enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

A couple days ago, I was asked in the comments what my days are like. None of my days are really the same. They change a lot based on Paul's schedule or if I have any really important projects to take care of. But this is one of them. It's Wednesday, to be specific.

8:15ish // awake to no alarm. Paul was on call last night, so he slept (or more than likely didn't sleep) at the hospital. I check email and twitter from bed on my iPhone. Supposedly, that is the worst thing you can do for your stress level, but whatevs. Emails for me usually mean comments or sales or funny notes from friends. What's stressful about that? So I do it. (And love it.)

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8:30 // coffee maker on, cereal served. At the computer to respond to emails/blog comments, pack an order from yesterday & read about half the blogs that updated during the night. (I am still on google reader but am thinking about making the switch to bloglovin.)

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9:15 // look over my to do list. Since January, I have been keeping track of my daily to do lists in Moleskine color a month planners. (Looks like they are already selling 2012.) Can't do much until the art store opens and the UPS man drops off the last item I need for my spring kit. So I back up files.

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9:25 // and then I work on finishing February for my 2011 album.

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10:00 // still finishing up the February section.

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10:45 // to the art store. I am so lucky to live very close to such an amazing store. There is about zero chance that I'll ever be this close to one again so I go a couple times a week just because I can. I pick up a piece of map paper and clay for a future project.

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11:05 // with the map paper, I finish up a custom travel minibook that I made for a lady in Australia. (hi Marianne!) I realize that the extra paper can go towards a few more city mini kits. I have enough supplies for two, so I make & I re-list them.

I should mention that throughout the day I am listening to Pandora and checking email & twitter intermittently. My laptop is nearly always open and my gmail notifier dings when I get emails. Hence, my (usually) lightening fast email response time.

11:25 // Paul calls. He's ready to get picked up. Since we moved to San Diego, we have been living with just one car and we sort of love it. I drive him to work on days that I need the car (we live about 5 minutes from the hospital) and he takes it on days I don't.

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11:50 // we're home. I eat a sandwich at my computer and read blogs. Paul has cereal and tries to stay awake to catch up online himself. (He got two hours of sleep last night while on call.)

12:00 // we freak out a bit over the new iPad2. It's on my list. But first I need a new computer. We're ordering it tonight before I throw my four year old MacBook out the window for moving. so. slowly.

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12:10 // Paul takes a nap. While I was out and about, the UPS man dropped off the package I was waiting for so I start cutting down covers. I take a few photos of a complete kit, edit them and get up the spring minibook kit listing.

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12:45 // I start building kits while watching last night's Biggest Loser online.

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2:00 // finish the Biggest Loser while playing with clay… I am hoping to work clay into a new 26 Projects idea.

2:30 // put the clay in the oven to bake. Prep spring kit/ranunculus photo print post for tomorrow. (I type up and schedule most of my blog posts the day before they run.)

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3:00 // clean up my office area & kitchen. Pack orders that have come in during the afternoon.

3:30 // get totally sucked into the trap that is flickr, pinterest & twitter and back to flickr, pinterest & twitter.

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4:00 // Paul is still asleep. I go downstairs to our apartment's shared gym for a 3.5 mile run. I have new running shoes and my feet are slowing getting used to them. I never thought I would get to the point that I actually enjoy running and don't just do it for the calorie burn, but happily, I am getting there.

4:45 // home. I stretch and read the mail. Paul's awake. We chat, sign up for this new investment plan that I called USAA about yesterday and … buy my new macbook pro! I am so excited to have a new computer. I needed it. The blog design workshop needed it. 🙂

5:20 // shower.

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5:40 // we have leftovers from Sunday and we reheat them for dinner. For a veggie, we cook up some brussel sprouts. While eating, we watch Castle. It's a good one.

6:30 // start our Netflix movie, Despicable Me. Cute but not my favorite.

8:00 // put in a load of laundry & clean the kitchen. Check twitter & blogs. Add to tomorrow's to do list.

10:00 // in bed. Paul's out as soon as his head hits the pillow. I read a bit and probably fall asleep close to 11:30.

And that's that. Sort of boring. But all mine.

Posted in

60 responses to “how my days roll.”

  1. Natanya Avatar

    I love this! It’s so fun to see a ‘day in the life’. Thanks for sharing the play by play 🙂

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  2. Lindsay Fitz Avatar

    I am on my second pair of Nike Frees, I rotate them with Vibrams. Take it slow. Focus on running on your toes (go watch a 3 year old run…you’ll see) Read: Born to Run.
    My Frees and I will be running 20 miles on Saturday morning. Good luck. Don’t forget to breathe.

    Like

  3. Sarah Avatar

    I love seeing day in the life posts. And I also love USAA – I use them for everything. From my mortgage to Kate’s 529 college plan. EVERYTHING! I would be interested to know what movies you and Paul have been liking recently. My husband and I are always on the look out for good movies.

