We're all guilty of getting sucked into the black hole of the web. However, sometimes that black hole isn't such a bad thing. Recently, I've found that some of the articles I've happened upon have literally changed the way I think about my daily life. I thought I'd share three of those with you today in the hopes that they'll give you the same boost or that "aha!" moment that they gave me.
1 // Andrew and I bike a lot when the weather is nice, he even more so than I. As we have officially entered the season or gorgeous weather, he bikes to work almost every day and we try to ride our bikes as a way of getting to Orioles games, happy hour, the farmer's market, or wherever we are traveling locally. Last week, Andrew already had two very close calls due to drivers that were not paying attention to the fact that he was in the unprotected bike lane. Things would be much easier for all parties involved if we had a system like this ingeniously designed intersection for protected bicycle lanes.
Protected Intersections For Bicyclists from Nick Falbo on Vimeo.
2 // I think as whole our society tends to get burned out on the job. I loved this article about 5 simple office policies that make Danish workers more happy than Americans. The points made are absolutely true for many people. Especially important in my book, was point number five in which being happy with your work is an absolute priority.
3 // Some days, I find myself having an incredibly bad or unproductive day for one reason or another. This article about how to make your unproductive days better has some really great ideas on getting a restart and sums up a lot of the same strategies that I often use.
What new ideas have helped put things in perspective for you lately?
Showing posts with label a few things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label a few things. Show all posts
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Respect is a Two Way Street
As a recently married gal who has been in the same relationship for nearly ten years, I have been more aware of blog posts and articles about the subject of marriage. They fascinate me mostly because I just simply can't relate to them. Many bloggers confess to marriage being the hardest thing they have ever endured, that marriage takes hard work, and that they are so thankful to have made it as far as they have. I have been inundated with posts like these as of late, but they leave me wondering what I'm missing. I'm just not quite getting what makes marriage so difficult.
Maybe Andrew and I have it good. Maybe we're just that compatible, or we just have a knack to working well together, or respecting others, or communicating, or what have you, without even thinking about it. I not sure really what it is, but I guess I just don't see it as hard work. If you love and respect someone and that is a mutual thing, then I think it just comes easily. That is not to say that we've never had arguments about anything, but I just can't ever remember a time when I felt at my wits end over our relationship as so many others have confessed.
Maybe Andrew and I have it good. Maybe we're just that compatible, or we just have a knack to working well together, or respecting others, or communicating, or what have you, without even thinking about it. I not sure really what it is, but I guess I just don't see it as hard work. If you love and respect someone and that is a mutual thing, then I think it just comes easily. That is not to say that we've never had arguments about anything, but I just can't ever remember a time when I felt at my wits end over our relationship as so many others have confessed.
This weekend, after already reading a plethora of these articles on how to keep a marriage together, I happened upon another article dealing with marriage that I simply couldn't leave on the back burner. This time, my cousin had fueled the fire with a post on facebook sharing this article about 25 Ways to Communicate Respect to Your Husband. As a married male, he was posting the article in a WTF?! kind of way and even stated something to the effect of "respect is a two way street."
I was curious, so I began reading the article. As I began reading, I realized that it was a list of ways in which the woman must act only for the husband in a relationship-- to me, this was not a list of ways to maintain a healthy relationship. I got as far as number 11, "Eyes Only For Him," before I felt like I was going to lose my lunch and had to stop reading. Was this truly a woman writing this article?! And how could she possibly feel that thinking only of meeting her husbands needs and catering to his beck and call is a healthy relationship?! What about her needs? About what makes her happy? Is there no mutual respect?
While I suppose there is some small amount of merit to a few of these points if taken on a mutual level, I just couldn't get past how archaic a large majority of her points were. I was angered that she suggested that women must reciprocate whenever their husband is in the mood for sex. Outraged at the fact she believed women should dress only to please their husbands. Horrified by the many points she makes in which the wife should not speak her mind, make decisions, or question decisions made by the husband. Disgusted by her insinuation that women should be the only one responsible for a clean house and food on the table.
This is submission.
Submission and choosing to accept that men are more powerful and mean more than the woman in a relationship. That women are less than. That women should not be honored and respected in the same way. It is antiquated thinking that I just can't wrap my head around or deem as acceptable in our modern society. Women have worked far too hard to make it to the point at which we are in the world today, and this article felt like a slap in the face, a step backward from the freedoms and equalities that have been accomplished thus far.
Power is a frightening thing. When one has a sense of power, they will
most likely do things that they may otherwise not have thought to do.
And when there is no longer a balance of power in a relationship and we
give power to only one side, it is no longer healthy. Both sides of a
relationship should be equal, and to disrupt that equality to create a
system of subservience versus power, changes the way people view each other
and respect each other. While, the author of the article may find that a
woman should do these things to show respect, what she hasn't
considered is the way in which she is disrespecting herself in return.
And above all, if we don't respect ourselves, living a fulfilling life
is much harder to do.
After mentioning the article to Andrew, I finally mustered the courage to finish reading it in its full length. I read the article aloud to Andrew as we drove home from our weekend grocery trip. "What is this?! What kind of man treats his wife like that or expects those things from her?!" he exclaimed. And then it hit me. Maybe that is why marriage is so easy-- because we take our relationship as a two way street. We respect each other equally, allow the other person to be who they are, and hold no impossible expectations over the other's head. And to me, that mutual respect is truly what love and relationships are all about.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Blogging Because I Want To
It seems that I haven't been a good blogger these days. I keep saying that, but what does that really mean anyway. I've had a lot of time to think instead and quite frankly it has brought me to the point of deciding that being a blogger doesn't have any rules. Why should I feel like I HAVE to blog? I want to blog because I want to, damn it, not because I HAVE to.
While I'm sure some of you awesome readers are probably annoyed with how infrequently and sporadically I've been posting lately, I've got news for you-- I don't care a whole lot and it feels pretty damn good! (That's probably no way to treat your readers, I suppose...oooops.) There is no reason why I should feel chained to this thing and so I've decided to do quite the opposite on many levels.
1) If I don't have anything to write about, then I just won't. I'm pretty sure you'd rather read something interesting than read something that sounds canned anyway.
2) I'm not hosting sponsors anymore. I start to feel like a washed up sell out when I have to promote others that I may not always back 100%. I'm promoting people I think are awesome on my sidebar just because I want to, and I'm eventually getting rid of the sponsor page when I have a chance to fix it from a blog design standpoint.
3) I will probably still post recipes and crap like that when I want to because I love food. So have no fear, yummy food will still show up in this space.
4) I will probably write about more stuff that is happening in my daily life and you'll probably continue to see shop updates because that's what consumes me most days.
5) It is quite possible that I may bore you. If that happens, just refer back to my burned butt post and know that as long as the weather is nice I am probably doing the same. Now, see item number 6.
6) I am writing with paper and ink again. On my roof deck. It's just how I work.
7) Ok, I think you get the point.
Either way. Today I felt like blogging because I wanted to. I figured I'd start with this because it made most sense. There will be other posts coming because I am feeling inspired again. However, I will warn that it is also quite possible this space may be quiet for a while too as I venture to other parts of the world for a few weeks. Don't worry, I think I can get myself together enough as a blogger to share about that when I return.
As for you, do you feel as though you HAVE to blog. Or do you blog only when you want to? Does hosting sponsors make you feel as icky as it makes me feel?
While I'm sure some of you awesome readers are probably annoyed with how infrequently and sporadically I've been posting lately, I've got news for you-- I don't care a whole lot and it feels pretty damn good! (That's probably no way to treat your readers, I suppose...oooops.) There is no reason why I should feel chained to this thing and so I've decided to do quite the opposite on many levels.
1) If I don't have anything to write about, then I just won't. I'm pretty sure you'd rather read something interesting than read something that sounds canned anyway.
2) I'm not hosting sponsors anymore. I start to feel like a washed up sell out when I have to promote others that I may not always back 100%. I'm promoting people I think are awesome on my sidebar just because I want to, and I'm eventually getting rid of the sponsor page when I have a chance to fix it from a blog design standpoint.
