A day of fun

Last night was painting night and the time just flew by.  There really is nothing better than spending time with good friends, doing something you really enjoy.  Last night was particularly fun since I got a case of the giggles. Every little event was magnified hilarious and it became contagious.  I have decided to incorporate an attitude of gratitude into my every day life; being thankful for the good things and good people in my life.  I have cultivated some really good friends in this life and I should let them know how much they mean to me.  There is no sense in getting down on things that I can't change.  There is also no sense in worrying about anything before it happens.  That just adds additional stress and anxiety that I don't need or want in my life.

Endless Lists

I have resolved myself to de-clutter my house.
So I started using Microsoft OneNote to create lists of:

• Things to Do,
• Things to Buy,
• Things to Throw Away,
• Things to Sell, and 
• Things to Relocate

Now I am just wading through a sea of lists.  I guess tonight is as good a night as any to get started.   The best plan is to start in one room, and get everything organized, boxed up, pitched, cleaned and then move on to the next room.  I think that if I can get my home space more organized, maybe I won't feel so scattered mentally.  This is all in preparation for a remodeling project, so there are plenty of things to do and buy for that, but I have to have a staging area for all the supplies; so this stuff has got to GO!!!

Mondays are my day for my painting lesson.  I can't figure out what it is, but there is something about painting that just takes away all my stress from the day.  I relax when I paint.  Since I work in a job where I have to think all day, maybe it gets me out of the left brain and into the right brain and it balances things out.

Whatever it is, I love it.  Here is my latest painting.  http://files.myopera.com/smwrld63146/blog/Resampled_IMG_20130513_173841.jpg

Monarch Caterpiller

I found this yesterday while weeding in the garden.  The weather has been so nice over the weekend, I just couldn't be inside.  I guess this little guy is a reminder that Fall is on the way sooner than we think.  
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Spinning My Wheels

Do you ever have one of those days where no matter how quickly and efficiently you try to get things done, there is always that one little detail that prevents you or makes you keep repeating the same task over and over?  You start to feel like you're not getting anything done; you're still working on the same task you started on 3 hours ago.  That seems to be the kind of day I am having today.  I've been working on a report that has so many detailed variables that I have to keep running it over and over to make sure I haven't missed anything.  It really is starting to be maddening.  I really just want it off my desk so I can move on to something else, but my brain keeps whispering to me, "Hey, are you sure you didn't forget this (or that)?"  Sometimes I really hate being so detail oriented.  There are some days that I wish I could just go through life as oblivious as the people I encounter who seem to get by just fine with no sense of conscience or accountability.

Phoenix

Our newest addition to the family is Phoenix. She was a kitten that was found outside this couples apartment. They couldn't keep her because of allergies, so we took her in at 4 weeks old. Her eyes were still blue and hadn't changed yet. I have never had a cat that young before so it was a new, somewhat scary experience for us. We did the same thing we did with Mystic by confining her to the downstairs until she got a little bigger (which took considerably longer with her being so young), but I was so afraid we were going to lose her in the house, or that she could hide where we couldn't find her.  She was sooo tiny.  It is amazing to me to look back at photos from my camera and visually see how much this little kitten has grown over the past few months. When she came home she was small enough to fit in my palm. Now she is quickly catching up to her sister. She still loves the dog too. They take naps together and yesterday morning I caught Hooch cleaning her ears!! She is also starting to calm down a little. I have been seeing consistent improvement in that area. She is much more tolerant of me holding her and petting her than she used to be.  She used to run away from you after about 5 seconds of being petted.  I think she was somewhat wild being taken away from her mother so young, but I think we are finally winning her over.