2.19.2015

{Lovely Pins} Falling in love with Pinterest again…

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 images (clockwise from top left): 1, 2, 3, 4

Three years ago I, along with many women out there, became completely obsessed with Pinterest.  (Above you will find a few of my very first pins for your viewing pleasure.)  If I didn’t check it several times daily, I would have a panic attack.  What if I missed something!?!  Then somewhere along the way it felt like a chore to keep up and eventually I was going weeks (yes you read that right, WEEKS!) without checking it.  Recently, needing some inspiration for a project, I started pinning again and I feel like I’m falling in love with Pinterest all over again.

(Yikes, this is starting to sound like a cheesy romance novel…moving on…)

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images (clockwise from top left): 1, 2, 3, 4

So anyway, all this was my long way of saying, get ready for some new lovely pins because I’m finding all kinds of them!  (If you don’t want to wait, you can just follow along as I pin here too.)  I’ve been pinning a lot of kitchens…this new job has me thinking about all the fun things I want to do ours to make it more me (I mean us!).

Well that’s it for today.  I hope you all have a lovely rest of the week!

1.15.2015

2015 Goals in Progress

Photo Jan 14, 1 24 48 PM

 

So we’ve all made it a few weeks in to the new year.  This is about the time that those resolutions, or in my case goals,  can start to go out the window.  I thought I would check back in right away to hold myself a little accountable, and then maybe I’ll see where I’m at in a few months or so.  Let’s see how I’m doing!

1) Drink more water: So far, so so…keep working on it.

2) Cook more – eat out less: I’ve kind of been a massive failure at this one.  We’ve been sick for most of the new year and I’ve just had no desire to cook.

3) Eat regular meals: This one has been going pretty well for the most part.  Although, I slack a bit on days that I’m really busy.

4) Try one new healthy recipe bi-weekly: Doing well so far…it’s one of the few meals I’ve actually cooked.

5) Read 4 books in 2015: 1 down, 3 to go.

6) Be grateful everyday for everything I’ve been blessed with and try not to complain too much: Definitely doing well with this one!

7) Try to be more positive and less negative: And, also this one!  Yay!

8) Play piano several times per week:  Haven’t played once.  :/

9) Go to 3 concerts in 2015: Working on it.

10) MORE PHOTOS: I styled some desk shots yesterday.  I forgot how much fun these can be…must do more!  :)

11) Take one creative online class per month: Working on it.

12) Start scheduling my time better: Doing well so far!

13) Stop overextending myself: Working on it.

14) Take one online class per month that is related to my profession: Working on it.

15) Organize my work life and keep it organized: Not doing great, but I’m not giving up.

16) Start using my office again: Haven’t yet…new goal, clean office so I actually want to work in there.  It’s a mess!!!

17) Create a chore chart: Done!  I’ve accomplished about half of the chores on my chart.  I’m blaming it on the sinus infection I’ve been fighting for weeks for not completing them all!  :)

18) Organize EVERYTHING: Working on it.

19) Get rid of things we don’t use/need: In progress.

20) Set aside one day a month to do something fun with my husband, just the two of us: We’re leaving town this weekend, so I’m on track with this one so far!

21) Try to get together with friends for a night out once a month: We have some fun stuff with friends planned this weekend, so doing well here too so far.

22) Spend more time with my sister (and just family in general): We did do dinner and a movie with my sister and her boyfriend one night and I’ve done some shopping and dinners with her as well.  I really want to take a little day trip with her coming up too, so hopefully that will work out.

23) Plan more get togethers with my friends throughout the year: I have a few things in mind, but haven’t put anything into action yet.

24) Go someplace new with my husband (doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive) 2 times in 2015: No plans yet.

25) Evaluate this list monthly to see how I’m doing: Done!

How are you all doing with your resolutions and goals so far?

