"Better to come in last than not finish. Better to not finish than never start." I can't remember where I read those words, but I repeat them to myself often in my ongoing battle against perfectionism. Not only do I want things to turn out just right - whether projects or situations - but I tend to be very harsh with myself when they don't. Note that I said "when" not "if," because the reality is, it's never perfect. It's an ongoing journey - that isn't going perfectly! - but I'm choosing to focus on the little wins and the baby steps of progress, rather than the setbacks and perceived failures. Just because I haven't blogged in six months, doesn't mean I can't start again! One step forward. Though not particularly blog-worthy, I'm choosing to celebrate my success in checking off two items from my to-do list: cleaning out the gutters and painting my daughter's closet. Small accomplishments are worthy of note. I'm also excited to share a new Christmas tradition we started this year! I have been wanting to do this for several years (ever since I saw this pin) but never got around to it - until now. {Progress!} Each year I have schemes and dreams to savor Christmastime. Visions of sipping hot cocoa, snuggling up for a Christmas movie, and crafting keepsake ornaments dance through my head...until I hit December 26th and realize that I somehow never found time to do any of those things. So this year, I started clear back in October, and wrote a small something for each day of December into my calendar. This was the perfect excuse to clear out my wrapping paper and ribbon stash and also managed to double as mantel decor since I had to save my kitties from their self-destructive habit of eating curling ribbon. Is it perfect or pinterest-worthy? Not really. But our family has loved every minute of this, and we all smile each time we pass through the living room. At some point during the day (usually after dinner, but occasionally earlier to accommodate some of the activities), we sit down for a brief Christmas-themed family devotion (we've been using "The King is Coming" from Bible.com) and then open up that day's gift. Although a few things are new, most of these are all items that we already owned, or activities that we already do. Here's my list: 1. Lego Friends Advent Calendar (my daugher loves these!) 2. Movie Night: How the Grinch Stole Christmas w/ Jim Carrey 3. New lego sets for our Christmas village display (can you tell we're a lego-lovin' family?) 4. Make and decorate Gingerbread Men 5. Reading Time: The Nutcracker 6. Movie Night: Holiday Inn 7. Mistletoe 8. Reading Time: Mortimer's Christmas Manger (Goodwill score!) 9. Movie Night: The Nutcracker (Barbie version) 10. Bake Christmas Cookies; bonus: wear reindeer antlers 11. Movie Night: White Christmas 12. Reading Time: Frosty the Snow Man 13. Movie Night: A Christmas Carol (this is our date night, so it's just the grown ups; we like the musical Scrooge and the version of A Christmas Carol w/ Patrick Stewart) 14. Craft kits (purchased after last Christmas on clearance!) 15. Reading Time: Christmas Seek and Find ... it's like a Christmas version of "Where's Waldo" (Goodwill score!) 16. Christmas Lights Festival 17. Christmas Puzzle 18. Movie Night: Charlie Brown Christmas & How the Grinch stole Christmas (classic version); bonus: drink hot chocolate 19. Reading Time: Twas the Night Before Christmas (Goodwill score!) 20. Movie Night: A Christmas Story (another date night movie) 21. Movie Night: Elf (Goodwill score!) 22. Reading Time: If You Take a Mouse to the Movies 23. Movie Night: A Muppet Christmas Carol 24. Attend the candlelight Christmas Eve service at church. 25. Christmas Day!! Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas season from our family to yours!
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About Me"Planned Spontaneity" is an expression I came up with to describe my unique personality: I love schedules, organization, and all things planning ...yet there are times when I make a conscious decision to just go with the flow and see what happens. This is the documentation of my crazy journey - which may feature a 6-page agenda one minute, and the next I drop everything to give my walls a fresh new coat of paint. Archives
December 2016
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