THE VIEW FROM MY PENCIL

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Coveting and clearing

The day after Christmas I seriously wanted all the Christmas decor out, out, out. And with much hope and ambition, I did start taking it down right away, but sadly, because I wanted to reorgnize the way I put away the ornaments (I'm getting rid of all those little ornament boxes), it took longer than expected. Tonight we finished pulling down the ornaments we hung from the foyer ceiling and took down all three of the little trees. It feels good to open the house back up. If only it were spring, but alas it's supposed to be 1 degree here. Yuck! With everything taken down it's made me realize how much my walls need art and furniture, and ceilings need new light fixture. One day I'll be brave and just tackle it! But here's the quick list of things I'm hoping to get done this year:

• paint the office

• replace the kitchen light fixtures

• buy a buffet

• buy art/get professional photography done and hang up in dining room and living room

• replace bathroom sink faucets

• paint bathrooms

• possibly tile bathrooms (the lino is holding up well for the most part but one part is starting to peel in one of the bathrooms so we might wait until we see noticeable cracks like we've witnessed in the same lino in our neighbor's house

• clear out the basement and give away tons of crap living down there

• buy outdoor dining set

• buy a rocking recliner for bedroom.

The rocking recliner might be something we tackle soon. We looked this weekend and found something we both like, and after Jonathan scraped his wrist moving our very ancient ottoman in our bedroom, I'm thinking he's more likely to make that happen sooner rather than later.

If we had tons of money I'd love to finish the basement (adding a family room/craft/office area, bedroom, and a bathroom down there), fence the backyard, and put in French doors off our dining area to a little deck with lots of potted plants. A girl can dream!

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

My word 2014

Do you have a word to build your year around? Last year was the first year I chose a word. Honestly, I think I forgot about it as January made its exit. I'm determined this year to really reflect on my word, live my word, and give my word new meaning in my life.

I decided this year my word is:

My inspiration has been motherhood, mainly witnessing other parents' journeys as their children face life-threatening illnesses. One of the stories I started following this year was Gavin Owens. His life story is a beautiful one, just like the family who loved him during his short life and who aren't letting his death be in vain as they grow their family by adoption. I'm also witnessing an old high school friend's son go through the reality of cancer. It's harsh, ugly, and unforgiving to see this beautiful kid, who someday wants to be a firefighter, go through something so awful. {His prognosis is good, I'm happy to report. I hope I get to witness him do amazing things with his life having to confront his own mortality in preschool.} Every day that I get to hug Vincent and know that he's healthy and happy, I know I'm truly blessed. I'm blessed with a beautiful house that I've recently decided is a cottage after all {I'm a cottage girl at heart}. I have a wonderful loving husband who works hard at what he does and stays committed to his family. I have a disease that has amazingly stayed in remission for several years after a hard and fast onslaught that left no damage. And finally, I have a job that gives me flexibility to not have to choose between work and family. I think we get so caught up with bigger, better, greener on the other side, give me my cake and I want a slice too that we take for granted just the daily miracles happening everyday. These are big things. These are big deals. And I only hope that I can teach Vincent what a big deal he is in my life, and that it doesn't take material things to make you happy. When a shooter walked into the school in Colorado this winter, kids called their parents and thanked them for all their love. And I'm sure when they walked out safe and sound {minus one heroic girl and one troubled boy}, they counted their blessings and they were never more grateful to go home to loved ones and hug them. I don't want to get so lost in achievement that I forget what's truly important and to be thankful for all that life as offered me.

I hope I can keep this thanksgiving alive all year long!

A little more me this year

Ommm. I guess if I ever get hungry, there's a whole kitchen full of plastic goodness behind me.

Ah, don't you love January? A new year to don whatever habit(s) you feel like trying in effort to revolutionize yourself. For me, it means I make these super lists of resolutions—one for work, one for parenting, one for the home, and one for me. The resolutions that trip me up the most have to be ones focused on me. My other lists are task oriented: make the bed everyday, teach Vincent his letters, hang curtains, start a garden. I'm really bad about focusing on me, taking time out for myself. This year I want to get back into yoga and spend a little more time reconstructing myself now that I've been on this path of motherhood for close to 3 years (!!!).

Before, I never understood those mothers who let themselves go and stopped doing those things they love. Now I completely understand wearing the crumpled yoga pants and ratty shirts that are more comfortable for your forever (and blessedly) changed body. That first year I was exhausted living on 4-6 hours of sleep a night. There was no way I was getting up earlier than necessary for those few minutes it took to throw on some clothes to rush out the door to drop Vincent off at daycare. Makeup was something that lived under my sink on the off chance I actually got out of the house for functions that didn't require a diaper bag and if I cared enough to put it on.

Yesterday I was perusing one of my favorite goods store, Terrain, and saw this book. If you click on the pictures, you can get an idea of the content, which is simplistic but also very fascinating. That we can change the moments in our lives merely by paying closer attention to them and yourself within that moment. That in washing the dishes and sorting clothes we might actually find we can enjoy it more if only we stay in the moment instead of stressing about the next thing on our to-do list. Working from home I'm constantly bombarded with professional and personal. I can't remember the last time I focused on one thing, giving it my everything, enjoying it, and checking in with myself in that moment instead of being sucked out by constant distractions, be it email, twitter, blog land, Pinterest, Facebook, and texting.

I've already started a little of my resolution revolution for myself by doing mini workouts in the evening with Jonathan. It was an idea I found reading Nellie magazine. Although I plan to revolutionize myself and my mentality this year and let more joy into myself, I plan to incorporate my family in the process where I can! I've never worked out with anyone before, so it'll be interesting the impact that it'll have on me and my marriage. I tend to push myself far and fast. Jonathan tends to back off when it gets uncomfortable. We're each other's yin and yang. We put away the phone, we talk about how we're physically feeling, and if we can go further than the night before. Right now we're only taking 10 or 15 minutes until we build up our stamina, but I can already see if difference in myself, in my marriage, and hopefully in the next month, my body.

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

A new year

I'm so excited for this year. Jonathan's new job is already giving us more time as a family and giving me time to put more homemade meals on the table! This week we've already had creamy tomato fettuccine, steak Marsala with risotto and roasted parmasean asparagus, and slow cooker chicken tikka masala. I'm hoping that getting more time together will mean more things getting accomplished, like working out, knitting, going through all the stuff in our basement and getting rid of it, and even growing a small veggie garden when spring arrives. Love how the new year holds such promise!

Monday, December 30, 2013

New new new

Jonathan started his job, and the best thing: how much more time (and help) we have together as a family. Vincent now gets to sleep until 7 versus 5:15, I take him to school and log in for work at my usual time of 8:45, he gets picked up at 4 (which might get later should Jonathan decide to start working out after work), and dinner is on the table by 5:30 or 6 (Jonathan wasn't even getting home until 6:30 or later with his old job). The byproduct of all this: I can cook dinners while he plays with Vincent, Vincent is happier with more sleep, and more stuff can get done around the house in the evening. It's a win-win-win. We're still working on getting the routine down since the holdiays throw everything off. But I'll take these couple weeks of chaos for a all around happier family!

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Just be

Lately I've been more content to the fact I don't have the perfect career culled out just for me. I have a job I know how to do OK. It pays bills, it let's me work from home, and it affords me a life that isn't so insane I don't get to savor the life I already have. I'm counting it as a blessing that I can quit work everyday not feeling stressed to pick up my son, that I can take a lunch hour to nourish my body and do something for my soul. It's not what I imagined and I do admit to fighting it almost monthly because I love pushing myself to the next level. But then I take a look around and ask myself, "What is missing from my life that I don't already have?"