As I was clearing out more old scraps of paper, I had to blog about this one before chucking it. In May 2014, I rented a soft serve ice cream machine and bought the soft serve mix. It cost $250, but was so worth it! I got it for Alex's college graduation party (along with a keg of root beer) and we all had fun making root beer floats! It was a wonderful party with lots of friends. It was sad, too, as my mom died soon after. In any case, seeing the receipt made me smile. We had a lot of fun, even though it was an unnecessary expense. Louie thought I was going overboard, but I'd do it again!
CaterRent Food Service Equipment Rental and Sales
260 24th Avenue North
Mpls MN 55411
612.588.1188
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Sunday, January 1, 2017
One Thing? (Focus on the Positive #10)
Well. Time does have a way of slipping by.
Here's what's been on the white board for the past month-plus of my life:
We got the railing done (for his dad), but Louie wasn't super happy to spend the Saturday after Thanksgiving putting it up in the drizzle. Now it's done! It has been a help to Lou.
I'm still pulling stuff together for the fiduciary accounting, but may just wait until the 1099s are mailed . . .
I did what I had to do for Block of the Month, but never finished the January block (Kathie's design) and the February block was too big . . . and I should get up to my studio and make the March one! In any case, my favorite sewing thing this past month was making Angela's Christmas stocking. I really like how it turned out!
I go through phases in my focusing on the positives in life. I'm trying to stay prayerful and praise-focused. There is so much to be thankful for! Truly, just "making it" to Thanksgiving break was huge. Then getting to Christmas break. But here it is, January 1st, and there is so much I want to do still!
I have lots of to-do lists and goals . . . and I've done my official goal-setting for 2017. (Perhaps in another blog entry, I'll share that process.) For my "One Thing" and positive focus, I'll be using a plan my sister Louise came up with. It's called the Friends and Family Fun Encouragement Experiment (aka Triple F and Double E).
I'll blog separately (and weekly?) about that!
Here's what's been on the white board for the past month-plus of my life:
We got the railing done (for his dad), but Louie wasn't super happy to spend the Saturday after Thanksgiving putting it up in the drizzle. Now it's done! It has been a help to Lou.
I'm still pulling stuff together for the fiduciary accounting, but may just wait until the 1099s are mailed . . .
I did what I had to do for Block of the Month, but never finished the January block (Kathie's design) and the February block was too big . . . and I should get up to my studio and make the March one! In any case, my favorite sewing thing this past month was making Angela's Christmas stocking. I really like how it turned out!
I go through phases in my focusing on the positives in life. I'm trying to stay prayerful and praise-focused. There is so much to be thankful for! Truly, just "making it" to Thanksgiving break was huge. Then getting to Christmas break. But here it is, January 1st, and there is so much I want to do still!
I have lots of to-do lists and goals . . . and I've done my official goal-setting for 2017. (Perhaps in another blog entry, I'll share that process.) For my "One Thing" and positive focus, I'll be using a plan my sister Louise came up with. It's called the Friends and Family Fun Encouragement Experiment (aka Triple F and Double E).
I'll blog separately (and weekly?) about that!
Friday, November 25, 2016
One Thing #9 (Focus on the Positive)
So my last post was for the week of Sept. 12-17 . . . Jeanne will scrub out the fridge.
I did, but not super-thoroughly. And the two-plus months since then have been very full. Work has been exhausting, emotionally draining, and generally unpleasant. (I know - way to focus on the positives, right?) Ugh!
There was one glorious, amazing week in there. Louie and I flew out of MSP on 9/25 and back in on 10/1. We were in Maui and it was simply fantastic! The island is beautiful and our time together was so very nice. We are blessed!
Today, I'm struggling. Self-pity? "Down" time after seven weeks of intense go/go/go? Disappointment in my siblings-in-law yesterday? Midlife hormonal changes? Don't know. Don't really care. This is not where I want to be.
To focus on positives, I'm going back to the message board. Instead of one thing per week, I'm going to put up one thing as a priority. If it's done quickly, great. I'll put up a new thing. If it takes a long time, so be it. The message board will just be a reminder.
We'll probably always have more to do than time to do it. Trying to focus on one thing at a time may help. It will also help to praise God in ALL circumstances and not just when I'm feeling positive. The act of praise can change the attitude of the heart.
I did, but not super-thoroughly. And the two-plus months since then have been very full. Work has been exhausting, emotionally draining, and generally unpleasant. (I know - way to focus on the positives, right?) Ugh!
There was one glorious, amazing week in there. Louie and I flew out of MSP on 9/25 and back in on 10/1. We were in Maui and it was simply fantastic! The island is beautiful and our time together was so very nice. We are blessed!
Today, I'm struggling. Self-pity? "Down" time after seven weeks of intense go/go/go? Disappointment in my siblings-in-law yesterday? Midlife hormonal changes? Don't know. Don't really care. This is not where I want to be.
