figuring out 40

04.30.12

hello last day of April. You won't hear any "it's going by so fast!" from me - I'm anxious to put these difficult days behind me. 

hello to the chance to have a better week. Last week was marked by a week-long pity party. It was one hell of an event. Think pony rides, clown cars, cupcakes, and wine (without the pony rides & clown cars). 

hello to Miss Hope coming home for the summer on Wednesday. 

hello to starting volume 2 of Project Life. Really excited to start this new album - it feels like I'm starting the project all over again.

hello to warmer temps by the end of the week (in contrast to the snow that we had on Friday).

hello to planning on spending quality time with my OLW this week. Shift is ever-present for me, but I need to "do the work" again.

what are you saying hello to today? 

(hello monday is a lisa leonard inspired practice)

project life : week sixteen

Week 16 in slightly crooked, kinda dark pictures...
*I don't particularly like that Frosh card. It might require a do-over. It's the text of an email that Hope sent me about scoring a frosh leader position at university next year.  brunch with miss sarah, another doctor's appt, a spring-y day...y'know, all that normal stuff. still loving the day of the week element from Design Editor.  only 1 small insert this week - the content card from my Conscious Box.  more travel this week. i somehow didn't manage to get pics of dinner with chloe, or ice cream with kelly. (the new "if a tree falls" question - if photos weren't taken, did the memories happen? ha!) i did, however, manage a pic with a dear new friend... so thrilled to meet & chat with Priscilla Warner, author of Learning to Breathe. You'll hear me talking a lot about her (& the book) in coming weeks. 

And that, friends, brings me current with Project Life. As I photographed these pages this morning, I decided that this album is begging to be complete (the physical album...not the project.) So...I'll be splitting the year into thirds. I need a logical break point, and four months feels right. Pondering what changes I might make in album #2 - maybe a different tactic with the weekly date cards, maybe a switch-up in page protector styles (although Design A is still sold out, right?). I still love this project.

project life : week fifteen

I am quite excited that I am now caught up on Project Life. That statement is not meant to induce guilt in anyone else. It is merely a personal victory. :) Week 15 (pics are a wee bit dark b/c it's rainy & grey today)... week 15, sans insert.  twas Easter. we brunched. i bought chocolate.
12 on the 12th insert (template still available!) i traveled (again) this week - ohio. and I bought tickets for more travel!

Week 16 is set to post later today...which then brings me to the current week. Woot! 

dear weary girl (courtesy of brave girls club)

I've had this letter from brave girls club on my pinterest "truth" board for a week or so...needing to read it again today. 

Life Well Lived (in color)

This week's Life Well Lived question is about COLOR! Specifically...

How do you incorporate color into your look?

My closet is, admittedly, rather dull. I tend to stick to grey, white, and brown. A little black thrown in, although it can be harsh with my casper-like skin. I've been trying to liven things up a bit recently with little bits of color...scarves, flats, and nail polish (only on my toes!). 

I'm always inspired by the way that Lisa Leonard incorporates color (and I've been pondering those red wedge shoes). I dream of having a full collection of Allora Handmade necklaces to rotate into my neutrals. And my friend Angie swears that a touch of eye shadow color is the secret to success.

Wanna join the conversation? Head over to Life Well Lived - and be sure to enter the sweepstakes!  

currents | april 22

happy earth day! recycle something, would ya? whenever i'm "behind" on blogging, i'm overcome with writer's block. it's easier to break through that with a meme, so i'm borrowing from lee, who was inspired by tina... (source)

drinking my third cup of coffee for the day

cleaning my scraproom

organizing by color for a change

feeling grateful for 2 opportunties that are on my plate

missing a friend who has decided it's time to move on

wanting to get back to a regular yoga practice

reading this: Curvy Voices (and loving it)

laughing about all the buzz around 50 Shades (yes, I read all 3...I blame Barb for that. yes, i agree that they are HORRIBLY written.)

making a to-do list...happy that I'm not traveling this week so that I can get some "home" things done

finishing the kitchen re-do (will post pics soon)

looking forward to Hope being home next week

returning to my twelve practices & manifesto for gentle reminders

trying to hold on (& let go, at the same time) as life shifts

where are your currents taking you?