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  4. Paula LacKamp Avatar
    Paula LacKamp

    Hi Elise! I am a new fan of yours (found your blog through Ali Edwards) and love your work! I plan on making a mini album of our first trip to Hawaii last March and have purchased your workshop PDF! My husband is a physician as well, so I totally relate to the ‘on call’ schedule (and the checking e-mail, etc. from my iPhone in bed!). We currently live in Baltimore, but have family in San Diego and southern CA, and hope to someday migrate that way! Thanks for a peek into your day!

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  5. elise blaha Avatar

    I had been concentrating on toe running in my old shoes and find it much easier with the frees. The first two days I had some arch pain. I took a day off and then after Wednesdays run felt much better. Youre right though, I really need to focus on the toe running. And I will pick up that book! Good luck on your run!

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  6. Nadia Avatar

    great post elise! thanks for sharing a day in the life and it will be good to have it on record for yourself. you can look back years from now and read about how you spent your day. congrats on the new laptop! funny cause I just traded in my macbook for a macbook pro and WHAT a difference! have a wonderful weekend! ciao!

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  7. Kal Barteski Avatar

    Oh man. The girls would be SO disappointed to know you didn’t love Despicable Me. 😦 They say the girls are Pilot, Penn, and Poet. Which cracks us up.
    PS. Your day sounds wonderful!

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  8. jodi Avatar

    love seeing this peek in to your day.

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  9. elise blaha Avatar

    THEY ARE THOSE GIRLS! we actually finished it last night and it warmed my heart the way only animated films can. (Still not my favorite – but good!)

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  10. elise blaha Avatar

    hmmm, this is a hard one… Right now, we are a bit in a lull. Recently though, we have liked, Red, Going the Distance, The Town, The Kids are Alright, Pirate Radio, Easy A and Knight and Day.

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  11. meghan Avatar
    meghan

    Hi Elise:
    Thanks for the post. I also have the moleskin color planner and like it a lot. I was wondering if you’ve ever thought about calendars or planners for your shop? I have a journal from your shop and love it. I’d be first in line for something similar with calendar pages in it.

    Like

  12. Brianna Avatar
    Brianna

    Thanks for sharing this. I think I’ll do it, too.

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  13. amy tangerine Avatar

    so fun! been asked a lot about what my typical day is like, so i need to get going on a post like this soon. thanks for the reminder!

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  14. Michelle Avatar

    This was interesting! It seems like you actually get quite a bit done in a day! I really want to start running, this is inspiring! Any tips on getting started/learning to enjoy it?

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  15. jeny Avatar

    I long for these kind of days. My days have been known to make grown men weep (including my husband!) I think it great that you do such a mix of things. A lot of times when people work from home they get into a rut. I will continue to be super envious of your day.

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  16. Sara B. Avatar

    Love day in the life posts! Thanks for sharing.

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  17. Linda Avatar

    How fun to experience a day of yours. You should do this every once in a while. You are so inspiring and I always love all of your awesome and crafty/homemaking ideas from you and your blog. You are great!

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  18. elise blaha Avatar

    I have a bit … would you want one bound with bookrings?

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  19. elise blaha Avatar

    I am going to put together a running post soon!!

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  20. elise blaha Avatar

    yes, the mix is where its at. I dont know how else I would stay upbeat. I hope you get some good ones!

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  21. Funnelcloud Rachel Avatar

    Elise – I love reading these sort of posts and was always curious about your (highly productive – though glad to see that you too get sucked in by blogs, pinterest, twitter, etc) days. Thanks for sharing!

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  22. elise blaha Avatar

    super sucked into the internet. but fortunately, not the bravoTV, E, MTV rerun loops. That was my biggest problem in MD when we had a regular TV.

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  23. jessica o'brien | jessohbee Avatar

    always fun to see a “day in the life” post. i may do this to look back on different stages in my life.

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  24. Amanda Avatar

    I love reading “day in the life” posts. I keep meaning to do one for myself. It’ll be nice to look back on down the road!

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  25. meghan Avatar
    meghan

    I’m not sure. Book rings are great for ease and convenience and adding extra pages…so that’s definitely nice with a planner.

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  26. kelly purkey Avatar

    fantastic post.

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  27. elise blaha Avatar

    yeah, I am not sure how I would bind it all together otherwise… Ill be thinking!!

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  28. Esther Avatar
    Esther

    This was so interesting! It’s sounds like a really good day. I study from home, which means I kind of end up doing nothing. So I think I will do like you do, write to-do lists. Maybe I will do something with my days this way.
    I found your blog in the beginning of the year and went back and read almost every single blogpost! It’s so interesting. I got so inspired by your books that I decided to do my own recipe book of a mixture of papers and stuff. I hate having loads of recipe book where I actually only like a few recipes. So this way it will consist of only good ones.
    But like Meghan I’m a bit interested in a planner. All the ones you find in a store are very boring to be honest. I think if you made one it would be very happy and inspiring!
    Thank you for an amazing blog!

