Reverb 10 - A reflection of 2010, Part 3

December 11 – 11 Things. What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

1. Really late nights -- I tend to stay up late anyway (in bed by 2am) but it's the nights that I really push it that I end up regretting the next day.
2. Anxiety -- Hoping to take some steps in 2011 which help with this part of my life.
3. Junk Food (in large quantities) -- I really need to treat my body better and stop feeding it junk as frequently as I do.
4. Procrastinating -- How is it that I've lived 25 years and not learned that procrastination is bad for me? I'll be better in 2011 and just do things when they come up.
5. Spam -- This seems simple but unsubscribing to emails will save me a lot of time.
6. More Blogs than I can read -- I get overwhelmed by too many blog posts to read and end up not reading any. This obviously needs to stop.
7. More Twitter followers than I can read -- See above. :)
8. Clutter -- I really want to focus on donating a lot of our stuff so that we don't have so much that we don't need/use.
9. Bare walls -- We've been living in our house since August and still have no pictures on the walls. Sheesh.
10. Distractions -- Why give in to distractions that don't help me when I could actually be getting something done instead? I need to learn how to distract myself with things that are fun by productive. :)
11. Excuses -- I need to stop saying I'll do something tomorrow and just do it. This mainly pertains to exercise. I need to just get up and do it. I know it will make me feel better so there is no excuse.

December 12 – Body Integration. This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?

Running, even though I didn't do it much at all it's definitely when I felt like I paying the most attention to what my body was telling me. And what it was telling me was that I need to do that more. I need to take care of myself more and find more ways to be active. Need. Need. Need to make this a priority this year. Like I said above... no excuses!

December 13 – Action. When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step?

Get on the treadmill. Go up to my craft room. Scrapbook a page. Take some photos. Make something. Go somewhere. Do something. Make the most of my time. Only be at my computer when I have something I really need to be doing or just before I go to sleep. There is no reason to procrastinate on Facebook or Twitter when I could be doing something else.

December 14 – Appreciate. What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?

Jason. Plain and simple, I appreciate my husband more and more every day. Not only is he an amazing person who takes amazing care of me, but he genuinely wants me to be happy and is ALWAYS excited by what I do. He supports me and all my crazy ideas. And the best part is that really just scratches the surface of all the reasons I am grateful for him.

December 15 – 5 Minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.

This will be more of a test of how fast my fingers can keep up with my brain as I type... here goes -- Oh boy did we have fun this past year. We definitely got some traveling in, saw some fun things, hung out with some cool people. We didn't visit home nearly as much as we would have wanted, but it was also hard to make that happen. I found a job and quit my job all this year. Surprisingly, I am very much ok with it and Jason couldn't be more supportive of my decision to do so. Doors closed and windows flew open and I couldn't be happier. We were in a bad situation in our apartment and ended up buying a house, which we love. We started volunteering and ended up with a dog. A lovable, cuddly, amazing dog who loves us almost as much as we love him. I am all about bringing more and more joy into our lives and he certainly does just that. He is a perfect fit for us. We got to welcome a lot of babies into our lives. Both friends and family members are now parents and we couldn't be happier for them. We love being able to share in the joy of their growing families. We are grateful to have friends and family who love us and who come to visit us even though we live all the way out in Minnesota. :) We love having visitors and showing them around. We love that they are all supportive of our decision to live far away from home. We are also grateful for the opportunity to visit home. 2010 was so so good to us and we are looking forward to more and more of the same in 2011.

Reverb 10 - A reflection of 2010, Part 2

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

Oh dear. I make a lot of things. The last thing I think was a series of photos in a frame for my aunt. I'll be blogging about them in more depth, but let's just say that it made her cry when she opened it on Christmas, in a good way. :) I just love photos so much and how much emotion they can provoke.

December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

Oh, the amazing community we have found in Minnesota. Specifically with the organization Secondhand Hounds. A group of people, with a love for dogs, who are all amazing. People who go out of their way to do good. People who expect nothing in return and just keep giving and giving. It's incredible and I'm lucky to say that I am a part of this community. They all do such good things. [Check out the website and the blog.]

December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.

It's always hard to complement yourself in this way. I really have no idea what the answer to this prompt really is, but I guess I can give my best guess. Let's see... I like to think I'm just a little crazy, in a good way. I'm talkative, and much more so when I've had a couple drinks (so much in fact that over IM and text my friends ask me if I've been drinking... hehe.) I make things. Often. I love being crafty. I have a camera almost permanently attached to my face. I often hear the phrase "you take a lot of pictures, don't you?" I like to get ideas in my head and completely run with them, no matter how absurd they are. I really love my life, and I hope it shows to those around me.

