Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Resolutions revisited

Wow, this month has absolutely flown by. Sometimes I have so many thoughts in my head: projects to do, techniques to try, writing topics to explore, books to read, crevices to clean out. There is never enough time in the day (even when I extend my day into the wee hours of the next day!)

Here's an update on my resolutions, because after blogging here about them, I feel like I have a certain amount of accountablity, and because accountability helps keep us on track with our goals, right?!


  1. Doodle more--ehh, not so much
  2. Read more---read The Glass Castle, started The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, and have a piles of crochet, knitting, living creatively, drawing, and design books on my nightstand and throughout the stUdio
  3. Create more--created 8 layouts so far this year, not monumental but it's a start, working on something creative everyday: knitting, painting, cards, sewing
  4. Open an etsy shoppe--signed up for an etsy account; still working out that little problem of what to sell
  5. Get organized, clean out, simplify, declutter--came up with a list of 52 projects for each week of 20-ten, checked off four so far
  6. Be more efficient, so that maybe I can get to bed at a decent hour--it's a work in progress :)
  7. Blog more--oh, how I've missed this happy little place {I've still not lost hope that I will catch up my 2009 blog posts}-- this one is just not working out, yet
  8. Do a photo a day, this one is destined to fail, just being realistic here, but I'm ok with that bit of imperfection: some is better than none at all--resigned to creating a layout a month recapping our month in one way or another.
  9. Sew more, got a cool new calendar that will help me with this one--I've definitely been using my sewing machine more, though not just for fabric.
  10. Knit more, and maybe something besides a scarf!--working on two scarf projects; thank goodness for that parent pick-up line!, and knitting group starts tonight.

Well, January is off to a pretty good start.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

A day in the life

I know I should be going to bed because it is after 1am, but I've decided to *slurp* my 2007/08 blog to blurb for printing, so while it loads I have time to post a little Day in My Life. I like to document the details of our life; someday I know I will love looking back on them. Here goes:
7:30 wake up, take shower and get dressed
8:00 give boys breakfast, make lunches, pack backpacks
8:30 hustle L & C out the door to bus stop
8:45 take M to swim class and knit while he swims
9:30 help M dry off and change
9:45 go to grocery store and do weekly shopping
10:45 unload and unpack groceries
11:00 eat lunch with M
11:30 brush M's teeth and pack him up for school
11:45 pick up carpool friend and drive boys to school
11:55 sit in looping line and knit
12:10 go to music store and pick up lesson book for L
12:25 pick up contacts at eye doctors
12:35 return books to library
12:45 volunteer in L's class for writing block
1:30 head home to pick up house, organize stUdio a bit and talk with sister while she drives home from work
2:15 drive to preschool to get M and friend
2:25 sit in VERY long looping line
2:53 drop of carpool friend and head to BJ's
3:35 back home to unload again, give M a snack prep dinner and wait for buses
4:00 L arrives home
4:05 C arrives home
4:10 oversee homework, dish out snack, make dinner
5:00 play Lego builder game with boys, and get up periodically to cook dinner
6:00 dinner is taking far longer than I thought to cook
6:15 rush through dinner so L can go to guitar lessons
6:35 clean up dinner dishes and reorganize game cupboard with C & M
7:00 head upstairs for showers, jammies, brushing
7:30 read books to C & M
8:00 talk with L as he gets ready for bed
8:15 retreat to stUdio to finish organizing, blogging, emailing, blogging, writing, sketching, blurbing, and blogging this post.
1:25 brush teeth, wash face and collapse into bed

One more thing

before I head to bed:

You are the artist and your life is your art.

Aren't those amazing words to live by?

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

My One Little Word

Possibilities.

as in no limits,
anything is possible,
the sky's the limit

Our aspirations are our possibilities ~Samuel Johnson

If we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless. ~Jamie Paolinetti

Live a life inspired. Dream with possibility.

You are your possibilities. ~Oprah Winfrey

Nothing expands possibilities like unleashed imagination. ~William Arthur Ward

Stop thinking in terms of limitations and start thinking in terms of possibilities. ~Terry Josephson

We all have possibilities we don't know about. We can do things we don't even dream we can do. ~Dale Carnegie


So, my word for 2010 is possibilities. If you want help choosing a word to be your companion in 2010, to fuel your fire, to keep you on track to being the best you you can be this year, check out Christine Kane's short video and Word Discovery Tool.

Remember Today 1.5.09

{remember} M crawling into the dryer, completely into the dryer, to get his pajamas tonight. Went to get my camera and he climbed out before I could get back--he's onto my camera antics.

{remember} finally outsmarting the chill in my stUdio by plugging in the space heater. I couldn't take another night of crawling into bed, too cold to create, and rotting my brain on Mtv's Jersey Shore (of all things--hey, if you're going to rot your brain out, this is the quickest, most efficient way to do it!).One night of that is plenty for my lifetime.

{remember} realizing that I am not taking enough photos this year--none yesterday and today.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Remember Today 1.4.09

{remember} how genuinely happy Maddox was to be going back to school after the holiday break, and how thrilled he was to have his teacher back from a medical leave ("I saw a blue sweater when I walked in the door, and I looked up and it was Mrs. Wentworth!!" He was so cute describing their reunion)

{remember} how Camden didn't want to go back to school, and when his bus was a tad late, he used the time to try to convince me that he could do his learning at home and see his friends on playdates--nice try, bud!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Remember Today 1.3.09

{remember} getting this little one up on skates for the first time. This is the one and only photo as I had my hands full holding him up the entire rest of the time!
{remember} the boys finding the joy in saving money--I hope they are starting to learn that money that burns a hole in your pocket usually doesn't buy anything worthwhile.

{remember} receiving these little treasures from my Auntie--she thinks she gave them to the boys, but really they're for me (maybe I'll share...have to think about it)
{remember} the first family game night of 2010--some Connect Four, a bit of UNO, and the latest Neddo craze: Scrabble (don't mind our lame three and four letter words!)

Friday, January 1, 2010

Hello 2010!

Ahh, I just love a new year, don't you? The fresh blank page of a brandy new calendar itching with the promise of the possibilities that lie ahead. Possibilities is my word for this year. It is hard for me to narrow it down to just one little word; I've several others I want to pay close attention to this year: create, dream, learn, love, live {in the moment}, time, efficient, do, organize. But possibilities holds so much... well. possibility. So yes, 2010 will be a year of possibility for me, filled with dreaming and wishing, big scoops of creating, heaps of learning, loads of love, a spattering of efficiency, and hopefully a sprinkling of organization.
Here's what's on my list of goals for 2010 {and in absolutely random, stream of consciousness order!}:

  1. Doodle more

  2. Read more--I think I'll start with this one:

  3. Create more

  4. Open an etsy shoppe--yikes, that just kind of slipped out here; I would love to do this, but have no earthly idea of what I'd sell.

  5. Get organized, clean out, simplify, declutter

  6. Be more efficient--so that maybe I can get to bed at a decent hour

  7. Blog more--oh, how I've missed this happy little place {I've still not lost hope that I will catch up my 2009 blog posts}

  8. Do a photo a day--this one is destined to fail, just being realistic here, but I'm ok with that bit of imperfection: some is better than none at all.

  9. Sew more--got a cool new calendar that will help me with this one.

  10. Knit more--and maybe something besides a scarf!

  11. Wash my face EVERY night--I know, ick, but I'm horrible at this.


I'm keeping this open b/c I know more will come to me, probably tomorrow morning in the shower.

Just two more random things:

  1. Two sites I'll be keeping an eye on in 2010: notebookdoodles and A Collection a Day
  2. And I really, REALLY want one of these

Here's to a year filled with possibilities! Happy New Year!!

Remember Today 1.1.10

{remember} catching half an early episode of Grey's Anatomy in the middle of the day and stopping to watch it while sipping a steaming mug of chai--it's all about the little things.

{remember} the excitement in my little guy's face as he watches the Bruins score the winning goal in overtime of the Winter Classic.

{remember} the possibilities that a new year holds.