report card time

An incredible week...  the yard sale went fine.  Not great, but fine.  We made $500, which is the amount I had in my head so why am I not more joyous???  Maybe because my prices were more than fair, but folks still talked me down?  Maybe because at the end of the day, after $1 here, $5 there, a pile o' stuff was still  left?  Maybe because after it was time to close up shop, and I drug the boxes for charitable donations down to the curb, scavengers - no, vultures - came and picked thru it???

Ugh.  I really hope to NEVER do that again.  Even at $125/day (4 days total, 3 prepping and 1 day selling), I was just defeated in the end.  Just defeated.

But, despite that:  an incredible week!  Iworked hard on the yard sale, then have spent this week gearing up for a MAJOR event this weekend at work.  I have been non-stop and it's been awesome!  My son was on an overnight school trip, the Braves swept the Marlins (but aren't doing so well against the Phillies right now... ~sigh~), and everything I set my mind to check off my ever growing task list has managed to get done.  Love it when that happens.

Speaking of a "to-do-list," since it is officially October (how'd that happen?), I think it's time to review my 30-day Challenge list & see how I did (or didn't do...)...  ~sigh~ I already know it's not what it should be, but here I go anyway:

• walk the dog - uh, maybe once or twice, and at the beginning of the month; pretty much the answer is "no"
• do arm exercises - well, yep, that would be a nope
• clean the kitchen - yes!
• clean the bathroom - hmmm, define "clean"...
• clean the closet (!) - yep! (altho it is officially messy again)
• no spending (!) - boy, I really blew this one!
• check off one to-do-list item a day - yeah, we have a winner!!!
• schedule my project work & stick to it (ugh) - 50/50 on this one; I actually DID come up with a project schedule (herein under the tab "Schedule"), but I kinda-sorta just did this today so, no, I haven't "stuck" with the it yet.  Yet.  But I will.  This one is, my executive decision, a YES!
• if I eat after 7p, it can only be in raw form - yeah, no.
• no alcohol, no sweet tea, no soda (aarrggghhh!) - crap!  Blew this one, too.  Put it right up there with the "no spending" and add a "yeah, right."
• at work: daily rounds EVERY day - another one that started out strong but fell off the radar; HOWEVER, I did it more than once and I did it throughout the month so I'm taking credit for just "being aware"
• no personal stuff @ work except on my lunch hour - yeah, right
• Facebook once a day ONLY - yeah, right
• come up with a daily tweet - haha, am soooo not a Twitter-er!
• wear diamonds - too easy.  Both my wedding bands are diamonds & I never don't wear one of them.
• look & dress my best - uh, er, um...
• catch up my personal blog - ha!  complete & total fail.
• read the Bible - ugh, another complete & total fail.
• pray - oh, this one I did!  And I love it!
• start a gratitude journal - I totally forgot about this one.
• read Dave Ramsey - I totally ignored this one.
• read work clippings - ditto
• check my son's schoolwork, bookbag & website - tritto (yes, I just made that up)
• clean out my car - um, yeah, kinda-sorta-maybe-sometimes

OK, so the appearance is "failure" but I disagree!  I actually am energized and enthused and ready for round 2 in October.  On paper, I realize I failed and faltered more than I succeeded, but I'm proud of me anyway. I really needed a kick in the pants to be more aware of how I was spending my time, to be conscious of the activities I was engaging in & letting them control me v. me controlling them, and for that - for the awareness - I've succeeded. And I'm not giving up. October is another month long challenge for me. This time a 31-day Challenge.

List to follow.

Whoo-Hoo.