That is Just About Enough!

When is enough, enough? Because I am pretty sure that I have had just about enough! Since the beginning of February it has felt like one thing after another. Let's recap, shall we?

Our well pump and pressure tank went on the fritz, requiring a lot of expensive plumbing work.

My dad was back in the hospital for another episode of angina.

My husband broke his foot. 

I caught Covid.

Our son also caught Covid.

I had to have a root canal.

The root canal couldn't be completed because the tooth had too much decay, so now I am scheduled for an extraction and implant.

The same tooth had a chunk break off a.week and a half ago.

I had to have follow-up images done after my mammogram showed changes.

I have had a flair up of carpal tunnel, putting me in a wrist brace for a couple of weeks..

My oven went on the fritz two days before Easter. 

Now, fortunately these things are either minor inconveniences, were easily  and/or well resolved, or both. But when things just keep coming at me like this , it still starts to just feel as if I can't catch a break! 

Do you know what I mean? 

There are so many things in life that we just can't control, no matter how much we try to take care and prepare. Sometimes all we can do is a lot of praying and focus on the things we can control. 

My lists of monthly and weekly goals help some.  They give me some sense of order when life is crazy.

Goals for this week:

• Finish and ship open Etsy orders
• Update listings for dish cloths and washcloths
• Take pictures of new dish cloth sets for Etsy shop
• Write 3 blog posts
• Purge and reorganize shoes

What's on your list for this week?

Surprises

Y'all, I don't even know where to start. Last week was full of surprises.  Some were not so great. Some were welcome surprises. And one or two were... neutral, I guess.

The night before my follow-up appointment for my mammogram, the tooth that is awaiting extraction and an implant BROKE! I was eating, and suddenly felt something not right in the food so I spit it out. There was a piece of my tooth! It didn't hurt or anything, but there was a sharp jagged edge that I could constantly feel rubbing the inside of my cheek. Of course this happened after the office was closed for the day so it had to wait.  Next morning, before I left for the mammography office, I called and they worked me into the schedule for that afternoon.

My mammogram follow-up went pretty well. The calcifications have increased. But the changes are small and since the calcifications are tiny, they want to continue monitoring them for now. I go back in Six months to see if there are any further changes.

The appointment at the dentist was quick and painless. Since the tooth wasn't hurting or sensitive, she ground off the sharp edge to get me through until the appointment for the extraction and graft. I have been instructed to avoid chewing on it as much as possible, especially tough, hard, or crunchy foods. 

In other news, our yard is once again a hot bed of wildlife activity.  On at least two mornings we have had a huge wild turkey in our yard.  It is apparently mating season and he is looking to impress the ladies. The first morning he was here, he had two females with him (although they didn't seem to be paying much attention to his efforts woo them). 

I was also surprised to discover a white squirrel has started stealing from my bird feeders. I know we have white squirrels in the area. There's a town about 30 minutes from here that is quite proud of its white squirrel population and even has a White Squirrel Festival. But this us the first and only one we have ever seen around our house! It's been here for three mornings in a row, so I think maybe it's going to stick around.

Have you experienced any interesting surprises recently?

War and Peace

 As I was sitting outside the other day, enjoying the mild weather and fresh air, a military plane flew over our house at a low altitude.  It was loud and I could hear it approaching from quite a distance away.  It struck me how fortunate I am.  I can hear and see this plane fly over my home without fear that it's going to drop a bomb and destroy everything we have. While people in Ukraine are living out that terror every day.

I have been trying to keep up with what is going on in regards to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Man of the House will sometimes turn on one of the 24-hour news channels when he is home and let it play to catch all the stories and latest updates.  But sometimes it all just starts to feel like too much.

All of the images of homes being destroyed by Russian bombs.  The women and children, and the elderly - huddled in shelters or fleeing across the border into Poland to try to escape the brutality.  Families are being torn apart.  I start to feel hopeless.  There's an odd mix of anger and dispair.  And then the "what ifs" start to play in my mind.  That's when have to turn off the television and try to forget about it for a little while. 

