Learning to be grateful...

I'm finding myself lacking in the thankfulness department lately. Here's some random things I'm thankful for:

• Having friends who think your cards are good enough to want to give as gifts. Thanks Sue!


• A oral surgeon who prayed with us before we had Kate's wisdom teeth extracted. What an unusual but awesome thing for a doctor to do.


• Listening to that prayer and knowing that everything was in God's Hands.


• Being able to prepare the Thanksgiving meal for this year with only one or two minor melt downs from the chef.


• Friends visiting from Alabama! Wishing they were here to stay but understanding that they have to go back.


• Diet Pepsi


• Ikea


• A husband willing to go to Prairie Gardens to look for Decor with me.


• The anticipation of getting out my ornament collection. I can hardly stand it.


• Christmas music--any of it really, but I heart the old stuff the best--Andy Williams anyone?


• 2 great bosses.


• Our Sunday School group--what a great bunch of friends!


• Family


• Books


• Great authors who keep writing books that I want to read.


• Robin's Egg Blue


• Being able to take a day off from work to go hang out with my best friend next week. I can't wait.


• Weight Watchers


• Land's End chinos--best pants ever!


• Cable knit turtleneck sweaters.


• Middle School Basketball


• That Zach's arms are healed from his fall from the tree. No therapy needed! Woohoo!


• Guadalajar's regular margaritas on ice.


• My pets


• Fluffly comforters


• Peach pie


• Mom Huggins' vegetable soup


• Good jobs


• My forever house


• My kids--their hardwork @ school and their levelheadedness with their friends.


• My wedding china

Just a few random things that are making me happy right now and that I am thankful for.

A few more projects in the works...

Well this weekend we bought another set of wicker--a love seat, 2 chairs and 2 tables--for $50. What a steal. It was all white and so far this weekend Doug has painted the love seat and one table brown to match the stuff on the porch and the 2 chairs went a burnt orange--cinnamon is what the can said. Trying to match the burnt orange--rusty color in the dining room curtains. I bought a new table runner in cinnamon last weekend in Schaumburg and already have the same color candles in a couple of candlesticks in there. Tired of the green already--thinking of changing it to a robin's egg blue--the original color I wanted but was worried about having in my house of fall colors. Should have went with my first instinct, because now that we have the new couch and rug--it has that blue and a lighter shade of sage green. Going to put the 2 chairs in the dining room on either side of my round drop leaf table by the windows. I have wanted to get chairs in there forever--it was how I pictured that room from the very beginning and getting such a good deal on the wicker set made it all possible. I'm not too sure on the color yet--Doug is out there glazing them with a brown color now--to tone down the color--I bought beige cushions at Target yesterday for $17.50 each and material at Hobby Lobby for $2/yard to make pillows. They brought cushions and pillows today for the set--they were stored somewhere else when we picked it up. Luckily for us the love seat cushion and a few of the pillows matched our set currently out there. Awesome for me. The other pillows will be covered with the Hobby Lobby fabric and will save me from having to purchase pillow forms.

Another project almost finished is the magnetic/cork board/message center that we are making from one of our old windows. Doug took the glass out of it and cut boards and metal to fit in the openings. He attached cork on the wood and I mod-podged decorative paper onto the metal pieces. Waiting for them to dry to see how it turned out. I'm tired of all the pieces of paper stuck on the fridge. So we will put this on the wall next to the fridge that isn't visible from the hallway or dining room to get some of the visual clutter out of the kitchen.

Also we purchased a desk from Ikea last weekend that Doug will put together sometime here shortly I hope. Going to move the computer back out of the closet and out into the open--it is overheating in here.

I took pictures of all these things and I hope to figure out how to post them on here when I get a little more free time. Not this week: Mon-game, Tues-open house, Wed-game, Thursday-game, Friday-porch party, Saturday-game. And one of our friends' mom has died so we need to go to a visitation sometime this week. Junior High baseball is our life for the next month and half.

Tomorrow is the first day of school...

For my kids. I've been back since August 1st. Amazingly enough 3 people came in to register their students at 3:15--I get off at 3:30. Needless to say, I got home around 5, by the time I got all the paperwork done, entered in the computer and put away. But I think I am ready for tomorrow. I hope I remember to change the bells because it is a half day.

