Food, Booze, & Baggage

Food, Life, Travel

April Monthly Goals

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April-Goals-2015
Guys, I can’t fully express to you how much better I felt this month. I just had more energy and felt more productive, I have not felt this good in months. I didn’t quite get everything I wanted to get done (who does, really), but I got a lot of things checked-off and just felt back into a groove!! I feel like a huge weight has been lifted with my energy levels and overall anxiety.

In March I was able to…

Mark off some of the items from the February list:

  • Ordered phone case and pillows (1,2)!!
  • I’ve made a small dent in dealing with my picture problem and lack of organization. Slow progress, slow progress. I’m currently learning Lightroom, so I hope that helps.
  • Got my haircut!! Yay! I had really worked myself into anxiety over choosing a hair salon and making an appointment, but it worked out just great. I love my cut and the stylist was the best. She is a native San Diegan and had tons and tons of great restaurant recommendations! This is honestly one of the better cuts I’ve had in a while! I did decide to chop it, I was so tired of dealing with my long-hair, and couldn’t hold out to grow it long enough to donate. I’m pleased as can be, with the whole experience.
  • Completed a deviled-egg recipe for the blog

Get back into practicing with the camera. Do more manual practice. Resume the 365 challenge.
I did get back to the 365 Project and have been using the camera in manual again! In my March goals post I did not include any of my 365 pictures for February, but going back I did post more than I realized. Below I’m sharing what I posted in February and also what I did in this past month for March. I’m loving this project still. I also joined a few photo challenges this past month, one week of #fmsphotoaday and the #TNCLovesSpring.  I used photos from those prompts for some of my pictures. My goal is to do a few extra pictures here and there to catch-up, I would like to end the year with 365 photos for the project. Follow me on Instagram to see the latest pictures I’ve been snapping and challenges I’ve been participating in!

February 365

February Favorite Four
February Favorite Four

February 2015 365 Project 1
February 2015 365 Project 2March 365

March 2015 365 Favorites Four
March Favorite Four

March 2015 365 Project 1
March 2015 365 Project 2
March 2015 365 Project 3
March 2015 365 Project 4

Keep up with the whole exercise thing. Yoga at least 4 days a week, and try to get in 50,000 steps a week.
I feeling so good about keeping up with a yoga practice! I finished the Adriene 30-day yoga challenge and did yoga at least 4 to 5 days every week! I wasn’t so great with my steps.  I did have over 50,000 steps for 2 of the 4 weeks and more steps overall than February.

Get some Skillshare classes done and complete a few projects. Goal of 3 classes & 2 projects.
No more mindless TV during the day. One show maximum during the day.
I have really gotten back into Skillshare. I sort of combined the Skillshare and less tv goal. I’ve started watching short lessons while folding laundry, eating, etc., instead of random tv shows. I didn’t finish a project, but I’m definitely getting back into the groove.

Food Photography: Shooting at Restaurants by Daniel Krieger (34 minutes)
This was a short lesson on as the title says…shooting food pictures at restaurants. I watched it while folding laundry. I thought he gave good tips and really gave us his process of how he approaches his shots. I would have liked to see him sit at the one table and do the shots, just to see how he might approach that as opposed to moving around the whole place. I just don’t see myself moving around, even if the restaurant was dead 🙂 It did provide inspiration, and a new way to look at taking pictures of food, so it served it’s purpose as a class.

Food Photography: Capturing a Morning Worth Eating by Adam Goldberg (33 minutes)
Another short little lesson, I did while folding laundry 🙂 I did learn a bit more technical items from this one than from Krieger’s class. Like:

  •  I did not know that you can tap the iphone screen to adjust exposure. No idea!
  • I was not familiar with Snapseed (free) photo editing app. I downloaded it to try it out. He highlighted a few features of editing with that app that was cool.

Food Photography: Prepping a Photo Shoot by Leela Cyd (28 minutes)
I feel like this one provided the least in concrete advice, it came across pretty general in nature. I would have liked to see more scenes of her actually in action and how she does her work. I watched it while eating breakfast and drinking my tea.

Food Photography: Shooting in 5 Styles by Leela Cyd (20 minutes)
This lesson did go into a bit more detail, so I guess I was expecting too much from the first one 🙂 Still didn’t feel like it was all that instructional.  

Make The Most of Instagram: Build Your Brand by Gareth Pon (26 minutes)
Nice little bit of information, nothing that groundbreaking. He also used Snapseed to edit. He mentioned setting up constraints for yourself and finding your creativity in that constraint, which is an interesting idea.

Smartphone Photography: Capturing Landscapes by Tim Landis (29 minutes)
I liked that he filmed this one all outside. Had some good tips on ways to look at composing your photos. He also mentioned using Snapseed to edit.

Go through my to-read or to-do boards on Pinterest and my other to-do lists. Read or do the things.
Much like organizing the pictures, it’s a slow process. I think I might have added more than I got through, but I’m working on it!

April Goals

  • Make raviolis. I would love to have ravioli to freeze for quick meals.
  • Create and share on the blog a San Diego bucket list.
  • Finish guest room: buy mirror, finish putting up pictures and move random items to the garage. We are actually going to have guests in May. 🙂
  • Because I want to keep it a priority, I’m going to continue to include exercise as a goal. My goal is to continue to do yoga 4-5 times a week, but increase the length of the daily practices. I’ve mostly done 20 to 30 minutes videos, and I would like the sessions to 30 minutes or longer. I would also like to push myself by going to an in-person class, though I’ve been saying that for two months. Maybe April will be the month. Again, with the Fitbit to get 50,000 steps per week.
  • Pick pictures to print for existing frames we have.
  • Plan a trip to LA.
  • Continue with the Skillshare. At least 4 short lessons, 2 in-depth lessons, and finish the Lightroom tutorial I’ve already started.
  • Get my day started no later than 7:00 am during the week.

