Good Monday morning to you. I hope you've found a cup of something tasty (hey, it's 5pm somewhere) and settled into your desk, chair, studio. I've got a few items to cover here today.
First, I have to give major accolades to the group who participated in my January photo challenge. When I started this whole
12-month business, I didn't realize how much having participants to join me along the way would make some months so much better than others. The
month of mail was a blast and the
Daily Bread photo group not only gave me another excuse to get behind the lens, but to get to know a group of amazing people even better. I really want to thank you all for doing these things with me!
To wrap up The Daily Bread Group, here are a few from our last week:
1. time for dessert, 2. 01.31.10, 3. Everyday Cake, 4. afternoon tea, 5. finished product, 6. Right on., 7. veggies,
8. To beat the afternoon heat, 9. Over a pitcher of Moose Drool, 10. a little bit crunchy,
11. DINNA!, 12. Mexican Wedding Cookies, 13. A breakfast classic
And here are a few of my personal favorites:
It seems that everywhere I turn, I see something that needs fixing, sprucing, or doing. I haven't quite settled into my new home here in the country, and my eyes are starting to resent this house. I also realize it's probably just a matter of perspective (I will not talk about Haiti here because I do not believe it's good for me to shame myself into contentment based upon comparison) about the materials of my life. I think one good remedy would be for me to get outdoors more often...what is there to fix about the ocean or the trees?
SOOO anyway. This
book I finished was all about this amazingly frugal woman, this "can do" woman. It has made me realize that I would like to spend some time teaching myself how to trim the fat around Booklings Manor.
The saint and I are spenders, not savers, and while we may be homeless at the end of our lives, we can at least say we had a few amazing meals! ;) I would like to learn to save better. Therefore, February will be the month of frugality. And here's what I hope to stick to:
- Every time I have the inclination to buy something, I will take its amount and transfer it into savings (within reason. I can't transfer the $1200 for the Michael Kors camel trench I've been lusting over).
- If we go out with friends or on a date, we have to have an amount set beforehand. Once we get home, 50% of whatever we spent will be transferred into savings.
- If we want to go out, but decide to stay home for a meal, we will estimate what we would have spent and transfer it into savings.
- I will not buy anything we don't absolutely need.
- I will not buy anything at full price, but will scour for coupons and sales.
- I will not purchase anything new (other than groceries), but will instead find it thrifted or make it.
- And the ultimate goal through all of these? I hope to save between 15% and 20% of our month's income.
- At the end of the month, I will reward myself with a massage or facial.
So there ya go. Anyone have any other ideas they want to share about how they trim the fat?
I am hoping to rub the scales of discontent from my eyeballs. I'm DETERMINED to find a bit of gratitude in the grubby walls of this two-bit trailer, damn it.
What are you looking for in February?
Happy Monday.
crm
Wow. Where DOES the week go? I cannot wrap my head around it today. This may be due to the fact that I've been in bed with a cold all day. I really MUST get rid of it before Sunday because
Brace Yourself!
JOEL AND I ARE GOING TO FLORIDA!
(lidda, send me an email about getting together!)
Okay, it's just Florida, but it is exciting nonetheless. I'm tagging along with Joel on a business trip of his as we celebrate a belated anniversary. Miami is boasting 75+ temps, so I'll be sure to get some much needed sun and sea. Oh, and also...Cuban food! Aye, aye, aye!!! I take off on Sunday, and am rather excited not only for the trip, but also to continue in my January photo challenge with a new cuisine and much more color.
Additionally, I wanted to take a few minutes to boast about my friends over in the
Daily Bread flickr pool. DUDE...these people eat well! You should pop over and take in the inspiration, but I must fairly warn you...do NOT go look if you are in any possible way hungry. It's just painful. Here are a few collections:
MMM. Dessert.
MMM. Drinks.
{ 1.
My Taste of Late, 2.
medium, dark, light, 3.
I like my tonic with gin and lime, 4.
01.08.10, 5.
