Where was I, again?

Oh, yes, that's right. Three weeks behind in my post is where I am! I get a pass for one of those weeks, since I was a little preoccupied with being in HAWAII and all, but I've let the daily grind get in the way of projects for the other two weeks. However, after making a few adjustments and changes, I'm all caught up!

Week 6: "F" is for floral centerpiece. 

"F" was originally for "frame," as my parents gave us a giant framed print that I decided to use to display one of our wedding photos, but it needs a little sand and stain before it's wall-worthy. I'll just save it for the next "F" week!

Week 7: "G" is for gallery

I finally had some of our pictures printed and put them in Dollar Tree frames to be displayed on our unofficial Wall of Fame. The chalkboard sign is leftover from our wedding decor. 

Week 8: "H" is for hanging necklace display

Slowly, but surely, my jewelry is finding ways to be accessible, instead of being tangled up in a jewelry box. It helps me wear more than just the same three necklaces over and over again!

Phew! It's a little exhausting to play catch-up, but it sure feels good to accomplish things on the ever-growing To Do list. 

What projects have kept you busy these past few weeks? Do you have your "I" task picked out for this coming week? I have no idea what my "I" will be... Fingers crossed I find the motivation to actually get it done this week and not put it off!

A.

Delays, Complications, and Letting It Go

No, I would not call myself a "Frozen" fan, so don't get too excited about the title of this post. Sure, "Let It Go" is a catchy song, but I can only take it in small doses. My heart will always belong to the Disney of my childhood: Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King. .. The gold standards in my book.

What I find myself letting of is the rigidity of self-imposed outlines and due dates for my Pinterest Alphabet projects. I'm late in posting this latest update, I had to change a few projects halfway, and I had to scramble to find a replacement project in one instance. 

But, as I find the silver lining in my chaos, I choose to see all of the madness as another exercise in patience and flexibility. Turn the negative thought into a positive one, so to speak. And I find that when I approach a situation from that perspective, I'm much less stressed and am better able to move forward, instead to staying "stuck" and wallowing in my misery.

The point is, I'm still getting stuff done! Here are my latest project adventures:

1. "C" is for chalkboard (AND coffee table!)

A two-in-one week! The chalkboard was an old frame from Goodwill that I painted white, and then added a piece of wood covered in chalkboard paint to create a little message center in my home. The plan is to put up an inspiring thought or idea up each week so that when I'm getting ready to head out the door, I'm stepping out into the world with the right attitude. The coffee table is an ongoing project that is almost near completion! Husband sanded it from top to bottom, and I'm finishing up the final coats of stain and finish before we can bring it back inside. Whew! Busy!

2. "D" is for door wreath

This is an old project that I'm giving myself credit for now, since the original "D" Week project has not yet been completed. The wreath was a Goodwill find, and I added the clip-on flowers bought at Michaels (with coupons, naturally) to spruce it up. Not a bad winter wreath, if I say so myself! 

3. "E" is for earring display

I have a bunch of jewelry just sitting in little boxes, and I have all this space on my bedroom wall without any decor... So I just turned my earrings into a wall hanging! The embroidery hoop was found at Goodwill, and the lace fabric was on super sale at Joann's. Now my earrings are much more accessible than they used to be, and my walls aren't so bare anymore. Win-win!

Phew! All kinds of projects, and I've still got some in-process (the original "D" week idea is giving me some trouble, but hopefully I'll have a break-through soon). What has kept you busy? Or, what roadblocks are you coming up against, and how are you tackling them? 

I'd love to hear your ideas!

A.

"B" yourself...

Well, shoot. I failed once again to get my "B" Week post up on Sunday. 

"C" Week is already halfway done, and I haven't even picked a project yet.

Where does the time go???

The "old" me (and I'm thinking maybe 5-10 years ago) would have gone crazy by this point; my inner perfectionist would be furious that I haven't been sticking exactly to the plan I laid out for myself. Then, I would feel frustrated, and disappointed, and discouraged, and then I would decide to just give up. Scrap the whole thing and pretend like it was never a good idea to begin with. And while this whole Pinterest Alphabet thing I've set up for myself to help me spend my evenings in a more productive manner isn't really a huge deal, the old me would have treated it like a Big Deal.

It's really only been in the last year or so that I've stopped being so hard on myself, both in the "big deals" and the Big Deals. I'm starting to get to a place where I'm much more comfortable with myself, where I actually embrace my mistakes and see them as opportunities for improvement instead of beating myself up for being anything less than perfect. "Old" me found it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to ever admit that I made mistakes, in any regard, and it's something that I'm still working on. I'm discovering that it feels waaaaaay better to recognize my limits and respect them, instead of trying to pretend like I can do everything. 

So, I messed up. I forgot to post on Sunday. My bad.

