Weekly Wishes

Happy monday, everyone!  I hope your weekend was great :) My Saturday was spent down on the Texas Coast attending my baby cousin's wedding. Only 21 years old, seriously! It was a gorgeous wedding complete with a photo booth, which my family took complete advantage of. Sunday we lounged around the house, did a little yard work and I hit up the Nordstrom Anniversary sale online (which was great, by the way!) I'll have some of my favorite items for y'all this week!

Anyway, on to Weekly Wishes! I'm a spotty participator so I don't have anything to report from last week because I didn't make any goals last week. Oops! So, let's just jump right on in with this week.

one. work on getting my photography site up and running. Right now I need to complete my portfolio and add packages and pricing and then it should be ready to go! I'm pretty excited about this, it's something I've been wanting to do for quite a while now, and it is finally becoming a reality.

two. give my dogs a bath. This should be an easy one but for some reason I can never pin myself down to really do it. If you follow me on instagram then you know that I picked them up some new collars (what? you don't buy your pups new collars every few months?!) and I'm treating it like so: they need a bath before they can wear their new clothes. So yeah, a bath this week is a must.

three. Do some DIYs. I have a stock pile of DIY ideas that I never get around to. This week I hope to break out the supplies and make something fun!

What are your goals this week?

Weekly Wishes

Hey everyone!  Happy Monday to you all! I hope you had a great weekend.

I spent a lot of time at home this weekend, which is what I  prefer to do :)  I am newly obsessed with The Big Bang Theory so I watched a some a lot of that.  On Saturday night Nick came home from work and told me we were going on a date.  He proceeded to blind fold me and drive around until he eventually stopped at the Alamo Drafthouse.  Surprise!  This is one of my favorite theaters to go to in Austin and we just got one here in West Texas.  I had been hinting that we should go but Nick kept on saying that maybe we should wait until the new-ness died down and it wasn't so busy.  He got me.  We saw Transcendence.  My verdict is to wait until it's on DVD but it wasn't too bad.  The food was good though, of course.

But anyway, now onto weekly wishes!

Last week I wanted to…

• Update my electronics - oops!  I didn't do this.  In my defense I think I am going to get a new phone in a month or so, so… why spend the time on that ;)
• start a new book - check!  I started Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist.  I loved Bittersweet so much that I thought I'd read this one too.  Her books feel like spending time with a good friend so how could I not?
• Clean out more! - Did it!  I went through my closets again and found even more stuff I need to get rid of.  The crazy thing is that I have more to get rid of than I actually want to keep.  I even got Nick in on the action :)  Our motivation is to get stuff cleaned out before we have to move again… which could be anytime!

I did pretty good last week!  I was pretty busy so I had to really make time but it felt so good to actually get it done!

So, this week…

• Get everything in order before I go to Austin.  I have to get my car inspected (my inspection has been expired for months, yikes!), get my oil changed, pay rent, order new contacts, find someone to watch our pups, pack, clean, etc.  If I spend too much time thinking about it I'm sure I'll think of something else I need to do!
• Get more sleep.  I have been getting out of the good habit of going to sleep at a decent hour.  I want to get that back in check before it gets too far.  
• Finish my book and start a new one!  I have my goal of reading 100 books before I turn 30 so I don't want to waste any time :)

What are your goals this week?

Over the Weekend + The Past Few Weeks + Weekly Wishes

Hey you guys, happy Monday!  I hope that your weekend was wonderful and you all had a blessed Easter!

As you may know I took a little blog break.  It was unexpected.  I took a few days off accidentally and then a few days off intentionally and it turned into a two-ish week break.  Nothing crazy happened, I just felt the need to take a little breather.  I guess I was feeling a little bit defiant against my blog.  Weird.  Do you ever get that?  

I took the time to think about why that was and I came up with a theory.  I lost sight of myself a little bit.  Sometimes I feel like blogging and just being so tapped into the internet culture in general makes the line between what you really enjoy and what you think you should enjoy a bit blurry.  It's taxing to try to fit yourself into the mold of something you aren't.  This little break helped me to clear my head and refocus.

I said a few posts back that I wanted to take my blog in a different direction, even if it's just slightly different.  At this point I don't know what that is, but I have a few ideas.  I am going to take it slow and see where it goes.  

And now… onto weekly wishes.