Believe me, I know exactly how blessed I am to have that option.  The people actually living through this ordeal don't have that luxury.  I pray every single day for thier safety and for and end to the war.

Monday Musings: Body Image

 How do you feel about your body?  

I admit that I have spent far too much of my life with negative feelings about mine.  An endless litany of "that part is too big", "that part is too small", "that part is too jiggly", "that part could be better".  From my hair to my hips, from my nose to my legs.  I haven't been my body's best friend. 

As we reach a certain age, our bodies begin to change again.  I know I have felt it happening. Things are getting wrinkly.  Some things aren't as firm as they used to be.  I've put on weight, even in some areas where I never carried weight in the past.  It's easy for those old negative feelings to fill our heads. 

I have made a conscious decision to start trying to counter those self-defeating thoughts with more appreciative and affirming ones.  When I catch myself looking at my body with critical eyes, I make a point of thinking about things that I appreciate about it and can be grateful for. 

My body is unique, designed especially to house my spirit and for the purpose I was created to fulfill.

My body grew and nurtured 2 babies for 9 months each.  And continued to feed them after they were born. 

My body is adaptive and is always changing depending on the season, the environment, and the season of life that I am in. 

My body has fought off numerous viruses and bacterial infections over the years.

My body heals itself when wounded.

My body is healthy enough to do most things I want to do.

My body is always at work.  My heart is always beating. My lungs are always breathing. My hair and nails are always growing. Never taking a break. 

My body has held up despite all the things I did to it in my younger years (smoking, not getting enough sleep, etc) 

My eyes have shown me beautiful, incredible, funny, sad, and touching things every day.

My mouth can taste amazing foods for me to enjoy.

My hands can work a crochet hook and yarn to create beautiful and useful things.

What do you appreciate about your body?

History Repeats

I saw a post on Instagram the other day about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  It made a comment about being tired of living through historical circumstances.  Aren't we all? 

But you know what I'm really tired of?  RE-living historical circumstances. 

If there is one thing I've realized over the past couple of years - it's that we as humans have apparently haven't learned a darn thing in the past 100 years.  It became obvious right at the beginning of the Covid pandemic that we didn't learn any lessons from the Influenza pandemic of 100 years ago.  And now, here we are seeing a war that has more than subtle echoes of when Hitler invaded neighboring European countries under the guise of reclaiming lands that had once belonged to Germany.

I guess Winston Churchill was correct when he wrote that "Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

It has been easy to get sucked into the 24-hour news cycle over the past few days as I try to stay informed about the latest developments in Ukraine.  But I have to drag myself away from it from time to time. Otherwise, I start feeling sad, angry, scared, and helpless all at the same time.  Especially when I see the women and children forced to flee their homes or sheltering in subways during the night. 

I guess it's a good thing that I have a long to do list and plenty of goals to help distract me from the rabbit hole of news channels this week. That and a whole lot of prayer.

One Thing After Another

If it wasn't one thing over these last ten days or so, it was another! It was definitely one of those "when it rains, it pours" sort of situations. 

Things started off ok. The husband and I went to the Biltmore Estate for an overnight getaway on the Thursday and Friday before Valentine's day. We ate delicious food, drank an abundance of wine, and visited the Van Gogh alive exhibit. It was lovey.

Then...

Saturday afternoon we made a trip to the county recycling center to drop off our recyclables and some household trash. While lifting a bag into the dumpster, the Man of the House took an awkward, off balance step sideways into a dip/hole and hurt his foot badly enough to send us to urgent care for an exam and xrays. They diagnosed a break, put him in a walking boot and referred him to an orthopedic doctor. He has that appointment today.

