Taking Stock: Bridging 2017 to 2018

Happiest of New Years to you! We celebrated like rockstars last night by eating some fresh chocolate chip cookies and then each retreating to our own bedrooms to ring in the New Year our own way. Exciting, I know.

My buddy Cheryl posted her Taking Stock list from the list she got from Meet Me at Mike's. Seemed like a cool way to start the year.

Making: Very little progress in getting out of bed this morning. It's 60 degrees in my bedroom with two heaters running!

Cooking: Today is meal prep day for the next couple of weeks. I'm going to be making Fixate recipes of Macaroni and Cheese with broccoli and chicken and Stuffed Peppers. I'm also going to make homemade chicken stock with the carcasses from two rotisserie chickens we had for dinner last night and prepare all of my proteins for our meals the next couple of weeks. Busy day ahead!

Drinking: Right now I am sipping my coffee.

Reading: Just finished Kristin Hannah's Summer Island and am going to start a new book today. I am thinking Miss Julia Speaks her Mind by Ann B. Ross.

Trawling: I had to look up what this word means. It means "sift through as part of a search". It's a burning away of the chaff or peeling the layers of the onion kind of thing. I am allowing myself some time to dig to the core of who I am, embrace it, and celebrate it. I am ME, not who anybody else thinks I should be. Finding ME and then actually being ME is taking a huge priority in my life right now.

Wanting: A year of order and simplicity. Peace. Joy. Smiles. Family.

Looking: forward to this new year. I just feel that it's going to be a great one! I have intention for it to be so.

Deciding: One of my goals for this year is to make local family relationships stronger, to be more active in my family.

Wishing: More than anything I want my children to experience love and positive growth in their lives this year.

Enjoying: Now that I work part-time every day and keep Bennett each afternoon and run Brynne to and from public school activities and homeschool Eli and try to be a help to my adult children, I really realize the importance of days off with nothing on the agenda. There is always so much to do ... cleaning house, laundry, organizing, planning. But mixed in there is also a deep need for rest and quiet. These holidays I have really enjoyed my days off, more than I ever have before. They are precious.

Waiting: I am tired of always waiting. You? Seize the day!

Liking: I have set up a health plan for myself this year that I really like. It requires a great deal of dedication and commitment, but if I'm not healthy I can't do anything else. I want to be around for a long, long, long time. But not just around. And certainly not a burden. I want to a be active and alive and happy and involved. I want to enjoy this last half of my life with equal doses of giving to myself and to others. I like my current plan.

Wondering: I do not spend a lot of time in the state of wonder. I guess I try to live in the now. But I do wonder where Dawson will get stationed once he is out of basic training and AIT. Where will I get to visit?

Loving: There is nothing more exciting than the promise of a new year. I love the giddiness I feel and the energy to get it going!

Pondering: The worst things in life lead to the best things when we look forward instead of behind.

Listening: I am not a good listener. I am a thinker, a talker, a doer. I want to spend more time listening to my family this year, and not just to their words but to their hearts.

Considering: Becoming a Beachbody Coach. Being a health and wellness coach of some kind, especially for us "older" ladies, has been a goal of mine for quite some time. After using the Beachbody workout programs for a few years and now adding Shakeology and Energize into my daily routine (believe me, I didn't want to like them because they have a cost to them), I have felt such great results that I think that being a Beachbody Coach would be a great starting point.

Buying: I am hoping to get my new car in the next couple of weeks! I have had my Suburban as long as I have had Brynne. The Burb is showing signs of her age and needs to go into retirement, only traveling on leisure trips with the family. She needs a physical and some vitamins, maybe a massage for all her years of service. It's time to replace her with something newer, smaller, and more economical.

Watching: I am going to get caught up on Game of Thrones seasons 6 and 7. I have them recorded on my DVR from HBO and am ready to dig in. Then I'm headed to Amazon Prime to finish up all unwatched episodes of The Crown and then to Netflix to go back and watch episodes of Call the Midwife I have missed.

Hoping: for health, prosperity, and wisdom to handle them both.

Marvelling: I am so blessed with my children, son-in-law, and grandson. How did someone like me end up with such great people in my life?

Cringing: Every time I hear someone, especially the media, call our President "Trump", I bristle. Even past presidents still have the title of President added to their name when they are mentioned, i.e. President Carter, President Roosevelt, even President Nixon! He is not "Trump", you jackasses. He is President Trump. The level of disrespect being allowed in this country makes my stomach turn. You don't have to like him, but you have to respect him for his position.

