Sunday Morning Finds 03: Holiday Greenery

{Putz house ornament DIY kit by HolidaySpirits; Hand blown glass ornament by BayBlownGlass; Holiday Christmas succulent wreath by BeLivingArt; Noel Christmas decor by TheLetteredLane}

Each Sunday I'll be featuring unique items I find on Etsy. This week is all about getting in the mood for holiday festivities. I'm a sucker for hand blown glass and I've been wanting to try my hand at building a succulent wreath.

What are you doing to celebrate the holidays?

You can find the rest of my Sunday Morning Finds board here.

The 101 Project: #62 - The Books

One of my goals from the 101 Project is to read 15 new books. Which is perfect since I have quite a few that are on my To Read list. I'll be updating this list frequently and will also link this post to the main 101 List.

Anyone have any suggestions for me?

1. Gray Mountain by John Grisham

2. Eva Moves the Furniture by Margot Livesey

3. What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman

4. The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

Sunday Morning Finds 02: Giving Thanks

{Give thanks sign by BooneCreeekLoft; Modern Thanksgiving invitations by misspokadot; Orange Thanksgiving wreath by WoodandBurlap; Thanksgiving cookies by rollinindough}

Each Sunday I'll be featuring unique items I find on Etsy. This week is all about giving thanks. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

You can find the rest of my Sunday Morning Finds board here.

December Daily is in the House!

{photo: Ali Edwards}

After waiting very impatiently through customs hold-ups and shipping, my December Daily kit has finally arrived! Well, almost all of it. Studio Calico is shipping out the albums and page protectors this Friday. Hopefully I'll have some time this weekend to start on my foundation pages. I love everything in this kit. The gold alphas are to die for. They're HUGE! The overlays, washi, die cuts, stamp set. GAH! I'm in heaven! And in case you haven't seen it, in the video below Ali goes through the whole kit in more detail. Check it out!

The 101 Project: #10 - The Movies

One of my goals from the 101 Project is to watch 100 movies that I've never seen. That list for me is pretty long, my friends. Here is my list so far. I'll be updating frequently and will also link this post to the main 101 List.

Anyone have any suggestions for me?

1. Odd Thomas (05/30/14)
2. Karla (06/02/14)

3. Inside: Chipotle (06/03/14)

4. The Lesser Blessed (06/03/14)

5. Mile, Mile and a Half (06/04/14)

6. Maleficent (06/17/14)

7. Devil's Knot (07/03/14)

8. The Woman Who Wasn't There (07/13/14)

9. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (07/16/14)

10. Drinking Buddies (07/18/14)

11. Tiger Eyes (07/19/14)

12. World War Z (07/22/14)

13. Transformers: Age of Extinction (07/27/14)

14. Frozen Ground (8/23/14)
15. Gone Girl

16. Nightcrawler
17. Silver Linings Playbook (10/06/14)

18. How I Live Now (11/22/14)

19. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (11/26/14, 11/30/14)
20. Wolf of Wall Street (12/17/14)
21. Wild (12/20/14)

22. Cropsey (12/22/14)
23. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies, 3D (12/24/14)
24. Hick (12/25/14)
25. My Week With Marilyn (12/26/14)
26. Into the Woods (12/27/14)
27. Burt's Buzz (12/27/14)
28. Stuck (01/01/15)
29. American Sniper (01/24/15)
30. Horns (02/07/15)
31. Closure (03/08/15)
32. Bridget Jones's Diary (03/08/15)
33. The Virgin Suicides (03/21/15)

Sunday Morning Finds 01: December Daily

{Christmas Winter Flair by CampfireDesigns, Christmas Washi Tape by AllisonDIY, Alpha & Word Stickers by MailboxHappiness, It's Christmas Printable Cards by AllisonKreftDesigns}

Each Sunday I'll be featuring items I find on Etsy. This week is all about gearing up for December Daily. Flair, alphas, washi and even some digital thrown in too. Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend!

You can find the rest of my Sunday Morning Finds board here.

The 101 Project

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (i.e., no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e., represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
2. Stay focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
3. Welcome failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

Start Date: May 30, 2014

End Date: February 24, 2017.