I got my new contract today. Of all of the great things I love about my job...the blanket 3% raise for non-certified staff is not on the list. In fact it sucks. I get.....26 cents an hour more than I did last year. It made me kind of weepy today. I haven't got that kind of sucky raise since I worked at Soy Capital Bank in 1986. Of all the things I do for the school and staff and kids--26 cents just seems...LAME. And I've told Doug many times I would work for less because I love this job so. Guess I lied. I guess I'm concerned more because they think I am only worth that amount. I know they aren't looking at us as individuals--and maybe that makes me a little mad too. I'll get over it--because I love it so--but it doesn't make it suck less.

I haven't done too well on Weight Watchers lately. In fact I haven't done it for the last 3 weeks--to be truthful--it's been longer than that. Doug and I went to the store last night and I stocked up on fruit and WW meals--time to get my ass in gear again. I want to be down another size before Christmas. I want to show my doctor that I can do it. I need to succeed at this. And I know I can--this is the first time in a long time that I still feel like I can do it. Going to start with the next meal.

Hi my name is Lori and I have a problem...

Actually more than one if you ask my husband, Doug, but I'm just going to stick to the one I have an issue with at this moment. Remember how I said that Friday I went through closets and got rid of 6 pairs of shoes? How is it that I took Zach to get dress shoes for a wedding and I came out with a pair of black heeled sandals? WTF? I have way too many shoes---way too many. And my husband knows me too well...he told my daughter while they were waiting in the car that we would come out with shoes for me and none for Zach. How true he was. We left the mall and went to another Payless and were able to get Zach a pair of shoes for Nikki and Ben's wedding. I'm hoping that they last until basketball season but I don't think my luck will hold on that.

Tomorrow I go back to work...I'm happy and a little sad all at the same time. I've got tons of stuff to do though so I will be busy.

Marked a couple more things off of my summer to do list--Doug actually did them for me. Because they involved paint and I don't paint--don't like it--it's too messy for me. He spray painted a couple of things for my scrap area. I have decided to go with a tan or taupe, navy and white color scheme in my area. I found some cool navy baskets with white liners at Target on clearance and that started the whole scheme. He spray painted an old metal pan I got at the 3rd Sunday Market and an old snowman stool I was tired of navy. Now I need to work on getting a different kind of work surface. I really want the Expedit bookcase with desk from IKEA (my mother ship) but we may not be able to swing it at this time. I will keep my eyes out for new curtains also--I would like a white background with a graphic navy flower or some other kind of pattern.

Need to go start supper--Zach has it in his head that he wants me to make a recipe off of the ketchup bottle. I'm all for someone else coming up with menus so I'm going for it. Ha.

Another productive day...

I'll be honest with you...I haven't showered today...and I am still in my pajamas. I'm starting to smell myself, so once I finish this post and finish vacuuming the lower level I will be jumping in the shower.

Today I went through the 2 other closets I have clothes in. I know--I have too many clothes. Goal today was to get rid of anything that has 2x on the label--since I don't wear that size anymore and it is too easy to put it on and eat because there is room. So I got rid of all of my cable turtleneck sweaters--one in every color--OMG! I have a problem. "Hi I'm Lori and I need one of every color in every piece of clothing I own!" I kept 3 sweaters--two of them were Eddie Bauer xxl--which I think is comparable to a 1x. If everything goes as planned I may be buying XL or L sweaters for this winter. I also went through and got rid of all but 3 long sleeve t-shirts and any and all polyester shirts I used to wear to Earthmover. If I haven't worn them in the 3 years I have been gone--I'm not going to wear them this year. I went through jackets, shoes and jewelry. Shoes are a bit harder for me but I did get rid of 6 pairs. I also went through my shirts from this summer and got rid of 8 of those. Then I spent the rest of the day reorganizing how I keep purses, bags and other misc. stuff in those closets. Feels good--Doug's not too happy though because I filled 1.5 of those big huge rubbermaids I just brought home from the rummage sale. Now if I can get him to go through his stuff.

I also cooked an awesome supper. The first of the week--how sad. Chicken in the crock pot, roasted red potatoes and corn on the cob. YUM.

I did laundry--actually still doing it, but the goal is to have it all caught up before we go help a friend move back to Indiana tomorrow at 1 pm.

