WordGirl #51

For December 17-23 (week 51), I drew #51: "Learn something new about the environment and how to take care of our planet in your own backyard this week."

I'm not sure I was successful . . . I try to learn something new *every* week! I care about the environment and try to make "green" choices in my life. I'm working on buying less stuff so I have less packaging, waste, etc. We compost and recycle, reuse and donate. I take my own canvas bags to the grocery store.

My "One Thing" is almost done. I have the envelopes ready to drop in the mail today (Tuesday, December 26). It's nice to have that done!

Now it's the last week of 2017. One more Triple F Double E thing to finish off the year!

WordGirl #18 toes

For week 50 (December 10-16), I drew #18: "Try to touch your toes without bending your knees (as far as you can go) every day this week."

Sunday - 5 1/2" from floor
Monday - 3" from floor
Tuesday - 1" from floor (almost touched!)
Wednesday - didn't do it
Thursday - touched, but couldn't hold
Friday - Aha! Early in the day, I was a few inches away from my toes. By evening, I could touch them, but couldn't hold my fingertips there.
Saturday - same as Friday. Apparently, I "limber up" a bit over the course of the day. Interesting.

My "One Thing" for the week was "Get AIM info ready for Saturday." I was successful, but it was (and is) in rough draft form, because I had to talk to some people and change some specific info.

Two weeks left!

WordGirl #52 Color

For week #49 (December 3-9), I drew slip #52: "Add color to your pallet this week - socialize with someone from a different race, wear a color that you never thought you would, paint something, etc. This one is wide open - how do you add color?"

This was fun, but I didn't do as much with it as I would have liked. I wore red and green (and seasonally appropriate socks) at least one day last week. I chatted with some people of a different race than myself at the county courthouse on Monday. I planned a painting project, but didn't do anything with it yet. I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful flowers my sister Ann had brought over on Thanksgiving! They finally said goodbye this past week (except for the orchid, which is still alive and beautiful).

My "One Thing" this week was to weatherstrip the front door. I'm glad I talked to Louie about it, because he said the weatherstripping is fine. The door just doesn't shut snug against it. I didn't believe him, so he showed me. Ah! Now I understand. He got a screwdriver and tightened the strike plate for the door knob latch. Now there's less air flow! Yeah!

No photos to post this week, but I'm getting the blogging done on a Sunday! New week ahead!
 

WordGirl, #19, nature

For week 48 (November 26 - December 2), I had #19: "Spend some time in nature this week." I took Titus to the dog park, went up to the compost in our back yard, etc. Nothing special or out of the ordinary, I'm afraid. But having a puppy means getting outside several times every day! My arthritis (in my left knee) has been problematic lately, so I haven't been a super outdoors gal of late. My favorite place to spend time in nature is up at Strawberry Lake . . . or the BWCA . . . or in Maui, walking on the beach . . . sigh. I don't think I have a favorite.


Since I really like having an item to focus on and accomplish each week, I'm doing my One Thing again . . . for whatever reason, this helps me.

I will have a new daughter-in-law in June! Last Christmas, I just put up a store-bought Christmas stocking for her. I really wanted a personal stocking, though. I bought the sheep fabric in August (when Ann and I took the road trip to see the eclipse) and finally made the stocking this week! It isn't super fantastic . . . my sewing skills are still wanting. But I made it! Now Mari has her own, personal, LaMoore family Christmas stocking! The inside is pink flannel. I'm afraid the cuff got a little too snug . . . but it will have to do!

I called my first daughter-in-law (they married 4 1/2 years ago) and asked if she wanted a new stocking. Hers is pretty pink arctic fleece (fuzzy soft), but not a quilted stocking. She's fine with it (she told me) but I can make her a different one if I want. With all the sewing projects already needing my attention, I think I'm done with stockings for 2017!

WordGirl Yet Another Catch-Up Session #31, #44, #43

Sigh. It's November 29 as I write this and I haven't even pulled my slip of paper for this week! I'm going back to my One Thing in 2018 . . . it lacks some of the fun variety and group participation aspect, but it works for me!

Week 45 (Nov. 5-11) I had #31: "Perform one act of proactive political action this week." I'm sad that I don't regularly do this! It seems like an exercise in futility, yet I know I should be more civically engaged. I intended to contact my representatives about the BWCA and keeping the copper mining out. I meant to contact the powers that be about protecting net neutrality. There were so many issues and so many missed opportunities. I finally called the FCC about the net neutrality issue. Probably too little, too late, but at least I tried.

