Currently...

Watching: Arthur and I have been watching Rehab Addict after he wakes up from his nap.

Reading: Finally getting around to reading Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton

Listening: Right now it is quiet in the house. I am loving it.

Making: I need to start making Sarah's Bridal Shower invitations. I've got a few ideas, but I need to play around to determine which one I like the most.

Feeling: I had a horrendous migraine for about four days last week. It seems to be gone thankfully.

Planning: Always planning out our weekly dinners. It's a never-ending process.

Loving: I don't know why but I am constantly turning to iced tea as my drink of choice.

Pic of the Week #4

A week later and I'm still dreaming of our mom's retreat. We stopped off at the coast on our way back down. The beautiful Pacific ocean and Russian River at Jenner.

Pic of the Week #3

Pseudo Valentine's Day present from J. We don't really celebrate, but he came home with dessert and these beautiful roses the other day. I'm loving the color. The top is very Crisp Cantaloupe while the bottom is very Regal Rose. I love that I think of flower colors in Stampin' Up colors now.

Day in the Life: Winter

Lots of other bloggers do Day in the Life posts and I thought it was time for me to join them. Committing to once a month seems way too ambitious, so I decided on once a quarter. Randomly I have chosen the 11th of February, May, August, and November as my days. February 11th was a Wednesday. Usually Wednesday is our errand, grocery, and playground day. However this Wednesday shaped up a little differently. So here go:

7:00am -- Wake up time. Usually we wake anywhere from 6am to 8am. Just depends on the day. Here's the gorgeous view from my bathroom.

After waking, I immediately took a shower. The baby was still sleeping so it was the perfect time. I usually check the weather. Looks like a nice day.

7:30am -- Good morning Arthur! Once out of the crib, he runs around his room for awhile while I pick out some clothes. I get hm dressed and we head downstairs.

8:00am -- Breakfast time! I can usually grab a few minutes to check email while the baby eats his own breakfast.

Today I had to do the dinner prep right after breakfast. We were planning on pot roast so that involves searing the meat, cutting vegetables, and putting everything in a crockpot.

8:30am -- Arthur and I headed out to the park for a little playtime. Usually we drop J off at the BART station, but he had a conference call from 7-10. Instead of taking him in the morning, Arthur and I left for a bit.

9:30am -- After the park, we headed to Trader Joe's to pick up a few retreat goodies and lunch for next week.

11:00am -- When we arrived back home, J was just finishing his call. He showered, dressed, and readied to leave. We decided to grab some lunch at Boulevard Burger. Good burger. Arthur enjoyed his grilled cheese, fries, and grapes.

12:00pm -- After dropping J off, we headed across the street to the library. We haven't had a chance to get a library card yet and this seemed the perfect day to do so. Took just 10 minutes to apply for one. Before leaving, we grabbed a few new children's books for the week.

1:00pm -- Back home for nap time. Arthur went down easily and slept for two hours. During his nap, I managed to finish making my February swap card. I also did a bit of housekeeping and read a few blog posts.

3:00pm -- After Arthur woke up, I vacuumed the house while he played. Not that exciting, but usual for a typical Wednesday. He played some more and we eventually settled in for an episode of Sesame Street.

5:30pm -- Dinner time! We ate. By the time we finished, it was time to go pick up J at the station. From there, the rest of the night was a whirlwind. Usually is... J ate while I gave Arthur a bath and got him dressed for bed. We hung out for a bit before Arthur went to bed. Then J and I watched a few episodes of Star Trek before I headed to bed at 10pm.

Another day in the books.

OLW January

Let’s take a look at what I did this past month for my OLW. This year’s focus is HOME.

My monthly intentions:

1. Project List – Got a master list. Now to start getting those items checked off.

2. Home Management Binder – I wanted to create a place to keep all my to-do lists, coupons, important info, and random bits of whatever that seem to multiple. I checked out a few posts on Pinterest and started formulating my own binder. I have a major projects page, my weekly to-do list, a pocket for coupons, and the rest of my OLW pages.

3. Craft Space Organization – I spent a fair amount of money at The Container Store to organize all the cabinets in my new craft space. It’s in a great space right now and so very usable.

4. Daily Housekeeping – My intention was to do at least one housekeeping duty per day. I’ve been very good sticking to this goal.

5. Curate Pinterest Board – I’ve got a nice collection of pins right now. I can’t wait to really dive into those.

Extras:

— January PL pages: I just completed all of my monthly pages this week. Loving how this new approach is working.

— Dining room: We’ve got most of the pieces in place for the dining room. I just need to add some curtains and this room is complete. Very excited. 

— Arthur’s playroom: I started with a completely blank canvas at the start of January. A few weeks later and things are shaping up. I need a few more decorative pieces and to organize the rest of his toys. Plus, I’ve got to get some curtains up there. One of next month’s intentions!

My OLW Pages:

I decided to add in my monthly OLW pages to my home management binder. My first page includes a nice self-portrait, some decorative cards, and the big prompts from January.

The next two pages hold my monthly intentions. While it wasn’t a prompt for January, I wanted to lay out my proposed large projects. This should help my keep me on track throughout the year. I may add to these intentions, but this is a good start.

Currently...

Watching: We're catching up with Elementary. After initial resistance (we love Sherlock on the BBC), we've really been enjoying the show. I love Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu has grown on me.

Reading: Still reading Outlander. Hope to finish this week...

Listening: It's been raining for the past three days. I missed the sound of the rain. It's lovely, but probably time for the sunshine to come back.

Making: Finishing up the last of the retreat prep. My last big project before grocery shopping is the retreat notecards. I got all my supplies this past week so now it's time to get them done.

Feeling: Content. Things are going well right now.

Planning: I just booked my plan tickets to Indiana for March-April. Now I need to get moving on planning the twins' birthday party, Sarah's wedding activities, and general stuff.

Loving: Attempting to finish up Arthur's room this week. It's turning out well. I'll have a room tour as part of my OLW wrap for February.

Pic of the Week #2

Babies and goats.  Love it!

Currently...

Watching: Attempting to catch up on Reign. My guilty pleasure show.

Reading: Started Outlander again so I can watch the television show.

Listening: J stayed home today to work. His conference call is really loud.

Making: Getting started on our Valentines. Have to start early otherwise I'll forget about them.

Feeling: Had a migraine for almost three days. Still feeling it.

Planning: Trying to decide what cards to use for my January Project Life. I want to use a gray and blue color scheme. We'll see how this goes...

Loving: Yummy caramel apple pie from Safeway. Ready to dig in now.

Pic of the Week #1

A non-craft picture for the week. Look at that face! I had to include this one as the picture of the week.

One Little Word 2015

After failing at last year's OLW: Explore (let's just not review that), I have thought long and hard about what I wanted to do this year.  And then it hit me:

The perfect word for 2015. Here's why:

• We moved into a new house in November, but I haven't been there to enjoy it yet.
• We moved to East Bay where I don't know anyone or anything.
• We now have a comfortable family of 5, but we don't always feel like home.
• I crave comfort and stability.

This year will be all about creating a home out of the dwelling we live in. They are a few things that I want to focus on:

• Completing home improvement/decor projects
• Cultivating family traditions
• Taking family photos (not just pics of Arthur)
• Documenting family outings
• Creating a family bucket list
• Carving out personalized spaces for each family member

Look for monthly OLW updates in the future!