A not to do list

I stumbled on this blog post a while ago, and I just loved the idea of it . . . making a "not to do" list! I need that in my life. So many things I'd love to do, but just aren't part of who I am. Interestingly, most of the ones on this author's list would be on mine too. Gardening always comes up this time of year. April showers bring may flowers, but those flowers seem to need to be planted first! I so badly want to be a gardener, but besides putting tomatoes and cucumbers in containers and planting my annual pots I just can't bring myself to figure anything else out. So, I just might have to add expanding my gardening skills to my "not do do list".

Add to it: sewing. baking things with yeast. deep cleaning my house every season. doing piles of art projects. keeping up photo albums. creating homemade cards.

Note: I do still want to try these things . . . which leads me to my other revelation lately that I can get discouraged and even debilitated by all or nothing thinking. I have to bake ALL our bread or not try at all. I have to have a HUGE garden or not do one at all. I have to sew EVERYTHING in our house or not even take the machine out of the box. I have to clean out ALL the drawers or not even start. I have to do a craft with Karis EVERY day or not do any at all.  It's been illuminating and also freeing to realize I can just attempt some things and if they flop, whatever. Actually, this isn't a new thought to me, I just seem to forget my struggle with this and need to come back to practicing a balanced approach. Life is too short for such black and white thinking.

Another phrase that keeps going through my mind is one from my cousin (who is graduating this month with a master's in counseling): "Don't get so excited!". Ha! Isn't that the best?

- Outside yesterday I was standing with my hands on my hips and one foot out. Karis walks right beside me and imitates my pose. We were laughing so hard.
- At dinner one night she had to eat her taco just like Trevor, bunching up her tortilla and stuffing it into her mouth. Also had to eat dinner right beside Trevor yesterday.
- In her bath she has taken to pouring and serving "tea". So fun. She also loves to wash her little people with her washcloth.
- Before her nap one day she had to remove her socks, open the door and put them in the hallway.
- I love watching Karis talk on her "phone" (a calculator). She can be overheard nodding her head and saying, "So. Okay? Yeah? Sounds good."
- Or watching her with Lukas or her babies, saying, "You okay? Ohhhh."
- Or when she meets people and shakes their hand while saying, "Nice to meet you".
- When our neighbors get home, she watches them (read: stares) until they get out of their vehicle. Then says, "Welcome home!" and runs in circles around a tree in our backyard.
- Tickle monster is a new favorite. She curls her index finger, waves it in the air, gets a surprised look on her face, says, "tickle monster gonna get _____", and tickles whoever is in sight.
- "We'll do that soon. Later."Written down just doesn't capture how convincingly she says this . . . to an array of things (like, watch youtube, eat candy, go somewhere she wants to go).
- "Laura book - see the cheese?". There is one page on one of the "Little House adaptation" books that shows Laura, Mary & Ma making cheese . . . Karis loves this page.