So this week I thought it would be fun to show you a printable I made during one of my dates with me.  Drum roll, please!  Tada!  Here it is!

I made this happy little printable with the hope that it would make you smile and feel inspired, just the way you have inspired me.  Yes, you  Every time you read a post, every time you leave a thoughtful comment, or favorite my (currently) tiny little Etsy shop I feel motivated to keep the conversation going.  We are creative ladies, we are girl geniuses and we totally rock!  Crafting pretty word art that reminds us of this, is one of my favorite ways to relax and have fun.

What about you?

What do you like to do on those rare and awesome days when you have some time to yourself?

Let me know in the comments and I will pick some peeps to get a free digital copy of this print!  Yep, just for being your amazingly fabulous self!

We could all use a little glam decor, that's what I say.
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xoxo,

Jen

The post Crafting a Great Date Night appeared first on Jen & Company.

Hello, Gorgeous!!  It’s been a lonnng time!  I am excited to be back on the blog and writing to you.  Hope you had a great few months.  My life has been full of chaos and happiness all at the same time.  I will spare you the deets, but let’s just say I have a new home, a new love and lots of big travel plans.  Life is a fabulously hectic adventure, to say the least!

Soooo, let’s get back to Happy-ology 101, shall we?  Where were we?  Oh yes, Habit #4…I love this one!  I had a couple of weeks where I was falling into that space where you worry too much about what others think of you.  It was so timely to look back at Habit #4 and see what my 3 month younger self had to say about the topic of self-love.  If you want to see the original post, you can find it here but I will recap for your reading pleasure.  I said, and I quote…

I really don’t think it is possible to be contagiously happy unless you get comfy spending time alone with yourself.  Take yourself out for a walk or have a relaxing bubble bath.  

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If spending time by yourself sounds un-fun, that is the first relationship to cultivate.
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 Just like the basics in habit 1, self-love is the main ingredient in the happiness formula.  If you need distractions or approval from others to maintain your good feelings about yourself it leaves you vulnerable [to losing your happy easily].

Have you ever had a time in your life when you forgot to be your own BFF?  It can be so tempting to look to others for your sense of self.  The trouble with this plan is that it doesn’t make a great foundation for a happy/loving relationship with yourself.  There will always be someone who doesn’t approve of you, or someone who wants you to do things her way.  If you look to others to tell you who you are, it will leave you feeling a little lost.   But fear not, if you ever feel this way you can get back on track easily, I promise.  Start by remembering your value.  You are important, beautiful and brilliant.  You deserve to be happy and to be treated with respect and compassion. It’s your job to act like your own friend.  We all want to be loved and happy, so start taking care of yourself like the lovable rockstar you are and it will draw in others and spread more happiness in their lives as well!  Think of yourself as, well, contagious…except this time you are spreading joy instead of the flu.  Go you!!

Need some dating ideas?  Below is a list to get you started.  These are some of my favorite things to do during my alone time.  I like spending time with me.  I can be pretty fun. What about you?  Are you a fun date?  What do you like to do to show you how great you are?

Ten of my Fave Dates

1) watch a favorite movie

2) take a bubble bath

3) go for a long walk or workout

4) get my nails done

5) go get my favorite coffee drink

6) go shopping

7) collect ideas on Pinterest

8) listen to books on Audible

9) take a class or watch a tutorial

10) do craft projects

What I’m Reading: The Pursuit of Perfect by Tal Ben-Shahar– Jen’s take: This book reflects year of research in Positive Psychology, by world-renowned Harvard professor, Tal Ben-Shahar.  The message is that perfectionism is a recipe for unhappiness and a sense of failure while optimalism (healthy perfectionism) and embracing realistic expectations and developing your appreciation of “good enough” is key to happiness and life satisfaction.

xoxo,

Jen

P.S.  A big shout out to Nancy at Domesticraft for the beautiful image of a craft project in the making, thanks for sharing your photographer’s eye with the rest of us!

The post The Happy Habits Series: Habit #4 Take Yourself on a Date appeared first on Jen & Company.

*If you want to get back to the beginning of the conversation, you can find the original Happy Habits post here, the Habit #1 details here, Habit #2 here and here and…TADA…you are all caught up.

When you fill up on good stuff that you love to do, you have more patience and energy to handle the ups and downs of life with a positive perspective.  Happy habits are those that protect and increase your energy.

I have been taking my own advice and doing lots of fun stuff that makes me happy.  While it has been great, this blog is one of my favorite activities and I am so glad to be back here with you.

In case you need permission or a reminder, consider this your official notice.  If you can’t remember the last time you went scuba diving, knitted booties for dog, made an ice sculpture or whatever it is that lights you up, it is time to do it…NOW.

Life is so precious; we know this in our hearts, and yet we often get caught up in the day to day and forget to carve out time for the things we love doing.  Whether your excuse is lack of time or money, I ask you to take a minute to remind yourself of what really matters.  When you look back at your life, your fondest memories will be of time spent with people you love doing the things that make you happy.

