Random Snapshots

I've moved.

Please update your links to my new blog -- http://elizbienas.blogspot.com/

It's a little rough yet and I haven't got a proper banner, but I think I like it better already.  I can make my photos display really big which is what I've been after for a while.  You can do this on Typepad too, but it would cost me a monthly upgrade charge which I'm not interested in doing right now. 

I will be taking this blog down soon so please update your links as soon as you visit the new blog.

There is a new WIP post waiting for you.  Some really fun socks! 

september goals

Here's what I'm trying to accomplish in September:

1.    No buying the following items:

• Yarn: I could knit socks right now for 3 years and still have yarn leftover.

• Books: I've got a stack of un-read books that is taller than me.

• Magazines: Between MagHound, subscriptions and my mag-binging I have a ridiculous pile of un-read magazines.

2.    Start my "29 before 30" mini-book.  More on this later.

3.    Pack breakfast and lunch at least 3 days every week.

4.    Not pig out on delicious food during my 8 days at home.  This one is more of a dream than a goal :)

5.    Really rededicate myself to the gym and working out regularly again.  I've had some time off from school and now it's time to do work.

What do you want to accomplish in September?

goodbye august.

August turned out to be a good month.  Here's how I did on my list of goals. 

1.    Control my eating out and get to the gym more often:  I haven't made any huge strides here, but I did do better in August than July so I'm calling this a win toward my long journey.

2.    Finish a knitting UFO:  I finished my Lindsay socks - FO photos soon.  :)

3.    Start a date-night tradition with Adam:  We've got a few date nights under our belts and will definitely be continuing this tradition.  We had a really great date night this past Thursday with burgers & fries and frozen yogurt! 

 

4.    Get in the habit of tackling a small cleaning project in the house every week on a certain day:  I haven't picked a set weekday, but I have done something at least once every week which is what I am shooting for.  So far I've organized my tupperware cabinet and my file box for bills, important documents, etc. 

5.    Do something that I haven't had time for: I've been working on teaching myself Lightroom 2 (a photo editing program).  I haven't had too much time to dedicate to it, but I've got a good start. 

Tomorrow I'll post my goals for September.  What are you trying to accomplish in September?

fyi

I finished school last week (August 10th).  Finally!

I'm enjoying my new-found free time.  Doing a lot of resting, knitting, spinning, reading, catching up on DVR shows, taking some photos and spending time with Adam & friends.  Giving myself a little time to relax before I jump head first into the job hunt. 

And I'm taking a blogging break if hadn't already guess.

Be back in September!

on the road.

Cousin Denise and I are at Sock Summit; having a great time!

 

No time to blog!  But, follow our photstream here: Sock Summit 2009.

august goals

As of August 10th I will be officially finished with school so I expect to have more free time for the last 3 weeks of August.  I'm ready to re-claim my life and get some stuff done.  In the words of Big Black, I'm going to DO WORK SON!

1.    Control my eating out and get to the gym more often:  I anticipate having more time at night to plan my meals throughout the day which will result in less eating out.  I'm giving myself 2 months to get back on track and shed a few lbs.

2.    Finish a knitting UFO:  This is ongoing for me.  I really need to begin finishing what I start.  I'm shooting for finishing the 2nd Lindsay sock and possibly my Hey Student! cardigan.

3.    Start a date-night tradition with Adam:  This has been on my mind a lot as school winds down.

4.    Get in the habit of tackling a small cleaning project in the house every week on a certain day:  For example -- Every Wednesday try and purge/organize a small portion of a room such as the "junk drawer."  I can manage something in small bits like this and think it will really add up.

5.    Do something that I haven't had time for: Edit and order a bunch of photos, learn to embroider, get back to reading, or do some home project.  Something along those lines that I haven't had time to do in the past 2.5 years.

hello august; you've come so fast!

I'm sure you're dying to know how I did on my July goals, right?!  :)  Humor me because I don't have a lot to blog about right now. 

1.    Print some photos:  I printed a couple for my mini book and one to frame for a birthday gift.  Better than nothing!

