Think Positive

Yesterday in my women's group we read and discussed affirmation cards much like these. Here are the front of the cards we read and my thoughts about them. I think I may pick up a set at B&N later today.

* There is no blame.
It is really hard to go out into the world without blaming myself or others for many situations. I am striving to work on this as I go about my week.

* Everything I touch is a success.
I LOVE this card. It is so positive. This is also a bit like trying to find the silver lining in a cloud. Even a "failure" can produce a success in the learning process.

* All my relationships are harmonious.
Wow. I can say that most of my relationships are in harmony. It always seems that something may be off with one person or another but they each come back to harmony with the right time and the right words.

* My home is a peaceful haven.
I strive for this all day long. It seems that lately I only feel this when all is quite either during nap times or after everyone has gone to sleep. This week my challenge is going to be to find the peace in every moment throughout the day.

* There is plenty for everyone including me.
In the current economy it is hard to believe that this may be true for everyone. But that reminds me that I have much more than I really NEED. If all I had was food, shelter, clothing and LOVE I would have all I need. Everything else is icing.

* I am totally adequate for all situations.
There is challenge in those words. While I do believe that I tend to mostly choose situations where I am adequate I also try to push myself outside of my comfort zone and see if I am adequate elsewhere. Sometimes I find myself lacking knowledge or skills for a particular task. That does not mean that I am inadequate for the situation.

* I am deeply fulfilled by all that I do.
This is not true every moment of everyday. I think that living with intention and purpose makes this possible more often. Why am I doing something that is not fulfilling? If it is something I must do (dishes, laundry or scrubbing the tub) why not be fulfilled by the action and result. If it is something I want to do it should fulfill me.

* I am at peace with my age.
Until recently this was untrue for me. I was always in Fast Forward Mode. I wanted to get to the end to see how it all turned out. Now I beg the day to slow down so I may be in the moment. I now see life for the journey rather than the milestones and the destination. I am over the quarter century mark that was so hard for me. I am looking down the barrel of "old" with the passing of 2 more birthdays. I am okay with that. Bring it on Universe.

* I express my creativity.
I try to physically express my creativity as often as possible. I am constantly thinking of what I would love to be doing (given that the required tasks were taken care of) with the fabric, yarn, paint, paper, etc. I also think that creativity can be expressed in words, thoughts and emotions. This is something I am taking on as well this week.

What are your thoughts? Do you feel any of these affirmations speak to you? I would love to know what you think about them.

Accomplishments & Goals

Last year I had a list that was nearly 3 pages of New Year resolutions. The only one that really stuck was weight loss. I did lose the 30 lbs I set out for. (I gained back 5 for the holidays.)
Other things I accomplished last year:
learned to sew
handmade christmas
made a new Mommy friend
sewed 3 garments for myself
learned basic knitting stitched
learned to embroider
got a better summer wardrobe
maintained an organized kitchen

My 2009 Goals
1. Lose 30 more lbs
2. Hand make as many birthday presents as possible
3. Photograph more (daily)
4. Walk with Bubba 3x per week
5. Sew one thing (at least) for myself each month
6. Make cookies with Bubba 1x per week
7. Get a part time job that I like
8. Make a realistic budget
9. Blog more consistantly about what we are doing
10. Organize my desk and business stuff and maintain it
11. Stay on top of business filing once a week
12. Toilet train Bubba
13. Decorate our bedroom
14. Try 1 new recipe weekly
15. Trip to library bi-weekly
16. Field trip to museums or zoo monthly

In the year twenty oh nine

So I am already thinking about the start of the new year. Personally I want to decide on a few goals and make meaningful and do able resolutions. Parentally (That is a word. I looked it up in the dictionary.) I want to have a plan so on January 1 I am not freaking out thinking "Where did all the time go? What am I going to present A?" There is a ton more that I am sure will be boring to everyone but me.
So what is my purpose for this particular post? It is a rough draft gathering of the many projects I want to tackle next year. Including but not limited to clothing patterns, crafting projects, sewing and paper projects. I find many times that by bookmarking a particular sight that lose interest in the project long before I have time to review and complete it. So here I will be able to give myself a little pep talk before each link and remind myself what I had in mind.
LoveBug is going to need a place special to put his artwork and other triumphs so I need to make a message/art board for him. I love this idea for our bedroom as well.
I really want to make a quilt this upcoming year. This one seems even simpler than the rag quilt I made GG. This may be a great top for our bed.
I have had my eye on fabric bins for the living room and Love Bug's room. These are the perfect solution.
These little pouches would make great little gifts for the travelers in my life.
Another (simple) quilt. This would be great for a couch throw as well as a baby blanket.
I can't get enough of shoes & handbags. I love this pattern and think it would be a nice bag.

It is good to have a map

After my wonderful phone call with my mom I realized that my priorities are a bit out of whack so it is time to evaluate and set them straight.
1. A is the reason I am a stay at home mom. I need to be doing more with him instead of the computer and house. I need to take him to the park, read to him more often, and do more to develop his language and other skills.
2. Hubby needs to be up higher on the list too. I have been setting aside some of his needs for housework and other responsibilities. I know that he works hard to so I can be at home with the boy and I really should show my appreciation for that.
**Mom's words of wisdom: Babies and love won't keep, the housework will.**
3. Me. I need to take better care of me. A wise woman, my mom, told me that if I don't take care of my needs I won't have anything to give to the other people and activities in my life. I need to stop waiting for A to get bigger so it will be easier but do what I can with today. (This morning I was successful at getting a half hour to myself and put on my makeup, did my hair and dressed. Good Stuff!)
4. The Housework. This still needs to hit the top 5 otherwise I will neglect my duties. I am going to try to set myself an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening to work on the house. This should give me enough time to get stuff I NEED to get done without feeling guilty that I didn't do enough during the day.
5. Friends and Family. I need to make a better effort to spend time with the people I love. I cannot cultivate and rely on these relationships if I neglect them. I know that others lives are busy but I bet if I put on a BBQ most of them would show up.
6. The business needs to be on here as well. I know I can do more to get us more business. I also need to be sure to set aside time every week to enter in our receipts and keep up with all aspects of the books.
7. Crafting is something that makes me happy and needs to be included in my time. I think if I make an effort to be more organized in my projects then I can get more done with less effort. I also need to manage my projects better so I am not being pulled in 10 different directions when I sit down to work on them.
8. Money also needs to hit this list. I tend to spend money in ways that prevent us from saving to get into a house or just about any big purchase for that matter. By setting a budget and sticking to it I can get rid of my frivolous spending and STOP getting charged overdraft fees. (Yuck!)

Wow, this list is pretty much in line with my 101 in 1001 project. I guess that makes this list pretty complete.

A day to renew myself

My wonderful Mother In Law is taking my darling boy for the day tomorrow. She called me the other day and told me that I looked tired and she would take him for the day. What a woman. I love her. LOTS!
I am looking forward to renewing my body and spirit tomorrow.
My goals for the day:
1. a cup of coffee and some time cuddled up on my chair in the backyard and some reading
2. finishing my top that I started (Simplicity 3760)
3. finish the clutch I started (Kwik Sew free pattern)
4. posting my wedding dress on Craigslist
5. my usual household blessings

Oh boy am I excited to tomorrow. I think I will start my day off now by going to bed early.