But, the thing to celebrate is that I DID complete a "B" Week project! I turned an old shoebox into a basket, which actually was immediately useful to hold some toiletries that I put out for our dog-sitter while Husband and I were out of town this past weekend. 

Not too shabby, eh? Amazing what some twine and leftover ribbon from wedding presents can do to an old container!

I've got a good plan for a "C" Week project... one that I've been wanting to tackle for a few months now. Look for my next post to see how I update a Goodwill treasure into a space for inspiration and motivation! 

(It'll make sense when you see it.)

A.

Pinterest Alphabet, Week 1: "A" is for...

Hi there!

Yes, I know, this post is late. But at least my "A" project itself was finished by Sunday night (my self-imposed project deadline for each week)! Sticking to my deadline for posting each week's result (also Sunday night) is a work in progress, but hey, I'm doing it now before this week is half-over. 

One change at a time. :)

So, last week, I decided to kick off this Pinterest Alphabet game with an "A" themed project. And, the winner was... an "admit one" shadow box with all of my old ticket stubs! My favorite part about this project is that I now have one less pile of stuff sitting on the floor of my guest room. Don't worry! I still have many other piles to sort through, so I won't be running out of organization-based projects anytime soon. 

Here it is!

Now, anytime I have a new stub that I want to keep, I can just place it in here and keep growing the collection. I guess that means Husband and I need to add some concerts and events to our calendar! :)

Since I'm already well into Week 2 - a "B" week - I need to pick a new project. I think I know which one I want to tackle, but we'll just have to wait and see how this week goes... I might have to find a less intensive project, since I'm planing on heading out to the coast for the weekend. Yes, that's what we do in Oregon; rain or shine, we'll still head out to the beach for a quick break from the 'Burb life. I'll bring a rain coat, but like a true Oregonian, I'll leave my umbrella at home!  

Look for my next post to see which "B"-themed project makes the cut! In the meantime, I'd love to know what your "A" task was. Did having a theme help you decide which Pin to try out first? I know it helped me narrow down my options!

Good luck with your "B"!

A.

A New Year

Whew! 

Another year has passed, and a new one greets us. Although, 2014 seemed to go by a lot faster than 2013... I think a few months were skipped there. At least it feels that way. I don't know about you, but I'm torn between the sense that a lot was accomplished this past year (for us, it included buying a house, buying a new car, and me starting a new job that brings me more professional satisfaction than anything I've done up to this point in my life), and the nagging feeling that I could have done more (eat better, exercise more, start some updates on the house, blog with some level of consistency, read more books). Part of me blames my inner perfectionist, but I think it really just comes down to the idea that I want to get as much out of this life as I can. Time seems to be moving at the speed of light these days, and it doesn't make sense to waste a moment of it.

So, with that in mind, I would like to make some changes this year. I won't call them resolutions, because that word always seems to set up my best intentions for utter failure. But, I would like some things to be different this time around... less idle time that doesn't seem to ever accomplish anything, and more time spent on meaningful endeavors. 

Here's my approach (which I'm surprised was so shocking to me once I realize it's the same advice I give my Early Intervention families at work): fit my aspirations into my already existing routines. It doesn't sound that radical when I write it down, but I'm hoping it works better than my customary attempts to overhaul everything I'm doing to make lasting lifestyle changes - which never last beyond a few weeks at best. 

For example: I love Pinterest. LOVE IT. I am so addicted to scrolling through all those fabulous ideas and repinning them with the conviction that I will obviously try it later when I have more time. Honestly, I've pinned thousands of different things, and have accomplished maybe 20 of them - and that's likely an overestimated number. Pinterest is a HUGE time suck for me, but I keep doing it because it is so entertaining! I like to collect and categorize and sort all those wonderful ideas, but it's rare that I actually do something with the information I've assembled. 

So, in this Year of Action and Purpose for me, I'm turning my Pinterest addiction into a game - I'm calling it The Pinterest Alphabet, and I'm inviting you all to play with me. Since my usual routine typically involves me hanging out at home most week nights, I figured I could be working on some projects while I'm watching TV, instead of just mindlessly sitting there. And since I've already got a list of projects to choose from on Pinterest, my first hurdle is deciding which one gets to be the inaugural project! Hence, The Pinterest Alphabet comes to my rescue. 

Since this week is the first full week of the new year, it gets the first letter in the English alphabet: A. Which means I have to pick a pin from Pinterest (that I've already pinned - I don't really need to go searching for more at this time, since the whole idea is to use what I've already got) that starts with the letter "A". In this case, I found two options already on my Crafts board: arm knitting a scarf, or assembling an "admit one" shadow box for all of my old ticket stubs from concerts and games that are currently sitting in a pile on the floor of our guest room. 

