Gardening in High Heels

cultivate a beautiful life

Sunday Lately, 12

March has gone by so incredibly quickly.  It feels like there are things that just happened yesterday, like the March Levo Pittsburgh event, though now it’s actually two weeks ago.  Does that happen to anyone else?  Ugh!  Just when I feel caught up, things sneak up and tap me on the shoulder and say, “Ha, thought you had a handle on me, didn’tcha?”

What have you been doing lately? Link up and let me know!

Doing

Last weekend, I spent hours clearing things out of my father’s house.  There’s still more work to be done, but it’s getting cleaner.  It’s a sad and surreal experience.  I’ve lived in different places and grown up in my mom’s house, too, but my first memories are in that house.  It’s hitting me that I’ll probably never read a book on the back porch underneath all the trees or see the really big Christmas tree in the living room…and I’m now going to cry.  So onward with the other things!

Appreciating

Seriously, the small things.  Like the ice cream glacier Jonathan brought me on Tuesday night.  (For those of you who aren’t near a cute little mom-and-pop ice cream stand, a glacier is like a Blizzard – I hope you’re all familiar with DQ.  If you don’t know your ice cream, we can’t be friends.)

Also suuuper appreciating when traffic isn’t that bad in the mornings.  I’ve been leaving my house on the early side, a little after 7am, just so I can avoid traffic.  I get to work about 30 minutes early, but I’d rather do that than sit in rush hour traffic.  I hate traffic.  Boo hiss traffic.

Designing

My blog blah blah blah I say this every week and nothing ever gets done.  Ugh!  I just need someone to tell me how to make the content area wider.  I can probably figure out the other CSS changes myself, but I’m just not figuring out how to make this one (kinda big deal of what I want this to look like) change.

Humming

I have a co-worker who likes to sing one line of popular songs over and over again.  That results in me leaving work with “Uptown Funk” stuck in my head on repeat.  Not cute.

Expecting

Quite honestly, I have no idea what to expect anymore.  I know I wrote about getting back into hyper planning mode last week, but I have no idea how to plan for half of the big things that are looming over me.  I have no idea how to sell a house.  Or help to clear out a house.

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So that’s what I’ve been doing.  I’ve also been reading a lot.  If you missed it, I’m giving away a copy of Hausfrau to a lucky reader.  Check out this post to see a review and enter!

What have you been doing lately?

Sunday Lately, 11

Let there be sun!  Finally, the weather is turning the corner and it doesn’t feel so depressing anymore.  I’m not going to lie, I’d still like the solid excuse a snowstorm gives you for sitting around inside all day not doing anything.  BUT I have tons to do and I’m digging the above-30 degree weather.

What have you been doing lately?

Planning

I’ve been trying not to plan things out and go with the flow a little bit more, but it’s competing with who I am.  I am a planner.  I plan things.  I like to know what I have to do and how long I have to do it.  That said, if I’m having a relaxing weekend day with Jonathan, I just need to know when it’s going to start and have a general idea of what will happen.

That said, if it’s a work day and I have tasks to do after work, I need to list them all out.  The long and short of this is that I need to start planning again.  Time to break out my trusty Moleskine planner that I made for myself this year!

Loving

The “Upper Strip Amble” that Jonathan and I did on Wednesday.  Wigle Whiskey organized it, so you started at their distillery with a complimentary cocktail (I had a Nimbus made with local coffee-flavored yogurt and vanilla mole and it was like drinking delicious, boozy, melted ice cream and a I-Can’t-Remember-The-Clever-Cloud-Name but it had ginger beer and was like a Dark & Stormy).

Then you moved to appetizers and more drinks at Savoy (I skipped the drink as I already had two).  I hate to say it, I wasn’t impressed with the service – the bartender totally forgot about us!  And we were sitting in the middle of the bar.  The quesadilla was tasty, but it was also 7pm and I was starving, so anything would be good.

And you ended at Klavon’s, an old-fashioned ice cream shop, with Wigle-infused milkshakes made with….Penn State Creamery Ice Cream.  My favorite.

Reading

Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum.  I’ll be sharing a review next Friday.  It’s a little…darker..than I thought it would be.

Wishing

For a burger, wings, and/or Chinese.  Oh, and maybe a pizza!  I didn’t go grocery shopping this week and I had a lot of after-work events, so I haven’t really been cooking a lot at home and I’m going nuts with my food desires.

