Bind & CrEATe

For me, adult life can get rather routine. Go to work. Pay the bills. Do this errand. Do that errand. Lay on couch. Rinse and Repeat. For 5 days straight. Goodnight.

I’ve found that the secret to keeping my adult lifestyle a little more playful (and exciting) is channeling moments from childhood. Remember the excitement of winning a pizza party at school? Well, last night’s activity came in the form of a pizza party for three, hosted at the house. Ironically, we got to celebrate an achievement of Cat’s.

I never set the table on a weeknight. In fact, let’s get serious. I rarely eat at the table on a weeknight (or weekend, for that matter). Since it’s almost December, I decided to break out the Christmas-time runner and adorn the table with plates, utensils and (real) napkins.

Cat cleaned out the closet recently and found three perfectly sized Mason jars. Drinking from them at all times is now a fad around the house. I’m pretty sure it’s a fad everywhere else in this country, too.

The red plate is symbolic of a person’s achievement (i.e. Cat’s plate for the night). I received this plates= from a coworker last year, with a matching smaller plate and wine glass. At one time, they all said “You are Special,” but that washed off in the dishwasher. Nevertheless, when someone celebrates a success, they use this plate at dinner. This is a great DIY Christmas gift for a family member or newly-wedded couple.

Seconds later (more like a half hour), food magically appeared. Everything on this table is pretty much homecooked. The Caesar salad contained croutons made from a stale piece of bread, and the pizza dough was made in the bread maker.

This was one thick pizza. We layered the pie with a garlic-olive oil base, arugula, artichokes, prosciutto (on half) and both Fontina and Mozzarella cheese. Nick, our esteemed guest of the night, used his former pizza-man skills to slice that pizza up just the way we wanted. What a guy, that Nick.

If I could order pizza with this thickness every time, I would. Heaven.

There’s nothing quite like enjoying a pizza party with two of your closest friends. We may not have had streamers, balloons, or confetti – and I may have been a bit hangry for a moment – but we still had fun and enjoyed one another’s company.

I’m a strong believer of good friends and food, especially on a week night. It helps me get through the routine of the week and also relax. I love my friends. I love this life.

Tonight. Finally. Tonight! I can’t tell you how much I’ve been yearning to craft over the past few weeks. For whatever reason, it’s always the last thing to go on the list. The thing I won’t do in place of other things. Not tonight, thank goodness. Even better, I got to hang out and catch up with a friend while being creative. It’s always great getting a second opinion.

Tonight’s focus was on greeting cards. I generally buy cards from American Greetings or the like, but I’ve decided to be more budget friendly in December for the holiday. I’m attending a party on Friday night for the boyfriend, his sister-in-law and grandmother, who all had birthdays in or around November. Tonight, I focused on a card for his sister-in-law, Steph. Hopefully she’s not reading the blog. I decided to use my owl stamper from last year’s Christmas card collection. I literally glued together scraps from some paper I had around the house and tied the card together using a simple bookmaking technique. Here’s hoping that Steph has a royal hoot on her birthday.

For the boyfriend’s 91-year-old grandmother, I decided to go classic. I used this leftover paper from a book I once made for a wedding. The flowers, light blues and off-whites seemed great for a more classic look.

Again, I used a bookmaking technique for the string. I think it gives the card a little extra flair. I wrote “Happy Birthday” in cursive, though I’m not too satisfied with it. I have trouble writing like that, and my white pencil was quite dull. Nevertheless, I think it all ties well together.

I’m so thankful, so happy that I got to put my hands to good work tonight. Tomorrow? Perhaps more cards. Or maybe I’ll start brainstorming some DIY Christmas ideas. So far on my list? Homemade bath fizzies and peppermint bark.

Now I’m just wondering why I didn’t start this DIY process sooner.

It’s true. I’ve never met a sweet potato I didn’t like. Thankfully, it ties in nicely with Day 1 of my personal get healthier challenge. (Notice I say “healthier” instead of “healthy.” I already practice good habits I intend on keeping.) Did you know that sweet potatoes break down more slowly in the body? That means they produce smaller fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels. They are actually very diabetic friendly.

