New Year Goals not Resolutions

Happy 

New Year 

Everyone!

This early a.m. set aside the time to list out goals.

Daily weekly as well as monthly these things are thought through with intention and purpose.

On the first sheet is labeled

2011

By filling them in I set goals. The years ahead are considered. Now once thinking of saving everything toward principle on house does not look as important as saving for the first year or two of community college. We want to do some travel with the kids. Historical sites being our desire. We want to teach the kids our history as a people and country. Exploring the land all the while. One day perhaps taking them for a trip to Russia. BIG dreams yes. Yet they are worth considering. This is how we treat each new year. Doing some intentional setting aside of or our funds, and such. Now YES I KNOW you can not PLAN life, but you can take a good look at your life and make some choices , many choices each day that will effect the future you hope to live.

Subjects set are...

• Relationships
• Homemaking
• Spiritual
• Physical
• Parenting
• Educational
• Creative outlet
• Pet and Garden care
• Financial

Then for the next 5 years marking mile stones to come.

2012
Dash 4/5 grade 11yrs old
Dove 6/7 grade 14yrs old
Me 51 yrs
Steve 54 yrs early semi retirement 401k


This done we are able to forecast Jr High, High School (Looking into grants and scholarships). I know when to look toward the years ahead, what priorities to set. It gives hope to things like a new kitchen floor one day. Makes us wait for the right times to accomplish and acquire.

Resolutions are not my style. They leave me to the energies of emote. For me that tires and falters to the point I just give up. Goals however break it down and shows me the long term focus. It is in the long term that there is no place for condemnation or shame. They are replaced with a focal point a GOAL

Adult Development

TABLE 1 Levinson's Stages of Adult Development Age Levinson's Stage 17–33 Novice phase of early adulthood 17–22 Early adult transition 22–28 Entering the adult world 28–33 Age-30 transition 33–45 Culmination of early adulthood 33–40 Settling down 40–45 Midlife transition 45–50 Entering middle adulthood 50–55 Age-50 transition 55–60 Culmination of middle adulthood 60–65 Late adult transition 65+ Late adulthood

These stages are generally accepted by researchers today in seeking to explain and evaluate adult development.


Read more: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Adult-Development.topicArticleId-26957,articleId-26919.html#ixzz19KRxD4Da

These years of middle adult hood are so beautifully sobering. Recently I have become more aware of the effects of turning 50years of age. This happens for me this year in May. The transitions that are so normal can often leave one thinking that error is everlasting. When we look at our lives and see that it is different than we might of envisioned we are left with a healthy realization that reality differs. It is the visualizations of early/middle adulthood that gave me the stamina to attain my goals. Many have been met, however over the years it is that many of my goals were left to the wind. At times these goals were ones that God differed in HIS design for my life. At times the consequences of my own choices effected my goals. Those choices of others also effected the design. Altering it into the realities of today.
Reality is this is my life today, grieve it and love it. Celebrate the success and try to accept the faults and foibles. Learning always. Remembering lessons of right doing and standing. The power of kindness.

Maturity at this point in life I believe is the old knowing the difference of the things that I can change or not. Accepting the reality with grace, humility and gratitude...well that brings a peace. That peace removes the bitterness of goals and dreams that have altered or been left unmet. The errors of early and middle adulthood can grieve a soul, forgiveness can heal it :)

Turning 50 will be a real age of transition for me. It is a hard thing to look back at life and not kick yourself in the fanny at the 'only if insight were foresight'.  Oh to the youth. If that wisdom of age lived with character could just be chosen. Lives would be so sweet for them. Even in the transition on hindsight life is covered with mercy.

Happy New Year

The Kids are still up 11:11 here
I want to sleep soon :)

the last few days and my little artists

Tip here take pictures of any wiring before you undo it.

Life is made much easier when it is time to hook it all up again.

hold your breath when you dust too!

:)

Pray for that little darling in the middle. She and her family really need it. The kids were sharing media in the back seat on the way across town.

 We took the old oak entertainment center over to my sister much to her glee.

Did you know that empty dishwashers make the best drain boards for large items?

 Holiday is coming to a close soon and the laundry is a mass. We did not want me to work over the  vacation so now it is time to make the needed laundry soap.

 We had temperatures in the mid 20's last night. This is a batch of grain and old pasta cooked up for the chickens.

 Thinned out the baby kale and harvested some broccoli and radish for salad.

