Time Management...Not

During a big event, such as a wedding that you are hosting, it has been my experience that without the skill of managing one's time, you are screwed...  Okay, maybe that is too harsh (but accurate!).  

You are tired.  Okay, that is a DEFINITE!  It is getting to the point that I feel this overwhelming need to sleep.  Just sleep...

And in addition to being tired, you are a stress eater.  (Notice I keep saying "You".  I'm hoping that, like myself, YOU do these things too.)  As a woman who has been on the path to healthiness and has lost 25 pounds, I've strayed from the path.  All because I'm stressed... Do you do that?  Help a sister out and agree with me....  Please?  Have you ever discovered how delicious Jordan Almonds are?  Damn wedding candy...

So, in order to "right the ship", I'm putting my task list on my blog with the intention to forever memorialized to the Internet world the hopes that I will get my procrastinating butt in gear...  Do you think it will work?

1. I need to create a Guestbook for the wedding.   We are having a photo booth at the wedding (so much fun!) and our plan is that our guests will get in the booth, take photos of themselves and then "scrapbook" them into a book with their well wishes for Jessica and Scott.  So a traditional book is not what we are looking for.. (those are too boring!)  We have three weeks until the wedding.  I haven't started on the book.  (Oh my gosh... just typing that gave me a small panic attack!)
2. Okay, after #1, I had to take a quick moment to calm myself down.  I'm back.  #2:  I have to get a pair of shoes for my dress... And Spanx...  And liposuction...  And laser services for my old lady brown spots....

Maybe this idea of a task list was not such a good idea....

 

I'm off to call my physician for some anti-anxiety pills and to start attacking this list that I couldn't finish.  Be creative friends!!!

  

Did I forget that?

It is getting down to the final days before my daughter's wedding and things are starting to get hectic.  I know that it is supposed to be like this, but that reality does not help the panic that is starting to set in!  As the mother of the bride, you eat, breathe, and sleep "Did I do this...  Have I forgotten that?"  For example, just today it dawned on me that I did not know what Jessica wants for her guests to "throw" when they send her and Scott off.  

 We've thought about sparklers...

 http://pinterest.com/pin/102175485265585100/

http://pinterest.com/pin/102175485265585101/

 That looks so magical!  And Jessica and Scott will be leaving around 10:30, so we could light up the night!

We have also thought of bubbles...

 http://pinterest.com/pin/102175485265479920/

http://pinterest.com/pin/53832158015775376/

I'm sure she and I have talked about it, but I have so much going on I just cannot remember.  To makes matters worse, I do not know this answer and we have 4 weeks left.  Of course, I've already sent Jessica an email and we will get this ironed out like everything else, but I'm worried that I've missed other things.

So tell me:  Which do you like?  Sparklers or bubbles?  Or maybe something else?  What did you use at your wedding, or your daughter's wedding?  Did you forget anything else?  Any suggestions on what I need to pay attention to?

Stay creative friends and keep coming back to my blog for more information on how this is going to "unfold"!    

Wedding Journey - Jessica's Bridal Shower

On Saturday, January 26th we had Jessica's first bridal shower.  My sister-in-law, my youngest daughter and Jessica's best friend were the hostesses.  They did an amazing job.  We had a mimosa bar, delicious hors devours, delightful desserts, beautiful centerpieces and a photo op "station".  Everyone had a wonderful time and I can say (non-discriminatory, of course!) that Jessica was beaming.  It was such a special day and I want to thank Alicia, Allison and Julia for all of their hard work.

This is my absolute favorite photo of the day.  This is my youngest daughter, Allison kissing the cheek of her big sister.  Total impromptu!  I dare you to not smile when you see the smile on Jessica's face.  As I said earlier, she was beaming!

 

Both of my girls looked beautiful on Saturday!

  

Julia, Jessica's best friend since 8th grade is on Jessica's right.  She is co-Maid of Honor.  Allison is also co-Maid of Honor.  Jessica wanted to honor them both.

Allison was very nervous about hosting her sister's party.  She has "party anxiety" like her mom!  From the looks of these pictures, she need not have worried.  Everyone had a great time at the "photo op" board.  This is Allison and her best friend since 7th grade, Becky.

Really?  Can you tell my girls are sisters?  They laugh the same way! My mom and sister came and enjoyed the fun as well.

This picture describes both of our personalities to a T!  Well, my sister may have something to say about that!

Allison and the Groom's baby sister, Amanda.

 Jessica and Jordan, her college roommate.

Jessica's college friends...

My baby sister and two of her three daughters...

Julia and her "baby sister", Laura.

This is my mother, the photo bomber... Have you met her before???

