30 Day challenge update

My summer is not going exactly as planned. I am struggling with feeling like I'm not taking enough advantage of my time off. I feel like I should be doing something productive all the time, or adequately enjoying my time off, and instead I have been sitting around the house, mostly bored. I don't really know what to do to remedy this. We do have a beach vacation coming up that I am looking forward to. Maybe that will help me feel like I am in more of a summer state of mind instead of just feeling lazy.

Here is my journal page for today, day 16:

The prompt for the 30 Days of Journaling challenge was a scavenger hunt! We were supposed to find everything on the list, but I was only able to find 8/12 items. Here is the list: something red, a dictionary definition, a map, a footnote, a ticket stub, a postmarked stamp, a business card, something with a circle on it, a piece of a security envelope, a name tag, an illustration of a chihuahua, the header of your favorite blog.

I did have fun searching all over the house for the things I did find.

The prompt for 30 Days of Doodles was to pick your favorite shape and fill your page with ONLY that shape. I guess I didn't exactly follow the prompt, because there is writing on my page, but that's what happens when you try to combine two challenges.

And now I'm off to go clean my craft room. Not exactly the kind of productive task I want to be filling my time with, but something that has to be done.

More catching up

Oops. Got a little behind. But I'm all caught up now! Which means a picture-heavy post.

Day 10:

The 30 Days of Journaling prompt was to illustrate your all time favorite song. I can never pick just one favorite song. This is a line from one of my favorite John Mayer songs, Love Song for No One.

The 30 Days of Doodles prompt was to doodle a picture of a project you want to try. I really want to paint a quote or song lyrics on a huge board, like this. I absolutely love the huge impact it makes.

Day 11:

The 30 Days of Journaling prompt was what is your heart full of? These days, with wedding plans at the front of my mind, my heart is full of love for my fiance and everything he does for me, and how lucky I am to have found him. Or for him to have found me.

The 30 Days of Doodles prompt was to doodle your favorite quote. I adore this quote, and it's definitely how I feel about my fiance. But I ran out of room for the last line, which is "I've been looking for you."

Day 12:

The 30 Days of Journaling prompt was to completely fill your page with line design.

The 30 Days of Doodles prompt was to write your to-do list, with drawings around the edges. My only "to-do" for Sunday was to clean the house, and I managed to get it done, so yay!

Day 13:

The 30 Days of Journaling prompt was to draw a simple family tree. I really like how this turned out.

The 30 Days of Doodles prompt was a "scribble experiment." Draw lines around your paper randomly, then color in the "holes."

Day 14:

The 30 Days of Journaling prompt was to write your favorite quote. Except I mixed up the days. So I did day 15 on this day, which was to list some of your needs and wants, which was a little harder than I thought it might be. It can be hard to distinguish between your needs and wants sometimes.

The 30 Days of Doodles prompt was to draw your own zentangle. This is supposed to be relaxing and meditative, but it wasn't for me!

Day 15:

So the 30 Days of Journaling prompt for day 14 (which I did on day 15) was to write your favorite quote. Since I did my favorite the other day for the doodle challenge, I did another favorite quote, from Conan O'Brien. He said this during his last days on NBC. I loved it when I saw him say it on the show, and I still love it. It's so true.

The 30 Days of Doodles prompt for day 15 was to doodle your favorite photo. Here is the photo I chose:

This is a recent picture of my sister and I, and I love it. I'm a little surprised I can tell who I drew in the doodle. I'm terrible at drawing people. I think it helps that we were both wearing huge sunglasses, so I didn't have to draw eyes, which is where I always mess up.

Annnnnd there we go. All caught up. Again.

Late addition

Just finished my journal page for today, and I like it.

The 30 Days of Journaling prompt was to completely fill your page with something random. "Leave your pen in your desk today and find beauty in everyday things around you." I'm not sure how random my page is, and I couldn't completely leave the pen in my desk, but I did use something besides my pen and colored pencils.

The 30 Days of Doodles prompt was to draw your dream house. Well I cut out my dream house. I did pull out the pen to doodle in some details, including a cat (which we don't have, and probably never will, because my fiance is just not a cat person), and our dog. Love my little house!

I did cook that sloppy joe casserole, and I'm off to enjoy it now. Oh, and more good news came: fiance is off all weekend! Glad today is ending on an upswing!

Roller coaster

Goodness. Today has been a roller coaster day, for sure.

Up: We sold my car! For more than we thought we'd get for it! I'm so relieved; I really thought it would take longer to sell it.

