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I love the way this picture turned out. We were waiting to be seated at a restaraunt and they were looking into the fish tank.
My Sony Macadiva would have probably taken this picture so much better, but I didn't have it with me. I am happy anyway to have had my camera phone to capture this (all too few) quiet moment.
Saturday was the Charlton County Sand Gant Classic, an all day tournement. And I mean all day long. From 9:00 am till 6:30pm we were at the ballfields.
It was cold too. To survive the day you needed to bring you folding chairs and blankets. Lots of blankets. But it was all worth it.
The Sand Gants made it to the Championship Game by only losing one of their four games playing that day. They played the Blazers out of Valdosta in the deciding game.
The Blazers won but I think they all won. To have made it to the 5th and last game was a feat all in it's self. Our boys played hard and they deserve everything their hard work can give them: a sense of acomplishement, self esteem, working as a team to acomplish a common goal, and self worth. They probably won't reconginize these things as what they are called, but each one has earned them today and I hope they never forget how it feels.
Now that fall Baseball is over, what am I gonna do until Spring Rec Ball starts?
Rest.
For over a week now I have been tied to my Pocket PC. I even carry it with me to Derric's Baseball practice. Of course I get a couple of weird looks while I tap away on a little silver box, but I think I have made it past that.
You just don't know how I dread shopping during the holidays. If I get to a Wal Mart with so many people in it there is no walking in the aisle, I freak out. I totaly lose all concentration. Lose all memory of what I'm there for and just basicaly, I can't handle it. The last couple of years I have had to just turned around and walk out. Even if I have traveled an hour one way to get to the store, if that feeling jumps on me, I'm outta there. I really have my ducks in a row when I walk in a store.
This time my Pocket PC Has got to help me. As I look thru magazines and surf the web, I have been completing my lists with ideas for food and gifts. I even have a couple of gifts ordered.
With FlyLady I have been decluttering and deep cleaning areas of my house. Just a little bit at a time, but you can see some progress. The alarms have helped to remind me to look at my list. But the main thing I have got to remember is "Use It".
There's one problem.
Since starting my lists in my Pocket PC, I have seen a lot of scrapbooking bloggers out there posting pictures and writing about their altered
Christmas Notebooks. They have decorated notebooks of lists with the care of decorating a tree. Beautiful ribbons, papers and wild tags bedeck their Christmas Helpers. EyeCandy for the soul while working on Holiday Chores.
Problem:
I wanna to make a Christmas Notebook.
I must stick with what I started, I tell myself. If I start another list organizer it will all fall apart. Lists and ideas will be scattered and I won't have the right list with me at the right time.
I must stay on the path. So, I tried to alter my Pocket PC but it just isn't the same.
Maybe I should breakout the glue and rhinestones. You know the ones they use on cell phones - Bling Bling. Hey, that might just would work.
They said it was going to rain today, but look at our sky. Today at 2:30 the puffy white clouds made the sky look the bluest BLUE. To keep from falling asleep at my desk, I got out of the office to drop the mail off at the post office.
Of course I had to ride with the sun roof rolled back. I didn't open the sun roof just because the weather was nice. My air conditioner only works when my truck is going 75 miles an hour and they don't like it when you go that fast Downtown, go figure. (The drivers side window doesn't roll down, the right passenger side door only opens from the outside, the fuel pump makes noise, it whines louder the faster you go, I could go on and on but that's another story. The stereo/CD player still sounds good and that's all that counts, right? LOL)
That's the water tower outside the sunroof. The town sky scraper. It's not very clear. I took it with my camera phone, pushed the send button, and emailed it to myself so I would have something to look forward to when I got back to the office. How slick is that? I think the cops that were standing outside City Hall thought I was a spy or something. They kept starring at me through their sunglasses. I just thought it would make a cool picture.
Yes, I know this post was about part of my boring day, but I'll take it. At The Edge of Reason, Kelly has elaborated on the subject of boring too. But with her little dog Misty and her eloquent writing, boring is not a bad thing.
Hocus Pocus ATC Swap
Mail has been exciting around here lately, getting all of these neat Artist Trading Cards in the mail. Thanks to Mariyln Healey for organizing this swap.
My trading cards are almost finished. Although not intentionally, it will be next Monday before they are ready to mail. I am all out of Modge Podge and this little town I live in doesn't have Modge Podge. Must go to Big City this weekend.
See, there I was assembling my creations. It's 10:30. House is quiet, all except Cartoon Network Boomerang on the TV. (Got to watch my Pink Panther.) Glue, colors, pixels, and ribbons flying every where. I go to reach for my Modge Podge to seal in the details. Where is it?
I searched high and low all through my cluttered crafting area. No Modge Podge. I am sure I put it next to the Gesso. It's not there.
Arruggggh!!! Where's my stuff? And you know who gets the blame first...... The KIDS. They have been going through my stuff again.
Once I settle into disappointment, I remember where the Modge Podge went. During Shimell's "Written Down" Art Journal Class, I was having such a great time with collage, I shared the collaging with my 14 year old daughter. She took to it right away. And she took my Modge Podge. She now has filled a couple of art journals. ( I love to see the kids create.)
