A new year - Let's begin

A New Year

Thanks be to God

So we had a wonderful Christmas, thanks God. Everything was so good: the preparations, the Christmas Eve dinner, the First Day of Christmas...I can only thank God endlessly.

Then it came the New Year, also so good. Those moments when the year ends and a new one begins were so peacefuly, so happy.

How can I thank God for so much good He gives to me ?!

I like Christmas but I also like so much the beginning of a New Year.

The Liturgical Year began in December with Advent but the common year begins now.

As my birthday is in October and for me is also a year that begins, I begin making a lot of plans. From October to the end of December it works as a kind of prelude to the new year. Then in January I feel I'm going in full steam. And it feels good.

I have this sentence in my mind since the year began, even in the end of December: Be Better.

It's not about to be perfect, perfectionism is a very bad thing, it's just about to be better and that feels good and gives me so much hope.

Be better as a homemaker, as a woman. I have a long list of "to be beter" in my mind and I feel I can do it, it's not above reach.

I want to be very good to  me, to be my best friend. Many times we forget ourselves but now I will be more careful and do what I can, everyday, to be feel calmer and happy. For instance, I will not go everyday running to do so many things in a time frame when I should only do half of it. This way I don't need to run so much. 

I will give a lot of importance to me and my house. It's not that I don't do it now but I want to do it in a calm way, slowing down.

And I will try hard to take more care of me again. Mothers and daughters of older parents sometimes forget about themselves. I must remember that I am important too.

I want to work a lot on my sewing machine, I want to be more organised, I want to do a lot of work in my home... I do have a lot of plans.

And I want to work more on my blog.

So, Happy New Year to all !

And...

Let's begin !

Partying at 

Coastal Bohemian

Esme Salon

Plans for a New Year

 

All these motivation sentences are in my Motivation board in Pinterest.

So now get up and begin transforming your dreams in reality.

As I said last January:

You are never too old to set another Goal 

or dream another Dream

-C.S. Lewis

and

It's never too late to be what you might have been

- George Eliot

So, let's do it, let's dare to fight for that dream. Have that goal. Plan it. 

Make it Happen !

Set that Goal

As it's the beginning of a new year, let's start well and take action on getting better. You can, you are able, don't give up. Feel that happiness bubbling in your stomach, dare to live well. And so you need to remember that

You are never too old to set another Goal 

or dream another Dream

-C.S. Lewis

and

It's never too late to be what you might have been

- George Eliot

So, let's do it, let's dare to fight for that dream. Have that goal. Plan it. 

1 - Write it

Don't worry about the size of the dream, dare to dream big, never mind if it's too big. Once I read something like that if you aim for the stars and you will not be able to reach them, even so maybe you will reach the moon. So, don't worry, try and if you don't reach so far you will be able to reach a good point, so never mind.

For instance, if you dream to run in the London marathon but if you find no way to do it, if you train for it at least you will be able to join a smaller marathon in your town or surroundings and, next year maybe you will join the London one.

This is just an idea, not that I want to run a marathon, I'm not very much sports inclined.

So, let's think of a different dream, more suitable to me.

For instance, you want to have all your house shipshape by the end of the year. Try it but if you can't reach that level, at least you will have some rooms that are a candy to the eye, tidy, clean and enriched with some pretty things. Well, it's not the whole house as you would like but it will be so good to have all those rooms done, or at least that ONE room. Step by step you will get there, year by year, you just have to not give up.

2 - Now write your dream as goals, one by one, never mind if you think it's too much, write them.

3 - So you wrote on the top of  a page the goal you want to achieve. Next you will write the several steps you need to take to reach that goal.

Let's say, you want to begin by prettying your bedroom. You write: 

1 - Clear the clutter on the floor

2 - take the clothes to wash

3 - hang the ones that are clean

4 - dust the bedside tables

5 - give the closet an improvement

And so on. 

4 - And now you will post a date. You will think on when you would like to have it done, let's say by the end of this year. Ok, it's possible, maybe.

5 - And after that you will have a space where you will write how things are getting done - and date it each time you write an improvement, or just a note about how things are going.

Let's say, by the end of this month you will write what you have done to reach your goal. Don't be discouraged, step by step things will improve, if it's not as much as you would like, never mind, just keep going, step by step.

You don't need to  have just one dream, have several.

I have a notebook, an exercise book, or the name you want to call it, written Dream Book or Notebook of Dreams. In there I write my dreams as goals and I do as I said before.

So now take heart and begin, take action.

People begin to become successful the minute they decide to be - Harvey Mackay

And remember

Any Day is Good to Begin

Start Today !

Fly !

Images from Pexels

Partying at

Happiness is Homemade - Eclectic Barn

Sunday Sunshine Blog Hop - Ridge Haven Homestead

You are not behind

Talking of homemaking I had been in a roller coaster for years: sometimes things went well, sometimes they didn't.

Even being a working outside woman with four children everything went well - or pretty close - till I had a change in my working times and everything went down the drain.

Add to the mixture several depressions along the years. Do I need to say that I still struggle ? But I have good news, I'm getting better and better.

