Welcome 2021 & WOTY 2021

 Happy New Year! 

Now that it's January 19, I finally feel ready to embrace 2021! I always feel like I need a couple weeks between December 31 and January 1 to get prepped and rallied and revived and to get my lists, aspirations, and resolutions resolved!  

But as the old quote goes, "Time and tide waits for no man."  That being said, I do have my WOTY chosen, and my 21 for 2021 list made. (I'll elaborate on this in a later post.)

Today I want to share my word of the year and the inspiration behind it. 

I chose the beautiful, calming, scary word ~ QUIET.

This year I want to learn how to be quiet. I am talkative by nature, which I embrace, but sometimes, it would do me and everyone me around so much good if I could just be more quiet. I want to live the quote, "If you can't be kind, be quiet."

Another benefit of being quiet is to hear what other people have to say.

I also want to have a quiet heart, a quiet spirit; to not let the voices of turmoil scream loudly in my mind. So many times, I can't change a situation anyway. I want to just trust God and let quietness reign inside.

And last, but not least, I made a WOTY goal to prioritize actual, factual quietness! Instead of feeling obligated or giving in to FOMO if I'm not constantly listening to some amazing book, podcast, lecture etc., I want to just listen to my own quiet thoughts as much as possible. It's not dull to just think! I want to leave my phone and its noisiness at home when I walk down Garrett Road.  

Did you choose a WOTY? If so, please let me know! This is my fourth year wotying and I love it! I try to get everyone around me to choose one too lol. Sorry, I'm so pushy! It just gives the year a bit of whimsy and somewhat of a goal/theme! The idea of a word or phrase of the year was sparked by my favorite author, Gretchen Rubin. I have all her books and listen to her podcast more than any other!

My past words were as follows: 

2018 - Home

2019 - Rest Up & Dress Up

2020 - Balance

I guess I never did blog about Balance, (I'll blame it on Covid!) but it ended up being very much of a blessing for the unprecedented year of 2020. 

So here's to choosing a WOTY and being QUIET in 2021!

Masked Lives Matter!

 

I love wearing masks.

Like these, that cover my eyes or my face minus my mouth. 

But now that it’s the thing to wear them over our noses and mouths, I’m having a hard time finding a mask that doesn’t induce “mask meltdown!” Which for me is feeling panicked that I can’t breath, or see, because my glasses are so fogged! So fellow wearers of spectacles, what masks are you loving these days? 

Short of ordering one like this mesh net with high reviews which IS available on Amazon lol, what would you advise? I’ve tried wearing my cute quilter’s cotton one (sewn for me by my crafty sis Rhonda) high, pinched properly around my nose, wearing it low.... still lotsa fog. The surgical style works no better. 

Please help a girl avoid mask meltdown! 

Thank you in advance! 

😷 🤓 

19 for 2019 (original version)

Once upon a time, I penned a list titled 19 For 2019! Then as I read over it, I didn't think it lined up very well with my theme of the year which was "Rest Up and Dress Up." If you want more details on that, read this old post. So I wrote another list, leaving some items on, adding new ones, and taking others off! In the end, I completed some items off both lists! So this post will detail the the original list, with the restful, revised version coming on another day.

Original 2019

1. Establish Core Wardrobe. This is too vague to know if it should be marked off! I did make some strides, but have realized that it will always be a work in progress!

2. Pottytrain Danielle. Woohoo!!! Several weeks after she turned 3, I whipped out the big girl panties, an old shower curtain for her to play on, and proceeded to potty train! Danielle said, "Panties have holes and Pull-ups don't." Really?! Who would have known?! She already had it all figured out. It was a breeze and I wondered why I had prolonged the process so long with Pullups instead of going cold-turkey panties!

3. Get FLS t-shirts designed and printed. They turned out great! And I've since even gotten another batch done. I highly recommend our local "Boss Man Ink" out of Atmore.

4. Visit London! It's still almost beyond belief to me that Danielle and I really did this! It was amazing; a trip with friends that will never be forgotten and will still hopefully be blogged about some day.

5. Stain the roof of Danielle's playhouse. I have this lovely red stain that I purchased back in 2018 just patiently waiting under the bed to be used. I did go out once, and painted a strip but decided that it wasn't the right day, as a yellow pollen-speckled red was not what I had envisioned.

6. Frame all the things! I just have so many things that need framing! Original artwork, printed quotes, various uniquities. But alas, my perfectionism stands in the way once again. Because of course I need the perfect frame to compliment each piece. Preferably purchased at a bargain at a thrift store. 

7. Grow roses again. And I've only killed and replaced one! See this post to know which bushes I selected. "Malibu" was the one that was laid to rest.