Nourishment, 6.
some love it, 7.
Wine in a Jack Daniel's glass, 8.
Drink your greens, 9.
His and Hers: Cocktail Hour }
It's never too late to join. Just snap a pic of what you're eating and upload it to your flickr account...then send it to our group. Email me for more information.
MMM. Hot.
Also, we certainly love our mugs. It's kinda of an inside thing with us.
{ 1.
Strange Brew?, 2.
a proper tea, 3.
Cafe Nico, 4.
just a light conversation over lattes, 5.
01.06.10, 6.
hot pink hot chocolat, 7.
01.02.10, 8.
January 2: Happiness comes from contentment, 9.
Breakfast of Champs, 10.
Devoured, 11.
Hello Lover, 12.
clovesgingercardamomblackpepper, 13.
Breaking the Fast }
MMM. Color.
{ 1.
did you know, 2.
Lunch Break, 3.
Custard tart, 4.
suppah jan 4, 2010 }
GO HERE TO SEE ALL THE PHOTOS!
Also, I forgot to mention a rather important thing
the saint and I decided to do this month. In an effort to break our winter habit of watching too much 30 Rock and movies, we decided that after dinner, we were going to turn off our computers and television and really unplug for the night. Instead, we sit by the fire and read, or play a game, or split a bottle of wine and talk, or go out with friends, or go to bed early. It's amazing how setting aside time to get bored can really nourish the soul and squelch anxiety, though I admit that it's still terribly difficult. I am breaking the rules tonight because I just feel lousy, so we gave ourselves a night off. Joelio is sitting here watching a Japanese movie and I am bundled up with my sniffles. So far, it's been such a wonderful month. I really don't want to become one of those couples who simply do not know how to hang out with each other. It's also been quite amazing what you find to talk about when there's actually empty space to nurse your thoughts aloud. I highly recommend some sort of unplugging.
And one last thing. You really MUST head over to catholicbeer.com and watch the video my brother made of the latest catholicbeer event. Hilarious.
Good night loves.
~crm
Happiest of evenings to you, fellow survivors of the yule-log cheer:
I write to you fireside this quiet eventide. The saint and I both recline with hot tea and our feet sharing a stool, laptopping to our heart's gluttonous content. I feel a snack inclination and I imagine we'll head into the media room to continue 30-Rocking here soon, but I wanted to share my greetings. I truly must have the most blessed life, for my advent seasons are not very stressful (I'm gathering it's because we are very much still the children in our family and don't do a whole lot of work to pull of Christmas). Joel and I always do our own thing on some random day, and it's full of tradition all our own. I feel proud to have our family firmly established in these joys before we actually procreate.
By the way, there is no procreating on the agenda for 2010, I must regret to inform all of those nosy enough to ask and all those polite enough not to.
Ah, I digress.
Let's move on, shall we?
So, January is just around the corner, and after my post-champagne coma to come, I would like to propose January's 12-month challenge, which is to say, I will be hosting another photo community gathering on Flickr! So get ready.
For the entire month of January, I would like to invite you to participate with me as I take photographs and share them. The theme will be "Daily Bread"...that which brings us nourishment...be it bread, beer, or bologna...I want you to take a picture of any meal or food or drink or snack with the intention of honoring that which nourishes your physical body throughout the day. This group shall be silly and serious, meaningful and light-hearted, professional and casual.
Please go HERE if you would like to join...
Rules for "DAILY BREAD"
- YOU MAKE YOUR OWN RULES (but if you need external rules (like MEeeeeE), here are a few suggestions:)
- Take 1 photograph per day - No need to set up photo shoots, the goal here is to get a glimpse into our everyday lives, our everyday souls, even if it's plain grilled cheese every single day.
- Upload it to your Flickr account.
- Add the photo to the group pool here.
- Comment on the other pictures as you see fit.
And that's pretty much it!
So, WHOSE IN?
Also, in case you are curious, the blog community I follow
has been doing these photo gatherings for quite some time...
JOIN ME!
crm