Week 46 (Nov. 12-18) I drew #44: "Plan or plant wildlife friendly plants where you live, work or play - a pollen friendly plant maybe?" I planted some tulip bulbs, replanted the thyme that I'd had in a container on the deck, and trimmed back the plants by my mailbox area.

Week 47 (Nov. 19-25), I got #43: "Practice your handwriting skills this week - notes to others, shopping lists, etc." I didn't actually *practice* it, but I do a fair amount of longhand writing on a regular basis. Besides lists, I journal and write (and send) notes and cards to people. I like to joke that cursive writing is a secret code adults can use - kids can't read it!

Okay, I'm going to call this caught up and grab a slip of paper for this week.

WordGirl #15 #4 #24 Catching Up Again!

For October 15-21, I drew #15: "Drink 1 less alcoholic, caffeinated, sugary, energy drink (or other not the best for you drink), this week." I did okay with this. I resisted the desire for a Coke Zero one day at lunch and had water instead. I've been trying to drink more water so that my belly is full and I'm not as thirsty for other beverages. I know water is good for me, but I don't love drinking it all the time.

For October 22-28 (week #43!), I drew #4: "Drink zero calorie pop instead of regular pop this week." No problem! I almost never drink regular pop any more. Coke Zero is my favorite when I do have pop. Or a Fresca when I want non-caffeinated pop (not often!). Again, I've really been working on drinking more water. When it's cold out, I have hot water with lemon.

For last week, October 29 - November 4, I had #24: "Be kind to yourself this week - you're worth it!" This was a fun one to have up! I am often quick to criticize myself (and others, truth be told) but I want to be more kind in general, so this was a nice reminder. I've been saying aloud some Scriptures that really bless me and help me to focus on God's goodness and love for me.

On to a new week's challenge!

WordGirl week 41 #47 and #36

For the week 41 "slip draw," I got #47 which says "Turn off extra lights or unplug unused small appliances or music devices - in general, conserve energy as much as you can this week." Since this is another one that we do regularly, I drew a second slip of paper.

Side note - Louie used to get on my case and the kids' cases about leaving lights on in rooms we had left. He asked if we wanted to pay the electric bill. We were all trained. When his octogenarian dad came to live with us in 2013, he regularly left lights on in three or four rooms . . . all the time. Ever the snarky girl, I asked Louie if he was going to have his dad pay the electric bill.

I had also counted how many slips of paper I had left and how many weeks were left . . . and I got off by one somehow, so this should make me 52 for 52 by the end of December.

Slip number two was #36: "Wear a funky hat for part of 1 day this week." I didn't. It isn't that I'm not willing to be weird or have fun, but it simply wasn't on my radar enough. The week went fast. To be honest, I have so many "to do" lists and items that I'm trying to prioritize that which is important to me. My funky hat moment was going to a women's retreat in St. Cloud with two friends from church - that was very fun!

I also did not do my "One Thing" but I am super excited that I will be able to focus on it next week! I plan to get completely caught up on my Mystery Quilt. I have been working on helping my father-in-law transition to his apartment living, getting the guest room ready for guests, and starting to put my quilting studio back to rights. It has been seriously trashed lately . . .

Have a great week everyone! Remember to celebrate your successes instead of lamenting all the things you didn't get done. It feels much more fun to celebrate and it motivates you to do more!

WordGirl week 40 Item #35

Oh my! My first week at home without a job or my father-in-law living here! It was a busy week - three trips to Northfield (for f-i-l stuff), my first ever colonoscopy (went almost 48 hours without caffeine - per directions - only to be told it would have been okay if I'd had my morning java . . . ahhhh!), and got lots of stuff done to boot.

Item #35 said "Do something out of the ordinary this week - even if it's only taking a different route to work, etc. Take time to contemplate your life this week. Reflect on all the good things that make you seem lucky compared to others." I think those were supposed to be two different things, but they were numbered as item #35, so that's what I tried to do.

My out of the ordinary thing was stopping by an interesting shop with my sister Louise. We had left our quilt meeting on Saturday because she'd heard the speaker before. We drove by the Center for Lost Objects Showcase and Gallery in St. Paul. Here's their webpage: www.centerforlostobjects.com/ It was full of funky old stuff (furniture, clothes, etc.) and creative new stuff (cards, t-shirts, art, etc.). I laughed at the t-shirt that said "The Bible talks about St. Paul but doesn't even mention Minneapolis." They have a facebook page, too. I'm glad we stopped. I bought a cute bee image on an old wooden board for Louise.

Taking time to contemplate my life / reflecting on good things . . . that's something I try to be cognizant of on a regular basis. I am very blessed!

