It’s a numbers game, Baby!

 If anyone tells you that they don’t care about the numbers, my guess is that they’re lying.  These days it’s hard to NOT care about numbers.  Think I’m wrong?  Think again. 

What’s your age?  What’s your weight?  Your blood sugar?  Your blood pressure?  The number of calories you’re putting in your body today?  What’s the number of new emails in your inbox in the morning?  How many friends do you have on Facebook?  How many fans on your page?  How many hits to your website in the last week…the last 24 hours?   How many followers?  How many sales in your eBay store, your Etsy shop?  How many people heart your shop?  What’s your feedback number?  How many text messages are on your phone?  How many points did you get on that paper?  How many points do you have in the class?  What’s your GPA?  What did you get on the ACT?  How many points did you score in the big game?  What’s your salary?  The price of your new house?  Your new car?

It seems like numbers are becoming more and more important…but do they define us?   Do we use them to keep score?  Sometimes the numbers pump us up and sometimes they are one more way we measure ourselves against the rest of the world and see ourselves as falling short.  Maybe our co-worker has more Facebook friends or a blog we admire has a huge following and we feel like we’re never going to get there.  We see celebrities losing an amazing amount of weight and wonder why we’re unable to duplicate the results.  Numbers can be tough.  They’re hard to argue with.

Even so,  I admit it.  I’m a numbers junkie.   The 2nd thing I do every morning is step on the scale.   I know, the experts say you shouldn’t weigh yourself every day, but it helps keep me on track—or get back on track.  If the number drops it encourages me to keep it up.  If it goes up I know I have to try harder.

It’s probably my competitive nature, but I also know all the numbers related to my online presence.  How many sales in my Etsy shop, how many hits on my blog, how many fans on my page, etc.  I don’t obsess over them but I am aware.

On days when my knees and back are aching I feel old.  And, this fall as I head back to school as a 45 year old student (again) I will feel old amid the 20-somethings.  But when I get carded buying beer or when someone is shocked that I have a 20 year old child, suddenly I feel young again.

I don’t believe numbers should define us.  I think they merely describe where we are in a snapshot of time.   The best part about numbers….like everything else, they tend to change.

My new backyard

Ok.  I’ve decided.  Since I’m allergic to grass and trees….it’s only logical that I get a new backyard.  I’ve  decided on this one!  The powers of manifestation are not working very well…yet…but I’m not giving up!  :)

Remember those “Calgon…take me away” commercials from the 80s?  I know.  I’m old.  Most of you have probably not even heard of them…but anyway…that’s how I’m feeling lately.  If only soaking in a tub of bubbles would melt away the day. 

Springtime is a crazy, busy…as in “oh, it’s 2p.m. and I haven’t even thought about taking time for lunch” kind-of-way for me at work.  We have a huge event the third Friday in April.  Once it’s over I spend the rest of the term playing catch-up with everything that has been ignored for the previous 2 or 3 months.  Last year during this catch up phase I found myself wishing I could just work a chunk of the summer to get everything done.  This year?  Not so much.  This year I’m ready for some R&R. 

I’m also looking forward to doing A LOT of scrapbooking.  My Etsy shop has become a bit depleted over the past few weeks and I’m anxious to get it filled back up.  If you have some ideas of what you’d like to see in my Etsy shop or  (or purchase from my shop!!!), leave me a comment.  I’d love to hear from you!

But…before I can start my R&R and my full-time summer gig of scrapbooking, I need to get through the next few weeks and get 3 kids back home from college!  Seriously…it feels like we JUST moved them into those dorms yesterday!!!! 

I’m not kidding…time is going TOO FAST!

So Inspired…Words to Live By…10

He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away.  ~Raymond Hull

Happy National Scrapbooking Day 2010!

May 1st…already!  Can’t believe it.  In honor of NSD I’m working on scrapbooks for my shop.  No big event…just a day to catch up on adding new items since I’ve spent the past several weeks filling orders.

Lately I am so drawn to glitter.  Don’t know why…it just seems to pop out at me.  I love this bridal set…the beautiful glittery dress with rhinestones and the chipboard letters. 

 The pictures are not the greatest and don’t do justice to the beauty of this book.  The sheer ribbons are hard to capture in photos…at least for me—with my limited photography skills!  :(

Wouldn’t this make a fun shower gift? 

Or just a special gift for the newly engaged! 

 

 

 

So, are you doing a fun scrapbook project today?

So Inspired…Words to Live By…9

Do not wait; the time will never be "just right."  Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.
--Napoleon Hill

I must admit…sometimes this takes more faith than I can muster…but it’s worth some thought.  What do YOU think?  Do you wait for the perfect time, or just go for it?

Don’t forget to check out Tracey’s inspiring words for the week.

 

100% Princess….of course!

I’ve been working on orders all weekend.  Trying to catch up on things that got pushed aside a little bit the past couple of weeks while I was dealing with back pain.  Thankfully, I’m finally feeling better. 

Anyway, like I said, I’ve been working on orders and somehow almost all those orders have a boyish theme.  Don’t get me wrong…I LOVE orders and I LOVE boys….but this adorable little princess paper has been sitting here taunting me for days.  I just couldn’t resist any longer!

 

And, what about that white butterfly trim?  Can you see the butterflies along the edge of the black paper?  They’re held in place by some pink brads.  Just love it!

I couldn’t resist using some of the white pom pom trim either.  I can’t remember where I got that trim but every time I’m at the store I look for it hoping to find some more before I run out!

Oh…by the way…the paper and stickers are from the ADORNit line by Carolees Creations. 

Okay, okay…now I’m going back to the boy paper….. :)

So Inspired….Words to Live By…8

 

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it;

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. 

— Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe