Last day of January

One of the things on my list was two blog posts a month. Here it is the last day of January... and I truly have nothing to say. Last week was a tough one, just too many things to do and not enough hours in the day to get it all done.

I have thought about my list. I have a few more things to add. I am not sure if I am going to just add them to the list or replace. Here are the additional things that I would like to do:
- Host a cookie exchange
- Find a fragrance that I like, and start wearing it.
- Buy 6 new pairs of shoes. Currently I am down to two pairs, and one of those is a pair of tennis shoes.
- Find some new make-up... out side the neutral brown family. I am thinking a nice shade of plum.

Hmmmm, just reread this post and the first paragraph certainly doesn't go with the second. Doesn't make much sense to add to my list when I feel like my days are too full as it is. So, I think that I am going to edit my list down to 40.

Forty things in 2010...

Here is my list... oh my that was not easy. Would have been easier if I had remembered that I was going for 40 things and not 50. I worked hard to come up with 50 things. I am not taking any of them off, but I may only get 40 of them done.

1. Be able to park my car in the garage.
2. Organize the paper clutter in my house.
3. Go on a girl's weekend away... that is with friends, not my children :)
4. Begin reading the Bible through... not necessarily finish.
5. Put up Christmas lights on my house.
6. Lose 20 pounds.
7. Lose another 20 pounds.
8. Use what I have (for the most part) to decorate my bedroom... this mama needs a retreat.
9. Paint the 3 chairs that are sitting in my garage, and if I don't paint them get rid of them.
10. Paint the girls' rooms.
11. Organize my pantry.
12. Teach my girls to ride their bikes.
13. Make a change a work, could be a change in location, change in grade level or just a change in attitude.
14. Attend a conference, webinar, class or just read a book that gets me excited about teaching.
15. Organize my closet.
16. Install shelves in my laundry closet.
17. Get a pedicure or facial...or both.
18. Host a dinner party.
19. Go to lunch/dinner with good friends.
20. Reconnect with an old friend. Thank goodness for Facebook.
21. Complete Adoption Journey Photobooks for each of my girls.
22. Plant a tomato plant, and hopefully harvest a few tomatoes.
23. Can peaches or jam... or both.
24. Take my girls to the waterslides. I will go down the waterslide with them if I can cross off #6 & #7... otherwise we will need to take a teenage cousin or two.
25. Have a garage sale.
26. Take a trip to the coast, hopefully with grandma.
27. Make a loaf of homemade bread.
28. Memorize my cell phone number.
29. Overcome one of my driving issues... haven't picked yet, could be merging on the highway or left hand turns.
30. Memorize 12 scriptures.
31. Complete Beth Moore's Esther Bible study.
32. Update my blog twice a month.
33. Upload a profile pic. on my blog.
34. Comment on 6 blogs... of people that I do not know.
35. Read a few "just for fun" books.
36. Take Meigan out for an evening alone.
37. Take Kate out for an evening alone.
38. Attend a Chinese cultural event... learn more about the Chinese culture.
39. Make a new friend.
40. Make sundresses for my girls.
41. Make Sunday evenings "family night"... and make it meaningful.
42. Drink more water... cut back on Diet Coke.
43. Exercise 3 times a week... really want to say be able to run 3 miles, again. Just afraid that might not happen.
44. Create a budget and live by it.
45. Clean the carpets.
46. Take more picutures of my family. Seems like I only take pics of the girls.
47. Read Charlotte's Web to my girls.
48. Begin to jounal, again.
49. Spend more time in pray...keep a written record of God's answers.
50. Stop using.... when I write.

So there you have it... it should be a fun filled, if not busy year.

I am playing along... eight things.

I am playing along with Jill and Jamie... enjoy, my next post should be published sometime in early August.

8 things I am looking forward to:
1. Summer... I have decided not to work this year.
2. Saturday morning, sleeping in... just a little... past 5:30, anyway.
3. Spending time more time with good friends.
4. A huge garage sale this summer... I want this junk out of my house!
5. Taking my girls to swimming lessons.
6. Having a clean house... will that ever happen.
7. Reading more... without falling asleep.
8. The day my girls no longer need me to help them brush their teeth.