3) I will probably still post recipes and crap like that when I want to because I love food. So have no fear, yummy food will still show up in this space.
4) I will probably write about more stuff that is happening in my daily life and you'll probably continue to see shop updates because that's what consumes me most days.
5) It is quite possible that I may bore you. If that happens, just refer back to my burned butt post and know that as long as the weather is nice I am probably doing the same. Now, see item number 6.
6) I am writing with paper and ink again. On my roof deck. It's just how I work.
7) Ok, I think you get the point.
Either way. Today I felt like blogging because I wanted to. I figured I'd start with this because it made most sense. There will be other posts coming because I am feeling inspired again. However, I will warn that it is also quite possible this space may be quiet for a while too as I venture to other parts of the world for a few weeks. Don't worry, I think I can get myself together enough as a blogger to share about that when I return.
As for you, do you feel as though you HAVE to blog. Or do you blog only when you want to? Does hosting sponsors make you feel as icky as it makes me feel?
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Living
I've written before about how teaching had drained me. I felt like I was so stressed out I wasn't living life anymore. I had no spare time and I turned down so many opportunities because I knew they would overwhelm me more than I already was. After finishing the school year in June and knowing that I was not returning, I felt as though a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.
Transitioning from the mindset of having a summer off and to realizing that this is not a permanent vacation is something that I've often worried about. I need constant reminders. Andrew is good about that. He treats my days like they are work days and checks in with me at the end of the day-- How was work today? What did you get accomplished? How were sales today? Did you get any new wholesale leads? Then there are the reminders of the non-work stuff. Like the, don't worry about getting that done tonight. You have all day tomorrow to do that. And I actually get to live in the moment.
This past weekend, my best friend from college came to Baltimore to visit with some friends that had invited her down from Hoboken. She had all day Friday free while they were at work, so I spent the afternoon with her at an amazing restaurant on the water sipping fantastic cocktails because I could and because I felt like it. I had worked like crazy that morning and could do whatever I wanted for the whole afternoon. Later that evening, Andrew and I went to Merriweather to see the Lumineers. We took a picnic for dinner and sat on a blanket and I worried about nothing because I didn't have to.
Saturday ended up being a relaxing day. We went to pick up our wedding rings (woot woot!) and then later that evening biked to the Orioles game. We have been biking as much as possible to get to places within the city now that I have a bike that I actually enjoy riding. However, I've been apprehensive. I'm not daring like Andrew who rides his bike every day to work, zipping between cars and narrowly missing (and once hitting) opening car doors while traveling full steam ahead. In fact, merely a few moments before we left via bike, I tried talking him into taking the car instead. I wasn't ready to bike across the city yet, I argued. It scared me.
After the Orioles game, we hopped back on our bikes to ride home via the bike path and the safest route possible that I had made Andrew promise to take. As we were trying to work our way through the crowds of pedestrians that were clogging the bike path on Pratt Street, I decided that I needed to do something to avoid the jammed path. I spotted an opening in the heavy Pratt Street traffic and I went for it. I sped down the street on my bike at full speed, passing people on the sidewalks and keeping up with cars in the street. And in that moment it hit me. I was free and I finally felt like I was living again.
As I turned off of the busy downtown street back to our quiet residential route, Andrew caught up with me on his bike and yelled, "You did it! I wasn't expecting that at all, but you just did it!" And you know what, as silly as it may seem, I felt like a whole new person with a whole new lease on life. Maybe it's a metaphor for bigger things-- knowing that taking a giant leap into a new adventure will be ok. Or that things that may feel scary are actually not as a big of a deal as they seem. Either way, that bike ride was just what I needed.
Transitioning from the mindset of having a summer off and to realizing that this is not a permanent vacation is something that I've often worried about. I need constant reminders. Andrew is good about that. He treats my days like they are work days and checks in with me at the end of the day-- How was work today? What did you get accomplished? How were sales today? Did you get any new wholesale leads? Then there are the reminders of the non-work stuff. Like the, don't worry about getting that done tonight. You have all day tomorrow to do that. And I actually get to live in the moment.
This past weekend, my best friend from college came to Baltimore to visit with some friends that had invited her down from Hoboken. She had all day Friday free while they were at work, so I spent the afternoon with her at an amazing restaurant on the water sipping fantastic cocktails because I could and because I felt like it. I had worked like crazy that morning and could do whatever I wanted for the whole afternoon. Later that evening, Andrew and I went to Merriweather to see the Lumineers. We took a picnic for dinner and sat on a blanket and I worried about nothing because I didn't have to.
Saturday ended up being a relaxing day. We went to pick up our wedding rings (woot woot!) and then later that evening biked to the Orioles game. We have been biking as much as possible to get to places within the city now that I have a bike that I actually enjoy riding. However, I've been apprehensive. I'm not daring like Andrew who rides his bike every day to work, zipping between cars and narrowly missing (and once hitting) opening car doors while traveling full steam ahead. In fact, merely a few moments before we left via bike, I tried talking him into taking the car instead. I wasn't ready to bike across the city yet, I argued. It scared me.
After the Orioles game, we hopped back on our bikes to ride home via the bike path and the safest route possible that I had made Andrew promise to take. As we were trying to work our way through the crowds of pedestrians that were clogging the bike path on Pratt Street, I decided that I needed to do something to avoid the jammed path. I spotted an opening in the heavy Pratt Street traffic and I went for it. I sped down the street on my bike at full speed, passing people on the sidewalks and keeping up with cars in the street. And in that moment it hit me. I was free and I finally felt like I was living again.
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| via lomokev |
Friday, July 19, 2013
Learning to Take Risks
You can either sit and mope about it, or you can do something about it. I'm pretty sure once in a while I heard those words from my parents while growing up. No matter how much they annoyed me as a teenager, they still swim around in my head as a reminder today as an adult.
Doing something about it has never been an easy thing for me. It usually involves doing something I don't like, reaching out to people that I don't know, or testing out something totally new and outside of my comfort zone. Recently, I've been trying to change my attitude about things and do more of the "do something about it" type things. I started with small risks, ones that I was beginning to be more comfortable with, and soon I became completely comfortable with them. They were no longer outside my comfort zone.
For me, taking risks always seemed just that-- risky. And risky directly translated into stupid. However, in the past month, I am realizing that not all risks are stupid. It may feel risky to me because it is outside of my comfort zone, but the reality of it all is that by taking the risk, I'm doing something to better myself.
Even though the risks are scary for me, I'm challenging myself by taking them. As I take more risks, I'm noticing that I'm able to make myself and my business better. I find that new doors are opening for new opportunities that I never would have expected. And most of all, I'm happier. I no longer feel like that mopy teenager, but rather I feel excited and filled with a positive outlook on what is to come in the next year or year after that or even five years from now. As I told Andrew last night, "I'm doing my own thing!" And truly doing my own thing has never felt more exciting!
Are you doing something exciting in your life these days? Taking any big risks?
And on that note, Happy Friday to you all! :)
Doing something about it has never been an easy thing for me. It usually involves doing something I don't like, reaching out to people that I don't know, or testing out something totally new and outside of my comfort zone. Recently, I've been trying to change my attitude about things and do more of the "do something about it" type things. I started with small risks, ones that I was beginning to be more comfortable with, and soon I became completely comfortable with them. They were no longer outside my comfort zone.
For me, taking risks always seemed just that-- risky. And risky directly translated into stupid. However, in the past month, I am realizing that not all risks are stupid. It may feel risky to me because it is outside of my comfort zone, but the reality of it all is that by taking the risk, I'm doing something to better myself.
Even though the risks are scary for me, I'm challenging myself by taking them. As I take more risks, I'm noticing that I'm able to make myself and my business better. I find that new doors are opening for new opportunities that I never would have expected. And most of all, I'm happier. I no longer feel like that mopy teenager, but rather I feel excited and filled with a positive outlook on what is to come in the next year or year after that or even five years from now. As I told Andrew last night, "I'm doing my own thing!" And truly doing my own thing has never felt more exciting!
Are you doing something exciting in your life these days? Taking any big risks?
And on that note, Happy Friday to you all! :)
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
List of Happiness
Today's Blog Every Day in May topic was to think of things that make you happy. Clearly, I have failed at keeping up with this challenge, but after yesterday's announcement, it only seemed fitting that I write about things that make me happy.
1. Eating and drinking really good food and drink outside on a beautiful day.
2. Cuddling with Finn and Lilah (even if it's more like cuddling with Finn and getting squashed by Lilah).
3. Laughing so hard that I start to cry.
4. Afternoon coffee shop dates with myself.
5. Spending a perfectly good evening at a baseball game. I could never get tired of this.
6. Live music and record shops.
7. Road trips and traveling adventures.
8. The ocean.
9. Freshly baked French bread. The smell always takes me back to my childhood.
10. Getting a letter or card in the mail.
What things make you happy?
1. Eating and drinking really good food and drink outside on a beautiful day.
2. Cuddling with Finn and Lilah (even if it's more like cuddling with Finn and getting squashed by Lilah).
3. Laughing so hard that I start to cry.
4. Afternoon coffee shop dates with myself.
5. Spending a perfectly good evening at a baseball game. I could never get tired of this.
6. Live music and record shops.
7. Road trips and traveling adventures.
8. The ocean.
9. Freshly baked French bread. The smell always takes me back to my childhood.
10. Getting a letter or card in the mail.
What things make you happy?
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Announcements! (And Squats. Because I Got Side-Tracked.)
I don't have a lot to say today. Well, I do, but I'm going to shorten it. My brain is still on overload. Last night I thought the best way to motivate myself to do work was to work my ass off until a predetermined time and then go gorge myself on a Butterfinger Blizzard. Thankfully, Andrew also thought this was a good idea. The motivation worked, my friends, and I got about five million things finished. I am pretty sure the 100 squats I did afterward as part of joining Ashley in the squat challenge didn't burn it all off either. Oh well.
In other news, I told one of my 8th grade classes that I was doing this squat challenge. I think it was because one of my students pulled a leg muscle. I was trying to make him feel better by telling him that my leg muscles hurt too. As a result another student is now doing the squat challenge, and he is incredibly determined to do 250 squats. It's a daily discussion. Like, a serious daily discussion. Serious, serious business here. Man, oh, man, are these kids pretty much hilariously awesome.
Ok, and onward to announcements after filling you in on my awkward conversations
1. I am working my ass off because I will be at the Johns Hopkins Spring Fair this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The hours are 10am-8pm on Friday and Saturday and 10am-6pm on Sunday. If you're in the Baltimore area, feel free to stop by and say hi! I'll have lots of cards for sale with a few special deals going on as well.
2. I have had one large sponsor spot open up and still have some small sponsor spots available. If you'd like to save 20% of sponsonship, you can use the code SPRING when you check out. I'd love to have you!
3. By now most of you definitely know that Google is getting rid of their Reader. In order to keep up with my blog, I suggest migrating over to Bloglovin'. You can also subscribe via email by entering your email address in the subscription box on my left sidebar. I'd love to have you continue reading!
4. I have a winner from last week's group giveaway! It's Kristin of Skinny Jeans & a Chai Latte. Congrats Kristin! I'll soon be in touch!
That's it from me for now. And onward to bigger and better things! Time for you to meet someone I think you'll really love.
Ayla has quickly become one of my favorite fellow Esty artists and bloggers. I always feel as though I can connect with what she writes about and her energy seems contagious! In addition to blogging, she owns the shop Eyelah in which she makes the cutest clutches and pouches. I'm actually lucky enough to own one of her pouches that I received in a handmade swap. It's perfect for makeup, jewelry, and other odds and ends that I don't want floating around in my giant purse.
Right now, I'm loving this pleated pouch, this small pouch perfect for tossing in a purse, and this beautiful clutch.
When Ayla isn't sewing, she's also blogging. She has written fantastic posts on customer service which are right down my alley as I'm dealing with customers on a daily basis. These posts on how to respond to customer requests and how to deal with negative feedback from customers are fabulous and on point. I really have enjoyed her customer service posts because they are reminders to me as well in terms of how I deal with my customers. Ayla doesn't just blog about business though. She also blogs about her life and beliefs, and most recently, one of my favorite posts, thinking back at what she wanted to grow up to be when she was a kid.
In other news, I told one of my 8th grade classes that I was doing this squat challenge. I think it was because one of my students pulled a leg muscle. I was trying to make him feel better by telling him that my leg muscles hurt too. As a result another student is now doing the squat challenge, and he is incredibly determined to do 250 squats. It's a daily discussion. Like, a serious daily discussion. Serious, serious business here. Man, oh, man, are these kids pretty much hilariously awesome.
Ok, and onward to announcements after filling you in on my awkward conversations
1. I am working my ass off because I will be at the Johns Hopkins Spring Fair this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The hours are 10am-8pm on Friday and Saturday and 10am-6pm on Sunday. If you're in the Baltimore area, feel free to stop by and say hi! I'll have lots of cards for sale with a few special deals going on as well.
2. I have had one large sponsor spot open up and still have some small sponsor spots available. If you'd like to save 20% of sponsonship, you can use the code SPRING when you check out. I'd love to have you!
3. By now most of you definitely know that Google is getting rid of their Reader. In order to keep up with my blog, I suggest migrating over to Bloglovin'. You can also subscribe via email by entering your email address in the subscription box on my left sidebar. I'd love to have you continue reading!
4. I have a winner from last week's group giveaway! It's Kristin of Skinny Jeans & a Chai Latte. Congrats Kristin! I'll soon be in touch!
That's it from me for now. And onward to bigger and better things! Time for you to meet someone I think you'll really love.
 |
| Pleated Paisley Pouch |
When Ayla isn't sewing, she's also blogging. She has written fantastic posts on customer service which are right down my alley as I'm dealing with customers on a daily basis. These posts on how to respond to customer requests and how to deal with negative feedback from customers are fabulous and on point. I really have enjoyed her customer service posts because they are reminders to me as well in terms of how I deal with my customers. Ayla doesn't just blog about business though. She also blogs about her life and beliefs, and most recently, one of my favorite posts, thinking back at what she wanted to grow up to be when she was a kid.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Tired
It's only Tuesday and I'm tired. Some days I feel guilty for saying I'm tired. I know that there are people out there that literally only get a few hours of sleep each night before doing their day all over again. I usually get about seven hours of sleep, but I'm still tired. Today I came home from school, got a snack, and sat down to my to do list.
Just looking at the list made me feel exhausted. There is a lot going on in my life these days and most of the time I'm not even sure how I get everything done. Actually, let's face it, I don't get everything done.
The worst part is that some days I just want to stop. I want to pretend that I don't have to do any of what is on the list. This I struggle with most because a lot of the things on the list are things I absolutely love doing since they revolve around my business. Realistically, it's not that I don't want to do them, it's just that I need a break. Where is the break though? You probably remember my superwoman post a while ago, and truly there is never a break. I work when I get home, eat dinner, and then work some more until I go to bed. On weekends, I often work eight hour days with the rest of the time being spent on running errands and attempting to do some fun things in there as well.
I think the last time I legitimately wasn't busy and could do whatever I damn well pleased was Christmas break.
That's over three months ago.
I'm tired.
This week, I'm finishing final preparations for my first big craft fair. I'm not sure how I'll finish. Probably some late nights coming up, but it will get finished.
But it doesn't stop there. It keeps going. And going. And going.
I know that there will be a time when this will all end. Eventually, I'll be able to work an eight hour day and I can stop what I'm doing and say that I'm done working for the day. I can't shut off my computer, put down a drawing pen, put the envelopes back onto their shelves, package the last card, say hi to Andrew as he walks in the door after getting home from work, and enjoy the rest of the evening just as I please.
Eventually. But for now, I'm tired.
Just looking at the list made me feel exhausted. There is a lot going on in my life these days and most of the time I'm not even sure how I get everything done. Actually, let's face it, I don't get everything done.
