Making New Year Resolutions

The New Year is just about here. This is a time when we reflect on the past year and look forward to the new year. I for one am definitely looking forward to 2009. I had my speed bumps of life this past year with health issues, but going through all I did, has brought many life lessons and also positive things that I wouldn’t change for anything. I guess you need to go through things to learn, grow and change; whether negative or positive.

New Year’s Eve is a night when so many people make resolutions or promises to themselves. Are you one of many making New Year resolutions and believe they will keep them? But then do you realize that throughout the year, you didn’t really keep the resolutions at all. I used to make a few resolutions myself, but always had trouble keeping them. Now I set goals that are more reachable for myself. I don’t want to set myself up for disappointment or failure, so if I have a bigger goal I’d like to succeed at, I break it down into parts.

Setting our expectations too high, can make us fall short sometimes. We get caught up in the moment, announce our resolution before realizing we’ve built up this goal in our mind. Our excitement about making a change or a chance at bettering ourselves is great for the moment, but what about in the long term? Will we still feel as excited as the day we made our resolution?

That’s where I fall short at times. I get caught up in the moment and then months pass and I am less enthused about the resolution or change I wanted to make. I now break down my goals into smaller parts and think about the change I want to make on a daily basis. This helps keep things in perspective for me. You can say, ‘the smaller picture, brings the bigger picture into focus’ and I stay interested.

I also use affirmations to help keep me on track with my resolutions. Affirmations provide me with support and a positive ‘feel good’ optimism that often feels like a pat on the back….the ‘I can do it’ feeling.

Here’s an affirmation from Hope Cramer that I found at About.com. It’s a great reminder and one to repeat to yourself.

“New Beginnings are like forks in a road or new blades of grass. So many ways our lives can go…so many choices. Each choice and each piece of our lives make up a part of who we are. I affirm that this is a beautiful new year, a new day, full of amazing ways in which I will improve my life now”

Start each new day or end each night by reading Affirmations.

About.com brings to you Affirmations by the Day or by the Month

Wishing you all good health, much abundance, happiness… with love, peace and light in your life

WARNING: Security Flaw with Microsoft Internet Explorer

There is a serious security flaw with Microsoft IE that you should be aware of. Users of IE are being urged by experts to switch browsers until this treat is fixed. You don’t have to uninstall IE, just don’t use it for awhile.

The IT department of the firm I work for had distributed this information and I thought it was something I should pass on in case you are not aware of this.

Read complete post at my other blog and get more information by going HERE

My Wish For You

This week has been such a busy week. I was so prepared for the holidays. I had all my shopping done weeks ago, the house decorated, the presents all wrapped and under the tree, but then just days before Christmas I got a cold and that got me all off track.

I had alot of baking to do and last minute errands, but being sick left me with no energy. Finally feeling a bit better on Monday, I forced myself to cram everything I needed to do in two days.

And now...Christmas has come and gone. All this preparing and rushing...visiting with family and friends. It feels like in a blink...it's over. Do you feel that way too?

I felt bad that I didn't even have time to get online and wish you all a Happy Holiday...

So now My Wish For You is that the warmth of Christmas stays with you long into the New Year and in the words of Rascal Flatts:

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.

This is my wish
I hope you know somebody loves you
May all your dreams stay big

The Meaning of Water Dreams

Rebecca from Mine To Remember posted an interesting comment in response to my prior post about my dreaming of water and having two incidents which involved water the next day.

If anyone is curious as to what dreaming of water could mean, Rebecca suggested the following:

"... I looked to my mother - who has read up on this type of thing quite a bit. She immediately said that water dreams reflect emotion and fertility - reflecting the feminine side of wife or mother. Murkey waters, perhaps deep sea types where you're sloshing around, or in this case, perhaps a dirty fish tank where water is "gushing" and you are being covered with...can speak about anxiety, turmoil in our lives...emotions that you are struggling with, or are uncertain about - mothers often have these dreams. Clear water that is reflective, is more of a peaceful message".

Both Rebecca and myself have had dreams where the dreams have played out in future days. It has only happened on a few occasions with me, but I do pay attention to the dreams I remember in the morning.

Has anyone else dreamt of something only to find that it came true in later days?

This subject is so interesting to me.

The Meaning of Dreams

So…I had this dream on Friday night and I still am wondering if this dream was some sort of premonition. I was dreaming I was in a room with a large fish tank. I don’t remember seeing fish, but remember the water.

I couldn’t tell you why or how, but in my dream, the fish tank broke and I was just standing there watching the water pour out of the tank.
I remember not feeling upset, but just watched the water hit the floor.

Saturday morning when I woke, I did remember the dream, but didn’t give it a second thought. I had a lot of chores to do in the house, so I just began my day. I started cleaning and doing the wash. About ½ hour into doing the wash, my son and I heard this loud humming. At first we couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but realized it was coming from the washing machine.

All of a sudden I saw water rushing out from the bottom of the washing machine. I just stood there and watched the water hit the floor. I couldn’t do anything to stop it. It was dejavu…watching rushing water hit the floor…just like in my dream!

I cleaned up the mess and continued on with my day. Hours later while cleaning the bathroom, I had to reach under the sink for something and again, was watching water hit the floor. The pipe had broken off and the water I was using to clean the sink was just pouring out. Cleaned that mess and I think that was about all I could take for one day :0)

I decided I was done with household chores, took a break and watched some Christmas movies on TV.

I don’t have a dream book which gives you the meaning of your dreams. I wonder if anyone knows the meaning of water when you dream about it.

All I know is that I saw the rushing water of that broken fish tank in my dream and the next day had two incidents with rushing water. Interesting, don’t you think?

