100 Words a Day (or Thereabouts)

February 3rd, 2010

In 2009, I didn’t keep the best journal. Life became “busy,” and I let it slip. This year, I didn’t want to miss out on keeping my personal record. At bedtime on January 1, I was tired and wanted to go to sleep, but I wanted to start the year off right. I compromised: one sentence seemed like a fair trade. The next night, the same process. And the idea stuck—one sentence a day. It’s doable. It helps me evaluate the day. I like it.

Some nights I end up with one sentence, some nights I end up with eight sentences. Generally, it’s around 100 words. Today I realized that in January I ended up with over 3,000 words of personal history. One hundred words a day doesn’t seem like much, but the record adds up quickly. I’m glad I have a snapshot of at least one thought/happening/moment/realization that was important to me each day.

Posted in Journaling | 2 Comments »

Small and Simple Means

January 2nd, 2010

Sometimes we make goals harder than they need to be. Small goals are great, too. Take my experience on Monday for instance, when I was in the middle of a workout and made a goal to continue exercising until the timer reached 23 minutes. I looked at the panel only to realize it did not show 22:15 minutes like I thought it would,* but rather 19:59. I’d eaten too many sweets that morning, so 23 minutes seemed like an eternity away. But I made it. In fact, I was so thrilled about reaching my goal without falling off the exercise machine that I decided to go even longer—until 40 minutes, in fact. Making it to 23 minutes—that’s a great goal. Making it to 40 minutes—that felt even better.

* Yes, my lofty goal was 45 more seconds. But to my credit, I was fighting off a cold and was more tired than normal.

Posted in Goals and Dreams, Growth | 1 Comment »

The Parable of the Memory-Foam Pillow

December 8th, 2009

I recently purchased a memory-foam pillow. Man, I love this pillow.* The only drawback is that once you’ve** rested your head on it for a while, it’s hard to move your head*** just a quarter inch to the right or left. Since the memory foam temporarily retains the placement of your head, a subtle shift leads your head to fall back into the original position. I struggled with that dilemma the first few nights I used the pillow, trying to move gradually but feeling like my head would lean back into the center. Then a lightbulb turned on in my head. Rather than trying to shift my head a quarter inch, I could just shift the pillow a quarter inch. Then my head would be in the perfect spot. Brilliant, isn’t it?****

I’m not sure why it took me so long to figure out that trick, but it did. Hmm, it sounds like many times when I’ve made tasks harder than they had to be because I was trying to change my circumstances with the wrong approach.

Lesson learned: Rather than trying to shift ourselves to fit into a mold, sometimes it’s best if we mold our circumstances to fit into our character.

–

* Word to the wise: You’ll likely either really love memory-foam pillows or greatly dislike them. The people I’ve recommended them to have had mixed feelings; oddly, the women seem to like them more than the men. I’m not sure what to think about that non-scientifically-proven fact.
** Yes, I just changed the voice from the first person.

*** I’m using “head” frequently in this post. In fact, I’d say I overuse the word. But I’m doing it for clarity. That means you’ll hear it again in this post—several times. Please forgive me. Just know the overuse is in fact there—it’s not just in your head. ; )

**** Perhaps that insight should earn me a spot at the head of the class.

Posted in Perspective | 1 Comment »

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 26th, 2009

Today I’m expressing gratitude for so many, many blessings. Here’s a very small, random sampling of them.