The worst part is that some days I just want to stop. I want to pretend that I don't have to do any of what is on the list. This I struggle with most because a lot of the things on the list are things I absolutely love doing since they revolve around my business. Realistically, it's not that I don't want to do them, it's just that I need a break. Where is the break though? You probably remember my superwoman post a while ago, and truly there is never a break. I work when I get home, eat dinner, and then work some more until I go to bed. On weekends, I often work eight hour days with the rest of the time being spent on running errands and attempting to do some fun things in there as well.
I think the last time I legitimately wasn't busy and could do whatever I damn well pleased was Christmas break.
That's over three months ago.
I'm tired.
This week, I'm finishing final preparations for my first big craft fair. I'm not sure how I'll finish. Probably some late nights coming up, but it will get finished.
But it doesn't stop there. It keeps going. And going. And going.
I know that there will be a time when this will all end. Eventually, I'll be able to work an eight hour day and I can stop what I'm doing and say that I'm done working for the day. I can't shut off my computer, put down a drawing pen, put the envelopes back onto their shelves, package the last card, say hi to Andrew as he walks in the door after getting home from work, and enjoy the rest of the evening just as I please.
Eventually. But for now, I'm tired.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Authenticity
Prompted by so many different blog posts I've read this week, I started
to think about authenticity. It is becoming more and more difficult to
identify who is truly authentic in what they do. Is someone writing a
self-help blog post because they truly believe what they are writing
will help others, or is it all for show just because others have written
similar posts and it seems to be popular? Bloggers that are also shop
owners offer up some of the strangest and silliest products and I wonder
if people really love the products THAT much or if their oohing and
aahing in the comments are simply because everyone else is oohing and
aahing.
We have a tendency in this society to build people up. Constructive criticism cannot be given without seeming offensive. I see this on a daily basis with my students. Parents tell their children that they are so smart and such awesome students even if the reality is that they really aren't. The student continues to get built up and when the teacher interjects and tries to explain that a student is struggling, the response is that it must be the teacher and not the student.
In the blogging world, I see the same thing. Readers build up the bloggers that they follow. Sometimes I read articles that are just plain common sense, yet readers respond as if whatever the blogger wrote about is ground-breaking information. It seems as though we, as individuals in this society, have been trained to want to feel important. Or it seems we do everything for gratification. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to have someone tell you that you've done well at something, but my question about authenticity comes from these thoughts-- How much of what we do is real? Is the oohing and aahing and the building people up real, or is it because everyone else is doing it? How much of it is truly sincere or is done with calculated intent? And is any of the insincere junk healthy?
When we give up our authenticity, I think we give up a lot more. We let others mold who we are instead of being ourselves, and we falsify hope within others by being inauthentic with our words and actions. Our authenticity shows who we are and if we give that up, then who are we really? Something completely fake with absolutely no substance?
We are a society that is propelled by adulation. When is someone going to tell the poor blogger with the funky headband that no one wears those in real life and they look ridiculous? Or that we already know how to have a fulfilling relationship without the self-help guide?
For me, blogging is about sharing my experiences-- how much I truly ADORE eating tacos, how annoyed it makes me that the Baltimore City Police helicopter was spying on me while suntanning, how ridiculously excited I am to share something new from my business. It is an outlet that I have needed for a long time to escaped feeling stifled from a rather uncreative daily job. The nature of blogging is that we get up on our soapboxes (hell, I'm doing it right now!), but how long do we keep up the charade of the every-single-thing-you-do-is-amazing-because-it-is-you-who-did-it commendation?
We are not always awesome, in fact rarely awesome at best. So why with the inauthentic gestures? Life is crappy a lot of times. Life is also fantastic a lot of times and if everything is played out to be happy 100% of the time, it makes me feel as though I'm in The Truman Show itself. (I hope someone got that reference because it is Jim Carey at his best. And by best, I mean, great acting, not laughing his head off like a hyena.)
Nothing is meant to be perfect and nothing ever will be. And it creeps me out when people pretend weird things and play weird parts in their big play that is their life instead of just living it and writing about it. So go give someone some constructive criticism! Tell them that they really shouldn't have worn those purple tights with a cobalt dress or that their card isn't that funny after all (yes, truly people, I hope you haven't been faking me out here the whole time or I would be crushed to know you can't be honest!). I. Can. Take. It. And we all need to learn to get a little thicker skin. It's the healthier solution in the end.
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We have a tendency in this society to build people up. Constructive criticism cannot be given without seeming offensive. I see this on a daily basis with my students. Parents tell their children that they are so smart and such awesome students even if the reality is that they really aren't. The student continues to get built up and when the teacher interjects and tries to explain that a student is struggling, the response is that it must be the teacher and not the student.
In the blogging world, I see the same thing. Readers build up the bloggers that they follow. Sometimes I read articles that are just plain common sense, yet readers respond as if whatever the blogger wrote about is ground-breaking information. It seems as though we, as individuals in this society, have been trained to want to feel important. Or it seems we do everything for gratification. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to have someone tell you that you've done well at something, but my question about authenticity comes from these thoughts-- How much of what we do is real? Is the oohing and aahing and the building people up real, or is it because everyone else is doing it? How much of it is truly sincere or is done with calculated intent? And is any of the insincere junk healthy?
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When we give up our authenticity, I think we give up a lot more. We let others mold who we are instead of being ourselves, and we falsify hope within others by being inauthentic with our words and actions. Our authenticity shows who we are and if we give that up, then who are we really? Something completely fake with absolutely no substance?
We are a society that is propelled by adulation. When is someone going to tell the poor blogger with the funky headband that no one wears those in real life and they look ridiculous? Or that we already know how to have a fulfilling relationship without the self-help guide?
For me, blogging is about sharing my experiences-- how much I truly ADORE eating tacos, how annoyed it makes me that the Baltimore City Police helicopter was spying on me while suntanning, how ridiculously excited I am to share something new from my business. It is an outlet that I have needed for a long time to escaped feeling stifled from a rather uncreative daily job. The nature of blogging is that we get up on our soapboxes (hell, I'm doing it right now!), but how long do we keep up the charade of the every-single-thing-you-do-is-amazing-because-it-is-you-who-did-it commendation?
We are not always awesome, in fact rarely awesome at best. So why with the inauthentic gestures? Life is crappy a lot of times. Life is also fantastic a lot of times and if everything is played out to be happy 100% of the time, it makes me feel as though I'm in The Truman Show itself. (I hope someone got that reference because it is Jim Carey at his best. And by best, I mean, great acting, not laughing his head off like a hyena.)
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Nothing is meant to be perfect and nothing ever will be. And it creeps me out when people pretend weird things and play weird parts in their big play that is their life instead of just living it and writing about it. So go give someone some constructive criticism! Tell them that they really shouldn't have worn those purple tights with a cobalt dress or that their card isn't that funny after all (yes, truly people, I hope you haven't been faking me out here the whole time or I would be crushed to know you can't be honest!). I. Can. Take. It. And we all need to learn to get a little thicker skin. It's the healthier solution in the end.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Lately
Warning: This post will 1) possibly be boring, 2) have no photos, and 3) be completely awesome just because I'm completely awesome. Ok, just kidding about that last part.
It's been a while since I posted, but I'm ok with that. Lately I've felt a bit disconnected from the blogging world and I think that's an ok thing. I spent my time away these past few days doing a lot of stuff that I wasn't able to do for about a month and a half due to my shop being so busy.
On Valentine's Day, Andrew and I cooked dinner and then passed out on the couch while watching tv. That's how we do things. We followed that up by going out for tacos and margaritas at one of our favorite local places on Friday night (Woohoo! Getting a little crazy and not passing out on the couch! Oh yeaaaaah!) Saturday was spent running errands that included a giant dinnerware debacle that will have to saved for a later date, followed by Syracuse basketball watching with a friend at the Baltimore Syracuse bar. Sunday was a relaxing morning followed by preparations for a fondue dinner party. We had six of our amazing friends over to enjoy cheese and chocolate fondue. Monday was a lazy morning and afternoon with a lot of designing thrown in there (more to come at the end of this post).
