four goals for 2014

It's 2014!  Erin and I rang in the new year right with lots of good conversation and a Gossip Girl marathon.  I'm a lucky girl to have such a lovely best friend like her.  This morning we had a tea party brunch with her sister.  This year will be the YEAR OF TEA, I can feel it.  England, here I come.  

New beginnings keep me refreshed, so I'm all about the concept of making resolutions for the new year.  Every year it seems like I take a different approach, which I suppose makes sense, because every year I'm looking to change something different.  I guess that's a good thing.

The four simple goals I made for 2013 were more like life-long goals.  (Be happy, healthy, brave, confident.)  Because to be honest, most of these things I will probably be struggling with my entire life.  They take effort and time and a whole lot of patience and forgiveness.  Each year I hope to improve on these four goals in some way.

I will be the first to admit that 2013 was one of my harder years.  Okay, let's get real here--it was definitely my hardest.  I hope my 20's are a little easier on me than they have been so far.  I've always known that life gets harder, but also more rewarding.  Now I know this personally, because despite the obstacles, I have learned more about myself, my relationships, and my dreams for the future--much more than if everything had been peachy keen.  Becoming an adult is hard, guys.  Major kudos to my mom who somehow managed to raise me while she was still this young.  I know I certainly couldn't do it!  Nope, not even close.

So this year, I am going to keep those four former goals in mind and set four achievable goals for 2014.  Goals I can look back on and say, "YES, I did that." or "Hah, NO, I did not do that."

1)  Remember to take my vitamins.

2)  Read one non-school related book a month.

3)  Create a crafty travel journal to document my European adventures.

4)  Have FUN.

four simple goals

(x)  

This year I wanted to keep my resolution list simple and took a cue from A Beautiful Mess.  Here are my four simple goals for 2013.  

1)  Be happy.   Enjoy each moment without over thinking it.  Stop worrying and obsessing constantly.  Amy wisely said on her blog, "The only thing I can truly control are my actions, and not the outcome of my actions."  I love this, and need to remember this as I try to find my inner peace.  I want to keep a feelings journal to fully understand the things that make me happy and unhappy.

2)  Be healthy.  Explore nature more.  Do yoga (Ted and I are taking a class at school).  Stop complaining about the excessive stairs back up to my dorm (I live on a hill, guys) and frequent walks back and forth from my room to the theatre building.  Eat only foods that make me feel good (and yes, sometimes a cupcake makes you feel awesome).  I want to intentionally do something active at least twice a week and eat something green every meal.

3)  Be brave.  I'm finally realizing that I'm an introvert, which makes it hard to make friends because I tend to keep to myself in social situations.  I want to also stop feeling bad about not wanting to constantly be with other people.  However, I want to make an effort to go out of my comfort zone at least once a month.  

4)  Be confident.  Be less critical of myself.  Be proud of things I do and make.  Know where I am going figuratively (in the future) and literally (directions are not my strong point--even when I know where I am going, I question myself and get myself lost).  Stop doubting myself and my talents.  I want to share more creative outlets on my blog such as crafts, outfits, and designs.

I'm so excited for 2013! I hope you have a safe and wonderful New Years Eve.  ♥

resolution recap

This year I made a resolution list that had big and small goals.  See it here. 

1)  Learn the harmonica  Still waiting on this one.  I always lack motivation in the musical department unfortunately. 

2)  Go camping  Not quite.  But I did do a little hiking and went on  an outdoors trip through school.  Baby steps.  I'm trying!

3)  Apply for a semester abroad  Yes!!!!  I am in the process of applying for the Spring 2014 London trip.

4)  Learn to knit (and not forget)  I did this!  I've even knitted gifts for multiple people already!

5)  Find a summer internship  I worked for a local costumer this summer, which was a great experience.

6)  Attend a concert  I saw Andrew Bird at the Keller with Ted and The Killers with Ted and Rebecca.  Both were awesome, but seeing The Killers was a dream come true!  They were my first band love, afterall.

7)  Learn how to budget $$  I actually really took this one to heart and am now making a huge effort to stay on top of my finances.  Mint helps with this.

8)  Make a short film  NOPE.

9)  Collaborate with friends on a project  Although this is not exactly what I had in mind when I wrote this resolution, I have to say that Rachel's upcoming wedding falls into this category.  I've had so much fun helping her with invitations, engagement photos, crafting, and planning.  If I could be a wedding planner, I'd be pretty okay with that.

10)  Take a class about something I know nothing about  This applies to almost all of my classes, to be honest.  Even when I go into a class thinking I have some kind of grasp on the content, I quickly realize how much I don't know...

11)  Design and make a dress pattern  I haven't done this, but I did do sewing/designing over the summer and designed for my first production at school this fall.

12) Discover a new passion or obsession  Did I find a new passion or obsession this year?  I'm not quite sure.  

Well, that's how my year panned out with resolutions!  Can't wait to make new ones for 2012--I am such a sucker for new beginnings.  

trial and erin

In hopes of fulfilling my goal to "Learn to knit (and not forget)," I've been working on a small project, which I might share at a later date if it turns out half decent.  I have made many forays into knitting over the years, but have lacked the patience to finish anything worthwhile.  Thanks to my aunt Keli, I am starting fresh with with some new bamboo needles and multicolored yarn (to hide inevitable mistakes).

Today Erin and I made knit cactuses.  Hooray for actually finishing a project!  In two episodes of season 1 Glee, no less.  Props to Erin, who was very patient with me even after I made 9230498 mistakes.  The cup holding the cactus is from an adorable vintage sake set that Domenico gave to me for my birthday years ago.  I think he was under the impression it was a tea set at the time, but that's okay--it's adorable.  I am watching Mad Men at the moment and Don Draper just whipped out some sake.  Of course, Don.  ALSO, Sue made a Mad Men reference during tonight's new Glee episode and I loved that and everything is connected and life is like that.

19 more days until I go home for the summer

Things to do this summer:

Work on this.

Catch up on Mad Men & Boardwalk Empire.

Make & document something new each week.

Organize my craft supplies.

Read like my life depends on it.

Start a book/craft club with my friends.

12 before '13

(pinterest)

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. Ghandi

I am going to focus on trying to embody this mantra.  As a perpetual dreamer, I constantly have ideas, plans, ambitions, and goals that I want to accomplish.  Some are big, some are small, some are serious, but most are silly and fun.  I think this is fantastic, but it's also a bit overwhelming having so many dreams that I may or may not be able to bring to life.  What I need is some focus with these little ideas and aspirations.  One of my favorite bloggers (A Beautiful Mess--I'm obsessed with this girl) makes lists of things she wants to accomplish before her next birthday.  I thought I would bring my own spin to the list.  Instead of 18 goals before age 19, I am going to make a list of 12 goals before year 2013:

1. Learn the harmonica
2. Go camping
3. Apply for a semester abroad
4. Learn to knit (and not forget)
5. Find a summer internship 
6. Attend a concert
7. Learn how to budget $$
8. Make a short film
9. Collaborate with friends on a project
10. Take a class about something I know nothing about
11. Design and make a dress pattern
12. Discover a new passion or obsession

resolutions of years past

(pinterest)

I'm already thinking about New Years, which is one of my favorite things ever, because who doesn't like fresh beginnings and a reason to wear sequins?


Instead of making a list of resolutions this year, I'm going to try another tactic.  I am going to look back on how successful my past resolutions have been (oh the beauty of blogging) and decide what kind of goal-setting is right for me.  Feel free to disregard this post altogether; this is one of those times where blogging is acting as a middle man to my own self-awareness!


Resolutions for 2009:  Probably because I was new to blogging and all around more profound as a pretentious middle schooler, I kept my resolutions simple.  

• overcome my fear of dancing in public Proud of this one.
• keep stress at a minimum  Although I can't say with certainty that I rid myself of stress in 2009, I did gradually move toward to where I am now--an unusually minimal-stress person.  This is something that at the same time is an awesome thing and a slightly unnerving thing.  But mostly awesome.
• focus on each moment just as it appears Still working on this.  Who isn't, except, like...Buddha?

Resolutions for 2010:  I focused on what kind of person I want to be.  Which I think is great, because that's what resolutions should be about--improving and building someone you can be proud of.

