Feeling Better

I spent all last year doing a lot of work on my mind. I really tried to enlighten myself to the world, to being able to control my mood more and the results of my life more. I’m not sure when I got bogged down with bullshit. I’m guessing as my business grew I became more focus on that and less focused on my goal of living a more harmonious life. It’s hard to think of yourself with you have to think of everything else. My days have all turned a bit sour now, sprinkled with self-doubt, anxiety over who I am, what I am worth. Mornings where I wake up in tears, nights when I cry myself to sleep. I’m depressed, and I’m so over it. I want to feel better, more than anything. I want my mind to be clear and filled with love and excitement for life. I want my body to feel healthy and in sync. I want to make clearer choices and I want to feel more spiritual. So I need a plan, and I need a place to process my thoughts….hello old friend.

While I do not know how to make myself “un-depressed” exactly, I’m going to put into place some actions that maybe will help. I’m listing them out for myself, to look back upon “you still doing this Morgan?”

1. Nutrition: There have been times in my life where what I ate needed to make me smaller. There have been times in my life where what I ate needed to dull all the thoughts in my head and keep me happy. There have been times where I did not eat because I did not feel like my appearance was worthy of more food. I’ve spent the last 4 years since Vada was born learning to love myself without worrying about my looks. I took the vanity out of who I was, I am just a mom now. I let control of food go, I ate whatever I  wanted, and I gained weight, and it was fine. I began to notice the parts of diet culture that I hadn’t seen before. I stopped talking about my body, about diet, about weight loss. I stopped thinking about plans to lose weight. With this I should have been able to let my body pick foods and feed its self intuitively, but I didn’t. There is something DEEP in my soul that does not allow me to eat a healthy amount. I use food to numb. I use food to celebrate. I use food mindlessly. I use food out of guilt. I eat because I have to, all the time, it’s what you do! Ive made myself sick. My body is all out of whack, my head is foggy and sad. It’s not working. All of it. So, I’m trying again, to figure out a way to control my intake without hating myself. I don’t know how to get rid of those deep rooted feelings that food is something I need to hold me down. Maybe therapy? Maybe REBT? I assume a lifelong process, something I may never figure out. But what I have learned over the last couple years is this: People who have clean houses CLEAN THEIR HOUSE ALL THE TIME. People who have kids who are well-behaved: PARENT THEIR KIDS ALL THE TIME. People who are fit WORK OUT ALL THE TIME. So for me, I need a plan, not a crazy one, not a counting calories or points, just a plan so I can eat foods I like, but also have someone else in control of what and how much. I need to just follow a plan for now, while I do work on my mind and my heart. So Ive purchased a meal plan from a nutritionist, and I’m going to follow it, without too much thought or obsession, and I’m going to feel better.

2. Movement: I was talking to my doctor recently (I’ve been to the doctor a lot lately, again, things just aren’t right with me right now.) And she said “spend an hour every day moving your body in a new enjoyable way” and I like that. Just do something different, a yoga class, go for a swim, a family bike ride, a walk around the mall, just move your body. I don’t have a physical job so my body can get stiff and lazy. So I’m going to try really hard to move my body daily and I’m going to feel better.

3. Mindfulness: For me this will look like more time sitting quietly, getting up before everyone else, breathing, thinking, listening. Doing things that let me mind process the world, my life, my family, myself. Eating foods slowly and quietly. Hugging and talking to Vada more. Loving my husband more. Putting more thoughts of joy and warmth and love out into the world. I’m going journal more as a form of therapy and I’m going to feel better.

4. Relationships: I’m going to stop beating myself for friendships lost. Everyone makes their own choices and It’s ok for people to choose not to spend time with me, and Its ok for me to chose not to spend time with other people. relationships will come and go. I’m not perfect, I may not be a perfect friend, but I wont become a better friend by hating myself, so I’m going to feel better, and then maybe I will be a better friend.

That’s all I have this morning. Just some plans and a lot of hope.

2018 Goals (and a look back at 2017)

Welp, I only blogged One time this past year, when I shared my goals for 2017, which you can read here.  Just recently, just today even, I have the itch to blog again. I LOVE journaling and blogging, but its something I have completely let go of over the years as I now do most of my sharing via Instagram or IG stories. I’m not sure why I like to share about my life, I just do, and its been an important part of my life for a long time now. Social Media has made it super easy for me to share all sorts of thoughts and ideas and adventures with friends and family, but I don’t think I get the same personal therapy and growth that I do when I actually sit down and process my thoughts on “paper” So I think I might be coming back here, to this space where I have gushed about so many aspects of my life over the last 9 YEARS! Crazy how time goes by. I was talking to a friend last night about resolutions and goals and she shared that she and a group of her friends did DAILY/WEEKLY/MONTHLY goals instead of one big resolution, and I really like that idea. I have a few New Year themes I want to put fourth, but I also have a number of smaller goals that I would love to log here.

