Halloween

The night where all of the scary things comes out and all of the wonderful costumes, friends and memories. Ian wasn't too sure about a couple of the witches we met but after watching the older kids do the routine with "Trick or Treat" and people's doors about 3 times - he was ready to go! Running and please and "tank-cu's" and "buh-byes" were so cute. He'd watch the candy go in his bucket or he would put it in himself and then say thank you or buh-bye and carefully step off of the porches and run down the drive-ways to the other kids or to mommy.



Ian was a Jail-Bird this year although if you look closely he was "rejected too cute". It was the costume that fit him in his closet :) and I think it worked out pretty well. He was warm and did just fine. Here are some of the best pictures from tonight.

This is the action picture of the night - running down the driveway, ready for the next stop!

Weekend Creative | Stencil Glitter Initial Boxes

Ali Edwards
Weekend Creative | Stencil Glitter Initial Boxes

Toddler, Friendship, Margin

Life is down right raw with an almost 2-year-old (BIG WOAH!) Will he eat this? or that? or will that tantrum come out? Does he prefer mom or dad right now? Can I get a run in today or will I have to watch what I eat? Am I stressed......is he stressed? What is going on??!!!!

Yes it is WOAH, and i wonder, "how is it that I can see us having another child, someday?? how on earth do people do this?


This past Saturday, I went to the CCJ Women's Retreat yesterday and it was a blessing. I'm just so amazed at the stories people have and what we experience and how we all change and how we all get stuck at places.

I truly miss some of my dear friends' in-depth conversations just about ourselves and life and all that comes with it. I hope that we all have friends who can bring out parts of us that see growth in us and be a person to confide in and that they can bring that artsy side of us out and we can remain curious about how our friends "tick" and what their lives are like.
I do think so much of friendship is about curiousity..........


The biggest prayer request for me right now at this very moment is with our cats...yes cats. Mark & I are both about done with them....and all of their furr, their hacking up fur-balls, their peeing on things they should not be peeing on, their laying on the table & coffeetable....their fleas that are dead now and having to clean up after them. It is a big decision for us, because we love them, we don't want to get rid of them and we know that they relieve stress for us. But they are turning us into not-so-nice people. I'll be taking each of them to the vet here this week or next and we'll see. They are pets but they are family members too. It's a weird prayer request but on my heart. And of course all the people I am now seeing in counseling (I'm booked a full month ahead now...if that tells you anything).


We are trying to continually keep "margin" in our life meaning time that is not scheduled and allow ourselves to rest. There is a reason that I do not do this work full-time, it would burn me out and I would become cynical towards people's hurts and stories. I dearly do not want that, so in order to remain passionate and allow time for God to speak to me....this is a part-time passion. WE ALL NEED MARGIN!

Trim the Tree

Trim the Tree

I totally want to do this project for Christmas!!

Five Tips for Being a Mary Poppins-Like Mom

Five Tips for Being a Mary Poppins-Like Post from Jyl Johnson Pattee @ Today's Mama

When I think about perfect role model mother figures from the movies, I immediately think of Mary Poppins. She swoops in and immediately gets the kids to clean, feed the birds, and love to laugh without any apparent effort. She lets difficult situations, like chimney smoke, take her to new heights. And she brings a distanced family together, helping them focus on what matters most in their lives—each other, all while flying a kite.

No one can be Mary Poppins, but everyone—mothers, moms at heart, or any of us who have the ability to influence others—has the opportunity to have Mary Poppins-like moments and be a positive role model.

What Is a Mary Poppins Moment?

For me, a Mary Poppins moment is a little lesson that someone close to you helps you learn that makes a big impact.

For me, my most memorable Mary Poppins moments were taught to me by my own mother. Most specifically, she taught me to appreciate people from all walks of life and to discover our similarities while at the same time finding joy in our differences.

When I was 2, my mom learned about women who were in the process of placing their babies for adoption and needed a place to stay before their babies were born. Even though she was only 23-years old with a toddler and a 1-year old and wasn’t much older than the girls who needed help, my mom took in these women and mothered them at, what had to be, one of the most difficult times in their lives.

That was just the beginning. When I look back at the 18 years I spent in my parents’ house, they hosted four foreign exchange students, invited two teenagers with unstable home lives to live with us, and offered countless people to stay in our “hotel” while they traveled, needed shelter, etc. My mom not only cleaned the house, prepared the meals, and mothered or played hostess to all of these people, but also was a very involved “soccer mom” to six children of her own.

Loved this since I love Mary Poppins!

