{butterflies}

Have a beautiful Sunday!

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{Christmas Prints}

I bought these a couple months ago to frame pictures of my children for the wall in the guest room/library.  I ended up doing something different on that wall so I casually put two of them above the bookshelves in my office.  I really liked the height they added to the room.

So I decided to create a couple quick prints to fill them for Christmas.  

I made the red and gray "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" print in Illustrator.

The bird tree graphic is from The Graphics Fairy.  It's from a 1870s Christmas card - how cool is that!  I changed the color from black to dark turquoise in Illustrator.  

I hoped to have them printed on regular paper but Kinko's wanted $35/print...uh no.  So I converted them to .jpgs and sent them to Costco for $5/print.  YAY!

If you look really close the prints are a little blurry but from a distance they look great.


In the interest of full disclosure.  This is what the rest of my office looks like...*sigh*... I CANNOT keep it clean and organized.  It is a huge source of stress because it is the first room you see when you open the front door and I cannot be creative in that space!  I really need to make this room a top priority.  {{update: I spent some time in my office today and have cleared the floor (mostly - still some neat piles of stuff that has no home yet) and my desk.  Whew...that feels better!}}

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[also overwhelmed]

and the scary part is i did a lot of things ahead of time to keep myself from feeling overwhelmed.  and yet here i am still feeling like i am racing the clock.  going on a week long trip for thanksgiving and a days before xmas birthday do not help, but these are joyous things and i can't let myself get all stressed out over something good.  christmas in my family is often an emotionally charged holiday, we all have very strong personalities, and well, we are not known for yielding when we feel justifiably wronged.  oi.  so this month is sort of spring loaded jack in the box waiting to explode.  every year i assign myself the job of not turning that crank anymore than absolutely necessary, and maybe we can just keep that box from bursting open.  deep breath.


today. today is all i can control.  on the docket today:

• drop off kid 1 at school
• drop off kid 2 at school
• harass pre-school picture company about not listing ordering deadlines on the form and having a late fee of $13
• call the father-in-law and figure out schedule for tomorrow with kids
• shower
• start straightening up the house or at least put laundry away
• renew my expired driver's license
• costco for groceries and to pick up photo prints from vacation for xmas presents for grandparents and vacation scrapbook (because many have asked to see photos from the make a wish at the boy's bday party, so yes I've been stressing myself to deliver, but also because I am on a mission to start printing more) done except the part where the changed the color profile so my 300+ prints are off. . .i don't want to talk about it.
• take the boy to get his hair cut after school um yeah, the girl got her haircut too. . .i'm not super happy, i liked it long
• feed the children
• take the children to number 2's xmas program
• put the children immediately to bed as it will be past bedtime
• answer urgent emails from clients
• perhaps clean some more
• go to bed before 11 pm (ha, like that will happen)

and it's grey and cloudy and windy and wet today, and i am starting a cold. . .the odds are stacking against me.  but i will do this, find my calm.  make good choices, control my chaos, not let it control me.

i can do this

i am doing this

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{Overwhelmed...}

So much to do...

Brain filled to capacity...

Where to even start...

I need to make a list...see it all out in front of me...

1. Make meal plan for week
2. Home Blessing Hour for downstairs
3. Zone 3 work (read this to learn about my zones) - this week I am in the Master Bed/Bath
4. Grocery list
5. Bills
6. Print Christmas newsletter
7. Finish addressing/stamping Christmas cards
8. Target for more tree lights, Santa hat for the girl
9. Finish decorating Christmas tree
10. Wrap presents for mailing
11. Mail presents
12. Flowers to Mom for her birthday
13. Put together IKEA Lego storage - sort Legos
14. Purge toys for Christmas
15. Look at blog posts for the week
16. Decide on small OPAM for the rest of December --> Finish Secret Room
17. Laundry

There is much more needing to be done but I think this will take me all day!  :)


Menu
Monday:  Lentil Sheppard's Pie || Salad || Bread
Tuesday:  Baked French Toast
Wednesday:  Chicken Parmesan & Penne || Salad
Thursday:  Avocado Chicken Parmesan || Salad
Friday:  Creamy White Chicken & Artichoke Lasagna || Salad || Bread Sticks
Saturday:  Ribs || Slaw || Collard Greens || Corn Bread
Sunday:  Curried Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk || Salad || Naan Pin It

[landing pad]

with two kids in 5 day school now, the issue of coats and backpacks and organization has become a bigger issue in our house.  we used to hang their backpacks on the door handles of the mudroom and pantry, but my son throws them to the floor to use the doors.  not to mention it makes the kitchen cluttered.  and i can't stand it anymore.


unfortunately our mudroom is big enough for the doors to the garage and the house, and the washer and dryer and little else.  it is a closet and there is no room for hooks and bags in there without claustrophobia setting in daily.  so i was going to have to find another spot.  our front closet is barely big enough for 5 coats and the bar is too high for the kids to reach, not a daily help mommy and hang up your coat option.  we usually resorted to hanging the coats on the banisters to the upstairs which always looked cluttered an unmaintained.  not to mention that the coats and backpack weren't together which is an issue in the hurried mornings.  


