About Time....

One of my best attributes has always been my memory including the ability to recall dates and appointments without relying on a calendar. When I first began working we were required to use Palm Pilots. Even though I have been “digitally calendaring” since the dark ages and have always kept a big paper calendar for the family, I rarely had to check either. A funny thing started to happen three years ago. Even though I could remember that I had a doctor’s appointment on July 12th at 2:15, I sometimes would forget that we go to dance every Tuesday (for the last five years). Did I mention that I turn 40 in this year’s calendar??!

I went to a simple paper planner. I have preferred using that to my old digital methods because I can see everything laid out at once! Can you tell our life moves at a fast pace??

I also like the idea of the cute little day runners and notes sections that come in paper planners. Unfortunately, I rarely use these because they aren’t that well-suited to me. Why do these things always assume that your shopping list is only three items long and that you need to plan in ten minute increments? Personally, I am going to be in the store for an hour to buy 76 items!

This year, I have decided to make my own planner with just what I want. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I started with Google Calendar. It’s the best of both worlds! With the app, I have most of my information going to my phone and I have a working hard copy.

You can print Google calendar out in several different formats including my personal favorite “month view”? I could theoretically add day views later during a hectic time. I was able to set up my known recurring dates before I printed, which meant that I didn’t have to write “dance” on 52 Tuesdays! It is also much neater than my chicken scratch, and I like that I have the ability to add my own notes and lists on paper as I see fit (or not). I printed them out and sliced them.

I was going to place them, but then I realized that I didn't want the holes in the dates themselves. So, I mounted them to these precious scrapbook papers before punching the holes!

And you know I had to monogram it! I grabbed this cute small three ring binder at Target (there are some with calendars, but other great ones in the dollar spot).

I love that this was so inexpensive and is exactly what I need with nothing that I don't want!!!

2016--It's About Time

I just gave the blog a little celebratory New Year's Makeover! 2015 was my first real year of blogging (notwithstanding the actual age of the blog and that it was basically dormant the last quarter of 2015). 2015 and the blog saw me tackling some aspirational goals from fitness to strengthening friendships. None of these goals were met in their entirety, but I feel good entering this new year. I have been able to strengthen some of old friendships, but more importantly I have embraced and am grateful for all the love that surrounds me currently without looking back. Weight still is and is always going to be a struggle for me. When the exact right moment to go back to work full time is still alludes me (but I feel much more self-assured and closer to opting back in after my stint of working last summer). My whole house has been organized: Goal accomplished! But then it got messed up again--I guess that is an on-going struggle too! Sadly, the easiest and most tangible goal to reach was to finish my photo albums. They are STILL not pulled together, but I got three of ten down (counting 2015 makes 3/11)! I WILL get those done this year and share some of my favorite moments on the blog as I organize the albums. When I began this journey, my chief complaint about 2014 had been that I felt like I was just checking the boxes. I had worked hard to make beautiful moments for everything from my husband's fortieth to fantastic charity events and every holiday in between, but they were a blur and I didn't even take pictures. In 2015, I was able to slow my pace a bit and savor more moments. I actually thank the blog for that. I was using the blog as a motivator, but an unintended side-effect is that it is a nice journal. I hope to continue this trend in 2016--to consciously slow our pace--to savor more memories and share them here. Maybe I'll inch toward a goal or two along the way.

On blogging?

My friend Holly started a blog in 2006, which I thought was absolutely absurd. By 2008 I myself had become a regular reader of some fabulous now-defunct blogs (and two that actually lasted)! I used my "favorites bar" to earmark them and had an actual pin-board with sticky notes of websites with good ideas before the days of bloglovin and pinterest. Here is an example of a something I saved back in the day (Image Via)

Since I had been producing my own clever crafts and pretty parties practically from the time I was in utero (IMHO), I thought I should be a blogger too! My hook was that I was a working attorney and a Martha-Stewart-Do-it-all-Mama. I also genuinely wanted to increase Jewish content on the decor and craft blogs. I think I could have good at blogging, at least by those days' standards, if I had posted more than 8 times in the first three years of the blog's existence. Alas, that was not the case, and the blog fell into complete obscurity and neglect before it ever started. Here was one of my first pictures about Peacock Holiday Decor (to my surprise and, totally unrelated, that became a "thing" over the next few years):

In 2012 I had something I actually wanted to blog about! The experience showed me the best and worst that the internet could be. Here is the short version: I had an idea for a Jewish Elf on the Shelf that I dubbed "The Mench on the Mantle."

I planned to produce it and thoroughly researched to ensure the concept did not exist. It did not. I proceeded to consult a patent attorney, who advised that I was risking suit if I went forward for commercial gain. After weighing the risks, I did it just for fun and placed it all in this blog. Thousands of people read about it, and I felt the rush that good blog numbers can give you. Presumably, one of those people took the idea and went into production. I will never be able to prove it definitively. The name is almost the same (as are some of the wording/ideas and they follow me on pinterest). I am to blame; I placed it out here for free with no protection. Stupid for anyone. Double stupid for an attorney. The blog had been slow after my initial success as I had a friend become sick and pass away. By the time I saw "their" idea on kickstarter, I hadn't blogged in awhile. I almost deleted the blog at that time, but I figured I should at least get to leave my stuff up if they got to be on the Today show.