8. Conquer C25K. Thanks to my exercise partner! #heidiharms

9. Bop off my bunion. I decided it wasn't painful or annoying enough to be on crutches for weeks!

10. Buy dog collars & tags. Wasn't this on 18 for 2018 too? Our poor homeless looking dogs...except they are fat, so they look well fed which counters the homeless look of no collars.

11. Go to the Pensacola Museum of Art. Just didn't prioritize this, and wham. The year was over. I still WANT TO DO THIS.

12. Make chandelier that I have envisioned and created for my office/dressing room. Does anyone want to apply for the job of making my ideas come to life?! Will pay with more ideas for anything you need ideas for!

13. Paint the living room and hallway. SCORE! At last I get to use the strikethrough key again! Rhonda and Danielle helped to transform more of our house to the lovely shade of Benjamin Moore's Cloud White.

14. Put a new lightbulb in the globe. I've almost forgotten how lovely it looks lit. But I need to research how to take it apart to see what kind of bulb it needs. Simple, but somehow major enough to not get done.

15. Make the meat thing Danl wants. He saw this most amazing huge meat pocket recipe, and sent it to me. But alas, I didn't save it well, and now can't find it! Hopefully he forgot all about it too.

16. Buy a planner in October. To go through not having a planner come January was definitely not something I wanted to repeat! And I found the loveliest "Eccolo" hello 2020 planner at tjmaxx for only $9.99. It has cool quotes and stickers, and tabs, and everything I wanted! 

17. Attempt to get invited to the SL test kitchens. Just kept on dreaming, but didn't give my dreams any wings. If anyone from SL is reading this, please invite me and my mom to come see y'all! We are huge SL fans and having been making your featured Christmas cover cakes for 4 years now...

18. Get new living room curtains. Down with the chocolate brown, in with the light airy white!

19. Can homemade dill pickles. PTL for Claussen brand dills. #likehomecanned

Thankful Thursday

I’m thankful...

🍂 for October! So grateful to live in a world where there are Octobers even if it currently feels like Hotober. 

🍂for the ball of mistletoe hanging in the pine tree that I love gazing at during my walks on Garrett Road. 

🍂for my JP block schedule which gives purpose to my chaos! 

🍂 for my friends who are on the JP journey with me. 

🍂that Danielle loves to learn! Watching her studiously laboring over writing her letters just makes me happy/sad. She’s growing up way too fast! 

🍂 for phone-free time to just think while I work on household tasks. 

🍂for my jobs - being the queen of my home and being the VP of Faircloth Land Services! 

🍂 that I have the privilege of being a Registered Prayer Warrior! Every prayer counts! Let’s make a difference in the lives of those we love and in this great country we live in. 

Surviving Well #hurricanelist

Our power has at last been restored! I’m ready to put Hurricane Week in the past, and start Normal Life again in the morning! But, that being said, I feel like we more than barely survived; we survived WELL. Thanks to going through Hurricanes Erin, Opal, Ivan, and Dennis along with countless other tropical storms previously, it wasn’t a new experience to weather a hurricane, and to be without our beloved electricity. But boy, did it ever feel fantastic to go around tonight gleefully flipping switches and turning our home into a real-life Thomas Kinkade house! 

Below is my Hurricane List. 

I feel like being prepared is essential! 

Some things I’ve learned from my plucky mom, who showed us in attitude and action how to survive well; and some things are my own little quirks that I’ve added to this listicle. 

{Before Storm}

Buy lots of food. 

Think easy foods to grill, stuff for sandwiches, favorite snacks & drinks. Also, don’t forget food for the fur babies! 

Clean out fridge & freezer. 

(This is so you aren’t trying to keep old food cold, and in case your freezer does thaw some before you get the generator going, the ice won’t melt and make a big watery refrozen mess.) I didn’t get this one done this time, but mine actually weren’t too bad off amazingly!

Clean the house. 

You won’t be able to vacuum for awhile, so do it now! 

And it just feels good to go into a disaster with the house clean. 

Do ALL the laundry. 

This is pointless to explain. 

Batten down the hatches. 

Clear porches and put away all outside articles that could become flying missiles. 

Pick any and all flowers. 

Make as many bouquets as possible! They won’t survive and you will need to see beauty during and after the storm. The vase of gorgeous white roses and 2 jars of cheery zinnias sparked so much joy during this dark week! 

Make sure you have prescriptions to last at least a week. 

Check supply of OFF and replenish if necessary. 

If the door can’t quite seal around the extension cord, tree frogs might hop in and you need to be prepared to end life from a safe social distance of six feet. 

Check supply of paper goods. 

Ain’t nobody got time to hand wash dishes all day! And it’s not a good time to run out of tp!

Make sure you have plenty of propane for outdoor cooking. 

Have a good smelling candle to burn. 

All the humidity will soon make the house smell dank. 

Grind up some Griffin’s Wharf coffee beans. 

