Mr. Galileo Figaro🐈

 I know we haven't arrived at Christmas yet, but my mind is already drifting to the new year. And while I like the idea of setting resolutions, I much prefer a year-round mindset of setting goals and tweaking things I've already implemented in my life.

Not long ago, we had a stray cat hanging around our house. Now there are a lot of stray cats in our neighborhood. But this cat seemed particularly persistent, sitting on our front porch or back step, waiting for us in the drive, following us to the door and meowing like he was starving to death. I'm not a cat person. My husband is the cat person. I like dogs. But guess which one of us caved? Yes, that's right, it was me. I bought several bags of treats and dumped them into a container to keep in the back room. I put the cat's name on it. I named him--Galileo, because he's a poor boy and nobody loves him.

One day, I came home and saw him across the street. I grabbed his treat container, walked outside, and shook it. Mr. Figaro bounded across the street at the sound. And I had this weird thought. Isn't that just like us? We have something in our lives that may or may not be bad but isn't particularly good for us. That thing calls to us, a small sound, a little temptation, and we find ourselves bounding toward it.

Around this same time, I had this discussion with my husband about an audiobook I was listening to. The author claimed that the best way to get rid of a bad habit was to cut it out before adding the good habit that would replace it. While I could sort of understand where the author was coming from, I didn't really agree. Don't you have to put something good in the bad thing's place while you're weeding it out? As a sugar lover, I have to tell you, if I don't find a satisfying substitute for what I'm craving, I'll eat too many things trying to fill the void before I eventually eat those cookies anyway!

I haven't seen Leo since these ponderings. Maybe he was my little furry angel, sent to remind me that, when the devil shakes the treat box, I should resist the urge to come running and find something better.

Reading . . .

The Runaway's Diary by James Patterson & Emily Raymond

YA Graphic Novel

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez

Secrets of the Nile, Bk. 1

YA Historical Fantasy

Music . . .

"You Said" || Hillsong Worship

This one is kind of a throwback, but it had me bawling my eyes out.😭It did years ago as well. So good.💙

Writing update . . .

I've been fairly busy lately, so I haven't gotten in as much writing time as I would like. I'm at roughly 24,000 words (which means my first draft is 25% done). That said, I'm hoping to really settle in and crank out some words after the holidays.🎄

Enjoying . . .

ChapStick Total Hydration Moisture + Tint in pink nude. I've always liked lipstick, but I feel like it's difficult to apply. (Except for that frosted pink Wet & Wild lipstick I had back in the day.😉) So, a tinted moisturizer is a good option for me. Plus, it has "100% naturally sourced ingredients." I always like it when I can find cosmetics that contain ingredients I recognize like sunflower seed oil and jojoba, especially if it's going on my lips. There are varying amounts in articles online of how much chapstick/lip balm/lipstick women ingest in a lifetime, but it's pounds. When you think about it, why would you want to put literal pounds of mystery ingredients on your lips?😝

Life stuff . . .

Husband and I repainted the bathroom, and I am in love. He did a fresh coat of white on the top half of the walls (the bottom half is wood paneling). I painted the yellowish green trim, cabinet, drawers, and door a shade called Garland Green. It's a wee bit darker than a grass green and is giving me Wizard of Oz vibes. I painted the anchor I had on the wall black to match our large gray clock. Then I added a framed picture of a ship at sea. It's a greenish blue & dark and moody. I finished up with a white rug and shower curtain. It feels so adultlike and sophisticated while indulging my whimsical side. Now if only I could find a cool octopus (preferably black) or mermaid (maybe brass) figurine for the window ledge.

I've also been gathering things here and there to turn our smaller dining room into a playroom. Today, I disassembled the desk that was in there. It's now in pieces in our garage. RIP, former writing desk, you served me well. I moved my little shelves and milk crate along that wall. One shelf has board books on it. I bet you couldn't have guessed that!🤣The other has a stuffed animal. The crate I'm planning to fill with plastic toddler building blocks and/or dinosaurs. There's a cute dinosaur pillow on the couch that I picked up at the dollar store and a playpen my husband bought online. Another fun thing I added was a string with tiny clothespins so I can hang up baby pics and eventually artwork. I already have a Thanksgiving card my nephew made us on it. It's so adorable. I can't wait until it feels like a real play space!

Blessings,

J ♡