Here’s five things I learned from my mother about being a Mary Poppins-like mom:

Love to Laugh. Never let something as seemingly important as housework get in the way of playing and laughing with your kids. Have fun, be present with them, and help them feel like the only person in the world when you’re with them.

Take a Spoonful of Sugar to Help the Medicine Go Down. Don’t let life’s challenges beat you. Enjoy the journey, even if you are going through some dark and scary places. Show your kids it’s OK to struggle, but help them focus on the positive so they can enjoy the ride.

Feed the Birds. Help those that can’t help themselves. Reach out. Lift them up. And make a meaningful difference in the world. Involve your kids in charity and help them experience how amazing giving can be.

Go fly a kite. Set your sites high and push through to clarity. Help your kids have vision and see their potential, giving them opportunities and letting them learn from their own experiences.

Say Supercalifragiliciousexpialidocious! Keep in mind that everything doesn’t have to make sense. Pulling lamps out of carpet bags and uttering silly phrases may feel just as out there as going with your gut. But, trusting your mother’s intuition and letting it be your guide will give you confidence and help you make the right decisions for yourself and your family.

What Mary Poppins-like moments do you create with your kids?

Christmas Card Ideas

A Christmas Card I would like to make here and here.

The Past Holds me Captive...

The Past:
* the stories I have told myself about myself
* the relationship I had with myself & others
* how I viewed others
* how I viewed myself
* what I could have changed, should have changed but did not (accepted this part)
* the way I hold onto how I saw it
* the way I perceive that others see me *this* way or *that* way
* the assumptions I hold & maintain
* the lies I believed and still believe
* the beliefs I had about "so & so" or "this & that"

I remained captured...but not for long...Breaking Free

Stress

Stress:— n
1. special emphasis or significance attached to something
2. mental, emotional, or physical strain or tension
3. emphasis placed upon a syllable by pronouncing it more loudly than those that surround it
4. such emphasis as part of a regular rhythmic beat in music or poetry
5. a syllable so emphasized
6. physics
a. force or a system of forces producing deformation or strain
b. the force acting per unit area


A picture that depicts stress and its effects here.
It is a notable experience that is on-going in any of our lives and for some reason it ebbs and flows in my life. This week in particular is becoming very, very stressful. I feel it in my gut, in my sinuses, in my stomach and all around my thoughts. People are hurting and many, as I am finding out, are so desperate that they are not thinking clearly and are even moving towards taking their life. It is also a somewhat desperate feeling for the helper. I know that ultimately I am not in control of this other person's choices and that I present to them logic, rational ideas, and purpose-filled direction. I listen, my heart aches for them and then I have to put up my own boundary in order to cope myself with the feeling I get as well. It is a stressful, helpless feeling that drives me to stare, sometimes isolate or go a little looney with laughing just because the other emotions are harder to deal with (it's sort of life emergency room humor). Sometimes things are hard to cope with and you almost begin to make fun of them or at least make fun of yourself.

30th Birthday

(Statistics) Thirty is:
• A stage in young adulthood
• The minimum age for United States senators
• At age 30, you're older than 42 percent of Americans.
• You're 26 percent less likely to make a New Year's resolution in your 30s... but if
you do make one, you're 26 percent more likely to stick to it.
• The average person has had 7.5 jobs, and you'll have 2.4 more by age 35.
• 0.036 percent of people are in elementary school at age 30.
• 30 is the average age of retirement for NFL players.
• At age 30 (according to most biblical scholars) Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by
John the Baptist, at the beginning of his public ministry of teaching and healing.
• Western Christianity's most prolific 20th century essayist, F. W. Boreham in 'Life
at Thirty' ('Cliffs of Opal') mentions that in addition to Jesus commencing ministry
at 30 (Luke 3:23), Joseph was 30 when he stood before Pharaoh, King of Egypt
(Genesis 41:46), King David was 30 when he began to reign (2 Samuel 5:4), and the
Levites were numbered from the age of 30 and upward (1 Chronicles 23:3).

READ "Turning 30 by Andy Rooney" - google it.

For my 30th birthday I decided that I wanted to celebrate and celebrate I did though not in the "traditional" sense. I went to the Doodlebug Retreat (Fri-Sun) and FINALLY made our wedding albums and picked through pictures I wanted to keep and those extras that I needed to get rid of and it was a BLAST!! (pictures to come later)


In addition, I took the day of my birthday off to reflect and consider things and kind of redirect where I wanted to go now and how to consider things.

