celebrate {january}

last year, i documented my everyday life here at the chronicles by posting a *this week* recap. these included all of the exciting and oh-so-many unexciting things that happened in my day-to-day world, accompanied by photos. though i loved the documentation of daily life, i struggled with keeping those posts updated and was usually a few weeks behind.

for 2011, i knew i wanted a different approach, a monthly approach. but it took a few weeks to come up with an official plan. but i did. and i'm excited. this year, my monthly posts are all about celebrating everyday life. i won't bore you with my average weekly savings or where i shopped that week. my favorite tv shows and how long i brushed my teeth each day will be omitted. i will focus on the slightly more important things.

i would love to have it ready to post on the first of every month. but i won't. and i won't care. because it doesn't really matter. what matters is that i'm documenting the celebrations. punctuality is irrelevant. so let's get started...

celebrate {big moments}

• rang in the new year with friends & family and a bowl game.
• attended britt's county council induction ceremony. he was elected chairman.
• celebrated matt's 43rd birthday with a night out, some gifts, and a planned road trip.

celebrate {little moments}

• i got new eyeglasses
• spencer participated in weekly winter baseball training
• i joined weight watchers and lost six pounds and exercised a few times
• coleman got a haircut
• spencer completed the first weekend of travel baseball tryouts
• coleman turned 23 months old
• spencer cooked us supper

celebrate {struggles}

• matt's father received injuries during an accident at work
• i learned my mom needed to have a biopsy
• my sisters and i struggled to heal our relationship with our father
• spencer brought home a less-than-desirable report card (for the first time ever)

celebrate {family}

• we played in the snow
• we played in the warmth
• coleman and i took a road trip to visit family for the weekend

celebrate {words}

• in the new testament, i read the books of mark, luke, and john. i'm currently reading acts.
• i'm in the process of reading swimsuit by james patterson
• also reading debt free for life by david bach.

celebrate {home}

• we implemented a new toy organization system in our den
• i purged & organized our bedroom dresser drawers
• valentine's day decor graced our home
• we got a quote on some new flooring

celebrate {organization}

• i began using a blogging calendar for the first time in five years of my blog history
• a new binder & weekly calendar system have proven successful additions to my daily life
• birthday party & bridal shower planning were in full force

celebrate {5 years}

it's hard to believe...five years. five years of blog posts. of pictures. of rambling. of growing & learning. in the same way that marriage or friendship or parenting can seem to go so quickly but also so slowly...that is how i feel. i feel as if i have always had a blog. that i don't recall the days when this was not a part of my daily life. but it's only been five years. and then i feel as if it is still such a new adventure. learning technology and all the roles it now plays.

though it may seem silly to some, i am so full of gratefulness for his tiny little piece of the incredibly vast and growing online world. it's a release. it's a means. it is comforting and sometimes stressful. it is steady and incredibly inspiring. it's scary and reassuring all at once . it's full of potential and possibility.

as i sit here writing these words, i feel guilt. a lack of appreciation shown to my readers, my followers, my subscribers. family, friends, strangers. today marks five years and i have no fanfare to share. no prizes to award. no giveaways to excite. all i have are my words and appreciation.

thank you for five wonderful years.

to celebrate, a quick trip down memory lane. where was i this time each year? what was being highlighted in the chronicles each february?

2.9.2006

my first post. a welcome. a snapshot of our little family.

2.9.2007

a picture-less post. ramblings about color.

2.11.2008

another pictureless post. bullets of our weekend. a series, long since gone.

2.9.2009

a digital layout. christmas.

the next day...3-d view of the child about to enter our lives.

2.9.2010

blog party announcement. recognizing the "anniversary" for the first time.

there ya have it...5 years of february 9th (or thereabouts).

becky higgins photo challenge {a little bit of something + a whole lot of nothing}

a while back, becky higgins started posting occassional photo challenges on her blog. they were simple and doable...yet still intriquing.

third: a little bit of something + a whole lot of nothing

original post and results post

this is one of my favorite photos and was already featured in a blog post back in june of last year. if i remember correctly, i was actually inspired to take this off-center photo (with room for journaling) by ali edwards. i truly love photos with journaling right on them so i want to try and remember to take more like this.