* A most amazing family

* Friendships with incredible people

* Health and happiness

* Laughter

* A moon that shines at night and reminds me of the wonder of the universe

* The sun that warms us and gives light and life each day

* Technology that makes it so easy to keep in touch and hear the voices of loved ones

* Seat heaters in cars

* Umbrellas

* Photography, journaling and memory preservation

* My eighth-grade keyboarding class

* Engineers who make road travel so easy

* Employment I enjoy

* Service opportunities

* Holiday music

* The holiday spirit

* Soft tissues

* Flights through clouds

* Takeoffs on airplanes

* Golf and miniature-golf courses

* Bowling alleys

* Board games

* Teachers

* Water parks

* Sketchbooks and Sharpie pens

* Scripture, which teaches and brings peace

* Grass and gardens

* Fruits and veggies

* Peanut M&Ms and McDonald’s soft-serve ice-cream cones

* Aerobics classes

* A soft bed and pillow

* Angels in heaven and angels on earth

* Jane Austen’s decision to write books

* Nail polish

* Blow-dryers and flat irons

* Naturally curly hair

* Growth that comes through difficult times

* Modern building-construction equipment

* Roundabouts (when people know how to use them)

* Strangers who smile and say hello

* Mountains, oceans, rivers, and streams

* Telescopes

* Shoes for every type of activity

* The movie below (someone asked people on the streets of New York what they’re thankful for)

* The happy music on the movie below

* Knowledge of the gospel of Christ that helps me appreciate everything in life so much more

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted in Gratitude | 1 Comment »

The Parable of the People Who Followed Their Dreams

November 8th, 2009

A few years ago, I visited the Big Apple. Seeing the amazing art in the museums, experiencing the hubbub of the big city, and strolling around the area was a blast. A highlight was seeing a Chihuly exhibit in The New York Botanical Garden—I love Chihuly’s work. One of my most memorable moments, though, came while seeing Wicked on Broadway. The musical itself was absolutely incredible, but there was a lesson that struck me even more.

I remember looking at the actors about twenty minutes into the production and thinking, “These people made it to Broadway. They achieved their dreams. They must be thrilled.” They were living a dream—a dream that had been many years and hours upon hours of hard work in the making. They overcame doubt and fear and pursued one of their talents with a depth that allowed them to share their work with the world. It made me completely ecstatic to see them fulfilling a dream.

This week, Creating Keepsakes made an announcement I can’t help but compare to the experience I had watching Wicked. We announced the 2010 Dream Team—a group of 10 amazingly talented women whose work will grace our magazine and website for the next year. I want to add my sincere congratulations to

1. Wendy Sue Anderson
2. Maggie Holmes
3. Jen Jockisch
4. Suzy Plantamura
5. Cindy Tobey
6. Laura Vegas
7. Kim Watson
8. Susan Weinroth
9. Sara Winnick
10. Deena Wuest

The Creating Keepsakes 2010 Dream Team

Plus, Mou Saha was announced as a new contributing writer for 2010. She is a creative genius.

I’ve had the chance to work with each of these incredible women, and they never cease to inspire me. They’re fantastic scrappers and fantastic people who I am grateful to know. A huge thanks to each of them for being so wonderful and for sharing their talents and their lives. I know many of them had dreamed of achieving this honor, and I congratulate them for their hard work and thank them for their example in pursuing their dreams.

So, what goal have you been dreaming about? Let’s let the passion of these women and the people on Broadway inspire us to pursue a dream we’re each passionate about. I have a goal I’ve wanted to pursue for years, but I’ve always been too afraid to make the plunge. (It seems like the first step is always the most daunting, doesn’t it?) Today I was motivated by these women to make one of my dreams a reality. I won’t put it off any longer. I’m setting a goal to work on it at least once a week (that sounds doable, doesn’t it?). I’ll check back in with you every once in a while to let you know how it’s going. If you’ve had a goal you’ve wanted to pursue for a while, today feels like a good day to start, doesn’t it?

Posted in Goals and Dreams, People, Scrapbooking | 1 Comment »

From M.E. to me

November 1st, 2009

The Parable of the Girl Who Decided to Reclaim Her Life

This WillowTree is called "Happiness," with the caption "free to sing, laugh, dance . . . create!" It has always inspired me.

This WillowTree statue is called "Happiness," with the caption "free to sing, laugh, dance . . . create!" It has always inspired me.

