Sunday Inspiration No. 3

I love productive days that go on and on but you aren't exhausted by everything at dinner time. Saturday was just one of those days. I got all of my errands and grocery shopping done in the morning, got a donation load ready to go from my closet and donated some toys to our littlest neighbour from the playroom. And there is still Sunday to relax and do more!

I don't know about you but doing more on a weekend rather than lounging around makes the days off more satisfying.

Here are some links to browse for your weekend:

I bought a bottle of Sriracha today. And I'm going to make this spicy popcorn for game night with Jeremy.

My beautiful friend Vivienne has created this video about self-portraiture.

Poppytalk has posted some pictures of new releases IKEA has for February.
I want these 2:

I think these origami hearts would be perfect with a Hersey Kiss inside for the boys' classmates this year.

I love the look of hanging plants but I never water them and then they die. Maybe this trick is worth a shot.

Playful Post

If you haven't already, please hop on over to the collaborative photo blog, Focus on Everyday, I contribute to with my friend Gabi. This week our prompt is playful.

Sunday Inspiration No. 2

I've been under the weather all of this week and have spent the majority of my time working in my "home office" (this consists of me sitting in bed with my laptop on my knees and cooking shows playing in the background).

In between e-mails and calls, I took a few quizzes. Accordingly I discovered that I have a vocabulary of 24,800 words, talk like I am from Florida and should be living in Barcelona. Interesting...

Take the New York Times Dialect Quiz.

How many words do you know? Test your vocabulary.

What city should you live in? Find out here.

Oh and I discovered how much I love and miss knitting! I made the cutest bear cowl for a friend's daughter this weekend. Now it is time to go through my stash of yarn and see what else I can make.

Some lovely wool went from This:

 To That:

36 Things Before I Turn 37

Okay, here it is! I didn't go to pie in the sky as I only have half a year left until my birthday. BUT, there are no limits placed on my 37 things before 38.

Sunday Inspiration No. 1

Here are a few things I found around the internet this week that I think are pretty neat.

How to write a note to your sweetheart.

Birthday in a Can - Darien really wanted a survival in a can kit for Christmas but Santa waited to long to order it. His birthday is just around the corner and I will make him one instead.

Overnight Oatmeal - I used to do this but stopped for some reason... I think these will taste even better by using cute jars just like they do.

This quote (click on image to go the owner's Etsy shop):

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I discovered this project about an artist who collaborates with honey bees and I have now added The Jealous Curator to my blog feed.

I'm No Longer Turning 35 BUT...

Shortly after my 34th birthday I made a list of goals to complete before I turned 35. I made the list but didn't revisit it or make plans to accomplish the items on it. Now here I am approaching 37 and I think it is about time to see how I did! I am updating the goals where needed and adding a few more to make my 36 things before I turn 37 list.

1. Run 1/2 Marathon - I injured myself and am getting back into running this year. UPDATED goal: run a 10 KM race before birthday.
2. Open Etsy Shop - Complete! (but I haven't listed anything for sale so not really). UPDATED goal: list 1 item for sale.
3. Be fit and healthy - Does it count if I got there and then through injury and job changes put my health on the backburner? No? Didn't think so. This one stays as is!
4. Visit Anthropologie - I am honestly a little afraid to go to this store; afraid of what it could do to my bank account. UPDATED goal: go to Anthropologie and spend no more than $40
5.  Get Passport - COMPLETE!
6. Family Vacation - COMPLETE! Shuswap Lake
7. Decorate House - Always a work in progress. This wasn't a very specific goal. I will revise to say finish organizing play room.
8. Get FMP - COMPLETE!
9. Go to Wildplay - I think this is going to be my request for a birthday date.
10. DSLR Camera - COMPLETE!
11. Declutter - Another constant. To add a measurable aspect to this goal: I will organize my closet.
12. Go to a concert - COMPLETE! Rogers Waters The Wall
13. Bike up hill to house - COMPLETE! Full disclosure, this wasn't the same hill or house as the one I created the goal around but I still biked up a hill by my house.
14. Run for the Cure with Connor - COMPLETE!
15. Teach Darien to swim and bike - COMPLETE!
16. Dresses for Meg and Jess - Long story but this one will not be completed and will be replaced.
17. Only eat dark chocolate - NOPE!! Another replacement for this silly goal is required.
18. Take more pictures of the boys - COMPLETE! Some may say I should scale back.
19. Photography Course or Challenge - COMPLETE X 2!
20. Design original item to sell - This one is going to be tied in with item number 2.
21. Knit a blanket for home - UPDATED goal: finish scarf I have been knitting since last summer.
22. Blog once a week - A good one to keep on here. That would mean I have to blog 29 times before my birthday.
23. No computer games - I love me a good game of Majong while procrastinating between e-mails. It is a good brain cleanser. READ - goal not met and it is being replaced.
24. Swim Laps - COMPLETE!
25. Nurture Friendships - COMPLETE! I am still an introvert at heart but have made more effort to be social.
26. No magazines for 1 year - COMPLETE!
27. New towels - COMPLETE!
28. New sports bras - COMPLETE!
29. Knit sweater for Jeremy - I am not sure what I was thinking here. He hates sweaters and wouldn't wear it. A replacement goal is required.
30. Send birthday cards to friends - UPDATED goal: call or send a personal e-mail to friends. I think cards are expensive and unnecessary unless they are homemade.
31. Get varicose vein checked out - in addition to this, get that physical out of the way.
32. Host a dinner party - COMPLETE!
33. Own a bathing suit I love - COMPLETE!
34. More family adventures - COMPLETE!

Not too bad when you consider I wasn't actively pursuing these goals. I made a list and hoped for the best. This time I am going to:

• Make goals that excite me and that I really want to do.
• Post my list where I will see it on a daily basis (if not multiple times per day)
• Make a plan on how I will reach each goal.
• Pick 2 goals each month to really focus on (especially if they are based on new habits) so I don't feel overwhelmed.

 My list of 36 things before I turn 37 will be posted soon!

Patience

Well hello there my neglected blog, how are you? I will not indulge in excuses or explanations, this is just to say I am here and will come back as often as I can.

It is a New Year and I have picked a word to guide me through it. One that I will refer back to each day when making decisions or when I need a helping hand to continue in the right direction.

Patience

                         the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering 

                                                without getting angry or upset

I will practice patience:

• with myself, especiallly when I stumble working towards my goals
• with my children
• with my husband
• with my co-workers
• with fellow drivers on my commutes (this might be the most challenging one!)

  I also have 3 goals I want to accomplish by the end of this year:

•  Run a 10 km race in under 1 hour (my best time is 53:42 and that was over 3 years ago, time to get back into it)
• Complete my Project Life album. Changing jobs has created a gap in my pages, I am going to be PATIENT with myself and let the lapse go and continue on as I can.
• Play a new song on the piano - but not just being able to pluck out the notes; it has to be AWESOME.

I Did It

Over a month ago I talked about being Scared, scared of starting a new job.

Today I started that new job and couldn't be happier. It was the right decision.

More to come on this new adventure and how it is going to bring my balance to my life and exciting new challenges for my career. But for now, my brain is drained from new information overload.