Ode to Inspiration

Bonjour my loves, how is your Thursday afternoon going?
Let me just tell ya, it's been one of those days here in my office. The weekend is so close, but not close enough for comfort. I feel like I've been having major focusing issues all day, so I am taking a 5 minute mental break to recoop.




After visiting my dear blog friend, Leslie, at A Blonde Ambition, I feel completely inspired {what's new? She's amazing!}.

Sweet Leslie listed several of her new goals that she'd like to accomplish in the next year - tomorrow is her 26th b-day! - and I feel completely compelled and excited to share mine with you...

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1. Kick Up the Domestic-ness {totally a real word...}

Yes, it's true. I know you all thought that I had some MEGnificent domestic goddess traits, but the truth is... I'm a phony.

It's not that I don't want my house to be spotless or my Banana Republic work slacks to be starched, it's just an issue to find the time and motivation to be awesome.

My goal is to stay up on my domestic duties so that I don't have an angry mob of dirty laundry attack me in my sleep. Seriously. I feel my fuzzy boot socks glaring at me everytime I walk by and neglect to throw them in the wash.


2. Write More Handwritten Letters

There is nothing that speaks more love/thoughtfulness to me than a handwritten, heart-felt letter does. That rush of knowing you have something {besides a bill} in the mailbox is so sweet.

Just knowing someone took the time to think about me, sit down, and then write what's on their heart really touches me. I want to work on passing that butterflies-in-my-tummy feeling on to my dear friends and family one finely crafted letter at a time.


3. More Random Acts of Kindness

I know I've blogged about this before, but I absolutely love doing random acts of kindness. Don't get me wrong, my friends, I'm definitely not a saint or trying to toot my own horn, I just think it's so important to be giving.

I can't help but think that if someone did something nice for me, and then I did something completely random and wonderful for someone else, well, the world would be a much happier place. Paying it forward is something very special and selfless. I want to grow in this area and learn how to serve/help others better. Time to share the love!


4. Kill It In the Gym

Why yes, I did have 3 pieces of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. And yes, my jeans feel a bit more snug than they did before {thanks for asking}. This past week was all about getting away from eating endless amounts of junk and getting back into the habit of working out.

I know that when I go to a group class or push it on the treadmill I feel good. No, scratch that, I feel awesome! If I could combine that feeling with maximum workout effort, I could be healthier, happier, less stressed out, and finally be able to wiggle into my "skinny sexy jeans" {as I have dubbed them}.


5. Get In Touch With My Crafty Side

Cake decorating. Knitting. Card making. Painting, pottery, play-doh... you name it! I have always loved doing crafts and special projects. Ever since I was a little girl, my uber talented/crafty mother would take me to Hobby Lobby to pick out a new adventure.

I loved challenging myself and letting my creative side go wild. Time to get back to my roots and work on my next big, crafty endeavor {suggestions happily welcomed}!




6. Save! Save! Save!

This was one big goal that I set for myself after New Years. It's not that I didn't do a good job rebuilding savings after my big career move/life change, but my medical chaos of May/June 2010 left a pretty big/rough wake and has drained it down significantly.

I've been doing a pretty good job lately of buying just what I need without a lot of extras. Not only do I have the dream of new, beautiful, non-post-college furniture on my mind, but more importantly I want to build my safety net back up.

Knowing if something happens to me or my job, I want to know I have that cushion to fall back on me. This being said, I'd like to think that Dave Ramsey, financial guru extraordinare, would be super proud.


7. Train the Beast

Oh myyyylanta! My sweet little cockapoo is a toddler {my how the years go by}! Yes, Bella {aka: Beast} is a big girl now and is truly a really good puppy. I feel like I did a good job of training her on the basics of potty training, "sit", "no", and "treat?" {her fave!}, but I want to take her obedience to a new level.

There are so many things that I want to train her better on:
umm... not ripping the leash out of my hands when we go running would be a great start, followed by "stay" as a close second. And imagine the wide variety of cute specialty tricks she could learn! She's a smart little girl, so I think with time, patience, and lots of treats we'll be golden!


8. Culinary Expansion

Yes, I prefer to think that I am a pretty good little chef. I don't, by any means, credit my skills to any natural ability, just lots {I'm talking LOTS} of practice by trial and error. I absolutely love baking and feel very comfortable with it, but it's the cooking side that I want to get better at doing.

I mean when it really comes down to it, I'd have no idea how to cook a Thanksgiving Turkey or make the perfect grilled steak {aren't these man jobs?}, but by-golly I'm sure going to give it a whirl {I think BF will appreciate "real food" as opposed to the never-ending stream of baked goods that I drop off at his house}!

Have you seen "Julie & Julia?". Oh! You though it was inspiring too?

Yup, I want to aspire to being a fabulous future housewife {someday down the road}, so I figured I'd better start practicing now! You know what they say, the best way to a man's heart is through the perfect porkchop. Time to get cooking...

{ What are your goals & aspirations? }




Anyway, I'm glad you tuned in so that I didn't have to ramble by myself. You see, that has totally been my day today - zero attention skills, lots of tangents. Heaven help me!

Don't forget about my MEGnificent GIVEAWAY! That's right, the Minggus and Moob {ADORABLE!} giveaway is happening now - go check it out and be the winner!




Love, Hugs & Adderall!