Starting a Bullet Journal

I've only  just recently started hearing about Bullet Journaling.  How am I so late to the game?  This idea is right up my alley!

The past few days, while waiting for the highly recommended Moleskin Dotted Journal to arrive from Amazon, I've been looking at Instagram feeds, and various blogs getting inspired.  If you just search the tag, #bulletjournal, well... you can get lost in it for hours upon hours like I have.

This was probably the first blog post I read about keeping a Bullet Journal. I knew it was for me immediately when I read this:

A bullet journal is good for…

- People who have a million little to-do lists floating around
- People who like pen and paper to-do lists
- People who are into goal-setting and habit tracking
- People who like stationery, journaling, scrapbooking, beautiful pens, etc.
- People who really love planners
- People who want to really love planners, or who want to be more organized
- People who would really like to keep a journal/diary but are having trouble sticking with the habit

Ummm... yes.  Yes to all of the above!

Over the weekend, I went up to Michael's to look at what kind of cute stickers and paraphernalia I could find for my new obsession.  But I know how ridiculous I can be when I'm first excited about a new endeavor, so believe it or not, I didn't buy anything that day.  I decided I'd start with what I already have sticker-wise, washi-tape wise, and colored pen-wise. I had great self control that day and vowed to only buy things for journaling when the need actually arises.  I have tons of that stuff already, and for years, I didn't even really know why.  I just buy it and look at it and think, "Gosh, I LOVE this stuff."  Maybe Subconscious Kerri new about Bullet Journaling long before Conscious Kerri picked up on it.

Being that it's the new year, it's the perfect time to get started on this thing!  I've got so many new habits I want to implement and keep track of and now I feel like I have a fun way to do it.

My moleskin journal was suppose to arrive yesterday "by 8pm", the tracking said.  But something went wrong, and now the Amazon site is telling me it's out for delivery and I'll have it today by 8pm instead.

I'm ready to bite the bullet.  I'll definitely keep you posted as I go along...

Happy New Year

Happy New Year. 

The Dallas Skyline- With a NYE Firework Display for 2017!

For the past several years- with the exception of a year or two here and there, I've gone to my friend's NYE party. (The above picture is the view from their balcony. And it wows me every time I'm there.) No one gets dressed up, and no one drinks much (if at all).  We stay in, eat some snacks, play some board games, and get caught up.  It's very low key. And for me, it's the best party in town. So once I got invited the first time, I decided this was the place I really loved to be as we mark the end of one year, and welcome in the next.

They always have stacks of colored sticky notes and Sharpie pens to write down New Year's resolutions, or goals, or whatever you want to call them.  You can write one or more, or none.  At some point, if you feel like writing one down and sticking it on the "Resolution Ladder", you do it. If you want to initial it, great.  If you don't, great. Like the party itself, the resolution making is very low key. 

Previous year's sticky notes with resolutions are usually posted somewhere, so it's always fun to look at what we intended to do over previous years and whether we accomplished those goals or not.  Sometimes, you see the same damn resolution, over and over, year after year.  But that's life, right?  You have good intentions, and sometimes, you live up to them.  Sometimes, they fall by the wayside.  But if you want, you get another crack at it the next year.  And the next. And the next. 

Last night, I saw some previous resolutions I had made. I didn't really remember them, let alone, achieve them.  Which was a great reminder:  If I really want to work at something and make it happen, I need it in my awareness on a regular basis.  Because life fills up with so much.  You have to choose what you're going to focus on.

So I'm writing my goals on my own proverbial sticky notes, and putting them on my own proverbial ladder where I can see them daily so that this year- 2017- can be one of my best years yet!

The 2017 Resolution Ladder.  With previous years sticky notes photo copied to the left and right.

P.S.
This is Day 1 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.  I'll be writing every day during the month of January.  What a perfect time to start a more regular blog writing practice.  Happy New Year, Everybody!

The (Ultimate) Blog Challenge

Somewhere and somehow, I heard about this blog challenge a couple of weeks ago.  And a love a good challenge so...

I know very little about why this is considered the ultimate blog challenge.  But from the looks of this little sheet I printed off to keep track of my progress, it looks do-able, while still challenging.  Basically, during the month of January, I am to post a new blog every single day.

That's a lot. But it's not so overwhelming that it sounds out of the realm of possibility.

I've written 50 songs in 90 days several times through another challenge, which wasn't even labeled ultimate.  So I feel like I got this.  There's no reason I can't, and so, there's no reason not to do it.

What I know for sure, is that if you don't practice something regularly, you start to get rusty.  And fortunately, the opposite is true as well: If you practice something regularly, you will get better at it. I will get better.

Do I have enough interesting things to say over the course of 31 days straight?  To be honest, probably not.  But this will help me "re-discover" my writing voice, as I'm a little out of practice these days.

And what better time of the year to re-establish an important habit?

So here goes.  Starting January 1. A new post for this blog every single day.  31 days straight.

Creative Pursuits for 2017

There's is still a lot to do before we wrap up 2016.  But I'm trying to think ahead a little, and get myself excited about the new year to come. Because, it's coming! In previous years, I haven't set resolutions or goals for the new year, because I don't really give myself time to thoughtfully come up with anything all that meaningful.  But this year, I'm on it! And I think it just might make a difference in how I approach things. This year, I'm not necessarily making "New Year's Resolutions", but instead, I have some creative pursuits I intend to roll out for 2017.