RECAPPING 2017

At the start of 2017 I was on a mental high as I had just discovered the power of higher thinking and of living my life with more flow and less ego. I was listening to a lot of self help podcasts and spending a lot of time thinking of self improvement from a mental standpoint. I really ran with this a lot last year, and really tried to stay true to letting my life flow into places of least resistance. I took things slow. I quit some things that felt toxic, and I walked away from situations that weren’t good for me or my family. I also found more forgiveness, more personal strength and just more understanding for some of the people and situations in my life. I LOVE the world of higher thinking, but I also love a lot of surface stuff that goes in and out of my life. Things I am consciously choosing to still love and dedicate time to. I don’t see myself ever walking away from a more “traditional” mindset in order to get real woowoo, but I continue to spend time practicing and studying this way of thinking, because if you don’t, you will forget and you will sink back into thinking things like drama and expectations and guilt are REAL things and not simply bad tricks our mind plays on us.

2017 was a really great year for ME and kind of a hard year for my marriage.  Both Jay and I started the year feeling pretty on top of our shit. We bought a house, our kid was getting smarter and more independent and honestly just easy. Jay had fallen into a good rhythm at work and I had my new cookie business and a nice house that kept me entertained. Our new home allowed us to have more people over, more parties, more space to be independent and just more activities to focus on. With all this success and growth we both became complacent and neglectful of each other. We grew further apart in the most apathetic way. We didn’t even notice it was happening, and then one day you realize its easier without them. Its more fun with someone else. That your partner isn’t the person you text to share a funny story, isn’t the person you cry to when something is bothering you. Their birthday rolls around and you honestly just don’t care. You go to bed at different times, you make plans without asking each other. You play “tag your it” with your kid. That’s the hard part of marriage, noticing when you are business partners, not friends. We see it now. We see what we did this year, and how it was no ones fault but everyone suffered. I’m not even sure why it all happened, but in early December I stood in front of Jay and said “Couples don’t get divorced because they suddenly hate each other, or cheat, couples get divorced because one day they realize it would be easier to do it alone then to do it with this person they feel nothing towards” This was a shoulder shake for both of us, that being passive and not engaged is what would break us.  And so it begins, this new year with both of us knowing that we chose to be a partnership and that doesn’t mean that I find success in my life and he finds success in his life, its that we we find success together, that we take interest, that we stop taking advantage, that we push ourselves to care, to find fire, to trust again.

Was 2017 not the most eye opening year? To see what the world is capable of, what happens when people are scared or afraid, or OVER IT? In my home and in my community I really hope above all else that 2018 makes me focus more on the important things….which brings me to:

2018 WHERE FOCUS GOES ENERGY FLOWS

I have come up with 3 different 2018 Mottos:

“A SIMPLE LIFE IS IT’S OWN REWARD”

“DO IT NOW, ITS THE RIGHT TIME”

“HUNT FOR HAPPINESS INSIDE YOURSELF”

With these mottos I have also come up with some person goals that I hope will help me truly live with intention. I also do plan to come back regularly to this blog to work through the challenges and successes of these goals.

DAILY:

• Journal alone for at least a half hour (this might also be blogging)
• No mindless phone scrolling when I’m with family or friends
• Choosing to love my husband
• Pack Jays lunch while I do dinner
• Focus on my hunger cues and eat with intention and respect
• One load of laundry start to finish
• Deep water running (mon-fri)
• Go to bed at 9pm (read 30 minutes)
• Moisturize
• Set a time each day for cookie business on my phone in the office away from family.

