this little life of mine

TGIF and Happy Friday! I forgot to do a Friday Five last week, so this week will be a 2-fo-1:  my first five items will be stuff I'd LIKE to accomplish over this coming weekend, and my next five items will be stuff I probably WILL accomplish! Most of the stuff from the first list WON'T be on the second list! Ha! I know myself TOO well!

First up my "Wishful Thinking To-Do List":

1. Sell some stamps. I have a small box of wood-mounted rubber stamps I need to get photographed and put on eBay to sell. It actually hurts me to part with them, but I'm not using them, and after 10 or 15 years, I probably WON'T be using them, plus I watched a Hoarding: Buried Alive marathon last weekend, and am very inspired to get rid of stuff!

2. Speaking of hoarding ... I'd also like to go through my closet  and dressers sometime this weekend and pull the stuff I saved 6 months ago that I still haven't worn or used. I've bee trying to stick to that 6 month schedule, and so far it's been working! Also, getting rid of old, useless, unused items seems like a great way to end 2016, and therefore begin 2017 with a (mostly) clean slate!

3. Finish/Purchase/Mail Christmas cards. It is with deep regret I admit I will not be able to hand-stamp ALL the cards I need to mail out this year. I had the best of intentions and the highest of hopes, but in the end realized it was not going to happen. I will still try to get a bunch of cards made this weekend, but I think I'll have to go purchase a box to cover everyone on my lists. Apologies in advance!

4. If at all possible I'd love to get my lawn mowed this weekend. I didn't do it last weekend, and it's already rained once this week, and is supposed to rain a few days more.

5.  Work on my End-of the-Year stuff - best/fave photos, End-of-the-Year-Meme, 2017 resolutions, etc. Try to get a jump on all that good stuff before the holidays really hit and I'm too busy to blog!

And now, here's the more realistic list - stuff I probably WILL get done this weekend:

1. Meal prep and cooking for the week. I've been doing this a few weeks now, and it's working out really well! It's so nice to come home to an already prepared, healthy meal that just needs to be heated up. Though, I must say, this is part of the reason nothing else gets done, because doing so much cooking, especially from scratch, take A LOT of time!

2. Napping. A weekend staple!

3. Catching up on all the TV shows I missed this week.

4. Mow the lawn. This one really depends on the weather, but if it's nice enough, it HAS to be done whether I like it or not!

5. Take a walk. My mom and I have been trying to go for walks on the weekend to get a little exercise. It's just around the neighbourhood right now, but we're going to try to extend it every other week or so to try to get back in shape!

 Okay, there you have it! Wish me luck! Cheers!

So, this week's Friday Five will be another "To Do" List, but first I wanted to go back to last week's post, and see how well I did on that list, because whatever didn't get done last week, will have to get done this week. I am determined to get these things done! Okay, so I got the lawn mowed last Sunday, so there's one done. I also did some cooking over the weekend, so there's two. The CDs and stamps weren't even touched, so there's a couple for this weekend. I didn't get through my closet, either, however, I'm putting that one off, because I just made purchases at both Lane Bryant and Torrid, so I want to include whatever I keep out of those packages in my Great Seasonal Closet Switch-Out.

Also, I just want to note that while I didn't go through my CDs or rubber stamps, I did spontaneously go though my dozens of recipe books (you know, those little booklets you find at the checkout stands in grocery stores? yeah, I can't resist them!), and ripped out the 1 or two recipes I actually use, put them in a binder, and tossed the rest of the books. So, that felt good! Anyway, here's this weekend's "to do" list (also known as "Best Laid  Plans!"):

1. Go through the CDs, DVDs, and VHS tapes. I'm adding the VHS tapes because it's kind of embarrassing how many of these I still have even though they're basically obsolete, and I'm not even sure the VHS machine works anymore. I know I was keeping them for a Very Important Reason, but honestly, when am I ever going to rewatch those oh, so special movies or TV shows? Um, like, never!

2. Clean off the top shelf in the kitchen. Our kitchen cupboards don't reach the ceiling, so we have stuff displayed on the upper shelf. Unfortunately, it gets really dusty and gross up there, so it's time to clean things off!

3.  Do some stamping! Yes, I'm going to go through my stamps and see if there are any I want to sell on eBay, but I also have a couple ideas for cards and a scene I'd like to stamp out.