And finally, Tuesday. Oh Tuesday, you were ridiculously long. You started nice and early with a faculty meeting an hour before school starts, continued with some crazy student stories (which I will one day write about when I am no longer a teacher), stuck around even longer with an after school event that lasted until 7:30, and ended with Andrew and I stuffing our faces with leftover pizza from such said event and passing out on the couch while watching Storage Wars. Oh Tuesday, you were not kind at all.
And now here we are at Wednesday. And I am almost positive you may have stopped reading because I am also fairly positive that I may have bored you in those first few paragraphs. Let's just say that it was kind of nice to live a little.
P.S. The winner of the Oh, Nostalgia giveaway is Beth! Beth, I'll be in touch with you shortly about your prize! :)
It's been a while since I posted, but I'm ok with that. Lately I've felt a bit disconnected from the blogging world and I think that's an ok thing. I spent my time away these past few days doing a lot of stuff that I wasn't able to do for about a month and a half due to my shop being so busy.
On Valentine's Day, Andrew and I cooked dinner and then passed out on the couch while watching tv. That's how we do things. We followed that up by going out for tacos and margaritas at one of our favorite local places on Friday night (Woohoo! Getting a little crazy and not passing out on the couch! Oh yeaaaaah!) Saturday was spent running errands that included a giant dinnerware debacle that will have to saved for a later date, followed by Syracuse basketball watching with a friend at the Baltimore Syracuse bar. Sunday was a relaxing morning followed by preparations for a fondue dinner party. We had six of our amazing friends over to enjoy cheese and chocolate fondue. Monday was a lazy morning and afternoon with a lot of designing thrown in there (more to come at the end of this post).
And finally, Tuesday. Oh Tuesday, you were ridiculously long. You started nice and early with a faculty meeting an hour before school starts, continued with some crazy student stories (which I will one day write about when I am no longer a teacher), stuck around even longer with an after school event that lasted until 7:30, and ended with Andrew and I stuffing our faces with leftover pizza from such said event and passing out on the couch while watching Storage Wars. Oh Tuesday, you were not kind at all.
And now here we are at Wednesday. And I am almost positive you may have stopped reading because I am also fairly positive that I may have bored you in those first few paragraphs. Let's just say that it was kind of nice to live a little.
P.S. The winner of the Oh, Nostalgia giveaway is Beth! Beth, I'll be in touch with you shortly about your prize! :)
Friday, January 11, 2013
They Aren't Pipe Dreams
Last week I mentioned something while I shared my goals with you-- something that has been really bothering me the last few months. I mentioned the fact that a lot of people in my life (real world, not virtual world) don't seem to take my design business seriously. I'm not really sure what their reasoning is, but I get a lot of nods, blank stares, and laughs when I mention anything about my greeting cards and stationery. One person even stated, "Haha! You sell just ONE card to people?! Who buys just ONE card online?!"
I am a teacher now, but I always knew I wasn't meant to teach forever. I've always been a creative person and a free spirit and, quite honestly, teaching in a public school system doesn't cater to either of those qualities. I come from a family in which my mother and father are both artists and have their own businesses. They never had the office jobs or the standard professions that people in today's society seem to assume we must have in order to be taken seriously. This is not weird to me. It is normal. However, this is the only reasoning I can see as to why these people doubt me so much when I talk about my business.
I can tell I'm soon going to be ready to move on. That looks kind of scary when I see it in writing, but in reality I've told this to many people (including my assistant principal-- this isn't breaking news in case someone from school were to stumble upon this). I've just been feeling the itch.
I believe in myself. I know I can sustain myself (once I've paid off all of those pesky student loans). I just wish everyone around me would believe in me too. My parents, sister, and of course Andrew are behind me completely. Yet some days I still feel like the little kid that tells an adult that when they grow up they want to accomplish big things only to have the adult steer them in a different direction or suggest an alternate choice. I almost want to be that kid and yell back, "They aren't pipe dreams!"
I decided to hang this print in my studio from Pen & Paint. It spoke to me for several reasons. 1) The vibrancy of the colors and the sketch itself is inspiring. 2) It reminds me that I AM going to do this. This is not some sort of silly pipe dream. Every day I tell Andrew, "I am going to have an awesome blog" or "I am going to sell ten of these cards in a week" or a general "I'm totally going to kick some ass today!"
And then I do it.
I do it because I know that I can. I've decided that it is going to happen and so it happens. And If I know I can make it happen, then friends, family, and other people around me, please encourage me. It's a rough road having only a few people on your side and sometimes you can use all of the extra motivation that you can get!
Does anyone else ever feel alone in their ambitions? Or feel as though they are not being taken seriously? What do you do to keep yourself motivated and on track to accomplish your dreams?
I am a teacher now, but I always knew I wasn't meant to teach forever. I've always been a creative person and a free spirit and, quite honestly, teaching in a public school system doesn't cater to either of those qualities. I come from a family in which my mother and father are both artists and have their own businesses. They never had the office jobs or the standard professions that people in today's society seem to assume we must have in order to be taken seriously. This is not weird to me. It is normal. However, this is the only reasoning I can see as to why these people doubt me so much when I talk about my business.
I can tell I'm soon going to be ready to move on. That looks kind of scary when I see it in writing, but in reality I've told this to many people (including my assistant principal-- this isn't breaking news in case someone from school were to stumble upon this). I've just been feeling the itch.
I believe in myself. I know I can sustain myself (once I've paid off all of those pesky student loans). I just wish everyone around me would believe in me too. My parents, sister, and of course Andrew are behind me completely. Yet some days I still feel like the little kid that tells an adult that when they grow up they want to accomplish big things only to have the adult steer them in a different direction or suggest an alternate choice. I almost want to be that kid and yell back, "They aren't pipe dreams!"
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And then I do it.
I do it because I know that I can. I've decided that it is going to happen and so it happens. And If I know I can make it happen, then friends, family, and other people around me, please encourage me. It's a rough road having only a few people on your side and sometimes you can use all of the extra motivation that you can get!
Does anyone else ever feel alone in their ambitions? Or feel as though they are not being taken seriously? What do you do to keep yourself motivated and on track to accomplish your dreams?
Friday, December 7, 2012
A Few Things
I know I've been a bit spontaneous with blogging lately and all of those new followers out there probably think I'm super duper lame. I don't blame you, I kind of think I am too. Things have been incredibly busy in the shop and it has been hard to keep up. I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend-- you know, the kind spent in sweats with a cup of coffee in hand and a few fashion magazines and a novel to start your day. And maybe a chocolate lab's head squashing your foot and a cat mashing his paws into your stomach. Lazy can't get any better than that.
We're also planning on finally getting around to decorating the row house for Christmas, and I can assure you, we will not be including anything super tacky in our Christmas decor. We seem to be a little late with this every year, thus we like to leave our tree and decorations up until the end of January.
Anyway, there have been some pretty spectacular things I've been loving this week and here's a peak at a few of those.
I've been getting sick of my jewelry lately and feel like I keep wearing the same pieces over and over again. Lately, I've had my eye of these earrings from Blue Hour Designs...
...and this awesome ring from Lily Emme Jewelry. (Now promise me you won't buy that ring out from under me or I might cry. Seriously, love this one, but just don't quite have the money for it! Great, now all of you are going to race to buy it first.)
And in case you wonder why I don't have the money for that ring, it's because I've had my eye on these. I'd had my eye on them for awhile, but 1) they were too expensive and 2) they didn't have my size. Then yesterday a miracle happened. 1) they went on sale for almost $100 less and 2) the only size they had was my size. I think that's what you call a sign, people. If you're as excited about them as me and you wear an 8.5, I bought the last 10 (yup, tall and big ass feet), but now they apparently also have an 8.5. You're welcome.
And in case the jewelry and shoe shopping just isn't your thing these days, I kind of love these blog posts this week.
I needed a post like this to tell me to get my butt in gear about a few things in my life. This advice is so simple and what I've always told myself, but sometimes I need a good reminder.
