Practice Makes "Perfect"

It went almost three weeks between my last blog posts, and as I realized this over the weekend, I looked back, wondering where those few weeks went. They were full of celebrations, good food, and not enough sleep or exercise. They were crazy busy, per usual, but also contained a bit too much anxiety for my own good. And with my head in a stressed out scary place, and overwhelming feelings taking over, I found myself avoiding writing, because I was "too busy," unable to even think of where to start, what to write about. There were too many words, and no sentences were forming out of them. 

But in the end, that just added to my ever-growing list of concerns and if I had just taken the time, an hour even, to sit down and devote a little energy to this little site of mine, I might have felt a bit better. I might have turned the worry roller-coaster around. 

How can I expect myself to become a better writer if I don't write? If this is something that I want to focus on for myself and my future, I need to make it more of a priority; I need to be a bit more selfish and give in to my own wants. 

I process feelings and thoughts through my writing, from emails to list making to blog posts, and that alone, makes the act of writing essential to me. And so I refuse to let my insanely scheduled summer steal me away from the act; I'm making writing a daily habit, sitting down and putting pen to paper (or typing fingers to keys) and writing and posting at least four days a week, no less is allowed. 

And while I don't believe in perfection, practice, simply, will make me better. And when I actually do just that, make time to practice what I really enjoy, writing and pushing my creativity, it feels pretty darn great. 

photo via Pinterest

Taking Control

Never one to say no to a fresh start, 

I'm excited to begin tomorrow, 

with a new outlook on my schedule 

and my sanity.

After weeks of dinner dates, get togethers and a calendar filled to the brim, 

I've decided that I will no longer allow myself to fill up everyday without a break.

No more excuses.

While most of my appointments and dinners have been for fun, 

a side effect of an overly blooming social life, 

other side effects have taken over, 

including exhaustion, anxiety, and frustration

at the lack of time and energy available to devote to those things 

that we all say we want to do, 

that we desire to do, 

but that rarely ever occur. 

I've absolutely loved spending time with those dear to me over the recent weeks;
it's been a gift considering my absolute lack of time 
in past years.
But I know that overall, 
our time together in the future will be enriched 
if, as individuals, we feel our best, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

And so, going forward, 

I'm only allowing two or three days a week to be scheduled. 

I will consider my work schedule and let that determine 

if I have time to add in any "fun extras."

And on the days I block off for myself, for life, for my sanity, 

I will actually be able to focus on the things

I so desperately want to ingrain into my life.

I'm making exercise a priority, 

I'm going to try out some of those recipes 

from that pile of cookbooks

and the collection of prints-outs I've gathered.

I'm excited to finally catch up with my beloved stack of magazines, 

to focus more on my writing ideas, 

to read a book. 

And I'm going to sleep.

And breathe. 

And enjoy more deeply.

Simply making a choice 

to manage my days and nights in this way, 

is empowering. 

I'm taking control.

It feels great.

I have a kale, banana, peanut butter and honey smoothie awaiting me in the morning, 

and a delicious salad packed up ready for lunch.  

I'm sipping some wine and getting ready to soak up some Mad Men 

to round out my productive weekend. 

Good things are happening. 

photo via joy the baker pinterest

Favorite Finds: Productivity, Paper & Pinot

A lot of various articles and websites grab my attention as I spend so much time online all day, for work and play. I often save these to read later at night when I have some free time or end up emailing myself links to read eventually, as I sometimes can’t find time to read longer length articles in the middle of my busy work weeks. 

While some articles are simply read, acknowledged and I move on, there are others that I thoroughly enjoy, that I’m eager to discuss, that I'd love to share with others.

And since I also love classic lists, here is a collection of some of my recent favorite finds that I’ve discovered and read lately:

1. Continuing with my belief in being more efficient with your time instead of just putting in the hours for hours sake: New York Times article “Relax! You’ll Be More Productive"

2. Motivation to not give up: The Power of Persistence from The Now Stylebook

3. After reading this piece on Jennifer Lawrence, I was even more excited for her Oscar win last night: Vanity Fair’s February 2013 cover story

4. Because anytime we take the characters out of Downton and into modern age, I’m amused: Downton Abbey Alive on Facebook 

5. One of my favorite weddings sites branching out into home style and including my favorite stationer:  Style Me Pretty at Home with Stationery from Cheree Berry Paper

6. Stumbled upon a gem of a site, immediately adding it to my Daily Reads: Note to Self

7. I heart cupcakes, I heart wine, and I heart Cupcake Vineyards, mostly due to their cute label designs. Doesn’t hurt to brush up on some vino basics either: Wine Education & Tasting 101 on The Everygirl

Pinning & Planning

My Mom recently became introduced to, and by introduced I mean has become quite smitten with, Pinterest.