 The room is so large here without the oak center. We have had that for so many years. Strange to have it out of here. It is so large and even louder in the room. The book shelf is loaded with all the media. That center held a lot of things in it. A home is now needed to place all the books off the shelf unit.

 This is the living room at this point. The tree came down yesterday. In spite of a 4 hour drive in the rain the HDTV got home dry. He got stuck in a 3 mile back up on the freeway due to an accident. Gratefully he was not in it. We were able to have a friend come and help get it out of the truck. The truck was backed up half way into the garage. That cart set near the tailgate and the men set it over onto it. The cart is a type of industrial strength shelf on wheels. Not too pretty but if you know me I'll figure out away to get it to flow. The area behind the TV will get metals and pastels for decor.

 See the difference in the size. The picture is just so pretty! For the first time in for ever I sat and watched a bit of TV last night. Felt sort of strange to just sit and watch. The WII was amazing on it. So clear. Some of the DVD's we have will show in high definition. If we ever are able to get a blue ray player it will work on this TV.

 My kids have found identity as artist. Now this is so cool to us. We are not sports folk, nor as many with interest as the masses. However we are both artist in our own right. Now we see the kids interested. It felt like we have this to offer them and they are both calling themselves artist now. Dove draws, Dash is a sketcher :)

shout out to all of you. Sorry my visits are brief and few. The family is yet on holiday. A 'stay-cation'. The kids are back to school on Monday and the Daddy Man, my beloved darling, he gets Monday off. We will have one day alone before he returns to work. Me...well my work is well over my head. No appointments so far next week.

The washer and dryer will know me well by weeks end. Ha!

I'll try to post soon

Taking Dash to mall to have mom son time. It is his turn today. Dove and I had time last week. We try to do alone time with each one.
have a great day.
:)

Time is flying by! Prayer for a child Please

wow it is three days past Christmas already! I have an extra kid today and tomorrow. We were offered a gift of a new/used HDTV. Given to us by our BILove. We have been taking apart our living room. Today we took our entertainment apart. It is being passed on to my sister for her sewing studio.
When we were just ready to load the unit in the truck a gardener next door offered to help Steve lift it. Such a blessing.

It is now after midnight and the little girl just left with her mother. She was in a panic attack due to lack of security at home. PLEASE pray for this little one D. Oh Lord Lord this child knows things no child should ever have to live through. Please pray for my Dove as well. This kid shared what she is going through. Man I think intervention. There is no help for her except this safe house. I wish I could just take all this away for her.

Steve is off to Tucson in the early dawn to get the tv given to us. Dove is in our room tonight with us this is NOT going to happen again.

Christmas Eve Day

 Our little family has been busy with the pleasures of time together. So many activities here at home and out and about. Mostly here however. The kids had an early start on the 24th and caught two sleepy parents off guard and unprepared. the two presents they chose to open were opened in the morning. Normally it is an evening event. We realized that the day long would give more time to enjoy. It is so set that rules of Christmas are never modified. It is a challenging thing for me to be flexible. My husband is teaching me these things at times with some consternation.

 Unfortunately Dash opened a package that I somehow forgot to write no on. It was the case to his big gift. We saved up and were able to give each kid one big gift. His is a DSI. Well now he was so upset and we all had a bit of a melt down. I feeling that my error by not getting a 'no' on the right package, it took a while to let go of the idea I spoiled Christmas excitement. A good perspective is he was very excited for the morning. :)

 Here he is dragging the dog across the floor, the dog was loving it.

 Well Christmas eve means Lamb for me. Some traditions were really challenged and reconsidered this year. My lamb was not one of them. I thought to us a rub on the pan and roll it in it.

 We were blessed to get a leg a $48. leg for $21. It was so good.

However I must get it in the freezer for I am the only one who enjoys it.

I may not do this tradition next year.

Steve and I had our evening communion and well into the midnight hours before our hearts and minds were ready. We spoke out all within us. Talked of all and or any ought we had against each other as we admitted our sin and fault to God and each other. This was a great time of healing and restoration in our friendship. It was very cathartic and yet courageously difficult to walk through. When a family is young as in the kids, it is so easy to neglect each others hearts. It is far too easy to leave things unsaid and misunderstood.  We were so open and transparent with each other. Our ties strengthened and secured. Our love deeply knit.

Then and only then we were ready to join each other in one spirit and had our time of communion together. We fell asleep sound and slept peacefully.

It was a wonderful Christmas eve.