Top 10 Dumbest Things I Did This Year

1) Backed out of the garage before opening the garage door. Yep, I did it and boy did I feel silly. I am glad no-one was hurt and there was no damage except to my pride.

2) I foolishly started millions of loads of wash forgetting to put the lid down. So, when I went to switch the load, the original was there stuck soaking, waiting patiently to advance to spin cycle!

3) Broke my neck in Yoga. Okay maybe not broke but…..The instructor told us to bend forward and put our hands underneath our feet. Then, to lean forward until we felt like we were going to fall over and fall over is exactly what I did, right onto the top of my head with my hands still trapped beneath my feet. It’s been months and I am still injured 😦

4) Leave my keys in every fitting room and have to go back searching for them. What a fun Christmas shopping season 🙂

5) I spent several minutes of every day searching for my cell phone while I was busily talking away on it. Seriously, how many times can one do that in a year?

6) Attempted to move the Christmas tree and ended up lying underneath it trapped while my daughter stood recording the whole silly event.

7) Lit my oven mitts on fire at least 3 times. It’s been a very productive year in the kitchen! Luckily, no food was burned, only the tips of my fingers.

I guess there were only 7. It’s okay to laugh at yourself and your mistakes once in a while. Having a good attitude about the circumstances we find ourselves in can make all the difference. So, laugh away. What are some silly things you did this year?

A Flood of Thoughts

Tick, tick, tick. The house is quiet tonight while everyone sleeps. As the year winds down, my mind winds up. I used to be able to fall asleep as soon as my head would hit the pillow, but now night time is a battle I am slowly losing. How quickly time flies by. Every year it goes faster and faster until the months blur into the passing of each season. I can’t help but wonder if I have learned the lessons that have been placed before me this past year. There were many. That I know. One of the most important things I learned is that nothing is constant. Our lives change with every second on the clock. We can hold ourselves prisoner to the mistakes we’ve made or opportunities we’ve missed or we could leave it behind and move on. I move on. Time spent dwelling on the past or wishing things were different is a waste of precious time. I do the best I can in a given moment and I don’t make the consequences any worse than they have to be. I’ve also learned to slow to anger. I have found a way to silence my mouth until the words grow smarter and emotionally detach themselves so I can pull my response together in my head. I am passionate. I feel every feeling to the absolute max. It is hard to stifle that but something I know I must do. The biggest lesson I learned is to go with the flow. If life points me in a direction, I follow the trail. It is exhausting to fight the current. I have learned to trust, that although I may not understand what is happening at a given time, I am experiencing that situation to help me grow. Often times it leads to an even better place. I have tried very hard to pay attention to the people in my life. To not take everything so personally and remove myself and reaction from the equation so I can understand them better. I can tell you this, my feelings get hurt a whole lot less. I accept people the way they are, flaws and all. I have found a way to rise above judging and focus more on my own faults rather than the faults of others. It is true what they say, if you are always busy trying to fix your own flaws, you won’t have time to talk about others. It’s been a year of great change. A year of ups and downs, travel and all kinds of new adventures. I don’t regret a single minute. Finding a way to finally help Chase in school and Kayleigh finding a new love for swimming have been two highlights for me. Exploring Greece and making memories with Scott will forever stay vivid in my heart. I have been so blessed to go to so many wonderful places and see sights that have actually taken my breath away. When you realize how big and amazing the world really is, it helps remind you that you are small. I think that is the most important lesson I will take away from this year. Sometimes, your me can be way too big. In a world where people are self absorbed, I have learned how important it is to be kind to others. To surprise them from time to time, catch them off guard and remind them how good it feels when someone thinks of them more than they think of themselves. Sometimes people get it, and sometimes they don’t. Always treat people the way you want to be treated and never expect it to be reciprocated. Always do the right thing when no one is watching or when no one even notices. Its been a great year and although it will be sad to watch it pass by, I am excited about what the new year will hold. This past year blessed me with a new nephew that I absolutely adore. I almost forgot! The best part of the year is yet to come and I know I’m excited for it. Can’t wait to fly home in two days! The one lesson I never forget is that family is important. Those are the people that will be there when no one else is. There is no better feeling than being in a room with the people I love, especially on a holiday. Yep, I really am blessed!

Deck The Halls With Christmas Cookies…..

Today, we celebrated our Christmas. It was a great morning of smiles and excited faces unwrapping gifts. Shortly after we were all done, we found ourselves putting together small Santa boxes and filling each one with cookies we had baked the night before. Everyone was helping and assuring me they would willingly wear their Santa hats and politely get out of the car, but as for the singing part, that would probably be left to me.