Needing: To climb out of bed and get another cup of coffee, but brrrrrr ......

Questioning: One thing that is eluding me right now is a practical way to make sure I get enough one-on-one time with Eli in his schooling. He assures me he is doing great with independent work, but I feel like we (or maybe I) and just missing out. There is definitely some tweaking that needs to be done, but I don't know what.

Smelling: Nature's Shield in my diffuser next to my bed.

Wearing: My t-shirt that says Cheers and my Christmas Eve plaid pj bottoms.

Noticing: That I am a cat lady. These kittens make me feel so calm. Dogs cause me anxiety with all of their neediness. But cats? Love.

Knowing: I know that I am thought of by most people as being a bitch. And, you know, I think I just am. I just have such a low tolerance for people and their people-y ways. Maybe it doesn't bother me so much that people are people, but that people want to be people in my space. Back off! Go be your rotten self somewhere else. I am a selfish person, but I keep my selfishness to myself. Take yours away from me! And shut up about it!

Trouble-shooting: One problem with being a working mom is that I really cannot do it all at home by myself. I have enlisted the help of Eli and Brynne in running the household. I do not require much of them because I want them to be kids as long as they can. But, we have started a set of chores each of them have to do each day/week. They are now responsible for doing their own laundry, keeping their individual sinks clean in their bathroom, cleaning their rooms from top to bottom once a week. Eli is additionally responsible for taking out the trash and recycling. And Brynne is responsible for keeping the kitty litter box cleaned and unloading the dishwasher.

Thinking: Two entries above I talked about how I am a bitch and have low tolerance for people. But on the other hand I would do just about anything for anybody if they needed me. How is it possible to be that same person? I guess the answer is love. I do have an incredible amount of love within me and  act out that love in a certain way. And I will love you that way with my whole heart. My love fades when you become entitled to my love and want it in your way. Maybe that doesn't make sense to anybody but me. But it's something I am thinking about.

Admiring: There's just not much to admire these days, is there? But we have to search! We have to aspire to admire or we are just lost and hopeless.

Getting: I am joining Michele at Faith, Family and Fridays on her 34 Weeks of Clean journey this year. I have started it in years past but then just didn't do it. But this year?? I have already started doing some purging and organizing and cleaning so I feel like I have upward momentum. I am committed this year. COMMITTED! First up is going through Christmas decorations. I will do these tasks on Saturdays, and next Saturday is Christmas decorations purging day. It's on my calendar!

Bookmarking: Have you read Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh or What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa TerKuerst? Those are my two go to read-every-year books. They ground me and guide me in practicalities of being a woman.

Opening: A New Year.

Closing: Last Year. Don't let the door hit ya where the Good Lord split ya!

Feeling: Sad that today is my last day off work before I have to get back into the daily grind again.

Dreaming: In the next couple of years I would like to go on a tropical vacation, maybe a cruise. I want to go as a woman, not a wife or mother and not have anyone have any expectations from me on the trip.

Hearing: In our house heaters are humming in every room. It's ridiculously cold outside.

Celebrating: Almost a full year of regularly working out in the mornings. I officially started February of 2017. I usually go pretty strong in the fall and then stop especially when it gets cold outside and not start up again until I realize again in about February how crappy I am feeling. This will be the first year ever, I think, that I will have continued for a full year. I feel better right now physically and mentally than I ever have in my life. And it KNOW it's due to regular workouts and good nutrition.

Pretending: That my grandma did not just call me and leave a message for me to call her back because I know she is going to want me to get out of the house and do something for her and it's -7 degrees outside (feels like -22) and I have a day planned of not leaving this house. (Thankfully my sister took care of her calls.)

Embracing: A new year of developing me into the me I want to be. Esse Quam Videri!

Rise

What time do you rise in the morning? Do you set an alarm? Do you hit the snooze button several times before you actually get up? Why do you get up in the mornings?

I've always been an early riser. I mean, I don't wake up and bound out of bed with excitement to get up. No, I would much rather take the dogs potty and then come back to bed for another hour or more. But once I'm awake, I'm glad I'm awake and I go ahead and get started with my day.

Easing into my morning is necessary for me. I don't like to rush in anything that I do. I am more of a slow and steady kind of girl. Getting up early in the morning gives me the opportunity to start my day slow instead of hurried, even if I am getting up way earlier than I wish I was.

