To Do's and To Don't for 2008.....

I make lists when I am stressed out, tired, lonely, bored, busy, frantic, drinking coffee, watching TV. My lists are: things I must remember, projects around the house to complete, things to buy if I won the lottery, people to call, places I want to visit, concepts and principles to incorporate into my daily life, quotes, book titles, things about myself I want to change, things about my life that are good, reasons it's good to be married, groceries, stuff to get at Target. Etcetera. Sometimes I make lists of things I have already completed just so I can draw a thick line through them and feel very accomplished.

My 2008 List of TO-DOs and TO-DON'Ts

Money Things:
• No more late fees at the library. I mean, really. That is just sad.
• Cut trips to grocery store down to 1-2 per week instead of the nightly "Nothing at home sounds good maybe a trip to Trader Joe’s will help..."
• Deposit money into savings account each paycheck.
• Stop buying stuff that I don't need, i.e. Ebay
• Stick to “The Budget”
• When faced with the opportunity to spend embarrassing $$ on CL/Ebay/Target OR put towards monster consumer debt, choose to enjoy current selection of vintage clothes I never wear.
• Make hubby lunch at least 3x per week

The Size Of My Tummy:
• Walk my dogs EVERYDAY. It's good for ALL of us!
• Go to the gym at least 4 times per week
• Go to Hula classes on Sundays
• Do at least 4 5k Benefit Runs (ok, well WALK) this year
• Stop trying to rationalize french fries/chocolate/sugary lattes
• Eat more vegetables
• Drink more tea and less high calorie coffee
• Drink more water.
•Start learning to surf when water warms up!
• Get the freak off myspace and sub it for SparkPeople--it's so motivating!

Mind, Body, Soul
• Every day, choose happy over sad, free over constrained, and laugh a lot.
Wake up the next day and repeat.
• Take hula lessons.
• Have a girls night IN or out at least once a month
• Go to La Paloma to see more movies off of my couch
• Plant my garden.
• Start volunteering here.
• Learn Spanish or Sign Language (still deciding)
• Be a better wife/sister/friend/granddaughter/niece/person in general
• Visit my Dad and Grandparents for Christmas.
• Stop procrastinating!!! Just stop it already.
• Moisturize.
• Floss more
• learn to surf—or at least attempt a ton this summer (Surf Diva!)
• Host a dinner party in which I actually cook dinner without dropping it or burning it or only making mini h'orderves ala Cher in Mermaids!


Practical:
• Send a little more money to IRS every month
• Send a little more money to Student Loans every month
• Put more money in our 401(k) plan
• Get portfolio together and start website
• Deal with Volvo problems!
• Get dogs into classes!
• Start my day at 8am--at the latest
• Work hard. Make deadlines early and start new projects I keep thinking about
• Look at all the options and weigh them out
• Get ____ taken care of(private)
• Call more –email less


Finally... The Not-To-Do List:

• Time is sparse, life if short. Don't waste it on useless things, people, memories, obligations.
• Don't worry about stuff I can't change anyway.
• Don't expect other people to live by my values.
• Don't compromise my values for anyone.
• Don't choose the known over the unknown just because it's comfortable.
• Don't waste time on stupid stuff or mean stuff. Frequently ask myself "Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?"
• Don't minimize my successes

This list is subject to change and modification of course.
To list is to live.

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas!

I just received my third Christmas card in the mail today. The count down has officially begun for me. I have almost all my gifts either ready or pretty close to being mailed out. Not too shabby.

Buck is the cutest dog ever......

He is so silly!

A Lifetime of Failures (and Successes)

A Lifetime of Failures (and Successes)
Increase Your Abe-ility Timeline

This is just a short history of the disappointments and setbacks Abraham Lincoln was faced with in his life. It’s important to know he bounced back after each of these hurdles to learn something and grow from the experience. It’s equally important to remember there’s an impressive list of success that more than matches up with this one. Click here to read what you can learn from the failures Lincoln persevered through during his entire life.

