Making it Lovely

Tag: lovely life list

  • GOOOOAAAAL

    GOOOOAAAAL

    In vlog form! Soon you will see why I don’t do vlogs. I ramble without the ability to edit text.

    My Big Goal for the Upcoming Year from Nicole Balch on Vimeo.

    If you can’t watch, surprise, I want to write a book. I went through an agent interviewing process and have started my proposal, then life got in the way when we decided to sell our house and buy the new one. Moving, blah blah blah, still working on the proposal.

    If I put it out there, I’ll hold myself more accountable, so that’s what I’m doing. I want a book. I’m writing the proposal and making it the best lil’ proposal it can be before it gets shopped around to publishers. The book is my number one goal for this upcoming year, and I’m ready to devote a whole lot of time and energy to making it happen.

    Thinkin' of a Master Plan

  • Trying for a World Record

    Trying for a World Record

    (And Why You Should Have a Life List)

    Orbit Skate Center in Palatine is trying to break the world record for the longest line of roller skaters. I found out about it from my Derby Lite ladies, and since breaking a world record is on my Lovely Life List, I figure I ought to go be a part of this one. If you’re in the Chicago area, you should come out too! There’s open skate beforehand, but you have to register in advance to be a part of the record.

    I know a lot of you have life lists already but if you don’t yet, I want to convince you to make one. It’s not about coming up with an arbitrary list of “things to do before you die” and crossing them off; it’s about figuring out what would make you happy and then opening yourself up to those experiences. I probably would have heard about this world record attempt and thought, ‘oh, that’s nice, I hope they make it.’ Having it on my list made me consider it more carefully, and it proved to be the difference between wishing them well versus being a part of it. Now I hope we make it.

    The weekend after the world record attempt, I’ll be in the Color Run. Running in a 5k is also on my list and that seemed like the most fun way to do it, so I somewhat impulsively signed up even though I’m new to running. Sometimes accomplishing items on my list happens naturally or even accidentally, sometimes I have to really work at them, and sometimes I have to take a leap and do something that I’m a little afraid of. Either way, I’m always a little happier after. Life Lists are awesome like that.

  • Breadwinning

    Breadwinning

    I’m the sole provider for our family now. Officially.

    I posted a single political link out of a dozen cute and fluffy links in last Friday’s Honor Roll, and it got people all riled up. One person was so incensed that she tried to insult me personally, calling me out for enjoying my “fancy shopping trips” while Brandon was collecting unemployment. That’s not true, but I hadn’t realized the misconception I may have been fostering by not providing an update sooner. It’s hard stuff to write about and I’d been putting it off, but no longer. Here’s what’s going on with us.

    Brandon and I met in 1999, when we each worked full-time at Barbara’s Bookstore in Oak Park (making just over $6/hour in the beginning — go us!). We began dating in 2001, moved in together a while after that, and were married in May of 2004. Just before we were married, Brandon left the bookstore for a job in printing that paid more. He was there until he lost his job in January.

    I left the bookstore in late 2004. I had already been working a second job which was to continue for a little longer, and I took a seasonal retail job at the first west elm store. When that was over, I decided to pursue my dream of owning a stationery business and I started Pink Loves Brown. I also took on freelance web design projects as Smart & Lovely while the stationery business took off. I started this blog in 2007, and I realized that the blog would eclipse the stationery shop a couple of years into it. The money I made from advertising was a nice bonus at first, and eventually it became enough to call the blog “a job” with a straight face.

    Brandon liked the work that he was doing (managing prepress), but the environment was a bad one. We’d always hoped that he could quit eventually, but it helped support our family and provided health insurance. When he unexpectedly lost his job earlier this year, he was on unemployment for a few months while he looked for work. As I took on more projects though, it became clear that we could make it work if he wanted to be a stay-at-home dad. In July, he stopped collecting unemployment. We got rid of COBRA and bought our own health insurance (which was difficult and expensive). It’s scary to be the sole supporter since I have such a non-traditional job, but it’s working right now. If we need to reevaluate in the future, we will.

    I make money in advertising and sponsored posts here on Making it Lovely, and I also write for Babble, Better Homes and Gardens, and Glidden. I’m saying yes to a lot more work than I would have before and I’m working a lot, but we’re doing well. Last year was the first year in which I earned more than my husband. This year I’ve been doing even better, and I hope to eventually be able to replace his lost income.

