Simplify: A Challenge

I checked out this book from the library this week on a whim. A total whim, but I am so glad I did.

                                                   

This book is incredible. I pride myself on my organization and productivity, and I'm pretty good at it. But, I'm also a time management junkie, and I love to learn more. It isn't too often that I find a book that really makes me say, "Wow! That would make a big difference for me!" but this one has. Multiple times.

The book is divided into 30 sections, for the 30 days of a month. The author has a habit to change or a suggestion to fix in each one. Not all of them apply to me, but many of them do.

I'm going to take one topic and attack it each week. It isn't the beginning of a year, or even a week, but I'm just going to jump in. Feel free to jump with me!

This week's challenge is:

I'm almost never late. In fact, I'm often even earlier than I need to be. That's not my issue here. My issue is that even though I'm early, I always feel like I'm rushing to get out the door. Ramsland attributes this to not handling small things ahead of time (like getting gas), trying to finish just one more thing before you head out the door (guilty), or you don't schedule enough time to get out the door.

I'm mostly guilty of the first two. It's ridiculous that every time my gas light comes on, it surprises me. I wait to get money to pay someone until the last minute. I almost NEVER put the directions to where I'm going in my calendar so I have them right away, and I even sometimes don't put the name of the person I'm meeting when I get there. And I have a lot to do during the day -- if I can get to a few more things, surely that will be a good thing, right?

Wrong. All of that adds up to me rushing. A lot. Which makes me anxious, which I'm trying to avoid. So... my challenge for this week is not only to show up on time, but to leave myself a cushion so that I'm not worried as I travel. Where it won't matter that I hit every single red light between here and my destination.

In future weeks we'll talk about what to do with your extra time if you arrive a little bit early, but for now, the goal is to get out the door on time and travel stress free.

(I think this post is making me look disorganized, which makes me anxious, but I'm going to focus on the fact that you're my friends and you won't judge me too harshly).

I'd love for you to join me for this challenge series. And get the book from your library or the bookstore. This is one I think I'm going to invest in. Worth. It.

What I'm Pinning

I love Pinterest. Words can't even describe how much I love Pinterest. There are so many things that I love about it - seeing what my friends are into, saving ideas, becoming inspired for projects.

The thing I love best however, is that it's an insight into my psyche. Just kidding - that's creepy. But a little bit, it is! I like to look back on what I've recently pinned to find patterns. Oh - every room that I've pinned has grey walls? Note to self, paint a room grey. Things like that.

Here are a few of my most recent pins so you can psychoanalyze me!

Funniest thing EVER. You mix water and chicken stock, freeze some treats and toys inside, and your dog will behave for hours. Sometimes I just pin things that make me chuckle.

A guide on what vegetables to plant next to each other in your garden. I am yearning for spring. And cheaper vegetables.

I am looking for an excuse to drink more wine.

I have been running for six weeks. That totally justifies a pan of these, right?!?
Quick, someone have a birthday!!!

I have a new found love for crocheting. And at least twice a week I say, "Zac, have you seen my crochet thing? I think it's blue. I don't remember where it is. Do you have it?"
He does not. Nor does he find looking for it amusing.

Who actually has a house like this? WHO? Because I want to move in with them.

You can follow me on Pinterest and see what else I'm loving these days by clicking here:

I'd love to see what you're pinning! If I'm not already following you, please leave me your Pinterest name in the comments so I can!

What a great weekend!

Wow... What a crazy, fantastic weekend. I spent the whole time - and I literally mean the whole time - learning about mindfulness and meditation. I am overwhelmed yet at peace at the same time, and can't wait to share some of what I have learned with you... I just need time to process everything first!

We had a great flight out here, for which I am so grateful. Having a positive flying experience makes flying so much easier for me the next time, which is good since I have three more trips before May! Check out this view from the window flying over the Rocky Mountains.

Being on California time is great. We have been going to bed early but that means getting up early too. I was able to run on the beach at sunrise this morning - so cool!

And when did I become that person who video chats with her husband mostly so she can see the dog? This is the longest I have ever been away from Derby and I miss him! Note to self: get a life.

I hope you had a great weekend, too!!

Leaving on a jet plane

I'm headed to San Diego this morning for an amazing conference on mindfulness and youth. I can't wait to share the cool things I learn with you when I return.

Please send calming thoughts and prayers my way as I'm flying, which you know I hate to do.

The conference will be so worth how much I hate to fly though -- it looks amazing, and it's a great opportunity for me!



Oh, and this is what our hotel looks like.

          

I guess I can suck it up for a few days... See you next week!

Things worth splurging on

In our house, we live on a budget. Not a crazy, super tight, no one is allowed to have fun budget, but a budget nonetheless. Our budget has "fun money" built in to it so we can go out to dinner, buy fabric (though Zac doesn't really buy fabric - he plays golf), etc.

I think we live pretty frugally. We don't buy many things we don't need, we clip coupons for grocery shopping, and we don't buy anything we can't pay for immediately.

That. Being. Said. There are a few things in this world that I will splurge on. Where it's worth it to me to spend the money to get higher quality products. Some of these things might surprise you, and I'm sure this list is different for everyone, but here's my list of things worth splurging on.