 

WEEKLY:

• Meal Plan and stay on Budget
• Find ways to show Jay my love and appreciation
• Make a breakfast casserole for Jay to take to work on Sunday
• Deep clean and purge one room or area
• Take Vada outside for walks twice a week (in the winter)
• Clean the bathrooms
• Blog twice a week
• Stretch 3x a week
• Work with Vada on Letter and number identification and lesson plans

 

MONTHLY:

• “exfoliate” the house (constantly get rid of things we don’t need)
• Do a batch of creative cookies once a month
• One self care item (nails, brows etc)

 

THIS YEAR:

• Take a mini trip with Vada (Portland?)
• Work on the yard (Grass, landscaping, etc)
• Take a fall family Vacation
• Stay on budget and pay off all credit card debt
• CONSUME LESS
• Be gentle to myself in hard times and push myself in times of energy and passion.
• Put family first
• Keep life simple

 

So there it is, my endless list of ways to live a better life. I’m a list maker, a goal setter, someone who is always unsatisied but yet always pretty proud of myself. I have endless opportunitues in life, and every day is a day for me to do things that help me live a great life, to feel great, and to follow flow and love towards a full heart. I hope 2018 brings everyone clarity and love.

 

 

2017 Goals (and a look back at 2016)

I only blogged 3 times this year. Which is fine, it’s the season that I am in, and it’s what feels doable right now. This blog use to be everything to me, but today it’s just a nice place to stop in every once in a while.

Doing a New Years goal recap is one of my favorite things. I am a firm believer in writing down goals and intentions, I think it puts them out into the universe and makes them a little more tangible. I always like to look back at the previous year to see how my intentions played out. Here is my 2016 New Years post2016 New Years post:

2016 RECAP:

Whole Family Health

This was a large umbrella goal, the only goal I made last year. Working out, meditating, eating whole foods, etc. Overall I made some really powerful strides in my mental health. I have never felt more confident and strong in who I am and the choices I am making. I just recently had a life altering experience after reading You Are a Badass, which has spurred something inside me that I have never really felt connected to before. I think it could be compared to someone finding religion/god, but that isn’t a word I connect with so I don’t think of it like that. But I feel a power and a connection with the universe in a whole new way. This is VERY new, only in the last couple months, but It will play a huge part in the upcoming year.

Other parts of my Family Health goal that we achieved was finding a physical activity that we love. This year all 3 of us became avid bike riders! This is something I never thought would be my calling, but all summer and into fall riding our bikes became a huge part of our lives, something that brought us abundant time outside, with each other, moving our bodies, connecting with the world around us. Pure magic, I can’t wait until the weather gets better!

There are other parts of this past year that didn’t completely go as I had hoped, and normally I like to pick at where I failed, but I’m not going to do that. This year is not about the past or the future, it is 100% about this moment right now. Success and happiness will always be RIGHT NOW.

I will however share a few other amazing parts of 2016:

1. We took a New Home Buyers class and began what would be a year-long process of purchasing our first home, which cam to fruition on December 10th, our 10 year dating-anniversary when we closed on our new home.
2. My mother in law moved to Bellingham last January, and it has been nothing but a blessing for all of us. We have so much history and ups and downs, but having her here and being able to have her be such a regular part of our family, especially with Vada has been so healing and wonderful.
3. Vada started preschool! Shes a magic little creature that is so so so crazy smart and putting her in school this fall was a perfect choice for her.
4. Vada and I took a solo trip to Portland which was so in the moment and shockingly relaxing. It made me want to take more mother-daughter trips with her.
5. Jay and I rode our bikes around Lummi Island for my birthday, and it will 100% be a tradition I will continue.
6. This year I finally have found balance with work and family. I have let go of guilt, of holding others to my expectations. My work life is far from perfect and there are probably more up in the air questions than ever before, but our business has continue to succeed, and we are all continuing to strive for balance.
7. My mom and I found a really great outside of work rhythm. Spending quality time with her and Vada is one of my favorite things to do. The three of us have a regular dinner date at a local sushi spot, and we have all three been working hard to be supportive, less critical and more encouraging of each other.
8. Jay’s job has grown and he has never been happier in a work situation. How freaking lucky is that! To find work that you are good at, that fulfills you and brings you financial and personal gains. Jay is a bright star, but he needed the right fit, and this job is it.
9. We found a home that was not at all what we thought we wanted, and everything we needed. I knew if we didn’t find the right home at the right time, that leaving our little pink house could feel devastating. The process was hard and long and pushed us to the limits, but all of that made settling into our new home that much more relaxing. I feel so happy about the house the universe placed in front of us. I wake up in the morning and just look around and I feel at home.
10. This year I started a little cookie business which is proving to be the perfect little side gig to let me be creative, but also give me flexibility in a way that I really need it. I hope to continue down a path with my cookies that feels right for me.

