Saturday, August 28, 2010

solving a small problem

I have been asked to teach a class on organizing.  Specifically being organized for the upcoming school year.  So, being ME I've been studying up on organizing.  I learned that there are different organizational styles just like personality styles.  If you understand what your organizational style is you can tailor your organization efforts more effectively towards what will work instead of what won't work.

Now, I think it's funny but alot of people describe me as organized.  I don't feel very organized.  I feel like I'm always desperately trying to keep a little on top of things so that my world won't implode.  Maybe that is organization.  I know I'm a champion procrastinator.  That's not very organized.  ANYWAY.....back to Organizational styles.

After much reading I found that basically organizational styles fall into 3 categories.

1) practical
2) visual
3) Not organized AT ALL

Obviously there are a lot of sub categories for practical and visual.
I learned that I am a visual.  I put things in decorative jars so i can SEE what I'm organizing.  I make and decorate cute little notebooks and make colorful tabs to keep track. my calendar is color coded (right now it's almost all purple because that's peekaboo's color...she's got a lot coming up!!).  Finding out my organizational style was a very welcome surprise.  I'd never even thought to find out.  never occured to me.  now, I wonder why I didn't do it before.  One area I struggle with organizationally is my jewelry.  I like jewelry, specifically DANGLING EARRINGS...love them....but, they are always tangled together in piles and heaps.  I've tried different earing racks but they're designed for studded earings rather than the dangly type I prefer. So, I get frustrated and don't use the racks or the jewelry boxes and my earrings lay in piles all over.  NOT ORGANIZED!!  After learning my organizational style I had an ah-ha moment.  I needed to be able to see my earrings!!!  So, while surfing one of my favorite blogsites ...Ahem.....(Ucreate).....one day, I found this darling tutorial at "a little of this"  (tis a darlin' little site).  Anyway... she created a free-standing earring holder out of some wire mesh, candle stick,  and a wooden tray from Michaels.  

It's darling and she has an excellent tutorial on it. 
Anyway, I was so inspired by this idea but I did not want something to take up my limited table space so I started thinking.....

I have this darling picture frame.  

It has hung in my home since I was first married (since we got it as a wedding gift).  It's cute but very 80's.  I won't miss the picture but the frame is cute!

So, I took the picture out.

stapled on some left over screen (from our back door)
hung it back up with my earrings.

Easy Peasy!

I love it!!!!
It was FREE!!!!!!!  The only thing is....it turns out I have a LOT of earrings.  So, I may need to find another larger frame and repeat, but this will do for now. 
I like solving little problems :)

Saturday, August 21, 2010

forgive me if I cry

Girl's Camp was last week.

I was alone for 5 days.


You'd think that would be fun.  It's not.  It's lonely.


I spent one really fun day with my mother-in-law.  We bought earrings.  I love earrings!  My M.I.L. bought a darling headband with a butterfly on it and a matching ring.  'Twas suuuper cute!

The rest of my alone time I spent canning cucumbers (messy!!, Smelly!!!, stinky!!!!), grouting the shower in peekaboo's bathroom (messy!!!), cleaning her bathroom (ughh!!!) and cleaning the rest of the house.  When my family came home everything was clean & sparkly and there were even fresh baked cookies on the counter.  Super Mommy!!

So, Peekaboo and JR had a good time @ girl's camp.  This is Peekaboo's 3rd year.  I can not believe she's this old.  My heart aches at how fast she's growing up.  Peekaboo's best friend Symphony also came for camp.  She recently moved to California and was able to visit temporarily.  Because of circumstances beyond our control we probably won't get o see her again.  So, forgive me if I cry a bit.

I gave each of the girl's disposible camera's and instructions on the kinds of pictures to get.  They disregarded the instructions and Peekaboo left her camera @ camp, soooo.....I'm trying to find friends and friends of friends who have pictures of camp.  It's been a chaotic week, so i'll go begging next week.

I do have a few photos to share though.

The theme was super heroes.  Peekaboo & Sarah made matching costumes.  They were 'miss appear and dis apppear (ended up being a prophetic name).  Sym is wearing hers in the photo above.  they were kinda cute.
Note how delighted JR looks :(
The two girls in 'capes' are my two latest AG graduates. They grew up so quickly.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

5K and I'm OK


On Saturday I participated in my first 5K ever!  It was 'Run, Run ye Saints' a 5k, 10k run/walk put on by the church in our area & spearheaded by my friend Brenda.  This has been a goal for months.  I've had some struggles along the way, most notably foot issues.  I was so scared.  I've had difficulties pushing myself beyond 1 1/2 miles, which if you do math you know is a good mile and a half + SHORT of a 5K.  I tried talking myself out of it but I knew that was just my chicken half talking and I'm tired of listening to my chicken half.  So, @ 7:50 or so on Saturday morning I presented myself @ the race knowing I was about to be the slowest runner and whimpiest.  The fun thing about this race though was the fact that a large part of the participants (probably a little less than 1/3) are friends of mine, so I was quite literally among friends...I don't think you get that in a more competitive race. It was nice to hear "way to go Hope!" from the runners as they passed me by and even a few high fives. I managed to run a little less than a mile (made a rookie mistake and ran the day before so I think I was too tired) and then I resorted to walking for 2-3 minutes and running for 2-3 minutes.  my official time was 44:17, 7 seconds behind the winner of the 10K women's race (so she litterally ran a double what I did in half the time).  I can not say I enjoyed it but I can say I did it...I ACOMPLISHED IT!  I did not chicken out!  I will do it again sometime, but I need to train more.  I run again on Monday.

So, to answer any questions:
  1. no, I was not last....I beat a little girl, she was last...BUT she was beating me for most of the race, I passed her at the end.
  2. Yes, the weather co-operated.  It was overcast and in the mid 60's so it was pleasant running, one did not get too hot.
  3. I think there were about 60-70 participants so good turnout for the first run/walk ever.
  4. Yes, I blame Brenda... For what you ask?  For telling me this was a good idea.  She is probably right but around mile 2 it felt like a very BAD idea.
  5. Any other questions?

among friends: L-R
Dawn, Christine, Jim, Alana(stroller), Ericka, Jared, Bryce, Quinton, Chantel, Ryan, Sue, Jeff, Kimberly, Evan, Me (next time I definitely need to wear black!! I look waaay heavier than I actually am!), Brenda, Ashley, Steven, Johnny, Cherry.


my bib #