twelve by 2012 check in!

With about 7 weeks left until 2012, I figured a goal check in post might be in order. I made my list about 3 weeks ago, so let's see how things look!

In progress goals will be in blue, finished or unobtainable goals will be in green.

1. Read 2 books. - I'm currently reading The Power of Half by Hannah and Kevin Salwen. I need to finish this book so that I can move on to my next one.


2. Give Mia, Lila, and Jordan their belated birthday presents, and buy Dan his. - I bought Dan his birthday present. I need to either wrap or get bags for these presents and bring them over to the kids I babysit. So this goal is one that is almost near completion.


3. Post on my blog 3 times a week. -I feel like I'm doing well at posting multiple times a week.


4. Open my etsy shop. - Check it out! YAY One goal completed.


5. Get a job. - Multiple interviews. I'm trucking along with this one. But this one needs to be completed (as apposed to reading books) so I can pay off my loans.


6. Visit Eileen and Kyle before they head to Alaska. - So I set myself up for failure with this one. I don't have the money to take a trip, so unfortunately this goal is not going to happen.


7. Start a little freelance business. - I have business cards designed, though I need to print them. I have a friend with a business who needs a website, so I guess I can consider myself having my first client? I have started planning out what my portfolio will include. But need to make more headway with executing and finishing it.


8. Spend quality time with my friends here. -I've definitely been successful here. I've done dinners and gone to concerts with my friends here. I'm gonna call this goal good.


9. Finish my room design/clean/reorganization/set up. - Really haven't done any work here either. Maybe I will post pictures of what it currently looks like and what I need to do with it!


10. Figure out budget and start saving! -I haven't really worked on this goal yet. I should probably wait until I have a job.


11. Make 5 things (either food or crafts) I've pinned on Pinterest. - Doing well with this goal. I've made 2/5 things.


12. Visit Burlington! -I haven't even figured out when I might want to go. But if I want to go before they leave for Thanksgiving break, I should go soon. Or wait until after they get back from break.

Okay. 6 in progress. 2 finished. 1 unobtainable. Should get crackin on those other 3 that I haven't really worked on yet!

Pinterest Challenge Part 1

It's Pinterest Challenge Day!

According to Pinterest, it's a virtual pinboard that lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.

And Katie from Bower Power and Sherry from Young House Love have held 2 Pinterest Challenges so far, and today is reveal day for the second challenge.

I also had in my twelve by 2012 list that I want to create 5 things that I've pinned, so this just helps me cross that off!



This is just a part of my "For The Home" board. I figured that the photo collage on the right part of the screen would be a perfect little undertaking for this challenge.

I had photos and little double sided photo splits to attach the photos to the foam board... which I was able to pick up at Target for $2.49. You cannot beat creating a nice collage and super easy project for less than $3!

I had so many photos around that I created this 20 X 30 board collage out of pictures of the kids in my extended family, my cousin A, and B, D, M, and R, who are all kids of my cousins. I love how it came out! I just cut all the 4 by 6 pictures to 4 inch squares and attached it to the board. Although my little picture split things didn't work out as well as I had hoped, so there will be a part 2 to this project where I will actually tape it down with double sided tape, and then cover with modge podge, like Cali over at Bits of Everything did.

So, part number 1. Part number 2 to come. But all in all, it was a quick project, I was able to do laundry, feed the pets, do the project, eat dinner and still be finished before The X Factor came on TV! Though I will put in a little bit more time to finish the project later.

Snow!

So if you're wondering what I get for being proactive and Christmas shopping early, the answer is Snow!

It's only just started, and we're expected to get about half a foot or more! And although I live in Maine, have lived here all my life, and gone to school in Vermont (all very snowy places) let me let you in on something.

I HATE snow. With a passion. It's gross and wet and I don't do winter sports, so for me it's just a pain because what I do is drive, and it just makes a mess when you're driving anywhere.

I would love to live somewhere that doesn't get snow. It would be really ideal actually.

It's also cold, which doesn't help you when you are a skinny young adult whose body temperature is always below normal anyway. My toes were numb because it was so cold and snowing.

I'm hoping that it lets up by the time my mom has to drive my dad and her godfather to the airport tomorrow, and hopefully doesn't interfere with any flights!

I was excited to hear earlier this week about Obama making an announcement about student loan repayment. He made some huge changes which are pretty exciting to hear about. I was pretty pumped, until I read that it only is for people borrowing in 2012 or later. Which means people like me, who have graduated and are the people currently having to pay back loans, are unaffected by this new legislation. So I thought that I was getting a treat in awesome new legislation which turned out to be a trick, in being something that is not affecting me.



I am looking forward to The Pinterest Challenge, hosted by Sherry of Young House Love, and Katie of Bower Power. They first hosted the challenge over the summer, but at that point, I didn't really have a blog where I could post about a fun and exciting project. But being that I have on my twelve by 2012 list to make 5 things I've pinned on Pinterest, I am so excited! I'm definitely going to be making all sorts of fun things... maybe even tomorrow while I'm snowed in!

twelve by 2012

So I have 125 different blogs that I am subscribed to in my Google reader. (You can see a bunch of them listed on the right.) I get a ton of inspiration from these blogs, and from Pinterest. This was how I stumbled upon the blog Oh, hello friend today. Danni is the girl behind the blog. Like me, she has tried doing 101 things in 1001 days. But I love this great idea that she had. I'm a little late to the party, so I have about 10 weeks left in 2011. I'm going to make my own list of goals I have for the rest of 2011. So go and check out the other people doing twelve by 2012 and what other people have planned!

Edit: Items in progress will be in italics, and finished items will be crossed out!

1. Read 2 books. - I have a whole bunch of books in my room and books on my to-read list. So hopefully I can get 2 books off my list read!


2. Give Mia, Lila, and Jordan their belated birthday presents, and buy Dan his. - The kids I babysit all but 1 have already had their birthday. I need to buy one more gift and make sure all the kiddos get their gifts, though they are very very late!


3. Post on my blog 3 times a week. - I definitely feel like I am doing well at keeping up. But I need to keep on trucking. Hopefully I won't loose steam with everything else going on!


4. Open my etsy shop. - I need to make more items for the shop, I need to figure out packaging. Other than that, I already started making the site on etsy, and I have figured out pricing. Check it out!


5. Get a job. - Hopefully I can find something to pay the bills (boo student loans!) and hopefully still give me time to spend time with friends and work on my side projects.


6. Visit Eileen and Kyle before they head to Alaska. - You've heard of Eileen (I <3 My Airman) and hopefully I can see her and her hubby before they head to Alaska!


7. Start a little freelance business. - Hopefully I can find some local businesses that could use web design/marketing/social media or event planning assistance, and take on a client! I made business cards! Need to work on my portfolio and start looking for clients!


8. Spend quality time with my friends here. - I need to see friends I haven't seen in a while and work on spending time with people face to face on a more regular basis. Went out to dinner with a friend today, and I'm going to a concert with a friend on Thursday that I haven't hung out with in a while.


9. Finish my room design/clean/reorganization/set up. - My room has been a serious work in progress. I need to make it fun and functional and definitely update it!


10. Figure out budget and start saving! - Figure out a budget where I save some money aside each month for specific long term goals, and how much 'fun' money I have per month.


11. Make 5 things (either food or crafts) I've pinned on Pinterest. - I've pinned a lot of different things on pinterest. I would like to make a few things whether they be food or DIY projects. I made the silhouette in my last post from something I pinned. Participated in the Pinterest Challenge. 2/5!


12. Visit Burlington! - I need to go back and visit friends at my alma matter! It's very much an overdue trip.

Now go check out other lists or make your own!