preparing for springtime, part one

(that's my new facetime friend...i. love. her.)

my activities have been limited due to chemotherapy- and the weather outside my new york residence window is less than exciting. i've been homebound for most of this...time. you can check out small updates on my instagram (@globetrottinggamine)

updates:
cleaned and organized::

• kitchen drawers, all
• kitchen cabinets, all but one
• bathroom cabinet and drawers, all
• top junk drawer of living room chest
• under the bed storage
• guest room/walk in closet- closet.
• bedroom closet
• bedroom linen closet
• two drawers of "stuff" in the bedroom bureau's
• 
  

created::

• "stationery station" using old, unused hatbox (I didn't know how many cards, paper, postcards, stickers, memo pads, post its, and notebook i'd acquired until this past Monday...)
• "holiday wrapping station" using under the bed storage box that was empty (I didn't realize how lacking I was in this department, so I'm working on it gradually.)
• household binder- if you'd like to see it, please message me! i made it personal to what i ponder on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.
• holiday binder- for that holiday info
• memories binder- for cards, pictures drawn by my lovely niece and nephews, letters and notes from darling friends, etc.
• book-ideas binder- because it's necessary...if you've pittered around my blog these last few years, you'd know how crazy my ideas are.
• 2 manuscript binders
• medical binder- for "the hodgkins" that's almost gone from my bod
• interior design binder
• and another memory binder

left to do::

• complete all lists for household binder
• to-do list
• one kitchen cabinet
• four small bureau drawers
• all the large bureau drawers
• weed out closet in april
• clean out basement
• clean out office (which is some of what's above)
• outfit planner
• schedule plans// events to plan
• schedule book signings
• complete power point presentation
• craft/supplies area in office
• odds and ends for laundry room
• set up ebay shop
• 2 home organizations scheduled for springtime
• register for courses
• scrapbooks
• loose photos into albums

i literally wore myself out. lol

what projects do you have going on this winter?!

love me,

the globetrotting gamine

i'm weird.

it's true. not like this should be a shocker to most of you that read my blog, but i am so weird.
for example, the list of things that i want to do with the next 15 years of my life should mind-boggle most 30 year olds...50 year olds...boggles my mother's mind, that's for sure.

so, knowing all these years that i am weird and dealing with bullying at a young age kind of got me to where i am today. and i'm thankful. where am i today? ha, good question.
home. enjoying the weather. watching my puppy stare at me while i write and create more lists and read more books.
about to step out to the library and possibly on a photo hunt.
making all my dreams come true at a rate i never thought possible?

that's where i am today.

by now you know that i'm very secretive/protective of my life and that of my friends and family's.
i know that there are know it all's out there. i am not one of them. people only tell you what they want to tell you- it's the way of the world. i can't judge- though i used to. that made it easy for people to bully me through manipulative ways.

those people aren't in my life anymore.

many of you probably think that i stick to a strict schedule of writing and reading. for the most part, i try to. the winter are my busiest working months, and by the time summer rolls around i am swimming in new material for new stories and scrapbooks...and to do lists.

being completely content with my life astounds most people around me. it always has. i used to care- time having gone by has allowed me to not care and chase some more dreams down.


have i changed? i like to think that i haven't. i believe that people grow up but that their cores are unchanging.
 so if i've been M.I.A, it's because i'm busy doing summer things so i can complete these to-do list demands of mine before i continue on this crazy whirlwind i call life.

and i hope your summer is going well, too!

<3

see you in a few weeks!
~the globetrotting gamine

going the extra mile

i have been in meetings and appointments all week.
it's looking like my schedule won't slow down for quite a while,
but i am exhausted and happy.

there is so much that i have to do,
before celebrating events with my friends-
and before planning so many more events
that it's really just exhausting to think about.

on a happy note-
this weather has been amazing, and has been keeping me out and about.
have you guys done anything out of the ordinary or interesting?

oh yeah--
i have! i have! lol...

and of course, it involves food--
and, of course-
there are no pictures...
because we "eated it".

we went to a place on my bucket list of restaurants-
called waterzooi.

i was so excited--
so LML and I get there with some friends, get seated immediately...
and probably scared our poor waitress with the amount of food and drinks we ordered--
and honestly, we did go overboard but it was worth it.

what do i describe as overboard?
well, we were all getting a little warm- it was warm in there until we believe they turned on the air
(probably because of us heathen)
and before that half of us took turns going outside
to get air...

so we've decided...
we love you waterzooi-
but next time, we're just enjoying your incredible beer selections!!

love love love

so keep dreaming,
and i'll see you around, bloggie friends...
probably at a coffee shop,
with a notebook, and my medusa- like hair sans snakes.

writing...exhaustion?

i know that only my blogger and writer friends will relate when i go over yesterdays schedule...

6:30 to 9:30 am ::: up, get dressed, errands, make the coffee, drink the coffee, clean the kitchen, construct to do list, make the files, pinterest, phone calls, leave the house

9:30 to 10:30 am ::: make sure your ten notebooks are in your extra carry on, head to the gas station for more gas, proceed to destination to meet with writer friend(s)/colleagues

10:30 am to 12:00 pm ::: more tea, writing, ideas, plans, know that either allergies or cold have begun to kick my ass. and buy eggs cuz i ran out.

12:00 pm to 1:30 pm ::: hit places of research for 2 more meetings, pick up snack because i just realized i didn't eat all day, wipe tears from now-exhasted eyes, and make way to parentals house so that i can (sorry) use their bathroom

1:30 to 3 pm ::: get to parentals house and use that bathroom, wash up, eat now soggy snack and down 2 bottles of water, curl up with my notebook and write down even more ideas that have appeared in my head since all the meetings. see family, talk. stretch. get into car to go back home.

3 to 5:45 pm ::: takes extra long to drive home because someone is driving in front of you with no clue how to do so, thus doubling the time it takes for you to get home and use your own toilet because now you have to pee again, run inside and notice that the dog made a stinky you have to clean but you don't care because you still have to pee, so take care of those two things and wash up again AND start dinner. and clean again. and make your to do list for tomorrow. and pour a glass of wine and curl up on the couch, utterly defeated from ideas and the cold or allergies you have comin'.

5:45 to 6:30 pm :::

"woof woof woof" says pup.

"daddy's not home yet, boy."

"woooooooo" says pup.

"but..."

knock knock.

hubby walks through door.

6:30 to 7:30 pm :::

dinnertime

7:30 til bedtime :::

talk. cuddle. bother pup. get harassed by pup to go to bedroom so he can lay on the bed and start snoring before we do. check to do list. lay down and pass out after the big bang theory.

does anyone relate?

welcome, september friend!

and september.

only two of my most favorite things for the day.

he'll be starting third grade this year-

how time flies <3

i love him soso much.

While he is preparing for the third grade..

i am:

• working on countless manuscripts
• contacting every literary agent known to man
• writing for a magazine
• writing for a newspaper
• planning some advetures
• and preparing to turn 30.

when did all this happen?

what is going on in your september?

love me,

the globetrotting gamine

happy heart day

happy valentine's day- a day that gives an excuse to tell someone you love them and have chocolate can't be all bad, i figure. not that this is the only day you should be doing just that :)

after some tea, and watching my favorite cooking channel TV show on demand of Extra Virgin, i am still kind of icked out. i have to get a blood test today (i figured what better day than today to humor myself) and i'm squeamish. of course, i would be. egads.

i had a wonderful and extremely busy week last week that will take me two weeks to blog about :)

how was your week? did you do anything out of the ordinary, travel somewhere new, or take a culinary adventure?

looking back at all the photos i snapped last week, i have so much to share with you!!

___________________________________________________________________

that was this morning, before i got my bloodwork done.

after my complete checkup, the doctor felt around my neck (i had an upper respiratory infection last month and it's still lingering with a side of ear infection...) and there is a bumpy ?node (that's how he wrote it) on my left side.

ew ew ew.

so i have to go to the radialogist (sp?) next week so they can scan my neck.

ew ew ew.

it freaks me out because i don't know what it is. the doctor said that he wants to be thorough but to take the antibiotic anyway (i am) and not to panic.

ewww! i'm panicking, hello?

do we remember who i am? panic girl?

 eewww wwwwwww

so please note, if i am irate or sound weird in this next week, that's why.

drinking wine til i'm drunk while i'm on antibiotic- good idea or bad? what do you think?

love me,
eew eew
the globetrotting gamine with the swollen node.

oh tuesday, tuesday

oh tuesday,
today you had me thinking about all i have to do and all i want to do.
you had me tying up loose ends at the homefront, so that i can venture out to places like this:

i have so much i would like to do this year- that i'm thinking

being home accomplishing what needed to be done

and planning out my year

was not at all bad...

in fact, i've quite enjoyed myself other than being sick.