To focus on positives, I'm going back to the message board. Instead of one thing per week, I'm going to put up one thing as a priority. If it's done quickly, great. I'll put up a new thing. If it takes a long time, so be it. The message board will just be a reminder.
We'll probably always have more to do than time to do it. Trying to focus on one thing at a time may help. It will also help to praise God in ALL circumstances and not just when I'm feeling positive. The act of praise can change the attitude of the heart.
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Things I'd Be Okay Never Hearing Again . . .
"How do!" (How am I supposed to answer that? Is it short for "How do you do?" I strongly dislike this greeting.)
"And so on down the line." (I wouldn't mind this one so much if it were not used in EVERY single conversation! Sometimes several times in a single conversation. It just gets old after three plus years.)
"Good morning!" (At 5 a.m., my eyes are barely open. Greeting me this way in a LOUD voice, especially after I've specifically requested that it not happen . . . this is why I try to avoid the upper level of my house until after I've had a few cups of coffee.)
"Whatever you want to get rid of." (It's good food. I don't want to "get rid" of any of it. I'm asking your preference for a flavor. Find a better way to indicate that you have no preference.)
"And so on down the line." (I wouldn't mind this one so much if it were not used in EVERY single conversation! Sometimes several times in a single conversation. It just gets old after three plus years.)
"Good morning!" (At 5 a.m., my eyes are barely open. Greeting me this way in a LOUD voice, especially after I've specifically requested that it not happen . . . this is why I try to avoid the upper level of my house until after I've had a few cups of coffee.)
"Whatever you want to get rid of." (It's good food. I don't want to "get rid" of any of it. I'm asking your preference for a flavor. Find a better way to indicate that you have no preference.)
Sunday, September 11, 2016
One Thing #8 (Focus on the Positive)
Wow. 9/11/16 . . . time sure flies by. I remember 9/11/01 vividly. Having CNN on all day at NPMS. The shock and disbelief. The prayer.
And over the last few weeks with workshop and the first two weeks of school, I've thought that perhaps I wouldn't be able to get back on track with my "One Thing" project. I think part of the reason I got off-track was again selecting a goal that was too vague. My last "One Thing" was "work on the basement bathroom repair list" and I *did* successfully do three things on the list! However, it was too open-ended *and* I neglected to put a date on the whiteboard for that week. And so the weeks have passed by with the typical start-of-school crazy busy-ness. And I've gotten far off-track.
On the *positive* side, it has been a fantastic start to the school year with many "hurray" moments! It is Sunday and I am married to a wonderful man. I was able to help Louise for almost five hours yesterday and I have many wonderful things to look forward to (like a shower for Angela this afternoon at her godmother's house).
My new "One Thing" for this week: "Scrub out the fridge." This has been on my to-do list for too many days and I keep not doing it . . . we have vegetables rotting in there and I keep finding other things to do instead of dealing with it.
I need to continue to strive to focus on positives and not get discouraged by the things that don't get done (or by the evil in the world and all the hurt and hatred that exists).
And over the last few weeks with workshop and the first two weeks of school, I've thought that perhaps I wouldn't be able to get back on track with my "One Thing" project. I think part of the reason I got off-track was again selecting a goal that was too vague. My last "One Thing" was "work on the basement bathroom repair list" and I *did* successfully do three things on the list! However, it was too open-ended *and* I neglected to put a date on the whiteboard for that week. And so the weeks have passed by with the typical start-of-school crazy busy-ness. And I've gotten far off-track.
On the *positive* side, it has been a fantastic start to the school year with many "hurray" moments! It is Sunday and I am married to a wonderful man. I was able to help Louise for almost five hours yesterday and I have many wonderful things to look forward to (like a shower for Angela this afternoon at her godmother's house).
My new "One Thing" for this week: "Scrub out the fridge." This has been on my to-do list for too many days and I keep not doing it . . . we have vegetables rotting in there and I keep finding other things to do instead of dealing with it.
I need to continue to strive to focus on positives and not get discouraged by the things that don't get done (or by the evil in the world and all the hurt and hatred that exists).
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
One Thing #7 (Focus on the Positive)
Wow! Today is 8/10/16 . . . I'm falling behind on this and school hasn't even started yet!
For August 1-6, my One Thing was "Make a dinner date with Brad and Amy." We've talked about doing this for a few *years* and Brad gave me a hard time last time I saw him (March?). I said I was going to call Amy and make it happen! It has been on my to-do list for a looooong time and was my goal for last week.
Finally, I went to call her. Hmmm. I didn't have her as a contact on my phone. I looked in our paper-based phone book and tried the most likely (non-Brad) number. Generic voice mail. Hmmm. I sent her a FB message but didn't get a response. I tried looking her number up online. Finally, I texted Brad to ask for her number, fully expecting to get an excessive hard time from him. Nope. Just her number. After many texts back and forth, we have a dinner date on the calendar! Woohoo! I'm really looking forward to the two couples just hanging out. We used to get together every few months, back in the day.
