Are you a list-maker? If so, HELLO, FRIEND! If not, HUH?? I have known people who said they were “not list makers.” What does that even mean?? How do you keep track of EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE if not with a list? Or an app, or something??? 

I happen to be exceedingly good at doing nothing. Surfing the internet. Lying in bed with my eyes closed but not sleeping. Talking to myself, replaying past and future conversations with other people over and over and over and OVER again in my head. If I didn’t make To Do lists I could quite easily drift through the rest of my life accomplishing nothing at all.

My boss at my last job used to say “if it’s not in writing it doesn’t exist,” and that’s the power words on paper (or computer or tablet or cell phone, you get the drift) have for me. If I don’t write a task down, it doesn’t exist…which means I never have to do it and no one will be the wiser. And yes, I CAN live quite easily with a sinkful of dirty dishes and a messy car and towers of boxes all around me. The ability to ignore the conditions around me is one of my special gifts. A survival skill, if you will.

On a more scientific note, a study at Dominican University of California found that once you write a goal down, you are 33% more likely to actually achieve it. And the likelihood of success is even greater if you share the list with a friend! Which is why I am, once again, sharing My Vacation To-Do List with y’all.

The last time I did this was last August when I had a TWO WEEK VACATION (be still my heart) and on Day Two…I had heartbreaking news that knocked the wind right outta my sails and I really never recovered enough to accomplish much on The List. To be clear, that’s not the last time I made a LIST. That’s the last time I shared it with you guys. I make lists incessantly.

Besides my ongoing daily to-do lists at home and at work, I have lists of:

  • blog topics to write on
  • blogs to read regularly
  • clothing items to round out a seasonal wardrobe
  • movies I want to see
  • books I want to read
  • things I want to do
  • restaurants where I want to eat
  • outfits I want to style
  • things I want to photograph
  • photography skills I want to learn
  • makeup/health/beauty products I’d like to try
  • passwords
  • things that are stressing me out (part list, part journal)
  • in winter, addresses of houses that are decorated over the top for Christmas
  • gifts I want to get for people
  • gardens I want to visit
  • songs to add to Spotify
  • things to take to the hospital
  • things to take to photoshoots
  • names for future pets
  • ETC.

Phew! I don’t think I’ve ever made a list of all my lists before. There’s a few more floating around (like, “models I want to shoot with,” but that’s so outdated by now…and “apartments to see,” but they go so fast and I have no need for that right now anyway) but this is the bulk of them (is anyone still reading this??).

ANYWAY, Julia of When the Girls Rule gave me the idea of writing this particular blog post when she commented on this week’s Week in Review that she was wondering about my vacation to-do list. So, this list’s for you, Julia!

MY VACATION TO DO LIST

APT

* finish unpacking kitchen once spice rack arrives
* move tall bedroom dresser (I never had to move furniture on carpet before! it’s a bear!)
* organize clothes closet (movers=boys=no clue)
* finish unpacking bathroom
* empty out car so I can…
* …get last things from Northport apt
* organize office area
* fix bedroom window blind (my bad)
* text Ms. Landlady about missing oven rack (it’s been a good excuse to not actually cook, but…)

BLOGGING

* shoot last of winter outfits, about 6 looks, offsite (Brooklyn??)
* plan blog topics up through April break (8 wks away)
* write 2 blog posts a day (hey look, this counts as one!)
* go back through missed days of blogger workshop (I signed up for this January workshop just days before I found out I needed to move right away. I barely got halfway through it…and it’s good stuff!)
* find item for February Match Made in Seven post

EBAY

* get one box of stuff listed (this was voted Least Likely to Actually Get Done)

LIFE

* laundromat, UGH (I don’t know why laundromats aren’t bundled with other businesses, like coffee shops or bars or book stores or internet cafes – are those even still a thing?)
* grocery shop and make big pot of something for dinners this week
* find new registration sticker and put it in car
* do a day outing by myself somewhere, anywhere
* Very Important: identify location of Julia’s Instagram photo
* help friend purge wardrobe
* read (where are my books?)
* nap early in the week
* actually USE the online yoga thing I signed up for like a month ago!
* change renter’s insurance to new address

At this point (Wednesday afternoon) I’ve already done a bunch of things…and I’ll let you know how I make out with the rest of the list once vacation is over.

The Season of Wardrobe Remix

Okay, this has got to go on the list of Most Captivating Blog Posts Ever, surely! (how many of you just said “don’t call me Shirley”?). But please note, I did share an outfit! The winter outfits are winding down as I haven’t bought anything new in a really long time. So this is the season of Wardrobe Remix. You’ve seen all these items before, but never combined in this way, so…

This is one of my favorite fall/winter tops. I love the chestnut color, I love the lightweight but squishy stretchy feel of it, and I LOVE LOVE the “poncho-ness” of it, with its open sides. I didn’t even realize it would be like that when I bought it last year (fall 2017) and at first I was disappointed but then I wore it and the magic revealed itself to me.

From the front it looks like any pullover sweater. But the sides are virtually nonexistent so it is never snug, tight, stretched taut, revealing…any of those frequently unpleasant clothing terms. It floats away from my body in a joyful way…revealing what’s underneath. In this case, a golden ochre colored waffle knit top. I topped all that with my autumnal scarf cuz it was COLD and I needed something around my neck.

I feel like this was my gateway sweater to wanting a real poncho, like a knitted, fringed, sweatery poncho. Something warm and cozy and loose to go over whatever else I might be wearing. I’ve seen a couple around on the interwebs that look cute but I haven’t actually shopped for one yet. But it’s on my radar.

When I came back inside after my little patio selfie shoot, I saw Janey had been watching me out the window.

What I Wore:

I’ve linked this post up with Nancy’s Fashion Style and her Fancy Friday Link-Up

Photos by me.

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