New Year's Resolution Part 3

Day 3 of my New Year’s resolutions posts.

I’m going to be brutally honest here. I, Aleta Kaylee Sheffield, am an impulsive buyer. I am willing to admit that I am a bit of a shopping addict. I have a problem. 

When I am feeling discontent with life, I often find myself trying to fill the void with things. 

A recent event: On Christmas…Y’all, I had been given so incredibly much. I am so very blessed. I honestly could not even think of things that I wanted/needed leading up to Christmas. I typically buy whatever I want or need as it comes. My sister, God bless her, gave me a cute card with money in it as my big present. The card read: “I was going to buy you a dress from Torrid…but honestly, everything looked familiar, as you basically own the whole store. So, I’m giving you money to buy yourself something.”

Y’all, Torrid is my downfall. I love that store. And she’s right, I do basically own the whole store. It’s gotten a bit out of hand. I can easily blow $200 without batting an eye. 

Despite the fact that I’d been given so very much at Christmas, I’d been plagued with the end of Christmas blues…so you know what I did? I spent the money Rheba had given me at Torrid online (3 dresses, and a pair of jeans later). To boot, I bought myself a 10-disc Garth Brooks set, 2 other CDs, and 3 pairs of shoes. All because I was feeling blue. Emotional shopper, I am.

The thing is…Rationally, I know that these things will not help my mood. I am the key to my own happiness. 

I often find myself justifying my purchases. Thinking things like “Well, at least I’ll be cute,” or “I need a reward for having such a rough week.” But the reality is…I have filled my closet, I have taken over half of Rheba’s closet, and have some things stuffed in my mom’s closet. Not to mention an over-stuffed, huge dresser.

So, all of this being said…I am going to try my hardest to not put as much emphasis on material things this year. And I am going to TRY to not buy for myself in the upcoming month or so.
I’m not going to lie…this one scares the bejeezus out of me. But I’m going to try really hard.

I’m interested, what are your New Year’s resolutions? Whatever they are, I hope that you’re successful in fulfilling them.

New Year's Resolution Part 2

New Year’s Resolution Post Day 2: To “Yoga” more.

Now, I am SO not a yogi. I do not actively ENJOY going to yoga. Frankly, I do not think I will ever be one of those people who ENJOYS exercising. That’s a little bit of honesty for you. 

 
I know, I know… “Endorphins, man. Endorphins.” But, I’ll be honest…I’m the crankiest exerciser ever. 

Back when I used to go to yoga, I would dread it the whole way over…I even posted youtube videos about how I did not want to go. Lol…But afterwards, I felt amazing, and was so happy I’d gone. Frankly, I love the poses/sequences/flows (the right word eludes me at the moment)...I just hated the balance exercises. Me? Balance? I'm fairly certain I couldn't pass a sobriety test stone cold sober. That was the part that I most dreaded.

This year, I’m going to try to start back, and stick with it. Here’s hoping.

I’m having my bestie, a soon to be yoga instructor, hold me accountable.

New Year's Resolution Part 1

The next three days I’m going to be talking a little about New Year’s Resolutions. Now, I’m not an advocate for resolutions. I’m not. I’m a quitter at heart. I have commitment issues. My ability to stay focused on one task is laughable.

This year, however, I do have a few resolutions. 

Today, I’m going to discuss my writing and what I hope to accomplish in 2018. 

I’ve talked frequently wanting to compile a set of short stories. I know the name that I will give it. I know the theme. I had worked diligently on this in the Summer and early Fall. Unfortunately, life got in the way, and I got busy and distracted in October. This is something that I need to get back to in the coming months. It’s a project that means quite a bit to me. To the people who I’ve trusted to read and give feedback, I appreciate you. And I will be calling on you again shortly.

Truthfully, I’m not sure what direction my blog will go this year. I had hoped to post every day for a year, to prove to myself that I could do it. On January 17th, I will have reached that goal. Of that, I am so very proud. I did not struggle with it until recently—trying to get posts written for it, having writer’s block, etc. I’m not sure if, in 2018, I will continue to blog every day or may lessen it to a few times a week, in order to give myself time to work on other writing projects.

