TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY AND DRESS FOR LESS

TUESDAY…FRAZZLED…TUESDAY…

Tuesday found me leaving work at about 7:00 p.m. or so… I was dead tired and mentally frazzled…Going home and going to bed was my top priority…





But…My brother was in from out of town, and I wasn’t going to NOT see DB when he was going to be leaving the following day, so I went out to my folk’s to visit…

By the time I got home…It was about 9:30 p.m. and time for the housework to begin.

Dog had been on the cable all day and needed tending to…I called home to see if DS would brush him out for me, so that I wouldn’t have that to do at least…This time of year is a nightmare for pet hair!



I swept all of downstairs, cleaned the litter, and fed and watered the animals. The kitchen also got swept and the laundry put away…(I had some hanging on the dryer rack from last evening).

I did another thing or two, and it was pretty late by the time all was said and done. Although I didn’t get Tuesday’s chore—ironing—done, I did feel pretty good about my accomplishments for the day.

WEDNESDAY…



Wednesday was an off-the-record down day.

I did help hubby to get his motorcycle from shop, and I ran the dog, but other than that, it was a sharpen-the-saw day…

DRESSING FOR LESS…

I’m not sure if I’ve shown this outfit (or part of it) before…But…

Well…

Since I can’t remember…

Let’s just show it anyway! ;)

It’s all about attitude really…We don’t have to have expensive clothes to feel good or to look good for that matter.



Have you ever known anyone with really bad skin, but their smile was so engaging that you really never saw the acne? Well…That’s how it is with clothes…

Wear what you like…

Don’t worry about whether it’s “In” or not because…Well…Who really cares? I never have.

And…Make sure that you’re comfortable in your outfit.

SIDE NOTE...

A couple of ladies (who shall remain nameless) were commenting one evening on my sweater. They may have said that they liked it…I really don’t recall. What I DO recall, however, is that the one said, “I used to have a similar one”. The other replied, “So did I”. And then there was some comment about, “Well, maybe they’ll come back in.” GASP! The “IN” word! Well, was that a virtual slap in the face, or what?! (They really didn’t mean anything by it.)

So…Did I go home and promptly hide my dear sweater in the inner depths of my closet? My word, No! I still wear it and feel good…No, great...Every time I do! :0)

If you’re like me, and you don’t like to shop…



Be creative!


I am always putting together what some may call “the same ole’”…The same ole’ top…The same ole’ pants…With a different top…Or different pants…Or different jewelry…Or a different coat…Or…

Do you get the picture?

You can have a seemingly whole new outfit just by being imaginative!



Since I keep my clothes for a long time, I don't usually recall just what I paid for them...But here's a guesstimate...

Jacket—-Second-Hand Store…Probably between $4.00 and $7.00

Leopard Print Blouse-—T.J. Max (?)…I’m sure that this was under $12 and maybe less.



Heart Necklace—Second-Hand Store…$3.00



Earrings—Second-Hand Store…Between $1.00 and $3.00



Standard Narrow-Legged Pants…I don’t honestly remember where I got these other than that I believe they were given to me…Free



Black Half Boots—Maaaaaaybe WalMart…?

I have such a time finding shoes in this one-size-fits-all society. I remember growing up when they would actually measure your feet and fit a shoe exactly to your foot. I had a AA toe and a AAAA heel. Now, I have to find what I can (usually wider than I need) and make do…

So, these would have been the most expensive item at around $22.



Depreciate your clothing over the number of times that you have worn it…And, if you started off with relatively inexpensive items (quality does count, as they will last longer), then you have a nice-looking and reasonably priced outfit.

A ROUGH BREAK-DOWN…

JACKET

Number of times worn: 12 (It could be more for sure)
Price: $7.00
Today’s cost to wear: .58

LEOPARD PRINT BLOUSE

Number of times worn: 15 (Again, I’m guessing)
Price: $12.00
Today’s cost to wear: .80

HEART NECKLACE

Number of times worn: 5
Price: $3.00
Today’s cost to wear: .60

EARRINGS

Number of times worn: 5
Price: $3.00
Today’s cost to wear: .60

BLACK NARROW-LEGGED PANTS

Number of times worn: No guesses here
Price: Free
Today’s cost to wear: Free

BLACK HALF BOOTS

Number of times worn: 15 (Could very well be 20 or more)
Price: $22.00
Today’s cost to wear: 1.47

TOTAL COST OF TODAY’S OUTFIT…

$4.05

Now, that’s a deal!

Did I like it?...Yes

Was it comfortable?...Yes, and the shoes were comfortable for the amount of walking I did…(Very important little trick ladies…Wear appropriate shoes for the day’s activities)

Was it “IN”…Don’t know and Don’t care

So, see ladies (and gentlemen ;), we can all dress with respect and dignity for a very low output....

