"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.