before reading today's post, please go to this site and vote for my friend Saucys cupcake. She is so phenomenal and entered this crazy cupcake contest and I'd love to see her rock the house and win. Cause if you follow my blog, and then go visit hers, you know this chickie is outstanding. afterall, who else is going to give free concert tickets to some lucky mother/daughter??? Oh, just been pointed out to me, how do you find her, saucy's cupcakes are under "bloggedy blog blog"
go here
so much excitement! I get to spend the weekend scrapbooking with some serious Canadian scrapbook gurus & friends! I know I will be doing work related projects, but hey, what a fantastic job! Scrapping our lives, reliving the memories we made. How wonderful is life?
so a thought I have to share with you because after 30 days, I can make concrete statements.
I can feel good knowing I am leaving with floors washed, & vacuumed. laundry just needs to be put away, everything is clean (even my upstairs scrapbook area...shocking!) and I am 100% caught up on all my emails. That is a huge huge thing I am stoked about. Earlier this year I found myself drowning in the amount of mail I had between all my emails. I mentioned a number to a friend (I'm too embarrassed to type it here) and she said to me, "are you proud of that number?" When put that way, Hell no. I knew I was behind, but it took her asking that to make me wake up. Then through discussion, she pointed out to me that when your emails get in the hundreds and then over a 1000, you are wasting your life and it is a precise message that you procrastinate, and don't handle situations well. (I viewed myself as the complete opposite of procrastination, but she was right, when my emails were that huge, I definitely was NOT in control.) you are spending too much time filtering what should be read, dealt with, thrown out. Instead she suggested starting slowly and taking myself off weekly email lists. (for example i tried fly lady, but then ran out of time to read them every week, so now I have started perusing simple woman thanks to just cre8's forum, which I see shows greener ways to live, and handy practical solutions while reading the blog at my leisure (hence no emails to delete). This was working great so I took my name off any other sites that sent me email updates, and now have found blogs or websites that I can go to on my own time. Then I altered all my email settings to majorly block spam. So far that has cut down huge. Then I have my blackberry hooked up to my email and when I am out and about I can answer immediately. especially when I am at the park with the kids, waiting in line at the store, etc. I started sending friends quick notes on facebook instead of emails, we seem to be more quicker to respond, answering more briefly. I mean the phone is where all the good action is anyways, rarely in email. Then I created very descriptive categories and started filing all my emails to their proper spots. I realized i didn't have enough categories, and had problems finding things cause they overlapped topics. now I am really specific. So I'm not done redirecting, but sure made a huge dent. I have had an excellent month of being caught upon emails, and you know what... I tracked my progress, and I have accomplished way more (even with having 9 days of a migraine) So my New Year's Resolution (little late) is too work on editing my email even more, and STAYING on top of it. To keep me in check, I told myself, when I get behind on the messages, it is no different than the kids not picking up their toys. We constantly are reminding them to clean up after themselves and put things away. What is the difference? we tell them to purge their toys, I say purge old emails!
just a thought, but also a quick pat on my back. I refuse to be neglectful again.
Now, lets talk serious, who is scrapbooking this weekend? It is National Scrapbook Day, after all. I know I am missing a fabulous footloose day in stoon, but you can't be everywhere at once. this is what I'd love to see though, if you do scrap this weekend, leave your blog address in my comment area for everyone to see what you accomplish, and if you don't have a blog, email me the pic I will post them on mine if you would like to share. Let's celebrate together this fabulous weekend. Also, My Stamp Box is having another blog hop, so go check them out.
Okay, have a great weekend!
Ps, thought I'd share something funny with you. I was telling Jim all about the retreat I go on this weekend, and we started talking about the bears, and then he had sooo many funny jokes about us scrapbookers getting eaten by bears or attacked by moose ha ha ha, but this was his advice...
1. when i check into the cabins, sleep farthest away from the door, and closest to the window (bears always eat those closest to the door) I said don't they come in windows? never.
2. then he said, mark your territory (yup, with you no what) just outside the door. then he said that actually horse urine is the best, they rarely attack horses (i inform him that I think his stories are getting a little too full of sh@*)
3. then he said take a thing of tics tacs and shake them as I walk back to the cabin, to make sure they know I am coming. but if i put marbles in a can it would actually be better. (right now, I'm thinking someone in this room needs to find his marbles)
4. we came to the conclusion to stay away from the hottubs as these will just be "marinating" our bodies, making us tender for the bears.
5. remember if it is a black bear, climb the trees, if it is a brown bear, don't move. (to which I reply, well there my skilled tree climbing ability will come in handy...seriously, I don't even think I could climb a tree)
yes people, this is why I am perpetually happy. this man makes me laugh immensely. and I mean really, I could share the whole conversation but I'd be too worried that some of you might pee your pants. I however, after being around him for 14 years , am used to his type of funny. So, if anyone is going to the drive ins this weekend, my husband will be the one taking 3 kids to see monsters & aliens by himself. Yes, I LOVE this guy. wish him luck.
(now to live in dreamland for a second.) jim, 4 days without me,(luckily my mom helping with the kids for 2 of them while he works) taking all 3 kids to the movies by himself, and as well taking them all on his errands and while he will attempt to install rear back up lights on the trailer and of course watch his Nscar on sunday. He probably will appreciate me when I return...or in the mean time have looked into a mail order bride. would it be too much to ask that he keeps the house as in mint condition that I have finally got it in? yup thought so, that's pushing it. So instead I will just be excited to get hugs and smooches when I return! (but hey, you all know that come of my best photographs/stories to scrapbook happen when Jim is watching the kids. So I can only imagine what I will see or hear about.
I'll be back blogging on Tuesday, if the bears didn't get me.