This week my goals are…

1. Start a new book.  I just finished reading the Goldfinch (loved it!) and I am on the hunt for a new one.
2. Clean out more!  I have been cleaning out like a mad woman but I know that there is still more stuff that I can get rid of, stuff that is just sitting there.  My little brother is getting close to moving out of my parent's house so I know he'll need some stuff ;)
3. Update my electronics.  I have yet to update my iPhone and iPad to that new iOS.  I don't even remember which one it was but you know, that big one a while back.  Yeah, I haven't done that yet.  I've been putting it off but hopefully this week!

What are your goals this week?

Weekly Wishes

Happy Monday everyone!  I don't know what it is but I woke up this morning all ready to start the week… how often does that actually happen?  Maybe it's due to a relaxing weekend?  Regardless, I'm glad and I hope that this motivation keeps going strong this week!

Last week I wanted to take things slower, get more sleep, eat clean, and work on some spring cleaning. I'm excited to say (and this may be a weekly wishes first for me) that I all of it!

This past week I slowed down.  I turned off my computer at a reasonable hour and tried my best to ignore that "there's still so much stuff to do!" feeling.  As the week went on that feeling lessened little by little and now I feel so much less "over-stimulated."  As a result of that I went to bed earlier and slept much better.  I also ate cleaner than I have been.  I didn't go completely clean the whole time but I made a conscious effort to look at the ingredients in the things that I was buying and sticking to good food without all the preservatives and chemicals.

Spring cleaning was also good.  I cleaned out my closet yet again!  I have been doing some much needed shopping… I know, I know, how often is shopping really needed?  My plan is to kind of re-do my wardrobe.  I have a ton of clothes that just don't fit with my lifestyle anymore and I am looking to update it and make it more me.

So, this my goals are to…

1. Work out every week day.  This past week I confronted an insecurity I have about going to a real gym.  I don't know what it is but I've just been intimidated by gyms ever since I've been out of school.  I went to one this week and I loved how much better of a workout I got! Besides, Friends comes on TBS right after I get off of work so if I go to the gym at that time, I can watch it and work out.  Win win.
2. List my cleaned out clothes on poshmark.  Like I said, I have been trying to re-vamp my wardrobe and I have actually bought a few things from people on poshmark and I've been pretty happy with it!  Next step is to actually start selling some of my stuff and hopefully make a little moola to put towards new additions.
3. Book a weekend trip for Nick and I.  We are both wanting a little get away so this week I'm hoping to do some research and plan a little surprise weekend trip. 

What are your goals this week?

Weekly Wishes

Hello everyone!  I hope that your Monday is off to a great start.

Last week I wanted to work on getting to know Wordpress, finish up my jewelry stuff, and walk the dogs more.  I'm happy to say that I got through two of these.  I got a lot accomplished with Wordpress. At first it was feeling pretty intimidating but I think I am starting to get the hang of it.  That mean this ole blog may be making the switch soon!

I also did pretty well as far as walking the dogs.  It turned out to be a really fun, relaxing part of my day.  I didn't even think about jewelry things this week, though.

This past week was a bit of a wake up call for me.  Lately I have been neglecting myself in leu of getting things done.  It's crazy the pressures that we put on ourselves when it comes to blogging.  I treat it as something that has to get done, like something serious.  And I like thinking that way, to an extent.  I think that if you are serious about blogging then eventually it becomes more than just a hobby and your actual blogging "responsibilities" become real.  But it's still a blog.  And it's still not worth losing sleep over.

This past week I was tired.  A stayed up way too late every night because I "needed" to do this for the blog or the shop or the house, or whatever else could possibly come up at 2 in the morning.  Apparently this is a productive hour for me.  But I was anxious, and exhausted, and felt all around bad.  And that brings me to my goals for this week…

1. Sleep more.  My goal is to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.  Hopefully more, but at least 7.
2. Eat clean-er.  I have started making it a point to make my diet "cleaner."  I love how it's been going.  It's such a wonderful feeling to really feel good about what you're eating.  I want to up it this week.  If I were to set a concrete goal, I'd like to have at least 4 days this week that are completely "clean-eating" days.
3. Spring cleaning.  I want to start some spring cleaning.  Like really deep spring cleaning. I anticipate this taking a few weeks which is fine by me.  I kind of look forward to spring cleaning all year.
4. Slow down. I want to take this week slower.  I feel like I am constantly going, constantly thinking.  Whether it's about work, or the blog, or the house, I am constantly thinking about what I need to do, what can make it better.  All that constant thinking is exhausting. So this week, slower is key.

So that's it for this week!  What are your goals this week?

Weekly Wishes

Before I started writing this post I looked back at some of my past Weekly Wishes posts and I realized that I have fairly un-eventful weekends! Every monday I start out with the same thing… by saying that I didn't do much this weekend. Haha, I definitely think that this has a lot to do with Nick working weekends since he is in retail. I don't mind because it means that I have tons of time to do what I want to do… which usually means I sleep in, hang out at home, take the pups for walks and maybe venture out to do some grocery shopping. It's "boring" but it's just the relaxation I need after the busy week.

But anyway, I am linking up with Melyssa this week for another weekly wishes!

Last week I wanted to cut out bread, start on a new project, and not shop.  Can we just call this week a wash? Okay, good.  I started strong and didn't eat any bread until Thursday but then the boss's boss came into town and took us out to eat at a restaurant that is known for their delicious rolls. I caved in and ate one. Oh well.

I did well on not shopping aimlessly, so I guess that is half the battle. I didn't go into Target and walk around aimlessly, in fact I don't think I went to Target at all this week! I call that a success. What I did do is buy a sweater from Madewell. In my defense there was an extra 30% off sale, sale.  And this was a sweater that I had had my eye on since December.  And I gave Nick the same story when he gave me "the raised eyebrow" while asking… "another sweater?"  Yes babe, but it's from Madewell so it's not just a sweater.

The project got pushed to the side but I did do some more brainstorming so that must count for something, right?

But it's a new week and I have a new set of goals…

1. Take some time to plan out trips I want to take this year.  This year feels like the year of travel, doesn't it?  It does to me!  I want to discover some new places and take some big travel leaps.  And this is going to be the year that I finally take a trip abroad.  I don't know where I want to go for sure, besides everywhere.  
2. Do something by myself.  This was on my list a few weeks ago but it's making the list again because I didn't do it.  I do most things by myself during the week since Nick has weird hours but those are just normal things.  I want to do something bigger, on my own.  Again, I don't know what I want to do, but I want to get out there.
3. Go running.  I love running, I just have to make myself do it.  Is that weird?  I don't like the build up to it but once I'm out there I love it.  I'm going to push myself this week to get out there and go!

What trips have you taken that you'd recommend? What are your wishes this week? 

Weekly Wishes

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope that your weekend was lovely!  This weekend I did a lot of nothing really, a little cooking, a lot of blogging and blog reading.  I feel like most of my extra time goes toward my blog, and I am totally okay with that!  It's nice to have a hobby that creates such a wonderful, diverse community.  I haven't said it in a while but I really love this whole blog thing.

But now, onto my weekly wishes!  Most weeks I am bursting at the seams when it comes to things I want to accomplish.  This week is kind of a breather for me.  I love being on the go, either literally or when it comes to getting through my to-do list, but I am a little worn out.  So, this week I want to...

1. Cut out bread.  I don't talk about this a lot (or ever) on here but I am in the midst of a push to lose the last bit of weight that I have gained over the past year.  It's not bad but there is a certain weight that just feels comfortable to me and I want to get back to it. I'm not necessarily cutting out carbs, just unnecessary, filler calories.
2. Work on a new project.  I have had a blogging series idea floating around for a while and I am finally ready to put it into action!  I am super excited about this and it involves some really inspiring ladies.  More on this to come but I hope to start working on it this week.
3. No shopping!  I really need to take a whole month off of shopping but for now we are going to shoot for a week.  I am so bad about ducking into Target and leaving with things that I don't need, not even a little bit. 

So how was everyone's weekend? What are your wishes this week?  

PS - I am putting together a group giveaway for February!  This month I'd like to give away a gift card to Madewell.  If anyone is interested in participating, let me know :)

Weekly Wishes

I'm really enjoying this picture.  I took it when I landed in Austin a few weeks ago.  This is my element and Austin is at her best in the dark, moody rain.  Incidentally this picture also captures the mood we have been in the past weekend, except snowy. It's been so, so nice.