There we were jumping in the van and rolling along. We stopped at house after house singing tunes and handing out treats. I really think everyone had a good time. This year, our new tradition would be catching others by surprise and doing something, big or small, that would bring a smile to their face. The greatest gift of all is knowing, at the end of the day, that someone thinks of you enough to let you know. I am striving to teach my children that although it is wonderful to receive gifts, there is also great joy in giving them. Lead by example. That is my new motto as we start a new year. More random acts of kindness, more giving with no intention of receiving, and spreading love and joy to everyone around us. Not a bad way to finish one year and move into the next, don’t you agree?

Shhhhhh…..

It’s so quiet in the house today. I can hear the ticking of the clock and the small hum coming from the heater. I love quiet. I notice as I get older I have an intolerance for noise. It causes my heart to race and I can feel myself grow more agitated the more it continues. But right now, being right here in this dim quiet room is like heaven. I think sometimes we forget how important it is to just sit and be silent. The last few nights I have slept very little. My mind is either racing with dozens of thoughts or I’m dreaming so vividly that I feel awake. This is a good wake up call. It is impossible to shut off all the noise and clutter in our minds in a moments notice. We must practice quiet and find ways to make space for those times during our day. I am grateful I have found mine today.

My Christmas Wish

I love Christmas. It is a time I really reflect on my life. A time I spend looking inside myself while asking some questions that are tough to answer. A time that I give a great deal of thought on what and who I am grateful for. Christmas is about a lot of things. Peace, hope, love, and gratitude are at the top of that list. My wish for everyone reading this and for everyone I know and love is that you find a way to silence the critic in your thoughts and words. It is amazing, the sense of peace that washes over you, once you learn to silence the mind. I also wish that you find a way to spread peace and love everywhere you go to everyone around you. Be the example so many are in need of finding. Know that your words have power. Choose them wisely and tread gently. Know that someone else’s feelings and beliefs are just as important as your own. Be kind. Be the change you want to see in the world. Encourage those around you and compliment everyone you see. Let go of anger. Forgive and forget. Carrying grudges becomes heavy over time. Take responsibility for yourself and stop pointing out everyone’s faults. Focus on your own and fix them. Find your best self this year. Be better. Do better. Be that person that brings positive energy into every room you enter. Smile. Enjoy the little things. Live each second of every minute.

My wish is that you find your happy. It is different for all of us but when you find it I hope your heart will swell. I hope you take time to appreciate all the blessings around you. Take a look at the people in your life and see their beauty. We all have flaws but we do choose what are eyes will see. Open them wide and take it all in. My wish is that you use kindness in your tone. That you understand the difference between freedom of speech and abusive power. My wish is that as a world, we become more united. I wish we see into each other’s souls and around our humanness. I wish we surrender our need to be right and grab onto our need for peace and humility. I wish for more kindness and civility. To each and every one of you, I wish you inner peace, joy and unconditional love. What is on your wish list this year?

Seriously! Enough is Enough!

I must say, I am growing very tired and heartsick over the ridiculousness that I am subjected to day after day. Facebook is a huge culprit. So many people claim to stand for equality and fairness and love and peace, yet every time I turn around they engage in any and every battle of words they can bully themselves into to. Yes, this is sorta about the Duck Dynasty fiasco but really about the race to join the war of words. Honestly, it’s sickening. People judging people and books on individual events and quotes while never actually reading the entire book or story. Does this make sense? Often times I try to use examples but more times that not, people knock my example. So are people oblivious, ignorant or just condescending? Can they see it in themselves while committing these offenses against others? The very thing they criticize someone for is acted out in their own behavior. What the….???? Seriously! I don’t know the answer and frankly I don’t concern myself with it but I have some advice that I think everyone could find helpful if they would hear the words. Take your pointing finger and turn it inward, don’t try and save the world or defend every group you have a passion for. Save yourself and your own soul and pray, that in the end, God does not judge us as harshly as we judge each other. Mind your own business, and make you the best you that you can be. When you are working on you, and are at your best, you positively contribute to the world. Ask yourself, are your actions leading to accomplishing your intentions. How does a peaceful person really act? How does a loving person behave? Are you a warrior or a peacemaker? Don’t be a hypocrite.

I Am An addict!

