Shoot for the Moon You Might Just Land Among the Stars~~~

As you might be aware... my word for the year is "FIT" So far so good. On NYs weekend the girls and I decided to make vision boards (also called Treasure Maps, Visual Explorer or Creativity Collages?) in place of making "resolutions".  We all know that resolutions fall by the wayside and never get kept anywayzzzzzzzzz. It was a lot of fun, easy and we hope it to be inspirational in the coming year.  You will notice on mine that I used the word "FIT" quite a few times as a reminder of what my focus should be on this year.

The idea is to surround yourself with images of who you want to become (me, fit), what you want to have, where you want to live or vacation etc.  It can be approached with knowing what you already want, a theme or opening and allowing.  I think we approached it with a combination of those ideas but more so just opening and allowing.  A lot of times I used pictures that had the "feel" of what I would like to become, do or have.

So with clear hearts and minds, some yummo hot holiday drinks and inspirational music we approached it with just a few thoughts in mind. Focusing on:

1. Ask yourself...what do you really really really want? (yes, more of that please)
2. Don't worry about the "why or how"

We went through magazines and images that we had saved over the years and tried to tear out those images that brought great joy and delighted us.  Like I said not worrying about the why or how.  Just smiles and having fun.  Open to whatever spoke to us.  Ohmmmmm. Breathe. ,)

Ok that's a little hippy-dippy

I had been unknowingly gathering photos for this purpose because I had been working on an "Illustrated Discovery Journal" <----click for the past couple of years. Which is still in progress not done. But I was able to grab some pictures already cut out from magazines for this journal to use on my vision board. As a result my vision board came together quickly. 

As I go through the year I will keep in mind what is it telling me about me?  The answers will unfold and we hope that our vision boards will be powerful guides for us as we go through the year.

My vision board is propped up on my dresser where I can see it daily. 

On top of dresser (my daughter added the candle to wake me up one morning) She's such a little spa-fairy

 

In addition, I took a picture of it and have "set it" as my computer desktop both at home and work (this is pretty cool) having it ever present in front of me.

As I added images I found it cool that the pictures all found their "place" on the board fitting just right in most cases.  As my board developed I noticed sections forming.  Predominantly... health, fitness, home, financial freedom, inspiration, faith and R&R.

I also used a lot of favorite sayings as reminders.  Some of my favorites... "You will never find time for anything you must make time", The picture of the eagle with the word "intention",  Set your goals high and don't stop until you get there, the word "gratitude" / "faith"...  The words "effortless" and "deliberateness" found themselves on top of each other (see the upper left corner) when put together effortless deliberateness.  That sounds really powerful to me to go forward in a deliberate manner yet make it effortless.  There's another reference again on my board to my path being straightened??

Must be kind of crooky overhere in prissyland.

My daughter also said that answering this question... (in reference to your one word) Does this choice (fill in the blank) agree with my word for the year?  So I added that sentence to my board in the "FIT" section of the board as a reminder to ask myself that when I go forward in my day or when I get ready to eat that cookie or say no to exercise.  Get it?  Let me see does eating this cookie agree with my word for the year?  um.... NO... um that depends.  Ok come back to me.  I also added the words delight and fun because I need to have more of that.  I don't really know how to have fun in an exciting sort of way so I guiltily made myself into add those words. 

IRONICALLY while I had pictures cut out sitting on the table in a stack of other pictures all ready... my dream "crafty space" somehow didn't make it on the board so I intend to make a second board to fit the pictures that inadvertently were missed (there were a couple of other ones too).  EEK.

Vision board 2011

Don't laugh....

ok so this is the longest post EVER.... whew! I tarred, I gotta go get a cookie

~out

This Year I Hope To...

January 02, 2011

1. Get fit, stay fit
2. Keep a gratitude journal daily
3. Write a" that would be fun to-do" aka bucket list
4. Read more
5. Start a God Box <----click
6. Be present
7. Finish this list  <----click
8. .....

I started drafting posts daily after the 1st of the year and I SWEAR there are several still in the queue.  So I've decided to finish writing and get them posted.  There are a couple items of note.  I've been doing some housekeeping on my blog.  Lately I've been changing the "look" with the season.  It's a bit cumbersome and time-consuming but I thought it would be really fun.  So come on over and take a peak.  Right now I just have a pink florally-theme going on.  I was trying to do something with a Valentine theme but that didn't work out.

Also, I've added some tabs.

One is called "FIT" <----click and this is going to be an area where I record my progress for the year.  To help me stay focused on my one-word for the year a sort of one-stop shop to record my stats. My intention is to make it a daily journal BUT I have to back fill already.  Stay tuned for that because I have a lot of stuff I want to share. 

