This is my Monday check-in w myself
I learned quite a bit this week-end. Everything is going so well; it’s down-right scary at times. I love it. It is a very different thing, trying to find space to operate when things are going well, rather than things not going well and still trying to find a way to function.
Ok. Things I do need to research—since this is also where I am going to set my intentions and my goals, not necessarily for the week, but for some time. I do have a Today goal list already made……
I am still reading ‘A Writer’s Space’ by Eric Maisel. I am horrible about reading some here and reading some there, and not really finishing things when I ought to be finishing them. Last night, however, I grabbed a massive *BINGO* moment from this book: when you set up your to-do list—write out statements. Start them with ‘today I will…’ whatever. Today I will paint my finger nails. Today I will write that new article. Today I will spend twenty minutes marketing my new book. Today I will spend no more than fifteen minutes on facebook. Today I will email my mother. Today—that adds in the responsibility and the accountability of TODAY, rather than, say, as with my list that I am about to throw out here, the amorphous ‘whenever I get to it’…if my projects were more pressing, I would be writing today I need to do this…today I need to research the best plants to have as a container garden for my purposes in my backyard—because my dog is an idiot and will trample, roll, chew and dig anything and everything—even if it is in a container as well! She’s a very good dog—do not get me wrong—she just—lacks common sense! Yes, she’s blonde—reddish blonde—but still!
So, at some point, researching container plants for the garden is essential. I am iffy on starting from seed this year. Although, there are some things I want to plant that I have to start myself as no one sells them as plants locally—or anywhere else that I have found. Not to mention, this year, we are planting those giant pumpkin seeds…
I do have one goal—I want to buy locally for plants this year. Not just for the garden and the landscaping, but for my house plants as well. The last house, the cold there killed way too many of my lovely plants. The ones that did survive and did really flourish—I am planning to get more of those types. I have been pleasantly surprised by several of my plants. Especially the ones I was sure were going to die.
And, of course, I will have to replace my mimosas and my olive tree, as the dogs thought they were sticks to be chewed and played w…right out of the planters…despite the threats to their ever loving lives if they touched them.
I guess now is a good time to flesh out some goals for the landscaping. I have raising herbs and salad veg this year. Period. But, we are also planting flowers. At least in a few places. I may move the current rose bushes—if they survived being treated as toy sticks by dumb dogs. DOGS—not just dog! E is very into the pampas grass thing, all on her own. She has been really liking the grasses that we have seen in our walks and when we are out driving. I am planning to plant something so that I am not looking out my back door and into the neighbor’s behind us, their back porch…I know we will be putting the pampas grass in the backyard..but, on the front side of the house, I am not so sure that’s what I want. I have to find something that grows fast, in low light, that doesn’t require a great deal of maintenance, that also bushes out nicely and fills the space. My normal landscaping ‘stuff’, only this time I am not doing it for me…so, no lilac bushes, nothing like that. Not until later anyway. Though, in the back yard, I might do some other stuff. We’ll have to see. I have dogs and kids to plan for and worry about as well.
I need to start doing research on buying, opening and running a bed and breakfast. We were in an actual bookstore – I think books a million—the other day and I had one of those HUGE ***AHA*** moments. I was wandering up and down aisles, trailing both children and arguing half-heartedly about webkinz…when I saw this book and the AHA hit me like a ton of bricks…dummies guide to bed and breakfast—I know that is not the full title…but it was enough. I knew I didn’t need to buy it right that minute, but I knew that soon enough I would need to start finding, studying and applying information towards opening our own bed and breakfast. Who knew all those seasons of the ‘Gilmore Girls’ would actually give me some information and heads up on a way of life now heading our way? And, surprisingly enough, even though he is in a rough mood due to work, R gave me some positive feedback on the whole b&b thing this morning. Who says no one listens when I talk? Lol Even when I babble!
