Saturday night thoughts

I came here to write a post about my "one little word" and got completely distracted. Does that ever happen to you? First, I wanted to figure out how to change the little symbol up in the tool bar (also known as a "favicon"). I'd taken a class at Little Light Studio a while ago and it was part of the lesson that I just never got around to. Well, tonight I decided to give it a go. It was harder than I thought. An hour later, I had that taken care of and realized that I needed to add the most recent LOAD button to my side bar. That was a bit quicker.
So, now to the reason I came to post tonight, my word:


I chose grace after thinking about some things that I want to accomplish this year and how I want to approach my life this year.
I want to have a more graceful home (less stuff, more organized)
I want want to live a bit more gracefully (be a bit more mindful in my actions and with my time)
I want to grace my life with my presence (be intentional with my decisions)
I want to be more graceful in my relationships (less stubborn, more consistent)

I'm a month in and can report that I have remained mindful of my word and my intentions. I see it showing up in little ways (being a little more quick to pick up after dinner, cleaning out that nagging end table drawer, asking more questions). I think it will be a good fit and am anxious to see how the year progresses.

LOAD

I'm so excited that it's time for Layout-A-Day again! Last February was my first go at LOAD and was hooked right away. I love the instant support group, the creative nudge and I was lucky enough to win the big prize my first time out so that was super fun! This will be my fourth challenge. I can't wait to get started.
As I get ready, I wanted to share a couple of thought about how I get ready and how I overcome obstacles and how I make the most of LOAD.

1) Make a list.

This is what I have so far. I like to have a plan going in. For some reason, I'm not a good prompt follower. Once in a while a prompt will align with something a layout I have in mind and that works, too. Most of the time, I have quite a few layouts planned that are from classes I've taken and not finished (there are three this month). A also have a monthly review album and if I'm not caught up, those layouts go on here as well. I finished November this week, so it's already crossed off the list!

2) Allow for spontaneity.

Last year, this layout wasn't on my to-do list, but we had a great day at the pumpkin patch with some friends and some awesome photos to go with it. How could I not include them? When I'm in the "LOAD mode" I go with whatever feels right. I try to put things on my list that have been on my mind or that are stories I've wanted to tell for a while, but creatively, I think it's important to do what moves you.


3) Live in the moment.

Both of these layouts I did with photos I took the same day. In the first case, my husband and I had taken a weekend away and did a little hiking. I didn't want to skip a day and we had some great photos from our hike. While he was in the shower getting ready for dinner, I put together this simple digital layout.
The second layout is of the day we moved my mom. My dad died a little over a year ago which prompted this move. The day was much more emotional than I thought it would be. I put together this layout as I was processing through those feelings and it made a difference for me.

4) Be easy on yourself.
You may miss a layout. That is OK. The second time around I got so sick that I didn't even want to be on the computer and I missed about three or four days. The third time around, life got in the way. While it's rewarding to complete the whole challenge, every layout you complete is one that may not have gotten done if you weren't part of the challenge. Celebrate what you do accomplish.

5) Be active on Flickr
I know that it can take additional time, but the layout that get posted in the gallery are so inspiring. Make a comment! Celebrate the layouts you love. I try to go through at least the 10 or so layouts that were posted before mine and often more than that. I love to read the comments on my layouts so I try to comment generously.

That's it! Have fun and I can't wait to see you! If I've sparked some interest, check out Layout a Day with Lain Ehmann.

Four Random Things...

Well, since it's the fourth, and I haven't been doing a super great job of keeping up my minimum posting schedule of once per week, here goes nothing!

1) We went to Seattle last week and visited Harry Potter: The Exhibition. If you have any Harry Potter fans in the house, it's totally worth going. I read all the books as they came out and our seven year old son is a big fan so we really dug it. You get to see all sorts of props from the movies; costumes, wands, the beds from the Gryffindor dorm, Hagrid's hut. Super cool. The only bummer... no photography allowed. WHAT?!

2) The exhibition was at the Science Center which is at the Seattle Center. Photos were allowed outside and it was gorgeous:

3) We spent another New Year's Eve at a good friend's home and this year marked the third since Mark and I've been together that I've seen him awake at midnight on December 31st. Happy New Year to all!

4) I'm participating along with Ali Edwards (and hundreds of others!) in One Little Word at Big Picture Classes. I've got my word chosen and will post about that soon!