My Mother......

Today would have been my Mother's 68th birthday.
New Year's was four years since she's been gone.
I have to move on.
I have to remember the good times.
I have to remember she loved me and she wanted the best for me and did everything she could to make that happen.
I have to remember that I am my Mother's daughter and she was her mother's daughter and that means that I come from a long line of STRONG WOMEN who made it through so much so it's time to stop feeling sorry for myself and start doing what I've gotta do to be my Mother's daughter......

Oh......
By the way........
Yeah......
The little girl is me......

Count your pennies......

There are so many sayings about pennies.......
A penny for your thoughs
Be penny-wise and pound-foolish
Not have two pennies to rub together
A penny saved is a penny earned
Cost a pretty penny
Find a penny, pick it up....

My mother always told me that those who dont value the little (penny) dont deserve the big.....
I have been so caught up in feeling sorry for myself because I dont have "the big" that I have let myself stop noticing how much "little" I have.
True, we all want the BIG - That is just part of being human, but sometimes when you add all your pennies together, you realize that you're as bad off as you thought you were. You may not be rich, but you will get by and sometimes that is all you need.

And dont forget - there is also:
Turn up like a bad penny
Yeah...... Let's not forget that one because when you think about it, sometimes if you're not careful, you get stuck with a fake penny.
You think it's all shiny and pretty but in the end, it aint worth nuthin......

Have a great day.
Count them pennies........

Baby Steps - A clean desk

They say that you should have a desk in your home that is free of clutter.
That should have only the items that you need to pay your bills, write a letter, and maybe have one or two sentimental things that truly make you happy.

I started off by cleaning of my new desk. Yes, I'm guilty - I had let the desk pile up because it was a clear, flat surface and perfect to pile stuff on but if you pile stuff on a clear, flat surface - guess what - It's aint clear anymore........

So I took everything off. Some stuff I put in their places and others I just put in a box because if I sit there thinking about every single item, I get nothing accomplished. So I decided FOCUS......... FOCUS ON THE DESK...........
I now only have three things on my desk.
Two glass jars full of buttons (cause I just like them) and my "Daily Scheduler" thingie that I bought ages ago thinking it would be such a great organizational tool. I bought it cheap in the discount section at Staples and had been so excited about using it.......
Now I cant even remember how long it's been collecting dust............
Now I will have it on my desk and I will look at it daily. It has 31 slots for me to put my "TO DO" lists into. It also has a place for a check book & some stamps.
(Now I just have to find a pretty pen holder but for now the top drawer is good enough because I dont want to put anything on there that is not going to stay......)

My first DAILY item: A note for January 31st from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to go to Laura's house for a crop..........
YAY......... I am sooooooo happy.
I was not able to sign up for any crops (cause I'm trying to be a good girl and putting silly things like paying bills before spending money on myself)
Laura sent out an invite. This is PERFECT for me. It is close to home, it is with wonderful friends and it's FREE. Hey, even I can afford that one........

So now to start filling my little daily organizer thingie with the not so fun stuff in life like: "Tax Bills Are Due", "Car payment is due", "Electrical is due", etc.

You know what............
Actually having a place where I can see this stuff in order may make me more "AWARE" about my finances and like I said yesterday - That is definitely one of my goals for the New Year.
I may not become rich anytime soon but at least I will know what I can and can not afford. (Suze Orman would be proud of me..........)

"FOCUS"

Happy New Year everyone........
It's 2009 - A new year - A fresh new start.
Hey, they even gave us that whole extra second this year to make our New Years Resolutions...... (Yes, they had to add a second to catch up with the way the earth is spining, yadda, yadda, etc - I dont know the details but if you have an extra second - which now you do - you can Google it for yourself...........)

So.........
Did you make your resolutions???????
Do you have all sorts of great plans for the new year??????
Will you quit smoking - lose weight - save money - buy everything your little heart desires??????????
I have soooooooooo many things I would like to do but in reality, I know myself - I am not very good at following through on my wonderful plans. I think the main problem is probably that I feel that if I dont do things overboard they will not be noticed. Then when I do things I fall short of my goals which ofcourse makes me sad which ofcourse makes me feel unsuccessful which ofcourse makes me even more sad which makes me want to not try.
But THAT is not ME....... I dont want to stop trying. I want to BE that amazingly wonderful person who is hiding out in my little pea brain just waiting to bust loose and scream "HERE I AM!!!!!!!!!"

So..........
Let's not even talk about what great things I want to accomplish in 2009.
Let's "FOCUS".

This year we are going to listen to a few "experts" and learn from them. We may add to the list during the year but here is the start:
Ali Edwards: -
Pick one word and live by it - My word for 2009 is "FOCUS"
Suze Orman: -
Let's face it - the lady knows her money and she tells it like it is.
Peter Walsh: -
I would probably be Peter's worst nightmare but we will work on that.
Oprah Winfrey: -
She has talked about so much on her show but let's "FOCUS" on one of her current subjects - Living your BEST LIFE......

So.......
You know me - I could go on and on but you may get completely bored - Wait.....
Do I see you nodding off???????
WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!! I'M TALKING TO YOU!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS IMPORTANT TO ME!!!!!!!!
So.........
Ali says pick a word so I'm going to "FOCUS"
Peter says live in the moment and not hold on to the clutter of the past.
Suze says a lot as long as your willing to listen and learn. Let's face it - Unless you are financially aware you are not going to be happy - I didn't say rich - I just said financially aware.....
Oprah says "Live your BEST LIFE" - I will try........
I WILL FOCUS ON LIVING MY BEST LIFE.

Happy New Year
:0)