Just a quick note to let you know about a giveaway on my animal blog. Thanking the Monkey is the name of a new book, and I am giving away copies to 3 lucky readers. Be sure to stop by and comment for your change to win!

Baby has given the book 2 paws up so far, and she’s just started reading it! So, if you love animals, and books, be sure to come by for a chance to win!

Pretty purple columbine. One of many new perennials that I got this spring for our garden.

I have always loved columbine flowers, and finally they are growing in our garden! I wish that they bloomed all summer long. As soon as the weather warms up enough I will get my annuals (petunias,snapdragons,cosmos), and then the front garden will be complete and ready to be enjoyed. The back garden is a whole other story, with projects galore in the works. I just hope we can pull them all off!

They say that it takes 21 days of doing something for that thing to become a habit. We all know that habits are easy to keep (or hard to break, however you want to look at it). So, when I read a little tidbit about not complaining for 21 days on Gala’s blog I was intrigued. The idea is simple, don’t complain, or if you do complain offer a solution to the problem right away.

I’m not a big complainer, but I do catch myself doing it more often than I would like to. I tend to think of complaining as a waste of energy, especially when it’s complaints over things that are not in my power to change… but let’s face it, sometimes it feels good, but not for very long.

Taking on the 21 day challenge seems fun. I do believe that thoughts are powerful and since thoughts are the only things we can truly control, it will be a good practice in awareness. For example, do I actually complain more than I think I do? What are the things that I complain the most about? Can I do anything about them, or are they just wasting my energy and happiness?

I really like the idea of thinking of a solution after a complaint, at least that way the complaint can become a catalyst for change instead of a waste of energy. 21 days of no complaints! It will be cool to see what kind of difference it makes. (: