New Year's Theme

Those of you who have been reading my blog long enough, or who have just known me long enough, know that a few years back, I took up the idea of a yearly theme. This idea, came from my friend Dana, for whom I am very thankful :)
This year, my new theme is a hard one. Not because it is unmanageable, but because it so goea against my natural personality :)

"Cultivating Patience: Every Second Counts".

I have known for a very long time, that patience is NOT one of my virtues. I am just not very good at being patient. I don't like to wait for my watercolour paint to dry. I hate how long it might take me to knit something- and I often make dinner at the last minute. When the kids don't 'get' something (usually something like cleaning up the living room floor), I am forced to bite my tongue, and shamefully, more than once, my patience was gone!
It's not IMPOSSIBLE for me to be patient, just hard. So when I found myself having to learn patience for things recently, or when I found out that patience really paid off, I realised that in there somewhere, was a message.
So I told my friends that I thought 'patience' was my theme. Later that day, I realised that it wasn't JUST patience I needed to learn, but appreciation of time. So often I feel like I have to do it all NOW- well with patience I get to do it all, just not at once :)

So that's my theme for next year. Of course, themes are not finite things. They kind of mingle and meld with the ones that came before, and I think you are supposed to continue improving.
Well- I am improving. This year I did well with beautiful, but simple is a work in progress ;) I managed to make great strides in my theme from last year- Hospitality. But the one from the year before- stewardship- is still eluding me. Somewhat. I did manage to start eating seasonally, and I am constantly tweaking our food to make it healthier! It's the house that needs work :) THAT is where patience comes in- learning these things one at a time, bit by bit...

Anyone else out there with themes to share? :)

All plans are subject to change

So it started out that this week I was planning on working on "Kitchen Organization" for that ‘simple’ part of my theme.

It isn’t going to happen that way! Our dishwasher gave up the ghost over the weekend, and now I have to begin a new habit… that of “Kitchen Routines”. See, normally I would be loading and unloading the dishwasher. NOW I have to figure into my life, the cleaning up of the dishes. Being as we have VERY little side to devote to a draining board, we were forced to improvise with a tiny drying rack and draining board. Why? Because the dishwasher will take at least a WEEK from us ordering it to get here.

Oh well, I had wanted to work with the kitchen routine idea, I just never thought it would be like THIS.

I was somewhat inspired though, when Dawn posted her list of daily chores. I figured that I might do the same :) Some of these chores are those I am TRYING to get working ;)

Unlike Dawn, we are not early risers, being instead more Night Owls. I am in pink, DH blue, the kids are orange, and those we ALL do (or more than one of us at least) are not coloured :)

• Get up, shower and dress (DH then Me)
• Make bed
• Serve breakfast and coffee
• Eat breakfast
• Empty dryer and fold clothes
• Reboot dryer and laundry if necessary
• Prayer
• Put dishes away
• Kids up/dressed
• Kids breakfast
• Wash up/Brush teeth
• Clean kitchen
• MORNING LESSONS (9am-12.45pm)
• Lunch Time
• Tidy Kitchen/ wash up
• AFTERNOON STUFF (either schoolwork or fun)
• Computer time
• Daily/Weekly Chores
• Start work on dinner
• 4pm Afternoon Tidy (kids help)
• Kids TV Time
• Finish Dinner
• Wipe Kitchen
• Lay Table
• Eat Dinner
• Wash Dishes
• Kids bath/shower
• Clean Kitchen/Sweep Floor
• Kids Brush Teeth
• Wipe downstairs bathroom
• Kids Bedtime
• Read/TV Time
• Load Laundry
• Prayer
• Check To-Do List for tomorrow.
• Make Breakfast for Morning
• Make coffee and set delay timer
• Get Ready for bed
• Brush teeth
• Bedtime Reading/Computer (I read, DH computer!)
• Lockup and Lights Out.

There. Strangely enough, Dawn and I actually share some things without me copying her -like the 4pm tidy time ;) Honest to goodness, we do this daily, in order to keep the house in order!

Welcome 2008!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

One of the steps I wanted to make this year, 2008, was to increase my artwork, this is to work on the 'beautiful' part of my theme.

My daughter on Christmas Eve.

I loved art as a child and teen, and followed it so far, only to stop because I did not see its ‘usefulness’. Someone should have told me that a God given talent need not be on a par with the sciences in its uses, but rather be something that it is imperative to explore as far as I could.

