Hello September!!

Hello September! Autumn is in the air. I can feel it, smell it, see it and soon enough hear it as my feet crunch in the leaves. It is no secret that this is my favourite season. From the amazing colours to the cozy outfits with boot socks to meals roasting & goodies baking in the oven to candles burning and the click of the furnace to hot sun on your face as the crisp air keeps you cool. It has always felt like the beginning for me, most likely because of my October birthday & the start of school. A time to reflect and make new goals, to purge and organise and make things make sense, to set up a schedule and plan meals... I get butterflies thinking about it.

This September is full of changes for our family and an adventure to Disneyland. I can not even begin to tell you how excited I am. Every time I see something Disney related I feel like a little girl cheering inside and if you were at Costco with me when I saw the Princess costumes for Halloween you would have heard me gasp and cheer out loud. I even contemplated squeezing into the largest size they had- I would look so fabulous in a Snow White or Cinderella dress. ;)

There will be changes that I think will be so good for everyone. Anna starts going to childcare twice a week with the loveliest nanny and she starts a kindergarten prep preschool program 3 days a week and dance once a week. She is so excited. Me? I am so looking forward to having time in the day to get my work complete. I will be able to have my evenings back and "be with" and "be present" with both Anna & Cory. I. Can. Not. Wait.

I have been having trouble with joint pain, swelling, tendinitis pain and arthritis in my hands so I have been really looking at my diet again. Making note of how I feel from one day to the next and if there is a correlation with the foods I am putting into my body. Realising that Whole 30 showed me I can feel good all the time. Also coming to terms that some of my favourite foods are hurting me. It's not easy making adjustments when you have lived and eaten a certain way your whole life. It's hard not to feel deprived & left out. I keep reminding myself that it's harder to feel terrible and in pain. 

Work for the holiday season is in full swing, I have ideas, parties, plans & sketches crowding up my brain and it feels good. As for this space, I have plans for more recipes, more creating, more inspiration. My most popular posts, the ones that get the most traffic are about mini books and recipes. I am listening and figuring out how I can bring more of that here. 

Thanks for being here, for reading, for listening and for continually coming back.

xo

A look at August

August. Where did you come from?

Summer is so short here so I feel the need to PACK in as many things as I possibly can handle in order to enjoy the sunshine and outdoors. We're almost half way through the month and I get sad at the thought of shorter and shorter days. I do however love me some Autumn so I guess it all balances out.... right?

What does August (what's left of it) have in store for me?

Planning Classes, lots of classes.

A camping trip to the mountains.

Sitting outside in the sun as often as I can.

Working late into the night so I can do the one above.

Hosting another Project Life Crop.

Making lists, lots of lists.

Celebrating a birthday with friends.

Sorting out the financials for Disneyland.

Did I mention we're going to Disneyland!!!

Making reservations for celebrations in Disneyland.

Did I mention I had to call Disneyland yesterday?

Teaching.

Making project kits.

Ordering and purchasing Christmas product for my holiday card season.

Sitting outside (covered in bug spray) with Cory after Anna has gone to bed.

Hello June!

Wow! June is here and it is busy!

This month I will:

- run (I have a 5K in July and I am SO not ready for that)

- get outside and enjoy the sunshine

- teach 2 classes

- celebrate a couple little one's birthdays, father's day and my Dad's 60th!! 

-  BBQ

- finish my Whole 30

- finish my planting

- fill out passport papers

- organise and clean our laundry space

- save my dollar bills for Disneyland

- plan a scrapbooking crop

- hang out on Lisa's deck

April Showers Bring May Flowers

source

Hello May!
Hello Sunshine!
Hello Spring!

I am eager to be rid of cold, miserable weather and so very excited for flowers, green grass, sunshine and fresh air. This month I have a long list of goals/tasks for myself, both in my personal life and in my work life. As I jotted them down I worried it was too much and maybe it is but getting ideas and wishes and plans and dreams out of my head and onto paper can clear space for actual doing.... an area I feel I struggle with. Here are a few of my May goals...

- build a raised bed
- plan & plant our garden
- create garden markers
- train for running a 5k I signed up  for before I actually considered the running part
- book plane tickets to California
- be consistent
- explore outside
- organise and purge
- buy local / farmers market season is here
- just start

April: the half month intentions

April is half over (huh) and I realized that I hadn't set my goals/intentions for the month. Realized is a loose term here as I couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that it was already April and now it is half over. I am left wondering if I sleep straight through days but since the dark circles under my eyes tell a different story I can only assume I am awake and walking around in a fog. Let me tell you what I have planned for the rest of the month...

April: the half month intentions

Get Outside. Sit in the sun.

Finish 2 work related projects.

Make teacher appreciation & graduation cards to sell.

Plan my garden.

