Nicole's

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thankful thursday: week eight

February 21, 2013 confessions, thankful thursdays

41. surprise flowers on Valentine’s Day (even though I told husband not to…)  42. a plan falling into place with near perfection 43. productive meetings 44. forgiving souls 45. dry days in February… in the Pacific Northwest. 46. co-workers sharing recipes 47. comments on my blog — (truly, I love hearing from you all!) 48. an overflowing to-do list that doesn’t allow me time for distraction 49. a {relatively} daring venture that comes out successful 50. escaping the office for a conference on Friday (a conference on Search Engine Optimization  I’m actually really excited. Nerd, yes.)
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confessions: computer fatigue

February 20, 2013 confessions

After a lovely three day weekend, the first day back at work can always be rough. Your mind is a little scattered. You need a little extra caffeine… You know the feeling. I had a major case of the Mondays yesterday. (Even though yesterday was a Tuesday.) I also took part in three webinars (co-hosting one), sat in on three meetings and managed to write four or five blog posts. My brain was fried. I never want to see another computer screen again. And yet… computer screens are my job. It is times like these where I miss the jobs of my youth: cleaning stalls, exercising horses, cleaning rental cars. Physical,...

confessions: putting pieces back together

February 19, 2013 confessions

After blogging last week about how everything in my life felt like it was broken or falling apart (the mechanical/electrical stuff), I’ve continued to wade through each day and I’ve watched how each little piece can be put back together. Even if it is a little adjustment here and there, things will come back to life if you set your mind to it. Don Miller blogged today about how he avoids feeling overwhelmed, and I’ve applied the same strategy most days. It is one step at a time, one sentence, one word. Even though we all want those weekends where we finish an entire project in one swoop, those ideal situations rarely occur...

book review: The Tutor’s Daughter

February 18, 2013 Book Reviews, confessions

Book Description: Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father regain his spirits when his academy fails, agrees to travel with him to the distant Cornwall coast, to the cliff-top manor of a baronet and his four sons. But after they arrive and begin teaching the younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen and danger mounts. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte, only to find the music room empty? Who sneaks into her room at night? Who rips a page from her journal, only to return it with a chilling illustration? The baronet’s older sons, Phillip and Henry, wrestle with problems–and secrets–of their own. They both remember Emma Smallwood...

thankful thursday: week seven

February 15, 2013 confessions, thankful thursdays

  What a wild week. Blame Valentines Day for the Thankful Thursday post being on Friday. I hope you’re not too OCD to bear with me. Did Valentines Day brighten your week? If so, ignore my grinch-like ramblings. But make an effort to have those sorts of days more often. Here are some of the gifts from this week: 36. the inspiration and motivation to change my diet (I’ll blog more about this later.) 37. seeing my first ad design in a national publication (Writers Digest):     38. husband surprising me with flowers on Valentines Day (despite my protests) 39. helping family out 40. tax returns. (’nuff said!) How...