31 Days~ Day 8

Great day on the elliptical.  I actually went longer without feeling whiny and wimpy.  It certainly is a great way to start my day.  Tomorrow will be a test to see if I can get up reeeeally early and workout, get dressed, feed the masses and get outta Dodge on time. 
As far as creating anything, a lil swing time and dabbling with watercolor crayons.  I think they are the coolest things!  They are great crayons, but dip 'em in water and it's a totally different effect.  Color with them and then add a brush dipped in water, yowza yowza.  Very therapeutic.

31 Days ~ Day 7

Well, well, well...7 days.  And I am coming to the realization that I am failing at cooking.  I am just not gettin' it done.  And the world is not going to end!  We are all getting fed, allbeit leftovers and this that and the other, but the world hasn't ended, no one is complaining (to me anyway), and my self-worth isn't crumpling.  HA  Take that trolls!!!  Does this mean I quit altogether?  Nope.  Just not going to stress about something I'm not getting done.

As far as exercising, I am kicking butt:)  Got up earlier this morning and even though I was whiny and had to talk myself into getting up, I did what I needed to do.  I have cut back on eating junk~even liquid satan has been noticably absent.  Feeling MUCH better! 

I bought a t-shirt today.  Green.  Regular T.  Because I want to cut one up and then sew it into a new T.  As I ripped the arm seams apart this evening, I admitted to myself that this random crafting is fun but might I be avoiding finishing one thing before moving onto the next?  Hmmmm.... sounds like my usual MO.  That led me to paint a slat on the swing.  I didn't pick the sketchbook back up; knew that sketching would lead to further procrastination.  The swing.  I've got to get it done!  Tomorrow!  Tomorrow!  I'm painting tomorrow. I'm painting the day awayyyyy...

31 Days ~ Day 6

Great workout this morning:)  It was intense and I was toast afterwards.  My children laughed when I came up for air.  I was soaking wet and kinda trembly.  I looked awful!!!!   Felt like a champ.

The remainder of the day was truly a lazy one.  And that's okay.  I didn't get stressed out about "should be"or "could be", I just spent the day laid back and planning on accomplishing very little.  No trolls taunting me:)  My creative streak consisted of getting my workout journal lined up and filled in.  And trolling some great websites to get some new ideas.
Dinner~ so many good things to choose from~ as in leftovers...I put 'em together and served them up.  I kept putting off the grocery store trip until a massive thunderstorm made it an easy decision to stay home.  So after tomorrow's workout (which will be earlier in the a.m.), I will make that trip and truly cook.  I have really failed in that respect.as far as this challenge goes.
In my mind, I think how wonderful it will be to have a sit down dinner and cooking all of these wonderful meals.  Then there's reality.  No one is home at the same time.  I procrastinate and it's time to eat with nothing ready.  whine  Time to put my big girl panties on and Just Do It. 
 

31 Days ~ Day 5

The Swing.  I whined about getting one.  I planned out how I wanted it painted.  I got the structure ready for it. I started working on it. Talked about it.  Neglected it.  Blogged about it.  Pretty sure I have lost the hardware for it.  But today, I worked on it.  Even though my husband pointed out the futility in painting if the hardware really has disappeared.  Quid tum?  The hardware hasn't stuck in my craw to sneak up and give me a swift kick of guilt for not finishing something I started.  I mapped it out again as I have changed my mind about how I want each slat, and began.  I really enjoyed mixing paint to get just the right color.  I admit, it is a messy endeavor~ but that is part of the fun.  I got to the point where I needed to add details, so I decided to head upstairs and do a little sketching.  I hope the final result will turn out as nicely as the sketches. 

I still have slats to paint, and sketches or practice runs to go before it is ready.  Hardware or not.  If we don't swing in it, it'll be yard art.  Ha.

I did get up and exercise first thing this morning.  Much, much better to get it done first thing. And yes, I did feel great after I recovered.  I was a sight trudging up from the dungeon.  It isn't pretty, but it will work wonders as long as I keep at it.

As for cooking, bleh.  That is my biggest challenge.  My family is by no means in the same place at the same time.  And when the majority of them are, I am out of sync with them as far as cooking is concerned. It's just food.  On the table.  At relatively the same time every day.  Not rocket science, not even close. Why I make this so hard for myself, I don't know.  I have a streak aimed at irking myself mightily.  Well, guess we'll have to see what tomorrow brings.  Goodnight all.

31 Days~ Days 4

Happy 4th!  What a great day it's been:)

Today started at the beach with great friends.  The whole family piled in the van and schlepped beach stuff to a great spot.  We were surprised to find some great people to hang out with and baked companionably in the heat.  The water was chilly and there were all kinds of jellyfish floating in the water, but when you sit in the sun long enough, refreshingly cold water takes precedence over the chance of a sting.  Luckily, we enjoyed swimming in wild tasty waves throughout the day.  Later in the afternoon, we met up with friends from last night.  I was camped under my umbrella by then and instead of swimming, I would get my feet wet and observe the gagillion moon jellies floating in the surf.