And doesn't that feel good!

THE WEEKEND…

Work, work, and more work…:/ Work I brought home and work that’s AT home…ALL waiting to be done…

And the yard to clean…and the car to wash…and the oil to change…and the draperies…and the tapestries…and…

Stop right there! We all know the saying…

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”…

Well I neither intend to be dull OR a boy, so I’m going to play a little bit with my babies at the St. Patty’s Day parade and then…

For at least part of the time this balmy Saturday afternoon…

This is where you’ll find me…

HOME

THE SIMPLE LIFE

Sometimes…Life should just be simple…



But…It never really is…



Sometimes…It should slow down…



But…It never really does…



Sometimes…Life should be peaceful…



But…It rarely ever is…



Sometimes…Life should have less…



But then…We always want for more…



Sometimes…We seek for pleasure…



When…Wholesome is what we need…



Sometimes…We long to escape…



When...All we really need…

.

.

.

.

.

.

Is to go home…

THE WEEK...

Just as the roads outside have been hard to manage, so too have the goals I have set. I’ve been slipping with them just as I have slipped on the ice outside...

And the ruts...Like those in the streets...Are difficult to get out of.



It has been just over 12 years since I have had a good routine at home. Back then...My house was in order and clean, meals were routinely cooked...I had a garden...home-schooled...and accomplished other domesticities. Upon going to work, those things...though not by design...took a back seat.

It is my desire now...To meld my two worlds, as indeed that is what they seem to me to be...Into one...

So, as I have been in this rut for over a decade, it is time for a change. Ruts are very difficult to get out of…ask anyone who has been in one for any length of time. Nonetheless…They CAN be overcome, and I intend to do so!



I just love opportunity...Don’t you? A fresh week…To start anew…To put behind past failures and to have another go. The Lord gave us this; for He does not want us to fail...And, I use those words very lightly, for we do not fail until we stop trying…

FLEXIBILITY

I was always blessed with the ability to be flexible and could never quite understand those around me who were less so. Well…these days, I tend to be more rigid myself. Maybe it’s part of aging…Maybe it’s part of becoming more organized…I want to stick to my schedule…

That is okay…TO A POINT…

For we must always remember what is most important…

Family…

People…

Helping others...

These MUST always come first…Else why are we here?



One day this past week...I was determined to carry out my schedule…To accomplish my goals for the week. It was Friday night, and I had my bedding to change from the previous night’s chore, which I hadn’t gotten done…I also had my chore for that night to do. It was late evening, and I started about working…

DS came down to talk. We talked for a bit while I padiddled around. I figured that shortly he would go about his business, and I would commence with my own duties…But, he stayed…

It was midnight and beyond by the time we finished talking…He was concerned about college, finances, marriage and relationships, and the like…

In the past, the Lord blessed me to be mainly Mary (see the story of Mary and Martha in the Bible when Christ is visiting in their home). Now, however, as years have passed, and also with my new goals of organization, Martha resides within me to a great extent…

And, that night she was yelling that I HAD to get my chores done…I had goals to accomplish…I had a deadline to meet! “Get on with it!” she yelled…”How will you feel if you don’t get the bathroom cleaned?!...Get busy!”

I made a choice…Martha would have to be quiet…

I had a son…A precious son who needed me more. How honored I was—and always am—when my children want to talk to ME…Not a friend…But ME. He will be gone in just over a month…I want to treasure every spare moment that he will give me.

While I prefer this rendition of the story...

This one better portrays the concern on Martha's face that her sister is not helping her...

I never want to be one of those that says, when a member of their family has passed on, “If only”…

If only I had spent more time with them…If only I showed my love more…If only…

The bathroom will always be there ready to share its dirt with me, but I will NOT always have the opportunity of Family whenever I want it…

And So…

I try to take that opportunity whenever it presents itself.

SIDE NOTE

Dear Son just walked in to show me his new Pumas…He has waited for two years (didn’t want to spend the $80) and was just able to purchase them for $34!

It’s these little things that really are the big things…those that matter most….

I want to be remembered as a mom who cared…Not only about the big things in life…but the seemingly insignificant as well.

I pray that we may all choose to Love our families…To Love those around us…And to be the Mary in other people’s lives.

OF THINGS PINK

Quick definitions (pink)

▸ noun: a light shade of red
▸ noun: any of various flowers of plants of the genus Dianthus cultivated for their fragrant flowers
▸ verb: sound like a car engine that is firing too early ("The car pinked when the ignition was too far retarded")
▸ verb: cut in a zig-zag pattern with pinking shears, in sewing
▸ verb: make light, repeated taps on a surface
▸ adjective: of a light shade of red
▸ name: A surname (rare: 1 in 100000 families; popularity rank in the U.S.: #8703)

PINK

I have always liked the color pink...It's joyful, playful, and sunny...



