Author: Kathleen

around here
Every Saturday morning I sit down and plan out my weekend and usually make my grocery list at the same time. It’s one of my favorite things. (Also: more on how I use the bullet journal, and that pen is amazing.)

This is how I get almost all my chores done really quickly on Saturday mornings. She’s watching Mother Goose Club YouTube videos, FYI.

It’s so nice that Liam can sit in the high chair now! (This is the one we have and it’s pretty great.) I wanted to see if he’d be interested in that banana, but it eventually just fell in his lap and that was the end of that.

I went out to eat with a friend and had to just order a big veggie salad and add egg because the grilled chicken was marinated in canola oil, which I can’t have. I’m ready to be through with restrictions like that, plus I had to bring my own dressing. The salad was good, but not worth the money.

Coffee and cakes being served up. The pretend play at this age is so fun.

Started my new Bible study! I have so many thoughts about this right now that I’m going to have to write them all in a separate post. But for now, let me just say how much I adore Beth Moore’s studies, and I’m so glad I started another. I am doing a combination of her study, plus a little extra research on my own, and journaling. I have to wake up pretty early to get it all in, but I really look forward to it.

Made a huge fruit salad to take to our church life group. I’ve gotten really good at chopping produce over the past month. :)

Some other thoughts to start out the week:
- Meredith turns three next Sunday! This week I’m ordering her presents and planning the details of her party.
- I’m very excited about a couple new blog series in the works. Lately I’ve had a lot of inspiration for this space.
- I’m in the mood to start a new photography series for Instagram, something that will be ongoing, not necessarily daily but it could be. I’m brainstorming ideas.
- I started a savings account so that I can eventually buy a real camera. My old point and shoot broke, so now I just have my iPhone. It’s fine most of the time, but I’m itching for better!
- What’s your favorite blog of the moment? I’ve loved discovering new ones lately. Here are three recent favorite new finds: Green Fingerprint, Roots, Wings, & Wanderings, and Create, Share, Love. That last one just started today but it’s obvious she planned it well and I’m excited to follow her! (Love her on Instagram too.)
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July 14, 2014
link roundup / 6

Today I’m sharing some stuff I found around the internet. Enjoy!

>Ten practical ways to start eating healthier. I love this so much, especially the following quote I found in it:

Don’t think worship services when you think worship. That is a huge limitation which is not in the Bible. All of life is supposed to be worship. Take breakfast, for example, or midmorning snacks. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, ‘Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.’ Now eating and drinking are about as basic as you get. What could be more real and human? You are always in a temple. Always worship. –John Piper

>Love these repurposed book journals.

>I don’t read many fashion blogs, but the one I am in love with is Unfancy. Her look is totally me, or what I want to be. Neutral, minimal, classic, and kind of cool. I read through all her archives and she is the one that inspired me to put together a capsule wardrobe. Now I want to find others like her.

>Speaking of capsule wardrobes, I am really excited about the launch of Wildly Co’s this fall. Capsule wardrobes for kids, ethically made in the US! They have t-shirts right now that are super cute but I want to see the rest of what they come out with.

>From art journals to weavings. So cool.

>I feel like I just have to attempt this modern quilted art. I think it’d be perfect for over our bed.

>I’m dying over these brownie ice cream sandwiches. Five more days and I can have them!

July 11, 2014
things i am loving right now

Since starting whole30 I’ve realized just how often I tend to reward myself with food. It’s important for my mood to have things to look forward to, and food is usually the easiest pick-me-up. So a big part of this has been retraining my brain to see other things as a reward, and to take more pleasure in little things. So I wanted to share some of what is making me very happy lately!

1. Finding my personal style and curating my wardrobe : I’ve been having so much fun with this now that I’m back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I did another closet purge and also separated out all the colder weather clothes so that everything I have is easily visible and accessible. I bought some neutral, summery tops and a couple of shorts. There are some pieces that I still need but overall I think I have a pretty good capsule wardrobe going on. I’m enjoying this method so much that I think I might even share with you what I’ve put together for summer (if I can get it together). I will also be even more intentional next season and will try to share my fall capsule wardrobe as well.

6. Showers : I luxuriate in my showers now! I don’t take one every day so it really is something to look forward to.

3. Pacifica lip balm : I found this lip balm that I thought I had lost, and I’m so glad! It’s all natural and lends just a hint of color to my lips. Perfect.