What’s your passion?  Or if that word is too loaded, what do you have a lot of fun doing?  What kinds of activities make you look up at the clock in surprise because you utterly lost track of time?  Those are the things I am talking about.  Figure out how to make those experiences as frequent as possible and your happy muscles will get stronger and your stress levels will go down and you will have more patience and positivity in your approach toward yourself, those you love and everyone else.

From that perspective, you can stop seeing time spent enjoying yourself as selfish (if you are prone to guilt, like me) and start seeing it as your responsibility to those around you as well as to yourself.  So really, it would be selfish NOT to spend time enjoying the things that make you happy, and you wouldn’t want to be selfish, would you?  You’re welcome.

In thinking about the happy habits series, I have been having a great time reading up on happiness.  My latest read (and when I say read, I really mean the Audible audiobook I listen to in the car during my commute…) is a fabulous book by two brilliantly brainy researchers, Elizabeth Dunn & Michael Norton entitled, “Happy Money”.  Among other interesting findings, Liz and Mike (as I like to call them) found that people often spend the majority of their money on items that give them the least amount of joy like a more expensive house or car.  In their studies, they found that money spent on experiences and money spent freeing up time by outsourcing dreaded tasks (like housework and gutter cleaning) made people significantly happier than the fleeting joy of buying material goods.  As long as you have a perfectly reasonable standard of living, any extra money you come up with might ultimately be best spent on an amazing vacation to Fiji with loved ones or a Tight Rope Walking class rather than a new TV or the latest toaster.  This might seem counterintuitive or impractical, but happiness IS valuable.  Thanks for the reminder and the perspective, Liz and Mike!

What do you love to do?  What are some of your favorite ways to spend time?  Tell me, tell me, I can’t wait to hear.

xoxo,

Jen

The post The Happy Habits Series: Habit #3 Do Things You LOVE appeared first on Jen & Company.

Okay, this week I wanted to finish off the list of life tweaks you can use to build time into your day to prioritize your favorite people.  You know who I am talking about!  Your parents, your friends, your siblings and cousins, your children.  I know the list is long, but that is so awesome, right?!

Life is filled with so many amazing relationships.  That is why it is so key to get organized enough to maintain them with the same effort and attention you give to all your important tasks and projects.  If this comes easily to you, that is great!  For me, it takes some planning and even then I still go through times when I think, “When was the last time I talked to (insert name of friend here)?”  That’s always a wake up call to get back on track and reevaluate my time management and priorities.  And that, my friend, is an ongoing process.  Expecting and accepting that things are always changing takes the guilt out and puts the fun back into life, don’t you think?

On that note, let’s get back to the list!  See the previous post here so you can get caught up…

6. Picture the Future

I love this one!  Sit down and visualize, write out, draw or otherwise document your future.  What do you see there?  This is a chance to relax, get quiet and really envision the awesomeness.  Don’t let fears and worries get in the way, just picture the happiest scenario you can imagine.  Are you surrounded by friends and family?  Do you have adorable kids?  An incredible partner?  Are you traveling the world?  Or tending your veggie garden?  Chances are your ideal future has other people in it.  If not, stop here.  Just kidding, OF COURSE, the people you like and love are part of your happy future!  Once you can envision it, it paves the way for making the decisions and commitments that will lead you to where you want to go.  Start with the end in mind, girl!  Just like any other kind of goal setting, it is hard to get somewhere until you consciously decide where you want to end up.

7. Spend Time with People Headed in the Same Direction

Now that you are clear about who you want to see in your life now and in the future, you can go about the business of growing existing relationships and cultivating new ones that fit into your amazingly happy future.  Yay!  So back at the way beginning of this list (#1), you let go of relationships that weren’t happy and fulfilling.  That means you now have more time and energy for the people you already have in your life who are absolutely wonderful.  So, call them, write to them, see if they want to take a walk with you or chat over a glass of wine (cup of coffee), you get the idea.

Heading in the direction of your joyful future might also require cultivating new relationships as well.  If that sounds fun, great!  Seek out like-minded people who inspire you, make you laugh and make you think.  If the prospect of developing new friendships or a romantic relationship sounds daunting, try taking it slower.  Focus on things you love to do and try to find ways be more social in the process.  If you love photography or painting, could you take a class or join a club where you will be surrounded with others who feel passionate about these interests, too?  Take a baby step toward people who are living the way you want to be living.  You might make amazing friends or meet someone special.  The probability of making connections is 100% greater than it would be if you just stayed on the couch with your cat (not to say cats aren’t great friends).

8. Get organized and Get Out your Calendar

If you struggle with organization, you might need to strengthen those skills and get used to literally putting plans on your calendar.  Some people are great at this (they make plans well in advance, they don’t forget birthdays, etc).  Others of us, not so much…but that’s okay, now is the perfect time to start getting organized, right?!

Okay, so grab your list of favorite people and your calendar and start scheduling time into your calendar for a check in.  Literally make an appointment to “Call Katie and see how the job interview went” or “Email Mom about having lunch next week”.  If you are the type of person who likes to put a checkmark by a completed task then use this strategy to motivate yourself to keep your relationships at the top your priority list.  Remember to treat your dates with friends and family the same way you would treat an important business meeting.  If you wouldn’t flake on a business partner, don’t flake on your sister or your best friend either.  If you respect and value your relationships, it will show and they will only grow.  A strong support system is key to a healthy and happy life.

