writer's block.

last week was a beating.

it was filled up.

and so was the weekend.

with good stuff. campaign stuff. family fun stuff. birthday stuff.

but it was filled to. the. brim.

and here i am, a week later, with what seems like a multitude of laundry and housework and i'm not making a small dent.

and i'm uninspired. to write. to create. to do.

sometimes i hate pinterest.

for all the wonderfulness it creates, it also creates {for me} a bombardment of great ideas that i want to do right now. all of them. right now. done. that's what i want it to be like.

but instead, i sit on my computer attempting to write a post. trying to get my pictures to wolf camera so i can at least post my project life.

and i'm uninspired. 

with all of that inspiration how in the world am i uninspired?????

does anyone feel the same way?

maybe it's january. a little bit of seasonal affective disorder?? maybe. perhaps.

maybe i need to go find some bright yellow flowers to strategically place in my house. the laundry room. the kitchen. my desk. 

i haven't 'created' since august. {unless you count my christmas ball wreath that i probably technically started last christmas...}

seriously.


so i'm on a mission. to stop feeling 'sorry' for my lack of inspiration and just do something. anything.

not expensive, but something.


maybe i'll do this.

or get out my sewing machine and make a valentine outfit for lil miss.

or bake something.

anything.

do you ever feel this way? what do you do to get rid of writer's block? or even sewer's block. or crafter's block?

{and then i look at this craft weekend and think - i so wish i had been there!!!}

okay. so i'm going to go do something.

you should too.

bye.

spring weather.

friday it felt ah-mazing here in texas.

just like spring.

so what did we do? 

we had a picnic at the park for lunch.

and then - after naptime - we went to another park to ride bikes.

can't beat texas weather.

project life: week two.

nothing super special this week.... just another week in our life.

i did find this tutorial on pinterest on how to print on the journaling cards. i love how it turned out - especially when i have more to say than a sentence or two....

hope you're having a super happy saturday so far.

PL: week one

so, yes, it's the third week of the new year and i'm just now posting week one of my project life album. but like i had mentioned before, i had to finish my 2011 album so that i could start the new one. 

and it's not completely finished. still have some sewing in and a few holiday pictures to get printed. but i'm at a stopping point.

and both albums are now sitting on our coffee table for all to see.

it fills me with joy when b. looks at them day after day and says, "mommy, 'member this?" he loves our "picture books".

anyway. i digress.

i have the clementine edition of project life. i got the core kit and the cardstock since i tend to back my pictures instead of having my pictures printed as 4 x 6 pics. i can already tell i'm going to need to order another package of the cardstock. and let me tell you that ALL of these designs are super cute. my previous edition, i liked some of the journal cards more than others, but i LOVE all of these. i was so happy to open them all up!

i also got the 6 x 12 page protectors and the big envelope pages. i invision having one big envelope at the back of each of my books for misc things that don't fit directly in my pages. we'll see how it works out though.

and yes - all of my pages are design a {currently sold out}. the reason for this is that i like the uniformity. i like knowing in my head what my layout is as i'm working throughout the week to take pictures and save stuff. i originally tried to work with design b, but i don't take enough up and down pictures - except on my iPhone and i like to crop those down to smaller sizes.

it's just a personal preference for me. it makes it easier to do a layout in my opinion when they're always the same.

i tend to love everything that ali edwards does - especially for project life. so, needless to say, i bought some of those avery self adhesive tabs at wal mart and added that. i feel like it makes it look more 'complete'. 

have you started project life yet?

if you have no idea what project life is, WHO ARE YOU? i'm just kidding. if you seriously don't... it is a product created by becky higgins to make documenting your life EASY. and i mean EASY.... and creative and fun!

you can check out my post on what project life looks like in our house here. 

there are also a million ideas on pinterest to get inspired to start. click here to check it out.

thirty things update. part two.

a few weeks ago i updated you on my thirty things list.

you can check out part one here.

so - i thought i'd finish the update now that i am only three months away from the big three-oh.

16. travel internationally.

well. i made this list two years ago. and i had already gone to cabo, so i can't really count that. this doesn't look like it will be happening before my birthday. i was really thinking european vacay with the hubby... but nope. won't be going anytime soon. i'll have to move this to my next list. :)

17. start crafting.

done. check it out. here. here. and here. 

18. start a collection.

coffee cups. unintentionally, but coffee cups. lots and lots of cups.

19. turn photos into some sort of scrapbook.

ummm. yeah. i think i've got this covered with project life. i've never ptrinted more photos than i have in the last year!

20. go on a random getaway with the hubbs

technically, it was for valentine's day last year, but it was a surprise and it was a random weekend... so i count it.


check our trip to fredericksburg out here.

21. hand write notes/letters to friends & family.

major major fail. my intention on this was to not include thank you notes - but lately, i'm doing good to even get those out.