so i wanted to hang up a set of double hooks, so they each would have a bag and coat hook.  when i was picking those up at the local everything store i also spotted this wall mounted three bin wire basket do-jobby (real name "3 Pocket Wall File" by katie brown at meijer).  that immediately went in hand as i had been wondering about some sort of baskets to herd hats and extras.  power tools and studs were involved in the following transformation.

i really wanted to keep it slim and un-busy, this is the main hallway of our house.  i managed to get the before and after at about the same angle so you can see it doesn't eat up too much of the hallway.  this is all mary's fault by the way.  i've never hung anything in a hallway, ever, until she sent me the print framed there.  

a view more straight on from in front of that octagonal window.  the only printed pictures i could find of the kids for over the hooks are from 2.5 years ago, but it got across the idea.  i want to get self adhesive removable photo frames but haven't settled on a set (they loved the old pictures by the way).  depending on the sticker frame set i may add a family picture or two above or to the right of my daughter's hook.  maybe something seasonal or a quote, akin to mary's mantel, in landing pad form.


that door is to our first floor powder room. the dry erase removable dots are by The Board Dudes and i picked them up at target for around $8 if i remember correctly.  on the spots we can leave the kids notes and reminders and my husband and i can send dorky love notes to each other on the third one.  


each kid gets a bin for extras like gloves and hats and things and then the middle bin is for them to put their school folder in when they hang up their backpack. it is now their job to put it in their backpack in the morning.  i like having both their school to home folders in one place.  in the middle we'll also store my daughter's weekly book report-like assignment that we are not allowed to return until the next friday. we complete it the friday it comes home so we don't forget and i had been keeping it in her backpack but something was said and the kids are saying they aren't supposed to do that anymore.  i had been having a terrible time finding a good place for it so we wouldn't forget it.  it can live there now.  


the husband had been a bit skeptical but is a big fan of it now that it is done.   the spots really pulled it together, so that was an awesome find.  our doorbell speaker is mounted on the wall right above this area so we can stash the pen to hide it from the kids.  they already asked to draw, i vetoed.  no markers on my walls.  there is another area i may do some chalkboard paint for them, it needs a little something.  


this was my october opam.  it's not completely perfectly done yet, but the major construction is done and that's what counts in my book.  


we will ignore what i cropped out. all the drill bits and tools still on the floor infront of the front door.   Pin It

{31 DSP/Day 26 - Thanksgiving Printable}

Today I will make a November printable to frame on the mantel.

Look at me getting stuff done for next month!  

click this button to find my other 31 Days posts

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{31 DSP/Day 25 - Losing Weight}

I had a fantastic birthday weekend, ate tons of great food and slept in until 9 (soooo late - ha!).  It was a great time to reconnect with Ben.

Now it is back to reality and the reality is....

I need to lose quite a bit of weight.  I am getting to the point where my feet hurt...a lot...like I'm almost a little afraid I have another stress fracture.  *insert big frowny face*  I'm so tired of walking around like an old woman (among other reasons I hate being fat - see here).

I wasn't always very over weight.  It is only been the past 3 or so years that I have been obese.  I checked my BMI (which, for me, is actually a very good indicator of health) and it is 37...not good.  I feel like this:

and it is SOOOO frustrating because I KNOW there is a problem and I KNOW how to fix it...I just don't.  That is my fault.  I did this to myself and nobody can lose the weight for me.

My niece has asked me to be her confirmation sponsor next May.  I'm totally ignoring the fact that she is old enough to be confirmed (she will be 16) and she was less than a year old when Ben and I met.  This means I'll have to stand in front of the congregation...there will be lots of pictures...I want to feel confident and happy in front of the camera.  I also want to be healthy, live longer, blah blah blah...I want to look good in pictures!  :D

I have roughly 32 weeks until the ceremony.  I have around 106 lbs to lose, I'm aiming to get back between 130 - 140 lbs (I am 5'7").  That is a very healthy, positive weight range for me.

Now don't get all excited...I'm not expecting to lose all of that in the next 6-7 months.  I should be well on my way though...I just HAVE TO START!

I would like to wear a dress to the ceremony.  I love this one from Ruche, with some kick ass heels.

via Ruche

It would be amazing to pull that off.  It will be a lot of work but I keep thinking about how great it will feel to walk into the church and stand up with my niece and not worry about my frump.

Today I will get back on my eating plan!

I will do a post soon on my eating/exercise plan.  It was created for me by a good friend of mine who is a personal trainer.  When I have followed it in the past I have felt amazing and seen results, so I know it works.  It takes a bit of planning but I've been repeating the following to myself...

Everything takes work...I need to work at the things that make me a better person!

click this button to find my other 31 Days posts

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