Taking a hiatus until September.

To me, the difference between the artist and the non-artist is that the artist is the one that does it. Helen Garner - Australian Writer

Emptiness is a symptom that you are not living creatively. You either have no goal that is important enough to you, or you are not using your talents and efforts in striving toward an important goal. Maxwell Maltz 1899-1975.

When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on earth. So what the hell, leap! Cynthia Heimel
Hello to all!! Life is good here. I feel like I'm making progress on all fronts, though often in baby, baby steps.
Marriage - Looking forward to a couple date nights. The kids are in Iowa for the weekend and we are going out twice, which will be a lot of fun. I met my mother in law in Prairie Du Chein and had a fun tour of a great old mansion called Villa Louis stuffed with amazing antiques and an old working kitchen, ice house, etc. etc.

Parenting - Kids are doing well. Kirk has come a long way in his reading with our 15 minutes or so a day practice. I kept Kai home from his part-time daycare/preschool for August and this has been a lot of fun, though stressful too. We are all together 24/7, with the first break this weekend.;-) They have good and bad days/hours/moments as brothers. I can remember fighting with my brother when I was little, but I don't remember it being so constant. They will go from best buds to yelling at each other in a five minute span. My sibling rivalry books have some ideas that I'm working on.

Book - Off to the editor. I can't wait to hear back comments. I'm thrilled to have this done.

Business - Got a business plan checkoff list from a friend who is also starting a company and hope to use it to be more disciplined to get a bit done each day.

Garden - My phlox and Joe Pye weed and annuals are going strong. I really enjoyed the plant sale I ran on and off during the summer (at the end of the drive with an honesty jar so no extra work) and will probably do this again next summer.


FI - Kind of a mixed bag here. Considering I started this whole project as a money saving blog, honesty compels me to admit that the last few months have not been our most frugal. But I plan to buckle down and work harder at it in the months to come. So far, August is off to a great start - being with the kids full time means no trips to the thrift stores, and even Home Depot is a bit of a stretch with a three year old, so saving money that way;-).


Health/beauty. Finally broke down and took a friend's advice to do a food journal. Have done this for about a month and lost two pounds and am eating much, much healthier - too embarrassing to write down Pepsi 250 calories and snickers 250 calories under snacks;-). Finished reading a book about Coco Channel and another about style from Rachel Zoe, started taping Project Runway and the Rachel Zoe show to watch when I exercise in the basement and now am obsessed with fashion - absolutely love looking at those beautiful clothes, which do not seem easily available in Wisconsin, but fun to look at anyway. Now have on my wish list a white winter coat;-).

Spirit - Have been reading a book called The Art of Happiness at Work by the Dalai Lama - always makes me feel peaceful and Enthusiasm Makes the Difference by Norman Vincent Peale - always cheers me up. Trying to spend more time with family and friends - spent four days with my parents earlier this month and went out to dinner with my brother and a friend from fourth grade while I was in Illinois- gotta love friends who still are friends 30 years or so and counting...Several years ago I wrote out the goal that I would feel happy each day and I've met that goal - not that I'm happy the entire 16 hours I'm awake, but a good portion of each day is just plain happiness and that is something I'm grateful for in so many ways. Here's the key, to save you 1000 self-help books and twenty years of study - think happy thoughts - think about what you want, not what you fear. As soon as you find your mind going along some dark pathway - worry about kids, the extra wrinkles around the eyes, worries about aging parents, concern about mold in the attic or whether you stepped on someone's toes with a thoughtless comment, usually these thoughts like to come at low moments - think 3 p.m. or bedtime, just absolutely refuse, refuse to think about it. Think happy thoughts about gardens, people you love, pray or "talk" to loved ones who've passed away. Then in the morning, when you are feeling in a happy mood, jot down a quick list of anything you need to do. Believe everything is an opportunity for something good to come into your life -that it's truly all good. Maybe the mold guy will be someone you're meant to help out or watching your parents go through the stages of life will make your relationship even deeper. Really, truly, you can save yourself a lot of time, anguish and reading if you just determine to think happy thoughts, then do what needs to be done from a happy place. Enough said- I'm still working on it, but have come a LONG, LONG way considering I have a worry-aholic mom and a tendency toward anxiety.;-).

House - Still a mess much of the time, but I pulled out my Fly lady once again and trying to get organized. I have learned that I love being surrounded by natural objects, and to that end have picked up shells and rocks and things at garage sales during the past year and now put them on the foyer hall and somehow seeing those always makes me feel good.

Bus. Vocab - Had to give this one up - it just didn't seem to warrant the time at this point.

Joy and best wishes to all. I plan to take off the rest of August and just enjoy the kids. Kirk goes back to school Sept. 1. I want to have lots of happy little adventures between now and then. Wishing each of you one happy mini-adventure each day from now to September.