Wake Up...and Smell the Coffee!

(That is one of my favorite sayings!)

Are you a morning person or a night owl?  

When I was still teaching I had to get up around 6:00 a.m. every morning.  My husband learned not to speak to me for the first 10 minutes or so, but I am much better now that I can get up at my leisure…one of the benefits

of retirement😊  Even though now I could sleep as late as I want, I am usually up between 7:30 & 8:00 a.m.  However, I do tend to be a night owl and my 10:00 work bedtime has now turned into more like 11:00-12:00 or sometimes even later.

So…do you have a morning routine?  I am a person who likes organization, schedules, and routines…I just function better.  Lately I have been thinking a lot about how I can make each day the best I can make it, and I’m finding that how you begin your day can make a LOT of difference in how your day goes.  If you search the internet you can find MANY, MANY articles with ideas of how to set up a morning routine or things you can do to start your day off right.  Everyone is different and what appeals to one person might not work for another, but here are some ideas that I incorporate into my mornings.  See what you think.

1.  Gratitude for the New Day.  Because I am a Christian I believe in prayer, and so each morning before I get out of bed I try to remember to simply say, "Good morning, God.  Thank you for another chance to live my life and be with my family."  Just smiling & realizing that each day is a blessing is a wonderful way to face the day... 

“When you smile, it signals your brain to release the feel-good neurotransmitters (dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin), which lift your mood, relax your body, and lower your heart rate. Who wouldn’t want to start their day on this positive note?” https://chopra.com/articles/10-morning-habits-to-start-your-day-off-right

 "Each day comes bearing its own gifts.  Untie the ribbons."

Ruth Ann Schabaker

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive...to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."

Marcus Aurelius

2.  S-t-r-e-t-c-h.  If you are a “little up there in age” (like me) a good stretch can really help you feel energized (and make it easier to waddle to the bathroom!)  But you don’t have to be old for some stretches to help you get moving.  Your body is like a computer that has been turned off all night…it needs a good reboot.

3.  Make Up Your Bed!  Have you ever seen this video of a Navy seal who discusses why it’s so important to make up your bed every morning?  It’s great…you really should watch it.  I guess I am OCD but I HAVE TO MAKE UP MY BED EVERY SINGLE MORNING.  At night I just CANNOT get into a bed that hasn’t been made.

4.  But First C-O-F-F-E-E!  A lot of folks (you perhaps?) just cannot start their day without coffee!  I am not a huge coffee drinker but I do love my cappuccino!  I enjoy a cup as I watch or read the a.m. news and as I think about my day ahead.  I did recently read (this article) that says the best time to drink your morning coffee is an hour after you wake up, but who wants to wait that long?  I’ve also read that we should drink a glass of water when we wake up to get our bodies hydrated…it’s also good for our skin (and I need all the help with that that I can get these days!)

5.  Fuel Up!  I’m not one that eats breakfast every a.m. even though I know I should.  I’ve read research that says breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I’ve also read that may not be true.  I also recently learned that eating protein for breakfast “may” help you consume less calories during the day (and I need all the help I can get with that too!)

6.  List It!  I make a To Do List.  This is important for me, especially now that I am retired.  I don’t like to waste my days, even though I can if I want😊.  I prioritize my list so that I can make sure to get the most important things done.  It’s also a good idea (though I don’t always do this) to do the most difficult thing first.  Get that sucker out of the way, pronto!

7.  Get Moving!  I exercise 3-5 times each week and I get it out of the way in the mornings (I hate to exercise!)  Some days I go to the gym and some days I walk in my neighborhood.  It’s one of those necessary evils of life!!!

8.  Looking Good!  Every day I put on my makeup, get dressed, put on my jewelry, and fix my hair…even if I am not going anywhere that day.  I just feel so much better when I know I’m prepared for any emergency (like unexpected company or a call to go pick up a sick grandchild from school). Also, I just like to look nice for my husband.  There are a lot of psychological reasons for getting dressed everyday…just Google it.

9.  Quiet Time with God.    I know some people who grab their coffee and then head for their personal space to read the Bible and talk with God.  I like to give myself some time to wake up and get some of my other morning routine out of the way.  That way I don’t find my thoughts wandering away so much to the things I need to do. 