The next new tab is called P.A.D. <----click I've seen others participate in this and have always wanted to give it a try.  This is where you take a Picture-a-Day (hence the PAD part).  So far so good I have all of my pictures loaded here and am current with this project.  YAY.

A couple of others things that I really really like on my blog.  In the right sidebar ----> I have an area of all of my shared "links" <----click.  It's really worth checking out sometime.  Its blog articles I've favorite'd and shared from all of the blogs that I read through Google Reader.  While I am web-surfing if I see an inspirational idea, a color combo, a great sketch or even some decorating and fashion ideas... I will click on the "share" function and it populates in the right sidebar of my blog.  That way if I want to go back and revisit the article I was reading I can do so quickly.  It also gives a good feel of what me likey's if anybody's interested.

Well that's all for now folks.  All text post today.

A Year in Review

Write it on your heart
that every day is the best day in the year.
He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day
who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.
Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on the yesterdays.

ralph waldo emerson

Well how exciting... its that time of year again and I get to pick my word for the year. I have to admit I have a bit of of a problem with this. Last year I waffled between the word "Focus" and back to "Simplify". Ironic because I didn't keep my first choice "Focus" because I couldn't stay focused on that word to save my life. I found out about doing this "one little word" exercise over here. Anyway, I went back to and kept the my word "Simplify" which I had been using for seven years. I really liked that word and it was fitting for the changes that I was going through in my life at the time. I had pulled up stakes and made a major move out to where I live now.... California and unintentionally had a lot of baggage to go a long with this move both literally and figuratively. It has taken me a good several years to go through said baggage and simplify IT. Good golly what a mess. But what a ride it has been too. I am happy to report I feel that I have scratched the surface and at least attained a modicum of simplicity (thanks to my family who helped (threw stuff out when I wasn't looking) me sort through most of my crap).

Good golly I still haven't settled on my word for this year yet EITHER. Here are the contenders

• Gratitude
• Fitness
• Grace
• Faith
• Optimism
• Allowing
• Do It (but that's two words and that would bug me all year and I would probably switch back)
• Believe
• Imagination
  

Every year about this time I embark on a whole new set of intentions for the upcoming year. I don't call them resolutions anymore because we all know we never keep any of those past the first two weeks of the New Year. At least I haven't. Intention is just a more fitting word... it seems to me... I downloaded yet another eBook to try regarding a formula for achieving BIG goals. The first exercise it suggests we try, is to review our previous year. Grrrrr. Already hating the exercise. But I'm a good sport so I push on. After all I am trying to set a good intention. Not so great starting off with my hateful attitude as usual. ROFL. Anyway, so I adjust my bad attitude and push through all of my major resistance. So I start here's the short list:

10 great happenings from last year...

I didn't get run over by a yellow bus
That tree didn't fall from the sky and hit me

OH I'm quite sure that's not what the guy meant and no matter how hard I willed death it didn't ever happen. Only the good die young... God must not be finished punishing me yet. Snap out of it

Ok rose colored glasses have been affixed. Pollyanna has arrived

lemme see, licking the tip of my pencil, lets try this AGAIN

Seriously I'd rather have a root canal than figure this list out. But it's supposed to help me FOCUS on great things to come. There's that word I was totally unable to do last year too.

Back to the assignment

10 great happenings

1. My faith
2. Simplicity
3. Designer Pottery Barn bedroom furniture (hey it was big for me since it was my first ever bedroom set that wasn't a hand me down or shabby chic cast off from someone else)
4. I had hot and cold running water
5. A roof over my head
6. I ate 3 square meals a day
7. I discovered a new papercrafting store
8. We all had our health
9. Great jobs
10. I live in paradise (hello)

I think its a lot that we take for granted and when you spell it out they are GREAT things.

Next part of the assignment..

List 5 lessons learned:

Stay tuned I am still working on my "year in review" grrr this stuff is so hard for me.

Then you move on to your intentions and alas those are also in the drafting stage.

I'm getting there

do it do it do it....

Are You Ready for some Foodball...er an I meant Football

Hi everyone! Happy Superbowl Sunday. Well I lost my F O C U S like a laser beam. Just throw health and fitness out the window. I turned into a real FOODIE today. I don't know call me crazy but I was in the mood to cook today, which is a very rare occurrence being that I work full time (wft). If you inverted the t and the f and made it wtf.... instead of wft... it could stand for something else but I will keep it clean on the blogosphere. ROFL. Thanks Pioneer Woman for blowing my F O C U S...nice goin'. I just thought I would share some photos of the superbowl spread I just put on. Now if I could just stay out of the kitchen and do something fun like craft.... I got my menu and all of the recipes from another blog I've been following and just discovered "Pioneer Woman Cooks". Apparently from the looks of it I am the last one to stumble upon her blog as she gets close to 3000 comments on a post. Geesh She is one popular gal and rightly so she has an amazing site with lots of fun stories and tons of info including recipes. Enjoy, I think these dishes turned out great....