All in all, the day was so enjoyable.  I'll post more photos in another post last one.  Make it a creative day folks! 

Communication

Communication is a difficult thing.  As a "people pleaser" I tend to agree to something that is not feasible just because it is difficult for me to say "No".  It is difficult for me to communicate what I think is "bad news" or "unpleasant communication".  So, I tend to say "Yes" and then when the time comes, I have to disappoint someone because I really could not perform the task in the first place.  I end up hurting the person or making them mad anyway, so I might as well have said "No"... But that is so hard for me to do....

This happens to a lot of us, I think.  Case in point:  We have a family member that cannot make it to our daughter's wedding and they felt very uncomfortable telling us (even though we are really nice people, I swear!).  This person is a people pleaser as well and a really sweet person that would come if they could.  But because of the uncomfortableness of the discussion , instead of calling my daughter, they sent in their RSVP saying they were not coming.  In the long run, they could not come due to misinformation anyway, so we might have gotten it worked out if we could have had a conversation. 

In today's world, everyone has forgotten what it is like to talk to people.  Everyone texts and rarely do we pick up a telephone.  So much can be misconstrued in the written word... inflections in the voice are not deciphered when reading a text and comments can be misunderstood.  I think if you are a parent of a young child who has yet to begin texting, think long and hard about how you want your child to learn the art of communicating.  It is up to you and you need to learn from this generation's mistakes.

Off my soapbox...

What have you done today that is creative?  Check me out on Instagram to see my creative side (@tracymboyle)!

Fitbit

For awhile now, I have been on a discipline quest.  Discipline in my daily life that keeps me focused and on track.  I want discipline in many areas of my life, but the one I want to talk about today is the non-existent exercise part of my life.  In this area, I had no discipline.

A couple of things happened....  I met someone recently whom I consider a very fit woman that is around the same age as myself.  During a conversation about nothing pertaining to exercise, she states "I used to walk 10 miles a day..."  Huh?

Say that again?  

"I used to walk 10 miles a day..."  How in the HECK does anyone have the time to walk 10 MILES A DAY???  Seriously?  

So, me being me, I asked her that exact question.  She answered, "I used to put on a movie, get on my treadmill and just walk."  

Let me give you some history here....  I had a treadmill.  For about 12 years.  I just, this year, gave it to Goodwill.  I think I used it 12 times.  Once per year... When I thought I was going to change my habits...  It didn't work...  Or maybe I should say, "I didn't change my habits..."  

You see, I hate the treadmill.  I would rather walk to a destination, like Waffle House, and then walk back to get my exercise.  Kill two birds with one stone, win/win....  No, seriously, I did not like the treadmill.  I would prefer to walk outside.  And my treadmill was great for collecting dust, but I was on a "discipline" mission to get rid of dust too ( that's another whole post) so I had to get rid of the treadmill...

But why couldn't I start walking 10 miles a day? Or two? 

The second thing that happened that made me think about kicking my exercise "routine" up a notch was I saw a quote that stated something to the effect "Today is going to disappear forever and did you make it the best it could be?..."  (I wish I could find the graphic!)  These words (or something very similar) really spoke to me and I thought, each day, I'm just going to walk some.   I'm going to change my habits.  

As you read in my previous post HERE,  I've been using my iPhone and some different apps to help me in the journey.  MyFitnessPal is still a great tool, but I wanted something that would also track my steps.  Apps that have a GPS can be sketchy for me because I walk the parking deck at work.  Because of the concrete and the fact that some of the deck is buried underneath the ground, the GPS could be sketchy and give me skewed results.  

Then, I was introduced to my Fitbit device....

 I love this little blue/black device.

This is the Fitbit Ultra.  I believe it is the older device and the new Fitbit is called the Fitbit One.  I'm perfectly content with my Ultra.  Let me tell you about it...

(I am not affiliated with Fitbit in any way.  These are my personal thoughts regarding my device.)

The device is about 2 inches in length and about 1/2 inch wide.  It slides easily over a waistband, wrist band or in my case, my bra.  I wear my Fitbit 24/7.  It has a charger, so occasionally, I will place it on the adapter.  Other than that, I wear it 24/7.  So now you are thinking..." Not 24/7... You have to sleep..."  Yes, I even wear my Fitbit when I sleep.  It measures my daily steps, my stair climbing (small little altimeter in there), my calories burned, the miles I've walked and my sleep patterns of the current day.  It knows how quickly I feel asleep and it knows how many times I wake up in the middle of the night.  It wirelessly updates with my Fitbit app on my phone and praises me when I meet my goals.  I even get "badges" for meeting certain criteria!