"When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength.  Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living.  If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault likes in yourself."      --Tecumseh

As much as I miss my classroom and teaching the children every day, it’s nice that now I have time for all these things and that I can have a more leisurely morning to start my days.  But whether you are no longer working like me or whether you still get up each morning and prepare for your work day, it’s still a good idea to have a morning routine to help you start off on a positive note.  How you begin your day can affect everything. 

Do you have a morning routine or are you just one of those people who takes it as it comes?  If you find yourself starting your day already stressed, maybe you need to rethink things and find ways to make your mornings something to look forward to. 

The older I get the more I realize you need to heed the words of the Roman poet Horace....SEIZE  THE  DAY!...meaning one should enjoy life while one can.  And the best way to do that is to begin every morning:)

PS:  I don't know why some of this post has a white background.  I tried and tried to fix it, but couldn't....grrrr!

I PREFER LIVING IN COLORS

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you have probably figured out that I love

COLOR😊  Last year I informed you that the color of the year was LIVING CORAL which you can read about HERE.  So aren’t you just wondering & wondering about 2020’s COLOR OF THE YEAR.  I won’t keep you in suspense, but here is a clue…

According to the PANTONE COLOR INSTITUTE (which seems to be the go-to for this sort of thing), 2020’s color of the year is............ 

                             

CLASSIC  BLUE

So what is the Pantone Color Institute?  According to its website it is “a consulting service within Pantone that forecasts global color trends and advises companies on color in brand identity and product development, for the application and integration of color as a strategic asset.”  They seem to be the “expert” on choosing colors, although you will find that various paint companies (like Behr or Sherwin Williams) will have their own colors of the year….so basically I guess it’s just who you want to listen to!

Here is what Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute, tells TIME about CLASSIC BLUE . “It’s a reassuring blue, full of calm and confidence. It builds connection.  The sky at dusk – it’s not a midnight blue, it’s thoughtful, but it’s not so deep and mysterious,” she said. “It speaks to our feelings of anticipation, when you think about the sky at dusk, the day isn’t over. You’re thinking, what’s ahead of us? It’s reassuring, but thought-provoking. It highlights our desire for this dependable, anchoring foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era. We’re living in a time that requires trust and faith and confidence. We all see this blue sky and can relate to it, it’s approachable.  We’re returning to classics because everything has been chaotic in the world.”

Anyway….I have read that some refer to CLASSIC BLUE as being similar to indigo or

azure.  Whatever you want to call it, it is NOT my best color.  I do wear navy blue and I do have a little blue in my kitchen color scheme (red, yellow, blue…sounds wild but it’s not😊), but blues are not colors I lean toward.  

Of course, blue is a favorite color for many people so I’m sure some of you will be very happy with this year’s choice...and here are some ways you can incorporate this year's color into your life.

Talbot's  $69.50

Much more reasonably priced @ Belk  $17.90

Talbot's  $116 (yikes!) 

Much more reasonably priced @ Belk $27.90 

Nike $224 (are you kidding me???)

Vans $75 (better tho still pricey)

Or you might want to incorporate CLASSIC BLUE into your décor with these…

Crate & Barrel

Anthropologie

Even Kitchen-Aid has gotten in on the trend

However, if you are like me and blue does nothing for your complexion (or you don't use it in your decorating scheme), NO WORRIES because evidently there are other colors in fashion for this Spring & Summer that are going to be popular.  Want to know what they are???  Well, read on!

FLAME RED...

I love, love, love RED!

 FADED DENIM

Not for me!

BISCAY  GREEN

I really like this color combo

 CORAL  PINK

Pretty, but again...not my best color

 SAFFRON

I really like this color!

CHIVE

I prefer darker colors for fall & winter

WHITE

Nothing beats classic white or black...always in style!

So….are you a blue person???  Which of these colors do you like best?

PS:  Once again I am behind in posting and in commenting on other blogs…alas, I just can’t seem to keep up!!!!  The month of December and the first part of January were shot due to my illness, but thankfully I am almost back to 100%.  Hopefully I will reach one of my 2020 goals…to be more prolific with my blogging!!!!  Time will tell.

Hope all of you are doing well and enjoying the new year and the new decade!!!

I LOST IT! WHERE DID IT GO?????