It's upbeat…



Whimsical...



Pleasing...



And Pretty...



It’s can signify love…As in Valentine’s Day…



SIDE NOTE...

DH and I went and saw Valentine’s Day the movie tonight, and I would not recommend it…It was extremely immoral.

Pink can also mean fun…On our 25th anniversary a couple of years ago, DH and I went on a very long adventure…



One of our favorite spots was Phoenix, Arizona. After a long hot drive up from Mexico, I was ready just to lie in the coolness of the motel room and relax for the rest of the night. Being our 25th, however, DH went and found a great little restaurant to celebrate at…

The Pink Taco…



It was in Scottsdale, a beautiful little city outside of Phoenix...



As I LOVE all things Mexican and as we had just come from Mexico, this was so apropos…

And…they had the BEST Mexican shrimp cocktail…To die for!

SIDE NOTE...

Apparently the name means something less than decent in slang, and so last year it closed its doors…

Fashion Square Mall…A great mall in Scottsdale…





Interestingly, I never shop our local malls….

Number 1…I dislike shopping…

And number 2…they’re too expensive…

On vacation though, I enjoy perusing a fancy shopping mall…



Well, everyone, I hope that you're Sunday is blessed and that we may all look for the good in others. Let us try to be positively pink examples to those around us!

STARTING...CONTINUING...AGAIN

STARTING OVER…AGAIN

It is at this point where it would be quite easy to give up…I have slowly, over the past two or three weeks, waned in my goals to where, this past week, I don’t know that I accomplished any!

It is said that you are not a failure until you give up…

Well…In the past I may have given up…But not now!



I heard the world’s/America’s (?) oldest man say something yesterday that was great…

Said he…”Work until you can’t work any more…Then work some more”. Isn’t that great?! He retired at 99…He is now 112, and you would NEVER know it.

So…Today is Monday, a new day…Here are my set GOALS for the year and how I did…



BE MORE ORGANIZED…

I am finishing up the washing as we speak…Monday’s task…And I tidied up the living room…Nighttime duty.

I made some short-term goals for this week, and I finished half of two of them already…That was rather exciting once I crossed them off my list and had that realization.

SHORT-TERM GOALS

YARD—Clean up
Half done (Well, maybe 1/3)

PAPER WORK
Half done

LETTER TO PHYSICIANS
Not yet completed

CONTINUE TO IMPROVE MY HEALTH WITH...BODILY
NOURISHMENT…



Today, aside from the pops (my nemesis) and licorice, this is what I ate…

Cream of Wheat
Tricuits
Large banana
Nuts
Whole wheat toast-Two slices with organic butter
One-half of chili-Frito burrito (Taco John’s left-over)

CONTINUE TO IMPROVE MY HEALTH WITH EXERCISE…

I took a half-hour walk with the dog



QUIT WHINING AND JUST DO!

I did pretty well here…When I wanted to quit early at a project, I kept going and didn’t complain once!...(Out loud at least)

BACKING OFF MY GOALS…TEMPORARILY

I have found from past experience, that if the goals I set seem too high and I experience more over-all failure than success, backing them off a bit really helps.

So…for now…Rather than expecting 100% success seven days of the week, I expect 100% success three days of the week.

Now…This does not mean that I won’t continue to try all seven days.



RECAP…

DAILY GOALS:

Work
Tidy bedroom each morning
Cleaning challenge each evening
Dinner
Blog time
Something I like

I may not get in a blog every day, and I many not get in a for-me activity every day. Having those as goals, however, helps me to keep more on focus.

I find that if I do my chores, it is with a much cleaner conscience that I can reward myself with something I like to do like decorating, sewing, etc.

UPDATES…



This little baby...DD #2...Turned 24 this past week…Wow…



We’ve already passed that milestone with DD #1, but it seems odd each time a child turns a year older…One thinks…”Well, how did that happen?!”

DS passed another belt last week! He has advanced extremely quickly and has skipped several belts…



Attending He attends martial arts four times a week really helps in the advancement.

A few months ago, he jumped a belt, and then just a few weeks back, he got a stripe on his brown belt…

Now, he is a Brown/Black…The step just below Black. He has some requirements to fulfill, one of which is teaching. There are other criteria as well. Leaving for college in just a few weeks will be the challenge. He will be tracking his hours and hopes to test for his Black belt when he comes back in August.

HAPPY TUESDAY ALL…AND HERE’S TO YOUR DREAMS!