Age (some are estimated)
7 Family is forced out their home and Abe has to go to work.
9 Mother dies.
20 Loses job as a store clerk when business fails.
23 Runs for State Legislature. Finishes 8th of 13 candidates.
24 Gets job as postmaster of his township. Has worst
efficiency record in the county.
26 Business partner dies, leaving him huge debt and
another failing business.
26 Sweetheart dies of malaria.
27 Suffers a nervous breakdown.
28 Turned down in his first marriage proposal.
29 Runs for Illinois Speaker of the House. Loses.
34 Runs for Congress. Loses.
37 Elected to Congress – on third try.
39 Is not re-elected.
45 Runs for Senate. Loses.
47 Runs for Vice President. Loses.
49 Runs for Senate again. Loses again.
51 Elected President. War starts one month later and ends
five days before his death.
54 Delivers Gettysburg Address. Not received well, audience and organizers deeming it a failure. Chicago Times calls it “silly, flat and dishwatery.”


Wow--I had no idea....

MY FAV GUILTY PLEASURE ON TV-

MY FAV GUILTY PLEASURE ON TV--2 of them actually

YAY--
Project Runway is BAAAACK!!
Love, love, love it. Pretty much my fav thing on the tv now AND SJP was on it tonight as a guest judge!! LOVE HER!!

So tonight's episode was especially awesome.
If you haven't watched this show you sooo should.
Three words--"Make it Work!!"
Love the Tim Gunn---

SJP's affordable super cute --very reasonably priced BITTEN line at Steve and Barrry's.........

ps---meow! SJP on L.A.M.B

Stefani's designs are "much more avant-garde, definitely high fashion," Parker opines. "I don't want to do that for women, because that's not their lives."

Parker says her line won't land you in the poorhouse. "You're going to be able to buy $200 worth of clothes, leave that store with six bags and be able to pay your utilities and take your kids someplace special for their birthday."
PLUS HER LINE GOES UP TO SIZE 22!
I wanted desperately a leopard jacket-(almost $500) from Gwenies line and, yeah....pretty much was never going to happen*sniff;)

Currently watching :
Project Runway - The Complete Second Season
Release date: By 27 June, 2006

Don't buy stuff from China

Bindeez, the 2007 Australian Toy of Year, was pulled from shelves across Australia after it was discovered the toy's easily ingested beads contained a chemical that converts into gamma-hydroxy butyrate (GHB), also known as fantasy or Grievous Bodily Harm.

This is just the latest round of recalls of toxic children’s' products that American toy dealers, eager for more profits, have commissioned from China, a land where labor is cheap.

Buckshot

A little nerdy, but too true--Think I need to get this--so perfect!


The cutest pup ever!

Evacuation order in Encinitas canceled!!!

Evacuation order in Encinitas canceled
Posted @ 6:07 PM

Encinitas canceled its mandatory evacuation order for Olivenhain east of Rancho Santa Fe Road and north of El Camino Del Norte at 5 p.m.

The temporary shelter at the Encinitas Senior and Community Center, 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive, will remain open until evacuees have left.

THIS SHOULD BE THE END OF US WORRYING ABOUT HAVING TO EVACUATE....!!!

We are safe and I feel that we will continue to be so--I'm so bored of just watching all this go on around me--I need to get out and help in some small way!

THANKS EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR THOUGHTS-PHONE CALLS-EMAILS-TEXTS-IM'S--EVERYTHING REALLY HELPED US GET THROUGH THIS EXTREMELY STRESSFUL TIME.

Google Earth View of fire spots at 2:30pm

Click on image for larger view!

As you can see, the fires are not too terribly close yet, although there is a new evacuation for Encinitas, but it is west and north of us right now.

Mandatory evacuation in Encinitas
Posted @ 1:36 PM

Encinitas city officials have ordered the mandatory evacuation of Olivenhain east of Rancho Santa Fe Road and north of El Camino Del Norte, although there are no fires inside the city.