Down: We immediately got into a fender bender. With a concrete pole in the parking lot. My fiance was driving, and he was busy looking for a parking spot, and somehow completely overlooked the concrete pole directly in front of him. We're both fine, but I'm a little (okay a lot) sore. I was busy playing with the game I got in my Sonic kid's meal, so I was caught completely off-guard. The bumper and grill of the truck look horrible, but it's completely fixable, and that's what insurance is for, right? I just can't believe it happened right after we sold the "extra" car.

And then another up: My fiance found out he got the job transfer he applied for. He'll be working for the same place, but will have a different job/title, with a quicker possibility of moving to first shift (he works second shift now, and has since before I met him). We aren't sure how quickly he'll be able to move to first shift, but if he had stayed in his current position it wouldn't have happened for at least ten years, if not more, so we're excited about this opportunity. On first shift, he'll also work fewer overtime hours and fewer weekends. I get to see my fiance in the daytime! And spend time with him! I'm so happy about this.

And let's hope the day stops there, on that upswing. No more downswings allowed.

Here are my journal entries for the past two days. I've not yet done the entry for today, but it should be a fun one.

Day 7:

The 30 Days of Journaling prompt was to write a love letter to someone. I, um, chose books. Obviously there are lots of people I could have written a love letter to, but I've had so much time to read so far this summer, and I'm in love with all of the books I've read lately!

The 30 Days of Doodles prompt was to draw your dream room. One day I will have a library in my home. A whole room dedicated to books, with a comfy couch or chair for reading, and a huge window or two to let the sunshine in. Perfection!

Day 8:

The 30 Days of Journaling prompt was to write what you would put into a time capsule that won't be opened for 100 years. This was hard!

The 30 Days of Doodles prompt was to write your name in a cool font. I don't know how "cool" the font I used is, but I was feeling a little uninspired.

And now I'm going to cook supper (sloppy joe casserole), work on today's journal entry, and then finish up a wedding project I've been working on for way too long. And maybe go to bed early tonight, because I am feeling super worn out from today.

Catch-up

I've been slacking on posting my entries for the two challenges, so here is a catch-up post (not to be confused with a ketchup post).

Day 2:

The 30 Days of Journaling prompt was to create 3-5 goals for yourself for this journal challenge.

The 30 Days of Doodles prompt was to draw your favorite flower. I'm not sure what type of flower this is supposed to be, but it's my favorite flower to draw, if that counts.

Day 3:

The 30 Days of Journaling prompt was to write at least five things you want to do in June.

The 30 Days of Doodles prompt was to draw three objects near you (in case it's not clear, I drew a remote, a few colored pencils, and a candle).

Day 4:

The 30 Days of Journaling prompt was what you wish you wore. I am super short and not so skinny. I always wish I could wear the cute maxi dresses that look so comfy for summer, but they would drag the ground by a few feet if I tried to wear them. Also, I'm never comfortable in mini skirts or bikinis, but I adore the way they look on everyone else.

The 30 Days of Doodles prompt was to draw what your power would be if you were a superhero, as well as what your "outfit" would look like. I tried to draw myself flying through the air and I wasn't happy with it, but that would be my power. And, a super simple outfit for me.

Day 5:

The 30 Days of Journaling prompt was your summer traditions. This is my first year working in a school system (I'm a Speech Language Pathologist), so this year I am hoping to create some new summer traditions to carry on every year. So far, they're pretty simple.

The 30 days of Doodles prompt was to draw your favorite outfit, or what you wore today. My fiance was actually off work Sunday, so we went out for a boat ride. We took the pup. It was only her second time on the boat. She really enjoys the ride, but is not a fan of the water or swimming. Anyhow, I obviously wore my bathing suit that day.

Day 6:

The 30 Days of Journaling prompt yesterday was to write a love letter to yourself. I don't know if this counts as a love letter; it's more of a reminder. With this first summer off (well, first "paid" summer off), I'm trying to learn the balance between relaxing and being too lazy.

The 30 Days of Doodles prompt was to draw your pet(s). I drew the pup, Peri. I have a hard time getting my doggy doodles to look like her. She's a Jack Russell, but when I draw her she always seems to look like a chihuahua.

So now I am all caught up. I will do today's entries this evening and take pictures and post them hopefully tomorrow. I'm really enjoying both challenges, and I like the look I've sort of stumbled into, with the black pen and a few colored pencils. Looking forward to the rest of the month's prompts!

Summer Journaling

So I'm attempting Janel's 30 day journal challenge again this year. I also found a fun 30 day doodle challenge, so I'm going to attempt to combine the two into one journal. We'll see how that goes.

Here's my cover:

And day one for both challenges:

Janel's journal prompt was an introduction page, and the doodle prompt was a self portrait. This is how I look today. Chubby, hair up and messy, old t-shirt and too-short shorts.

What I didn't include: alternately runny/stuffy nose, tissues, and the giant piece of cake I ate for "supper."

Summertiiiiiime

and the livin's easy...

Here are some recent flickr faves that make me think of summer.

1. Summer / Sunset / Photography, 2. 015, 3. Guardando verso l'azzurro, 4. Bicycle, 5. Finally the summer is coming ♥, 6. LRedit-9603, 7. r's bed, 8. Untitled, 9. Untitled, 10. Mindfulness (Explore), 11. margherite., 12. 109/365

The name game

Found a fun little survey thing on Nora's blog.

1. How did your parents decide on your name? My mom has just said that she knew a girl in high school with my name, spelled slightly differently, and she always liked it. She also told me that my dad chose my middle name because he wanted me to have his initials. He passed away when I was very young, so I've always liked knowing we share the same initials because that's the way he wanted it.
2. Do your initials (First, Middle, Last) spell out anything fun/funny? Nope. My first and last initials are B.M., but that's not even remotely funny. Neither are grown-ass people who feel the need to point it out.
3. Did you take your middle name from childhood or did you take your maiden name as your middle name? (If unmarried, what do you plan to do?) How timely. I plan to keep my middle name from childhood. I think if there were no males in my family to carry on the last name, it might feel more important to me to keep my maiden name as my middle name. But I have a few male cousins, so no big deal.
4. Are you or will you name your children thematically (ie. same first letter, all of the same origin...)? I don't plan on any themes.
5. Did you decide on baby names as a little girl? Did you stick to them or change your mind? Is middle school considered "little girl"? I had a whole list of names I used to carry around with me. I don't think any of them are the same as what I like anymore, except for my dad's name.
6. Does your family have any names that have been passed down through generations? None that I'm aware of. Maybe I'll start that trend when I have children, because a few of the names I'd like to use are family names.
7. Do you look at the meaning of the name or just the name itself? I don't pay attention to name meanings. I just like what I think sounds good.
8. Do you name pets with human names (Sally, Henry) or with pet names (Fluffy, Mr. Bo Bo)? Mostly human names. Pets in the past have been Charlie, Mac, Eddie. Current pets are P.J. and Peri. I did have a kitten named Puppy once (and P.J. stands for Puppy, Jr., although he's not Puppy's son...).
9. Are there any names that you have an affinity or dislike for based on a childhood experience/someone you once knew? Have you ever worked at a daycare? Because there are plenty of names I wouldn't consider using on my own children because of experiences with children at the daycare where I worked.
10. What are some of your favorite names? Why? I think I just realized I like 80's girls names. Meredith, Mallory, Natalie... are those 80's names? I'm not sure. I just like that style.

So... that happened

So, you know how I mentioned in my latest report card that I will be planning the party of the decade in 2012?

Get ready for some wedding talk.

Late! Report Card

I've been the worst blogger. Here is my report card for 11 in '11 in February (now that March is 1/3 over...)

• Keep saving $100 a month: A+ I saved $100 last month, and I put my entire federal tax refund into savings as well.
  
• Start an Etsy store: C I really have done nothing else here, and that's sad.
  
• Try a new recipe every month: F I left this as N/A last month, but I did end up trying a new recipe. It wasn't great, and I didn't make anything new in February. I haven't been cooking much at all, actually.
  
• Send birthday cards: A+ My sister was the only February birthday, and I sent her a whole birthday package.
  
• Finish every project: F I... don't know if I even started any projects in February. But I still haven't completed those January projects, so, uh...
  
• Read 12 books: A+ I read 3 books in February and finished another on March 1, so technically I read 3 and most of a fourth book.
  
• Spend more time outside: B, It's been gorgeous here lately, and I have been spending lots more time outside. I imagine when the time changes and there's a lot of daylight left when I get home from work, I'll spend even more time out there.
  
• Keep one houseplant alive: N/A Still haven't decided what plant to get.
  
• Walk 365 miles: F Oh yeah, that. I probably should take this goal off.
  
• Throw a party: N/A Still not yet. But I will be throwing the party of the decade in 2012. Stick around til the next post to hear about it!
  
• Date night every month: A+, We had another date day, and it was the best. Bike riding by the river, sitting by the dam for a rest, then frozen yogurt before heading home? Perfection. And he was responsible for all of it.

Areas to improve:

• I don't think I'll be walking 365 miles this year. I did get a bike, though, for our 2nd anniversary, and I want to start riding it regularly. Maybe I'll keep up with miles on it.
• The Etsy store. If I want to do that, I should, well, do it.
• Trying a new recipe. I just kind of fell out of like with cooking. I did buy a new recipe book, so hopefully I'll try a few things in there. It's hard to get motivated to cook when I eat by myself (because the boy works at night).