You’ll need the beans ready to go for the next morning’s propane-powered pour over! 

Purchase new craft supplies. 

It’s crucial to keep kids calm and occupied during disruptive times. The 12 little pots of Crayola washable paints I picked up with the groceries from Walmart saved the day! I tore off sheets of freezer paper, and Danielle painted away to her little artist’s heart's content!

Charge up all the Dewalt batteries. 

We have lots of these since Danl uses them for work. This fan is a lifesaver; also this power source adapter. 

Make a Plan B. 

For us, Plan A is always to stay home. But have a Plan B in case it’s not gonna be safe to stay home. 

{During Storm}

Sleep as much as possible! 

You’ll need it later, trust me. 

Remember that a little humor makes all things possible. 

Thanks, Mom! 😉

Don’t forget that this too shall pass. 

It always does. 

{After Storm}

Thank God that you have survived! 

Assess damages. 

At first, we thought that we pretty much lucked out on this one, but now just today as it rained away, we noticed some water damage from slight leakage along the edges of the ceiling. But still, very minor. 

Burn the good smelling candle. 

I loved burning the $3 little gem I got from Dollar Gen. 

Messy bun & gettin stuff done

 #momlife 🕯 

Cook good food. 

There’s nothing like sitting down to some good food to lift the spirits. 

Clean up the yard. 

But don’t rush or stress about it. Those branches aren’t going anywhere! 

Tidy and broom up daily to retain sanity and a sense of normality. 

Stargaze. 

Take advantage of the the complete velvet blackness! With no annoying yard lights, the gazing is gorgeous! Danielle suggested snacks during the one session we got in, which was an excellent addition. 

Take up friends’ and family’s offers of hot showers, AC, and other luxurious accommodations if they get power back before you do. 

This isn’t a survival contest. There are no awards being given out to the Most Miserable. 

And that’s it, my friends! 

Here’s to SURVIVING WELL. 

And praying that Beta behaves. 

The Symphony of the Sad Frogs

We survived Hurricane Sally! 

After sending us stir-crazy as she languished in the Gulf, she finally blustered inland stronger than expected! Danielle and I had gone to bed around 11; I was exhausted from having done every speck of laundry I could find, and having cleaned the house throughout, in addition to cooking and eating and cleaning up! #hurricaneparty #prepared

Gotta make hay while the sun shines; aka do electrical activities while you have power! Anyway, I had our “go bag” packed as Plan B was to take the dogs and head to Wade and Rhonda’s steel frame house if the gusts were supposed to higher than 85 mph. But I seriously didn’t think it would exceed that. I secretly hoped we somehow wouldn’t even lose power! But of course we did! Already around 9:30 pm! I was devastated as I hadn’t run the dishwasher yet. Grrr. But thankfully it came back on around midnight. I stumbled out, started the DW, and went back to bed with a smile! Danl said the power had gone off again around 3 am. He had been out helping his friends at Atmore PD since they already had power lines down, streets flooded, and people acting crazy. He was up most the night, pondering if we should head for a safer shelter or just weather it out. Which is what we ended up doing! I was glad that we could just stay home with Diesel and Leroy. A few times we wondered if the roof or porches would surely fly away as the wind shuddered and shrieked; I even lined up our boots and had our raincoats and backpacks by the door, but this old trailer and everything around us just stayed solidly put, PTL! We didn’t even lose a tree! 

But the frogs. 

When I woke up around 6:30 to a basically white, watery, wind-whipped world, I heard the strangest almost eerie sound. Danl told me it was the tree frogs. They were croaking the saddest croaks I had ever heard. Like water-logged frogs on their very last croak. Even though having “OFF 40% Deet” to end the lives of tree frogs that happen to hop inside our home from the crack of the cord going to the generator is on my Hurricane List, I felt sorry for them during this hurricane. Once the worst was over, Danl catnapped and I dozed and Danielle played and the wind blew and the frogs sang the symphony of their sad song. 

“Uuuuuhhhh,” one would wail, then another would answer, “Huuuuuuhhhh.” 

“Uuuhhh, huhhhh. Uuuuuhhh, huuuhhh.” 

“Thisss tooo,”

“Shalllll passss.”

And it did. At last. 

And the frogs were once again silent. 

And my OFF is ready. 

Hurricane Weather

Today has the somewhat eerie feel of hurricane weather; a touch of the ominous broken by patches of rain, overcast skies, odd bits of sunlight and blue sky, and an almost cooler breeze overtaken by gusts of familiar humidity. It’s like our weather just can’t decide what to do with itself while Hurricane Laura continues to hurtle northward leaving a swath of sadness and devastation in her path. Looking at pictures of the damage gives me flashbacks to Hurricane Ivan. 

So as this day continues to unfold, I pray for courage for my friends in DeRidder, LA, and all those experiencing sadness from this storm.