This week I am starting –well, not starting, since this has been in process for awhile—I am making more of an effort towards shifting to doing more actual writing, and not just working on my novel, and not just working w my writing groups. That is my main goal. I re-did my own schedule planner. I know—I have known for all too long—that having an electronic scheduler does not work for me. Everyone I have ever used has failed on me in one way or another. I need a written schedule, a written planner. I had to go all over the place looking for what I wanted—and in the end I had to make what I wanted. If I had done this, say, in December, or maybe even in the beginning of January, I might have been able to find what I was looking for—however, after trying to find stuff online before taking the truck out, I figured out quickly, I was on my own.
Office supply stores around here have nothing, more than the very basic of basics, at this time of year. None of the little ad-ons that I like, not even the ‘normal’ ones. If I don’t want a business card holder for my planner, there’s not much else out there, except lined note pads. Which is not what I need.
I ended up going to Target, of all places. It’s closer than walmart—and I still have issues driving—and I hate to be out for very long anyway, especially when I know I am on a fool’s errand. I ended up buying E her very own planner—and I think I actually ended up spending less doing it my way than if I had found what I was looking for and bought each element separately. A new planner w a whole year of pages and everything else was only $22. E got a leather bound (or pleather maybe, I don’t know—she’s happy) Franklin Covey planner. I scalped out what I needed—left her more than she thinks, plus an address book, and lots of blank notebook pages. I took blank adhesive tabs and created my own tabs for what I need. And voila—re-organized my current set-up—got rid of stuff that was just bulking up my planner for no real reason (and gave it to E for hers—she is a very happy, very proud little girl)…and now, maybe I can keep up w my daily goals, as well as more weekly, more otherwise goals.
Feeling better there. I have my I do this weekly schedule—and I can keep up w my seminars and everything else that comes up that I have been scheduling lately.
I gave R all the specs for the computer he is going to build for me. Found out he will be building two computers for me. One for the right now – and one for later when I start running my own server. Yep. You heard me. It’s something that has been roaming my brain for awhile. I do tend to think very long-term sometimes. R is what keeps me balanced.
So, that does cover the most pressing of the not right now goals. I have goals for my writing. Spaced out for each day—and then some as well. So many articles. So many words towards the novels (either one of them at the moment). So much time spent editing. Blah blah blah. I need to start putting in more time knitting and crocheting.
I do have a Mardi Gras scarf started. I am crocheting it. It’s dark purple and froggy green (lime green). Two rows or purple followed by two rows of green. It was something to keep me busy. But it’s cute.
I finished making T a hat for his birthday yesterday—which was his birthday. I could not find my US 11 needles, so I used 10 ½ US needles—not really realizing there was such a BIG difference between the two. The hat fits, but it’s a tight fit. I will need to make him another one. We are calling that hat the Blues Hat, since T loved the St Louis Blues hockey team…and I used so many blues in the making of the hat. I used the Monk Hat pattern.
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/monk-hat-4
I love this pattern. The hats are so cute. And so fast and easy to make as well. I knew I should have given him the Tibetan healing colored one I made for him eons ago—but I happen to like that hat—and I made it eons ago, so it’s not really kosher to give it to him now.
I have other knitting news, but will post it separate so it doesn’t get lost here.
Otherwise, the week-end was good. T took E and N to his birthday get together at his parents house on Sunday. So R and I finally got to watch ‘The Hangover’ together. It was an incredible movie. It has everything—except lots of T & A. It does have some. It does have some full frontal nudity for just a second or two. Most of the nudity comes at the end of the flick. We were expecting a really sophomoric stupid we got drunk and banged lots of naked chicks flick—what we got was a very real, very exciting, extremely stunningly FUNNY movie—it wasn’t the stupid Will Ferrell-esque b/s we were expecting. I am not a fan of Will Ferrell movies. I am still upset they didn’t kill him in ‘Stranger Than Fiction’… ‘The Hangover’ is not a brain dead comedy. Worse. It is something that can happen to you—or to me—or to anyone…it’s very well done.
Another thing we learned—we are starting to see bare flesh under the tattoo I am in the process of removing using Wrecking Balm. http://www.wreckingbalm.com/
Not like huge patches or anything, but there is naked un-inked flesh starting to show through. Wah hoo.
Ok. I think that is going to be it for right now. I have more things I need to get moving asap—including laundry.
