On the Blog – Page 3

Poppy turns One!

February 2, 2016

You guys. My poor Poppy is already suffering from 2nd child syndrome.

Well maybe not suffering.

Anyway, her birthday is the week before Christmas. This year it also happened to be a couple of days before we left on a two week trip. While each year I’ve planned a small but fun themed party for Charlie (one, two, three), Poppy’s first birthday was decidedly less involved.

But there was a pipe cleaner crown.

A banana cream pie.

And a few presents that Charlie had a hard time leaving alone.

And of course, lots of adorable smiles.

Happy Birthday my sweet Penelope!

Linking up with Tina and many others at Tuesday Talk!
Making a Monthly Meal Plan

October 13, 2015

Have I mentioned before that I pretty much hate getting meals on the table? Meal planning, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning…all of it. Except the eating. I very much enjoy the eating part. I’ve tried lots of things to make this whole daily ordeal more enjoyable, or at least take up less of my life. So my latest project is one more attempt at streamlining the whole meal preparation process. The biggest change from anything I’ve tried so far? Planning for the whole month.

I started by making a list of all the meals I would consider quick and easy. When I actually sat down and wrote them all out I found I actually had a pretty good collection. For the most part they are recipes that I can make from memory, have a small list of ingredients, and come together fairly quickly. Some recipes are crock pot meals that take a while to cook, but only a few minutes to dump the ingredients in at the beginning of the day. I’m sure each family would have a different list, but ours includes things like tacos, spaghetti, parmesan tilapia, and roast beef.

Then I made a list of easy and quick side dishes. I’m really bad about making the main dish and then realizing we have no vegetables once I get it on the table, so I knew I needed to think about sides ahead of time. I only have a handful that I’m planning to rotate though each week, but they are super simple. Mostly various types of frozen vegetables with some roasted sweet potatoes or carrots thrown in for some beta carotene.

Once I made my lists I realized I could fill out a whole month’s calendar and only repeat most of the meals twice. This sounded like a fabulous idea, but I knew I would miss some of our favorite but not quite as quick and easy meals. So I made a list of favorite seasonal meals. My plan is to put one “seasonal favorite” in a week, but with a list of favorites already made it’s still not something I’ll need to think very hard about. Some favorites that I’m planning for this fall include my stuffed acorn squash and chicken and rice chowder.

From there I filled in the calendar! I based the plan around our typical schedule for the week, so on grocery shopping days I always plan on just picking up a rotisserie chicken for dinner. On days when we tend to have more going right before the dinner hour I plan on crockpots that I can prepare earlier in the day.

The last step was preparing a shopping list. Since I plan on repeating my “quick and easy” meals all year long, I knew I could go ahead and make a shopping list to refer to all year too. This took a bit of time, but I think I have a pretty thorough list now. I split it up into things that I can buy just once at the beginning of the month, and more perishable items that will need to be purchased on a weekly basis. My hope is that I can take one big shopping trip at the beginning of the month and get all the unpleasantness of that out of the way and keep all the rest of the trips short and sweet. Since I’ve only just started this system I have yet to find out if this is how it will actually work in reality.

Maybe in a few months time I can report back on how this system is working out. I’m hopeful that it will make at least some things easier and I’m already excited about the fact that the whole month’s meals are planned out.

Anyone have any fabulous tips for making meal planning and prep involve less time and stress? I’m all ears!

**This is going down in the books as Project 1 for my 31 Projects goal!
31 Projects: A Year-Long Goal

October 5, 2015

I’ve heard it said before that goals are dreams with deadlines.* I’ve been really good in my life at dreaming, but not so great at accomplishing goals. I’ve come to realize that a lot of this is due to a lack of deadlines. I do just fine at getting things done when there is some sort of external pressure. I did just fine at work. I was great at school. But when it comes to my own personal life I often feel like I’m not accomplishing very much. In the past I’ve balked at placing an arbitrary deadline on myself. I guess I figured that if the deadline is coming from me, then I can just as easily change it. And then it’s not really a deadline, it’s just procrastination. But after all that reasoning I still don’t really get anywhere.

