September 29, 2014

Lately...

I spent this weekend at a lake house getaway with four other friends. Yes, it was heavenly. Look at that view!










It's a good think I like my family so much or I just might've stowed away to stay there forever!


How was your weekend?






September 22, 2014

Writing/Daily Schedule



I'm insanely curious about how people schedule their days; I love seeing how others operate. Now that school is in full swing, I thought it'd be fun to share how I've been scheduling my three alone-time days. Obviously it never goes this perfect, but this is my aim:

Early Morning:
Morning routine, fix lunches. You'd think by now I'd have learned to fix lunches the night before but nope, I do it each morning.

Drop son off at school. My husband takes our daughter. Our eldest is in college.

Write and breakfast at my desk. I find that if I take coffee and breakfast to my desk; I get started right away. Don't worry, I set my coffee on a separate table not to chance ruining my laptop. I often write while standing up to keep myself from being seated too long during the day. I try to rock back and forth to add a little movement.

Mid-Morning:  
Walk/feed dog, get ready. After writing awhile, I need a break. Walking my dog is refreshing for both of us. I'm trying to make this a habit every day.
  
Walking usually revives my thoughts and puts them into some kind of order so I'm able to return to my desk with new vigor.

Noon: 
Lunch. I step away and go to the kitchen for lunch. Sometimes I check emails and social media or sometimes I just soak up the quiet. It's my reward for getting writing done.

Early Afternoon:
Housework (or errands). Clutter gets to me after awhile and it feels good to get things picked up before everyone gets home. If we've had a busy week, this is especially nice. Then I write or edit a little more.

Afternoon:   
Pick up kids from school, aka reading time! The schools let out just enough apart that I have a good amount of waiting at each place ~ perfect for catching up on my favorite book of the moment.

Evening:
From this point on, my focus is on family. Usually I'm fixing dinner or helping people with homework or just enjoying time together. I often get a little more writing/editing/painting done in the evenings when everyone is occupied with other things.


What's your schedule like? What would your ideal day be?




September 19, 2014

What I'm...




What I'm doing...helping kids with school projects.

What I'm reading...I Quit Sugar.

What I'm thinking...boundaries and how I'm learning to set them.

What I'm eating...toast with real butter.

What I'm dreaming...a revamp of my website.


What are you doing, reading, thinking, eating or dreaming today?



September 15, 2014

What I'm Working On...




It's been rainy and cool here which always seems to help my creative process. I'm not sure of why that is, but it just does. I create better/more often in the winter months.

This girl is a little something I've been working on lately. There is definitely some fall inspiration here, but since it's not quite a full-fledged fall, she's still in shorts.

Wishing you a great start to your Monday!

September 12, 2014

Book Baby Shower



My friends and I threw a book baby shower a little while back for a sweet friend. We had so much fun playing around with the book theme. I've been meaning to post these for awhile.








Wishing you a happy day!



September 10, 2014

How Am I Doing without Sugar? Well...


So I've managed to make it two and a half weeks with almost no sugar. But the other day I picked up a smoothie for my hubby because he wasn't feeling good and ended up getting myself one too. I only drank about half. Not long after, I felt sooooo tired. I thought I was going to have to lay down. I literally felt drugged and my mind was all befuddled, I couldn't think clearly.

Up until that point, I hadn't thought I'd seen any progress with the no-sugar perks. But when that happened, it dawned on me how energetic I've felt lately and how my mind has not been muddy like it used to be. I'd always chalked up my cloudy mind to thyroid issues, but now I'm really wondering if it's the sugar!

From that afternoon on, I've found a renewed reason to avoid sugar ~ to avoid that drugged, super-sleepy, cloudy-minded, yucky feeling. That was awful.

I also checked out the book, I Quit Sugar, from the library to see if it was something I'd like to have. It came in just when I needed some new recipes and guidance about how to do this. So far, I'm really enjoying the book.

What about you, would you consider giving up sugar? Do you think I'm nuts?




September 8, 2014

Thrift Store Loot


My daughter took me to a new antique thrift store she'd discovered recently, and we had the best time browsing together. I'm not an avid shopper, but get me in the thrift shop and I'm raring to go!

I LOVE these adorable white boots! I'll probably pair them with skirts but I think they'd be just as fun with jeans.


And these black boots (does it really surprise you I bought two pairs? I can't resist BOOTS!) are so edgy with a side of cool. I may live in them (if my daughter doesn't swipe them from me).