As I’ve helped instruct her on the ins and outs of creating boards, pinning, re-pinning and learning about the ability to completely lose track of time as you scroll down the Pinterest pages, I quickly realized how much I have been missing this site in my life (my productivity may disagree but you can’t win all your battles).

I quickly jumped on the Pinterest wagon in its infancy but over the past few months barely frequented the site, my boards left stagnant, my time online spent reading blogs, articles and Twitter.

Wow, I’ve been missing out.

I forgot how inspiring and motivated you can feel as you browse through the images and ideas. I may even go as far as to say Pinterest has seemed to have improved since my last tenure. 

The boy and I have been in my new apartment since September and while we’ve been 99% moved in for awhile now, its those final details that are driving me nuts. That random box of frames, the blank walls in the dining room, I’ve been racking my brain on how to distribute/store/organize/decorate, how to add some finishing touches on this apartment that I love so much, one that I plan on staying in for at least a couple years. 

And now Pinterest has re-entered my life and along with it, the hope and promise of fresh ideas, DIY-projects to consider, ways to transform my apartment into my home. 

Thank you Mom for reminding me of this gem and with your new passion for pinning, I’m thinking we can put together some pretty fantastic plans. 

Here are some photos that are currently getting me excited and eager to work on my interior design and make our living quarters really feel like ours: 

more of my Pinterest boards & photos can be viewed here

Recovering

I’m hibernating.

For the past few weekends, 

I’ve veered away from most social activities, 

I’ve passed on going-out opportunities, 

in favor of staying home. 

Which is not to say, 

I haven’t been busy on these weekends.

I’ve done laundry, 

I’ve cleaned and tidied my apartment.

I’ve had wonderful meals with the boy 

and we’ve ran errands.

I’ve started into my never-ending pile of magazines, 

we’ve watched movies. 

I started a new workout routine

 and dived into organizational goals I have for myself.

But overall, I’ve been pretty anti-social. 

I’ve chosen my couch over bars and parties. 

And it has been wonderful.

My work weeks tend to be busy, 

tend to be scheduled to the brim. 

And I was started to break, 

to feel like I wasn’t on solid ground any more. 

After the holidays, 

I was worn out.

The new year is for fresh starts, 

and I wanted, 

I needed, 

to make one, 

to really take care of me. 

I don’t currently even have much desire to go out on a Friday night, 

but I know that I will again, 

when there is actually something worthwhile,

 to get dressed up for and head out on the town. 

So until then, 

my weekends are for recovery, 

recovery from my hectic work week, 

recovery from too little sleep, 

from too much stimulation and stress, 

my weekends are for physical, mental and emotional recovery.

With this recovery time, 

I’m hoping my creativity will grow, will renew, 

will inspire me for future projects and new ideas.

So on that note, 

I’m off to make a good dinner, 

and enjoy my favorite tv shows, 

as the boy is out of town tonight

and the remote and DVR is all mine.

And I don’t feel one bit guilty about it, 

because it’s going to be great.

I’ll let you know when I’m ready to come out of my hibernation.

It’s bound to be for something pretty fabulous.

photo courtesy of Glitter Guide’s Pinterest

Feeding My Soul All The Way Into 2013

It’s the middle of January, 

so I should probably finally get around to wrapping up my recaps 

of my favorite blogs, 

with one last final segment, 

acknowledging the sites that most inspired me, 

overall, 

as an individual, 

as a young female,

in 2012. 

These blogs, 

all written by fellow young women, 

are beautiful sources of literary and artistic inspiration, 

that I can easily walk away from reading, 

feeling refreshed

recharged, 

and motivated.

They offer input, 

feedback, 

humor, 

and beauty, 

and I look forward 

to continuing following their adventures 

in 2013.

Laura at Little Things & Curiosities

Natalie at Thoughts By Natalie & Darling Magazine

Naomi at Love Taza

Meg at the wild and wily ways of a brunette bombshell, 

one of the very first blogs I started reading

And to complete my recaps of the favorite blogs of yesteryear, 

in food, 

fashion, 

lifestyle, 

and today’s inspiration, 

I’ll end with a beautiful photograph

by Olivia Rae, 

who’s blog capturing the glory that is Charleston

makes me more and more excited 

to visit again soon. 

all photos from their respective sites