etsy!

I have been wanting to revamp my etsy shop for some time - so today I've been poking around the shop a little bit, cleaning up some things. I'm not quite ready to make a whole new banner or anything - I do like the one I have, and it's going to have to wait until I decide which of my pieces I'd really like to focus on.

Today I put some of my older pieces into a SALE section - with the hopes that if those get sold, I will bring out the new items!!! So go check out my shop and look at the sales! (If I do say so myself, they are awesome sales. $15 for a crocheted handbag that usually goes for $25, for example...)

Today for the first time in weeks I don't have anywhere I HAVE to be tonight, and Adam will be working, so I can putter around on my own. I'd like to take Juno for a jog, tackle laundry and dishes, make pesto with the basil from my garden, water the garden and grass, straighten up the house, breath the smell of tomato plants, set up my computer, upload photos of marina's wedding, and get out my etsy sale pieces, organize and take new photos of them.

I've heard people say that something that makes an etsy shop successful is having it narrowed down to one item or type of item. That shops that focus on Aprons, for example, do better than shops that sell aprons and beanies and socks and necklaces. In my small amount of research, it does seem that the shops that do really well at least have a common theme or material in all of their pieces. I am debating what I want to focus on, then. I really do love my crocheted handbags, and I am thinking that between those, the felted bowls, and coin purses, that would make an excellent shop. Maybe somewhere down the line I can open another shop to sell ceramics and magnets, etc.

So anyhoo - I am excited about etsy again, and am looking forward to when my sister's boyfriend can come over and set my computer up in the office, with Adam and Chris' computers, where I can look out into the backyard and the lemon tree while I fool around on etsy.

stuff and lists

Today...

1. Stop working at 5
2. Change into workout clothes
3. Do workout video for new Spark Challenge at work
4. Buy resistance band
5. Buy fabric softner
5. Go back to work or go home and do 2nd workout video
6. Soak tank top in water and fabric softener
7. Block tank top
8. Buy milk, chicken broth, chicken, fruit
9. Pick up dog poop
10. Clean coffee table
11. Make bed
12. Make lunches for tomorrow
13. Do 30 minutes of other cardio

Today...

1. Excited about new Sparkpeople.com team "Sweatsuit to Swimsuit"
2. Annoyed at mother of client for yelling at me for 30 minutes
3. Anxious to go workout
4. Stomachache and cramps
5. Feeling like too much planning not enough doing.
6. Is broke and annoyed by brokeness.
7. Continuing to knit Julianna

looking forward to a domestic night tonight. First, running on the river trail, then picking up dry cleaning, then grocery shopping, then home for laundry, playing with dogs, feeding fish, doing dishes, making dinner, making lunches, doing strength exercises, and cross stitching! sounds good to me. I like those days every once in a while. My friend Rebecca calls it "nesting" - when you want to stay close to home and putter and put things right.

I bought workout pants that make me feel really cute, which is the main force behind getting me to go run these days. It's great!

Tomorrow I plan on going to a running store and researching new shoes. The shoes I run in now my dad bought me when I was 18 years old. 6 years later... time to get new shoes.

Today I've felt pretty good. Happy, productive, peaceful, glad. I feel the way an icelandic poppy looks. I love the sunshine. I am so happy that it's spring. I am ignoring the fact that it is supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow - gray and gloominess right in the midst of sunshine tends to put me in a bad mood, but instead I will revel in the fact that the rain will water my freesia bulbs that I keep forgetting to water, and then I won't have to wash my car. Then it will be sunshine again!

life

If I were going to write a *real* blog post, I'd write about how Obama's inauguration speech was so powerful that I listened to it once and then had to listen to it again. The second time was even better - I wasn't so blown away, I could slow down and enjoy the beauty of his phrasing, of the actual content - the sentence structure, even. I heard someone say that they had watched other inaugurations - one president passing the torch to another president, but this was the first inauguration they had watched where it was the president passing the torch to the people.

I was so glad that I had gone to the Bolsa Chica Beach Cleanup on Monday - I don't think I could have held my head up when Obama started talking about responsibility if I had flaked on that.

So our President has the most amazing superpower I have ever seen - the ability to empower people.
For that matter, his wife has that super power too.