 

1.2.2015

New Year, New Blog

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Happy 2015 blog friends!  I have a little bit of time off this week, so I decided to do something I’ve been wanting to do for years…switch from Blogger to WordPress.  I tried once, but I got so confused I gave up.  This time it was a breeze!  I decided to do something a little more modern and clean, so all of my old posts unfortunately look hideous and out of place (mostly photos).  I don’t really care though because I guess it shows how my style has evolved throughout the years.  I welcome any suggestions and comments regarding widgets or anything else that you’ve found has made your WordPress experience better.

Well that’s it for me today, but I’m super excited to dive into this year and this new blog space!

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12.29.2014

Goals for 2015

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Hi everybody!  It hasn’t been a week yet and I’m back!  Hopefully I’ll be able to keep this up in 2015!  I mentioned last Friday that I’ve been thinking a lot about 2015.  2014 was a great year, but I did feel pretty overwhelmed for a good portion of it.  I’m hoping that with some changes and goal setting, 2015 will be one of our best years yet.  I could have gone on and on, but I narrowed my goals for 2015 down (yes, this actually is a narrowed down list) to the list below.  It’s pretty long, but I think it’s very doable.  Everything on it will genuinely make me happier and make my life easier.
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Personal Health & Mental Well Being:

1) Drink more water…I’m usually ok about this (could be better), but over the holidays I barely drank any.  I also drank way too much soda in it’s place, so out with the soda too!

2) Cook more – eat out less…again, was really good about this, but the last quarter of the year I was too busy and as result never felt like cooking.

3) Eat regular meals…this has always been a challenge for me.

4) Try one new healthy recipe bi-weekly…I seem to just make the same stuff all the time.  It would be nice to add in a little more variety.

5) Read 4 books in 2015…I love reading, but I never do it.

6) Be grateful everyday for everything I’ve been blessed with and try not to complain too much.

7) Try to be more positive and less negative.

8) Play piano several times per week…I was playing almost everyday, but again, I got too busy.

9) Go to 3 concerts in 2015.

10) MORE PHOTOS…Compared to years prior, I barely took any pictures in 2014.  I want to not only take more pictures in 2015, but I want to take better pictures.  I also want to start making it a priority to print and do something with them.

11) Take one creative online class per month…I think this will be a really important one to keep me inspired.

12) Start scheduling my time better.

Work

Career:

13) Stop overextending myself…I took on WAY too much at the end of 2014 and it made it impossible for me to keep up (the way I would like to) with my personal life.  In 2015, I need to find a better balance, which may mean letting something go.

14) Take one online class per month that is related to my profession.

15) Organize my work life and keep it organized…no surprise here that I work better if I’m nice and organized.

16) Start using my office again…I’ve gotten sloppy and work from my couch far too often.  It’s not good for my focus or my body.

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Home Life:

17) Create a chore chart…I’ve never done this before and I think it would be really helpful for us.

18) Organize EVERYTHING…We’ve lived in our house for a while now and all the organizing I did at the beginning is coming undone.  Time to get back on track.

19) Get rid of things we don’t use/need…too much clutter!

Relationships

Finally on to the most important ones…

Relationships:

20) Set aside one day a month to do something fun with my husband, just the two of us.

21) Try to get together with friends for a night out once a month.

22) Spend more time with my sister (and just family in general).

23) Plan more get togethers with my friends throughout the year.

24) Go someplace new with my husband (doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive) 2 times in 2015.

And 25) Evaluate this list monthly to see how I’m doing.

Well there is my list.  Are you busy thinking up goals for 2015?

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12.26.2014

Out with the old year, in with the new..

Hi everybody!  I hope you all had a lovely Christmas!  With the little bit of down time I’ve had this week, I’ve been reflecting on the year that has past and thinking about the year to come.  This past year has brought some stuff that I didn’t expect, but it still was a great year.  I thought that during the holidays this year we would be either celebrating with our new baby or celebrating being pregnant.  Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.  I didn’t think that my career would go in the direction it did, but it has been really rewarding and I’m excited to see where it goes.

