Spring Table

I know among bloggers and avid Instagram users there seems to be a consensus that Fall is the best season of the year. Boots, and sweaters, and pumpkin spice, oh my!  What's not to love?! But for me, Spring is where it's at! Warmer temps are finally making their debut. Things are starting to turn green and all of my favorite flowers are starting to bloom! Allergies aside, I adore spring! 

While I'm sure it's connected to the "rebirth" messages that are intrinsically linked to the season, I always start to think a great deal about memories, occasions and celebrations and the way we seem to want to box them off. Reserve them for something we deem deserving of the festivities. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that our everyday lives are worthy of celebrating too! So even if you're just grabbing a pizza on your way home from work, why not break out your fancy dishes and treat yourself?! 

Oh Baby!

If you follow me on Instagram or know me in real life, then you know that last October my daughter and son-in-law announced that they were expecting their first baby! I'm going to be a grandma, a Gigi, a Mimi, a Gran...I'm campaigning hard for Gray(which is a combination of my first and middle name!)but my family remains unconvinced.    

A few weeks ago, we had a house full of friends and family to celebrate with Rian and welcome baby Olivia to the family. Her one request was nothing too over the top girly because it was a co-ed shower. Instead of a theme, I opted to for a color palette of pale pink, peach, gold and light wood accents. I found some clip art on Etsy that I thought would be perfect for the invitations and signs at the shower. 

We decided to have a brunch mostly because I wanted to have a biscuit bar! Neither of us is a fan of shower games. In lieu of sniffing diapers or melting ice cubes with tiny babies in them, I set up a headband station. Everyone including the guys had fun being creative and making darling headpieces for our girl. 

It was a laidback afternoon with family and friends. It gave me such joy to host this day. I'm already so in love with you Olivia! Get here soon, your grandpa and I can't wait to meet you! 

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Worn{winter florals}

How is it that February is the shortest month of the year but feels like it is literally 800 days long?! It must be the combination of post-holiday hangover, the cold, and another month of days when what little sun we have makes itself scarce at 5 o'clock! To be perfectly honest, February was a rough month emotionally. I think it was for lots of people. I'm still processing a lot of what happened both personally and globally. I suspect I will be for months to come. 

My word of the year is C O M M I T.  Committing to caring for myself is a huge part of that. It is so easy for me to fall into a cycle where I let anxiety control me, refuse to leave the house and spend days in my pajamas. I'm also trying to be more mindful of routines that give me comfort as well as consistency. In February, my goal was to get up and get dressed at least 4 days a week even if we didn't have plans. Going through the motions of getting myself dressed, doing my hair and a quick makeup routine made me feel better. Especially when I was struggling with so many other things.  In an effort to be transparent, I didn't always succeed. I tried not to beat myself up too much over falling short of my goal because every little bit kept me from letting my depression spiral into something bigger and less manageable. 

February Reading Goals

The other day I was catching up on some of my favorite YouTube channels when I stumbled across several #FEMMEUARY videos from a few booktubers. One of the things I committed to doing this year was reading more books by women authors. February also happens to be Black History month in the states. This month is the perfect time to dive into my TBR list of books authored by women of color. 

This list is also fairly ambitious for me,sadly, I haven't read this many books in a month in a very long time! 

Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler

Swing Time by Zadie Smith

No One is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson

The only author on this list I'm familiar with is Zadie Smith. I read White Teeth years ago when it was originally published. I have seen Octavia Butler mentioned more frequently in light of today's political climate. The others are new to me authors. I've never been more excited to dive into a pile of books! Feel free to join me and add some books by WOC authors to reading list this month.  

Here are two of my favorites discussing their plans for reading this month.

Worn{A Little Bit of Love}

Happy New Year! The first full week of the new year has been pretty hectic around here. My daughter and son-in-law were visiting from Virgina, we celebrated my son, Zach's 21st birthday and this weekend I had my first big flower job of the year! And while there is a little bit of post-holiday sadness, it feels great to get back into some sort of routine.   

Like most of the country, it's been cold AF(do the kids still say AF?!)here. So unless it's a must do immediately kind of thing, we're staying in!  And that means I've essentially been living in flannel pajama pants and t-shirts. This week the temps have reached have a downright balmy 40 degrees! With today promising to be in the 50s, I decided it was time to come out of hibernation and get properly dressed. 

This sweater is a new favorite and the boots always make me feel instantly pulled together!   

Do you have something in your wardrobe that makes you feel instantly pulled together?  

