2011 Intention: Final Pages

In 2011, I set as my intention to be "fabulous at 50," and I created an art journal to document  my progress month by month.  Yesterday I sat down and finished my pages for the last two months of the year.  My December page is up top, and it reads "In December, I was fabulous because I believed in myself."  And here's my November page:

It reads "In November, I was fabulous because I buckled down and got some writing done for work."  You can see the other pages from my journal by clicking on the 2011 intentions tag below.
All-in-all, I was happy with how I did at accomplishing my intention this year, as well as how well I did staying focused on my one little word ("health"). I got through many, but not all, of my resolutions.  Next year, I'll continue to work on the ones I didn't complete.
So, how did you do on your 2011 intentions, resolutions and one little word?

2011 Highlights

In no particular order, here are ten highlights from my year (like my blog, they are highlights of my art, with a little life thrown in).
1.  Tim Holtz's Creative Blocks Class (and an untold follow-up story)

In July, I took a wonderful class with Tim Holtz.  It was so much fun, and I love the project I made in the class. I wrote a glowing review, in which I mentioned how much I needed the class because my dog Gypsy was in the middle of a serious medical crisis and how wonderfully genuine Tim Holtz continues to be, despite his enormous success. What I haven't shared (until now) was that I received an email from Tim a few days later thanking me for my review and what I said about him and (very sweetly) inquiring about Gypsy and sending get well wishes because he is such a dog lover. The email meant sooo much to me and was definitely a highlight of the year.

2. Sian's Storytelling Sunday.  I adored writing these stories and reading the ones posted by others.  So glad to hear that she's continuing the tradition - with a twist - in 2012. Check back tomorrow for my first story of the year.

3.  Watching this boy grow up. Henry turned 16 this year and is doing so well. It especially shone through during the time we were gone in England, and he stayed here by himself.  He took good care of himself, his dog and our house. I'm really excited about the man he will become.

4. Cheryl Johnson's Photography Classes - The Twelve Days of Christmas class really helped me understand white balance and taught me to take pictures at night.

And her portrait class (Beautiful People) completely convinced me that I could take portraits.
5. Gypsy

She walked into our life, and like they say about many shelter dogs, it's not clear who rescued who.  She has brought such joy to everyone in our family.

6. Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog. I am so glad that I found this blog. I have loved shopping my stash to put together "kits" and the using those kits in projects. The blog has tons of fantastic ideas for creating your own embellishments, sketches, and a really nice community feel to it. 

7. Houston Memory Cards and Heritage/Genealogy Project.  One of my goals for the year was to work on my heritage album and genealogy project, and I made substantial progress this year. Midway through the year, Sian came up with an idea she called "Captured in a Card."  It was a way of capturing memories and illustrating them at the same time. I took the idea and used it to create a series of cards about the summer I spent in Houston a a child. I loved this project!

8. My 2011 Intention and OLW - I'm fabulous and healthy. And I've documented it all on my blog and in my art journals. I lost almost 30 pounds this year. I can run a mile in less than eight minutes, and I feel great about myself.

9. Meeting blog friends - Deb here in California and Jacky in London.  So Awesome.

10. The Summertime Photo Scavenger Hunt. It was so much fun to run this hunt, and I can't believe the magical moment when this pirate walked off a ferryboat or when Deb and I saw this gentlemen:

All-in-all, it was a very good year here on Gallorganico. Thanks for being a part of it!

2011 Intentions: October 's Page

This year I have been tracking my intention (to be fabulous at 50), my one little word (health) and a list of resolutions in three different art journals.  You can click on the label "2011 intentions" below to learn more. I'm a little behind, but I'm catching up fast. Here's my October page, which is a little melancholy.  To be truthful, October was a little tough around here - I had a lot of travel and was very busy with work and the kids.  I didn't blog or create much, and my exercise routine fell off dramatically. But, I kept with it and now I'm definitely on the rebound.  My journaling reads "In October, I was fabulous because I realized that treading water is better than drowning. I may not always be able to soar, but I believe in myself and have faith that things will get better as long as I don't give up."
So, am I right? Do you think you can be fabulous even when you're just barely keeping your head above water? 





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Today I am grateful for: people who go out of their way to do the right thing.