Whatever may come, I hope to increase my writing. That is my first New Year’s Resolution for 2018.

The Christmas Blues

I’m curious. Do any of y’all tend to get the after-Christmas blues? Every year, I fall into a funk right after Christmas. I honestly believe that it’s just because Christmas is over. The most magical time of the year is over. It’s like a switch flips and people who were wanting to slop sugar with everyone during the holidays suddenly are back to being grumps, and everything is back to the grind. It’s just sad.

Even though I was telling mom just this weekend that after all of the hustle and bustle of this past weekend, I was needing some rest, I have surely relished this time with family. These past two weekends have been chock full of family events, and while it has been crazy, I have so enjoyed it. Christmas brings all of my favorite people under one roof, it brings Jarrod home, it’s filled with wide-eyed kids and the slinging of wrapping paper. As crazy and hectic as it is, I surely miss it when it’s gone. 

I guess at the end of it, I always realize how quickly time is fleeting. It wasn’t so very long ago that we were piled into my Grandma Betty’s small house, with all of us kids running around and excitement in the air. Suddenly, we’re all grown, Grandma Betty has passed, and things are forever changed.

I suppose that is something that we can take from this. Cherish the ones that you love, every day…not just on Christmas. Someday heaven will need them back.

Not So Wordy Wednesday

Y’all, I am SO pleased. Look at all of my books that I received for Christmas. Now, I’m absolutely in love with Sean Dietrich’s writing. While I do not write nearly as well as him, I find some similarity in our writing, as he is known for his short stories. I also received two other books that I hope will help with my blog and my writing. I’ve often found the task of a novel absolutely daunting. People often say to me “Aleta, when are you going to write a book?” While I am so appreciative of the faith in me, I sometimes feel like groaning. It’s not nearly as easy as one might think. I do not sit down and have words flow easily from my mind to my hands most days. Writing takes discipline and dedication and persistence. Writing a book…I hope to accomplish it one day, but for now, I’m content with short stories, and compilations of short stories.

I received a lot of wonderful gifts this Christmas, I am so very blessed. But these books given, as a nod to support of my writing, mean the absolute world to me.

Mama Says

I had a great Christmas. As usual, I was working up until the last minute to get everything accomplished. And everything I tried to cook today seemed like a fail, but it was because of lack of time. I went to my sister-in-law’s for lunch, but had to cook a turkey for dinner. So I put the turkey in a slow oven at 11:30 . We were supposed to eat at 5:00. I planned to return home around 2:30 and turn the oven up higher. I returned at 3:00 and uncovered the turkey and turned the oven up. Then I mixed up Pumpkin Hallelujah. You are supposed to pour melted butter over the top. I melted the butter in the microwave, took it out and put it by the cake on top of the stove. I got interrupted, left the kitchen, came back and put the cake in the oven, and set the timer. I came back to the kitchen, checked the timer and still had 1 and ½ minute to go, and spotted the melted butter. Oh no!! It was time to leave. I knew I wasn’t taking that to the dinner. So I poured the butter over the top, turned the oven off, and left it in the oven. I figured it was ruined anyway so what the heck. When I got home, I took it out of the oven, it looked okay (not burnt) so I tasted it. It tasted wonderful! So, while the family didn’t get to taste it, I’m left with the whole wonderful thing!! (not that I need any of it.) Thank goodness it is a favorite of both of my girls.

One of my presents was handmade rockers for my front porch. I was tickled pink, they are so nice. And the fact that they were made by Chris, my cousin, co-worker and friend, makes them extra special. And Aleta also helped him. Wow! That too adds a special touch to a special gift. I may have to share this gift though. I think Pumpkin, our cat, has already laid claim to one of them.