I continued to love reading the internet, but only very seldomly would I post. When Kelly's Korner did a link-up about adoption, for instance, I thought it would be fun to add my two-cents as an adoption attorney, but basically the blog was dormant. With pinterest going strong, it seemed everyone was getting in on the action. What had once been my own obscure little niche was becoming mainstream. I rarely had anything new or different to share, and I was scared to share when I did, so I just didn't.

Then this year, I decided to blog for myself, even as the rest of the world was proclaiming that blogs were dead. Goodbye Young House Love! I wanted to use the blog as a journal, to tackle some goals, and have a little fun. None of those things involve readers or stats--not one of them. I told myself it would not matter if I reached a single person. And so I began....Over the first part of the year I actually got something out of the process. It kept me accountable and was, indeed, fun. Particularly with organization projects, blogging gave me a reason to finish and to do it well no less. It was working for me. I was my author and audience.

The funny thing about being a blogger, though, is that you begin to care a little. Of course, you will notice if you get a a little traffic or if some nice blogger stops by (HI AMY). You you may even test the water and participate in a link party to see if it works, you know, just because. Then you may start to notice that your "stuff" isn't so good. You are not the most clicked or ever featured and you probably won't ever be. Don't get me wrong, I am not down on myself! I am cool with that. I have a beautiful home, projects that actually look great in person, and a pretty good DLSR. It just isn't enough, not these days.

What I have noticed was that to be successful, you have to have excellent lighting, impeccable photograph skills, and time to painstakingly edit your photos. Then you have to top it all off with a moniker or list, so they are pinnable. Compare today's blogs to the one's I fell in love with like Stem and SippyCups. Their work was spot-on and I am sure would still be innovative even today. Yet, these blogs would would not be given a second look now because they are not picture perfect. Look back at the picture at the top. That was, and is, a great storage system, but it would hardly warrant a second look today. I even tried the glossier stuff myself:

It "worked" on pinterest and on the blog. It was actually fun to play with the graphics and it helped get my closet clean. But it is hard to produce that type of post consistently while still using the blog to meet personal goals. It is not that the two are incongruous; they just don't always align. Perhaps that is why all those early bloggers simply gave up? Is that why so many are proclaiming that blogs are dead? I don't know for the masses. But here is what I know for myself.

I am not going to get rich doing this or maybe even noticed. If I truly have a great idea, I may or may not put it here. But I do like the content I produced early this year. It helped me. It was fun before I messed it up by complicating things. So during the short remaining weeks of 2015, I am going back to short (and perhaps shoddy) posts that help me reach some goals before the New Year. I hope you will follow along. Maybe you'll be inspired to post some content that isn't perfect as well. We could we all use a break!!! If no one follows, I am going to try to be okay with that. Maybe that is my goal for next year!

A little sweet treat

Several years back I wanted to make a cereal bar at home for my daughter. At the time we were pretty clean eaters, though I don't know if I had even heard that particular term yet. I just knew that I did not like her eating processed bars for primary nutrition. You may remember that our battle of the bars wages on even recently. I set out to Google an appropriate recipe looking for search terms like, " peanut butter," "oatmeal," and "milk." I stumbled upon this gem of a recipe, foolishly believing that it would be a breakfast alternative. It was apparent the moment I started making it that it was a very unhealthy treat. The funny thing is it has become our favorite brownies / bar, and it is even our signature item when we bring someone dinner.

You can find the original recipe here. Here are the ingredients:

This is the original copy that I that I printed and still use:

And finally here is a picture of the finished product... Wait, I would never be able to photograph a full pan because these babies are eaten the minute they cool down!

I am linking up with the best of the weekend here! and to Too Cute Tuesday

an ode to a battered suitcase

I am back from a fabulous vacation, where I did lots of thinking about the blog and if I will keep it. In the meantime, I do have something I want to say---to my suitcase (embarrassingly enough, I don't even know if my own suitcase reads my blog :))!

You are battered and torn, scuffed around the edges with two broken zippers and a handle that no longer behaves as it should. So many countless things that I have traded in, traded up, discarded and long forgotten—yet you remain. I purchased you for an adventure all my own, but in a brazen move, I selected you to match the luggage of a man I was just beginning to know. In the beginning it was just us—me and my too small suitcase. In you I carried a summer’s worth of clothing which later became so filthy it was simply left behind. I marveled with how I had traveled so light. On the way home, I filled you with a rug, pillow cases, and a woolen baby coat (brimming with plans for the future and the man with the matching luggage). We went vacationing and to seemingly innumerable weddings in those early years. Together we went on my honeymoon and, one by one, the funerals of my grandparents. You were the perfect bag for my first real business trip and when we needed a get-away after a painful loss. Eventually you held maternity clothes, onesies and tiny socks. The wearers of the onsies grew so big they needed their own bags, and I got you back to myself. We have visited friends, criss-crossing the country and filling two passports. You have sat in my closet in an apartment and three houses. Even as our travels have become decidedly more glamorous, you are my constant. It is commonplace for fellow travelers to note your Lilliputian stature. I take that as a compliment, knowing that though I may be a woman who travels to stylish locales, I am still the girl who could set out on an adventure all her own with so few things and such big dreams.