    Like

  29. holly Avatar
    holly

    i loved this post!!

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  30. melissa Avatar

    my boss let me go home early today…but i just spent an extra 10 mins at my desk reading this post.
    thanks for the little peek into your dairy (sounds pretty perfect to me!)

    Like

  31. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    Thank you, thank you, thank you for the day in the life post! You are so inspiring to read every day! I love that you are so versatile in your project choices. That’s kinda how I roll too. Some days I’m knitting, then sewing, then crocheting, then scrapbooking, then trying to learn photography and my newest challenge is learning to play the guitar. I also am trying to get back into running. Went for a run on the treadmill on Tuesday and got to the point that my ankles felt better when running than when walking. It was strange and exhilarating…Anyway, I loved your post! Thank you for the response 🙂

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  32. princesa Avatar
    princesa

    hi elise,
    fantastic post. wonder which blogs you are reading. maybe you could share your blogroll.
    thanks

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  33. marta Avatar

    love you for this. it sounds crazily similar to my life (just add a plus one and minus the twitter). glad i’m not the only one who showers at random times of the day.
    p.s. do tell us how bloglovin’ treats you if you ever make the switch up. and yes, i wanna know your listing of faves and must-reads and must-pinterests too. xo.

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  34. Erica Avatar

    This day sounds like heaven. I can’t tell you how envious I am that this is one of your typical days! 🙂

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  35. Jenn Avatar

    I have an old macbook too!!! It was so slow so I upgraded the memory, which made it a bit faster, but my hardrive is too small I think.. I am soo ready for a new one. and the ipad2… whoa… how awesome is that?!?! and the cover… man, these apple peeps are geniuses!!

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  36. DawnS Avatar

    I love bloglovin!
    Just curious…about how many blogs do you follow? Do you have any favorites?
    Thanks!

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  37. elise blaha Avatar

    I have 186 blogs in my google reader. And I am going to get a list of my favorites (top 40 maybe?) together. 🙂

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  38. elise blaha Avatar

    I will put a list together! I think Ill do my top 40 faves. And for pinterest .. .ez, bliss oh joy always deliver. And you now!

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  39. elise blaha Avatar

    hi, thank you! I am going to try to get a list together soon!

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  40. Krystal Avatar

    Oh, I too would be interested in an Elise style planner!! Can’t wait to see what you come up with.

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  41. Mary Kate Avatar
    Mary Kate

    One day, if you have kids, Despicable Me will seem a WHOLE LOT funnier through their eyes. 🙂
    And, as far as animated kids movies go, the story is not as bad as 97% of what is out there.

    Like

  42. Marissa Avatar

    Thanks for sharing your day! I always love hearing how others live.
    I’m a USAA member too, through my dad. They’re the best company!

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  43. elise blaha Avatar

    eeks! Totally didnt mean to tear down Despicable Me. I loved Steve Carrel as the voice. I just also LOVE so many of the Disney Pixar movies. Thats all!!

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  44. Angela Avatar
    Angela

    Loved this post Elise, it would be great to have one of these every month or two.
    I am always inspired by your to-do lists- that you actually cross things off! (unlike mine!)
    I liked Despicable me, but it wasn’t one of my faves either… it was no ‘Up’. I really liked ‘The kids are alright’ too.
    What are the leftovers you had with your brussels sprouts? Looks yummmmmy!
    Got my invite for Pintrest yesterday. Love it! (you are my first ‘follow’!)

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  45. sophie Avatar

    love reading about your day! i wish i got half as much done in my day as you do in yours. i’ve been wanting to streamline my days lately, and now i think you’ve given me some real insight that could help me. keep the post coming! congrats on the new macbook…and can’t wait to get a sneak peak at the your take on an organizer. enjoy the weekend!

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  46. Tameeka Avatar

    I loved reading about your day! I have recently started using bloglovin and I am lovin it (hehe). I also jsut ordered my very own and very first mac book pro last friday! I cant wait til it get’s here. I have heard and read so many good things about them!I also have the iPad2 on my to get list!! 🙂
    Meeks xo

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  47. Marianne Pollock Avatar

    Hi Elise, thanks for the shout out. Can’t believe you have done the book so quick – thanks! Marianne

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  48. elise blaha Avatar

    It was a great dish from one of our favorite cookbooks, Meat Bible. Its Moroccan chicken. And congrats on Pinterest – youll LOVE it.

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  49. Sarah Avatar

    I just wanted to tell you, that you are the most inspiring person on the web, cause you live your dream and stay all natural and how you live it it seems possible for everyone. thank you!

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  50. elise blaha Avatar

    so very sweet. Thank you.

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