Now I try to remember several times a day that Flylady says that there is no such thing as falling off the wagon. Jump in where you are, she says, you are not behind ! And do you know something ? She is right.

My house is getting better and better and I am too.

If this house - that is your real house and your body, in and out - is in need of a good tidying, don't feel down, just jump in. You are not behind !

I saw a post I did years ago when I was looking back to some goals and difficulties I had and I must say some are done and others I still struggle with.

Let's see them:

- To get up at 6.15

Oh, well, I don't need it anymore now that the girls have grown, no babies anymore and they help with their clothes and all so I don't need to get up that early.

Don't I ? That's why the clothes are piling to be folded and put away, not to mention other chores in the house.

So I will now have again that goal of getting up early and have some work done before going to work.

Maybe not waking up at 6.15 for now, later but not late and trying to get up a little earlier bit by bit till reaching the most convenient hour - and maybe that hour is not 6.15.

Even so, the "she rises when is still night" is still very important to me.

- To fold 40 pieces of clothing everyday

Just let us aim to 20 and we will see how things go.

- To put away those folded clothes everyday instead of leaving it in the basket.

Very good goal, I must say. I do like to do the laundry, to wash it, to put it on the line, to pick it up and, sometimes, to fold it. To put away is my struggle. I must work on it. Again.

-Declutter the Laundryroom everyday a little bit.

Major problem, the laundryroom, for years. Some time ago, and I mean just months ago, I managed with the help of my eldest, to have the dreaded laundryroom done. But you know what? Things are not anymore as good as they were. I really must do some work there. Again.

- Pray the Rosary everyday

That is very important ! I always prayed the Rosary but I must say that some days went on without it. Not good as Our Lady in Fátima said to pray it everyday.

Do you know what? I now pray the Rosary everyday without failing a single day ! This is going for months and months now ! And I can see the results. Do you doubt it ? Ok, just try it and you will see.

Most people just have things for granted and there is no much prayer in their life. I always had and I'm having more and more prayer in my life, thanks God.

I can see that I still struggle with some of those problems but I'm very pleased to see that on some others I am better.

And what about the others that I didn't mention here ? I jumped in and I'm getting better and better.

Yes, I'm not behind !

Partying at :
Dishing it & Digging it at Angie the Freckled Rose
Amaze me Monday at Dwellings
Inspiration Monday at Refresh Restyle
Inspire me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life
Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life

Make it Happen

The Epiphany came and went away so it was the time to take the decorations out till next first day of December. I know that in many countries it's celebrated on the following Sunday but truly it happens on the 6 of January.

It made me a little nostalgic to take those Christmas things out and put them in boxes again but, on the other side, it's so good to begin a New Year, so full of hopes. 

2017 is a year of expectations because it's the centenary of the Fatima Apparitions. We will see what Our Lady has for us.

I am full of good intentions for this year. I have plans. I read some things on Goal Setting and Plans. I always do that on every beginning of each year.

I have my Goals ready and written and I will keep reminding myself of something that I found at Laura Casey's Make it Happen: Surrender your Fear, Take the Leap, Make it Happen.

Very good.
My words for this year are Hope but also Action. My motto is "Take Action. Make it Happen."

I want to be who I truly am without the fear of being it.

21 Days

Her Southern Charm is doing a 21 Days Challenge called 21 Days To Becoming an Effective Wife.

She says we must write about things we want to change and make a new habit in 3 weeks. So we must think on something that is really important to us and come here each Monday to tell about our progress – or not progress.
On April 5th we post about it also but not about the end of it, if we managed to accomplish something and reached our goal(s).

This comes very well and in the right time as I am strugling with some aspects of my life. They are things that are a part of my life but I’m falling off the wagon.

First of all, it’s laundry connected.
This a field of homemaking that I like sooo much. Nevertherless, as we are six and I work outside – yes, another thing to deal with in due time, God help me – I always have lots and lots of laundry to do. I must say I like veeeery much to wash, I like to put it on the line – when I am overwelmed my big girls help me – and I don’t mind , I quite like actualy, to take them out of the line. Folding, I don’t mind because I can do it seated down. Now it comes the big problem: put it away. I can’t stand it!

Well, now let’s beging the listing:

· Get up at 6.15.

I get up at 6,30 or 6,25 or – now – 6,20. I want to get up ealier. It was always important to me.
She rises when is still night.
It means a lot to me.

· To fold 40 pieces of clothes everyday.

· Put away those folded clothes everyday too.

If I fold it in the night I’m alowed to put away the next day but everyday I must take the baskets full of clothes upstairs and put them in their places.

· Declutter the Laundryroom, everyday a little bit.

It is so much in need of a bit of atenttion...

· Pray the Rosary everyday.

Now I must explain. I try to pray it everyday but as in a lot of things, sometimes the day is gone and I didn’t pray it completely.
By Rosary, I mean one thirth of it, as in portuguese Terço and in spanish Tercio, the five Mysteries of it not the fifteen.
Pray the Rosary everyday, Our Lady said in Fatima. I must do it.

Next Monday I’ll post about how the week went concerning these goals.