So now I will.

I have subscribed to some art blogs, with the idea of being inspired. And I will make some art aims for the year…

My Art Aims 2008

1. Draw every day. Even if it is just a little thing.
2. Do at least one of the EDM challenges a week.
3. Diversify… learn to use the watercolours and acrylics more :)
4. Make a sketchbook. Maybe even a travel sketchbook… but at least a nature one!

Four simple, little aims. I think I can manage that! I’ve already started!!

Drawing of the Day #1

Images from the feeder this afternoon.

A few of the art blogs I like:
Laurelines
Sketches by Fiz
A Bowl of Moss and Pebbles
Brush and Baren
Danny Gregory
Drawing the Motmot
Val Webb
Cathy Johnson

and a website with a nature journal on it!
Richard Bell

Theme for the New Year

Each year, my friends and I plan a ‘Theme’ around which we will try to live our year. Dana was the one who started it all! This year just ending was Hospitality. The year yet to come is
Simple, Beautiful.

My aim is to make life simpler, and incorporate more beauty into it, without compromising the simple!

To start me off, I have devised some ideas around which I will build my theme.

"simplify through planning"

--There are so many things I want to do, and I never remember. I was most successful when I planned, but having a planner doesn't work for me. So instead I am going to use my calendar. I am seriously considering buying a really nice one to use. I loved my calendar, because it sat right next to my computer and did the job. I think I can make it work . There I will plan some fun stuff I will probably steal from blogs like Dawn's and Serendipity and others. I need to learn to do just ONE AT A TIME though. This is the simplify part

"use themes"

--Dawn used a theme for Christmas... woodland Christmas. It was really cute. I figure with themes, you can make a seasonal celebration, much like at Serendipity, come together. This definitely speaks to the beautiful part too

"create good habits".

--This speaks for itself. Some things I need to learn to do at appropriate times, like fold the laundry RIGHT AWAY so I don't end up with a huge basket of it to fold -my least favourite chore. Again this is to be a ONE AT A TIME thing. One at a time is to be my new motto. I always want to do so many things!

“Live Seasonally”

--Each month is part of a season… and each season has it high points. I was astonished to see Dawn had a list of events for each month posted on her blog. I really like this idea. Last night, I tried to make up my OWN list for January. I used hers as an outline ;)

“Add Beauty”

--It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That is very true! But the little touches are the ones that mean the most. Donna Marie had a beautiful post over at the 4 Real Forums last year. This year, I printed it out and put it in my ‘to do’ pile! I added a bunch of homemaking blogs to my blogroll for inspiration, as well as some blogs by artists. I won’t be always able to visit these blogs, but when I need the inspiration, they will be there!

Sarah, over at Plainsong, had a lovely list of things she was doing for her Home Sweet Home Challenge.

Strive for these Goals

1. Invite the Blessed Mother to my home. . .daily, with a Memorare for the intention of asking her to visit me as she did her cousin, and to help me keep my eyes toward heaven.

2. Begin my day with a Morning Offering-to offer my all to God

3. Follow a simple organizational routine

4. Take on little things to help our household stay beautiful and joyful.

5. Write about household topics and link others' blogs who are motivational

The Rules:

1. Remember People are more important than things

2. Remember that messes look bigger than they are

3. Small things done in the home can add beauty

4. Stay real: we will never be perfect, especially with children around us

5. Keep a sense of humor

6. Forgive myself for imperfection and limitations, focusing on those things I do accomplish

7. Persevere

I think it goes without saying, that these things are something I shall be putting into my own plans!

Elizabeth has a lovely post about incorporating aspects of the Liturgy of the Hours into her day. While I do not own a book, my newly received iPod, does allow me to listen to the many daily prayer podcasts, as well as read the hours from Universalis anywhere in the house!

Dawn has a post about planning. O.K. She has SEVERAL recent posts about planning! I will NOT be following her into making a calendar ;)

I WILL however, be looking again at my Home Companion and redoing it. I did like Elizabeth’s idea of multiple smaller ones… but I also need to assess what it is I want from it :) I know that somewhere there is a post about it, but since it was on the Homeschool Blogger blog, and I have yet to move it to the wordpress one, it’ll have to wait ;)