I want to learn…

1. To crochet. Moreover, I hope I can find the time to spend doing it! There are so many cool things you can make with crochet that you can’t with knitting… and so many great tutorials out there too! Where to start, where to start…



2. To better manage my days. I’d like to blog more, and waste time less. I’d like to get all of my actual work done, and have time to spend “offline” with the family and in other pursuits more than I do now! Out with the chaos, in with the structure!

3. To eat properly. Well, to eat at all would be a start. Most of the time I forget to eat, and that throws the ol’ (and getting ol’er) bod into starvation mode, which is a) stupid b) really hard on the system and c) makes you gain weight, or at least not let you lose it. Past that though, I’d like to structure myself so that I remember to and find the time to eat regularly, and properly. Sad, aren’t I?

4. Some new recipes that the family will ALL love and appreciate, and that are healthy and good! Any suggestions? The hubby won’t eat: ham, steak, pork chops, or roast beef (unless cooked to death in a crock pot). The kids and I won’t eat tomatoes… unless they’re no longer recognizable as tomatoes. The Teen hates fish. Pasta makes me physically hurt, although I will eat it if I don’t have to go anywhere for the next few hours.

5. How to give a better massage. I give a great massage, but I tend to use my hands more than anything else, and as I get older, that becomes more difficult. My RMT uses his weight and the pressure of his arms and elbows and hands to work me over, and it seems a lot easier on him. We bought a massage table a few weeks ago actually, from Costco. Best. Thing. Ever!!!! I will not go into details on the many uses, but let’s just say we’re both benefiting greatly from having it. (Rooowrrrrrr!) Still, the resulting massages do not leave me in the shape that my RMT does, so I want to learn better technique! I may do some research and even take a class or two. A couples class would be AWESOME… wonder if I can find one!!


6. To let go of the past. Oh sure, I’m a fine one to give advice, but I’ve come to realize that I don’t listen to my own advice, and there are several things I just can’t let go of. It’s not good for me to hang onto old hurts, and revenge of any sort is rarely worth the hassle. I’m sure the few people involved in said hurts don’t give me a second thought anymore, so why am I allowing them to live rent-free in my head all this time? They’ve gotta go! Maybe I should have a purging ceremony!

7. How to make fire with nothing but sticks or stones. Seems like a cool skill to have! (maybe I’ll just buy a flint kit… haha)

8. To be happy with what I have. I have a lot. I’m not as much of a pack rat as I once was, but I still have too much. Maybe I should rephrase that to say “I need to declutter my life of unhealthy things, people, habits, etc., and then be happy with what’s left!” Years ago I found FlyLady.net and I just loved the structure she provided me. I “outgrew” her, but then over time lapsed into some bad habits again, so perhaps I’ll revisit my FlyBaby roots this year. Certainly can’t hurt!

9. To love Christmas again. That seems weird to be saying now that it’s all over, but you have no idea how “blah” this past Christmas was for us. My mother said the same thing – it has lost all the sparkle it used to have for us, and become nothing more than Greedmas. This is not what I want for my family. We need to do something to shake it up this year, but we’re not sure what. What kinds of (non-religious) things do you do with your family to celebrate the winter holidays? I’d love to hear your ideas!

10. To meditate. “Ohhhhhm…” It eludes me, but I know there is inner peace to be had.

11. More about my family history. I don’t have any grandparents left, and I don’t know where any of their papers went. There are bits and pieces here and there, but nothing in the way of a time line, or family tree. I’m considering joining Ancestry.com… but I just don’t want to spend the big bucks it costs to do it. I’m cheap, I guess… how much is a family’s history worth? My friend Sandi joined and shared the subscription with her sister, and they found out all kinds of amazing things about their ancestors. I know we’ve got some amazing characters in our family history – especially on my paternal grandfather’s side. I’d also like to delve into the Hubby’s side – I know next to nothing about them, and he doesn’t seem to care. That annoys the bejeebers out of me.

12. To levitate. Pretty sure it won’t happen, but a girl’s gotta have goals, yo! (Boy, I had no idea coming up with 12 things to learn would be so difficult!)

I wonder how many of these I’ll actually achieve this year? Guess we’ll find out together, yes?

Not to worry, I haven’t had any news to that effect! I was just standing in my deep thinking spot (the shower) a little while ago, and started to think about that. The song “Live like you were dying” was playing earlier, and it always makes me think.

Well, as much as I love that song, there is no way in HELL I’d be going sky diving. I’ve already been Rocky Mountain climbing (and also fell down a mountain in the Rockies while skiing many years ago). I have no desire to ride a bull (by any name), for any length of time. The rest? Oh yeah. But I sure don’t need to be dying to do any of that, do I.

The first thing that came to my mind as I pondered the scenario was how much I love my kids. That got me to thinking about all the things I could be doing with them, dying or not. As a self-imposed workaholic, I know full well that I’m wasting precious time with my girls. The Teen is almost grown now, and really, how much time do I have left with her living here at home? She uttered the words “apartment with my friends” the other day, and I could feel the loss as though it were already happening. There is no way to get this time back, so what in the world am I doing, squandering it sitting here when I don’t absolutely have to be??

