Click here to read about "My Month as Martha" February 2nd
What Martha did:
What I did:
Ok, Groundhog Day, easy enough. I woke up and saw my shadow. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning, meaning we have an early Spring, woo hoo!
Lucy and her BFF, Joss ringing in the most exciting holiday of the year.
I didn't have time to "exercise" today, but we shopped for about two hours, so that counts as walking, right?
Follow more of "My Month as Martha" here:
xo Becky
I want to start off by saying that I have a deep admiration for Martha Stewart. She is creative, a successful business woman, has a clear vision and I'm guessing a good sense of humor.
Every month Martha's magazine opens with "Martha's Month," a calendar of helpful hints, gentle reminders and important dates. I wondered, what would it be like to follow her schedule for a month?
So here it goes, "My Month as Martha," where I attempt to mirror her calendar for February.
February 1st
What Martha did: - Give the Carriage Association a tour of the Bedford stable - Trainer
What I did: Unfortunately I do not own a stable or horses (Martha also keeps donkeys in her stable - all from Canada. I don't have donkeys either and none of my pets are from Canada, but I can be quite an ass, heehaw!). I was also not able to get in touch with the Carriage Association to whom I was going to offer a tour of my living room couch which houses a variety of wildlife.
We have three cats, of the small, medium and extra large variety:
Small: This is Norman. He is a fluffy princess baby.
Medium: This is Spencer. He likes to bite pretty much everyone except Lucy.
Extra Large: This is El Guapo, aka Fatty Booms, aka Sir Guaps-a-lot, aka dude, get OFF me!
I also do not have a trainer, but got my butt out of bed extra early and did 30 minutes of yoga using the Pocket Yoga App.
xo Becky
Happy New Year!! A quick look back at 2012...
This year we watched Lucy grow into quite a young lady. She's not our baby anymore (sniff sniff).
We took a lot of walks, many to the mall across the street to ride the cars and take family portraits in the photobooth.
We took Lucy to her first Oktoberfest and I took full advantage of the costume opportunity.
I played around with graphic design more this year - something I hope to continue to improve upon in the new year.
Several of our friends got engaged in 2012 and we attended one wedding. I'm looking forward to many more in 2013!
We spent many evenings enjoying dinners with family. I'm so happy we can live here in California so close to so many people.
Lucy brought sunshine to every situation and reminded me to be creative and to always look on the bright side.
We wore Converse and took pictures to capture where we've been and where we're going.
Lucy turned two and we had a colorful painting party. All Lucy's favorite friends and family were there - including her cousin Lila all the way from New York!
I made my first Instagram coasters.
And continued my love for Instagram in general... Thank you everyone on there for your constant inspiration!
We had a ton of family dates! (my favorite)
We had our smashing, annual Oscar party.
We goofed around with friends. (You know who you are and that I loooove you.)
Dave and I spent our 6th anniversary in Napa and ate at Morimoto's. AMAZING.
Lucy started dance class. She attended a "mommy and me" class with her Granny and graduates this month to Ballerina Princesses!
I was introduced to Susannah Conway online and began her coursework in blogging and self discovery through self portraiture. I met many creative women who have inspired and lifted throughout 2012. I'm excited to be embarking upon the expanded Unravelling 2013 Project with many those same people, and look forward to the opportunity to connect with many more.
My word for 2013 is HEALTH.
Healthy body.
Healthy mind.
Healthy family.
I wish you all a wonderful year ahead!
xo Becky
7 AM Snuggles with Spencer.
8 AM
Making breakfast.
9 AM
Grocery list making.
10 AM
Coffee with my boo.
11 AM
Grocery shopping.
12 PM
Heirloom tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and balsamic glaze. OMG.
1 PM
Packing up some of Lucy's old clothes for Lila.
2 PM
Organizing Lucy's hair accessory drawer. (Can you tell she's been napping during these last two photos ?)
3 PM
Playing dress up in a new tutu for dance class.
4 PM
Painting.
5 PM
Adding the final ingredients to the slow cooker.
6 PM
Dinner! White bean soup with andouille and kale.
