30 Days Of Lists | Days 1-9

I’ve been participating in 30 Days Of Lists this September.  I also did it last September, but only on my blog.  This time I made a mini-book and I’ve been updating it with the daily lists.  I think it’s such a neat way to document my life at this point in time.  Of course, I *would* find lists the coolest thing ever.  What’s my blog called?  Ha ha!

And because I haven’t been updating my blog with these lists since September started, I thought I would do one big blog post with them all, up until today.

30 Days Of Lists | Day 1: I Am A Lister because…

• It helps me stay organized
• I enjoy seeing my tasks crossed off and my progress visually
• It’s an easy way to journal + document my life
• So I don’t forget stuff
• I have a list for everything
• Lists are great for inspiration & ideas
• It helps me prioritize
• I AM LISTGIRL!

30 Days Of Lists | Day 2: Goals For The Month

• Run at least 30 miles
• Lose 2 lbs
• Incorporate strength training in some form
• Finish book “The Help”
• Complete 30 Days Of Lists
• Do 4 layouts for SC’s Pop Off The Page class
• Get closet purged and re-organized

30 Days Of Lists | Day 3: My Friends/Family Would Describe Me As...

• loyal
• organized
• committed
• doer
• runner
• eater
• sports fan
• scrapbooker/crafter
• fun-loving
• consistent
• planner
• creator
• justice-lover

30 Days Of Lists | Day 4:  When I Need A "Time Out", I...

• Go to my craft room
• Go watch TV in the bedroom
• Have a cup of coffee
• Go take a walk break
• Talk to some friends in the hallway at work
• Close my eyes and pray

30 Days Of Lists | Day 5:  Reasons To Start Eating Better

• More energy
• Lower cholesterol
• Sleep better
• Lose some unwanted weight
• Healthier long term

30 Days Of Lists | Day 6:  Reasons To Quit Wasting Time On The Internet

• Use the time to actually CREATE something
• Use the time to exercise more
• Use the time to hang out with friends
• Use the time to read more books
• Better for my eye and posture health
• Have more in-depth conversations with family/friends
• Consume less, create more.  Inspiration is nothing if it does not lead to action.

30 Days Of Lists | Day 7:  Midnight Snacks

I don't have midnight snacks.  But I do have 8pm snacks. :)

• Cheetos
• Roasted seaweed from Trader Joes
• Chocolate
• Hot chocolate
• Tortilla chips with melted shredded cheese on them
• Gummy bears
• Fruit
• Tea with soy milk

30 Days Of Lists | Day 8:  Out My Front Door...

• palm trees
• houses blocking my ocean view
• sunshine
• small porch
• driveway
• parked cars
• small front lawn
• usually an Amazon box, ha!

30 Days Of Lists | Day 9:  Today You Can Find Me...

• worrying about Noodle sneezing (catching a cold?)
• vacuuming for an hour
• running 3.1 miles (5K) on the treadmill in under 30 minutes for the first time in ages
• reviewing "The Help" on Goodreads.com
• at the computer
• in my craft room
• at Baskin Robbins
• making lists
• processing photos
• blogging
• getting things done!

For my album I used mostly the Heyday Collection from Studio Calico.  I keep it all in a melamine tray (from Target) on my craft table so I can just work on it immediately.  But everything is contained so I don’t feel like my craft table is a huge mess.  :)


Also, after the first day, I decided to print the list journaling out onto the Becky Higgins Project Life 3x4 grid journal cards.  That way the list stays the same size and I can just work on decorating my page.  It has worked out really well for me, giving my mini-book a cohesive look. Also, when applicable, I’ve taken photos with my Instax camera. The size of the Instax photo is perfect for my book. 

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Using Disc Binding To Make A Mini-Book

Last month I blogged at The Lilypad about the different methods of binding a mini book together. Since then I have discovered a new binding method that I had to try out!  It’s called disc binding.