Better than $#* chicken wings with blue cheese and ranch dip. Veggies to cool it down but they weren't hot at all.

Bacon wrapped cheese stuffed jalapeños with raspberry dip. Don't you love my green plaid dish that I got at a garage sale for 25cents? One of a kind I just love that plate. These weren't hot either just flavorful. Pioneer woman recommends running 13 miles after this meal..Yum

Turtle Brownies - box - I burnt them but that is my signature I always burn at least one dish. Not on purpose I lose my focus when I am busy.

Quesadillas and all the fixin's. How do you like my little lamb toothpick holder? I've had this forever too another garage sale find.

Plated...let's eat...Like I said focus out the window but it was a dern great menu enjoyed by all.

...more Yadayadayada about F O C U S'ing than PRISSin

Just wanted to post a quick comment on how F O C U Sing went this week... I get a gold star or 2 stickers (as my daughter says...1 sticker if I eat right, 1 sticker if I exercise....isn't that precious she used "stickers" for my reward ) I made it through week-1 successfully focusing on health and fitness. I stuck to my no flour no sugar eating plan and completed daily exercise. Yay. Yes my mother and I are trying the no flour no sugar diet. The scale said I lost 5lbs but then fluctuated up/down 2 lbs daily. I honestly don't think I will EVER see the needle on the scale go DOWN. Grrrrrr. Anyway, we ran across this book while at BN last week and decided to go for it. It seems to be pretty simple to follow. Well, having my mother here preparing my brown bag meals for work helps... Sugar is so bad for us anyway so it won't hurt me to stay away from it (especially added extra processed sugar, natural sugar sources are ok on this plan). It's been an interesting week. I only had 3 temptations when I craved sweets. I was "good" and didn't cave, I grabbed a piece of fruit instead. Then this a.m. I almost just wanted toaster waffles (soy/flax/whole wheat) but that would have required sugary syrup so that would have been a nono and a slip from the good streak I am on. I thought it would have been quicker....but I stayed F O C U S'ed and I forced myself to prepare scrambled eggs with some veggies mixed in. I'm glad I did because it was just as satisfying as anything else. My mom and I were yackin' and concluded that it needs to be "forever" anyway so we just have to keep at it.

The work life/balance not so much... I worked way more than I F O C U S'ed on balance. I put in 4)11-12 hour days this week at work. Need to put a greater F O C U S on a greater work/life balance apparently.

Anyway, enough yackin for now....now I hope to do more PRISSn than yACKIN. How was everyone else's F O C U S this week?

FYI

You may notice the new post regarding F O C U S. I have made this post a "Sticky Topic" for a visual ~note to self~ for me to stay F O C U S'ed. I hope everyone has picked their
F O C U S for the new year and stays true to themselves. Here's wishing everyone a heartfelt, healthy and prosperous new year as well. Remember...stay focused on your goals....

~misspriss

Focus

I think I figured out my one word for 2008. I have decided upon the word F O C U S. Why? Well because I need to focus on more than one thing so I wanted my one word to remind me of more than one thing. I think the word focus accomplishes this for me.

EDITED TO ADD:
Things I am focusing on this year....

faith
health and fitness
business goals
gratitude
simplicity
vision

....among other things Ok so do you see why focus is a better word for me I can't choose just one, now I am off to choose some visual reminders to place around. Maybe I will create a vision board or something, EDITED2 TO ADD: just added a visual reminder to my blog, let's see how this works yay... so I think focus will be a good reminder for me this year. I think I will try it on for size and see if I like it. I'm still partial to "S I M P L I F Y" and after seeing this post on Ali's blog... I even thought it was a sign that I should keep my word "S I M P L I F Y" another year. But I think it's boring having the same word for 5 years. Dare I say... even a little too simple? hehe Ok stay focused.... focus it is (for now)

fo·cus/ˈfokəs/ –noun {foh-kuhs}

1. A central point, as of attraction, attention, or activity

2. The clear and sharply defined condition of an image.

3. To bring to a focus or into focus

4. To concentrate: to focus one's thoughts.

–verb (used without object)

[Origin: 1635–45; ]