Project Life (August 8 - August 28)

Here's my BIG to my Project Life 

posts. It's been a while since I've linked up... it's been killing me to miss PLTuesdays!

Here are my pictures :) Some of them are funky. Later today I will be adding journaling, but for now I just wanted to get the pictures up.

Have a great day everyone!

Monday - I prepped 40 some invitations for mailing :)
I used this rolling pin to flatten them - if I had anything to do with it, these ladies were going to get an invitation AND a mini catalog all for just $.44!

Tuesday - Decided I was sick enough and for too long to ignore it any more. The doctor took a look at my throat and made a face. Then wrote me a script - THANK GOD!

Wednesday - Here is Jeff at his last (and probably first) batting practice. It's tough to get out there with traffic, so we aren't usually early. LOVE this pic - while it's a little blurry, you can totally see the ball and it's path haha! fun!

Thursday - Jeff took me shooting for the first time! Here I am at the range shooting his twenty two! I had a blast ... I may wear jewelry - but watch out, I'm a good shot! Jeff says he'll be a little nervous once I figure out how to load it ... then he's in trouble ;)

Saturday - Jeff and I found a range in Oscoda ... way more laid back and it's even cheaper! We were the only ones there for a while.

Sunday -  TRAVERSE CITY! If you haven't been there, GO. We have been going to TC since I was born ... and we still love it. Here is a view of our beach chairs ;)

Monday - Like I said, we have been coming here for years. This time I wanted a picture of our view, with a bit of the building. LOVE IT!

Tuesday -  My parents are adorable. What are they doing? I don't know. BUT they are super cute doing it! Here we are playing putt putt golf, a TC staple on the agenda.

Wednesday -  Here we are hanging in Frankfort for the day. Lake Michigan is so beautiful, I wish we spent more time there. Note: I DID get the lighthouse in the back ;)

Thursday - Here is the sunrise from our balcony... a beautiful sight for 7AM ... yes I went back to bed after taking this picture! Hey! What can I say? I was on vacation!!!

Friday - We went and found the Underground Cheesecake Co. which I had been wanting to try all week. Their lunch kind of sucked but their cheesecake did NOT! AWESOME!!

Saturday - Here we are hanging at the winery (another TC staple on the agenda). Aunt Terri even joined us for the weekend! She was needing a much deserved break from life too .. and Traverse City is JUST the place for that!

Sunday - SO GOOD TO BE HOME! Here's My guy .. and me of course. I had a great time, but it's just so nice to be back home again! Love this guy.

Monday - This is what my car looks like loaded and ready to go to a show! I realized that I had taken pictures of my cube before when I worked in an office ... now this is my office!

Wednesday - An interesting day to say the least! This morning I had Ella and Grace and we met some friends at the Spray Park! Then we ended our last summer day together with an ice cream :) Later that night I had Cullen and Maddie and shortly into our time together we lost power! A tornado watch.. or ... warning ... I guess I don't know the difference between them - a tornado something was going on! It was dark and so we ended up having a slumber party in the living room instead of their beds that night!

Friday - GIVE ME MY EMMA! This weekend we flew to St. Louis to see our extended family for our Great-Aunt's 90th birthday party. Here we are meeting Emma at the airport! So good to be back together for a little bit. (My parents haven't seen her since she left MI in June)

Saturday - My cute parents ... playing Ryan and I in washers. While he looks like he is in pain in the background (and he should have been .. Mom and I SPANKED them!) he's just laughing .. probably at all of his partner's SMACK talk ;)

 

Sunday - One last picture of the family before we went our separate ways.

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Project Life Tuesday participants!   

I Want To Be Better At ...

The past week or so, I've been on vacation ... and while it was beautiful, sunny and relaxing - it's still good to be home.

Getting ready for school and daycare to start again .. and with all my extra vacation thinking time, I've been thinking a lot. I have made this list of things I would like to be more aware and strive to be better at ... or start doing, now that we are about to be starting a new time in our lives again. First it was summer - now it's school/daycare/fall. 

I want to be better at:

- Getting the things on my lists done.

- Swearing less.

- Stop drinking pop. I'm giving up pop tomorrow. (Insert scream here)

- Drinking more water.

- Being more aware of all the things I have to be thankful for.

- Being a more understanding person.

- (Start) An exercise routine, even if it's a little at a time.

- Having less STUFF and CLUTTER. (Go through things)

- Thinking before I talk.

- Having a more positive outlook.

- Making more calls for work.

- Being on Facebook less. (gasp)

- Managing my time better.