Home from the beach, I was wiped out!  BUT I got up, fixed up some baked beans and sweet tea, threw some hot dogs on the grill and babam!  Dinner:) 

I grabbed my art bag and wanted to try to paint the surf with moon jellies floating around.  I cut moon jellies out of contact paper and then painted over them.  Once it dried, I peeled the contact paper and colored the white space with oil pastels and the Sakura gel pens.  Back over it again with watercolor to finish with this:

I have A LOT to learn, but so what?  It is fun to play and that is really what this is all about. 

Was I tired?  yes.  Even so, I made it downstairs to lift some weights.  Good thing I painted first...my arms are shaking mightily as I type.  I realize that I will be soooo much better off getting up earlier and getting the exercise over with first thing in the morning.  It could happen:)

31 Days~ Day 3

When I was in college, I could never study or work on assignments until I had cleaned up my apartment.  The mess wouldn't bother me until I had something really important to do.  Today was sorta like that.  I went downstairs looking for something to start a project I have had on my list for quite a while and started cleaning up.  I actually purged some things that had long since stopped being useful and found a few things that brought a smile.  Nothing made except a bit of space.  The next time I head down to my worktable, I will not only be able to find things, I will have a place to work on them. 

Got a head start this morning and set a roast in the crock pot.  Added french onion soup, onion, potatoes and carrots. Dinner prepared. 

As for exercise, I can only count floating in the ocean and diving under some waves.  My afternoon and evening were spent at the beach with my sweetie and some friends we have not seen in years.  It was a wonderful way to spend the day and I am thankful for it.

31 Days~ Day 2

Two days in a row!  That's a record in itself:)
Cooking ~ I was gone the majority of the day, but my oldest son and I baked a cheesecake.  I will add the blueberry topping tomorrow.  And. actually. cook. a. meal. 

Creating ~ Did I mention I had a bunch of neglected artsy paraphernalia in the basement yesterday?  Yep, that was me posting that.  It makes PERFECT sense that I stopped at a craft store today and purchased brand new stuff to play with.  By the way, I absolutely put the blame on Lisa for that.  She introduced me to Fimo clay at Fine Arts camp and I have been itching to play at home ever since...

 I not only bought the clay, I bought mini metal cutters to use, too!

Baked!

I also picked up a stone mosaic kit from my good friend and made a stepping stone.  I was baking in the hot sun setting it up, so I didn't get very creative.  I DID trade the marbles in the kit for scraps of stained glass I had.  It was really easy to do and I know next time to map out the artwork before I start mixing. 

As for exercise ~ a great game of volleyball.  I even took a spike to the face and lived to tell the tale.  

 

31 Days

I have always wanted to pursue a project as a challenge.  I've read Gretchen Rubin's blog and loved Julie Powell's book and her blog as well.  I admired their ability to stick to something for a year.  A WHOLE year.  365 days...
Not this chick.  The only thing I am consistent in is being inconsistent.  SO  here I am.  Swing still in the basement (see previous post).  A month and a bit more stretch out in front of me and I am fortunate enough to do pretty much what I choose.  I decided to try to accomplish some things that I always say I want to do.  For a month.  31 days to be exact. 

What will I be doing?

• Cooking.  As in a full meal.  At least one a day.  Lunch and breakfast will be bonus.  I know, this isn't a challenge.  Not for you,reader.  I plan on actually cooking recipes I have clipped, bookmarked, drooled over, pondered.  That I normally don't have the time for with all of our running around.   
• Creating.  Something...I have a basement full of things partly started, things waiting to be opened and played with, things I've talked about doing. 
• Exercising.  Note~ not focusing on a number.  Just getting some exercise.  Having just finished Younger Next Year for Women (which I highly recommend to EVERYONE), I realize I have the opportunity to prevent a future of frailty and dependence if I begin now.

And here I am at day one.
Did I cook? 
Well, I orchestrated.  Got my daughter to fix the main dish whilst I worked on our late evening dessert.

Tacos

 

 

 

 

 

Crumbled pound cake for fried ice cream.

 

 

 

 

Did I create?
I have been wanting to play with watercolor, so I decided to dive in.  My husband sent me a picture of our first sunflower blooming and that was the subject for day one.  I tried sgrafitto texture and added some detail with oil pastels and Sakura glaze pens.  It was a great feeling to spread out my supplies, add some ocean wave music and sit by a sunny window to have at it.

Exercise?
Done.  Even after coming home late.  Went directly down to the dungeon basement and worked my legs. Writing the workout down makes it so much easier.  I don't have to think, just get it done.  While I was pushing out reps, I realized how great it felt to be doing something!  Even though I was tired and wanted to get in my pj's and call it a night, I was content to be where I was. 

Day 1 done.  Looking forward to what tomorrow brings.