Unexpected Art: A Positive Blog by Angela Moore

We Got to Glow at the Cleveland Botanical Garden

AngelaMoore — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 22:34:26 +0000

I don’t deny it. I love living near Cleveland.

No, I haven’t lost my mind. And quit knocking Cleveland. It’s a great city. With great stuff happening in it.

Like Glow. When I was invited to come out to the Cleveland Botanical Gardens and check out Glow, I eagerly accepted. I’m always looking for things to do around the holidays and since December’s focus is “25 Days of Holiday Traditions” the invite was perfectly timed.

I admit, I was a little wary of taking my kids (ages 9, 7 and 1) to a place like the Botanical Garden. I mean, how kid friendly can it be? But I was pleasantly surprised at how much they enjoyed the trip. They really enjoyed the lobby decorations and how festive it all looked.

And all through the garden there were various Christmas trees, each with a different theme.

And the competition of Gingerbread Houses… wow!

Another really cute addition was the Garden Express train ride that was available for families and kids of all ages.

My kids appreciated the “Wishing Tree” where you could write a wish on a paper Christmas tree and hang it with everyone else’s wishes.

I would say that there weren’t a lot of free hands-on activities for kids unfortunately, but mine are pretty patient and are the type who can just wander around and appreciate beautiful scenery.

Speaking of hands-on, though, we did get a kick out of touching the giant bug (the name escapes me at the moment) and even yours truly got in on the act.

Interested in heading to Glow? It’s still happening:

November 23 – December 31
Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays · 10am – 5pm
Evening Hours Wednesdays & Fridays* · 10am – 9pm
Sundays · Noon – 5pm
Christmas Eve & New Year’s Eve · 10am – 3pm

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AngelaMoore

Owner and Operator at Unexpected Art, A Positive Blog

Angela is, among many other things, an online junky. Immersing herself into all things related to blogging, writing, social media, and connecting with others that she would not normally meet without the assistance of her trusty laptop is a daily highlight for her. Learn more about Angela.

Moving Into November

AngelaMoore — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 11:21:52 +0000

I declare the month of organization a success. Not because I am so amazingly organized now. Come on, I have three kids and I’m a single mom… do you REALLY think things are going to stay organized around here? I didn’t think so.

No, it’s a success because my brain is feeling more organized. The menu planner was a huge help (and it’s already been replicated for November). I have also started a few personal projects because I’m feeling more at ease in general and can plan better. So, huzzah! A success!

On to November! This month’s theme is Writing. Yes, it’s NaNoWriMo time! For those of you who don’t know, NaNoWriMo is for “National Novel Writing Month”. This is a completely insane (and therefore wonderfully mind blowing) concept of writing a novel in 30 days. That’s right. 50,000 words, 30 days. You do the math.

I have signed up for this every year since 2006 with the exception of 2011. Know how many times I’ve actually finished? Once. In 2010. And wow was it amazing. So I’m signed up again this year and it’s time to write! I spent some of my time from the recent Cleveland blackout plotting out what I wanted to write so I feel slightly ahead of the game. Which is good because that hardly ever happens anymore.

And so I write. And I’ve found that writing leads to… well… more writing. For months I couldn’t put pen to paper other than taking notes for work. But now, I feel the creative juices flowing again so it’s time to write.

And write I will.

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AngelaMoore

Owner and Operator at Unexpected Art, A Positive Blog

A Beautifully Anxious Mind

AngelaMoore — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 15:07:50 +0000

Yesterday was one of those days. No matter what I tried to do, the mind was reeling. Focusing on anything of merit was damn near impossible. The brain just wouldn’t turn off and settle in. It took several reads of an email to comprehend the request and hours to get things done that would normally take half the time.

Such is the life of living with anxiety disorder.

Normally, I get really frustrated with it especially since I was officially diagnosed. I’m hyper aware of it now and constantly ready to do battle. Granted, this is something I’ve had for years but it’s just taken a more definitive shape since the doctors gave it a label.