So, to commemorate my 31st birthday this past week, I’ve decided to make this a Year of Accomplishing Things. I’ve made it my goal to complete 31 projects before my next birthday. October 1st, 2016 is the deadline. And since it’s my birthday I can’t change it. No procrastinating on this one! I’ll either meet my goal or I won’t, but at least it won’t just languish out there for all eternity while I wonder if I’ll ever get around to it or not. I feel like this will be good for me.

So what do I mean by 31 Projects? It’s pretty open-ended really. The purpose is to take all the many many many many ideas I come up with throughout the year and turn at least some of them into reality. Some of them will likely be craft projects. Some will probably be home projects (decorating, organizing, and the like.) Some may be projects for the kids. Hopefully all of them will bring about some sort of personal fulfillment, either by being a creative outlet or improving my life in some way.

I have dedicated a page in my planner for keeping track of my projects and have already started jotting down ideas. A few are already in progress. You can also expect a lot of 31 Project related blog posts. 31 of them, hopefully.

My project tracking page in my Get To Work Book

When I do the math, it looks like I need to complete a project every one and a half weeks. This is a pretty lofty goal. So if you know me in real life, feel free to ask about what projects I’m working on. I have a feeling I’m going to need a little motivation to get this done. 🙂

*Pinterest tells me that was said by someone named Napoleon Hill.
A Peek at my Planner – Get to Work Book

September 22, 2015

I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent much of my adult life searching for THE ONE. The one that can help me achieve my dreams. Be a better person. Support me through stressful times and forgive me when I just can’t do it all. The one that I can pour my life into and receive clarity and purpose in return. I’m talking, of course, of the perfect planner.

As I’ve grown though, I’ve slowly become more accepting of the fact that I can’t expect the planner to fulfill my every need. I have to be willing to do the work to get the most out of the relationship. I need to be willing to commit. To buckle down and work out our issues and see what good can come out on the other side rather than just run off to a newer, prettier planner at the first sign of trouble. As you can see, planners are a very personal issue for me.

So when one of my favorite bloggers and people on the internet that I most admire in terms of her “get it done-ness” launched a new business that sells planners I decided to give it a try. I had been without a long-term planner for a while. I’d just been casually flirting with different lists and notebooks but I could feel it was time for me to settle down. So I bought it. It’s charming and unassuming. It gives me guidance and focus when I need it, but it never pushes. It allows me space to be me. It’s a planner, and I’m going to stop with this extended metaphor now.

The planner is called the Get to Work Book and it is made by Elise at Elisejoy.com. The next edition of the planners for the 2016 calendar year is available for pre-order now, so I thought it would be a good time to give a little peek at how I’ve used mine for the past few months. You can check out the Get to Work Book website for photos and videos that show each of the different page designs in more detail.

As a reminder that I want to be more creative and crafty in my daily life, I decorated the cover page with some watercolor. It turns out decorating planners is a thing that people really get into, and this planner is the perfect blank canvas for some serious artistic flair. Just take a look at the Get to Work Book instagram or search on pinterest for “planner decorating” and you’ll see what I mean. Like Whoa.

brainstorming space decorated with washi tape

project planning page

One of the things I love about this planner is the amount of brainstorming space that is included. I’m a person who thinks and plans best on paper, but other planners I’ve had have never really included a lot of space for this. I always had to find other notebooks or scraps of paper which inevitably got lost or forgotten. This planner allows me to keep all of my ideas and brainstorms right there with the nitty gritty details of the day. It has several sheets of blank graph paper before each monthly spread and more in the back of the book. It also has some handy project planning sheets for those projects that need to be broken down and given a bit more structure.

weekly spread

I also like how open ended the weekly spreads feel. If you wanted to write out a schedule for the day, you could do that. If you wanted to just make a big to-do list for each day you could do that too. Or you could be like me and combine a few tasks with a shopping list with a note with details about an upcoming event with an inventory of the fridge for meal planning. The grayscale design gives enough structure to help you keep things organized but is subtle enough to ignore if you need the space.

The fact that I have used this planner for three months and haven’t yet thought about switching it up and trying something new is a big deal, as my husband will attest. Maybe it’s the planner. Or maybe it’s just me finally being ready to commit. But I feel like even if I come up with new ways to organize or categorize my life, this planner will be flexible enough to change with me. We’ll see. But I think maybe, just maybe, I’ve found the one.
A summer capsule wardrobe attempt

September 9, 2015

I know it’s September and school has started and Labor Day has passed and everyone is now in full on Fall mode. But we’ve had a week of 90 degree weather in these parts and my summer wardrobe is still very much in use. So I’m going to pretend that this post isn’t desperately behind the times.

