2012 Goals & Wish List

MY 2012 GOALS:

  • $70,000 in sales = McConnell Club (and re-qualify for President’s Recognition Club)
  • 50 recruits in my first generation down-line
  • Executive Unit Leader
  • Drop 25 pounds
  • Attend church every Sunday
  • Get medical insurance
  • Get new contacts & glasses
  • Get all things fixed on my car that need attention
  • Pay off outstanding debts
  • Read 2 books a month (business related)
  • Get 8.5 hours of sleep every night

MY 2012 WISH LIST:

  • iPhone
  • iPad
  • New laptop
  • New ink/tattoo(s)
  • New vehicle – painted HOT PINK w/Avon logo and my number

Shelving 2011 ~ Box 31

I follow The Single Woman and that is where I was inspired to come up with this year ending purging from my life. The first post (Life’s Changing Landscape: Shelving 2011) covers the how/why, the rest will be the 31 things I am shelving from 2011 that will not go with me into the new year, the full list of posts pertaining to what I’m purging can be found here: Shelving 2011.

Box 31

This is the biggest box.  The contents of this one can weigh heavy on my heart at times.    There are thousands of unanswered questions, suspicions, and facts that all add up to a lot of unresolved pain in my life.

I may never know the truth, and really it doesn’t matter.  It is written in stone, court documents, and is water under the bridge.

It is the past, painted on a canvas that cannot ever be changed.

Honestly, if the opportunity for reconciliation were given, I’d not take it.  It took distance to see that he was poison to my soul.  Though perhaps not intentionally, the mix of us was not good.

In my mind and heart I sincerely feel as if the level of  love and devotion was one sided, which no doubt resulted in many of the issues we had.  Also evident in the fact that I was not the one that quit.

Yes, while I do pray for him, I’m guilty of the “dear Lord, let his life be full of prosperity and happiness, AFTER You have him run over by a truck and the karma bus”, which is not quite what God had in mind when praying for those who hurt us or are our enemies.

But the time has come, in just 2 weeks it will be 2 years since the day I was told it was all over.

He IS a good person, and a good dad.

I wish him every happiness in the world, one filled with love.

I’ve learned what a good wife is and isn’t.  Funny, that definition varies with each person and their needs.  To him I was not. To many others, they are convinced I would be.  If only I could find the one that matches my specs for the good husband! ;)

I’ve taken the steps to fix me.

I’m taking the initial steps through DivorceCare to ensure this box stays sealed up tight.

For those still in the dark at this point, this is the box that contains all the loose ends of my marriage.  It took longer than I thought to move past it, this whole year a time of healing for me, but 22 years is a long time to move past.

It was not always an easy ride.  I have a lot of great memories, and a part of my heart that was so devoted to him will always love him.  But there are painful parts too.  Some of our own making, much that was just inflicted upon us from the outside, from life and frankly crappy cards dealt by fate.  Well okay, Divine Providence.  And while to us they seemed crappy, we were meant to go through those rough waters for a reason.  Most of those reasons won’t be understood in this lifetime.

Either way, now that I’ve reached the point in my life where I want to box it all up, NEED to box it all up, I am purging it all. It is on the shelf.  It is the first of the boxes to be taped up today and left here in 2011.

A new year is here.

A new, fresh start.

A blank canvas waiting to be filled with a  year of hard work, lessons to learn, and a heart and mind focused where it should have been all along.  On the One that never fails me, never leaves me, has my name written on His hand, and will always love me, though I certainly do not deserve it.

The other two, small boxes, just hold miscellaneous stuff and the odds and ends that don’t really have a category or need a box of their own.  The ‘paper schnittzles’ of 2011 that needed to be swept up and away.  Nothing  noteworthy just little dust bunnies of sorts.

It feels good to leave this all behind.

*Raises glass*

To a new year – bring on 2012!

~*~

My Name Is Marti And I’m Addicted To Pinterest

As IF I needed another reason to sit down at my laptop…I am now officially addicted to Pinterest.  OMG it is SO cool!!

Today I found a site with a bunch of wonderful things about Taurus, my birth sign.  I wish I could deny them, but um they are on the mark, I felt like I was reading a book about my self!

To see all of the ones I pinned, check out this section of my Pinterest account. ALL fit to the letter, kinda scary.  Here are few of them:

 

Blowing The Dust Off This Place

I have been negligent with this blog page, and for that I apologize.  I have neglected a lot of things really.

I stopped going to church after being judged a bit too much by people there.  I lost sight of the fact that they too are sinners and imperfect.  I got my feelings hurt and got all defensive and then just walked away.  I still pray, still try to be in the Word, but not in a church.  See, this was just so wrong on  my part. So, Sunday, being 1/1/2012…I am going back.  I’m not going to let it bother me when someone questions or judges me and my walk. The only one that matters is my Savior.  He knows my  heart, soul and mind, and I’m a detailed work in progress.  He and He alone knows the truth inside me.  Others will have to be patient as He works in me to make the changes that need to be made.

My journey back to God and church had been a difficult one for me.  My life path went places no one should ever go.

