Weekend Warrior

Do you ever look at your weekend and go..."ACK...I'll never get all that done in 2 days!!!"??? Well that's my weekend, this weekend.  Tonight I have dinner with a close family friend for her belated birthday, tomorrow we are scrapbooking from 9 to 5, and I think I have tomorrow night off.  Sunday is church from 9am to 12ish, praise team meeting/practice at 2:30 and Boundaries book club at 6:30.  Somewhere in there, I have to do laundry, wash dishes, cook for Saturday's meal and dessert, get ready for the new baby that comes on Monday, go to the grocery store and prepare my Women's circle meeting lesson that I have to teach on Monday!  Yikes...how do I get myself into these messes???

Not every weekend is like this, but at least once a month they seem to be.  And I'll be glad when this one is in the books!  I've done failry well with blog posts and taking pictures for my Project 365...I'll upload some new ones after I publish this post.

As for the other "goals" for 2011 in this post yeah, not so much!  Oh well...I did okay on #5, having made some new friends on blog frog!

I'll do better next week, maybe :)

Have a great weekend everyone,
S

Changes, Redirection and Readjustments

I am a creature of habit.  Seriously.  I really kinda hate change.  I like the concept of it, but the actuality of relearning or readjusting something I am used to, especially if I like it, just aggravates me.  My job, which I love usually, is making me kinda nuts these days.  Not the kids, they are cute as ever, the boys are taking over and I'm just trying to keep them from tearing the house down.  In the past year and a half I have had more changes in families than in all of my 14 years of home child care and it is just not fun!  Beginning in the winter of 2009, some of my long time families have gone in different directions for many varying reasons, causing me to be more fluid and ready to redirect in terms of those I am caring for.  And I don't do that well.  I understand that layoffs happen, jobs get transferred and family needs shift.  I just feel like I'm in a whirlwind and can't figure out which way is up and when in the world it's going to stop. 

Right now, I have one family who has been been gone for over a year and still owes me money,  one family with the mom on temporary layoff, one family who's first day is next Monday, one family who's last day is next Tuesday and four days over a two day rotation that I need to fill with a part time family that I haven't found yet.  Head spinning yet? Yeah, mine too.  I have some figurin' to do as my grandmother would say. 

2011 is a year I am determined to get on a positive path for my life professionally and personally as well.  Setbacks like I've had recently make me wonder if God is trying to gently nudge me in a different direction and I'm just missing the memo!  My personal life has been a little weird for a while...dating at 37, well, it's just not fun, at least not for me.  I miss the good ol' days when my whole life was ahead of me and if I spent six months (or two years) with someone who ended up being a goober, then no big deal...I feel like the clock is ticking...and I really just want to have someone to spend my life with.  I have come to grips with many things in my life that may not turn out like I want them to, but being alone is certainly not one of them.

So, change is happening, whether I want it to or not.  So I've got to adjust and get ready for the newest chapter in my life.  I am praying that I can make a difference in the world around me this year, so if that means being a little flexible, then I'll just have to work on that.

Happy Tuesday All,
S

Monday Moments Take One

So the first Monday of the year...expectations are high, resolutions still intact (for the most part, anyway)...and positive outlook in place.

I am creating a series of posts called "Monday Moments" in which I jot down random happenings, funny quotes from my life and just whatever happens to strike me as something I'd like to share.  So here goes...in no particular order...Monday Moments!

• My scale reading was unkind to me this morning...I wasn't suprised, but it still hurt nonetheless
• Christmas tree is down, front porth and wreaths, sit around items are on task for later today; Tanner tells me as I take the branches off the tree.  "You're doing a good job Nannie! All by yourself" Thanks Tanner :)
• I am currently listening to naptime music play, hearing Tanner coughing, and enjoying my last couple of minutes of naptime before I have to get the kids up
• I've eaten 3 lindor truffles today so far...yep, me who is supposedly trying to be healthier...ugh!
• I've also eaten a Reese's tree, but surely I wouldn't admit that after the previous bullet, I mean WHO does that?
• I've begun using Google Calendar, only to find out how busy I am and no wonder why I am so tired lazy when I'm home (the purpose of organization was to free up time, but I'm overwhelmed just looking at the calendar)

I think that's all for now, but I reserve the right to edit later.  In the weeks to come, I'll be working on this post all week and will schedule it for Monday morning.

Love and blessings to you all,
Stephanie

New Year, New Perspective

I am not a huge fan of new year's resolutions, mainly because they seem to be made to be broken.  Of course, it may just be my lack of commitment busy schedule that keeps me from doing what I resolve to do.  Either way, I just can't seem to get it together when it comes to resolutions.  That doesn't mean that I don't have things I want to do differently in 2011, because I certainly do! So to humor myself, and maybe even those reading this, here's the list I've come up with so far...you know...in a perfect world.

1. Lose weight.  Duh.  No shocker there
2. Work harder to get (and keep) a cleaner, less cluttered house
3. Be more organized, mainly with paperwork, work records, things like that
4. Exercise on a regular schedule.  Hmm, that might help with number one, ya think?
5. Blog regularly, making an effort to reach out and make new friends in the blogging world
6. Realize that some things, no matter how much I want them to happen, just won't...disappointment is not serving a purpose in my life, other than making me comfort eat junk and feel like crap!
7. Project 365 is on my to do list...not sure if it's a resolution or not, but there ya go
8. Realize that only I can do the things in my life that have to be done.  With God's help, all things are possible.
9. Clean up my finances, organize bills better, work towards debt reduction
10. Not turn to food, when 1-9 don't happen, I mean really!

New Year's at the Campground

I am blessed to be bringing in the new year at the campground and so far, we've had a blast!  Good food, good friends and great weather.  My official New Year's post will be shared later, I'm still fine tuning it :)

Every single time I leave the camper, my two four legged children have a meltdown...can you see the panic in their eyes?  Oh no, mom might be leaving us!!!!

Fire going, snacks cooking, adult beverages all around...and a Nesquick for Klay (ha!)

Charades and other games around the fire, waiting for the new year to ring in.

Snowy Harrisburg

I am SO loving my new camera...I took some shots around town on Sunday when the roads were clear and I felt like I could get out and not fear ending up in a ditch :)  The snow was absolutely beautiful!

Across the pasture on Stallings Road

Overlooking the river at the bridge on Stallings Road

Pond below Harrisburg Elementary School

Old Post Office/Sim's store at railroad



The snowy view from here

Snow has definitely arrived around here!  I had to get out and walk it at 6am this morning to go and take care of a neighbor's cats, one of whom must have insulin twice a day...fun stuff...it was seriously cold!

The view up the street

Playground...might be a little chilly today :)

Haven't put my poolside furniture up yet...

Snow on the fence

Backyard

Maddie running like a crazy dog everywhere!  For an animal who HATES the rain...she LOVES the snow!

Max has a face full of fluffy snow

Max and Maddie's snowpaw fight...they LOVE the snow!