to do lists & accomplishments

one of the things that has been suggested to me is that i need to begin to learn to make lists for each day and mark the items off as i accomplish them. the hope being i will feel good at the end of the day at what i've accomplished, i'll learn to see (perhaps) that i'm doing too much and to prioritize what's truly important, and ultimately learn to let go the things that don't really matter so much and learn to say no...

so here goes. here is my weekend's to-do list. God help to me get it all done.
Friday night:

• eat supper & clean up after myself (or leave it for my kids- ha ha ha)
• make a card for my hubby before he gets home to tell him how good he is to me (he cleaned the whole house from top to bottom today!, went out and bought a turkey roast and made me a yummy supper- turkey, boiled potatoes, black eyed peas & asparagus), and fixed some things around the house too
• make one set of Christmas cards
• make a grocery list for November's shopping trip tomorrow
• lesson plans for as far into November as i can get

Saturday:

• grocery shopping for November
• family time 12-4 (silly, yummy "Halloween" lunch- "Bat Wings" (homemade boneless chicken wings), "Franken Fingers (homemade potato wedges), Eyeballs (grapes), Spooky Salad & a ghost story movie- "The Others"
• GTCC class- 2 or 3 lessons
• Grad school- read, read, read, & post
• type EQ's for school and make guided reading plans
• late night movie and family Halloween tradition of Grinch Night when the kids get home from work around midnight... Since the kids were little, we've always watched Grinch Night and had "Grinch milk" and oreos... This story is an old Suess book that was made into a video, oh, I don't know maybe in the 60's. I bought a copy when the kid were little, and we've been watching it for years now... They are now 19, 18, & 17 years old and without fail, they still ask us if we're going to do this with them- they want to! Robert asked us to please wait for him to get home from work & do it late at night since it wouldn't be the same if we did it in the afternoon, so we're having a late night family time too...

Sunday:

• pay bills
• read, read, read for Monday's class
• make more Christmas cards & post them on the web for sale

So, I'm getting off of here and on to this list. Busy, busy, busy

On a happy note, I want the whole world, or the 3 people that come "see" me here to know that I went ALL week and only had 2 diet cokes all week long (from Sunday morning to tonight!!!!) TWO PEOPLE, TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's a major miracle for me! I had one the other night in the hopes of breaking a 4 day headache that I believe was caffeine withdrawal-related. Nothing else was helping, and I broke down and had one. Then I had one this afternoon as I had to hit the drive thru on my way between a workshop and school. But I'm still sipping on it now- 6 hours later. I'm doing it!!!! I'm doing it!!! I'm doing it!!!!

YEAH for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And even bigger- YEAH FOR GOD who is helping me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

changes

i haven't changed the header on my blog in quite a while. i really liked that old picture i took from my road trip with barbara and the verse i had up there, "I look to the hills from whence cometh my help...," well that verse has been a help to me more times than i can say...

but for whatever reason i decided that this new verse fit with where i am in my life now and i like that fall photo i took a year ago (before we knew for sure if we could buy a house at all!) wow, what a lot has happened in just one year!!!

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace."

my 1st set of Christmas cards

i'm working to make Christmas cards- my own and some to sell. i have three teachers (two from work and one from another school) that want me to make their cards, so i'm really excited!!!!

trying hard...

well i'm doing it- it's so hard, but i'm trying. my momma will be thrilled. "they" (whoever they is) say the 1st step is admission... so i admit it- i'm a diet-coke-aholic. and i've not had one since saturday night. ugh, i want to go get one sooo bad but i'm trying. i'm telling myself that if i can be good all week long, then on friday i'll let myself get one big one and then go again another week...

i'm also trying to stop the insanity of work as much as i can... i'm practicing saying "no" to some things, only doing what is most important each day and letting the rest go until another day or whenever... i've asked to be excused from an obligation that i was being drug into last minute this week with no info or help with the prep work so i just said it would stress me out too much and to please excuse me... i've dropped a workshop that i wanted to take- i'll take it another time. i think two college courses plus all the mandated training/meetings they are making us go through at work is enough for right now... so far i haven't gotten written up, i've aggravated a coworker or two i'm pretty sure, but they haven't stayed too upset with me. the world hasn't come to a screeching halt or the sun fallen from the sky.

i am learning to speak up a little, though i've still got to learn how to do it in the best way and to learn how to take the outcome (good or bad)... this year is a BIG learning year for me. i just hope i survive it. :)

but i'm trying. and praying God will take my feeble attempts and make something good out of it all.