Once upon a time, there lived a little girl who loved to edit (much to the dismay of her middle-school and high-school peers who thought she used too much red pencil when peer editing their papers, thank you very much). When the girl went to college, she decided editing would be just the ticket for her (and she was right—she loves it). During a business class, she met the founding editor of Creating Keepsakes magazine. She knew immediately the company would be the perfect place for her and hoped to one day find a home there.

Shortly after graduating, she applied for a position at the magazine. Heavenly Father blessed her very much, and she was able to obtain the job. A year later, she was promoted, and she was very grateful. A little while later, she was promoted again and then again. The girl felt very blessed and humbled with each change. She’d dreamed of going to the moon, and she found she’d been able to travel through an entire galaxy—what an incredible ride.

Then one day the girl realized her world had changed a little. She’d always dreamed of being a girl with many adventures, one of which was working for the magazine. With each promotion, she viewed the change as a great step in her grand adventure and didn’t mind working more hours because she enjoyed her job. With her great love for the magazine, she soon developed a habit of working way too many overtime hours each week, and she didn’t have time for many other adventures anymore. The girl wanted adventures and wanted to keep in better touch with the people who mean so much to her, so she realized she needed a change—one where she could still fulfill her dream of working for the magazine but where she would also have time to pursue other dreams (and get a little more sleep at night).

She made the decision to apply for a new position where she would have more time to be with her family and friends, develop new talents, play in the sun, and explore the kingdom. At first she was worried people may think she made a bad decision in her career by stepping away from her current job, but she knew the change felt right, and so she decided not to worry anymore. To her delight, she received the job offer. She couldn’t wait to begin a new adventure and reclaim her grand adventure, and she smiled ever time she thought about the change and the new job.

Now her story begins again, once upon a time. . . .

***

It’s true: after 3.5 incredible years of working as the managing editor for Creating Keepsakes magazine, I’m making a change. It’s time to reclaim my life in full, and I’m excited for what’s coming. I’ll still be at CK (of course!), but starting tomorrow it’s time to go from M.E. (managing editor at the magazine) to me (plain and simple me who happens to have an extremely cool job of senior online editor for Creating Keepsakes). Wish me luck on my new adventure and the many more that are soon to come as a result. :)

Posted in Goals and Dreams, Growth, Individual Worth | 3 Comments »

The Parable of the Weather at the Balloon Glow

August 31st, 2009

This summer, I attended a hot-air balloon festival. I love the amazing photo ops balloon launches provide! Plus, this balloon launch had a “balloon glow” in the evening in addition to the balloon launch in the morning. (A balloon glow is where the balloons inflate but don’t take flight.)

The festival sponsors held a photo contest, so I thought I’d enter a few pics. Here’s a sampling of what I submitted.

Photo 1

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 3

Photo 4

Photo 4

Photo 5

Photo 5

Photo 6

Photo 6

Photo 7

Photo 7

Photo 8

Photo 8

Of course, I couldn’t leave this post without a parable:

The Parable of the Weather at the Balloon Glow

The evening of the balloon glow, I had several tasks on my to-do list to accomplish. The weather had been threatening a storm, which would prevent the balloon glow from being possible. The rest of my party headed over early, and I’d planned to meet up with them if the weather looked promising. As the time for the balloon glow approached, the festival operators had still not given the word of whether it would be safe to fill the balloons. I couldn’t wait longer to make my decision, though. I knew the best light for my photos would be right at dusk, and unless I left immediately I would miss that lighting.

I decided to take the chance, knowing that if the glow didn’t take place I would have spent a lot of time in the car that I could have been working on my to-do list. I arrived about ten minutes later than I would have liked, but I was able to catch most of the lighting I wanted. As it turned out, the balloon glow was a go. My leap of faith to pursue my course not knowing whether it would be in vain or not ended up leading to some nice photo ops and an enjoyable time with the people I attended with.

