Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Jan 25 to Jan 30

click picture to enlarge

• Jan 25, 2017 - The vultures want to know what "we" are having for lunch.
• Jan 26, 2017 - The 2017 Speeder Bike Photo! We went to this park *just* for this picture.
• Jan 27, 2017 -  It is rare these days to catch a look of such delight on his face! (Sorry it's blurry.)
• Jan 28, 2017 - Fireworks from the front this year. Good night from the Magic Kingdom!
• Jan 29, 2017 -  We have the power! Wonder-Quints, activate!
• Jan 30, 2017 - Pretty peachy-pink textured nails. This is Zooey by Zoya.

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Jan 19 to Jan 24

click picture to enlarge

• Jan 19, 2017 - Having some one-on-one time with Star, very important since getting the kittens.
• Jan 20, 2017 - Enjoying dinner by oil lamp at Cracker Barrel.
• Jan 21, 2017 -  It's a "stay inside and watch it rain" kind of day. (This is Finn.)
• Jan 22, 2017 - I love the new drawer/cabinet knobs I got for our bathroom.
• Jan 23, 2017 -  The "bag of bags," a staple of any Warren suitcase. Be prepared!
• Jan 24, 2017 -This is "our" outside cat. Not really. We think it belongs to our next door neighbor, but we're not really sure. And it does spend a lot of time at our house. It especially likes hanging out on top of our carport columns (roughly 10 feet tall), using our vehicles as a ladder. I guess it's warmer up there. It won't ever let us get close enough to pet it, though.

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Jan 13 to Jan 18

click picture to enlarge

• Jan 13, 2017 - My first supremed orange. It was both easier and faster than I expected.
• Jan 14, 2017 - Up at (literally) dark-thirty to send him off with the Boy Scouts for the long weekend. He gets to spend the night on the USS Alabama!
• Jan 15, 2017 - New restaurant for lunch: Grub Burger Bar. Very good, we'll be back!
• Jan 16, 2017 - Kylo always seems to know when I need purr therapy.
• Jan 17, 2017 - Needed some supremely intense pink in my life. Forget Now by Sinful Colors.
• Jan 18, 2017 - Well, it took 18 days, but I officially worked my way up to walking one mile (1.6 km) today. I was still moving faster than a bunch of the cars sitting in traffic! (I could see the interstate from my route.)

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Jan 7 to Jan 12

click picture to enlarge

• Jan 7, 2017 - What happened to our snow? All we got was sleet and freezing rain. That's no fun.
• Jan 8, 2017 - No, I don't have a problem, why do you ask? Yes, Zoya is my favorite brand!
• Jan 9, 2017 - Remember, "more" is my word for 2017, and drinking water was one of the things I specifically had in mind. Two glasses with dinner tonight!
• Jan 10, 2017 - Soooo much warmer on tonight's walk (52F/11C) than last night (38F/3C).
• Jan 11, 2017 - I know "a sixpence in your shoe" is lucky. What about a milk ring? Apparently, Rey thought I needed it.
• Jan 12, 2017 - I tried to shortcut one of my favorite recipes that is very time and labor intensive. It turned out okay. Still good, but not nearly as good as the real thing.

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Jan 1 to Jan 6

click picture to enlarge

• Jan 1, 2017 - Happy New Year! A new-to-him movie (Star Trek IV) and a lap full of kittens.
• Jan 2, 2017 - New Sherlock! So happy! (After watching, I take it back. Not happy.)
• Jan 3, 2017 - My evening: putting together a Christmas money purchases. I love it already!
• Jan 4, 2017 - Christmas gift from my parents: large Calphalon pot (to replace my rusty enamel one). Didn't think the strainer lid would actually work, but I drained these noodles with no trouble at all!
• Jan 5, 2017 - Sneaker Survivor! Winners: blue/white New Balance and first ever pair of Brooks.
• Jan 6, 2017 - Luke's reaction to discovering Siri (voice activated controls on the iPad). I think we've created a monster!

Happy 2017!

Welcome to 2017, everyone! Wow, 2016 was a rough one, especially there at the end, but we made it. We had a lovely Christmas, and I've really enjoyed having over a week off from work. (Not that I don't like my job! But I really did need a break.) I've been pondering the usual things during that time: love, family, and of course, any changes I might want to make in the coming year. Which of course begs the question: resolutions or no? I just couldn't find anything that spoke to me. I mean, what I need to do is obvious, and quite frankly the same as previous years. Part of me wonders if it's even worth it, given that they are the same as previous years. Several of my friends do a "word for the year," and that idea appealed to me this year. Can you guess what my word is? (Hint: it's in HUGE red letters up there at the top.)

As the blog clearly indicates, my life is rather insane at the moment. Lack of blogging, tweating, or pretty much anything else has been chronic in the last year or two. You can keep up with me on Facebook, but even that gets out of date or some of the "big things" aren't chronicled as well as I would like.

So with all of this going on, why on earth would I choose the word "more"? It seems counter-intuitive, right? Usually, this is the time of year where we look to have less of things. Less clutter, less weight, less bad food, less stress, less chaos. And don't get me wrong, I really need less of all of those things in my life right now! But "less" can also have something of a negative connotation, sort of like the word "don't." No one likes those kinds of words.

Then, I was inspired by this post on Facebook from TheMasterShift (no idea how it popped up in my feed; probably from someone I know "liking" it). I liked the general idea of the list offered, with a few tweaks for myself. (Boy, do I *wish* I could drink more tea!)

So here's what I came up with, things I want MORE of in 2017:

Now I realize I cannot necessarily control everything related to that last one, but it is also up to me to do the best I can to not get quite so worked up about things. 2016 ended up being a year that was a lot about acceptance (reread the Serenity Prayer, if you haven't recently; it is very wise), which I hope will lead to more peace and fewer tears. I guess only time will tell. But I will definitely be trying to do more to keep my own inner peace whenever possible.

Wishing you a healthy, happy, and peaceful new year, with MORE of all the good things in life! And who knows, maybe some more blogging from me. (But don't hold your breath!)