2. Nail and hand care : I usually don’t pay much attention to my nails and hands. I keep the nails trimmed and bare because it’s easiest for work, but since I wash my hands a million times a day they get very dry. A family friend sent me some Lush products after Liam was born (I love their stuff but it’s a splurge for me) and one thing that was included was cuticle cream. I recently got it out and started using it, which led to me actually painting my nails. It’s so hard to do with little kids around, but the finished result (using OPI’s At First Sight) makes me so happy! I’ve also been applying handmade body butter in my favorite scent (vanilla orange) to my hands a few times a day. Pampering my nails and hands has made me feel feminine and high class. :)

5. Stitching and podcasts : Some nights David takes Meredith to the store and Liam and I have some time at home alone together. I have a bunch of baby toys in the craft room right now so we go in there to hang out. I work on stitching his stocking and listen to podcasts, and it’s incredibly relaxing.

4. Cold brew coffee : You guys know this already, but I’m in love with my Chameleon cold-brew coffee. It’s perfect for summer and tastes so much better than I have ever been able to make. It honestly doesn’t need any sweetener, but I do look forward to trying the flavored versions (like mocha!) when whole30 ends.

7. Oyster (the app) : Since I’m trying to get reading back into a prominent place in my life, I decided to try the app Oyster which is kind of like Netflix for books. I’m loving the experience so far. My free trial is ending soon though, and I’ll have to decide whether or not to purchase a subscription. I’m so tempted!

What are you loving these days? What other little pleasures should I indulge in?

July 10, 2014
project life 2014 : weeks 25 – 26

When I printed these photos I actually thought that it would be a pretty colorful spread, but in the end it turned out fairly neutral again. At this point I’m just going to embrace it because that is obviously my style! It’s the same with the way I dress. Last weekend I allowed myself to shop a bit for clothes and all I bought were whites, blacks, grays, and blues. Hey, it’s easy to put an outfit together that way!

So anyway, this is from June 16 – 29. Regular weeks.

My whole30 started, and I included a photo of what is basically my breakfast every single day.

We went on a date! Hopefully we can do more of this!

Liam’s five month update is here, with a couple other everyday shots.

I had to put in several pictures from our blueberry-picking trip because it was so pretty.

At the very end of these weeks Meredith potty trained, but I decided to include that in the next spread because that’s when she really got it down. I did make a note in the week in review card though.

Halfway through the year now and I still love this project!! I actually have no desire to change anything up right now. Sometimes I feel the urge to play with paper more than this, but honestly I don’t really have time anyway. I figure when I do I’ll finally start an art journal or do a minibook.

July 9, 2014
what i read : april to june 2014

Alright, I’m still in my huge reading slump! Only four books in three months! That’s incredibly low for me and it bums me out. I mean, obviously I have less time now than I did before Liam came along, but I do have time. I’m just choosing to use it in other ways, like blogging, crafting, sleeping, or planning. It’s fine, I know that the enthusiasm ebbs and flows, but I am looking forward to it coming back. Anyway, here is what I did read:

Joyland by Stephen King – Stephen King is just such an amazing storyteller. This was a good coming-of-age story with an interesting setting, likable characters, a little mystery, and a satisfying & touching ending. (5 stars)

Lexicon by Max Barry – I super enjoyed this book. It was the first one in awhile that made me just want to sit down and read it straight through (although of course that couldn’t happen, but I read it a lot faster than my usual). It has such a cool premise, lots to do with human psychology and how we are influenced by words. There is a slight sci-fi bent to it but nothing crazy. It jumps around in time which kept it interesting although I do feel like I need to read it again to get it all straight. There is a bit of romance which I won’t say no to. A good amount of suspense, mystery, and action. Just all in all really fascinating. (4 stars)

Allegiant by Veronica Roth – My biggest complaint about this is that I found it boring. I was in favor of the expansion of the world and exploring the greater issues behind their factions and cities, but I felt like the bigger conflict was hastily thrown together and just didn’t work well. I found that I was having to force myself to read because it just wasn’t interesting me. Further than that, I had an issue with the alternating points of view. I see why it was necessary and I liked the insight into Tobias’s mind to an extent, but his voice and Tris’s were so similar that I kept forgetting whose chapter I was in and getting confused. Obviously I wasn’t satisfied with the ending but I’m not mad about it. Anyway, glad I pushed through so I could see what happened, but definitely ready to move on.

It Starts With Food by Melissa and Doug Hartwig – This is the book that inspired my whole30. It was extremely educational and interesting, and has changed the way I think about food and so far I’m sold on this lifestyle. Their attitude was completely nonjudgmental, encouraging, and hopeful. At the same time it made me want to eat clean while also not feeling guilty about the way I’ve been eating. I liked that they addressed the science behind food as well as the psychology. There are a ton of resources, plans, and ideas so it makes doing a whole30 seem obtainable.

July 8, 2014