Posts from the ‘Personal’ Category

Jul 20

Around Here: July

We have been enjoying some warmer temperatures recently, and it really feels like summer, almost like the dog days of summer! Below are some items that have occurred around here in July! Happy Summer!

-continuing to work steadily on my long-term photography project, and I have a few more months to go to finally finish!

-since it is officially summer now, Doug and I are checking items off our ‘summer bucket list.’

-took a trip to Delaware and Pennsylvania for the Fourth of July!

-took a trip to the Eastern Shore for crabs and shrimp with Victory!

-celebrated some positive news!

-working on the final details of Victory’s portrait, which is Audrey Hepburn inspired, to be finished next month, similar to Biscuit’s painting where they will hang side by side in our home!

-finishing up my new website, which should be finished shortly!

-tried acupuncture for the first time.

-we pretty much finished our spring/summer cleaning — we have a couple of closets left remaining to clean out!

-enjoying time at our neighborhood pool, relaxing and reading!

-enjoying evening runs to TCBY for frozen yogurt with Victory — her favorite is the peanut butter frozen yogurt!

-enjoying time on our decks together on cooler evenings, watching the sun set.

-burning summer scented candles in our home!

-enjoying long walks around the neighborhood and dinners together outside! Victory still very much loves going for rides in her Hound About!

-began reading The Art of Possibility — a good read so far.

-watched the first season of Marcella, a really good series!

-began watching Stranger Things, which is a good and addictive series!

-happy that Doug is back home, as he was in Texas for work!

-still using my Fitbit and I’m hitting 10,000 steps per day most days.

-continuing to make incremental progress on our ever-growing to do list!

Happy Wednesday!

Jul 18

Mindfulness: Adult Coloring Books and Buddha Board

I recently discovered adult coloring books. They are a great way to focus one’s energy and they are also a great stress reliever, too! If you find yourself stuck on something or you need to occupy your mind, adult coloring books are great! You can find a variety of adult coloring books here or at your local bookstore.

Earlier this year I also discovered the Buddha Board, which is like water color painting, except that the painting does not stay permanently, it disappears, so you are therefore left with a clean slate each time, which forces once to be and enjoy the moment! You can watch a video of the Buddha Board here and view the Buddha Boards here.

Happy Monday!

Jun 27

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Just Because…

“And every day, the world will drag you by the hand, yelling, “This is important! And this is important! And this is important! You need to worry about this! And this! And this!” And each day, it’s up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say, “No. This is what’s important.”
― Iain Thomas

Happy Monday!

Jun 24

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Around Here: June

We have been enjoying some warmer temperatures recently, and it really feels like summer! Below are some items that have occurred around here in June! Happy Summer!

-continuing to work steadily on my long-term photography project, and I have a few more months to go to finally finish!

-since it is officially summer now, Doug and I are currently working on finishing our summer ‘bucket list’ of fun things that we want to accomplish this summer!

-celebrated a fun Father’s Day together!

-we are working on the final details of Victory’s portrait, which is Audrey Hepburn inspired, to be finished in the next couple of weeks, similar to Biscuit’s painting where they will hang side by side in our home!

-we finally got our house windows cleaned, inside and out! It is wonderful to be able to clearly see out of our windows again, as they had not been cleaned since our house was built about almost three years ago!

-next week we are finishing our ‘spring cleaning’ with having our bedroom rugs cleaned along with cleaning out a few remaining closets!

-enjoying time at our neighborhood pool!

-enjoying time on our decks together in the evenings, watching the sun set.

-burning summer scented candles in our home!

-when it is not too hot and humid, opening our windows and letting fresh air into the house!

-enjoying long walks around the neighborhood and dinners together outside! Victory still very much loves going for rides in her Hound About!

-began reading Spark Joy — a good read so far.

-watched the second season of Bloodline, a really good series!

-started watching the first season of the River, a new television series.

-still using my Fitbit and I’m hitting 10,000 steps per day most days.

-continuing to make incremental progress on our ever-growing to do list!

Happy Friday! It is supposed to be beautiful weather here this weekend, and we plan to take full advantage of it this weekend! Hope that you have a good weekend!

Jun 22

Quotes: Letterfolk

Doug recently helped me hang our new Letterfolk letter board in our home, and I love it! I love quotes, as our refrigerator is filled with quotes and photo magnets! With our letter board I can now, as frequently as I would like, change the quotes displayed in our home! If you love mantras and quotes, this is a great way to easily and visually display the mantras and quotes you love. Our Letterfolk board currently reads, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” — Helen Keller.

A few photos of Letterfolk boards, from around the web, are shown below.

Happy Wednesday!

The above images are via Letterfolk.

Jun 17

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Have a Lovely Weekend!

What are you up to this weekend? The weather here looks beautiful this weekend! We’re celebrating Father’s Day, attending a neighborhood party, and plan to make it to the pool for some relaxing and reading time! Victory is all ready with her gifts to give to her Daddy on Sunday! We can’t believe that summer officially begins on Monday, and Doug and I are currently working on our ‘Summer Bucket List!’ Hope that you have a great weekend, and here are some fun links from around the web…

Comfort dogs are helping Orlando victims.

The new issue of Four & Sons is now available.

Why you need a true hobby and not just a side-hussle.

Guide for making a gallery wall.

Loving these comfortable shorts.

Love this blog, filled with very interesting content!

Fun mugs! I especially liked this one.

Some fun summer recipes.

How to overcome worry and be a friendlier person.

Are you right-brained or left-brained? (I use both sides almost equally.)

