Dirt: Friday

Seems that I should change my blog to 5 things on Friday...

Literally never seem to have time to blog for me. My work blogs are always going through my head and I have not even been able to get them done like I should. I am working on a new thing in my life...TIME BLOCKING.

A new concept? No! Just a new form of a list, which I love. Sunday, I am going to make two time block weeks. One for work and one for my personal time. Working out, blogging and friends are my top priority.  I need more of all three in my personal life.

On that note, it is the end of school which means all parents all over the country are scheduled to their eyeballs in watching their precious children  perform, compete and just create. The end of year marathon I like to call it. My family has been to a musical, May Day,  a concert, a lacrosse game and tonight, a Spring Chorale Concert. Fancy way of saying " your kid sings, come  hear her.".  Luckily, both of my girls are in the fancy concert tonight. The rare Two For One!

I love that my kids are so involved. We are lucky to have happy, healthy outgoing kids. However the end of year marathon is not for the faint of heart, or the slow eater as we have to gulp our food down to get our kids to the next event.


Have a great weekend! 

Dirt: What happened

As I start 2014 I am taking stock of a few things including my blog.

Blogging started as a way for me to keep track of my life and my life's goals. At the time, I was struggling to find my way. I did not realize it at the time, but I was lost. My kids were swiftly approaching that point where they really did not need me physically as much. I was looking for something fulfilling in my life and so, I started a blog.

My 40th birthday celebration and the reason I started this blog

Whatever: Checking things off the list

As summer rolls on, I am trying to finish several projects that get pushed to the wayside.

One is hanging my extensive collection of art. I have had pieces stashed since we painted last summer and it is finally time to get them all hung.

I am a huge fan of the gallery wall and have several in my house. 

I like that they show off my (very) eclectic tastes and also visually,  to me at least, they are stimulating.

via

Another project I am trying to finish is framing my collection (2) of concert posters that I started, oh...this year. I bought my husband the poster from our new year's eve date and he bought me one at a show we went to this summer. I hope to add to my collection to make it a real one.

Maybe I'll add one of these VIA

As concert tshirts don't last forever, I wanted something that we both could appreciate. 

 I found a slew of photos I want to frame to make a gallery wall of shame (as my sister refers to the hallway of family photos every Catholic family seems to have). I love quirky photos of my kids. I think I need to find some of Steve and I to hang.

I love checking items of my mental list of things that need to be done.

Dirt: A summer to do list

Oh Snap!

I have got to get on the ball.

Dirt: The list review

Uhm...Hello!  Where did the month go?

Seriously, it was just March 1st and tomorrow is the 15th. WHAT?

Another kid turning 12?

March is always a weird month. Cold, windy, damp and usually full of freezing practices and lots of plans for summer. My baby girl's birthday is in March. She and I are Summer sisters. We loathe the Spring weather and long for the 90's of Summer. Yep. We are Spring Haters. 

Our favorite place...Seaside...in the summer

This month has been busy. My excellent partner found us a space to have our seasonal consignment sale and BOOM! we had three weeks to get the ball rolling, people signed up and actually set up and take in our inventory. Three weeks, when usually we have six. We did it. We rocked a shorter marketing time, a shorter sale and still had an increase in sales. We are professionals, folks, don't try this at home. Actually, do try it! Our business if for sale, all set up and ready for someone to step in and take it over!

Now, we move on to what we do best. Being moms who have involved kids. Hers are lacrosse and soccer stars, with a little gymnastics and band thrown in for good measure and mine are track, dance and lacrosse stars as well. (Stars may be a stretch, but they are my babies and I think they are stars.) We are also going back to our other "real" jobs. She has a glamorous job and mine is less so, but one that I enjoy very much. Life is good.

I also am going back to working on my lists. The home project list gets longer every day. The working on myself list is always in flux. I am always finding ways I need to change to grow. My theory is that if we stop growing (up), we die. So, home projects and Tanya projects, here I come!