    It wasn’t under ideal circumstances, but it seems I’ve managed to cross another item off of my Lovely Life List. A big one.

    Life List Item: Make Enough Money to Support My Family

    Thank you, everybody, for all of your support over the years. Especially recently. We wouldn’t be able to do this without you, and I’m humbled by you and grateful.

  • Keynote Speaker at BlogPodium

    Keynote Speaker at BlogPodium

    This has been a Lovely Life List kind of week. I was in Toronto (cross the Canadian border, check!) to give a keynote speech (check!) at BlogPodium, Canada’s first and only design conference series for bloggers. The event was created by Jennifer Flores and Lindsay Stephenson and focused on the business of blogging.

    I’m shy and awkward in social situations, but I actually like public speaking. Giving the keynote at BlogPodium felt a lot like the online video courses I’ve been teaching for Alt Summit. I prepared in the same way, by structuring my talk around the presentation I created, and the hour-long format was the same. The big difference, obviously, was in being able to see my audience.

    It was good though! You know, except for the part where I tried to leave the stage with the little remote for advancing the slide presentations. I was nervously fiddling with it throughout my speech, and I walked off with it. I only got a few feet away before I realized it, hence my expression in the photo below. (See the remote in my hands?)

    The panel after me consisted of Cheryl Kozoriz, Laura Muirhead, Lindsay Stephenson, and Cheryl Dovey, and moderated by Leigh-Ann Allaire Perrault. They spoke further about the business of blogging, and touched on the differences between American and Canadian bloggers.

    Toronto has an amazing blogging community (I wish we had something like it in Chicago), and I had a great time meeting and spending time with so many Canadian design bloggers. Thank you, BlogPodium, for having me!


    All photos by Mango Studios

  • Toronto

    Toronto

    The weather was beautiful, the city was welcoming, and my tour guide was friendly.

    I liked the Distillery District a lot. The whole place seemed to be set up as one big photo op! That’s Jennifer from Rambling Renovators in blue, one half of BlogPodium (the reason for my trip).

    Lovely Life List item: check! Cross the Canadian border, eh. (Actually, I checked off two items, but I’ll talk about the keynote speech in a separate post.)

    Thanks for having me, Toronto.

    p.s. I tried poutine. It was good!

  • Sightseeing on a “Vespa” (Scooter)

    Sightseeing on a “Vespa” (Scooter)

    Something kind of amazing starts to happen when you make a life list; You start start doing the things you’ve always wanted to. Some people attribute it to the Law of Attraction (and the like), but that’s a little too woowoo for me.

    I think it’s more about making yourself think about what’s important to you, and in taking that step, you’re more likely to work toward your goals. You’re also more likely to say yes to things. I had assumed that Brandon would be the one I’d go sightseeing with (and I still want to go with him), but the opportunity came up last weekend, I was available, and I went for it.

    Jules and I arrived at the Ace Hotel for Camp Mighty, and noticed the cute red scooters out front. That’s a life list item of mine, to go sightseeing on a Vespa. (I know that technically the scooters weren’t Vespas, but I’m using the name as one would say Kleenex instead of tissue.) ‘Maybe I’ll do that one while I’m here,’ I thought. I also thought that it probably wouldn’t actually happen.

    The next day, we had a bit of a break from all of the mightiness in the afternoon. I mentioned that I was still thinking about the scooters to Keryn, whom I had not known before Camp Mighty, and she was in. We were trying to figure out when the best time to go would be. I could feel myself slipping away from spontaneity and trying to plan it. “There’s another break tomorrow, but it’s supposed to rain. My flight doesn’t leave until 3 on Sunday…” Then in an uncharacteristic move (for me, at least), we decided to just go do it. Right then and there. We called the scooter rental company, and 20 minutes later, we were on our way.

    It was amazing! (And now we each want one.) Thank you, Keryn, for helping me check off something super fun from my life list. Thank you, Jules and Andrea for being so supportive. Thank you, Maggie, for the mighty life list inspiration, and thank you also to Laura, for being an instrumental part of making Camp Mighty happen. Thank you, Brandon, for watching the kids so that I could go to this fantastic event in the first place.

    Have you made your list yet? Get on that.