I reminisced and also looked forward. That night I had a get-together at a friend's house of my closest "sisters" here in southern Indiana and it was so relaxing and comforting.

It was a wonderful evening of pampering!



Group picture!

Creative Play for Tiny Tots

This is a post or parts from an article that I found awhile go and figure I would post it however, I am not sure who to give credit for this but it is awesome!

Art Play: Three Ways to Encourage Tiny Tot Art
Scribbling, painting, and molding clay are enormously satisfying for little ones. Here's how to inspire your baby's inner van Gogh.
It's never too soon to start encouraging artistic expression. Even tiny babies love looking at pictures — and by the time that first birthday approaches they're ready to make some art of their own. Here are some ideas on how to get those creative juices flowing:
Ready, set, scribble. Sure, it's simple but scribbling is tremendously satisfying for your pint-size Picasso. To make things easier, tape the paper to a table, the floor, or an easel to keep it from sliding around, especially during those passionate bursts of creativity. Once art time is over, make sure you put away all crayons and markers to minimize the chance of a renegade wall mural. One more thing: Stick to nontoxic washable crayons and fat markers at this age since pens and pencils could result in a poke-in-the-eye injury.
Fabulous finger-paints. Finger-painting is like scribbling gone wild. There's the added fun of vibrant colors and of course, that ever-popular (not to mention messy) element, smushable goop. (Smock, please!) For those who prefer to keep their tiny hands a little bit cleaner, a short, thick-handled, wide-bristle paintbrush works just fine. Remember, there are no rules in finger-painting, other than using child-safe, nontoxic paints (and keeping those paints away from Mommy's bedspread). You might also try finger-paints that are specially made to use in the bath. Kids love 'em and the paint just rinses off the tub (and his tummy!).
Clay play. Though babies this age are too little to sculpt a recognizable figure, they'll love it if you make them a kitty, a car, or just a simple ball to play with. As with most artistic endeavors right now, this is all about the tactile experience. Most babies will love squishing, smashing, and smooshing clay or dough with their fists and fingers (and sure, some will likely end up in their hair or mouths — so make sure it's nontoxic).

Creative Play: Stimulating Your Baby's Imagination
Unleashing your baby's creativity is easy. Look around you — you'll find inspiration for fun, imaginative activities all over the house.
If you think creative play is all about pretend tea parties or portraits painted by pint-sized Picassos, think again. Pretty much any activity that’s unstructured and open-ended counts as creative play to a kid, helping her learn about the world (and those fascinating people and objects in it!) and how it works. That’s why the simplest games and toys (even using things around the house that don’t seem like playthings to you) can boost her sense of discovery. Take the living-room window, for instance. While you (and every other grown-up you know) take the view for granted, to a newborn it’s more like a window on the world. (Add a bird feeder and it’s infant-friendly reality TV!) So the next time your little one is alert, sit with her and point out the highlights (“Look at that squirrel! He’s trying to find a nut to eat!”).
What other ordinary household objects can captivate your little one? When she can sit up, she’ll delight in a drawer to explore (or a cabinet or shelf). Keep your plasticware and some lightweight pots and pans in a low cupboard in the kitchen and you’ll have a low-tech way of keeping baby amused while you’re cooking or washing up (“Look at that really nice square container and lid you’ve got there!”). Those plastic containers (along with a plastic cup and a set of measuring spoons) can travel to the bath for some tub-time water play, where they can become props for scientific experiments (“Let’s see how much water you can pour into this container!”) or some pretend cooking. And pots and lids do double-duty by letting your baby make music — there’s nothing like the sound of bangs and clashes to bring out your child’s inner composer. (You can sing along, too!)
When your mini-Mozart’s beautiful melodies become too much, wind down by finding a quiet spot and leaf through the photo album (“There’s Grandma holding you the day you came home!”). If you haven’t gotten around to printing your photos, don’t worry — if they’re on your computer, plop her on your lap and show them to her on your screen. Stimulate her creativity by showing her pics of the people she loves best, and then move on to photos of flowers or animals. Before you know it, she’ll be picking up a chunky crayon and scribbling pictures of her own — and that will give you another beautiful object to look at, talk about, and learn from.

Updates: Two Missions

Previous Missions:
UPDATE: Challenge/Mission Declutter 50 - LIVE
Decluttering 50 things out of the house or putting in their place each week or month depending on how productive I am.

Finally wrote out my list which I have scanned.