Overall I can not complain about 2016, it was a great year for us. And although I am trying hard to live in the moment and not get wrapped up in forcing myself to do things that maybe aren’t the right fit for me, I do have a few plans:

2017 Life Intentions:

1. GO WITH THE FLOW. Not really in the way that I have always said “go with the flow” which was probably based more around the idea of not being uptight, or even being a little lazy about what was happening around me. The “Flow” I’m talking about is based on the words of my new favorite podcaster and higher thinker, Jess Lively, who asks the universe all the time “where should I be going?” “What feels right” “What should I let go of” and things of that nature. It’s about the universe providing abundance to you in the right form for you, and you being open enough to TAKE IT and LIVE IT. Have you ever thought for a while about something and come to a decision, and then immediatly felt so RIGHT in your choice, so much peace, to calm in the path you chose? That is going with the flow. It’s no longer putting rules and expectations and guilt and should-ofs and all the things our EGO throws at us all day long, forcing us to live a life that just doesn’t make us that happy. This year I am actively working on asking my intuition what I should do, and then waiting patiently for a response that is right for me. No questions about it.
2. LOVE THINGS THAT LOVE ME BACK: Eat foods I love, that love my body back. Go places that I love that make feel great. Be with people I love that love me back. Do work I love that lifts me up. And quit all the food, places, work, people who even if I love them, they treat me, my heart, my body or my family badly. #tellemboybye
3. LISTEN, READ, STUDY: I’ve found the best way to stay at a higher level of thinking, a better mindset, to live a more intentional life is to STUDY THE INTENTIONAL LIFE ALL THE TIME. This is where mediation makes sense for me. Taking time to breathe and think about the mood I am in, the space I am in, the season I am in. To listen to podcasts and books that uplift me! The more time I spend surrounding myself with this stuff the more I live it.
4. FORGIVE: This is for every single person, place, job, experience, food, fight, broken heart, accident, missed opportunity. I have nothing but forgiveness for those things. They are done and I am in a new moment that is as happy as I let myself be in it.

You guys are you all woo woo’d out yet!? Ha! I will say that with all of this higher power stuff, I’m totally the same person! I’m still snarky and I sarcastic, and I still poke fun at my life, the world around me, but I’m going to live internally in a much better place, and maybe you wont even notice, maybe you will? It’s not my job to be something to anyone, that’s part of letting go and living in the now. I hope this year is filled with intention and good vibes and strength and joy for every single person. I hope you are at peace with yourself and that if your intuition tells you that you need to change a bit this year, that you will sit quietly, and ask yourself what that change really is. Listen kindly, your intuition is never going to say things like “you need to work out! lose weight! Be nicer! Make more money! Save more money! Clean your house more!” your intuition will say things like “I feel like I need more fresh air. My joints need a stretch. I want to pay myself a little bit first, I want to rid my life of clutter that doesn’t bring me joy, I want to spend more time on me” so listen, carefully. Take time to hear the difference between your EGO which is a fire hydrant of thoughts, often negative and judgemental and fear based, and your INTUITION which is kind and open and freeing.

 

Happy New Year!

 

 

 

Vada’s Pedal Party

I wanted to share some photos from Vada’s third birthday party this weekend. We once again had the wonderful Katheryn Moran Photography come take pictures, and seriously folks, if you are having a big birthday party I can not recommend hiring a photographer enough! It takes the stress away from capturing the moments for you and for your guests. Our guests know that we will have a photographer there, and I love sharing all the cute photos of peoples children, and of Vada and all the decor I spent time on, its really the best idea.

This year we went with a bicycle themed party! We all got really into riding bikes this past year, and I thought it would be a great fun activity for all the kids her age to do on a cold November day. Because we asked all the kids to bring a bike or scooter to the party, we knew we needed a big open space. We decided to rent the Multi Purpose “gym” room at Bloedel Donovan, through the Bellingham Parks and Rec. City owned spaced are way cheaper to rent than private venues, and they always have tons of tables and chairs to use. This space was PERFECT plus it had great lighting because of the two walls of glass blocks, the white walls and high ceilings. Plus it has a huge parking lot and loading zones for dragging all the decor in.

The main activity of the party was obviously just riding bikes, but we wanted to add a few extra details to that. We made a wood bike ramp out of some scrap wood we had in our garage, we also bought lots of orange cones off amazon, and we made a large ribbon curtain out of PVC pipe for the kids to ride through. We used plastic construction security tape for the ribbons which was way more durable than streamers.

