A CLEAN HOUSE

My house is CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN!  I had a wedding shower here yesterday and I cleaned house (and yard) for 4 days!  I cleaned areas that haven't been cleaned in "awhile" (ever???)! 

I have mopped & dusted (no more dust bunnies!)

I have cleaned bathrooms (all 3...shine, shine, shine!)

                                                     

I have done the dishes and the laundry

I have vaccuumed all the floors, upstairs and down

If it could be cleaned...I cleaned it!

I don't particularly love doing housework, but the fruits of my labor feel wonderful! 

I love being C*L*E*A*N!!!!

                              

A*T*T*I*T*U*D*E

Attitude....we've all got one!  So what is it?  In a nutshell, attitude is how we react to people and things around us and the things that happen to us.  Charles Swindoll once said that he was convinced that "life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it."  Well, if 90% of my life is how I react to it, then attitude must be pretty important!  I can have a tendency to see the cup as half empty instead of half full (a legacy from my mother I think) so a positive attitude is something I work hard on.  I've had some thoughts on attitude that I want to share.

A:  ACTIONS       Our attitude is definitely reflected in our actions.  We tend to be active people in a busy, busy world.  And how we carry out the activities of our lives not only affects us personally but also affects those around us....our family, friends, co-workers, even just the cashier at Wal-Mart or the grocery store.  A positive attitude affects others positively; a negative attitude can do just the opposite.  As Winston Churchill said:  Attitude is a little thing that can make a BIG difference."  A healthy attitude is contagious; everyone is a winner when positive attitudes are shared.

T:  Thankfulness        Dr. Norman V. Peale said that one of the best things you can do for yourself is to wake up each morning and think of all the things you are thankful for.  The more we count our blessings, the better and happier our day will be.....and that will definitely give us a great attitude to begin our day!

T:  Talents         Romans 12:6 tells us: We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.  God has given each of us our own individual, unique talents.  And discovering our talents and using our talents in positive ways that serve our Lord can lead to a more positive attitude toward ourselves. 

I:  Individuality      Each of us is a unique individual that has been crafted by God.  There is no one else like you; there is no one else like me.  I may not like my nose (I really don't!)....I may wish I were a few pounds thinner (I really do!)...I may wish that I could sing or play the piano (wish, wish, wish!)...but I'm ME (warts and all).  And rather than seeling all the negative things about ourselves, we need to look at ourselves as God looks at us...as unique, special individuals.  If we can do that, we will have a wonderful attitude!

T:  Time     How we use our time can HUGELY affect our attitude.  We can squander our time, we can use our time to feel sorry for ourselves, we can complain because we don't have enough time or because we have too much time...there are so many ways we can react to time!  But we need to use our time wisely.  We need to set aside time to spend with our God & our family; we need to set aside time to serve others; and we need to set aside time for OURSELVES.  When we manage our time wisely, we will have less stress and therefore we will have a more positive attitude.

U:  Usefulness      It is part of human nature to want to feel useful, to feel needed.  We see this in young children who want to help mama cook dinner or put clothes in the dryer.  I read an article recently that said that one of the major causes of depression among nursing home residents was that they no longer felt useful.  Another article I read said that the more a person can give to society, the more useful a person can be, the happier they usually are.  So...get out there and help someone!  You'll also be helping yourself be happier!

D:  Devotion & Dedication to God     Do you know what B-I-B-L-E stands for?
Basic  Information  Before  Leaving  Earth!  There is nothing greater we can do for our attitude than to be devoted to God.

E:  Energy & Enthusiasm    A positive attitude gives us energy!  I didn't make that up...it's true!  It's also true that a negative attitude can cause us to be lethargic and depressed.  (Some smart person did some research.)  And if we have a positive attitude, we are much more likely to show it in our enthusiasm for life. 

So...A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E!!!  How's yours?

Happy Day...Not!