 Has Christmas 2019 really already come & gone????  Those shortened number of days between Thanksgiving & Christmas sure counted this year, didn’t they?  Seems like I just got my decorations (tons of them) up and now it’s time to take them down.  Whoever pointed out that time goes faster the older you get was a very intuitive person!!!

I do hope your Christmas was wonderful.  Mine was less than spectacular this year.  I managed to prepare and serve our big family breakfast/brunch on Christmas morning and got through opening gifts and seeing the grandkids enjoying all their surprises; but as soon as they left I hit the sofa and stayed there until my sweet husband decided something had to be done.  Early the next a.m. as soon as the sun was up we headed for the EMERGENCY ROOM!

 I won’t go into all the endless details (nobody wants to read all that) but I have been going through “something” for a month.  Was sent to the cardiologist where everything checked out (thank you, God), but issue continued on.  My own dr. was stumped.  ER tests and dr. report showed….hold on!  ANXIETY.  What?  Why?  I’m not stressed; my life is blessed; and yet I can be just sitting watching TV or reading a good book and my breathing goes crazy!!!!  The ER doctor was absolutely fabulous, so compassionate, took a lot of time with us.  He explained anxiety doesn’t have to come from stress; but rather from an imbalance in the brain.  (I’ve got to do some research on this stuff!  Of course, I already knew my brain was slightly unbalanced!)        Anywho!!!!  I am now on medication (which may take a month to take effect), but for now breathing is better.       Now if I can just get this crazy blood pressure regulated.

Don’t you just love to hear old people complain about their ill health????  One great thing though….the dr. saw my age and complimented me for how really healthy and in good shape I was.  Thank you, Dr. Price….I needed that😊

Soooo….what do we do now that Christmas is over????  I will miss it, especially my tree lights.  Of course, they may be up awhile longer because this spent body is resting for a few more days!!!  

I am having a little trouble wrapping my brain around the fact that it’s about to be 2020!  Has a nice ring to it though😊 I don’t make RESOLUTIONS, but may think about trying to set some GOALS….but I’ll save that for my next post.  Just wanted to drop in and say I do hope you had a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS (and didn’t land in the ER like me!!!) and that the NEW YEAR will bring you abundant blessings.  See you in 2020!

A Letter of Thanks...Air Mail to Heaven

Dear Dr. Jackson:

I wish so very much I had written this letter earlier because sadly now you will never read it.  I was thinking of you recently and tried to look you up through Mr. Google and was so saddened to discover your obituary from 2013.  I still want to write you, however, and maybe somehow the words will float up to Heaven where I am sure you are carrying on very academic conversations with the angels.

                        

I was recently asked who was the one person who most influenced my life.  Of course, I couldn’t name just one person since almost everyone we come across influences us in some way.  Nevertheless, I immediately thought about you and how you probably changed the course of my life more than anyone else.  It’s been so many years ago, and you advised so many students over the years that I’m sure you don’t remember me so let me refresh your memory.

You were my advisor while I attended GSC and right before I was to graduate you called me to your office.  You knew I was graduating a quarter early with a degree in business and you advised me to take education courses so that I could possibly teach business classes in high school.  I immediately said something to the effect of “Thank you, but no thank you” (although I was really thinking #$@% NO!)  I had no desire to teach.  Well, long story short, I finally left your office and went and signed up for those education courses!  You were very persuasive, but I really did it because I respected you and just wanted to please you.

Even after I graduated I had no thoughts of teaching, but then what did you do????  You got me a teaching job at a nearby high school!  I wish I could tell you I fell in love with teaching that year but I definitely did NOT!!!  I won’t take time to go into all the details, but a couple years later I found myself teaching Remedial Reading at the primary level (simply because it was 3 days before school started and they needed a warm body!)  And guess what!  I fell in love with it!

Early Childhood Education became my passion and I ended up teaching for 40 1/2  years with the last 9 of those years teaching college students who were in the field of education. 

I am thankful for every single one of those 40 ½ years, but I would never have experienced any of them if it had not been for YOU.  I truly believe that God had intended all along for me to become a TEACHER, but since

I wasn’t listening to what He was calling me to do, God put YOU in my path and YOU did His handiwork.   And for that I will be eternally grateful.

