Let’s have coffee again. Or maybe iced coffee as temperatures finally picked up here. I love our monthly chats organised by Lecy and I am always looking forward. Ok, let just not waste precious time and get into catching up:
If you and I had coffee… I would ask if you made a summer bucket list. I always do and it’s just fun. And while we are talking about lists. Remember that time early 2000 when the blogging world made those 100 things in 1000 days lists? I finally made my own version. Still a work in progress but I plan on finishing before my milestone birthday comes up in three years.
If you and I had coffee… I would tell you that I made the most of my kindle unlimited subscription already by reading 6 books and just started 7th. Most of them have been on my TBR for long time. It feels good to be able to keep on reading stories I love.
If you and I had coffee… I’d ask if you ever had a really depressing birthday. My last one was rather sad, I felt alone all day and depressed and was disappointed by a family member forgetting my birthday all together. I had dinner with hubby and my parents at night which was a good ending to that awful day but still it couldn’t quite make up for the previous hours…
If you and I had coffee… I tell you about my experience of my first (medical) botox injection. It is done for migraine prevention and after years and years of popping pills we wanted to try out something new. While I am not too fond of needles I am not exactly scared. However getting those 15-20 shots in my face and nape was a really unpleasant experience. It actually hurt too and I am not looking forward to doing that every 3 month. Do you have experience with that?
If you and I had coffee… I’d mention that I recently purchased an eucalyptus plant and have no idea how to take care of it. Currently it seems to like the hot weather and heat on my balcony. It’s been sprouting twigs like crazy. However I have no clue what to do in when winter comes. And can I cut those twigs for my vases? Any ideas?
If you and I had coffee… I would wonder how you’ve been doing. What has been going on for you? Are there any struggles? What good came your way? I would like to know.
I’ll hope I see again next month for our little chat. For now I have to keep going. We’ll meet friends for dinner tonight and I want to do a few more things before heading out the door. Happy weekend
this post is my own little birthday celebration and if you like grab a coffee, enjoy a piece of my birthday cake and read along (and if you are interested here are my thoughts of 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018).
.I think: … I don’t feel as old as the number is saying. I recently participated in a survey and I was falling into the group 36-50 years. Really?! I feel definitely more like 29 than 49.
.I like: … my balcony and the new flower beds I planted. I really hope they will survive a bit longer than the rest. For now they make me happy every time I look at them.
.I don’t like: … wasting time and yet I do it a lot.
.I feel: … not as great as I would like. Too much tension, too much anxiety, too much noise, too much feelings in general. I’d like to scale all that down.
.I wear: … hopefully more homemade clothes. Have sewed a new shirt and working on two more. Other than that my current color theme is still white blue blacks and greys. Missing coral in the mix but can’t find decent stuff or fabric.
.I need: … motivation, momentum or something like that. It feels a bit like drifting. I do move into a direction but not quite sure if the path is right or if it needs correcting later on.
.I’m annoyed by: … all the thing I’d like to change and can’t. It’s really frustrating to not know how to and not being able to find a way. Maybe I don’t want them bad enough. Maybe I just don’t see the way I need to walk because no-one has taught me to see the signs.
.I want: … to find the perfect present for Mr. ♡
.I hear: …too much noise. I wouldn’t mind listening to the wind in the trees or the crashing of waves.
.I’m making: … a list of 100 things to do in 1.000 days. My plan is to achieve it when I hit my milestone birthday. When I started blogging those challenges were a huge hit. I always wanted to start one. Never got around in doing so. No time then the present, right? Feel free to follow along as I build my 100thingsin1000days-list and start crossing things off.
.I eat: … so many blueberries. Bucketloads. Seriously it’s crazy and I have no idea where this craving comes from. But there are worth things. It’s probably time to make a blueberry cake too.
.I drink: … coffee, earl grey with a dash of milk, green tea – in that order. Every day when being at home. Only then I start the cold drinks. Apple spritz, homemade rhubarb lemonade or iced tea.
.I smell: … the city, the heat, the tar starting to boil. For a short little while it’s the smell of summer, of freedom of carefree days. But soon it will be of misery, fatigue, stinking with too much human odor mixed with ozone and fumes. And it will be just too much.
.I miss: … my grandparents. The older I get the more I want to ask them. How funny is it that we appreciate the things only when we don’t have them anymore. That reminds me, I should probably listen more to what my parents say.
