Getting Some Stuff Done

This late day post is because I have been spending the day getting stuff done. I finally finished painting the crown moulding that has been up almost a year now. That would make for quite a boring picture, so no picture.

Here is the first nugget of wisdom (we are studying Proverbs) brought to you by Pastor Ron on Procrastination.

**Perfectionists procrastinate because they want everything perfect.**
I can so relate


Perfectionists, is this you?

-Trouble completing projects because your own high standards haven't been met? (Like those scrapbooks gathering dust because the pictures aren't that good, and the paper and stickers aren't quite right)

- Preoccupied with details, rules, schedules others don't care about?


Ecclesiastes 11:4 says "If you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done."


Wise Moves for Perfectionists to stop Procrastinating
* Focus on achieveable, not ideal
* Put a time limit on tasks
* Make short, practical to-do lists
(for example, --Finish painting crown moulding-- Check!)

Is This You?

Pastor Ron gave a great message last night on Procrastination. I will post some of the sermon notes tomorrow. If this is an area you are struggling with, the notes can help you figure out why you procrastinate and how to change it. He showed this video, and some days I can definitely relate... Time to "Get Some Stuff Done!!" (Make sure to have the volume up so you can hear the narration.)

Friday Fun

Have y'all seen this? It just makes me laugh, but we need more people like Dale Peterson in my opinion...

The Next Nastia

Carlie had her trial gymnastics class over the weekend. She loved it! The instructor said she is very good for her first time, and she should be ready to move up to the next level by the end of the summer session. Here are some highlights.

Beautiful Day

Noah and I headed to Main Street St. Charles today just to get out of the house since it has been raining pretty much nonstop the past week and a half. The Missouri River is really high right now. I didn't get any pictures, but it will be taking over Frontier Park in the near future.




No visit is complete without checking out Riverside Sweets. I don't get the fascination with flavored taffy. Out of all those choices I would have just gone with the Vanilla, but I know I am in the minority.


I'll take that one, please...



After walking around and not buying anything (although a few things caught my eye), we headed to Mikkie D's for lunch. The one on 5th is a tad dirty, and the fries were not hot, but Noah still enjoyed it. We just share the 2 cheeseburger combo meal, a much more cost efficient option than a happy meal and fish combo.



It was just nice to get outside and enjoy the beautiful day. Tomorrow is to be much of the same, but the rains come again on Thursday. Ugh!

Take The Challenge

I am really getting tired of my legs not really having much shape or muscle definition. Although I continue to do Zumba twice a week (I may up that to thrice) and run/walk 3 miles twice a week, nothing seems to be changing in the appearance of my legs. (This could be do to the massive quantity of M&M's I consume on a daily basis.) So, I am challenging myself to complete the Two Hundred Squats Challenge.

Basically, you spend 30 minutes per week for approximately 8 weeks to build up to Two Hundred Consecutive Squats! Awesome! I took the initial test and did 36 squats, not too bad for someone on the higher end of the 30-39 age category. Hopefully I will start to see a difference over the next 3-4 weeks.

Mike has been doing the Hundred Push-ups Challenge (same website) and is up to 45 consecutive, but it may be a little more.

Let me know if you decide to "Take the Challenge". Just click on the above link and take the initial test. Once completed I plan to move on to either the push-ups or sit-ups. But one goal at a time, don't want to get ahead of myself. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Favorite Books/Children's Books

This week's Show Us Your Life at Kelly's Korner blog is on our Favorite Books and Children's Books. Growing up I think I read every Nancy Drew book on the bookmobile. I also read those books where you could choose your own mystery, but I don't remember what they were called. Remember? The ones where if you thought one thing, you turned to a certain page, and if you thought something else, you went to a different page.



In High School I really didn't like things that were required reading. However, the one book I really did like was A Tale of Two Cities. The best part was trying to figure out what in the world that old lady was knitting!



I don't read a ton of fiction books now, which probably explains my ho-hum writing ability. Usually I read books on personal finance/investing, growing in my faith, or autobiographies of sports figures.

My "favorite books" (in the fiction category) would be James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series. These are must reads for any mystery buff. Murder, Mystery, Suspense, and Lindsay Boxer rocks. There is a new one that recently came out, but I am #237 on the library hold list, so it could be awhile before I get my hands on it...



Another fiction book I love is Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. This book made me laugh out loud. Probably because it reminds me of several people I know. And, of course, it has the personal finance angle-- go figure. The movie was absolutely horrible though. Didn't parallel the book much at all. I tried to read some of the other books in the series but didn't finish any of them.



Here are a few on the non-fiction side I recommend...





And, as far as Children's books go... our kids love the Wemmicks series by Max Lucado (and Nancy Drew Clue Crew- gee, I wonder where they got that from?)

I Haven't Been There in Years... Clearly No One Else Has Either

Last night we went down to Union Station to meet up with Aunt Michelle and Cousin Meredith who were in town from Indiana for a class field trip. (I don't think the school realized it's not quite the tourist attraction it once was.) There is even less open now than the last time I was there roughly 5 years ago. They have 3 Cardinals stores, a Bud Shop, the Fudgery, the Food Court and a Houlihan's. Oh, and they have a Bungee Jumping attraction. Pretty much everything else is gone. Outside, the Hard Rock and Landry's Seafood are still open, neither of which I have ever been to. Pretty sad because the building itself is not run down.

Anyway, it was nice to catch up. Hopefully next time they come it will be for a bit longer.

Oops

I meant to post these last month and forgot about it. We've been going to the zoo for the past two years around Carlie's birthday. It's amazing how they have grown this year. Especially Noah, he will probably pass Carlie up next year.

2009

2010

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to our wonderful mothers and all the other moms out there.

We celebrated by going to O'Charley's. We seem to eat there a lot, but with kids eat free and those yummy rolls, I can't complain. I was then showered with love and presents when we came home.

These bad boys will be gone by the end of the week...

Carlie wrote this for a Dierberg's contest that I guess the school entered. She said she won the prize because she was the only one who got the note framed. Maybe Dierberg's will be sending something in the near future.

I also received a gift card to my salon/spa. Then, I was surprised to find out that Carlie entered a contest the spa was having, and she won me a $25 gift card on top of the one I already got. Wow! This is what she wrote:

I love my mom so much. She loves me when I cry. She loves me when I'm kind. She loves me when I'm sick, but most of all, Jesus loves her.

Doesn't that just bring tears to your eyes? So sweet. Will be using that $25 toward my summer pedicure.

Sporting the gift bag earring