I didn’t make grocery shopping a priority this weekend, so tonight it was on the agenda. I rushed to the store after my evening workout and spent $40 on essentials. No matter how hard I budget or try to shop on the cheap, the items I buy always seem expensive. I think food in general is pricey if you want to eat well. Though I’ve found in my years of shopping that vegetables are always the cheapest of the bunch, clocking in much lower than the processed foods that aren’t good for you anyway. I guess it’s just a mixed bag these days. Nothing is free.

My roommate and I used this recipe for the dish: Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad. You serve it over arugula, which has a nice taste in my opinion.

I’ve noted on the blog before that my roommate and I often cook multiple meals at once. Tonight was no different. We whipped up three different meals for lunches and dinners this week – all vegetarian and/or vegan, of course. All of our meals for this week feature an orange ingredient. I like the sounds of that. Give me more beta carotene.

Learning Moment: Part of documenting my life in a (somewhat) public space is the ability to make commitments, share moments of learning, and ediscuss “failures.” I’ve loved keeping a blog for more than three years because I can literally document my own individual growth. It’s been a great way for me to keep track of my life’s goals.

The boyfriend recently asked if I felt like I had to live according to my blog, meaning: do I feel a stronger need to practice what I preach? The answer is absolutely, and sometimes I will succeed at that and other times I will completely falter. That’s what makes me human.

Tonight’s simple success I’ve come to a point in my life where I’m starting to recognize even the smallest of achievements. I made myself a much-too-long to-do list for the night. Instead, I got busy in the kitchen and completely forgot about the handmade cards I wanted to make it. It was probably a blessing in disguise. Not only did I get to create three meals, I got to do it while catching up with my roommate. Now, I’m moving crafting night to Wednesday. It’s not a big deal. I don’t feel bad. I don’t have to live by lists. They don’t own me!

Now, it’s time to fall asleep without guilt. A full day, indeed.

It should come as no surprise that (like everyone else around here) that I’ve come back from Thanksgiving feeling full.

I’ve been filled up in many good ways: filled with love; filled with good food, company, and conversation; filled with a certain holiday and fall spirit.

But I’m also feeling overly full in a few ways too. I’ve been overly indulgent. I’ve been splurging. Eating too much. Spending too much. Wasting time that could be fulfilling.

Like so many of you out there, I aim toward a balanced lifestyle. With some extra time to meditate over the past week, I’ve realized that I’m currently out of balance. Even if an Imbalance Test tells me that I’m doing okay, I still feel a need for change.

Mentally, I feel I’m at the best I’ve been in years. My work is rewarding. My personal writing seems to be improving, little by little. I’m in love with a good man. Most of my relationships with others are healthy and happy. I feel I’ve really come into my own, have really become Rose.

However, physically, I feel different. Some recent changes have caused me to put on a few pounds, and they are nagging. I’m not the type of person that fixates on weight for looks purposes. I do, however, fixate on my health. And when I begin to feel unhealthy, I try and look at the root of the problem, where it began.

I’ve said it before, but I really took a long, extended vacation after I graduated from graduate school. I truly stopped caring about my health. It began feeling challenging, bothersome, and not worth the effort. Now, 10 pounds more later, my attitude is changing. I don’t like feeling uncomfortable. I want this to change. I’m done with the vacation, completely.

Not only do I want to be mentally happy, but I want my body to feel worked and used. I want to feel strong and healthy again. I want to lay my head down at the end of the night with the feeling that I accomplished almost everything I could in that one day.

So, I’m going to start making some changes. They aren’t going to be easy. I’m going to miss snacking on potato chips (in large quantities) when I’m anxious. I’m going to miss skipping a workout on the weekend because “it’s the weekend.” I’m going to miss all of the unhealthy habits I’ve acquired over the years.

But at the same time, I’m not going to miss them at all. Because at my best Rose, I am a healthy Rose. Thankfully, I have support from the important people in my life to get back to my true healthy roots. I hope those of you reading are in that same category as well.

xoxoxo

Kacy and I have been discussing the idea of creativity. Particularly, how a creative writer can make it (even make it big) in this world.

