Success!! I took the challenge to heart and made a date with myself for Saturday. I drove towards and into the mountains and stopped alongside the Kenai River at Jim’s Landing. I did my daily morning pages while there – having rolled down my windows to listen to the river and the wind in the trees and the birds calling to each other. There was some road noise from the cars passing by on the highway nearby, but it wasn’t overpowering.

So peaceful – until someone pulled in next to me with radio blaring. I had completed my assignment by that time so was able to leave with a clear and cleansed conscience.

So – for the rest of the check-in . . . i completed morning pages all seven days.

Other issues: I discovered I was stressing about my upcoming vacation time – which falls within the 12 weeks of the Artist’s Way challenge. As I talked it out with myself in the morning pages I came to the conclusion that I would carry my journal with me and ask that my traveling companions respect my need to take some “me time” each morning. I may not be able to do an online check-in, but will do so within the journal and then post it after the vacay is over.

Much less stress – self-induced stress – now.

Again – a hat’s tip to Ms. VV for the challenge. Thank you.

Before I go, however, I just wanted to let you all in on some thankfulness I have tonight.

Hubbymoose and I have had some unavoidable medical expenses since July. We are insured through my employer – mine is covered, but hubby’s costs over $1000 each month. Add to that our deductible each calendar year we are spending $20,000+ before the benefits kick in.

But we are thankful to have the insurance – not many people these days have insurance at all – nevertheless, it does bite into the wallet.

Each October I have to have an MRI on my kidneys – followup on the kidney cancer from three years ago. This year our portion of the bill was over $2000. Last time I paid it off a bit each month and finished paying in late summer this year. I was grateful the hospital allowed me to do it in payments.

Figured I would have to do the same this year – and sent in a sizeable down payment to get things started. Then I got a letter from the hospital offering a 25% discount if it could be paid by Dec. 20th. Hubby and I dug deep and pooled some resources and took advantage of the offer.

Thankfully.

Hubby has been being seen by several doctors for his foot since July. We’ve had to make payments, but have been able to see them decrease. Awhile back one of the docs gave us a sizeable discount – we scrimped that month to pay it off.

It just happened again – got the bill Saturday with a nice discount offered.

We paid it – gratefully.

We have an awesome God – and His people are listening to His promptings. Tonight? Color me thankful.

I’ve been busily knitting dish cloths (see those in the picture over there to the left?) for a little comment contest I’m doing over at the Knitting Passion blog.

Y’all are welcome to come over and leave a comment to get entered in for a set of 12 hand knit (by me) dish cloths . . . simply tell me how you would Pay it Forward if you won . . . or delight me by telling me how you will pay it forward even if you don’t win.

While I love to read your comments here . . . for this contest, please post your comments over there . . . okay?

The contest will run until February 28th . . . after midnight (okay, I’ll probably not do it until the next day, seeing as I go to sleep earlier than midnight lol) I will randomly choose three winners of a dozen dish cloths each. I haven’t decided yet on the randomosity of the choosing . . . I may use a random number generator . . . or . . . have one of the grandkiddos pick names from a hat.

We shall see . . . but, for now . . . go on over, read the post, and post a comment.

So many times we get caught up in our lives – caught up in the lives of other people – caught up in projects (some good and some not so good – you all know the types) – and we put our hearts and souls into all these things . . . .

. . . . and then they come to an end – or at least the end of our part in them. Such is the Share-A-Square project and the offshoot Bag Project. Yesterday I received the last 5 bags needed (from Japan, no less!) to make up the 70 bags I had promised Shelly I could gather together.

Tomorrow I will box them up and ship them off to Shelly in time for her to take them, along with 140 precious afghans, to the children at Camp Sanguinity. Yes, friends, they are precious – they represent hours of love and work YOU have put into them – and, THAT is precious.

From the bottom of my heart – THANK YOU for helping Shelly reach her goal – thank you for your support in so many ways.

You are each very precious to me!

Here’s a very nice article about the entire project.

Sadly I won’t be able to join Shelly and Sherry and others to deliver the afghans – I had hoped to be able to go along – but, someday I trust and hope that I will get to meet these two dynamic ladies. You’ll all be the first to know when that happens!

. . . our hem was torn and hanging, or
. . . our slip was torn, hanging, AND showing, or
. . . we had GREEN stuck in our teeth (no WONDER he didn’t care to kiss us good night), or
. . . we had a “ladder” in our hose – or our seams weren’t straight, or

well, you get the idea. Each of us has something like that in our history – maybe it even happened TODAY!

What’ve you got? What’ve you got to lose? Head on over to Shelly’s and get the skinny on the contest, write it up and email her with a link.

Then, tell all of your friends about it!

Oh, yeah, there are PRIZES, too!!!! How much fun is that?