april 12 on 12 : take twelve (or ten)

April 12th found me in Ohio on business. Taking photos throughout the day was challenging. I netted 10 photos (all iphone), and called it good... *the two photo-less squares are digi designs from Digital Design Essentials

*want the template? available on Etsy.

project life : week fourteen

This week felt more "normal" - even though it was crazed. I got home from OK/TX on Monday (really late), and left for NYC on Wed. This spread makes me happy... Week 14 w/o (3) inserts. Brighter colors are back. And seriously...what is it with red & project life? I'm drawn to it. (please tell me that you thought of John Cage in Ally McBeal when you read that.) Week 14, left side. Austin & Taylor (my niece) both made the "I don't know what to do with my hands" gesture when I told them to do something silly. Great minds think alike. Oh T-Rex - you are so sad! Austin & I (and my toes) in the bluebonnets.  My brother & my son are so alike that it's a bit scary...and wicked funny. It's really remarkable when you consider that they've only been around each other in person 2-3 times in Austin's entire life.   Austin can do blue steel to perfection. week 14, insert #2 - one handsome boy named Charlie. week 14, insert #3 - from my fave bakery in Soho. Week 14, right side. Mostly NYC stuff. I work there alot, so I sometimes forget the details. I love the Project Life reminds me to collect business cards & such.  I am going to write a full-on blog post about Kelle Hampton's new book. I've read her blog for a bit, and put her book on pre-order. I expected it to be a good, fun, touching read - not dissimilar to her blog. I was blown away. It was so much more.
This is so simple, but makes me so happy. Four instagram/iphone photos + an OA chipboard shape. Love. And this...that I started to journal on, and then stopped & said "hey, y'know what? some pictures are self-explanatory." Don't overthink. 

On to Week 15...and off to NYC again tomorrow!

project life : week thirteen

Phew! I finished weeks 13 & 14 this weekend (w14 will post later today)... week 13 full sans insert - it's funny, for such an action-packed week, this isn't a very vibrant spread!  week 13 left side - lead up to travel - yummy olive oil, a hot stone massage, physical therapy, & mad men. then off to OK!  After a TON of pondering about how to capture the trip to OK/TX, I decided to keep it simple (that's ALWAYS the best answer for me) - so an insert chock-full of family photos. (uhm, how adorable is my Grandpa??) More family photos on the back side of the insert. I'll likely go back & label/caption these - just in case I can't remember who people are when I'm old & senile.  week 13 right side - hanging out with friends (so glad that Angie was in town from Chicago, and that Amy came up from Dallas), a shot of my brother's unique house, Austin chilling on the porch, and my cheery limeade indulgence. You'll also note this cool addition:  Lindsay posted an awesome tutorial for creating QR codes. This one links to the video of surprising my parents. The definition at the bottom is from the Turquoise Edition elements kit.

Lesson learned for me with this week (and week 14) - I don't want to create albums w/in albums by detailing ever.single.moment of special events. I'll likely do a photo book for this trip, including many more "ordinary" photos & stories. Not everything has to go into project life.

hello monday.

hello newly painted kitchen - much brighter/lighter feel. Can't wait to hang some colorful prints on the walls.

hello project life weeks 13 & 14 done this weekend. Feels good to get a bit "caught up." Austin & I were chatting while I was working on the spreads, and I told him that I was getting stressed about being behind. He said "Mom, it's supposed to be fun. Don't let it become a job." How did that kid get to be so smart?

hello well-timed newsletter from Ali Edwards. Are you getting her 52 Creative Lifts emails? If not, you should be. 

hello taking back the reigns of my healthcare. As you know, I"ve been on this roller coaster of hip & back pain and treatment. I've been doing as I'm told, and things are improving that much - so I'm going to demand different care. 

hello NYC later this week. 

hello swirling ideas & thoughts. Monkey mind, but in a more productive sort of way. 

hello two & 1/2 weeks until Hope is home for the summer. What? That means that she'll be a junior in college. Did you notice that my heart just stopped beating?

what are you saying hello to today? 

(hello monday is a lisa leonard inspired practice)