1. Bedding.
I know that nice bedding is expensive, but to me, it's worth the cost. We are talking about something that you will spend 7-9 hours of your life wrapped up in every single day. It should feel nice, you should love it, and to me, it's worth splurging on. The upside, of course, is that nice bedding lasts longer and you'll have to replace it less often.

                                         

2. Fabric.
Quilting and sewing is my favorite hobby because it lasts forever. Honestly, if I'm going to put the time into creating something for someone else, I don't want them to eat it. Or open it and throw it away. I want it to last for a long time. If I'm going to put the effort and expense into something, I want it to last. Which is why I'm willing to splurge on quality fabric.

                                           

This is not my stash. I wish. Came from here.

3. Dog food.

Weird, right? We feed our dog this all natural organic crap that I can't believe we pay a ton of money for. But... I just don't feel right feeding him something where the main ingredient was "chicken byproducts," which is what the first food we bought said. And, the better the food, supposedly the better behaved dog you'll have. Our dog is (usually) very well behaved, but I'm not taking any chances!

4. Pots and pans.

Zac got most of our pots and pans before I ever met him, but I'm an All-Clad convert. They are crazy expensive. Ridiculously expensive. But you only ever have to buy them once. Our stainless steel pans should last us the rest of our lives. Winning.

                                     

Ours are slightly more loved and less shiny than these bad boys.

5. Clothes.

This is definitely evolving as I get older. Now, it's important to me that my clothes fit well and last a long time. I am willing to invest some money in pieces that fit well, flatter my body, and are classic additions to my wardrobe (like a great black suit). I don't spend much money on "trendy" pieces, half because I admit that I'm just not trendy, and half because they tend to fall apart after one or two wears. Now, I need to say that I still buy all of my nicer clothes on clearance or sales!

6. Our cleaning lady.

I will give up cable before I give up our fantastic cleaning lady. Yes, we pay her a lot of money, but coming home to a perfectly clean house every other week is worth every single penny. We (I - Zac doesn't really care) had to accept that we were never going to be able to keep our house as clean as we wanted to. Plus, I hate cleaning. And I'm not very good at it. But it stresses me out to have a dirty house. This money is a contribution toward both a clean house and maintaining my sanity, so worth it to us.

What items do you splurge on? Is there something that's expensive but you just can't live without? What are you not willing to cut from your budget, no matter what?

Choosing Applique Shapes

I LOVE to applique. On pretty much anything. Ever since I learned how to do it, I've been unstoppable.

What I love most about applique is that it's so versatile. You can applique on almost anything and you can applique almost any shape. You don't need to buy special books in order to find the shapes - you can find applique shapes just by googling.

What you're looking for are clip art designs that have pieces that you can dissect into an applique shape.  If you look closely at the animal faces on this quilt, you'll see that I started with the largest piece on the bottom, and then added the smaller pieces layer by later to form the animal. On the blue zebra, for example, I started with the "body" piece, which is the medium blue, Then, the light blue nose piece was added, and finally, the dark blue hair (?) part and the nostrils. I embroidered the eyes last.



To find applique shapes:

1. Search for clip art images that relate to the shape you want to applique.
2. Choose a design that is SIMPLE and has parts that you can easily trace.
3. Mirror the image before you print it!!
4. Follow your normal applique technique steps.

When I made the peace sign onesie, I just searched for "peace sign clip art" in Google Images. I found this:

Some of those will make great applique shapes - some won't. Remember, you always want the most basic shape. The first shape is good, but the lines are pretty thin. Ultimately, I ended up using this one.

You can choose whichever one makes the most sense for your project, but the thicker the lines, the easier it will be.

You can do this with more complicated shapes, too. Say you want to applique a puppy.

You have a lot of options here, and almost all of them will work. Remember that you want to look at the shape like layers. On any of these, you'd first applique what is at the back (like the ears), and then layer the face and nose on top.

Does that help make sense of choosing applique designs? I'm not an expert, but hopefully this clarifies the process a bit and makes you want to tackle some applique designs yourself!

Peace

I have a lot of cousins - and a lot of them have been having babies recently! My cousin Kristen is next in line, and she's having a baby girl next month. I wanted to send her a gift before things got too crazy, so I went with one of my favorite baby projects.

The peace sign is close to my family's heart. The PEACE OUTside Campus Foundation was founded in honor of my cousin Lindsey, and I wanted to make something for the new baby that would embody Lindsey's spirit.

I used a clip art shape to create the peace sign, and followed the steps I outlined here in the applique tote bag tutorial. I just love the funky stripe fabric for this sweet onesie!

And note to self - taking decent pictures before mailing gifts. Sorry for the iPhone versions.

Because this precious baby is a girl, I couldn't resist a finishing touch on the back...

Are the butt ruffles not to die for?? I made them before I got my new serger (which I still don't know how to use) so I just zig zagged the edges. I did use my new ruffling foot to make them, though. As a helpful hint, jelly roll strips are the perfect width for making these sweet ruffles, and they're extra great because the strips are so long.

I used this tutorial to learn how to make the ruffles, but it's pretty easy.