I love Leonora's post about copying vs inspiring. I am becoming so disheartened by the number of people I see who are being copied. And having had people copy my designs on several occasions as well, this post hit home.
I'm loving these fun monogram printable gift tags. Let's face it, I'm so busy right now I haven't had the time to make my own Christmas cards or gift tags yet, so I may be swiping these for my use this holiday season.
And finally, Gina's pear cookie pie looks delicious! After one look over the recipe I think this will be a perfect winter recipe to go with a cup of tea.
What are some of your favorite things this week?
We're also planning on finally getting around to decorating the row house for Christmas, and I can assure you, we will not be including anything super tacky in our Christmas decor. We seem to be a little late with this every year, thus we like to leave our tree and decorations up until the end of January.
Anyway, there have been some pretty spectacular things I've been loving this week and here's a peak at a few of those.
I've been getting sick of my jewelry lately and feel like I keep wearing the same pieces over and over again. Lately, I've had my eye of these earrings from Blue Hour Designs...
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| via Nine West |
I needed a post like this to tell me to get my butt in gear about a few things in my life. This advice is so simple and what I've always told myself, but sometimes I need a good reminder.
I love Leonora's post about copying vs inspiring. I am becoming so disheartened by the number of people I see who are being copied. And having had people copy my designs on several occasions as well, this post hit home.
I'm loving these fun monogram printable gift tags. Let's face it, I'm so busy right now I haven't had the time to make my own Christmas cards or gift tags yet, so I may be swiping these for my use this holiday season.
And finally, Gina's pear cookie pie looks delicious! After one look over the recipe I think this will be a perfect winter recipe to go with a cup of tea.
What are some of your favorite things this week?
Thursday, November 29, 2012
A Tacky Christmas Decorations Failure of a Post
I was going to write a post about tacky Christmas decorations. It all came about somewhat like this the other night when my brain was so fried I could barely think:
Me: Hey, I need some good blog ideas. Ready? Go.
Andrew: Tacky Christmas decorations. People will love it!
Me: Ha! I don't know. People might think I'm a jerkface with the face of a jerk. And, more ideas. Go.
Andrew: The difficulties of working two full time jobs.
And that was the end of that conversation because I thought that was a slightly worthless idea too. Nor did I want to bore you to death with my griping and moaning about how exhausted I am. Though I guess I sort of did that two days ago in some ways. So I was going to write about tacky Christmas decorations. But then I thought I would be a jerkface if I did that. I thought about the time when someone posted a nasty comment on twitter about this card--
They said the card didn't even make any sense and was totally gross. I, on the other hand, thought that the card was hilarious because farts are hilarious. And let's face it, I'm sure there are plenty of people that would say they tend to let things loose once they're married. I mean, who would want to go an entire lifetime holding in their farts? It's not healthy. I would know. I read about it in a picture book that a friend of mine gave another friend of mine. And yes, we were dying laughing about it. Because farts are funny. Ok, maybe too much info.
And crap. (Pun totally intended.) I was going to make this a post about actual Christmas decorations that rocked, but clearly I am on another tangent and have failed. Somehow I don't think pairing awesome Christmas decorations with a fart card is quite the right transition, so I will have to save that for a later date.
And for those of you that are new readers-- I apologize. I promise I'm not so gross all of the time. I should be ashamed of myself, really, to subject you to such things right off the bat!
And because I have no better way to end this post after digging myself into a terribly deep hole-- opinions on the subject? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Me: Hey, I need some good blog ideas. Ready? Go.
Andrew: Tacky Christmas decorations. People will love it!
Me: Ha! I don't know. People might think I'm a jerkface with the face of a jerk. And, more ideas. Go.
Andrew: The difficulties of working two full time jobs.
And that was the end of that conversation because I thought that was a slightly worthless idea too. Nor did I want to bore you to death with my griping and moaning about how exhausted I am. Though I guess I sort of did that two days ago in some ways. So I was going to write about tacky Christmas decorations. But then I thought I would be a jerkface if I did that. I thought about the time when someone posted a nasty comment on twitter about this card--
They said the card didn't even make any sense and was totally gross. I, on the other hand, thought that the card was hilarious because farts are hilarious. And let's face it, I'm sure there are plenty of people that would say they tend to let things loose once they're married. I mean, who would want to go an entire lifetime holding in their farts? It's not healthy. I would know. I read about it in a picture book that a friend of mine gave another friend of mine. And yes, we were dying laughing about it. Because farts are funny. Ok, maybe too much info.
And crap. (Pun totally intended.) I was going to make this a post about actual Christmas decorations that rocked, but clearly I am on another tangent and have failed. Somehow I don't think pairing awesome Christmas decorations with a fart card is quite the right transition, so I will have to save that for a later date.
And for those of you that are new readers-- I apologize. I promise I'm not so gross all of the time. I should be ashamed of myself, really, to subject you to such things right off the bat!
And because I have no better way to end this post after digging myself into a terribly deep hole-- opinions on the subject? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving!
Now is the time that I get to write that really cheesy blog post about what I'm thankful for. I tend not to do cheesy well unless it's sarcasm, but this time I promise there is no sarcasm involved (ok, only maybe a little, but I mean well, people). In the past year, I've had some pretty amazing stuff happen, so here goes nothing.
1) The Saturday after last Thanksgiving, Andrew surprised me in the middle of rainy Chicago by popping the question. Yup, that's right. We were standing in the middle of a wet and dead garden and I was wet and miserable and wanted to know what the hell we were doing there. I may or may not have slapped him on his arm and asked him what he was doing while he proposed. And while I'm not a super mushy and sentimental person, I have to say I'm pretty thankful for him and the last 8 years we've been together (plus for putting up with that arm slapping thing during his proposal). It's been a pretty awesome ride so far and I'm looking forward to more to come. And for those of you that were wondering-- no, we still haven't set a date yet or started planning a wedding. We're pretty bad at that kind of stuff. Oops.
2) After a few really rough and stressful years in a teaching position I was not entirely happy with, I finally made the transition to teaching Social Studies full time. I'm definitely thankful for that because it has revived my passion for teaching. Seriously, people, nothing makes me smile more than hearing middle school students sing "Fifty Nifty United States" as they walk down the hall. At the same time, nothing makes me want to cry more than having "Fifty Nifty United States" stuck in my head at 3:30 in the morning while I lay wide awake in bed trying to fall asleep. But at least I know there is a reason it is stuck in my head and that certainly makes me thankful.
3) Lilah and Finn.
I mean, look at them! Need I say more? How could I not be thankful for them?
4) I'm super thankful for this awesome row house that we get to call our own. It took us over nine months for us to close on this house. It was a short sale and contrary to what the name would lead you to believe, short sales are not short. Factor in the part where the bank lost our paperwork three times in the process and it took even longer. Needless to say, we've been here for over two years now and I couldn't be happier.
5) I'm super thankful for my card shop. I am so incredibly thankful to be able to have this creative outlet and business that I hope one day will be my full time job. In the past year, I've been blown away by the support I have had in making this business grow. And grow it has-- by leaps and bounds in just a few short months. I have far exceeded my goals for this year and I couldn't be more thankful for that!
6) And last but not least, I'm super thankful for all of you awesome people out there. You've all helped and encouraged me with my shop as well as with this here old blog. I'm pretty certain that when I first started writing this blog for fun I never expected to have nearly as many readers as I do. And quite frankly, I'm sort of shocked that you all stick around! But apparently you must love me just enough that you'll put up with five million really bad posts if I can come up with one or two good ones now and again about burning my butt or dying while running. Either way, thank you all so much for reading and commenting, emailing, and tweeting your responses! It's been great so far and I'm super thankful for that!
Now excuse me while I go bust out the fat pants and stuff my face with turkey. Hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving!
