One little word 2017

For the past many years I've chosen a word to focus on for the upcoming year. I've never really liked the idea of resolutions but a word to apply to my daily life is something that really connected with me. I first read about it via Ali Edwards and each year I've chosen a word that really spoke to me.

Last year my word was "UP" which seemed like such a good choice for such an important year and the fact that things were changing with my first born graduating high school. Around July/August the word "UP" just seemed to grate on my nerves like a rock in my shoe. It didn't fit anymore. It felt like there was so much pressure with it. Like I had to constantly be lifting people up or being "up" all the time. And to be honest, there was lots of things that happened that didn't equate to the word up. So I let it go.

This year I really thought that I had found my word back in November, the word "enough" kept coming to me...like enough already. I had enough of the body issues, I had enough of the extended family issues, I had had enough.

But as January came closer and I really started to think on that word it didn't seem to fit much at all. It was sounding to me like it was too soft, enough. I wanted a word that was more action orientated and had a more positive ring to it.

As I was on the treadmill one day the word "rise" came to me. Mulling it around in my brain it just seems to fit with was I was hoping for this year. The rising above it all, the negativity and the pressure. The simple act of rising above the expectations of others really hit home with me. 

 I have big plans for this summer and am making some major changes in my life and while I'm anxious to get to that point, I know that the wait is a really good thing. These months of waiting will allow me time to mentally and physically prepare for this summer. So as I wait...I will rise. 

The ebb and flow

For those that know me know that I love scrapbooking. The process of adding stories to my photos and adding bits of papers and embellishments to my pages brings me great joy. I've been doing this since my oldest was a year old and there have been times in my life that I've gone on creative benders, if you will, and cranked out page after page for different albums that I had in my bookshelf. Then there have been times where I think to myself, "does this even matter?" 

Part of this is putting too much pressure on myself. Always expecting a profound story for every photo. The thought that I need to have tons of journalling or brand new designs for every layout. This is totally me. I look back at my old layouts and I love how they look. I love how I felt when I was creating them. I loved the finished project. I found supplies I loved and had to have. It feels like lately that I need to be critiquing everything I buy. Did I get my money's worth? Am I supporting an empire or a small business, should I care? Shame on me if I don't care. So much of this comes from too much exposure to negativity. I really try to be someone who looks for the good in everything but its been hard to find of late...even on my scrapbooking message boards. This has turned into me now not scrapbooking very much...I've been reading and really not very into it. Other things have come up that I've chosen to do instead of scrapbooking like I used to. I run. I spend way too much time on social media. I try and spend more time with my husband. 

I'm totally thinking that this is just one of those ebb and flow things and I will get back to it when the time is right. Personally I'm thinking that the less time I'm around the negative influences the better off I'll be. And maybe, just maybe I'll feel like being creative again. 

Life lately

So much change around here, so much has stayed the same. 2 kids still in school, one kid out of school and moved on to the next phase of post secondary education.

 Lots of new ground with that situation. So love that Ethan has embraced the ebb and flow of college, so glad that he took his first year locally so that we could be there to help be a sounding board for him but still let him do things on his own. I so appreciate that he can still see the shoreline if he needs it. He has done incredibly well with his first semester and is now on the second. I've learned some new parenting things as well...like I can't fix everything. That was so hard but really its a good thing.

This season of my life is involving a lot of commitments between things I have to do and things I chose to do and things I want to do. Really doing some soul searching and deciding on what needs to go and what needs to stay. Planning on taking back some of my life and only including those things that contribute to my over all health and well-being. So much of this fits with my One Little Word for 2017 which is RISE. I love the strength and direction that this word brings for me.

Health, both mental and physical has been a huge priority for me this past year and that will probably be a whole other blog post because its become such a big part of my life. Suffice it to say...its just a part of my daily life now.

Here's hoping that I can carve out some time to update here and there because I think I miss the space to do a little connecting.

