LOAD 211 and joy of LOVE

I'm starting 2 new projects for February. Yep call me crazy but that is how I roll.

I get LOAD "for free" this time around since I am a Scraphappy member but I doubt that I would be able to pass up the opportunity anyway. I probably won't follow too many of the prompts because I am still doing Yesteday and Today as well as One Little Word. I am really enjoying both of these classes and I want to stay on top of the lessons. I also have LOADS of unrelated pages on my to do list lol!.

The other project is Joy of Love - a mini online photography class. It is simply a daily email with a suggested photo and the option to upload it to a flickr group. I'm not guaranteeing that I will post the photos every day but I'd like to make an attempt to learn something and get off automatic. Day 1 though and I've already learned something new.

That being said - I'm off to work!

2010 Intentions List

Now that we are well into 2011 and our first month of goal setting/ attaining is just about over, I thought I might review how I did last year. Here is my list and my One Little Word.

2010 Intentions – SIMPLIFY!!! (blue were completed, green were/ are in progress, black - well...)

TO READ
7 Habits of Highly Effective Families
5 Books I already own
Power of a Praying Parent
3 books from Gotta Dos-Wanna-Dos List
Simple Mom book Club 2010 reads - I've read two of the books and read along with the discussion. The other 2 looked innteresting but I totally forgot about the club. I need regular email reminders or something.

TO DO
De-clutter – at least 1 box/month
Eat at 5 new restaurants (Eat-in or Take out) Pie; Barrie Burger,
365 Blog Book
Family Mission Statement, Financial Goals and Post
Slides to photos

TO CREATE
52 layouts for the year
10 digital layouts
Complete at least 5 “started” projects - see this post

TO LEARN
Canon Info/ Photography I read the manual but I can't say that I have any clue how to go o manual or how to do videography yet.
Sillouette – use it for at least 10 layouts it's still in the box!
Digital classes x 2 I've learned a tonne from Ali Edwards and started a class with Jessica Sprague but I am still not through it
Complete 2 online classes - LSNED ( a blog post for every day), LOAD210, LOAD 1010

Well all I can say is LOL!!!! I don't know what happened but not a lot from this list that's for sure. When I discussed this with Drew he was surprisingly supportive and did point out that I did simplify in many ways (not that he could really how) . Of course the main thing to point out was that I had a baby. I guess that is a valid reason. However I think one of the main things that I did learn from this was that I often set my goals WAY TOO HIGH. What was I thinking? Don't get me wrong, I did do a lot of reading, a lot of learning and a lot of creating. I just wasn't specific to these goals. I think in the future I need to evaluate the purpose of my goals. Most of them are just ideas to finish up on things I've thought about. Many coincided with my Gotta Do's and Wanna Do's List (which hasn't been updated since August - yikes). I think bottom line is that I should have simplified BEFORE I wrote my list out. Oh well. I don't know that I can say that I have learned from this experience. I still think that I am just destined to be an overachiever - whether I actually achieve anything or not remains to be seen. I like lists. I like goals and I like to check things off those lists. Some lists are easier to do this to than others. Obviously for me SIMPLIFY is still a word that I need to work on. And trust me I'm trying.

2011 curriculum

I've been mulling over my goals or resolutions for this year and came across a post by Katie the Scrapbook Lady. She instead discussed her goals as setting up her curriculum. It really resonated with me (and all that she had to say about overdoing the process lol!) . I tend to overdo theprocess, get a little ambitious and then burn out. There have been a few successful years where I had more attainable goals - and of course there are many that I am still working on. Anyway, I like the idea of a curriculum in terms of continuous learning as well and therefore here is my 'curriculum' for 2011:

One little word
My one little word this year is joy. I have been feeling like my family has been getting the short end of the stick with me lately and I want to show more joy. To them in particular. I also want to use it in the way to emphasize Jesus first; Others next and You last (as in me - last - which will be hard because I do tend to be quite selfish a lot.). I've got lots of little goals to help me along in this area but Ali's class at Big Picture Scrapbooking is already giving me excited heart flutterings.

Project 365
I am still contemplating this one. I love the outcome but I will admit that at times I am a little bored with the concept. Part of me wants to do the full binder version of Becky Higgins and include the daily pieces of life like receipts, scraps, drawings etc but I also know that if I don't keep up it will just get abandoned. The blog has helped me stay on top of this project even when I actually fall behind.

Yesterday Today
Another Ali Edwards class. All about getting down the memories from yesterday and today. If I had only one scrapbook album what stories would I want to tell? I don't have that album done and I want to. Stories of my childhood. Stories from my parents. Stories about what has made me the person I am today. Who I am and who I want to be. She can start me in the right direction.

LOAD February, May and October
Naturally. It's when I get my stuff done baby.

Memory Monday
Noting a memory from my past every (or some) Mondays on the blog. Again this follows Katie the Scrapbook Lady. Again getting those random memories down. Somewhere. Here. Maybe scrapbooked one day.

