Resolution Tuesday: 27 Weeks to Go

For my first post back from my unintentional hiatus, I thought I'd catch up on my accountability. Therefore, weeks, 28 - 31 will be rolled into this summary and then I'll make a better effort to stay up-to-date. My next post will be in July. Can you believe it's almost July?

Area 1: Weight

For two weeks in July, my husband and I painted the interior of a customer's vacation home--on "The Cape." (Cape Cod for the unfamiliar.) The customer asked if he would be willing to do this, and would be welcome to bring his family along. When he told me about it, the "yes" came zipping out so fast I think I screeched a little bit. We had an AWESOME time during the day playing at the beach, visiting the historical areas, enjoying an antique car show...and eating. I did a lot of cooking (trying to save money), but that did nothing for my waistline. Thankfully the walking and biking kept extra pounds off, but there was definitely no loss. I'm back on track this week. The evenings and early morning were spent prepping, painting, wallpapering and repairing the entire interior. And cleaning. That place sparkled when we got through with it!



Area 2: Family

See above. That was probably one of the best vacations we've had, especially in the family dynamics. One of the (many) reasons things went so well is that I've actually taken up a new word as a reminder of what I want to be like: Radiant. As I've mentioned before, I can be very grumpy. When I wanted to complain about having finished the 162 steps to the top of the Pilgrim Monument, I remembered my "word." I smiled. It might have been a grimace of pain to others, but I was definitely trying!

When my son wanted to misbehave, I remembered my word and put not just a smile, but a radiant smile on my face as I encouraged him to go the right direction. It helped me to have the right frame of mind to fix the behavior, not be upset with the person.

When it was midnight and my husband was working, I didn't complain about MY being tired. I remembered "radiant," smiled, and chatted with him about how enjoyable our vacation was and how I appreciated his willingness to provide it for us.

My default has been less (much less) than radiant. I'm trying to reset my default!

Area 3: Schedule

I'm pulling things back together (sort of emergency mode) after all the tearing up of our house that has occurred. The basement flooded (the FINISHED basement that is no longer finished), and the roof leaked in very horrible ways. Belongings are all out of place and decidedly NOT attractive. I'm wading in, though (pun intended), and intend to bring order to all of this over the next few weeks. Yes, it's so bad that week(S) will be necessary. Though disheartening, we are FAR, FAR better off than the victims of the true flooding that has happened all over the country. So, I'll amp up the radiance and get to work!

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

I tried my best not to get a sunburn, but I did get some tan. Though I applied sunscreen to my lower arms the "age spots" from previous sun damage have increased again. I have been applying the Castor oil as I posted about before HERE.

Area 5: Debt

The most discouraging part of all the house damage is the financial setback. Along with ceiling repairs, foundation sealing and painting, and loss of belongings, the water in the attic set up a lovely bout of mold in the insulation. We have to hire someone to "contain" it and then replace the insulation. Oops! I mean, ...

Area 6: Garden

The garden is growing like weeds--along with all the weeds that grew while we were gone. I'm hoping to get to some of it today as this is the only non-rainy day since we've gotten back.

I made a little mistake when I planted the garden. I was trying to fit THAT in between rainstorms (the day after I planted we had hail) and it completely slipped my mind to indicate WHAT I planted. Yep, no labels. I recognize some things, but the lettuces are unfamiliar. I hope I don't accidentally pick weeds and put them into our salads!