December 9 – Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.

This is a hard one since we don't typically 'party' very often. Not like I like to think of partying anyway. The few times we did I'm not sure I want to talk about on here anyway since they tend to contain a lot of adult beverages. Hehe. Let me just say that the parties we have gone to have all been great. We have found a great group of people where we live and they like to have fun. When we get to go out with them it's always a great time. :) I'll just leave it at that.

December 10 – Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?

The decision to volunteer with Secondhand Hounds was a great one. It lead to new friends, fun events, lots of puppy kisses, and a new member of our family. I can't think of a way it could work out any better really and I'm very glad that we have one persistent friend who convinced us to show up on a Saturday to hold some puppies. It has certainly turned into something much bigger and, for me especially, something very fulfilling that I love doing.

Reverb 10 - A reflection of 2010, Part 1

I know I haven't been posting lately, but there is good reason for that. :) For the last few weeks I've been:

- Spending time with family
- Working on 12 projects for Simple Crafter
- Reflecting on the last year
- Taking LOTS of photos (one day at Grammy & Grampy's gave me over 400!)
- Finishing up last minute holiday gifts and projects
- Visiting with friends I haven't seen in a long time
- Holding lots of babies (my friend's and my 2 month old niece!)
- Cuddling and watching Christmas movies
- Planning, planning, planning to make sure we use our time at home the best we can
- Quoting ELF
- Eating Christmas cookies like they are going out of style (which they kind of are, until next year.) :)

In an effort to catch up on posting, I'm going to go ahead and post a a series of posts reflecting on the last year and preparing myself for the next. I always get in my head that the next year will be MY YEAR, but I'm pretty sure I'm right this time. :)

Reverb 10 is a fun project which is very flexible. There is a prompt for each day of December to help you along. A lot of people use this as their blog posts for the month, posting once each day and answering each prompt however they want. I am going to go ahead and post a few of the prompts from the month at a time. I love this idea and love that I am able to adapt it to fit into my schedule this month.

December 1 – One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

Well, my One Little Word for 2010 was BALANCE. I'm not sure it worked out quite as I wanted, but thinking back, it served me much differently than I anticipated, and it was still pretty great. I anticipated a lot of yoga and finding a good work/life balance that worked really well for me. Instead I focused on finding the balance that made me the happiest I could be. This included quitting my job (which I started off enjoying and had a hard time admitting to myself that I was not enjoying it anymore.) It included being open to new things, which is how Simple Crafter came to be, and it included trusting that all the decisions I have made are leading me to the place I want to be.

I have essentially eliminated the opportunities that have arisen by taking them and implementing new great things to come. I now have 2011 to focus on all the projects I have taken on and how to make them amazing. It's such a great feeling to know exactly what I am working towards and to brainstorm how to make it happen.

My One Little Word for 2011? Well, I haven't chosen it yet, but I have a short list and I'm getting closer to picking one. I will certainly post when I do. :)

December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?

Well, you're reading it. :) I blog. If it weren't for blogging I'm not sure I would write at all or really find so much joy in it. When I leave my blog for too long (like I have been!) I feel a loss in my day-to-day because I haven't gotten a chance to write. Even if it's about nothing in particular, it's good for my soul. Something that gets in the way of this? A busy schedule and being distracted. I really think I need to plan to write each day at the same time. If I had a routine of stopping everything I'm doing at a certain time to write and make the effort I know I would get a lot more out of it.

December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

Oh, the concept of a moment. I have done a lot of thinking lately about this word in particular. I tend to do a lot of picture taking, especially on trips and during the holidays, and it's sometimes hard to work on getting that perfect shot while still staying IN the moment. Enjoying myself and savoring the moment I am experiencing is very important to me and I try to make as much effort as I can to really focus on capturing and remembering the moment both with photos and in my memory. So, the moment? Well, a lot happened this year. A lot. As it does every year really. There are a lot of moments, and none that really stick out as THE one that was spectacular. So, I'm going to go with the one that was most life-changing, and though it seems that it wouldn't be, it really was, for me especially.