7 PM
Watching Toy Story with Unkie and El Guapo.
8 PM
Bedtime for Lulu.
9 PM
My turn to snuggle a cat.
10 PM
Nail painting.
I went to bed soon after this. An"early" Saturday night. Another fun day with some of my favorite people and animals. Hurray for Saturdays!!
Two days ago I received something AWESOME. A nomination for a Reader's Appreciation Award from Allison from Learning to Shine. I'm still shocked that anyone reads my blog, let alone really likes it, so I was overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude. Thank you, Allison, I really do feel like Sally Field winning that Oscar.
The concept of this nomination is to post a quick blurb about yourself in the form of a"Seven Things you Don't Know about Me" list, then pay it forward to some other bloggers who also deserve a nomination.
So, here ya go!
Victoria delights me weekly with her insightful "Enthusiasms" posts where she shares lists of food, events, books, people and products - things she is really excited about. I love when people whose opinions I trust recommend things. She also has many posts that get me thinking about life in a much more positive way. Her posts on such topics such as writing a personal manifesto and how cats can help you learn the art of relaxation have taught me a lot. Thank you, Victoria!
A few years ago I saw an episode of Design Star where they had to decorate these tiny houses that were about 7 x 18 ft. Not only did they need to be decorated, they also had to be designed as functional living spaces with a bed, bathroom, kitchen and sitting area. It was FASCINATING and I totally thought these house were just made up for this show. I was shocked when I took an e-course with Tammy and started reading her blog which chronicles her life living in a tiny house! Her musings on simple living are extremely inspirational. Plus she has super cute cats. Thank you, Tammy!
Francesca (my sister) has done something awesome. She is one of the only people I know who decided early on in life that she wanted to follow a career path in the arts and ACTUALLY SUCCEEDED. I hope that one day I can turn to my daughter with all honesty and confidence and say, "you can be whatever you want when you grow up." My sister proves this is true and she is a real inspiration to me. She blogs about her work as a Broadway a stage manager and life as a new mama. I think the theatre world is very exciting, visceral and romantic, so I love living vicariously through her drop dead gorgeous photographs. Plus I get to see tons of photos of my adorable niece. Thank you, Fran!
Lots of crafting materials, following Susannah Conway and FOOD on my mind this week!
Have a great weekend.
xo Becky
This week it looks as though nails, babies and a lil' bit of wildlife were on my mind.
What did you take photos of this week?
Have great weekend!
xo Becky
So it’s been 4 months since my birthday and I set a LOT of goals to accomplish. I’m feeling a bit behind, mostly because I’m not sure that will be able to pull it all off. But if I can’t, so what? I made up the game for myself so I can make the rules, too. The first rule of Birthday Goal Club - don’t dwell on Birthday Goal Club. I have managed to knock a few of these out, so here’s a progress report:
1. Take a class with Lulu
Lucy and I took a dance class together. Besides being at 8AM on a Saturday, it was AWESOME! I plan on signing up for more but am taking a little break as I concentrate on my own courses that I am taking.
4. Take more breaks at work
This has been hard and maybe I’m cheating again by putting it on my “done” list as it is very much a work in progress. Something that has been a big help has been my engagement in work outside of “work.” The classes that I am taking make me excited to sneak a peek at Flickr or go outside to search for something to photograph.
10. Get shellac
I promptly got shellac right after I wrote this list, courtesy of my BFF. It was amazing, just like I knew it would be! It lasted for over two weeks - the picture below was taken after 14 days! The only reason I ended up taking it off was because I was itching for a new color.
13. Take Lulu to the beach
Some of our family just moved to Soquel, so we were able to spend Easter in Capitola and take Lucy to the beach for the first time. Part of me felt like an idiot for living where I do and going almost 2 years without visiting the beach with my daughter, but quickly forgave myself when we got there. She loved it, of course, and yelled “sandbox!” over and over again for days after we had left.
22. Take an art class
Although it’s technically a not photography course, Unraveling: Ways of Seeing Myself is focused on using photographs as a tool for self discovery. This class has reinvigorated my creative spirit and connected me to my camera in a brand new way.