My One Thing was a huge priority for me! There are things I still want to do to get the guest room truly guest ready, but here's where it's at now:

Adding a bedside table, decor, etc. will come . . . but at least it's ready now for guests who come to stay the night.

Lou had left a *lot* of papers here, so I need to deal with those boxes soon. For right now, they're out in my living room. He told me today that most of those papers need to be "trashed" - i.e. recycled - but it definitely takes time to go through them and sort the proverbial wheat from chaff. I'm trying to be helpful without making it the focus of my time and energy. Right now, i have a puppy who needs to be entertained. I'll deal with all this later:

WordGirl week 39 Item #46

Item #46 "Turn off the water while brushing your teeth - already do? Good for you!"

This was an easy one. I already do. When I worked in District 112, our 8th grade earth science teachers did an entire unit on water. We did water quality testing in the nearby creek, tracked our water use for a week, and raised money for H2O for Life. Sometimes I am wasteful of water (long, hot baths in a full tub or an extra-long shower because it feels so good), but most of the time I'm cognizant of the fact that water is a precious resource that must be used wisely. We're spoiled in Minnesota with our rich water sources!

I love the work done by www.h2oforlifeschools.org/ in getting drinkable water and sanitary facilities to communities throughout the world who desperately need them!

 My "One Thing" was much more fun! October is Pastor Appreciation Month and I love to do goofy things to show people my appreciation. My crazy idea last year kind of made my pastor uncomfortable because of how big of a deal we made of him. This year, I made a BINGO card for everyone. I hope people enjoy it and draw closer to God.

I grabbed a screen shot of part of it . . . but can't figure out how to embed a pdf this morning . . . 

WordGirl week 38 Item #38 (aka #40)

So apparently, I haven't been careful in reading the GoogleSheet with the numbers and items . . . because I drew #38 and it said "Work on your bucket list this week." Um . . . I already did that one. Back on the week of July 2-8, I had #39 and thought that was the bucket list one. Ugh! I'm so confused. Here's what the original sheet says:

38	Work on your Bucket List this week
39	Instigate something fun at your workplace (even if you work at home)
40	If you can remember your dreams when you wake write them down this week

Since I have been off on my numbers, I decided to do the #40 item on dreams. (So I guess I've "caught up" on all of these now! I'll try to be more careful with my reading skills . . . )

Sunday 9/17 and Monday 9/18 - I hadn't yet pulled my slip of paper.

Tuesday 9/19 - "Super tired . . . vaguely recalled one involving a rain storm."

Wednesday 9/20 - "Had a really vivid dream w/LOTS of clear details, but didn't write it down (1 a.m. potty wake - so tired I went back to sleep). I know that I was in Nancy Sauer's classroom. I told her that I'm glad I took this school year off. I told her I needed this year off. That's all I remember."

Thursday 9/21 - "I woke up to potty lots, so had lots of dreams . . . in one, we were gangsters on a ship and people were trying to break into our room while we held the door closed. In another, there was snow blocking the driveway at my grandma's old house. In another, I was walking by a salon but not going in. Earlier in the night, I was a student at Richfield High School, except it was super huge and parts of it were out of commission. I'd rather get deep sleep than remember dreams."

Friday 9/22 - "I slept deeply and don't remember any dreams."

Saturday 9/23 - "I had a dream where I was working at a coffee shop / food place. I was making a soft serve cone and going for the perfect twist. Then I dreamed I was at Pioneer Ridge Middle School and greeting people who said they missed me. The last dream I remember (when my puppy came in the room to say good morning) was an alien invasion. The ship looked like an enormous plant spore. I was watching it travel overhead. Then a little girl raced in and we started closing the open windows and latching them. When I went to shut the door, a slender man with a weird grin was coming in. I tried to push him out, but he kept coming in. I was going to yell for the girl to help when my puppy woke me up."

This is the first of the 52 things for Triple F Double E that seems counter-productive. In the past, if I've woken from a particularly vivid dream, I might write it down or talk to my husband about it. But because sleep is so important for good health and I don't get enough of it, trying to remember and think about the dreams leads to more wakefulness. My health goal for 2017 is "Deeper rest and more energy (7+ hours / night with no more than 2 wakings)." That's more important to me than remembering dreams.

On the bright side, I did get rid of one box of papers! However, I brought two more from Louise's house. Louie fixed the shredder that I'd had trouble with, so I hope to move more quickly on remaining papers.

Also, it's not a very good shot, but here's the frame I bought with the wedding photos in it! Booya! Only took me eleven months . . . . (However, I do already have their anniversary gift. I just need to wrap it! No, it's not this picture frame; this is mine!)