Quietude

I was recently named to Susan Godfrey's Creative Team at www.susangodfreydesigns.com. Here is the link to her wonderful kit: QUIETUDE I used her beautiful Quietude kit to create these two layouts. The first one about my beautiful 104 year old Grandmother and the other one about my precious little dog Cheerio. 

Quietude

I was recently named to Susan Godfrey's Creative Team at www.susangodfreydesigns.com. Here is the link to her wonderful kit: QUIETUDE I used her beautiful Quietude kit to create these two layouts. The first one about my beautiful 104 year old Grandmother and the other one about my precious little dog Cheerio. 

Good bye Nightcrawlers.....

Today I feel as if I have lost an old friend. The infamous Nightcrawlers bar is no more. Tragedy struck today and it burned to the ground. I can't really count how many times Ron and I would stop by here on the way home to Saint Edward from Grand Island, that is always the way I prefer to go to GI is through Worms. I remember stopping her one night after Christmas shopping with our friends all day. It was our typical stopping point after the stress and hum drum of four days of Husker Harvest Days. I remember having a land auction just down the road and Ron and I stopping there to buy the buyers a celebration cocktail. We hauled loads of Portable Restrooms there and enjoyed going there for numerous celebrations and gatherings. You don't really appreciate something until is gone...........good bye old friend.....you'll be missed........

Day 20

My husband comes home from North Carolina, brings me Chicken and all the sides and the best.....a Biscoff Cookie from Delta Airlines. YES.....I LOVE THESE things....ALOT they are one of my favorite airline treats ever.........

Day 19

Sorting sorting and more sorting. Today it was Video tapes, cassette tapes and DVD movies.........got the ole DVD/VCR TV to organize them and identify them. LOVE getting rid of stuff and organizing.....

Day 18

A full day of working on sorting through lots of things...spent the night cuddled with my kids while Ron is in North Carolina:

Day 16

Happy Birthday to my wonderful 104 year Grandmother who I love so very much! I love this photo. She was telling me how much she loves me.......

Day 11

Happiness is...........................my beautiful clean center Island! OH happy day! I really don't think anything makes me happier than this counter perfectly clean and spotless, it is like heaven. Me love this island.....

Day 10

DECLUTTER is the word of the year!! One of the first steps.....CLOTHES!!! My poor pool table took the brunt of the chaos...but apparently McCook found that yellow coat quite comfortable...can you find her?

Day 9

And they weren't sure it would snow.....and it did. We were so safe and snowed it.

Day 8

I would so normally talk about my wrestling Nephew since he did today, and he got first place, and I enjoyed some post meet Tequila but since it was my Sister-in-laws 40th Birthday party following his meet....it is about her and he brother-in-law Ron.....We love you Kris.

Day 7

What I learned from Wrestling. For the FIRST TIME since 1999 since by Nephew started wrestling and even before that I have had a lot of wrestling under me belt. So after years of it; I LEARNED to bring my own Sandwich to a wrestling meet, so spent Friday night making my tasty treat.....and it was so worth it!!!!!

Day 6

Total wreck in the loft at the lakehouse. Christmas Decorations galor...big mess in the loft....me determined to clean it all up....BEFORE:

Day 5

Spent a WONDERFUL day with my special nieces Alicia and Jessica in Kearney, where Alicia lives, happy that my girls helped me pick out this cute shirt and sweater. I had the best day and boy do I love those two girls.....

Day 4

Total goals today.......ALOT of goals. Haircut for Cheerio and much much more. There were a lot of special things for my boy for being such a good boy during his hair cut.....treats and toys.....

What a NASCAR girl does in off season.....

She stalks anything that mentions her driver :)

NASCAR Offseason is not my favorite time of the year, but Thank goodness for the Numerous amount of NFL games, College bowl games and such that can keep me occupied at least for a month or two. So even though we all know how my favorite NASCAR driver got what I consider to be one of the biggest S*** jobs in NASCAR, I absolutely laugh my butt off every time I watch this commercial.

 My Favorite NASCAR Commercial

Clint is genuinely fun and funny guy. Trust me. I spent an evening hanging around him and he was indeed was funny dude. He has such a great personality. I think that is one of the MANY reason I picked him for my driver.

Here are a couple of screen shots from the Commercial, for when I print my blog book.......

I am looking forward to seeing my driver in February racing in the Daytona 500. Enjoy your off season cause you deserve it.........

Day 3

The last time that I will watch my nephew Wrestle in the home tournament.......there will be ALOT of lasts this year, but I am making every moment of it. He won every match, it was dual so no medal, no individual.......

but always a Champion. I love you Sheldon..................

Another last........

I really dislike lasts...............

Last home wrestling meet for my boy. Hate it.....

Day 2

MORE football today but I had to get some decorations put aways. THEN the Decorations puked on my counter. It was time to put away my Christmas decorations and it breaks my heart. I LOVE decorating...........but it is done...

Day 1

A great start to 2011..........We were treated to breakfast brunch at Mike and Kendra's. My Cold still sticking on, but almost cured by the wonderful food. Ron and I spent our day watching Football and then Jim and Diane showed up with a little special gift for our boy.

We had a special New Years day drink and then ended up at our friend Dan's 50th Birthday party here at the lake playing Bladerbash. I love our Duncan Lake family so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Musings on resolutions, goals and other new year promises.......

I have never been one of those New Years Resolutions type of people because I believe that just because it is a New Year, why should we put a ton of pressure on ourselves to stop or start doing something that we haven't done for the last 10 New Years. I can count more than 10 people that I know that make a "resolution" to do something and never make it past January 10th.....and that is no kidding. There are some who make it a few months, half way or nearly 365 days, but I can count the those who don't then the those that do.......

BUT it wouldn't be the New Year without making at least some promises to myself. My New Years thinking has changed to making small steps. Small little resolutions that end up in big payoffs........We put way too much pressure on ourselves by saying "I am going to lose 30 pounds by Summer"; I am going to "spend less than a certain amount out dining out"; I am going to exercise 50 minutes 7 days a week". We need to be realistic in our thinking.....and maybe just maybe for a change thinking small is better.

For example: I would LOVE to every single photo of mine in a book or scrapbooked, that is NOT going to happen, certainly not overnight, but by taking small little projects I can get more of my photos off my hard drive and out of storage boxes and out where family and friends can enjoy them.

Another example: I would LOVE to get rid of all the excess "stuff" that clutters up my life. Personal possessions are wonderful but if they no longer or never did add anything to add to my life why should I cling onto them??? So small steps, like spending just an hour a week de cluttering one little project...OH the rewards at the end of the year. That alot of weeks and alot of clutter gone!!!!

SO this year instead of making these big resolutions I am taking type steps to improve my life.

I guarantee you I will not stop enjoying our monthly fun Pizza night just because I think I have to lose 50 pounds in 30 days, that's just not realistic. I will not go out and start walking 10 miles each day because I want to get healthy, but I will do small intervals every day to get exercise. I will not tear into my house and spending two months throwing stuff out.......but I will examine what I really need and what I really don't.

I get so tired of hearing people say "I have to lose weight this year", "I have to get everything in my life organized this year". "I am going to stop smoking this year",  "I am going to stop spending so much money on trivial things" instead TRY little baby steps, it worked for me last year and it is going to work again this year.

That's great but the reason resolutions fail? Because they become a job and not something we consider fun that will improve our lives. Here's to 365 days of taking little steps.........