Happy ‘Words & Wine Down Wednesday’ Folks. I absolutely love doing these Wednesday posts, it doesn’t get any better than venting all my feelings on a keyboard while polishing off my daughter’s wine bottle from Monday night’s Bachelor episode. {sip} Don’t even get me going on what I think of that show. {sip} To prepare for tonight’s read, I decided to go back to my Q & A / Family Calendar post and grab a suitable for wine drinking question. I found a great one. Here is the copy and pasted question:

 I would like to know how you keep focus during chaos and with so many people around. And, this may be a difficult subject, but how do you keep focus and keep on your goals when other people or personalities are getting in your way, sabotaging your efforts, etc.? Thanks and the website looks great! Substantial content, as always!

Whew, where do I begin  … chaos and people? {gulp} First of all, none of this comes easy. It’s definitely a day-to-day process. Secondly, the chaos is going to be there…so is the number of people, at least for a few more years. {gulp} Therefore, acceptance is huge. I remind myself often that I am in control of Tracy, but have very little control of everyone else: how they manage things and their time, how they treat people, and on-and-on. I guess that’s what keeps me focused; I try to make every effort to block out the negative noise, reminding myself that people’s attitudes and moods are only a circumstance of something that is going on in their day or life, not mine. {sip} Training myself to be very conscious of this and having acceptance of myself, my inability to change others, and the circumstances of our current environment has really made a difference. When you have this many bodies and personalities in one household, you have to learn to let many things go, or those things will consume you in a very negative way and sap you of your energy. {swig}

Talking about acceptance and keeping on with my goals: I have to realize that my goals may not necessarily correlate with other family members goals – either for themselves, or what THEY may wish MY goals to be. That is not my problem, that is theirs. {gulp} Now, there is a vice-versa to that, however. I have to accept that I don’t get to necessarily control every one of my family member’s goals, either … even if I BELIEVE I know what is good for them. {sip} A lot of things are very individual and you have to respect that. Obviously when raising children, we clearly do have control over some things. Parents should be in control, to a certain extent. But I think you understand where I am going with this.

When it comes to ‘others’ sabotaging my efforts, that’s not going to happen. {gulp} That window is not open for me. I’m just not willing to let anyone’s negativity, comments, bad mood or laziness control me in that way. In all honesty, if my efforts are sabotaged, that’s MY problem, not theirs. Although we are good at it, do we really get to pass blame on others for our choices?

I really try to practice mindfulness in many areas of my life. It’s not always easy, but staying in the present moment and not judging all this good and bad helps me stay on track with my goals and efforts. If you would like me to do a blog post on practicing ‘mindfulness’, let me know. It certainly can make a difference with how you view yourself, others, how ‘personally’ you take things and, as a result, will improve your relationships.

Dress: Eva Mendes Raya Sweater Dress  |  Shoes: Nine West  |  Handbag: INC International Concepts Mini Crossbody  |  Lipstick: Mesmerizing Magenta  |  Lipliner: Urban Decay, Jilted  |  Nailpolish: Russian Roulette

I want to thank the subscriber for submitting today’s question. It was definitely a good one. Maybe a little more serious than a few of my more recent ‘Words & Wine Down’ posts. But it’s good to mix it up and this was a good topic. I hope you enjoy today’s look. I am absolutely in love with this striped, sweater dress. I was thankful that I ordered two sixes in this dress, as it runs small. If you order it, you may want to order down a size. It’s also on sale right now at a great bargain. When can you get a whole outfit for less than $40? That’s something to raise your glass to. {sip, sip, sip} This dress is also a perfect piece to transition from winter to spring.

I am excited about a couple things coming up on the blog and want to share them with you. In my Q & A, a subscriber asked if I would do a post on journaling. Although I thought what a great post that would make, I don’t personally journal. However, my beautiful 15-year old daughter, Carly, journals pretty much every day. She’s a wonderful writer and soon to be blogger, herself. She has a real gift and a strong message that many young people (and old) could benefit from hearing. She is MY mentor in faith and has a real calling to ministry. Journaling is something very personal and I never discuss with Carly what she journals about, although I have a good idea. I know with confidence that if she wanted to share her thoughts with me, she would. I was skeptical to put her in a position where she could expose her feelings to people she doesn’t even know. But I decided to approach her about writing a blog post on journaling, she happily obliged, and I was thrilled. Friday morning at 8 am EST, Carly’s blog post on journaling will go out on my website. She did the entire post: words, photos, journal recommendations, editing … all with no help from me. I am so proud of her. Watching her grow and evolve into such a fine, young faith-driven lady and using not only the talents, but gifts God gave her is everything I could ask for from any of my girls. There is so many ‘life-skills’ Carly offers in this article she wrote. I hope you take the time to read her post tomorrow morning while you’re drinking your coffee. I certainly know I will be.

I’m thrilled to bring another exciting, upcoming thing that will be taking place on my website. You ladies know how we love to hear about how other women DO things and HANDLE things, in all their busy-ness. As well as how they stay in shape, what they eat, all their beauty secrets, and anything else they may have up their sleeve on this whole aging process. Well, I am happy to know many women just like that; who I find inspiration from. These are REAL women with REAL lives, and I can relate to them. I think you will find that you will too. Once a month, I will be featuring one lovely lady who I believe is a ‘Woman of Inspiration’. I will be interviewing her and finding out all the nitty-gritty’s of her lifestyle, favorite products, exercise regime, hormonal changes, tips, and anything else that she would like to share that could be informative and inspiring to other women as we travel together on this journey of aging beautifully! Stay tuned .. next week I will be introducing you to a beautiful lady who is dear to my heart and I find inspiration from. Guess what, ladies? She has LOST 50 lbs.!!!! Yes, you heard right …. FIVE – O … 50 lbs!!! {gulp, finish up that bottle … you thought I forgot}. If you want to hear all about this particular ‘Woman of Inspiration’, including her journey to looking and feeling better than she did in her forties, it will all be on the blog next week.

Darn $45 fine, anyway!

Today’s Wine Review: Today’s wine is a nice California Zinfandel by Joel Gott. It’s a good, reasonable value for what you are getting. It has aromas of roasted plum and blackberry jam with hints of sweet spices; red fruit flavors and acidity are complemented by a soft, round mouth-feel and a long finish. This would go great with dishes like lasagna, chili, BBQ ribs, or a good, juicy hamburger. A lot of restaurants offer Joel Gott Zins or cabs on their menu.

Joel Gott Zinfandel 2012

Forgot where I parked …. couldn’t possibly be from too much wine! xo

Disclaimer: Beverages containing alcohol are often associated with sharing, pleasure, unwinding, and socializing. However, there are times when drinking at all or too much can be risky to you or to others. This blog post is for light-hearted sharing ONLY! If you are over the age of 21 and choose to drink, please drink responsibly and don’t drink and drive.