I also let hurts get to me.  I know now that I have a lot of unresolved pain still from my divorce, and that needs to be dealt with. Now.

I’ve started looking into DivorceCare groups in my area.  Meanwhile I’m getting the daily devotional email from them and I’ve bought Kay Arthur’s book, Lord Heal My Hurts.  I read it a long time ago but I needed a refresher.  The DivorceCare daily emails recommends it.  I love anything that woman writes so I’ll be starting that now.

This page is getting a make-over, I may even change the name.  Not sure yet what I will do.

2012 is ahead of me, and I am very excited.  I’ve put away the seeking for a relationship, I need to heal me, focus on me, grow me.  Heck FIND me.  I need to spend time on me and my walk, life etc, not on finding someone to fill my heart.  That void is best filled leading a godly life.

So, be patient while I rearrange, clean house, and get this page the way I want it for 2012.

In Christ,

Marti

Shelving 2011 ~ Box 30

I follow The Single Woman and that is where I was inspired to come up with this year ending purging from my life. The first post (Life’s Changing Landscape: Shelving 2011) covers the how/why, the rest will be the 31 things I am shelving from 2011 that will not go with me into the new year, the full list of posts pertaining to what I’m purging can be found here: Shelving 2011.

Box 30

WOW, 2nd to last box of the 31 things I plan to leave behind in 2011. 

In this box will go all the grudges I hold against people who have hurt me.

Some were judgmental regarding posts I’ve made, or my past when I returned to church.

Some were people that stabbed me in the back, threw me under the bus, some broke my heart, or otherwise caused me pain.

I could name the names but that wouldn’t really be of any benefit to anyone.  You know who you are and what you did.  If you don’t, well all the better.  I’ve let all this live rent free in my heart and head and it is time to box it up and leave it here in this year.  Everyone gets a clean slate for the new year, bygones are just that, it’s all water under the bridge.

Forgiveness…it isn’t about those that have caused us pain, it is about US.  About ME.  And I am letting go of it all, it is just not worth the energy to hang on to past inflictions. I’ve learned and accept that some people are just assholes and that is okay.  You can be one, outside of my head and heart.

So, into the box goes the grudges, and the void left behind by those is filled with forgiveness and grace.  When I am tempted to pull the tape off the seal and open that box, instead I will pray for that person.

Spark Me Fit Baby!

SparkPeople.com: Get a 100% FREE Online Diet

Created by MyFitnessPal – Nutrition Facts For Foods

Yes, beginning Sunday, 1/1/2012, I am back on the Spark. And on My Fitness Pal too.   I have a wedding coming up in March, my son is getting married, and I don’t want to be shown a seat over in yonder pasture.  And frankly the older I get the harder it is to drag a few extra pounds around with me.

I’m not unrealistic, 10 or 15 pounds is the the most I will have shed by the wedding, if I do this safely (and I will) but I am happy with that!  Then I will be motivated to keep on going!

In the past I’ve posted this at the beginning of a new year…then did nothing with it.  Difference this time is in my seeking knowledge to expand my direct marketing business (Avon) I’ve learned from the experts in sales: write down your goals and you are 75% more likely to achieve them.  Keep them in front of you.  SO, every day my goals will be there on the wall next to my desk along with my business goals.  In front of me daily to motivate me.

It is NOT easy for me to put out here in public what my weight is, even though I love my curves because they are me.  I still know that this weight is not healthy, it is hard on my joints that already cry in pain from arthritis.  So from now on I will keep it very public.  I need the accountability. I need the motivation.

If you opt to join either or both sites, as I have, they are FREE!  Oh and add me as a friend.  We’ll motivate each other on down the scale!

I Am NOT Alone

There is a grave  misconception that if you are single, you are alone.  That poor, lonely woman/man, all alone in the world.

Excuse me?  I am far from alone or lonely.

If I wanted to reactivate my dating profiles on all the dating sites, I’d have no end to the dates.  No kidding, I had dated 13 men thanks to those sites, in a very short period of time.  The Count being number 13, evidentially he is NOT my lucky number guy. OR maybe he was, he showed me I was still caught in the cycle of being a pleaser and that had to stop.  No more  bending me to mold to someone elses specifications.  I could start that whole saga again, many of those men would still love to be on my dance card.  I know this due to the sudden influx of communication when I changed my status in life back to single.

I have a multitude of friends, both men and women.  At any time I can find a male friend to go have a beer, a sporting event or something a bit more intimate.  I have girlfriends I can call to go hit a movie, dinner or a cemetery tour (don’t judge, it was by full moon and very cool).  My kids love to do many of these and other things.  My Divas, yes we all love this and more.   I have plenty of people in my life to fill any need I have on a friendship or social level.  If I stay home and do nothing, it is my choice!

Single does not mean lonely or alone.  Single = FREEDOM!  INDEPENDENCE!!

Other than my work responsibilities, I can come and go as I please!  I see who I want, when I want, do what I want when I want to do it!

Lonely? Hardly.

Alone? Really? Nope not at all.