If you've ever lived in a place you didn't like, you can likely relate to this moment. We had lived in an apartment that was fine at first. Not exceptional, but not awful either. Then, a series of instances basically built up to me disliking living there so much that it was causing me anxiety. Living in a place you are not comfortable in and which makes you constantly on edge is very difficult. I couldn't let my guard down and just be comfortable there. So, the moment that sticks out to me is the first morning I woke up in our new house. I slept badly in a new place and on a piece of foam on the floor. My cat kept me up a lot of the time because she was caught between being frightened and wanting to sleep on my head. We had no curtains and so the BRIGHT light was streaming into my eyes while I was trying to actually get some rest after Jason left for work. But this moment, the one where the biggest worry was not whether I was safe or whether the neighbors would be incredibly disruptive today, or how anxious I was to live where I was but it was the fact that I couldn't wait to get the rest of our furniture moved in and get a good night's sleep in our new, stress free house. A house with noise that only we make, a new relaxing tub, neighbors that introduce themselves in a friendly way, and beautiful cathedral ceilings. A place where I can actually be comfortable. And regardless of the crick in my neck from sleeping on the floor, it was perfect.

December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

The first thing that comes to mind is travel. I hold traveling and seeing new things so high in my life and this is the reason. No matter where I go or what I do I always have that sense of wonder in a new place. Whether I am just visiting or moving there, I love the new feeling of a place I have never been. What will we do? What will we see? Who will we meet? What stories will we have to tell when it is over? It's an amazing feeling and one that I will never tire of.

December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?

This is a tough one to think about, as I'm sure it is for a lot of people, but it's an easy one to think of. I quit my job. I let go of the expectations surrounding it when I started and I just let it go. I miss it, a lot. I miss what I loved about it. But when the bad outweighed the good and I was sacrificing too much to make it work, I had to let it go. It was hard when it happened, but I now know for sure that it was the right decision. Let this be a reminder for you to look at what is not contributing to your happiness and to let it go.

More prompts to come in the next few days leading up to 2011!

Merry Christmas 2010!

I truly hope you and your family had a fantastic holiday. My weekend was incredibly special. We had a good mix of relaxing and running around. A good mix of silence and chaos. And a whole lot of love and togetherness. It was perfect.

Since most people have already gotten theirs, I wanted to post our 2010 Christmas card here for you all to see, as well as our letter. I had a lot of fun designing this year's card. It was actually Jason's idea to make it look like a book of stamps, and I love how it turned out! On the back is a 'key' explaining the photos on the front.

Front:
Back:

[Click on the images to see them larger.]

And our letter:

Hello Family & Friends!
What a fun year for us! 2010 was filled with fun trips and milestones for our family. It was our first full year in Minnesota and we can honestly say that we love it here! (Even though we recently got 17” of snow!!!)
Just a few highlights from 2010:
- In June Jason ran his first half marathon here in Minneapolis! After a bunch more smaller races and more training he ran a second half marathon in December in Las Vegas and improved his time by 25 minutes! WOO! So so proud of him!
- In July we bought a house! Jason refers to the experience as the “3 week adventure” since it took us 3 weeks to decide that we wanted to buy a house, close, and move into our new place. It’s fun to be homeowners and we really love living in the neighborhood we live in. There’s lots of space if anyone wants to visit!
- Speaking of visitors, we have had a lot of them! Both our parents visited early this year in February and March, and Erin visited twice! We’ve also had friends visit (my BFF visited from Boston!) and love showing people around!
- In October Jason became an Uncle and I became an Aunt for the first time! Jason’s sister Amanda gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Abigail on October 2^nd. We are so so so excited to have a niece!
- In November we started volunteering for a local foster dog organization on the weekends. It didn’t take long for us to fall in love with one of the dogs! We adopted Everett and our time at home is now filled with snuggling with the cutest dog ever (hehe.) He is a wonderful addition to our family and we are really glad he found us. :)
- Trips this year included Disney World, Chicago, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. It’s a lot of fun to be able to see new places together and we can’t wait for more adventures next year!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Samantha & Jason

Lots more fun to come in 2011 so stay tuned!!! :) I also have a set of posts to help sum up all that was 2010. It was such a good year.

Winter Wonderland

This is what we woke up to today at my parent's house. A winter wonderland... the trees were covered in ice crystals. It's so beautiful here. A perfect white Christmas. :)

For today...

