{amaZing}...

as i have been visiting all of the participants blogs this weekend i found angela moore. can i just say she has made mY day today. she posted this yesterday..."take a moment to watch, listen and reflect. Your heart will be stirred and you will be blessed. It's only 4 minutes of your day....your to do list will be waiting when you're finished...just take a moment for yourself...it might even change your priorities and what fills your to do list. Be Blessed!" (hope she won't mind i quoted her) this is where she sent you. so i took those 4 minutes and i am now filled with all sorts of emotions. it is so good. you need to take the 4 minutes and 42 seconds and be blessed todaY and everyday of your liFe! i just want to thank angela for shaRing this. i needed this and how wondeRfuL that i found this todaY. my blog has been such a gReat challenge for me. i am proud to say tomorrow will be {21} days for me starting this additional challenge and posting EVERYDAY! i have been so inspired with this challenge of rhonna's. she has truly touched all of ouR livEs. we are all blessed just by knowing her. she has helped all of us change our lives in one way or another through these {21} days. thaNk yOu from the bottom of mY heart rhonna. thank you angela for your thoughts yesterday. for the beautiful song and those wonderful words they sang that hit home. how i live IS up to me and i choose to livE it {haPpY}!! have a wondeRfuL sunday. i am going to continue my challenge i made for myself to visit all the participant's blogs. *hugs* connie

mY aRt jouRnaL...

haPpY saTuRdaY! i am trying to figure out how to display mY aRt jourNaL. i have it on the right side of mY blog. trying to figure out how to get it into my post. it's nothing fancy, just trying to get it done. i'm learning new things everyday and today it was learning how to make a slide show. yaY for mE!! i think i am gonna be loving this featuRe. anywho...i best get back to work. sick little girL (with a 101 temp), laundry, housework, finish laying her floor and getting her bed up and of course scRapbOoKing when i can. check back later if i can.

WOW...60+ participants

i can not believe how many participants have joined in this challenge. today as i realized it was coming to an end i wanted to go to everyone's blog. i thought i had checked them all out, but nope. so as it is the final day i am trying to stop by every single one and lurk and leave a comment. i have appreciated all the wondErful comments i have received. they have been so inspirational to me. looking at your journals...WOW, just amaZing!! i hope, i know i WILL keep up my challenge. it has become a part of mY life now. i hope to see many of you on the next {21} day journey. CONGRATS again. *hugs* connie

day {21}...yippee!!!

it's day 21 how did you do? CONGRATULATIONS to all on achieving your {21} day challenge!!!! did you make it a habit? are you going to stick with it? i sure know i am. i have gained so much from this amaZing journeY that i don't want to loose. if you started late, keep on going. i'm here still rooting you on. i can't wait to start a new 21 days with a new goal!! thanks sooo much rhonna for our new lives!! our lives will never be the same because of YOU!
*hugs* connie

to liSt or not to lisT...

that is the question? remember how i said i livE by a list. a "to do" list. for me i write down everything. i mean EVERYTHING!! i need to visually see my progress and check off my list. i know for some of you, you may not need these list. that you can plan and organize your day with ease. for me (and i hope many others out there) we need our lists. whatever we don't accomplish rolls over for tomorrow. so here is mine in no particular order that i thought i would share with you.

to do list: thursday 10.4.07

• wake up
• shower
• get dressed (you can get a lot accomplished in your pj's)
• write my to do list
• get kids up
• take "d" to school 8
• get "a" dressed and breakfast
• sign "h" planner and sent a note to teacher
• help "d" finish homework
• write blog
• check rhonna's blog for my daily inspiration
• check participant's blogs and leave comments
• blog lurking & post comments (all the ones on my blog)
• check voice mail
• return calls
• check e-mails
• return e-mails
• write orders
• send/fax orders to customers
• fax/e-mail orders to vendors
• sync computer
• laundry
• dishes
• figure out dinner
• cook dinner
• clean up dinner
• call stores about orders/questions
• spread sheet for weekly sales (3 months behind)
• organize orders
• print out orders for the last 3 months
• file orders in store files
• check off 3 months of commission statements
• help "h" with homework
• preview "h" planner
• help "a" with homework
• download pictures onto computer
• arrange and put into correct files
• balance check book
• get kids ready and into bed
• wish brenda a happy belated birthday
• work on art journal
• call laurel at we r memory keepers
• call heidi swapp/advantus
• call adornit/carolee's creation
• unpack 2 boxes (moved into a new home in july)
• clean out catalogs in work room
• open boxes from rep companies and put away

then there are the unexpected things that come up that aren't on your list that you can count as accomplished.

• take "t" to school early for band
• text my boss back
• IM my sister in law
• take "t" his band gear (as he forgot about competition today)
• upload some new music
• sing & dance around my house
• talk with brad, debbie and my mom (while multi tasking)
• place 2 more orders

so what did i get accomplished todaY? everything highlighted in RED!! i would call today a GREAT day for me. i feel so accomplished, so good and really haPpY!!!! this is also a great way to let your husband know that you didn't sit on the couch and eat bon bons all day. sometimes your tasks aren't always visual for them to see, lol. with mY to do list, no questions asked. i may not always have great days like this. though seeing even a little of them marked off, i can feel good about what i have accomplished. whether you list or not list, the choice is yours. how ever you accomplish your day feel good about it. feel accomplished in your day. know that you did your best with the 24 hours you have been given. there will never be enough time to do it all but, to do what is important... is what truly counts!! have a great evening. *hugs* connie

just what i needed...

ok, so i needed this when we first started this {21} day challenge, how about all of you? "we are made to persist. that's how we find out who we are." when i received this today it just made me smile. i am happy today and all is well in mY world!!! i'm glad to have read this, it is just what i needed in mY lifE right now. right at this very mOMeNt!! again...thanks rhonna.

waCky wEdnEsdaY...

i slept from 7 p.m. last night to 7 a.m. this morning i should be refreshed, right? NOT. woke up with a huge headache and a list that keeps growing. trying to play catch up on my work and staying caught up is gonna be craZy today with a soccer game at 1. breathe, just breathe. i can do this. i can get everything done if i stay on target. i will survive.

the night is growing near and i am excited the day is over. i survived another day. i was able to cross off a lot on my to do list and it was so grEat as i felt accomplished. tomorrow will be a new day with a less busy list. wasn't able to make the soccer game. i just had way to much to do. there will be other games i keep telling myself. that it is ok when mom is so busy and that the kids will have to forgive us for our one game not attended. i still feel guilty for not being there though. with all my busyness i even cooked dinner, which is a huge task for me on days like this. yes, i know dinner should be cooked every night. see at my house... my goal is to cook at least 3 times a week (mon-fri). it's not that i don't like to cook but, there are days i just don't feel like it. those are the days that the children usually like cause they get to have breakfast for dinner. eggs, cereal, waffles, you name it they LOVE it!! then there are the days that they really urn for some of mom's homemade cooking. i love these days. makes me feel like they really do appreciate it when i cook. i hope i am not the only mom out there that doesn't cook every night of the week. if you are one of those moms or dads...i solute you! that's all for today. going to try and catch up my art journal. i want to post some more pictures. have a great evening. *hugs* connie

FooTbaLL is over, wrestLing begins and finishing soCcEr, ugh...