If I want to sleep next to someone, that can be easily arranged too. Yes, I have friends I can call if I want to spend the night in the arms of someone special.  Believe me they need to be special to make that list.

My point is:  being single doesn’t mean I am lonely.  It simply means I am not committed to anyone….but me!

In the new year I plan to write 365 reasons that being single ROCKS.  I know that is a huge undertaking but I think I can do it!  Every day I will find some reason why being INDEPENDENT is awesome!

Shelving 2011 ~ Box 29

I follow The Single Woman and that is where I was inspired to come up with this year ending purging from my life. The first post (Life’s Changing Landscape: Shelving 2011) covers the how/why, the rest will be the 31 things I am shelving from 2011 that will not go with me into the new year, the full list of posts pertaining to what I’m purging can be found here: Shelving 2011.

Box 29

This box is related to my post yesterday, about embracing ME in 2012, it is dating.  I’m putting dating in the box and putting it on the shelf for the coming year.  I think my biggest problem was jumping into the dating scene too soon after the marriage had ended.  I need time to finish unwrapping me without reapplying layers to suit others that I am seeing.  Only one of the 3 men I got into a relationship with this past year didn’t try to change me, and that was the Superhero.  He just wanted to know ME and didn’t ask me to change anything about myself.  Sadly it didn’t work because I didn’t want him to change either.  Mr. Wonderful wanted me to layer over things, not mention them, etc from my past.  And the Count…well obviously he wanted me to layer over things too, and that simply will not work.  Again. Ever.

I’ve decided that I need more time to discover  me.  I know that I have some unresolved issues and hurts from the marriage.  I found an awesome divorce support group called DivorceCare.  Bible based and full of support, I am going to look into it.  It runs about 13 weeks and many of the churches in this area have started DivorceCare groups.  My best friend from childhood told me what a wonder it did for her, not to mention she met her soon to be husband in this group, remained friends long after the sessions ended, and now they are in love and going to get married.  I don’t want to join to find anyone, I’m not looking.  I want to join to clear up any last fragments of pain and move forward.  No doubt it will help in my faith too.

SO, while I will enjoy the company of male friends now and then, they have to understand I am not seeking a relationship right now with anyone but ME.  No dating, I pay my own way or I don’t go.  Simple as that.  I will gladly spend time with friends, but I am not seeking a mate.  I’m seeking the person that matters most in my life, ME.

The Fine Print On My Birth Certificate

Anyone who has raised children, taught children, been around them for any length of time has no doubt heard the words, “but that’s not fair!”.

Growing up, I remember dozens of reasons why “that’s not fair”, like who rode shot gun when mom drove us somewhere (yeah this was before front seat airbags and the accident studies, honestly amazing we all survived, eh?).  Or who got the red cup at lunch, who got to walk up the street with dad….with 4 kids and only one red cup, one front seat shot gun position, dad only taking one of us, well there were a lot of things the remaining 3 would feel wasn’t fair.  Mom had a come back for that, “No where on your birth certificate does it say life is going to be fair”, and she was so right.  Trust me, first opportunity I had to actually see mine I was frantically searching for the fine print that guaranteed me fairness in life.  In case you are wondering about your own, nope it is NOT there.

As my kids were growing up, well I wish I had a $1 for every time I heard my mother coming out of my mouth, I’d be a wealthy woman.  Especially with that phrase about the birth certificate.  Another favorite went like this:

ME:  MOM! I cannot find my pink sweater anywhere, what did you do with it?

MOM:  Well, last time I wore it I put it AWAY where it BELONGS!

Now, mom did NOT wear the sweater, but the hint to me and my 3 siblings was if we would put stuff away we’d have a clue where to look for it.  It was the beginning of training for us to put things away when we were finished with them. But back on track, I’ve hijacked my post…

My kids would roll their eyes in a big, dramatic way, when I used the birth certificate line one them.  Then I’d get the “but you don’t understand!” response.  Oh trust me child, I understand.  Every day, even now, I am learning over and over again that life is simply not FAIR.

Why did my marriage fail (two of them) and other people last a lifetime?

Why is it I got let go from my job when clearly there were less productive people that could have been layed off?

Why at 16 did I get pregnant when there were countless other teenage girls having sex that did not get knocked up?

Why did MY car have to have the flat tire?

The list of “why me” could be pretty lengthy if I went on and on, and about that time I would hear my mother’s words echo in the background, “why NOT you?” and that would be followed by the over stated eye roll.  Indeed, why not me?

Sh*t happens, it is how life is.  Sometimes worse than others, sometimes the bottom drops out and we just want to die because it is painful, hard, and uphill.  During those times it is so easy to lose sight of the good things, the blessings in our lives.  Example, I know a guy that got pulled over and got a ticket once.  That officer is now his wife and the mother of his children.  Chance meetings in a bad moment turn into great things.  I understand that it is hard to see the good, the blessing, when you pull a rotten apple from the barrel of life…but that rotten apple, when planted in broken soil, will fertilize that ground and yield wonderful fruit later.  It is hard to see the shore in the middle of the storm, the silver lining in those dark clouds.  But if we just remember that “this too shall pass” there is good to come.  Be thankful and allow that spoiled fruit to grow GOOD things in you.