4.  Get some exercise. Saturday might be my only chance to go for a walk because it's supposed to rain on Sunday, but if it's not too bad on Sunday, I'll have to get out and at least walk around the block once or twice!

5.  Go through old pictures/negatives and toss them. I really need to do another round of Legacybox to have some more negatives digitized. I had some done last year, and it turned out pretty good, but I've got tons more. Yes, I should probably just shred them without bothering to try to figure out what they are or where there from, because obviously I haven't looked at them in years (in some cases decades!), but the fear of one day looking for a certain photo or negative and not being able to find it, and forever losing that precious memory is anxiety-inducing to me. And, I mean, it literally makes me sob and shake uncontrollably in a full-on panic attack. Also, in the past when I have impulsively tossed stuff I thought was ugly, or worthless, or figured I'd never use or need, I later discovered it was a priceless family heirloom and have been tormented by the loss ever since. Yeah, I just need to get over it, but sometimes it's hard to let things like that go!

Anyway, that's a pretty good list for this weekend. It'll be easier to do if it rains Sunday, so I'm really hoping for that! Hope you have a terrific weekend! Share your awesome, fun, or even dull and mundane plans in the comments! Cheers!

 TGIF, and Happy Friday, everyone! It seemed like this week was SO long, and yet, suddenly here we are at Friday! I'm thrilled, especially since this is a 3-day weekend! Yes, we get Columbus Day off from work. Why we still have this holiday, I have no idea, but I'm not complaining! Do you have Colombus Day off? Do you have any fun plans? I've got a few things I'd like to get done this weekend, five, in fact:

1.  Mow the lawn. Yeah, I didn't get that done last wekened, and it's really bad now!

2.  Switch out spring/summer wardrobe for fall/winter.  While it's still pretty hot during the daytime, the early mornings and evenings are getting chilly, and I'm looking forward to wearing more sweaters, and darker colours like burgundy, oxblood, and wine.

3.  Do some cooking! This one may or may not happen depending on whether or not I can use my oven. It's supposed to be in the 90s again this weekend, and I can't use the oven when it's that hot because it heats up the whole house. So annoying!

4.  Go through my DVDs and CDs.  I've been hanging on to a lot of old disks, and I don't know why. The storage units for these items are taking up valuable space in my house, and I can't think of the last time I actually listened to a CD or watched a DVD. I'm pretty sure anything I'd want to watch or listen to could easily be found on iTunes, or streaming somewhere on the web, so I think it's time to get rid of most, if not all, of my unneeded collection.

5.  Go through my stamps.  I've been watching some stamping tutorials on YouTube (the bane of my existence!!), and am finally coming around to see how convenient these new-fangled clear cling stamps are. I also really like that many of them come in sets with corresponding dies that, when used with a special die cutter, make cutting out images SO much easier and faster!  BUT, I still have a LOT of wood-mounted stamps, and I can't really start buying a lot of cute new cling stamps (at least no more than I already have!) until I get rid of some old wood mounts. It's going to be hard, because I love my stamps, but I guess what I really need to do is decide:

    a) how much stamping do I really get done? 

    b) what kind of stamper do I really want to be: general greeting/seasonal cards or scenes/landscapes?

Wow, that's really a lot for a three-day weekend, particularly, when I'd like to spend 1 day doing something fun, but I'll give it a shot anyway! Hope you have a terrific weekend! Cheers! 

Hey, hi, and happy Friday! So, I'm planning to participate in Horrordailies this year (it's like Holidailies, but for the Halloween-themed month of October), and thought I'd start a day early with a Friday Five! I've kind of missed blogging, and I hope to reignite my passion for it by attempting to write a blog post every day next month. We'll see how long that lasts! Anyway, for my Friday Five this week, here are five things I hope to achieve this weekend: 

1.  Do some stamping! I recently purchased some new Christmas stamp sets that I can't wait to use, and I really need to get started on my Halloween/Autumn/Thanksgiving cards as well!

2.  Mow the lawn. Yes, I know tomorrow is October 1st, but we've had a massive hot streak this past week or so, and the lawn is shaggy as a result. I hate the look of a shaggy lawn, and I'm sure I'll find a half hour somewhere this weekend to tame it!

3.  Relax! Now that the airbag in the Honda Fit (now known as Jack) is fixed, we can finally stop stressing, and start enjoying our weekends!