I’ve learned over the years, that perfect gifts don’t always have to be costly. This year, I knew that I had found the perfect gift for Rheba. She is always talking about breeding horses, which studs that she wants to breed her mares to, the horses in their backgrounds, etc. I always like to give books as gifts. One of Jackie’s most prized gifts was The Complete Bloodhound Book. He wasn’t into reading, and I had always loved reading. I always had a book in my hand. When I gave him that book, I think he read it cover to cover, and used it for a reference whenever a question came up about his bloodhounds. 

Back to Rheba’s gift. I was searching the internet for any books about quarter horses. I found there was a book called Legends: Outstanding Quarter Horse Stallions and Mares. Further research revealed there was a whole series of books. So I went to Abe Books and found the first three in the series. I spent less than $25.00. And she LOVED them!! Score for mom!!

I had a wonderful Christmas, spent time with family, friends, and met some new friends. I am tired and feel like I need another week off just to recover. Unfortunately, it’s back to work on Tuesday.

A Christmas Surprise!!!

Merry Christmas, y’all!!! I hope that you are able to spend the day with the ones that you love. I pray that your day is filled with love, joy, and laughter.

I wanted to share the big surprise that I’ve been keeping!

Last year, I enlisted my cousin Chris (who happens to be my go-to for basically EVERYTHING) to make two rocking chairs for a friend of mine. Well, my mom saw and, boy, was she pea-green with envy! So this year, Chris and I started conspiring back in August to make her some.

I’m pretty sure that my normal indecisiveness had Chris a little concerned. He was amazed that I was able to pick out the paint color in just a matter of minutes. I chose the color “Red Delicious” at the Walmart.

Now, I’m not going to lie here. Chris did most of the work. I learned what a router was (and learned that it wasn’t called “rounder”). I learned that using a sander will make your hands feel funny. I learned that woodworking requires a lot of math (and they said you’d never use it after school…ha!). Unfortunately, I’m not “mathy.”

We also learned that you should always use pencils to mark boards, not sharpies…even after several coats of paint, the marker still shows through. Luckily, Chris was able to salvage some of the written on boards. The others he used to make mom two super cute foot stools for the chairs.

Chris decided to paint the screw heads that we used white. This looked beautiful paired with the red.

I’m not always the most observant, but as I was cleaning up the yard a few weeks ago (Rheba’s dog Piper likes to drag all sorts of things across our yard), and I noticed an old bench that we had still sitting on our porch. I messaged a picture to Chris and asked if it was salvageable; he said it was. So, we sanded it down and painted it to match the chairs.

I’m writing this before she gets it, so I hope and pray she’s as in love with the finished product as I am!

Sunday Obsessions: Top Ten Favorite Christmasy Things

 

Merry Christmas Eve!!! 

Now, Jesus is the reason for the Season. That is something that I want to mention. Today, I wanted to talk about some of my most favorite Christmasy things.

Here is my Sunday Obsession: Top Ten of Christmas List:

10. Hot Chocolate

9. Baking Christmas Cookies

8. Going to see Christmas Lights (both Stephen Foster State Park and St. Augustine are beautiful. I just don't handle the crowds well in St. Augustine).

7. Christmas on Main Street

6. Christmas shopping with my mama.

5. Finding THE perfect gift for each person on my list.

4. Helping Those In Need

3. Christmas Songs

          Sub-list

                 a. Celine Dion "Oh Holy Night"

                 b. Brad Paisley "Away In A Manger"

                 c. Pentatonix "Mary, Did you know?"

                 d. Chris Young "It Must Be Christmas"
               
                 e.  Duck The Halls (The Robertson Family) "Camouflage And Christmas Lights"

2. Christmas Movies

           Sub-list

                 a. The Christmas Card

                 b. Journey Back To Christmas

                 c. Christmas Under Wraps

                 d. Let It Snow

                 e. Holiday In Handcuffs

                 f. Charlie Brown Christmas

                 g. Smoky Mountain Christmas

1. Spending time with Family and Friends.

Saturday In The South: Stephen Foster 2017

Well, y'all, I will be honest...I was SO disappointed this year with the lights at Stephen Foster.  It was not nearly what it has been in the past.  Here are a few pictures that I snapped, though:

The ladies singing in the tower.