Meanwhile, keep that birth certificate handy, it never hurts to look for the fine print now and then when struggling against the ‘why me’ unfairness that hits us all.

Shelving 2011 ~ Box 28

I follow The Single Woman and that is where I was inspired to come up with this year ending purging from my life. The first post (Life’s Changing Landscape: Shelving 2011) covers the how/why, the rest will be the 31 things I am shelving from 2011 that will not go with me into the new year, the full list of posts pertaining to what I’m purging can be found here: Shelving 2011.

Box 28

My vanity is where it all happens in the morning.

My vanity

I sip coffee while putting on my face for the day, then drying my hair and applying whatever goop is going to be in it today.  It is my magical place because I am transformed from a sleepy, kinda pale looking zombie, into the marvelous and beautiful creature you see in person (if you know me).  Kinda of like Monsters Inc. to Cinderella or Snow White.  It is an amazing process.

Trouble is that the drawer of the vanity is a complete mess.  My buddy over at Martinis Needed would go into a full blown OCD melt down if she had to find anything in that drawer.  Needless to say this can slow a Diva down when she is trying to make awesome in a brief period of time before the baby arrives for the day to spit up all over said princess type.  I lead a very tough life.

So, Box 28 will be all of the crap in that drawer (i.e. old makeup, unused stuff etc) finding it’s way into the trash can.  I think I heard applause from down in the family room…

I will give you a peek into the drawer in question.

The drawer of the vanity

See…it really needs some…help.

Cleaning out that drawer will make my life so much easier.

2012 – The Year Of Embracing ME!

I am SINGLE.

I love ME.

I do not need a relationship.

I am not looking for a relationship.

In fact, I’m looking to avoid a relationship at this point.

2012 – my year of JOY.  And part of that joy is going to be in being single.

One thing I learned after my divorce in 2010, I had lost me in the 22 years of being married.  We ALL do this in relationships.  HOSSO (he or she significant other) doesn’t like our nails with color on, so we get those nails done in a French manicure all of the time.  Those cute little airbrushed designs on the nails? Nope.  Tattoos, what you have is what you get, HOSSO doesn’t want you to get anymore, or maybe doesn’t care for your choice of designs so you don’t get the desired ink.  Feel there are situations where using the word FUCK is appropriate (outside of the bedroom)? HOSSO doesn’t like that word so you just don’t use it.

These are minor things really but over time we all make changes, burying parts of ourselves to please our HOSSO.  I looked in the mirror at the end of the marriage, after moving out, and realized the person looking back at me was a complete stranger.  Oh she looked familiar, but I didn’t really know her anymore.  I had buried so much of myself that I was a screwed up mix of a person that looked like I had melted in the kiln, I wasn’t recognizable any  longer.  Heck maybe that is why the marriage didn’t work out after 22 years, I kept trying to adapt to my HOSSO’s specifications instead of standing up and being ME from day one.

In peeling back those layers to find the real me underneath, I’ve learned a LOT.  Baggage is not a bad thing.  We all have baggage we drag through life.  You know what? I opened mine up and took a long hard look.  I even went as far as to pull out some of the items and put them back ON.  See, every experience in life is in those suitcases we pull along with us. It is who we are and it is not a bad thing to have baggage.  If we dumped it all, then all that is left is the empty shell of the vessel that is us.  The canvas would be white and blank and BORING!  I don’t want to be dull, I want to be ME.  And ME is in all of that baggage.

I’ve decided that in order to really free myself from any remaining layers piled on me, I need to take a year to just enjoy being Marti.  Marvelous, wacky, destined for old maid/crazy cat lady status, MARTI.  For 2012 I do not want a relationship.  I want to enjoy being just me. Not Marti & ______ (fill in the blank with whatever male counter part name).  I want to embrace being the odd woman out, the 5th wheel.  I have plenty of male friends I can go hang with for a football game, a beer, dinner or whatever.  But I do NOT want to date anyone, I don’t want to be known as anyone’s woman, girlfriend, or significant other.  Being single is my CHOICE.  I can have a relationship, long term if I so chose.  But my choice for now is to just be single, sassy, marvelous ME!

I’m going to start a new category and page on my blog, Sassy & Solo – reasons why being single ROCKS.

The Marvelously Sassy One! yes that will be my new, crazy cat lady name.  :)

Wine & Cheese ~ 47th Serving

Welcome to Wine & Cheese, my weekly, Wednesday whine session.

Every week on Wednesday I devote a blog to whining. Despite being a really happy, positive person, I do have things that annoy me at times.

I never let anything grate on my nerves for long but thought it would be fun to vent them periodically in my blogs.

I also feel that good things, the cheese in life, should be acknowledged as well.

I’m even going to throw in a bit of dessert, a piece of virtual chocolate, something that made me laugh or smile just a bit more than normal.

If you’d like to read the past editions of Wine & Cheese just click HERE for all of the past postings.