I’m going to leave it at that for April. I still have some March and February related items I want to cross-off. I’m hoping my March motivation/energy carries into April!!

Are you feeling more motivated now that Spring is here? 

The Nectar Collective

February Monthly Goals

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Goal setting for February
Per my usual mantra, this month flew by!! Basically I sucked at getting any of my goals done. This month did not go as planned, not all bad, just not as productive as I had hoped. I was sick for one week, we decided to go to Vegas (not complaining), worked on some other things, and well, then the month was over. Shall we begin my walk of shame….

Use my planner and get posts for the next three months planned. Ideally, I would like to have all non-travel, non-goal posts already drafted.
NO, NO, NO

Write out yearly goals, and work on the Dawson workbook.
Didn’t get it until January 23rd…so.

Start the 365 Photo Challenge.
365 Favorites January 2015365 Challenge January 2015 1
365 Photo Challenge January 2015 2
365 Photo Challenge January 2015 3Did this one!! I’ve been posting on Instagram and really enjoying it. I did miss two days, and a few days I was fairly uninspired. My favorite 4 pictures from January are featured first: the palm tree in the brew pot, Sam, Eddie, & fallen flowers. I tried to pick things that made me happy that day or showed a glimpse of life. A bit like 100 happy days challenge rolled into pictures.

Finish 3 Skillshare courses. 
2 out of 3:

EasyDSLR: Master your Digital Camera in less than 30 days by Kenneth Schultz
I found this class SO dry. It was hard to get through, and I could not get into it. There was some good information, but it was almost too much. His presentation came across scientific in nature (at least to me).

The First Steps to Hand-Lettering: Concept to Sketch by Mary Kate McDevitt
It was neat to see her process. It wasn’t that instructional in nature, more just watching her create. 

Start a new knitting project…socks or different style headband.
NOPE

Finish you can Draw in 30 Days.
Fell into the same category as knitting, a big fat NO.

Continue at-home yoga practice (minimum 4 days a week) and again try to go to at least one class at a studio.
I’m pretty proud of myself in this area. I did 4 days the first week and 5 days the next 2 weeks (this last week we left on Wednesday for Vegas so I only did one day) I’ve been continuing with the Erin Motz 30 Day Yoga Challenge & started 30 Days of Yoga with Adriene (thanks to Arielle for the suggestion). I even did 2 videos some days. I did not make it to a studio class, but maybe in February.

Work with P on yearly goals… like travel.
A little, but nothing definitive.

Book San Diego whale watching tour
Yes! Pictures to come next week in my Discovering San Diego post.

Complete at least one new graphic design project
I came up with the button for the new-link up I’m co-hosting with Katie from The Hungry Goat, Into The Pint Glass. I’m counting that, but I was thinking something a bit more involved/challenging when I wrote this goal. I mean, a girl has to take credit for what she can 🙂 Especially for goals she made up and no one cares about; that is when it is most important. 

I was just as unsuccessful with the Choose Your Own Challenge goals. Which is fairly laughable since January was “Complete”: 

The “About” page…which you guys well know has been on the to-do list for a while!!
Almost there, it will be unveiled this week! I know everyone is just at the edge of their seats for that announcement 🙂

Work on or finish two more items off my 101 list…clearly those have been there a while too 🙂
Umm…not so much. I actually need to update that list.

Well, that was embarrassing! Oh well, onto February 🙂

February Goals

  • Continue with yoga! I’m enjoying it (kind of), it is still exercise, but it feels good. My goal is to get to a class, but continue at home practice. Again 4 days a week as the goal. I got a FitBit in January. So my goal with that is to do 50,000 steps a week. I know it should be 10,000 a day, but I’m starting slow.
  • Back to Skillshare…I’m going to stick to the magic number of 3!
  • Do at least one deviled eggs recipes for the blog.
  • Attempt to make throw pillows for the couch or buy some this month. If I can’t/don’t make them I will order some, no more putting it off!
  • Organize pictures on the computer. My pictures are out of control.
  • Work on the Dawson workbook. I’m a bit disenchanted with the whole thing now because it was such a long wait and hassle to get.
  • Get a haircut. So…I have not gotten my hair cut since we moved. I hate finding a new hair dresser! Plus I’m trying to decide, keep growing it and donate, or get it chopped off!
  • Buy or design phone case. We got new phones and now I need a case. I also need to sell my old phone (this is something I know I will put off) 
  • Buy new jeans, again this is something I need to do. I HATE shopping for jeans, HATE IT. Jeans are one of those things I really have to go try on and rarely buy online, which is by far, my preferred method of shopping.
  • Crack down and really start figuring out my direction. I realize this is vague, but that is the best I can do for now.
  • Make an effort to explore more by myself.

I’m linking-up with Melyssa at the Nectar Collective to share my monthly goals.

The Nectar Collective

For the Choose Your Own Challenge, February is “Create”–Create a DIY project, a new recipe, a song, a piece of art, the start of a novel, a new list…wherever your creative mind takes you, follow it.

Life According to Steph

For this one I’m going back to knitting & drawing.

  • Start knitting socks
  • Finish You Can Draw in 30 Days
  • Also…if I actually make those throw pillows, you better believe you will hear about that!

While January was not really get stuff done I’ve been putting off month, maybe February will be 🙂 Many of these items have been on my list for a while.

What are your goals for February? Any suggestions on a good brand of jeans?