We also set up a big “Decorate Your Bike” table. I made a bunch of easy DIY handlebar tassels out of the same colored safety tape. We also had colorful spoke beads, cut straws for spokes, reflective tape, playing cards with clothespins, and I got cheap baskets at the Dollar Store and zip ties so everyone could have a bike basket.

The party was from 3-5, which is a little early for dinner time, but I figure the kids will all be worn out and go to bed early, so an early dinner wont hurt. My mom made two big pots of soup, Chicken Noodle and Vegan Curried Squash. We also had rolls with butter, big fruit platters, Baby Bell cheese, goldfish crackers, oyster crackers, and some dried fruit and nut balls.

For dessert I made bike sugar cookies (you can see more of my custom sugar cookies at Morgan G. Cookies), including some that stood on their own on a grass cookie. I also bought French Macaroons from Costco ($15 for 36!) and used an edible pen to draw bike tires on them. I picked up a box of pumpkin cake donuts just to keep the round theme going. Vada’s Nana made a pink strawberry birthday cake too! Trust me, the kids had PLENTY of sugar.

For beverages we went with New Belgium’s Fat Tire for adults. And for kids I got these awesome glass ombre bottles at Michael’s on super clearance, that I filled with organic Newman’s pink Lemonade. Plus a big dispenser of water with fun bike curly straws!

For decor I started with a color scheme based on a Julia Rothman fabric called “RIDE” which was orange, yellow, light pink and aqua. Unfortunate that fabric is discontinued but I manged to find a couple yards on Etsy. I made tons of easy bunting (I don’t even sew the edges, just cut triangles and sew onto thick satin ribbon). I also made my favorite easy party decor: Pom poms! Using cheap matching yard.

I knew the space was going to be huge, so I broke it up into sections, DESSERT TABLE, BEVERAGE TABLE, and BIKE DECORATE table. This way I could focus my energy. I found some great bike frames at JoAnns that I spray painted and put birthday party photos from Year 1 & 2 in. My grandma works at a thrift store and collected little bike figurines that I spray painted black and used on the cake.

This is the first year I went with cheap plastic tablecloths. I usually HATE these because they are thin and look cheap. I found the PERFECT matching colors at Target with their SPRITZ line, and shockingly they weren’t too bad! Id actually really recommend them to people. I also got the SPRITZ plates, and soup cups from the dollar bins! I made a few runners with the leftover Ride fabric to add flare.

To fill up some of the wall space I found some bike images on Pinterest that I saved in Photoshop and used the “stencil” feature to turn them into silhouettes and blew them up to a much higher resolution. I then took them to FedEx Office and used their Oversize self-service printer to print huge bike posters ($.79 a s/f). This made such a fun big impact for the price. I highly encourage it! I wish I could give credit to all the artists who did the work, but unfortunately Pinterest is not a good place to find original credits. I would never sell these, just using them for personal use and sending virtual THANKS to the original artists.

Lastly I borrowed that adorable blue cruiser bike from a friend. I told her I was going to use it for a giant centerpiece, and sure enough it was the hit of the decor! I thought I would distribute those pink balloons around the room, but when I was unloading decor I tied them on the bike so they wouldn’t float away, and then I realized how adorable they looked like that and I left them. The VADA letters were actually leftover from her first birthday and I just repainted them with craft paint.

We set up about 5 tables with chairs for people to sit and eat at, and Jay set up a little bike course, and then people just showed up and did their thang! For me, the best part of kids birthday parties is watching kids run around like maniacs, stuff their mouths with sugar, rip open gifts. So much of their little lives are following the rules and listening to their parents, and learning to be responsible and safe. But at a birthday party, I just love saying YES to everything! YES to juice, YES to more cookies, YES to running and screaming and fun! I love giving parents time to sit and catch up and let their kids just be free to be crazy. I love to feed people, give them special treats and activities all for free. I just love parties.