Sit back and join me now for the 47th serving of some wine and cheese!

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

WINE

:(    They’re BAACCCKKKK! Those random hot flashes of edging into the menopausal years of life.  I am far less than thrilled.  I get them in spurts, and currently I seem to be within a phase of said self contained tropical climate outbursts, as out of no where I am suddenly so hot that I could defrost a walk-in freezer.

:(   Dust.  I totally dislike dust.  I wish I could blame the cats but even in the marital residence there was an excessive amount of dust, even if we went at it daily.  I wish I had a solution but I don’t.  One furnace was new with great filters etc, one is probably older than dirt.  This just sucks.

:(   Open windows draw cats.  See, windows are kitty cat television.  And an open window is way, high end viewing as the sound is enhanced and there is fresh air.  Hot flashes = open windows next to me even when it is very cold outside.  Open windows = cats sitting on the edge of my desk which = cat hair on the desk, as the little floozies feel the need to bathe themselves in the fresh air of the open window, leaving behind fur.  Dust, cat hair, hot flashes…I cannot win!

CHEESE

:)   I have a new coffee cup.  It is white  outside, PINK inside (instant love) and says JOY in big, pink letters outside.  In the background it says Joy in light pink letters…oh heck I’ll just show you a picture.  I love this cup.  It was time to retire the mug with the cat on it from the Count.  I won’t get rid of it, just not going to use it for now.

I follow the My One Word idea rather than New Year’s resolutions.  Last year my word was SEEK..as I was seeking my way back to God.  I was searching and praying for a word for 2012 and when I received the coffee cup as a gift, I knew my word for 2012 is JOY.  Finding JOY in the Lord first, and then in all things in life, as I believe there is a silver lining of JOY in all things.

:)   Hee hee…knowing where the last of the Christmas tree cookies are hidden, all 4 of them, and  making them into my breakfast because I’m the only Diva awake in the house.  Waahaahaa!

:)   Looking ahead to the new year, planning and writing down my goals, plotting a course toward them.  All the purging I am doing is helping me to focus on what I am keeping in my life and what I can do with it.  And not taking ‘no’ or ‘can’t’ as an option.  I can. I will.

:)   Embracing being a single woman, REALLY  embracing it and all that it means.  It’s truly all about me this coming year and I’m going to make the most of it and run with it.  Male friends are fine, and going out now and then is fine, but this year I want to focus on ME.  Just me, no ‘us’ but just ME.

DESSERT

Okay now this is funny, I don’t care who you are!  It is NOT directed at my ex-husband or an ex-boyfriend, it is just amusing so I’m sharing it:

Why I Should Be Jenny Craig’s Spokesperson

I should be the Jenny Craig spokesperson.  Really I should.  Or Weight Watchers or Nutri System, not really picky but I SHOULD be with one of them.

Think about this.  Each of these weight loss organizations uses celebrity spokespersons to pimp their programs on TV and probably radio.  These celebs all have a ton of money.  They can afford and use personal trainers!  Sure, they probably eat the food (yeah right), but like old Oprah they have someone pulling their sorry asses out of bed and on to the track, treadmill, or weight bench.  Or all of those.  Sure, the food plan likely is a good thing, but really it has more to do with their personal trainers than anything, count on it.

See, they have all the advantage over the average consumer of weight loss products. Tons of money to spend to get in shape, dieticians etc, so I just don’t believe that these weight loss businesses are really the reason they are looking like models when done.  These chicks looked like that before any of these reduction wizards helped.

How about using a REAL person, someone that isn’t able to afford the trainer, who is not already in amazing shape.  Some woman that is lazy but LOVES to eat.  Someone like me!

See, my budget is tight so um trainers are OUT.

Food? We are intimate buds, totally into each other and our relationship is unstoppable.

I need assistance, no doubt about that.  Oh and I cannot afford to join or purchase their meals.  So as a spokesperson I’d get them, free.  And what better way to prove the effectiveness of these programs than to have a real, non-famous person try them?  I think it is a splendid idea!  Someone quick, start a Facebook page, get the Marvi One the position of spokesperson, let’s see just how good this stuff is!

Unrealistic, I know. But it sounds good!

Shelving 2011 ~ Box 27

I follow The Single Woman and that is where I was inspired to come up with this year ending purging from my life. The first post (Life’s Changing Landscape: Shelving 2011) covers the how/why, the rest will be the 31 things I am shelving from 2011 that will not go with me into the new year, the full list of posts pertaining to what I’m purging can be found here: Shelving 2011.

Box 27

Oh Tumblr, you are kinda cool and all, but really not feeling the love here.  I have tried very hard to like you, get into you, form a tight and lasting bond with you.  But, my confusing love, just not having any desire to update you or follow anyone on there with your assistance.  I think I will have to box you up now too and send you away.  I’m sorry, we both tried hard to make it work, but just not seeing the need to keep you in  my life, making me feel guilty for not updating you, paying you the proper  attention.  Thanks for the memories!