LML and I have planned out our globetrotting for the year...

i guess you'll have to stay tuned :)  ...

and yesterday, while he lovingly prepared stuffed cabage leaves

(or laxanodomades, as we Greeks like to call them)

we daydreamed and drank wine about

all the fun we are SO ready for.

we have mapped out a not-so specific plan of action-

mine is a little more specific than his.

wherever we go, he's more of a traveler than a tourist...

we almost never go the tourist route...

and i am a total tourist in the state

of new york.

my type-a (when did that happen?) personality

is telling me to be a little more like LML

but i am just so EXCITED about what this year has in store.

if this weekend was any kind of prelude to what

we're headed towards this year- bring it on, 2011!

so if you live anywhere in the tri-state area

or have visited, and would like to hear my thoughts

about somewhere you've been...

please let me know!

i'd like to keep you as entertained and happy as possible this year!

lots of love <3

scrapbook adventure

it took me a while to compile all the photos over the years to put them into scrapbooks.

how do you think my day's- labor of love came out?

i obviously need more embellishments, but please give me some help!

if you scrapbook, what tips can you give me?

why, hello monday

i thought i was going to be sneaky this morning and sleep in past 6:30 am.

i didn't.

instead i got up, paid some bills, started the laundry and ran various errands and chores until i settled down to scrapbooking...which i am pretty sure i was supposed to have completed with my january list. due to the snow, a lot of the time we couldn't get to buy our organization supplies (like the photo albums that i needed).

when i picked up a photo album this weekend...

isn't it pretty?

i had to delve into my photo storage box...

(which, as you can see, was packed to the brim)

and enter 200 photos into the album. after all photos were entered into that album,

this is what my photo box looked like:

SO much more to put in albums AND i received another

bunch of prints i got for free in the mail.

yeesh.

i'm thinking another 2-3 more photo albums would do the job.

what do you think?

pup thinks that my time would be better spent making him more chicken.

he eats like a hound dog lately! nutty.

i am off to complete some more errands and chores before LML comes home.

he apparently is feeling the urge to cook dinner,

which is a welcome treat for me since i am feeling the urge to clean and organize.

stay tuned for my scrapbook post

and thank you for reading my blog :)

monday wishes :)

good wishes to you on this pretty but cold in NY monday morning.
what did you all do this weekend? (no matter what you did, i hope you had a blast!

after a long weekend filled with running errands, food and friends- we're back into the routine of the work-week.
i know LML doesn't have it as easy as i do, but with the Monday schedule of cooking, vaccuming, cleaning, laundry and other misc., sometimes it gets annoying.
However, I get through the day with this guy's help:

today, it's my goal to get everything done- right down to my regularly scheduled monday programming, along with having some fun meeting an amazing friend for lunch and finishing this manuscript. maybe working on my january checklist.

the question remains: can i get it done?

what are your plans for today?

love me,
the globetrotting gamine <3<3

it figures :)

amazing, how things can go so well and then someone tries to bring me down.
get over it!

i am ~:)
monday and today have been exceptionally busy for me.
i am kicking ass getting things done- and have discovered there is still not enough time for everything.

for you- i have been photo-cataloguing what's been going on in the day-to-day life of me, though i have realized that i don't blog a lot about myself or things going on in my life.

the less than mundane things i mean (which i don't find mundane)...the reason for this is wandering minds want to know. these are the wandering minds i'd rather have NOT know- but what is one to do?

ah, ding ding! move on.

so here's my deal-
january is going to be interesting because i have a goal.
it's a big one. are you ready?

my goal this month is to finish ALL projects!
yes.

the list goes as follows:

1. edit and complete all stories and novels
2. illustrate children's stories (for my nephew)
3. clean out the house of negative stuff
4. clean it out of un-necessary clutter
5. take all loose photos and put them in album
6. complete all scrapbooks, unfinished or untouched
7. print out what needs to get printed out on this computer
8. delete un-needed files from computer
9. upload all photos into usb disc AND photo programs
10. select photos to be printed
11. get them printed (and repeat above)
12. finish reading all books left before i buy or pick up a new one
13. call church to pick up clothes for donation
14. go through and complete everything on my to-do list, which has come down considerably in the last two days. I am VERY excited about this.
15. send out those packages!
16. make those appointments (snow keeps stopping me from doing this)
17. start book club
18. organize all files/bills
19. make a list of places from here to long island i'd like to see
20. make my new years resolutions

is that enough? i can do that in a little over 2 weeks...right?
of course i can...
so follow along and let's see how this first month of my new year goes!
i hope you'll be with me every step of the way :)
in the meantime- do you have a similar month-to do list? i'd love to hear it!

much much love,
the globetrotting gamine

edited to add:
21. add all articles to blog i thought were interesting (and hopefully you will, too)
22. add to blog list of items i wanted to blog about

i'll go again before i start making even less sense...

keep moving forward :)

this past weekend was probably a prelude to the craziest week of the year! i have yet to finish Christmas shopping (i don't stress because i know what i'm doing!), yet to wrap and bake, etc. but moving on...
on saturday, LML and I spent the day with my nephew. we had lunch, had coffee and cider with very dear friends of ours, and hung out with my puppy...
who by now y'all know as my assistant:

he sends his love.

we then headed out to our hangout-

to store and smoke our cigars...

and see more of our dear ones...

we had so much fun-

and i finished the Frangelico which needs replacing.

oopsy.

what did we do Sunday?

we stayed home...cooked...ate...

played videogames

and watched The Santa Clause 2

and the Santa Clause 3.

love!

do you know that the Santa Clause is the

first movie LML and I ever saw in a theater together?

more love!!

we continue with yesterdays craziness:

pedicure, hung out with mom and dad,

laundry, cooking, vaccuming,

cleaning...

and one very important phone call...

it was my yummy nephew...

who told me he had something to give to me.

i thought it was a photo and it was almost his bedtime so

i told him i would pick it up tomorrow ....

until my sister informed me that he used his lunch money to run to the school store and

buy me a present.

oh my god.

he bought me a present

<3<3<3<3

i melted and ran right over...

and out from his shirt he pulls

a snoopy stuffed animal.

a

snoopy

stuffed-animal!!!!

and my cup runneth over.

he's the sweetest thing.

love me,

the globetrotting gamine

busy busy

• coffee
• gym
• coffee
• baby baby baby-sitting
• lunch
• meeting up with friend
• home
• dinner- cook it!
• sigh

what are YOU doing today?!

and...HAPPY FRIDAY!!

this is what's on the agenda for this weekend:

clean house

manuscript to publisher

manuscript to editor

pay bills!

sushi and cigars tonight!

organizing photos

organizing office

plans for the weekend with fam and friends <3

what are YOU planning for this weekend?

i love wednesdays...erm, fridays!!

today, i had a beautiful day...
interrupted for a minute,
but otherwise beautiful!

my pup slept all day,
was uber-productive!

i didn't take many pictures,
not very many at all.

i organized our wardrobes,
the drawers and the closets.

i ran outside for a bit...


and then realized i didn't post this!!

happy friday to all!!

how did you spend your week??

love me,
the globetrotting gamine

home is where the heart is

(as always, all photography on this is site unless otherwise noted is copyrighted/created by me.

if you like it, send me a note!)

coming back from vacation inspires you.
it inspires you to be a better person, travel more...
clean the house, try new things...see your friends, spend time with the family...
to get rid of toxic influences in your life.

OH! speaking of...

did you hear about the one where the ex-best friend also starts congratulating family members about THEIR invisible babies?

oy.

are you serious?
now, not only am *i* the one who is pregnant, but so is a multitude of other people apparently.

also,
ex-best friend blaming people for *me* attacking *her*.

help.
please.

even though, at the same time (and thankfully) it does make you want to laugh.
um...

doesn't it?

travelling to bermuda and bermuda itself was beauuuuutiful. i will post pictures and stories soon.
today, i hit up a craft store, which i will also be blogging about tomorrow: since it seems like it's going to be a little slower than today.

hopefully.

my plan this week was to:

• garden- must plant flowers!
• send out letters
• create mothers day scrapbook
• post to you my scrapbook pages
• answer all the questions you've been sending me, because you're wonderful!
• tell you travel stories
• personal trainer- finally!
• create a travel scrapbook
• update to-pack list
• get doggie groomed
• more grocery shopping
• squeeze my doggie some more
• finish my story
• meet with publisher!
• read the last of the twilight books, after i buy it.

oh forget it. i can go on and on!

how was your week?