The next morning I woke up with a headache, sinus congestion and pain, a sore throat and cough. Something compelled me to take an at home Covid test, even though I thought I was probably just being paranoid. The test said I was not being paranoid. Fortunately I was able to immediately schedule an appointment for a lab test, which confirmed those results by noon on Monday. Needless to say, I was not happy about this development.

The Man of the House and the male offspring scheduled tests for a few days later to be safe. But by Tuesday evening the male offspring was already showing some symptoms and on Wednesday he also tested positive. 

The Man of the House continues to be symptom free and has tested negative with both a home test and a lab test. How? I have no idea! He's got some sort of miracle immunity or something going on.

In my opinion, the worst part of the whole Covid experience was the isolation. I would have loved to ask the Man of the House to rub my back or my feet. But noooo... I had to stay distanced in order to avoid spreading my Covid cooties around. 

I am starting to feel better. The sinus congestion has lessened and that burning pain in my nasal cavities is gone. The headache is still there, but is more manageable. I still have a cough, although it was never terribly bad. And while I have some energy now, I get worn out quickly. 

I didn't get much of anything done last week.  Ok. Nothing. I did nothing except sleep, take nyquil, read a little, sleep, watch some tv, eat, and then sleep some more. There was a lot of sleeping that took place.

Of course this means that I accomplished nothing from my to do list last week. Now I have an extra long list of goals for this week.  But I am trying to keep things in perspective and give myself some grace until I am feeling completely better. 

Let me know how are you feeling this week in the comments!

Other Plans

Last week did not go according to the plans I had made for myself. I started off strong. The plumber came out Monday to give us an estimate on a lot of work that we need to have done and we got that scheduled for this week.  I took care of some cleaning I wanted to get done in the kitchen. Got some orders shipped out. Had lunch with my dad and his wife and ran some errands. 

On Thursday morning, I woke up with a horrendous headache, some sinus congestion, body aches, and chills.  I was definitely sick.  And not at all happy about this development. I had things I planned to knock off my to-do list on the last two days of the week and now I didn't feel like doing any of it.

My top priority now was to find somewhere that I could get scheduled for a Covid test.  Not as simple as it sounds since cases of omicron are sky-high where I live.  Fortunately, I was able to get a drive-thru test at CVS on Friday morning.  I received my results on Saturday which were negative. Thank goodness!  I dodged that bullet (this time) I was also negative for both strains of flu.   

I'm still not feeling super great thanks to this cold or sinus infection, or whatever it is. I'm sad because we were supposed to go over to our daughter's house to celebrate the grandkid's birthday on Sunday.  That didn't seem like a great idea under the circumstances.  I don't need to be taking any germs over to them.  But, I also feel fortunate that it's not Covid and that a few more days of rest and fluids should take care of that. 

I can't help but think of the old expression: "We plan; God laughs".  Sometimes, life gives us a minor illness that forces us to rest when we would rather be checking items off our to-do list.  

Hopefully, I'll be feeling 100% better and ready to tackle my goals for this week.

• File sales tax for Etsy shop
• Complete and ship open orders
• Finish 2 Easter items for the shop
• Write 3 blog posts
• Clean our linen closet

What are your plans for this week?

Monday Musings: Last Week

Some weeks things are just out of your control. All you can do is sit back and ride it out.

Last week started with a snow storm on Sunday.  We were buried under about 10 inches of the white stuff. Plus a thin layer of ice. This pretty much affected the direction my entire week took.

The Man of the House and the male offspring were both home from work on Monday.  This always throws me off and leaves me constantly having to think about and remember what day it actually is for the rest of the week. 

We were supposed to have a plumber come out on Tuesday.  We've been having an issue with the pressure pump in the house. Their van wasn't able to get up our road that day, so we had to be rescheduled for this week. Fortunately, we aren't in a dire situation. We have water. But I have been selective about laundry and running the dishwasher - just in case it decided to shut down entirely. 

The grandkid's school went remote for the week due to snow and ice-covered roads in their area.  I got to watch him while his parents were at work. I'll never complain about any reason for spending more time with him! 