4.  Get ready for Horrordailies. I need to come up with some topic ideas for this blog-every-day-for-a-month challenge (probably should've been working on this a week or two ago!) I'm sure most people will be doing Horror or Halloween related posts, but I don't think I really want to do that. Maybe when we get closer to Halloween I'll get more inspired.  Any ideas? Anything you'd like me to write about/photograph/stamp? Let me know down below, and I'll try to get to it!

5.  Go for a walk. I haven't been walking as much as I should on the weekends, so this weekend, I plan to either go for a walk around Atascadero Lake, or just around my neighbourhood. Something to get me up and off the couch!

 Well, that's it, and it's plenty to keep my busy this weekend! So, what are your plans for the weekend? Whatever it is, I hope it's fun and filled with laughter and love! Cheers!

It's been a while since I've done a Friday Five (I think), and since this TGIF lands on the first of the month, I thought I'd combine it with my *Monthly Resolutions and come up with 5 things to accomplish during the month of July.

1.  The first thing I'd like to accomplish is to do some stamping. I bought some new Marvy Markers recently, and not only do I need to try those out, but I'd like to get started on my holiday greeting cards and just do some general scenic stamping as well.

2.  I would like to try to make a couple more YouTube videos. Making videos is a lot more work than I thought it would be, but it's also still kinda fun, and I have a few ideas for videos that hopefully people will enjoy.

3.  I really need to organize my makeup drawer! I went on a bit of a spending spree with makeup palettes, blushes, highlighters, foundations, mascaras, and brushes lately, and I now have a TON of stuff, most of which I will rarely if ever actually use! I need to get it down to a reasonable amount, like, just the 8 to 10 things I actually USE every day, plus one or two palettes just for fun, and a tinted BB cream or two for weekends!

4.   Speaking of organizing, I also need to go through my jewelry. I have TONS of earrings, but only wear the same four or five at a time, dozens of rings and necklaces which I really never wear at all, and when was the last time I wore a bracelet? Oh, never? Yeah. Gonna work on that.

 5. And, finally, I would like to get to the coast at least once during July. I know it's going to be difficult since it's summer and everyone and their DOG will be out there, but I can't remember the last time I went to Cambria or Pismo Beach, and I'm starting to get antsy!

Okay, so there we have it. Five things to get done this month. How many will I accomplish? Stay tuned to find out! Cheers!

*The Monthly Resolutions idea came from Kim at thekimchallenge.com.

Good LORD what a busy week! I seriously think those five planets lining up in the sky are wreaking havoc with everyone and everything around here! That full moon earlier this week didn't help, either! Anyway, here's five random things about my week:

1.  Speaking of the planets aligning, I actually got to see it Monday morning and again this morning as I was waiting for the bus! The sky was perfectly clear, and the sun was just coming up, and I was able to see all five planets! Sadly, I didn't get a picture (and only had my phone, so it wouldn't have come out good even if I'd tried), but I guess they're supposed to be lined up for another month, so I'll hopefully have more opportunities! Did you get to see it? Or get a picture? I'd love to know and see your shot!

2.  So, I signed up for Thingadailies next month. It's run by the same folks who bring you Holidailies every December, but this time instead of just posting on your blog every day, you make something every day. Then post it on your blog. I'm not sure how well I'll do at this one since I work away from home full time, but I'm going to give it a shot!

3.  I'm also considering doing A Month of Letters next month as well. As with Thingadailies, I don't know how many hand-written letters I'll actually manage to mail out (the goal is one a day),  but even if it's just four or five for all of February, it should be pretty fun to try!

4.  Seriously, how is it the end of January already?!? I'm nowhere near writing up a Favourites post for January, and just realized I don't think I ever posted my New Year's Resolutions! Ha! I guess that means I don't have to do anything this year!

5.  So I finally went to get my vision checked and ordered a new pair of glasses. I'm pretty excited! While I love my specks by La Font, I found an awesome new pair from Face a Face! Can't wait to show y'all!

I hope everyone had a terrific week, and are ready for an awesome weekend! Cheers!

TGIF!!! Why is it the short weeks are always the longest? I had Monday off for MLK Day - which was great! - BUT, trying to get five days worth of work done in four days is always a pain! It seems like it's worse when the holiday falls on a Monday, because I don't recall the last two weeks of 2015 being this hectic. Anyway, we made it to Friday, and here are five random thoughts for you.