(i found scrapbook deals! yay!)


love,
mg

dearest bloggie friends :)

hi! i wanted to thank you so so SO much for your comments. It has been really crazy here, and my computer tends to go insane when I want to write back to the comments you write to me. I figured it easier that I address them here :)

Puppy is a Maltese. He's purebred, and we adopted him from a lovely couple who had to move away and pursue their careers. My husband is the one who surprised me with him...I think I wrote about how he came to be a member of our family here somewhere...
Good thing that puppy is just like *me*. At night, when he's sleeping with us, he is all GRRRRR when we move and make him uncomfortable. It's a feeling that I completely understand. Sometimes, he can't *wait* for us to get out of the house. This gives him time to have free reign, make a mess, do his business (he's a little shy), and sleep until we get home. Knowing this, a friend of mine had gotten him a shirt one Christmas that says...

...sleeps all day, barks all night...

completely him. The sad thing is, that he got used to being alone once we adopted him because that's when I found my hellish job. He was young, and he was alone from 7am to 3 pm, sometimes longer. We had to work like dogs to survive, and it was tough. But we made it through, and it's worth it now to watch him squint his eyes open from a nap as I walk by.

Thank you for your comments and e-mails about my photos. They aren't from a spectacular camera...which I have, but it's film-fed so I don't really use it...but I do what I can :) I am interested in buying the photoshop program in about a month or so (when there's time, because there is so many reasons!), to see how I can make them really pop.

Today, I'm really excited. After lunch with my Mom and a bunch of errands, I have to haul ass to the dry cleaners...

because I haven't gone their yet. WOOPS! Sorry, LML...

I get to do some crafting and relaxing! Aaahhhh...and update my blog with many posts

of many photos.

What do you have planned for today?

love,

mg

hi :)

happy monday!

i'm so sorry i haven't been able to blog these last few days. it's been absolutely crazy here!
friday...i can't even remember. all i remember is that we've been watching the olympics, and falling asleep to them...

oh yeah! i made chicken and potatoes!
saturday, LML and I were up bright and early. We grabbed a cup of coffee, shopped, had a wonderful lunch @ Harvest Buffett...shocker...
and then ran one thousand and a half errands.

sunday...another crazy day! we were up bright and early doing the same kind of crazy thing...errands (we have maybe too much going on) shopping, lunch with our good friends (but they left their baby at home!)...and the like...

Ha! Today held in store: even MORE errands, post office runs, laundry, puppy getting groomed...he looks beautiful by the way. I will definitely post tomorrow when I am more coherent :)

what did y'all do this weekend?

love love love,
me

in the meantime..

it's snowing again

and i've had enough.

i do not want to go outside

and shovel.

i am baking oatmeal raisin cookings,

and cleaning the house. nothing eventful has been going on here.

Yesterday, my fam and me went to go see Shutter Island.

I couldn't even finish it because LML was coming home early...

and i had to prepare the tacos!

can someone tell me the ending...please?

they won't pick up the phone and tell me it!

meanwhile, that person that i've mentioned is being normal

like nothing ever happened-

leaving messages like normal

emailing me like normal

thus i feel like *i* am crazy.

my assistant called in a mental health day...

he's sleeping on my leg.

that is all for now :)

lots more v.soon! (like the snow)

love,

mg

This weekend:

Did you ever try to remember what happened over the weekend, and realized you had to work backwards to remember it all? It could be because it's the only days I spend with LML completely all week. So I forget most things except him. Yep. This is what I'm doing...trying to remember what we did!

Friday Night: Hmmm.

Saturday: Up. Dunkin Donuts. Benihana's. TJ Maxx. TJ Maxx. Marshall's. Groceries. Made yummy strawberry banana smoothies I have patented!

Sunday: Up. Dunkin Donuts. TJ Maxx. Drive. Minado for sushi buffet. TJ Maxx, location 2. Roosevelt Field Mall. Kotobuki (first time ever!) for dinner with some friends and fam. Home. Clean up after puppy. Hug puppy. Fall asleep with puppy.

yeah, that's the gist :)

Love,MG