Feeling... the light and air change just enough that my summer despair is starting to lift. Apparently it happens every year about mid-September! Loving... creating my delicious fall-inspired home-brew coffee each morning: for my small pot of coffee each morning I use two scoops of decaf coffee, two scoops of Trader Joe's pumpkin spice coffee, and one scoop of regular coffee. (I like my coffee strong!) In my brewed coffee I use two tablespoons of half and half and two tablespoons of pumpkin spice Silk almond creamer. It's so good I prefer it to getting coffee out anywhere. Recently I... Read more →

Inspired by... Neighbors gathering together to stand with our Black neighbors and remember George Floyd and so many lost to brutal injustice. The remarks by my friend Becky and others in attendance were thoughtful and moving. I'm committed to working on dismantling racial injustice in my community and am thankful to be connected with others who share that vision. Purchased... I used the boys' Easter tote bags to create "welcome summer!" totes which I set out for them on the first day of their summer vacation. In the totes they had new swim trunks and rash guards (I love neon... Read more →

Inspired by... creating content for my RISING*SHINING audioblog and the lovely comments I've received from listeners. Thank you! My goal this year was to produce audioblog content for the months of April and October but now I'm wondering if I can keep it up regularly. I'm not ready to fully commit to that but I'm percolating the idea. Purchased... summer capsule wardrobe items like another pair of my favorite Patagonia quick-dry shorts, two tank tops, and swim shorts. I also bought the percale sheets from Brooklinen I've been eyeing for awhile. I am obsessed with them! They're soft yet cool... Read more →

Inspired by... Coronavirus numbers going down and vaccination numbers going up, especially in Arizona. I'm also feeling inspired by a new project that I've been working on and will share with you this week! Watching... Flowers and new growth popping up all over. I let out a small excited squeal to see our ocotillo plant with tiny green leaves. In previous years leaves have appeared but then turned brown and fell off. This year I'm going to try watering it more consistently (previously I was told not to give it much water). I've also been rewatching Ted Lasso. I think... Read more →

Valentine's for school friends during the first week back to school / our first date in 10 months – we got coffee and went to get Chris's second vaccine! A lot of big things happened this month. The boys started back to school in-person at our neighborhood school. It's been such a great change for us all and I'm so thankful that we have the option to have them in-person. My parents arrived in town earlier this month and received their first COVID vaccines a few days later. They will get their second shots this week. Chris's parents are also... Read more →

We're wrapping up January and the first month of 2021. I'm getting used to writing "21" in my one line a day journal when I fill in the date. We're ending the month with a different president and a different trajectory for our country than we started with. In the past week I have heard of a roughly equal number of people that I know getting COVID as are getting the vaccine. This month Chris completed building our backyard studio and it is a haven of quiet, retreat, and productivity (I'm there now with my hot coffee). My mind is... Read more →

Sneaking in a couple Halloween photos since I missed an October wrap up post. Inspired by... Conversations on Pantsuit Politics. I was really into this show around the 2016 election but cut back on all kinds of news consumption as the news felt increasingly alarming to me. Following the 2020 election and the relief I feel over Biden and Harris being elected I'm enjoying being somewhat up-to-date on the news again. Going forward I want to be a thoughtful news consumer and part of the conversation about finding what we have in common rather than focusing on differences. I love... Read more →

Even though our days often feel the same when I sit down to write these posts I realize how much happens each month. Here's what September looked like for me. Inspired by... The Curated Closet. I heard about this book from the A Beautiful Mess podcast and I requested it from the library. The book walks you through exercises to discover your personal style and gives ways to put together a wardrobe that you love. I'm really enjoying the book. It feels like The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up for your closet. I love the author's perspective that you... Read more →

sibling crew / backyard snowball fight with snowballs from Bahama Bucks (a sno-cone shop) / with Nana and Papa Inspired by... Better sleep! Sleep is everything and I'm so thankful to be getting more of it. And to be able to put Maeve in her crib for naps. I was starting to despair a little bit. With more sleep and some breaks during the day I've had more energy. This month that energy inspired me to go through my maternity clothes and the clothes that Maeve has outgrown (it happens so fast). I returned maternity clothes I was borrowing, put... Read more →

Inspired by... Tracy of Shutterbean, a longtime inspiration for recipes and incorporating creativity every day. Her daily Instagram stories bring a touch of light to my day and I'm so impressed at the amount of content she creates. Sarah's daily pandemic blog posts. She's on day 138 (as of writing this, maybe more by the time it publishes) which is such a bummer in terms of how long this is lasting but I'm thankful to see a new post from her each morning. I often look for them when I'm up nursing Maeve in the 3/4 a.m. hour since Sarah's... Read more →