1) The Saturday after last Thanksgiving, Andrew surprised me in the middle of rainy Chicago by popping the question. Yup, that's right. We were standing in the middle of a wet and dead garden and I was wet and miserable and wanted to know what the hell we were doing there. I may or may not have slapped him on his arm and asked him what he was doing while he proposed. And while I'm not a super mushy and sentimental person, I have to say I'm pretty thankful for him and the last 8 years we've been together (plus for putting up with that arm slapping thing during his proposal). It's been a pretty awesome ride so far and I'm looking forward to more to come. And for those of you that were wondering-- no, we still haven't set a date yet or started planning a wedding. We're pretty bad at that kind of stuff. Oops.
2) After a few really rough and stressful years in a teaching position I was not entirely happy with, I finally made the transition to teaching Social Studies full time. I'm definitely thankful for that because it has revived my passion for teaching. Seriously, people, nothing makes me smile more than hearing middle school students sing "Fifty Nifty United States" as they walk down the hall. At the same time, nothing makes me want to cry more than having "Fifty Nifty United States" stuck in my head at 3:30 in the morning while I lay wide awake in bed trying to fall asleep. But at least I know there is a reason it is stuck in my head and that certainly makes me thankful.
3) Lilah and Finn.
4) I'm super thankful for this awesome row house that we get to call our own. It took us over nine months for us to close on this house. It was a short sale and contrary to what the name would lead you to believe, short sales are not short. Factor in the part where the bank lost our paperwork three times in the process and it took even longer. Needless to say, we've been here for over two years now and I couldn't be happier.
5) I'm super thankful for my card shop. I am so incredibly thankful to be able to have this creative outlet and business that I hope one day will be my full time job. In the past year, I've been blown away by the support I have had in making this business grow. And grow it has-- by leaps and bounds in just a few short months. I have far exceeded my goals for this year and I couldn't be more thankful for that!
6) And last but not least, I'm super thankful for all of you awesome people out there. You've all helped and encouraged me with my shop as well as with this here old blog. I'm pretty certain that when I first started writing this blog for fun I never expected to have nearly as many readers as I do. And quite frankly, I'm sort of shocked that you all stick around! But apparently you must love me just enough that you'll put up with five million really bad posts if I can come up with one or two good ones now and again about burning my butt or dying while running. Either way, thank you all so much for reading and commenting, emailing, and tweeting your responses! It's been great so far and I'm super thankful for that!
Now excuse me while I go bust out the fat pants and stuff my face with turkey. Hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving!
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Hello Fall!
It is no secret that this dear old blog needs a little life support at the moment, or maybe a good dose of CPR to at least revitalize it. I've been missing from the blog world for about a month after school took over my life. Between all of the lesson planning, grading of papers, coaching basketball, taking a grad class, AND last but not least keeping up with the continually growing shop, my poor blog has taken the biggest hit of all.
With the arrival of fall, I've decided to try to get my butt back in gear with this whole blogging business. Fall is my favorite time of year and there are a few things that I've been loving lately.
Post-season playoff games for the Baltimore Orioles! Baseball well into October is something that hasn't happened here since we've moved to Baltimore (or even well before then) and the excitement in the city about the O's is pretty awesome! Baseball fans or not, people are getting excited about our baseball team.
Time to get those boots back out! And by getting the boots back out, that also means buying two new pairs to add to lot. Sorry, but I couldn't choose just one of these. In all fairness, I did have some pretty spectacular coupon codes and some leftover money on an Amazon gift card to help me out so that I wouldn't break the bank.
Also exciting? Popcorn and apple cider! I have a delicious peanut butter popcorn recipe that I'll have to share with you all in the future. I eat way too much of that stuff during these fall months.
While fall in Baltimore is usually pretty warm well until November, this coming week we'll finally be having some of those cooler temperatures that I truly love. Despite tomorrow's weather (lots of rain) I'm loving this outlook for the next few days!
And of course, I can't wait until the leaves start to change! Combine that with some cool, crisp weather and some weekend hiking and I'll be a happy girl.
I just can't help but love fall. It is most certainly my favorite season. What are looking forward to this fall?
With the arrival of fall, I've decided to try to get my butt back in gear with this whole blogging business. Fall is my favorite time of year and there are a few things that I've been loving lately.
Post-season playoff games for the Baltimore Orioles! Baseball well into October is something that hasn't happened here since we've moved to Baltimore (or even well before then) and the excitement in the city about the O's is pretty awesome! Baseball fans or not, people are getting excited about our baseball team.
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| via ESPN |
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| Steve Madden via Amazon |
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| Steve Madden via shoes.com |
Also exciting? Popcorn and apple cider! I have a delicious peanut butter popcorn recipe that I'll have to share with you all in the future. I eat way too much of that stuff during these fall months.
While fall in Baltimore is usually pretty warm well until November, this coming week we'll finally be having some of those cooler temperatures that I truly love. Despite tomorrow's weather (lots of rain) I'm loving this outlook for the next few days!
And of course, I can't wait until the leaves start to change! Combine that with some cool, crisp weather and some weekend hiking and I'll be a happy girl.
I just can't help but love fall. It is most certainly my favorite season. What are looking forward to this fall?
Monday, July 16, 2012
Weekend
This weekend wasn't super eventful, but sometimes that's ok. It's nice to be able to be lazy and recharge. We spent Friday night at the O's game. It was the first game we had been to after the ridiculously hot temperatures we endured for the Indians series. It was the one game a year that we decided to splurge for decent seats, but in the end our best pitcher got hurt, the O's totally got dominated, and we were too late arriving at the stadium to get the free Matt Wieters jerseys they were handing out. Fail. Oh well, it was still fun anyway.
Saturday evening we headed down to Fells Point for some steamed shrimp and some outdoor seating along the water. Next, we decided to meander over to our favorite bar to get one beer before we headed home. We ended up sitting at the bar for the rest of the night and enjoyed a few. It had been a long time since we had just spent an entire night talking about this and that and not really feeling like you had any place to be. And it's always nice to find out your favorite bartender didn't charge you for everything when you get your tab. (Shhh... don't tell, but this may happen a lot. They may like us just a little bit there, just a little. And by a little, I might mean a lot.)
Sunday was home improvement and errands day. Home improvement this time meant installing new rope lights around the railing of our roof deck as well as solar lanterns on each corner of the deck. Errands included going to Bed, Bath & Beyond to exchange a scale that was broken after one day. Hoping this second one doesn't die immediately. And to Dick's Sporting Goods to get some free weights. More to come on those two lovely errand items in a future post. I'll need a little more time to write about it.
Things to look forward to this week? A new camera lens that is arriving today, some new cards to show off on the blog, and a friend's wedding over the weekend. Hope you all have a fabulous week!
Saturday evening we headed down to Fells Point for some steamed shrimp and some outdoor seating along the water. Next, we decided to meander over to our favorite bar to get one beer before we headed home. We ended up sitting at the bar for the rest of the night and enjoyed a few. It had been a long time since we had just spent an entire night talking about this and that and not really feeling like you had any place to be. And it's always nice to find out your favorite bartender didn't charge you for everything when you get your tab. (Shhh... don't tell, but this may happen a lot. They may like us just a little bit there, just a little. And by a little, I might mean a lot.)
Sunday was home improvement and errands day. Home improvement this time meant installing new rope lights around the railing of our roof deck as well as solar lanterns on each corner of the deck. Errands included going to Bed, Bath & Beyond to exchange a scale that was broken after one day. Hoping this second one doesn't die immediately. And to Dick's Sporting Goods to get some free weights. More to come on those two lovely errand items in a future post. I'll need a little more time to write about it.
Things to look forward to this week? A new camera lens that is arriving today, some new cards to show off on the blog, and a friend's wedding over the weekend. Hope you all have a fabulous week!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Blog Because You Love to Blog
Recently, I've been feeling a bit bummed out with the blogging world. I open up my Google Reader with hopes to read great content and instead I see giveaway after giveaway. Recently, some blogs have hardly had any content other than giveaways, which is not why I began reading them in the first place. Feeling frustrated, I tweeted this:
Within minutes, I was overwhelmed by an outpouring of feedback from all sorts of people. Some comments were from people that completely agreed with me. Others from people that felt they had strayed too far from what their original purpose of blogging used to be and thanked me for the reminder.
