AMANDA'S BASKETS: HOW FULL IS YOUR CALENDAR?

Friday, May 23, 2014

HOW FULL IS YOUR CALENDAR?

Signs of Spring down in the valley...not up on the mountaintop, yet...

...hope springs eternal...

Do you judge success in your life by how full your calendar is? Do you sometimes you feel that you're meeting yourself coming when your going? If that's the case, maybe you need to be a bit more frugal with your time. Maybe it's time to grab hold of your calendar and simplify it.

It might even be time to stop and evaluate how you determine success? Ask yourself why you cram so much in your calendar? If you enjoy it all, fine. But if your calendar is full because you are afraid to say no it's time to exercise those vocal muscles. Rather than being on a constant whirlwind of activity take a break and stop to smell the roses.

Next time you're asked to do something give yourself some time to think about it. If it really is something you want to do, say yes. But, it you would rather not do it, say no. Simplify your calendar so you can pursue those activities which you want to do...including a good dose of downtime. Time to daydream. Time to relax. Time just to be. Remember, simplifying doesn't just mean getting rid of 'stuff'.

GOALS FOR THE WEEK:
So how did I do with the goals for the week...

1. Finish planning/writing blog for May - about 90% done

2. Zentangle each weekday - completed

3. Finish one journal page - completed

4. Lose one pound - completed

5. Arrange business changes - about 80% done

6. Finish two swaps (Mail art/Paperdoll) - not even beyond the planning stages

7. Plan places to visit with guest - completed

8. Exercise every weekday - unless housework counts...no exercising

I guess that's not too bad...of course, the dental emergency didn't help...

ZENTANGLE CHALLENGE: DAY TWELVE
Learning to combine many designs...

Finally, here is this week's journal page. I think some of the Zentangle Challenge had a bit of influence on what I chose to do. What do you think?

I hope everyone has a great weekend...
Please remember what this celebration is about...
Thanks for visiting...
I'll see you on Tuesday...

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

MAGAZINE IDEAS

(New) One article in the Farmer's Almanac 2024 is a list of trends. One I knew about is the trend to downsize in just about every area. Another trend that I was surprised about was called ''The Human Library' which offers people on loan to talk about specific subjects. Finally, more folks are adding pets to their family and as a result, stores are adding more pet food, toys and medication to their offerings. There's also a nice garden article which suggests mixing vegetables and flowers together for success.

RECIPE IDEAS

Have you every made Cherry Dump Cake. It calls for 2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (21 ounces), a white cake mix, 1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted & 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a 9 by 13 pan, spread both cans of cherry pie filling. Add the melted butter to the cake mix and break apart the resulting mixture and crumble it evenly over the pie filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Fast, easy and very delicious.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What if you want to establish better habits, then decide what habit you want to work on. Again, try an easier one first for that good feeling of success. Let's consider more exercise. Start small. Don't try to run a marathon right away. Set the amount of time, the type of exercise and when to do it to begin making sure that it is within your reach. If it works for you each week add a bit more. Walking is one of the best ways to get good overall movement but there are many exercise videos on YouTube of varying lengths and difficulty to check out. Change your exercise routines to eliminate getting bored. For hardcore exercise with weights, give yourself a day in-between to recover. Even on days you would rather not exercise, do it and see if you feel better. It takes an average of 66 days to establish a habit. Just think 66 days to establish a good habit for a lifetime. Sounds like a good thing to me...how about you?