Wish List Wednesday

I don't know what it is about this print by Allison Trentelman of Rocky Top Studio, but I think that I need to find a place in my home for it.  I keep going back to my Etsy favorites for visits!!

There are some other beachy prints that I think would look great in my space as well.  There are too many fabulous prints to choose from.

Whoa!!!

Where did the time go?  I didn't think that it had been quite so long since my last post! 

The other day, I was thinking about all the changes that our family has gone through over the past year.  My return to a Monday to Friday job has certainly been a big adjustment and continues to be in some ways, but I suddenly feel like this is normal.  I feel like I have found my groove and I am not berating myself so much for the things that I forget or the mistakes I make.  I am just doing the best that I can do.

There are many things that I miss about being a stay at home Mom.  I miss the time that I used to have to get things done during the day so I could spend more time enjoying the kids.  The other day, I spend the night playing with the kids and I didn't think about my "to do list" more than a couple of times.  (I will admit that I did think about it, but I didn't do anything from it!)  The kids and I were laughing and having such a great time and I realized that I do not take this time very often any more.  In addition to my day job, I also have a part time job that I absolutely love, but all of these things keep me hopping.

Since then, I have tried to make a conscious effort to be in the moment with the kids when we are playing.  We have also started to schedule one-on-one time together.  Last weekend, my oldest and I went our for lunch, then to our local Conservatory.  We skipped over to a small gallery afterwards and picked our our favorite paintings. The next day was my youngest daughter's turn.  She chose going out for dessert and baking cookies together. (She has a bit of a sweet tooth!!)

I am realizing that, what once came naturally, needs to be worked on at this point.

Conservatory

Happy Holidays to Me!

I have been unsatisfied with our bedroom for a little while now and have been looking for a change.  We have a new wall colour picked out but I just need to find the time to get it done.  Last night, I took the plunge and ordered some new bedding from West Elm.  I am so excited!!! 

Pintuck Bedding from West Elm

The next item on the list is a desk.  I have been keeping my eye out for desks that would suit the space and are affordable, but I'm coming up empty handed so far.

The paint colour that we are leaning towards is Faded Ink from the Martha Stewart line at Home Depot.

Wish List Wednesday

West Elm

Do you like owls?  Do you like mercury glass?  I do!!  I love the look of these mercury glass owls from West Elm.  Should I buy myself an early present for the holidays?

Where did the time go?

Well it has been a while since my last post.  With the start of school comes a new set of challenges.  I definitely didn't miss the rush.  The rush to get ready in the morning, the rush to get to work after taking the kids to school, the rush back to pick them up from school then the rush to make dinner and run off to the evenings activities.  Whew!!  I get tired just thinking about it!

In my internet travels, I found a website to help with lunch ideas and planning.  Although my kids would never eat salmon stuffed eggs, I was able to play around with the menus and plan lunches for the next 17 days.  Here is the Lunch Box Tool from Today's Parent.

Although it doesn't help with much of "the rush", at least it takes some of the school related stress away.

Too Much?

Years ago, I heard a stand up routine by George Carlin all about stuff.  He talks about how our houses are just places to put our stuff and when we get too much stuff, we need to get a bigger house.  This is what popped into my mind the other day when I ran into one of the Mom's from my kids' school.  They had a decent sized house, bigger than ours, but they just bought another house because they needed more space.

We live in a bi-level that is 950 square feet on the top level.  My husband bought the house when he was a single man and then I came along....and then a 60 lb dog....and then two kids.  These days, it is pretty rare that I feel like I need more space.  More often than not, I feel like we have to much stuff for the space we have.  I have no intentions of moving any time soon.  We have talked about adding a garage onto the house with a room over top, but we have been talking about that for about 10 years now.  We don't need more space.  Sometimes we want it, but I would not use the word "need".

My dream is to pare down.  I would love to more everything out of the house and only bring back the things that we actually need or truly value.  Do I really need my cassettes that are hiding behind the magazines under the tv stand?  Probably not.  I also don't need all of the magazines!  (Ironically, many of which are about organizing.)  The kids don't need all the toys they have and we could definitely do without the wok that has been sitting above the stove for years.

When you really think about it, it is just too much stuff rather than not enough space.

West Coast Weekend

The family took a trip out to the West Coast this past weekend for a wedding.  It was the perfect setting and we had an awesome time.  It was a family wedding and every single member of my Mom's side of the family was able to attend.  It was a beautiful morning wedding followed by a delicious lunch buffet.  After lunch, music started playing and everyone started dancing.  We opened the doors to the patio and the dancing and singing spilled out into the sunshine.  The views were amazing but the best part was having everyone together for such a wonderful occasion.

Mommy and baby seal

Just part of my yummy wedding meal

The view from the beach

I thought this spot was awesome too.