Thursday, April 28, 2011
A promise to myself.
I will spend exactly zero more precious seconds of my life worrying about what other people think. I will spend exactly zero seconds living in fear of what is to come next. I will not feel guilty. I will trust myself. I will leap with a smile on my face and willingly go on adventures, planned or unplanned. I will love and be loved.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Some small goals.
It's always easier for me to accomplish things when:
a) I write them down, and
b) other people know what I'm supposed to be accomplishing.
So, I wanted to write a bit of an informal post with some small personal goals. Here they are, in no particular order.
1. Give up refined sugar. Well, pretty much. Everything in moderation, right? I want to give it up except for special occasions. The next time I plan to eat refined sugar is 3 weeks from now, on my 31st birthday. No more soda. No more candy. Homemade pie? Yes, please. But only every once in a while.
2. Work out 4-5 times a week. Nothing major, just maybe some jogging. Going to the gym also serves as alone time, which for me is special and sporadic. I'd love to invest in my health and have regular 45-minute blocks of alone time. It sounds heavenly.
3. Stop taking so many dress orders. This is hard, because I hate saying no. I also enjoy the extra income. But I really need to focus on my family this summer. The kids are growing up so fast. I have my whole life to sew dresses, but only a few years to enjoy my children being little.
4. Focus on the kids more! Play with them more, take them outside more, cuddle them more (is that even possible?). Just enjoy them every second I can.
5. Stop buying things. Not everything, but most things. Stop shopping for entertainment and focus on what we need instead of what we want. We have so much. We need very little, if anything. Shop from a grocery list. Save coupons again. Buy not one piece of children's clothing until late summer for back-to-school. The kids have everything they could possibly need until then, especially if I mend the holes in Elijah's otherwise-perfect jeans.
6. Eat out once a week, maybe twice. Everything else must be cooked at home. I really enjoy cooking, so this isn't a big deal. It's a laziness issue for me, really.
7. Cut down on energy consumption, benefits to be monetary and for the greater good. Put up the new clothesline and use the dryer as little as possible. At night the power strips behind the main entertainment center, Elijah's television, and computer area need to be unplugged. Put a bucket in the shower to collect water for plants. Start composting.
8. Continue to focus on gardening. Make the chicken plans.
9. Plan the family vacation in June. Very excited about this one!
Hmmm. That's about it for now. I feel better having written it all down!
a) I write them down, and
b) other people know what I'm supposed to be accomplishing.
So, I wanted to write a bit of an informal post with some small personal goals. Here they are, in no particular order.
1. Give up refined sugar. Well, pretty much. Everything in moderation, right? I want to give it up except for special occasions. The next time I plan to eat refined sugar is 3 weeks from now, on my 31st birthday. No more soda. No more candy. Homemade pie? Yes, please. But only every once in a while.
2. Work out 4-5 times a week. Nothing major, just maybe some jogging. Going to the gym also serves as alone time, which for me is special and sporadic. I'd love to invest in my health and have regular 45-minute blocks of alone time. It sounds heavenly.
3. Stop taking so many dress orders. This is hard, because I hate saying no. I also enjoy the extra income. But I really need to focus on my family this summer. The kids are growing up so fast. I have my whole life to sew dresses, but only a few years to enjoy my children being little.
4. Focus on the kids more! Play with them more, take them outside more, cuddle them more (is that even possible?). Just enjoy them every second I can.
5. Stop buying things. Not everything, but most things. Stop shopping for entertainment and focus on what we need instead of what we want. We have so much. We need very little, if anything. Shop from a grocery list. Save coupons again. Buy not one piece of children's clothing until late summer for back-to-school. The kids have everything they could possibly need until then, especially if I mend the holes in Elijah's otherwise-perfect jeans.
6. Eat out once a week, maybe twice. Everything else must be cooked at home. I really enjoy cooking, so this isn't a big deal. It's a laziness issue for me, really.
7. Cut down on energy consumption, benefits to be monetary and for the greater good. Put up the new clothesline and use the dryer as little as possible. At night the power strips behind the main entertainment center, Elijah's television, and computer area need to be unplugged. Put a bucket in the shower to collect water for plants. Start composting.
8. Continue to focus on gardening. Make the chicken plans.
9. Plan the family vacation in June. Very excited about this one!
Hmmm. That's about it for now. I feel better having written it all down!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Spring is here.
Well, the blog got neglected in favor of sewing about 600 dresses over the last four months. I've decided to cut back a bit for spring and summer so I can enjoy a lot of family time during the nice weather. I didn't mind being inside sewing all winter, but now that it's in the 70's every day the kids and I want to soak it up all we can!
The weather has been glorious here in Arkansas for the past month or so. Everything is so green and lush, and my vegetables, fruit, and herbs are growing! I've got a good sized container garden going this year, and I may convince Travis to build me a few raised beds because I am afraid I will run out of room in the containers. I also want to get a couple of dwarf apple trees and start them in large buckets. I still need to get a trellis for my cucumbers as well.
This week has been wonderfully stormy. I had to drive up to Missouri to drop Elijah off with his Nannah (my mother-in-law) this morning, and while we were waiting for her to arrive at the Conoco (haha...does it sound like we live in the sticks yet?) we saw the most beautiful storm roll in. I caught a picture on my Hipstamatic. Just thought I would share.
What a beautiful part of the country we are blessed to live in. When I first moved here from a much bigger city, I missed the stores, the places to go, the diverse restaurants, and the quick pace of city life. Now that we've settled in I realize how nice it is to live in a place without those things. (Well, except the diverse restaurant part. It would be nice to have an Indian restaurant. Yum!) I believe that the simpler people's lives are, the greater their potential for happiness. Our family is certainly happy here.
Now I've got to sew Miss Madelyn's Easter dress. Nothing like waiting until the last minute, right? I'll add a picture to this post when I've finished it. I know it's going to be gorgeous!
And three hours later...it's done! I think it turned out so pretty!
The weather has been glorious here in Arkansas for the past month or so. Everything is so green and lush, and my vegetables, fruit, and herbs are growing! I've got a good sized container garden going this year, and I may convince Travis to build me a few raised beds because I am afraid I will run out of room in the containers. I also want to get a couple of dwarf apple trees and start them in large buckets. I still need to get a trellis for my cucumbers as well.
This week has been wonderfully stormy. I had to drive up to Missouri to drop Elijah off with his Nannah (my mother-in-law) this morning, and while we were waiting for her to arrive at the Conoco (haha...does it sound like we live in the sticks yet?) we saw the most beautiful storm roll in. I caught a picture on my Hipstamatic. Just thought I would share.
What a beautiful part of the country we are blessed to live in. When I first moved here from a much bigger city, I missed the stores, the places to go, the diverse restaurants, and the quick pace of city life. Now that we've settled in I realize how nice it is to live in a place without those things. (Well, except the diverse restaurant part. It would be nice to have an Indian restaurant. Yum!) I believe that the simpler people's lives are, the greater their potential for happiness. Our family is certainly happy here.
Now I've got to sew Miss Madelyn's Easter dress. Nothing like waiting until the last minute, right? I'll add a picture to this post when I've finished it. I know it's going to be gorgeous!
And three hours later...it's done! I think it turned out so pretty!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)