Opportunity...

Recently I have been reading the book Transform Your Life by Penny Ferguson and one section in particular has really stuck in my mind...

The book goes on to say that "your attitude towards the things you have to do makes the difference between getting the most out of them and seeing them as chores that are impossible to enjoy." So true.

This year I want to look at every situation and every day as an opportunity to fill my glass and make the most of it...

• When I am extra busy at work, I want to see it as an opportunity to learn and develop.
• When I have to clean the house, I want to see it as an opportunity to show my gratitude for beautiful home and help my husband.
• When I am feeling down about living so far from our families, I want to see it as an opportunity to build my marriage even stronger and enjoy all the wonderful things our new city has to offer.
• When I am stuck in traffic, I want to see it as an opportunity for a few extra minutes to enjoy the music on the radio.

Every day is an opportunity...to learn something new, to show kindness to others, to give God the glory, and to love my family fully.

[Want more inspiration for 2012? Check out the Word of the Year party.]

2012 | Home goals...

It's January. So, of course, we should talk about goals. :) I have goals for pretty much everything - literally, reading goals, fitness goals, work goals, relationship goals, life goals, everything. But I'll start with my goals for our home during 2012 as part of the Home Goals Party at the Nesting Place. 

I also shared my home goals in 2011 and promise to share a full update at how I did soon. But this year, my goals are all about showing some love. 


*Show our loves...
This year I want to continue to make our house reflect us. I want our home to be full of things that Nick and I love - our faith, our families, our passions. I want our decorating choices, artwork, etc. to show how important these things are to us. 


I do not want our house to be full of stuff that we do not need or truly care about, which brings me to my next goal...


*Show others some love...
That same stuff that we do not need anymore could be just what someone else needs. I want to focus on cleaning out and donating things that we no longer need...including those boxes that have been in my car to take to Goodwill for, oh, about nine months now. Oops.


*Show our house the love...
I honestly love everything about our home. But...I don't always show our house the love in the form of cleaning. This year I want to get into and maintain good cleaning routines, rather than the massive rush when company is on its way. :) 


I also want to show our house some organizing love. There are areas of our home that are super organized [like our bathroom], but others that still have unpacked boxes [like our offices]. This year I want to organize the house as much as possible. Being organized makes me feel more relaxed, which will only allow me to enjoy and love our home even more. 


*Show the tools the love...
This year I would love to do some furniture makeovers and build some shelves. More on those ideas soon. :)


*Show y'all the love...
I want to take more pictures of our home and projects to share with y'all and to have this little journal to look back on someday. I also want to share all my project ideas. I definitely have more ideas for our home than I have hours [or money] to do them, but I'm going to share those ideas here anyway. :)

A little sparkle...

I love a little sparkle. Seriously, how can you not smile when you are wearing something sparkly? I've been wanting to participate in Bloggers Do it Better for a long time but never have. But say "sequins" and I'm there! :)

My sequins outfit is super simple...a cute little comfy top from Kohls. And my photo is super awkward...I'm terrible at being the only person in a photo. And it definitely didn't help that we took these photos at night. My husband is going to looove that I made him lay on the floor to take a photo of my whole outfit and then I got picky about the lighting and how I looked and didn't even include those photos. Sorry! 

Since you can't see it all, I was wearing the sequin top with cuffed jeans and a cute pair of suede heels. And to help make up for my bad photo / modeling skills, here is my new Pinterest Sparkle! board. It's full of all sorts of sparkly fashion, DIY, and decor ideas. 

Confessions of a missing blogger...

So...it's been a long time. A really long time. I've  missed this little blog of mine and decided it was well past time to get back to it. But before I get back into the swing of things, here are my confessions as to why I went missing...

Confessions of a busy blogger...
Honestly, over the past year I have been very busy at work and with work trips. It sounds a little boring, but it did result in five work trips to the Bahamas. No complaints here. However, but it definitely took my time away from my blog. Don't worry though [okay, who am I kidding, nobody is worried about me now that I said I went to the Bahamas five times...], there was also plenty of fun mixed in over the last year. :)


Confessions of an over-thinking blogger...
There were a lot of times over the past year that I wanted to start my blog back up...but then I would start over-thinking it. Conversations like this were happening in my head:

Paige - "I really miss my blog and have a great idea - I'm going to go post it!" 

Over-thinking Paige - "That's a nice idea, but remember how you might want to open an Etsy shop someday? Are you sure you want to name it A Paige in History?" 

Paige - "Well, I'm not sure...but that won't happen for a while. And what does it have to do with my post?" 

Over-thinking Paige - "Don't you remember anything from all your business classes? All of the names should be the same to help with your marketing. Maybe you should start a new blog. And does that post even have to do with your message?"

So, I think you get the point. And it's not that I'm a crazy person with conversations in my head. :)


Confessions of a perfectionist... 
There were also times when I would look at my blog and just not think it was good enough. Take the header for example...

Yep, it's pretty annoying how it didn't line up right. But should it keep me from ever posting anything? Nope! And check it out, it wasn't at all difficult to update my header. 


To summarize...

• Sorry I went missing for so long! As much as I will try not to disappear again, I also know that with my busy schedule it is definitely a possibility. But, I also know that I really missed my little creative blog outlet, so I'll try to find a balance.
• My posts may not always be perfect. But, I promise they will be me. [Well, the part of me that's not busy over-thinking everything...]