Working on the Happy

Can you believe next week is Thanksgiving?  Where did the month....the YEAR go?

Did you know we are entering the time where more people experience depression than any other time?

During my "happy" challenge negative thoughts kept creeping into my brain.  It was truly a challenge to turn those negatives into a positive.

Human nature bends toward less than positive thinking. Not everybody, but I'd wager the majority.  We are wired that way; let's blame Nature/God/Spouse/Children...or.....

We have a puppy that is full of vim, vigor, and vitality.  Nothing.....and I do mean nothing gets that dog down.  He's reprimanded and turns right around and jumps in your lap....or onto your tummy...or private parts.  Does that second reprimand get him down?  hell, no.  He's chasing the cat or chewing on my shoe or grabbing food off the counter.  I mean to tell you, he's happy as shit and I'm ready to open the front door and sing "be free, Big Puppy, be free!!!"

I guess I could learn from BP and take the knocks with the pats on the back.  I can choose to to sulk and hide under the couch (like the cats) or I can wag my tail and stick out my tongue and chew happily on a sock while ignoring the negatives around me.  I really think BP has the right attitude.  Who cares what others think or who I'm pissing off.  Maybe, just maybe those people will open the front door and sing "be free, Strawberry, be free."  Who needs the negative anyway?

So yeah, my "happy" challenge is still on, but honestly, can I pick a new challenge....like taking a vacation at the Happy Farm???

What Big Teeth and Eyes you have; that's because I'm a BIG puppy!!!!

 

Because I'm Happy

What business does an already scattered Strawberry have in taking on another business???  Not a paying in business, mind you.....NO.....another paying OUT business!!!

I love paper crafting and making cards and stamping.  Pinterest will be the death of my budget.  But now I'm addicted to Instagram.  If you think it is a bunch of holiday and summer vacation pictures, think again.  I found (thanks to a friend's recommendation-- we call each other "enablers") a planner site.  It would be wonderful if it was an actual help site, but alas it is more infomercial than move-your-sorry-ass-up-off-the-couch-and-get-those-plans-in-action ( or if you are an instagram follower: #moveyoursorryassupoffthecouchandgetthoseplansinaction).  I like being helpful that way!

So being the good marketing major I am and succumbing to every commercial or infomercial, I HAD to go out and buy myself a planner.  But not just any planner, no, I had to make from scratch one of my own and a planner to share.

Then I happened across the school supplies at Target and viola....utopia!!! The dollar section carries pens and scissors that match the pens and little post-it notes and....and...and stickers!!! and they are a dollar!

purchased notebook at Target in the notebook section and decorated!

Last night I watched The Walking Dead and went to my happy place with washi tape and stickers and stickers and washi tape.  Love Target's dollar aisle.

I'm addicted to fun!

What makes you happy?  Is there a happy challenge in store (get it...Target??  oh heck) for you?

I'm going to get my second cup of coffee and contemplate on today's happy challenge this morning.

Have a Happy week this week, Grainiacs.  Let's challenge ourselves to look on the bright-side all week long.

it's the great clean-up, charlie brown

did i mention the clean-up at the strawberry patch? the project to make all electricity run right? did i mention how overly stressed this is making me?

do you ever feel like throwing all your crap away and just starting over?

that is me today!

clean slate

clean house

no animal fur

no nothing

i am not depressed

just tired

i am still a happy strawberry

just an overwhelmed one

here's the good news

i have had success with cleaning out one aspect of my life

my insides have been cleaned out and checked out

all is fine

wednesday i had a wonderful meal

chicken broth

yellow jello

sprite

yum  yum

then i sat on the throne most of wednesday

and pretty much all morning thursday

the wonderful cocktail they gave me

put me right to sleep

then i watched a movie

and ate popcorn

and drank the largest water

the end

drugged up strawberry who still could still hold a camera steady but couldn't drive for 24 hours. bleh

oh, and i have colon pictures too but my family said "tmi."  sorry

bing, boing, zap

Do you ever feel like there is a bullseye mark on your body?  Recently, I'm beginning to think I have one square in the middle of my soul. BING!

Recently I wrote about karma gone wrong; well guess what?  It continues... boing...Boing...  BOING!!!!

Here is the latest....
 The wiring in the house is --------wait for it------------

u.n.g.r.o.u.n.d.e.d.! 

All of it.  So that means that the Strawberry Patch will be turned upside down, gutted in some places, and overall havoc....chaos....Strawberry losing her mind.

I have begun the process of de-cluttering, remember?  I've been taking it kind of slow and steady.  It seems to me that I should be thinking in terms of a sprint rather than cross-country!  Pretty soon, it will be a mad dash to de-clutter, to pack up things, to pull books out of bookshelves and move the furniture to the middle of the room! Oy vey.  Thankfully the Flylady system has a chapter specifically for crazy cleaning.

