what i read : july 2015

August 3, 2015

It was a slow reading month for me, but the two books I did read were good. I’m also halfway through All the Light We Cannot See so I look forward to reporting on that next month! Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown – The philosophy of “less but better” is something I am 100% on board with, and this book about it was affirming and motivating. I wish it contained more practical tips, but the ideas here are some that I want to guide my entire life. I do want to note that I didn’t read it closely, but skimmed a majority. It has a lot of (great) examples, but I was most interested in the meat – the core…
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Posted in: books & reading, what i read

around here

July 31, 2015

I’m not sleeping well. It’s been a problem for awhile now. The combination of Meredith staying up too late and Liam waking up all night (because if he’s not sick, he’s teething) is getting to me. Sometimes I feel like my whole life would be perfect if only the kids would sleep in their own beds and I could get a decent night’s sleep. How would you tackle it, if you had a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old who have slept in bed with you all their lives? And you have gone to sleep at the same time as them that whole time? And your 1-year-old still nurses at night? And the crib and the twin bed are in the same…
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Posted in: personal, around here

things i love right now

July 29, 2015

Lately I haven’t had a whole lot of time to write, but I wanted to pop in and share some things that I’m currently loving. It’s always good to focus on the good stuff, no matter how big or little, right? 1. Bar earrings I got a pair of these handmade silver bar earrings and I’ve been wearing them every day for months. They are modern and understated and classy and make me feel just a little bit cool. She is currently on summer break but I bet they’ll be back in the fall! Also find some similar options here and here. 2. Voxer This is a life-changing app for me. It’s a hybrid of voicemail, walkie-talkie, and messaging, and…
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Posted in: things i love

crafting update

July 23, 2015

I haven’t been doing quite as much crafting as in the past, but I have been doing some! I am trying to stick to one project at a time these days, and I just finished one. :) I’m sharing the pictures with you now because I have no idea when I’ll get around to ironing it, stretching it, and framing it. So here it is, the My Sweetiepie ABC’s Sampler by Alicia Paulson. It was a blast to stitch, and I can’t wait to see it hung up in the kids’ room. I don’t know what color frame to go with though. What would you choose? It’ll probably be on white walls. So what’s next? Well, I had so much…
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Posted in: crafty, crafty, needlepoint

meredith is four!

July 21, 2015

Yesterday my girl turned four. I’m so happy to see her growing up! I wanted to make the day special for her, so I took off work and we had the best day. After dropping Liam off with my mom (he was sick again – story for another day), we had breakfast at IHOP where she looked through a book I had given her, then she asked to go to Target to “look at things.” Guys, she didn’t want to look at toys, she wanted to look at “grown-up clothes,” kitchen stuff, and soaps. She’s like a little woman already, except she also wanted to give every mannequin a kiss. Next we met my sister-in-law and niece Lily at the splash…
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Posted in: motherhood, meredith lately, motherhood