Color/Colour: Pink

 Hi Friends!

Week three of the Color/Colour challenge is complete. This project is forcing me to notice colors everywhere.  I kind of wish this challenge was during the summer so I could capture more outdoor color (everything's pretty much white around here), but I did manage to find one outdoor shot this week.

 

Thanks for stopping by and looking.  Up next:  Green!

XO,

Vicki

Words to Live By

Sorry--no time for links this week.

Have a wonderful, happy weekend, friends!

XO,

Vicki

Workspace Wedenesday {February 5 Edition}

Hi Friends!

Today's Workspace Wednesday features two awesome projects John made for my craft room (hooray for handy husbands!).  I asked him to create a long narrow ledge so I could get some of my supplies off my work table.  I absolutely love what he came up with!  I've been busy rearranging what I put on it.  I'm not sure the stamps are going to stay on the shelf, but I kind of like them there for now.

As you can see, I still have a whole bunch of stuff on my work table.  : )  I also asked him to come up with something to help me organize my washi tapes.  This is what he came up with:

 I love it.  It totally helps me see what I have (and I get to put them in rainbow order!)  : )  Thanks, John!!!

XO,
Vicki

PS You can check out Marcy's workspace here.

One Little Word {Commit}

commit

"Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do 

long after the mood you said it in has left you."  --Trent Shelton

Hi Friends!

Happy February!  January seemed to fly by, didn't it?  I think it was all those "cold days" the kids had off from school.  Every time I turned around, everyone was home with me.  : )  It's time to set some new goals for my One Little Word, Commit.  But first, here's a look at how I did in January. 

January Goals:

Family: 
1.   Teach each child how to prepare one dinner per week.  Yes (or at least--close!).  Emily learned how to make my spaghetti sauce, lasagna, & cilantro lime chicken, Maddie learned how to make my homemade pizza, Jack learned how to make tacos, crab meat sandwiches, and pesto bowtie pasta.  Maddie is the stage manager for the play this weekend and she wasn't home for dinner most nights in January.  I'll be sure to catch her up after the play!  I really enjoyed doing this with the kids.  Emily sat in on other people's lessons--she wants to learn as much as possible before she leaves for college.  Jack was a surprisingly enthusiastic and excellent student.  He especially liked when I told him he could have as many crab meat sandwiches as he wanted since he made them.  : )
2.  No screen time when the kids are home.  Yes!
3.  Call my parents at least once a week.  Yes!

Health:
1.  Go to CrossFit at least 3 times per week.  Yes!
2.  Swim at least 3 times per week.  No--I swam 1-2 times per week throughout January.
3.  No processed food. Yes!

Budget:
1.  Record all expenditures. Yes!
2.  Finish the month on budget. Yes!

Creativity:
1.  Finish my December Daily Yes!
2.  Finish through 1975 in mom and dad's photo albums. No--I hit a bump in the road when I found out most of 1960 was captured on slides instead of film.  I am working on inexpensive options for getting all the slides printed out.  Anybody have any good recommendations for this?
3.  Complete and blog about one non-Project Life craft.  Yes!

All-in-all, I'm pleased with how January went.   I can honestly say that "commit" helped me accomplish many of these goals!  Here's what I want to commit to in February:

Family:
1.  At least one one-on-one date with John, Emily, Maddie, and Jack.  This sounds easy, but my kiddos are busy--this one will actually take some pre-scheduling and follow-through.  : )
2.  Plan and go on one all-family winter activity:  skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, ice skating.  Something outside!
3.  Call my parents once a week.  I need to keep this habit up!  : )

Health:
1.  One month strict paleo.  I'm going to try this--100%.  I meet with a nutritionist tomorrow.  I am a little bit nervous about this--but also excited. Cutting out processed food in January was a good start, but I really need to cut out the sugar, flour, and caffeine, too.  
2.  Crossfit at least 3 times per week.
3.  Swim at least 2 times per week.  Let's see if I can hit this goal in February.

Budget:
1.  Record all expenditures.
2.  Come in under budget.

Creativity:
1.  Take full advantage of Script School.
2.  Stay current on Project Life.

Whew!  Those goals always seem so much bigger when they are typed out and sent out to the world.  : )  Here's to month two of Commit!