The importance of to-do lists.

“And if you are alive and in relationship, you do vulnerability. If you are alive and in relationship and in business, you do it hourly.” – Brene Brown in a Fast Company article from a few years back.

Finally, my friend’s book just came out this week!

Jun 13

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Perspective on Time

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” — William Penn

Sometimes it feels like I never have enough time to get everything done on my ever growing to do list. I believe one of the reasons we feel like we do not have enough time is we get caught up on what others are doing instead of focusing on what we can actually be doing. Often, we feel rushed, busy, and unaccomplished because of comparison. Comparison is the worst game because nobody wins. I feel better and much more productive when I focus on what I can accomplish versus comparing myself to what others are doing. The lesson to having more time: focus on your goals and dreams!

Additionally, I really like the idea of a “Stop-Doing List,” coined by Jocelyn K. Glei, which has changed my perspective in relation to time. Glei states, “In this Age of Distraction, we’re all dodging and weaving between so much incoming information that what you don’t do on a daily basis has become as important—if not more—as what you do execute on.”

Below are two lists that Glei follows, which also might help you create more time and space in your daily schedule.

Here’s a list of the things I don’t do while working:

I don’t schedule meetings in the morning.

I don’t listen to music or radio that has words.

I don’t look at my email until I’ve done 90 mins of deep-attention work.

I don’t treat emails from people I don’t know as urgent.

I don’t look at social media until the afternoon, and then only on breaks.

I don’t tweet live. (I schedule almost everything in advance.)

I don’t over program my daily schedule so that there is no downtime.

I don’t work more than three hours without a break.

I don’t answer my phone or texts in the morning.

I don’t read the news.

I don’t eat at my desk.

I don’t work past 6:00 p.m.

And here’s a list of things I make sure to do:

I do make my to-do list for tomorrow the night before.

I do focus on deep-attention before hyper-attention work.

I do regularly identify and update my goals for the next 6 months, and the actions I need to take to meet them.

I do always have a variety of projects on my slate so I can shift tasks based on my mood and energy level, while still getting important stuff done.

I do meet (or catch up with) one interesting person a week.

Jun 10

Listening: Podcasts

I enjoy listening to podcasts while I am working. Below is a list of my current favorite podcasts, that you might be interested in checking out!

1. Good Life Project Radio – Good Life Project Radio is hosted by Jonathan Fields. Good Life Project Radio comprises in-depth, unscripted, deeply-inspiring conversations and insights from artists, entrepreneurs, makers, and world-shakers. You can also view Good Life TV here, to watch past interviews.

2. Elise Gets Crafty — The Elise Gets Crafty podcast is hosted by Elise Cripe. The focus of this podcast is discussing creative small business.

3. The Lively Show — The Lively show is hosted by Jess Lively. The Lively show is designed to uplift, inspire, and help you add a little extra intention to your everyday. Episodes relate to various aspects of our lives including possessions, personal habits, relationships, and career.

4. The RobCast — The RobCast is hosted by Rob Bell, a storyteller and former church pastor, who explores the idea that everything is spiritual.

5. Design Matters — Design Matters is hosted by Debbie Millman. In this podcast, Debbie Millman interviews all types of designers, artists, writers, and educators, and the conversations during the interviews are fantastic and very thought-provoking.

6. The Minimalist — At age 30, best friends Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus walked away from their corporate careers, jettisoned most of their material possessions, and started focusing on what’s truly important. In this podcast Joshua and Ryan, known to their millions of readers as “The Minimalists,” discuss living a meaningful life with less stuff.

Happy Friday! Wishing you a great weekend. If the weather holds, we plan to go to the Eastern Shore with our little fur girl!

Jun 3

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Photographs: Baby Liam and Family

While we were recently visiting family in Michigan, including meeting our nephew, Liam, I did a photo shoot for my sister, Kassie, to forever capture this special time with her little family. Several of my favorite images are shown below.

Wishing you a great weekend!

Jun 1

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Snapshot: Baby Liam

We recently spent several days in Michigan where we met our sweet and good-looking nephew, Liam! He is simply adorable! He is a really good baby, and Victory loved meeting Liam, too. Victory was very gentle with Liam and, while Liam was nursing, Victory gave Liam multiple licks on his tiny toes and the bottoms of his tiny feet, and Liam did not seem to mind! Victory did really well on this trip and she had a great time at her Grandma and Grandpa’s house and her Autie Kassie’s house! Also, while in downtown Ann Arbor, Victory enjoyed her first ‘pup-cake’ from the Cupcake Station!

My sister, Kassie, is doing well and she is a wonderful mom, very at ease; and Liam loves his Mama very much! While we were visiting, my parents and Doug and I all took turns holding little Liam and feeding Liam his supplemental bottles! Kassie and I even gave Liam his first full bath. Doug was a natural with Liam, whom he coined, ‘Little Dude!’; Doug even held Liam for over an hour and a half straight without any fussing from Liam! We also took Liam to Eastern Market for the first time and he did really well.

We wish little Liam lived closer to us. We look forward to our trip together next month, where we are spending time together at a lake house on Lake Michigan! We can’t wait to hold precious Liam again! I already miss his wonderful baby smell and his velvety soft skin! Thank goodness for FaceTime!

A few snapshots are shown below from our recent trip to Michigan meeting baby Liam, who is a month old in these images! (As you will see, ‘Uncle Nick’ is still getting acclimated to little Liam!) Additional photos from our trip are forthcoming!

Happy Wednesday!