sunnystreets.blogspot.com
Forgive me for tooting my own horn, but I’m patting myself on the head today because I’ve done one of the things I hate most in life – done my bookkeeping book and office deductions for taxes.
I always put it off until I’m really under the gun, and then I’m doing it in a panic. Since I closed my website, Creative Artworks, in July, I decided that I would try to get a jump on everything and get that out of the way. It is now done, for the last time ever. :0)
I’m now going through receipts, trying to at least get the stacks organized, for our regular taxes. I’m also using this opportunity to clean out my desk. so far I’ve done the filing cabinet type drawers on each side of my desk, cleaning out, throwing a BUNCH of stuff away, getting everything out of the drawers so I could clean out the hair balls at the bottom of each one and start fresh.
I guess I’m about half finished with going through the drawers. I haven’t done this for years – content to stash things wherever I could put them. I’m determined to get better in my pack-rat-itis habit, trying to get together a donation to the Veterans Thrift Store and the local library once a month, and fill an extra 39 gallon trash bag each week with ‘stuff’ that has been gathering dust. I just finished doing the extra bag, and it’s in the back of the truck, ready to go down to the bottom of the driveway tonight for pickup tomorrow.
NOW I’m going to go put my feet up for a few minutes and finish drinking a cup of coffee before fixing our lunch.
I hope this first day of 2018 is being good to you.
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Attitude, Challenges, Changes, Organizing/DeCluttering
Diane Dobson Barton via Cathy Ruggiero
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement, holidays
kingofwallpapers
“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.” ~ Neil Gaiman, British author
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement, Favorite Quotes
Shannon Hale, The Goose Girl via Lisa Bearnes Richey
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Encouragement, Favorite Quotes
American Hippie via Kitchen Crafty Fun via Stephanie Youmans Wilson
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement, Favorite Quotes
Love Style Video via Garry Campbell
This is very, very important, and yet difficult to do – at least for me. When someone talks to me, I relate to what they’re saying because of something that has happened to me. I feel the need to share it with them. In face, I’m SO eager to share it with them, I have sometimes interrupted them!
When I realized what I was doing, I was mortified. I was giving my friends and family the idea that I felt what “I” was saying was more important. The fact that I don’t feel this way at ALL, really makes no difference. It’s not your INTENT – it’s what you DO that counts.
I first realized this tendency when I listened to my mom visiting with friends, or when she would come home from visiting. She would tell me about her visit, but all she talked about was what SHE said – how SHE felt. I would ask her questions about what the person was doing and she glossed over it. She didn’t know. It’s EASY to see this in others. I was really upset when I saw it in MYSELF.
In an effort to be a better listener, I now go with the idea that I want to be able to tell myself or someone else what the person I’m visiting with has been doing. I concentrate on asking questions about what they are telling me, rather than telling them something about myself. I want to know how they’re feeling. If they’re not feeling well, I want to know why. I want to know what they’re doing about it, and if there is any way I can help them. It’s what I’ve always wanted to know, but I was so busy blabbing that it got glossed over. :0(
I want to SHOW my family and friends that I’m interested in THEM. I want to know much more about how and what they’re doing than I did before I visited with them. I already know what “I’M” doing. If they would like to know what’s happening with me, they’ll ASK. :0)
Family and friends are the richness of life. Make it a point to listen to UNDERSTAND.
Filed under Attitude, Family, Friendship
revisorhelsingborg.se
I’m making it through lunch just fine on my low carb eating. THEN I fall apart. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I’m disgusted that making it through an entire day seems to be so much of an EVENT. :0( For some reason, my brain and body seem to think I’m starving to death. I’m a bottomless pit with appetite enough for 3 or 4 hungry folks.
I have some Meta Appetite Control Dietary Supplement Sugar-Free, Orange Zest powder that I’m going to start using today. You mix it into at least 8 oz of water. I’m planning to drink some mid afternoon or later to see if that, along with the willpower I thought I had been building, will help.
I’m also going to start doing my elliptical trainer and yoga later in the day, hoping the activity will get my mind off food.
