August 6, 2018

Intentions for the Week:

Happy Monday, friends!

This weekend was a busy one with pockets of down time. We had company over. There was a Rock Band session, two playdates, and baseball on the deck. Saturday night we had a late night outside with drinks under the stars. There was a trip to Home Depot and general erranding. and I cleaned out my prop closet and gathered stuff to donate this week. It was a productive, restorative, and fun weekend. I

This week I’ve got Cooper at home with me. I’m hoping to get enough done so we can have some kind of adventure before school starts. Wish me luck!

I’m ready to tackle the week, how about you?

I’m starting the week with a clean workspace:

And an organized prop closet!

It’s amazing what a clean slate can do for ya! Now let’s get to my Intentions for the Week.

Intentions for the Week:

laundry
have a date with my calendar
workout 3 times
take photos for etsy/edit/post
drop off donations at Salvation Army
send mail / trip to post office
make kombucha
bookkeeping
catch up on social media
work on new content for the blog
grocery shopping
favorite pens post- finish/post
work on a new recipe or two
get my steps in with my Fitbit
drink plenty of water (loving this water bottle rn)
library visit
playdate with Helen Jane
make an appointment for car
wash car (inside & out)
back to school shopping
break down cardboard outside
continue reading Slow Love
eat outside
play a board game with Cooper
go to bed earlier/focus on getting enough sleep

Last Week’s Intentions:

~~laundry~~
~~use time efficiently while Cooper’s at camp~~
make an appointment for car recall (FML)
~~style/shoot 3 recipes for One Potato~~
take pictures of new products for the shop! YAY!
~~catch up on social media~~
~~send out bio/information for~~ podcast ~~I was a guest on~~
~~straighten up shipping area in~~ office
~~drop off library books~~
make a new recipe
post favorite pens
~~finish Currently July post/post~~ (you can read it here!)
~~bookkeeping work~~
~~make kombucha~~
~~cut down on carb intake~~
~~book flight for Santa Fe~~
~~return order from the GAP~~
~~return from Target~~
~~send out orders for the Handwriting Club~~
~~set up~~ new ~~printer~~
~~workout/hike~~
~~get my steps in with my Fitbit~~
~~keep fridge clean & organized~~ (it’s so empty after vacation!)
~~paint nails (loving this color right now)~~
~~drink plenty of water (loving this water bottle rn)~~
~~continue reading Slow Love~~
~~get the guest room ready for guests~~

Mantra for the Week:

Monday Pump Song:

We listen to that one in the car on the way to school usually.

Don’t forget to write down your Intentions for the Week!

HAVE A GREAT ONE!

xo

Tracy

my everyday life, Photography

August 5, 2018

My Everyday Life: Week 31

Here’s what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life – Week 31

SUNFLOWERS EVERYDAY ALLLLLLL DAY BECAUSE AUGUST IS MY BIRTHDAY MONTH.

I am growing clematis so I can stalk all the flowers with my camera.

Consider yourself warned.

Burrito Mondays. Let’s make it a thing.

This is not life-sized.

My errand outfit lately.

Went to Mary’s Shack . This salad tasted like my childhood. I want all salads to taste like this.

This is Mary. Seeing her photo made me want to hop in a time machine.

I really love seeing old menus. The prices kill me.

My friend Tammi sent me a package. I now have a pretty amazing bag for my library books. THANK YOU, TAMMI!

French toast & sausage. Cooper’s current favorite.

I always notice the one that’s not with the others. That’s an introvert tomato.

Food stylist brain.

My favorite place to be is on my deck.

I go through a lot of dish towels in a week. I think there’s a pair of underwear in there too. I keep a bowl on our stairs so I can bring it up and do laundry.

I caught a rainbow.

Writing notes on my hammock.

Thai Basil Beef with an egg and a cucumber situation.

I riff off of that recipe all the time. It’s a simple dinner and everyone is happy.

This was a miracle. My cats are never next to each other. ON MY BED.

When you find out your pen is not waterproof.

Real life means standing on a table to get the shot you want.

Whenever I take a picture with Cooper in it (he’s holding the plate) he tries to nuzzle into me and it’s so sweet but it’s also so hard to take a picture when he does it! I just let it happen because it’s so sweet.

DUMPLINGS!

The tress in SF sometimes seems like they’re from Jurassic Park.

A beautiful mess.

City adventure.

Met a bunch of cool women at The Riddler for an event for The Wing.

Impromptu photo shoot with my pal Kristen.

The trick to getting a good smile is to ask strangers to tell you a joke while they are passing by staring at you WHILE YOU ARE HAVING YOUR PICTURE TAKEN.

Spritz me.

Talking about inside pockets of blazers with new people.

Introverts don’t like small talk. We talk about important things like pockets in jackets.

HA.

Feeling like my shoes aren’t that colorful in comparison.

A second of introversion.

Born and raised.

Cowabunga!!! What’s with the 4s?

I remembered we had one of these cups when I was a kid. I think I picked off the spongery stuff on the bottom.

Sorry about that, Mom.

Things I see in grocery stores.

And then I take pictures of what I see and people think I’m weird.

Being in the grocery store feels like being an art store when you’re a food photographer.

THIS COLOR.

Garden research.

I need this in my house.

This cat is named Rama.

I had a stranger named Richard give me an impromptu sound bath.

Trader Joe’s pot stickers are Cooper’s favorite.

Lap cat.

I went to water my yard and found my coffee outside from the day before.

This is almost 39.

I live in a beautiful place.

I feel so lucky.

And there’s been a chill in the air at night here and it has me excited for fall.

Rosie has been a jerk this week. She keeps running out of the house.

Zen garden progress.

I put kimchi furikake on my eggs this weekend.

It was good.

Friday I went to Target with Caley and we walked the aisles giggling like we were in 7th grade again. I didn’t capture a picture, but it was one of the highlights of my week.

I cleaned up my office this week. Happy about that! I share the before and afters on my instagram stories lately.

When guests are over the cats are excited to hang out in the guest bedroom.

I also organized my prop closet this weekend.

Mental clutter can show up in physical clutter. I am trying to weed it all out.

LISTS

August 3, 2018

I LOVE LISTS

SOME FUN NEWS:

Sharing my take on the importance of Family Dinners on Mother this week. Check it out here!

I am going to be teaching a food photography class in Santa Fe next May! Make sure you mark your calendars if you’re looking for a creative travel adventure. It will be with Santa Fe Photography Workshops. Right now they have a great cookbook writing class with Deborah Madison in September if you’re looking for an inspiring getaway. I’ll send you more info soon. I’m super excited to go to Santa Fe! I’ve never been.

Inspiration

August 1, 2018

Currently: July 2018

Currently July 2018

Saying goodbye to July and entering my birthday month, August!

This month I will turn 39. Last year of my 30s!

My mom told me that her 40s were her best decade, so I’m looking forward to that.

July was all about Camp Shutterbean (me at home with Cooper while I worked). Any mom who has to work from home and have a child to keep occupied (and manage screen time) can understand what this feels like. It was equal parts, wild, fun and overwhelming. We had quite a few playdates this July. Lots of friends coming over. I hosted 4 dinners and two sleepovers! We ended the month visiting Casey’s family in Idaho. It was a last minute trip that didn’t even make it on my Summer Bucket List! It was so nice to have a family reunion and hang out by the pool. Made me feel really happy to be away and also gave me a new perspective on my routine/home life that I needed.

The biggest thing that went down this month is that my computer died and I went from a MAC to a PC. I spent over a week without a computer. So far the transition is going well although I need to transfer all my photos onto my new computer. I am trying to figure out the best way to do that and evaluate what I want/need. One of the best things about transferring over to a new OS is that I am being intentional about the habits that I create on my new computer. I was in a rut with my system on my apple laptop. The refresh is much appreciated at this time in my life when I am trying to pare things down.

And no, the shift isn’t the end of the world. I spent 7 years doing bookkeeping on a PC for work so the math/productive side of my brain is appreciating the switch.

The artist in me liked that all of my devices synced but I’m relearning things a new way and it feels good to be a student again.

New tools help my creative brain. This is what I am telling myself anyway.

LISTS

July 30, 2018

Intentions for the Week:

Happy Monday, folks!

We are back from our trip. The laundry process and unpacking are underway. It feels so good to be home!

This week Cooper has camp and I have a lot of work to catch up on. Time to sit down and map out my intentions for the week. As I write this, I see that I’ve done this for 64 weeks in a row. WOW! This practice has been important to me. I hope it inspires you to do the same whether it be on an index or in your bullet journal. Getting your head in the game every week and writing things down is a great way to set yourself up for success!

Without further adieu, here are my Intentions for the Week:

Intentions for the Week:

laundry
use time efficiently while Cooper’s at camp
make an appointment for car recall (FML)
style/shoot 3 recipes for One Potato
take pictures of new products for the shop! YAY!
catch up on social media
send out bio/information for podcast I was a guest on
straighten up shipping area in office
drop off library books
make a new recipe
post favorite pens
finish Currently July post/post
bookkeeping work
make kombucha
cut down on carb intake
book flight for Santa Fe
return order from the GAP
return from Target
send out orders for the Handwriting Club
set up new printer
workout/hike
get my steps in with my Fitbit
keep fridge clean & organized (it’s so empty after vacation!)
paint nails (loving this color right now)
drink plenty of water (loving this water bottle rn)
continue reading Slow Love
get the guest room ready for guests

Last Week’s Intentions:

~~read a book (I’m almost done with Calypso and Casey is reading Into Thin Air)~~
~~pool time~~
family walks (it was too dang hot)
play golf (not me)
~~river rafting adventure~~
~~family time~~
~~make a family dinner~~
~~art time with my niece~~
~~get a massage~~
~~have some potatoes (we’re in Idaho after all!)~~
~~post a new pasta recipe~~
~~stay up late talking to my mother-in-law~~
~~double date night with in-laws~~
~~go to a baseball game~~
~~watch a movie in in-laws home theater~~
~~relax~~
~~recharge~~
~~drink water~~
~~catch up on sleep~~
try to make healthy-ish eating choices (haha NOPE)