8 things I did yesterday:
1. Taught a classroom full of children who have apparently been stricken with an acute case of Spring Fever.
2. A load and a half of laundry.
3. Unsuccessfully tried to figure out why my sprinkler system is not working...ugh!
4. Made dinner.
5. Bathed my girls.
6. Cleaned a bathroom.
7. Read stories.
8. Worked on next weeks Sunday School lesson.

8 things I wish I could do: In no particular order....
1. Work less
2. Play more
3. Be free of driving anxiety.
4. Enjoy yard work... I would love to have a garden.
5. Find the perfect, stylish, low maintenance hair style.
6. Decorate my bedroom... stole this one from you Jamie. I would love to have a bedroom that looked like a grown up room.
7. Have more patience with my own children... too many days I feel like all my patience is spent on other peoples children.
8. Lose thirty pounds.

8 shows I watch:
1. John and Kate Plus Eight
2. American Idol
3. Those really are the only shows that I watch consistently... but, I also watch
4. other random shows on TLC, Animal Planet, HGTV. I just never can remember what
5. comes on when.
6.
7.
8.

8 people I tag:
1. Meme
2. stops
3. here...
4. no one
5. reads
6. my
7. blog.
8. :)

Welcome 2009!

While 2008 was a great year, it is not one that I am sad to see come to a close. It brought with it great joy, along with tremendous struggle. Most of the year was spent in survival mode... just trying to make it to the next day. Sounds a bit dramatic, but emotionally that was were I was at. Well, I made it through ... and I think that I may have even grown a little from the whole experience. Now I am ready for 2009! I am praying for a year where I live life more thoughtfully and peacefully. I have let my role as single working mom rule my life... not working so well, as I am exhausted, worried, and frustrated most of the time. I am ready to focus more on my role as daughter, daughter of the King. I am ready to turn in exhaustion, worry and frustration for things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. It is going to be a good year!

Can you believe that this post has taken me an hour to write? I wrote and wrote and deleted and deleted... then wrote and wrote and deleted and deleted. Hmmmm... that is how I blog. I process lots of thought and then delete or store them in a draft file. Most of my thoughts never make it public... and it is probably better that way.

Playing games

Well, since I am at such a loss for words these days I thought that I would play along.





The Rules: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following questions.
* They have to be real places, names, things. nothing made up!
* You can’t use your name for the boy/girl name question.
* Tag at least 5 people to play along

1. What is your name... Beth
2. A four letter word... Burp
3. A boy's name... Brian
4. A girl's name... Beatrice
5. An occupation... Banker
6. A color... Blue
7. Something you wear... Bandana
8. A beverage... Bloody Mary, of course I don't drink these, but it is a drink nonetheless.
9. A food...Burgers
10. Something found in the bathroom...Bubbles
11. A place...Beijing
12. A reason for being late... Broken clock

I am not even going to say Tag... since the only two people who are still checking this sadly inactive blog have already played along.

Can't Load Pictures!!!

I am so frustrated with Blogger... I can't load pictures. Has anyone had this trouble? Any suggestions?

Growing up

Bare with me while I share a few things about my eldest. It has been a big couple of weeks for Meigan.

She is enjoying school very much. I am watching her blossom right before my eyes. One of her teachers even said that she is becoming quite the "social butterfly"...if you know my girl, this is big.

Last week Meigan spoke her first prayer. I really thought that this would never come. I have been asking her for more than two years, twice a day, if she would like to pray. Imagine my surprise last week when she answered yes.

My girl also decided that she wants her own room last week. I have been sitting with the girls while they go to sleep for several month (since Kate came home, actually). I have tried several times to get the girls to go to sleep without me. I just have not had the strength to work through the tears and guilt. I had almost resigned myself to sitting with them forever when Meigan out of the blue gathered her pillow and lovey and headed off to the playroom. There is a twin bed in the playroom and she has been sleeping there ever since. Kate did have a few tearful nights. They were pretty intense, but shortlived. It is wonderful to have a little more time in the evenings to get things done.

Finally, Meigan cracked me up tonight while I was giving her a bath. Her hair had been washed and I was busy rinsing it with warm water when I heard her say, "This is the life." She cracks me up!