2011 Resolutions Catch-Up and Things Still Undone

For 2011, I selected a "one little word" (health), an intention ("to be fabulous at 50"), and created a list of resolutions or goals. I've been tracking these in three separate art journals.  I recently posted my September page in my intentions journal and you can click on the label "2011 intentions" below to see more pages.  Today's art journal page is about my resolution to "organize, purge and don't buy supplies."  I've been very good at not buying supplies this year - I quit the monthly scrapbooking club I've belonged to for ten years and have probably only shopped for crafting stuff three times. And I still have more supplies than I could ever use in my lifetime! I haven't been quite as good on the organizing and purging front, but I think I will be able to do a major clean our once my semester is over in early December.
When I look at the list of things still undone on my resolution list, I have to admit that two of them are things that I have been putting off for too many years: finish settling my parents' estate and create my own will and estate plan.  I'm not sure why these are so hard for me to accomplish.  I don't think they're technically hard or even that time consuming. But something else is keeping me from checking them off my list. Thoughts?
Which brings me a page from my one little word journal:

As good as I have been about getting healthy this year, there are three things that I have been avoiding:  finding a doctor; getting a bunch of tests (you know, all those ones I should be getting every year); and going to the dentist. Not sure why I keep putting these off. I really want to do these before the end of the year.  Any ideas for motivation?
All suggestions appreciated!

2011 Intentions Catch-up: September Style

During 2011, I chose a "one little word," an intention and a list of resolutions.  I've been tracking these in three art journals throughout the year. If you click on the label "2011 intentions" below, you can see the pages I've created. I've fallen a bit behind in the project, but I'm catching up.  My intention for the year is to be "fabulous at 50." My September journaling reads: "In September, I was fabulous because I embraced my curly girl self, I believe in the  'five minute face,' I love my jewelry wardrobe, and I know how to dress my body.  In short, I have found my style - one I can live with - and I love it."
It's taken me quite a while to really embrace having a style. For most of my life, I just thought it was too much trouble and would take too much time to put the effort into looking nice. But I've watched lots of hours of "What Not to Wear" and I've gotten my body back into good shape (see the self-portrait in my art journal page).  I purchased some new clothes at the end of the summer and purged the clothing which was outdated or didn't flatter me. I have realized that, at 50, a little make up really can go a long way to making me look better, and I've learned how to apply it in a quick and easy manner.  I have a few key accessories - a great jewelry wardrobe of about a dozen pairs of earrings, 8 rings and 4 bracelets, plus a few scarves.  So, now, I put in a little time every day before going out - it really doesn't take much. And you know what? I look fabulous!
What about you? Have you embraced a style? Are you willing to put in a little time and effort each day to make yourself look nice? Or do you let the world take you as your are?

Legs

My mom was a beautiful woman, and she had great legs. So did I for most of my life.  My nickname on the adult women's basketball team on which I played in the mid-90's was "legs." Partly because I had good endurance and could run forever, but also because I had great legs.  Credit ballet and modern dance classes taken all the way through high school (and even the occasional class in college). Credit the generally active lifestyle in my adult life. Credit genetics. Whenever anyone complimented my legs, I would always say, "Thanks. I got them from my mom."
But in the last two years, I noticed that I had lost my shapely legs . . . a result of poor diet, lack of exercise and gravity.  A result of getting old.
Until this year . . . when I decided that turning fifty was not an excuse for poor health and fitness. Fifty was an opportunity to be fit and fabulous.  And, so, I've been working out.
This morning, I went to a make-up workout - a special class organized by my trainer Diana for anyone in any of her classes to attend. As a result, I found myself working out with some new people. One of them told me that she used to hire body part models (you know, hand models and the like) and asked me if I ever did any leg modeling because I "had perfect calves" and she would have totally hired me as a model. As you can imagine, her comment made my day!
Thanks Mom (for my legs). And thanks Diana (for helping me find them again).