22. have a garage sale.

another major fail.

a garage sale sounds like a great idea, but is it really? part of me would just rather give stuff away.... any thoughts on this? have you had a garage sale?


23. make creme brulee.

wooohooo. victorious on this one. my brother game a kitchen torch for a christmas a few years ago so i really wanted to try this. it wasn't near as hard as i thought it would be, although i was super duper nervous when i actually used the torch. i think j took a video of me!


they were delicious. i used PW's recipe.

24. learn how to change my own tire.

haven't done this yet. haven't really had the opportunity but there's still three months, right? maybe the hubbs should teach me over the next few weekends?? 

25. make organization a habit.

ummm.... still working on this one. think i always will be working on this one. it just doesn't come natural to me, although i love things when they're organized. don't we all?

26. fold laundry straight from the dryer.

i'm getting so much better at this. i really am! it helps if i fold it right in the laundry room instead of piling it on my bed or the couch to fold.


it's the chore i loathe the most.


27. start a vegetable garden.

i did it!

last spring i planted bell peppers, cilantro, strawberries, jalapenos and habaneros. the peppers took over. the cilantro bloomed, which was weird, and the strawberries got a disease really early on.

either way, it was fun and with all of the salsa and veggies i eat in the summer the peppers did me well.

 
28. join a civic organization or a committee.

done. it's more of a club - don't know if that's what i was going for when i wrote this particular 'goal' but i think it fits the bill.

i joined Golden Corridor Republican Women's Club.


29. work on a political campaign.

umm, yeah. how bout living a political campaign?

i had no idea that this would be where we are. i think i was thinking more working on someone like tom leppert's campaign or ken paxton - or even a presidential candidate in a very small volunteer role.


either way. i was blown away when i looked over this list a few weeks ago and this was number 29.


pretty ironic.

30. document this list.

i originally wanted to have this neat little hand crafted book to look at. but that didn't hold up. but - i did just document the list, right? and i've blogged about it either here or on my old blog {which a lot of the older posts were taken from, btw}.


either way, it's been fun having a list. i highly recommend it.

what i find fascinating is how many things on my list have been crossed off without being intentional about... for example the political campaign. or the vegetable garden.

i think there's something to be said about really thinking about some goals and writing them down for safe keeping, huh?

as my twenties draw to a close, i want to be very intentional about what i put on my next list. 35 things before i'm 35. i have some things in mind. some big. some small. i'm excited for it to take shape!


what do you think should be on my list.

recover.

i haven't quite recovered from being sick.

i feel 99% but the laundry and housework is still overflowing from the lack of doing over the past week.

can i have a do-over on new year's?

i've already gotten behind on things i wanted to accomplish. it's already halfway through january and i still feel disorganized and as if i'm running ragged.

oh well.

today is monday, right? a good time for a fresh start, right?

one of my goals this week is to wake up when my alarm goes off. to not push the snooze button.

but it doesn't help when you stay up till midnight watching the globes and it's a nice & cozy gray outside does it?

major fail.

i was talking to a friend last week about having a project a day. as in, let's tackle ONE thing. {she's 5 months prego though, so she has an excuse.}

today i'm tackling paper.

do you ever feel like paper is taking over your life?

i do. the mail drives me nuts.

and since i do not have a 'workspace' yet {i could really use some help on this, people...} i need to have a system. a paper system. especially stuff with the campaign... stuff from school .... invites to respond to... etc. things get lost.

i don't have much counter space in the kitchen to put trays or files....

and my laundry room is covered with lint. despite my best efforts to wipe it down, etc.

and i think i'm a piler, not a filer. so a pile system would work better for me than an all-out file system.

via.

via.

via.

i don't have a complete plan yet. 

do you? 

pinterest is the mecca for all things organization. 

but where do you start????

there are so many things i want to do to get organized but i can't seem to get my head on straight to get a plan together. here's to hoping today is a productive one!

a collection.

happy friday.

isn't it a GREAT friday?

tgif is what i like to say. woohoo to the weekend.


{by the way - what ever happened to the tgif? i loved watching tgif on friday nights. full house. boy meets world. family matters. step by step. LOVE. they don't make tv like that anymore do they?}

anyway.  


have i ever mentioned that i love a good coffee cup? like the big fat kind that holds a lot of creamer coffee and fits so well in your hand in the morning.

i do. so i ever-so-slightly have started a collection of sorts.

here's the first one that i received as a hostess gift. i have two of these and this bore my love for coffee cups. it changed the way i viewed my morning coffee. am i crazy or is anyone with me?