I always get excited for a new year.  There isn’t really anything that changes from December 31st to January 1st, but it always feels like a fresh start.  I hope that this will be a year of exciting things for my little family, but I also want to work on myself over the next 12 months.  I think it’s always important to be improving yourself whenever you can.
Well I need to get back to some quality family time, but I hope to be back on here soon to talk plans for 2015.  It’s nice to get it in writing! I hope you all have a fantastic day!
12.11.2014

Anyone still there?

Based on my stats, apparently you still are!  I never meant to give up blogging, but then my life got in the way.  What has been going on in the last 8 months?  Well here are the Cliff’s Notes…I turned 31.  Found out that I have some fertility issues…officially been trying for a cute little one of our own for 13 months now.  Kind of started a company with my sister.  Fell into a job opportunity…then fell again which currently leaves me with 3 jobs (4 if I were actually dedicating myself properly to my sister and my venture as well).  So, after all that and wanting to still have some personal time, blogging slowly became a distant object in my rear view mirror.  BUT, I’m not giving up just yet.  I love this blog and all the opportunities and personal growth it has given me, but this little blog of mine definitely needs a new direction.  As I figure out exactly what direction that is, I hope you all will bear with me.

3.28.2014

{Scrumptious} Oat Bars

Happy Friday everybody!  It’s not often that I post a recipe, but this one is just too good not to share.  One of my favorite snacks as a kid were those inexpensive Honey Oat granola bars you could buy at the grocery store, so when I first tried the Oat Bar at Starbucks several years ago during my first trip to visit Jason in Vancouver, I was hooked. 
They are obviously much more delicious then their inexpensive grocery store version, but there is one major problem…I can’t get them here!  They are only sold at the Starbucks in B.C. Canada, so when I had a major craving for one the other day I started doing some googling.  Apparently, they originated from a bakery on Vancouver Island, hence the reason they are only sold in B.C.

I found that the recipes varied greatly, so I just took bits and pieces from a bunch of them to try to create the one that sounded the most accurate to me.  What I ended up with is not only just as delicious as the Starbucks version, it might actually be better.  I hope you all enjoy it as much as me! 

Oat Bars

Ingredients:
- 3 cups organic quick oats
- 1/2 tsp salt     
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup 
- 1/4 cup liquid honey
- 1/3 cup organic light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla

Cooking Instructions:

In a large non-stick pot melt the butter over medium heat.  Next add the brown sugar, syrup, honey, and vanilla.  Allow mixture to get slightly bubbly, and then add the salt and oatmeal.  Many of the recipes I found added cinnamon.  I love cinnamon and tried it both ways but personally didn’t like the addition to this particular recipe.  If you would like to add cinnamon, you could add up to 1 tsp at this point.  Keep over heat for another minute or two stirring constantly (do not let burn).  Then remove from heat and pour mixture into an 8×8 pan sprayed with cooking spray.  Press down firmly, allow to cool completely, and then cut and enjoy.  
3.7.2014

{Freebie} Balloon Girl Desktop Background

Happy Friday everybody!  It’s been a while since I did a background freebie for you, so I thought I would cap off the week with this fun one.  The watercolor illustration was done by my lovely and talented sister Katie.  Be on the lookout for more collaborations between the two of us in the coming months.  We have some pretty fun stuff in the works.

Have a lovely weekend!

 

2.28.2014

{Floral Fix} Decorate With Flowers

Photo Credits: Decorate With Flowers and Janis Nicolay
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I’ve had a long love affair with flowers.  Rarely does a week go by that I’m not loading my house up with flowers, so when I got the opportunity to help here and there with Holly and Leslie’s new book Decorate With Flowers, I was ecstatic.  In fact the very first project Holly gave me was book research.  As you can imagine, I was in heaven.  Then last fall, I got the opportunity to go assist with some of the shoots for the book.  It was such a great experience, one I hope I get to relive often, and it only deepened my love of flowers.  
On this cold dreary day, I’m dreaming of flowers and spring (Oh my gosh, spring get here!), so I thought I’d share some flowers with you all to brighten your Friday.  If you want to see the beautiful photos that resulted from the arranging above, you can pre-order Decorate With Flowers here. 
Have a lovely weekend everybody!