A quilt hanging in one of the gift shops.  Possibly one of the coolest quilts I've ever seen.

Mama Says: Christmas with Jackie

...On Friday....I'm helping Aleta out this week.

I don’t think anyone enjoyed Christmas like Jackie. The first year we were married, we went to his parent’s house on Christmas Eve and had presents there. After it was all over, we then went to his oldest sister’s house to watch her children open presents. On the way home that night he explained that we would get up early on Christmas morning and go to his other sister’s house to eat breakfast and watch her kids open their presents. And then back to his parent’s house for Christmas lunch. Whoa!! Where did that leave time for my family? And furthermore, how would that affect our children if we ever had any? We came to the conclusion that some of that would have to change. Fast forward a few years, and we had our first child. Jackie’s idea of appropriate gifts for this child was a little crazy at times. Prime example, a shriner’s parade model-T car that he had repainted and had Punky’s Putt-Putt written on the sides. She was two years old. It was freezing that Christmas morning. He had her out in that car that morning. He turned the steering wheel where it would go in a circle. She rode for hours in that car, going in circles in our front yard.

He did wait until she was a couple of years old before he started waking her up at 4:00 or 4:30, telling her Santa had come. He would get up, turn on the tree lights, then go wake her up. I tried to tell him that was not a good idea, he was starting a bad habit. Sure enough, every year after the kids got old enough to wake up on their own, they always got up very early, but he had always beat them up and turned on the tree lights. And he was always ready to get up and watch them open their presents. Jackie exuded Christmas joy, cheer and excitement.

Christmas hasn’t been the same. We still continue to get up early. Now that Rheba is working night shift, I wonder how this will affect our morning routine. She doesn’t normally get home until 8:30 or after, and it just won’t seem right waiting until then to open presents. I wonder if Santa could let me catch up on some lost sleep from all those past early Christmas mornings?

Christmas Comes To Trenton

The Nativity Scene outside The Gilchrist County Journal.

The Courthouse 

The Train Depot

Not So Wordy Wednesday

This is Rheba's letter to Santa from the year she wanted Santa to steal the neighbor's horse and make him a Palomino.  Lol.

My Christmas Wish

Y'all, I have been sick. Full-blown--scaly, red, raw nose; covered in Two Old Goats; popping Mucinex like M&Ms; Smoker's Cough/Laugh/Voice; if I ever win an award, personally thank the makers of Puffs Plus Lotion--SICK. It's been terrible.

And let me add, it is a terrible time to be sick. I've got too many things to be doing. Right now, the festivities are all around…and I've got the epizootie.

Meanwhile, this past Saturday, we had our Christmas with Aunt Angie. We had finger foods, and the menu was fairly simple. The one thing that I love about going to Aunt Angie's is…there is always so very much love in the room.

We were doubly blessed this year as our Jarrod Barrod was home! It is always so nice to have him here, no matter the length of time. It is always a blessing.

We even had a visit by Dale's old buddy, Buddy! We hadn't seen him in years. It was so nice.

As we sat around watching G and Z open their presents, and then run around playing with their new toys, I sat thinking. I was thinking that my Christmas wish was granted. I was sitting there surrounded by some of my favorite people on this earth, and I was given the one thing that I had been praying and wishing for: Time with my loved ones.

Mama Says: Visiting Christmases Past

We were discussing Christmas the other day. I’ve already told you about the Christmas when my youngest brother was born. It was a very slim Christmas, and yet probably my most memorable.
But Aleta and I were talking about Santa. We always told our kids that when you stop believing in Santa, he stops coming to your house. Then presents are the responsibility of the parents. We also explained that parents didn’t always have a lot of money and that Santa was better at choosing the presents for you. Parents gave you socks and underwear. I was telling Aleta that when I was young, you didn’t let the cat out of the bag, you promoted the idea of Santa to the younger ones. When Aleta came along, the older kids seemed intent on spoiling it for the kids. They seemed to take great pride in being the informant. Aleta laughed and said that every time Jarrod and Dale tried to tell her that Santa wasn’t real, they got whopped.