Feeling

Slightly stuck.  I’ve been looking at some new blog themes that I like, but I don’t want to give up on this one.  I know I can modify the CSS, but I can’t figure out how to modify the big thing I want to change.  I’d like the content width to be wider than it is and no one has guides for changing that.  Color?  Sure.  Padding?  You bet.  Content width?  Nada.

I have cute new photos and patterns and ideas I want to implement but I don’t want to do it and then have to re-do it all over again with a new theme.  #FirstWorldBloggingProblems #AmIRight?

Shameless plus: take a look at what I’ve been writing this week, especially about Dessange hair care (free from Influenster) and the Creative Soul Connection Weeknight Retreat!

What have you been up to lately?

Sunday Lately, 10

Guys, I feel like every week I sit here and go “ugh, this has been such a hard week,” but this was another hard week.  I was texted on Monday saying that the real estate agent wants my father’s house to be ready to put on the market by the end of the month” and it just started things off on the wrong foot.  I’ll save that story for another day.  But suffice to say this week has been another week where I just want to stick my head in the sand and pretend like this didn’t happen.

You feel me?

What's happening lately?

Completing

I feel like a lot of things right now are in progress with very little completing happening.  I need to start getting back into my to-do list making game.  When I feel like I’m floundering and don’t have direction, a to-do list always helps to clarify what needs to happen and allows me to prioritize.

Visiting

My father is still in the hospital, but now it’s a rehab hospital.  It’s a step up.  (Thank you to everyone who’s taken the time to comment with well-wishes.  It means a lot.)

Applauding

Gonna toot my own horn here – I’m applauding myself for making my work week rock.  We have a function on our website where visitors can chat with a Marketing Consultant for help – LiveChat.  It isn’t my favorite thing, but I sucked it up and had it turned on for my computer for most of the week.  I started to look at my ratings toward the end and it seemed like I did a good job.

I don’t know about you, but I’m learning that it’s important to recognize the good things I do (not to be cynical here, but if I don’t, who will).  This month’s Local Levo meeting is an article club (like a low-commitment book club) and one of the articles is about how to share accomplishments with co-workers.  It’s some good food for thought.

Repeating

I’ve been trying to write down three things that I’m grateful for every night before bed.  It doesn’t always happen, but I’m trying to repeat that as much as possible.

Scheduling

Trying to look at March and April and think about Levo events and blog posts, packing dates and fun time.  I love having plans, but I’m not gonna lie, I’d love one more snow day with no obligations to do anything.

What have you been up to lately?

Creative soup for the soul

I’m a fan of coloring.  When I was younger, one of my favorite things was my big-ass box of Crayons.  I still have it to this day.  My neighbor and I would start with a blank page and she would make a line, then I would make a line, then she’d add to what I did, and we’d go back and forth collaborating on this picture.

Then in high school, my best friend and I would totally color, too.  Yep, 17 years old and I broke out the ol’ coloring books.  I’m not ashamed.

Coloring has serious stress-relieving properties.

I love actually making something with my hands – making a #30Lists book* (btw, there’s totally still time to get in on the action this month!), putting together a photo album, coloring, even reorganizing a bathroom feels good to me.

The other day, I saw an article about coloring being good for the soul.  It stimulates parts of the brain related to motor skills, senses, and creativity.

And it has serious de-stressing power.  I don’t know about you, but I find it incredibly relaxing.  The other night after a long day of work and finding out some news that immediately turned me into a ball of stress, I colored.  I found an old geometric coloring book that I think I stole from my mom and sat down with my big ass box of crayons and colored.

Coloring is good for the soul and it relieves so much stress.I was so relaxed, I fell asleep right where I was.

I am realizing the importance of taking time to do things that feel good and are good for me.  I think it’s our natural tendency to say, “Other people are asking me for my time and I feel obligated to give it,” and it’s hard to say no and take care of yourself, but if I don’t take care of myself, I’m not doing anyone else any favors.

Coloring is good for the soul and it relieves so much stress.

As Britt Reints acknowledges, creative spirits need a little nurturing.  And she’s doing just that in her Creative Soul Connection Weeknight Retreat on March 26th.