Today was NOT a good day!  On a scale of 1 (everything wrong; absolutely nothing to smile about; not one ounce of happiness)  to  10 (completely happy; no problems; no worries; everything is hunky-dory), my day was about a 5.  I won't go into all the details (such as how I cut one finger and burned another), but let's just say I'm glad the day is almost over!  Ironically, as I was going through some papers tonight I came across an article I had read and kept awhile back.  The title? 

                    PRACTICAL  WAYS  TO  CELEBRATE  LIFE  EVERYDAY

I sure haven't felt like celebrating today but I decided to re-read the article and it certainly gave me some food for thought.  I do like to celebrate but I can't say I celebrate on a daily basis, but maybe I should.  So, how do we go about doing this? 

• The first step is recognizing what we can celebrate.  Now somedays it's very easy to see what we can celebrate about...a job promotion, a family birthday, finding a $5 bill on the street.  We don't have these kinds of events everyday, and some days when things are going especially bad, we can barely fake a smile....we certainly don't plan a celebration.  But when you stop and think about it, EVERY DAY has something to celebrate.  Today my grandson said he had a great day at school....celebrate!  My sweet hubby told me he loved my meat loaf....celebrate!  The sun was shining instead of more rain clouds...celebrate!  God loves me....celebrate, celebrate, celebrate!

• The second step in daily celebration is deciding how we are going to celebrate.  We don't have to have a party every day to celebrate all the good things in our lives.  Just sharing our thoughts with our family or friends (or pets);  writing in a journal; spending time alone reflecting on the blessings of the day; or saying a prayer of thanksgiving...all of these are ways of celebrating our day.

Some other points the author of this article made I think are worth sharing (and remembering):

•  We shouldn't let a single day go by that we don't tackle or complete a hard task...and then celebrate our accomplishment.  (If we don't take care of the things that are difficult or unpleasant, they are just going to pile up and then we'll become more stressed out).
• Celebrate every instance where you help someone in any way and celebrate every time you forgive a bit more or love a bit more.  (These are the greatest cause for celebration!)

Why do we celebrate?  When we can look about us at our own individual lives and find reasons for celebration, then we bring happiness into our own lives and we bring happiness to others.       I was thinking that today was a "terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day" but on second thought, maybe it wasn't so bad after all!  Hope your day was a great one!

"A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.  A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones."  Proverbs

Cleaning Closets

Spring is springing and that means CLEANING OUT CLOSETS!  I've spent almost the whole day sorting through winter clothes to put away for another season and spring clothes to see what still fits!  I have come to a conclusion: 

I have TOO MANY clothes, but I have NOTHING to wear! 

Yes, you read that correctly! Unfortunately I am an "impulse buyer".  Too often I have gotten home with a new pair of pants or a new top and realized I have absolutely nothing to wear with them.  So they sit in my closet with the tags still hanging on them until I either outgrow them or get tired of seeing them hang there!  Another problem I've noticed today is that although I have knit tops, tee shirts, blouses, tank tops, long pants, shorts, capris, jeans, dresses, and skirts (way more than my share), I don't like a whole lot of them!  Now how did that happen?  If I could just win the lottery I would throw most everything away and start over!  Part of my problem is that I have an extremely difficult time finding something that actually fits.  I think God made this body out of various leftover parts and then threw away the mold!  I need petites and there are only so many stores that carry them.  Many look like something a little old lady might wear.  I suppose at my age some might consider me a little old lady but I do NOT want to look like one!  One thing I did enjoy today was swapping out winter shoes for spring/summer ones.  Now my shoes I L-O-V-E!!!!  I won't tell you exactly how many I have....I'll save that topic for another post.  At least God gave me good feet! 