• I want to be the kind of person who is self-sufficent.  I will boycott buying clothes this year and sew up my own.  (See the product of this resolution here.)  Although I'm obviously not completely self-sufficent, after working on this resolution I have become much more aware about the things I buy and the possibility of bypassing things that I could easily make.
• I want to be the kind of person that is charitable, all year around.  I will grow my hair out long to donate toLocks of Love and continue to try to contribute more to my community.  I can always be more charitable, but although I did not donate my hair to LoL in 2010, I did this year!  
• I want to be the kind of person who takes each moment as it happens, and lets it go as it passes. I will try not to dwell in the past, however sweet it was--it only takes up space that should be full of the present.  Only Buddha, man.  Only Buddha.  I'm trying though.  I promise.
• And as always, I hope to simplify, simplify, simplify.  Always striving to do this, but often take a couple of steps back before going forward!  
• Also:  No more multitasking!  All I can say is that I've gotten better.

Resolutions for 2011:  This year I had a lot of small resolutions, most of them repeating previous goals, but also including a very important one that I feel that I have made a very big improvement.  "Think positively (Avoid thinking in negatives and phrases like "I wish" or "I hope."  Example: "This year is going to rock!" instead of "I hope this year rocks!")"  It seemed a bit silly at the time, but as I look back at that, I have realized how much this has improved my outlook and increased my already pretty consistent optimism.  As for my three main resolutions, to sum them up:

• LIVE.
• EAT.
• CREATE.

These are three things that I strive to nourish daily, sometimes successfully, sometimes not.  C'est le vie!  Although I think that moving to Portland has been pretty successful in nourishing my appetite for life, food, and creativity, while at the same time increasing it, if that makes any sense.  Just know:  It's a good thing.

As for 2012.  Stay tuned.

welcome 2011

You are already fantastic.  I am so happy I got to spend New Years with my friends--I love them so much.  I am so excited for all of us!  2011 is a momentous year.  

This year, I have a LOT of resolutions, big and small.

LIVE.  This is the second half of my SENIOR YEAR we're talking about.  I'm going to be doing that thing where I GRADUATE.  Then I am going to do that little thing called MOVING OUT and GOING TO COLLEGE.  I will be living in a new city (Portland) with new people and new experiences.  This is no time not to strike up conversation with some random person or try something new.  No excuses.  It's time to live live live LIVE.  And please, don't be shy.


EAT.  I baked more than I have ever baked in my life in 2010; now it's time to get better at cooking too!  I am the biggest foodie, so I also can't wait to discover all the restaurants and food carts in Portland. As hard as it is (I love food so much!) I do hope to become less carnivorous.  This will become a lot easier when I move out, but for now I will live more strictly by my "only eat meat when it's for dinner" meaning I never order meat when I am out to eat.  This is pretty easy to follow most of the time, but sometimes a burger is just necessary and sushi is my ultimate weakness (I can't give that one up).  I will try harder though, because I really do feel like I eat better when I do.


CREATE.  I did pretty well not buying clothes during 2010 (although after Black Friday I will admit I broke down a bit--hence the $5 black sequin pencil skirt I mentioned the other day--it seemed necessary for New Years...), so I will continue to honor this resolution to an extent.  After all, I do need to stock up on cold weather clothes!  I do find great pleasure in being self-reliant, so I will continue to only buy clothing I couldn't possibly make on my own (yet).


A few more:

• Get 8 hours of sleep every night
• Don't compare myself to others
• Only check Facebook/email/tumblr/blog once a day (no, really!)
• Watch more movies, read more books, see more concerts, visit more places, make more friends
• Be helpful, charitable, and kind
• Study more (this won't be a problem if I get into Reed...)
• Simplify
• Avoid multi-tasking too much (Be like Audrey: "When she reads, she reads; when she fits, she fits; when she talks clothes, she talks clothes, when she sits under a drier, she simply dries."
• Think positively (Avoid thinking in negatives and phrases like "I wish" or "I hope."  Example: "This year is going to rock!" instead of "I hope this year rocks!")
• Be awesome
• Be the person I want to be

The year is already sweet--I am currently blogging on the couch with Izzy beside me and I put on Marie Antoinette while I do laundry.  Life is good.  

new years resolutions: five months later

So, almost half of the year has gone by. How incredibly exciting and terrifying is that? Life has this cunning way of sneaking by time right under my nose. It's been wonderful, regardless. Life just gets better and better. I can only hope I am too!