I saw this system online in the DIY planner communities, where people love to DIY notebooks and daily planners by designing or downloading calendars and printable notebook pages, and then fully customize their planners.  When I saw it I thought, why limit it to planners?  There’s all kinds of possibilities with custom notebooks and mini-albums!  So I braved the back-to-school crowds and went to Staples to buy the supplies.

The system is called the Arc system and it’s available at Staples.  (Not in any way affiliated with them.  It’s just where it’s sold exclusively.) It’s basically a line of modular planners where you can move pages around however you like, because the pages are removable due to the special holes on it.  All the pages are bound with discs.

The discs come in 1” and 1.5” sizes.  I only got the 1” disks this time.

This is what they look like laid flat.

I bought the special hole puncher and started punching different sized scrapbooking papers.

See the holes?  They’re sort of mushroom-shaped half-circles with a slit.  I lined up a couple of pieces of paper and put the discs in.  Then I added more papers to the discs.  The different sizes can be put into the discs however you want to line them up.

And they’re totally removable! You can move one page into a different part of the book at any time, unlike traditional binding, where the page placement is permanent.

I added an overlay for the cover and back of the mini book and embellished it.  This mini book is sized 6”x8” overall, with different-sized papers in there.  I’m using this as my 30 Days Of Lists book. The discs look huge now, but once my notebook is filled with my lists and added embellishments and additional journal cards, it will become thicker.

And why stop at mini scrapbooks?  I took some 8.5”x11”  lined and graph papers and punched them with the Arc paper punch.  Then I added the discs and added white cardstock and a Hambly overlay as the cover.

I LOVE the concept of a DIY notebook, because you can add whatever type of papers in there you want!  They also sell Arc page dividers that you can add into your notebook, or you can make your own with some cardstock as well.  And with this system the pages are fully removable and re-orderable. I love it!

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30 Days of Lists | Day 30: I'm Proud Of Myself For

It's hard to believe that this is list #30 for 30 Days of Lists already! The last one! I've been enjoying these list prompts. Some have been thought-provoking, some have been silly, but all has been fun. I can totally see some of these developed into scrapbook pages! :)

So here we go with the last list from 30 Days of Lists.

30 Days of Lists | Day 30:  I'm Proud of Myself For

• Working my way through undergrad college
• Working full time while going to school at night to get my MBA
• Taking care of my mom all the way to the end of her life, when she was sick with cancer
• Being good at what I do for a living (financial analyst)
• Being a go-getter at the beginning  years of my career, to get to where I am now
• Starting retirement savings at age 23
• Purchasing first house at age 25 
• Being loyal to people I love
• Taking calculated risks 
• Taking up regular exercising at age 27
• Always trying to see things through to the end
• Trying to do what I said I was going to do, and not just talk about it
• Honoring my commitments
• Having a strong sense of justice, even though sometimes it causes me pain
• Going skydiving
• Running a marathon (26.2 miles) and two half-marathons
• Having a mind of my own
• Recognizing a good man when I saw one, and marrying him 17 years ago  :)

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30 Days of Lists | Day 28 & 29

Almost wrapping up with 30 Days of Lists for September!  I’m really happy I did it, but I’ll also be ready to move on to October and be done!

30 Days of Lists | Day 28:  If I Ruled The World

• Everyone would go by their childhood nicknames.
• There would be singing in the office.  Singing is my favorite.
• There would be International Elf Day, where everyone would watch the movie Elf at the same time.
• There would be real justice in everything.
• Everything would be fair.  Nobody could claim something is not fair.
• We would only do things that we love and get paid for it.
• No more taxes.  I guess the government would magically have money.
• No more gambling or casinos.

 

30 Days of Lists | Day 29:  Things That Were Awesome About This Month

• Cooler weather
• Jacuzzi is working again
• Trip to Ohio
• College and NFL football
• Making lists
• Crafty adventures
• Todd completed the San Diego Triathlon Classic
• Hanging out with Dejah & Roby

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30 Days of Lists | Day 25, 26, 27

From Thursday to Monday we went to Ohio to visit Todd's family.  I had scheduled some blog posts during the time that I was away.  I hope to process the photos from the trip and blog them later this week.  It was a wonderful trip!

On to the 30 Days of Lists...

30 Days of Lists | Day 25:  Today's To-Do List

Well I didn't do this list on the actual Day 25 because I was on my trip.  So this is actually a to-do list for today, 9/27.  Which is horrifying the amount of work I came back to.

• Go through the 70 work emails that I got while I took three workdays off.
• Present the financials (annual budget, resource planning, and capital requirements) to the SCP auditor for the annual audit, which happens to be today.
• Start working on first pass of 2012 budget.  Friday is new sudden deadline from the boss.
• Drink lots of coffee to get through all this.
• Notify accounting of the new CPC accrual amounts for the rest of the year.
• Deal with some purchase orders and invoices.
• Ask Brian for parts rework charges by country and send the charges through Titan.
• Straighten out the new FML organization code for the new hire in Spain.
• Drink lots of diet Coke to get through all this.
• Go home and process trip photos.
• Pay month-end bills.
• Pull my hair out.

30 Days of Lists | Day 26:  Things To Do Before My Next Birthday

• Lose 10 lbs
• Go to my yearly physical checkup
• Go to the dentist
• Finish 2011 Project Life and New 52.
• Plan 2011 Elf Party
• Handmade Christmas extravaganza
• Trip to Dallas
• Trip to Hawaii

30 Days of Lists | Day 27:  My Overused Words / Phrases

• Get a life!
• Give me a break!
• As if.
• Really?
• Put that on the calendar.
• I don't have time for this _______.
• Aww Noodz.  (When our cat Noodle does anything remotely cute or funny.)
• What's for dinner?
• Unacceptable!
• Tao yen!  ("That's annoying" in Chinese)
• Nomz
• Cuuuute!
• Best thing ever!
• Where's Noodle?
• That's SUPER-DUM.  D-U-M, DUM.
• Homie don't play that (yea, I still use this phrase from the late 80's)
• You should bookface that (that's what we call Facebook)
• Can you believe that?!

Now I'm beginning to think I must be super-annoying to be married to...

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30 Days of Lists | Day 22, 23, & 24

30 Days of Lists | Day 22:  Ways to Avoid Housework

• Surf the internet
• Go running
• Read books
• Watch TV
• Crafting
• Hang out with friends
• Go enjoy the outdoors

30 Days of Lists | Day 23:  If I Won The Lottery

This actually would never happen to me because I never play the lottery.  Instead of putting money into buying lottery tickets, I put it into my 401k for retirement.  I actually don't really fantasize about having a huge financial windfall.  But since it's a prompt, I'll play along.

• I'd live in the same house as now
• I'd drive a slightly better car (mine is 12 years old)
• I'd hide the fact that I won the lottery 
• I'd sock most of the money away for a rainy day
• I'd go on some trips to see some parts of the world that I'd never been to
• I'd share some money with my sister
• I'd still work, but not sure if it would be full-time like I do now
• My life wouldn't be totally different

30 Days of Lists | Day 24:  Things I Like To Do When I Am Sick

• Nap on the couch
• Drink lots of water
• Watch mindless TV
• Read some books/magazines
• Take a hot shower
• Drink hot beverages
• Not be on the computer that much

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30 Days of Lists | Day 21: TV Shows I Wish Would Come Back

Well, some of the TV shows on my list would date me for sure!  :p

30 Days of Lists | Day 21:  TV Shows I Wish Would Come Back

• Buffy The Vampire Slayer
• Veronica Mars (I was in 4 eps of Season 2 as an extra!)
• X-Files
• Knight Rider (yes, seriously)
• Columbo
• Beverly Hills 90210 (the original)
• The OC
• ABC After School Specials
• Friends
• Seinfeld
• Happy Days
• Miss Match (the 2003 Alicia Silverstone show)
• Scrubs
• Gilmore Girls
• Quantum Leap
• Voyagers (the time travel show in the 80's)
• Miami Vice (ha ha!)
• Monk

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30 Days of Lists | Day 20: My Dream Space

I really love our house, but of course I love looking at really nice airy and organized space. 