Talk, Talk, Talk

Our granddaughter M is such a beautiful and sweet child but Lordy that girl can sure TALK!  She is only 3 but has talking down to an art form and is quite entertaining....at least until you get to the point where you wish she had an on/off button you could switch off for awhile!  I'm sure there are other kids in this world who can talk as much, but I'm willing to bet big bucks there isn't one that talks any more than our little girl.  She & her brother (almost 7) spent the night last night and M was non-stop chatter.  Some of her conversations went like this:
     "Cheri, I have blonde hair and you have brown hair and Papa has......(pause)....Papa doesn't have ANY hair...and my daddy doesn't have any hair either."
     "Cheri, this is a pretend God Bless You (followed by a tiny 'achoo'), but this is a REAL God Bless You" (followed by a bigger 'achoo').  (Not sure what was the difference between the pretend and the real other than the noise level).
      And at 7:30 this a.m. I open my eyes to see her standing by my bed with this
bit of information:  "Cheri, I went to the beach last night" (meaning she actually went last summer....her understanding of time is still not quite there yet).
                  Little Miss M is a bundle of joy for all of us but as my son said when I told him this a.m. about all her talking:  "Now you know why we need them to spend the night from time to time....so we can get a break."  She also loves to sing and is constantly making up her own tunes & lyrics.  Maybe she will be a famous song writer one day or perhaps a stand-up comic.  Whatever she does, I hope she'll always be as happy and delightful as she is now.  She is one precious little girl!

We're Being Invaded!

We’re being invaded……in a good way! The grandkids are coming. Well, actually they are already here. Grandson R & Granddaughter M will be spending the night after Papa’s birthday supper. They only live a couple of blocks over and are here often, but they really do enjoy spending the night. Of course, my house will look like 2 tornadoes hit it by in the morning, but a little cleaning up and putting away toys is worth it. We will eat hamburgers & steaks, then send Daddy & Mama home so the real fun can begin. There’s nothing like a little (well, a lot) of spoiling. We’ll play in the tub for awhile, put on warm p.j.’s, play a while longer, then settle down in Cheri’s & Papa’s bed to watch a movie until everyone gets sleepy, then off to their own beds. R has a ritual that he doesn’t like to change! Kids can be such creatures of habit. M is already entertaining us with her non-stop talking, and the floor is already covered with dinosaurs and baby dolls. The toy basket is emptied and M has crawled inside making up her own song and singing about the sunshine coming through the window. (I think she may be a song writer one day). I’m very blessed that they live so near and we all get to spend so much time together. Guess I’d better see if I can make my way through the maze to the kitchen and get started. I’ll definitely be ready for a good night’s sleep in a few hours.

SERENDIPITY

I've always loved that word....serendipity.  I even remember when I first discovered it.  It was in my 12th grade English class.  My teacher, Mrs. Cleveland, believed we seniors needed to have an extensive vocabulary and her weekly drills did increase mine!  Serendipity:  making a discovery while looking for something else.  That's exactly what happened to me today.  While looking in a box of memorabilia (I have many) for a newspaper article I had saved, I found my old AUTOGRAPH  BOOK.  In case you are too young to remember those, they were small books with blank pages and the owner would diligently work to get all her friends and acquaintances to write a note in them.  Autograph books actually date back as far as the 15th century though they seemed to lose their popularity quite a few years ago.  From some of the entries, I can tell that my book dates back to 1960, maybe even a little before.  As I read through the entries I laughed out loud.  Signers usually write a short rhyme or poem, some flattering, some not.  One I particularly liked was written by my friend and distant cousin JAN:

Oranges are grown in Florida,

Grapefruits are grown there, too.

But it takes a state like GEORGIA,

To grow a PEACH like you!

I do consider myself a "GA Peach".....

One not quite so flattering was written by my on-again, off-again boyfriend WINCEL (we actually used to take baths together in a washtub when we were toddlers):

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

If I was you,

I'd go to the zoo.

One written by a really cute boy named E.H. I rather like:

Roses are red,

Violets are blue.

You've got a figure

Like a B-52.

(That was a compliment, wasn't it?  Of course, I doubt my figure was anything to get too excited about at the age of 11!)

     I think kids today miss out on a lot.  The fun my generation had growing up was much more innocent and simple.  I think I may see if I can find an AUTOGRAPH BOOK for my granddaughter when she gets a little older.  Then when she's in her senior years (am I really there already???) she can look back and remember and laugh as I have today.