A Whole New Week

Last week was a good week for goals.  I was like a marking-things-off-the-to-do-list machine!

Did I track all my weight watchers points and not use any of my weekly points?  Yes, I did!

Did I complete a wholesale order?  Check!

Did I meditate every day?  Every day except for one.

This week?  Well, I couldn't even manage to get this post published yesterday.  If that tells you anything.  But, it's only the beginning of the week and I've still got plenty of time to rock my goals this week also.

What are those goals, you ask?  Well...

• Complete and mail 2 orders
•  Create September graphics for the blog
•  File sales tax for Etsy shop

Did you meet your goals last week?  What's on your To Do list this week?  

Sunday Inspiration: Priority

Joyful Gratitude: July 25

I Am Thankful For:

A hummingbird hovering right in front of the window as if looking in at me
A new heating pad
Amazon Prime Day deals
Popcorn
Watching movies with the grand kid
Rainy afternoon naps
Fiber One brownies
Birthdays
Ice cream
Lazy Saturdays
My business picking back up
Reading bedtime stories to the grand kid
Loud little birds
Baskets of clean laundry
Homemade General Tso's chicken

Not Today

Some weeks you slay your entire list of goals and rejoice at how much you accomplished.  Last week was not one of those weeks.

It started when I woke up Monday morning to find that somehow, completely without being aware of it, I had managed to do something horrible to my lower back.  Or it at least felt like I had done something horrible.  Although, of course I had no clue how or why this had happened.  There was just quite a bit of pain going on down there with every movement I made. This led to several days of doing not much except sitting on a heating pad between doses of ibuprofen and acetaminophen.

Needless to say, I didn't get much marked off on my list of goals for the week.  In fact, the only one which I can say was completed was getting photos of the new items for the shop.

Well, life happens.  What's past is past.  This is a new week, and my back is feeling better.  So, let's put that behind us and move forward.  Shall we?

My goals for this week are:

•  Stay within my daily WW points and not use any weekly points
•  Complete and mail at least one wholesale order
•  Meditate every day

What are your goals for the week?

Sunday Inspiration: What You Do

Joyful Gratitude: July 18

I Am Thankful For:

My beautiful, kind, smart daughter
Pounds gone
Summer cherry season
Goldfinches
Weight Watchers spicy taco recipe
The Grand Kid's excitement over seeing a hummingbird
The tiniest little chickadee I've ever seen
Comforting a sick little boy
Resisting junk food
Small changes
Wisdom
Being loved
Morning song
The Grand Kid singing to himself
Healthy weekend brunch
PJ's all day

When Even Your Coffee Needs Some Coffee

Ever have one of those mornings when you feel as if there's not enough coffee in the world?  Yep, it was one of those mornings.  I had to wake up extra early because the grand kid was coming over.  I was still groggy as I headed to the coffee station for my first cup of the day.

Here's a big tip - when making coffee, it is crucial that you place a mug on the Keurig before pressing the brew button.  Um... yeah.  Apparently, I was so sleepy that I completely skipped that step.  And the little platform thing that you set the coffee on is not large enough to hold the contents of an entire cup of coffee.  Which means I soon had coffee spreading all over the top of the station.  That will wake a girl up rather quickly!!

It's a good thing that my entire week wasn't like that; or I might not have gotten anything accomplished.  As it turned out, I did pretty well with most of my goals last week.  Let's recap:

1)  Clean/Organize 15 minutes per day in office - I didn't get in the office every day last week, but I did do some cleaning and organizing on several days.  I need to figure out the best way to get my cotton yarns organized so I can move on to organizing my shipping station.

2)  Clean out fridge and get rid of all unhealthy sauces, dressings, etc - Done!  There are still a couple of questionable items in there, but we use them for specific things and not very often.  And if the Male Offspring has to eat sandwiches without mayo - he might stage a revolt.  (not really, but...)

3)  Drink 80 ounces of water each day -  Accomplished this every day except Friday.

Not too bad.  And this is a brand new week, with brand new goals. 

• Take photos of new items to list in my Etsy shop
• Clean/organize in office 15 minutes per day 
•  Meet (or exceed) step goal for each day

I am already off to a slow start this week.  I did something to my back and that has had me not really feeling like doing much of anything other than sitting on the couch with the heating pad. 

What are your goals for the week?  Share them in the comments!

