Category: personal

my everything notebook

I mentioned that I do most of my planning and list-making digitally, but sometimes there’s nothing like pen and paper. I decided I wanted a notebook to carry about with me that I can just jot down random ideas and lists and notes in. Sometimes I transfer these ideas to my digital lists later, other times I just refer back to the notebook.

I chose a Moleskine Evernote classic notebook to use. It’s a great size and very high quality. I liked that it could so easily transfer over to my Evernote, although I don’t actually use that feature very much. It also has a pouch in the back cover where I can tuck stray papers.

The only other thing I really wanted from it was divided sections, so I easily created those for myself. I used fabric tabs on the edges and then just doodled the section titles and put some washi tape underneath:

It’s nothing fancy but I really love my little “everything” notebook. I’ve been using it for most of this year and not only has it worked well for me but I still have plenty of room left. The notes themselves are just completely random and actually kind of fun to look through. :)

November 14, 2013
erin condren planner review

As this year winds down to a close (whaaat) you might be thinking about how you’re going to do your planning for next year, at least if you’re an organizational and list nerd like me. This year I purchased an Erin Condren weekly planner because I won a gift card in a giveaway. Even though I do most of my planning digitally (and am very much entrenched in my system) I was curious about the hype and wanted to see if I could adapt it to my lifestyle.

These planners are very popular so you might know what they’re like already, but in case you don’t: they are large, colorful, personalized, detailed, and include extras like stickers and labels. There is an overview of each month and then it is laid out weekly. I decided to use the included stickers on just the monthly overview pages so I could glance at them and know if there was a birthday or event coming up.

The bulk of the planner is laid out weekly. There are no time slots; instead it is separated into morning, day, and night. I really like that part. Since there were three big spaces per day to fill, I started using the “morning” space for my work assignment, the “day” space for blog post planning, and the “night” space for meal planning.

For awhile I liked using a physical planner again and would dutifully get it out every day. I know that if I didn’t have a complex digital system already this would be a great option. But after awhile I began using it less and less. It’s pretty large and heavy, and eventually I realized that it wasn’t worth carrying around anymore. For my work assignment now I use sticky notes, for blog planning I use the WordPress editorial calendar plugin, and for meal planning I am using Google calendar synced with my phone. It’s all working great for me, and for the rest of my planning I use Google calendar synced with my phone plus the Things app. Check out this post for more info on how I tackle time & task management.

If you love physical planners, have a lot going on, and have a big bag or purse I definitely recommend checking out the Erin Condren planner, but I found it wasn’t the thing for me. Tomorrow I will share with you the notebook that I do carry around with me!

November 13, 2013
hill country getaway

David and I took a trip to a small town in the Texas Hill Country called Fredericksburg for two nights over the weekend (but didn’t get any photos together – fail). It was to celebrate our fifth anniversary, and our primary objective was to spend time alone and relax. We chose to stay in a private cottage, and we could not have had a better experience. We were pampered, given lots of privacy, ate great food, did a little shopping, talked about Meredith a lot, watched movies, sat in the hot tub, slept in, and basically reconnected. It was so good for us.

After a rough drive home (lots of traffic, and I was car sick) we were so happy to pick up our little girl. She did perfectly staying with both sets of grandparents (one each night) and I was so proud. When I saw her again she seemed so old! I can only imagine how huge she will seem when we bring home a newborn. I was still feeling sick when we got home in the early evening, but thank goodness she was tired too and we both fell asleep around 7:30 and slept through the night.

Today I’m home catching up on chores, going to dentists appointments (for me and Meredith) and unfortunately dealing with car trouble! I’m waiting to hear back from the shop what the damage is. Back to the real world already!

November 11, 2013
quick takes

Posting my quick takes a day early because tomorrow we’ll be headed to the hill country for our anniversary mini-trip!

one

This will be my first time away from Meredith overnight, and although that may seem like a long time I am glad I waited. I don’t know if she and I would have been ready before this, but now I know we are. When she is picked up by her grandparents from daycare and we come to take her home she usually throws a fit. She has also fallen asleep at their houses during babysitting so I really think she’ll be fine and happy. As for me, I KNOW that I could really use the break, especially with this baby coming. And my husband and I could benefit in a huge way with some more togetherness, so our marriage and family will be all the better for it.

two

I’ve made a lot of progress on my niece’s stocking, but it’s all been on preparing the pieces so I don’t have any pictures to show. But really I am to the point where I can basically just start appliquéing the pieces down and I plan to work lots on this during our trip (mostly the drive, but probably some while we’re there too). I am excited to see it come together and although I have loved working on it, I will be glad to finish so that I can get back to my cross stitch and maybe even some other holiday crafts.

three

My second trimester of pregnancy seriously flew by but now that I’ve hit the third, time has seemed to come to a screeching halt and so has any semblance of comfort. I’ve been having Braxton-Hicks contractions for a couple of weeks now, my energy level has dropped a lot (which is probably mostly because of work being crazy + toddler), I get short of breath, and the latest fun development is a pinched nerve in my upper back. I got an emergency massage yesterday which felt good but now today my muscles are just sore in addition to the shooting pain still being there. Plus my mouth sores have returned after being gone for six months which is almost worse than anything else. I am wondering how I’m going to make it three more months at this rate.

four

Follow me on Instagram to keep up with my “from where I stand” photo a day project during November. So far it’s been fun!

five

The other night Meredith was in the shower with me. She soaped up her hands and then rubbed them on my belly. “I washin baby brudder!”

six

I’m going to just end this now on a high note before I start back on the complaining again.

November 7, 2013
a fun local outing

When I think about making my money matter, I really love to spend it at local, independent places instead of chains when I can. It’s so important for the community and small businesses, and I’ve found that the services and atmosphere they provide are incredible. For example, this past year we decided to switch from a bank to a credit union, we have a local car mechanic that we trust (sooo important when you don’t know anything about cars!) and I’m super excited that I just found a natural soap maker who is one of my patient’s daughters!

Anyway, over the weekend we wanted to spend a little extra time as a family so we decided to visit a couple of our favorite local places.

The Bagel Cafe is tucked away in a corner of a strip center and is easy to miss, but once you discover it you’ll be going back. It’s delicious, the employees are always friendly, they have great coffee, and it is Christian-based which I love.

Meredith’s sandwich on the left, my meal on the right.

Of course she was only interested in my food.

Trying to pose and all she wants to do is eat.

After we fed our faces we went to our awesome local independent bookstore. They have this semi-annual sale that is amazing and to my delight it was still going on!

They also have kids’ toys and sell other local vendors’ goods like candles and jewelry.

I found three copies of one of my favorite books in the sale pile – only 75 cents each! People need to come snatch these up. I ended up purchasing used copies of Beautiful Ruins and The Shadow of the Wind, both on my to-read list, for a grand total of $1.61. Total score.

It was such a fun family afternoon! What I really want to find now is an awesome independent cafe. I only know of one in our area and I didn’t like the coffee much which was a bummer. I admit I’m a little bit hooked on Starbucks right now!

What about you, do you have favorite local places? How do you make your money matter? Have you thought about seeking out independent shops?

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This post is sponsored by Make Your Money Matter, in association with PSCU, though all views expressed are my own.

November 5, 2013