Writing for One

It's ironic that as a freelance writer, I have very little to no time to write. It's also ironic that on some days, I'd rather do anything but write.

I spend so much time keeping house and rushing projects that I have very little time to blog and write for myself. In the odd event that I do have free time (such as now), I find myself with absolutely nothing of value to say. I have ideas for blog posts (especially for my other blog, Ze Wifey Chronicles), and they simply remain written in my mind until they eventually become forgotten. Oh well.

So, here's to finding time to write for yourself and to doing absolutely nothing productive with that time.

Enough

It's been a billion years since I last posted. Although I honestly feel like life has never been better, I also feel like there's so much on my plate right now and there aren't enough hours in a day to get everything done.

I'm sure many freelance writers will agree with me: It's hard to say no. And no, I'm just not talking about writing jobs.

I may be juggling too many things, but yes, of course I can take on that one other thing. Oh, that small favor? That'll just take 30 minutes each day! Of course I have time for you. I'll just need to delay this one thing and sleep a little later tonight... Oh, would you like some help with that? 

Unfortunately, there are times wherein we just have to take a step back and realize that we aren't superheroes. We need to know when it's time to sleep, when it's time to work, when it's time to eat, and when it's time to say no. We need to know when things aren't working the way we want them to and know when enough is enough. Hopefully, we have the balls to do something about it.

* We = I. Same thing.

Sweet Saturdays

For those of you who aren't aware, a LOT of things have changed over the past year--including my blogging habits, my 'roommate', and my last name. Another thing changed, as well: my opinion of an ideal Saturday.

Last Friday (fine, Saturday), I was wide awake at 2 am. Of course, being awake at that time is pretty normal for me. This time, I wasn't working or jotting down my to-do list like I would normally be doing. I wasn't even trying to get some reading in!

I lay awake instead, too excited at the mere thought of the 'free' Saturday I had the next day. A rare Saturday where the hubby and I had absolutely zero social/family obligations. A rare Saturday where we could sleep in, relax, and:

- Do the laundry (particularly the whites)
- Put away the dishes that had been piling up in our dish rack
- Dust the entire house
- Vacuum the rug
- Mop the floor (both dry and wet, mind you!)
- Clean the bathrooms
- Clean my closet
- Change the sheets (my hatest chore of all time (after killing cockroaches) and so I always put it on my to-do list but ask the hubby to do it for me instead)

It's currently 2:15 am of Sunday (fine, Monday), and I'm extremely happy to report that every single thing got crossed off yesterday's to-do list! A rare feat!

What I should mention, however, is that I had a tummy ache yesterday and was pretty useless for a huge chunk of the day. Yes, my 'roommate' did most of the things on the list. The victory of one spouse is the victory of both, right?

Thanks to my amazingly handy dandy hubby, we even had time to attend anticipated mass, have dinner out, and go to the mall (and buy a new shelf) before the mall closed!

Hooray for husbands! Hooray for Saturdays! Hooray for productivity! Hooray!

Second for 2012! Gah!

This is only my second post on TMIWU for the year. 

That. is. pathetic.

The only thing that saves me from utter humiliation and embarrassment at my sheer lack of posts is the fact that I've managed to come up with SOME posts for Ze Wifey Chronicles. 

It's been seven months since the hubby and I tied the knot, and we've never been happier. Am I completely domesticated? Haha! Of course not! Am I able to cook dinner every single day of the week? Definitely not! Is our house as clean as a whistle? Errr... no. It's cleaner than a garbage dump, though!

What is my point? Nothing.

This is me, making a vow to myself: I will post more these coming weeks. I PROMISE!

New.

Tonight, I opened my blogger account to find out that my promise to write a blog post at least once a month has not been kept. Boo hoo. What a way to end 2011 and start 2012.

Do I feel like a failure? No, not really.

For one thing, I started a new blog: Ze Wifey Chronicles. No, this is not a replacement for this blog (TMIWU). Instead, ZWC chronicles the extremely senseless thoughts related to being a wife with no training in domestication whatsoever. TMIWU is dedicated to extremely senseless thoughts, period.

Also, I can honestly say that I grew up by leaps and bounds in 2011. I learned to do my own laundry. I wrote more than I ever wrote before. I learned to cook my meals. I got married.

As with last year, there will be no new year's resolutions this 2012. Instead, there will be a simple resolve to put 100% in whatever it is I am doing. If I'm going to take the trash out, I'm going to skip and sing my way to the garbage chute. If I'm going to wash the dishes, then by golly, it's going to be the most fun task ever. Really.

C is for Cookie, That's Good Enough For Me!