As you can see, the week was a play it by ear, day to day planning kind of a week. I am behind on laundry and a few other chores.  But, I did get caught up on Etsy orders, put out my Valentine's decor, and did some extra reading.  Which was nice.

As long as there are no other unforeseen circumstances, this should be a productive week.  My goals include:

• Schedule a vet appointment for Max
• Clean our the linen closet
• Start some blog posts for next month
• Prep facial round samples for the Etsy shop
• Make at least 3 mini baskets for Etsy shop

Tell me what's on your to-do list this week!

Monday Musings: In A Fog

 As I'm writing this post it's almost 4:30 on Sunday afternoon.  I should say as I'm trying to write this. I am dealing with a serious case of foggy brain and the words are not coming easy.  When they come at all.  

It's been like this for the entire past week.  I have what seems to be just a general inability to concentrate on things.  Just getting a simple task accomplished is taking forever because I can't seem to focus on anything at all. 

On paper, I got a lot accomplished last week.  There were several tasks marked off the ol' to-do list.  But it feels like I didn't get much of anything done.  I realize that probably doesn't really make any sense.  It definitely doesn't. 

Perhaps it's because it was the week after the Christmas break.  The guys went back to work and I was at home by myself trying to get back to my "normal" routines.  After over a week of staying up later than usual and having lazy days watching football games and movies.  

Maybe it's because after indulging over the holidays, I am trying to get back to healthier eating and my brain is struggling to adjust to the lack of processed sugars? I also haven't been treating myself to a little caffeine boost in the afternoons. 

Or, there's always the chance that it is my hormones. (or lack thereof) I feel like almost anything can be blamed on perimenopause.  

Whatever it is, I'm hoping that it's on the way out and I'll be able to stay focused and knock out all of my goals for the coming week.  

What are my goals for the week?  Well, I'm glad you asked!

• Clean and organize bedroom
• Clean out fridge
• Write 3 blog posts
• Prep Sunday posts for this quarter
• Ship 3 Etsy orders

What are your goals for the week? 

Monday Musings: What's Next?

If I'm honest, I feel as if this blog lost its sense of direction and identity somewhere along the way.  It started at a place of transition and change in my life and along the way, it's had a difficult time keeping up and has just been meandering for a while now.

As this year winds down and the new one begins soon, I have a goal to bring the blog up to speed with my life.  I guess you could say that it's time for a blog makeover.  Not so much a "new year, new you", but more like "new year, more you". 

As a result, I will be focusing more on life as a middle-aged woman.  The things that matter to women in our (my) age group.  Health and wellness (keep an eye out for more menopause-related posts!), faith, family (with grown children and grandkids), resources for midlife, etc. 

I'll also be dropping a few polls on my Instagram in the coming weeks to find out what YOU would like to read more of on the blog.  So, stay tuned for that. 

I've got my guys home this week, so I'm relaxing and not setting any big goals for myself.  Those can wait for next week when we're starting 2022.

Monday Musings: The Grinch

One of my favorite Christmas specials/movies is "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".  I don't know about Christmas - but that ol' Grinch certainly did steal my heart. Especially when his own grew three sizes that day!

I think we all have a little grinch in us.  Even if we do manage to bury it way down deep most of the time.  But something about Christmas can really bring it out in us, can't it?  We get overwhelmed, stressed out, exhausted and suddenly we are acting much more like the grinch than one of the citizens of Whoville.   

Maybe you get short-tempered.  Maybe you snap at others.  Or isolate yourself from them.  I'm not proud of it - but I find myself doing all of the above.

Maybe you just get sad at this time of year.  It happens to a lot of people. It can be tough when it seems as if everyone around you is celebrating and having just a holly jolly Christmas time but your life is less than perfect. 

Give yourself - and others - some grace . We can't do it all. It's ok if not every little thing is perfect. Or even if some things don't get done at all. It's more important to be present, to be happy and peaceful, and actually enjoy the season.