Ah, that's the price we pay when we share in the creativeness, we must share in the art supplies.
Last week, Michelle at Scrapability wrote an entry on her organizational attempts and Tara Whitney had a post on not being able to remember things. Lately I feel as if I have been floating along with the current, no control. I thought to myself," I really need to grab hold if I wanted to enjoy the Holidays with out an anxiety attack."
After failing year after year, trying to be prepared for the Holidays, I have challenged myself once more to this "Do or Die" situation. I reviewed the regular sites like Flyday and Organized Home and there programs. Each has it's pros and cons and Flylady's program seems to be the most doable.
I have also dusted off my Pocket PC to be "Holiday Plan Central". I have brought my Dell Axim back to life for it's the ability to set alarms and reminders for myself. I need constant reminding, even if it's only a reminder to look at my lists everyday. I have aptly named my PPC "MY BRAINS". My real ones slip up on me from time to time. Some people say it is because I have to much in it and it just cuts out on things no matter the importance.
My Goals:
1) A CLEAN HOLIDAY HOUSE
*A Clean Holiday House: A house clean enough for visitors to come inside, not just visit on the porch. A house where my face would not be stuck with horror trying to remember if the bathroom was picked up if someone asks to use it.
There is a list template at the List Pro website for free download similar to the Flylady's Routines. Most all of my list are going to be in List Pro so that I will be able to edit them on the computer or my PPC.
2) A PREPARED KITCHEN
*Clean out Kitchen and cupboards. Discard unused appliances and food items that are just taking up space. Here comes the Flylady's routines and 27 Flings. I have resubscribed to the email list for more reminder support.
*A Stocked Pantry: Last night I picked up Rachel Ray's new magazine: Everday with Rachel Ray . They have an article "The Every Day Kitchen" which has a compiled list of "52 basic startup ingredients". The list seems to follow pretty closely with what we eat so I am going to put the list in List Pro to be synced with my Pocket PC.
3) A CHRISTMAS THAT WILL NOT BREAK THE BANK
*Follow and track a Budget: I do not want to guess weather I will make the bills or wonder if I will have enough money to buy presents at last minute. The budget will go on an Excel spreadsheet until I can get my Pocket Quicken to work.
*Christmas Gift List: On List Pro, I have a list of people and the gifts with notes that could be added. It will even keep a running total on the money spent on gifts. There is a column for the hiding places and check boxes for being wrapped.
4) MAINTAIN A CHEERFUL, PEACEFUL MIND
.
*Keep a Calendar. I have reloaded Agenda Fusion on my Dell Axim in order to keep every ones's schedule including my own on track. Plus I can set this up color coded and use great little icons for each member of the family. I have to have something that will keep my attention.
*Keep a To Do List. Make sure those To do's are scheduled in Agenda Fusion with alarms to remind me of them before it is too late. Add hints from other resources as I come across them. Sophia (http://sophiacorbridge.typepad.com/sentimentsbysophia/) has posted an entry on her blog a description of her Holiday Planner with lots of tips I want to include in my Holiday Planner
*Keep a list of traditions that we have and a list of traditions I would like to try. I also have a column here for notes to keep for scrapbook journaling I might want to include on my digital pages.
*Keep reference lists: A checklist of what I need in my photography bag, a list of what I need in my car at all times, a list of what should be in my pocket book, etc.
This is a tall order and it's not going to happen over night. But if I work from my list a little each day I should be able to accomplish enough to enjoy the Holidays and keep the real reason for the Season in my heart.
(8:30pm I am publishing this thru The Journal program with pictures to see if it works)
(9:20pm OK, the pictures didn't post with the words and the links are printed, so I have went back thru Typepad and uploaded the pictures and re loaded the links. I guess you can't have it all but atleast I do have all my text backedup on my computer with the pictures.)
Derric was Zorro this Halloween and he had the tipping of his hat down pat. Every time he would tip his hat he said that meant "Touche". If you watch Cartoon Network as often as we do, then you can hear the little mouse in the Tom and Jerry Cartoon holler "Touche Pussycat"
We chowed on Mom's chili and Derric went Trick or Treating with his cousins, Zachry, Autum, and Audrey. 
We missed seeing Carson and Dylan because Dylan was down with the Flu.
Here, they take Halloween seriously. The house was decorated to the hilt complete with a great big cauldron up front and a witch in the window. That's my brother, dressed as a pirate, whipping up a spell or two in the front yard.
At night, always remember to bring your tripod. I forgot to bring mine with me. To tell the truth, I didn't think of it till I needed it. The picture of the pirate in front of the house was made courtesy of the mail box on the corner. Other times I used a chair, but my hands still shook the camera. They are a little blurry but it does give the house a nice "spooky" glowing effect. I have more Halloween pictures posted in the my Curent Photos Album and on the Daily Photo Site.
I should always have a photography bag ready and packed at the door so that I can just whip out and not forget anything I might need. If I was do that, then I might be considered organized. LOL.