This purse was actually the first thing that caught my eye. I'm not a big purse person. I like looking at them, but I'm happy to carry the same purse for years (please don't call the fashion police). But this one was the perfect size with a big splash color and leather-ish skin, which means durable. For someone who keeps a purse for years, durable is kind of important.

That's my loot! Have you found anything cool recently?



September 5, 2014

Top Ten Picks of the Week



I thought it'd be fun to make a roundup of my top ten picks of the week: books, movies, articles or whatever. So here goes:

1. This web mini-series adapted from Jane Eyre was just what I needed after my last show ended. I haven't watched all of it, but so far it is full of amazing acting and a great story! Absolutely love the two main characters in this.

2. This book about boundaries came highly recommended and now I'll highly recommend it. Easy to read; it helped me see problems I have in communicating and how to better that.

3. This post about what Christians should stop saying.

4.  This easy art project. It's adorable and cool at the same time.

5. This free online personality test. The descriptions they gave were eeirly spot on. (Being a little obsessive, I took it twice to be sure.)

6. These photos. An interesting idea, although I wouldn't want to participate, ha.

7. This post on how to improve your writing. It's simple, but that's what I liked about it.

8. This organization, helping many around the world.

9. This lyrical story, written for children but beautiful enough for everyone.

10. This movie, which in my humble opinion, happily lived up to the book.


Do you  have a favorite I should see, do, read, or listen to?



September 3, 2014

Lately...


Life has slowed down lately and we're getting into a rhythm. Slow. Rhythm. Two words I like very much. This photo is a Stevia plant I bought in the Spring. It's still alive. This is a miracle for me; I tend to be a plant killer.




I cut my hair awhile back. I just couldn't take it; think I'm a forever short hair gal. The back is shorter than the front. I have these little wings of a curl on my ears. I kept straightening them down attempting to reign them in and I've finally given up. I'll just "go with the curl" as my niece adviced. :)




This photo is a major throwback, about twelve years ago; it sits in my kitchen window. We were at a friend's rehearsal dinner and I can still remember how delicious the food was! Isn't it funny what sticks out in your mind?



And of course, what would a September be without a pumpkin spice latte. I'm searching for a sugar-free one; but I may let myself have a regular one this mo. I've been (mostly) sugar free for ten days now. That's mind-boggling for a sweet lover like myself. I made some peanut butter cookies last night with no sugar and my family actually LIKED them! So I may be onto something.

September 1, 2014

Five September Goals



This upcoming season is my favorite of the whole year! I love the explosion of colorful leaves, the cooler weather, the cuddling and hot drinks. It just all feels so homey. Sweet, beloved, autumn.

But first let's see how well I did last month:

1. Read Show Your Work and get super inspired!  I did! And it lived up so much. I may re-read it this month just to let it soak in further. I highly recommend this book!

2. Paint three new paintings (at least!).  Three was a good number because I accomplished that no problem. {Here are a few of them}I really hoped to do much more, but with my kids starting school that didn't happen.

3. Add one new movement to my day. Yes! Honestly I figured yoga would be the new movement, but dog-walking ended up being my most consistent activity! It's good for me and good for Ron Weasley (my dog).

4. Go on an adventure to see the blue whale.  I didn't get to the blue whale this month. The heat rose incredibly around the time we were going to go and no one wanted to visit in the melting heat. Maybe when it's cooler...

5. Open a business bank account. Done! I don't know why I was procrastinating this, it was painless. The lady at the bank was so fun, we just clicked. I ended up staying there awhile because we were chatting so much. May've made a new friend in the process!


It seems 4/5 may be my groove, ha. But that's better than zero, right?

Now, on to September!

1. Find a no-sugar recipe for Pumpkin Spice latte, or pumpkin bread (or pumpkin anything). I'm trying to break my sugar addiction so I'd like to have some options when my favorite foods tempt me.

2. Write 5000 words on a secret project. I haven't written much in the last few years except for here on the blog. There was a time I was writing a LOT but then needed to let go of it for a season (or several) for other priorities. Now, I'm free to pursue writing again and I've been enjoying it!

3. Read The Goldfinch. I've heard great reviews about this book. I love a story I can lose myself in! I limit my fiction reading because I'm obsessive on finishing a book once I start it. But sometimes I indulge my love of fiction and this is one I want indulge! 

4. Put my books back on bookshelves. Since we had work done on our house in the Spring, I still haven't put all my books back. I've reduced my library quite a bit, but still have a few boxes of books I need to go through or put up.

5. Paint three more paintings (or more!). I'm really hoping I'll have time for much more than three, but we'll see. :)


What are you hoping to do in September?

{See August's goals here and October's goals here}