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past challenges:
look straight down and set your camera down and reflection

music monday {2.7}

just a quick update...we did not go to harrah's this weekend. but hopefully will be rescheduling soon.

we actually had a very nice sunday, despite the change of plans. we spent last night home watching the super bowl and then, of coure, glee. with so much musical goodness, i figured it would be appropriate fodder for a *music monday* post.

let's start with the super bowl...or more importantly, the halftime show. honestly, i wasn't very excited when i learned that the blackeyed peas were doing the show. it's not that i don't like them. it's just that i like them, not love them. i personally thought the show was very entertaining. i loved all the light up people and special effects. the vocals weren't great but with live performances it is often hard to tell if the folks aren't singing well or if it's more of an equipment issue (i struggle with this during awards shows a lot). BEP music is good party-have-fun-win-a-super-bowl kind of music though. so i can see how it *works*.

but there was one redeeming half-time moment. i had no idea that my beloved usher was going to be there. when i heard will.i.am singing those three little words to start off "omg", i sat straight up and said (yes, it's cliche, but i happened)..."OH MY GOSH is usher there???" and yes, there he was. descending from...well, i don't know exactly. looking spiffy, as usual, in his all-white. i would've preferred to hear more usher, but at least i got a song.

if you missed the halftime show, here it is:
this is over 12 minutes. if you  just want to see usher, skip ahead to 6:50


and then there was glee. luckily, i had managed to sneak in a late afternoon nap, making it possible for me to stay up and watch this very late episode. it goes without saying, but i am so glad glee is back. the episode was good (not great). it can be seen in its entirety here. the intended highlight, of course, was the thriller mash-up. but, i was more tickled at the fact that they did their first ever lady antebellum song (a rare country appearance on this show).

dieting for dummies {2.6}

new tools:
last week i invested in two new "tools" for my weight loss adventure. i purchased a digital scale (to replace our sad, old non-digital one). it's so nice to be able to easily read my weight and not squint. obsessing over the scale (in a healthy way) has kind of been a fun game. i like to see how different things affect my weight (wet hair, clothing, a meal, etc).

my second new tool is a pedometer. you might remember my participating in a challenge around this time last year. i really enjoyed it but had lost that little pedometer. so, i invested in a new one and began wearing it earlier this week. it's always surprising as to how much i don't walk. one day that felt pretty active, was still only 6400 steps! my average workday (spent mostly at a desk) comes in around 4000. not good.

restaurant failure:
along with my successes, i have to report my failures as well. matt and i enjoyed a tasty meal at a new local restaurant. we splurged on a spinach dip appetizer with flatbread and i had a delicious italian BLT. the points were obnoxius. this was actually lunch and i ended up skipping supper. not because i felt guilty but because i wasn't even hungry. i think my body has adjusted to getting less food and having that massive amount in my belly just held me over. the best guess on the BLT: 18 points!!! ouch. yes, i could've gotten a salad, but i didn't.

friday at work we ordered lunch from a japanese restaurant. i ordered the same thing as always but requested brown rice instead of white. i normally would've cleaned my plate. i barely touched the rice and probably only ate about half of the main meal. i was proud of myself.

the week ahead is going to be tough. i will be travelling for four days...that's a lot of restaurant and on-the-go food.

weight loss: as of friday, i had not lost any additional weight. kind of depressing. given our busy weekend and trips ahead, i am scheduling this post ahead of time. hopefully by sunday, i will have lost something.

road trip {harrah's}

matt's birthday was in mid-january. i really struggled with gift ideas. but with some help from his best buddy, this is what ended up being his "main gift"...

and this weekend (sunday night), he & i will be heading up the road a few hours to enjoy a child-free night of food, drink, gambling, the super bowl, and each other. we've never been there and i think we are both excited. we will be eating at paula dean's new restuarant and staying at the hotel's newest tower. looking forward to it!

becky higgins photo challenge {reflection}

a while back, becky higgins started posting occassional photo challenges on her blog. they were simple and doable...yet still intriquing. here are some existing photos that reflect one of her challenges.

reflection

original post and results post (video)

the reflection in this photo was not capture intentionally. and you actually have to look very closely to even see it. but, in the red ornament to the left of the photo ornament...you can see me taking the photo. i think it's kind of cool because that's me as a little girl in the photo. photo taken christmas 2009.

this reflection was captured intentionally. that's me in the white shirt (holding the camera) and my friend cassidy in the red shirt next to me. we are at the gamecock ladies football clinic, in the workout facility while players "put on a show". i love how it captures all of the women huddled around, gawking at these kids. look closely and you can see the boys' knees. i'm assuming they were doing sit-ups or something. photo taken in april 2010.

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past challenges:
look straight down and set your camera down

one little word {focus}

as in years past, i decided to stay on the ali edwards bandwagon of choosing one little word. i knew my word early this year, but i wanted to live with it for a short while before sharing it. (you might remember that i changed my 2010 one little word mid-year). i mentioned it back in early december and surprisingly, it hasn't changed yet. (sidenote: ali even has a year-long class to support this idea now.)

so, yup...that's the word - focus. it's not a very exciting word in and of itself. but it's packed full of meaning and intent. let's start by looking at it's actual definition:

fo·cus   [foh-kuhs]

–noun: a central point, as of attraction, attention, or activity

–verb: to become focused.

