Best Laid Plans

Missing:  One adorable, well behaved baby girl...

First off, still no computer-  Don't ask.  And I Do post from my eye phone, but it really isn't Ideal.  It feels impossible.  Also summer is just busy, right?  And we have recently lost our sweet little lady (mm, lets call her, Terrible Two, shall we?) and found a new "adventure"... Crayola doesn't wipe off walls as good as you'd like to think.. let me just tell you... Thank you Norwex, you saved the day.

So anyway, I already devoted too much time to that.  Looking back over my older posts, I had big plans for "little" renos, but they are just getting no where for now.  Bits here and there but nothing worth showing you guys.  And i do believe I added to that list.  Thank you terrible two, we will replace that carpet as soon as we possible can.  Sigh...:)

ANYWHO,  The last couple of weeks, I have been trying to get my self back on track, therefore, getting my little family on track with me.  After receiving so much bad news, and sorting out a few set backs, it seemed I was coming to a crashing halt.  Tiredness reached a new high.  Stress levels where just disgusting and well, my red head temper flared.  So after much talk with a good friend and then also Geoff, they both had the same idea:  What  I needed in my life was a schedule.  A normal, Basic schedule.  Now at first hearing this, I immediately hated the idea.  1)  I thought I had somewhat of a schedule.  ie- Laundry at the beginning of the week, groceries at the beginning of the week, maybe more laundry... more groceries, maybe a coffee visit...oh.. wait... And 2)  the idea of a actually real grown up schedule made be feel claustrophobic.  Even, maybe, more depressed?!

But advice is best when you have a little time to think about it.  And I did.  With the help of Geoff.  He put it like this... Lots of the time, what gets me through a day is the thought of something good ahead of me.  Like, a vacation, a movie date, and the like.  So I schedule for a person like me, would be just like that in a sense.  Knowing what comes next.  Know something comes after the this.  Knowing that things wont just stop .  Leaving me less time to think and work myself up.  Why hadn't I thought of that...  Why was my friend so smart, Why didn't Geoff think of this sooner?  Hah, just kidding.  But where on earth would I be without them? 

So That was just over a week ago, and let me tell you, its helping.  Have I been cured of all moodiness?  No... But I think there is a difference and that's all I was really hoping for..  So far, what have I done?  My biggest thing?  A meal plan for the week.  Huge geek?  Why yes I am, thank you for noticing.  But seriously.  On Sunday nights, I make up a seven day meal plan and  a Grocery list.  On Monday, (besides cleaning and such)  I go out and get the groceries.  When supper time rolls around, I know exactly what I'm doing and truthfully?  I look forward to it a bit. (not to mention I have found a few great recipes) Another perk.. Grace Geoff and I always get leftovers for lunch.  Another thing I don't have to think about.

It seems probably pretty small thing, but I bet if you tried it, you like it.  You'd definitely see the difference.  But I guess it gets me through a day.  Maybe something different works for you.  But being willing to try is HUGE.  The hardest part, motivating yourself when your already tired.  but once that ball is rolling...

I guess my best advice for you, today, is if you need something to change, your the only one who can do it. Oh and, don't be quick to brush away a good friends advice.  You might not realize how smart they really are...




A short nose and a sore ear.

My dad always had words of wisdom for us girls before leaving the house. One of the main ones(I will always remember, thanks Dad) was, "keep Your nose to the grindstone and your ear the the ground". I spent years heading out to he school bus and every time dad would ask what I had to remember. And I would repeat those words back. Almost every single day. I never really knew what that meant. Come to thin k about it, I I still might not. Haha. It wasn't u til today as I was driving myself to my Acupuncture appointment that My thoughts wandered to more words of wisdom from daddykins. I was crossing the train tracks and remembered how dad used to say "always make sure you stop and check for no trains. Even if the lights aren't flashing. CHECK. I had to smile. At the time I just brushed those, words of wisdom, as we are calling them, I just thought dad was uber paranoid. But I had never had my own kids to worry about. Until now. And I had never to worry about passing along wise information I had gathered along my way. Until now.

True grace face is a few Years away from totally being able to grasp anything as wise as keeping your nose to the grindstone, but that just means I have time to decode these worldly advice.

So I got wondering, where there any real meaning behind those words, keep your nose to the grind stone and ear to the ground. Was dear ol' dad trying to I still something in me or was he's just being a weird dad. I had begun to get used to that idea. But there really is so
E great substance to those words. Well maybe not great, but your still with me right?

To keep your nose to the grindstone back in the day literally referred to people sharpening knifes.. They'd keep there nose really close so as to be dong a good and thorough job. Keep your head down and work hard. Not bad right. If I could have some one at the end of the day I was a hard worker, well, that's something right?

As for the ear to the ground? Literally that was for cowboys back in the day(that term was used one too many times)they would keep there ears to the ground to listen to horse hooves, so hey would be aware when someone was coming. So, keep your ears open, listen and be prepared. If I can instill that in Gracie and if I have any of that in me, well, I'd sleep just little better tonight, knowing we are doing alright.
Do you think dad knew all this? Was he really trying teach us? Those words, though we have spent many days laughing over the ridiculousness of them, really stuck with me. For one reason or another. Dad, and mom for that matter, were always trying to raise good people nice people. Do your share and shush up about it. And be safe about it.

You know, come to think of it, "look before you cross the tracks" really had he same theme. Hmmm. Maybe dad did know what he was saying..