task jar: day 1

Today couldn't be any different than yesterday.  First,  yesterday was GORGEOUS.  Today is, well, not.  Rainy, grey, cold...lame.

I woke up to a breakfast invitation and I was getting ready, another friend called for a ride home from the airport.  So, I rescheduled the breakfast (tomorrow!), and ran a couple of quick errands before going to the airport.  First stop, Barnes and Nobel to return a couple of books.  I found the same EXACT books at Costco for HALF off the price I had paid at B&N.  So back they went...

Next up, returning some knobs I got at Anthropologie for a jewerly board project that I did with my friend L while visiting her in Las Vegas.  Random question, but how do those girls work at Anthro?  How do they go home with a paycheck?  I feel like I blow mine there and I don't even work there.  Could you imagine working there?  Being privy to all the sales, being able to see all that fabulous merchandise still in there big cardboard boxes in the back room?  Even thinking about that scene makes me giddy with excitment.  ANYWAY...

Picked up my friend from the airport, dropped her off, and then decided to go see a movie. 

...So much for my uber productive day, inspired by my task cans. 

Letters for Juliet was good.  I'm happy I went by myself.  Mr. Man is always scoffing, "so predictable", "oh my gosh, I didn't see that coming"...all while rolling his eyes.  So I sat there and enjoyed the chick flick by my lonesome and left with a smile on my face.

Hoping to recovering some of my lost time, I ran upstairs to pull my first circle out of it's home.  I couldn't help but frown as I read it.  "Make 12 dinner napkins."

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuummer.  I AM excited to do that.  I have PILES of fabric in the closet of my office/craft room, but I wasn't prepared.  Instead of making those 12 napkins, I decided to get ready to make those 12 napkins.  I've been thinking for a couple months of how I can make cutting the fabric easier for myself.  Then today while I was in Hobby Lobby I walked by the quilting section and noticed something like this:

Yeah!  A plexiglass square that I could just trace with my roter cutter would make things SO much easier.  Although this was for quilters, I could still use it for my napkins.  But I couldn't pay $23 bucks for the thing.  So I put it back on it's hook and walked away.  All was not lost, inspired by what I saw, I called my local Ace Hardware asked if they cut plexiglass, got the answer I was hoping for (YES!), and plan on picking it up tomorrow morning before my breakfast date.

Tomorrow I will make 12 dinner napkins!

...and a summer of fun begins...

It's been almost a month since school got out for the summer...and this girl has been living large and relaxing.  I jetted off to Vegas to visit my bff from college, L the day I turned in my last project.  I was there for week, enjoying myself, sleeping in far too long, hanging out with L's dog Boss and met all of her friends.  It was the perfect way to end the school year and to catch up with an old friend.  I was home for two days, then packed my bags and left for Pittsburgh to visit my friend M with two of her friends from Grand Rapids meeting me out there.  The weekend was fabulous...full of shopping and Sex and the City.  It was perfection. 

...and since I've been home...I've been l...a...z...y.

Sure I've done a few things.  My parents came out to visit us over Memorial Day, so I cleaned the house.  I've baked some goodies for Mr. Man, and after starting to watch Smallville the Friday before school got out, I can say with a smile on my face, that I'm watching the first episode of season eight, the last season on DVD as I write this post.  Twenty-one more episodes of this season, all of season nine (which I'm going to have to figure out a way to watch soon!), and then I'm all caught up when the tenth and final season starts this fall.  But nothing I've done has been productive.  Nothing.

Inspired by a post I was pointed to by M, I decided to whip up a couple of jars myself.  One full of DIY projects I've been wanting to do, and the other full of house projects I've had on an ever growing to-do-list.  So I dug through my cupboards and closets and was able to come up with two cans, some twine, scrapbook paper I haven't used in ages but still love, a couple pens, a circle puncher, and scissors.  I hopped back onto our bed (hey, I could do this while I watch Smallville...amazing!) and got to work. 

I whipped up these two bad boys. 

Started punching some circles. 

Pulled out the multiple to-do-lists I have going on, transfered my goals onto the backs of the circles, folded them all into quarters and threw them into the cans.

And Viola! 

The goal is to pull out one from each can every day and complete the tasks at hand.  I HAVE to do the goals but I can't use it as a way to avoid other things (school work, house work, hanging out with friends).

Mr. Man has already joked that although it's a great in theory, he can't wait until the day I decide I don't want to do the circle I pull out of the jar and just give up on the whole idea altogether.  ...I'll show him!

I start tomorrow!

PS- M loved the idea too.  But naturally took more time with her labels and came up with these beauties!

Since then, I've requested that she make me two to replace mine with, DIY and house, and a new FUN! one so that Mr. Man and I can toss in some fun things to do around town.,.new resturants, new trails to hike, new bike paths to explore, new places to shop (and yes, the FUN! idea is stolen from M too).  M included a jar for her husband, Mr. Man's task just got thrown in with mine.  :)

PSS- M's new lens is AMAZING.  I've only seen a handful of her shots with the 50mm lens, but so far I'm in love!  Can't wait to get one of my own!