.I regret: … falling into the same patterns over and over.
.I appreciate: … being able to work from home on my own schedule. Taking a lot of time in the mornings, long walks, reading breaks and sit on my balcony for thinking. I appreciate my clients and everything I learn along the way.
.I trust. … that my neurologist knows what’s best and that the Botox treatment she is starting for migraine prevention will not effect my looks. I am quite happy with my face.
.I dream: … of a house by a lake. A balcony with view to a waterfront or some body of water near by. Since this has been on my dream-list twice in a row maybe it’s time to get serious about it.
.I read: … through my kindle unlimited list. After snatching a deal for three free months I try to read as many books from that list as possible. Other than that this year wasn’t too good reading-wise. Hopefully I will pick a few good ones in the coming months.
or iced tea.
.I smell: … the city, the heat, the tar starting to boil. For a short little while it’s the smell of summer, of freedom of carefree days. But soon it will be of misery, fatigue, stinking with too much human odor mixed with ozone and fumes. And it will be just too much.
.I miss: … my grandparents. The older I get the more I want to ask them. How funny is it that we appreciate the things only when we don’t have them anymore. That reminds me, I should probably listen more to what my parents say.
.I regret: … falling into the same patterns over and over.
.I appreciate: … being able to work from home on my own schedule. Taking a lot of time in the mornings, long walks, reading breaks and sit on my balcony for thinking. I appreciate my clients and everything I learn along the way.
.I trust. … that my neurologist knows what’s best and that the Botox treatment she is starting for migraine prevention will not effect my looks. I am quite happy with my face.
.I dream: … of a house by a lake. A balcony with view to a waterfront or some body of water near by. Since this has been on my dream-list twice in a row maybe it’s time to get serious about it.
.I read: … through my kindle unlimited list. After snatching a deal for three free months I try to read as many books from that list as possible. Other than that this year wasn’t too good reading-wise. Hopefully I will pick a few good ones in the coming months.
It’s always fun to read previous years once I am done answering the current one. Do you have a similar post? What’s your current mood?
It is the first of June. And while we technically have to wait for summer to arrive – calendar wise, weather wise it’s supposed to hit 30°C tomorrow – the date June 4th always starts of summer for me. So I am only a bit early in posting this years summer bucket list. However let’s have a quick glance at my spring list and how I did there:
✔️ Enjoy the first ice cream/sundae of the season.
✖️Find a birthday present for Mr. ♡ – working on it.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to cross everything off but I am pretty happy with all the things that did happened. I have a few plans for the coming season. Here is my summer bucket list:
1. Spending some more time strolling along Berlins lakes and canals. Instant relaxation, happiness and time spend with Mr. ♡. I want and need more of it. So my goal is to see as many lakes and waterfronts in and around Berlin as possible this summer.
2. Enjoy the balcony to the fullest. Just planted new stuff and I am happy happy happy how it turned out. I’m hoping I’ll keep up the watering. I will sit here writing blog posts, reading, working and having meals. It’s my happy place in this big city. I just wish the neighbours were quiet.
3. Taking a photo trip to a part of Berlin I haven’t yet been or wasn’t for a long time. Want to explore a bit more. with my current photo project I often just find time to go shoot within my vicinity of our apartment or errands I need to run. It kinda gets old. So I feel like I need to venture out.
4. Going to two school enrollment ceremonies. Both my godchildren are starting school this fall and of course I’ll attend their enrollment ceremonies. Luckily they are not falling on the same date. Anyone has any idea what to gift?
5. Celebrating Mr. ♡ milestone birthday. Coming up here soon. Still struggling with this gift-giving thing. It’s not my jam. Specially when wanting to do something extra special. Help needed.
6. Finishing #the100daysofcraftaliciousimages project. I will finish but not within the time. I decided to take it slow and not force it when a day doesn’t happen. So it will probably be more towards end of July. However I can already say at day 49 it’s a success.
7. Sewing summer clothes. Inspired by Selmin I have looked at my fabric stash and decided I need to sew all those projects I planned and had in mind when buying the fabric in the first place. So I am working my way through and making lots of shirts. I also attempt in doing my first shorts. We’ll see how that goes.
8. Making some more jewelry. I have a few ideas for jewelry I want to make. And I realized after creating this instagram post that lots of mine are really old. Some don’t look too good so it’s time.