Yes, it is over.  I tried Tumblr, really tried to like it.  I am still at a loss as to what it’s purpose is in anyone’s life?  If I have any type of social media account I feel the need to update it and use it.  I’m finding this one to be more of a pain in the tush than it is worth.  I get nothing of value from it and waste time I cannot retrieve.  So, that one gets the box too.

Shelving 2011 ~ Boxes 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26

I follow The Single Woman and that is where I was inspired to come up with this year ending purging from my life. The first post (Life’s Changing Landscape: Shelving 2011) covers the how/why, the rest will be the 31 things I am shelving from 2011 that will not go with me into the new year, the full list of posts pertaining to what I’m purging can be found here: Shelving 2011.

Okay so I’ve been a bit busy with all the holiday hoopla, but I’m back to determining what needs to be left behind in 2011, and there are still a few items to go through.  Here the 5 boxes to bring me up to number 26.

Box 22

Oh this box is SO needed!  It is the one that is my organizer…that is less than organized at the moment.  I have so much stuff stuck in it with no real rhyme or reason that it is difficult to find what I need in it.  So, it will be cleaned out and the junk in it tossed and I will get it in an  order that makes it worth having so I am organized for the coming year!

Box 23

My linen drawer.  I have on drawer in my dresser that is for linens.  I am fortunate enough to have 3 sets of sheets for my bed and those are in that drawer.  Along  with cords for my  phone, Kindle, miscellaneous stuff I tossed in when I wasn’t sure what to do with it all.  Time to clean that out and apply the old 6 month rule: If I haven’t used it in 6 months, and it isn’t a seasonal item or  highly sentimental…it  goes in the trash can.  Things I know are in there that I need I can never find when I need them.   A sure sign things are just out of order in there.

Box 24

Half or partially finished projects.  I have a bad habit of starting a crochet project and then it sits and never gets finished.  Often it is the simple things too like the edge or fringe, but I never seem to get back to it.  I have several such things in my closet including the blanket I was making for the now ex boyfriend.  Time to  clear them out and finish them, pitch them, whatever needs to be done so that I can move in my closet again.  Too much wasted space cluttered with these things.

Box 25

Speaking of drawers….I need to do a major over haul of my dressers.  I have one in the bedroom, one in my very large, walk-in closet.  There are clothes in there that either don’t fit, are old, I think I might need some day etc.  Time for those to follow the path of the clothing from that now former way of life, to the trash!  I have a few  old shirts I keep because when watching little ones I find spit-up on my shoulder, or down the front of me, so that is worth keeping. The rest of the unused attire needs to go either to charity or the trash depending on the condition it is in.  Clean drawers!

Box 26

While I’m in the closet I might as well clean off the shelves.  I have SO many books that I really do not need or don’t need often enough to make them worth keeping in my closet.  I need the shelf space for other things, like Avon supplies.  It is so time to get those shelves cleaned off and get rid of what is up there that I really have no need to keep.  You know it is time when you could not being to give an account of what was lost if the house burned down or blew away.

Be Still..And Lock The Gate From The Inside

May I ramble a bit? Of course I may, it’s my blog after all. And my thoughts are jumbled anyway so I am just going to type and see what comes out.

The garden gate is LOCKED!  Sign says “No Trespassing” and it is just going to stay that way for awhile.

About a year and a half back I wrote about My Metamorphosis that I was going through after separating from the then prince charming and headed up on the final date of  my divorce.  I feel like I am once again in that limbo stage in life, wrapped in a cocoon and waiting, except that is crappy analogy as a caterpillar only gets to change once into a butterfly.  I have no idea what I am at the moment.  I know I’m behind the  locked gate of the garden again and my brain and heart are unsettled, feeling restless.

Restless and just a bit irritated, even angry.  2 weeks ago there were dreams, goals and at least something of a direction.  Now I’m sitting here looking at the pieces of the shattered dreams, scratching my head and puzzled.  No communication, no attempt to try to work through things, just a lot of unanswered questions.

My sister, in her “little sister will fix this” ways stopped by and talked to the Count, who told her he would call me, after admitting he’d likely think like I did if I had done the same things to him.  So, that night I waited.  Nothing. I’ve emailed a few times, sent a few texts.  Nothing.  Not even the courtesy of a response.  This is no doubt what I had to look forward to down the road if we had gotten married, him shutting me out like a child when he is upset rather than sitting down like the 53-year-old man he is and talking about it.  He always said if he had a problem with something he would just tell me, he talked a great game about how important communication was to the relationship.  So, WTF?  I know, he isn’t going to because that was a line of crap and I fell for it.

I am beginning to accept I am not keeper material.  I am there for a time to have the love, life and joy sucked out of me, while someone tries to mold and change me into what they want, and then they give up and walk away when they find out that I am really not going to change.  It isn’t like I hide who I am from the men that cross my path.  I am NOT going to lose who I am ever again, I am who I am you just have to accept me as I am.  Funny, the Count said that about himself too, and expected me to take him as he is…yet he isn’t willing to take me as I am? GRRRRRRRR men!  My ex husband told me over and over again that all men are pigs, and despite the protests from the Count to the contrary, I’m in agreement. OINKERS!!!!!