Following the diagnosis, I was met with higher levels of anxiety than I’ve ever had to deal with before (I was now anxious about being anxious which is a vicious and eroding cycle) but also a sense of relief. THAT’S why I do those things. THAT’S why I feel that way. It all makes so much more sense now.

Anyway, yesterday (and a good portion of the day before if I really think about it) was a challenge. Sitting still? Yeah, sure, let me get right on that. Reading? Maybe a paragraph or two. Getting something organized? A-ha! That is the key.

I have learned that distraction is a blessed thing when it comes to dealing with anxiety. Anything that takes my mind off of me (and it has to be something physical for me… I can’t just turn on a funny TV show and call it a day) is going to help. Long story short, I got a few more organizational projects done:

Cleaned up the bookshelf and all the stuff I had piled around said bookshelf
Cleared off what we lovingly refer to as “the baby station” where we keep all of the baby’s stuff
Organized the desk drawers
Cleaned up my closet. Well… at least the clothes. I haven’t touched the shoes yet but that will come

The list is still there in my {re}discovery plan and I still have a ways to go. But I’m happy with what I’ve done for the first half of the month. And I’m dealing with (rather than suffering from) the anxiety. My mind works the way it does for a reason. I haven’t quite figured out what that reason is, but it’s there and I need to use it. Someone I love deeply tells me to channel it like a kung fu artist and take the anxious energy and use it for good. I’m learning. It’s not a bad thing unless I make it a bad thing. It’s not a setback. It’s a challenge, yes, but one I’m willing to face with a little help from my friends.

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AngelaMoore

Owner and Operator at Unexpected Art, A Positive Blog

The Organization Continues

AngelaMoore — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 10:51:20 +0000

Ten days in and I’m already breathing a little bit easier. Dinner has not been a hassle thanks to the menu being complete and I’ve only missed one appointment (which was totally not my fault) so I’m pretty happy about it all. The organized desk is making work (and day to day life) easier and I’m keeping it clean (which, of course, is the best part).

The organization streak is continuing although I’m starting to get into some more “difficult” projects. For instance, “Organize recipes” is on my list. But, ugh. What a mess.

But at least they’re in a cute box right?

So, here is my dilemma. How do I organize my recipes? Digitally? With photos? Storing them online? Printing them out? What about family recipes… do I keep those separate?

Decisions, decisions!

But to say I’m not looking forward to the project would be a lie.

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AngelaMoore

Owner and Operator at Unexpected Art, A Positive Blog

Cleaning the Kitchen… One Corner at a Time

AngelaMoore — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 23:40:26 +0000

Today’s focus was the kitchen. There were two spots that were starting to wear on me: the island and the fridge. Both had gotten out of control.

It’s amazing what you can accomplish in a short period of time. I spent about half an hour on each spot and here are the results:

And God bless Tupperware. Seriously.

So, as of now, I am another box closer to my goal of 15 out of my house.

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AngelaMoore

Owner and Operator at Unexpected Art, A Positive Blog

Day Two: Tackle the Desk

AngelaMoore — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:38:30 +0000

Well, I got a full month’s menu done yesterday so I figured today it would make sense to organize the place where I spend most of my waking hours: my desk.

Here’s the before.

Uh, yeah…

I’m pleased to say that after about an hour of focused effort, I am 1/2 box closer to my goal of 15. And I can see my desk again.

So, now that I have a clean and organized desk, the trick is to keep it this way. That’s always the trick isn’t it?

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AngelaMoore

Owner and Operator at Unexpected Art, A Positive Blog

Day One: Let the Organization Begin!

AngelaMoore — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:35:25 +0000

And the project begins! I cannot tell you how excited I am to be getting things under control around the house. The clutter and the chaos is just way too much at this point.

So… day one. On tap for today is menu planning. So, early this morning I sat down with a stack of cookbooks and got a menu plan in place for the entire month of October. Yes, an entire month. No, I’m not crazy.