The website is interactive... I can enter my food for the day and how much water I took in.  

At the end of the week, I get an email giving me a snapshot of my week and how I progressed with my physical activity.  This little device has made me more conscious about my daily activity and intake than any other device I've used.  I feel proud of myself when I meet my goals and I even challenge myself to go further.  So far, the most steps I've accompolished in one day?   18, 500+.   I tried to make it to 20,000 but my feet just wouldn't keep walking!!!

I will state this for the record.  I'm in my late 40s.  I have restless leg syndrome (RLS) and I've always had knee cramps since I was a young girl.  Since I began my walking last August and kept it up daily, my RLS is much improved.  I'm sleeping better.  My knees don't hurt as much.   I have lost 25 pounds and counting!  All-in-all, I just feel better.  I wish when I was younger I would have listened to those crazy exercise people that said "You feel better if you exercise."  They were right.  You can do it!  Just take a few extra steps today.  And tomorrow, kick it up a notch.  

So what about you?  Do you have a Fitbit device?  If you do, let's be friends and encourage each other on this adventure.   

Be creative!

 

Rainbow Birthday Card

As a working woman, I know that I have to put on my wife/mom hat once I get home from the job.  I'm sure all of you do as well.  It is just the nature of being a working woman.  But I don't know what it is about Monday nights...  

Maybe it is because I no longer have kids to worry about and the fact that Hubby is working?  Maybe it is because I ride a commuter bus to work and I have to get up really early?  I'm not sure...  But for some reason, on Monday nights, I want to sit and vegetate.  I'm mean, seriously vegetate.  I want to watch my "trash TV", look at the computer for updates on my social networking;  I do NOT want to empty the cat boxes, I do NOT want to empty the dishwasher and sometimes, I do NOT even want to take my makeup off before going to bed!  Do you have those days?  I wonder if it is because I do not have anyone monopolizing my time.  When my children were little, it was imperative to have a routine.  For my sanity...  But as an empty-nester, there seems to be a lot of time to get "that" done.  So I procrastinate.  

If you are an empty-nester, how do you stay on task?  

Let's focus on creativity...

This card was created using a stencil.  I placed the stencil on my paper and then used ink and daubers.  I swirled the dauber in the ink, and then swirled (that's the term for "circular motion"!) the ink on the stencil.  Swapping daubers and ink colors gave us the creation you see below.  

  

What do you think?  Do you like the effect?  I think it turned out pretty and it was really easy to achieve.

Stay focused on creativity!

Wedding Cake!

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you know that my oldest daughter is getting married this March.  I'm sorry to keep repeating it for those of you that know this already, but I need to get our new readers updated!  So now, everyone is updated... See faithful readers, that was not painful!

I have been posting about the wedding adventure and today I want to talk about her wedding cake.  (Please note that I am not affiliated with our vendor in any way.  In fact, I'm not affiliated with any vendor at all!)  As all modern brides have done before her, Jessica found most of her wedding ideas on Pinterest.  (If you do not know of Pinterest, please, for all that is holy, read my post HERE... You will thank me.  I promise...)  

It started with a picture in Pinterest.... Harmless enough...  A beautiful picture of a wedding cake.  She pinned it and put this as her description:  "... this is THE cake I want. I've known I wanted this cake before I was even engaged ;).   The only change I would do is not to put the flowers on top so I can have a cake topper." 

Have you ever seen a more beautiful wedding cake?  

Okay, maybe you have.... but this one is perfect for Jessica!  Instead of the flowers, we are going to have a cake topper and the letter monogram will be a "C" for her new last name.  

Besides the fact that this cake is stunning, it is most likely the best cake I have EVER tasted.  By clicking on the photo within Pinterest, it took us to the bakery's website here in Atlanta.  The bakery is Gabriel's Bakery in Marietta, Georgia.  Johnnie Gabriel, the shop's proprietor is Paula Deen's cousin and the cooking gene runs deep in that family!  Johnnie's shop does cake tasting for brides-to-be.  She allowed us to pick three different cake flavors along with three different fillings, along with three different frostings.  Seriously folks, I cannot describe how delicious this cake was...  

We've decided to have a four tier cake just like in the photo and our layers are going to be as follows:  The first layer will be a white chocolate cake with raspberry filling and almond buttercream icing; the second layer will be a white chocolate cake with white chocolate filling and almond buttercream icing; the third and fourth layers will be a repeat of the first two layers.  I hope there is enough cake for me to eat it for breakfast for two weeks after the wedding...  I'm just sayin'...

Did you know that it costs $125.00 to deliver a wedding cake?  I'm in the wrong business...

Spread your creative wings folks!  It will make a difference in your life.  See you next time!