2011 Resolutions - Track the Books I Read

I'm keeping three different art journals to track my progress on my 2011 intention, resolutions and one little word. My "resolutions" journal focuses on twelve specific things I want to accomplish in 2011. Here's a page for something I finally accomplished today - find a way to track the books I read.
I'm not a big reader, but I do read about ten books a year, and I buy books all the time! I had considered a little journal but the idea of writing down books I've already read seemed daunting, as well as the whole problem of trying to decide how to organize it (alphabetically, by genre, chronologically, etc.). The idea of using a blog gadget was very appealing, since I'm on my blog almost every day. But, I couldn't find one that seemed easy to install and would do what I wanted.
So, in the end, I settled on an app for my ipad.  I chose "Book Crawler," and I'm really happy with it. All you need to do is put in the title of the book, and the google search engine will give you a bunch of choices for the correct edition of the book in a drop down menu. You choose the one you want, and it fills in all the other information (author, genre, etc.). There's a way to rate the book (from one to five stars) and a comment box (into which I put a little mini-review). You can also "tag" the book (the only tag I'm currently using is to note the books I read as part of my book group). You can sort how you display your books (I have mine list my unread books first and the list the books I have read by rating).
It was really easy once I got started. And, that's the lesson I learned today. Starting is always the hardest part on a project. I've put this project off for nine months because I was worried that I would have to gather all the books I read this year before I got started cataloging them. Ha! I embraced the old Creative Memories motto "Start current, stay current" and dove in. It was easy to remember and catalog the books I read over the summer. And then I kept adding, until I felt like I had made a credible effort at getting started.  I have 23 books on my list (9 to be read; 14 reviewed and rated), and I feel confident it will be easy to add as I go along. As my journaling says, "you can't reach the light at the end of the tunnel until you take the first step . . ." So, now,  I'm considering that resolution completed!
What's on my to be read list? Three books I started and want to get back to (Await Your Reply, The Lacuna, and Lark and Termite). Two books to read in October because of their Halloween theme (The Lace Reader and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies). My current book group book (The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks) and our next book (Swim Back to Me). Finally, two books I'm interested in and will try to pitch to my book group (When God Was a Rabbit and Into the Beautiful North).
What did I read over the summer?
Blind Your Ponies by Stanley G. West (two stars; could have been great was only so-so, but it still held my interest for 500 pages, and I get bored and give up easily)
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (three stars; more plot than I expected; a very fast read; I liked it because I love my dog, but found the device of telling the story from a dog's point of view just a little trite)
Bangkok 8 by John Burdett (three stars; Thai detective mystery. Locale and Buddhist philosophy lifts it above generic detective literature, but felt a bit dated)
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks (four stars; story of an English town surviving the plague. Excellent writing and great main character; ending feels a bit contrived)
What books did I rate five stars?
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Heart in the Right Place by Carolyn Jourdan
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Love in the Driest Season by Neely Tucker
So, what books have you read lately? Do you recommend them? How do you track your books?

Strong at Fifty (Storytelling Sunday)

Here's the story behind my page for August in my 2011 Intentions Journal. It's part of Sian's Storytelling Sunday. Click on this link to read more stories.
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We left Stewart Island early for our 11 mile kayak paddle back to Friday Harbor and civilization. We had spent the last three days camping and exploring the Island, one of many in the San Juan Islands, off the coast of Washington state. While we hadn't seen any orca whales, we did see bald eagles and seals. More importantly, we had spent three days together as a family - playing hearts, shooting baskets, exploring tidepools, hiking trails , talking and laughing - without distractions from electronics and teenage friends.
The weather on our trip had been wonderful, but the guide was worried that the wind was coming up and the seas might turn. By leaving early, we hoped to paddle with the current and avoid having to paddle into a brisk afternoon wind.  And, for the most part, we succeeded.  But the last 45 minutes of the trip were rough.  We had already been on the water for five hours. Henry, my kayak partner in the front of the boat, was pretty beat. Although he can run forever and his thighs are starting to resemble tree trunks (the result of hours of playing soccer), his chest, arms and upper body (the things that would be useful for paddling) are still thin and boyish.  So, I knew that most of the work of those last 45 minutes - paddling against the current and into the wind - would fall onto my shoulders. 
Or, actually, fall onto my "core" - those wonderful muscles in the center of your body which define your abdomen.  Paddling a kayak, you see, is not really about how strong your arms are (although it certainly helps to have strong biceps, triceps and forearms). To paddle a kayak effectively, you twist ever so gently and use your core muscles to propel yourself. As we were gazing across the last long expanse of open water and Henry was wondering whether we would ever make it to our take-out point, I told him not to worry. Because I knew I could do it. All those hours I had spent at the gym this year, all those planks and push ups, all those miles run had made me not just "fabulous at 50" but also "strong at 50."  So, I dug in.  I admit it was tough. I sweated. I grunted. I made those little "I.G.N.'s " (Involuntary Girl Noises). But I dug deep and paddled us home. I treated it like a work out . . . telling myself that this is the part of the work out (the last part, the hard part) which really builds muscle, burns fat and reshapes your body. And it's true.
When we at last reached the beach and dragged our kayak out of the water, I lay on the grass in the sunshine. And I laughed. 