I mentioned that I was burnt out and highly stressed the other day. Why is that? Do I really need to sit here all day (and often all evening) like I do, and put things off, forget about my schedule and play things by the seat of my pants (which are bigger because of exactly that, thankyouverymuch) every day? Do I really need to create more work for myself by taking on new projects? Do I need to spend as much time on Facebook and Google+ as I do? The answer to all of that is a resounding NO.

So the question I’ve posed to you, and to myself, is “What would you do if you only had a year to live“.

Well, what makes me happy? Nah, “things” don’t really make me happy. Ok, then, WHO makes me happy? Definitely my kids. The Hubby. Boo (cat) and Sadie (dog). My parents. A small handful of friends, who don’t need to be named here; you know who you are. My blog – most of the time. My bloggy friends, especially the ones who stick around even when I’m brain-farting and don’t have much to say.

I’d spend a little time getting my affairs in order. I’d write a lot of letters to the people who hold a special place in my heart, and finish the ones I’ve been writing to my girls since they were born. I’d travel with my kids and hubby, show them the world, and share in their adventures. I’d treat my husband the same way as I do now, because he knows how much I love to be in his arms. I’d play games and read to Wee One a lot more, and hold her tight for as long as she wanted me to, and probably a little bit longer. I’d sit with the Teen on the couch more like she’s always asking me to, and watch movies, and spend more “girl” time with her, one on one.

I’d laugh, a lot, with friends who know me and love me anyway.

I’d write and journal more, and put down all of the wonderful things I’ve seen and done, and my hopes and dreams, and all the wishes I have for my family.

Probably the question I should be asking myself is Why am I not doing all of that already? Or at least as much as I should? Sure, my kids know I love them – I tell them and show them every day of their lives. But I’ve also turned down opportunities to be with them and have fun because I was too busy. What do you suppose they’re going to remember most about me, if that is the sort of thing I keep doing?

I think we should all live like we were dying. Don’t you?

I’ve always had a bucket list of sorts, mostly locked away in the recesses of my brain (a scary place indeed). Now I think I’d like to delve into it, and start thinking forward!

Obviously my list wouldn’t be exactly like Jade’s – I’m waaaay past 30 and, well, I’m not a geophysicist. Sucks, but there you are.

What would mine include? Hrm.

I’ve been very fortunate in my life, and have traveled to some wonderful places. Still, I love traveling and would dearly love to do more.

I’d love to visit (or re-visit) the following places:

Australia
New Zealand
South America – maybe visit my friend Betty!
The Yukon and Alaska, where I’d get to spend some quality time with my long-time friend D!
Japan, China, Thailand – pretty much everywhere in that neck of the woods
Germany again (mostly just to change my opinion of it – my first trip there was dismal)
Italy again – one of my fave places on the planet. Want to bring the kids there some day.
Ireland and return to Scotland (and visit Jade!)

Who am I kidding; I want to see the whole world! Let’s call those my “short list” and move on.

Our [working] vacation earlier this month introduced me to sea kayaking, and folks, I have to say I’m in love! I’m on the prowl for kayaks now, for Hubby, the Teen, and me. Wee One is still too wee for it. Her day will come :) Living in Canada and especially in Ontario means I have access to some of the best rivers and lakes on the planet, and I want to explore them! I can’t think of a better way to bond with my husband and kids than having adventures like that.

Down the road when it’s more feasible, I would love to buy some property and have horses. I grew up on horseback out West, and miss riding in a big way.

Of course, then we have Main Street…! We have already done so much this past year and a bit that it’s seriously hard to think about what more to add to it! I would really like to increase our fan base (hint, hint), and do some original songs written just for us… (I already wrote one, but it’s more of a promo song and not a performance one) and maybe put out a CD one of these days! Hey… anything is possible! (By the way, J-B gets home, finally, tonight. Woohoo!! Can’t wait to see him!)

What else…

I’d really like to design and build my dream house. I have some great house plan books and some fabulous ideas that I’d like to implement… I should have been an architect! And what I wouldn’t give to have help as anal retentive detail-oriented as ShaMoo’s hubby Schmenkman! Their basement project is going to be phenomenal if it ever gets done when it’s done!

I’m sure I’ll come up with at least another 3 dozen items to add to this, but for now I think I’d like to hear about YOUR Bucket List. What is it that you dream about, my friends?

You might recall that we were pretty upset when our Christmas concert’s recording was botched so badly that it was completely unusable. This completely made up for that disappointment! Here are a few of those tracks that we have to share with you.

This session was a learning one for us; while we are used to being mic-ed, it was a bit different with super sensitive equipment! Some of the tracks reflect minor mid-song changes that were made in settings, and we weren’t all that concerned about doing “perfect” tracks this time. We’re going back, probably a few weeks after I have my eye surgery… we still have more songs to record. Hopefully we’ll do a couple of these over again too.

I’ve also been suffering with acid reflux (eesh, I’m such a mess, aren’t I??), which has affected my throat and of course, my voice. Not a happy camper about that, believe me! The songs where I’m more “visible” are the ones I’d really like to do over again! Hopefully my vocal cords will heal and my voice will get back to normal soon, now that I’m medicated (some say I should have been medicated all along…)

Anyway, hope you enjoy them!