I’m strong-willed, bull-headed if you want to call it that.

Stubborn as hell.

I pout when I don’t get what I want but I get over it pretty fast.

I have a foul mouth at times.

I don’t always think before I act.

But I am loyal as they come.

I will stand behind the man that is mine and support him even if I don’t like what he is doing.

I make the man that is mine the center of my world, and my life revolves around him.

I love with every part of my heart and soul and when I commit I NEVER give up. I don’t quit them, they quit me.

I take you good and bad, and the whole rigamarole that goes with wedding vows and believe me when I say I’ve been tested, and yes, rich, poor, sickness, health, good times and bad. If I say I do, believe me I will, to a fault but my word is true.  I ask only the same in return.

There was a time when I would be stomping around, pissed off, throwing things.  But now, over time, I’ve learned to control it.  I WANT to scream and throw things, but I’m sitting here restless, frustrated, hurt, angry and confused.  Now I know, he is boxed and on the shelf to be left here in 2011, I just haven’t taped the box shut yet, okay?  It’s more than just him, it’s also about ME, not moving forward into another relationship just yet.  I could, it isn’t for a lack of opportunity from Sir Lancelot to get to know each other and explore things, but also there is a line forming over yonder outside the wall, the Teddy Bear, Romeo, The Colts fan and a few others that still need nicknames, who expressed a desire to suck the remaining life out of me see if they might be my perfect fit. Trouble is I am not ready for that, I need some time.  Time without outside influences that want my attention.  I’m locking the gate to my garden, from the INSIDE, so no keys will work from the outside no matter who is holding them.

Perhaps it is me with the problem, after all since no one keeps me, and I seem to be the common denominator, maybe it is me?  I never saw myself as meant to be alone, without a male half, but I think perhaps I am just wrong, and I am meant to be a loner in life.  Love never seems to work out for me, friends with benefits didn’t turn out all that well either, so maybe I am meant to be solo in this world?

For now, I just need to sit down, breathe, and rest.  Get my faith back on track.  Analyze ME, work on ME, enjoy just ME.  No one to answer too, no one to work around their schedule (it always was ME working around them rather than them working around me anyway).  Build my business, enjoy my life and solitude and just follow my heart and dreams for a change.

And listen to that still, small voice that keeps whispering in my heart…be still.

The words that keep playing over and over again in my heart and soul from one of my favorite hymns:

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.

I know that what I need  to do is move away from the gate, stop looking through it waiting for who will unlock it next, or hoping the Count will return.  I need to sit down in the center of the garden, and just breathe.  Just rest. Just be still.

Shame On The Other Woman?

*Photo credit - click photo to go to it's origin*

*Walks in, puts soap box down, jumps up on it*

I’m reaching the end of my tolerance for people trashing “the other woman” when a man is found cheating.  In fact my dear sisters that want to bad mouth these women, you need to have some sense knocked into you.  Quit slamming our fellow females and put the blame squarely where it belongs, on the cheating man!  It is time for the ones doing the betraying to be held responsible and not the person they were getting it on with.

I will use my own experience as an example.  I started seeing someone that I was very attracted too.  It wasn’t just a physical thing, we connected on many levels.  We went out, and yes we had a physical, intimate relationship as well, right off the bat (come on folks, we’re adults, this is 2011, sex happens and happens right away so get over acting like  you are shocked when it does).  I asked him if he was single, and was told he was divorced and not involved with anyone.  I believed him, what reason would I not? And, as I was single, I didn’t have a commitment to be concerned about.   All I had to go on was his word and I trusted him.  As it turned out…he was in fact very married.  Now, who is to blame here? Not me, I’m not the one that was in a committed relationship and failed to share that rather important piece of information.  I got MY heart broken because I was being lied too just as much as his wife was being deceived.  The responsible party here is the man who was married and cheating on his wife! I didn’t make the commitment, it is not my responsibility to keep that commitment to her…it is HIS!

Look, I get it, I’ve been cheated on in my lifetime a few times.  It hurts and we want to blame someone, so we lash out at the other woman (or if we are guys we go kick some dude’s ass).  Suddenly the other woman, the innocent-and-unattached-didn’t-make-a-commitment one is called a home wrecker, whore or worse.  Never mind that she was never informed that said cheating dirt bag was married or otherwise attached, we want to blame the person that isn’t in the now shattered bond of trust.  We let our sisters take the blame and responsibility for something the man did.  If he tells me he is single and I go sheet dancing with him and later it is found out he is sort of or very much attached, that is HIS DAMN FAULT.  He needs to take ownership of his screw up and we need to put the blame ON HIM!