28. Spend more than $30 on a pair of shoes
One of my Unraveling assignments was all about feet - where you are, where you’ve been, where you’re going. In addition to inspiring thought and creativity, it also inspired me to go and buy two very nice pairs of shoes for myself!
31. Take a picture of myself that I like.
I thought this one would be a giant challenge. Luckily a few recent assignments forced me to take some of my very first self portraits EVER and, dare I say, I like a few??
There’s still a lot of work to be done, and like I said before, I may not finish it all, and that’s ok. It’s actually better than ok because I’m accepting it without feeling bad. I work hard - at home, in my life and in my career. I TRY hard - to be a good mom, wife, friend and person. I put my heart into everything I do and all the people I do it with and that is certainly nothing to feel bad about.
xo Becky
Last week on The Joy the Baker Podcast Tracy and Joy posed a challenge to their listeners - share five of your current obsessions with the world. So, here you go:
1. Nails Inc. Special Effects
2. The Joy the Baker Podcast: This show has been on for close to one year and it makes me look forward to Thursdays. I love to settle in to a lame task at work, slip on my headphones and escape into the world of unimportant girl talk. Every episode has me laughing and wishing the show was live because I've had way too many "oh, tell me about it!" moments where I wish I could call in. These blazin' ladies also serve up a big chunk of creative inspiration that keeps me going. Listen, you won't be sorry.
3. Instagram: Instagram is a super fun social networking tool that focuses on sharing photos. I love getting glimpses into people's every day lives and sharing a bit of my own. There's something very intimate about this uncomplicated way of communicating that has me smitten.
4. Chevron stripes: It all started on my birthday when I got some storage containers from Target. And then I bought more, and more. And then I got some dish towels, and then I saw this headboard, and oh... This pattern just makes me HAPPY.
5. Up All Night: My favorite new show of the year staring Christina Applegate, Will Arnett and Maya Rudolf. Not only do I love seeing a working mom on TV who actually works, it's hilarious. Also, I'm pretty sure if these characters were real they would all be my best friends.
This challenge was HARD! I had way more things I could have listed, but managed to wrangle myself in. Good job, me.
xo Becky
Thirty five things to try and do before I turn 36 (AK!):
Here's to another awesome year!
Last week I was putting together a list of resolutions (who says they need to be ready on the first?). I got a bit carried away and it starting looking more like a some crazy mathematical graph - no joke, here's a picture:
I decided there was no sense in getting organized this way and thought that instead I would take advantage of my birthday being so close to the new year. Since my not-so-nifty tree chart already has so many ideas on it I've decided to a do a birthday resolution list.
I've followed many other people doing this online and love the idea that it keeps you accountable and provides motivation to accomplish your goals. Check out these wonderful ladies:
I also freaking LOVE this book created by Elise Blaha Cripe. Maybe next year I can make something that beautiful, but for now I need to finish this list before my birthday (countdown 4 days).
In the meantime I got a jumpstart on one of my resolutions already! (Is it cheating to start early? Don't know. Who cares.)
Work goal: Take more breaks (Don't worry, I work super hard, so this is deserved!)
The other day Lulu took her first dance class (squee!) so I had my camera in my car. Not wanting to leave my most expensive possession in the car I brought it inside to my cubicle.
Later in the afternoon I took a break and starting taking some pics of my work space:
I even stepped outside to take pictures of my nails. Pretty nice, ?:
I think some co-workers saw me and probably think I'm a little weird. If going outside of an office to stand in some January sun snapping photos of my awesome new nail polish is weird then, yes. I am weird.
Taking 10 minutes out of my workday to do something creative really made me feel good... I think the sunshine helped, too. Let's keep this on the permanent to-do list, ok?
So I'm off to complete my birthday list and provide a blow-by-blow of my progress. Some of the items on there will be fun, educational, WEIRD but most definitely creative. I can't wait!
I just spilled pasta on the kitchen floor, stepped in it with my socks and still managed to save a curious one-year-old from falling of the back doorstep. Soggy socks aside I can say I did a good job.
Taking the credit is the hard part.
Welcome to my world of accepting what is imperfect and loving what is.