7 Years Strong

My Dear Ben -
7 years have flown by, but I'm not surprised. Since our early dating days we've always enjoyed each others company. From Boardwalk dates, downtown Santa Cruz shenanigans, renegade parties, drive in movies and festies to moving into our first place together, pregnancy, a baby, another move, navigating preschool and still going to festies. We never stop. I love our life. Our cozy home filled with so much love. I smile ear to ear just thinking about it.

Trying Again

Hello Internet Diary
It's been a long time, too long. What is it about a New Year that makes us want to be better? Is it the idea that this year might be the year that we do everything we want and more, a clean slate. Ah CLEAN slate. I think the word clean has a lot to do with it. When I close my eyes and think of a clean slate I can hear myself just breath a sigh of relief. As if all those failed attempts of last year didn't happen.

Anyway, here we are at the beginning of a new year, to me a new year feels like diving into a cold pool. I can feel the coolness wash over me and wash away the past year. The last days of December always seem to drag their feet. Don't get me wrong the last days of December I love! Time off to spend however I please, but the tugging of the new year is there like the uncertainty of a budding romance.

Of course with a new year comes a million of resolutions. Ways to better myself physically, spiritually, intellectually, etc. And of course with every new year's resolution comes the memories of failed resolutions and how this year will be 'my year'.

So for those of you that have read this far here is my #1 resolution. There are others but this one is the most important one to me:
1. Spend more time NOT working

   This is tough since I have lots of work and I love the work that I do. However, with a family you just need to spend time with the family, or you miss everything and feel out of touch. Sometimes I look at B interacting with S and I feel like that should be me. That I don't do enough. And with those feelings I tend to get down on myself. I know that I do as much as I can but S is almost 4 and I feel like time with her is slipping away from me. I cherish those few moments that I do have with her and I'm especially enjoying her new habit of crawling into bed with me and B at 4 AM. B's not much of a fan so we need to find a solution to this habit I love.
I've read many things about the most effective way to make resolutions and goals, the #1 thing they all say is to be concise. So in greater detail my first resolution is really to set boundaries for myself with work and home life. Ideally I would like to just shut down at 6PM until the next day and use those 2  hours to spend with family time S and B only, exclusively and disconnect completely. No phone, no internet.

What is your #1 resolution/goal for 2014?
Until next time!

Easter #2 and a bit of everything else

Here's a bit more of Easter. The pictures below are fuzzy because Sofie was so excited to see her Easter basket.

I loved giving Sofie her basket, it had gifts from all parts of the family. Grandpa and KK contributed as well as Gee. My contribution was some home made bows from this tutorial: Scrap-Busting Hair Bows

I got the fabric scraps from an antique store in Boulder Creek, CA. Here is their link: Mac's
Mac's sells items on consignment and one of their regular sellers always has some crafting mix bags in her corner. I got the fabric scraps from her and lots of embroidery floss too. I know Gee has bought button mix bags and yarn. I love going there and looking at everything, they have nooks and crannies, and they fill up the drawers with stuff too.

Here are the bows:

I've also been busy with the spring clean challenge. After the first 2 weeks I noticed it was easier to make a week schedule of all the things I needed to clean. Since I work full time it is easier to do what I can when I can. It's more flexible and I need that. The cleaning challenge has been pretty easy since some of the the cleaning tasks are tasks that we (B and I) do everyday. B and I try to get the house picked up and the dishes done everyday. I like to sweep the bathroom and kitchen everyday and B helps with the vacuuming everyday. Anyway week 4 started 5/1 so we are almost done!!

Here is what's left of the challenge (for me):

• Take trash out of cars and vacuum
• Spot clean the couch
• Go through dresser, organize and get rid of items I don't wear
• Dust all cieling fans and light fixtures and change out burned light bulbs
• Clean oven
• Clean mirrors and glass doors
• Quick bathroom clean
• Clean windows, blinds, and screens

Not too bad, I think B and I did really well.  My favorite part though is my morning routine, it really sets me up for a great day. Every piece of it is important too (except the litter box part).

B and I have started a major project outside that Sofie loves and we are so excited to share it with you. We started it on Earth Day so keep on the look out for our Earth Day + posting.

Here are some pictures of Sofie getting ready for bed, she's such a girlie girl! After we brush and floss her teeth we wash her face, and tone. She doesn't mind if the cottonball just has water.

Easter Weekend Shenanigans

I mentioned in my first post that I would post Easter things, here we go!!!

Ester weekend was a busy one. B and I rearranged the kitchen, enough to fit our table in there. This means we now have more room in the living room and we've added a couch. We still have major plans for the living room. I'm so excited to start working on the house and incoporating some things I've wanted for my 'real house'. More on that later. Saturday we focused on rearranging the kitchen. We made a platform with wheels and set our trash cans on top and rolled it under the sink. Woohoo space saver.

Before the trash cans were against the wall, taking up space

Now under the sink!

B built that thing with the wheels! So cool, thanks babe :)

For Easter we painted eggs. Sofie did hers with paint and I dyed mine with natural dyes. So fun.

Sofie's Eggs:

Here is Sofie painting them. She had so much fun, we need to paint more!

My eggs:

I'll post more updates soon with the rest of Easter and how I'm doing with the spring clean challange, until then.

Busy Bee

I've got the case of the cleanies! So I've been busy as a bee over here.

Thanks to my lovely friend Kristine I found a blog that has a spring cleaning challenge, take a look here: http://moneysavingmom.com/tag/4-weeks-to-a-more-organized-home
I started the challenge today so I'm on day 1 assignment, I feel pretty good with what I accomplished.

Here is my 'new' morning routine:
Yoga
Shower
Coffee/tea & breakfast
Clean the dang litter box (ew)
get dressed

Pretty easy. Since I work from home I find that most days I stay in my pajamas, but I enjoyed getting dressed today. It was fun picking an outfit that doesn't involve stretchy pants, haha. I was also so proud of myself for getting up early and fitting a short yoga sesh. Felt so good and I'm looking forward to this again tomorrow!

So my week goals: 5 - 10

1. Do 1 creative thing a day
2. Do 1 active thing a day
3. Do 1 spring cleaning from here (a day): http://www.finelyground.net/2012/03/one-day-challenge-spring-cleaning.html
4. Finish 1 crafty project a week
5. Finish 1 house project a week (with Ben)
6. Read a little

So this was way too ambitious, especially with all the do 1 per day items above. Here is how I fared:

1. This blog post is my one creative thing. I was hoping to do something else like knitting or friendship bracelets, oh well.
2. I went to San Francisco for a meeting, so I'll count that as my active thing. I really wanted to make it back in time for a walk with the fam, darn!
3. I did not do a spring cleaning task from above, tomorrow
4. I hope I can finish a crafty project this week, I still need to pick one...
5. For our house project this week I think we will work on the living room or do something in the yard. Last week we rearranged the kitchen.
6. I didn't read :(

I did spend 15 min (more than that) picking up our main living areas; the kitchen and living room. So its ready for some coffee making tomorrow! Whoop.
I also cleaned out my purse = easy peasy

Here is the only picture I was able to capture of today, my outfit. Sorry for the quality, its a camera phone.

Welcome!

Hello! I've created this blog to post updates of what goes on in our little house in the woods. We stay really busy here and I would love to share a glimpse.
This will also be a place for me to do something creative besides work; write about my current obsessions, inspirations, guilty pleasures, and anything else that I want to share.


Its spring so I will be posting pictures of our Easter Weekend as well as some spring cleaning, so stay tuned!