I’m not sure what we will do next year, and every year I tell myself “next year we will probably do a small party” and then every year it gets bigger and more grand. What can I say, I just love parties. This year I was able to plan this party with minimal stress, and I wanted to share a few tips and thoughts on this:

1. If you don’t like to plan parties, don’t. Kids love cake and gifts, all the hoopla is for me, because I LOVE it, but Vada would be fine without it.
2. HIRE OUT! I asked for help this year. Having my mom do all the food and keep it simple was such a life saver. And having Jay’s mom make the cake took that stress away too. I also asked my mom to help me set up, and I had Jay’s mom bring Vada to the party when it started. Ask for help.
3. Rent spaces if your house is too small. When I got home from this party my house was still clean. Its so nice to not have the stress of a million people in my house. The only downside is that I have to pay extra for set up and take down hours. This year I gave myself more time than I had in previous years, close to two hours, and it really made the process much more pleasant.
4. If you want to do a big party but aren’t sure where to begin, I bought The Alison Shows “Party with Alison” party planning course last year, and it has so many good tips to keep you focused. I also HIGHLY recommend her “Cookie Party” course if you want to learn a super useful and fun new skill: Sugar Cookies!
5. Start EARLY! I picked a theme about 6 months ago. I got a large tote in my garage filled it with stuff I bought along the way. I paid for the venue months ago. No one wants to shell out a bunch of money at the last minute!
6. Keep it simple. This year I reigned in the decor a bit, and I chilled out on doing an entire bike obstacle course for a couple ramps and orange cones. Kids moslty just like chaos.
7. Hire a photographer!
8. Read YOU ARE A BADASS and just get on a higher level. (;

Click here to see Vada’s Puppy Party 2nd Birthday

Click here to see Vada’s Apple of My Eye 1st Birthday

A Big Girl Room

When I was pregnant with Vada I did up a little nursery in our spare room for her. You can see photos of that here. I chose not to paint the room again (I had painted it in 2011 when we moved in) but I always knew in the back of my head that I would paint it whenever we transitioned into a twin bed/big girl room.

On Halloween Vada climbed out of her crib 10+ times before finally passing out. The next day I took the side off her crib and made it a toddler-esq bed. I hadn’t planned to transition her to a twin bed so soon, I thought surely she would stay in her crib for a few more months, so the toddler bed gave us some transition time to decide what we would do for her new room.

After Christmas I decided to start the planning process. I REALLY wanted the Jenny Lind twin bed from The Land of Nod. I researched reviews, price compared, looked up how people restore old ones, and in the end Jay and I decided to go ahead and invest in it. When I say “invest” I mean that shit is super expensive, but it’s also really high quality and would last generations if taken care of. Then I waited for a sale, 20% off and free shipping ideally, and in late January when that sale came about…I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t spend $599 on a bed.  I want to make it clear though that I do not see anything wrong with buying expensive high-quality furniture, I LOVE the Jenny Lind bed, and I think its totally worth it. For me though, I just kept 2nd guessing myself, which is something I do when I’m not comfortable with making a decision. I have no problem pulling the trigger on purchases if I know that they are perfect for us, but this bed, it just wasn’t. The universe agreed with me when a few days later I got a text from a friend offering me a vintage bed that needed some TLC for FREE. FREE PEOPLE, FREE!

The bed had been white, and I sanded it and painted it Tahitian Breeze in high gloss. We also put slats and a thick piece of plywood across it so that it was SUPER sturdy. we wanted to feel comfortable having Jay lay on it. I based the color off of Land Of Nods Azure color, although I had planned to buy white in that bed, simply because I didn’t know if the teal color would be something I would want forever, even though I LOVED it. This way I got the color I wanted and didn’t have to settle on white.

Around this time Hanna Anderson had a big post-holiday bedding sale. I got this organic cotton quilt for $25, and two sets of sheets (no longer available) for $15 each. I also ordered this organic mattress saver. I decided that a funky fabric print mix would work.

While the bed paint was curing I hunted for a wall paint color. I had thought maybe white because all the kids rooms I like have white walls, but I worried in our older house that white would look more dingy and dark then bright and loft like. Then I thought maybe pink? I’m generally not a pink fan, but I wanted a light/bright color, and the room had already been blue, I didn’t want grey, our room is yellow, and I’m not really a green fan, so pink made the most sense. These are the top pink colors I debated.

I decided on Wild Aster by Benjamin Moore (although I had it color-matched into a Behr High Gloss at The Home Depot) after I saw the color on Making it Lovely’s blog. I like that it is ever so slightly grey, and just not too crazy baby-pink. A spur of the moment decision led to the big puffy cloud/scallops that I did around the whole room. I had thought about doing the pink color only 3/4 up the wall and then white on the rest, but I HATE taping off, so I used a couple large kitchen mixing bowls and made this cloud border, which I am obsessed with. We also replaced the ceiling light with an LED light from Costco.