No other evacuations are necessary at this time, city officials said.

Residents will be notified by telephone if the city feels they should leave their homes.

Evacuations up to 513,000 as of 11:15 AM

We are currently in Advisory Evacuation mode---it's getting closer, but we are still thinking we are far enough away. We are packed and ready to head towards Anaheim, if necessary. Phones are hit and miss and this is our best means of information for you all. We'll keep you posted! xoxh

Evacuations up to 513,000 as of 11:15 AM

An estimated 513,000 San Diego County residents are under mandatory evacuation orders as of 11 a.m. today, according to county officials.

Another 12,000 residents have been asked to voluntarily evacuate. We are in this category, and are still holding out. We are packed and ready to roll to L.A. area if necessary.
Great up to the minute info link we've been following----
http://sosdfireblog.blogspot.com/

Flickr Our photos

This is a test post from , check out our pics...
Don't forget our site, too---it sometimes gets updated---
www.honeyandskiv.com

The Witch Fire - San Diego 2007

This is so out of control. None of the fires have any or little containment and the wind is not expected to die down tonight. We are hearing it may not get under control until Thursday.

The photos above are ones Joe took at various times around the house. They were not doctored in Photoshop. It looks like Armageddon! The air quality is so bad people are wearing surgeon's masks around outside--there is so much debris and smoke in the air it is hard to see and even breathe.

Joe's work is in Rancho Bernardo, which was evacuated this morning, and a few of his colleagues and their families that live in that area. We had about 8 people at our house tonight, because they literally had really no where to go.

We are west of I-5 freeway in Encinitas, north county coastal area. So far, at 3am...we are in voluntary evacuation mode. We feel safe, but nervous. The big fires in the past have never crossed the 5, but they are also saying that this is the worst fire ever, so it's really a hard decision to make. We don't want to leave our home--2 dogs--2 birds-and have to drive 2 hours in the middle of the night to a hotel.
All the guests have left and went to various hotels in the L.A. area, and I just hope we are not making a bad decision by staying here.

We are all packed up and ready to leave, but I just am not so sure we are being too hasty. I took a nap earlier and Joe is getting a few hours sleep while I monitor these insane fires.

The Witch Fire in San Diego has already burned 145,000 acres and is 0% contained.

The cause of this fire is still under investigation, but it's beleive to have started when strong santa ana winds blew down some powerlines.

This is the reported damage so far, but The Witch Fire is far from being extinguished and is burning out of control:

750 homes destroyed or damaged
Swirling winds create a fire funnel as a Rancho Santa Fe home burns. The Witch Creek fire still burning already has left a grim toll: 500 homes destroyed and 250 damaged; 100 commercial buildings destroyed and 75 damaged; 50 outbuildings destroyed and 50 more damaged. At least 145,000 acres burn.

There is also another fire burning in south San Diego, which has been named the Harris Fire. The Harris fire is only 5% contained and has burned over 22,000 acres.

The Falconstein-- it's offical

The Falconstein......We are now the proud parents of a monster 1963 Ford Falcon.

Since Halloween is a week away this car is right on time. Should be a fun car for cruising around in once it gets SEATBELTS & BRAKES! Yes, no windows, A/C, heater, wipers, or most of the gages!!

eBay Motors: Ford : Falcon (item 150173126722 end time Oct-20-07 18:52:27 PDT)

The Falconstien--So joe bid on this last night. It's pretty crazy/gnarley/awesome/wierd!

Lorax.JPG (JPEG Image, 315x240 pixels)

Lorax.JPG (JPEG Image, 315x240 pixels)

First Blog

I just set this up and I have no idea how to start....not much really going on ---
SXSW just ended, and that was a blast! It was my first year actually getting to enjoy the music. Usually, I am working it....so it was fun--Girl Talk was THE MOST fun I've had in a while....hmm.....well.....