Alterations and Lemon Curd

So last night, my oldest daughter, who is also my middle child, and I went and had her wedding dress altered for the first time.  I wish I could show you some pictures, but we cannot risk her fiance' seeing the photos before the wedding.  I will post pictures after the wedding.  So, you are just going to have to trust me on this one and I promise you will not be disappointed. 

 She looks BEAUTIFUL in her dress.  

I know, I know.. I'm probably biased.  But I really do not believe I am!  She has chestnut hair that was cascading down her back with her alabaster skin and blue eyes... Okay, maybe a "little" biased.  More importantly than any of that is how my daughter feels.  You can tell that she feels beautiful in her dress and that is all that matters.  

Anywho, I hope to show you pics soon and as of today, we have officially two months!

Do you remember the lemon meringue pie that your grandmother used to make?  The one with the lemon filling and the meringue piled on top, so high?  And she would toast it in the oven until the peaks were lightly browned?  Boy, I wish I had a photo of that pie!  Heck!  I wish I had that PIE!  It was creamy, lemony goodness...   It is what I thought of when my niece brought me home FREE lemons from a lemon tree on the farm that she tends.  Those lemons were the size of oranges!  Look at the size of those whoppers!  She picked them while they were still green so they could ripen over several days at my house. 

In the photo below, you can tell that several days have passed and the lemons are becoming more yellow.   They were so pretty. 

My niece brought me so many lemons!  Too many to make just ONE pie.  (Don't let me fool you...I was making all kinds of lemon recipes!)  Because I wanted to have them around for awhile, I needed to make something that would allow me to "can" the fruit.  That's when I remembered that once, a previous neighbor brought me a jar of her homemade lemon curd.  It was sweet lemon creaminess in a jar.  I HAD to find a recipe.  I went to my trusty website, FoodNetwork and found Ina Garten's lemon curd recipe.  

Let me tell you friends... this is supremely delicious!  I ladeled the curd into hot jars and sealed the contents.  It was so good that I reluctantly  joyfully gave them away as Christmas presents.

This photo shows the lemon after I've zested it.  You do not want to get the white part of the pith when zesting your fruit.  It does not taste very well. 

 

Look at all of that yellow gold....  

It absolutely tastes so delicious at this point....  But be very careful because it's very hot!

Get you some canning jars and make sure you boil them and keep the jars, lids and rings hot.

I cannot stress enough how delicious...

On top of toasted sourdough bread...

This is so easy to make!  Get creative!

 

Candles, and more candles...

Okay, while most people in the US were watching the championship game last night (and I should have been but I hate Alabama, but that's for another day...), I had two tasks that I wanted to accomplish... Well, two tasks that involved the television...  (You didn't think I meant physical tasks, like washing clothes or cleaning the kitchen, did you?)

Number One: watch Downton Abbey, Season 3, Episodes 1 & 2.  

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!  

Let me say this:  If you are not watching DA, you are missing a real treasure.  Maggie Smith is delightfully devilish with her snobby ways.  Of course, I'm sure the British would not call it "snobby".  They would say it was "elite" or "aristocratic", blah, blah, blah....  When Violet (Maggie's character) said to her own son "I'm sorry, I thought you were the waiter" because he's dressed in a tux and not tails, I thought I would spew my Cherry Coke Zero out of my nose.  Seriously...  The look on "Lord Grantham's" face... 

Who's with me?  Raise your hands... What, what?

Number Two:  (it takes a lot of courage to admit this one) watch The Bachelor.  

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Listen, before you judge... Have you SEEN the new Bachelor this year...?  Do not be hatin' until you take a little peek, okay?  What I love about this show is not that I believe that someone can find their "wife/husband" in two months time while on a television show vying for the attention of 26 other contestants, but that there are some true "train wrecks" out there!  How can people behave this way??  Maybe I should quit watching so that I can impact the decisions of the powers-that-be and get them to realize that this is exploitation at its finest form (yeah, cause little 'ole me will make a difference!).  But I feel like I'm sitting at the Colosseum in Ancient Rome.  You just cannot avert your eyes.  

Who's with me?  Seriously...

Anywho, it will be a good season, I'm sure.  And I'm sure Sean will propose after two months only to break up two months after the show finishes airing...  Cynical?  In this area, yep...

Now, just to clear up, I DO believe you can find your true love in a short amount of time, but that's for another day as well...Its just in the case of this show:  TV cameras, other women, orchestrated conflicts... It's meant for TV people!