1.   As I mentioned before, Monday was pretty awesome: I had the day off, so I got to sleep in, drink lots of coffee (before it goes cold!), and got to catch up on my soaps!

2.  My mom dumped the rain gauge (which she said was at 3") on Thursday, so I didn't get a picture of our weekly rain total, which is a bummer, but I'm sure we'll be getting plenty more rain before the El Nino season is over.

3.  I love that the sky is lightening just a little bit each morning and staying light a little bit each evening. It makes each day a little less depressing!

4.  I'm planning another crafting weekend, and hope to get some more Weetacon Charity Raffle Items made - should be fun!

5.  This morning there was an absolutely GORGEOUS sunrise! Sadly I was on the bus, so the pictures have the lights reflecting off the window, but you can still see just how spectacular it was.

So, what are you up to this weekend? Any fun plans? Let me know in the comments! Cheers!

God, but this has been a crappy week! Tears for days! We lost David Bowie AND Alan Rickman! WTF? We also lost a local judicial officer, Commissioner Sefton. (I never had the opportunity to work with him, but I understand from people who did that he was a pretty nice guy.) We've also had a lot of chaotic changes at work, and just when we thought it was settling down into a nice little routine,  the chaos starts again.

le sigh!

So, anyway, I've been trying to think of something positive and upbeat to give you (and me!) on this semi-rainy, end-of-a-rotten week TGIF, and have decided to share five photos I took of pretty, serene garden statutes, which I included in my new calendar from Shutterfly (titled "Garden Zen"), and hope to receive soon. Please enjoy! Have a peaceful, lovely, joyous weekend. Cheers!

P.S. Are you going to Weetacon? I'm considering a couple of these pictures for the charity raffle. Would you put a ticket in a bag for an 8X10 of one of these pictures? (Or even a 5X7?) If so, which one? Let me know in the comments! It's about time to get going on my charity donation items!!!

TGIF, and welcome to the first Friday Five of 2016! I very nearly had an entry done for New Year's Day, but decided against the five Resolutions I'd chosen to write about. I'll be coming up with actual New Year's Resolutions later. For now, however, here are the five classic books I've decided to read for this year's Classic Book Challenge (not necessarily in order). Enjoy!

1. Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. (I watched the mini series on SyFy, and LOVED it! I'm excited to read the book!)
2. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
3. Logan's Run by George Clayton Johnson ( I may have read this before, but I can't remember now. I know I saw the movie or series or whatever they had back in the 70s and thought it was pretty cool.)
4. The Clockwork Man or Orlando by Virginia Woolfe (I don't know if I'll even be able to find either of these books, but I'm sure gonna try!)
5. The Last Man by Mary Shelley.

I'm planning to check a couple local used book stores for these titles, but if nothing else I can just get them online. I know for sure I can get the nook version of The Last Man, and I'm sure the others are available in that format as well, The only ones I'm not sure of are the two Virginia Woolf books. But, if I can't find those anywhere, I'll just find another title. You may have noticed my theme for this year is Classic Sci-Fi! There's a lot to choose from, even though I've already read a lot of classics, and might add a few other titles if I have time this year.

Are you doing any Reading Challenges during the year? I know there's lots out there to choose from out there, so if you're so inclined, I'm sure you'll find something that fits your favourite genre! Happy Reading! Cheers!

1.  So this week I wasn't feeling so hot, but I did manage to still get in my two training sessions at Kennedy, so ... go me! I always feel better afterward I exercise (although a bit sore the next day, but it's a good kind of sore!), so don't know why I always drag my feet!

2.  We got another inch of rain this week. Love these little showers!

3. Today was our Annual Toys for Tots and Ugly Christmas Sweater Party at work. I did not wear an ugly sweater because I found this super cute one online from Avenue, and wore it instead. It was a lot of fun, and lots of toys were collected for Toys for Tots!

4.  Did anyone else watch Childhood's End on SyFy this week? Did you love it as much as I did? Because I LOVED it! I'm looking forward to reading the book now, and I think my Classic Books Reading Challenge Theme this coming year will be classic Sci-Fi!

5.  Another great show I enjoyed this week was Survivor. I usually hate when they bring former players back, but this season was actually really, really good! Every week was exciting and the conclusion was satisfying and well deserved. Hope you all have had a great week, and have a terrific weekend. Cheers!