30 Days of Lists | Day 20:  My Dream Space Would Include:

• Large wall of windows facing the ocean
• A library room with floor to ceiling bookcases and a ladder
• Double shower + a jacuzzi in the master bath
• A craft studio with walls of shelves and cubbies for organization
• Grand two-story entrance
• Two story living room
• Very large open kitchen for entertaining
• TV room with slide down screen, large projector, and lazy boys
• Pool and jacuzzi outside
• Colorful walls

Some examples of awesome spaces I’ve pinned from Pinterest.

Source: bhg.com via Christine on Pinterest

Source: blog.hgtv.com via Christine on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: alifemorefabulous.blogspot.com via Christine on Pinterest

Source: cocokelley.blogspot.com via Christine on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Christine on Pinterest

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30 Days of Lists | Day 19: Inventions I Wish Were Real

This month I’m participating in 30 Days of Lists on my blog. 

Here we go with List 19!

30 Days of Lists | Day 19:  Inventions I Wish Were Real

• Transporter from Star Trek
• Nose filter for cigarette smoke
• Pill that melts fat
• Genie in a bottle
• Time machine
• Flux capacitor
• Invisibility cloak
• Happiness pill

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30 Days of Lists | Day 18: A Few Favorite Things

30 Days of Lists | Day 18:  A Few Favorite Things

• Crisp and clear fall mornings
• Fall Saturday mornings waking up and watching ESPN College Gameday in bed.
• Sleeping in when I can.  Once in a blue moon.
• NY style thin-crust pizza
• Having a good meal with some good friends
• Spending time in my craft studio
• Project Life
• Cheering on Todd on his endeavors
• Notebooks
• Pens & pencils
• Running
• Completed checklist
• Ice cream
• Snuggling and chatting with Todd
• My cameras
• My computers
• Learning new things/ideas and being excited about them
• Adobe Lightroom
• My Silhouette digital cutter (hmm maybe crafty things need to be on their own list, ha ha!)
• Long summer days when I can go out for fresh air after work
• Warm winters in San Diego
• The ocean and the beach

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30 Days of Lists | Day 17: Fictional Characters

The prompt for List 17 is “Fictional Characters With Whom I Have Fallen In Love”.  I saw this prompt and immediately went “bleh”.  I’m definitely not the type of woman who falls in love with fictional characters.  I have not read the Twilight series, but I still don’t get the “Team Edward” and “Team Jacob” thing.  So I’ll be up front and say that I’m not that into this list prompt.  So this list is more like “Fictional Characters That I Find Pretty Interesting”.

• Eric Northman from Charlaine Harris’ “Southern Vampire” series
• Bill Compton from the same
• Joe Hardy from “The Hardy Boys Mysteries”
• Kermit The Frog
• Spike from “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”
• Veronica Mars

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30 Days of Lists | Day 16: Dream Jobs

I can honestly say that I do enjoy my job and have been at an accounting /finance type of job for 18 years.  I don’t plan to change that any time soon.  So while some of these jobs would be kind of fun, I don’t REALLY have any dream jobs that would make me quit my current job.  There are some jobs that would seem like a fantasy job, but if I have to deal with a lot of people, I wouldn’t like it.  I love numbers.  I don’t love dealing with people in general!  And I’m a realist.  So I don’t tend to fantasize about dream jobs.  Having said that, these jobs might be fun.

30 Days of Lists | Day 16:  Dream Jobs

• Brad Pitt’s personal assistant
• Novelist who works from a beach home
• Architect
• Interior designer
• Food critic
• Movie critic
• Hawaii tour guide
• Travel guidebook writer
• Professional photographer (who only deal with nice and reasonable people)
• Librarian
• Beachside hot dog vendor
• Professional shopper
• Chocolate quality control (taster)
• Ice cream quality control
• Museum curator
• Writing instrument tester
• Graphic designer

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30 Days of Lists | Day 15: Never Have I Ever

This one could be interesting! 