UPDATE: Challenge - Healthy Weight & Body
This requires me training for a direction or goal - in this case "Route 66 Mini-Marathon" in November with a friend AND incorporating biking and possibly swimming to lessen the pressure on my knees which is primarily why I need a health weight.

So far each week I do:
1) "body-pump" 2x (Tues & Thurs) for strength training
2) running (Mon - recovery run, Thurs - tempo or hill run (3-4 miles))
3) biking (Mon or Wed - biking 10-12 miles)
4) "stretching class" (pilates/yoga poses/stretching on Wed)
5) long runs (Fri or Sat or Sun)
6) next on the list is swimming (but that would be at 5am -- not ready for that yet)

Can you tell my routine changes once Fri hits? As long as I get most of that in, I'm ok but I have realized that my nutrition is the next step and the next change. Unfortunately, lately I have had these "Chocolate Caramel Apple Crunch" popcorn pieces starring at me & I have eaten them. :S But they were worth it. I'll just have to run more.

The Fall List O’ Fun

I took this idea from: Erin at Today's Mamas
Here is the list of activities, projects and recipes that we’re going to tackle this Fall at our house…
GOING
Visit a pumpkin patch…carve a wicked jack-o-lantern and roast those seeds.
Visit the Cornmaze here in Southern Indiana.
Going Trick'or Treating in a neighborhood (I'm Cleopatra this year I think & Ian - hmmmmm not sure yet)

COOKING
Making the simplest Taco Soup ever. (Well, Mark that is.)
Make pumpkin butter. Eat it with reckless abandon. http://www.flythroughourwindow.com/2009/10/page/2/
Introduce my boy to the joy and glory of hot cocoa. With mini marshmallows. I think we’ll do this the first day we see snowflakes, won’t that be fun?

DOING
Get my boy’s photo albums done. Photos shouldn’t live on a computer. I know this.
Get my Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving (&/or finish up on Black Friday).
Make felt garland for the Christmas tree.
Go outside and crunch in the leaves.
Ohio State Football Game in the Horseshoe against Penn State!!

Summer's Simple Pleasures: Reflecting on this Summer

This summer has been a little bit of a whirlwind as most summer's are I guess. Ian has went from my "eerrrr" "errrr" - sounding guy to "this, this" and "apple, manna?" and being able to let us know more and more what he would like to have. He is taller and had this first real injury that went beyond a scrap and bruise.

Mark and I are trying to navigate through different routines and every-changing relationship communication about various situations. It really is ever-changing. Some days have been way too hot to venture out and some days have been so gorgeous that I can barely contain myself. We haven't swam as much as I thought we would and really have not done too many "summery" things besides going to Cedar Point (Mark & I) and then running through some little fountains. I think Ian has gotten his summer "fix" with Ms. Ambra during weekdays - playing outsides on the slide, riding the little motorcycle and jumping into the little pool this has.

I haven't eaten any more sandwiches than usual, which growing up we had sandwiches every-single-day. We're getting back into running but didn't run in the extreme heat.

Stop the Splatter! How to Reclaim Your Attention and Get More Done

MY NOTE: I am beginning to believe more and more that how we use media is actually more debtrimental for us than the "learning" that we gain when we use it at non-productive times --- when we really should be having downtime - or when it would be beneficial to do so. With that, I don't think I will ever get a cell phone plan that has internet with it. Too much distraction.

This is an article by Christine Kane
Have you ever been at home all day when there's nothing in the fridge?
You open the door. You poke your head in. You hum a little tune and look around. You sigh. You grab a handful of pine nuts. You go back to your desk.
About an hour later, you're hungry.

So you go back to the fridge and look again. Nothing new has appeared. You pull out some black olives, put them on a saucer, and go back to your desk.

You think, "I should go out and get something to eat." But you don't. A part of you is convinced that a solution will appear. Maybe a Sous Chef will arrive at your door.

Amazingly, this doesn't happen. Eventually you're back at the fridge. You look in. Then, you close the door, reach up to the cereal cabinet and grab a handful of Kashi...

What happens in this scenario is that you eat all day, but you never feel satisfied. By 5pm, you're strung out, unfulfilled, and you wonder why.

Here's why:

You ate. But you never actually fed yourself. We do this exact same thing with our attention. We dabble in random things. But we never really commit to anything.

I call it Attention Splatter. It's when you mindlessly and half-heartedly splatter your attention on non-activities. But you never fully engage.

Remember this: Your attention ultimately feeds you. It feeds your heart and your mind. This is why it's so important to notice what you give your attention to. This is also why splattered attention leaves you unfulfilled. You never actually feed yourself.