9.  Start Delegating Already

I know there are a bunch of reason why we can’t (or think we can’t) delegate some of the tasks on our overwhelmingly huge to do list.  Whatever the reason why not (not enough money, no one else can handle it, etc.), just for a second let’s entertain the idea of delegating.  Let’s just brainstorm a few options without letting the objections get in the way.  What are the time consuming tasks that you might be able to hand over (all or in part) to someone else?  I immediately think of  cleaning house as a big one.  I don’t love doing, it takes time away from things I would rather do or time I could be spending with the awesome peeps in my life.  I am not at a place (yet) where I can afford a housekeeper, but I have started to give my kids some reasonable chores.  It’s a win-win because they are learning responsibility, life skills (including how to earn money) and the work gets done so much faster when I am not the only one doing it!

Another biggie is child care.  Everyone needs a break sometimes.  If you can hire someone to help with the kids so you can take your partner on a date or hang out with a friend, DO IT!  It is money well spent!  If you are ok with hiring someone but don’t know who to hire, ask around and find someone you feel comfortable hiring.  If you don’t want to hire anyone for whatever reason, think about creating a partnership with a friend where you take turns watching each other’s kids.  Or, maybe reach out to a family member and ask them to watch your kids on occasion in exchange for a batch of chocolate chip cookies, perhaps?

Just remember Beautiful, when you are struggling with the “I can’ts” recognize that they might be more like “I won’ts”.  Sometimes letting go of the need for control or the feeling of guilty can free up your time and energy so you can focus on the things that matter most.

10. Quality not Quantity

I know, I know it is such a cliche.  But, sometimes things are cliches for a reason…because they are TRUE.  The key to prioritizing the people you love is to focus on quality time.  So be PRESENT, put away your cell phone and really listen to what your bff is saying, or work on a puzzle with your son…give people your undivided attention.  I would rather have a thirty minute uninterrupted coffee date with a good friend than an hour long visit where she checks Facebook and answers text messages every few minute any day.  What about you?  I am guilty of this too, of course.  I have tried to check email while my daughter is drawing a picture and telling me a story, only to look up and see that she has given up on talking to me because my absentminded “yes, aha” and “oh that’s nice” weren’t fooling anyone.

Another myth is to believe that it isn’t worth doing if you don’t have a lot of time.  I used to think, “I am not going to call this person back yet because I only have fifteen minutes to talk.”  Pretty soon a week had gone by and I hadn’t called because there was never a big enough window of time for the call.  JUST CALL.  I don’t know about you, but I would rather get a fifteen minute return phone call the same day or the next day than wait a week to hear back from someone because they didn’t have the time for a long chat.  Even a text message really is better than nothing.  If you can’t find a minute to call, a quick text to say that you are thinking of someone goes a long way.  I have even sent people three word emails just to say Hi.  I remind myself that a quick hello is better than silence.

A last note about quality time, it is ok to ask those we love what they want to do.  It isn’t quality time if people aren’t connecting and enjoying themselves.  The other day I asked my 6 yo. son to write a list of things he would like to do with me when we have time.   I couldn’t believe some of the things on his list!  I live with this kiddo, I gave birth to him, etc. and yet that doesn’t mean I know him inside and out.  He is his own little self, with his own ever-changing interests and needs.  His list included: having a “cute” staring contest (where each player makes there cutiest puppy dog eyes while simultaneously trying not to blink) and me teaching him Spanish.  I was amazed and amused by his idea of fun and I would never have known what he wanted to do if I hadn’t taken a minute to ask.

Thanks for hanging in there for this looong list of ideas.  I hope you found a few ideas that will help you juggle life and fit in time with your fave people.

xoxo,

Jen

P.S. I have some exciting projects in the works!  I might blog a little less over the next few months so I can fit in time for these big ideas, but I haven’t gone anywhere.  Big hugs!  xo-J

The post The Happy Habits Series: Habit #2 Prioritize Your Fave People Continued… appeared first on Jen & Company.

How are you, gorgeous?  I have been dying to write to you this week!  I have so many ideas to bounce off you.   Seriously, are you ready?  Do you have a cup of tea or a latte or something?  Get comfy so we can figure out how to make our lives even more awesome by Prioritizing the People we adore.  A few weeks ago, I asked you about your favorite people, do you remember?  Okay, now it is time to pull out your list of faves and create a plan for making them a priority.  If you already do this, then fabulous, you are excused to go on your date with your hubby or girls’ night out, or whatever else you have planned.  But, if you are like me, and your best laid plans for putting your besties, kiddos and family at the top of your long to-do list don’t always pan out, then listen up…  I know it is easy to slip into the habit of taking people for granted.  I also know sometimes the most important members of our lives seem to get whatever is leftover of our energy after a long day at work, running errands, cleaning house and all the other tasks that fill a day.

While some of life’s hecticness is unavoidable, much of the busyness comes down to taking a time out and doing a priority check (literally).  If the connections in your life make you happy, if you want to foster those relationships and keep them healthy, if you want to get picky about who you hang out with, then I have a handy list of life tweaks to allow more time for the people who matter most.