Monthly recaps
This has helped me so much in my memory keeping. I like lists and I like to know what we've done. It is all there in list format and then I can separate it into the various lists I have elsewhere.

6 people 12 times
Both Ali and Katie also mentioned this concept of Tara Whitney's - the goal to take a family photo each month. An admirable goal I think. Even attainable!

Other
Otherwise I hope to continue on with my Gotta Do's list and other unfinished projects, to do lists and limit the start of new projects. Generally take things a little slower (IF that is possible lol!)

There we go - in a nutshell! Now I must consider how I did last year! Ha!

How did I do with my productivity?

November is now over and I have to say that I am very pleased with my productivity this month! It wasn't great for hobbies or for relaxing but I did get almost all of the things I wanted done checked off.


1. jewelery holder - up and in use at the back of our storage closet in our bedroom


2. Mending - just have sewing by hand to do and since I didn’t watch tv all month – that is when that will get done (that and it is only mini gloves – still deciding whether I want to do them at all!)
3. Kids art work
4. Plastic bag recycling
5. Sort Matt’s outgrown clothing for Mitchell
6. Purge kids toys in playroom - didn't get to this one. Hopefully they can help me this month
7. Receipts
8. Cierra’s receipts
9. Cierra’s inventory - still want to go back a few years and enter dates received but not a big deal for now (Doesn't it look nice and organized? I now have a list of everything she owns)



10. Label Cierra’s photo albums
11. Sort scrapbooking letters a-z
12. Scrapbooking inspiration files - still need more sorting but they are in hanging files and contained
13. Get rid of VHS tapes (this pained me to know they will be sitting in a landfill for eternity but on the other hand they are out of my house. Another reminder of why we are buying a LOT less DVD's and books when we can borrow them instead).

14. Garage bucket
15. Cierra's magnet boards (immediately covered with some pictures of Twilight)


16. Tissue paper
17. Cierra morning routine pictures
18. Mitchell’s food list
19. Update health books
20. Print out family mission statement - it is printed but ideally I want to scrapbook it and frame it - later=)
21. Mitchell’s dev’t list
22. Scrapbook pages into albums
23. Label LOM albums


24. Marlee’s 6 year photos in frame
25. Move frames upstairs
26. Kids school photos in frames – still waiting for Marlee's photos to come back from school
27. Dust hallway landing –thanks Drew!
28. Pull out fridge and clean
29. Safe church – something! –bought band aids, band aid bags and booked a date for training
30. FORGET IT!!!! I did do LOTS of other stuff

like... making bum wipes for a soon-to-be-new mom


...and FINALLY fixed this wood project that I am NEVER going to do. I think I got it about 5 years ago and planned on painting "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord" Yeah - my style has changed and it is not going to happen. Of course then it fell apart and I can't even give it to Goodwill that way. So it sat. Until this week. Bye bye!



and more.

So what does December bring? Advent and Daily December or something along those lines.
A birthday or two. A visit from my sister and her family (and my new niece!) and hopefully back to some me time.

What has this taught me? What does procrastination serve? Most of these tasks didn't take very long and some, like the receipts, take even more time the longer you wait. In my "ideal life" I devote a night every week for finishing up certain projects. And as usual, it doesn't often happen! Oh well, it did this time.

November to do list progress

I am still plugging away at my November to do list. 13/30 done so far and we are on Day 14. 3 more are in progress.

Here is my list so far:
1. Jewelry holder – made but not on wall
2. Mending
3. Kids art work
4. Plastic bag recycling
5. Sort Matt’s outgrown clothing for Mitchell
6. Purge kids toys in playroom
7. Receipts - started
8. Cierra’s receipts
9. Cierra’s inventory
10. Label Cierra’s photo albums
11. Sort scrapbooking letters a-z
12. Scrapbooking inspiration files
13. Get rid of VHS tapes
14. Garage bucket
15. Cierra’s magnet boards
16. Tissue paper
17. Cierra morning routine pictures
18. Mitchell’s food list
19. Update health books
20. Print out family mission statement
21. Mitchell’s dev’t list
22. Scrapbook pages into albums –started
23. Label LOM albums
24. Marlee’s 6 year photos in frame
25. Move frames upstairs
26. Kids school photos in frames – waiting for photos to come back from school
27. Dust hallway landing
28. Pull out fridge and clean
29. Safe church – something!
30.

November Task list continues

I've been moving right along with my November tasks. I'm right on target as today is the 11th and I have done 11 of my tasks. Today wasn't that productive as Mitchell didn't really go down for a nap. I had to take him for a drive and ended up starting to sort the receipts while he slept in the car. At least they are started. I also got the family pictures up this morning (#25). Last night as I waited for things to load on the computer I was able to sort most of my alphabet letters (#11). I have a lot more then I thought! (Really that is no surprise).

One thing I have been noticing while I've been working on this list is that I have just as many MORE things to add to a new list. But that, is for another month!