The most common Attention Splatter culprits are:
* Email * Cell phones * Clutter * Internet
* Television
If you are prone to Attention Splatter, here are seven ways to feed yourself and get more done.

1 - Have no more than three priorities for the day. There's only so many things you can get done in a day and still enjoy the day. Get into the habit of spending five minutes each night deciding what one thing you want to get done the next day. Ask yourself, "If I only accomplish one thing tomorrow, which one thing would make me most happy?"

2 - Know the task before you sit down at the computer. This is a must. When you don't do this, you can get lost in the millions of non-items that any computer has to offer.
Assign tasks. (i.e. "Clean out email folders") Assign times. ("From 1pm to 2pm") Stop as soon as the end time arrives.

3 - Put an end to activities that leak. Make a list of "leaky" activities, and stop the leak by scheduling these activities. (As opposed to letting them take over your day.)
For instance, instead of letting email leak all over your day - all day every day - schedule email as an activity at a certain time each day. Every activity should have a home - a space for its completion. Otherwise, you set yourself up for a full day of splatter.

4 - Leverage your small slices of time. It's easy to look up at the clock and see that you have, say, 45 minutes before an appointment and think, "Well, I don't have time to do anything substantial. So, I guess I'll just go on line."
Turn your thinking around! Learn to fit constructive things in to small slices of time. It's amazing what you can complete in a short focused slice of time!

5 - Use your intention. Before you begin any activity, set an intention for that activity. Intend your desired outcome and how you want to feel during the activity. This is the ultimate act of creativity.

6 - Get rid of anything that doesn't feed you. Incoming emails, group emails, magazine subscriptions, news aggregate feeds, TiVo, memberships, unread books...

The list of incoming stuff goes on and on. Get your life in order. Get rid of anything that doesn't feed you. If you subscribe to it, ask yourself why. Start letting go of stuff. Doing this one thing has helped me create a home and office environment that is healthy and sacred. Be ruthless about keeping the incoming stuff to a minimum.

7 - Be present in your down-time. When you take a nap, take a nap. When you take a Saturday off, really take it off. Don't spend the day obsessing about the things you should be doing. Turn off the computer. Get out of your office. Go away.
Fully disengaging from all of it for fun is imperative. Plus, this will allow you to return with renewed energy and attention!

A Message

A Message to a Dear Friend,

I never thought of being a voice for freedom but that really resonates with me. I also found a quote as I was decluttering our kitchen this morning and it says "Inspire others to be their best by being your best." -- it was a Dove chocolate wrapper :)

I wonder if this isn't something God is really pressing on me letting me know that ultimately overcoming my own vices is once again...not about me and actually is attainable in this process I'm in the middle of. I see so many clients who are isolated in their own worlds and are not sharing their lives with others or allowing themselves to receive others' influence. It is only their own understanding and it is failing and not working.

your questions...
How are things going for you? What is on your mind most these days? How are things at church, home, work? Are you working now?
Things are going well when I take a breath out of the water, and acknowledge that I don't have to be so intense about things. Right now I'm trying to consider how to best connect with God and learn, love, and live for Him...while honestly figuring myself out (lol this part I should just let go of and do the God thing first). I know.

I'm not doing basketball anymore and Mark is still doing cross country. What is on my mind most these days? (GREAT QUESTION) the whole mom thing and professional thing....melding those two identities and really living in the present ---- it's a constant battle and Ian brings out the best in me and the worst in me. It is the wildest thing.

Church is going great, people are hungry and most seem to be getting it...home is cluttered and routine, work is fascinating, frustrating and a growth catalyst. I work on Mondays at the hospital doing discharge planning (social work), it is a pressure-cooker job...so many patients, so many tasks - you are always "on". Counseling (Tuesday-Wednesdays) really is a love and though I feel inadequate at times and ask God why?, people are growing. Unfortunately I am also seeing marriages falling apart before my eyes and I can't do a thing about it. I'm allowing myself to stay home today and do housework - something I haven't really done for a long time.

Ian loves to say "more" both in signing and talking...and he points to you if he wants to fist-bump you. yes fist-bump.

So let me turn those questions back around to you: How are things going for you? What is on your mind most these days? How are things at church, home, work?

Yes I AM Different

just realized that from a conversation with a client that I AM different after all...our past prepares us for our future and by golly - I'll be preparing my kids through my experience with pain and life's chaos --- just thought that was cool

Different? or not...

I don't know why I think I'm different...but I do.

