Day 376 ~ The "New" Look

So here it is!!  My new look...  my makeover... which I'm sure will evolve more as time goes.  I think I am no different than any other blogger that chooses to design their own look.

So... as explained I went from Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own {which are the first 366 (leap year) days of my chronicled blogging of my life ~ which has turned out to be a wonderful journey in itself!} TO ...

Took It... Making It... Living It... My Life. 

I hope you like the new look.  I've been working on it for a week now, so my eyes need to step away.

So I am keeping it short and sweet tonight and look forward to seeing what you all think of my work.

PS... Stay tuned to news of my new challenge tomorrow!

[here's to you finding your... ]

Peace...

... for a, l & c.  You are my sunshine(s).  

Images are courtesy of google or Bing images.  Some images maybe labeled property of Carla Barila Karam and of this blog, Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own.  © 2012 U.S Copyright laws apply.   

Day 374 ~ Creativity & Life

I just love it when I complete projects!!  

Whether it's a chore... a DIY project... an art project... and especially a graphic design project!  I love it!! Best yet is the feeling that comes with it.

So... today, I finished working on my new design for my blog... Took It... Making It... Living It... My Life.  {and} I can't wait to reveal the new look to all of you (hopefully Monday)!

Now that my new look is completed [for now anyways- you know us creative people... I'll look at my work tomorrow and I'm sure I will tweek it somehow], I can now finish Calley's room.

Yes... throughout all of this, I have been painting and decorating Calley's room.  My poor baby had to wait over 5-1/2 years to get her room done.  Funny, both my boys' rooms were done before they were born.  Different times, different circumstances.  

In my defense, when Calley was born we were remodeling a house at the time with my brother... then, in August of 2008, two months shy of her second birthday, we relocated to Texas.  {and} Yes... it has taken me nearly all this time not only to get to her room, but to save the money to do so.

One thing that I pat myself on my back for doing is that all this time that I have been waiting to do Calley's room, I knew more or less what colors I was going to use... so... anytime I would see something great for her room on sale {most times even on clearance!} I would buy it.

Oh... and of course Calley has been helping me all along the way, sometimes a little too much or her timing is off... but all and all she has been so excited through all of this.  Especially when the walls were finished being painted.  She calls it her princess room. (No, it is not princess themed, but it sure does look pretty.)  

With all that said... this week's focus will be to finish her room.  Perfect timing too, since she will be in Vacation Bible School every morning this week.  YAY!  Needless to say, this week will be good for the both of us.

You are correct.  After all this time I am still not done.  As I said it's all painted, and the wall hangings that we had are up...  Now all we need are some finishing touches here and there. .. but with all that said, Calley is so grateful and is loving her new room.  She's even keeping it picked up!

Before you were born, I dreamed of you, I imagined you, I prayed for you.  Now that you're here I hope for you, I love you and I thank God for you.  ~unknown author

Tiaras and things and butterfly wings, that's what little girls are made of.  ~unknown author

[here's to you finding your... ]

Peace...

... for a, l & c.  You are my sunshine(s).  

Images are courtesy of google or Bing images.  Some images maybe labeled property of Carla Barila Karam and of this blog, Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own.  © 2012 U.S Copyright laws apply.  

Day 373 ~ Dino Comes Home Early

So here I am on day two of "design mode".

I have been thinking, and thinking {for a while now} of how I was going to do this... that is, switch my blog from Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own to Took It... Making It... Living It...My Life  -finally... I'm onto something.

TML (Took It... Making It... Living It... My Life) is more or less of a continuation, or a sequel if you will to TBML (Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own), and I decided not to create a "new" blog and keep them together.

How to continue my blog was half of my battle... although thinking of what the new name was going to be was a battle in itself... until I finally struck gold!  wink, wink.

Believe me I have been thinking about what I was going to do for some time now... that's how my website was born... CarlaBarilaKaram.com

Then the other question was... I was only going to do this for 365 days (not even realizing that it was Leap Year when I began), how am I to continue blogging? and what direction should I take it in?