XO,

Vicki

Color/Colour {Yellow}

Hi Friends!

I headed out with my camera a couple of times this week, but I had a hard time finding a whole lot of yellow to photograph.  Here's the best of what I found:

On to pink!  Are you playing along?  Leave your link in the comments--I'd love to see your photos!

XO,

Vicki

Five for Friday

(Knox Salad Book 1958. No artist credit)

Hi Friends!

What are you up to this weekend?!?  Do you have big plans to watch the big game?  John is a lifelong Denver Bronco fan, so this Sunday we'll be rooting for the orange-and-blue.  : )  I am planning on doing a bunch of baking.   I am totally in the mood to bake.  Ready for some fun Friday links?  Here you go--enjoy!

1.  The truth about Instagram.  So funny (and true!).  Make sure you look at his slideshow, too.  Warning:  there is some language in this piece.

2.  This article gave me goosebumps.  I wish every single child had a teacher like this.

3.  These invites make me want to throw an Olympics party.  I just might.

4.  This is the best proposal story, ever!  (And doesn't the groom-to-be look like a young Wentworth Miller???).

5.  Ten Ways to Serve a Heart.  I may try a few of these out on the 14th--but not the conversational hearts cake.  Does anyone actually enjoy eating conversational hearts?

XO,
Vicki

What I Read {January 2014}

Hi Friends!

Yahoo!  I have already read so many good books in 2014!  I can't always remember where I get my book recommendations from, but I'm pretty sure at least half of these came from a "read this book before you see the movie" list, because a bunch of these are coming out in theaters in the next year.  I'm especially excited to see "Serena" because the book was excellent, and the movie stars Bradley Cooper (sans perm) and Jennifer Lawrence (who is always stellar).  

Here's what I read in January:

The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt (4 stars).  I loved this big, huge, epic novel.  Donna Tartt's writing is brilliant.  It has some of the best always-rings-true descriptions and insights.  The Goldfinch's love him/late him main character, Theo, and a whole cast of interesting minor characters help drive this book's tension to the very end.  I definitely need to go back and pull some quotes from this book.  It was that good. 

The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion (4 stars).   Oh, Don, I loved you in the exact same way I adore Sheldon*.  You were quirky and exasperating, brilliant, yet comically obtuse.  The Rosie Project is a fun love story.  And yes, I read this entire book in Sheldon's voice--I couldn't help it.

The Husband's Secret, Liane Moriarty (3 stars).  Um.  I am so glad there are no skeletons in John's closet like the ones in Cecelia's attic.  This book definitely sucked me in right from the beginning and held my attention until the sad, unfortunate end.

The Girl You Left Behind, Jojo Moyes (3 stars).  This novel is divided into two parts--the past, and the present.  I really enjoyed the parts involving Sophie during WWI.  She was exactly the kind of tragic heroine adore.  Sophie was a character I found myself rooting for.  Modern day Liv was not as sharply drawn.  I kept wanting to get back to Sophie's story.

This is Where I Leave You, Jonathan Tropper (4 stars).  I simply adored this book about grown siblings brought together to sit Shiva after their father's death.  Every page rang true.  There is a whole cast of flawed but endearing characters, and the main character, Judd,  is probably the most flawed and endearing of them all.  This book captures screwy family dynamics at their very best.  The movie is sure to be awesome because it stars Justin Bateman as Judd, Tina Fey as his sister, Wendy, and Jane Fonda as his mom.  I can't wait to see it.

Odds Against Tomorrow, Nathaniel Rich (3 stars).  Anxiety-ridden Mitchell Zukor, a mathematical genius, is hired to predict worse-case-scenarios for a company called "Future World."  His whole life turns upside down when one of his predictions comes true.  This book is strange, in a good way.

Serena, Ron Rash (4 stars).  Oh, boy.  This book is for those who like a take-no-prisoners leading lady.  I can't wait to see how Jennifer Lawrence plays Serena.  Read this book.  Then plan to go see the movie.

Have you read any good books lately?  I'd love to hear your recommendations!

Happy Reading!

XO,
Vicki

*Sheldon from Big Bang Theory.  If you do not know who Sheldon is, we can't be friends.  Just kidding.  If you don't know who Sheldon is, you need to watch the Big Bang Theory from the beginning on Netflix.