tuesday, october 2nd:
i drove home yesterday knowing i was truly being watched over. i really don't know how i got home in one piece or should i say aLive!!! just glad to be home safe. walked into he door and got right back in a car (which my husband drove and i slept) to see my youngest son play in his last football game. it was an amazing game they won 56-20!!! then every parent and child asked if "d" was wrestling? this is the first i had heard about it but, they want him to wrestle. i don't care, i guess i was just thinking of myself when i thought i could get a break. don't know why i would think that with four kid, a husband and 3 jobs. so i guess we will be starting wrestling next monday. i also have my high school son still playing jv soccer. i think we have 3 weeks left of that. he is so good at soccer. i am so glad he found his niche in sports. he just informed me yesterday he wants to try out for the golf team. i said as any mother should (and mean it), go for it you are great at it! no, a mother's work is never done! i also have my two youngest playing city soccer on saturdays. my week stays pretty busy, that i am surprised i can get anything done at all. i am learning fairly quickly that i need to use my time wisely. decide what is important and what needs to come first and make mY list. i live by list!!!! it's great to cross off things i have accomplished, to see my progress and LOVE it.


ps. today is day {21} of my {21} day challenge journey. my first goal was walking every day. that i did not accomplished. so on day 6 i moved onto another challenge i had in mind, which was starting a blog. on october 8th i hope to say that i finished my {21} day challenge and will be sticking to it!!! here is another fabulous quote from rhonna... "The secret of greatness is simple: do better work...and keep on doing it." Wilfred A. Peterson
I WILL KEEP ON DOING IT!! thanks so much rhonna for all your inspiration. for helping all of us participants and the world start new good habits in our lives. ones that will change us forever, for the better!

caTchiNg up...

today is wednesday but, i feel i need to back up and finish writing for monday and now tuesday.
monday, october 1st:
i drove to the valley today to attend a crEative EscapE volunteer dinner. it was so nice of bazzill and heidi swapp to do this. we were fed a wondErful mexican dinner with a fabulous dessert (that i sooo need to get the recipe for). then it was christmas....they informed us that the little goodies we saw as we were getting our dinner was for us. it was a pack of ce 12 x 12 paper, a little journal, a visor that says crEativE escapE on it (wore mine yesterday) and a water bottle. so i thought to myself how wondErful is this. they have already been so good to us and i was already very appreciative. nope, wasn't done! we got a ce shirt then..... drum roll....many of you know how bazzill does their warehouse sale. well, lets just say we got to enjoy it as well. 2 boxes full...FREE!!! now this was truly amaZing. thAnK yOu bazzill!!! i am so blessed to work in such an industry of talented, friendly and amazing people. i was blessed to not have to drive home after this dinner. i would of had a 3 1/2 hour drive home and as you read yesterday didn't go to bed until REALLY late. lets just say i slept maybe 45 minutes to an hour. mY wonderful friend called me up and told me i had a hotel if i wanted it. the thought of not driving home that late or sleeping in a comfy marriott bed, hmmmmm let me think... the hotel!!!!! my night there was so amaZing can't really put it all in words. i was touch first at the thought of getting to stay and rest (that i did not do) but, the time there was much needed and was so great!! can't really put them into words. just thaNks for evErYthiNg!!!!! i also saw where a new restaurant will be coming to downtown mesa in about 5 months or so called "the black sheep". it will be an awEsome place for family and friends to relax, watch some live music or listen to poetry and enjoy some grEat irish food!! can't wait for it open, just so excitEd!!! so mY monday was incredible, it will be a night to not be forgotten.

yEs....I fell off the bandwagon...

as i lay hear with all this guilt at 3:oo a.m. i feel like a failure. i did not do a blog for monday. i know this is not something that should really bother me but, it does. see on this {21} day challenge i feel like i was doing so gReat!!! then yEs, it happened i fell off the bandwagon. not really on purpose. lets just say time slipped by and i didn't make it important enough to do. had way to many things going on that were a little more important to me. :0) i keep posting on everyone else's blog that it's ok. pick yourself up, dust yourself off and jump back on. so here i am at 3:15 a.m. writing my blog. so does this count for monday or tuesday? i know i will be writing again soon as it is my son's last football game today or is that tomorrow. *hugs* connie


ps. so need to tell you about mY CE dinner for all the volunteers and teachers. it was so amaZing!!!