Friday I'm in Love has been hijacked by a post all about goals...cause...2022... :)

Every year, I set goals.
I set SO many goals.
In fact, it’s possible I set
TOO many goals…
I never hit them all…
I carry them over from one year to
another…and I rarely
cross off what I wanna cross off.

So this year
I decided to try something new.

I am picking 4 areas and setting one
blanket goal for each.
Then each month, I will try
to set mini goals
based on the blanket goals…
confuse you yet?

The other thing
that I am going to do that I
am really, really, REALLY
excited about
is setting 30 day
challenges for myself…
I haven’t decided on what they will be yet
but the first one is
intermittent fasting (the light version, haha).

Other ideas include
30 days of
smoothies,
doodles (likely in October),
yoga,
walks/trails,
adventures,
photography…

:)

2021 - glow

I have been choosing a word
to use as my touchstone,
as my focus point,
as my compass
since 2008

Some years, it has worked really
well for me…
other years, I had forgotten what the
word even was by February.

Last year,
my word was ignite.
It was a good word…
just maybe, bad timing.
COVID slowed me down a little
in the sense that it caused
a lot of mental and emotional stress & strain
even if I wasn’t directly negatively affected
in the way that others were.

Adjustments and fear and negativity
and the new normal and vaccines
and all of that strain wears you down
even if you aren’t aware of it at the time…
I found myself more emotional, easily angered,
scared, sad, and tired…soooooo tired.

Anyway. My point is it was not the word that failed
but the circumstances. And I did have some gains
in the areas that I wanted to move forward in
so it was not a total loss.

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This year,
I knew I wanted to focus on self care.
I turned 50 this year….if you follow me here
or on other social media,
you will know that I do not always make my own
health a priority. Haha.

In 2021, I want to be truly happy and secure.
I want INTRINSIC happiness, i want it to come from within.
And when I picture that, I picture myself glowing…
so that became 2021’s word.
It just immediately resonated with me.

This means my big picture goals
are going to be related to things like
less screen time (putting my phone away),
meditation, yoga (with definite goals),
healthy eating, vitamins, medical appointments…
that kind of thing.

I am also considering stepping back
creatively in a sense.
Too often, I let myself
get caught up in what
would other people like to see,
what would sell?
Or I agree to create things based on
specifics…
which has been very good for me
as far as pushing me out of my comfort zone
but I am considering
making this year about just
free-styling…
winging it…
follow my gut feelings
and interests and see where they take me.

(this is not to say that I won’t have
any items for sale this year…just that it
won’t be my main focus during the
creative process…)

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I’m looking forward to the new year…
all bright and shiny and optimistic and
hope it’s full of laughter, health and happiness for everyone.
♥♥♥

friday i'm in love...the long weekend edition

no links this time.

just words.

i think we all know that i love summer...
the beaches, the boardwalks, airshows, dairy bars,
dirt roads, starry nights, sunshine...all of that sweetness.

but i also love september.

(and not just because my birthday is in september)(heh)

but because
september feels like a new beginning...
a mini-fresh start...you know...before the REAL fresh start of
january and a new year.

but this is kind of like a reset button...
where i think about picking up on all the stuff
i let slide as i made time for beaches and dairy bars....
where i start thinking about new routines
and maybe getting up earlier
and hey, maybe i'll try that keto thing everyone is talking about
and remember when i said i was going to do yoga everyday
and hey, have you seen my bullet journal anywhere?

so here is a little list of what is making me feel
kind of excited about september (in a geeky kind of way):

• fall leaves!
• hikes
• yoga
• bullet journal
• make chocolate chip cookies
• writing group
• have had some requests for handmade cards :)
• might try my hand at family photos again
• apple picking
• board game nights
• listening to music
• watching movies (finish my Marvel list)
• make an apple pie
• take pugsley for walks
• read lots more books (on book 35 right now)
• try to get some prints ready to sell (maybe at a craft fair)
• would like to try to do some "nursery room" paintings...like...of farm animals maybe?
• maybe try to make a coloring book
• finish the 365 robot series
• sort out my life

yeah...i kind of like september. :)

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the end of 2017 (warning: a teeny tiny bit of cursing ahead)

today marks the end of another year.
part of me wants to say good riddance
but i realize that although i struggled a little with 2017...
it was not all bad.

i planted a much too large and very active garden.
i chose ADVENTURE as my word for the year
and then went on many "friday adventures" which i LOVED doing.
i had some items for sale at the Muddy Crick Market.
i kayaked (and did not drown).
i joined a gym (and actually went).
i read 20 books...almost hitting my goal of 24.
i got to be in a 2nd play and it was so much fun getting to yell at people
and be a little "unhinged" as my character Laura.
i went to see the truck and tractor pulls in crapaud.
i drove down lots of dirt roads.
i ate ice cream sundaes every chance i got.
i drew many, many robots...not 365 yet but still working on that.

when i look back at that list,
i have to admit it was a pretty good year...
which gives me hope for 2018.

we all have rotten stuff that goes on behind the scenes.
stuff you don't want to talk about, stuff you don't want to display.
i would be lying if i said that things are always
as sweet and easy as ice cream sundaes and fluff filled doughnuts
over here in the big orange house....
but i am sure that is the same for anyone.

but i am making a conscious choice to go into 2018
with the intention to be positive...
which is why
when i thought about
what i would set for
my goals and resolutions this year,
i have decided that instead of
the usual
go to the gym/lose weight/pay the bills on time/cut out diet coke
i am going to focus on
FUN.
fuck it.
why not.

so this years resolutions will include:
boardgames
lego
friday adventures
roller coasters
puzzles
kayaking
camping
farmers markets
making new friends
spending time with old friends
live bands
building a snowman army
getting a bike
road trips
sleepovers
laughing til you almost puke and pull a muscle in your ribs
water balloons
saying yes

catch you on the flip side of a brand new year!
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

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365 - robot love

i have made a decision.

i have been toying with the idea
of doing a new 365 project
(& for the record...this will not be my first
365 project
but will hopefully
but the first 365 project
that actually makes it to 365...)

if you know me at all...
you know i kind of like robots.
and polka dots.
(but that's not really relevant...)

so
i have decided to do a doodle project
of 365 robots
starting TODAY
cause what better day to start on
then your birthday!!
(especially when you meant to
actually start on Sept 1st
but that has gone by
and you are the kind of person
that NEEDS a definitive start date...
it can't just start on the 4th or on a tuesday...
that just feels...wrong.)

so.
365-robot love it is.
and they may not all be pretty
or fancy or look at all like robots...
and some may be actually be scribbled on
a napkin (preferably not used)
or the back of an envelope...
but hopefully
this time next year,
i will have an army of 365 robots.
(insert evil maniacal laugh here)

so...obviously...i'm not going to blog post
about each of them...
that would just be crazy.  :)
but see that tab up at the top of the page
that says
365 robot love
(and yes.  it replaced my sadly failed
365 a day photo project
but can we just
not talk about that...
heh)

so feel free to check that out
from time to time
and leave me some
bits of encouragement
and a kick in the pants
if i start to fall behind...
(see...look...i'm already setting myself
up for possible failure...)(heh)

oh...and that guy up there...
he's robot #1.
and see...i'm already setting a precedent...
bad lighting, shot with my phone,
and doodled on the back of a bent index card....
setting the bar at the appropriate height.
:)