Literary Sideline

The literary sideline is doing so well, I had to pull out the google calendar app just to track when I received manuscripts, what chapters I was editing and reviewing for which author.

It will help me schedule various author promo's and that sort of thing!

 It is also helping me make sure that all the authors are being taken care of equally.

 I participate in my first blog tour on the 15th. I am about half way through the book.

 OK I would probably be done but I did have to go to bed last night since the real world job has to take precedence! Because all of a sudden, the book is just good!! But more on that the 15th!

I also decided that I need to come up with some sort of icon-- an avatar of sorts... Something that separates my blog facebook page from my regular facebook page. Right now they are using the same picture and if I am confused.... then I can only imagine how everyone else must be.

It was easier at the old site-- throw some dragonflies in and I was good to go!

But I want something else. Some different. Something that speaks to who I am now... even the mysterious parts I don't show to others.

So see? No pressure there.

The goal is to have designed it by the blog tour on the 15th. That should give me plenty of time and even a whole weekend to play with different ideas!

Can You Say....

Road Trip?

Leaving Thursday morning-- so wicked early it should be called Wednesday night.

Getting home late Sunday evening...

While there is a major down side-- (my back is going to be killing me!) the (big) upside besides seeing Taylor graduate is that I get to mark two states of my list.... that will put me at 24 and the District of Columbia!

 While I hope I get to see the arch in St Louis......

 I really don't want to see any of these......

 

Calm and Joy: Weekend Goals

In an effort to live a more simple, deliberate life, I have decided that there are moods and ideals that my haven needs to provide.

Because I am aware that there are many in this world who have much less, it is my honor to take care of that haven to make it everything I need it to be for me.

In looking at these tasks as joys to complete to ensure that my haven remains so rather than chores that must be done... I find a better peace of mind and far more pleasure. It makes me feel better and gives me a much better frame of mind.

For this weekend (my days off work-- Friday, Saturday and Sunday) I sat down and thought what needed to be done the most-- we have had so much rain that the grass is out of control. I want a place in the back yard where I can sit at my table and meditate and write. Or read. So in a few minutes I had a small list of things that -- weather permitting-- I would like to accomplish in an effort to create more calm and find more joy.

1. Mow the yard-- front and back-- with the bag on to get as many of the leaves as I can.
2. Wash the shutters (first step in repainting them)
3. Deliver the items to be donated and get them out of the house (my haven)
4. Take the recyclables to the street for the City to pick them up.
5. Meditate in the new, more peaceful back yard.

So, since it is supposed to rain Saturday (again!) I better mow and wash the shutters Friday. That way it is out of the way and the newly mowed yard can absorb the new rain water.

The recyclables will go out Friday morning along with the garbage and the donated items can be delivered Saturday in the rain.

Depending on where I move the table to and how hard it is raining... it has a big umbrella and, as long as the wind isn't blowing at hurricane level.. I can sit outside in the rain and meditate and read. The dog won't like that but that's ok, too!

Calm and Joy are my words for 2013 and quite possibly forever as I learn how to incorporate those two ideals into my life and my haven.

April No Spend- First Week Update

The first full week of the month has come and gone and I am feeling very good about things so far.

I thought I would share the progress of the week in an effort to be more accountable.

April 1
$ 88 Groceries


April 2
No spend

April 3
No Spend

April 4
$ 8.00 for 2 movie tickets and popcorn

April 5

$ 114 Tax Preparation (but at least they are filed!!)

April 6
$ 46.73 Groceries
$ 43.99 Dog Grooming

April 7
No spend

April 8
$ 20 Midtown Classic 5k registration

April Goals

    

 
I spent a lot of time over the past weekend journaling and making some goals. I meant to have this post all ready to go yesterday, but I didn't quite finish.

 
Friday, I made a meal plan for the upcoming week and went grocery shopping.

 
April has become a No Spend Month and I am taking it very seriously this time. I have tried a couple of times before to do this and was not successful. This time I have made a serious commitment. Outside of the bills, groceries and gas to get to work and back I do not plan to spend any money. No eating out. No shopping.

 
There is one (ok 3) to this. One is for the registration fee for my 5k this month (20 bucks), my tax preparation (but I sort of see that as a bill because hey… it's taxes) and some sage for burning. I want to smudge the house and rid it of all the negative energy. I am going to try and wait until May for this, if for no other reason than to prove to myself I can.

 
In my journaling this weekend I realized the two crutches I have used to not face feelings and emotions have caused even bigger problems. So from now on, if I want something, it goes on a list. To be determined later if, in fact, I really do want/need it or if it is being used to alter/mask feelings. I use shopping to make myself feel good and that's not a good thing. It reeks of lack of control and emotional instability. While items purchased may be small and inconsequential… they in fact add up and create debt and I am starting now to rid myself of all debt.

 
It will be a long road but you can't finish if you don't start.

 
The flip side of feeling good is feeling bad. I used food to numb those feelings and fears that were too much for me and, yet again, created an even bigger problem.

 
So my crutches—while they helped two feelings—created two bigger problems and now I need to deal with those.

This weekend was really good for me. I sat down and thought about what I really wanted from my life and I kept coming back to three words:

1. Simple
2. Authentic
3. Radiant

 
So I start April off with a bang! Meal plans and goals. Both of which I feel better about than I ever have before because in understanding why I was doing things the way I was, I realized how I can begin to heal and fix those things without making bigger problems.

 
I cannot continue to live my life in fear and anxiety. That does not make for a happy life and the last four days have shown me a glimpse of what I need my life to look like.

 
And I like it.

 

50 by 50

This post was originally published on my old blog in June 2012. I wanted a record of it here so I am re-posting it.

1. Hot air balloon ride
2. White water rafting
3. Spend a week (or a long weekend) at a beach house
4. Lose at least 50 pounds
5. Pay off debt
6. Go somewhere new
7. Stand up for myself
8. Write a book– novel- ebook… not going to put limits on it
9. Take a cruise
10. Learn how to use my DSLR and all of its functions
11. Give up diet coke
12. Grow my blog
13. Organize shed and storage room
14. Save 3,000 (ok the original goal said 10,000 but it is only 4 years and I do have debt that needs to be paid off first)
15. Give up sugar
16. Update master bedroom
17. Finish House repairs (master bath, new roof (Feb 2012), replace and paint fascia boards)
18. Create backyard sanctuary
19. Let my hair grow back out
20. Drive cross country
21. Add 5-10 new states to my “Spend a night in every state goal” (so far I am at 22 + Washington DC)
22. Complete Birthday Random Acts of Kindness Completed 11/12/2011
23. Go Minimalist!
24. Attend Blogging/Writing/Photography conference
25. Take a Photography Class
26. Drive from Key Largo to Key West and drive over 7 mile bridge
27. Plan my Paris getaway
28. Ride a Segway
29. Sell sterling silver demitasse set
30. Create a piece of artwork
31. Get organized/Reduce clutter
32. Visit Niagara Falls
33. Go through books and pare down (this is half way complete!)
34. Do something with the contents of Mom’s record cabinet
35. Learn Georgian
36. Convert CD’s to digital music and get rid of CD’s
37. Convert Mom’s slides to digital pictures
38. Organize closets
39. Go through all paperwork and reduce
40. Scan all my photographs from Georgia
41. Be happy
42. Have a successful pain management plan
43. Plant or grow a flower garden
44. Replace screen door on the sliding glass door
45. Paint the kitchen cabinets
46. Create a dragonfly garden
47. Learn how to meditate and do it daily
48. Go on an adventure
49. Learn how to cook
50. Participate in an athletic event