Finish Start a couple goodies for my niece.

Yoga.

Get back on my healthy eating/meal planning/ meal prep train.

  (I took a hard fall off this train over the last 3 weeks.)

DO OUR TAXES

Hello October!

Theodore Roosevelt

Hello October! I am excited about you! 

My September list is on going and this month's list is a little more light hearted.

This October I am:

I will celebrate my 35th birthday.

I will scrapbooking for myself.

I will be bake some goodies.

I will believe in myself.

I will plan a 3rd Birthday Party.

I will make lots of soup.

I will be grateful.

Hello September

I love this time of year, it always feels so refreshing to me. A new beginning, which I am sure is tied to years of "the first day of school". A time to make changes, clean out the old and welcome the new. (most people do this in the spring). I am looking forward to the fall, the change of seasons and the change in my thoughts & energy.

Hello September! I am excited!

This September I am:

 Welcoming daily movement and getting active.

Making lists and menus. 

Working on my temper. 

Listening more, even when no words are being spoken. 

Working on my patience. 

Working on self love. 

Working on being present. 

Embracing my belief that the Universe is leading me exactly where I am suppose to be.

Working on being grateful.  

Hello July... how did you get here so fast!

I swear it cannot just be me when it comes to thinking that the months are flying by faster & faster! How the heck is it July!! No "monthly goal" post today, you can see my summer manifesto here. I have plenty of work related goals but that really isn't that interesting. 

July is here and it came in hot hot hot! 

We celebrated the Canada Day long weekend and it was a lot of fun. I typically am not very patriotic but I want Anna to know all about our country and how lucky she is to live here so this year I decided we would do something to celebrate Canada's birthday. And if you know me you know I think that birthday's should be fun, have decorations and when possible should come with a party. 

We got all tattoo'd up, packed up our little flags (which we forgot in the car) and headed down to the Legislature grounds. We played in the water, ate ice cream, watched a Pipe band and got the life scared out of us when the canons went off for the 21 gun salute. We headed home for a hot dog roast and a pool party. None of us made it to the fireworks... we were all fast asleep!

All three of us enjoying Anna's pool. Pool Party!!!

On Sunday we had a few people over for a BBQ, so much yummy food!

On Saturday we took Anna to her first Edmonton Eskimo's football game. The game was pretty terrible but the weather was beautiful and I may have "accidentally" cheered for the wrong team a few times.

It was a pretty great weekend. 

Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians!

xo

Hello June

Source: Uploaded by user via Dr Vicki on Pinterest

My one little word for the year is choose but last month and moving into June the word that keeps popping up in text, dreams and random everyday encounters has been gratitude. Gratitude for all the good stuff and yes, even the hard stuff. When I focus on starting and ending my day with gratitude I feel better, I enjoy my day more, I can find a way around the troubles of the day and I find more appreciation for the small things.

I will be letting gratitude guide my days for June and most likely the rest of the year. Gratitude is a daily practise for me and sometimes it can be hard to see the things to be grateful for but I think we all need a little more of it in our lives, I also know it will be worth it.

You can join me if you want, if you'd like you can share with me what you're grateful for. Start a gratitude journal, a list on the fridge, a piece of scrap paper, anything will do. Keep a notepad beside your bed and write one thing or twenty things at the end of your day that you're grateful for. For me I have a piece of scrap paper that I am jotting notes on, I will eventually put my daily list(s) in a more permanent location, I just haven't decided where. I also want to get Cory & Anna involved so I am thinking of a large list on our fridge or a wall. If you're struggling on a hard day, think about the birds singing outside, the sun that shines through your window, the smell of a freshly brewed pot of coffee, the smell in the air after in rains- the simple yet wonderful things often go unnoticed. Stop, take a breath and use all your senses- you might be surprised by what you find. The best part is that you can just start- any time, any day- just start! Even better- there are no rules and no guidelines!

So far today I am grateful for Advil cold and sinus, without it I don't think I could get off the couch to type this post. I am grateful that you're here to read what I have to say. I am grateful that I work from home and can stay in my sweats all day and nurse my cold. I am grateful that Anna tells her Daddy to "be safe" when he walks out the door to work.

What are you grateful for?

Hello May

April was a blur and if I'm honest so was February & March. The first half of April was full of fun and excitement and the last half was spent playing catch up from all that fun & excitement. I am finding it harder & harder to just sit back and enjoy my time and that is very frustrating.  I just have too much going on in my head and too many ideas that are bouncing around in there all willy nilly and never make it out into reality. I look back at my small goals from each month and am frustrated with myself that I didn't do as well as I feel I should have which is exactly the opposite of what I hope to accomplish by setting these goals. I do however realize that instead of those particular goals I list at the beginning of each month I did other things. Things that I didn't write about, had visits with people that I didn't write about & made layouts and projects that I didn't post about. I know that I didn't sit around for months like a bump on a log yet I am still full of frustration... which is frustrating. Sounds like I may be caught up in a frustration cycle? ;)
This month I am going to go small and focus on things that mean the most to me.

