One Week In…
One week into the new year and I feel like my resolutions are already making my life easier. If you’ll recall, I basically decided to quit adding food to my plate (Thanks, Swistle) and even take some side-dishes off that are already on because while I like my food touching in real life? My metaphorical food should not contaminate it’s neighbors. Basically I have my main course (Family) and then a good helping of 2 of my favorite veggies (Blogging and Photography) and THAT IS IT. I’ve given away my craft supplies to NikkiZ’s school and I’ve stopped bookmarking new projects in my Google Reader just because they look easy.
Example: These Classroom Valentine’s Ideas are brilliant and the Pop Flowers would be so quick and easy. But you know what I’ve learned the last few years? Quick and Easy still takes time. Which means time away from something else. Namely: Family, Blog, Photography and Job Hunt. And I’m trying to simplify my life this year so no matter how Quick and Easy and SO TOTALLY CUTE something seems? I’m not even letting myself consider it. No ma’am. Move along with you and your cute candy flowers. I’m buying a bag of candy and that’s IT.
I even stopped making handmade Thank You cards. While I think the sentiment of these cards is sweet, I have 50+ so far to write to my donors for my fundraiser and what’s important is that I write them. And let’s be realistic…making 50 Thank You cards would take forever. Whereas I can go buy some and just spend more time writing the note on the inside. And let me tell you something I realized yesterday: There are some beautiful Thank You cards out there. I bought the only two packs they had of this one style with an oragami butterfly but I swear I want to send one to myself: They are THAT CUTE. Love them. If you’ve donated I assure you that you will be getting the cutest card Target offers. It may not be as unique as if I made it myself, but I promise you it will be prettier. SERIOUSLY. Check out the Thank You card section at Target next time you’re there. I’m actually considering buying some of the blank notecard sets to frame. They’re THAT PRETTY.
Sidenote: If you donated and receive a Thank You card from me? I apologize for my penmanship. I forgot how ugly my handwriting is. I’ve always wished I had pretty handwriting…why isn’t that something I can teach myself? (BECAUSE I’VE TRIED!) Oh well, I think it’s at least legible. Focus on the front of the card, that’s the pretty part.
Anyway…my point? One week of making changes in my life to simplify things? And I can already tell a difference. I sent off 8 Thank You cards yesterday. I’m not sure if I would have even commited to thanking each donor if I was going to make them all. Now? I can. But it may take me awhile because it’s been a long time since I’ve written so much. 8 cards and my fingers started hurting. The College Me is making fun of me right now and reminding me the pages of notes I used to churn out in a 50 minute Dr. Kittle Ecology class. My fingers were obviously in better shape back then.
Now, let’s not discuss my failures in other areas. Like how I gained 5lbs over the holidays and haven’t even started to lose it again. When it takes you 9 months to lose 20lbs, gaining 5 in a few weeks is mightily impressive, don’t you think? But I’m confident I’ll get back on track…not losing hope. I will, however, be losing the recipe to Cake Poppers. I think those things are my downfall.
How about you? One week into the New Year and how do you feel?
I too have tried to teach myself to have prettier handwriting. I think I’ve settled for just trying to write slower when it’s important. At least that way it’s more likely to be legible! And while I’ve made stationery in the past, I keep getting suckered in to all the cute styles out there. I could spend some serious dough on that kind of stuff. Er, and I have.
I love pretty cards, too. Sometimes I save one out of the pack of Christmas cards I buy to send to other people because I love them so much.
As for the New Year, I’m not doing too well. I don’t make resolutions because I never keep them. But I had a big old meltdown last night because I am a fatty mcbutterpants grumpy-butt blah, blah, blah, boo-hoo. Maybe I need to work on that!
Not doing that well in terms of exercise and slowly trying to adjust to eating better. Mostly I am okay with taking it slow. I find that if it does not always work out right away I will work on things given time. I think that is why so many resolutions fail. We think we failed the first week so we do not keep at them. I try to reassess goals or resolutions or intentions or whatever word you use every few months so that way they stay at the forefront of my consciousness and I am not stuck on something for a whole 12 months!
I like the idea of keeping my plate “light” and focusing on specific things (family and work and exercise) and letting go of other things.
I feel happy that it’s so easy to write the 1 between the two 0s every time I write 200…and then it’s not the first decade anymore.
Ugh. Unfortunately, it is the easiest thing in the world to regain weight in 1/10th of the time it took to lose it. No fair!
one week in and I’m exhausted and ready for a vacation
Know what I learned from my years of trying to be Little Miss Homemade Craft Girl? No one cares! I would spend hours on cards or decorated cookies or whathaveyou and no one would bat an eye. That’s when I finally realized that it just wasn’t worth my time unless it was something that I really wanted to do.
I mean, yeah, I wasn’t just doing it for the accolades (although I have to admit that I do love a good dose of flattery), but when I realized that kids (and grownups) are just as (if not more) happy with store bought Easter cookies than the ones I painstakingly baked from scratch and hand-decorated? I was done trying to do it all by hand.
I was amazed by the beautiful cards Target has too! I bought several packs “for the wedding”, including one SET OF 50. There were only 65 people at our wedding total. Many were couples. We have enough thank you cards to last until our 20th anniversary.