This past week, I finally tackled a project I've been neglecting for years--getting a handle on the girls' school work. Bag after bag, box after box had been piling up as I struggled to find the best method to treasure all the artwork and school papers that the girls constantly produce. I had considered countless methods, including scanning or photographing each piece, but every idea seemed overwhelming because I had waited so long (my oldest just started 4th grade). I had a mountain to tackle. Then early this summer, a neighbor mentioned a schoolwork portfolio she had purchased for her 1st grade twins that helped her quickly file away the twins kindergarten papers. The ease and simplicity of the portfolio excited me, so I immediately ran to the store to buy two of my own. But then the empty portfolios sat all summer. The purchase price hadn't included the time necessary to sift through the mountains of paper. Or instructions on how to cram the mountains into a folder. Bu...

It seems like over the past several years, I've seen a lot of emphasis placed on doing what you love. Doing what you love brings great joy and who doesn't want to be happy? But so often we jump immediately to the big stuff like "Am I happy in my career? No? Then change careers." But really, the small stuff can be just as important, if not more important. It's the small, day-to-day stuff that can really add up. Why do I bring this up? It's silly really, but for the past two mornings, during my morning runs, I've listened to my Pandora Christmas music station. I'm currently trying to keep my runs slow as I ease back into the routine, and my normal music mix just gets me going too fast. So I tried a country music mix for a few mornings, which I enjoyed. But yesterday I thought why not give Christmas music a try. I love everything Christmas, especially the music. I'm such a sucker for Bing Crosby and White Christmas. But then I felt a bit silly. And t...

This past birthday in March, I took a leap of faith and signed up to run my second marathon ( CIM in December). And I have struggled to come to terms with my decision ever since. The further I got from my first marathon last December, the harder it has been for me to wrap my mind around the idea of doing it again. This was not helped as I took a break from running to let last year's injuries heal. The further I got out of the running habit, the harder it has been to get it back. It's been a challenging year. Nothing really bad has happened, but I've felt a bit out of sorts and even lost at times. A drastic change from the focus and drive I felt last year. But now, despite a continued struggle over whether or not to run this year's CIM , I have come to the point on the calendar when I needed to start a marathon training plan. Training for a marathon isn't something to procrastinate about. In order to keep my options open, I decided to begin a training plan. Two wee...

Even though my blog hasn't reflected it recently, there is much, much more to me than just running. The ebb and flow of life leads to a natural letting go of activities in order to concentrate on new activities. So as a result of my big year running and losing weight, I just naturally backed away from my creative side. I still found ways to flex my creative muscle, especially in the kitchen, but for the most part, my beautiful craft room was neglected. But I'm suddenly feeling the urge to return to my craft room and to an old hobby--scrapbooking. With the school year starting for my girls this week, I find myself feeling rather nostalgic. But when I want to look back at photos, they're either trapped on my computer or in my phone. It's just not as much fun for me to view a slide show, compared to flipping through the pages of an album. It's time for me to free my trapped photos. I know my girls would also love that. But life is crazy, especially during the school y...