100 Things

RULES: There are 100 statements and you bold the ones you have done. Grab it and play for yourself!!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Had stitches
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (solar)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten cavier
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Does fish count??)
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Keeping My Resolutions

In this post you will find some of my new favorite sites that are helping me keep one of my resolutions for the New Year: to reduce clutter and stay organized. The clutter has been taking over certain areas of my home for far too long. I am determined to procrastinate no longer and get in gear.

Thanks to some enterprising and ingenious folks, I am on my way to keeping this yearly resolution with the following widgets, sites, etc. (I found these in the January issues of Real Simple and Better Homes & Gardens.)

Better Homes & Gardens Recipe Widget



This widget helps you find recipes, plan meals for one day or one week, creates a shopping list based on the recipes you choose and even finds coupons for you to use at your local grocery store.

You can also visit BHG.com/cozi for an awesome calendar that helps busy families keep up with all the appointments, extracurricular activities, to-do lists, even photos and more.

Jott.com

This website is great if you seem to only remember things to do while doing something else. I suffer from this almost constantly. It's why I keep a notebook with me everywhere it seems but then I have a gazillion "lists" in several notebooks. Not conducive to reducing clutter and staying organized.

Anyway, my favorite feature about Jott.com is that it turns your voicemail into text that it then sends to you when you tell it. So if I remember a long grocery list while driving (which always seems to happen), I don't have to hope and pray for a red light to type it into my phone. I simply call the toll free number, leave my list then it transcribes my words into a text and sends it to me when I need it. How cool is that! Are you as excited as I am right now?!

Evernote.com

I have all kinds of piles...mostly stacked in my office/craft/school room. I usually know what's in them but am overwhelmed by the clutter. I have a condition that causes me to keep magazines, even from two, three, dare I say four years ago because I am sure I will forget some idea I saw or moving article I read that must be immortalized.

I have given away many to various people because I cannot just throw them away. I have to know they're going to a good home. And when I do give or throw (gasp!!!) them away, I keep a record of my favorite ideas in a separate notebook so there is still paper to stack, file, save....

With evernote, I can stop being so OCD and let the paper go because it will store it for me online: recipes, articles, etc. No more print outs because I might not remember it later. Similar to Jott.com, it will create checklists for me. It will even store "clips" with its Webclipper.

I am sure there are many more wonderful sites like these out there. I have offered just a few of my faves. I hope they encourage, inspire and motivate you to reduce clutter and stay organized.

By the way, I will be offering a weekly post about keeping resolutions so look for it every Monday. My goal is to keep myself accountable (no more procrastination), learn from and possibly inspire some of you. Please share your New Year's Resolutions and what you are doing to keep them.

My Firstborn Son

Today my first son celebrated an important birthday, but I was not there.

Eighteen years ago I placed him for adoption; I was fifteen. It was the single hardest decision I ever made. When I signed my rights away, I did so through tears. I could barely make out the line to sign my name upon.

I spent every minute with him that I was able, the two days I was in the hospital. I rocked and sang to him. I told him why I couldn't keep him. I hoped he wouldn't hate me when he grew up.

I will never forget that day...cold, gray and wet. It was as if the universe was mourning with me. I kissed his sweet face goodbye and whispered "Mommy loves you" when he was just two days old. I still remember the way his head smelled...so sweet. Leaving the hospital took all my strength, like a giant magnet was pulling me back. I wonder if I passed his parents that day.

I've had many questions over the last eighteen years. I hope one day I get to ask them.

Is he like me at all? Is he artistic? Does he sing or play an instrument? Does he love to learn and read? Is he adventurous or cautious? Does he scare everyone who rides in the car with him?

What does he look like? Is he tall and thin like several of the men in my family? Or is he short like me? Does he have blond or brown hair? Green or brown eyes? Is he athletic? Does he like to run? Is he addicted to the PS3 like my 12 year old?

Is he addicted to Starbucks? I can't get enough of the Espresso Truffle this season.

Is he in love? Will he go to his senior prom with her? Or is he so focused on graduating and entering his favorite college that he isn't interested in girls? (Fat chance, right?!)

Did he have a safe and loving childhood? Did his parents love him and cherish him as they promised me? Did they give him all he needed and some of what he wanted? Is he emotionally healthy?

Most importantly...does he love the Lord? Has he given his heart to Jesus?

I pray one day I get to meet him and his parents. His mom was so sweet and kind to me. She had the most gentle voice...always asking if I was okay, did I need anything, how was I feeling. The following year, when I turned sixteen, I received pictures of him on my birthday. One of the photos was of him just a couple weeks old asleep in his infant seat next to the Christmas tree. I couldn't help but think what a wonderful Christmas they had that year all because of me.

God bless my sweet boy, wherever he is. Guide him in the decisions he'll be making in the next year. Keep him safe. I hope he's celebrating with those who love him dearly. Happy Birthday Justin!

Thank you Mark Schultz for writing the song Everything to Me for all of us birth mothers. You have captured our thoughts and prayers. This was truly inspired by God!

Note: I had to remove the You Tube video of the above mentioned song due to some obscene content when a friend tried to access the video. If you would like to view the video, look up Everything to Me by Mark Schultz on the web. It's a great song!