Number of Items Completed: 4/101

1. Try stand up paddle boarding

2. Watch the sun rise

3. Make homemade popcicles (Completed 1/9/15. View Year of the Popsicle recipes here.)

4. Have a day-long Netflix marathon

5. Hike the Wonderland Trail (or at least a good portion of it)

6. Take a glass blowing class

7. Eat no sweets for a week

8. Visit 5 national parks

9. Go to a drive-in

10. Watch 100 movies I've never seen. (See the list here.)

11. Go camping

12. Complete a 30-day yoga challenge

13. Take a dance class

14. Move into my own apartment

15. Get a massage

16. Design/get another tattoo

17. Go electronic free for a weekend

18. Visit Niagra Falls

19. Make another quilt

20. Donate blood

21. Go to a concert (Completed 07/02/14: The Counting Crows)

22. Learn to make granny squares

23. Fill a sketchbook

24. Go horseback riding

25. Take a hike in the woods

26. Go skinny dipping

27. Adopt a dog

28. Wear a 'free hugs' sign for a day

29. Go to a Red Sox game (completed 06/16/14)

30. Participate in a polar plunge

31. Build a gingerbread house

32. Visit Time's Square on New Year's Eve

33. Redesign my blog

34. Go to Bonnaroo

35. Visit Mystic Aquarium

36. Explore Nantucket

37. See a play on Broadway

38. Go on a brewery tour (completed 08/16/14: Sam Adams)

39. Organize my iTunes collection

40. Attend the Boston Marathon

41. Go see The Black Keys in concert

42. Find the perfect little black dress

43. Blog at least once a week

44. Spend a night stargazing

45. Achieve a healthy BMI

46. Create an emergency fund

47. Swim with sharks

48. Take a belly dance class

49. Go to a planetarium

50. Volunteer at a shelter

51. Visit a lighthouse

52. Buy a DSLR

53. Hike to the top of a mountain

54. Visit 3 new cities

55. Go snorkeling

56. Explore the Outer Banks

57. Go to a wine festival

58. Spend a relaxing day at the beach

59. Go tubing down a river

60. Fly first class

61. Complete the 30 day squat challenge

62. Read 15 new books (See the list here or find me on Goodreads)

63. Have breakfast in bed

64. Get my concealed carry permit

65. Complete the December Daily project

66. Go zip-lining again

67. Get a stamp on my passport

68. Buy a stranger coffee

69. Take a shot with a bartender

70. Ride in a limo

71. Buy Cards Against Humanity sets

72. Create a memory box

73. Visit an orchard

74. Start a business (Coming soon!)

75. Pay off my debt

76. Go to a costume party

77. Visit a dermatologist

78. Go meatless for one month

79. Make an Alaskan blurb book (Seriously, it's been three years)

80. Eat breakfast every day for one month

81. Find a smoothie recipe I actually enjoy

82. Go paintballing

83. Complete five 5K races (walk, jog, run, meander, saunter, skip, whatever. Just do it.)

84. Take a cooking class

85. Log 15 miles a week (walk/jog/run)

86. Hike the Appalachian Trail (or sections of it)

87. Design a set of digital PL cards

88. Go to a Patriots game

89. Visit the Grand Canyon

90. Take a self defense class

91. Go sledding

92. Fly in a helicopter

93. Spend the day at the spa

94. Hang out in Newport, RI for a weekend

95. Go on a whale watch

96. Make homemade pickles

97. Stand in a waterfall

98. Go sailing

99. Complete another Color Run

100. Make 10 scarves to donate to the homeless

And finally...

101. On day 1001, publish a new 101 list that includes anything I haven't finished already (hopefully, none)

Serial, and a New Blog

Ok, so who talks about murder on their very first post? This girl, apparently. If you've been in the dark or hiding under a rock for the past month and a half or so you may not have heard about a new weekly podcast called Serial. It's from the creators of This American Life and is hosted by reporter Sarah Koenig. Without revealing too much, it details the case involving Adnan Syed who was convicted in 2000 of murdering his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. Sarah interviews keys players in the case, including Adnan himself. I am totally hooked! To the point that I've been pressuring my friends into listening so I'll have someone to discuss the case with. My ride home from work I covered episode one and I listened to the other 6 at work on Saturday. Back to back. Episode 8 debuts this week and I'm hoping they will finally shed some light on Jay, Adnan's friend and the one who confessed to the police that it was Adnan that killed Hae. If you are even remotely interested in watching a murder case unfold, I highly suggest this podcast. You can download it on iTunes or listen directly from the Serial website. (On a side note, Internet Explorer did not work for me but I had no issues with Firefox.) If any of you have been listening, please chime in! I'm interested to know what other people think about the case.

As far as this space goes, be on the lookout for December Daily posts, Project Life, One Little Word, recipes, city guides, travel posts and more.