You influenced my life so profoundly, and I pray that along the way I too may have influenced some of my students in positive ways.  It saddens me greatly that I never got the chance to tell you all this in person, but maybe some day I will have the chance.  Until then, rest in peace.  You will never be forgotten.

Sincerely,

A Very Grateful Student

To my Blogging Friends:

If there is someone who has influenced your life in a positive way and you haven’t taken the opportunity to thank them, don’t waste another minute.  Get out that stationery and put pen to paper…or give them a call. You will be so happy that you did.  Just think…your life might not be what it is today without the influence of someone you least expected to change the direction of your days.

SO MANY IDEAS...SO LITTLE TIME!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas….and once again I have collected TONS of ideas but never seem to find time to complete them all.  I REALLY need to start preparing in JANUARY every year!

The house is decorated…yea!!!  I “over” decorate every single year, but the hubby and the grandkids love it.  Therefore, I work my nerves into a frazzle and my fingers to the bone for 3 days every year just to make them happy…(I’m sweet that way😊)  It’s a whole lot of work, but so very worth it to see their excitement when it’s all done.  I won’t show ALL my decorations but my favorite is always my GINGERBREAD KITCHEN.  This year Granddaughter M really helped sooo much, and decorated the GINGERBREAD TREE and the SNOWMAN TREE…yes, I do 4 trees every year!

I know we all read blog after blog and ooh and ahh over everyone’s decorations, but I thought I would share some “small ideas” that I really like and that you don’t see every day.  Some I have tried…some are still on my TO DO LIST (until next year…or the next!)

I love getting Christmas cards from family & friends, especially the ones with the kids’ or family’s photo.  Only problem is finding a place to put them…the refrigerator will hold only so many!  Here is what I think is a really cute idea…and it can be a keepsake to be enjoyed year after year…the kids really do change so much from year to year, don’t they?

                                                   Amber Nelson, Pinterest

Can we ever have enough ornaments???  Of course not!  And my favorites are those we have collected over the years from trips, from my past students, or ones my kids made in school.  How I love to reminisce over each one every year.  Here is a really great idea (I think) of what to do with your GRADUATION CAP TASSLE…you did keep that, didn’t you?  I actually did complete this project last year  BTW, you can get these plastic fillable ornaments from Dollar Tree.

Pinterest

Mine...I added green & gold shredded paper (our school colors)

Here is another really cute idea for an ornament...or even a gift for your kids' friends.  It looks really easy to do (thanks to craftymorning.com).  You could use that old Scrabble game that has been gathering dust for years...or you can order tiles from ebay or other sources.

And here is yet another way you could use those plastic fillable balls.  I haven’t done this yet, but I want to fill one with some of the buttons from my mother’s or my husband’s grandmother’s button box.  What a special keepsake…and I do love buttons (as you can read about HERE).

Pinterest

Wouldn’t this little fella look cute hanging around the neck of a bottle of your neighbor’s favorite wine?  And when the wine is all gone, they have an ornament for the tree.  There are no directions, but looks plenty easy to do…and I can now use some of those wine corks I’ve been saving for who knows what!!!

Pinterest

Do you happen to have any old windows laying around?  I do!  Wouldn’t this be pretty sitting on a mantle or decorating a porch?

                                                         Etsy:  Toadstool Pond

And what about those clothespins you no longer use but just can’t throw away?  These (or similar) would be so cute and useful for several things…put a magnet on the back and use them to hang cards or photos on the refrig, or clip on presents just for an added touch, or even clip on the tree!

Pinterest

I just have to add this one from one of my favorite bloggers DEBBIE DABBLE.  I am definitely going to do this!  I collect old cookie cutters…some hang on my Gingerbread Tree.  Only problem is I don’t have an old bowl like this one…but I’m on the hunt!  It will fit perfectly into the theme of my kitchen…thank you, Debbie!

I could go on and on and on…..but I will end with this last one.  It’s my own creation (so it’s not perfect).  I have made these in the past to fill with treats and give as gifts.  Don’t ask me for directions….it was a make as I went along type of project!!!! 

CHRISTMAS is such a special time and BLOGLAND is filled with so many wonderful and creative ideas…if only I had the time, the talent, and the patience!!!  So...are you all decorated???  What projects (old or new) have you found time for?