STORAGE...

Purchased two slide storage shelves from Sam's Club

 for easier accessibility to under the kitchen sink.
Love a bargain, they were under $20 dollars apiece.

Go...

How many...

 children does it take to bounce Megan?

she says...only me... I can do it all by myself now...

I'ts Official...

after 23 years of service...

Amanda gave us this book a few years ago... so we planned...

we saved.... we bought and paid off the travel trailer, a boat and we even have the pool...

we started the kitchen garden and learned how to can, freeze and dehydrate our bounty...

people called us hoarders...I called it stocking up...

“Lots of folks told him he’d have a hard time getting used to being retired.


He retired on Wednesday, 10/31/2012, by Monday morning he was used to it.”

from Christy Jordan's granddaddy

So give us a call... and We'll see you on the greens.

receiving his awards from Warden Carvajal

October 31, 2012 

its really me...

after growing it out for a year, I got my hair to its real color...

Trying to catch up...

Just a bunch of photos...

we made cookies...

rush hour on the patio...

Yes, I picked it up outa the trash...

the legs were broken...

 idea on Pinterest...

IT WORKED...

 

Its their birthday....

Leah, 2 years old....Emily, 4 years old

Megan 7 months...

FYI...it comes out the same color too...

Mermaid...

Minnie Mouse...

Pumpkin...

end of an exhausting day...

10 Time Management Tips

1.  Know your priorities. The first step to gaining control of your time is to know your priorities. When you know what’s most important to you, you'll become more deliberate about how you spend your time. What matters most to you? Take a few minutes now to jot down your answer to this question.
2. Get your appointments and to-dos out of your head. Keeping to-dos and appointments in your head only adds to your stress. And it makes it much harder to prioritize your activities. Use a calendar, to-do list, planner, smart phone or tablet to track these obligations, and then, use your brain power for getting them done. 
3. Choose your yeses carefully. When you say “yes” to one activity or task, you’re ultimately saying “no” to something else. Use your priorities as a filter to decide which tasks and activities to say yes to and which ones to say no to. When you choose your yeses (and no’s) wisely you’ll spend your time more purposefully and create a life you love.
4. Know how to say no. Say things like "Thank you for the offer, but I'll have to pass this time." Or "Thank you, but that doesn't fit in my schedule or priorities at this time." Having some pre-rehearsed, friendly ways of saying "no" will help you muster the courage to decline offers graciously when that’s the best decision for you.
5. Make sure you have some fun-stuff on your to-do list. Are you aware of how the tasks on your to-do list make you feel? If your to-do list is like most, some of the tasks deplete your energy, while others energize you. The terrific thing about those energizing tasks is that they act like little productivity power pills—they give you more energy and enthusiasm to tackle the other items on your list. So, to make the most of your time, make sure your to-do list has activities that you find fun and that energize you!
6. Give yourself permission to quit. Just as it makes sense to stop eating when you’re full, it makes sense to stop projects when they’re no longer satisfying to you. Reevaluate any project that has been lingering on your to-do list in a state of partial completion. Ask yourself this question: Given what I know today, if I hadn’t already started this project, would I choose to start it again? If the answer is no—give yourself permission to quit. You’ll free up your time for more important projects and activities.
7. Tap into the power of completion. Completing a lingering project or task fuels your energy and gives you motivation to tackle the other items on your to-do list. The endorphin rush that comes from checking something of your to-do list is real—so pick a project that’s near completion, and make it a point to finish it ASAP.
8. Minimize the little time wasters. Little time wasters are like little impulse purchases—over time they add up to a lot of time and a lot of money! Five minutes on Facebook, ten minutes spent procrastinating on an important task, and a few minutes (several times a day) checking email instead of handling it—adds up to a lot of wasted time! Become aware of your little time wasters, and then minimize them. For example, if you currently check your email every fifteen minutes, see if you can cut this back to checking every twenty minutes. Assuming you work an eight hour day, this step alone would equate to eight fewer interruptions—and time leaks in your day! Just think what you could get done in that amount of time!
9. Tackle your highest priority task first. Deal with your most important task when your energy is the highest. You’ll get the task done more quickly and getting it done will boost your confidence for handling the rest.
10. Understand what time management really is. Time management isn't about filling every moment of your day with productive activity. Instead, time management is about feeling good and using your time purposefully. It’s about feeling energized and in control of your day. It’s about being able to relax and enjoying the moment, instead of being distracted or worried about the items on your to-do list. It’s about creating time in your schedule and your life for the people and activities that matter most to you.

In the end, how we spend out time is how we spend out lives. Are you making the very most of your time?

copied from "Creative Organizing"

Life Lessons We Should Learn

We all need to read this - at least once a week.  Please make sure you read to the end,

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of Cleveland , Ohio .

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good..

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15.. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words : 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does..

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

My contribution...

If you always worry about what others think,

 you end up believing their opinion is more important than your own.

I had several "light-bulb moments", did you?

Friends are the family that we choose and I wanted to share this with you.

Happiness on your journey - it is yours to make.

copied from "Shade tree Quilting"

canning...

what do you do with 20 pounds of onions?

I diced up 8 pounds 

added some red peppers

vinegar

sugar

Boil down...

BWB for 15 minutes

sweet onion/pepper relish

we picked a 5 gallon bucket of jalapenos,

aren't they pretty...

again..

dice, (I did clean these, even though some seeds did get in)
 add vinegar and sugar.

boil down...

BWB for 10 minutes

sweet/hot jalapeno relish

Note: the second batch we added some onions too.
because did I mention we had 20 pounds!

We've been busy...

Baby sitting... Lillie is our baby...

 Leah

Megan

cutting bushes on the south fence row.

Some had died from last years drought

and they were really overgrown with thorny vines.

Canning...peach butter on Pioneer Woman's Cornmeal Pancakes.

Only I added 2 tablespoons lemon juice to 

the milk to make Cornmeal Buttermilk pancakes.

Kenneth said they were the best pancakes I've ever made,

after 36 years, they were awesome.

also canned fresh tomato sauce and roasted tomato, onion, garlic sauce.

We also made 15 quarts baked beans.