I set my alarm for 4:00 a.m. When it goes off I sit up, shut it off, and immediately turn on the light. The dogs are awake by then and ready to go potty so I grab my robe, head downstairs to take them out, and fix myself a cup of hot green tea. Then I am awake.

What in the world do I do at that crazy hour?

First I climb back in bed with my tea, one of the dogs (because the other two head into a kids room to go back to sleep), and do a little reading. This is my time for personal development. Right now I am reading little bits of Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren.

Then I grab my phone for all of that mindless social media junk. I review Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, look at my e-mails (99% junk mail), and then do a little blogging.

At 5:15 a.m. I get up and get on my workout clothes and drink my pre-workout drink, Energize. At 5:30 a.m. it's time to workout with Beachbody on Demand. Finally, it's coffee time! (I don't like to drink coffee until I have my workout complete. It gives my body a chance to take advantage of the antioxidants in the green tea and then be flushed with water and lemon.)

Once I am done working out, I get ready for work. At about 7:00 a.m. I am downstairs making my green smoothie with Shakeology, getting my coffee ready for work, and brushing my teeth.

Then I'm out the door and to work by 7:45 a.m.

And all that will change in just about a week when Brynne goes back to school with 5:30 a.m. basketball practices. On the days she has practice, I will get up at 4:00 a.m., immediately drink my Energize, workout, take her to practice, come home and shower and get ready, and then sit down for some social media, Bible study/personal development, and blogging. I won't like those days as much, so on the days she doesn't have practice I'll go back to the other schedule. The alternative is to get up at 3:00 a.m. to do all that I want to do to ease into my day. But even I'm not that crazy.

Why do I do all of this? To keep my sanity and to be the healthiest version of myself as possible, both physically and mentally.

To make it all work I have to get a solid 7 hours of sleep, which means I am in bed by 8:00 p.m. (most nights) to read and shutting off the light and asleep at 9:00 p.m. On an average day this all works perfectly. But it takes commitment. It takes me saying "No" to a lot of things.

Doing all of this means making myself a priority in my life. Gasp!

Everybody else gets taken care of between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. They are fed, taxied, schooled, dressed, loved, snuggled, disciplined, activitied, and we even usually get in a television show together every night (we love anything Gordon Ramsey!). But the other 12 hours are mine. And they should be because, say it isn't so, this is my life. As I think about it, I don't ask anyone else to do anything else for me at all during the day, except pick up after themselves! It's more than okay if I take the time to take care of myself. And it's okay if you do, too.

That might require you getting up WAY before the sun comes up, and it might require you to go to bed much earlier than you really want. But I guarantee that it is worth it! It's not easy all the time, but it is worth it.

And the added bonus is that I have so much more energy and feel so much better about myself. Getting those things accomplished first thing in the morning, especially working out, has me checking about 5 very important things off my list before the sun even comes up in the morning. Talk about a mood-booster.

I challenge you to give it a try. Make of list of all the things you want to accomplish each day (especially those things you never seem to find the time to do). Figure out how much time you want to devote to each thing. Then count backwards from the time you have to start getting things done for others (for me, that's when the first kid gets out of bed or I have somewhere I need to be.) And that will be the time you need to set your alarm. I used to get up at 5:00 a.m., but I found that I was too rushed. So to make sure I was able to get it all done in a slow and steady manner, I made the decision and commitment to bump it back to 4:00 a.m. That was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Stop letting your life live you and LIVE YOUR LIFE!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Where have you found unexpected magic or delight this holiday season?

In the fun antics of two new kitties. The holiday season is so busy anyway, and we have piled home renovations on top of that. It's been a hectic and frustrating season. But, I have giggled and smiled and felt happy more these past couple of weeks since we have gotten Rebel and Jedi. They are just fun wrapped in fur.

What's your favorite type of holiday gathering? Will you/have you gathered in your favorite way this month?

My favorite gathering has always been Christmas Eve. When my grandma was alive we had it at her house. Now we celebrate at my parents. We exchange gifts with everyone, have a good meal, and just have a really great time. It's probably my favorite day of the whole year.

Time has named "The Silence Breakers" (women who came forward with stories of harassment) 'person of the year' for 2017. Do you agree? If not, who do you think deserves the title?