In May I choose to:

- Go on two dates with Cory (KC are you reading this... I need a sitter)

- Celebrate my Grandma Wolansky's 85th birthday

- Get pampered for Mother's Day - Cory are you reading this ;)

- Park dates with Anna

- Plant our garden... so excited!

- Be grateful

Past Months: February / March / April

Hello April

In April I choose to:

- go on a mountain getaway with Cory

- celebrate & spoil my wonderful husband on his 40th birthday

- throw a 40th birthday party

- start running again

- juice every day (except when I'm on my mountain getaway) Didn't do it everyday but I did pretty good here and I feel better

- send 3 lucky lady friends happy mail

- do yoga stretches in the morning

- read 3 books 

- read to Anna everyday

- put my layouts into albums

- complete April's project life pages

- finish organizing my office

- be grateful can never be too grateful

The blur that was February

In March I choose:

- to take a deep breath

- to plan Easter fun

- to finish a mountain of work

- to read 2 books

- to get serious about Project Life

- hit the gym four times

- to take another deep breath  probably could have taken a few more

February was a blur & I a find myself a little frustrated and overwhelmed today. March is unbelievably busy for me, not usually, but this March I have a lot going on and then wham it's Easter and then wham it's April and then wham it's Cory's 40th. Wish me luck.

xo

I choose: February edition

In February I choose...

- to wrap books for a Valentine's day count down (doing that today)

- to make Valentine's (& mail them)

- keep going to the gym 2x / week

- read 2 books

- decorate for Valentine's day

- do a studio tour on the blog

- create a baby card kit for Treasured Memories

- create a Valentine scavenger hunt for Anna

- start a project life style scrapbook for my grade 11 trip to Indonesia

- have 2 date nights with Cory

- have a girlfriend date 

- take Valentine inspired photos

- find my camera manual

- stay up to date with Project Life 2013

January Goals

source

This month I choose:

- made from scratch

-  a scrapbook product purchasing freeze (adhesive doesn't count)

- to stay up to date with Project Life

- to take part in an online class

- Monday Morning Moksha

-  to try 5 new recipes

- to finish my 2012 December Daily

- to complete 2 weeks of 2012 project life

- to make Valentine cards

- to use my gym membership 3 days a week

- to go on one date night

- to make bread

- to read 1 book

- to limit my online time to 1 hour per day 

- to call my Grandmas

- to scrapbook 8 layouts for myself

- Sundays for a Family Day

- to look into meditation 

- to be less judgemental with myself

Hello January

Happy New Year Friends!

What should you do today?

Go outside and make a snow angel!

Do it!

You'll be surprised how happy it makes you.

And then how chilly you'll be when you stand up and get snow down your pants... but that's irrelevant!

See you tomorrow with a new monthly goal list and my take on resolutions.

xoxo

To see my December goal list pop on over here.

new month, new goals

December Goals

- go to the gym!!! work in progress
- keep doing yoga in the morning work in progress
-Make a Cat in the Hat quilt
- go on two date nights (I realize I never when on even one in November but...)
- Christmas Crafts, Christmas Crafts, Christmas Crafts
- Make nuts & bolts
- complete 10 weeks of Project Life 8 down
- Mail out our cards
- Send out 3 fun mail two thumbs down
- more scrapbooking for me
- submit layouts
- light candles and relax work in progress
- make a snow angel
- visit the Legislature grounds
- Christmas baking bought all the ingrediants for cookies and never got to them
- pictures with Santa
- write a letter to Santa nope
- order my 2013 Project Life pages
- venture out to 2 city holiday sites
- ornament bomb a tree in the park sadly not completed
- give away 3 random acts of kindness work in progress 
- make a holiday calendar
- enjoy this amazing season

November Goals & updates found in this post.

Hello November

November goals

- throw a 2nd birthday party

- add Christmas cards to my Etsy shop

- make more Christmas Cards

- teach 6 classes., 3 left

- create 2 advent calendars decided on just 1 & 1 of the chocolate variety

- start a Cat in the Hat quilt

- be more patient, working on it... still working on it

- organize project life (must go hard in December) work in progress

- plan Christmas projects / crafts

- make an Elmo cake

- go to the gym more (Giant Fail, I did however start doing yoga in the morning)

- go to bed earlier

- stay on top of my work

- make more to do lists (they keep my focused)

- go on a date night 

- call my Grandmas

- print more pictures

- scrapbook... for me!

- cuddle more
- have more bubble baths
xo Nadine