Random thoughts...

Every time I hear the National Anthem at a ball game I always sing every word of that song in my head to myself. I put my hand over my heart and really think about how good we have it here in the USA. Every single time.

I wonder whatever happened to expectations, standards and morals. Meaning what ever happened to parents who taught their kids the above things. Someone was talking the other day about rewarding their kids when they got a good report card. Growing up my parents expected As--didn't always get them--in fact I was a B kind of girl...but I knew they expected good grades. And as a parent myself I never give my kids more than a "good job--keep up the good work". If we pay/reward them for good work--they will come to expect that in my opinion. I see students every day who have no concept of working hard for something for the sake of pride. Most of them have no pride/ feeling of self worth whatsoever because they are doing stuff to be rewarded by their parents not because they want to do well for themselves. The more we give the more they want. And I'm not saying that my kids aren't spoiled--because frankly they are, but they don't get money for their report cards, they get allowance for helping with family chores which they use to buy stuff for themselves and they don't get everything they want everytime they ask us for something.

ADM is getting rid of 1000 employees. In the corporate area...that means Doug may be affected. OMG--I finally have my dream house and my dream job---what if we have to move? THen we move--no questions asked--because family comes first and we go where he goes. I can't believe how after 21 years how completely in love I still am with this man. I would follow him anywhere because he is my better half. I've been with him over half my life now--and can't wait for the rest of it with him.

My daughter is so normal and level headed at 16. Wish I was like that back when I was her age. My God, she is going to be the most unbelievable mother and wife and friend.

My son is so freaking funny and trying both at the same time. He pushes me to the limit every day and I see so much of my bull headed self in him. It will be a miracle if we don't end up at each other's throat before he leaves for college. I can't wait to see where he will end up in life. I don't see how he can be so organized with certain things and such a mess in others.

It's hard to believe that this year I will be 42. Holy crap--time is flying fast and most days I just want it to slow down so I can savor it all.

One little word...

I thought and thought and thought on this one. Here was my initial brainstorm:

• honesty


• discipline


• light


• less


• chill


• thoughtful


• change


• freedom


• simple


• relax


• reflection


• order


• reduce *


• transform *


• consider *


• confident


• genuine


• prepare **


• mindful **


• aware


• sincere


• true


• intentional **


• reduce


• control

The one * words are words I initially pondered. Then I looked up other words similar to them in the thesaurus and found the ones that have two *. Those were the ones that were in my final brainstorm and those were the ones I was going to have to decide between. I went to Ali Edwards' blog to see what other people had chosen and the word ENOUGH jumped right out at me. I figured it spoke so loudly to me because it goes so well with the other words I have chosen in the past: 2010 was SIMPLIFY and 2011 was LESS. Enough is perfect for me.

This is what I wrote to my girlfriend when I emailed her about my choice this year.

ok…my one little word for this year is ENOUGH.

Enough spending mindlessly.

Enough eating indiscriminately.

Enough stuff.

Enough putting things off.

Enough putting up with crap.

Enough with the lazy ass person I call myself.

Enough saying that I want to know Him more.

Enough is enough---it’s time for action.

Another new year..

Resolutions:

• Lose 15# again this year by going to Weight Watchers weekly.


• Only shop for myself with my own spending money--not out of family budget


• Only buy 1 purse this year


• Get caught up on Kate's school album--you know she graduates next year right?


• Move more--@ least 15 minutes 5 times a week


• Be closer to God--I bought the one year Bible and I'm going to read before bed.


• Develop all my pictures from the last 2-3 years.

Simplified:

• Think things through


• Plan ahead


• Choose wisely


• Spend smartly


• Want Less


• Move more

Still to do in January:

1. Put away Christmas


2. Organize Paper closet


3. Clean out junk drawer


4. Figure out one little word


5. Find ways to organize bills, pay off debt, and manage paper clutter that lands on table.


6. organize freezers and clean out fridge


7. Linen closet organized

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.