July 2011 Intentions Journal Entry

This year, I am keeping three journals to track my 2011 intention, resolutions and one little word. Tonight I had a chance to update my intentions journal for July and August. My intention is to be "Fabulous at 50," and my journaling for July reads "In July, I was fabulous because I let my family fly off in all different directions, to all parts of the world and knew we would all come back together again, to the same place. Home."
Paul and I went to England; Clara went to Southern California; and Henry stayed here in Half Moon Bay. We all grew during our time apart but we did not grow  apart. And that's kindof fabulous, don't you think?
I'll feature my August page this weekend, with a story for Sian's Storytelling Sunday. Will you be joining in that party?
If you want to see some of my other journal entries, click on the "2011 intentions" label below.

2011 Intentions, Resolutions and OLW Mid-Year Reflection

This year, I have been keeping three different art journals about my intentions, resolutions and one little word for 2011. You can read more about my project and see my pages by clicking on the label below marked "2011 intentions." I invited others to join in, and I see that (at least) Mel, Karen, and Pippa are continuing with the project. What about the rest of you?  Am I missing anyone?
My first art journal is my Intentions Journal, and it focuses on my intention to be "Fabulous at 50." My June page is above. It uses the same Tim Holtz technique I used for my Grungy Monday post last week, and the journaling reads "In June, I was fabulous because I reclaimed my art time - working in plaster and photography." The page features some of the new Dina Wakley stamps from Stampington. Aren't they awesome??? You can check them out here. I feel like I've done well with this Intention. I am feeling very empowered these days; I think it's all about attitude.
My second art journal focuses on 12 specific resolutions for 2011.  So far, I've accomplished five and half of them: travel outside the US (well, soon); learn photoshop elements (at least made a start); submit book proposal and finish work projects (that's the half); try portrait photography; work on heritage album; and learn to better use my ipad. Still to go: keep a record of the books I read; create estate plan; settle parents's estate; organize, purge and don't buy supplies (I've actually been very good on the don't buy part); finish existing projects (probably need to make this more specific); and learn to better utilize my car features. I think the next two I will do will be the books and the car. And I'd like to get organized and purged before I go back to school in mid-August. Those shouldn't be too hard. I always put off the estate planning stuff. Sigh.
My third art journal focuses on my one little word for 2011: health. I'm doing very well on many aspects of this - especially getting stronger and fitter; eater better; losing weight; and being less stressed. The things I still need to work on are the more medical - getting to a doctor for a check-up, going to the dentist, etc. That should be doable for the fall.
So, overall, I'm feeling pretty good about staying on track with by intentions, resolutions and one little word for 2011. How about you?

Grungy Monday #15 Guest Designer!

I'm thrilled to be one of the Guest Designers this week over at Linda Ledbetter's Studio L3 Blog Grungy Monday Challenge. The challenge always features techniques by the wonderful Tim Holtz (check out his webpage here). This week's challenge technique is from Tim Holtz's 2007 12 Tags of Christmas, Day 7. My entry is a page in my 2011 Resolutions Art Journal. I journaled about my resolution to try some portrait photography. The background for the page uses Adirondack Color Wash sprayed over some Club Scrap stencils.  For the tag, I started with mustard distress ink and grunged with vintage photo. I chose an appropriate Tim Holtz stamp set and colored the main image with pine needles, black soot and faded jean. The antique camera image is from Stampin' Up.  The other Guest Designer this week is Barbara Washington.  Check out her work at the Magic Delights blog. You can also always find lots of grungy goodness at the "All Things Tim" yahoo group, including a spot to play along with each group;s challenge. You can find them here. If you want to play along with this week's challnege and see others working this technique, head on over to Linda's blog.