It seems we’ve already faced up to reality: there just isn’t a dream job for us. When doing a craigslist search for a new job, us writers are forced to look at the marketing/PR section. It is the only place where we can find 1.) a decent salary 2.) a potential retirement plan and benefits (not always so) and 3.) something to pay the bills while we write in our free time.

“Free time” for a writer looks differently than that of a therapist, teacher, or researcher. Those people all leave their jobs feeling satisfied, fulfilled, and ready to unwind after a hard day’s work. I know people like that. I’m friends with people like that. They’ve influenced people. They’ve made a difference. They’ve performed creative acts involving their skills, and at the end of the day – they can truly relax and recharge. For us writers, it can be like that – or not.

I’m sure for most of us, we come home wanting to get all that creative energy out of us – but we’re tired, drained, and exhausted from a day of writing technical jargon, or staring at screens, or being mostly alone (which is the plight of a writer, no matter what type.) We want to send out our work to literary journals, but how? We just spent 8 hours working on writing that isn’t creative (or not even working on writing) plus hours commuting back and forth to our home. Plus we have to take care of errands, see people we love, all of that normal human stuff. Given those circumstances, how can us writers stay creative? Where – and how – can we find creativity within our days? How can we utilize “free time” so we can send our stories out for publication?

1. It does help if you have a creative job. Or at least a job where you write something.
I’m lucky in the fact that I truly enjoy my job, and I think it improves me, even as a creative writer. Each day presents a new challenge that I must conquer: making science accessible to the everyday reader. I have to really use parts of my brain that have been untapped since taking “Oceans & Atmospheres” in college. It’s good for me in that it’s a challenge, but I wouldn’t say it 100% fills me. Plus, I lose a good 10 hours a day where I could be working on a novel, novella, or series of short stories. Now that would satisfy me. But still, I write. So I am not rusty or out of shape when it comes to language. It’s easier to start when you’re not stale.

2. Surround yourself with writer friends.
My friend Kelly started a writer’s group nearly a year ago, and it’s been the best thing that’s happened to our group of friends. We meet every other week, on a rotating location schedule. A different writer is in charge of providing a prompt and reading work from a published author. This writer’s group forces me to continually generate new content, as well as read work published by others. Starting the group – and continuing it – wasn’t easy. We’ve had people drop out whom we’ve never seen again. But a core group still remains, and those folks have proven to be good, connected friends to have. Also – extend your friendships beyond a writer’s group. My friend Kelly and I are able to talk about writing whenever we want. We’ve motivated each other to submit to journals, join other groups, apply to school, attend readings, you name it.

3. Listen to music during all parts of the day.
I listen to music as much as I possibly can. With the advent of Internet stations like Last.fm and Pandora, I’m introduced to new music daily. I often feel my stories have a soundtrack to them, and sometimes I’m struck by a certain melody or musical movement. I can’t help but channel a past memory, or an idea, or even just a feeling – and then I know I need to write about it. Even if it’s just one sentence on a scrap of paper, it’s something.

4. Always be (physically) able to write.
There’s nothing worse than having a good idea, and not having a place to put it. For that reason, I follow the cliché writer style of carrying a notebook and a pen. I’ve also written on the “memo” section of my cell phone once, while waiting for someone at the train station. At one time, I took around a recorder with me. And if I have a thought at work, I add it to my Google doc entitled “writings.” Waiting to write something down has caused me to forget some very good lines. Stay prepared.

5. Make time.
Think about anything you’ve ever done in which you’re proud. It took time. It took a certain level of dedication, trial and error, and experimentation – whatever. In order to “succeed” or feel accomplished and good, you had to make it a priority. You had to make it part of the day, or week, or month. Like your romantic relationships or friendships, your relationship with writing has to be built on commitment. You can’t expect open communication from your brain to hand without making it a priority. You can’t expect to cross the finish line (or get published), without putting in a ton of miles (some good, others not).

Good luck being creative. I hope to post some writing exercises to inspire your hand to move sometime down the road. Please talk to us in the comments about how you stay creative and motivated as a writer, artist, athlete, whatever.