30 Days of Lists | Day 15: Never Have I Ever…

• Traveled to Europe
• Traveled to South America
• Traveled to Africa
• Traveled to Antarctica (although I’ve researched into it)
• Traveled to Australia
• Seen the movie “Titanic”
• Been to China, even though I’m Chinese
• Had a cat that wasn’t orange or gray
• Eaten fois gras
• Ran a 10k (I’ve run 5k’s, half marathons, and a marathon)
• Driven across the United States (although I’ve been halfway across)
• Owned a one-story home
• Read any of the Harry Potter books (although I plan to get to them someday)
• Read any of the Twilight books
  

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30 Days of Lists | Day 14: My Favorite Outfits

Based on the example at the 30 Days of List private blog, I think we’re supposed to take photos of ourselves in our favorite outfits.  Yea, I’m not doing that tonight.  I’ve got a ton of other things on my to-do list, so a text-form list will have to do.

30 Days of Lists | Day 14:  My Favorite Outfits

• My #1 favorite outfit is most definitely tshirt, jeans, and flip flops.  It’s how I roll around here in southern CA.
• Tshirt and shorts
• Tshirt and a skirt (see a theme here?)
• Peasant tops and jeans
• Polos and khaki pants (for work)
• Polos and jeans (for work)
• Layering a hoodie over a tshirt when it’s cooler
• The occasional summer dress

What can I say, I’m not really into clothing.  I was more into it a few years ago when I was thin and fit into everything fashionable.  Maybe one day again I’ll be fashionable.

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30 Days of Lists | Day 13: Things I Do To Procrastinate

Me?  I would never procrastinate!

Ok, truth is, I would actually be SO much more productive if I didn’t procrastinate!  Seriously sometimes I want to slap myself because I would have a project due and dread it so much, thinking it’s really difficult.  I would procrastinate until the last minute, do it, then wonder why I had procrastinated because it actually wasn’t that hard or it didn’t take as long to do as I had thought it would.  So the emotional toll of feeling guilty for procrastinating and having the due date hang over me is really self-inflicted.  Sigh.  Hopefully I’m not the only person like this!

30 Days of Lists | Day 13:  Things I Do To Procrastinate

• Eat
• Read crafty blogs in my Google Reader
• Pin stuff on Pinterest
• Hang out on Facebook or Twitter
• Talk to other people at work
• Check emails
• Surf the internet in general and get sucked down the rabbit hole
• Anything other than the task at hand!

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30 Days of Lists | Day 12: Things That Motivate Me

I think if you were to ask Todd what kind of things motivate me, he would tell you that I spend a lot of time and effort  being a "safety pup".  This mindset requires that I think ahead regarding unpleasant/bad scenarios that COULD happen and then actively try to avoid it from happening by being prepared.  Sometimes it's not very fun being a "safety pup", but it's the default way that my brain thinks.  When someone else experiences a bad outcome that could have been easily prevented, I take solace in my "safety-pupness".  If you don't know who Safety Pup is, you can find out here.  If you go down my list of things that motivate me, avoiding bad outcomes is a theme.

