New rug, new perspective

On Saturday morning I did something I never do. I shopped. Online. I splurged. Big time for me. 

I've been wanting a foyer runner for ages, but wasn't sure what color and I didn't really want to shell out $150+ for one. 

Finally I settled on a color direction: black and white. This was after seeing a black and white stripped Ikea rug that's no longer available. {so disappointing when I went} 

But then I saw a black and white chevron rug on Target's website when I was showing a friend a rug I eventually want for Vincent's room. I had blinders on. I wanted that rug. I have been working hard on some freelance writing, so I decided I had earned it, but that I should also shop around. Wouldn't you know it but Home Depot was having a sale on a similar rug, was $15 less {$130 total}, and also had free shipping. I didn't think. I just bought.

It arrived today. In hindsight I should have measured my foyer. I know I have a long foyer, but it really puts it in perspective when a 7ft. rug manages to look short in it.

To counter the shortness {because I'm not returning this gem}, I centered it. If I were rich I would keep looking for one that fits better but then I worry when we move at some point I'll end up with a runner too long to go anywhere. 

The runner makes me want to style my foyer better, buy new light fixtures {not in the budget}, paint, and hang up mirrors and more art. I have this grand idea of hanging decorative mirrors on the wall the stairs are on in hopes of a)reflecting light since it tends to be dark and b)making them seem like windows. I'm kicking myself that that was one of the design changes I didn't take time to consider. 

Please ignore all the crap sitting out in the foyer. I'm in the process of going through some of my baby stuff to loan to a neighbor.

A masterpiece

Paint Therapy Uncorked was so much fun. We spent 15 or so minutes picking out the piece we wanted to try to imitate. My middle name is overachiever, whether or not I succeed, I want to know I've gone for something good. So in true fashion, the piece I selected, a sailboat on an evening sea, was one of the harder pieces. Yup, overachiever. 

Putting my paint brush to work, I got busy. Everyone poked fun at how serious I was. Good thing I was drinking wine to loosen up and paint those millions of paint strokes. 

It didn't turn out too bad, especially if you stand far, far away. I sort of think my sailboat is floating in space rather than sea. Vincent called it a castle. I guess I'm impressionistic to the extreme. 

{my inspiration work}

{my blank canvas}

{not an exact match. need more wine}

{finito. Not perfect but not bad. from far away}

Paint Therapy Uncorked

Jonathan is sick. Vincent is getting over a cough. But it's always something, right? Tonight I'm heading out to paint and drink wine at Paint Therapy Uncorked with my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law. Me, wine, paint. Things could get very interesting.
I need a fun night out with all the busyness going on: work deadlines, editing freelance, writing freelance, and I'm designing some prints for one of my good friend's nursery for her son. I'm actually hoping I turn out something descent to hang in my house. I'm not a drawer or painter by any means, but I can follow directions with the best of them.
Do they have one of these paint places where you live? You pay about $40 for all the art supplies, but you bring your own libations. It's a little pricey, but from what I see from the pictures they post to Facebook that everyone's work is well done. I think they must have good teachers. Unless there is some person being told to hide in the corner gripping their "masterpiece." {That'll probably be me.}

On the cusp

Lately, I've been getting that feeling I'm right on the cusp of being that person I want to be and imagined for myself, and what I want to do. It's so easy to let your situation in life define you, or at least to the point you're negative about it. 

I tend to have these grand ideas and little carry through and I think I've let that define me. Mainly because I don't know how to get started (hello, grad school, moving, tiling a bathroom, completely changing careers, writing) or where to start. But I find as I get older, that's changing for me. I'm making realistic goals {at one time I wanted to write for Time magazine. I'll pause while you laugh at how lofty and ridiculous that is} and keeping them. They're little goals, but goals nonetheless. And I'm proud of myself. I'm proud that Vincent has me for his mom and Jonathan has me for his wife. I know they could do far worse and probably much better, but when I look at what we do as a family unit, I can't help but think: We've got it going on. 

So I'm on the cusp. Maybe I always will be, but it seems far better than completely out of reach. And it feels good. Now, if I could just decide a color for my office and bravely roll that color on. 

{sorry for the lack of pictures in this post. Call it wordy Friday post. It was a crazy week where I took almost no pictures.}

Evening walk

These days I'm donning a pedometer and tracking my daily mileage. Working from home, I don't log much, as you can imagine. So this weekend we started family walks. We don't go far. It's more just a way for me to get out of the house, tire Vincent out before bed, and soak in the last rays of summer {that feels like a wet blanket}. Tonight, Vincent was super charming, and wore both his hat and sunglasses. The whole way. He was serious too, which probably makes the whole get-up even funnier. He's never serious {unless he's demanding something}. This boy has my heart these days. I'm glad to know he's mine and that I get to be his mother. We had a rough go of it the first two years. 

What I missed while I was gone

I can't tell you how excited I was to get home to my boys. As much as I thoroughly enjoyed my time away and hanging with some family, I couldn't wait to find out how much Vincent missed me. Or not.

I walked in the door and the first thing he asked, "Where's Tami (my sister) and the doggie?" Wow. Mom's home and he barely notices.

In the week I was away it seems like Vincent learned more words and is speaking in longer sentences. He told me all kinds of things and coherently. 

The thing I did forget: how exhaustive it is to stay present and engaged with Vincent. It took less than a day for the magic of my vacation to wear off. I do feel more patient in his melodramatics.

This morning he flipped out over the flax seeds in his oatmeal. The oatmeal he has eaten every morning, stuffing it in his mouth as fast as possible. So I calmly took him out if his seat while Dad threw waffles in the toaster. After Vincent had inhaled a couple of waffles, getting some food in his system, he was calmed down and ready to take on those pesky flax seeds.

Oh the dramatics!

On the road

Whew! It's been a whirlwind five days traveling to Denver.

For our last day, we headed to Devil's Gulch to hike up and see Gem Lake, but the heavens open right when we decided to eat a picnic before we headed up. We all ran to the van and looked at Andy to explain why the heck we were hiking up a mountain when it's raining! 

Our new plan: finding bowling alley while the rain let off. Nothing says fun like kids throwing blowing balls. I'm not kidding! 

After that adventure of running and ducking from 6lb bowling balls we traded our bowling shoes for tennis shoes and tried once again to head up the trail.

By this point we were all tired and it was almost dinner time. It was hard to focus on the beautiful nature surrounding us when you're going up almost a straight vertical and the trail side animals {mostly chipmunks but we did see a rabbit} look like dinner. Half way up we called it quits, headed down the slide, and got pizza in picturesque Estes. {I want to live there.} I didn't get any pics because I didn't want to accidentally fall on my phone and break it! But I loved to tell the tale! Till next time Gem Lake!