My List book for September 30 days of lists

by Amy on August 29, 2012

We are in the home stretch for 30 Days of Lists – September 2012! I hope you can join us….

This week on the private blog, Kam and I are sharing our individual list books that we’re using for next month…. Both VERY different. Both awesome.

Today you get to see MY List book!

But, because of the way that I put it together, I had to complete all my lists ahead of time. So rather than show you photos, here’s a short video looking at my September 2012 30 Days of Lists book (and hopefully you won’t seen any list-prompt spoilers)

Please excuse the ridiculously awful preview image ….. Why are those ALWAYS bad?

Click here to get started creating your own photobook with Blurb

I think this would be the *perfect* option for anyone doing digital lists this month …. Plus Blurb offers several different sizes (and covers) so you should be able to find what you need.

And if you do order a Blurb book, be sure to use this discount code: BLURBBOOK15OFF

I genuinely love Blurb and all the books I’ve ordered from them. This one is already sitting proudly on my shelf.

Don’t forget to sign up for 30 Days of Lists if you haven’t yet! The list prompts begin SATURDAY!

Here’s another (better) look at the image-wrap hardcover and first few pages….

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REMINDER: Blurb provided this particular book because I am a Blurb affiliate. And I am an affiliate because I love them and all the books I’ve ever ordered.

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on being a late bloomer

by Amy on August 2, 2012

I turned 30 this year.

I can’t believe it!

I really expected to have accomplished more in my life by now. I am always fascinated by those stories of child actors winning an Oscar at 10 or 11, or novelists whose debut book hits the best-selling list when they’re 24 (ahem, Jonathan Safran Foer).

Orson Welles made his masterpiece, “Citizen Kane,” at twenty-five. Herman Melville wrote a book a year through his late twenties, culminating, at age thirty-two, with “Moby-Dick.” Mozart wrote his breakthrough Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-Flat-Major at the age of twenty-one. (source)

Clearly I am behind!

I’m sure a big chunk of this sense of expectation has to do with the fact that I skipped a grade, was put in the ‘gifted’ and ‘honors’ programs at school and have always had 110% support from my parents. I am definitely of the generation that has always been told we’re special.

Did I fail? Have I disappointed everyone?? Since I’ve only got a Masters degree that I’m not really using and have a healthy marriage instead of a punishing career? (No excuse, I know.)

It’s frustrating for me to feel like I am “behind” in my career .. in my life. ….. Especially as someone who still doesn’t really feel like an adult, but also has a driving need to DO THINGS (whether that means accomplishments or experiences). Contradictory forces in me, there.

But, really, maybe 3o isn’t too old? Cory Doctorow’s first novel came out when he was 32. Not all that old, but what about Ian Fleming, who had a successful career in other industries before creating James Bond when he was 45.

Truth be told, many of those who seriously altered the landscape of our lives—from Charles Darwin to Sir Alexander Fleming, discoverer of penicillin—were individuals who found their groove later in life. Many even started out delayed, only to end up successes beyond expectation. (from an article on Psychology Today)

But then there was Alfred Hitchcock, who made “Dial M for Murder,” “Rear Window,” “To Catch a Thief,” “The Trouble with Harry,” “Vertigo,” “North by Northwest,” and “Psycho”—one of the greatest runs by a director in history—between his fifty-fourth and sixty-first birthdays. Mark Twain published “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” at forty-nine. Daniel Defoe wrote “Robinson Crusoe” at fifty-eight. (from The New Yorker)

Of course, you can take examples from both extremes.

What matters most is that you’re doing the best you can FOR YOU. And all these other ‘late bloomers’ make me feel better about my own trajectory …. like it’s not too late for me to do something special*.

I feel like up until the last year or so, I was just *looking* … kind of treading water … trying to figure out what I’m really supposed to be doing. Trying to determine what I’m really good at. What my GREAT WORK could be. I tried music, I tried academia, I tried traditional ‘office/business’ work …. All while I finish things like degrees or putting my husband through school or working to save a house-down-payment.

Now I’ve finished all those things and am looking around at what the next part of my story is.  I love learning, and I love the research process …. both things that can identify a late bloomer. And I think I’m OK with that. At least, I’m learning to be OK with not fulfilling my initial expectation (genius! fame! success at a ridiculously young age!)

The Cézannes of the world bloom late not as a result of some defect in character, or distraction, or lack of ambition, but because the kind of creativity that proceeds through trial and error necessarily takes a long time to come to fruition. (source)

So right now … my husband is on his way to being crazy happy and successful in his chosen field, and I feel like I can take my turn to try again. To find what it is I should be doing …. And I think a big part of that is what I do here at Lemon and Raspberry.

What about you? Have you found your GREAT WORK? or are you late bloomer?

In Onward and Upward – my online workshop beginning September 4 – we’ll talk about finding our GREAT WORK, no matter what stage of life you’re in. I believe it’s never too late. I’d love if you could join us, so make sure you’re on the L&R email list to get pre-reg info and discount before it’s announced publicly!

*(yes, I realize this sounds ridiculous since I have potentially another 50+ years of life left!)

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Summer Lovin’ Excerpt: Changes this season

by Amy on July 10, 2012

How’s your summer so far? It’s JULY already! I can’t believe it :)

I’ve been having fun choosing photos from the last few summery weeks to create layouts for this summer mini book.

As previously mentioned, my recently released Summer Lovin’ journaling resource is 26 pages – and each page offers a summer photo and a journaling topic for your inspiration.

Some of the topics offer a couple specific ideas, some offer 8 or 10 specific ideas.

You’re sure to find plenty to keep you busy writing about and recording your summer with my Summer Lovin’ journaling resource.

Today I wanted to share with you another excerpt from that resource that has really been foremost in my mind these last few weeks:

Near the end of the summer, reflect back on what change occurred in your life over the season.

So it’s not yet the end of summer, but we’ve recently had SUCH a big change in our little family and our every day life that there’s no point in waiting til the end of the season to write about it.

My husband and I adopted 2 adorable kittens – and we are so in love!

Our whole life is different since June 9. We have to responsible for keeping a couple little animals alive, for one :)

I created a little 2-page spread about the change in our lives by getting our kittens for the summer album:

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They’re already SO MUCH bigger in the month since these photos were taken – so you know I’ll have to put the kittens elsewhere in the summer mini book too.

If you want to journal your summer along with me,
download my new resource
Summer Lovin’ here.

Add to Cart

Page specifics:

Supplies:

Have you had any big changes yet this season?

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Today I enter my 30s

by Amy on April 2, 2012

This last year has been fantastic …. this next year will be even better.

I’m 30 today …. I’m not 100% sure how I feel about that.

I mean, I don’t mind getting older. I never have, really. But I suppose part of that is because I skipped a grade so I’ve always been the youngest of my friends anyway.

But now …. it’s not that I feel old – but more like “entering my 30s” signals a totally different shift. Being “in my 30s” feels like it should be something totally different than being “in my 20s” ….. But I never had a typical 20s anyway (never partied, happily married at 23 and spent the following 6+ years saving to buy a house).

So, only time will tell what my 30s bring. Hoping this house gets more put together, for one :) Hoping I can finish writing one of the many books I have floating in my imagination. Hoping I find just as much joy in my every day life as I do now ….

I was reading Elise’s 26 things post in advance of HER birthday a couple months ago and was gratefully reminded of all the amazing things I have come across, experienced and loved over the last year:

In no particular order:

Our HOUSE - I know it seems like the house is trying to kill me, but once all the big things are fixed and some of the nice little things are bought, the house is going to be AMAZING. I really am so excited to finally have bought a house!! Even all the work we’re doing is fun …. making a real “home” together. Instead of the last 4+ years living in cheap, tiny places without unpacking everything or putting art on the walls, always knowing it was temporary since we were saving for a house.

Pinterest – I waited a long time, but as soon as it was apparent we were getting this house I realized how much Pinterest could help me corral my decor ideas. It has been so helpful!!

Goodreads – Andrew got me into this. I thought I didn’t need *another* social media site – least of all one that I could never stay caught up with. I have more than 20 years of book-reading that will never make it to my Goodreads profile. But then I thought about how much I read and how quickly. So much that I literally can’t remember if I’ve read a book or not til I’m part way through. So I have been loving Goodreads recently to help me keep track of what I’m reading NOW (since the beginning of 2012 at least).

SMASH - I was one of those super cool kids who got their mother to go rent Funny Girl and Guys and Dolls from the video store when I was in Junior High or so. I don’t remember when it started or why, but I have always loved musicals! And now, finally, the rest of America has show enough of an interest in musicals to justify this new TV show about Broadway. Not only a show about Broadway, but a show about a musical with a female lead! I literally could not be more pleased!! I cannot wait to buy the DVD for season 1 when it’s available – to support with my wallet the pop culture that I love.

John Quincy Adams – I am in the middle of a self-guided American History “class” (which basically means I am reading all the American History books I can in roughly chronological order). I honestly have LOVED it – and I fully accept the nerdiness of that. But hands down, my favorite President so far has been John Quincy Adams. Go read the post I wrote about it. Learning about people like this completely inspires me in my own life – no matter how far apart we are in time and circumstances.

Paleo diet - I first heard about this “diet” on dooce.com …. In her typical style, she poked fun at it even as she wrote about how much she loved it. But still, the way she described ‘paleo’ made it sound like it would be something difficult to take seriously. But the more I learned about it, the more I experimented with my own food choices and the more I learned about nutrition in general, the more enthusiastic I am about Paleo recipes! I’m not fully on the Paleo diet (huge fan of dairy), but it’s super helpful to find grain-free recipes just by following some Paleo food blogs! Give it a try!

Dishing Up Nutrition - I started listening to this podcast back in September or so and have completely improved my diet since then. I cannot recommend this podcast highly enough. ESPECIALLY if you have any kind of health problem – from anxiety to eczema. I have learned SO much and feel healthier now than I have in years and years.

I quit Sugar ebook – As much as I DO miss baked goods at every opportunity, I also feel much healthier having significantly cut back on my sugar. I haven’t quit completely, but this ebook from Sarah Wilson is a god-send for anyone trying to cut sugar out of their diet. (I realize these last 3 items on the list make me sound like a crazy health nut. I *promise* I’m not)

Dutch oven + cookbook – I have LOVED my cast iron dutch oven and the dutch oven cookbook I got for my birthday last year. There is nothing easier, tastier and healthier than making a big pot of homemade soup or chili and having leftovers for days…. I need to post some of my (altered) recipes soon!

Scotland – Andrew and I were lucky enough to be able to go to Scotland for a week last summer with very little expense to us. Traveling with Andrew is one of my favorite favorite things – I love sharing those experiences with him! And traveling to Europe, with ghosts around every corner is even better :)

Alaska – We also spent a week on an Alaskan cruise which was a fantastic vacation for a very different reason. Being on a cruise ship where there’s nothing to do but eat and read and sleep forces downtime that neither of us has had in …. ever? We had so much fun ….

Blurb – After keeping the bulk of my scrapbooking supplies in storage for 4 years, I am realizing more and more how much I feel like I’m “done” with traditional scrapbooking. Too much stuff. I am IN LOVE with the idea of putting together BLURB books more regularly. Same about of time and money investment – far fewer THINGS taking up room. In the last year I’ve made a Blurb book for our Alaska vacation and for December Daily. In this next year, I want to finish my Blurb book for our Scotland vacation as well as several other things! Such great quality books for preserving memories.

30 Days of Lists - God bless Kam for including me in her project a year ago. I never (ever) thought that we would get the response and the enthusiasm that we did. I am looking forward to future sessions and the opportunities to capture small snapshots of my life in lists.

 

This list is by no means complete, but it is a good cross-section of what 29 looked like for me …..

What are you loving right now?

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