November Challenge and The Month of Change in the Rearview Mirror

Photo by Arkady Lifshits - Unsplash

December 1st 2016 is here and my self imposed challenge of posting daily on my blog is done. 21 posts in the month of November. I did not plan to post on the weekends so that means I only missed one post. Yay me!
I don't know about you but I have times in my life where I wonder what my life will be like the next week, month, year. I worry about the unknown. This past month was one of them with my planned job change and blogging gave me an outlet for that nervous energy.

One thing I have learned is that things you dread are often not as bad as you imagine they will be. I learned that pouring oneself in to activities you can control help you deal with the things that are out of your control.
I feel lucky, it all came out great in the end.

December 1st marks the end of something and beginning of a new journey. The timing could not be better with the new year one month away.

My wish for all of you is that it is a happy and prosperous 2017!

Wendy

Change

"If nothing ever changed there'd be no butterflies." - Unknown

I mentioned in some of my earlier posts that November would be a month of change. 

As it always does time flew by very quickly and it is time for me to take the next step in my career. I have accepted a position with another company and my first day is today. Wish me luck!

I am sad to say goodbye to the amazing team of real estate agents, managers and support staff at my former company. It was an incredible 9 years.

I am proud of each of the agents and of the office and how much we have accomplished. I will miss my friends and colleagues but am looking forward to exciting opportunies.

Wendy

The Desk Project

I wanted to get my hands dirty and work on a project last winter. I found this Ethan Allen desk on a Facebook yardsale site. It is so heavy and was in rough shape. The lines are beautiful, the construction is sturdy so I decided it was worth tackling.
Paint and stain can be transformative.

Check out those dovetail drawers! Broken drawer handles are easy to replace and I decided to paint the bottom black and stain the top.

The project had some stops and starts and took up a good portion of the basement for several months. Finally it was ready for the start of the 2016 school year in September.
I tend to think of that time of year as a time of new beginnings and moved some furniture around to accommodate my kids doing homework in their rooms which left a spot open where we have a computer that needed a surface to rest on.

                                                                                                                                                          There was no way to make this desk look new again and I am good with that. I love the idea that the desk has been well used. Who knows what tasks have been accomplished on its top. If only furniture could talk. The guy I bought it from didn't have any info on where it came from, he was a junk dealer making a buck or two selling used items.

Time for creative projects is limited but it is something I love. I am going to change my "there's not enough time" way of thinking and make time to do some DIY over the next week or so. Here's to November and the month of change!
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more My Middleton Chronicles.
Wendy

The finished project

24 Hour Rule

Photo by Zara Walker - Unsplash

The 24 Hour Rule and A Lot Can Change In A Month -

When something is a lot to handle or digest I like to give it 24 hours before acting or commenting. I have given the election outcome that breathing room and now want to share my thoughts. When I said at the start of the month of November 2016 that a lot can change in a month I knew we'd elect a new President.

I follow a couple of themes on my blog and it was very fitting that yesterday was Wordless Wednesday. The country is in shock and for many there are no words. For Trump supporters it is shock that they won and for Clinton supporters it is shock that they did not.

Living in a blue state I think that shock factor is huge here. We had our finger on the pulse of our area but did not have a handle on the sentiments of the rest of the country.

There are days when you go buy copies of the newspaper as a memento from a historic day. I thought the newspaper headlines would be very different the day after election day, however it is no less momentus a day. I bought copies of several newspapers yesterday and will tuck them away.

The honor of being the first woman President is still out there for a woman to aspire to and achieve.

For me I do not have the fear that many are expressing. I am going to trust that our new POTUS will surround himself with capable advisors and that he will make America greater. I say greater because as someone who loves our country I know there are very big flaws but I also know it is a great place to live, work and raise a family.

Above all In God We Trust.

Wendy

Fall, Elections and November The Month of Change

A google search of the definition of change yeilded this:

change

Photo by Sandis Helvigs, Unsplash

CHānj/

verb

1. 1.

   make or become different.

   "a proposal to change the law"
2. 2.

   take or use another instead of.

   "she decided to change her name"

noun

1. 1.

   the act or instance of making or becoming different.

   "the change from a nomadic to an agricultural society"
2. 2.

   coins as opposed to paper currency.

   "a handful of loose change"

   synonyms:

   coins, loose/small change, silver;  cash, petty cash;  formal, specie "I don't have any change"

Fall is a season of change, the leaves are just past peak color in my area. November 8th 2016 will for sure go down in the history books in a big way as a time of change. The United States is voting and the rest of the world is watching.

My 18 year old son voted in his first Presidential election this morning and he was up and out first thing to go and exercise his rights as an American to go and vote. 

He's home now and reported that it feels anti- climactic. He knew what to expect from the actual voting process, he had tagged along with my husband to vote in the past.  He also reported that he still feels anxious about the outcome.

I know I will be up late watching and waiting for the results tonight. 

And tonight we will know. Or tomorrow at the latest.

Stay tuned for more from My Middleton Chronicles. There are personal changes that are coming for me, can't wait to tell you all about it!