9. Spa Day with myself Since the spa day didn’t happen with my friend now three times and therefore I kinda lost track of my annual goal of doing a spa day quarterly it’s high time I do this.
10. Baking from a new recipe I was given a new recipe book all around chocolate. Also I have my grandmas cookbooks and need to have a closer look at. It’s time to try a new recipe it’s all I am saying.
11. Go swimming. I haven’t been swimming in a long time. And I don’t mean hopping in a pool. For me swimming is going to a lake preferable with a surrounding forest and swimming out to the middle. The calm when you look around is just nice. Maybe I can manage to do this. Summer is supposed to be very hot even more so than last year. Can not imagine it right now but climate change is real so I believe it to be true. This reminds me of getting a fan. They were sold out last year for months.
12. Eat lots of veggies. I kinda forgot about my detox week. I feel like I could use one but I also know summer isn’t the best time for it. So I’ll try to eat more veggies, fruits and light foods. I know it’s better for me but pasta often wins. Definitely will be doing my favorite summer dish.
Do you have any plans and did you write your own summer bucket list? As always I’d like to know and maybe I can steal a few things for myself I haven’t thought of.
it’s time for our virtual coffee date again. I’ve been looking forward to meeting up with you my friends to check in how things are going and what is new with you.
I would… grab the largest coffee available. Lately I’ve been sleeping restlessly and waking up too early. So it’s been 4-6 coffees a day. Probably not the healthiest choice but it does taste good. And I do drink them with oat milk. Does that count towards health awareness?
I would… Want to tell you about last weeks vacation in Copenhagen. Such a beautiful place. We’ve been spending four days there in an apartment directly overlooking the water. It could have been anywhere to make me happy. But it was nice to explore the city on two days too. The weather was not too nice and two days it rained but I finally got some reading in. Also I was able to watch the cruise ships and ferries on their way into the harbour. Such a spectacle. As for exploring the city while walking lots we also rented e-scooters to move around the city. It was a fun way to explore. Lots of old castles, buildings, beautiful parks and waterfronts. Of course on our last day a) the sun came out and b) I saw areas I would have liked to explore a bit more thoroughly. Guess we have to be back. Have you been to Copenhagen?
I would… want to know what your blogging workflow is. I recently wrote a post about how I blog and ever since wondered how others been doing it. Everyone of us probably does something, feeling totally normal not worth mentioning and then for someone else it’s totally mind-blowing and a game changer.
I would… to tell you that I scored a great kindle unlimited deal and can read 3 months for free. I’ve been saving up books on a separate list for when I sign up. I usually do that when I know I go on vacation or have lots of time on my hand to read. So I am looking forward to read a few books that have been on my TBR a long time for the next months. I also hope this will end my reading slug. If you want to follow along come be friends on Goodreads.
I would… ask your opinion on something too. As you might know I’ve been freelancing for my third year now. While the first two have been (financially) very successful this year is very tough. I am far from reaching my goal I set (already almost half). So I wonder if I should get worried or what to do. It’s not that I can’t pay my bills, Ive got money saved but when is the point to start worrying. Being new to this it’s kinda hard to tell. Any freelancing friends reading along?
I would… on a more happy note tell you that I itch doing more crafts and sewing projects lately. I met with a friend and we made some colorful new jewelry for summer and spring. I will need to take some photos to show. Also I’ve been planning quite a few sewing projects. I finished a shirt with fabric I inherited from my grandma. Only took me 10 years to start cutting into it. But now I have 3 more projects lined up. I am trying to reduce my fabric stash. I have bought so many with projects in mind and never got around to doing them.
Before we leave I would… want to know what you would like to tell me about. What was the happiest moment since we last sat together?
Then I would gather my things, finish the last drop of coffee and we head of into the day. Later I would stop at Lecy to have a look around who else met up for coffee. Hope to see you around next months my friends.
Let’s chat about the blogging workflow today. Bine has put up 15 questions for Aprils blog love topic and they are really fun. Even if you are not blogging yourself it might be interesting to have peek behind the scenes. Let’s get started:
Blogger Type.
I would say I am a mood blogger. When I feel like it I blog. When I don’t it’s rather quiet here. Sometimes there are a lot of thoughts and random stuff here. Sometimes more recipes and not as often as I like DIY – meaning no time to be crafty. Overall though there is never really a editorial calendar. I have a few dates set where I really want to blog. I try to blog more before Christmas time but that’s about it.
Digital Tools.