 1. Waste no more time on low value, time/energy sucking relationships

I will get into removing toxic relationships from your life more in a future habit, but let us just say that clearing away the clutter is step one.  How much more time and energy would you have for the people you love, the people who energize, support and inspire you, if you  freed yourself from commitment and relationships that don’t serve you?  If you are spending your time with someone or doing something purely out of obligation, ask yourself why.  If it is possible to eliminate this time/energy drain altogether?  Then DO IT.  If not, can you at least reduce it to a minimum?  Can you phase it out?  Not sign up to take it on again in the future?  What can you do protect your happiness and time?  It might be as easy as deciding that you no longer care what others think of you.  Don’t stay stuck in an unhappy experience just for the sake of appearances.  Remember, we are into self-love here, girl.  You are too valuable to waste yourself on people and situations that don’t deserve your attention.

 2. Make your List For Realz

Actually, seriously, make a list of all your awesome people.  If you want to get really clear, make the list in order of priority, or at least levels of priority so you can be realistic about how much time you can really devote these relationships.  Remember, spreading yourself too thin probably won’t leave you or anyone else feeling super fulfilled.  That said, feel free to list people who you adore, but haven’t seen in forever, if you want to make an effort to include them in your posse, now is the time.

 3. Take a Look at your Day

Hopefully by now, you are rocking your morning and night routines (I know you are), and since those routines incorporate a lot of your healthy body action steps (sleep, healthy diet, vitamins, exercise, etc.) I’m sure your energy level is totally improving.  So, now that you are structuring your days on purpose, managing your health and energy and creating routines you are going to find that there is already More Time in the day.  When you aren’t oversleeping, or stumbling around trying to figure out what to wear, you can get through your morning so much faster.  What could you do with that extra time? Send an email?  Make a call?  Set up a Skype date with a friend?  Write a card or a note?

If you still feel like you don’t have enough time, try what productivity experts recommend and actually log your time.  Get a cute time tracker and figure out where your time is going and where you could be spending it more efficiently.  Respect your time and make it work for you.  This doesn’t mean you can’t take a break and goof off, but when you do surf the web or window shop at the mall, remember that it is a choice.  That isn’t bad thing, but if you burn time that way, own it rather than telling yourself you are “too busy” to hang out with friends and family.  It is just as easy to take a break from your task list by writing to your mom or video calling a college friend as it is to watch videos of a dog barking “I love you” on YouTube, etc.

4. Get Your Work Done

I sound so bossy, don’t I?  But really, if you stay late at work because you are swamped with projects it might be time to ask yourself a few questions.  Now, you don’t have to fess up right now, but the first question would be, am I working efficiently and using my time wisely?  If the answer is ‘no’, could you find ways to get in, get your work done and get out of the office within typical business hours?  Could you get to work earlier and get some uninterrupted time to focus on your priority tasks and leave earlier?  Some companies have a culture of staying at work late, but often those people get to work late as well.  If these are the rules  for you, and you don’t see them changing, could you use your mornings to connect with the people you love?  Do you have to get in early and leave late or could you pick one OR the other?  You might be someone who is genuinely working extremely long hours either because you have been given too much work or because you have accepted too much work.  If you can reduce your workload by getting your organization to hire more staff or delegate tasks more evenly, that is fantastic.  If that isn’t do-able, why not?  Is it because you don’t want to ask?  You don’t want to look like you can’t handle it?  No worries, I get it, but again, this job is a CHOICE.  It is not the only job in the world.  If you love it, can’t change it, won’t change it, either way, in the end you have chosen to make it a greater priority than other things in your life.  That is not a judgement, it just might be worth acknowledging so you know where things stand.  Sometimes we get so used to living a certain way, that we forget we can change it if we want to.

5. Stop Saying “Yes” to Everything

It really is okay to say “No”.  Whether it is taking on more work to impress the boss (see #4) or juggling PTA, leading the Brownie Troop and being President of your local “fill in the blank” Society, sometimes it is just too much.  You might have started off saying “Yes” for a variety of reason…maybe you wanted to make more money, meet new people, give back to your community or bond with your child.  These are all awesome reasons to get involved.  It is just that, sometimes things snowball and opportunities that were meant to be rewarding and meaningful become draining obligations.  If you are too tired to take your kiddo to the park because you were up all night making flyer for the PTA meeting, it might be time to make a few tweaks to your schedule.  This isn’t to say that these obligations aren’t important, they totally are!  But, it might be time to look at how many of them you pack into a week.  If you or your kids have a different lesson, practice or meeting every night it might be pretty hard to squeeze in time to really talk, play, laugh and enjoy the cast of characters that make up your world.  For me, it is hard to say “no”,  especially when I think something is fun, exciting or a great opportunity.  I often get caught up in believing I have to do it all right now because I might never get the chance again.  But, as I get older, I have started to realize that the thinner I spread myself  the less connected I feel to the people I most want to spend my time with.  You know what I mean?

Okay, I have lots more to say  Are you surprised?  I know you aren’t.  LOL

But the second half of this list will have to wait until next week because, um, you and I have dates to go on, hugs to give and people we have to get to.  Go on, scoot!