2013:THE LIST

1. Cut the laziness out of our family's life: My family took a hiatus while I was working last week...but we are back on the straight and narrow.
2. Stop cursing: Gave that S@#T up already. I just have a filthy mouth.
3. Drink more water. Check.Really seeing a difference here.
4. Be a better friend: I have gotten lazy in my friendships and my mental status shows it.  Have spent more time with a friend or two. But this is a work in progress for sure.
5. Put myself out there for God. Still fighting this.
6. Read  100 books. Have read 10.
7. Do a creative project a month. SUCKING
8. Exercise with a purpose.  Last week was a ZERO, but three workouts this week.
9. Teach my baby girl to cook. No time. 
10. Go back to school. Summer or fall.
11. Finish our list of house projects. Ellie's room, Delaney's room and one door have been painted.
12. Organize my stuff. Sale cleared out three closets! Cleaned out bathroom cabinets, kitchen drawers and took three more bags to charity.
    
13. Stick to a financial plan to pay off all our debt by 2018.  November-February are basically income free months. We are trying to come up with a better plan of action for surviving this.
    

Cooking: A Presidental Menu

President's day and all is right with the world. 

Or at least my household.

Delaney is back from her trip. Ellie is home and I am listening to them make biscuits together in the kitchen. Sigh. I love my kids.

My girls and a friend, just a month ago...they have already changed.

I had a weekend of getting things done. 

Painted Delaney's room and the 187 feet of trim around it.  Ellie and I volunteered at the Chattanooga Food Pantry as part of our Lenten plan to "give back".  They do a great service and I was amazed by what exactly goes on there. There is a lot of dignity preserved in their practices. Eye opening view into the hunger and poverty I rarely see. 

Our whole family went to hear music at our friend's hall and I heard on of my favorites
 and  found a new musician that I may become obsessed with love.  

BJ Hightower and Matt Bohannon, you made my Saturday night.

Thank you Stacey and Ken Crisp for providing a place we can
 take our kids to hear local, live music.

Kudos.

We drove out to see the farm that my parents are in the process of buying. Sunday was a gorgeous day and we tromped around on the 81 acres enjoying being outside. I am so thrilled for them and for me as well. Selfish as it is, I want them near. 

View from their driveway

Last night I watched the end of the 3rd season of Downton Abbey. 

Great show, but this season seemed a little rushed. Julian Fellowes, take a chill pill.

All in all, excellent weekend. My husband burned a fire in our fire pit all weekend, I checked off items off my never ending list, we hung out with my parents and I finally finished a room in my house. Check, check!

(Sports gear up again this week, but today we are off...of school, work and extra curiculars)

Casa Swann Here's to You, Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Washington Menu

• Beef chili
• Paleo acorn squash./vegetarian acorn squash
•  Grilled chicken/ veggies  with  pita and Greek Salad
• Paleo chicken stew/ butternut squash soup 
• Tacos

Reading: A list!

Last year I made a list (shocker!) of all the books I wanted to read in 2012. 

As a refresher, here is it is...along with what I read.

The List of Books, 2012 edition

1. Unbroken
2. The Hours
3. All the Devils are Here
4. Boomerang
5. Sarah's Key
6. The Sound and the Fury
7. Ulysses
8. The Omnivore's Dilemma
9. Middlesex
10. Bossypants
11. The Grapes of Wrath
12. In Defense of Food
13. The Poisonwood Bible
14. The Paris Wife
15. The Pillars of the Earth
16. Kisses From Katie
17. What the Dog Saw
18. Wuthering Heights
19. Steve Jobs
20. Atlas Shrugged
21. True Prep
22. A Simple Path
23. In the Garden Of Beasts
24. The Complete Idiots Guide to Understanding Islam
25. Jane Eyre
26. Stern Men
27. Van Gogh: The Life
28. Wolf: The Lives of Jack London
29. Salvage the Bones
30. Delta Wedding

Dirt: Reminder to get to work

So, one of the items on my list is finish house project list.

That is such a daunting task, as the list never is really fully checked off.

old houses...settle

 

We redid our guest room last year, refinished the stairs, painted the walls in our kitchen, den, dining, living room, guest bedroom and both halls, redid our kitchen counter tops, tiled the back splash , installed a new sink and fixed a lot of the dry wall in our bedroom. 