I remember the year my two younger brothers were supposed to get a trail bike for Christmas. Unlike a today, they were going to have to share, my parents could not buy two. It was ordered from Western Auto and my father had been assured that it would arrive in time for Christmas. Well you know how things like that go. My father kept checking back the week before Christmas. He came home so disappointed on Christmas Eve. The boys would not get their main present. And while they would get a couple of little things, their Christmas would probably be disappointing. I suggested that he write a letter from Santa, telling the boys he couldn’t get it on the sleigh. My father liked that idea, so Daddy appointed me to write the letter. And I had so much fun!! I explained how the elves had made them such a special trail bike, and then couldn’t fit it on the sleigh. Santa was so sorry, but he had shipped it from the North Pole to the Western Auto store in Chiefland, and it should arrive right after Christmas. The letter was put under the tree, my parents were happy. My brothers were delighted with the letter and tickled pink with their expected gift.

This was probably much more than those two rascals deserved. After all, just a couple of years before, they had developed a plan to waylay old Santa with a baseball bat, and keep all the toys in his sack!! They had planned this for several days. Thank goodness they fell asleep before he arrived or they would have been on his naughty list for years.

All Wrapped Up

Image found on Pinterest

Y'all, I hate wrapping presents. Oh my Lord…it's right up there with going into Toys-R-Us between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I was in line at Suncoast the other day, and I was chatting with Mrs. Melissa, who might possibly be one of the sweetest ladies on the planet. She was talking about how her daughter was in college now, and wasn't here to help with the wrapping. She said that she was big on the presentation of a gift, and loved to have beautifully wrapped gifts.

…I have always envied those people.

…One of those people, I am not.

I'm doing good if my gifts are wrapped. There are typically no bows. No ribbons. They're wrapped. Period. And not prettily, I might add.

One wrapping tradition that has stuck around the Sheffield household is my crazy tags. This year, I have a tag of santa in a pickup plowing over a gingerbread man. It reads "To Cynthia Kay, From Allstate…we've been watching." You just have to have fun, you know? But this is a tradition that my sister so enjoys.

Whether you love wrapping gifts, or hate wrapping them…I wish you luck. Thankfully, I am finished, and can enjoy the rest of the Christmas festivities.

Saturday In The South: Christmas in Watsonville

Watsonville has gotten in the spirit, y'all....

Galen Watson's Grinch and Max display.

Ronnie & Darlene Arrington's snowman.

Christmas At Stephen Foster State Park

I don't know about y'all, but I love Christmas lights.  I love them.  I made mention of it yesterday, but the Christmas lights at the Stephen Foster State Park in White Springs are fabulous.  If you've never been, you should make the jaunt over.  It is quite a drive, but it is worth it.  The park always does a wonderful job, and I cannot begin to imagine the hours and man power it took to string all of those lights.

You do have to pay a minimal fee to get into the park (I believe it's per vehicle...I'm just not sure).  And then you drive through the park taking in all of the lights.  Now, if you need to stretch your legs, you are able to park and go inside the welcome center.  You are also able to park near the clock tower and go into the little "village" area.  They serve hot chocolate, a few snacks, and you're able to purchase gifts at the little shops.

The Holidays Following A Loss

I know that there are several friends on my Facebook who are struggling to muster Christmas spirit this year. They're having a tough time because this is the first Christmas they will spend without a loved one.

I am not a psychologist, nor a psychiatrist, nor counselor, or what have you. I am not qualified to give any advice. And you will never hear me tell you how to grieve or how long to grieve. I can only truly tell you my story.