I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time getting back on track, but the least little excuse causes me to derail – eat for 6 – then get even more disgusted before trying again. I WILL DO THIS!
coolfunnyquotes.com
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes, DIET!, exercise
healthyplace.com via begin with yes
If you’re lucky enough this year to be surrounded by friends and family, happily buying and wrapping presents, secure in your home and finances, thinking of what you’ll serve, how you’ll decorate….
Take a moment or two to realize how very, very lucky you are, and that many people – people you know and don’t know – might be feeling bad. Many things may have happened – Mother Nature type things, like losing your home in a wildfire (or those who have recently lost everything in the hurricanes and flooding.) They may have lost a job or are having trouble finding work that will pay the bills. A death in the family has left a humongous sink hole threatening to swallow them up. There may be sickness, they may have lost a beloved pet. Their family members may be too far away to be home with them.
Whatever people might be dealing with, it’s harder during a holiday – especially one as big as Christmas and New Year’s. Everyone asks you if ‘you’re ready for Christmas.’ It’s almost expected that you’re bubbling over with joy and thinking only of the frantic rush to get everything done.
Just take a moment or two –
Pay attention to those around you. For friends and family, be aware of each person’s situation. Give an extra hug. Help them smile. Reach out and show them in any way you can that you care. The best gifts there are – love, caring, hugs, kindness, friendship are all free. Take time to give each of these freely and in abundance – and then make a point of BEING THERE throughout the new year.
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement, Holiday Gift Ideas, holidays
I wish I could say the painting of the tree above is ‘mine,’ but it isn’t. Some talented person painted it, then someone else tagged it to put on pinterest. I don’t even know who the credit should go to. :0(
I’ve had a fun afternoon finishing painting presents for Christmas.
I love thinking of my friends as I paint, trying to do something I hope they’ll like. It fills me with the Christmas spirit – the joy of giving.
Tomorrow, when the paint is dry, I’ll wrap up the last of the presents for our good friends. I’ll give them to people based on if I’ll see them again before Christmas or not. I love a month where you’re deciding when you’ll try to make your friends happy with something you’ve bought or made especially for them. We should do this many times a year, I think…
Filed under Attitude, Childlike Fun, Lewis Art
Albert Einstein via NTDLife via Laufrain Taylor
I guess we’ve all met them. I call them, “balloon prickers.” They rain on every parade, poke holes in your happiness and suck the life right out of you, if you allow. I avoid them like the plague. Life is too short. (End of cliches… I think – )
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement
Dalai Lama via Elephant Journal via Cathy Ruggiero
sayingimages.com
To me, this is NOT a Pollyanna-ish saying. It’s not that you simply paste a happy smile on your face and just decide to be happy (though sometimes this is a good technique). It’s an ongoing exercise in trying to control how you react to what happens around you. It’s taking bad things, doing what is in your control to do about them, and then stubbornly trying to see the bright side. You can choose to get mired in the fear, grief, and anger, or you can deliberately choose to get beyond those feelings, channeling them into something more positive, more life-giving.
I wasted a lot of time worrying. Usually I worried about things over which I had absolutely no control. I’m gradually making progress in recognizing old ruts and choosing NOT to fall into them again. If it’s at night, I get up, go downstairs and read to distract my worrisome thoughts that seem to spool in my head, playing over and over again with no solutions possible. The distracting myself allows me to let go – even just for a while – and focus on other things. During the day I get up and get involved in an activity that will take all of my attention.
When we lost our two-month old daughter to SIDS many years ago, my husband and I both seriously considered suicide. Our hearts and guts had been ripped out, and we couldn’t see any way we could go on. We looked at our two-year-old son, though, and realized how selfish we were being. He needed us. My husband needed me. Minute by minute we consciously decided that we would give everything we had left to the ones we loved. We decided to try to help each other work through the pain and find reasons to reach out to each other and our son and become stronger together. We chose not to allow this horrible thing to ruin the rest of our lives.