Yes... my countdown within my blog reached "D-Day" ["I did it" day ;) ] or rather "0 Days to go".  However... my posts {titles} were counting up... So ...that in itself did not pose a problem.  I decided that I would just continue counting my days and see where it takes me. 

Back to the here and now... now, I have been in total "design mode" for two days.  {and when I am not in front of my laptop my mind does "designing} 

I do have to say that today was not as difficult to prepare for "design mode", being that Dino surprised us by coming home from work early.  With that said, Calley was going to be taken care of.... BUT, now Dino was home.

I don't know about most of you, but when my husband comes home when he normally is not suppose to be home... well I don't know how else to put this, except to just say it... Dino gets in my way.

Example... I am cleaning up Dino and my bedroom and step out to put something in the kitchen.  I come back to make our bed only to find Dean laying down.  OR... Calley and I want to go to our favorite hobby store, Dino decides to come with us ... well our normal routine is interrupted by his merely hanging back, and not participating.  {This makes me feel like he is wanting to leave, and ends up rushing Calley and I through our normal perusing.}

Side note:  My wonderful husband, absolutely HATES shopping... unless we need to buy something and I NEED his input... well... Let's just say that after being with Dino nearly eleven years, I'd rather go shopping without him.  You could say that he is the President of the I Hate {any kind of} Shopping Club.

Don't get me wrong... we LOVED that our Dino was home for most of the day... however, it did cramp our style routine.  

So what do we do?  We take our Dino out to lunch... an early Father's Day treat.

Father! - to God himself we cannot give a holier name.  ~William Wordsworth

[here's to you finding your... ]

Peace...

... for a, l & c.  You are my sunshine(s).  

Images are courtesy of google or Bing images.  Some images maybe labeled property of Carla Barila Karam and of this blog, Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own.  © 2012 U.S Copyright laws apply.  

Day 367 ~ Took It... Making It... Living It... My Life

Funny thing happened to me on the way to bed tonight...  {wink, wink}

So I go to get in ... and thought... wow, I finished my goal... now what?

Well I guess I could sit back ... relax ... watch a movie ... kick back ... glance at my  lap top ... watch my movie {free HBO this weekend... I recorded Bridesmaid earlier} ... glance at my  lap top ... start the movie ... glance at my lap top ... 

Grab my lap top!

I just can't help myself.  wink, wink.  

I open my blog and see a couple of new comments.  Big Smile.  

Then I read last night's post, Day 366 (remember it was leap year) ... which makes it one year ago today that I took on my challenge.

So ... all day today... in the back of my mind I thought... what next?  Then I kept repeating "Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own", over and over again ... and "What's Next?"

After a few more moments I began to say... Took It... Made It... over and over again... as if it was the next step, the next chapter... but then I thought... something was missing... and repeated "What's Next?" a few more times... oh brother this is ridiculous I thought... 

At that instance, it all came together. 

Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own ... was my rebirth and growth.

Took It... Making It... Living It... My Life ... will be my life, creating it and my purpose.

Listen, it may have taken me this long to accept life... it may have taken me nearly fifty years to really realize I am only here for a limited amount of time... surprisingly enough, it also took me all this time to understand that all along life has been up to me...

{and} Even though I was a slow learner... what matters now is that it is my choice to do something about life... to do something good about life.  

So now I welcome you to...

Took It... Making It... Living It...  My Life  

the sequel to Taking Back My Life ~ Making It My Own

Keep an eye out for new changes. wink, wink.


Keeping my dream alive.

Attitude is a choice.

[here's to you finding your... ]

Peace...

... for a, l & c.  you are my sunshine(s).

Images are courtesy of either google or Bing images.  Some images maybe labeled property of Carla Barilá Karam and of this blog- Taking Back My Life ~ Making it My Own.  US Copyright law apply  ©