thoughts of new years, and resolutions and…

I wasn’t really going to do it. A New Year’s Resolution type of message. (But, it’s this or cleaning the house. You understand my dilemma don’t you??)

We can call it something else if you like, as it is NOT New Years eve yet.

Ok, so instead, some thoughts floating about, based on the ending part of years, and decades and the fact we are now 1/10 done with the 21st century.

We can all agree that world peace– now more than ever, tops the list. That we (anywhere on the planet) do not experience another 9/11, something that shaped the decade we leave.

Global warming– the things we can control in only the smallest of ways. But can, one by one, make impact.

The Economy—well, I spent many, many years living the “frugal life”, never having the ability to really tighten the belt any more than it was tightened. It can be somewhat discouraging to read a list of “easy ways to save money” tips that included “cancel your cable, eat out less” when you didn’t HAVE cable to cut and Wendy’s was eating out!

Yes, now we have the cable, but if we didn’t we wouldn’t be watching TV…(I don’t really watch TV. Timmy does. We are not now at the place that this is something necessary to cut, thankfully.)

Eating out should be trimmed around here, and mostly for the ability to save calories.

So, to that end, the first ‘resolution-type’ idea will be to try one new dinner-ish recipe a week. And maybe even one new baking recipe. (And eating at home will give us the chance to utilize that cable even more!!!) You are all welcome to send along your favorite recipes for us to try!

More ‘resolution’ kind of posts to follow over the next few days.

Maybe STATING it to the entire world (ok, the 11 people who read this) will be motivation enough. Don’t forget to ask, “What’s for dinner?”

Deliberate

DELIBERATE

My ‘word’ for the year. Last year was ’inclusive,’ and the year before that, ‘insight‘.

Why a word?

Well, think of it like this. Everything has a slogan, or a rally cry, or a battle cry, as the case may be. (“Just do it,” “Just say no,” “Yes, we can!”) A word, thought, phrase, idea–something that helps you define, categorize, and internalize the world around you, and the place you are in it.

The Insight year, the word came to me on a box. This artist paints boxes and will mail you one with an empowerment word. My word arrived— Insight. And I ended up using the word to create a quilt that was displayed at Houston’s International Quilt Show, during the last year of the JOURNAL QUILT PROJECT. (you can get silly if you want, trying to follow back through my old blogs, locating the whole story if you like)

Inclusive? Well it just came to me. And I don’t know that there is much that I could DO with a word like that… but I think the YEAR itself was rather such, don’t you?

I don’t know if I find the word being repeated in things I read or listen to. I don’t know where in my subconscious I latch onto it. However, I do know that I have never before committed to paper (or indeed, ever told anyone) that I had a word.

Having the word doesn’t mean that I am now walking around like a student who just discovered a great new vocabulary word. It’s not my default ‘big’ word, or anything.

It’s more a meditative kind of thing. More a way of processing the world, taking the time to analyze what’s going on. Odd that the word itself this year represents that. You might look at it more like a resolution, than a word. A different way of approaching life.

I know I am flighty. (I could have ADD, I suppose; I swear the cat has ADHD, I don’t see why I couldn’t be afflicted, too?) I tend to putter about on my days off, and I don’t accomplish much (except finishing books…I am a great finisher of books once I start…if I could only move that skill into, say, finishing CLEANING, or finishing a QUILT project, or finishing…well you get the idea.)

So, to me, it’s coming to mean more –Take time to smell the roses; and I certainly can’t see the fault with THAT!!!

(Oh, and no matter how ODD you may think I am, look, I’m not even unique!!!

I discovered this blog a few days after the word Deliberate took root—)

De*lib”er*ate\, a. [L. deliberatus, p. p. of deliberare to deliberate; de- + librare to weigh. See Librate.]

Weighing facts and arguments with a view to a choice or decision; carefully considering the probable consequences of a step; circumspect; slow in determining; — applied to persons; as, a deliberate judge or counselor.

Formed with deliberation; well-advised; carefully considered; not sudden or rash; as, a deliberate opinion; a deliberate measure or result.

To take counsel with one’s self; to weigh the arguments for and against a proposed course of action; to reflect; to consider; to hesitate in deciding; — sometimes with on, upon, about, concerning.

To think carefully and often slowly, as about a choice to be made.

To consider (a matter) carefully and often slowly, as by weighing alternatives.

Leisurely and steady in movement or action; slow and even; unhurried: a deliberate step.

Happy Birthday Dad! (a new years resolution story)

happy happy day…. =)

click image for more photos

ok, on to my new years resolution…(yes there is a connection!) A bit late to the game you say? Well, come on. Should something of the magnitude of a year long promise be relegated to a night of party-ing, and one-up-manship when listing your resolutions? Of course not. (hey, I was in bed before the ball dropped,  but a ‘me-too-er’ I’m not)

Resolve away on that night and are you destined to failure? Timmy hopes so, so he can get back to getting INTO the gym and not having to wait in a line for equipment (I have tried to convince him hiking from the way back parking lot constitutes his warm-up)

My resolution may be late, but it’s arrived with some forethought.

–SCAN all the family photographs.–

• once and for all, gather all the genealogical images that are in this house
•  scan
• Identify
• touch-up
• Burn CD’s
• upload to Flickr
• share with family

Simple, eh? Surely you jest. Have you any idea how many photos I have? I fear to say thousands, but in the high hundreds at least. I will then carefully box and put away the originals, and be able to call upon an image at the stroke of a few keys, instead of tossing the house upside down because I can “see” it in my head and “know” I own it.

This is the part where you come in! When you go off to view the photos I upload (and I am going to be doing this in small bits) –do you recognize anyone? Any place? Have I mis-identified someone? Does looking at the photos remind you of a story about a family member? Pass the information on to me please!

Next, do YOU have any family photos sitting around that you would like me to scan for you? (this means you –clarks, caseys, franks, bakers, greens –) If so, contact me about sending them my way and I will get them archived and back to you quickly.

So, WHY did this become my resolution? Well, sadly I recieved a call a week or so back informing me that Bill Casey III passed away. During a conversation with his lovely daughter Barbara, a discussion of the ‘Casey’ nose ensued. I was telling her I believed it to be a Carr trait and got ready to email her ‘proof’, but alas, I was lost by the lack of being able to lay my hands on the images easily. (when I get all the appropriate photos pulled together, we can re-visit this concept) 

And the Happy Birthday connection? Dad’s birthday just happened along as I came across a bunch of his photos to  scan. So I decided to be ‘cruel’ and post some images so you can see what a cutie he was, once upon a time! Click on the baby  to see lots more photos, and on the WORD “Dad’s” highlighted to go to his blog, and via that visit his virtual world and drop him some birthday wishes! 

Don’t forget to leave a comment!!