Dirt: I need a list...

Holla, holla, holla, life goes on
Long after the days of living are gone

-G. Love

Well, the days of living are still here, but life goes on and in January, it seems to pick up speed after the relatively lazy days of Christmas break.

Back to school went the girls today and so I am taking down decorations, grocery shopping and scavenging all the candy wrappers from the couch cushions.

The next few weeks are busy for us. Three swim meets, orthodontist appointments, jury duty, work, the last few weeks of confirmation classes, and who knows what else.

Whatever: Where your heart lies...so is your treasure

Holy Macaroni (favorite phrase from one of my funnier friends)!

2012 is almost over!

How in the world did it go by so quickly?

Guess I need to order some of these beauties...

Seems like just a few weeks ago, I was planning my year.

Now, I am faced with a brand new blank year, with lots of possibilities.

Amazing how fast time flies, especially once you have kids (or more than one). I feel like I am on fast forward through my life anymore.

I have lots of plans for my 42nd year on this planet.

Some are long term and some are more easily one and done. Most are not life changing, but hopefully will be building blocks to a better and continually improving life.

Whatever: Outdoors

I was sitting at the bar Wednesday night after the weekly evening run that my husband drug me to and I attended for the first time last night with one of my good friends. 

I was telling him how mad I was for years that we did not move to Colorado after my husband graduated from grad school.
It was weird, but as I was saying it, I realized that I am not really even close to regretful anymore. Which is a huge step for me.

 Instead, I realized that Chattanooga has most of the things that inspired the feeling that I wanted to move to Colorado.

 

 

 Chattanooga has changed a lot in the past 14 years. There are a lot more cultural opportunities and much better restaurants than when we first arrived. We have a huge culture of outdoor enthusiasts, other than the red blooded bass fishermen that I encountered the first few years we lived here.

That overwhelmingly red state state of mind has been tempered by quite a few of the people I have personally met over the past 5 years, making me realize I am not the only moderate in the sea.
We were even Outside magazine's number one place to live last year due to the abundance of outdoor activities and relatively affordable cost of living.

 I realized I just had just  been really remiss in utilizing all the great outdoor opportunities.
I started running about 8 years ago and that gets me in the company of a club of people who enjoy fitness and each other's company. But until recently, it was such an unrewarding experience to go hiking (one of my major reasons for moving to Colorado). 

My husband literally runs and my kids lagged and cried. So, I was opposed to doing it. I had given a stab at it a few times in the past two or three years, and it had not been horrible, but I still wasn't as into it.

Then something changed.

 

I went hiking with my parents and it was fun.


I wasn't sprinting to keep up with my husband and no one was crying about being bored. I was able to look around and the beauty surrounding me and truly enjoy it.

So, over Thanksgiving I took my sister and her family on one of my favorite EASY hikes.

There was little whining (her kids are tougher than mine, apparently) and we had a lovely time.

 

The wind was wild at the top and a cold front was coming in, so we didn't get the awesome photo I thought we might, but it was really peaceful and...enjoyable.

We had a great time as a family.
Even our dogs enjoyed themselves.

So, as I near the end of the year and start making my "want to do" list for 2013, I am adding Enjoy the Outdoors to the top of my list.

 

Reading: Heading for the high road ( a hypocrite's confession)

I know I am one of  more than a  handful of women that will NOT be reading 50 Shades Of Gray. 

I know this because I asked my facebook friends and most of the ones who replied said they were not reading it, some with a resounding NO!

I am not against this book, or any book for that matter. I read a few of the Cinderella series in the 90's when I was in my early twenties, and I am certain they are along the same lines. 

But the difference is this. I am a lot a little older, and I have two teen or almost teen daughters.