For today... December 21st

Outside my window... it's gray and a bit snowy in Vermont.
I am thinking... that we've been on the East Coast for almost a week already!
I am thankful for... being able to take time to come home for the holidays.
I am wearing... Erin's pajama pants I stole from her room and a Red Sox sweatshirt. :)
I am remembering... how I felt last year around this time.
I am going... a little crazy. Hehe.
I am currently reading... the Nov/Dec/Jan issue of Artful Blogging (definitely recommend!)
I am hoping... for a some Christmas spirit to find it's way to me soon.
On my mind... missing home and my pup.

Pondering these words... "find joy in every day."

From the kitchen... not much since I'm not home. ;) Not that there would be much anyway!

Around the house... animals... at both my parent's and Jason's. They makes the houses feel so cozy.

One of my favorite things... spending time with friends I don't get to see often enough.

I'm creating... gifts for friends and family!

A few plans for the rest of the week... spending time with friends and family, last minute shopping, working, sending more Christmas cards, finishing gifts, wrapping presents, taking photos, and much much more.

One picture to share...

My friend Jess & Eric's baby girl Mackenzie 'flying.' :) SO crazy to see how much she's grown since we were home in August!

{Post idea borrowed from Suddenly Artistic... you can participate in The Simple Women's Daybook too.}

A morning walk in the cold

These are just some pictures I snapped this morning when Everett and I went for our walk. It was cold (zero degrees!) but he doesn't care. He loves the snow so much I'm pretty sure he would stay outside all day if we let him.

As you may know, in Minnesota, it is cold. However, when it is cold, it's also sunny with beautiful blue skies. So, as long as you are properly bundled and the wind isn't blowing too bad, it's actually really nice out. We walked all the way around the block, which is something we hadn't done in a few days because of the recent storm.

Headed Home Soon!

{A brownie Amanda sent me a while back. Seriously, how great is that? It was extra delicious.}

As we prepare to head home for the holidays (yay!) I have lots and lots and lots going through my head. Things I want to do, people I want to see, and pictures I want to take. Oh, and cuddling. Mark my words there will be cuddling!!!

Here is my thought process, in random order:
- I get to see my family!
- I GET TO MEET MY NIECE FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!
- I get to see my friends! And my friend's babies!
- So thankful to get to spend some time in Boston with Kristen & Dane.
- I GET TO MEET MY NIECE FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!
- I wonder if it will snow for Christmas like it did last year.
- The Piette family all hug soooo hard... but it's ok. :)
- I GET TO MEET MY NIECE FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!
- So much cuddling!
- I need to remember to pack my dsi and charger for the plane.
- I GET TO MEET MY NIECE FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!
- So much Sam Adams Winter to consume with my sister. :)
- I love giving presents!
- I GET TO MEET MY NIECE FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!
- I should really buy some sweaters.

So, you can see what is basically taking over my mind lately. But really, Miss Abigail is almost 2 and a half months old and I haven't even MET her yet. Mark that one as "biggest con ever to moving 1,000 miles away." Needless to say, I can't not wait to meet her.


And really, who wouldn't? Just look at that bundle of adorable!!!

A New Member of Our Family

If you are friends with me on Twitter or Facebook you may know that Jason and I adopted a dog a few weeks ago. We have been considering this for a while now and planned to adopt a dog who needed a home after the new year.

Well, sometimes plans don't work out the way you planned them. In a good way. :)

We have been volunteering on the weekends at adoption events for an amazing local organization called Secondhand Hounds. They are based in Edina, MN and do wonderful things. All of the dogs they rescue are placed in foster homes of volunteers until they are adopted. We have had a great time working with these awesome people and their pups and, of course, it didn't take long to fall in love with one of them. (Ok, so it took only 2 weeks... hee!)
And now, I introduce to you, our new dog, Everett. :)


Cute isn't he?!?!?! He's not only adorable but he's basically the most cuddly thing ever. He loves being loved. He's also a little mischievous, has some separation anxiety (which s common with shelter dogs) and is doing really well with his re-house training. He's about a year old, a Wheaton Terrier, and about 25 pounds. Slightly bigger and much fluffier than Bruno (I say that because the above photo makes him look really small, but he's more medium sized.)


He came from a shelter in Kansas that was full and spent exactly 12 hours in a foster home until we claimed him as ours. :)


Also, he likes the cats. Maybe a little too much. He wants nothing more than for Bruno to play with him. And poor Bruno, well, he's a cat (and not a young one) and just doesn't want to play with a dog. Hehe. The photo above is Everett nudging at Bruno to get him to play and then the resulting death stare from Bruno. How dare a dog wake him from a nap on the couch! ;-)
You may see me post about this in the future as well, but for me it's something worth repeating over and over.

