My Newest Project.

I had heard about this program a ways back and always found it a little fascinating.  I have spent more hours than I can count trolling the Day Zero Project website and have watched it grow and evolve. I like the idea of a bucket list but I don't like the idea of waiting for it too be to late to do any of it. I had actually tried to put a list together a few other times and came face to face with how hard it is not only to come up with 101 things that you want to do but also make sure those things will still be important and relevant in 1001 days. 

The first list I came up with was really silly, it had all kinds of crazy things on it like visit all 7 continents, drive K.I.T., jump out of a plane and use dynamite once in my life.  Pretty sure on the day I wrote that list I had just finished watching a James Bond marathon or something!  I decided to take a slightly more practical approach to this one this time around.  I did my best to pick 10 areas where I wanted to see change, I ended up with 11 but it works for me.

I pretty much focused on taking care of myself, bettering myself, taking care of my money, getting myself out of my comfort zone a little (jumping out of a plane stayed on the list), focusing on my health both mentally and physically, traveling plans, growing my creative side, having fun, education goals and a few other odds and ends. Some of my groupings overlap but only because some of my goals impact more than one aspect of my life. 

I won’t officially be starting this quest until April 1 (which is coincidentally my 1 year blogaversary!) but I have started to think about my approach to some of these most specifically the journal I would like to keep.  I am thinking it will be more like a scrapbook than a journal because some of my goals will definitely need souvenirs and pictures!

I didn't want to have to constantly post my updates so I started a whole new spot just for my list (you will be able to see it on April 1st), I also do not have it listed on the Day Zero website as I am trying to keep it simple. I made sure to list a few goals on there that I know I will not complete, not because I want to fail but because I want to have something I know I can start my next 1001 days with.

I'm wondering what your bucket list looks like and what you think about starting it sooner rather than later...

Thanks for stopping in!

~Leah 



Happy March!

Well, hello there March! So glad you are finally here! February was a rough month for me so I decided to start March off with something new.

I saw this as I was perusing through the blogs that I read on a regular basis and since I have way too many random fat quarters filling up my fabric drawers I decided I would give it a go.  I'm normally an embroidery-cross-stitch kind of girl but it was about time I pulled out my trusty old sewing machine.

I have had this fabric for I don't even know how long and I like it but I never really loved it so I figured it would be perfect for the little clutch that was part of See Kate Sew's Envelope Clutch-Along.

I hit a few snags, mostly because my interfacing was too heavy but overall I am happy with the way my clutch turned out.  It is bigger than I expected it to be but it fits my wallet so I am super happy about the size.  

Its a little hard to see but I ended up making a fabric covered button out of spare lining fabric because out of all of the buttons in my stash I couldn't fine one I loved.  The button stands out enough but blends at the same time!

Here is where I ask you to ignore my wonky corners and stitches!

I'd call this a great start to March!

Hope all is well on your end!

~Leah

How Do You Mend a Broken Heart?

I have spent the better part of the last week and a half attempting to write this post but fell short every time. 

It is always easier to write with joy in your heart than with sadness.

For most, February is a month that celebrates the joys of the heart.  Love, friendship and special relationships are at the forefront of everyone’s minds.  Some cherish the ones they have and others look around and feel the sting of ‘what they are missing’ but February started out with a devastating heartbreak for me and my family.  In the small, quiet hours of the morning on Monday February 4^th my grandmother slipped away from us after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. 

Shortly after she was diagnosed I started to fight through the anger surrounding what we all knew would happen as the disease progressed and stole her from us. Over the past several months we have been preparing ourselves for what was to come as the incredible in-home nurses talked us through what they knew was on the close horizon for us but it still feels like she was taken from us without a moments notice. 

My grandparents would have celebrated 60 years of marriage on the 4^th of July this year and they shared a love that rivals those of the greatest love stories ever told.  Their devotion to each other survived 12 years of deployments and relocations while my grandfather served as a US Marine, the birth and raising of 7 children, tough years when money was tight, and the joys of 13 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.

That is what I am choosing to celebrate this February.