Sunday Inspiration: Fear and Faith

Friday Favorites: Vacation Mode

One of my very favorite things is a vacation.  How could it not?  Let's be honest - have you ever heard anyone say "I don't really care for going on vacation."?  Probably not.

I enjoy traveling so much.  Whether it's somewhere close such as Gatlinburg, a trip to the beach, or somewhere farther away, like New York... or Tokyo.  And I am all about doing the touristy stuff where ever I go.  The cheesier, the better!

Last year, we took the grand kid and went to Disney World with my sister and her family.  As much as I love Disney, the best part of that trip was taking the grand kid and getting to see him enjoy it for the first time. It was so much fun.  It was also go, go, go for a full week.  From the minute the parks opened in the morning until they closed at night.  In the central Florida heat and rain.  If you've ever been - you know exactly what I'm talking about!

This year, I spent a week on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina with just the Man of the House and the Male Offspring.  It was more of a relaxing type vacation.  Waking up to watch the sunrise over the ocean, lazy days on the beach, eating yummy food at local restaurants and visiting local sites.

We ate far too much at Hudson's Seafood House on the Docks, Skull Creek Boathouse and Bullie's BBQ.  I enjoyed driving down to Harbour Town to explore the village and climb the Harbour Town Lighthouse.  Yes, me - the lady who is terribly afraid of heights. I really did it!  All 114 steps of it!  The views from the top are beautiful. Well worth climbing all those stairs.

We also took a day trip down to Savannah.  There was a LOT of walking involved.  And of course it was H-O-T.  But it was still very nice.  I enjoyed walking and window shopping along River Street.  They were filming scenes for the new season of Ozark (which I've never seen) at the Joe's Crab Shack, but all we saw was a lot of crew and equipment.  We had lunch at Moon River Brewing Company.  Good food, a good beer, but no ghost sightings.  (The place is supposedly haunted)

Sadly, the Man of the House lost his phone on the beach the night before we left.  And within 48 hours of arriving home - mine completely died!  This means that the only pictures we have are the few of mine that were saved to OneDrive.

We've only been home a couple of weeks, but the Man of the House and I are already talking about some trips we're planning for this fall and winter!

What's your favorite vacation destination?  Share in the comments.

Joyful Gratitude: July 11

I Am Thankful For:

Being back home
Getting back into my routines
Meditating with the Man of the House
Having points left at the end of the day
A big cup of water first thing in the morning
Hugs from the grand kid
Yummy new WW recipes
A new phone
Spending the day with the Female Offspring
Sleeping in
Pulled pork smoked by the Man of the House
My guys going fishing together
Hanging out with the Man of the House at Bold Rock
A new season of Stranger Things
Picking up supplies at Lowe's
Leftover pulled pork
Tiny birds

The Best Laid Plans

The best laid plans, my friends. That seems like a good way to describe this past week.  I had goals.  I had good intentions.  But then, life happened.

Sometimes, things come up which are out of our control and we have to put our previous plans on the back burner.

This past week I had intentions to take pictures of new items to list in my Etsy shop and to make some progress on getting the office organized.  But...  my phone completely died on me.  Which meant a) no pictures, since I use my phone for this purpose, and b) a trip to Greenville, SC to see if a repair was possible before replacing it.  

On another day, my daughter asked if I wanted to go out shopping with her and the grand kid, and since I don't get to spend anywhere near as much time with her as I would like - there was no way I was saying no to that!  Somethings are just more important than others.

I also learned that my goal of drinking 100 ounces of water a day was a lot more difficult for me to obtain than I had previously thought.  I tried.  But the closest I got was 96 ounces one day.  And I paid for it with repeatedly waking up during the night to make trips to the bathroom.  So...  lesson learned.

I did track all my food with my Weight Watchers app.  And I am pleased with my progress so far.

What goals do I have planned for this week?  I'm glad you asked!

1.  Clean/Organize 15 minutes per day in office
2.  Clean out fridge and get rid of all unhealthy sauces, dressings, etc
3.  Drink 80 ounces of water each day

What are your goals for the week?  Share in the comments!