30 Days of Lists | Day 12:  Things That Motivate Me

• Not being old and poor - I read a personal finance book once that scared me into making sure I won't be old and poor.  So every year we max out our 401K and IRA contributions.  This can be a whole blog topic onto itself.  I'm a saver for sure.  My graduate degree was MBA in Finance and I've worked in accounting/finance for 18 years, so I know just enough to be dangerous.  :p  
• Not be old, fat, and sick - I know sometimes illnesses can happen to anyone, even seemingly healthy people.  But one of the main reasons I exercise regularly is to be healthy and try to keep at a healthy weight.  Yes, I love the endorphins too, and how exercising makes me feel good.  But I'm mostly motivated by not becoming old, fat, and sick.   
• Not forgetting - I'm actually sort of obsessed with memory-keeping.  I don't want to forget anything that I've experienced or done that's worthwhile.  This motivates me to blog and to scrapbook, and do my Project Life album.  Yes, I love the creativity, but I'm motivated by memory-keeping.
• Making good memories - it goes without saying that in order to blog/scrapbook my memories, I need to make some good memories!  I actively try to do things so that I have memories to keep.
• Learning new things - I really LOVE the thrill I get when I learn something new that I want to try out.  This pertains to any topic I'm interested in.  I really love to learn new things.  
• Having new experiences - I love new experiences and the enrichment that they bring to my life.  This is why I embarked on my life project this year called "New 52".  
• Sharing knowledge with others - when I've found something awesome, I'm very excited to share with others.  That's why some of you call me an "enabler" on Facebook, where I do a lot of these one-off sharing.  But it's not just physical products, I just love to share anything I'm excited about.  This is why I really enjoy Pinterest so much too, because it's like a big huge circle of sharing of awesomeness!  
• My love for Todd, my dad, and my sister motivates me.  I do a lot of things for them because I love them and don't want to see bad outcomes for them.  One example of this is that I went with my dad to see a lawyer about setting up a trust and a prenup before he got remarried, a year after my mom passed away.  I would advice this for anyone getting married later in life.

Well, this turned out to be a dissertation rather than merely a list!  It's sort of an eye-opener for me even.  Things that motivate me.

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30 Days of Lists | Day 11: Favorite Thing About This Time of Year

We don’t have distinct season in San Diego, but I do have some favorite things about this time of the year.

• Crisp morning and evening air
• Wearing long sleeves
• College football
• NFL football
• The beaches get less crowded than the summer
• Lots of sales both in stores and on the internet
• Making soups
• Playing in an all-women fantasy football league
• Spending more time indoors on crafty things
• Brainstorming for handmade holidays
  
  

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30 Days of Lists | Day 10: At This Moment

At this moment:

• I’ve just finished watching the season finale of True Blood Season Four.
• I’m wistful that another weekend is over.
• I’m enjoying the crisp night air.
• I feel accomplished about all the things I got done this weekend.
• I’m excited about the crafty stuffs I’ve been doing and plan to do.
• I’m tired.
• I have garlic breath from our homemade pico de gallo and guacamole.
• My cat is following me around.
• Todd is playing a revamped Lara Croft video game.

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30 Days of Lists | Day 9: Weekend Plans

This list is not necessarily this weekend.  It’s what I usually do on weekends or what makes up my ideal weekend.  :)

30 Days of Lists | Day 9:  Weekend Plans

• Taking naps
• Running at the coast
• Church
• Seeing friends and hanging out
• Watching football
• Grocery shopping
• Eating out
• Scrapping my Project Life
• Crafting in my craft studio
• Processing photos + blog
• Reading
• Household chores
• Relaxing (I try)
• Reading blogs
• Shopping
• Acting like a tourist in San Diego

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30 Days of Lists | Day 8: Things That Remind Me of My Childhood

This is an interesting prompt, because I don’t have very many mementos from my childhood, having moved from Taiwan to California in 1979 with just some suitcases and nothing more.

Things That Remind Me of My Childhood:

• Coca Cola
• G-Force / Gatchaman cartoon (I loved it so much as a kid that I actually bought the entire 112 episode DVD series when it came out a few years ago!)
• Grilled corn with spicy sauce from street vendors in Taipei
• Playing Chinese jacks (watch youtube video on how to play!)
• Kickball
• Pencil boxes
• Scratch N Sniff stickers
• Jumping puddles with my rain boots on
• My mechanical pencil collection (still have it)
• Hello Kitty
• Walking to school with my sister
• Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants
• Scooby Doo
• Schoolhouse Rock

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