Leaf bowl

Just a quck post on a bowl I completed.

Molded clay from leaves in my garden. Last summer.

Living on Purpose!

A NEW YEAR!

So as I looked back on 2016 I was pretty happy about many of the things I accomplished but then disappointed in some areas.  Many people make a list of resolutions and inevitably never end up accomplishing what they set out to do.  I am one of those people.  I am famous for my To Do lists.  I always have a million projects that I’d like to do or things I’d like to be good at and then life gets in the way.  Things like jobs, and household chores and commitments and the things you wanted to work on fall to the back burner.

So this year I want it to be different.  I want to increase my chances for more success.  My thought is that if I stream line what I’d like to do and focus on my vision for next year I will have a better success rate. Granted, usually I have grander ideas than my time allows.  So that will be part of my plan to.  Not to, over do it.  Be realistic with myself.  I am a person that needs her sleep or I am not a happy person. So resting is also important.  I want to Live this Year on Purpose.  I am going to try a goal oriented plan of where I envision myself next year.  What I want to have accomplished when I look back at the end of 2017 and hopefully have more yays! Than nays!

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In doing this I thought a lot about what is important to me and how I can use my time wisely.  That doesn’t mean working like a banshee and never having time for rest and fun.  It just means I’m going to try and Live this year more carefully.   To use all that I have been given
with care and more thought.

So I am first going to resort to my lists again,

but I am going to start them by using OneNote.

I like this app because I can have it on my phone, Surface and computers- work and home.  They are all synced together so I can add to it whenever a new idea enters my mind and I can access them at all these locations.  In essence I will always have a list on me.  The app is Free and you can go on YouTube to see tutorials for all the things you can do with it.  It works perfect for me.
I can make a projects list and check them off as I complete them.

I can have different folders for different things I am working on.

So for 2017 -  I started by having

a few areas I’d like to work on.

1.       Family / Friends  and my animals because they are part of my family

2.       My horse training for the year

3.       Spiritual Faith

4.       Health & Fitness

5.       My Art goals

6.       Hobbies Interests

7.       Reading

8.       Blog

9.       Home  Projects

10.   Service/Contribution

I won’t bore you with the details, but I’m then going to list the specifics of what I want to do.  For example with my horse Hottie- this is what I’m going to
specifically work on with her.

I’m hoping to use this as a guide to help me work on specifics.  I’m gonna pic my top 5 that will be the most important for me to accomplish.  So that next year I will be happy to say to myself.
“I’m glad I did this!

These will be my top 5 important goals to focus on!

1.       Family / Friends  and my animals because they are part of my family

2.       My horse training for the year

3.       Spiritual Faith

4.       Health & Fitness

5.       My Artist goals

I may change this, take away or add to it.  But with the OneNote it will always have it at my finger tips. It will be interesting to see how this works for me. 

You might be asking yourself why all the lists??? Just go with the flow!  Which yes, I agree,  I am one of the first people to say I do not want to tied to a schedule or told what to do.  I want flexibility to go with how I feel and what works for me.   

 It’s just I feel like I only have so much time to do things and I’m driven to do things.  I’m not a person happy to sit on the couch every night and watch TV.   I feel like with normal day to day of work and life you need a plan or life will pass you by. 

Will this work?  Only time will tell.  What I do know for sure is… I do not want to be an old feeble person, with health problems that let life pass them by.  So this is my attempt to live my life to the fullest.  I want to do the best I can to fit things I love into a day.  A day that sometimes requires me to do those mundane icky life things after an 8 hour work day, like cleaning litter boxes, house hold chores and maybe cleaning up cat throw up.

 I am so very grateful for my blessed life!  I am thankful that I am a person driven to do stuff and even more grateful that I have a husband that helps me with all the mundane home stuff to give me more time to do my fun stuff.

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I did come across this recently and feel like it is a good passage for me and my living: 

Aspire to live a quiet life, To mind your own business and to work with your hands. So that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anyone. Thessalonians 4;11-12. 

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This passage is my guide as I start this new year in my attempt to live my life on purpose!

The Old Girl Still Has It in Her!

A few months ago Petey started showing interest in

shredding her papers at the bottom of her cage.

I didn't think much of it because Petey is 25 yrs old.

I got her in 1992 after the death of my brother. 

 I needed a distraction and

something to get me out of bed in the morning.

Google lists

the average life span of a Sun Conure parrot to be 15-20 yrs.

  That there are a few that made it to 30.  

So at 24 the thought of her laying

eggs was the last thing on my mind.

  She layed them 1x about 15 yrs ago.

 So that is how I found out Petey was a girl. 

The only way to verify parrot gender is through DNA sexing.

Anyway low and behold on the morning

16 December I was surprised by an egg!

I was really concerned because I read that it takes a lot of energy for them to make an egg,

 and she did not want to leave her egg. 

So I put her food bowls on the bottom of her cage to encourage her to eat. 

Then five days later the second egg. I do have to mention

 since lots of people seem to ask me, 

No these eggs are not fertile- no baby chicks in them!

Then three days after the second egg came the third.

 Everything I read tells you to let them sit on it

 do not take them away or they will be like a chicken

 and continue laying eggs. Just to make sure 

I called the vet and they told me to leave her eggs

 in the cage until she loses interest. 

So she still has not lost interest!

I worried that she is getting enough nutrients

 so I hand feed her baby cereal, and scrambled eggs

 in addition to all her other cooked foods.

Such a devoted little mama to her little eggs. I feel sad for all her hard work and devotion knowing nothing will come out of those eggs.

I am leaving her be at the moment, and letting her do her thing.  I have been preoccupied with a family member being hospitalized so I have not taking down my Christmas decorations.

When I take down my Christmas tree I'm going to 

move her cage in its location, to stir things up a bit for

 her and maybe get her to lose interest in her eggs.

Fingers crossed my little girl stays healthy

 and this doesn't wear her down in her old age!