I consciously look for reasons to be happy. To be honest, I’m truly surrounded by wonderful things. I’m continually finding sights, sounds, and activities that make me happy. I’m working every day to live in the NOW – to appreciate all I have. I rejoice that I have the freedom to decide how I’m going to spend my day. I’m getting better at controlling what and who I allow to come into my life. I’m getting better at deciding how I will react to things I can’t control, but must deal with. Every morning I choose to MAKE it a good day.
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes, Encouragement
All I did today was some laundry, some quick errands, and changing sheets on the bed and I’m ready for a nap.
I guess the combination of the trip to the E.R. for my eye, the pain and stress, and then getting ready for Thanksgiving have taken a toll on my depleted reserves. The eye is steadily improving, but it still feels as if I have some serious grit in my eyes. The headache remains. Slow, steady improvement.
I hope you can take some time and do some serious relaxing today, too – this day-after-turkey-day.
Filed under Attitude
purpleclover.com
I’m still feeling hurt and angry at the verbal attack by our family member on my husband’s birthday. I’m re-reading daily what other wise family members told me regarding looking at this with compassion for the source of this, rather than focusing on what was said or how WE feel about it. One thing that is resonating now is that until I can LET GO of this, it continues to harm. Our family member has probably gone on to other things. I’M the one mired in negative feelings.
I’m a bit old to change my stripes at this stage of my life, but I’m NOT too old to nurture feelings already inside. I have a lot of compassion inside that comes surging up when I see bad things happen to good people. I strive to show kindness whenever I can. I usually can see the other person’s point of view – something that has resulted in a lot of ‘differences’ being nipped in the bud even before the disagreement really gets going. This situation is no different, really – only in the ‘personal’ nature of the attack – and the fact we didn’t see it coming and had done nothing to warrant it.
As I do other things, I’m thinking about what our wise family members said. I’m GRADUALLY seeing this as an opportunity to use the good things inside me to help my sweet husband consider the SOURCE of this vicious judgment of his character, his beliefs, his service in the Marine Corps, his performance as a husband and father, his membership affiliations, his politics, his worth as a human being as the judgment of one person who is deeply unhappy and hurting. It’s pretty amazing that the judgment of one other person, in one vicious note, can smash your feelings of self-worth. I WON’T ALLOW IT.
I’ll continue to hang on, try to show my husband in every way I can what a wonderful human being he is and how much I treasure every day with him – even when he makes me angry and ready to strangle him. :0)
I’m reaching inside, past the child all wrapped up in hurt and anger, to the adult who is usually able to deal with bad things in the best way I can. I really wish this person had attacked ME. I could handle that SO much better!
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Encouragement
theartofforgiveness.org
I’ve been soul-searching since early yesterday.
We were enjoying the day, quietly celebrating my husband’s birthday (though he was grouchy to be another year older) when we got a message out of the blue from a family member we hardly ever see. It was a really vicious attack on my husband’s life, character, beliefs and more, ironically beginning and ending with “Happy Birthday.”
I’ve lived a long time now. I can manage attacks on me MUCH better than I can handle attacks on my husband. This came out of the blue, hurting my husband (though he denied it) and completely stunning me. I rarely get angry, but I was shaking I was so mad. To do this at any time I consider unforgivable, but it was beyond belief that this would be done on my husband’s birthday, when we’ve been nothing but polite.
I received some really good advice from two other family members, both encouraging me to be compassionate, rather than idly entertaining ideas of mean things we might have done in retaliation, other than just taking it in silence, as we did. More though, they both encouraged me to think about this in a different light. This person is lashing out because of suffering and unhappiness. While this hurt us, to nurture the hurt feelings does no one any good.
Rather than wanting to bite this person in the leg, it would make me grow as a person to try to see the world from this person’s point of view. Mostly, rather than only thinking of my husband and myself, I should try to let go of the hurt, forgive this person who is obviously hurting, too, and move on.
This will take some real soul-searching. I’m trying to look at this at another of life’s character-building exercises – one that will make me a better, more forgiving, and more compassionate person. There is FAR too much hate around us. I don’t want to be a part of that.
Filed under Attitude, Challenges
creativeartworksblog 