The race is on!

Sink still Shiny!

Graini-aunt turned me on to Doc Martin ( a British comedy/drama).  While watching reruns on Netflix (until I was kicked off due to "too many users" ahem....children!!!), I cleaned out some of the clutter in the bookshelves.  As a Christian educator I have many books and pamphlets; as a former seminary student I have many books and notebooks and loose papers.  I didn't want to lose them in a filing cabinet so I kept them in arms reach while studying.  BUT NOW!!!  I no longer need to have those things out and cluttering up the bookshelves.  Yesterday I probably recycled a whole ream of papers.  It felt good to get them out of the house.  I still have work to do but little by little it I am feeling good.

I also went through my drawers (sounds funny since my Grandmother used to call underwear "drawers").  Pulling out old t-shirts-- you know...the ones you save in case you stain the furniture?  Or wash the dog?  My t-shirts are the frumpy kind....the old stretched out ones to stain furniture....or wash the dog...or clean toilets.  Let's face it, you don't have to go all June Cleaver with the pearls but really I'm not that messy of a house-cleaner that I have to change clothes that many times!  One frumpy old stretched out t-shirt is sufficient.  My drawers can finally breath.

And guess what?  The crockpot is filled and cooking.  I tweaked the old WW Vegetable Soup recipe and either lunch or dinner or lunch AND dinner is cooking.

celery, onions, bell peppers, carrots, diced tomatoes and tomato paste all rolled into one! YUM

The zucchini and cabbage is waiting their turn to be added.  I really don't like mushy cabbage and zucchini.  Can't wait!!

What's for lunch or dinner at your Strawberry Patch?

AND ....drum roll.....my sink is still shining away.

P.S. Loved seeing Banana this past weekend.  And Congratulations again on winning that drawing!!!

She wants you to know the card has already been used up!

grunt, groan, zzzzzz

Where does the time go? Why can't I get everything done in a day?  Why do we need to fall back and spring forward?  Why is my body so sluggish???? Questions, questions, and more questions.

I had a physical.  I'm fine.  My girls got tested and my hoo hoo was tested and all is fine....so why am I without energy?  My thyroid is working as it should (thanks to meds) so that isn't it!

Dr. Oz recently had a segment about the adrenal glands.  Three women  were interviewed and I found myself bobbing my head (my kind of exercise) in agreement with all their symptoms.  Yes, I wake up feeling tired.  Yes, I lose my temper at the drop of a hat. Yes, yes, yes!!!  I'm not alone!!!!

The guest Hormone Dr. suggested eating protein for breakfast, protein for lunch, whey for a 4:00 p.m. snack, and good carbs for dinner.  So far I've been able to eat a cheese stick for breakfast and then my day shoots out like a horse race.  Round and round and round I go and before I know it it is evening and I've forgotten all about good carbs and protein and what the hell is "whey?"  and WHY?

Whey is found in those powdered energy shake containers.  I think I would prefer Greek yogurt.  Oh and one more thing: eat vitamin C at every meal.  Oranges are not the only source.  Broccoli also has vitamin c and a whole lot more that I can't remember, but it is on the internet. Look it up!

So that's about it for today, Grainiacs.  Eat protein, whey, good carbs, and vitamin c.

It's only 10:30 a.m. and I'm already yawning.  Goodness I need a vacation!!

Karma gone wrong

Whoever coined the phrase "man's best friend" obviously did not know Lucian.  Lucian is Lucian's best friend.  This morning I wanted to read my Bible study book; Lucian wanted to play or sit in my lap.  This morning I wanted to keep on my de-cluttering journey.  Lucian wanted to antagonize Cosmos or chase the cat or basically get on my last nerve.  This morning I vacuumed up all the dog/cat fur; Lucian peed on the floor.

Wasn't taking in a stray cat AND dog supposed to up my karma thermometer?  Shouldn't the planets and stars align and utopia be realized?

I bet you are jealous you don't have a cat on your shoulders when you pee!

I can't even go to the bathroom alone! (Kat Karma)

And now to our previously scheduled talk.

I started writing down my day; yes, I'm scheduling.  I usually shy away from lists or schedules but I've begun a new journey and it just seemed right.

 Hubby kept forgetting to let American Express know we did NOT want their calendar.  Seemed like a good notebook for my Flylady de-cluttering.

Although I don't like lists, it does feel good to check off completed activities.  I could get in to this list-making life.  You'll notice "challenge check-in;" I am challenging myself so I schedule it in my day so I don't forget.

My day has been crazy, Grainiacs.  Sorry to get this out so late, but that's the reality of today.  I'm going to bed right after "Castle."  ;)