The perspective makes me realize that I am into heavier kinds of books.  Not that I don't love a cheesy "Chick lit" once every two or three books. I do. But I also want to use reading to make my mind a more fertile place. And, I am fighting the fight all parents face, which is how soon to let my daughters mature.  PG-13 is still up for discussion. And so, it is hard to make the argument that a movie about teenage "hooking up" is not suitable when I am reading a book about bondage and using sex as a weapon. Pure in heart and mind is how I am trying to raise them. It's a hard enough road without adding my own stumbling blocks.

So, I am not reading it. Plus, I think the fact that it is being referred to as a"grown up Twilight" is reason enough for me. I wanted to strangle Bella when I read those books to make sure they were okay for my daughter. But as it is everywhere and comments about it run rampant on Pinterest and Facebook, I am sure I will be having a discussion about it very soon.

Instead, I am continuing on with my list. 

Happy Friday. Hope you get to do whatever you want, especially if it is reading a book. 

In the words of Louisa May Alcott:
" She is too fond of reading and it has turned her brain."

                                                                                       Source: corbisimages.com via Ceri on Pinterest

The List of Books, 2012 edition

(edited)

1. Unbroken
2. The Hours
3. All the Devils are Here
4. Boomerang
5. Sarah's Key
6. The Sound and the Fury
7. Ulysses
8. The Omnivore's Dilemma
9. Middlesex
10. Bossypants
11. The Grapes of Wrath
12. In Defense of Food
13. The Poisonwood Bible
14. The Paris Wife
15. The Pillars of the Earth
16. Kisses From Katie
17. What the Dog Saw
18. Wuthering Heights
19. Steve Jobs
20. Atlas Shrugged
21. True Prep
22. A Simple Path
23. In the Garden Of Beasts
24. The Complete Idiots Guide to Understanding Islam
25. Jane Eyre
26. Stern Men
27. Van Gogh: The Life
28. Wolf: The Lives of Jack London
29. Salvage the Bones
30. Delta Wedding

Dirt: My list is back

After a seriously long month...July is over.

I am both a little sad and a little glad.

Sad because summer is my favorite season, bar none. I love heat and flip flops and gardening and...

well, all of it.

But also a little glad because July was construction and grief.

 

We are almost (fingers crossed) done with the construction. At least inside our house.

We are almost back to normal, or at least normal for my house.

 

Art is almost all back

This is normal at my house

So, I am starting August with a list.

 

The rest of the year will be gone in a flash and there are things I still want to accomplish.

 

So without further adieu...

 

 

Rest of 2012 Carry Me Through Gotta Get It Done List

• Read the remaining 22 books on my list of want to reads this year
• Get my kids to eat more protein for breakfast
• Do my "Powers of a Positive Mom" daily Bible readings. 
• Exercise 5 days a week and keep a journal
• Finish the construction inside: counter tops, closet doors, paint trim and ceilings
• stain deck
• replace columns on front porch
•  Finish Christmas shopping by October 31
• Get a hobby
• Organize my office
• Clear clutter (sell or purge unnecessary items)
• Get my kids to stop eating in the living room

That is enough for now. August will be busy with pre back to school sleepovers and actual back to school, end of summer guests and final summer meals.
Ah, summer...I love you. 

Dirt: I flit

It is raining. Finally. 

My rain barrels were empty and my garden looking a little bit peeved.

Now they are full and my garden looks less peeved, more relieved.

I am planning my day, via HBFCM. 

Here goes:

• Blog
• Start load of laundry
• Eat breakfast
• Exercise (Bodyrock workout)
• Switch laundry
• Mop floors
• Clean bathrooms (3)
• Vacuum stairs
• Switch laundry/Fold laundry
• Shower
• Eat lunch
• Peel shrimp for dinner (last  night we went out)
• Return items to store
• Go to work 

 I am trying to be more organized with my time. I tend to  flit from thing to thing, not finishing one task before I start another. Frustration is the name of the game with me, as at the end of the day, I have ten unfinished tasks.

I also thought about how having a list at the beginning of each month really helped me to focus on long term goals. As much as I hate to admit it, I do like a new year's resolution of sorts.

So, as the half way point is upon us, I am starting a new list. A list of what I want to accomplish the remainder of the year, broken down and easily (hopefully) managed in monthly allotments.

