I think I'm back.  I just spent some time updating the look and my info so at least one new post is called for.  I'm still alive, still married and still have pups and hoard paper.  There have definitely been some changes - both good and bad - but life continues on and I'm still doing my best to enjoy the ride.  A girls' weekend (me and the pups) is beginning, so I'm sure I'll be back again soon to share what's going on here while we embrace the beginning of fall and the rhythm of a new season.

Looking for new ways to keep myself organized...

Calendar organization, post-it note abuse and endless lists everywhere are things I struggle with every day.  I am always looking for something that will help me find a better way to keep my days and thoughts organized in a way that makes sense for me.  While reading this blog post on Marcy Penner/Hello Forever's blog, I clicked over to Bullet Journaling.  I'm intrigued after watching the video.  I like that it's a mish-mash of calendar items/lists/to do things. I like that it is not pre-printed and that it looks like it will work with the stream-of-conciousness note making that I tend to get stuck in.  I'm going to do a little more exploring of the site and pull one of my many, many, many journal/moleskine books out to try this system out.

If there's anyone actually reading this blog (LOL!) and you have some tips to share for keeping track of the millions of thoughts and lists and ideas you may have, I'd love to hear them!

2014 Week 7...

Ummm...more and more and more snow.  And to make it even more fun...a now broken snowplow so it's all shoveling all the time until there's a warmer day to work on it.  Good times here in Central Massachusetts.  Another good stock market week making that huge project bearable (and thankfully it's almost done).  Lots of good food.  And an excellent shopping trip - $37 of stuff for $9!  I had coupons for almost everything I bought and they took them all!

Finished my second book of the year - Six Years by Harlan Coben.  Great read!  Trying to decide what to start next.

2014 Week 6...

Snow, longer days, snow, a surprise for my sister (tickets to see Bret Michaels a few days after her birthday), snow and some baking.  A good week for us in the stock market made the HUGE project I'm working on a little more bearable.

2014 Week 5...catching up slowly...

Another long week, but at least it wasn't freezing!  Disappointing...very disappointing...football game to end the season.  We didn't even watch the entire game for the first time in years.  And yes, I managed to get my garlic to turn blue!  It was promptly removed from the roast in the crockpot even though it's safe.  Yuck.

2014 Week 4...really late...

Weather is the big deal this week - ridiculously cold and snowy and just no fun.  But the big tray of nana's mac and cheese from my cousin was an awesome surprise!

2014 Week 3...a little late...

A lot of life happening in the past 10 days, a long, girls' weekend away and snow storms.  

It makes me feel like I've accomplished something when I get the photos off my phone and onto my computer.  Making this weekly collage is becoming a favorite routine now.

Next routine to build on - printing the photos!

2014 Week 2...

An expensive week - oil delivery and new tires for my car (and just realized yesterday we need propane too...ugh), but overall a good one.  Missing a couple pictures from John, but I am trying to get a good schedule groove going, so I'm posting without (Sorry John!).

2014 Week 1...

A good week to start the year.  Blizzard.  Extra day off.  Relaxing.  Good food.  Time with friends. 

Snow day...

The office is closed today and I'm spending the day relaxing on the couch with Miss Olive (who is not fond of sharing space), playing on the iPad, trying to find something...anything...on TV to watch and enjoying the beautiful view out my window.  We only ended up with 5" of snow instead of the foot that was predicted and that is wonderful!  It is, however, absolutely ridiculously cold outside (below zero wind chills and single digit temperatures), so we are bundled up and staying in today.  

Currently

January...

Setting goals for this week, this month, this year.

Finishing the last of the holiday treats and leftovers.

Reading Dan Brown's Inferno.  

Becoming very introspective and lost in my own head as I try to get things on the track I'd like to travel.

Wearing black pants every day with a turtleneck because I am totally predictable and uninspired.

Making more lists than I'll ever be able to get through...but embracing the need to do write things down.

Feeling hopeful, anxious, loved, blessed, cursed and approximately 329,456 other emotions.

Watching whatever is on the DVR and waiting for the new seasons to begin.

Loving the clean slate feeling that the new year brings.

Addicted to goofing off on the iPad (the ultimate time suck) and playing many games of WordScramble.

Enjoying the process of dreaming and planning and setting a new course for this life.

Planning my birthday trip to see the wild horses of Chincoteague and the Outer Banks.

Wishing for this year to be the year that is more good than sad.

Listening to Miss Olive snore.

Playing with some new fun photography apps.

Welcome 2014...

image property of Michelle Bond

Let the journey begin...

December 10...

A little treat while watching some fun holiday shows!  I think maybe I should have had my own peanut butter whoopie pie instead of splitting it. It was so good!

(And with this I have finally hit 150 posts!)

December 8 (cont'd) and 9...

This is how Saturday night ended.  John was hit and run as he was pulling into our driveway!  The person never slowed down and passed him on the left as he was turning.  Hit the tire (so lucky it was a little closer to the door) and destroyed the front end.  John tried to follow them, but the car couldn't go anywhere with the front end hanging off.  People suck.  A lot.  So there will now be lots of fun figuring transportation out and unexpected bills because it's coming out of our insurance.  Sigh...  