{this is also why i end up with coffee cups all over my car... i'd much rather drink from a cup than a travel mug. yuck.}

have a happy happy weekend!

thoughts for thursday.

i sat down this morning to write a completely different post. but i guess you could say that the Lord kept pushing this on my heart over and over... so here i am writing it out. {it's a long one, so just be forewarned!}

the campaign.

i guess it's no secret that the hubbs is running for office. i don't talk about it on here much because there are those certain people out there who would take some sentence i wrote and construe it to say that i'm not supportive of my husband or that it's ruining our family, etc. etc. so i tend to leave it be. 

but today, i feel the desire to share a few things.

first. when j and i got married, i knew that he was made for this. for office. for public service. for leadership. i knew it. it took me a while {the seven years we dated} to completely accept that idea, but there was no denying where his heart was and what the Lord had called him to do. someday.

i have come to love this about my husband. his desire to serve. to make texas better. to fight for the rights of the unborn children. to be a light in a dark world. he is truly one of the strongest {and strong-willed!} people i know. i am incredibly blessed that he is my husband.

that being said, when this opportunity was 'proposed' to us at the beginning of august {august 3rd to be exact} we thought "they're crazy!" to think we'd want to do this. we'd have to move. we have young children. what if we want to have another child? j would be gone six months at a time every two years and then some. what would i do? could i handle it? could he handle it? could we handle it?

the answer - immediately - was no. absolutely not. 

but the 'presenter' as i will call him asked us to pray about it.

sure. but the answer's still no. find someone else.

but here's the thing, people.

for the next three nights we couldn't sleep. we didn't talk about it for three days. and then finally one of us looked at the other and said, "have you been thinking about that? because i can't stop thinking about it!" 

it's amazing how God works, y'all. He places people and circumstances and things in our lives to orchestrate HIS plan and HIS timing. the last six months have, of course, been a roller coaster ride... but they've been nothing short of amazing. seeing the Lord's hand in everything - even when we think He isn't there, He's more present than when we notice Him. the hubbs and i have experienced a faith we never knew that we could have throughout the last six months. it's deeper and wider and stronger than we ever knew possible.

but in the last few days, i've lost my way. i've lost sight of the big picture as i get stuck in the nitty gritty of the every day. the doing laundry and bathtime and bedtime and battles at dinner and battles at lunch and on and on and on. 

so i prayed. 

i prayed, specifically this morning, for a word of encouragement to come. to be reminded of the beginning when we saw Him ever so clearly as He directed our steps.

and He answered that prayer. almost immediately.

back in august when we were making our decision, our pastor preached a series on the psalms. and on one particular sunday, he preached a sermon on taking the step that's right in front of you. tears welled up in my eyes because that is exactly what he had told j when he met with him earlier that week. that we put our sails up which is our knowledge & training in the Word of God and then let His will take it where He wants. 

it was one of the countless divine coincidences during that time in our lives. one that gave me a huge peace about making this decision.

so - back to my prayer. 

unknowningly, a friend of ours emailed j about this sermon. apparently he had listened to it for the first time on his way to work this morning. and he wanted to encourage j to keep on sailing.

this may seem small to the world but it's huge for my heart. it reminded me of all of those answered prayers time & time again throughout my life. little prayers & big prayers.

a little light from heaven letting me know that the Lord still sees. He sees the daily grind. the good & the bad. and He cares. 

He loves me. and He loves you. 

so look for Him today. in the small things & the big things. 

He's there. i promise.

random.

ugh. ugh. ugh. 

i've been sick. the yucky cruddy sick. 

not the best way to start a year off if you ask me. 

funnily enough, i've heard of THREE people {whom i have not come into contact with over the past year} who have or had the same thing.

a cold. but not just any cold... the kind of cold that makes you LOSE. YOUR. VOICE. 

all of it. as in, i sound like a train wreck. and although i felt bad for sure... it's more energy-draining and feverish than it is runny nose/cough. PLUS it is totally annoying to try to reign in your chilins when you have no voice. 

fun. 

anyway. so i had some big plans for this week. to finish up getting my house together/organized and sharing the method to my madness with you all. 

but that's not happening. 

today, anyway.

it's been taking me twice as long to get anything done around here. i feel winded after walking across the house. yuck. 

and i have this mess to clean up on my make-shift desk {a.k.a card table} that is propped up in our playroom. i really need a 'workspace'. something like this table at pottery barn but with a realistic price tag. any suggestions would be appreciated.

i've been attempting to get my inspiration back on the creative side. i've been doing a little sketching of sorts. a la alisa burke. have i mentioned i really want to take one of her online classes? i do. i do i do!

why do we cut off the crust of sandwiches for the littles? anyone else out there do the same thing? it's habit... but i don't even know when it started. 

working on combos for my dining room. i want a pretty table to be set. so even if we aren't using the dining room, at least it's pretty, right? especially since it's right when you walk in.

anyway. happy wednesday.

hope it's great. 

so glad the sun's out. maybe i'll get some fresh air today.

maybe.

more project life

*** project life is a product created by the wonderful becky higgins. if you want to see how to get started, check out my post here, or the many resources on becky higgins's blog. you can also check ali edwards and the many informational posts she has there as well. get documenting!!!! ***