Sunday Inspiration: The Distance Between

Joyful Gratitude: July 4

I Am Thankful For:

Living in America

Safe travels

Yummy cheeseburgers

The Male Offspring laughing so hard he can't talk

Sipping coffee while watching the waves

Relaxing in the sun

Fresh seafood

Sunrise over the ocean

Walks along the beach

Watching a flock of pelicans fly by

Cinnamon roll and tea

Old cemeteries

Pretty squares

Strolling the waterfront

Surf fishing

Sunsets

Lighthouses

Bug repellent

Getting Back On Track

Can I be completely honest with y'all for a minute?  When it comes to achieving my goals - the past couple of weeks have completely kicked my behind!

I just feel like things were getting away from me.  The Man of the House had to go out of time a few times.  We went on vacation last week.  And I just generally lost my motivation somewhere along the way.

It happens. But how can we stay get back on track to reach those goals?  How do we start over - even when things seem to keep getting in the way when we just aren't feeling it?

•  Focus on the Results.  Visualize how you'll feel when you finally accomplish your goal.  Really picture it!  Every teeny, tiny little detail.  How is it going to look and feel?  Use this to inspire you to keep going.
• Ask For Help.  Find someone who can cheer you on, give you the kick in the pants that you need, and will check on your to make sure you keep moving in the right direction. 
• Break It Down into Smaller Goals.  If you're feeling overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the task ahead - break it down into smaller goals or tasks that feel more manageable.
•  Celebrate Successes.  No matter how big or small it is.  Enjoying that moment of completing a task or reaching a goal.  Feed that reward center of your brain!
• Start Where You Are.  OK... so, you've struggled.  Maybe, like me, you even gave up for a time.  That's in the past.  There's nothing you can do to change it, so stop beating yourself up over it!  Refocus on why you started in the first place and begin again!

So, who's with me?  Ready to get back into the swing of things and show those goals who is in charge?  Let's do it!

My goals for the week are:

1.  Take pictures of new items to list in my Etsy shop.
2.   Drink 100 ounces of water per day
3.   15 minutes of cleaning/organizing in my office each day
4.   Track all my food points with the Weight Watchers app

We've got this!! Feel free to ask me at any point during the week how I am doing with my goals.  What are your goals for the week?  Share in the comments!

Currently... July 2019

Is anyone else finding themselves singing that old song from 1987 by Buster Poindexter?  🎶 "Feelin' hot, hot, hot" 🎶

Well, that's me!  I know some people love the summer heat, but this gal does not deal well once the temps get over 80 degrees.  As July rolls in, looking to be at least as hot as June was - you'll find me doing a lot of hiding inside with a glass of water and the a/c running!

Reading:  I just finished The Radium Girls by Kate Moore, and it was fabulous!  The true story of the girls (most in their late teens, some as young as 14), who worked painting luminous dials in the early part of the 1900's with radium based paint - and suffered the horrific side effects.  After that, though, I needed something a little lighter - so I am reading American Duchess by Karen Harper.  It is a fictional novel based on the life of Consuelo Vanderbilt.  Also coming up on my "to read" this for this month are The Five by Hallie Rubenhold and The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty. 

Celebrating:  July is a month for celebrating!  We have the 4th of July later this week.  Later this month, my niece and the Female Offspring have birthdays only 6 days apart.  

Working On:  Getting my office straightened up.  I've been doing a little bit of work almost every day to get it cleaned and reorganized.  I've made so much progress, but there's still a lot of work to be done!  

Enjoying:  Spending time with the grand kid.  It's so nice in the summer when I get to have him over a few days a week while his parents work.  I adore that little boy, and he has me completely wrapped around his finger. 

Wanting:  Y'all, I never in a million years thought I would say this - but I think I want to join Weight Watchers.  I am really struggling to lose my extra weight on my own. I've sort of followed the plan on my own with some success in the past. And I that joining the online program might be the support and structure I am wanting to help me meet this goal.  

Needing:  A little motivation in general  The summer time and all this heat have me just wanting to be a big lazy blob!

Making:  The grand kid told me he wants to learn to cook.  We went to the library to check out several kid's cook books.  He sat down with them to make a list of recipes he wants to cook.  From that list, we are making one thing together each week. 

Feeling:  We arrived home Saturday evening from a week away at Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.  So, right now I am feeling a little post vacation hangover/blues.  It was a lovely vacation.  And as happy as I am to be home, I already miss being ocean side.  Not to mention having all that laundry that now has to be done.

Anticipating:  Having my guys home for a long four day weekend this week.  Doing some more cooking with the grand kid.  

What are you up to as we start the month of July?