Today marks the third month since I have officially become a missus. After several weeks, I can finally say that I'm starting to be more comfortable in the kitchen.

Sure, my chopped onions, garlic, tomatoes (and everything that requires me using a knife) continue to be extremely unequal in size. However, I'm becoming more adventurous with my weekly meal plans. I'm now trying out dishes that need more than just oil to cook. :P

Today, I wanted to try out something near and dear to my heart... DESSERT! While other people opted to spend their Saturday night drinking and dancing... I attempted baking Chocolate Chip Cookies for the first time! Thankfully, they were pretty yummy!!!

Since our kitchen is still very incomplete, special mention definitely goes out to the hubby who mixed the batter for me with a wooden spoon!

The non-cook.

I've been married for almost two months now, and it's been amazingly great. My cooking, however, is not so great. Every time I step into the kitchen, I embark on a new chaotic adventure.

Thankfully, I've been blessed with a hubby who will eat anything I put on his plate. It's a good thing he made a promise to me before we got married: that he will eat anything I cook... as long as I eat it too.

The Waiting Place by Eileen Button

The Waiting Place is a series of short essays written from the point of view of the author (a mother, a columnist and a pastor's wife). In this book, Eileen gives us glimpses into various points of her rather complicated life.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed because I expected the book to be more about finding God in these "waiting places." However, once I got over that fact, I found myself appreciating the author's sharings, especially in the latter part of the book.

Overall, The Waiting Place is written in an intimate yet entertaining manner, making it a refreshing and light read.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of BookSneeze, a book review bloggers program. Find out more at BookSneeze.com! :)

The Adventures of Tintin (and JV).

It's been exactly 17 days since JV and I tied the knot. Yesiree, this blogger is now a married woman.

Am I happy? Most definitely. Am I domesticated? Not quite.

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No, my name is not Tintin.

Alive.

I used to blog religiously. Up until recently, I would (mentally) kick myself if I went by an entire month without blogging. For crying out loud, I'm in front of the computer almost the entire day! The fact that I cannot jot down a single thought over a period of 30 days is inexcusable! Say it with me! Lazy bones, lazy bones, lazy bones!

Seeing that I missed blogging for the whole month of July (Eep! April, too!), here is a blog post. Yes, a post for the month of August. I am officially safe. I am guilt-free for the next few weeks.

Here I am. Extremely busy, but alive, alert, awake and enthusiastic. Yes, I am very much alive, alert, awake and enthusiastic.

Fifteen days to go. <3

Overwhelmed.

There are times wherein I feel so *blech* that I want to curl up into bed and sleep the entire day away.

On the other hand, there are moments like now wherein I am absolutely flabbergasted when I realize how many wonderful people are in my life. I look around me, and I see that I've found an amazing support system over the years. I am constantly surrounded by kind, loving people who understand me and who love me for me. At this point, it is impossible to feel anything but appreciative and thankful.

Loved, loved, loved. I'm a happy girl.

Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional by Billy Graham

I may be busy and may often forget to pray… but that does not mean I do not crave for prayer time.

Unto the Hills is a wonderful daily devotional to help aid one’s spiritual growth. Life sometimes seems too busy for one to find time to read the Bible readings on a daily basis. Whether we admit it or not, our schedules can greatly hinder our prayer life.

This devotional by Billy Graham is written in a manner that is very simple and easy to understand. It begins with a particular verse from scripture, and then leads into a short reflection related to the day’s passage. Afterwards, it ends with a short yet relevant prayer.

You may opt to read one page everyday, or may also choose to read several pages at a time. What I particularly appreciate about Unto the Hills is that each reading for the day is labeled with the month and date (such as January 1, March 15, August 27) – and is not made for a particular year. This devotional is timeless as it allows you to read it for years to come – which I have every intention of doing. This book is perfect for your bedside because it will help you start your day (or even end your day) on a right note.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of BookSneeze, a book review bloggers program. Find out more at BookSneeze.com! :)

Nora.

At the end of the day, it is family that matters most.

Thank you for reminding me of that, Lola.

We love and miss you.

Oink, oink.

On pretty much any given day, you could comment on my (incredibly large) figure and it wouldn't bother me so much. Food makes me happy. Tell me I gained a billion pounds and I wouldn't lose my appetite. I wouldn't throw away the Venti Frappe or the can of Coke I was drinking either.

Unfortunately, today was not one of those days. I sit here at the end of the day and think back at what I've eaten since I woke up. This sounds really stupid, but I simultaneously want to cry, run a marathon, shake myself, do pushups and weights, slap myself and scream, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, KRIS?!?! DID YOU REALLY HAVE TO EAT ALL THAT!? WERE YOU EVEN HUNGRY!?!?!?"