Counterfeit Kit Blog Hop: 2011 Intentions Journal

{I think I am a little confused about the start time for the hop, so please check back later if the rest of the hoppers aren't ready yet!}
Welcome to the June Counterfeit Kit Blog Hop! The theme this month is "I," and I used the last bits of my June Counterfeit Kit to create a cover, back and inside front page for my 2011 Intentions Journal.  The cover is above.  The artwork is a copy of an art doll I made, and the letters are from my Kit.  You can read more about my intentions journal in this post.
Here's the back my journal. I added several pictures of myself at various ages (aren't I cute?):

And here's the inside cover with journaling, which reads "This is what fifty looks like - strong, confident and fabulous.  This year, I intend to embrace my strengths and recognize the various things that make me fabulous at 50." 

If you click on the "2011 intentions" label below, you can see the pages I've made in my journal so far. I make one each month. 
From here, you should click on this link to go see Stacey and continue on with the blog hop.
If you get lost, here's the whole blog hop list:

Counterfeit Kit Challenge:  http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com/

Karen:  http://icouldbescrapbookinginstead.blogspot.com/

Milissa:  http://millermall.blogspot.com/

Laurie:  http://lalybi.blogspot.com/

Amarilys:  http://amadrian8.blogspot.com/

Rinda:  http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/

Stacey:  http://ohschwietscrap.blogspot.com/

Helen:  http://craftimperfect.blogspot.com/
Emily: http://aplaceformyscraps.blogspot.com/

Becca:  http://lajoliefleurrouge.blogspot.com/

Glinda:  http://razzledscrapper.blogspot.com/

Jen:  http://jennifer-shaw.blogspot.com/

Bethany:  http://inspiredscrapper-bethany.blogspot.com/ 

My Path to Fitness: 5 Questions

My blog friend Amy asked if I would blog about my fitness routine, and I'm happy to oblige. 
1. Where am I now?  My one little word for 2011 is "health," and I started at the beginning of the year to focus on weight loss and fitness.  And now, half way through the year, I can say that I have lost 20 pounds. I can fit into all my work clothes again (I was down to one pair of work pants in January). I can run a mile in just over 8 minutes. And I can lift weights for an hour. I am getting back into shape, and I feel good.
2. How did I get here? Well,  in January, I started eating a little better and doing light exercise.  All I could really manage at that time was yoga and walking (usually for 20 minutes).  In February, I overcame my fear of the scale, saw that I weighed more than I ever had in my life and joined Weight Watchers on line. In March, I joined a gym and started doing 2-3 classes a week (yoga, weight lifting and conditioning). And, later that month, I started running. At the time, I could barely run/walk a mile, but that was a huge improvement.  In April, I started working out in a small group personal training setting.  Through it all, I've continued with Weight Watchers. 
3. What does my current fitness routine look like? I work out 6-7 days a week. Twice a week, I work out for an hour with a small group and a personal trainer.  That's Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30-9:30. We do cardio (usually running) and then do intensive circuit training to build strength and burn more fat. I run on my own twice a week -I'm up to 5 kilometers (just over 3 miles). I usually do this on Saturday and Monday. I also continue to take yoga classes (1-2x a week - usually Wednesday and Sunday). Most weeks I'll either go for a long walk or take another weight training class on another day. I'm also continuing to do weight watchers. I'd like to lose another ten pounds by the end of the year [don't worry about me withering away - I can certainly lose that much (and even more) and still not be considered "thin."]
4. Doesn't this take a lot of time? Yes, it does. Counting the time it takes to get ready, drive to class and take class (or run) , cool down, shower and change, I'm devoting 1.5-2 hours per day to working out. It means that there's other things I don't have time for, but for me, this year at least, it's been worth it. I am doing a little less for my kids each day, but at 13 and 16, they can take on more responsibility. Especially if it means I'll be around when they are are 33 and 36 (or 43 and 46, etc.). I have made getting healthy and fit a priority, and I know it will be worth it in the long run. Which leads me to,
5. Why am I doing this? I'm doing this because I want to be healthy and strong for myself, my husband and my kids. I want to be active and vital and alive for a long time to come. I've always thought of myself as "fit" and have usually been the kind of mom woman who could go out and hike, play pick-up basketball, complete a local 5K, etc.  That's the kind of life I want to lead, and, to live that life, I need to journey down this path to fitness. 