So, have you jumped on the capsule wardrobe craze? I kind of feel silly explaining it here because it seems like every blogger ever has already done so, but just in case you’re out of the loop, here’s the low down:

A capsule wardrobe is basically a pared down wardrobe made up of items that can be mixed and matched in many different ways. Some people will stick to just 40 items in their closet, others go with 37, some work it all the way down to 25. The ultimate goal is to have a closet made up of only items that you love and can be worn with anything else so you don’t have those mornings of staring at your stuffed closet thinking you have nothing to wear. You could essentially grab any top and any bottom and throw them on and look great.

Doesn’t that sound like a dream?

Or like every man’s wardrobe. Anyway…

I’ve been intrigued by this idea for quite some time and this summer was the first season that I wasn’t in maternity clothes or rapidly changing size. I purged and edited until I got down to 24 items. I got rid of everything that didn’t fit, wasn’t flattering, or wasn’t comfortable. Then I pulled out some of the things that didn’t really seem to go with anything else and was left with what you see below.

As you can see, my wardrobe is pretty casual. It is built on a base of gray and navy with pops of berry, teal, and green thrown in. If I had an office job I would probably need a different assortment of items, but for now this collection takes care of what I need. I can’t say that I love all the items, but it’s been a good exercise to see how little I can get by with. For the fall I think I’m going to try taking a more deliberate approach and perhaps invest in a few basics that I’m currently lacking.

And it really has been easier to pick out clothes each day. I haven’t been faced with a “I don’t have anything to wear!” feeling all summer. It’s definitely an experiment that I’m willing and excited to try again.
Let’s Catch Up

July 7, 2015

Hi friends! It’s been a while. My only excuse is that I have two small children who don’t like to nap. And who oftentimes think mama is the best and sometimes only acceptable playmate in the world.

I think that’s a pretty good excuse really.

And while I have not been writing much of anything, we have been doing other things in life. And isn’t that what’s more important anyway?

So let’s catch up. In the form of a old-fashioned photo dump.

Charlie and Poppy are becoming great friends. It’s so fun to watch.

They also have a thing for sticking their tongues out at each other.

It’s a special treat to stay up to catch fireflies.

Cowboy hats are all the rage.

This gal is so smiley!

And so is he. Even when he has a horrible cold.

We made a mug for Father’s Day.

Because these kids have the best dad.

So that’s the gist of the last few weeks. Minus the boring stuff like chores and cooking. And minus the difficult stuff like three-year-old attitude and baby meltdowns. But who wants to hear about all that, right? Down the road, this is the stuff I want to remember about this phase of life. Even if it means I don’t get to blog as much. 🙂
Spring 15

May 20, 2015
Spring! Once the weather warms up and jackets are no longer required, you can find me outside with the kids just about all day long. At least that’s the goal. Everyone seems to be in a much better mood when running though the grass and lounging on the picnic blanket.

So I thought I’d share some fun items that put me in a springy mood.
1. Tote bag – You can never have too many bags. You might as well have a bag that reminds you to treat yo’ self while you’re running around town.
2. Washi tape – This washi tape would be a nice addition to any spring craft or scrapbook page.
3. Child’s Swing – Kids these days. So stylish.
4. Succulent Planters – I’ve never gotten into the whole succulent craze. But maybe I should.
5. Quilt – One of our favorite things to do in the spring is hang out on a blanket in the backyard. This lovely quilt would make that even more fun.
6. Hug A Hen Shirt – Chris’s cousin owns a small farm in New York (state, not city) and they are currently selling t-shirts to raise money for a new farm store and milk house. I often wish we lived close enough to enjoy their pasture raised pork and eggs, but at least we can support them from afar by purchasing these cute shirts!
7. Mobile – This butterfly mobile is enchanting. I can’t think of a baby that wouldn’t want to gaze up at that.
8. Mama Hen Pillow – What’s more spring like than a mama hen and her chicks? This pillow could add a really lighthearted touch to your home.
9. Poppy painting – Our daughter’s name is Penelope, but we call her Poppy (that’s the closest big brother could get to saying her name.) Since having her I’ve been abnormally drawn to pictures of poppies. I love this sweet simple painting.
10. Sweet Briar Notebooks – These floral notebooks would be a fun way to keep track of all your springtime thoughts.
11. Fairy House Kit – What a ridiculously cute idea is this? My kids aren’t old enough to put this to good use, but I’m tempted to get it just for myself.
12. Garden Tools – an gardener worth her salt is needs some high priced garden tools. (Actually, she doesn’t. But wouldn’t weeding be a bit more fun with such attractive tools?)
13. Elephant Planter – I’m a sucker for elephants. This elephant planter is super cute.
14. Bird Feeder – I love seeing birds in my yard, but the country cottage style makers seem to have the monopoly on most bird feeders. I thought this cheery modern feeder was a nice change of pace.
15. Bolga Baskets – These baskets from West Elm would be a great way to add a pop of color to any room for the spring.
So who’s ready to redecorate with flowers and small animals?
Project Life – Poppy at 4 months