Wendy

A Lot Can Happen In A Month - Holiday Prep

My childhood dresser turned buffet for dining room.

My theme these days is 'a lot can happen in a month' That includes getting ready for a favorite holiday. I spent some time on Pinterest and I am getting in the mood to be creative. Holiday prep is full of chores but it's also really fun to plan a great menu and decorate.

Last year at this time I embarked on a 21 Day De-Clutter which you can read about here
http://mymiddletonchronicles.blogspot.com/2015/1121daystolessclutter

It is less than 3 weeks until the bird goes in the oven and at my house we've decided that this year it will be turkey and duck on the big day. The carpet cleaner comes on Monday and I've made a list of areas I'd like to decorate.

I really like to switch gears from Thanksgiving to Christmas pretty quickly so I am thinking candles, a few white (or maybe gold) pumpkins, some greenery and berries. I can switch out pumpkins for snowmen and take away the fall berries and replace with winter berries and make the change over from one holiday to the next without spending  a fortune.

There are some cool DIY kitchen and bathroom accessories I'd like to give a try too. We'll see if I get that far.

I'll post some pictures here as the month moves along. For now I'll share the buffet in my dining room.

It's a favorite for a couple of reasons. The #1 reason it's a fav is that it is the dresser from my childhood bedroom. The dresser and glass were things I was handed down, add the table cloth from Christmas Tree Shop and just like that it's a buffet. I've been thinking about putting distressed, painted shutters on either side of the picture that hangs over it. It would be a get your hands dirty project to paint them and I think it would add some depth.

Stay tuned for more from My Middleton Chronicles.
Wendy

When Was The Last Time You Were Brave

When I think of bravery I don't necessarily think of myself. Don't get me wrong, I believe I am a strong person but when I think of a brave person I think of soldiers, great world leaders, inventors, artists...

The more I thought about it one thing that came to me is something I say to myself often: "get up, dress up and show up."  I do put on a brave face on many days but not to the extent that others do. Soldiers put themselves at risk to protect others. 
World leaders make hard decisions on a daily basis. Artists put their work out for the world to see. Inventors often fail over and over before perfecting their invention. That, in my mind is real bravery.

People who go after what they want most in life are brave. I have things I'm going after and don't plan on giving up. When I get there I'll let you know and share my brave tale.
Until then stay tuned for more from My Middleton Chronicles.

Here's what came up when I googled the definition of brave:

adjective

1. 1.

   ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage.

   "a brave soldier"

   synonyms:

   courageous, valiant, valorous, intrepid, heroic, lionhearted, bold, fearless, gallant,daring, plucky, audacious; More

noun

1. 1.

   people who are ready to face and endure danger or pain.
2. 2.

   dated

   an American Indian warrior.

   synonyms:

   warrior, soldier, fighter "an Indian brave"

verb

1. 1.

   endure or face (unpleasant conditions or behavior) without showing fear.

   "we had to brave the full heat of the sun"

   synonyms:

   endure, put up with, bear, withstand, weather, suffer

NaBloPoMo - A Lot Can Happen In A Month

One of the last times I did a full month of posting daily on my blog was a month of change for me. It was September a few years ago and the start of the school year feels like a time of new beginnings even if you are not starting school.

This month I am participating in NaBloPoMo which stands for National Blog Post Month. Bloggers commit to posting to their blogs each day and can either follow prompts or write what they would like to write. Following the prompts is my plan and to add to the prompts I am also going to track and report on the changes from the start of the month to the end.

November is a favorite month of mine. I love the Thanksgiving holiday and it is a nice way to end this month of change that is coming up. A time to exhale and relax a little. To me it's such an easy, stress free holiday.

For Christmas this year there is discussion about a new location for our celebration. I've hosted Christmas for large and small groups of merry makers over the last decade or so with maybe the exception of one year. This year we may mix things up a little and be the guests. That's still in the works, stay tuned ... change may be in the air.

This is a Presidential election year so this November will be an interesting one on the political front. Our country is holding its collective breath in anticipation of the outcome and the passion on both sides is palpable.
So by next week around this time we'll know who the next President will be. A new beggininig.

Change can be for the good. Change can be not so good.

Today reminded me of a children's book I love - Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Vioirst.

It was one of those days when there was bad news and junky stuff going on all around me. Lost sports equipment, cold showers, broken down cars, spilled coffee, back problems, migraines and other drudgery were the order of the day. This is all true life stuff from the people I came across during the course of one of my usual days.
Add to that all the tired parents (myself included) and children from yesterdays Halloween festivities plus all the crazy election stuff and it's no wonder people were grouchy today (again myself included).

"I hate my life." is an actual text I recieved. Of course that is a bit dramatic when you look at the big picture. A lost piece of sports equipment and a spilled coffee are small blips on the radar but are a burr in the side of the person dealing with it. The stuff of a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

What to do, what to do to make a bad day better? Jokes can really lighten the mood. Support from friends and family help too. Just hearing from someone "that sucks" goes a long way.
So does upbeat music.

Here's to not wallowing in The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and to tomorrow changing for the better!

Stay tuned for more from My Middleton Chronicles. I think it's going to be an interesting month.

Wendy