10 in '10

I am not one for resolutions because, well, they rarely get kept for the entire year and I don't like them.  I was thrilled when I saw Shanna doing a 10 in '10 list so I had to follow suit.  I have thought about and prayed about what I would like to work on in 2010.  Here is my list!

1. Clean my home studio! (and keep it cleaned)
2. Create at least one new and healthly meal each week
3. Work out, work out, work out!
4. Give more than I receive.  Some form of hands-on charity.  Not just giving of the $$ this year.
5. Solidify some plans for my family
6. Settle into a budget and savings plan
7. Learn something new
8. Start and complete PROJECT: 365
9. Turn 30 with a smile
10. Focus on the Lord, through consistently going to church, sharing Him with J and others and reading my Bible.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Perspectives

I need to change the way I think about some things.  I am blessed.  Do you hear that, self?  YOU. ARE. BLESSED! 

I don't want to be at work....I am so thankful that I have a job in this economy.
I don't want to go home and work out...I am blessed with health and a body that moves.
I wish J wanted to go out tomorrow night...I am thankful that we will spend tomorrow night together, safely.
I haven't had any orders in a few days...I have had extra time in the past few days to spend with family.
I am not content with my life right now...I am where God wants me to be, for a reason.

This is just the beginning. On a "bad day" I could go on and on with the first list.  I encourage all of you to try and change your perspectives on a few things.  Whimsy Wishes!

All in a days work

is enjoying an afternoon bottle glass of wine and counting my blessings.

Just a moment to reflect

It's Thanksgiving morning.  I am thankful.  Our Thanksgiving guests have gone from 30 to 4 in just a week or so.  I am okay with that.  Good thing I have been so busy and didn't have a chance to go to the market until Tuesday. 

I am waiting for my sweet mama to call me back.  That is why I am blabbing on my blog.  I need to know how she wants the sweet potatoes cooked.  I do not eat them, therefore I do not know how to cook them.  I mean, yeah, I have recipes galore...but does she want marshmallows on her yams?  I dunno!  Up until now I thought I would throw them in a dish, pop them in the oven, and serve 'em up warm.  Sounds good, huh?!  Then I got to thinking about last year.  I made some bourbon soaked, brown sugar, slow cooker version and people gobbled them up.  Hee, hee...I said gobbled.  Anyway, the sooner she calls me back the sooner I can stop making dumb turkey jokes.

What did you have for breakfast today?  I thought about some delectable pancakes or an egg fritatta.  Then I thought about how I worked all day yesterday, baked all of last night, will be cooking and cleaning for the better half of the day and then decided on some frozen taquitos.  Yeah, the same taquitos we made for dinner last night.  I popped them in the oven for 15 minutes and we ate them with a bit of sour cream.  Eh?! It is fine.  They were delicious and best of all.... we used paper plates so NO DISHES!  Don't judge me.

Seriously! Who is she talking to?  How long does it take to call a girl  back.  She is about 5 minutes away from making her own stinkin' sweet potatoes.  I'm kidding,  I'm kidding!  Kind of...  I have a bit of OCD, I think, and it flusters me to move on to something else when clearly "sweet potatoes" is where I am at on my to-do list.  I am uncomfortable with putting them off and moving on.  It will mess up my entire flow, not to mention my list.

I'm taking a deep breath and moving on.  I have enjoyed these few minutes with ya'll and now I must go.  Maybe if I sign .......off.........real.........slow.......she'll........call........back.........just.......in..........time..........

Oh yeah, Happy Thanksgiving ya Jive Turkeys!

TWBA: Accomplishments

This week on MGR, our blog assignment is to share something we've accomplished so far this month.  Well, since we're only one week into it I feel like I don't have much to choose from.  Hmmm.... let's see.

I've decided to get back on track with working out.  I was doing great until the middle of October.  I got hit with a nasty head cold and needed a few days rest.  Then, I got horrible news from the doctor's office and just hit a wall.  I fell into a slump and decided that not working out and eating whatever I wanted was fine.  Good thing that sour attitude didn't last long!  November 1st was a new month...a new start!