I'm going to be in the minority here, especially among women, but I do not think they deserve this award. In fact, in an attempt to make women appear stronger, my opinion is that they have made us look weaker. I was sexually harassed by a senior attorney when I practiced law years ago. Later several secretaries went to the partners reporting his harassment, and they should have. When it blew up I was questioned as to why I didn't come forward. I told the partners that I was a grown ass woman and could handle him myself, which I did. I put a stop to it believing that if he tried to make me lose my job and the firm did not support me, it was not somewhere I wanted to work in the first place. As women we have got to stop demanding equality and then crying when we are are treated like men. Women do have the right to have equal opportunities in the workplace. But they better toughen up if they are going to enter into those positions. We are tougher than this, women. It is an uncomfortable position to be harassed, absolutely. But, we don't have to stand for it while it's happening. And if we do in order to gain position and promotion and "equal rights", then we are partly to blame for allowing it to continue to happen.
If we are going to name a group as 'person of the year' then my vote is for "The Teachers". In this day and age they have an impossible job of raising the youth of today, yet they get up everyday and do it against all odds.

How did you spend your time this year? Are you happy about that? Elaborate.

No, I felt like I have spent my time spinning my wheels this year, running to the next thing only to be preparing to run to the next. This is not the peaceful, slow life I want to live. I need to make some changes in 2018, but I do not see an ability to make that happen much. Super early rising with particular attention to exercise and nutrition and then doing everything possible to shut down early in the evening is about the only thing that keeps me going through the busy days. Making rest and quiet a priority on the weekends in something else I can do.

Bid farewell to 2017 in 10 words or less.

"Hit the road, Jack, and don't ya come back."

Insert your own random thought here.

It's 5:00 a.m. and it's time to get up out of my warm bed and workout. I tell you, I cannot wait until this weekend. I have some projects to do at the house, but I am planning to do some major vegging out. This body needs some rest.

The Hap Hap Happiest Christmas

First of all, welcome back to Taulman Times. A lot has changed since you were here last, so it might take a while for us to get caught up. As you can see, the blog layout is pretty primitive. I might make some changes later. Then again, I might not.

It is currently 5:00 p.m. on December 26, 2017. It is snowing. I am laying in bed in my new attic bedroom watching it snow while drinking a cup of coffee. It doesn't get much better than this.

In the past four days we have worked hard to get my master bedroom moved upstairs and to get Brynne's bedroom moved into my old one. We still have a lot to do (the addition is far from complete), but it sure feels good to be in a fresh, new space.

We had a great Christmas. As our house is still in construction chaos, Collin and Kyndal hosted our annual Christmas Eve "Christmas Vacation" movie viewing and all festivities on Christmas Day. Although it was really difficult for me emotionally to give up control of having the activities at my house, it was neat to be able to spend time as a family at my grown-up daughter's home. She and Collin have created such a wonderful home for their family.

This year I bought each member of the family a Christmas Vacation quote t-shirt and matching pj bottoms. We opened them on Christmas Eve. Once the first person had his open and everyone else figured out what they were getting, they got really excited to see which t-shirt was theirs. I tried really hard to pick out ones to match the personalities of the ones wearing them. I did pretty good. Then when we watched the movie we each stood up when our quote was being said. It was lots of fun.

Christmas Day was a lot of fun, filled with a yummy biscuits and gravy breakfast and then a gift-a-thon. There were great gifts exchanged! Favorite gifts were: Kyndal's personalized stadium chair for watching all of Brynne's sporting activities; Dawson's gandolf pipe and lighter; Eli's Xbox One X, and Brynne's personalized sports duffel. My family spoiled me with all of the things that are most important to me ...  items to create my tranquility corner, a canvas of my grandson, Bennett, and a Kuerig for my upstairs wine and coffee bar. (I don't put tags on the kids' gifts. I wrap each kids' gifts in a separate wrapping paper. They have to get a piece of the paper from the bottom of their stocking to tell them which gifts are theirs. Then they dig under the tree to get them. It's fun!!)

A cool thing we did this Christmas was to make One Word bracelets using a kit I purchased MyIntent.org. Some of the words chosen for the bracelets were Emcompass, Achieve, Live, Journey, and Might. Then we took turns answering questions from thought-provoking cards provided in the kit.

My word for 2017 is Might. Have you chosen yours? Hope your Christmas was Merry and your New Year is the Hap Hap Happiest ever!