MacBook, iPhone, camera. Can’t blog without them. I’ve never owned anything else but an Apple laptop. However I often write blogpost on my phone. I actually like the WordPress app. Lying in bed with insomnia or waiting for people I find myself typing snippets of future posts.
Analogue Tools.
I have a whole drawer of notebooks. Another one for pens. However I often use waste paper to plan out my weekly tasks and I divide them up into “business” and “private” or “have-tos” and “want-tos” and blogging lands on the fun side. Every day has a slip of paper and I throw it out when done. For more permanent brainstorming lists I use a notebook. One of the “not so good ones” and then I throw that out too. I call that cleaning up by the way. Slow process…
What tools do you use for blogging, research and bookmarking?
I am not so sure if I actually save and research in advance. I have only a few links I find worth bookmarking and they are all copied into a draft post in WordPress. Other then that I do it when writing.
Where do you collect blog ideas?
Currently I have 33 drafts in my WordPress backend. That is were I usually keep the more advanced post ideas, the ones that “need” to make it to life. For planning out the long term projects like I did with my “star advent calendar” or the NaBloPoMo posts I have a note in Evernote to keep track of ideas and check off what posts are done and where I still need photos. I also have a couple iCal calendars for blogging. Here I track link-ups, events, and posts I really want to publish. I used to include published posts because then I could see in an overview the distribution of posts. I like visualization of analytics. However I gave that up. Other then that I love my Pinterest. But it’s more a collection of DIY projects and what I personally want to do. This doesn’t necessarily reflect what needs to be blogged about. I just recently started using Trello and testing if setting up an editorial calendar there would work for me.
Your best timesaving trick or shortcut for blogging or in the Internet?
Setting up shortcuts for typing on the phone was one of the best tricks I ever came across. This really helps when leaving comments on blogs. I don’t have to type my name, my email, my blog url all the time. Because that takes out all the fun in commenting, right? This also can help setting up hashtag clusters for Social Media. Other then that I am still looking for better workflows in getting images from my Lightroom to Social Media. I hate all this copy, pasting, air dropping back and forth. Ideas?
Do you use a To-Do-List App?
As mentioned above I do use Evernote quite often for a lot of this. Collecting quotes, making checklists, collecting data. Not only for blogging. However it’s not perfect but close. I recently started working with Trello. Unfortunately I am missing a calendar overview to see what is coming up. Both apps can’t provide that (in the free version).
Is there another tool besides computer and phone you can’t live without?
Camera. With a few exceptions (in guest posts) all images in my blog have been made by me. So if I don’t have the right image the blog post can’t be published. Other then that I do like to have a hot beverage while writing so coffee machine or water boiler. And the tv. Not to watch anything but to start the fire place app. I would prefer a real fireplace but I don’t have one. In the summer time I might switch to a candle on the balcony. And if we drift of from blogging I don’t won’t to trade in my kindle. Ever since I started using that I have been reading so much more.
What can you do better than others?
I am not sure… Maybe plan and not follow through?! Absorbing knowledge for the fun of it?! Or maybe not being discouraged for not receiving lots of feedback here and still continuing? Oh maybe it is answering very comment I every received? I really don’t know, you tell me…
What do you listen to while blogging?
Nothing. Which is hard in a city like Berlin. But I enjoy tranquility and music only bothers me. The only sound I enjoy is a crackling of fire.
Are you more introverted or extroverted?
Depends. I think it’s an odd thing and how comfortable I feel around people. In places I have been before with people I am familiar with no one would guess I am introverted or shy. But I enjoy being on my own and lots of people do suck energy from me and I need time to recharge. On the other hand it can be quite motivating and engerizing being with likeminded peeps. I guess it’s all about balance as so much in life.
How is your sleeping routine?
Bad?! Could be better? But I sometimes occupy my insomnia by writing and editing blogposts. Probably not the best thing to get back to sleep.
Who should answer those questions?
Please, feel free to answer. I’d love to read about your routine. And then leave a comment so I find your post.
Best advice you ever received?
This questions been the hardest to answer. I can’t pick out one advice that’s stuck with me or which one I religiously follow. I am loving quotes and have collected them from a very young age. So there are a few ones that keep popping up. I believe any advise can be the best when it hits home and helps in the given moment. You might have heard it a hundred times before but suddenly it makes total sense.
Anything else?
Thank you for stopping by and reading my site. I really appreciate it.