Some highlights for this month’s menu include:

Tortilla soup
Chicken Cordon Bleu Wraps
Philly Cheesesteaks (One of the kids’ favorites)
Meatball Stew
Spanish Rice
Stuffed Shells

Yum indeed. Another thing I can cross off my list is I’ve started the month’s calendar in our kitchen. My calendar is my life saver. So, one day down… 30 to go.

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AngelaMoore

Owner and Operator at Unexpected Art, A Positive Blog

The Organizational Game Plan

AngelaMoore — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 14:24:36 +0000

I have my list of organizational projects ready. Just one more day until the big kick off! I can tell you’re as excited as I am about all of this.

To give you a sense of what I’m looking at doing in the next 31 days, here are ten things on my list:

Meal Plan for the month
Wrapping paper
Kitchen cabinets
My closet
Fridge
Medicine Cabinet
Jewelry
Filing Cabinet
Dresser Drawers
Heirlooms

I have a total of 31 projects for the month and since they are both large and small, I think it’s a perfectly reasonable list to accomplish in the month of October.

If you had 31 days to organize your house, what would you choose to do?

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AngelaMoore

Owner and Operator at Unexpected Art, A Positive Blog

Why Organization in October?

AngelaMoore — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 12:20:07 +0000

If you haven’t noticed, I have a tendency to like things neat and organized. I am not a neat freak by any stretch of the imagination but disorganization just tends to drive me a little crazy. Ok, maybe really crazy. I can’t help it. It’s the way I’m built.

The funny thing is, I can go to someone else’s house and it can be in complete disarray and it won’t bother me. Chances are I won’t even notice. But in my own home and my own space, I need to have order.

Like most people, I am really good at GETTING organized but it’s STAYING organized that trips me up. My organizational system works PERFECTLY… when I use it.

So to kick off my project, I’ve decided to clear the clutter and make room for the tons of good stuff coming my way. And it is coming, I can feel it. The goal of October is two-fold:

Get rid of at least 15 bags / boxes of stuff from the house. Both donations and dumpster deposits are counted.
Clear the general clutter for the sake of my mental health

My organizational projects (and yes, I already have a list ready to go) vary from cleaning off my desk to organizing photos.

And on Monday, I start to tackle the list.

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AngelaMoore

Owner and Operator at Unexpected Art, A Positive Blog

An Everyday Proposition

AngelaMoore — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 13:55:37 +0000

Just a few more days until the {re}discovery Project kicks off and I’m really looking forward to it. I also told you that I’m not planning on buying any books until I make it through at least a good portion of the stacks that I have around my house.

In addition to the three bookcases I have in my house, I have a few boxes of books in the basement. I went through my books the other day and started to find those that I haven’t read yet but have been on my radar for awhile.

My reading (as opposed to reference) books fall into three categories for the most part: business books, classics / bestsellers, guilty pleasures. Right now I’m on a guilty pleasure kick. The business book list is pretty long. The guilty pleasure book list is actually fairly short since I tend to read those as soon as I get them (I can’t help it. I love the chick lit). The third list includes some current stuff like The Girl Who Played With Fire (loved Dragon Tattoo once I actually got into it) as well as the timeless stories. I feel a Jane Austen marathon coming on.

This is a long, roundabout way of saying that in addition to the monthly themes, I am going to have a few things that I’ll focus on for the entire year. My book drought is one of them. Another one is going to be photography. I am a big fan of Instagram and would love to do a #photoaday. Basically a #project365 type of thing. (If you’re on Instagram, let’s connect. I’m “amcmoore”.)

And finally, I’m declaring war on unfinished projects. I’m notorious for starting things and then leaving them half done. I’m especially bad at this with craft-related projects. I have a couple of things on knitting needles that I really need to get done. And I have a recipe project that has been on the back burner for years. No more! My goal is to knock off a list of half-finished projects within the year. I have ten on my list right now. I’m sure there are more lurking in the corners of my house, but I figure ten is reasonable. And a couple of them I can get done in October since they’re part of my organizational list too. Bazinga!

So, here goes everything. Three more days!

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AngelaMoore

Owner and Operator at Unexpected Art, A Positive Blog