Something I had planned to do before Vada was born was to make valances to cover the hardware of her black out roller-blinds. I finally did this with Jay’s help. He made me two – 3 sided boxes, and then I stapled on some leftover batting I had, and then fabric over the top! So easy, and one of my favorite parts of the room. Jay also made two little house shelves for books, and one big house shelf for all Vada’s nick-knacks, I painted them white with the same teal bed color on the inside.

I also made three fun pillows for Vada’s bed (all soft flannel from JoAnns) as well as a bed skirt (its Velcro on). I also purchased a rug that actually arrived yesterday, but sadly it was too big and Hula was obsessed with clawing it, and since it was a loop rug I just could keep it. I may keep hunting. Lastly I used my DSLR to take some photos out of a Little Bear book, then had them printed and framed them with inexpensive Ikea frames I had leftover from a Christmas project.

After those little projects, it was just sort of pulling the room together, getting rid of unused toys, re arranging storage bins, and selecting more cohesive art for the walls, including a cool collage piece that my sister made Vada. I also washed the windows, shampooed the carpet, replaced the light switch covers, and went through all her books.

And finally a little comparison shot.

 

2016 Goals (and a look at how 2015 went)

We decided to stay home this Christmas day. To snuggle up and be lazy all day, just the three of us. It was a hard decision, but we are all happy and content, and that’s whats important. We have no plans to go anywhere or do anything, if maybe squeeze in a stroll before the sun sets in an hour. So to kill time I thought I might catch up on this blog, which is so so so far behind. It’s not that I don’t have things to say, it’s just that I don’t prioritize the time (hey! I will talk about this in a minute!) but today I have time, so I thought I’d do something that is pretty important to me, a yearly look at my goals.

I just went back and read 2015’s goals, as I never remember what they are, and for the first time in years I gotta say I really knocked it out of the park. Here is a little recap on My 2015 Goals:

1. TO BUILD UP MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MR. GAUNT: This one is an endless goal, and some months we are in synch and happy and some we aren’t. I had hoped to really build passion, but little did I know that toddlers suck the life out of you just as much as newborns, so yeah, not as romantic and loving as I had hoped. That being said Mr. Gaunt and I have worked through some pretty big stuff this year. Mostly his work schedule, and my work schedule, along with my personal goal to stop nagging as much. I still nag ALLLL the time, but I nag less. I try to think before I speak. Mr. Gaunt and I would both say that we have such respect and love for each other. We understand how much we NEED each other to make the day to day work, and we are both putting in lots of effort. I also realize how important it is for me to take care of myself, to be happy and content before I can really take care of anyone else. Right now as a mother and wife, I spend a lot of time taking care of others, so I need to continue to make sure my glass is full before I give to anyone else. 

2. I WANT TO NOT FEEL GUILTY ABOUT PUTTING FAMILY FIRST: This one is heartbreaking and enlightening, and one of the most challenging things I’ve had to do. This year I had to make some really hard decisions to let go of guilt, let go of anger, and to be focused on my family. It meant I had to let other people down, I had to give up some of my other goals, it meant I had to get into a routine, to accept our day to day lives, and to feel ok about what I was doing with my time, despite what other people thought. I know that we will only have young child(ren) for a short period of time in our lives. I know how important being a good parent, and wife, and friend is to me. I have to continually search for passion in motherhood, but that also means I have to walk away from some things that I just.cant.make.work. And that is hard. I’m happy though. I honestly have let so much guilt and bad feelings go this year, I’m happy with my choice, I believe its making our home life better, I believe overall I am happier, and Vada is thriving in all areas, so I’m doing the right thing despite the challenges. 

3. BUILD A BEAUTIFUL BACKYARD: We totally did this! Let me use photos to show you! 

We replaced our old gross fence all by ourselves! We also built some new garden beds, and this great little play area for Vada! This summer we have a few more goals too, but overall our backyard is such an oasis for us. I mean right now it looks like crap again, but it will be great again this summer. 

4. TAKE 3 MINI VACATIONS: We always make this goal, and it never really happens. Mostly we are too busy and too poor. We tend to be people who would rather do lots of little stuff all year round then save up for a big vacation. This year we did go to The Great Wolf Lodge in February,  Mr. Gaunt took Vada to Colorado for a week in June, we went to Harstine Island for 4 nights in September, and then we did a Christmas day trip to Seattle, which doesn’t sound that exciting, but we rarely leave town. So overall I’m pretty happy with our vacations. This year we REALLY want to do Disneyland in september. We haven’t booked tickets yet, but I’m hoping to do so by June. 