Here are the main ones, that feel are the most vital, important, and fun:
1. Record 10 songs. Maybe new ones, maybe some I've already written, just never recorded. I've got a home studio so really, why aren't I using it?  I'm not saying I'm making a CD.  I just recording a batch of 10 songs. Even if I'm the only person that ever hears them. No pressure.  Just a creative outlet for myself and for FUN.

2.Make up a dance routine for Lucy and me and video tape it.  I watch those dog dancing videos whenever they pop up, and always want to do my own.  And I know Lucy can pull it off.  She already knows some of those dog dance moves I've seen in videos.  She LOVES learning and practicing tricks.  And we're both dancers at heart.  So why the heck not!?  Again, no pressure.  Just for FUN.  I'm pretty sure Ricky will be happy to just lay on the couch and watch from the sidelines, but who knows...If he wants to be in on it, we can make it happen!

3.Launch my podcast already.  I've been dreaming, scheming and saying "I want to start a podcast" for well over a year now, but I've not done it yet.  I think I'm just scared of investing a lot of time and energy in the output, and then not finding an audience for it.  But again: why not just do it for my own creative outlet and FUN? The people who need and want to hear it... WILL.

This next one may not necessarily be a "creative pursuit",but it is a pursuit none the less.  And it feels very important to me, so I had to include it as the "grande finale" of my list today.

4.Move to Colorado.  Or as Fermin likes to say, "Find a home in Colorado."  So let's just compromise it for now and say: Find a house in Colorado to live in at least 6 months out of the year.  I've lived in Dallas my entire life, but have always yearned to try something different.  And the mountains are it for me. So, Colorado- here we come!

More on all of these goals as they progress.  But the universe needs to hear my plans.  So I wanted to say them here.

2017 is sounding pretty amazing already!

3 New Year's Resolutions

What is with the relatively new movement of having a word for the new year, rather than good, old-fashioned resolutions?  The first time I heard the idea, I thought it was sort of cool, and something I could lazily get behind. Then over the last couple of years, more and more people started talking about, and posting their word, and I decided that NO. This "One Word" movement is not for me.

Sort of like twitter.

I set up a Twitter account. And even tweeted a few times. But only 140 characters per tweet.? Ug. And all that hash tagging and at symboling? I just can't grasp it.

I'll stick with blogging. Good, old-fashioned blogging.

AND, good, old-fashioned resolutions.

I think I've lapsed over the last few years in actually declaring my New Year's Resolutions. But I always have goals. By writing them down, especially on my blog!, it's bound to be more encouraging than just goals (that tend to get lost) floating around in my head.

So here they are...my 2014 New Year's Resolutions!

1. Cook more.
Because I love to cook new recipes. Occasionally, they turn out great. And almost always, my husband tells me it turned out good, even when it didn't. The only time I hate cooking, is when I feel rushed, or realize I'm missing a necessary ingredient. Or two. This resolution, like all of mine this year, should be fun, and good for me. I just gotta be sure to plan ahead.

2. Get back to playing learning games with my dogs.
I'm currently reading Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog That Knows 1,000 Words.  It's so interesting AND it's also very inspiring. There is nothing I love more than connecting with Lucy and Ricky. I know they love learning, so I wanna get back to playing fun learning games with them. I've been a little lazy this past year, but I'm stepping it up in 2014! They deserve all the time and attention I can possibly give them.

3. Work a lot more on promoting my Resparkable Vintage shop on Etsy.
I think thru blogging, Instagram, Facebook, taking great photos and tagging things well, I can up the traffic and therefore put a little more of my handmade jewelry out into the world.  I am obsessed with vintage jewelry. I love repurposing jewelry. I don't spend enough time on the promoting side of things, but this year, I will! I love blogging, Instagram, Facebook, etc, so I'm going to remember: this is fun! All of its fun!

That's it. Just those 3 resolutions. Good things come in 3s. 3 is my lucky number. And, at least for me, better than just one word.

Finish Line

Take a look at my computer screen:

And now, look at little closer:

I'm a winner!!!

I've written 50 new songs in 90 days.  Whew. (It says 52, but one was accidentally duplicated, and the other was just something else.  So really, I wrote just the 50 and am stopping there.)

My 50th songs this year is called Pages and Pages.  

i'm gonna make it to the bitter end without becoming bitter
i'll make it to the finish mark and declare that i'm a winner
i've crossed so many milestones
i've risen from the dead
the only bags i packed were full of words inside my head

i've filled pages and pages to get to the truth
dug up memories hoping they would give me a clue
sordid little details
of unimportant things
forgive me for i've included everything

i'm run down to the ground
and i'm on my last leg
i will crawl in if i have to cuz i've got something to say
but it's a fight down to the finish
and there are ink stains on my hands
i've been alone with all these words about as long as i can stand

i've filled pages and pages to get to the truth
dug up memories hoping they would give me a clue
sordid little details
of unimportant things
forgive me for i've included everything