May Intention: Honoring the Importance of Family

As one variation on New Year's Resolutions or choosing "One Little Word" for the year, I have declared an intention for 2001.  My intention is to be "Fabulous at 50." You can read more about it here.  Each month, I'm making an art journal page around my intention.  This month's journaling reads: "From attending Cynthia's Quinceanera to working on my heritage/genealogy album, in May I was fabulous because I acknowledged the importance of family."  I created this with a couple of stencils from Club Scrap sprayed with Adirondack Color Washes. Paula at Journal Artista is running an stencil challenge right now - check it out here to see other wonderful stencil art. 

May Catch-Up for 2011 Resolutions, Intentions and One Little Word

This year, I've been keeping three journals to keep me on track for my resolutions, intentions, and one little word ("health").  If your click on the "2011 intentions" label below, you can see all my previous posts on the subject. I had planned to post the last weekend each month, and I'd been doing pretty well, until May and the end-of-term madness took over.  So, in the better late than never category, here's my May Catch-Up. For my resolutions journal, I decided to claim victory around all the progress I made on my heritage and genealogy scrapbook.  As for my "one little word" (health), I made serious progress by joining a small group personal training gym that opened just down the road.  I'm getting stronger all the time. My weight is still stuck on a plateau, but in the last five weeks, I've lost 2.5" in my waist and dropped my mile run time from 9:55 to 8:25! It feels really good to be getting back into shape, and I know the weight loss will follow someday.  I'm still contemplating a page for my "Fabulous at Fifty" Intentions journal, but I'll post that when it's done.
Speaking of catch-up, I also did my resolutions page for April, which is about finally getting some of my academic writing done.  Here it is:

I'll try harder to be on the ball at the end of June!  So, how are you coming on your intentions, resolutions and one little word for 2011?  

2011 Intentions: April Edition

Welcome to the April check in for your 2011 Intentions, Resolutions and One Little Word Projects.  Once a month, I offer a gentle reminder to revisit the goals you set at the beginning of the year and post a project about them.  To learn more about the project, check out this post or click on the label "2011 intentions" below.  I have three art journals going:  my intentions journal (to be "50 and Fabulous"), my one little word journal (focusing on health), and my resolutions journal (focusing on 12 specific things I want to accomplish this year).  This month's page is in my intentions journal, and it was inspired by the fact that I got to meet one of my personal heroines at an amazing event we held at the law school where I teach.  

That's me on the far left, and in the middle stands Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers.  My journaling reads "In April, I was fabulous because I met and shared the stage with Dolores Huerta."  She has been a huge inspiration to me because of the work she has done to help empower female farmworkers and to improve their lives, as well as the lives of their families.  Her presentation was fantastic - in turns, funny, inspiring and informative.  I can't  believe the amount of energy she still has, especially after the very hard life she has led. You can learn more about her by checking out her foundation's website here or the United Farm Workers site here. Meeting her made me realize that I am fabulous at fifty because I am passionate about seeking social justice and have been able to find a career which lets me work toward that goal.  I don't blog much about my work life, but I did write one post with a video link that you can find here.  One of the things I love about this picture is the way it captures three distinct generations of fabulous women -we're surrounded by some of my 20-something law students (aren't they all beautiful - you can see how star struck we all are, I think). There's me, and there's Dolores.  We're all together, all working to make the world a better place.  Dolores Huerta is "80 and Fabulous." Now that's definitely a goal to aspire to, don't you think!!!
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How are you coming on your 2011 intentions, resolutions and one little word projects?