I checked out my summer to do list last night and realized I had more things on it that I should be able to get done before the summer is over--for me that is Monday. So I was able to mark 5 more things off of my list. Hopefully Doug will help me finish off the other few things before school starts on August 18th.

The end of a crazy busy week...

Everything went as planned this week with the exception of Friday. I went to my mom's to set up for the rummage sale. There were a few other sales on mom's street so people kept coming up. We were turning people away for a while, but got to thinking that it was against our best interests to keep doing that. We sent Kate and Mom to the credit union to get some change and we opened for business. We made over $450 Friday. Now of course, Salli sold a couch and chair for $250 but we each made almost a $100 besides that. Our sale ended up being around $715 which I thought was excellent for one of the hottest weekends ever. I made $200, Mom made around $40 another friend made $20 and the rest was my sister's. She had all of her baby stuff, stroller, high chair, bath, exersaucer, and tons of clothes. It felt good to get rid of everything. I came home with 3 empty bins--the biggest ones. They talked and we are going to have another one after school starts--they were willing to run it without me because we decided to do it Friday and Saturday. I will help on Saturday of course, but Friday I will be working. I'm ready to clean out some more stuff.

I have 2 more closets left to go through. They are mostly clothes--Doug and I's both so I will have to get him on board. 1 more full week until I go back to work. Seemed like a short summer for me, but that's okay--I really miss work. Never thought I would say that.

Kate and I are off to Vacation Bible School tonight through Thursday. Fun.

It will be a busy week....

Monday-mark rummage stuff. Get laundry going and hopefully finished. vacuum this pet hair filled house. Wash bathroom rug and rug down by back door--hang on the line to dry.

Tuesday-mark more rummage. Run into work to cut some checks. Wash someone's sheets. Put stuff away. Take rummage to Mom's so that it is out of the house for Thursday.

Wednesday-To St. Louis for Zach's Diabetes dr. appt. come home to clean for my Thirty-one party on Thursday--especially the bathroom and dust everything. Have Doug mow and trim the yard.

Thursday-Zach to dr. for Sports physical. Clean kitchen. Make cake and dips for party. Vacuum again. Febreeze everything. Ha.

Friday-Do absolutely nothing--ha. Trip to Library. Wash someone's sheets. Go to pool???

Saturday-Rummage sale all day.

SUnday-Sunday School. VBS starts and runs through Thursday of next week.

Whew.

Attic clean out...

After spending what seemed like all day working on state attendance reports--7 hours to fill out 1/3 of the report--I came home to Doug wanting to clean out the attic. OMG! I took a nap and then we tackled it.

Things I have discovered about myself:

• I hoard linens--WTF--I would have to have 10 twin beds in my house to use all the sheets I had saved. I ended up saving 2 really pretty--feminine sheet sets--both with shades of lavender & turquoise--you know for when I have 2 twin beds in the grand kids play room in 15 or more years. It will be my luck that I have all grandsons.


• I have not done cross-stitch in at least 15 years--yet I had not been able to let go of all the patterns, half-finished projects and blank material and towels I had not even touched. It was very emotional to go through that and know that I was never EVER going to finish those projects and to tell myself it was okay to let go. I kept one pattern for the laundry room I am someday going to have--bloomers for every day of the week on a clothesline--and my thread and an afghan that I had started for Doug's grandma. The rest either went into the trash or into a pile for the rummage sale. My heart is a little lighter.


• I have saved way too many toys of the kids. I always was bitter that my mom didn't save many of my toys. The kids may think WTF later when I get them all out again. But my grand kids will like them. Just looking at them takes me back to those fun little kid days. My goal is to consolidate all the Bitty Baby and American Girl doll stuff into smaller bins to keep in a closet down here. I'm afraid that too much heat or cold will affect the doll's hair--don't think my granddaughters will want to play with bald dolls.


• All our yearbooks at some point were damaged by water and we had to throw each and every one of them away. I remember looking at my mom's growing up and how cool that was. That was sad.


• There are 10 bins of Christmas crap. Time to down size that once that season comes back around. Problem is that 3 of those bins are trees and 3 more are decorations for each one. That leaves 4 bins of decorations for this 2200 square foot house. That's probably just about right. SIGH.