May 18, 2015
I’m still working on my process of taking pictures, printing, and getting them in an a album. It’s much easier to document an event or time period right after it happens, but I just don’t always get around to it. Maybe it’s the tiny people around here clamoring for my attention.

But this was one spread that I got done in a timely manner. At 4 months poppy is showing us more of her personality each day, and I wanted to be sure to capture this time before the details got fuzzy. Journaling cards include an update from her 4 month checkup and a list of things she loves right now.

This also happens to be my favorite spread yet in terms of layout and design. I’ve been pinning a lot of project life inspiration lately and I used this spread to try out some of the techniques I’ve seen.

One thing I see a lot of is printing a picture and cutting it to go in several pockets. I’ve noticed that this not only lets you include a nice big picture as a focal point, but it also opens up more possibilities in terms of layout. I included one of my favorite pictures from her 4 month photo shoot and split it up to fill one 4×6 and two 3×4 pockets.

Another technique I’ve seen a lot is to print square photos on a 3×4 card. It gives it a bit of a Polaroid look, provides space for a short caption, and adds some nice white space to the layout. I used several of my favorite Instagram shots from the month to fill out the right side of the spread. I really like the way it turned out and I expect I’ll use this technique a lot more in the future.

Thanks for letting me share my album! I’m finding this to be such a fun project. And I love that it results in something our family will enjoy years down the road.

P.S. Want to see more of the album so far? Here are some of the other pages I’ve done:
And if you’re into it, be sure to follow my project life board on Pinterest. There are lots of great examples out there of what you can do with this system.

Follow Amy’s board Project Life on Pinterest.
These Days // 18

May 15, 2015

Happy weekend! These past couple of weeks have been full of good things. Here’s what’s going on these days:

Celebrating: my sister’s college graduation! The whole family made the trip down to Nashville for the weekend for the ceremony. We also got to see her senior art show, go to the zoo, and eat at some tasty local restaurants. It was a full but fun time!

Surviving: the first stay at a hotel with two children. I was a little apprehensive about how it was going to go but they were both troopers. We kept so busy during the days that when nighttime came around they were both more than ready to go to bed.

Spending: lots of time outside. The weather has been ideal around here the past week or so and we’ve been soaking it up.

Cutting: fresh flowers from our yard. We’ve got several purple things in bloom right now. So pretty! (Don’t be impressed. I didn’t plant any of it.)

Planning: meals to use up the veggies from our first CSA box of the season. This week we got a salad mix, sweet potatoes, asparagus, strawberries, dried beans, and cornmeal. I’m excited to put it all to good use and try a few new recipes!

Have a fabulous week!
Family Photos

May 12, 2015
I have entirely too many photos to share with you today.

A few months ago our friend Mary from Honey Heart Photography came over to take some pictures.

Some members of our family were a bit cranky about it. I was a little worried during the shoot that there wouldn’t be much to work with. But it turned out that a lot of the expressions and moments that had me a little exasperated the day of the photo shoot ended up making some of my favorite pictures. They may not be “picture perfect” but they show just what our family is like at this stage.

Give Charlie a car and he’s suddenly all smiles.

Thanks, Mary, for capturing our little family!

Here are some more photo focused posts: