Recently, in my coffee-less state (this is important because everything seems worse without coffee), I have started to feel a growing discontent with some areas of my life. Not major things, but little things. I’ve kind of hit a plateau in a lot of areas and it’s bringing me down.
I don’t have a lot of extra time or money, and I’m really good about cutting myself some slack because of it, but I’m at the point where I think some productivity and changes could really benefit me mentally. Here’s what I’m thinking about:
Home
Here is our home. We’ve lived here about three years, and I love it. But we never finished furnishing it, and there are a couple rooms that aren’t being used at all because of it, and more that are just plain boring or ugly. I love being at home, and I want it to be a place that inspires me and makes me happy.
There are some bigger projects that need to be done: new carpet, new tile, redo or update the bathrooms, and (lower on the priority list) updating the kitchen. But right now I just want to get the whole place furnished and somewhat decorated.
Thinking about it as a whole is overwhelming, so instead I think I’ll just take it a room at a time. First up is the living room. It gets used a lot, and it’s one of the rooms we’ve done the most with already.
(Sorry about the bad lighting in these pictures.)
Here are some things I want to do in this space:
- Get a large jute rug
- Style the coffee table
- Style the mantel
- Style the buffet area
- Purchase bar stools
- Switch out the sheer curtains for something with fresh color
- Add some plants
I’m not going to let myself think or stress about the other rooms until I finish with this one.
Personal Style
So, I’m not a stylistic nightmare, but I do have a long way to go before I really feel comfortable and confident in this area. I wear scrubs every day so it’s hard to get excited about clothes and accessories when I hardly get to wear them. But I went to a wedding the other weekend and I had a hard time really feeling polished, and I’d like to change that.
>Hair: I have fine, straight hair that just hangs and won’t hold a curl. I’ve never been very adventurous with it, and I’m not willing to spend much time on it unless it’s for a special event. This weekend I’m going to get it cut, and I’m thinking a bob along these lines:
Images found here, here, and here.
At the moment I already have sideswept bangs and they really bother me at work, so I either clip it aside or wear a headband wrap. Once I get it cut I’ll work on how to style it for every day wear and for nice events.
>Makeup: I have deliberately cut back on the amount of makeup I wear because I like the way I look naturally and I don’t enjoy the process of putting it on. Most of the time I only wear mascara and mineral powder foundation. Sometimes I apply eyeliner and blush. I’m fine with this. However, I want to learn how to look fancy. I want to have the products at my disposal and be able to look a little more glamorous if the mood strikes. If you have recommendations, or have written about your recommendations before, please share!
>Clothes: This is going to take some work. Although I lost almost all of my weight from pregnancy, the sad truth is that my body will never be the same again. All of my nice things were bought pre-pregnancy, and most of them just aren’t right anymore. I’ve been doing some thinking about what I want my wardrobe to look like, and I’ve determined that I want to stay mostly with a classic, conservative style with elements of sporty and hippie thrown in. I don’t even know if that makes sense, but it sounds good to me.
Steps to achievement:
- Go through my closet with a critical eye. Get rid of lots of things. I do this a lot so it shouldn’t be too hard; I’m not overly sentimental about clothes.
- Consult a wardrobe essentials list and determine the items that I lack (including jewelry, handbags, and shoes – I need it all).
- Um, save up some money.
- Shop – preferably sales and thrift stores!
Lifestyle
Some other things I want to make an effort towards:
>Exercise: I’ve been an athlete all my life, and I find myself in a place where I haven’t exercised in a year. I have a really nice bike that is sitting in the garage unused. This is not okay. I really think it’s feasible for me to go running with Meredith in the jogging stroller three times a week right after work, and then take one bike ride on the weekends. I wanted to start this week, but the weather was terrible the first half and then Meredith got sick. Blah.
>Cooking: I don’t cook. My husband doesn’t cook. What do we eat? Breakfast is oatmeal, lunch is provided for me most of the time (drug companies, woohoo) and if not I have a Lean Cuisine (David eats out), and dinner is something like cereal, sandwiches, eating out, or at a family member’s house. I’m not happy about it, I’m worried about providing food for Meredith, and I don’t know what to do about it. I’ve tried to start cooking before and it never lasts. I don’t even want to think about it, but I’ll have to pretty soon.
>Church: We’re semi-committed to a new church now, and I think I’m ready to start getting involved and making friends. There’s a small group that is for young families that my friend (and doula!) attends, so I’d like to visit. We also need to start tithing again.
I guess these are kind of like my goals right now, even though I didn’t set any sort of deadline because that would just stress me out. I’m totally open to any kind of advice or recommendation on anything. I hope to keep updating as I make progress, because progress WILL be made!
From Cait:
This is usually how I set my goals, too. Setting specific deadlines is counteractive for me, so just making a list and focusing on one thing at a time really helps.
Also, it sounds like we have similar hair and I went short and loved it! I’m growing it out for my friend’s wedding (and hoping it curls – usually if I get it done at the salon, it does), but then I’m probably cutting it all off again.
From kapachino:
Oh that’s good to hear! I hope the new cut works for me too!
From Karen:
I love the white brick fireplace in your living room!
