Don’t Rest On Your Laurels…

Life has busy down on the ranch.  Yes, apparently my cheap apartment on the upper north side of Chicago is known as a “ranch.”

I’m finishing up my M.A. and have to finish my last class and some papers and that should be that.  I also have launched two new sites, can ya dig it?

The Frugalpreneur is for enterprising broke people that want to start a business and well, not be broke anymore.  I blog on behalf of people that want big venture for little capital and oh ya, there’s a podcast too.  I would love if you could look me up on iTunes!  Right now I’ve been working on getting podcasts up and running but eventually will stick to a schedule of twice monthly on Thursdays.

Podcasting has been the most uncomfortable and challenging thing I’ve done since I started blogging.  Not only does it feel weird to hear your own voice on iTunes but everything that could be annoying, frustrating or baffling about making the transition from print to audio comes to sharp focus.  Needless to say, it’s been a learning experience but I’ve totally had to confront how many times I say “Um” (more than I thought) in a given conversation and how long it takes to make a finished product when the record button’s been hit…I feel like the Winnebego Man.  Damn flies.

Oh  ya, I also launched a new giveaway site-  Beautiful Giveaways and it is fabbbbbbulous.  Right now we’re giving away a $150 Gift Card to Achoo! Allergy and a delicious Bistro MD Tasting Tour giveaway.  Blog giveaways launch every Monday & Thursday and every Friday there will be a giveaway link up!

So yes- I’ve been a smidge busy.  I need to get back on the “Shannyn having a personal life” train so if you have any ideas for me to unwind and decompress, let me know!   I need to wrap up some craft projects I’ve had sitting around but besides that, it’s the dead of winter, I’m low on cash and need to find something awesome.

I’m thinking.. more baking, more cooking, more crafting and taking a serious inventory of my wardrobe.  I want to be able to have fun without breaking the bank and spending what can amount to gobs of cash at restaurants.

I need to find some domestic inspiration…that doesn’t involve pretending on Pinterest.

I’m  pinning my life away, emulating a domestic goddess without actually picking up a spatula or casting onto something beautiful, that’s gotta change!

I’ve found that the busier you are and the more you push yourself, the more you take yourself for granted.  If you don’t schedule personal time to “slack off,” do something silly or catch up on whatever really recharges your batteries- no matter how trivial, you will burn out.

The hardest thing for me to do is to literally schedule in personal time. If I don’t actually write it down and pick an activity I don’t do something awesome with whatever free time I do have. 

So I think the point for this weekend is to celebrate the work that has been done even if the progress isn’t as substantial as I’d like, and play house for a bit.   I hope you’ll enjoy my two new sites, I’ve been working hard to get them set off and would love for you to check them out!

I would absolutely love your ideas for crafts & cooking…if you have a favorite recipe for this time of year or something your working on, send me a link!  Have a fabulous weekend!