One Little Word

Last year, I chose cultivate as my one little word. In some ways, I succeeded. I made and nurtured new friendships. The seeds of several new creative endeavors were planted. And, I worked on strengthening some relationships that are very important to me. But, I fell short of how I wanted to use my One Little Word to help me navigate throughout the year. So, this year I'm choosing to COMMIT. I've made a list of goals that I want to either fully accomplish this year or take definite steps towards accomplishing them within the next two years. Long-term planning has never been my strong suit but this year, I'm committed to mapping out the pieces of my life that I've left to chance or neglected in the past.

COMMIT will be my touchstone for decision making this year.  Is this an idea, challenge, goal, relationship that I can fully COMMIT to? If not, why? Am I simply afraid to step up because I fear failure or is there a tangible reason why this can't be a "yes" for me? I think I say #hardpass on lots of things. Not because I can't do them. But, because my fear of success is almost as paralyzing as my fear of failure! What if I stop letting those two assholes make my decisions for me?!   

The less said about 2 0 1 7, the better! So, buckle up 2 0 1 8 because, I'm coming for you! 

Photo by Florian Klauer on Unsplash

Everyday Magic

Here's the thing about memories, often the best ones, the ones that stick with us throughout our lifetime, are the little moments that inject a tiny bit of magic in our everyday lives.

The combination of potty training and the first blast of arctic air has had us stuck in the house for a few days too many.  And, I think we both had a touch of cabin fever. After more episodes of Paw Patrol than I care to admit, I remembered we had some cookie dough mix and decided it would be a fun way to kill an hour! 

It wasn't a Pinterest perfect craft. It wasn't even made from scratch. We're both still in our pj's and rocking epic bedhead. But, a week later he still lights up talking about how we made cookies! 

We never know what little kernels of childhood our kids will hold onto as memories. But, I hope he remembers that sunny December morning, singing Christmas songs, dancing in the kitchen,  and making cookies! 

Sunday Family Funday

Last weekend we set out on our first official(since it's actually December!) holiday activity. We'd actually planned on doing something Saturday and Sunday but you know what they say about best-laid plans! Anyway, Sunday was a bright, beautiful and 60-degree day, so we ventured out. Our plan was to head to the Krohn Conservatory to take in the gorgeous holiday display. But, when the husband suggested we drive downtown, hop and the streetcar and have brunch first, I wasn't going to argue. There has been much debate about whether or not the streetcar was a wise investment for the city. I guess that remains to be seen but if my kid's excitement is any indication, the answer is YES! 

A quick ride on the streetcar delivered us to one of our favorite restaurants, Maplewood Kitchen. We got there at the perfect time. Shortly after our arrival, the line began to snake out the door! After filling up on bistro steak and eggs, lemon ricotta pancakes and chicken hash we made our way to Eden park to check out the holiday display at Krohn Conservatory.

The display never disappoints! Rowan could have stayed for hours watching the trains! 

 A streetcar ride, giant pancakes, trains and a Ferris wheel! This kid was on cloud nine for the next two days! 

Holiday Bucket List

It's official! The 2017 holidays have arrived! There have been times in the past where I've approached this time of year with dread. Going through the motions because it was expected of me. This year Rowan for the first time in his life, Rowan kind of gets the holiday. His eyes light up at the sight of twinkle lights and Christmas trees. He still approaches Santa with a healthy dose of side-eye but he is a frequent topic of conversation! 

Last week we decided to cross off one of the items on our holiday bucket list-The Festival of Lights. The first year we took Ro, it was the week before Christmas. It was freezing, crowded, and none of us enjoyed it very much. Last year we went the week of Thanksgiving and discovered it was the perfect time to go. The weather is more cooperative and the crowds are less intense. And, just like that, a new tradition was born! This year we ventured out the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving. We were not disappointed!    

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It feels good to start a new tradition with our family. I'm hoping it's one we can continue. What do you with your family that signals the start of the holiday season? 

worn{heart of gold}

I've gotten really good at figuring out how well something will work with my wardrobe before buying it. I once read some arbitrary rule that proclaimed you should be able to wear something with at least five existing items in your closet before you consider buying it. I'm not sure where I read it or why it stuck but it seems reasonable. And while I don't treat it as a hard and fast rule, when adding things to my cart if can't pair it with a few things I already own or see me wearing at various everyday activities, I'll pass on it. 

And then, there are some things you buy that speak to you on a spiritual level so you click "confirm order" and immediately try to figure out how many things you can pair with them because if loving it is wrong, you don't want to be right! These shoes, in all of their shiny, rose gold glory, are one such purchase. I've been wearing them nonstop since they arrived and mostly with jeans because Mother Nature suddenly remembered that November in Ohio should be cold. How rude?!! I can't wait to wear them with some of my favorite dresses when it warms up a bit. 

Today was a quiet day around the house so I'm keeping it simple with a sequined embellished sweater, leather look leggings, and gilded sneakers. You know...wardrobe basics.