Send a FREE Card To a Solider

Learn how you can send a FREE card to a solider by going over to my blog...The Many Pieces of Life and reading my post.

Xerox is doing something very special and it truly is FREE. This is a wonderful way to show our appreciation and say "Thank You". It will only take a few seconds of your time, but will mean so much.

Have you ever wondered what you can do while our military is fighting the war for us? Here's your chance...a small gesture to show you care. Brighten someone's day...

During this time of year, show your holiday spirit by letting our soliders know we are behind them, we support them and that they are not alone.

My Patience Tested at Kmart

I am up very early this Saturday morning. Last night I had a horrible experience at KMart.
While I was on my Black Friday shopping adventure last week, one stop I made was to KMart.
I decided to take advantage of the lay away at KMart. I just thought it would save me some time in the store. The cash out lines were sooooo long and lay away would free up my cash for the day so I could continue shopping. Just figured I'd pick it up another day.

The transaction at the lay away counter went very smoothly, they told me it would have to be picked up on Friday, Dec 5th. Ok, I thought, not a problem.

Well...I got to the store yesterday at 6:10pm (right after work). I couldn't believe my eyes. It seems EVERYONE was told they had to pick up their lay away by the same day. The line for lay away was the length of the store! Ok..I thought, I had no choice but to suck it up...stand in line and wait.

Let me say...This experience really tested your patience. I was now already 1 1/2 hours into waiting on the line.1 1/2 hours! The lay away department was one confused,disorganized mess. Seems they weren't expecting this turnout.

Some people were getting inpatient, grumbling can be heard.The department decided to take people's receipts and get their layaway to help the line move faster. What this actually did was cause commotion. Now they wanted to call the corresponding number to the packages and allow those people to check out. What that did was allow some people, some only being in the line for minutes, to jump ahead of those people who have been waiting for over an hour (like me). Can I just tell you that that didn't go over very well... :0)

The lay away dept. quickly decided that wasn't a very good idea. I think a riot would have erupted!

Anyway, now I was in line for 2 hours and I was next. Thank GOD. I don't think I could take another minute. So, it's my turn. They hand me my stuff, I pay... finally and couldn't get out of that store fast enough.

I should mention that behind the counter were about 5 frantic people, with only room for about 2 people. They were confused, created a total mess with items all over the place and no room to check the packages to make sure everything was in the bags.

After that experience, I had gone out to dinner etc..., so I didn't get home until about midnight. I bring in my bags and begin to unpack the items. OH MY GOD! One item which is a Christmas present for my guy's daughter is not in the bag. The store already closed, I can't do anything until today.

I guess my patience will be tested again today because now I have to go back to KMart and explain what happened. Being I already paid the entire balance, I don't know what they will do.

Well, what I first thought was a brilliant idea to save time and money has turned into a nightmare, with me actually wasting time and money. I do not believe I will ever use KMart's layaway again. I sure hope the store replaces this item.

Has anyone used KMart's Layaway? What was your experience?

Accents For The Home

If you are thinking about updating or changing the appearance of one or more rooms within your home, one inexpensive way could be to just change the lighting.

Accent a painting on the wall, create a focal point, add drama or alittle romance or maybe you just want to add more light for reading.

There are many fixtures available to create the atmosphere you want. I found Back Bay Lighting online, which offers all that you may be looking for and then some. Their prices are reasonable and offer a 125% price match guarantee with free shipping on all products. Don't forget you can also change the appearance outside your home with outdoor lighting, emphasizing your landscape, front door or that Christmas Holiday decor.

Back Bay Lighting provides advice on their site too. Some topics included are: Lighting Basics, Style, Tips & Trends, Room Design, Energy Saving Lighting and a Ceiling Fan Buying Guide. This would be a good place to start if you have any questions or want ideas for your design.The advice is free, so why not take advantage of the help?

You can shop for your home by brand name, price, style or item. You can watch videos. They also offer products that provide Energy Efficient Lighting to help reduce costs, home accents,ceiling lights etc...

If this is of interest to you, check them out.

The Day After Thanksgiving

I don’t know what it is about the day after Thanksgiving, but you can feel the excitement in the air. The official start of the holiday season, I suppose. Black Friday, the holiday shopping lists, cleaning up the house, decorating, planning for the cooking and baking that will need to be done, the holiday parties and get togethers etc etc.

I myself have never done shopping on Black Friday. I guess it’s because I didn’t want to be involved with the lines, the traffic, the craziness of people trying to buy the most wanted sale items. This year turned out to be different. My guy needed to purchase an extremely popular video system for his kids. Being a full time Dad, he couldn’t just wake his kids up in the wee hours of the morning and let them watch what he was buying, soooooo…I offered to get up early and drive to the store.

Wow…it might have only been 5:45 am on the clock, but when I entered the store, it seemed like it was 5:45 pm instead. I always heard about the crowds, the sales etc, but I actually witnessed it for myself. I couldn’t believe how many people were shopping at the mall at that hour. I was in and out of the store within 15 minutes though. Now what? I was already awake and dressed. Do I go home and sleep for a few more hours or do I continue shopping since all the stores were opened already. Um…I decided to continue shopping.

I have to admit that I did get some pretty good deals on several items AND I was done with all my Christmas shopping by 10:30am! I couldn’t believe it. I was prepared by keeping a list of all the gifts I wanted for each person. That saved me time and in the end, money.

I did find some stores lured customers in with ads of special deals, but upon arriving, the deals weren't all that special.

Did you go shopping on Black Friday this year? How was your experience...positive or negative?