1. Please, if you are looking to get a dog, considering adopting one that needs a home. There are so many dogs in shelters (many that euthanize unwanted dogs often) and they are all deserving of good homes. Many are strays or owner surrendered (like Everett) and are house broken and trained and just want love.


2. If you are interested in adopting a dog (or a kitty!) and you live in Minnesota, check out Secondhand Hounds. We volunteer with them and support them 120%. If you are looking for a specific breed you can even choose a dog from a shelter elsewhere and opt into a 'foster-to-own' situation. They will help you find the right dog for you. :) Check out their website for a list of all their adoptable dogs and their blog (which I design and manage! woo!) for more information on the dogs.

Simple Crafter - A New Website!

For me, new projects create this burst of energy and enthusiasm that is only comparable to going on a big trip. Much like traveling, I get giddy, I research everything a little too much, I make lots of lists, and I count down the days. It's magical and wonderful and makes me unable to sleep.

Well, this new project is no exception. When my friend Jen (of Simple Scrapper) put the thought of a new website in my head, I couldn't shake my excitement. Emails to her were literally signed "I'm SO excited! - Sam" No, really.

The new site is called Simple Crafter (little sister to Simple Scrapper... hehe) and will be chock (chock!) full of all kinds of crafty goodness with a big emphasis on simple.

So, for the last couple weeks we have been working hard to get a site together to be able to launch in early December with a special holiday preview and we officially launched last week!


Please check it out! All you have to do is sign up for the emails (I send them out so I promise not to send out anything off topic or sell your info... pinky swear.) After signing up you get access to all the projects and an email when a new project is posted. There are three projects posted so far (pictured above) and 12 in all for the month of December! WOO! 12! See? That's why I've been so busy! :)
Now, you may be asking me, what does this mean for All Sam's Idea? Or maybe you're not...? Well, if you're not, you are about to find out either way. ;) This essentially means that the former ratio I talked about with 45% personal stuff, 45% craftiness, and 10% random goodness, well, that ratio is going to change a bit. What that means is that a lot of my crafty projects will be taking place over at Simple Crafter and a lot of my randomness and personal photos and such will stay here. There will be a lot more posts written on a whim with no real purpose. And those posts, well, they tend to be the most fun!

The short explanation is, Amanda and Grampy, this blog is going to become a lot more geared towards writing for you two. :)

So, if you are interested in my crafty projects, definitely check out Simple Crafter. If you are interested in me and my life and some random stuff too (and still some crafty stuff, because that's a lot of my life), stick around here.

And, as always, thank you for reading. You are all awesome and I am so thankful that you stick around to read what I have to say, even on days when I don't have much to say. Hee. Mwah!


PS - How do you like the new blog colors? I switched it up for the holidays and went all red and green and awesomesauce on ya! I heart it. A lot. I love this time of year and love that my blog reflects that. Now, if only I could add some real twinkle lights then we would have something special! :)

Free Christmas Card Templates for YOU!

A while back Becky Higgins had a call for submissions of Christmas Card template designs. I figured I would whip some designs up to submit, not thinking I would be chosen. Well, I wasn't chosen (hee), BUT it's still good for you guys because I'm not about to let those designs go to waste! I want to give you access to them to use for your own cards if you would like in the form of free downloadable templates! Below you will find the previews of the cards (meaning they have photos in them already) and two links below each... one to a 4"x6" version and one to a 5"x7" version.

Card #1: 4x6, 5x7
(This is my bestest friend Kristen's niece Abby looking cute as ever in this photo. Just LOOK at those eyes!)

Card #2: 4x6, 5x7
(Another photo of Abigail, this time having a blast playing in the water.)

Card #3: 4x6, 5x7
(Thanks to my girly Jess for having an adorable little girl named Mackenzie who shows off this design perfectly.) :)


Card #4: 4x6, 5x7
(And special thanks to my cousin Tori for being so stinkin' cute and my friend Sarah's adorable little girl Emma for posing for this photo.) :)

To use these designs:

1. Simply click on the card size below the card you would like to be brought to the PNG (image) file. (The PNG file is basically the card you choose with a blank space for your photo.)
2. Then right click on the image and choose either "Save Image As" or "Save Target As" (depending on which browser you are using.)
3. After the card is downloaded you can use a free software program like Gimp (click here to download) to insert your family photo into the file.

Also be sure to check out Becky's contest winners and the winning card designs (which are also available to download for free) on her site.