Always, Alli

I woke up this morning in a panic because of a bunch of stuff I didn’t do and need to do and wondering why I forgot to do them?

It’s because I did not make a LIST!

Lists are really a huge part of keeping me on an even keel. If I sit down, write things out (love my pen and paper), and see what it is that needs to be done, I can keep a handle on it. If I don’t, then everything swarms around in my brain waiting for me to pick it as the something to do.

For instance, this week I have been using my husband’s deoderant because I keep forgetting to write down that I need it. I finally got some (my friends will thank me), but really I had several opportunities before yesterday to pick some up.

Five minutes of listing can really help me for 24 hours. Why not just take the 5 minutes?

It’s next on my to do!

Technorati Tags: lists, to do

At my inlaws last week my husband helped my FIL bring in a new accessory for their lake house- the new (to them) grandfather clock. Albert got it when a friend asked him if he might be interested in anything from an estate sale. Albert replied he would like a grandfather clock, if it was $200 or less. Albert got it for $100. It looks amazing, and I am kicking myself for not getting a picture.

I knew my FIL has been wanting a grandfather clock for a few years. We have a friend in the clock and watch business we wanted to refer him to. And there are other places as well.

For example for his grandfather clocks needs, I could have referred him to 1-800-4-clocks.com. They a lot of clocks, from contemporary to traditional, from Hermel to Bulova… all gorgeous and waiting to adorn someone’s home.

Personally I love the Howard Miller grandfather clocks, specifically the Urban Floor design. But our tiny 1100 square foot home has no place for something that large now. I envision one day having a foyer with a grand grandfather clock there to mark the entrance to our home. Right now, we have seven working clocks hanging from our living room wall (and one Seth Thomas clock that doesn’t work).

I’m glad my FIL was able to get his grandfather clock for his house, it is in the perfect location, as if he built the house just to put a grandfather clock right there.

Technorati Tags: grandfather clock, Howard Miller

It has been drizzling all day (it is pouring now) and Fuller is all blah from his cold, so somewhere my energy has been sucked dry. I’m fighting the urge to take a nap, which is usually my M.O. the day after we return from any trip.

I made a list earlier today and it included the food for the week and some out of the house activities, but really, I need to create more structure to my day. If I get sucked into the laptop or the TV, it is over for my organization. When I was in college I had to micromanage my minutes so I would stick to a schedule. I am wondering if I need to return to that for a while, just to make sure I actually get through some of the projects and to-dos that need to be done.

And on the other end of the spectrum, I have to not beat myself up when I can’t get certain things done in a timely manner. Being zen about projects really helps me make it through the day with less stress.

How do you keep your day on track?

Tomorrow I have to get up and really stay focused on the tasks I need to accomplish before our family leaves for Thanksgiving. We leave on Tuesday and won’t return until Sunday.

I don’t really have time to pussy foot around and analyze why I am stalling or ignoring certain things. I just need to figure out my mission directives and do them.

Fortunately I don’t have to worry about being cut off technologically while we are away. Any thing I need to do online- adjust the checking account, blog, upload pictures to flickr- can be done from my inlaws’ because they have wireless internet for anyone who visits to use. (That works out really well for my NaBloPoMo efforts.)

So first thing tomorrow: make a list of what I have to accomplish offline and second thing, do them.

[tags]scheduling, organizing[tags]

I spent some time online today filling in forms to create a footprint of my life. The website, MyFootprints.com, is a way for me to have an organized way to pass on who I was (favorite books, hobbies, pictures) and what my last wishes are (pull the plug and creamation). I also invited some family and friends to take a look, because I would love it if we were all on the same page about how we want to be remembered and honored.

Seems a bit morbid for a Saturday afternoon? Maybe. But really, with all the traveling we have been doing and recently several friends have had to have those kinds of discussions with their parents, it made me think this website was a really good thing. I know it doesn’t replace a legal will, but it really helps get those kinds of thought in order.

The website is free to join. MyFootprints.com offers the ability to upload a final video and last emails to specific people. A trusted keyholder will be able to log into my account and send them after I pass. The site is very easy to use and offers lots of ways to be remembered. I still have some entries to fill out.

Here’s some more information:

I head out to Las Vegas on Wednesday. Are you jealous?

This is a very special trip for me because it is my first trip without my husband and son- ever. Also, on Friday I will turn 31. One of the purposes of going to Las Vegas is a blogging conference, but more importantly, I will be meeting up with some great friends I have made online. To me that reason is the best reason for me to go to Las Vegas.

I have a lot to do before I leave Wednesday morning, I just need to figure out exactly what it all is. And just like any other trip we take, I have already had my obligatory “forgot something important” nightmare. It isn’t like having a nightmare that I have Mesothelioma cancer, but I still woke up with my heart pounding and a little bit short of breath.

I dreamed I had to take a taxi to the airport. And somehow I made it all the way to the gate and it was then that I realize I left my purse in the hotel I slept in the night before. I know it isn’t possible to do that, since I would have needed identification to get past security, but still.

These types of dreams crop up before we go on any trip. I can usually calm myself down by telling myself “if we forget anything, we just pick it up at the store when we are there.” Except in this dream, I couldn’t do that because it was my purse, with my wallet, cell phone, and other important stuff that was missing.

I think I need to go make lists now. It will definitely calm me down.

[tags]travel nightmares, travel preparation[/tags

When I went to Atlanta yesterday, I won a Roomba! I enjoy winning things and picking up swag. If it is a t-shirt, a coffee mug, or even a canvas tent, I would probably want to get it.

I can’t say enough about how our first Roomba has helped our family in our housekeeping. It makes us pick up stuff off the floor, encourages our son to help out (he loves the robot!), and it is excellent at picking up the hair balls from our dog, Maple.

A while back a friend asked me to come over and show off our Roomba in her house. She had vacuumed the day before so she was really impressed to see how much cleaner her rug was after using our Roomba. She now owns both a Roomba and a Scooba.

I was thrilled to get a new Roomba yesterday and I plan on watching out to see if iRobot starts giving away Scoobas, something I really wish I had right now (it would make getting syrup off the kitchen floor so much easier!).

Technorati Tags: Roomba, Scooba, iRobot

I just closed the comments for my $20 iTunes giveaway. I will be doing the drawing later using a random number generator and posting the winner tomorrow.

I really appreciate the 250+ comments on the entry and hope some of you return just to read up and participate in this blog.

Thanks to Shannon for hosting this fun carnival.

Technorati Tags: Fall Y’all Giveaway, giveaway, iTunes giftcard

I have always been the multi-tasking queen. So many things to do all at the same time. But somewhere in the last two weeks I found myself faltering and unable to juggle even two balls and feel like anything was accomplished. I realized yesterday my juggling balls were too big. Sometimes you just have to focus on one thing and get. it. done.

I had a goal of painting the front porch by Halloween so the porch looks nicer for the trick or treaters. I have a bedroom that needs to be given the clean house treatment. There are some things I need to find before I leave for Vegas. And the list goes on.

Yesterday I focused on the painting. I decided I could and would get it done by Wednesday and it looks like I will get it done. Once I am no longer dealing with that project, then I will move on to figuring out how to accomplish other things and attack some of the big juggling balls.

Figuring out somethings are just too big to multi-task was a big weight off my shoulders. Now to actually get them done.

Technorati Tags: multi tasking, to-do lists

If you know me, you might know my major gripe about seasonal changes. I hate the musical chairs game I have to play with the clothes in my closet and drawers. I have a dreams of a year round closet where I just leave it all there for me to access 365 days a year.

However, I do have one small silver lining in this craptastic task- I get to clean out the clothes I don’t wear, hate, or are falling apart. I do this at the end of the season so I can remind myself I never once wore those white capris, give myself a “what were you thinking?” pep talk when I uncover the pink shorts, and finally toss the t-shirt with the holes in the armpits.

I also sort through my clothes at the beginning of the season for the things that don’t fit. From last fall to this fall I know I have gained weight, so I need to be honest about my clothing needs. I try really hard not to keep things that are too small because if I am going to lose weight, I think one of the rewards should be new clothes. Sure it might feel really good to fit in those old, tapered, stonewashed jeans. But really, I think I would prefer bootcut, dark denim jeans. And if something from last fall is too big… well when that happens, I’ll tell you.

Earlier this week I also took the time to sort through our shoes and I took one gigantic trash bag of shoes to the thrift store drop off. I have a tendency to wear shoes into little shreds, so it was great to get rid of them. Also since my lifestyle has changed, I no longer need a lot of the shoes I would wear to work.

Thinning out the closet really helps me move forward and accept the change of seasons. Now I just need to bring the fall/winter clothes down from the attic and I think this will be the first year I get it done in less than a week.

Technorati Tags: seasonal clothing, clothing storage