So, for starters, I have been sewing up my own clothes in lieu of shopping, starting with this dress.  Here are some examples:

This dress was (believe it or not) my fifth grade Halloween costume at one time.  I altered it as a halter dress so it still fits me.  For the record, that year I was Nancy Drew.  Little did I know then that seven years later I would strive to be Nancy every day...

This is the dress I made over spring break with the fabric my dear friend Rachel gave to me for my birthday!  And yes, the hat is necessary (as hats usually are). 

I made this top with some old 70's material I found in a tub in a closet at my grandma's.  (My great-grandma went through a phase where she would just bring over boxes of old stuff--score, right?)

 My latest sewing project took place a few nights ago--I finally put my Portland fabric to use! 

Although I haven't used a pattern since sixth grade for my Harry Potter cloak (oh yes), the other week I was given this magic at my mom's relay for life team's garage sale:

Two HUGE tubes of vintage patterns.  So my Portland skirt is the product of (loosely) following the pattern on the very far right.  I don't take direction well when it comes to sewing, but I now have two tubs of endless inspiration!  Life is sweet.

But I have a confession.  You know that garage sale I mentioned?  Just so happens that the parents of one of the team members (coincidentally my awesome 6th grade math teacher), were getting rid of everything in their house (where the sale was at) before moving in an old folks home.  Just so happens this woman's mother kept ALL of her and her children's clothes from EVER. 

And just so happens I ended up going home with a few bag fulls of vintage clothes for under $20.  But can you blame me?  At the time I thought I was in a dream.  A miraculous, wonderful, lovely dream. It was pure joy, being surrounded by so much old stuff on a beautiful Saturday morning. 

So I broke my first resolution slightly.  Although I have to say--hey, the money went to charity.  And isn't that my second resolution?  To be more charitable?  So there you go.

More acts of charity have been...acted.  I can't bring myself to list charitable instances though.  Seems silly.

Perhaps most importantly, my third resolution was to live more in the present.  This is sometimes a struggle for someone like me, who finds so much pleasure in the past and easily dwells on sweet memories.  The only thing that cures this is being around people, creating new memories.  John Steinbeck says it best:  "Having a companion fixes you in time and that is the present, but when the quality of aloneless settles down, past, present, and future all flow together.  A memory, a present event, and a forecast all equally present."  Although I do value my alone time, sewing and reading, I count on the company of others to root me in the present. 

So there you go.  That's that.

P.S.  I think I can officially declare myself out of the blogging blues.  Longest blogpost of my life.

I ♥ quotes

Back in the day, I used to spend a lot of free time (what's that, right?) on Brainy Quote reading quote after quote, being so darn thoughtful.

Luckily for me, it's Spring break, so I can revel in the Kaylie-ness I sometimes don't get the chance to humor because of, you know, real life. ( Because instinctually, I am a dreamer--not an AP student.)

So I've been catching up on my reading.  Reading!  For fun!  It's such a lovely thing, really.

And I've been sewing every day, keeping true to my resolution.  I even finished a dress today, thanks to the fabric my awesome friend Rachel gave to me for my birthday.

This all makes for a very happy Kaylie. 

Anyway, I think this quote continues to be my favorite (I'm a sucker for the Transcendentalists):

Our life is frittered away by detail... simplify, simplify. -Henry David Thoreau

guess what

Just so you readers from Facebook are aware, NO, I HAVE NOT BEEN ON FACEBOOK POSTING NOTES!  This came up at lunch today and I was laughing because the last status I left was that I gave up Facebook for Lent, then all these blogposts are apparently popping up on there (because I have my blog linked to Facebook), so I look like a crazy note-posting liar!  Hah!  So, just a FYI, to save some face.

And so this post isn't a complete waste, I give you this gnome I took a picture of in Ireland.  Isn't he cute?

not all resolutions are forgotten

This year, I haven't bought any clothes, just like I resolved to do.  In fact, this restraint has served its purpose as motivator to get me to sew more often for myself (aside from the constant altering and hemming that comes with being a 4'9 almost seventeen-year-old), because late the other night I found myself at the sewing machine, sewing up this floral dress.  Spring is already here, in my mind.  I'm riding my bike whenever I get the chance and singing to Coconut Records in my head.  The weather couldn't be better for such behavior.  Definitely not six more weeks of winter here, Punxsutawney Phil.

Happy Mardi Gras, by the way.  I'm Catholic, so I always give something up (until Easter) for Lent.  This year, it will be Facebook.  Last year, it was reading blogs and watching TV (okay, Gossip Girl was the exception).  I like Lent, because it makes me realize how I can simplify my life by finding out what I can (or can't) do without.  For instance, one year I gave up caffeine.  Ever since (we're talking like 4th grade, here) I haven't been much of a caffeine drinker.  One year, I gave up cookies (which is particularly trying because February is Girl Scout cookie time).  Well, I still love cookies.  About the blogs--well, I still love and need those too.  But the TV?  Since last Lent it had been unplugged for the majority of the time (okay, Gossip Girl was the exception).  So just a few weeks ago I replaced it with a record player. Regardless, I enjoy Lent.  Even if you aren't Catholic, I think it's a novel idea to practice restraint in at least one area of your life, whether it be a sweet indulgance or a social networking site.

WWAD

This year I need to remember to ask myself, What would Audrey do?  I have a book that I got a couple of Christmases ago that is titled just that--What Would Audrey Do?  The passage that I always end up thinking of (about multitasking), goes like this :

      Instead, Audrey focused on whatever she was doing at the time--having a fitting, writing a speech for UNICEF, goofing around with the dogs--and moved on to the next thing.  This gave her focus and equanimity.  Plus, she accomplished more.
      "When she reads, she reads; when she fits, she fits; when she talks clothes, she talks clothes, when she sits under a drier, she simply dries," reported Cosmopolitan.

I often find myself multitasking--who doesn't?--and therefore I often find myself coming back to this brief bit of common sense.  Do what you are doing, do it, then move on.  Seems logical, right?  Yet I rarely find myself absorbed in one thing at one time.  Yet I know how good that feels, to just sit there and read; to just ride my bike without planning what I'm going to do next; to just get my French homework done at once and move on to the next thing.

The sad thing is, it took my computer to set me straight this time.  It started acting very moody and I finally understood why when I realized I was trying to do way too many things at one time.  I was simultaneously trying to begin writing an essay (with three Word documents up), check my email, catch up on a blog, and start up iTunes.  Why the rush?  The essay will be written.  The emails will be returned.  The blog isn't going anywhere.  Silence could be good. 

So, here is another resolution for this new year:  No more multitasking!

a new year

New Years is such a nice holiday--what could possibly be more encouraging than a bright new year?  I am constantly trying to be a better person and ultimately the person I want to be, and New Years brings this pursuit into full focus.

"Life isn't about finding yourself; life is about creating yourself." -George Bernard Shaw

This is a quote to literally live by.  Too many people I think, waste time trying to figure out who they are, instead of simply striving to be who they want to be.

I want to be the kind of person who is self-sufficent.  I will boycott buying clothes this year and sew up my own.

I want to be the kind of person that is charitable, all year around.  I will grow my hair out long to donate to Locks of Love and continue to try to contribute more to my community. 

I want to be the kind of person who takes each moment as it happens, and lets it go as it passes. I will try not to dwell in the past, however sweet it was--it only takes up space that should be full of the present.

And as always, I hope to simplify, simplify, simplify.

How 'bout you?

oops?

Who was I kidding? I love Valentine's Day. Anyway, it's not that far away.

the new year

I plan to... overcome my fear of dancing in public, keep stress at a minimum, and focus on each moment just as it appears. I want to live an overall more simple life, without the overpopulation of premature thoughts and actions. (It's taking me a lot of willpower not to begin preparing for Valentine's Day, let me tell you!)