Posted in Fun and Games, Hope and Faith | 3 Comments »

The Parable of the Ten-Minute Layout

August 29th, 2009

Ten-Minute Layout

On Wednesday, I challenged myself to create a layout in just ten minutes, following these five parameters:
* I had five minutes to gather products before the clock started for the ten-minute period.
* The layout needed places for photos, but I couldn’t add the photos until afterward. In fact, I couldn’t base the layout on any specific photos.
* The layout needed to contain at least one embellishment.
* The pages should be primarily made of cardstock or paper.
* There must be room for a title and for journaling.

The layout above was the result. Granted, I did adhere the ribbon and orange blocks after the ten minutes were up, but I feel like this was a good start. I still needed to add the photos, which would then allow me to create the title and journaling. For spending only ten minutes, though, I was pleased with the result. Here are a few lessons I learned:

1. Ten-minute pushes have incredible power. The next time you have a task to do, set the timer and pretend you only have ten minutes to finish. You may not be completely done after the ten minutes, but I guarantee you’ll be much further along than you would have been had you not pushed a ten-minute time frame. Without my challenge, I’m sure I would still be looking through my papers after ten minutes—or even after twenty minutes.

2. Sometimes it’s okay to have a vision and a goal without knowing what the road you’ll take to get there actually looks like. My goal for this challenge was to have a nearly complete layout and to enjoy some creative play. I had no clue what cardstock colors or design arrangement would help me reach that goal, but I knew the parameters I’d set would produce the finished result.

3. It’s okay to be “good enough” on certain tasks. That’s a painful sentence for perfectionists. I could have spent hours creating a layout with perfect alignment and balance, or I could create a page today that’s done and is still “good enough.” I think we need to make choices between “good enough” and “perfected details” on the projects on our to-do lists. This Saturday, making an only “good enough” lunch or completing a “good enough” workout will give me extra time to iron out the details on a slideshow I’m creating. Next Saturday, I may decide that a “perfected detail” workout is just what I’ll need. In prioritizing, we need to remember that sometimes “good enough” is good enough.

Are you ready for a challenge? Find an item on your to-do list and try to complete it in just ten minutes. See how much you get done! If you’re a scrapbooker, create a ten-minute layout like I did and then send me a link to your post when you’re done—I’d love to see your work.

***

Here’s the nearly finished layout. I still need to print my pics and then add the stitching around them and in a couple other spots on the layout. But this provides the direction I’m going after another ten minutes.

Backyard Swing

Posted in Creativity, Fun and Games, Growth | 1 Comment »

Website of the Week: Good Grief

August 28th, 2009

GoodGriefBanner-withlineHealing comes in many forms, and I believe creating is one of those forms. Creating something good, whatever it may be, refreshes the soul. It can be hard to talk about our losses and grief, but Amanda Probst has a gift for showing us how to share our stories in an approachable way that helps us work through hard times. She published an article related to scrapbooking about loss in Creating Keepsakes last year, and I appreciated the words she shared. Now she’s created a blog called “Good Grief.” I think the title is genius, and I can’t wait to see all that Amanda (and her creative team) does with the new site.

Posted in Web Site of the Week | No Comments »

The Parable of the Pink Flower Gardens by the Prison Gate

August 27th, 2009

Flowers by the PrisonEn route on an errand today, I happened to drive by the state prison. I noticed small flower gardens on each side of the entrance gate to the facility. I was touched that a facility with high-security, barbwire fences that may likely never win an award for being the most aesthetically pleasing building structure, at least compared to any design by Frank Lloyd Wright, has garden flowers to welcome everyone who passes by or through the gate. It was a nice reminder that everything we encounter has a silver lining or pink flower garden to look for. Even long lines, high electric bills, and new scratches or dings on our cars hold beauty in them; after all, they mean we have something worth waiting for, a home to heat or cool, and a car to make transportation accessible.

What “pink flower gardens” have brought a touch of beauty or peace to your world lately?

Posted in Perspective | 1 Comment »

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