I am 6 days into another round of the 30 day shred.  I am working out 5 days a week instead of 7.  I like my two rest days.  My body likes those two rest days also.  So yeah, that is my accomplishment for November so far.  Starting a new plan!

A Little Gem!

Have you ever known someone who just radiates goodness? Someone who truly would give you the shirt off their back?  Someone who always has a nice thing to say?  Someone who pops in with a text message or an email to brighten your dreary day? 

Well, I do know someone like that.  Her name is Meghan.  Before I could even call Meghan a friend I could sense these things about her.  She contacted me first as a WAHM, through my business, offering me an advertising opportunity on a forum she was on.  I accepted and the rest just gets better from there.  She is all about helping other work-at-home mom's (or work-at-home chicks) like me.  She has an awesome Win It Wednesday feature on her blog where she spotlights a wahm and one of their great products for a giveaway.  Meghan doesn't get the product...it goes directly to the winner.  She doesn't get paid by these wahms either.  (I know, because I have been featured on one of her Win It Wednesday's).  She does this out of the goodness of her heart, to help other wahm's.

I have so many good things I could say about this girl.  I hope one day ya'll meet someone as geniune and nice as Meghan.  For all you wahm's, drop Meghan a line if you want.  I'm sure she'll be happy to add you to one of her Win It Wednesdays. 

Private Party - Happy Birthday to ME!

Tommorow is the day! I will be TWENTY NINE!  My last birthday in my twenties.  I really thought I might cry and be depressed, but I am going to put that on hold.  I am going to celebrate my life.  I have accomplished a lot in these 29 years.  I am blessed in more ways than I can count.  I have a good life and I look forward to another 29 years.



I’m having a private party
Ain’t no body here but me, my angels, and my guitar singin’ baby look how far we’ve come here
I’m havin’ a private party
Learning how to love me
Celebrating the woman I’ve become, yeah


I’m having a private party
Ain’t no body here but me, my angels, and my guitar singin’ baby look how far we’ve come here
I’m havin’ a private party
Learning how to love me
Celebrating the woman I’ve become, yeah


I tried to call my mother, but
She didn’t get where I was going
I called my boyfriend and he said
Call me back a little later baby
I hung up the phone, I felt so alone
Started to feel a little pity
That’s when I realized that I
Gotta find the joy inside of me

I’m having a private party
Ain’t no body here but me, my angels, and my guitar singin’ baby look how far we’ve come here
I’m havin’ a private party
Learning how to love me
Celebrating the woman I’ve become, yeah



I’m gonna take off all my clothes
Look at myself in the mirror
We’re gonna have a conversation
We’re gonna heal the disconnection
I don’t remember when it started
But this is where it’s gonna end
My body is beautiful and sacred
And I’m gonna celebrate it


I’m having a private party
Ain’t no body here but me, my angels, and my guitar singin’ baby look how far we’ve come here
I’m havin’ a private party
Learning how to love me
Celebrating the woman I’ve become, yeah


All my life (all my life)
I’ve been looking for (I’ve been looking for)
Somebody else (else)
To make me whole (ooo)
But I had to learn the hard way (ooo)
True love began with me (ooo)
This is not ego or vanity (ooo)
I’m just celebrating me


I’m having a private party
Ain’t no body here but me, my angels, and my guitar singin’ baby look how far we’ve come here
I’m havin’ a private party
Learning how to love me
Celebrating the woman I’ve become, yeah



Sometimes I’m alone but never lonely
That’s what I’ve come to realize
I’ve learned to love the quiet moments
The Sunday mornings of life
Where I can reach deep down inside
Or out into the universe
I can laugh until I cry
Or I can cry away the hurt

I’m having a private party
Ain’t no body here but me, my angels, and my guitar singin’ baby look how far we’ve come here
I’m havin’ a private party
Learning how to love me
Celebrating the woman I’ve become, yeah



Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday
(Chorus 2x)

- India.Arie

Ramblings from a WAHC

Today I feel like rambling on...and on...and on.  I work full-time, but part of that time is from home.  Hence the title WAHC (work-at-home-chick).  I'm not yet a mama, unless you count the sweet pup (which I do) or the step daughter (who is now out of the house.)  For now, I am fine with chick, not mom.