In other non-amazing-president news, I have been sparkpeople obsessed, I have been doing NOTHING BUT work, exercise/karate, sparkpeople, and helping Adam with police academy. My life is one long to do list - most of it I am glad to do.

My current spiritual (for lack of a better word) issue is one about jealousy, and how to eradicate this particular sin from my soul. I compare it to alcholism - it feels like an addiction, and I am working on fighting it every day. I can't afford to be weak anymore.
I got the results of my biopsy. My life is not threatened, but I have a painful skin condition that will never go away. I haven't really processed this yet. I don't have time.

My world is slowly coming together - yesterday I left my very detailed to-do list at the grocery store, and after a minute of panicking, realized that some of my habits are actually established and I didn't need the list. So that was good. But I didn't feel quite right til I got to work today and printed out a new one. ;)
I woke up at 6:45 this morning and met Emily at the park with the dogs and went jogging for about half an hour. We've done this three times this week and it makes me SO HAPPY to start my day out that way.
I have tracked my food and fitness on sparkpeople every day this week, I have joined a team where we save money to pamper ourselves and in two days I have about 2.50 for each goal. Today at work we are having a "Hungry Girl" Potluck and I am really excited about it. I've managed to get at least 6 of my coworkers on sparkpeople, and I am pleased with the resulting obsessions.
Tonight I really want to ride my bike, and i have checks to deposit, so I am going to ride my bike down to the Washington Mutual... I just googled it, it's only a mile and a half - I can do that! I am excited to start switching my thinking over to "can I ride my bike there?" every time I want to go somewhere.
I have dinner in the crockpot (a spark people recipe) and not very many things on my to do list for today. I am looking forward to an evening at home with my cross stitch and catching up on Top Chef.

I am supposed to start a life drawing class in two weeks. I don't know if I will be taking it. I can't see fitting another thing into my schedule. I don't know. I think I will drop it. It will only put off this particular goal for 4 months, and there is an overwhelming feeling of relief when I think about not having to be out of the house Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday AND Thursday til 9:30pm.

This weekend I am looking forward to: sunshine, warmth, cross stitching, hanging out with Robert on Sunday and having enforced do-nothing-time, riding my bike, and doing the bolsa chica cleanup on Monday. Woohoo.

can't..keep...eyes...open...

I wonder how many of my blog posts start out with 'geeez I'm tired...' - well, add one to that number, because GEEEEZ I AM TIRED! I don't want my list to be the focus of this post, but I am so tired I need to write it down to clear my mind. Today: work, then go home, put clothes in washer, pick up adam's uniform, take it to the dry cleaners. Pick up the uniform that is there, and while I'm at it, see about altering my charlotte russe pants. On the way home, deposit checks. Once I am at home, clean the sink and mirrors real quick, see about making dinner, move laundry to the dryer, water the garden, feed the fish, do 10 minutes of exercise and work on adam's white tshirts. Tomorrow morning Emily will meet me at 7 to go running, I also need to bring karate clothes to work. After running and work, I need to go to the dry cleaners, pick up adam's uniform, then go to julie's to work on the chairs. After the chairs is karate, and after karate I need to pick up whatever I'll need to make food for the potluck on friday.

okay. My head is on a little straighter. I am so tired that it is WORK to hold my eyes open. Only two more hours here at work then I can go do things. Then I can sleep. Ohh how I am looking forward to sleep. It's Day 3 of a 6 month goal - hopefully Adam's gig papers will get easier and won't require two people to stay up til 2am ever again. I can't even imagine how he must be feeling today on only two hours of sleep.

My mom's white hat is still in the works - this weekend I will finish it. I also need to list more of my ceramics and take photos of my crocheted blanket! I love finishing something as big as a blanket - what a great feeling. As soon as I get some sleep and other half-done projects under my belt, I am going to start a new quilt. Especially if I sell that calking mattress and have a queen sized bed to make things for....

it started out tired and ended up inspired

Oh man oh man oh man. I just keep getting more tired. Last night, despite the best of intentions, I didn't make it to bed til 11pm. Adam had so much stuff he had to do - I don't know how any of the other police cadettes can make it through the academy without at least one other person helping them. I spent the night hemming his tshirts and cutting all the "Irish Pendants" (little hanging strings) off his uniform.