Not today Sir....

While I haven't blogged, I've been bogged. I'm bogged down in so much day-to-day being an adult and too, too much volunteering. That is a whole different blog series, but not today sir! For now, for your viewing pleasure is my lovely sukkah!

A sukkah is a temporary shelter covered in natural materials, built near a synagogue or house and used especially for meals during the Jewish festival of Sukkot. I love to mix the theme and change it up, but I loved this one so much last year that we decided to keep the theme one more year!

just felt like sharing

My family was an early adopter of email, and I have had some sort of account for 25 years. Still, I loath digital communication because it is hard to know someone's actual tone. I often respond to emails and even (gasp) texts with phone calls when the situation calls for tact. I was recently on an email chain that was a potential minefield for hurt feelings. In my old professional life, my actions had the potential to mend broken families or rip them apart. This was a personal matter and quite trivial, however, it could have caused lasting hurt.

Our PTO vice president contacted me with a new volunteer for my teacher appreciation committee (we arrange conference meals, a holiday celebration, teacher appreciation week, and a Spring luncheon). It is normal to get new helpers at the beginning of the year. What was unique was that this woman was new to our school and had lots of suggestions from her old school "beyond just conference meals" (great), but also was ready to take charge immediately (whah?). I hoped to train someone to fill my role next year. While I was jumping at the chance for help and a potential replacement, my ego felt bruised. Even worse, the PTO vice president hadn't seemed to clarify that we already do many of this mom's suggestions. I know that it was silly, but I felt vulnerable and defensive. The new mom ended up emailing me that very night, again asking if we could possibly find it in our budget to do more than "just conference meals" and saying that she would head it up.

I knew I had to respond via email, and that I did not want to alienate her. I legitimately want her to replace me. I do want her to bring new ideas and energy. I also felt I had something to prove-- I was ready to fire off a quasi-nasty email. Then I pondered: why was I so offended by something so mundane? Why was she so eager to take on a role that was already filled? Why did she assume we didn't "do more" without first ascertaining what we actually do? Why had The PTO rep not "defended" us?

I realized that I was hurt, plain and simple, that our hard work from the previous year was not being recognized. I realized she was new to our school and trying to meet people and help out. So there it was:I was hurt; she was looking for connection and to feel useful. The last thing either of us needed was a petty and pithy email exchange. On a more practical level, I realized we had never publicized our work as only the teachers had seen the product. The only thing we had asked for help with was baking for conference meals. Perhaps it was fair for her to assume that was all we did, after all. Maybe this was an actual opportunity to educate the new volunteer, bringing the PTO up to speed, and get some new blood on board.

I drafted an email with good restraint, beginning, "My co-chair A and I would love to have you on board with us as we plan! We welcome new ideas and are always striving to do better and more, so it is great to have another perspective. In particular we would love to have someone who would carry on after we are finished (I plan to roll off after this year, though I cannot speak for A, who still has younger kids). It sounds like you would be a great person to start with us this year and continue in the role!....." So nice, right?!!

I then proceeded to go into my "however" and listed everything we did the previous year. While I did qualify it with an apology for he lengthy amount of information and say that it was "just to get us all on the same page,"
I probably went off the rails a a bit. I went into painful detail with pictures to show all we had done. Was it too much chest-beating and bragging? In hindsight, probably a smidgen. By that point I had realized this, I had already hit send. All that was left was to pray she would see simply my good intentions.You know what? She received the right message! The internet worked, y'all!!!! Her response was "All this stuff is amazing!!! I had no idea you and A coordinated all of this last year. I would love to be a part of your team and am looking forward to working with you. I'd love to see all of the things you and your team do publicized too. Is it possible to get a PTO corner in the weekly updates to highlight what the PTO is doing even when help isn't being requested? I'm sure some of the other teams are doing stuff behind the scenes too. Thanks so much for filling me in." She is going to be our chair in training and I will pass it off to her next year!

In my mind, she is awesome for both reaching out in the first place and recognizing that she spoke without all the information. It could have gone another way. I could have handed my post over to her in a blaze of glory or I could have marked my territory so clearly that she didn't engage at all. It sounds ridiculous, but things like that happen on PTO's all the time. Things like that happen on all email all the time. I am so glad that I stopped for a minute to think about why she made the request and why it bothered me. I am glad that she stopped and thought about how to respond in a way that was kind. By slowing down and listening, really listening to he meaning of what the other was saying, we communicated so effectively. This is one time where I wish real life communication would be more like email.