Love to you and yours.

xoxo,

Jen

The post The Happy Habits Series: Habit #2 Prioritize your Fave People appeared first on Jen & Company.

I love decorating for the holidays!  If I can make a wreath, a banner, perhaps use some GLITTER, then I am in!  Any excuse to buy craft supplies, girl.  Sometimes, I actually manage to make the project I envision and sometimes, not so much.

You might have already noticed my obsession with burlap wreaths.  I find them extremely adorable.  I think it is the poofiness as well as the vintage look that I like so much.  Oh, and the fact that they are relatively cheap and easy to make, both qualities I look for in a project

On with the tutorial, you say?  Ok, let’s do it.

Here’s what you need:

• Burlap (cut in ~4 inch strips, or burlap ribbon)*
• Burlap Ribbon in a contrasting color or pattern for the bow
• Wire wreath form
• Hot Glue/Gun
• Felt sentiment (cut your own or buy one pre-made at Michael’s)

*I bought a large bolt of burlap at Lowe’s and cut it into 4 inch strips to save money.  How much you need depends on how close together you pack in your loops.  The fuller the wreath, the more burlap you use.  I would plan on at least 3 or 4 yards.

Step 1: Loop the Burlap Through the Wire Wreath

Here is a link to another wreath I made that includes a great tutorial on how to loop burlap through the wire wreath form.

Step 2: Make a Large Bow out of A Contrasting Burlap Ribbon

I made this bow using a wire to hold it together in the center, rather tying a knot.  I find it easier and think it looks better.

Step 3: Hot Glue the Sentiment onto the Wreath

I prefer the stiff felt decorations at Michael’s because they keep their shape better than softer felt, but maybe a fabric stiffening spray would work for softer felt?  Comment below and let me know + show me a picture of your wreath!

Step 4: Hang it Wherever You Like

Don’t you just love it?!  Pink, hearts, xoxo’s, Valentine’s Day, you are the best.  Muah!  If you have a love, give that person a smooch  If not, give yourself a smooch, or at least a hug.  If I could reach out of this computer and hand you a conversation heart, it would say, “You Rock.”  Okay, enough with the mushy Valentine’s notes.  Night, night, Beautiful.

xoxo,

Jen

 Linked to Get Your DIY On

The post Valentine’s Day Wreath appeared first on Jen & Company.

Awhile back I wrote about the 10 Habits of Contagiously Happy People.  I thought it would be super fabulous to take each habit from a big vague idea and break it down into bite size steps we can start using today!  These habits are intuitive, we know what we need to do fill our cup with happiness, but sometimes we all need a little help getting started.

This series is intended to be a helping hand as we practice building our happiness muscles together.  This is like brain boot camp, girl!  I will be your spotter.  We are going to bulk up our happiness muscle mass!  You know what I mean, right?  Once we create routines, that turn into habits, we are in maintenance mode.  That doesn’t mean that we won’t get a little out of shape when life gets stressful, but we will have that muscle memory to help us bounce back and regain our joy faster.  People will be like, “Look at the happy on that girl!  Wow, beautiful!”  And we will be like, “That’s right?!  I worked hard to get this happy, thank you very much.”

Building a Self-Care Routine

Taking care of yourself can be defined in many ways.  In this habit I am talking about your physical health mostly.  I will get into other definitions of self-care in future habits.  For now, let’s focus on the basics…

Sleep – Exercise – Vitamins – Water – Healthy Diet

Step 1: Figure out your daily fitness and nutrition goals

I am not a nutritionist or personnel trainer, nor do I play one on TV.  With that disclaimer, I have figured out what works well for my body and I bet you have an idea of what works for yours too.*

*If you aren’t sure, click on each of the 5 topics above for a link to some basics guidelines.

Once we have figured out our self-care goals, we need to take the steps to integrate those goals into each day.  But, how?

Step 2: Create a morning routine + night routine that integrates each goal into your day

Write these routines down where you can see them EVERY DAY

 Going from knowing what to do, to actually making a habit of doing it is the key.  Habits are awesome, because once you have developed one, you start to repeat it on auto-pilot.  It no longer takes the same level of conscious effort to perform the task that it once did.  This frees up your limited will power/energy for other interesting stuff, like setting goals and working toward your big beautiful dreams.  If you are interested in learning more about building happy habits, definitely check out The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor.

Step 3: Practice your routine EVERY DAY for the next month

The key to building a routine is making it easy and repeating it over and over again.  Some experts say 21 days, is the amount of time it takes to build a habit, some say it can be done faster.  Let’s just pledge to follow our morning and night routines for a month and see how it goes, shall we?

Around the 3 week mark (or even sooner) you will start to notice that you barely refer to your written routine anymore.  You can go through the motions of it without having to overthink.  A great example of this is learning to drive a car or ride a bike.  Something that initially took so much mental energy to learn, becomes second nature.

Step 4: Evaluate, Tweak, Continue

Just as we talked about in the Edited Year Post, life is a constant editing process.  You  can expect setbacks that take you back to Step 1, either because you fell out of the habit or because your goals or schedule changed.  But, that is totally ok, right?  This is a framework for getting back on track quickly and keeping your body as healthy as possible so that you have the energy and foundation to build your other happy habits.