So last week I did alright… I cleaned out my closet again, which always leaves me feeling refreshed, especially when I am getting rid of all the things that don't fit my style anymore.  Speaking of that, I have been doing a lot of thinking about my style and how much it has changed over the past year and I kind of love that.  But anyway, if you're interested, I am selling some of my stuff over on instagram.  I'll be adding some more as the week goes on.

I didn't redesign my design shop because I got sucked into the design dream that is my media kit.  I've been making future blog plans and I figured it would be a good thing to have.  I actually LOVED designing it. Maybe I should look into newsletter designing?

Also, I did eat healthier dinners, even though some of them turned out to be sub-par.  Oh well.  I am just thankful that N is not the least bit picky.

1. Finish re-branding my jewelry shop and new site.  I am venturing out from etsy and I am pretty excited about all the new things that entails.
2. Get my office in shape.  It's coming along pretty well but there are still some things that need to be done, thrifting and ikea trips that need to be taken, those sorts of things.
3. Sponsor 3 Blogs.  At least.  I haven't been sponsoring lately because my posting has been spotty but now that I am back I really want to get out there and start advertising again.
4. Do my taxes.  I am kind of a dweeb because I took an income tax account class in college - and loved it.  Every year that I do my own taxes and actually know what I am doing is another year I get to feel like a nerdy rockstar.  Yep.
5. Take a weekend trip.  I love taking trips around Texas.  I go to Austin all the time because it's my home and I miss it - so I want to take another trip there and maybe to Houston.

There are so many other things I want to accomplish this month, a lot have to do with my shop but I'll leave those for the weeklies :) 

Oooh I am super excited to read your wishes for February!

Weekly Wishes

Hey everyone!   I hope that you are all having a great Monday!  I hope no body has come down with a bad case of them...

I kind of don't mind Mondays.  Weekends are lazy and I like that but I thrive on a schedule and so after too much weekend, I relish getting back into the groove.  And my work days end at 2, so I am always especially grateful for that, on the occasions when monday isn't so welcome.

So, how did I do last week?

This past week was so-so on the weekly wishes front.  I DID start reading a new book, The Goldfinch. After dinner one night N and I were wandering around and ended up over at the bookstore, which is usually the case, us book nerds.  I saw that book and remembered hearing such good things about it so I picked it up, only to be surprised when N wouldn't let me pay for it, insisting that it was his treat.  A hefty amount of boyfriend points were awarded for that, in case you were wondering.

I didn't get out and take pictures like I had hoped.  That was a combination of bad weather and needing to watch Love Actually again.  But that's okay, there is always next week.

I did start rebranding my etsy shop and it has been pretty fun, like all you lovely ladies told me it would be.  I'll admit, I was a little stressed about doing it.  I love to design and brand for other people.  Somewhere, there is a disconnect on doing it for myself.  I have too many ideas and I want to incorporate them all.  I am just too close to it all to make an objective decision.  So I went into this lightly. I just played around with ideas, left them and came back with new, fresh eyes.  Every time I felt the stress creep up, I took a deep breath and reminded myself how much better the end product would be if I tackled this slowly, gracefully.  I hope to finish up the design bit this week and start on the photography.

Lastly, I didn't run three times this week.  Actually, I didn't even run one time this week.  I decided on an entirely different workout instead, and that's okay.  I'm trying to keep with my "resolutions" this year and be calmer, more fluid. So what if my wish was to run this week? I still worked to get myself to where I want to be, just a different way around.


This week!

This week a have a few

One. Clean out my closet, again.  I want to pare down even more.  I have to keep the mantra going: fewer, better things.

Two. Re-design my design shop.  I have let this venture fall to the way-side recently but now that things are calming down and leveling out, I want to get back into it.

Three. Eat healthier.  I am pretty good about eating a healthy breakfast and lunch but when it comes to dinner I am all over the place.  Sometimes it's healthy but oftentimes it is whatever is quick and easy and unfortunately that usually includes some sort of take out or fast food.  I went grocery shopping yesterday with some meals in mind and I am hoping that having a plan in place makes healthy dinners a bit easier to come by.

Four. Do something by myself.  I don't know what yet but I want to do something that I would normally do with someone else, on my own.  There is just something about it that makes me feel peaceful and happy.  And maybe a little extra independent, too.


Here's to another week! What about you all?