- Keeping my Project Life Album more up to date.

It's a start for now. Things I need to think about being better at, more often...

(Inspired by this picture below - in a store while shopping on vacation)

Tara's Favorite Things

My favorite things? You got it! Here's a list of some things I love love love.

Disclaimer: I said things, not people.

1. My Iphone 4

It's unnatural that I use this one tiny phone for so many different things. My schedule and calendar, Internet, emails, texting, pictures, maps, contact information, baseball scores, paying bills, Ipod, games, video chatting, alarm clock, weather

... oh yeah and the phone calling part of it too.

2. My Monthly / Weekly Planner

Not only is this planner completely functional, but mine ... is adorable. (Green and white fabric). Franklin Covey has like one million options to make sure you have exactly what you need. Mine has a month at a glance as well as the weeks. The inside of the planner has multiple pockets and they are perfect for holding my business cards and a bigger one for mini catalogs, address stickers etc. LOVE IT. I just hope I can find a refill for this bad boy.

3. MaryKay Makeup

I love MaryKay products .. it's in my blood. BUT - I especially love these three things:

- Mascara: So comfortable to wear. LOVE the Lash Lengthening Mascara and for just $10 you can't beat that.

- Cooling Bronzing Stick: Seriously, try this you'll love it. Get it now, it's limited edition!  It's a bronzing stick but it has really awesome sparkles to it too. To quote MaryKay's website: "A cooling sensation and a refreshing touch of moisture make it a cool new way to wear a sun-kissed glow all year long." Just $20!

-Cream Eye Color: LOVE how easy this is to put on and love the way it looks all day. Apricot Twist and Glacier Gray are my favorite colors.

PS - you know how great this stuff is when I hardly ever wear makeup anyways ;)

4. Old Navy Clothes

Of all kinds. Especially their capris and shorts. Also starting to fall for their Fall Lines of sweaters ... adorable! Check them out!

5. Facebook!

How did I get all the way to number 5 without mentioning Facebook? I am on Facebook countless times a day. From my phone or from the computer - it doesn't really matter! I really enjoy using it for tons of different reasons. I like connecting with people that I wouldn't otherwise have the ease of keeping up with. I like being able to let people know the fun things I'm doing. Of course this goes without saying, but I love sharing pictures! (duh!) I also use it for business purposes too - Offering deals and letting people know how awesome of a company I work with (Premier Designs Jewelry)

6. Sony Cybershot

I love this point and shoot camera. It's small enough to fit into my purse but takes good pictures at the same time. The only thing I DON'T like about this is the format of the camera card. This takes a Memory Stick Pro Duo which I think they may have changed for later models ... I prefer the normal SD card because it fits directly into my lap top.

7. Dell Inspiron 6000

Yes, I bought this laptop years ago but it's great. It's still kicking I love the 17 inch wide screen too! It's large but still portable!

8. Blogger.com

I LOVE TO BLOG - But more than that, I love to read blogs. Here are some of my favorites that I love to follow:

~Peterson Stories - My cousin's blog. She is a Project Lifer too. Love the way she sets her posts up and of course how she writes.

~Becky Higgins Blog - If you don't follow her, you should. She's the founder of Project Life! She's great for product updates, sharing inspirational stories, projects, giveaways and much much more.

~Sunny Side Up - Love the stories out of this blog. She is a stay at home mom in California who loves to organize and spend time with her kids. I am always excited when there's something new on here - just for the fun of reading.

~The Mom Creative - Jessica Turner is a catch all. She hosts the Project Life Tuesday link ups which usually keep me inspired to get last weeks projects done. Not only that but she always posts information on deals - most of them mom deals .. and since I don't have kids they don't apply to me. BUT shes GREAT, crafty and loves a good deal and or freebie!

~Ali Edwards Designs - She has a blog, she has a week in the life project, she does Project Life Tuesday, she also produces digital files for purchase - this girls amazing.

last but not least -

~Eighteen25 - Lots of projects and giveaways on this site. These women are so crafty and love to give links for free printables and fonts. LOVE IT!

9. Tivo!
I realize now that I am spoiled and want to know WHO it is that chooses when things will be on TV. I would like what I want to watch, when I want to watch it and nothing else. Thank you very much! Life without Tivo ... is just NOT the same.
Might I add: Commercials? NO Thank you!!!

That's all for now because, well ... I have to get to bed. What are you favorite things?!

:) Thanks for reading!

Tara

Project Life (August 1 - August 7)

Hey 'yall!

