Tackling the "demons"

Well...I have no closets..not one...and I have more work to do than one human being could ever do Things are always piled up around here simply because they don't have a "place" but there are some jobs that I NEVER get to that just drive me crazy. Today I cut up some card stock and wrote each one of these jobs on a little card and then dropped them all in a gallon jar (there are a LOT of chores). They're things like "rake the barnyard"...fill the raised garden bed with manure, plant the plants along the side of the barn, clean off my computer desk, clean the kitchen shelves, clean the catering refrigerators. I'm going to pull out at least one card a day and get one of these miserable little jobs done so that I can sleep at night. I'll NEVER get it all done (I feel like that guy on the old Ed Sullivan show who used to keep a bunch of plates spinning on long sticks)...with just the everyday things I'm responsible for (basically...everything BUT carving ice). Today I cleaned out the dressers and threw out the clothes that really needed to go...and got rid of a pile of clothes that wouldn't fit into the drawers until after I cleaned them off. One card checked off the list. WHEW!!

SO!!! These are the changes I've made so far...

1) I'm giving myself permission to do something EVERY day that I want to do. (Today I broke up mugs)

2) I've made a jar full of chores that NEVER seem to get done and every day I'm going to complete one of those chores so that I can feel as if I've accomplished something every day...instead of just working myself to death and feeling as if I got nothing done...just dreadful, repetitive work.

Tommorrow... I begin to work on a "plan"...and I'm going to come up with one more "change" to make in my life to make things better.

Giving myself permission

Kathy... I was so happy to get your text! We need to stick together girl! Selina...when you get to a computer, I know you're gonna be happy about this too... Surfing the internet on your phone just isn't cuttin' it, I know. Mary...I WISH you'd read your email once in a while!! I think I'm gonna break down and call you today (everybody knows how much I hate the phone...it's a HUGE sacrifice! Hahahahah).

I'm not sure how all of this will work. I started a page on Facebook, but everybody had access to it and I have a feeling that we'll talk about stuff that we don't want everybody else reading about. We can invite other women in, but I don't want Jay pokin' around in here...so...I started this blog. It doesn't work very well either because you all can't post in the same way that I can...but you can "comment" and if you have pictures or anything else that you want to have me put up (that would be GREAT!), you can email them and I'll make sure they go up in our blog here...so we can all share them. In the meantime, I hope you'll all comment away...make suggestions. I'm already pulling out of my funk...just having all of you to "talk" to...knowing that you're out there and that we're all cheering for each other.



Today I decided to "give myself permission" to do something that I've been DYING to do! There is a craftswoman inside me...if EVER I could get time to do something that I WANT to do! I left the dishes in the sink...forgot about planting the banana trees that I just bought...left my phone in the desk and went up to my shop and cut handles off of mugs for two hours. It was GREAT! I'm so overwhelmed with the idea of creating crazy mosaics...and somehow the idea of putting lots of handles on pots and things is really doing me in...so I finally got to use the new wet saw that I bought...and tore into the pile of mugs that I've been collecting. Now I have about a hundred handles all cut out and lots of mugs to break up (I intend to start doing that tonight!)..so that I can begin on my first mosaic creation. I just finished a Texas flag mailbox that I made with mosaic pieces of stained glass...but it's not really what I'm dreaming about doing (although I like it!)... At least now I know I can do it and soon I'll have the materials to begin.





I want you guys to give yourself permission to do something today that you wouldn't usually do. It can just be a hot bubble bath if you want...but I want you to do something JUST FOR YOU!





Ok...two other little things. If you haven't already heard about it, I want all of you to know about http://www.etsy.com/ . It's like Ebay but for handcrafted things. I don't know if any of you make things that you'd like to sell...but I just love to go to etsy.com and look at stuff. Selina and I put "rustic wedding" in the search engine and found a TON of ideas for the barn! Whenever I'm wanting inspiration, I go to etsy and lose myself for a little while. It's also a place where you can sell "vintage" items. The buyers seem to be mostly 20 to 30 somethings...who are just in LOVE with everything 60's and 70's. Whenever I go into a second hand shop, I see a lot of women my age...combing through things buying stuff from that era. I'll bet they're selling it on Ebay and Etsy. Anyway...just a thought if anybody is wanting to make some extra money. The second thing is just something I just heard about and thought maybe I'd pass on. It's a website called http://www.betterfly.com/ . I haven't looked at it for more than 5 minutes, but apparently it's a website (mainly for women in business) offering their services to make your life better. It's worth a look... I saw lots of ads for hairdressers saying that they'd do EXACTLY what you want them to do...and not cut off 8 inches more hair than you'd intended...LOL. I especially like the idea because it's a chance to support other women.





OK!! Write, you guys! Don't leave me hanging out here talking to myself! If you wanna start your own blog it's easy (and then we could all read each other's). Just go to http://www.blogger.com/ and sign up and it walks you through it. Love ya!!

I am sending out a message to three of my closest friends in hopes that you will all join me. We're all in the same boat...dealing with wayward, undependable, and even condescending men. We're all trying to fight it out alone. One thing that I've talked to all of you about is the fact that all of us are isolated to some degree and don't spend enough time among women. I'm hoping that we can fix that. I think we can find strength together and lift each other up.

Mary, Selina and Kathy...you're all invited to join me here for open (and hopefully funny) discussions. I'm hoping we can plan dinners out together...trips to the movies maybe (maybe even a Thelma and Louise X2 type trip!! I'm up for classes...whatever all of you want to do. I've spent too many years locked away just slogging it out...working like crazy with little rest and little hope for any real change in my life. I think maybe we can provide for each other what the men in our lives DON'T...compassion, understanding, encouragement and most of all....LAUGHTER!

I'm sure that the three of you probably know other women in this circumstance and I'm hoping that we can eventually invite other women to join us in our effort to find happiness and security. For now, I found this picture online and it looks like "us". I will be the one in the 3/4 sleeves ;-)