(NOTE: a revealing post - please do not read further if you desire to see me as an "all-together" person who is always "with it"

Maybe it's my intention or fierce passion to not be a typical "minister's wife" but I guess I am ----- the supportive, caring, compassionate wife who is willing (most of the time) to put her schedule off for his...the understanding listener...modest dresser...and mother who chases around the toddler at church all while daddy shakes people's hands, listens to their stories and is a guide to a weary world.

Maybe it's the "you'd have to know my past" to be able to understand why I want to understand people so much or to be understood. Is it the depression? the postpartum depression? the anxiety that roams my mind? the experiences I had while struggling with a big vice for 8 years? the hurting? the college basketball player who fell short of glory & her potential? the teen who couldn't meet her own expectations or who criticized her body image so much that her view was distorted? the perfectionist who cried herself to sleep or didn't sleep when a term paper was due even on a topic she loved? the little girl who had so much security and confidence about herself until "that relationship or incident happened"? the grad student who wanted to become someone else and reinvented herself? the client sitting in front of the "experts" who were to help her but instead they pigeon-holed her and placed her in a box because she had to be "just like everyone else and that is why she struggled with this or that"? the isolated hermit in her dorm room who seriously contemplated ending everything?

Or maybe I think I'm different because I'm a dreamer, who peruses creative blogs and dreams of creating awesome/meaningful gifts for friends, journals, prints, frames, patterns, quotes, ideas, ideals...freedom...

Maybe it's the not-so-normal mother who struggles to play with her child out of anxiety that he will throw a fit becoming more independent as he needs to, the mom who doesn't want for sugar to touch her baby boy's lips (though realistically in moderation it's ok and she knows that), the mom who doesn't want to be defined by "mom" and plays a tug-of-war with her identity.

Or maybe the woman who knows that perfection isn't attainable and that imperfection really is beautiful, that authenticity and truth are more important than facades and perceived belonging, that friendships which are deep are worth the time but those that are surfacey might as well take a hike, the woman who seeks tranquility while enjoying adventure.

Maybe it's the runner in me who has more of a female softball player's build, who defies quickness and embraces participation over speed, who runs to transform her mind, heart and body, who sees her shorts rubbing against her thighs but realizes it is part of the territory, whose love handles are a-plenty and whose aim is to feel good and feel better.

She comes together, she is me, she is different but not really.

Figuring Things Out

I'm fat, I'm thin, I'm slow, I'm improving, I don't want to care, I care, I'm done, I'll keep going, it's too much, I can bare it, this is exhausting and what I think in some capacity on a daily basis. Whether it refers to being a mom, being a counselor, being a runner, or being Kara - I think it.

I'm ever caught up in this mind tug-of-war over how I see myself and what I do or how I am being. Ever tired of my own thoughts or actions. Somewhat depressed actually. Exercise, prayer and talking with others or doing something meaningful to help usually pulls me out of it. But...it's always waiting there. Ready to bounce, ready to demean and ready to tell me all the things that I really am not. Those things I strive to be but fall short of. So I'm figuring it out. Once again...

Mission Pantry - Coming Soon

Mission Pantry - Coming Soon
To clean out our pantry of existing ingredients and food items by creatively making delicious meals. Documenting what meals are created.

Challenge/Mission Declutter 50 - LIVE
Decluttering 50 things out of the house or putting in their place each week or month depending on how productive I am.

Challenge - Healthy Weight & Body - Just Began Yesterday
This requires me training for a direction or goal - in this case "Route 66 Mini-Marathon" in November with a friend AND incorporating biking and possibly swimming to lessen the pressure on my knees which is primarily why I need a health weight.

Mission Fireplace - 3 Months from now...
I want to chisel the fireplace shelves off (brick shelves within the fireplace protuding out), repaint the entire fireplace and attach a simple wood mantel.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately I'm always about "doing" and preoccupied with "being". Does that make sense? I have too many expectations for what should "be" for me especially with a toddler. Maybe it is overachievement or zest for life. Either way I sometimes place myself into a whole that is hard for me to get out of or to resist.

Not Written

I have not written for awhile or even posted and for good reasons:
1) this is really for me anyway and no one is really reading it
2) I think of clever or interesting things when I'm away from any computer and don't have place to write it down or the moment passes
3) I keep trying to think of a theme rather than these random postings and even though I fully intended to do Garage Sale Saturday - I have practiced and completed the activity ut have not taken any picture or posted any news about my findings
4) life is simpler when I'm not on the computer so much so alas...we will see