One thing is clear. I can't do it all. When you set goals and measure your progress it is that much easier to see where the problems lie. I have a serious shortage of time and too many thing I want to do as well as a LOT of things I have to do that I don't want to do. Each month my area of focus for my Happiness Project needs about 4 times as much time as I actually have, except in the case of my photos, then multiply that times 10. My photos are important to me but it is too easy to ignore them when they are just files on the computer and every week I just make more. I should clarify that I do work on them all the time, just not enough to bring me current.
Sometimes you just have to make time even when it isn't there. My area of focus for March was photography and even though I didn't get as far as I'd like I made a lot of progress. I got a new much faster editing software (AcdSee Pro 5) deleted thousands of second rate photos and retouched the ones that needed it. Rotated the landscape oriented pictures with my new auto-rotate tool. Labeled the folders. Ran a backup. Now I am officially working on 2010 which is at least the right decade. So I've had less time this week to take creative pictures for my Happiness Photo Project so I'm sorry if you find this week's pictures and post a little boring or mundane.
What Made Me Happy - Week 13
03/26 Chicken Paprika
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This dish is inspired by a Chicken Paprika dish that Steve and I ate on the coast of Portugal on our honeymoon (which was there and mostly in Spain). The lady who cooked it made hers in a clay pot in the oven. Mine isn't as good as hers but it's good enough that the whole family likes to eat it. And that makes me happy because what mother doesn't love a complaint free meal?!
03/27 Bedtime Rituals
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Evie has always hated to go to sleep. When she was about 3 she created a ritual, a little saying that we say every.single.night. When she got older we started to save a kiss on the palm of our hands for later (Alla: The Kissing Hand). I too hated bedtime as a girl. Frequently I feel sad that another day has ended. I'm so glad that bedtime is a special time for our kids and that they go to bed every night knowing how much they are loved. It also makes me very happy that Ainsley wants in on this action. She now climbs up on Evie's bed for hugs and kisses and even kisses hands. I am so grateful to have such loving kids.
03/28 Changing Taste Buds
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Once upon a time my whole family LOVED spinich ravioli. It was my easy go-to meal. Fast, healthy, convenient. Then one day it all changed because Adrian gagged on a too long strand of spinich and vomited on his plate. Then the next 3 or so times I served it he gagged so his favorite meal was then despised. Evie also LOVED spinich ravioli and she's been more than a little miffed that we haven't had it for years. After a lot of begging by her I asked my sister Sheryl to pick some up for us at Costco. Evie was so excited we had to have it that day! I figure we may as well have Adrian try it, with a backup meal plan. When he sat down he declared, "Oh yay! I LOVE spinich ravioli!" And sure enough he ate it all and then had seconds. I guess it had just been long enough for him to forget. I had to roll my eyes and resist the temptation to remind him how for the past several years it used to "make him vomit". Kids can be so funny!
You can read more about this day here. I was so happy to see Ainsley use her walker by herself to track down her brother and sister so they could play together.
03/30 Drinks with a New Friend
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My kids had a couple new friends from school over to kick off Spring Break. They stayed for dinner and a movie and their mom stopped by to get them at 8:00 but didn't leave until midnight. We had that much fun drinking and chatting. It was so fun to make that kind of connection and I love that my kids have fun with her kids, a boy and girl E&A's ages.
03/31 Clean Cut Hair
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Adrian looks like a totally different kid with short hair. He's a handsome boy and with short hair you can really see his blue eyes. Too bad he HATES haircuts. He calls them the "H word". LOL! I've been meaning to give him a haircut for weeks, maybe months. With Easter just a few days away it simply had to be done. Seriously every time he looks like a totally different kid to me. If I didn't know better I would swear he's nicer and better behaved, like the bad attitude is cut off with all that excess hair. Every time I think I need to make sure to never let his hair get that long again.
04/01 Catching Up On Photos
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When I officially finished with my 2008 & 2009 pictures I did a little happy dance. My arm is sore from clicking the mouse that many thousands of times but it was worth it. I feel lighter. Have you ever had a job to do that feels too big to tackle? When you break it into chunks and start to see meaningful progress it is so exciting and motivating!
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Have a great week and Happy Easter! To view a slideshow of the entire Happiness Photo Project click here. For more about what this is all about click here.
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