The only silver lining I could come up with - because John had to be at the airsoft training class he organized, I couldn't make it to my dad's house to help the siblings clean out the little bit of furniture there.  We all agreed that I would have been too emotional about it anyway and it was for the best.  I've more than made up for missing this over the past few years.  I'm feeling pretty sad about the house now being empty and kind of dread going there again to see it that way.  It's been a long time coming, but it's too soon if you know what I mean.

December 9 - I used a little bit of my Holiday Bonus from work to splurge on some fun things for me (there were 2 great coupons that I just couldn't pass up) from Kiehl's and Studio Calico.  Now even though life is more than a little crazy I'll have a couple deliveries to look forward to.  

And can I say how happy I am that I am actually keeping up with my December Daily photos!  And they are all actually printed off too!  Hopefully next weekend will have some free time for me to work on the album.  I bought the Studio Calico December Daily kit this year - love, love, love the album and the papers and the stamps (ok all of it!) - and have got the Ali Edwards 4x6 pages all printed out and ready to go.  I just need to do a little decorating, a little stamping and some journaling.

December 5, 6, 7 and ...

December 5 - My first "scratch & sniff" holiday card!  Rub the tree and it smells like the tree!  Love it! (Thank you T&B!)

December 6 - Looking forward to using this stamp set!  New Year's Eve plans have been made - dinner at Mexicali Grill with drinks at home.

December 7 - Brought out John's festive holiday mug for the season!

December 8 - Shopping for one of the kids in the families we adopted at work.  Fun and stressful (because I want to make them happy) at the same time.

December 3 and 4...

December 3 - I bought these pretty plants for me and my pod mates to bring a little holiday cheer to our desks.

Love this homemade glittery card from my in-laws!

December 2...

Today we kicked off the holiday season with our annual tradition of breakfast at Annie's and going to the Festival of Giving Trees.  Each year we try to win a tree and support the fundraising efforts of this great cause.  We'll be waiting by the phone this afternoon for that call to come and get a tree... fingers crossed!

December 1...

A relaxing day spent at home watching the big, fluffy snowflakes fall all morning and the birds swarming (and emptying) the feeders.  Lots of printing of papers and printables for my December Daily/Journal Your Christmas album and starting the 25 Days class at Studio Calico.  Life is good today.

Enjoying summer and crossing things off the list...

It's been a busy summer at work and dealing with taking care of/trying to sell my dad's house, but I have been really good about working toward crossing things off the summer bucket list...

Go kayaking 4 times

Build the deck and set up the canopy and sit outside…often - The deck is underway and should be done in the next couple weeks.  We are both so excited to get this all set up and are planning mornings with coffee outside and cocktails and friends at night.  Might be the best addition to the house yet!

Go to the ocean and get my feet wet and sandy

Grow some veggies and herbs and use them

Have a yard sale (August 11) - Lots of purging taking place for this.  This Saturday I'm getting together with the girls to start organizing/pricing all of our scrapbook stuff that we're selling.  This week is placing the newspaper ads.

Take a hike or two

Go. See. Do.

Read 6 books – preferably outside on the deck with coffee! - Done!  Just started book 7 and some of the reading has been outside with a beverage or two. :)  This is the most I've read in a long time.

Go on a picnic with wine and cheese and bread

Eat salad at least once a week – try new ones - Not doing well with this one.  I've fallen in love with ground pork taco salad and that's all I want lately!  

Learn how to grill fish

Lobster.  Melted Butter.  Ocean View.

At least one weekend road trip to somewhere with John

Make fruit salad - While no actual salad has been made, I've eaten lots of watermelon and summer fruit.

Pick berries

Have a fire and make s’mores

Go camping (in the camper even if it's not completely done) - The man is planning this today!  This will also take care of the s'mores too. 

So there you have it!  This terrible procrastinator and failure at crossing things off my lists is making progress and feeling so good about it!  No panic attacks that it's almost the end of July and I've done nothing "summery".  We've gone out for ice cream for dinner twice this summer so far and are looking forward to doing it again.  

I need to post some pictures soon.  I have a TON of Instagram pictures to share.  I hope everyone is enjoying their summer too!

Summer...

Summer is here and I've been inspired by Ali Edwards and other bloggers to make a "Summer Manifesto" to remind me what it is I want to really do this season.  Summer always seems to get here so quick (spring is just a blip) and then I blink and its fall.  I miss those days when I was a kid and summer seemed to last forever.  I want to try to get that feeling again.  So here's my plan for Summer 2012...

Go kayaking 4 times

Build the deck and set up the canopy and sit outside…often

Go to the ocean and get my feet wet and sandy

Grow some veggies and herbs and use them

Have a yard sale (August 11)

Take a hike or two

Go. See. Do.

Read 6 books – preferably outside on the deck with coffee!

Go on a picnic with wine and cheese and bread

Eat salad at least once a week – try new ones

Learn how to grill fish

Lobster.  Melted Butter.  Ocean View.

At least one weekend road trip to somewhere with John

Make fruit salad

Pick berries

Have a fire and make s’mores

Go camping (in the camper even if it's not completely done)

I tried to make the list something that could be done in the 93 days we count for summer.  I've already started a new book and the veggies are started too.  The deck plan is done and next weekend the shopping for supplies begins.  I'm off to a good start.