My name is Kim and I have an addiction. Yes, it’s true folks. I have decided I have a real problem. I was so very blessed this past year that I got to travel all over and frequently. Since this time last year, I have been to Turkey, Greece, Destin Florida, Alabama Shores and Los Cabos, Mexico. Seriously, I could not feel luckier if I won the lottery. However, I brought a lot of souvenirs home with me all around my mid section. Yes, I ate and ate and gained a ton of weight. Over the last four months I have worked very hard and lost 17 pounds. So, my new addiction? Yes, you guessed it clothes! Tight shirts, baggy sweaters, jeans, dresses, scarves….you name it! I just can’t help myself because honestly, I have not been at this weight for a very long time. Did I mention scarves! Of right, I did. It feels wonderful to feel so happy and confident again. Before, I dreaded going out and picking something to wear for the day and now I get excited. It sounds corny, I know, but I have never really cared about the way I dressed before. So now, I will have to find a way to deal with my new addiction and hopefully not replace it with another dangerous one. Before, I would reward myself with food that did absolutely nothing to help my self esteem. Although clothes are a bit more healthy, they are also a whole lot more expensive. So say a prayer that I beat this thing and replace it with something like say walking. That would be healthy and not cost a dime. What are your crazy addictions? I’d love to hear about them!

A Reason To Smile

Today we got an unexpected gift. I can’t wipe the silly grin off my face. It makes me think how wonderful the world would be if I had the money and resources to send a different person a gift every day. Yes, there are ways to make them happy and feel loved and remembered and appreciated without sending a gift acquired by money, but sometimes, getting a surprise feels wonderful. And being on the receiving end of a gift always feels wonderful. So, remember that from time to time. Someone is out there hoping and wishing someone is thinking about them. Don’t forget to let them know. There is no better feeling that knowing you put a great big smile on somebody’s face. So, get out there. What are you waiting for?

Oh no! only 2 Weeks Until Christmas!

I have to chuckle at all the Facebook posts and conversations with friends and family about how stressed they are over Christmas rapidly approaching. They have every excuse to feel bad for themselves and pages and pages of things they need to get done leading up to Christmas Day. Just yesterday my mother told me you can’t plan on not feeling well for a couple of weeks. Well, she’s right. You can’t plan not feeling well but you can plan for Christmas. You actually have 12 full months to plan and prepare. Remember those people that I mentioned in another blog post that made condescending remarks about me probably having my tree and shopping done around Thanksgiving? Well, this is when I quietly high five myself while they are scrambling around feeling exhausted and sorry for themselves. It’s not really that I rush into the holiday season, it’s just that I am prepared to tackle it, so as the days grow closer I can actually enjoy myself and count them down in giddy anticipation.

Now, I actually am an empathetic person, so I do actually feel for anyone feeling the stressful crunch. I also am sad that they are missing feeling the joy and peace that go along with really being able to enjoy every moment, free from the nagging reminder of all the things on their Still Have To Do List. This year, my hope is that there is a lesson in procrastination. That people stop falling into the same patterns and stop fighting the urge to be “one of those ridiculous people that jump into Christmas too soon”. They are only hurting themselves. I can tell you this. It is a whole lot better to be eating Christmas cookies for 2 weeks then worrying about when you will find time to bake them. And, somehow I bet mine taste better too! So, next year, get it done a little earlier. It will make all the difference in the end, I promise.

It’s a Blob, It’s a Cake, It’s a Mess!

So today is my nephews birthday. I had this brilliant idea that we would bake him a cake since he attends college in our little town. However, we were away all weekend and school was called off because of the ice, so I asked my daughter (who LOVES to bake) to save me some time and bake the cake for me. There I was singing Christmas tunes, changing load after load into the washer and dryer, dusting, vacuuming and patiently waiting for the oven timer to go off. I thought I was ahead of schedule and attempted to flip the cake onto my platter. That is when I discovered someone skipped the step of greasing the cake pan.

After a complete meltdown of screaming and pacing, I grabbed another cake mix and demanded my daughter do it again, the right way this time. Again, the timer went ding and I attempted to flip the cake onto the platter. This time, success! I decided to try some new icing with chocolate chips and discovered it does not spread evenly or easily. So, off I went to get another can if icing to finish the job.

An hour later, I finished it all up and decided to write Happy Birthday in red icing. A simple task for most I’m sure, but for me, a total fail. The little plastic piece that attaches to the tube of icing was loose and the icing oozed out around the piece and onto the cake. This is when I called my daughter down for reinforcement. She got H A and the PP turned into yet another oozing mess. So, we scraped the red icing off, put some new chocolate icing on and I attempted to decorate with sprinkles. This cake is a total mess not to mention an all day fiasco, but it is done. I am not going to judge it and get upset, I am going to look at it and laugh and hope, that at least for today, my effort is more than enough. I’ll get back to you later on how it tastes!