Amber and Chris also came over and brought Amber's computer desk for me! YAY! Now I have a real computer desk, our dining room table is back in the main room, and I am that much closer to an organized art space. I really, seriously, desperately want to sell the calking mattress so I can get a new bed. All of my plans hinge on having a queen sized bed!!!

Anyways, yesterday I made lunches, made dinner, did dishes, fed fish and dog, took out trash, watered garden, cleaned the bookshelves, organized some of the boxes in my art room, hemmed one of adam's shirts, cleaned the threads off of one of his shirts, and did an ab video.

Tonight the plan is work - decorate my coworker's office for her bday, go to Julie's and paint chairs, go to karate, then pick up coworker's gift certificate, put laundry in dryer, fold laundry, make lunches, cut up little soaps, bring in the trashcans, water the garden, wash and put away the dishes.

This blog has turned into my giant grocery list of to-do - which I apologize for. I am sure you are interested in my thoughts and opinions and ideas and stuff... but I am SUCH a mess at my own organization that I need to use every tool possible to help KEEP me organized. The inside of my head pretty much looks like these blog posts lately anyway. Lists and lists and lists and lists.

I feel - successful, I guess. A little on the tired side, but successful - not creative, successful. It's a strange feeling. Waking up early to do the things I need to get done - no time to stay up late and paint, but, when I get enough sleep I don't need that outlet anyway. I am watching less TV also, actually, which I am really happy about. I am getting pleasure out of the small things - books in a row and the sound of the fishtank and of course my doggydog following me around the house while I put things away. I am enjoying my home. I am enjoying being there for someone else without thought of what I am getting out of it. I am enjoying cooking tremendously - nothing gourmet, just making something filling and healthy out of raw ingredients has been filling me to the brim with satisfaction and joy. Feeding Amber and Adam my split pea soup the other night was blissful.

Other things I am excited about are getting my internship/volunteer program at work off the ground. I work for a nonprofit, and see HUGE potential for our internship program - and I finally have the interns to do it. I am so excited. I've been spending a lot of my time at work redoing the old material, interviewing, going to internship fairs, etc. Based on the interviews I've conducted this week, it does seem to have paid off.

Let's see - all my idealistic interns have me excited about THE NATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE - January 19th, which I will definitely be participating in!!! I can't even tell you the thrill I felt when I saw the email subject in my inbox "Your call to service." THAT my friends, is what patriotism feels like! If you haven't heard about it - go to USAService.org to find out more. Or if you email me, I will forward you Michelle Obama's video. Anyways - I will be at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands on January 19th from 9am-12pm helping to clean up and do my part for our country! YAY VOLUNTEERING! YAY!!!

That is truly amazing to me - yet another reason why I voted for the Obamas and why I am still so thankful that they won that I get tears in my eyes just thinking about it. They rallied a country together for the election, with massive donations and people coming out of the woodwork all over. We all marveled at how they were catalysts. Here's proof - they are using their amazing cat-herding momentum for the good of our planet. I am in love with our presidential family, love that they serve, volunteer, and are so connected to community. I love that they are providing the tools, resources, and drive for other people to do the same thing. The president should be a damn near perfect human being, and the presedential family should be exemplary as well. I finally, finally feel like we found people I want to model in behavior, actions, and ideals.

So go serve. January 19th, the day before the inauguration and MLK day. It's going to be a good day.

tired at 10:30pm

proud of:

doing every single thing on my list tonight, and then some. The only thing that is left is photographing and listing Joel's felted bowls, but they are busy felting right now so I can't do it anyway! I even hauled my shivering self out to the backyard and watered the garden...complete in my eskimo-eewok-old-timey-flighter-pilot hat from tia julie.

tomorrow I work, have karate, and deliver the bowls. I also want to learn how to do the tassles I want to make for the white hat my mom ordered. I also want to put away dishes, eat leftovers, and make some progress on organizing my art supply room.

one day I will also sleep.

Ooh, tonight I went to Julie's, finished sanding one chair and did the primer. I am SO EXCITED to actually start painting. I will start on that this weekend. I should start logging hours, too -to see exactly how long each piece takes. So far buying paint took about 1 1/2 hours, I sanded and primed for another 2 1/2. Both are slightly overestimated.

Adam got home and fell asleep. We were going to run tonight - now I need to do ten minutes of some sort of exercise without him so I can cross that off my sparkpeople goal list too. Then, bed!