I want to remind you, beautiful, that we are all doing the best we can.  People get injured or sick, and that’s okay, when that happens we slow down, rearrange our expectations, start over and keep on going.  Life is not black and white.  If you mess up, you can start over.  If you can only eat healthy some days, but can’t get your exercise in or sleep enough, that is still ok.  Better than okay, that is AWESOME.  Doing just one of these things, is better than giving up because you couldn’t do everything.  Don’t let perfectionism convince you otherwise!

How is your daily routine going?  What do you want to add more of?  Less of?  Send me a picture of your morning/night routines!  Let me know if you are stuck with something or getting in your own way.  Come on, Let’s do this

xoxo,
Jen

The post The Happy Habits Series: Habit #1 Take Care of Yourself appeared first on Jen & Company.

Update: All of the comments were amazing, ladies!!  I can’t wait to rock 2015 together!  Don’t forget to keep me posted on your progress and your wins throughout the year.  You all deserve a planner, obviously, that goes without saying :)…drum roll, please….the winners are Rose McChesney, Trish Bertrand and Cindy Reeves (and the crowd goes wild)!!!!  xoxo, beautifuls…If you love this planner, you can find it here.  Thank so much for your generosity, Sage Grayson!  You are AWESOME

Wow!  I was beginning to think that we were never, ever, ever getting back together (I sound just like Taylor Swift as I am sing this to myself.  No really, just trust me on this, I do.)  It has been waaaay too long since my last post and I have missed you sooooo much.  Let’s never be apart that long again, ok?  Deal?  Let’s just say as a newbie blogger, I wasn’t prepared for the disruption that December presented to my regularly scheduled routine.  Now I see why pro bloggers talk about planning out your blog post calendar. Yes, that is a good idea.  I am doing that this year.  On that note, let’s talk of calendars, organizing, goal setting and the awesome opportunity for a fresh start that is the month of January

My friend, Sage Grayson has an amazingly excellent 2015 planner that I am loving.  Thank you, Sage!  This is a fabulous way to reflect on 2014 and an inspiring, fun and adorable way to organize my goals, schedule and routines for 2015.  Since the beginning of the year is a great time to hit the reset button and make decisions about how I want my life to look and what it will take to get from here (the cookies and eggnog induced stupor that is the end of December and first few days of January) to there (a year full of health, happiness and abundance), I thought it would be fun to look at the Edited Year 2015 Planner and do some of the exercises together.

If you don’t know Sage yet, she has a passion for helping driven, motivated women edit their lives by tweaking their habits, routines and mindsets so they can find balance and happiness at work and home.  She is great at what she does!  She is a life editor/coach with a gift for pinpointing the adjustments that women need to make to achieve their goals and live life on purpose.  Her philosophy is that you don’t need a whole new life, you just need to make small, manageable edits  along the way to create a life you love.

Jen with Sage Grayson

A Crash Course in the Life Editing Process

An outline of Sage’s approach to making big changes through mini adjustments

Foundation

Look at what is already working in your life.  These parts of your life provide a stable foundation to build on.

Delete Bad Influences

Whether it is a person, a habit or a situation you have to give it the boot, so it doesn’t take up space that could be occupied by good stuff.  Make room, step aside, awesome people and experiences coming through.

Add Good Habits and Routines

Now that you cleared out the junk, you have space and energy for improvements.  You can focus on creating your dream job, attracting a great partner, getting healthy or whatever other wonderfulness you desire.

Rearrange Everything Into a Perfect Flow

If your life isn’t running smoothly you may need to take some time to rearrange the pieces and make your schedule work for you.

Create White Space for Self-Care

This is where you make space for rest, recharging and me time so you have the energy to kick butt and execute your Big Plans.

Always Editing

This is so key!  Sage reminds us that life editing is an ongoing process.  Life changes, people change, needs and wants change, so we have to take time to evaluate and continue to tweak things as we go along.

I love this planner because it has bright, fun worksheets where you can reflect on what worked and what didn’t in 2014 as a foundation for goal setting and planning in 2015.

I wanted more than just a calendar this year, I wanted a place to declare my big dreams for 2015 and a way to organize my to do list so I can really make things happen.  This is no joke, people.

Here are a few of my big ideas for 2015:

Open the Jen & Company Etsy Shop

Learn how to make beautiful art by taking Lifebook 2015 classes

Become a More Effective Mama to my adorable kiddos

What about you?  What fabulously cool stuff are you working on in 2015?  Tell me, tell me!

Now that you know the what, this planner helps you figure out the how in so many creative ways, look at all these pretty pages of monthly, weekly and daily planning, to do lists, life edits and priorities…

I just love it because it is a constant reminder that you aren’t doing things “wrong” you are just making adjustments and figuring out the “right” answers for You, for Right Now.  It takes the fear of failure right out of the equation and puts the fun back in setting big goals and making them a reality.

Sage also makes space in the planner for a reflection on what’s working and what needs more adjustment on a monthly and quarterly basis.  It really gives you the sense that you have a life coach helping you organize your life, time and energy to create more of what you want in your life.