Also, I didn’t know you cycled. I do too, so I think that’s an awesome goal. I neeeed to get back out there now that the weather is nice. I’ve felt guilty about my nice bike sitting around unused and just being a decoration in my house.
From kapachino:
If we lived near each other we could totally be cycling buddies! That’s really what I need. It’s hard to get out there by myself.
From Emily:
I feel the same way about makeup. I like the way I look naturally and I think that most women actually look most beautiful that way. If I wear makeup, I wear Almost Makeup tint by Clinique and put some Vaseline on my lips and lashes. But if I get dressed up I put on mascara, blush, and the thing that makes me feel glamorous is Red Lipstick. But nothing finishes it off like hair. I think that makes me feel the most glamorous. I put body in with volumizer and then curl it. Or I curl it and try to do fingerwaves or something vintage looking in the front. We can try to work on styling on Sunday if you would like!
From kapachino:
Yes please, I need your HALP! ;)
From Marlena:
I think figuring out why you hate to cook could be helpful. Do you feel ambivalent about it? Do you hate that it takes time? Do you hate thinking about what to make?
There’s this service that might help you if it’s the thinking part that frustrates you the most. They give you a weekly menu / grocery list. You basically pick up the things on the list (which, I believe they even tell you which aisles to get the items from) and follow the recipe. They have several different meal plans. Could really help you guys. More info here: http://emeals.com/
Also, you have the most comfortable couch in the land.
From kapachino:
Actually, I don’t hate to cook. Sometimes I even enjoy it! But there are so many things that I enjoy MORE, and I have very little extra time. So it’s the planning that is hard, and also the lack of energy that I have after work.
BUT I just looked at the emeals website and it looks amazing! The recipes even look like stuff my husband might eat. Thank you!!
From DeMo:
Here’s a good cookbook that I like to use, she plans out a week’s menu for you. http://www.schallertel.net/~rmasters/
Another option is getting together with a group to make crockpot meals or freezer meals. spend a weekend making a bunch of dishes together and split it all up for the freezer later. then all of your cooking is done at once for the nights you don’t feel like planning. :)
I’ve heard good things about emeals. that’s why i’m piggy-backing on this reply. :)
From Chelsea:
I think if you made a monthly plan for dinner, with a commitment to cook twice a week, you could handle it. It wouldn’t be an overwhelming goal of cooking every day, but also you’d have everything at hand and a prepare for it.
Do you think you’d like to try to style some THBC products? Can you wear flowers to work? I wear them to pull back one side of my hair or put them in a braid. It dresses my hair up with no effort! If you think you’d like to try it, email me!
From kapachino:
I think I need to just set aside some planning time one weekend and figure it out. I don’t hate cooking, it’s just that there are other things I’d much rather spend my limited time on!
I’d love to try some THBC products! I’ll send you an email. :)
From Callina:
I find that cooking dinner is a good time for me to catch up on things with my husband. We talk or we listen to NPR or music. He helps out so it cuts down on time. We mostly just prepare uber-simple meals. One example, meatloaf: it takes me less than 10 minutes to throw it together and then it goes into the oven for an hour and it’s done. I throw some potatoes in the oven with the meatloaf and heat up a bag of “steam-able” frozen veggies, and we’ve got a nutritious meal. And clean up is easy–one pan. The key is just finding things to make that don’t require a lot of thought or energy. Good luck with your goals!
From Amanda:
I have very similar hair and have rocked some of those styles for a long time. I’ve found that I just have to keep it above my shoulders, since it’s so dang fine. I recently made a list a lot like this, and found it to be really helpful to get it all out of my head and onto paper :)
From Melanie:
Great goals! I can relate in a lot of areas. Here is a fitness website with some very doable circuit routines. http://inspiredrd.com/2010/11/total-body-circuit.html
I would rather walk or bike, too, but sometimes it’s just not feasible for me to get out of the house! :)
I definitely think the above suggestion about planning 1-2 meals a week and starting there is good. Crockpot meals are easy to put together, or even just simple things like spaghetti. Once you know what you like to eat and cook, it gets a little easier to just keep on hand items to make a quick dinner.
I’m not much of a decorator, but in your LR, I could see how a bright pop of color in the curtains could really bring a lot to the room!
Have fun!
From Melanie:
I failed to mention that I really like the green and how the white woodwork stands out. You’ve done a nice job with it already. ;)
From rachieannie:
your house is beautiful, inside and out! definitely lots of potential. i think some fun color pops would add a lot.
good luck with the rest of your list! after drew i got back into an exercise routine, and then i got sick and there that went! urgh. so frustrating!
From Lauren Michelle:
I love the molding on your walls. I, too, have fine, thin hair that’a hard to do anything with. Because it’s thin, a lot of cute hairstyles don’t look all that cute on me because my hair isn’t thick enough for it to look like it’s supposed to. Typically, I end up straightening my hair one day and curling it the next, then wash and repeat. One of these days I will learn how to braid my hair.
I’ve been having the same problem with my apartment that you’re having with your house. It doesn’t feel as homey as I want it to, so I’ve started buying some decorations to make it feel more cozy. The problem with apartments is that they can feel like you’re staying in a hotel at times, and the space starts to feel impersonal and stale. Here’s to livening up our living quarters this spring!