I have along list of things to do this week.  I need to wrap gifts and get some things ready for our family celebration on Christmas eve. But  I also get time with my grand son. And I plan to do some baking and crafts with him and watch some Christmas movies together. Even if it means some of the other doesn't get marked off the list.

How will you be spending this week before Christmas?

The Busy Week

 This is my busy week.  The week that could cause some feelings of being overwhelmed and stressed out. If this were a movie or television show - this is where I would cue the holiday over load montage.

I have to complete all my open Etsy orders and ship them by the end of the week so that they (hopefully) arrive before Christmas. And there are more than I would like to have still to fulfill at this point. I need to get my Christmas cars addressed and mailed. And I also need to wrap and ship some gifts for family that lives out if state. Plus all the usual - clean, laundry, cook, shop,care for dogs - stuff that is always on the to do list.

The good news is that it's just this week and then it is over. 

once I get through the busyness of this week, I can relax and enjoy the Christmas holidays. Next week I get to spend time with my grand son. I get to wrap presents, watch Christmas movies, and maybe even do some baking.

I just have to get through this one busy week.

Monday Musing: The Holiday To-Do List

 I have reached a point in the holidays where one minute I feel as if I am ahead of the to-do list and doing well, but the very next minute I feel overwhelmed by all that still needs to be done.  It's a strange place to be.

In all honestly - I really am on top of things.  Most of the shopping is done.  The decor is all up and looks beautiful.  

I think the issue is that most of the things that I still need to do are the things that feel more like "work".  The wrapping of presents, addressing the Christmas cards, shipping packages, and fulfilling orders for my Etsy shop.  I am looking for ways that I can relax and try to enjoy those tasks.  Maybe brew up a cup of peppermint mocha coffee, put on a Christmas movie or some music, and get things done.  

I'm trying to mark a few things on the list one day, one week at a time so it doesn't pile up on me and leave me rushing to get it all done at once. 

On this week's To-Do list:

• Start addressing Christmas cards
• Finish Christmas shopping
• Complete and ship at least 3 Etsy orders
• Create Sunday graphics for the 1st quarter of 2022
• Blog for 1 hour on 3 days of the week
• Drink at least 64 oz of water per day

How are you doing with your Christmas and holiday preparations?  

Monday Musings: Thanksgiving

 It's Thanksgiving week! Who else is excited?

As you probably know, gratitude is a big thing for me. I keep a daily gratitude journal.  Every Thursday I share some of the items for the past week in my Thankful Thursday posts. 

I've said it before and I will say it again: No matter how bad things seem, there is always something in your life to be thankful for. Even if it's as simple as that the sun came up for another day or that you're still breathing. Sometimes it's just a matter of changing our perspective or attitude towards our circumstances  (Read That Thing You're Complaining About for more on this)

The day we call Thanksgiving comes only once a year. But the act of thanksgiving, the practice of gratitude should be an everyday occurrence. Let's make this week the beginning of a new habit of thankfulness. Let's help each other do just that! Join me in my Instagram stories this week, and let's share something we are thankful for each day.

Making A List and Checking It Twice

I made a pretty big mistake last week.  I got busy last weekend and didn't prioritize making a list of goals and tasks to do for the week.  And, as a result, I was pretty much all over the place every single day. I couldn't seem to focus or stay on task with anything I tried to accomplish.  

Fortunately, I still managed to get several things, such as completing an order, cleaning and reorganizing the pantry, and cleaning out both freezers. But other things never happened, like writing blog posts or rearranging the dining room.  

I found out the hard way that I really need that visual list of things I want to complete to keep myself on track and accountable.  Without it, I drift through the days without much sense of direction or urgency.  Lesson learned. 

Not only does keeping a weekly (and daily) list of goals and tasks help me to stay focused and organized, but it gives me a nice sense of accomplishment as I check items off the list. Without it, I often find that I feel like I didn't get much done - even though I really did. 

And since we're talking about my list for the week.  Here it is:

• Create and run "Before Black Friday' sale in Etsy shop
• Complete and mail 3 orders
• Rearrange dining room
• Catch up on laundry
• Focus on writing new blog posts

I'll be more intentional about making my lists of goals and tasks from now. Do you keep a regular to-do list?

Monday Musings: Friends

When I was a young girl in Girl Scouts, we used to sing a little song about friends. That song popped into my brain a couple of weeks ago, as I was driving home from spending some time with my life-long friend. 

"Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, but the other's gold."

Are new friends a good thing? Absolutely! It's amazing when you're able to find someone you can really connect with.  It's exciting to get to know each other as you build that trust and camaraderie over time. 

But nothing compares to "old" friends.  The friend that you share decades of history and memories with.  They are more than just a friend, you consider her family just as much like the one you were born into. 

It's the long-time friend that makes you feel safe. She's the one you are always comfortable being silly around. The one you can trust with your feelings. 

I am blessed to have a friend like that. 

We've known each other our entire lives.  She was born just a few weeks after I was.  We never attended school together.  But we went to the same church and would get together to play when I would visit with my grandparents. She knew me in the awkward middle school years.  Through the braces and bad haircuts.   In the years when there was no email and we lived states apart and would write actual snail-mail letters and cards to each other to stay in touch.  

Even though we still live in different states and haven't seen each other in a few years (thanks Covid), it always feels like no time at all has passed as soon as we're able to get back together. I look forward to hearing all the details of her life that I have missed out on over the months or years.  And quickly we are swapping stories and discussing everything from the mundane to the philosophical. 

Those "old" friends truly are one of life's great treasures. 

Monday Musings: Ants

Last week, I came across a quote by Henry David Thoreau that had me thinking about ants.  

"It's not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?" - Henry David Thoreau 

Obviously, humans and ants are very different creatures.  But perhaps there are some lessons we could take from the tiny insects.  Especially when it comes to work and reaching the goals we set for ourselves. 

Every ant has a specific job to do that contributes to the good of the colony.  Some gather food, some build the homes (nests?).  Some care for the queen. Some care for the young.  And by doing their specific work, they are all taking care of each other. 

I seriously doubt that you would find any ant stuck in a cycle of comparison.  I can't imagine an ant wondering why someone else gets to gather food, while they are stuck defending the nest.  Or feeling envy because another ant brought home a bigger picnic crumb than they did.  Ants don't worry about how anyone else is doing.  They are too busy taking care of the task assigned to them. 

Ants are always focused on the work. They stay on task. If you see a line of ants marching along and you place something in their path - they don't give up, turn around, and go home. Sure, there might be some temporary confusion.  But eventually, they will go over the obstacle, or around it and get back to where they are going. 

So, maybe that's the lesson. Keep your eyes on your own work.  Don't compare what you are doing to others.  And when you face a challenge, find a way over it or around it and keep on going. 

"Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.  Learn from their ways and become wise!" Proverbs 6:6 NLT

Monday Musings: Stuff Happens

Stuff happens. Every single day things are happening.  Every month.  Every week.  Every minute.

Some of it is good.  Some of it is not so good.  And some of it is just... stuff that happens.  

Some of those things we can prepare for.  They're expected. Some of them are even inevitable.  

But some of it takes us by surprise.  Whether it sneaks up on us, or comes swooping in and knocks us off our feet, taking our breath away.  There are always going to be things we can't plan for.  Things we never see coming until... there they are. 

My mother didn't expect to hear that she had two large tumors when she went in for a routine exam.  But there they were.  She didn't expect to be having surgery less than 3 weeks later.  But she did.  I didn't anticipate her living circumstances having to change without warning and her staying with us during her recovery period.  But here we are.