But here is what makes it really stand out…drum roll please…Sage gives you a free, 1 hour quarterly review strategy call as a thank you for buying the planner.  Seriously though, who does that?  She offers 4 hours of coaching with the purchase of a $12 planner!  Yep, that is pretty amazing.  I am constantly impressed with how generous Sage is with her time and her products.  She is such a great resource for anyone looking to bring more happiness, productivity and balance to her life.

Sage believes in abundance and gratitude and it is so great to know her.  I hope you look at this planner and love it and use it to create a life more awesome.  And no, Sage didn’t pay me to say this stuff, it is just how I feel

Want to get an Edited Year 2015 Planner for FREE?  Leave a comment below telling me about your big dreams for 2015 and how this planner will help you reach them.  I will pick three beautiful winners and Sage will give you your own digital copy so you can crush it in 2015!

.@jen_and_company @sagegrayson1 I can't wait to use my 2015 Edited Year Planner! Free copy?…
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xoxo,

Jen

The post What’s Your Big Idea This Year? Let’s Get to Work, Girl! Win an Edit Year Planner, so we can Rock 2015 Together appeared first on Jen & Company.

I am all about creating a life more awesome by, among other things, filling yourself up with happy by doing things you love to do.  What better way to start off the Holiday countdown than to show you a few of the things I love to do.  Decorating for Christmas and making crafts and handmade gifts are some of the top things on the list fo’ sure.  Last weekend I got to craft my heart out at a weekend retreat filled with lots of great ladies all producing crafts and scrapbooking memories.  It was sooo fun!  Great conversation, lots of laughs and much crafting, what more could a girl want??  This girl was definitely in her happy place.

What was I doing?  What did I make?  Glad you asked!  I can’t wait to show you the great stuff I worked on.  Maybe it will give you some crafty inspiration, if it does will you send me a pic of what you made? That would make me smile and send you a huge virtual hug.  And now on with the show and tell…

From left to right: Satyn, Jehane, Jen and Carla

Burlap Christmas Wreath

This was so easy to make (once I finally decided how I wanted to lay out the ornaments, special Thank You to Satyn for inspiring me).

Here’s what you need:

• Burlap (cut in approximately 4 inch strips, or you can get the already cut rolls at Michael’s)*
• Burlap in a contrasting color (to run through the middle)
• Wire wreath form
• Shatterproof Ornaments
• Hot Glue/Gun
• Plastic Candy Canes (found mine at the Dollar Tree)
• Gift Tags and a Decorative Clothespin (a Bow works great too)

*I bought a large bolt of burlap at Lowe’s and cut it into 4 inch strips to save money.  How much you need depends on how close together you pack in your loops.  The fuller the wreath, the more burlap you use.  I would plan on at least 3 or 4 yards.

Step 1: Loop the Burlap Through the Wire Wreath

Here is a great tutorial on how to loop Burlap through a wire wreath (totally ask me questions if it doesn’t make sense).

Step 2: Run the Contrasting Burlap through the Middle of the Wreath

I basically tucked in the red burlap here and there along the wire wreath so it would stay in place, nothing fancy.

Step 3: Hot Glue Ornaments and Candy Canes

Or whatever else seems like it would look cute on your wreath.  I bunched mine together, but you can do what you like, I give you permission.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that there are no craft police watching me, I am free to shake things up and color outside the lines.  Not sure if others need a reminder, but just in case.

Step 4: Use a Clothespin to Clip Gift Tags to the Wreath

A bow would work great as well.  I didn’t have one and I figured I would try something a little different so I used a few cute gift tags and a blinged out clothespin.

Step 5: Hang it Wherever You Like

TaDa!

Burlap Canvas Sign with Ruffle Trim

This was also easy and cute to make once I got inspired.  I had random supplies with me on the retreat and I kept thinking, “This gold with white polka dot ruffle ribbon is cute, but when/how will I ever use it?”  Then, I saw I had a Burlap Canvas (the thin one from Michael’s) and I thought the combo would make cute Holiday decor.

Here’s what you need:

• Burlap Canvas 11X14
• 4.5 yards of ruffle ribbon
• Backless Frame 8X10 (optional, I found a set of them on clearance at Kohl’s)
• Hot Glue/Gun
• Permanent Adhesive (Glue Dots or any scrapbooking adhesive)
• A sentiment cut out of paper or using Stickers (I used Hello Friend from the Cricut Cartridge Beyond Birthdays)
• 12 X 12 Thin Acrylic Sheets (optional)
• Ribbon or velcro (optional)

Step 1: Hot Glue the Ruffle Ribbon along the edge of the Burlap Canvas

I wrapped it around twice to give it extra ruffle-iness.

Step 2: Hot Glue a Backless Frame to the Burlap Canvas

Hot glue the 8 X 10 Frame to the center of the burlap canvas, being careful not to crush or hide the ruffle ribbon.

Step 3: Cut out a Sentiment with a Die Cut Machine or Use Stickers

Use glue dots or any other permanent crafting adhesive to glue down your sentiment in the center of the canvas.*  That’s it!  Tada!