For August 8-13, I had a LOT of things bouncing around in my brain (and my paper to-do lists are extensive and growing, as always). I decided on "Work on the basement bathroom repair list." The bathroom is one of my favorite places and I want it to look nice. Since I already have an orderly list, I'm going to work on it!
I tried to get Louie to "play" with me, but he doesn't want to commit to One Thing. It was so much more fun when we did it "together." I promised to not blog his item any more, but either he doesn't trust me not to, or he feels pressured, or . . . I just need to have a positive focus for myself. Especially with school stuff ramping up, this "game" helps me to focus on what IS getting done rather than stressing about all the other stuff in life. Feeling the joy!
For August 1-6, my One Thing was "Make a dinner date with Brad and Amy." We've talked about doing this for a few *years* and Brad gave me a hard time last time I saw him (March?). I said I was going to call Amy and make it happen! It has been on my to-do list for a looooong time and was my goal for last week.
Finally, I went to call her. Hmmm. I didn't have her as a contact on my phone. I looked in our paper-based phone book and tried the most likely (non-Brad) number. Generic voice mail. Hmmm. I sent her a FB message but didn't get a response. I tried looking her number up online. Finally, I texted Brad to ask for her number, fully expecting to get an excessive hard time from him. Nope. Just her number. After many texts back and forth, we have a dinner date on the calendar! Woohoo! I'm really looking forward to the two couples just hanging out. We used to get together every few months, back in the day.
For August 8-13, I had a LOT of things bouncing around in my brain (and my paper to-do lists are extensive and growing, as always). I decided on "Work on the basement bathroom repair list." The bathroom is one of my favorite places and I want it to look nice. Since I already have an orderly list, I'm going to work on it!
I tried to get Louie to "play" with me, but he doesn't want to commit to One Thing. It was so much more fun when we did it "together." I promised to not blog his item any more, but either he doesn't trust me not to, or he feels pressured, or . . . I just need to have a positive focus for myself. Especially with school stuff ramping up, this "game" helps me to focus on what IS getting done rather than stressing about all the other stuff in life. Feeling the joy!
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
One Thing #6 (Focus on the Positive)
So Louie just told me he doesn't want to be blogged about . . . I'll just record mine, I guess, since it's important for me to respect his wishes and I want to keep doing the "One Thing" with him. There's an accountability piece (even though he never asks me how I'm doing on mine) and it feels as though we're doing this together (like exercise buddies work out together).
Anyhow, I'm way behind! Writing this on 8/2/16 . . .
For July 18-23, my goal was to research and make a list for the basement bathroom "fixes." Did it!
This has been bugging me for ages! The floor tile grout is dirty and I've tried different cleaning strategies, the ceiling has some trouble spots, the wall tile grout has issues, . . . and I really want to deal with things before we're dealing with mold, water damage, etc.! So just reading online, looking at some of our tiling resources, etc. helped me generate a page of things to try.
For July 25-30, we were up at the lake and my One Thing was planning my Personalized Learning presentation for our Summit on Aug. 1 and 2. I did brainstorming and initial planning, but didn't really pull it together until yesterday morning! My presentation was at 2:30 yesterday afternoon and it went pretty well. (When I told Louie it was good, but not great, he commented that it probably would have been better if I'd done the work on it BEFORE we went on vacation, as I had originally planned.) Of course he's right, but that doesn't mean I want to hear it!
For August 1-6, I want to make a dinner date with Brad and Amy. I've been meaning to do this for about a year . . . and it's just a phone call! Perhaps I'll just go do it now.
Anyhow, I'm way behind! Writing this on 8/2/16 . . .
For July 18-23, my goal was to research and make a list for the basement bathroom "fixes." Did it!
This has been bugging me for ages! The floor tile grout is dirty and I've tried different cleaning strategies, the ceiling has some trouble spots, the wall tile grout has issues, . . . and I really want to deal with things before we're dealing with mold, water damage, etc.! So just reading online, looking at some of our tiling resources, etc. helped me generate a page of things to try.
For July 25-30, we were up at the lake and my One Thing was planning my Personalized Learning presentation for our Summit on Aug. 1 and 2. I did brainstorming and initial planning, but didn't really pull it together until yesterday morning! My presentation was at 2:30 yesterday afternoon and it went pretty well. (When I told Louie it was good, but not great, he commented that it probably would have been better if I'd done the work on it BEFORE we went on vacation, as I had originally planned.) Of course he's right, but that doesn't mean I want to hear it!
For August 1-6, I want to make a dinner date with Brad and Amy. I've been meaning to do this for about a year . . . and it's just a phone call! Perhaps I'll just go do it now.
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