The whole night is centered around nurturing our creative spirits – talking about how to overcome obstacles that get in the way of creating and the benefits of creating things on a regular basis (aside from having new Pinterest-inspired artwork).

I cannot tell you how much I’m looking forward to playing with other creatives.  I’m a huge believer that you need to change your surroundings if you’re feeling stuck and actually going somewhere and being given permission to get hands-on and messy..oh hello, I’mma be all over this.

A little recap of what the night will include:

– Emphasis on importance of Being Ernest making stuff regularly
-Hands-on art project with Little House Big Art
-Creative panel discussion – so far it includes a musician, seamstress, writer, graphic designer/art camp director
-Sponsored by Little House Big Art, Pittsburgh Glass Center, and I Made It! Market
-Heated mosaic tile floors at the Irma Freeman Center for Imagination

Coloring is good for the soul and it relieves so much stress.

A while back, I sat down and had coffee with Britt and another writer who felt stuck like myself.  She told us about artist dates that she’s trying to do regularly with herself.  She gets out of her house and does something that feels good to her: go to a museum, paint by the river, etc.  So even if you aren’t in Pittsburgh and can’t come to the CSCWR, do something for a few hours that night that feed your creative soul.

Did I convince you to come?  I sure hope so!  You can grab tickets for the Creative Soul Connection for $25 and I’m thinking it’s probably going to be the best $25 you spend all week.

[disclaim]Britt asked me to spread the creative love and in exchange offered me a free ticket to this event.  You can bet your bottom dollar I already was going to buy a ticket and go anyway![/disclaim]

[disclaim]*The 30 Days of Lists link is an affiliate link.[/disclaim]

Sunday Lately, 9

I can’t believe it’s March already.  February is such a tease because I think I have more time in the month to do everything I need to do.  Grr!

Last night, I went bowling with Jonathan and my best friend and her boyfriend.  She mentioned Baby Mama and all I could think about was watching that movie.  When we were in high school, we watched this and Anchorman on repeat.  So of course I’m watching Baby Mama while writing this.  I mean, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler together?  Hello.

It's time for Sunday lately! Wat are you up to?

Updating

Like last time, I’m still updating what I’m doing here.  Right now, I have some new things to add, but I can’t figure out how to do the CSS on some of them, so I might just get a whole new theme.

Do you do your own coding on your blog (with a theme you already have / with a framework like Genesis) or did you search high and low to find a theme that suited you?  I know that Genesis is the root of most of them; maybe I’ll just

Reminding

Myself to get my damn taxes together.  I need a better organizational system next year.  It’s not like I’m unorganized, but I have receipts in hard copy and saved in a folder on my computer.  Having them on my computer is helpful to keep things quickly searchable, but it takes me forever to hunt down everything I need, print it, double-check I have everything, blah.  I need to start printing them out as I get them and keeping them with my other business-related receipts.

Needing

Cinnamon rolls!  I woke up this morning and I couldn’t figure out what I wanted for breakfast and then I decided I want cinnamon rolls.  I’d bake them, but it takes a few hours and I want them, like, now.  I know I could just fake it with Grands rolls, cinnamon, sugar, and butter (my mom and I used to make a “pie” like that when we baked at a coffee shop) but that probably isn’t the healthiest breakfast in the world.

Also today is the first day of 30 Days of Lists!  I need to do the first list today.  It’s the perfect day to stay inside and craft.  I need to print out pictures to do some scrapbooking.

Amusing

Reminding myself of how much Danielle and I loved Baby Mama.  Some of these lines are great.  “Can I just spray some Pam down there?”

I think the great thing about this movie is that Tina’s character reminds me of myself (neurotically organized, pep-talk Post Its) and Amy’s character reminds me of Danielle (free-spirited, says what she’s thinking).  And also, I mean the good parts of the characters, not the whole “I want a baby,” and “I want to run a scam with my trashy husband, Dax Shepard” things.

BeingLazy and cozy this morning.  It’s snowing again and the roads aren’t even close to being cleared yet.  It’s days like this I’m glad I can work at home if it’s dangerous to come in.  If it stays bad overnight, I don’t have to worry.So how’s your Sunday going?  What have you been doing lately?

[disclaim]The link to register for 30 Days of Lists is an affiliate link.  I participated in #30Lists in 2014 and I know you’ll love it too.  Thank you for supporting gals that support Gardening in High Heels![/disclaim]

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