—synonyms: center, heart, core, nucleus.

i was a little disappointed that the dictionary definition of my dear word wasn't more exciting. and then i saw the synonyms. and it all made sense. it was perfect. focus is about the heart, the core. last year, i strived for balance and was able to eliminate some less important things from my life. things that were stealing time from the core. now that i know what matters most, it's time to focus, focus, focus.

it can seem like a harsh word but that's not how it feels to me. it feels right. it feels like hugging a child or lounging with my family. it feels like pushing aside the grocery shopping so we can hang out in the front yard (something i did this past weekend). it's connotation is actually comforting to me.

and just in case there was any doubt about my word, as i went onto the smashing magazine website recently to choose my free monthly desktop wallpaper, i ran across this....

so, here we go -- 2011 -- the year of focus.

cheers.

web wednesday {2.2}

today is a special heart day version of *web wednesday*. i'll start by reminding you of a couple of past posts here at the chronicles:

last year's list from around the web

easy pencil goodies - i made these last year for spencer's (5th grade) classmates
these are a great solution because they aren't *too girly* or *too young*

hybrid valentines with a pencil treat - i made these last year for coleman's daycare buddies

my heart day decor from 2007. sometimes i forget about my own great ideas. i love that i used red hearts in those vases/candle holders...something i haven't done since. silly me!

and now for valentine's day goodies from around the web...

free candy bar wrapper printable from eighteen 25

tutorial for some fun "tissue art". definitely want to do this with coleman. from sunny side up.

this post has tons of great valentine kid's craft ideas!

i'm pretty sure this cupcake fondue idea is the best thing ever. we have to do this. this could be about valentine's day or totally not. i'm thinking this would be a great treat on a child's birthday to show them they are special! something relatively easy to pull off at home on a weeknight or whatever!

i never thought of painting heart cookies before you cook them. what a fabulous (and easy) idea!!! i'm always struggling for age-appropriate activities for coleman. i think decorating cookies this way would be way easier for him than the standard icing way. from the same site: coffee filter hearts


eighteen 25 always does a great job with seasonal posts. they have several valentine's day things up already (and i expect more will follow):
valentine's frames (pictured above)
peanut butter blossoms (recipe)
here they link up tons of ideas from other blogs
free digital valetine card downloads!!! (three options)
use the downloads for a sweet treat valentine
adorable DIY candy dish idea



Valentine's Day Party Ideas...
Love Rocks


heart shaped marshmallow treats

marriage & love: a holy experience is focusing on *the practice of marriage* the two weeks leading up to valentine's day. links from other blogs are also at the bottom of this post.

enjoy this season of hearts and hugs.

goals {february 2011}

i was pleased with my january baby steps and i'm excited about tackling a new set of baby steps this month!!!

{organization}
-- help matt purge some a lot of his clothing
-- clean out the kitchen junk drawer
-- bring home 2 binders from work (to use as home management & recipe binders)

{time management}
do laundry at least twice a week. since my work schedule changed back to going into the office daily, i have been doing laundry mostly on weekends. my goal is to try and tackle some of it mid-week so i'm not so bogged down with this during our family time.

{blog improvement}
-- begin making my way through the blog design class (not finish, just start)
-- create an "about the chronicles" page for the blog

{scrap studio}
-- clear off the floor!!! this seems easy enough but right now it's a collection of items purchased for parties, computer cords, bags of "works in progress", piles of spencer & coleman's old schoolwork and artwork...just to name a FEW.
-- order photobook of christmas 2010 photos

{weight loss}
-- do the elliptical machine (30 min) at least once a week
-- eat out no more than one meal per week
-- lose 6 more pounds

{faith + spirtuality}
-- read 4 chapters of the New Testament every weekday morning. i will continue to plug away at this until i'm done with the Bible
-- begin participating in the one thousand gifts (by ann voskamp) book club i've already purchased the book. the club begins this sunday (feb 6th).
{financial}
-- finish reading "debt free for life". this book was a free download online that i printed and began reading a few weeks ago. my goal is to wrap it up this month and start taking some of his advice (see next item)
-- start making bi-weekly mortgage payments. the above book states if you make 1/2 of your mortgage payment every two weeks (instead of the full amount once a month) you should pay off your mortgage about 3-5 years earlier depending on your interest rate (this is based on making 1 extra monthly payment).
{writing}
-- write four journal entries. since i didn't accomplish this last month, i figured this should remain a goal.
-- start the creativity boot camp workbook. my goal is to finish this before the live summer session in may.

related posts:
goals for 2011
january goals and january end-of-month progress report

inspired by:
3 in 30, as presented by ap freewriting 101 and the tuckers take tennessee