Contented Hustle and Bustle

It's that time of year.  Everyone is running around, decorating, shopping, cooking/baking... I am no different.  Every year I think I'm going to get my shopping done sooner than the year before, and now I'm trying to squeeze it in to a fairly busy week.  And honestly... I'm not that stressed!  I do have moments where I realize all that I'm trying to do and I have a little freak out, but I'm just so happy that I have stuff to do!
There is finally work for me to do in the basement!  Sanding and painting and helping to put up walls!  So now I know that work can be done every day.  It just feels like we're in the final week or two, and I can be a bigger part of that.  It's exciting that I may have a big project done soon.  Plus the decorating is what I'm really looking forward to.  :)
I'm also attempting to finish my Christmas shopping by Friday.  (When I agreed to this I forgot how crazy busy it's going to be for 'Black Friday' sales.)  I always have a huge list of people... over 20 on average, and I love to buy something that absolutely reminds me of my friends and family, which kind of puts some pressure on me.  Or I kind of put pressure on myself.  Not to mention baking thirty to forty cupcakes tomorrow night. (But Bones isn't new, so what else do I have to do?)
And somehow I've found a base of calm in all this.  I think part of that is from an e-mail I got the other day.  It was about how gratitude can actually cut down on stress.  If you get stressed out, or frustrated, or resentful of something in your life, stop and say out loud a few things that you're thankful for.  If for example, you're stressed out by the people you live with, stop and say out loud, "Lord, thank you for my family and that they're always there for me, even when they drive me crazy."  Or if the house is too messy, "Thank you that I have a roof over my head, even if I can't see the floor."  They did research on this, and with the group that tried it, they found that they were 53% less stressed.  Don't ask how you quantify stress into a percentage... I'm really not sure.  But wouldn't you love half of the stress in your life to be gone?  I personally tried this a couple of times last night and felt much lighter, so feel free to give it a shot.
Remember that enjoying the moments and making the memories is what you want to take into the future, not stress.  And let me say, if I haven't said it before, thank you so much for joining me in our little blog meetings.  I'm assured that there are people reading this, even if sometimes I wonder.  So thanks, because you're reading this means you're interested in what I have to say, and that is both amazing and humbling.  Hoping you find some contentment in your hustle and bustle my friends.
<3 Kayla