We'll see what happens.

For now, enjoy my theme song....

Dirt: My life

When my oldest daughter was a baby,

someone gave me a bit of advice that was really helpful 

in making me feel like I was accomplishing things as a stay at home mom.

The advice was to write down everything I did. 

Everything. 

Diaper changes, breastfeeding, shower, etc. 

It made a big difference in the depression I was battling.

Lately, I have gotten overwhelmed by two things. 

The lack of accomplishments of being a stay at home mom.

The overwhelming tasks that are not getting accomplished.

Paradox, I know.

I struggle with mild depression occasionally. 

Usually seasonal, but also out of the blue it will hit me.

When things get me down, 

I usually resort to the "poor me" attitude of an angry adolescent girl

And, I usually resort to " I hate this house/my clothes/ my hair".

So, it really makes sense that with the anticlimactic period

that comes after a great vacation, 

the fact that I hate August

(it comes between the fun part of summer-the 4th of July and my birthday),

combined with 14 miles of baseboards to paint, I am feeling overwhelmed.

So, I have started one of my favorite things...a list.

I will not bore you with the details of it...

(Highlights of the morning list)

• woke kids up
• made lunch,
• drove kids to school
• ran 3.5 miles
• took dogs outside
• took garbage to curb

See, EXCITING!

I am working my way back to organized and not overwhelmed...one list at a time.

And if that doesn't cure my depression, 

there is the thought that  September is only three days away 

AND I can always think of this...

I love you, George!

Starting out

Well, as I said before, I am not a "resolution" kind of girl. But, I do like lists. So, I am not going to call them "resolutions" I am going to call them items on a to-do list! 

My husband has us ( mostly him with me complaining and threatening to jump at any given second) on a 28 day Paleo diet trial. I am cranky as can be because I can't have any sugar, grain, beans, flour or the worst part of it all...wine. 

I am a sugar junkie, cheez-it crack head, chickpea lover. Plus, I like a glass of wine most nights. So, my attitude is a little cranky. 

Here is the start to my "list":

#1 Eat less sugar

#2 Cook a new ethnicity once a week

#3 Paint the doors and trim in my house ( this was on the list last year and got ignored)

#4 Read 100 books ( I used to start this on my birthday and the highest I ever got was 76)

#5 Find inner peace (this might as be the year for it)

#6 Learn 60 Bible verses

#7 Get a new hairstyle ( I already did this!)

#8 Reduce my carbon foot print 

#9 Reduce my spending

#10 love more

#11 Train for a half marathon

#12 learn to swim (again repeat from last  year ).

I am sure I will add to this once I am not such a crank. However, it is a good start. I figure taking my kids to church on Sunday will NOT get me inner peace, but is an exercise in loving more ( and using nice words on the way to church).

New year...new me

As someone who is living the 40th year of her life, I have had quite a few NEW years. Some I remember fondly such as the one I spent at around age 15 with people from my church at someone's home playing games until midnight. Others, I would rather forget. I have however, never been a fan of resolutions. I have made them halfheartedly mostly due to peer pressure, but I have never taken them seriously, feeling that those I make on my birthday in September are better thought out and less likely to be made because I over indulged during the holiday season or was too open to suggestion during everyone else's time of reflection.

However, this is the year I turn 40 and while I am not afraid of aging, or even mildly affected by turning a new number, I do see it as a milestone of sorts. A new decade, a new age of  (hopefully) enlightenment, and truly, a time when people notice how old you are.

So...here I go. Making "resolutions" and since I want to keep them, I am making them public.

My five things are things I already do or enjoy.
#1 Reading: the food of my soul
#2 Cooking: the food of my life
#3 Exercising: what allows me to enjoy the food that I love!
#4  Dirt: what we all have, want to keep out of sight and need to work on
#5 Whatever: the clutter in my head that fights to come out be it music, paint colors, finding jeans, whatever!

I am giving some thoughts to my resolutions... they are to come.
However, they will, as always incorporate my five things.