It’s a Friday Night Lights kind of night. We are headed to the UW v. Stanford football game this evening. Well, actually the fun starts this afternoon. Looking forward to catching up with college friends and being back on campus. What are you up to this weekend? Fall is here! Have a good one. xo
Here are few things that inspire and interest me this week:
1. A misty view at Machu Picchu. Seriously on the bucket list.
2. Have you ever heard of magic cakes? Looks delicious, right?
3. Calm living at its finest. This takes “dwell well” to a whole new level.
Tonight is the first presidential debate leading up to the election. Recently I started listening to The Run-Up podcast, produced by the New York Times. It is an extremely informative podcast airing twice a week focused on all things Clinton and Trump. The New York Times did just endorse Hilary Clinton, but I find the podcast to be fairly well-balanced in the way they approach each topic. Many contributors and authors are interviewed with differing points of view. No matter your politics, I 100% believe it is worth a listen. The episode airing tomorrow will be breaking down the debate. I can’t wait!
Giddy up- it’s Friday! I’m looking forward to this first fall weekend. Little Man is playing in his first flag football game of the season on Saturday. We are hoping he will pull a flag this year. Man, I love that kid! Hope you have great things planned for yourself and your family.
Here a few things that inspired and interested me this week:
3. Call me old fashioned, but I like my earphones. Obviously I didn’t just by the iPhone 7. Instead, picked up these gold ear buds and they are AMAZING!
4. Clogs with socks? Totally PNW right there, but I kind of love it. Totally out side my comfort zone-so I think I’m going to try it.
5. This side shelf lamp would be perfect in a guest room. Wish we had one in our house.
So if I’m being totally honest, I get super excited when I get to “dress” for something. I’m trying to force myself out of my usual casual gear and into an actual outfit. Recently a friend was wearing the most awesome pair of black leggings that she casually paired with a loose T. She looked amazing. I was shocked when she told me they were a yoga pant. Oh, this was too good to be true. Time for a new mom uniform.
The uniform:
I finally picked up a pair of these amazingly comfortable yoga pants. Unlike most Lululemon leggings the logo is on the high waist band, so no one will know they are yoga pants. {When I say these are the most comfortable pair of yoga pants ever- I do not exaggerate!} Getting creative on how I can wear these everyday, I paired them with a menswear shirt. Wearing the shirt a little oversized (so it provides ample coverage), I cinched it with a leather obi belt. The perfect finishes to this uniform are a round toe pump (or flats), a nude lip, and a simple bar necklace.
I’m so happy it is Friday! This week seemed exceptionally long, but I did accomplish quite a bit. Finishing a few projects that have been lingering always feels good. Fall officially starts next week, but I can already feel it in the air. I swapped out my closet and I am ready for long sleeves and boots. What are you up to this weekend?
A few things that inspire and interest me this week:
1. The epitome of cool. This snap shot of Lauren Hutton feels like it could have been taken on the streets of NY this week.
2. This salad sounds so delicious. If peaches are out of season, I’m thinking you could swap pears in their place.
3. Looking for something different to do in Seattle? The Smith Tower has been re-imagined with a general store and a speak-easy bar. Great views of the city in a historical building.
4. These jeans. Is 42 too old for rips and frays? I say, no.
5. Colder weather is on its way. Time to cuddle up and read. How perfect is this blanket?
6. A positive message each and every morning. Everyone could use a friendly bathmat.
8. A modern farmhouse in Missouri. This family knows how to dwell well.
Oh. my. goodness! I had to share this hilarious podcast. It is this week’s Modern Love podcast, “Revenge of the Friend”. Kristen Chenoweth reads the essay and it is laugh out loud funny. It is a story of revenge that a spin instructor seeks for her dear friend! Spin bikes, a well crafted play list, an ex-husband, and the other woman.
Everyone needs a mantra, right? That might be a bit of a stretch, but I love it when someone tells me they have a personal mantra. While mantras are usually focused on one’s self, my new mantra is focused on parenting. My “mothering” to be specific. As we embark on a new school year, I have adopted a simple but powerful mantra: I am raising capable humans. (At least that is the goal!)
As a mother who does not work outside my home, this guiding principle isn’t so simple after all. My job is actually… my kids. My kids and running my house while trying to maintain some semblance of sanity. When your kids are your work, you can get a little crazed. I take my boys’ shortcomings, struggles, and idiosyncracies very personal. I feel it all to my core. After a particularly difficult school year, I came to painfully realize this is 100% unhealthy. It isn’t good for me and it certainly isn’t good for them. They are humans, and although I am on the journey with them, it is their journey after all.
These boys do amazing things all of the time. They are capable of climbing rock walls, skiing black diamonds, making stop motion videos, and popping up on surf boards. If this is true, then they are also capable of making mac n’ cheese, managing their homework, asking a teacher for help, and doing their own laundry. Of course I will advocate for them and help them when they need it. I love them fiercely! I just need to remind myself that I don’t need to DO for them all of the time. In my teens, my dad used to say the funniest thing. He would tell me, “I’ve done my job if you want to move out.” I totally get it now. Independent children ready and eager to take on the world is the end game. The first step is just getting out of the way. Simple, but not easy.
What do you think of personal mantras? Am I just taking my crazy in a different direction?
And just like that it is Friday again! Amen, to that. I am thinking that every work/school week should be 4 days. So much better! Little Man is off to a camp out with Dad this weekend, so it’s just me and Big W. It is so nice to have a little time one-on-one with my kids. The weather is going to be awesome in Seattle, so I have a feeling it’s going to be a great couple of days.
A few things that inspire and interest me this week:
And some how it is Memorial Day weekend. The boys have exactly one month until summer break begins. I think we might JUST make it! I hope you have something planned for the long weekend. We are spending time near the river in the woods. Food, wine and babies! I look forward to time holding my two month old nephew, while my unruly children shoot BB guns and throw rocks in the river for hours!
A collection that inspires and interests me this week:
1. Anjelica Houston and friend circa 1971. Their patriotic style is everything. I feel this picture could have been taken today!
2. This garden mint candle fills the room with the most lovely scent almost instantly.
3. My birthday is months away, but this rose gold bracelet will be on the top of the list. It is even better in person!
7. My grandfather Giuseppe Scarcello, an Italian immigrant. He served in the US Army in WWI, which earned him United States citizenship. Thank you to all who have served our country. xoxo
When you write, whether for a living or as a hobby, it is saddening when the words don’t come. In the last few months I have started and not finished post after post. During the day I would think to myself, “Oh, that would be a great idea for a post.” Many days I didn’t have enough motivation to sit down and write. Some days I would get started and not follow through. The cycle was vicious.
I have written before about my self-diagnosed struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder {SAD}. While I still haven’t seen a professional about it, I am 100% convinced that each winter I am faced with the crushing reality of being depressed. It isn’t something that makes any sense. My family is wonderful. We are all healthy. We have everything we need and then some. From the outside it makes no sense to be sad. However, it is impossible to talk yourself into shaking it off. {Believe me, I have tried.} And while it is quite personal it is also quite real. This year was exceptionally bad. With a few extra concerns/battles piled onto my usual doldrums, this winter was unusually long and brutal.
The light is returning literally and metaphorically. I am seriously hard wired to the sun. I find joy in spending time with friends, loving on my boys, planning adventures, and laughing with my husband. After too many months of being sedentary, I begin the slow road back to being fit. I plan to write more consistently but in the spirit of being kind to myself, it won’t be everyday. While there isn’t immediate recovery, new things like acupuncture, yoga, and mediation are helping me fight my way back to happy.
I hope you are well. Thank you for reading and being supportive of my little corner.