Overall:

C Yikes.

Report Card

I think I will try to post an 11 in ’11 update each month, report card style, to keep myself on track. So here goes:

• Keep saving $100 a month: A-, because I did save the $100, but I had some extra I could have saved this month and did not, so that extra was whittled away, spent on silly little things (but also some good things, like dinners out with friends)
  
• Start an Etsy store: B, because I have begun the process but really could have done more
  
• Try a new recipe every month: N/A yet, because I have the new recipe and all of the ingredients. I plan to make it tomorrow night
  
• Send birthday cards: A+, because I sent birthday cards to the 2 friends with January birthdays
  
• Finish every project: C, because out of two projects I began in January, one is complete and the other is about 75% complete, staring at me from a prominent spot in the living room
  
• Read 12 books: A, because I finished one book and will have another finished before this month is over
  
• Spend more time outside: D, because I need to do better, but it’s cooooold!
  
• Keep one houseplant alive: N/A, because I haven’t yet found The One
  
• Walk 365 miles: F, because I have walked on the treadmill exactly twice this month, ugh
  
• Throw a party: N/A, because, not yet. But I have definitely put a lot of thought into exactly what kind of party I want to throw this year
  
• Date night every month: A+, because we had Date DAY Sunday, and it was such a great day, and I can’t wait to have the next one!

Areas to improve:

• I definitely need to make more of an effort to get time on the treadmill. The days that I did it, I just came home and immediately changed into walking clothes. I didn’t give myself time to sit down or try to talk myself out of it, so I think that’s the key. I think 365 miles is still doable, because while I am only walking .5-1 mile at a time right now, I am hoping to build up my stamina and be able to walk much longer distances. I know, I am beyond out of shape. It’s pathetic.
  
• I need to get outside more, I know this. I really will, once it gets a little warmer outside. I do love sitting outside on the porch swing, just not when it’s 30-40 degrees outside.
  
• I need to begin the search for The Houseplant. The One I am going to keep alive all year. Such a lofty goal.

So there you have it. I think overall I’d give myself a C+/B-. Anyone else make goals for 2011 that you want to report on? Make me feel better about my less than stellar grades!

flickr favorites

Some of my recent flickr favorites. Love.

1. {5/365}, 2. Don't Jump!, 3. Waiter, Check Please!, 4. Room with a view, 5. hello winter, 6. New Mantle Artwork, 7. waking dream, 8. 005, 9. 2011, 10. [3/31] Book., 11. Untitled, 12. Untitled, 13. 神光之女, 14. LOVE, 15. wishing you a bright new year...., 16. In Love

11 in '11

I mentioned Saturday that I have 11 goals for 2011. I came up with this idea last month, and I shared it with a couple of my friends, who also decided to come up with 11 goals for this year. One of those friends shared her goals with me, and I created a journal for her to keep track of her goals. In turn, she gave me a journal for Christmas to keep track of my own goals. I spent some time today altering the journal, and I'm really pleased with how it looks so far. There are still a couple of things I want to do with it, including creating a place to keep track of books/movies/favorite quotes throughout the year.

Here are the pages for my goals. Click to see it bigger.

And here is my list of goals:

• Keep saving $100 a month
• Start an Etsy store
• Try a new recipe every month
• Send birthday cards
• Finish every project
• Read 12 books
• Spend more time outside
• Keep one houseplant alive
• Walk 365 miles
• Throw a party
• Date night every month

a new year

the boy and i, and our sad attempt at a sparkler heart

Over here, Leah mentioned that her dad posed two questions:

What is different for you from one year ago?

and

How do you want to be different one year from now?

I love it, so I'm stealing it!

At first thought, it doesn't seem like much is different for me from one year ago. But when I started thinking a little harder, I realized that quite a few things have changed.

I've now spent a whole year living with a boy after never living with a boy before (okay, I had a male housemate, but he's my best friend and doesn't count for these purposes.). I've also now been in a serious relationship for almost two years, the longest for me.

I have a Master's degree, where I didn't have one a year ago.

I have a "grown-up" job, meaning I am working in the field for which I went to school for an eternity.

As for how I want to be different one year from now, I think my answers are probably pretty cliche.

I want to have more money saved.

I want to feel healthier.

And I want to have a successful etsy shop. This is one of my goals for 2011: to open an etsy store. I really want this to work out, and I'm going to work hard toward this goal.

I actually have 11 goals for 2011. I feel like if I call them resolutions, I am setting myself up for failure. I'll be back soon, with my little list of goals, and perhaps a peek at a journal to keep track of my goals.