5. GET OUT AND DO STUFF: We actually got out and did lots of things this year! We also quickly learned the type of things Vada is good at, and the things she’s just not able to sit through. Some fun things we did this year (with links in case other people are looking for cool kid activities):

–Tulip Festival

–The Everett Museum

–St. Patrick’s Day Parade

–Easter At Bellewood

–Birch Bay Beach Day

–Ski to Sea Parade

–Strawberry Picking

-Bellingham Bells Game

–Lynden Farmers Day Parade

–4th of July a Zuanich

–Blueberry Picking 

–Sunnyland Stomp

–Swimming at Lakewood

–Day Hike at Artist Point

–Subdued Stringband Jamboree

–The Lynden Fair

–Larabee State Park

–Hovander Park

–Elizabeth Park Concerts

–Apple Picking at Bellewood

–Giant Pumpkin Festival

-Stoney Ridge Pumpkin Festival 

–Fruit Tasting Festival

–Perch And Play Halloween Carnival

–Downtown Trick or Treating

–Sledding at Mt Baker

–Deception Pass Park

–Snowflake Lane

–Teddy Bear Suite

–Sheraton Gingerbread Village

–Perch And Play Santa

I’m sure we did even more things I’m forgetting, but these were some of our favorite events. 

6. Be healthy…yah know, try to. Oh sheesh. Its last on the list, and the thing I paid the lease attention to. This year it’s #1 on the list. 

So onto this years goals! I’m going with an overall theme this year as opposed to distinctly different goals like in years past.

Whole Family Health

This is an umbrella goal, the idea that I want us to really prioritize our health, mental, physical, spiritual. I want to focus our minds and be more intentional in the words we use, the energy we put out there, and where we focus our time. I want to find passions in food and fitness, as well as exploring the earth, growing our passions and being more zen. To help us do this I’ve made mini goals:

Scheduled Workouts: I’m hoping to go 2 or 3 times a week to a friend’s house who owns a treadmill, and we are going to do a 30 minute video and a 30 minute jog/walk, so an hour of fitness while the kiddos run around. I’m also hoping to a 30 minute family walk around our neighborhood nightly. Plus Fitnessblender videos, and just moving lots.

Evening Stretch and Calm Down: Id like to a new bedtime routine starting one hour before bed. Change into comfy clothes, media free, spend 30 minutes sitting on the floor being calm, meditating, doing some breathing exercises, some aromatherapy and a 10 minute stretch. Followed by books and bedtime.

Clean Eating: I’m hoping to start a simple clean eating meal plan. I’m hoping to start planning it this week so I’m all ready for January. Less carbs, sugar and dairy that bog us down, more fruits and veggies. Smaller portions, but overall better relationships with food.

Reading or Listening: Id like to start reading more and listening to NPR again. Have specific media free hours. Make more trips to the library, listen to more music with Vada.

Essential Oils: In the last few months I’ve started working with Essential Oils. I diffuse them, make sprays, lotions, cleaners etc. I love them and hope to continue to use them more and more.

Family Connection: Id like to start sitting down together to meal plan, and talk about weekly goals, how we will move more, eat healthy, goals and anxieties we have for the week. Just be more purposeful in our plans for how we spend our time and what our schedule looks like. Id like to talk about events and classes and things we would like to do, just more connecting.

Investing in Health: Our financial situation may change a bit in the new year, and we will need to adjust our spending. Id like to make more conscious shopping choices. Focusing on organic, making sure we aren’t wasting things, but also when we do spend money, to have it be on things that help with our Whole Health goals. Workout clothes, pool passes, essential oils, things that are helping us meet our goals.

Meditation: I’m not exactly sure what mediation means, but its been continuously put in front of me as an idea I should be looking into. The universe WANTS me to meditate, and really I like the idea of doing so. I’m someone who spends a lot of time in thought, I have often called this thought “Anxiety” “stress” things that are negative, because I tend to obsess about the negative. With meditation, I hope that I can really focus on the positives, and the things that will keep me happy and healthy. I’m going to spend a few weeks reading about meditation and practicing. I know it’s not something that you just DO, its something that takes time, but I want to dedicate some time to that.

I think 2015 was an eye-opening year. I’ve realized things about myself. I’ve spent a lot of time and energy both feeling judged by others and judging myself, struggling and fighting against my reality. In 2016 I think I finally feel strong and confident enough to really protect myself and be open and comfortable with my choices. I can see what it is I want my life to look like, and I know that I can achieve the peace that I desire.