My dad was HUGE on Christmas. He was always the one to make a big deal about it. My mama loved it as well, but every year when we sat down to open gifts on Christmas morning, I think my dad was the most excited of all of us. Not so much for his gifts, but he was so very excited about us opening ours. He was like a kid in a candy store. And my Lord, you could've given him a can of Skoal, and he would "ooh" and "ahh" over it like it was the greatest gift in the world.

The Christmas following his death was so incredibly hard. None of us really had the Christmas spirit. It just didn't feel like Christmas without him. We watched Christmas movies, we went shopping together (the three of us), and it just didn't feel the same. The truth is…it just WASN'T the same. HE was missing.

To those of you facing the same, I can only tell you what helped us. We talked about him. We said things like "He would've loved this," or "I wish he could've seen this."

Something I vividly remember, was traveling to White Springs, at the insistence of his coworkers. They had a memorial tree decorated honoring the Park Rangers and Park Staff that had passed away that year. I remember driving to White Springs that night and we all just had a good cry about missing dad on the way.

The truth is…the pain is still there. We still find ourselves grieving him when holidays come or something comes up and you know it would've been important to him. But for us, we always try to talk about him. Laugh about things he said. We try our hardest to remember the good times.

Those of you who are facing this, please, please know, I am always here if you need someone to talk to.

Not So Wordy Wednesday

This past week was full of Community Events. With first getting ready for Christmas on Main Street, and then participating in Christmas on Main (rain and all). Then, Saturday night, we had the Chiefland Christmas Parade. Now, I didn't get any photos of Christmas on Main Street, because I was busy passing out cookies. But here are some of the photos of the parade from Saturday night.  The photos aren't that great, because night...and lights...and we were also at the very front of the parade.

A Bit Of A Blah Day

I'm going to be honest here. It's Sunday, and as I sit down to write for my blog posts for the week…I really don't feel like it. I absolutely love this weather, don't get me wrong. But it makes me just want to be all bundled up in a big blanket, with a cup of hot chocolate, watching Designing Women. It does not make for the most ambitious writer.

In all fairness, I did't go to bed until 3 a.m. last night, which led me to sleep until noon. Now, my brain feels like pure mush.

So, this will be a more interactive-type post. I feel like I am in need of a little oomph this week. I need something to send a spark to my creativity. What are some things that get your creative juices flowing?

Mama Says Monday

Well, my week of baking and Christmas on Main is over. So I can rest now, right? No, of course not. This week I need to make my Christmas cards. Nothing like waiting till the last minute. I sort of got a start last week. I needed to make some Christmas cards for a project for my Life Group. So that was sort of like a practice run to decide which cards I found easy, that I could make quickly, and which I found I liked the most, which were the prettiest that were worth the extra effort.

The best thing for me is the way the cards get delivered. Most of my cards go to my church friends. At our church we can just turn in our cards ( with just names, they don’t have to be addressed) where they will get sorted and given to the recipient. We make a donation of what we would spend on stamps (or more) to our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. That’s a Win-Win, with less time spent on addressing our cards, no dry tongue syndrome for me from licking stamps, and a way to increase our contribution to this mission offering. And yes, I could just buy the cards, but where is the fun in that?

Sunday Obsession: True Blue Friends

In High School, I had five or six very close girl friends. One of my favorite movies during that time was Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood. (Actually, it is STILL one of my favorite movies). So, in honor of the movie, we made our own hats. Not to wear, but to keep as mementos. It has tags with inside jokes, memories, even a photo or two tied around the band.

This post isn't about my YaYa hat. It's about friendship. Last weekend, Krystle and I made the trek down to Orlando to see another one of those old High School buddies, Stephanie. I haven't had the chance to see her in probably 4 years, and it was so incredibly nice catching up. I have truly missed her.

The thing about friendship is…it doesn't really matter the time that has lapsed since you last spoke, it doesn't matter the distance keeping you apart, it doesn't matter whether you're heartbroken, or celebrating the most exciting time of your life…true friends will be there, come what may.

Saturday In The South

Lately, the sunsets have been breathtaking...