I had a great week and then a SUPER sick weekend .... (not in a good way) - check it out, leave some love! PS - HOW did this week go by SO fast???

This week I had the girls Monday and Wednesday. Monday we went to the zoo. It was one million degrees and a horrible idea - but we had a great time anyways. Luckily the zoo had these awesome mist stations (sprinklers) which truly helped our moods. "LOOK NO ONE IS AT THAT ONE" and we would run over .. hilarious. So our whole day revolved around getting to see the polar bears. We saved them until last and they WERE NOT OUT. I think they chill the water too. What the heck Detroit? Monday night I went to Flint for Premier training, it was nice to see my jewelry girls!

Tuesday my pictures is of our enormous sunflower in the backyard. Each year my uncle comes over and plants a few in our garden, because they don't seem to grow very well at his house. Each year ... they get taller than my dad. Amazing AND beautiful :) Can't beat that! 

Tonight I had my Opportunity Meeting at my house ... it went GREAT!

Wednesday I had the girls again, I picked them up from Amy's today. Then after the day was through, Adrienne and I went to the Tiger's game! GO TIGS! :) We won and it was an awesome game. Love seeing my long lost friend!!

Thursday I had a great day. Hung out with the dogs, house sat, relaxed ... went to my house to do a few things (CLEAN MY OFFICE) and then took off the our Stampin Up Open House. Just a little before we went I started feeling weird. I thought I would eat something and shake it off because I get going and haven't eaten and next thing I know its 5:00 PM By the time we were done with our Open House (party) I was so achy I could hardly stand and I had to have my Mom drive me home. It felt like what I imagine getting run over by a car feels like. Here I am soaking ... I mean, house sitting in Amy's tub :) My aches and pains were AWFUL.

Friday I still felt extra horrible. I laid in bed all day at Amy's and then I moved my pitty party to my bed for a while. Motrin 800's weren't even doing the job and NOW my throat started KILLING me. Can you people tell I hate being sick!?!?? Gross. Thank God I got to see Jeff for a little while tonight, he took care of me until I fell asleep.

Saturday we went to the Heart Of Detroit Run. Looks like I'm feeling better right? Nope. It's a wonder what sunglasses, a bib number and a smile will do for ya right? We had a blast anyways. I have sworn to myself that I will be doing the 5K next year. If I can walk the 1 mile while I'm sick in flip flops .. there is no excuse for next year.

Sunday night after church we had Haley's Going Away / Lifeteen Grad Party at our house. We had a blast, here are these crazy girls doing some karaoke. Awesome food, great people and a couple of mic's - that's all we need to have a good time!

  

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Project Life Tuesday participants! 

Project Life (July 25 - July 31)

What a long week ... or weekend rather - you will here about that as we go!

Monday Mom and I took our CPR class .. that's right, I'm certified in CPR, Infant CPR and First Aid ... I'm kind of a big deal ;)

Tuesday I was having the hardest time getting motivated. So I created a list to keep myself moving and not getting distracted. I find that making a list and crossing things off is the easiest way to keep motivated. If I do something that isn't on the list ... I write it and then cross it off!  Tonight I had my best Premier Designs Jewelry show to date. I'm SO proud of this show and can't take ANY of the credit. A family friend of ours invited a ton of people over and a TON showed up ... it was a really fun night. (Until I found out a close family friend had passed away, that is - someone I have known since I was born) So: no picture ...


Wednesday Two Premier shows in two days kept me pretty busy ... no Wed pic sorry peeps.

 

 Thursday of course I had the girls - it was a YUCKY day .. rain and heat - so we decided to go to the Mall... today ( for all of the "How I Met Your Mother" fans out there)  but really, we went to the mall. Build A Bear, Pet Store, Justice and the Toy & Games store .. a very successful outing.


 Friday evening we went to the viewing and scripture service for a very dear friend of our family. I will be putting in the prayer card that we got and not including a picture today.

 

Saturday we went to the funeral and then had a BBQ for Nathan's 8th birthday with the whole family. It was tons and tons of amazing BBQ food, family, kids, pool, sun and life - an interesting way to spend the afternoon after a funeral. Saturday night we took Alix out for her 21st - celebrating and partying ... it was one truly fun night. Thank God Jeff was there to take care of me afterward ... apparently I think I'm a rock star.

Sunday -  You might notice does not have a picture. It may or may not be that I spent all day recovering from Saturday ... you'll never know.

Check out The Mom Creative site by clicking the above logo - to see more 

Project Life Tuesday participants! 

Including my awesome cousin Sara!