Now the attic is cleaned out, but the family room is full of crap. I have too much stuff. Been thinking a lot about my scrapbooking stuff. I'm getting ready to make some hard decisions about my stuff up there. I got the new Creating Keepsakes edition with scrap book spaces and all of a sudden I want cabinets where everything can hide. I'm tired of visual clutter. But I am a collector...and I can't let go...Wonder if there is a hoarder marathon to help me along.

T minus 10 and counting...

Today was the last official day of school--report card day. I have to work 10 more days and then I am off for the summer. The teachers' last day was today also--I was invited out to lunch with them--I had 2 margaritas at lunch. WOW! I was feeling no pain finishing up the last sub report and filing some stuff I had been putting off. Ha. Today is also the last day of the other secretary being there. Awesome! Just me and the principal...I should get tons of stuff done--mainly state reports. Yuck!

Here is the list I came up with to accomplish over the summer. When I got it out again to put it on here I think it might be a little ambitious. But when I was reading over it--I've already done a few of the things so I may be okay.

1. Clean out black dresser--did this last weekend
2. Clean out built in hutch in dining room
3. clean out Great gram's white hutch
4. paint TV stand from rummage sale
5. wash all comforters & extra blankets--washed Zach's last weekend
6. move plastic dresser from craft area to Kate's closet
7. Reorganize old computer cabinet with scrap stuff
8. find desk for den
9. get cork board and other organizational "pocket" for computer closet--cork board bought

10. go through all movies
11. clean out my extra closet
12.get frames or paint frames for family picture wall
13. go through plastic drawers in basement--did this last weekend
14. go through jewelry--send some back to Lia Sophia
15. attic cleaned out (this is a family project)
16. catch up on kids' school albums
17. get photos from 2010 developed
18. clean out fridge--major clean job
19. clean out and wipe out all cabinets--purge
20. clean out junk closet--purge
21. clean out coat closet & go through shoes--Zach's shoes gone through last weekend
22. Get my clothes ready for consignment shop
23. Price glass for kitchen & linen cabinets
24. Get new Christmas binder organized
25. Come up with weekly schedule for summer chores--this should be # 1.

Fun stuff to do this summer:
Vacation in Orlando
Third Sunday Market in Bloomington and other antique stores
Drive in with the kids
Picnic with family
consignment shopping with the gals from school.

Personal goal:
Lose 10 more pounds this summer--at least get to my 10% goal before school starts (that's 7 pounds away)

It's been a while

I can't believe it's been 5 1/2 months since I've posted. Life gets in the way sometimes. The school year is almost over. Actually it will be on Monday. It's been a good year so far--I've only struggled a few times with the new job--a few time a week. Even though I had been working in a crazy busy credit union--a crazy busy school is quite different. It's just me and the kids most days and boy! it's rewarding and frustrating all at the same time. Hopefully, I have taught the kids some valuable life lessons this year--believe in yourself, do what you love, say please and thank you, the world does not revolve around you, use an inside voice, there are adults in the world that care about you, hold yourself accountable, etc. It's amazing that in high school someone has not taught them these things yet. And it's sad to say that sometimes I think I am the only one that has asked them how they are doing in life. I see a lot of the "bad" kids in the office--the misfits is how I think of them. The ones whose parents don't care enough to even call them in sick. How sad is that. I have one who I wish I had met sooner--he's 18 and well past the point of a turn around--but I can see the potential in him--I keep trying to get him to see it, but I don't think it is working. He's not a "school" type of kid--he needs to be working with his hands--electrician--plumber--auto mechanic--something manual. He will do anything for you. He's polite and well mannered--if you make him be. He is failing again this year--his dad will not allow him to go to an alternate school to graduate, or even go get his GED. His dad was a drop out and does not want that for his son. I want to shake him and tell him to "WAKE UP!" your son is failing at school--he feels like a failure--let him accomplish something--let him finish with a GED or alternate diploma and let him get on with his life. It's not all about you--sometimes you have to play the cards you are dealt. No a GED isn't the same as a diploma--but at this point he's never going to get it. GET A GRIP.

Kate now has 2 jobs for the summer. Babysitting a few times a week and working evenings in the concession stands for baseball games. Yeah Kate.