I am still angry that my beautiful, vibrant, hilarious, kind, unconditionally loving, firecracker of a woman Nana had everything that made her who she was taken from her but I am going to celebrate the joy and light she brought to us

As always thanks for taking the time to visit!

~Leah 

The CallaManifesto: Part 7

The last few things I added in just as reminders to myself.  I think we all have habits that get in the way.  They aren’t always ‘bad’ habits, they are just habits that keep us in our ruts and prevent us from truly looking out for things on the horizon.  So this year I want to remember these few things…

No one is in charge of my happiness but me…it’s never too late to be happy but it’s all up to me and no one else.

Don’t audit life, live it!

Get outside every day.

I think the second one will be hardest for me out of the three, I do like to analyze! 
Must be the scientist that lurks within. 

Well, that's all she wrote! 
My manifesto in a nutshell, a very large wordy nutshell ;)

I will try and keep you posted as the year goes on about how things are going and what I found I needed to add or change.  I am very happy to admit (with no selfish guilt) that I am finally ready to live life for me.  I want to be present for those I love and open myself up to things that I always thought were out of my reach.  I know it will take me more than a year to get there but I am going to give it all I've got for 2013!

As always, thank you for stopping in and taking the time to visit my little corner of the world!

Happy 2013!
~Leah 

The CallaManifesto: Part 6

Be Rich Even Without Money

Coco Chanel (who I love btw!) once said ”there are people who have money and people who are rich”.

 I’m not sure if this is how she meant it but for me I want to be a person that is rich, even without money. 

This year I need to spend more time and energy on the people and relationships that make me rich.  Show a little more love and accept love when it’s given (very hard for me to do!).  The later half of 2012 was wasted worrying about things that really didn’t matter and by focusing so much on the material stuff I lost out on some wonderful, special moments, my goal for 2013 is to never waste any of those times.

How will you be rich this year?
~Leah 

The CallaManifesto: Part 5

Good Health is Self Love

Ah my mantra, I have long thought that there had to be a better way of living this message. 

I have struggled for so long to not only be physically healthy but to have a healthy opinion of myself.  This year my most challenging goal is to stop knocking myself down so much, I actually need to give myself a chance at succeeding in being healthy both physically and mentally.  All rolled into this is making better choices, focusing on exercise and eating right and hopefully trimming off a few pesky pounds that even my doctor agrees aren’t good for me to carry. It’s being comfortable in my own skin and being able to walk by a mirror without thinking a negative thought before a positive one. It’s being able to think a positive thought at all.

This one I fear will be the one that I fail at. Its been a 'resolution' of mine for a number of years but I never seem to quite make it.  This year I started my January off by joining several friends in participating in the Whole30. I wanted to do something I had never tried before an I am very happy to say that even though I am not quite at the finish line I really did change my life in 30 days.  I feel great and I am sleeping so much better.  I have changed the way I think about food and how it fuels me.  

When I was reading It Starts With Food I will admit that I was totally overwhelmed! I thought to myself that I would never be able to do it but here I am with less than a week to go and I haven't had a single mis-step or cheat and I am already planning on keeping it going with some minor tweaks (sorry, I just can't live without my Nutella any longer).  There were 4 of us that started together and I am very happy to say that we are all finishing together as well!

One really positive side effect to this is that I discovered that I am a pretty good chef! (Pat myself on the back!!) I will share a few of my recipes with you at some point in February!

What kicked your year off on the right foot?
~Leah 

The CallaManifesto: Part 4

Floss Once A Day: The Stitchy Way!

Sometimes I feel like I let the things that matter most fall victim to those that matter least.

 One thing that gets pushed aside more than I would like is my crafting, most specifically my stitching.  I am going to make it my mission to do something stitchy as often as I can (even I know I can’t stitch every day) just so I can keep projects moving forward and hopefully have that handmade Christmas I wanted so much this year.  

I have this amazing stash that is just sitting on a shelf right now and I plan on doing something about it!!

Very happy to report that I already have 2 WIPs! I might not be stitching everyday but
I'm stitching enough to keep my hands and my heart happy!

How about you, are you fingers itching to get bust on something?
~Leah