I hear it all the time... "Oh, you don't work tomorrow."  "Do this on your day off."  "Why didn't that get done, you didn't have to work today?"  I cringe at those ignorant comments.  I want to punch you in the forehead when you come at me with such foolishness.  Today though, I will let you have things your way.  I will not work today.  Nope.  I will give you reason to ask why something isn't done.  Because, folks, I am tired.  I am tired of working nonstop only to be asked why I didn't do ANYTHING today.  I did complete a few orders, answer some work related emails, put dinner in the crock pot, pay all the bills and I will do the dishes, but that is it.  That is what I consider nothing for today. (For a moment, imagine what my "non-nothing" days consist of!)  My goal today is to beat my record on Bejewelled Blitz on Face Book.  Ha, ha, ha!  Yeah, how does that sound?  I am going to lay under the covers in bed for the better half of the day.  I don't care what you say.  If I get told that I do nothing, I am going to find out what this thing called nothing really feels like.

I am working on silencing those voices in my head that keep telling me to go sweep the floors or dust.  I am not going to spend a few hours marketing Little Painted Polka Dots. I will not answer any work-related phone calls (or non work-related, depending on whose calling).  I will not do laundry.  I will not start any new orders for LPPD today.  I will not traipse room to room, picking up all the mess leftover from the weekend.  I will not feel even slightly guilty when you tell me that "nothing got done today."  In fact, I'll probably laugh as I proudly tell you that YES, something did get done today.... I beat my Bejewelled Blitz record, FINALLY!  Ahhh, success.

I must retract my previous statement!

I will have to listen to how sick he is...up until the time he leaves for Monday Night Football.

I apologize.  I was wrong.  He did not go to MNF.  He ate supper and  sat on the couch, miserably, with a fever of 101 F.  :( 

I will pack extra Vitamin C laden things into his lunch for tomorrow and call him to remind him to eat the orange and not just the oreos.

Apologizing again.  This may be the case for tomorrow, but for today, he stopped on his way to work for an orange juice. 

I hate that he is sick.  I hate that I have that horrible scratching in the back of my throat now too.

TWBA: Sickie Remedies

It is fitting that this weeks blog assignment for MGR is to share our home remedies and secrets for flu survival.  Right after J kissed me goodbye for work he said "I'm getting sick.  My throat is killing me!"  Uhhhh....thanks, honey.  Please stay away from me now!

Our remedies are different, depending on who is sick.  If it is a little one, like my niece or nephew I usually go right to my mom and ask her opinion.  She is an RN and she never leads me astray.  She suggests all sorts of things, always more natural than medicinal.  For tummy aches its crushed ice and a little bit of coke (think: coke syrup).  For sore throats it is the infamous gargle with salt water trick.  For headaches we are instructed to take a nap with a cool wash cloth on our head.  Momma normally knows when it is serious and when more is needed.

Now, if it is me who is getting sick, I tend to load up on Vitamin C.  I can.not.stand being sick and I am getting the feeling that those around me can.not.stand it either.  That may be due to the fact that I am the worlds' biggest baby when I am.  I see nothing wrong with whining, pouting, crying and acting like the world is coming to an end....when I am the one that is sick.

For now, with J being sick, I will have to remind him 484 times to take his medicine.  I will have to listen to how sick he is...up until the time he leaves for Monday Night Football.  *insert loving eyeroll here*  I will pack extra Vitamin C laden things into his lunch for tomorrow and call him to remind him to eat the orange and not just the oreos.  I will want to hug him, but instead send him a high-five across the room, to better protect myself from catching what he has.  Cause after all, if we're both sick, who is going to take care of us?  The dog?!

I'll leave you with a few tips and tricks that we really do implement in our home:

1) Wash your hands
2) A spoonful of honey soothes a scratchy throat and a cough
3) Vitamin C is our friend before we are full on sick
4) Gargling with salt water is yucky, but effective
5) Rest, rest, rest
6) Steamy shower or bath
7) Hot tea, warm socks and extra loving for the sick one in the home