As women we get all worked up, what does she have that I don’t have? We start picking apart the other female when the person that needs to be picked apart is the cheater, not the woman he cheated with.  We love our men so we don’t want to rip them up too much, so we blame the woman, she must be a whore or a slut.  Um…NO LADIES! She is a victim in this situation too!  She was lied too, and in a sense cheated on by the dishonest man who KNEW he made a commitment and chose NOT to honor it.  Remember, her time is invested in him, so is her heart.  He deceived her and you!  I don’t care how pretty, sexy, or tempting that lady is, I don’t care what you think she did to lure your man away…HE made the decision to jump in the sheets with her. HE was in the committed relationship, HE is the one that made a promise, and HE is the one that broke it.  Not the other woman.  It is NOT her fault.  AND if by chance she did know he was attached, as I know there are women that love going after married guys, it doesn’t matter if she DID do all she could to lure him to her bed.  If he goes, it’s HIS FAULT not hers.  HE broke the commitment, HE cheated, HE made the decision to go for it rather than walk away.

How about we start blaming the one who cheated, and leave the one they cheated on us with out of the picture.  No one held a gun to his head ladies, no one forced him.  He made a conscious decision to leave your bed and go to hers.  Which SHOULD tell you something about where you stand with him.  Don’t be upset that you were lied too, be upset that you were not worth the truth!  And put the blame on the right party.

*gets  down off my soap box*

Things I Can't Say

*DISCLAIMER – I know, women cheat on husbands/boyfriends too, but lately I’ve seen several ‘other women’ trashed when the cheater should be to blame*

Shelving 2011 ~ Boxes 19, 20 and 21

I follow The Single Woman and that is where I was inspired to come up with this year ending purging from my life. The first post (Life’s Changing Landscape: Shelving 2011) covers the how/why, the rest will be the 31 things I am shelving from 2011 that will not go with me into the new year, the full list of posts pertaining to what I’m purging can be found here: Shelving 2011.

Box 19

Empire Avenue….you fill up my inbox with emails about who bought shares in me or traded my shares.  I didn’t even know what it was when I signed up and the more I see, the less I care.  Time waster with absolutely NO purpose.  At least none I can see, so that is going on the shelf. Now if I can just figure out how to delete my account!

Box 20

News twitter accounts and Facebook accounts – I am so done following them.  My feeds fill up with all kinds of “breaking news” that frankly isn’t worth knowing.  And one local news chain has 3 twitter accounts, one for news, traffic and weather.  They tweet the same stupid information across all 3!  I follow weather to get weather, not traffic.  So, bye bye to all of it.  When I want to know what is going on in the world I will go to their sites to look.  No more weeding through things I just don’t care about!

Box 21

Sleeping in…excessively.  I’ve spent several days peeling the paint off the ceiling of my room way past when I needed to be in bed.  My normal rising time during the week is 5:30am.  It gives me time to shower, dress, check emails and allow coffee to pass the blood brain barrier so I can function enough to ensure I diaper the right end of the babies.  :)   7:30am is sleeping in, by 2 hours.  Time to start pulling out of the rack so that the day is not a waste of time.  Too much to accomplish!

Wine & Cheese ~ 46th Serving

Welcome to Wine & Cheese, my weekly, Wednesday whine session.

Every week on Wednesday I devote a blog to whining. Despite being a really happy, positive person, I do have things that annoy me at times.

I never let anything grate on my nerves for long but thought it would be fun to vent them periodically in my blogs.

I also feel that good things, the cheese in life, should be acknowledged as well.

I’m even going to throw in a bit of dessert, a piece of virtual chocolate, something that made me laugh or smile just a bit more than normal.

If you’d like to read the past editions of Wine & Cheese just click HERE for all of the past postings.

Sit back and join me now for the 46th serving of some wine and cheese!

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

WINE

:(   I’m wondering…is it okay to whine about not having anything to actually whine about this week?  I really only have one gripe this week, it doesn’t appear we will have  white Christmas.  I hate being cold, hate dealing with snow, but it just isn’t really Christmas without it.  Well and now that I work from home I really don’t care if it snows 3 feet deep, I can sit inside by the fire, in  my bunny slippers and sip my coffee and enjoy it.  Really not happy we aren’t having a white Christmas.

CHEESE

:)   I AM OUT OF MY FUNK!  That is a G-R-E-A-T thing.

:)   Nothing says ‘get out of the funk sister’ like changing things up, and being one that is less than subtle about everything, the hair was it!  I LOVE IT!  And in my world it is ALL about me and what I like.

:)   I’m closing in on 50,000 views of my page in 23 months.   That isn’t too shabby.  And my number of subscribers/followers is growing.  PRESSURE!!! Well okay NOT really, my writing is for me, I’m just honored there are people that follow it for whatever reason.

:)   My favorite color lipstick that just didn’t cut it with my blond locks, rocks with my cherry brown. Hey, it is the little things that make me happy!

DESSERT

This was on my niece’s Facebook today:

Lost your pen = no pen.
No pen = no notes.
No notes = no study.
No study = fail.
Fail = no diploma.
No diploma = no work.
No work = no money.
No money = no food.
No food = skinny.
Skinny = ugly.
Ugly = no love.
No love = no marriage.
No marriage = no children.
No children = alone.
Alone = depression.
Depression = sickness.
Sickness = death.
Lesson: Don’t lose your pen, you will die.

~*~