*I wanted to be able to swap out the sentiment based on the Holiday, so I am going to mount different sentiments on think acrylic sheets (so you can still see the burlap behind the acrylic) and pop the sentiments in and out of the frame depending on the season.

Step 4: Hang it Wherever You Like

You can hot glue a ribbon to the back if you want to hang it on the wall, or you can use those velcro command strips as well.  If that doesn’t work, put it on a small easel or plate stand and set it on your mantle.  Whatever works!

‘Tis the season to be jolly!  Let us remind ourselves to enjoy the little things.  Who cares if we can’t buy everything we want, everything our kids want?!  I am giving my kiddos the gift of time spent together crafting and baking (whether they prefer this gift or not ).  I know the memories of the latest toy or video game will fade, but memories of holiday traditions and fun family time will remain (hopefully, right??!!).

xoxo,

Jen

Linking To:

Lou Lou Girls

Skip To My Lou

Sugar Bee Crafts

New Nostalgia

Hope Studios

Funky Polka Dot Giraffe

A Bowl Full of Lemons

House By Hoff

The post Holiday Craft-A-Thon: Pretty Burlap Wreath and Fun Canvas Sign appeared first on Jen & Company.

If you have read earlier posts, you know that I had been eagerly awaiting my class with April Bowles-Olin at CreativeLive studios in San Francisco.  Well, the class was last week and It. Was. Amazing!   The whole experience exceeded my expectations.  What I mean to say is it totally rocked!

Several of my bloggy besties flew in for the class.  Two of those besties bunked at my house.  It was like having a 4 night pajama party!  It was soo fun!  Before I had the realization that I am in charge of making my life awesome I seriously doubt I would have offered to host anyone at my house.  I would have been worried about a bunch of “what ifs” and I wouldn’t have stepped out of my comfort zone. And…I would have really missed out.

Kris Windley from With a K Writing Services and Sarah Shotts from Sarah Shotts Storytelling turned out to be just as hilarious, kind, friendly and brilliant in person as they had been in the months I had known them online.  We stayed up for hours never running out of things to say, we got lost in San Francisco laughing the whole way, we found a fabulous restaurant completely by accident and had an amazing dinner.  It was like having a mini vacation with friend I had know for years.

Meeting April was also better than I could have ever imagined.  She is sweet, adorable, savvy, fascinating and stuffed full of generous amounts of marketing and business strategy wisdom.  Plus, she used glitter on practically every slide in her power point presentation, what’s not to love?

I came away from the whole experience with so many take aways.  Here are four thank you notes to express my very favorite lessons from the class at CreativeLive.

Thank You Note #1

Thank you, April for deciding that building a community and fostering relationships is more important than packing classes so full of students that the one-on-one conversations get lost along the way.  Thank you for having the magical ability to make each of us feel important and valued as individuals each with our own dreams and desires for our businesses.  You are able to focus and listen to each story and provide such keen insight that those who take your classes are genuinely so much better off for having worked with you.  The way you have grown your own business in such a heart-centered way is such a great example of the success that comes from following your values and making your customer’s best interest a priority.  As I create a business I will remember what really matters and strive to make the same impression on others as you have made on me.

Thank You Note #2

Thank you to all of the friends (I call you my Supers) I made during April and Mayi’s online Busy to Happy class.  Because of the intentional way that April and Mayi cultivated a sense of community it has been so easy for us to make strong connections that have lasted far beyond the short class we took together.  I rely on you ladies daily for inspiration, advice and friendship.  It is such a testament to April’s leadership and teaching style that over half of the students in her CreativeLive class had taken classes from her before and couldn’t wait to work with her again.  People who had worked with her online flew in from as far as Canada, Florida and Arkansas for the opportunity to work with her in person.  April knows and appreciates the value of loyal students willing to go out of their way to support her just as she goes out of her way to support them.  That’s pretty special if you ask me.

Thank You Note #3

Thank you to the students who took the CreativeLive class with me.  Not only were the Supers I met in person during the class: Richelle Shadoan, Sarah Shotts, Kris Windley, Jennifer Kennedy, Fanny Seto and Sage Grayson as sweet, kind, smart and hilarious as I could have hoped, but the same was true for all of my classmates.  Every single person in the audience with me was supportive, helpful, and invested in the success of her classmates.  While it is no surprise, it was a great relief and joy to be surrounded by other ladies who value positivity and believe that there is enough awesome to go around.  There was no vibe of competitiveness or self-promotion, only an authentic interest in learning how to make our big dreams come true and help others do the same.

Thank You Note #4

Thank you to CreativeLive for building a space for creatives to gather and learn together.  The studio is full of amazing people working super hard to bring phenomenal, affordable classes to students around the world.  Not only are they constantly bringing in the best and brightest instructors to teach with a live audience, but they have also made a priority of build their online community as well.  They put such an emphasis on encouraging students watching online to participate in chats and interact with the teacher that people at home are learning the material in real-time just as much as the studio audience.  And the more often people participate in the chat the more connections they make and friendships they grow.  The studio is the hub of an enormous world-wide community, a chance for people who think outside the box to meet and learn from others who can relate.  Kind of AH..MAZING, thank you CreativeLive.  Long may you provide quality programing that brings awesome people together.

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