Little Miss Cranky Pants.

Every little thing has been getting on my nerves lately. Please be careful with what you say to me. Jokes aren't funny and sarcasm is not appreciated. I'm in dire need of sleep and sugar, and I could snap any minute now. Watch out, world. Ugh.

One step forward and two steps back.

The days have gotten incredibly short lately. I find myself with zero time to watch the TV shows I used to follow religiously. I cannot seem to have the energy to pick up the book that's been my bedside for more than a month now. In fact, I barely have an hour of "me time" a day. To put a little fun in my day, I have resorted to a few games of Bejeweled before getting up in the morning. Yes, life is that exciting. :P

I am finding myself always trying to catch up with things I have fallen behind on. Sometimes though, just when I've caught up on everything, life speeds on a few steps ahead and I will find myself left behind once again. Yes, I am struggling and all this "catching up" is taking it's toll on me. Oddly enough though, part of me wishes it could go faster. Six months into the future, to be exact.

There are wonderful, wonderful, wonderful things to look forward to this year. No matter how stressful the daily grind may be, it is a beautiful thing to wake up each day, absolutely in love with the idea of the future. I will get there eventually. One step at a time.

The unforeseen.

So we're more than a week into the new year. I won't do a customary "The Year That Was" post with reflections or a blow-by-blow account of things that happened over the past year. Instead, let's focus on the future.

One thing is for certain, 2011 is full of promise and all sorts of exciting possibilities. It may be merely psychological, but the new year gifts us with a clean slate. No matter what age you are, you can still teach yourself new tricks.

I start the year slightly stressed and already a tad worn out. That's okay, though. This year will definitely be like no other. This year will be my year.

Image by Little Aviary via The Sweetest Occasion.

2011.

Here's to 2011! It's going to be the most bestest, awesomest year yet. ♥

Clutter.

It's only beginning to dawn on me that tomorrow, another year is ending. Another decade is ending. For some reason, the fact that 2010 is ending tomorrow is sending me into a state of panic. I want nothing more than to begin 2011 in an orderly, relaxed manner. Of course, this isn't the case at all.

My room is extremely cluttered--more cluttered than it has ever been in my 26 years of existence. Opened Christmas gifts have not yet been put away, recently purchased books are still in their plastic bags, rather intimidating stacks of *important* magazines are waiting to be read... things are everywhere.

Unfortunately, my closet is in a similar state of chaos. Worse, even. It's actually pretty painful to look at. Wrinkled clothes have been tossed back inside. I have also just recently admitted to myself that my closet is extremely full... of clothes that I will never wear. I have way too many pieces of clothing that belong in a "wishful thinking" category. I will never fit into these clothes and I really should begin accepting that. If I picked out the clothes I actually liked and fit into, I wouldn't need a closet. I'd probably fill a plastic bag.

There are random things that are driving me nuts, as well. Hundreds of text messages are eagerly waiting to be deleted, therefore making my phone painfully slow. The television remote control batteries need changing; they've actually needed changing for more than a month. Even my Gmail inbox is due for some sorting through. I have used up more than 85% of my inbox capacity. How in the world did that happen?! I've also been wanting to change my blog layout for the past few weeks. My current layout is another thing I find messy, and it hasn't quite been inspiring me to write. I just haven't gotten around to searching for new templates. Sigh.

I honestly don't think any of that mess is going to disappear tomorrow. Maybe everything will be spic and span by January 1.... or 2.. or 3. Maybe I'll be done cleaning by mid-January. One thing is for sure--decluttering is my priority for the first few days of the year.

Admitting I need to declutter is the first step. Good job, Kris! Everything else should be easy... right?

Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore (with Lyn Vincent)

Same Kind of Different As Me is a powerful and enlightening book that touches on racism, poverty, faith, justice, healing and love. It tells the stories of Ron and Denver—two very different people leading very different lives. Thanks to Debbie, Ron’s altruistic wife, the two stories intertwine and the lives of both Ron and Denver are changed forever.

The book initially seemed like an easy read—something light that I could breeze through in just a few sittings. However, as I became more and more involved into the stories of Ron and Denver, I found there was an intensity I was not at all expecting. The two main characters told their stories in very distinct manners—but both were very real and incredibly raw. By the latter half of the book, I found myself rejoicing for the two men when they experienced triumphs, and I felt for them when they were hurting.

Same Kind of Different As Me is an inspiring book that reminds us that we can move mountains with a little bit of faith—faith in others and faith in God.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of BookSneeze, a book review bloggers program. Find out more at BookSneeze.com! :)