Hello 2016

In the process of finding a balance and creating a life that is normal, this little blog of mine got put to the wayside. Honestly, I relished in the simple fact that it was one less thing to have to worry about. Not that there were tons of readers or anyone who was particularly adamant that I continue. It was just me. And that was totally ok. In reality, blogs might be dying a slow and painful death to be replaced by Instagram (hello personal favorite!) and other forms of social media. But I'm kicking around the idea to trying to revive my blog just for me. And while I'm simplifying other areas of my life I'm not sure if I should really be adding more? Seems a little counterproductive but definitely worth the thought.

My one little word for 2016 is UP. There are so many phrases that have attached themselves to my word that speak to me and feel "right" for 2016. Lighten up, lift up, show up, get up, give up. I'm enjoying the journey with my word through Ali Edward's year long class, as I did last year. We'll see where this takes me.

Just a bit of shifting

Its been years since I've posted and realistically no one will come back and read this blog but that was a choice that I had made when I stopped posting. Its all good.

Life became crazy, and even though everyone says that, it doesn't make it less true or less of a problem. I started down the road to working full time, for many reasons. For financial, for this extrovert to have some sort of connection, to have more of a purpose. Its been very good for me. Its pushed me to grow and learn, its made me doubt, its been good for my family. The positives outweigh the negatives. Always a good thing around here. I'm not called the silver lining girl for nothing!

I started and continued on a scrapbooking design team for almost 2 years, loving it for the most part, even though there were challenges and deadlines it was good.

I started volunteering by being a Girl Guide Leader, by helping coach my daughter's softball team, by being part of a committee that organizes Graduation at the school where I work. It all was time consuming, rewarding and good for me.

I still would teach the odd scrapbooking/stamping classes via Stampin' Up! I loved it, it was lots of work but oh so rewarding to be with other women who like to create.

I struggled (and still do) with my weight. Running has now become a habit for me. I no longer have to talk myself into it and I love the way I feel when I run. I still am not tall and slim (at 5'1" I will never be) but I'm stronger than I was 10 years ago and feel better. Course I feel better when I don't make crappy food choices too.

But yet, somewhere between all that I was doing and being a wife and mom to my family, I feel like I've lost a part of me. I struggled with everything, trying to be everything to everyone. The stress that comes with that sucks the joy out of living the best life that you can.

After some agonizing decisions and some not so agonizing decisions, I've let go and said no. I'm still trying to balance everything, not always succeeding. My house will never be perfectly decorated and cleaned. I will not always have a healthy, cooked from scratch meal ready at 5:30 pm. My children will not always be happy with me because we've come to an equally agreed decision that everyone is happy with, especially my almost teenage daughter.

But this past weekend I've felt a shift. A shift in me. I'm thinking its a good shift.

Not sure if I'll keep up with the old blog, but it felt right to post.

Come and join us!

Scrapshotz is putting on one awesome online crop at the end of this month, there will be prizes, great challenges and a whole lotta scrapbooking and cardmaking going on! Come out and join us :)

carving out a bit of time

Does is seem like every year life gets busier and faster paced than the year prior? It sure seems like that to me. I had all these big plans over the summer to do so many fun things, spend more time just relaxing with my kids, spend time in my scrapbooking room, exercise and take care of myself, watch movies that I'd like to see. Well not much of that got done and whether I like it or not that's the way it is. What I did miss and would like to fix is the fact that I didn't have much alone time, specifically time away from everything. Still trying to figure out how to fit that in but I'm coming up short. Running allowed me that quiet but since I've been running on my treadmill it still seems like there are always people around, c'est la vie right?

Now with full time work, family time, extra curricular activities for the kids and my scrapbooking classes the balancing act is in full swing. Still learning to balance it all, not succeeding on some fronts, but doing well on others. My running has been slowed down due to a potential hip injury. I say potential because I'm hoping my doctor and I caught it before it became a full blown injury that would have stopped my running all together, instead of taking only a few days break.

So like all of you, I can't do it all and I don't every claim that I can...personally crafting time has been severely limited so my postings won't be regular. But I will leave you with a layout that I've done semi recently.