll let you know how it goes on Day 3, when I dust again.

21 Days to New Habits....Day 1

I've heard that it takes 21 days to a month to make or break a habit. I started thinking about what habits I'd like to make or break before the new year. Not only that, but I've been thinking about what changes I still need to make for a better life and family. So, I am bringing you along for the ride. Today is Day 1. Let's see who I am by day 21. Perhaps it will be exciting to watch the change and even better, it might encourage you to make some changes of your own.

Day 1- A cleaner house. Not a perfect house, because I'd prefer for people to feel comfortable in my home, but a healthier one. We do not live a "shoes off" life. We live in the mountains and we are bombarded with dust. My goal, to do a light dusting every other day so we can all breathe better. We'll check back with this on day 3. Part of this goal will be to pick up after myself and get my husband and daughter to do the same. That will be the tricky part. Clean as we go. I know, day 1 is kind of boring but my health and that of my family's is important to me. I am not a tidy person by nature. I long for cleanliness, but being a perfectionist, I often don't do things unless I know they can be done perfectly. Maybe that will be a goal that goes along with all of my resolutions, I don't have to be perfect.

I'm off to put Day 1 into action. Don't forget to check back tomorrow for Day 2.

The Pursuit of Perfection & its Many Hats

I've tried. I've tried and tried and tried--to be perfect that is. Make time for writing, reading, cleaning, cooking, schooling my daughter and myself, Italian class, friends and dates (with the hubby of course because otherwise it would be kinda weird.) Oh yes, did I forget sleep and fun? I fight myself constantly on trying to live an extraordinary life and a structured life all at the same time! I'm hoping it's possible but am not feeling very confident about it. I often get so overwhelmed with trying to do it all that I get less done. I suppose, like most people, I do best when I am organized. wake up at such and such time and get dressed and eat and so on. Yet, my creative mind doesn't always allow me to do that. When inspiration strikes I am forced to give in. I wonder what level of stress, if any, throws other people off track. I can handle a pretty high level but when it goes over, my brain just shuts down. I can't think straight and it drives me crazy!

I think of all the songs written about the many roles women play in just one lifetime. We change hats for each new scene. Our characters are like chameleons, changing to match the backdrop and whatever actor/actress we're co-starring with in each act. We wear a Chef's Hat for our families each night, a Referee Hat for our children, a Lover's Hat for our spouse (this will differ accordingly and that's as far as I wish to go with this one:) I've got a special Writer's Hat, it's called my hair clipped up and hanging all over itself like a Spider Plant....or Sideshow Bob's hair. Most important is the Night Cap, which I recommend if you wear all those hats on a regular basis.

I guess the moral is, we cannot be perfect--darn! Sometimes we'll forget and wear the wrong hat in the wrong scene. In these cases, I suggest the "Janet Jackson Maneuver," claim wardrobe malfunction. I figure, so long as we don't put the Night Cap on at the wrong times or the Lover's Hat on with the pool guy--uh, honey, we don't have a pool--we're doing ok. Sure, it may not be enough to win an Oscar, but maybe we'll secure the People's Choice Award. That's got to count for something.

First of Many

This name was chosen because I love the holidays and therefore will most likely be writing many holiday blogs. I know a lot of people experience sadness around this time of year for one reason or another. Now, we're in the midst of economic crisis and some have lost jobs. What reason would anyone have to be happy? Recently, my husband was having a particularly bad day at work. He runs his business out of our home and that afternoon I joined him to open the mail. Long time supporters of Saint Jude Hospital, we received a statement with a picture of a beautiful, little bald headed boy. His parents had written a letter of thanks to all those that give money so their son can have a chance at life. I looked down at a picture of our daughter on my husband's desk and slid the picture of the little boy next to it. "When you're feeling bad," I told my husband, "you look at these pictures and remember that your daughter is healthy. You think about all those parents out there that are just thankful for one more day with their children. You think of those parents that have lost their children and be thankful that you can still hold onto yours." "You're right," he said. "I have every reason to be thankful."

So, though it's WAY too early, we have a beautiful (fake) tree in the front window of our home. We'll get the real one closer to Christmas so it won't die. We've been playing Christmas music too and lighting fires because that cold, winter nip is beginning to bite and I'm freezing my butooty off! Maybe people don't have enough money for Christmas this year but for those that have lost loved ones, myself included, we know that it's not the "stuff" that matters most. It's having family and friends near and it's letting them know how very dear they are.