This little tag blanket is one of my favorites. I just love all of the bright, crazy colors. Perfect for little baby chomping on!

This has become my go-to baby gift because you can personalize it so easily, it's fun to make, and people seem to love them! 

Oh - and I had a little help.

What baby gifts are you giving to people that are a huge hit? Peace out!

Click HERE to see the blog parties where I'm linking!

L-O-V-E

Boy, if this is love well then I'm in it. My friend Joe had this conversation with Zac. Joe is green, and Zac is the grey color.

                         

PIP means picture in picture, if you were confused. Swoon. Major husband points, probably second only to the time that he cried during our wedding vows. I'm that big of a sap (and nerd).

Couch To 5K Progress Report

With two weeks left to go in December, I decided to start the Couch to 5 K program. If you haven't heard of it, it's basically an 8 week program of workouts that gradually works you up to running a 5 K.

                                               
                       
I tried it for two weeks in July, at which point it became almost 100 degrees at 6:00 AM and I gave up. Plus, at that point, Derby wasn't big enough to come with me. All of that has now changed.

Let me interject here with an embarrassing tidbit. This isn't my first time at the party. I was a runner in high school. I ran cross country and long distance track. I have six varsity letters for running sports. I even ran at the State Championship meet once.

I tell you that not so you think I'm awesome (if you think I'm awesome for 10 year old accomplishments, I have more I can tell you about!), but so that you can get some perspective. I used to be able to run a mile in under 6 minutes. And I needed to start again with walk one minute, run one minute. And that was hard for me.

I haven't seriously run since high school, actually. I enjoyed running then because I was good at it and I liked being part of a team. The day I ran my last track meet was the day I last really ran. I just didn't enjoy it outside of the organized team aspect.

Fast forward to now. I knew I needed to do something. I was getting sick of my exercise videos and needed something more routine. Plus, we now have a 50 pound puppy who needs exercise as much as I do.

We started this program the week of Christmas. This was actually a great time for me to start, because while the holidays are busy, they aren't normal life busy for me. I had time to run three times a week. By the time the new year came around and things got busy again, we were already two weeks in. It was already starting to feel like a routine.

We're now on Week 5, which is honestly further than I even hoped we would get. Right now we run at least three times a week, more than that if my schedule allows it (which has happened once). There are a few things that are different this time around for me, so I'll share them with you:

1. I got a new phone, and downloaded the "Get Running" app. This was $2.99 well spent. Not only does it track when you do the runs, there is a sweet British lady who tells you when to run and when to walk. You can also stream music while the app is running. Which brings me to my next point...
                                                        
                                                         
   
   
2. Find something you like to run to. For me, that's NPR. Don't judge - it's like someone's talking to you the whole time you're running but you don't have to talk back. I love listening to their news programs, and I don't have a ton of time during the day to hear them. I had a friend who downloaded audio books and only listened to them while exercising. Another friend does pump me up music. Find something that works for you and makes you look forward to running.
                                                    
3. Get an accountability partner. Mine happens to be a puppy. He loves running with me. When I get my tennis shoes out of the closet, he knows exactly what we're doing. The other perk? He pulls me along when I get tired and I run faster than I would on my own. Plus, I love him and I want him to be healthy, which means even when I don't feel like going, we usually go.
   
4. Find somewhere you like to run. I hate running with Derby on the streets because there's so many people to dodge. We walk to a park by our house and then do the run there where there isn't as much traffic. I'd rather run loops around a field then dodge cars any day.
   
                                              
   
   My park!
   
5. Reward yourself if you need to. Get a new pair of shoes, some new running pants, or a pedicure if you meet your workout goals. I don't actually do this, but now that I've thought about it I might start.
   
6. STICK WITH IT FOR AT LEAST 4 WEEKS! My friend Katy ran her first half marathon last weekend (yay, Katy!) and she gave me this advice. It takes 4 weeks before you'll start to see changes in your body. It takes 8 before other people will notice them. Push to this 4 week mark. I wanted to see changes earlier than that (let's be honest - after one run), but it wasn't until last week that I began to see them for real. And once you get to that point, it's a whole lot easier to continue.

Do you have any tips that help you stick to an exercise routine? I'd love to hear them!

Random Thoughts of a Crazy Woman

My thoughts have been pretty random lately. None of these in and of themselves merit a full post, but hopefully they'll at least be entertaining.

1. What is the difference between macaroons and whoopie pies? Is this an important distinction I need to know about to be a real grown up?
2. I got a serger. More on this later. But can someone come to my house and show me how to use it? It's overwhelming to figure it out.
3. My dog is so freaking cute that I can't stand it. But our next dog will be a non-shedding type, no matter how many thousands of dollars it costs.
4. I cannot hold any more babies before we are ready to have our own, because they are making me crazy.
5. My hair dresser styles my hair SO much better than I do. I wish I had her talents. Or a million dollars to pay her to do my hair every morning.
6. Am I the only State of the Union watching junkie out there? I don't care who the President is, there's something so regal and awesome about the whole event.
7. My new boss is awesome, and I'm learning so much from her.

That's it for now. I think. It's been a random kind of week. What random thing are you thinking about this week?