2011 Resolutions - March page

Yesterday I shared my one little word and intentions art journal pages for March and provided a place for you to link up to your projects (here). I have a third journal which focuses on some specific resolutions.  I had originally wanted to check off a resolution that had to do with getting some of my writing projects done at work, but I've gotten stalled on those.  On the other hand, I realized that I do feel ready to check off my resolution to "learn to better utilize my ipad."  So, I create this page, which reads "I came, I saw, I conquered. Ipad."  It feels good to conquer some technology.  And I'm hoping to get after those work projects next month.  In the meantime, I did make this art journal page about struggling to gt my work done:

The journaling reads "I'm trying to work on my articles, but it is hard to stay focused. I wonder what will help."  Do you have any good ideas for getting focused, especially on writing projects?  Have you conquered any technology lately?

2011 Intentions & OLW (March Edition)

"In March, I was fabulous because I became a runner - again." I used to run . . . back before the kids were born and off-and-on afterwards. But I hung up my shoes quite a while ago. And had assumed they were hung up for good because I was getting to be too old. But something happened this year, when I made my 2011 intention to be 50 and fabulous. I found the strength and commitment to let go of ideas of what I was too old to do. And, the other day, when I was walking in downtown Burlingame, I saw a new running shoe store. And I went in. And I bought shoes. And now every few days, I put them on, and I run. Because I can. And because it makes me feel fit and healthy and strong. And because, for me, this is what 50 looks like.

So, that's my art journal page in in Intentions journal.  Funnily enough, the picture is actually an old one I found in my stash, but, now, years later, I bought the same shoes!  Here's a couple of pages from "one little word" journal focusing on health.

The purple page says "I will keep a food journal to track what I eat." I do this as part of Weight Watchers. I've lost about 15-20 pounds so far, and I'm hoping to lose 10-15 more. I've plateaued a bit lately, but I'm hoping the running will help. Also, as the yellow page told me to do, I joined a gym. I just started, but I'm looking forward to the weight work and more organized yoga and cardio work.

How are you coming on your 2011 intentions, resolutions and one little words for this year? I'd love it if you would share a link in the comments below. Mr. Linky started charging, so I'm not able to use that service anymore. I'd love suggestions for something else if you know of any.  If you want to read more about the 2011 resolutions, intentions and one little word project, click on the "2011 intentions" label below.

How old do you need to be to own a dog?

One of the reasons I'm "fabulous at fifty" is that I've finally become a really good dog owner. I think it takes a bit of maturity and commitment that I didn't really have when I was younger. I was thinking about that as I made today's art. It's a tag using the Tim Holtz technique featured this week by Linda of the Studio L3 blog (click on this link). I photographed it outside on my back deck, and I really like everything about it. What about you? When do you think you are old enough to have a dog? I'm thinking a lot about why I'm fabulous and fifty this year as part of an ongoing project. Since the beginning of the year, I have been running an online project to keep people on track with their 2011 resolutions, intentions and one little word projects. March is almost over, so I'll be checking in with everyone this weekend to see how you are doing and to give you a chance to link up and show off.  


I have three projects going (all in the form of art journals):
*my one little word ("health") journal (see e.g. here);
*my 2011 Resolutions Journal (see e.g. here); and
*my "Fifty an Fabulous" art journal (see e.g. here and read about my fabulous at fifty philosophy in this post).
If you click on the "2011 intentions" label below, it will bring up more pages and descriptions of my project.  Hope you can join me this weekend.

2011 Resolutions - February Travel Page

One of my resolutions for this year is to travel outside the U.S.  We had been planning to go to Puebla, Mexico, where I would teach in a summer abroad program. Unfortunately, the University decided that Mexico is too dangerous right now to take students. Sigh.  So, rather than give up on the resolution entirely, I've been working on plans to attend a conference in England.  It's to be held at Cambridge University, July 20-22. It's not a done deal yet, but it's definitely in the works. So I thought it was fair to add it to my resolutions art journal. One exciting thing about the trip is that I'm planning it to just be me and Paul - no kids! We'll send them to stay with the relatives in Southern California. In addition to the time in Cambridge, we'll spend time in London. I'd love to have suggestions for other places to visit in the general London/Cambridge area of England, and I'm curious whether I'll be anywhere near where any of you live. I'd also love to know if you have travel plans for the summer.