2.    Update my blog banner:  Done. 

3.    Continue to work on my EliseJoy summer minibook:  I've added some photos as well as paper trinkets from the month of July.

4.    Get my Sock Summit homework done: I'm very close and this has to be done by Wednesday so I'm calling it good!

5.    Eat better and workout a little more: I've been eating OK, but not working out at all for the last 2 weeks.  I have gotten some Pilates sessions in.

6.    Finish up at least one knitting UFO: Done!  My Embossed Leaves socks were done mid-month.  I didn't finish up a 2nd FO, but my goal was met with one.

Stay tuned for August goals. 

water.drinking.heaven

 

Do you guys use this stuff?  True Lemon and True Lime?  If not then you should buy some immediately!

It's crystallized lemon and lime (they have orange too, but it's not my favorite).  All natural, no additives and it's not sweetened (although they do have a new sweet product that I haven't tried yet).  It's the best stuff ever if you're trying to drink more water during the day.  You can find True Lemon products in the baking aisle of your grocery store near the sugar and sweeteners. 

I like water, but this stuff makes it so much easier to get my daily requirements in.  I love it!  I've been going through it like crazy so last week I decided to order the 500ct boxes of lemon and lime.  They arrived yesterday and I was so happy!  I took this picture to post on their Facebook page in an attempt to win a free t-shirt.  HA!  I hope I win!  :)

Happy Wednesday to you all. 

you've been forewarned of the shakedown...

We saw Death Cab for Cutie in concert (for the second time) last night and it was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon and night.  The sun was really hot for the first few hours, but once it went down it was perfect.  They played at Marymoor Park which is a really great, intimate outdoor venue. 

We sat on the lawn, on our blanket eating snacks and drinking freshly made mango-lemonade.  

RaRaRiot opened up and they were really good.  I haven't listened to them much in the past, but I'll be downloading their latest album tonight.  As an added bonus, they are from Syracuse, NY or the 'Cuse as we say back home.  

Death Cab put on a great show as usual.  They are from right around here (Bellingham, WA) so I always like to think they play a little harder when their tour reaches "home."  :)  It was totally packed there.  We've seen one other show at Marymoor and we had a lot of room to spread out.  Last nights show was an added show because the Saturday night show sold out in minutes. 

 

*blog title from the song Lowell, MA on the album We have the facts and we're voting yes (2000).

mid-July already?

This month is flying by me at a rapid pace.

On July 1st I set a few July goals for myself.  Simple and easy -- just a few things I wanted to accomplish before the month ends.

1.    Print some photos:  Not there yet, but I still have 14 more days in the month.

2.    Update my blog banner:  Done.  This one should last me through summer.  :)  In addition I've decided to just stick with Typepad for now instead of piling one more unimportant thing on my stack of stuff to do.

3.    Continue to work on my EliseJoy summer minibook:  I won't cross this one out yet, but I have been working on it.  I plan to keep it up through August and finish it in September. 

4.    Get my Sock Summit homework done: Not there yet.  I really need to set some time aside to do this, but the thought of knitting 6 sock cuffs is not appealing to me.  I've got my knitting mojo back right now so I'm enjoying my projects.  But, it has to be done!

5.    Eat better and workout a little more: I'm on Day 4 of Cooler 1 and it's going well so far.  Aside from skipping meals due to lack of time I haven't cheated once.  I've been tempted, but put it out of my mind.  I know I'll make it through tomorrow which is my goal of 5 days.  We'll see how it goes from there.  That being said, I haven't worked out much aside from Pilates.  This week I haven't had the energy with the low cals on Cooler 1.  I'm done with school in 3.5 weeks and have plans to hit the gym hard!

6.    Finish up at least one knitting UFO: Done!  I finished my Embossed Leaves socks on Sunday.  It's been far too hot for a sock photoshoot, but I will get around to it.  In the meantime I have a photo of my Lindsay socks which are coming along nicely.  I really plan to finish these by the end of July as well.

Overall I feel pretty good about getting a few things done.  I'm really anxious to get through July though because that leaves only 1 week into August until I'm done with school.  I know, I know, it seems like it's all I can talk about lately, but in my defense it has been a long ass 2.5 years.