Stuff happens

All these recent events have had me thinking a lot about how and why things happen.  Especially things you couldn't plan for or didn't anticipate.  Even things you certainly wouldn't want to happen, like my mom's surgery.

I'm seeing a lot of evidence that sometimes that unexpected or unwanted event can turn out to be exactly what you needed. Or it can lead to something better than you would have thought in the beginning. 

There's a Bible verse that speaks to this: "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:28 NLT)

Y'all... I am here to tell you that I believe it!!  I've seen it at work recently.  

That thing that you don't want to go through, that tough time, that unexpected news. When things aren't going according to plan. I know it seems gloomy at the moment.  But hang on... cause the outcome might be exactly what you never even knew that you needed. 

Monday Musings: Unexpected

"Expect the unexpected"  You've probably heard this saying hundreds - maybe even thousands - of times in your life. This past week has had me thinking about the unexpected. 

Several communities in our area suffered from some devastating flash flooding this past week caused by Tropical Storm Fred.  Now, what you have to keep in mind is that I live in the mountains of western North Carolina.  Not exactly a place where you expect to see the destruction caused by a tropical storm.  We've had the remnants of hurricanes and tropical storms sweep through the area before, but the flooding that took place this time around was unprecedented.  (Does anyone else feel like the past 2 years are starting to make us a bit numb to that word - "unprecedented"?)  Floodwaters for one town were even higher than several years ago when we had back-to-back storms come through. 

Also unexpected -  medical news for a family member, which is going to lead to surgery sooner rather than later.  I'm not at liberty to discuss details right now.  Hopefully, we'll know more soon. But in the meantime - any prayers for a speedy resolution and recovery would be most welcome.

Can we ever really be prepared for the unexpected?  Probably not.  But we can try to prepare for how we react when unexpected things come about.  Some we can do something about, some we can't.  Either way, we have to be prepared to make adjustments and continue moving forward with the circumstances where we find ourselves.

All things considered, I did pretty well with my goals for last week. Between the rain and losing power for an entire afternoon due to the storm, I didn't create new listings for my Etsy shop. And I wasn't as consistent with tracking my food as I wanted to be (I can only blame that one on myself).  But otherwise, it was a good week.

My goals for this week:

• Create Sunday posts for the 4th quarter
• Write at least 3 new blog posts
• Set goals for September
• Create at least 5 new listings for the Etsy shop
• Drink at least 64 oz of water per day
• Track food in the iTrackbites app

What are your plans or goals for the week?

Monday Musings: Disney

 Last week was our big family vacation.  A full week at the Walk Disney World resorts. Five days, four parks.  We played hard, ate too much, and walked miles and miles every single day.  It was fun.  It was exhausting.  I may try to share more details by writing a recap for later this week. But you can definitely catch the highlights all week long on my Instagram.  (In fact - I hope people don't start getting sick of all my Disney-related posts!)

I will say that if you have any Star Wars fans in your family - Galaxy's Edge is a must-see!  One of the highlights of our trip for me was to see our grown daughter's face light up like a little kid when she walked into that area of the park and especially when she saw the Millenium Falcon.  Which the entire family had a grand time "piloting" on Smugglers Run.

All the females in our group wore appropriately-themed outfits for each of the parks.  Animal prints for Animal Kingdom, Star Wars for Hollywood Studios, Disney characters for Magic Kingdom, and "World Traveler" t-shirts for Epcot (created for us by my youngest sister).  Were we just too cute?  You better believe it!  

Since I was in vacation mode, I had no goals set for last week except to relax and have fun.  Mission accomplished.  Rest and relaxation are exactly what we need from time to time.  

Now vacation is over and it's time to refocus and get back to my routines.  

Goals for This Week:

• Create Thankful Thursday drafts for next quarter
• Begin selecting Sunday Inspiration quotes for the rest of the year
• Ship open Etsy orders
• Create 5 new listings for the Etsy shop
• Track all food 
• Drink at least 64 oz of water each day

What are your plans and goals for the week?