Here's the beautiful thing, though: whichever option I don't pick this week, I can do later this year during the 27th week. Since the alphabet has 26 letters, and each year has 52 weeks, each letter gets two opportunities for projects. 

Which one will I pick for this week? I'll let you know Sunday, when I share a photo of the finished product. 

But, what I really want to know is which project will YOU pick this week? Which new craft, or skill, or hobby will represent your "A" week this week? You have until Sunday to complete it, because Monday is the beginning of "B" week!

Ready... set... GO!

A.

Friday Freebies!

Happy Friday!

The husband and I are about to head out to not one, but TWO birthday celebrations tonight! And then we're off to the beach tomorrow to stay at my grandmother's condo for the rest of the weekend. So I wanted to get this post out really quickly before we get going!

Freebie #1: https://everymove.org/ORmoves
A website that encourages you to get active for a cause of your choosing through Oregon Moves, a partnership between EveryMove and LifeWise Health Plan of Oregon. I love how easy it is to track your activities, knowing that each "active day" you achieve leads to a $1 donation by LifeWise to a good cause. I'm sweating for PlayWorks - what will you choose to get active for?

Freebie #2: Purina Pro Plan's Run for Rescues partnership with MapMyFitness
For those specifically wanting to get active for an animal-focused cause: If you sign up (for free) for MapMyFitness (mapymyfitness.com), you can also sign up (for free) to join the Run for Rescues group, which will donate 10,000 meals to animal rescue groups if 1 million running miles are logged. You have to hurry on this one - this challenge ends on October 28th!

Freebie #3: Free 3-day trial at The Xtreme Edge Gym in Beaverton, OR (http://www.theedgegym.com/)
A plug for my local gym. The staff are very welcoming, and the group classes are super fun. If you happen to live in the area, it's worth checking out. There's something for everyone!

Freebie #4: Free McDonald's Fries!
For those living in either Oregon or SW Washington: If you download the McDonald's app, and the Portland Trail Blazers score 100 or more points when playing at home, you get a coupon for free fries at McDonald's! You don't even have to attend the game to take advantage of this. (Let it be known that while I do not think it's a good idea to eat fast food on a regular basis, I do have a soft spot for McDonald's fries and will definitely be treating myself to this deal!)

Freebie #5: Free admission days at local Portland, Oregon museums
I missed out on sharing information with everyone about the Smithsonian-sponsored Museum Day Live (free admission) to museums around the country, but The Oregonian is saving my butt on this one and shared a list of free admission days to the following Portland-area museums. (If you live outside of Portland, visit freemuseumday.org to see what's available near you!)
*The International Rose Test Garden - always free
*The Oregon Historical Society - free for Multnomah County residents
*Portland Art Museum - free on the fourth Friday each month from  5- 8 pm (kids 17 and younger are always free)
*Portland Children's Museum - free on the first Friday each month from 4 - 8 pm
A more complete list is available at freemuseumday.org/pdx.html

That's all for today, folks! Make sure you stop by next week to see what's next on the list!

A.

I'm still here!

Hello, Internet!

I know my blog has been quiet for some time now... but no more! I'm back!

(You've all been very worried, I'm sure.)

My life has been full of ups and downs during the past few months... I started a new job that I absolutely LOVE, but we also weren't able to keep Dexter, our second dog. After a week, we realized that we couldn't give him the intensive training that he really needed to make him comfortable around ALL people, and not just our immediate family. We returned him to the shelter with heavy hearts and tears in our eyes, but we know there's someone out there who can give him the home he needs. So, for now, we're content to be a family of three.

Our house continues to be a work in progress. It was move-in ready when we purchased it, but now that I'm living in it and settling in, I've started a list of all the things that I would love to update - hardwood floors, expanding/re-doing the backyard, re-painting the walls and ceiling a new color, and so on. It would have been so much easier to do all of this in the beginning, but it's taken me a while to learn the feel and flow of the house and how our family fits into it. I don't know if anyone else has this experience with their home, but it's definitely been my journey. However, I'm sure just about everyone can relate to the budget issue playing a role in home updates... scraping together enough money to tackle one big project at a time. Plus, living in the Northwest certainly limits our ability to complete outdoor projects for most of the year (although we are having a very lovely streak of warm weather, even in October!).

My goal here is not to make excuses, but to remind myself that it's perfectly alright that I haven't yet completed every project on our to-do list.

One step at a time, right?

It's also my goal to hold myself more accountable to this blog, trying to make Tuesdays and Fridays my "blogging days." I feel bad that I missed out on sharing some more freebies with all of you - free coffee at McDonald's, free admissions to local museums, free admission to national parks... oops! Don't worry - I've got a new list to share with you this Friday. :)

See you then!

A.