I had previously written about my frustration in comparing myself to others around me. I suddenly realized that was no longer an issue for me. Certainly, as bloggers, we all want to have a strong readership, but for me the numbers suddenly no longer mattered. I was watching other blogs grow on giveaways alone and it hit me. I'd rather have ten readers that care about what I am sharing than one hundred readers that are only in it for the free stuff.
I'm guilty of having the occasional giveaway. I think most blogs do have giveaways now and again. Giveaways are fun, but I don't want to be overloaded with them to the point that my written content comes second to a giveaway. I am not blogging for income, numbers, or solely to provide free stuff. I am blogging because I love to write and I want to share my passions.
I mulled over this idea of writing a blog post about this topic. I didn't know if I should write this post because I am a worry wart. I will probably offend people. I might even lose readers that I enjoy engaging with. But this is my space. And as much as I worry about all of that, I also love controversy. I love debate. I love conversation. So why hold back on who I am and not write about something that really hit home for me, and apparently so many others.
After my tweet, I had engaging and thoughtful conversation from so many individuals, including some of my fabulous readers and other bloggers that I admire. THIS is what blogging is about, I thought. It's about expressing opinions and feelings. It's about writing about what you love. It's about building community.
I had previously written about my frustration in comparing myself to others around me. I suddenly realized that was no longer an issue for me. Certainly, as bloggers, we all want to have a strong readership, but for me the numbers suddenly no longer mattered. I was watching other blogs grow on giveaways alone and it hit me. I'd rather have ten readers that care about what I am sharing than one hundred readers that are only in it for the free stuff.
I'm guilty of having the occasional giveaway. I think most blogs do have giveaways now and again. Giveaways are fun, but I don't want to be overloaded with them to the point that my written content comes second to a giveaway. I am not blogging for income, numbers, or solely to provide free stuff. I am blogging because I love to write and I want to share my passions.
I mulled over this idea of writing a blog post about this topic. I didn't know if I should write this post because I am a worry wart. I will probably offend people. I might even lose readers that I enjoy engaging with. But this is my space. And as much as I worry about all of that, I also love controversy. I love debate. I love conversation. So why hold back on who I am and not write about something that really hit home for me, and apparently so many others.
After my tweet, I had engaging and thoughtful conversation from so many individuals, including some of my fabulous readers and other bloggers that I admire. THIS is what blogging is about, I thought. It's about expressing opinions and feelings. It's about writing about what you love. It's about building community.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Frustration
I had a few things happen this past week that left me feeling at a bit of a stand still. As I began reflecting on all of it, I thought about the beginning of this indie business venture of mine. Starting out it seemed easy. There were no overly complicated things to think about. As my business continued to grow, each level became much more difficult until I reached the point where I am now.
The amount of work that I put into my shop has increased immensely, yet there are times when I feel as though there is little progress forward, or sometimes even days when I feel as though I am taking several steps back. The worst part about this frustration is that it is draining me of creative energy. I sit down with the intention of creating, only to sit and stare at an empty Illustrator artboard or a blank card and stacks of paper. I'm stuck in a negative cycle.
In one of my most recent fits of frustration, a blog friend Patti shared a great article that got my mind back on track. It reminded me of what my priorities need to be. So I decided to consciously think about the positives. I decided to get back into my yoga routine that I lost a few months ago. I decided to take time off from the things that were adding to my frustration. I decided to stop comparing myself to others and to not be so hard on myself. And mostly, I decided to step away from things if it becomes too frustrating, and come back to it a different day or a different time.
Day one into my new positive cycle and I'm feeling a lot better. I'm realizing that I control how I feel rather than letting it up to circumstances. Some of the circumstances are not up to my control in any way, but it is up to me how I react. Aside from these changes I'm trying to make, I decided to let it all out realizing that I'm not always alone in this department. Do you ever feel stuck in a rut of frustration? What are the methods you have used to cope with your own frustrations?
The amount of work that I put into my shop has increased immensely, yet there are times when I feel as though there is little progress forward, or sometimes even days when I feel as though I am taking several steps back. The worst part about this frustration is that it is draining me of creative energy. I sit down with the intention of creating, only to sit and stare at an empty Illustrator artboard or a blank card and stacks of paper. I'm stuck in a negative cycle.
In one of my most recent fits of frustration, a blog friend Patti shared a great article that got my mind back on track. It reminded me of what my priorities need to be. So I decided to consciously think about the positives. I decided to get back into my yoga routine that I lost a few months ago. I decided to take time off from the things that were adding to my frustration. I decided to stop comparing myself to others and to not be so hard on myself. And mostly, I decided to step away from things if it becomes too frustrating, and come back to it a different day or a different time.
Day one into my new positive cycle and I'm feeling a lot better. I'm realizing that I control how I feel rather than letting it up to circumstances. Some of the circumstances are not up to my control in any way, but it is up to me how I react. Aside from these changes I'm trying to make, I decided to let it all out realizing that I'm not always alone in this department. Do you ever feel stuck in a rut of frustration? What are the methods you have used to cope with your own frustrations?
Friday, March 9, 2012
A Few Things for Friday
1. Yesterday my students participated in a final "Hunger Games" for a cross-curricular unit we based on the novel between Language Arts and Gym. It was basically a glorified version on tag, using flag football flags. Before the games began, students were hugging each other and telling each other that they loved one another as if they were really going to die. They created intense alliances and strategies to help them "stay alive." They told me that they were scared and that they didn't want to "die." Once they games began, some of them truly ran as if they were running for their lives. They plotted with each other about who to "kill" first. They betrayed each other in their alliances. And some had the sole purpose of doing whatever it took to keep a friend "alive." Before the games began, one of my 8th grade students said to me, "Ms. Shenk, I know that this isn't really for real, but it feels like it's real and I don't want to die. And second of all, I need to thank you for the best thing I've ever done in school. It is the most intense thing I have ever experienced." Sigh.....
2. On a less serious note, so glad to know that you all think that this fart card is funny. Makes me feel a whole lot better and made my week to give everyone a good laugh. In case you wondered, I still cackle out loud when I see it.
3. On Monday, Andrew came home from work with a bouquet of roses and lilies and a chocolate and strawberry torte. Little surprises like that every once in a while are nice. :)
4. I'm not one to drink pop that often. Yes, I call it pop. Despite living in Baltimore, my Midwestern roots are my reasoning behind the FACT that it's called pop. No, it's not soda. And definitely no, all pop should not be clumped under the term coke. Ok. Now that we got that one out of the way, I have to admit I've been finding a nice afternoon pick me up in a can of vanilla coke. When I do drink pop, I usually go for the lemon-lime varieties, not being a cola person, but man, that vanilla coke is just perfect. But not for long. Once I drink the final can from that 12 pack, it's back to water in the afternoons since we only buy pop on very rare occasions as a special treat.
Hope you all had a lovely week! What made your day (or week) this week? What little pick me ups have you been craving this week?
2. On a less serious note, so glad to know that you all think that this fart card is funny. Makes me feel a whole lot better and made my week to give everyone a good laugh. In case you wondered, I still cackle out loud when I see it.
3. On Monday, Andrew came home from work with a bouquet of roses and lilies and a chocolate and strawberry torte. Little surprises like that every once in a while are nice. :)
4. I'm not one to drink pop that often. Yes, I call it pop. Despite living in Baltimore, my Midwestern roots are my reasoning behind the FACT that it's called pop. No, it's not soda. And definitely no, all pop should not be clumped under the term coke. Ok. Now that we got that one out of the way, I have to admit I've been finding a nice afternoon pick me up in a can of vanilla coke. When I do drink pop, I usually go for the lemon-lime varieties, not being a cola person, but man, that vanilla coke is just perfect. But not for long. Once I drink the final can from that 12 pack, it's back to water in the afternoons since we only buy pop on very rare occasions as a special treat.
Hope you all had a lovely week! What made your day (or week) this week? What little pick me ups have you been craving this week?
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