Okay, back to being creative!  Yes, each day of this year, I am trying to spend time doing at least one thing creative.  (It may be a challenge for tomorrow's post since tonight is our first wedding dress fitting, but I'm up for the challenge!)  By the way:  Just the very nature of writing this blog is being creative, so if I post something everyday, I meet my goal!  See, how clever am I?

The wedding of my daughter is gearing up.  We have two months left and things are starting to get a little crazy.  Payments are due, shoes are too big, dresses (mine) need to be found and purchased, nightmares about "bad weddings" are being had...  It's a magical time!

This photo below represents some of the chaos.  This past weekend, we went to Ikea in search of candles.  70 candles and $230 dollars later, we "parked" them in my dining area.   I have a feeling that lots of things are going to get "parked" in my dining area over the next few months.  "WHAT do I need with all those candles", you ask? 

Stick around for a future post and I'll show you.  It's going to be a beautiful wedding.  

Have a terrific day and do something creative! 

Instagram - A creative resource

Yesterday, I blogged about participating in monthly Instagram photo posts to get my "creative" on...  You can read that post here.  

Do you know what Instagram is?  No?  If not, you are definitely missing out!  It's another form of social media that allows you to connect with people through the sharing of photos.  From what I can tell, Instagram is only used from your smart phone.  In other words, I've linked the Instagram website in the above link, but the URL is just a website that gives you information on Instagram.  You cannot really use the app at this site.  You need to download it on your smart phone either in your AppStore (for iPhones) or your Google Play store (for Androids).  

I, like most people, use Instagram as a way to share a portion of my life via pictures AND as a way to challenge me creatively.  Here's how it challenges me.  When I see pictures that have special effects, or writing, or cool frames, I immediately investigate to see which app the photo's originator used to create such a cool photo!  On the bus commuting home yesterday, I performed the following edits to the below photo:

The above photo is a picture my baby sister, Fran.  I just love this photo of her.  TipJunkie's Day 3 photo challenge was to photo something you "adore".  I immediately thought of my baby sister.  She can make me almost wet-my-pants every time we are together!!  I just think she is a "hoot" and I "adore" her.  So I took this picture and cropped it closer to show off her pretty smile.  The app I used to crop the photo is called Picture Magic.  Picture Magic also has a "frame" option that allowed me to add the pretty "frosted" bokeh that you see on the sides of the photo.  I wanted to blur out the people in the background so you could focus on my pretty sister.  

My next step in the above photo was to add some bokeh and I knew that I wanted to use hearts to go with the theme of "adore".  The app that I used is called Bokehful.  It easily allowed me to pick the type of bokeh I wanted (hearts) and then I just moved my finger over the screen on my smart phone to "place" the hearts.  Once I saved the photo, I was able to move onto the next app. 

The last step that I used in the above photo was to add text.  I have different apps that I'm testing to determine which one I like best when it comes to adding text.  The one I used for this picture is called Phonto.  It makes adding text extremely easy.  You can resize the text, color the text, move the text, and change the type of font.  In order to use two different fonts on this photo, I inserted two different text boxes.  Once I saved the photo, I was able to upload it to Instagram.  

Here is the finished product from Instagram.  I added the black frame around the photo through Instagram.  Most of the time, I just scroll through each template to see if I like the results of adding the template because you get an instant view of what your photo will look like.  I just "experiment" to find the view I like! 


If you want to follow me on Instagram, I'm @tracymboyle.  See you there!

Can YOU be creative?

In an effort to try and think creatively each day in 2013, I use lots of tools to help me achieve my goal.   One of those tools is joining in on a daily list which encourages people to take a daily picture of, in this case, "Moments that Matter!".  TipJunkie created a list for all 31 days in January and it is up to me to determine a picture of something I "adore" for day 3!  It is really cool because not only does it focus us and stretch our creativity, but we can search on the hashtag "#tipjunkie" and see pictures of what other people "adore".  It makes you appreciate what is right in front of you.  The blog "Fat Mum Slim" also has a photo a day Instagram with a hashtag of #fmsphotoaday.  If you are an Instagrammer, I encourage you to follow @tipjunkie and @fatmumslim.  They have all sorts of ideas!

Happy 2013!

Happy 2013 everyone! I hope that your new year will be a blessed and happy year. 

Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch (one of my very favorite blogs!) posted a recipe of a champagne punch that has been a successful addition to her New Year's celebration.  In the spirit of trying to be creative each day of 2013, my youngest child and I were celebrating New Year's Eve last night together and we decided to give it a try.  After all, trying new recipes is just another way to be creative!  Susan is right!  This punch is delicious!  The cinnamon and cloves give this champagne punch such a warm, deep flavor!  You must give this punch a try.  Click HERE for Susan's recipe!

Happy New Year!