Now I get it . . .

I think I understand now. I've never been accused of being a woman of few words--even when journaling (or blogging). I think, however, if I'm actually going to do this, I need to pare down my entries. So, one week before Good Friday, I'm making my Lenten commitment to "shut up and do." (I think I can do that for 7 days.)
I thought I'd let you all know about my plans for my week of solitude. (Darren and kids will head to FL for Spring Break.)
Ever since opening the shop, I have severely neglected my home. I have done very little to make my home the inviting space I once envisioned. I tackle little projects, but without seeing an entire project through, it still has a disjointed appearance.
I'm going to finish our master bedroom and bath. I'm going to start by painting our wardrobe--eek! Sorry purists--I must coat that orange-y oak with satin white! I'm also on the look-out for a new headboard and a piece of furniture to store Darren's clothing. Then, in our bathroom, more paint--the vanity will also be slathered in white. And down comes the black and red chandelier to be replaced by an old fixture we found under the house and painted . . . white.
Another project involves the dining room. I'm going to recover the dining chairs and make slipcovers for the backs. When time allows, there will be matching curtains, too.
I'll promise pictures of the before and after looks, but you kow better than to hold your breath.
My hope is that now that I've told all three of my readers, I'll follow through!
Write and tell me about you projects. If you need some ideas . . . send me a picture with a brief description of what you'd like to achieve. I'll send you a few ideas.
Thanks for your indulgence.

Where am I and what time is it?

As we move into the weekend when we will lose another hour of sleep (as if I need the government to tell me to do this--like I don't lose enough without the help of Big Brother!). I find myself pondering the seriously short supply of "time" I find in my reserve. It's not there. Sure, we all feel like there are never enough hours in the day at some point or another, but I'm quite sure my supply is smaller than yours--really.

There are things I can do, I'm sure. I believe my husband has a list already typed, with an accompanying power point slide show to effectively demonstrate how I waste my days away. Not that he's critical of me--he just knows how to manage his time better than I. He wakes up early--just to go work out! What's up with that? Good rest habits are extremely important to the health. I like my casual approach to my work out--no alarms jarring me awake. I just wait until my twelve-year-old son comes careening down the stairs, grabbing hold of the railing to keep the centrifugal force from slamming him into the wall. That's enough of a wake-up.

After I kiss him and attempt to kiss my daughter good-bye and wish them a good day, I sit down and watch a little of the good news on the networks. Then it's me and Rodney Yi--together we salute the sun--he always starts off "warmed up;" it takes me a few downward facing dogs to feel like I can even begin to visualize my knees--let alone see them during my forward bends.

I thought yoga would be a good thing for me. I could center and focus. I could relax and breathe. Every now and then I feel like I may be able to do these things, but more often then not, I center my focus on the same things I focus on every day, all day. Will my kids grow up to be happy and at least somewhat productive? Will they still be speaking to me in three years? Will I survive Darren's return to the "real" Army? Will the kids? Will my business be a success? Can we really afford to start renovations on the building? Will my 1993 Suburban last until said renovations are complete? Are we making progress downtown or just arranging the smoke and mirrors? How can anyone "breathe naturally" during the half-boat pose?

This started out as a blog about--wait, I'll go check . . . oh, "myself" was pondering about my seriously short supply of time. Focus. I am sure there are skills I can learn. I need to take responsibility for my schedule and stick to it. Center. Much of the so called "interruptions" to my schedule erupt due to everyday events--phone calls, drop-in visitors, kids activities. These are all good things. I get those phone calls because I'm actually able to pay that outrageous telephone bill every month! I have drop in visitors because I have friends--I'm blessed. My kids are active because they're healthy--I'm very, very blessed! No complaints.

Well, I digress and I've gone way beyond my allotted 30 minutes for this blog entry. (Time management, shmime management!) My point is, I'd like to get a better handle on my time. I feel like I accomplish so little beyond the "must do" list of each day. Yet, I'm sure there will be time to think about that tomorrow . . .