Who are those people in that photo up there? This blog is now Under Construction and will be reopening in January.

Until then ....

Nicole's Daybook ~ Final Edition

Outside my window... my neighbors are all trying to shovel themselves out after our massive snow storm last night. I paid a couple of dudes with snow shovels walking on the street $15 to dig out my car.

I am thinking... about what our move here will mean for our future.

I am thankful ... that my grandma took a turn for the better this past Saturday. She is still having her ups and downs, but it was sure nice to see her happy, smiling, and talking for a change.

I am wearing... my pjs and robe (at 1:30 p.m.) and I just don't think I am going to get out of them today.

I am planning...  to discontinue this blog after this post. I don't find myself very inspired to write on it anymore. Thank you to all of you who have followed me all these years. If you want to see a peek into our day, you can still stop over at Journey to Excellence. I will be posting there as normal and will probably just add a few of our personal activities to it.
 

I am creating... better use of some spaces in the house.

I am going... to give a shout-out to my Uncle Jon. He reads my blog every day, especially when he is out on the road. I saw him on Saturday at my niece's division championship basketball game (they won, btw, ... go Rylee!) and he told me he wanted to be mentioned on my blog. So, here you go, Uncle Jon! You have been mentioned!!!

I am reading... Lives of Value by Sharleen Cooper Cohen. I saw it in the back pocket of my dad's truck seat. I am assuming my mom read it in the car to/from Florida on one of their trips. If you are looking for it, mom, I have it.

I am praying... for God's love and protection.

From the learning rooms... Snow days and sick days.

Noticing that ...  healthy eating is now a way of life for us. Everybody's on board.

From the kitchen... I am putting a big ham in the crock pot and we are eating it for a few meals this week in various forms.

Around the house...  are sleeping dogs and kids home from school.

One of my favorite things... is snowy, wintry days. Good thing!

A few plans for the rest of the week... Our plans for the rest of the week will depend on the weather. I am hoping that things work out so that we can ALL go to Eli's Blue and Gold Banquet that was rescheduled to this coming Friday. 

From my picture journal.

Grandma and the kiddos at the top of a large snow hill last Friday!

Lots of women Daybook. See what they have to say at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Getting By

Need a good English set BBC program to get you by until NEXT January when Downton Abbey returns? Try Lark Rise to Candleford. It is a British costume drama set in the 1880's about the two neighboring communities of Lark Rise and Candleford as seen through the eyes of a teenage girl who is moved from one place to the other.

Idaho Public Television has the entire series online for free. There are 40 episodes. The way I figure, you can watch one episode a week and then it will be time for Season 4 of Downton Abbey. An interesting fact is that one of the main characters of Lark Rise to Candleford is Brendan Coyle, who plays Bates on Downton Abbey.

I am really enjoying this series so far. Check it out!

My Husband (and my sister) are the BEST!

My sister's friend is selling Origami Owl custom jewelry and we salivated over the catalog a couple of weeks ago. I really, really wanted one! But, I am frugal to a fault and will hardly ever buy myself anything, especially if it is not on sale for cheap! (I don't mind spending, spending, spending on anyone and everyone else, I just won't do it for myself.) Even though I picked out the necklace, chain, and even the charms I wanted, I just couldn't justify spending $70 on myself.

Today my sister called and asked if I was going to be home because she was going to have her necklaces delivered to my house so that I could give them to her this weekend. When I answered the door, her friend was standing there with one box. She said, "This is from your husband."

After my husband left my parents' house that day, my sister texted him and told him that I really wanted one and that she would order him one for me whenever he wanted one. He had her go ahead and do it.

Isn't it pretty??? It's me in a necklace: a wedding ring, coffee cup, wine glass, puppy, and computer. I did go ahead and ask her to order me the little heart that says "Mom". That's the only thing missing.

Remember when I said that my husband and I are not mooshy-gooshy? I need to clarify ... He IS mushy-gooshy, I'm just not. I guess I just feel bad receiving gifts so I convince myself that I don't want them. But getting a surprise from your honey is a pretty great thing! And it's something that I should welcome more freely. Plus, I know it makes Rick feel great to give to me.

Thank you, babe, and Krissi .. I LOVE IT!!

For All My Downton Abbey Peeps ...

... especially if you are still grieving over Sunday night's finale. (And even if you don't watch the show, this is worth watching.)