Zach is playing travel baseball with a group of kids I mostly love. Parents are fun too so that helps. Games every Saturday and Sunday and some other week days. Although this Spring has been very wet and more than a few games have been rained out.

I have almost all my flowers planted on my porch. Oh how I love this house and it's porch. Almost daily I think about the gratitude I feel about owning this house--my house. My forever house.

We are planning a vacation to Orlando this year. June 18 through the 27. I am so excited I can't wait--I'd leave tomorrow if we could. The best part is planning it all out though. And I'm not talking about what we're are doing or seeing--but what we will pack. I know, I am weird.

Graduation is tomorrow. Two of my sunshine girls are leaving me--graduating and moving on to the college life. I will miss them coming in to the office every day to share bits and pieces of their days. I hope they come back to see me next year.

I've lost 16 pounds in my weight loss journey so far. Happily I fit into all my shorts and shirts from my 2008 cruise--which was a goal before vacation. I want to lose 4 more pounds before we leave so that I have a little leeway on vacation to enjoy food. Once I get back I will sit down and set my next set of goals--for before junior high baseball 8th grade night. I can't believe I will have a junior and an 8th grader next year. WOW!

2011 My One Little Word

I seemed to do a whole lot of nothing over the winter break. Oh, I got stuff done, but none of the organizing--thinking--list making that I like to do when going from an old year to a new one.

So today I did a lot of thinking about what my word should be this year.

Remember last year's word was SIMPLIFY and I loved what I accomplished and thought about this year in regard to that word. It became a state of mind and slowly but surely (and I am no where near finished)I began to go through stuff. Stuff in my mind, stuff in my kitchen and the rest of the house, stuff at work, stuff with family and stuff with friends. I began to think that less is more. Do I really need that? Would having that make me happy? I started thinking more of buying stuff that is...what's the word? traditional? no. lasting the test of time? Yes. Classic. I think that is the word I am trying to come up with. (Watching a lot of the Hoarders: Buried Alive television show helped me too!)

Instead of buying a bunch of Christmas decorations I will tire of in a few years I bought mercury glass candlesticks--I had Christmas candles on them on the mantle and now candleless they are on the side entry wall shelf. It makes me happy to walk by there and see them sparkling like the ocean on a sunny day. My wish is that one day I can fill my whole mantle with them. You know when my kids are married and my grandchildren's stockings and daughter-in-law and son-in-law's stockings are intermingled with ours. I'm trying to look into the future a little and pick things that are time-less.

Anyway, back to 2011. Here's a list of the words I made before I narrowed it down to this year's word:

ENJOY
RELEASE--as in let go--be free (to be me, to have less, get rid of stress, etc)
HAPPY
LESS
CHANGE
BELIEVE--in myself, in others, in GOD, in goodness,
BREATHE
PURPOSE
ENOUGH--as in I am, I have, I love, I've put up with, etc.
ACCEPT--myself, others, life,
BE
FLEXIBLE

So that was my initial list and I keep thinking that I am not quite done with SIMPLIFY--I am still trying to come to terms with letting that go and embracing another word. That word has meant so much to me this year. I printed it out and framed it and put it on my nightstand. Every day I wake to that word and it is the last thing I see when I go to bed at night. It is motivation, a lifestyle that I believe should be my mantra--my life long goal. So knowing that I had to make a choice this year of a new word I chose the word LESS. It is still in the SIMPLIFY realm and so it makes it easier to come to terms with leaving the other word behind.

This is what I wrote to the side of LESS on my list. weight, bills, judgementalness, anger, anxiety, busyness. Those are my mini goals this year. Weigh Less, Have less bills, Judge less, Be slow to anger, Have less anxiety, slow down more--even more than I have this year--make more at home time with my family, friends and myself.

So I am starting the first of my mini goals Wednesday. (Dawn if you are reading this I will be at Weight Watchers with bells on). I wrote my weight loss goals down and I am going to start a weight loss journal and maybe even blog a little about it. I am going to succeed with phase one of my journey by vacation--June 19th.

I also wrote down a bill paying strategy. I need to be free of this credit card debt by the time Kate graduates. I have 2 years to do that. With my current plan we will be credit card free by November of 2012. Kate graduates May of 2013.

God grant me the ability to make these goals happen in my life. To finish what I start, to have patience for myself when I slip and help me if unexpected things arise. Amen.