Inspiration | Ira Glass

I have come across this quote from Ira Glass a few times in recent years, and each time I read it, I am hopeful for what lies ahead in my creative career. There used to be many moments when every creative piece I finished, I immediately longed to do better. To have things that look like the designers that inspired me. I'm discovering more often now that every creative thing I produce allows me to hone my craft just a bit. And little by little, my end result is becoming more satisfying personally.  

I like this quote because it can apply to almost any individual. Whether it is writing, design, crafting, home decorating, baking, cooking, athletics...if we're passionate about what we're doing, we'll get better the more we do them. All it takes it to keep on producing, and one day you might just surprise yourself. 

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Picnic Lunch

Being a part-time employee is (sadly) coming to and end. Next week at this time I will be back full time at my job. I'm so grateful for the fact that I was able to take three months off and four months part-time, but no matter the length, it never seems like enough time with my kids. (Except when they are driving me nuts...) So this week I am enjoying every little moment of extra time I have with them.

One of my favorite places to take the kids is a little lunch shop called The Lunch Bag. This place is awesome. It's this tiny little soup, salad and sandwich place that is run by a mother and daughter and the food there is fairly simple, but absolutely delicious. What really got me into this place though was the owners. They know their "regulars" and they treat them well. Always taking time to stop and ask about Aliyah and Isaac and talking to them. I love places like that.

We stopped by today, (the last time in awhile that I'll be there with my kids...sniff, sniff...oh but wait, I'll get to go there by myself, so it's not all bad.) took our food home and went to the back yard to have a picnic.

If Aliyah could eat outside for every meal, I think she would choose to do so. Her brother is following in her interests and loves to be outside as well so every moment we spend outdoors usually equates to two happy kids. I love the green grass and the sun on my face, which means we're all in good moods.

Nothing is safe from this kid now that he can army crawl at top speeds.

Inside My Bag

This post was a good way to motivate me to clean out my purse. All too often it becomes a catch all for little things like Aliyah's travel cups, or old receipts or an old church bulletin. It was nice to clean it out and only put back items that I felt were important.

So what is the thing that I don't think I could leave the house without? (Other than my phone.) It would probably have to be the mini chevron wallet that carries a few cards, some cash, my ID and my phone. If I need to make a quick stop or if the kids aren't with me, this little wallet will do just the trick. When I have both kids though, the entire contents of this purse get used. Bored preschooler? Crayons, paper and a couple of toys that haven't been played with for awhile are lifesavers. Wiggly or hungry baby? The board book and nursing cover are essential. And of course with a baby under one you can never leave the house without some sort of diaper and wipes. Because when you forget to bring some, you most definitely will have a baby who decides it's time for a blowout. 

This handbag is about 5 years old and has held up pretty well. I love that it's not too big, but still manages to hold a good amount of stuff. Now if only I could keep it this organized for more than a few weeks...

Currently...

Feeling...
Incredibly happy about life. Two wonderful, cute, healthy kids, a loving husband, an area and a house that's becoming more and more a home each day, month and year that passes. Every day I'm grateful for what I have, yet I often worry whether I'm falling short with how much I'm expressing my gratitude in my thoughts and actions towards others. Life seems too good to be true right now and I just hope that I can be thoughtful enough to never take it for granted and just soak it up and enjoy this time.

Watching...
New Girl, The Mindy Project, Downton Abbey and Sherlock. Super excited that Sherlock Season 3 is back on PBS and can't wait to sit down with Sebastian one night this week and watch it. Also, we are in the middle of watching Ender's Game. We both read the book and are interested to see how they created the science-fiction world from the novel.

Listening...
To the Frozen soundtrack. Aliyah loves it. I love it. She and I belt out the songs in her room and in the car all the time. And every so often I hear Sebastian singing it to Aliyah without any inhibition as well. (He would do anything for that girl.)

Reading...
My mother-in-law recommended the Outlander Series to me a few months ago. So far I'm well into book one and it is proving to be quite the read. A lot of European history and a female protagonist are just a couple of things that will motivate me to finish this massive read.

Missing...
My family. My brother and his wife just added to their family of four by adopting a sweet little boy from China. I would love to be there to welcome him and hold him. And then there's my parents, but I'm always missing them. They will be here in the beginning of February, so I don't have much longer until I get to see them again!

Wondering...
Why won't my 6 month old sleep through the night?! The early morning hours are the worst since it seems he's gotten into the habit of thinking that it's playtime from around 3 or 4 in the morning. He is usually contently babbling in his crib (while I am burying my head in my pillow repeating my mantra of, "Please just go back to sleep Isaac. Please go back to sleep.") I normally wouldn't mind this, after all he's not crying and he's totally cool hanging out by himself, but he and Aliyah share a room and his squeals of delight can get pretty loud at times and I'm always worried that she'll wake up. (Though, she has proven me wrong numerous times. It's amazing what kids can sleep through.)

Working...
On getting a new design portfolio site created. It's been pretty frustrating so far since I need everything to be just right and that mentality is a huge road block in just getting it completed. But I think I made some major headway recently which has given me some extra motivation to keep working on it.

Proud...
That this weekend I washed, and folded and put away all of the laundry in the house. I also made Isaac's first batch of baby food. Pears, sweet potatoes and carrots. It's so much fun and a lot easier this time around than with Aliyah.

Wanting...
A full night of uninterrupted sleep. In the grand scheme of things, if that's all I'm wanting, then life's not that bad. Especially considering the reason I'm not getting my optimal amount is because of a really, cute, chunky, lovable son of mine. I recently read an article about how some of the most influential leaders in the world sleep anywhere from 3-5 hours a day. So basically, I just need to get over it. :)

Wishing...
I could figure out this blogging thing. I struggle between wondering how much of myself (and as a result, my family) I should put out on the world wide web. There are many times when I think about how cool it would be to be a blog with useful and fun content with how-to's and things I did during trips and motherhood, etc. But then I think to myself, well who am I to think I can be an expert on something? Will people think I'm credible? It's a constant struggle of self-doubt and desire. Ha. I'm working on just letting my blog be something that I do for pure fun. If that means stories of kids, or if it means writing a how-to post that no one ends up reading, I need to learn to accept that and just enjoy the process. Whatever this little online journal ends up being is up to the universe, I guess.

Eating...
Kale, brussel sprouts, green beans and quinoa. Oh, but don't be fooled. I'm also eating cookies and chocolate truffles from Sprouts.

Drinking...
Water with lemon, coffee, San Peligrino, and wine. (Not all at once! Just lately.)

Loving...
The incredible weather and gorgeous green grass in Arizona right now. It's near perfect. Aliyah and Isaac and I took a one hour walk/tricycle ride and it was amazing. I just want to be able to enjoy this weather as much as possible, because I know come June through August it will be ridiculously hot here, and I'm not looking forward to that type of weather.

Happy Monday y'all!

Princess Aliyah of Carden House

Anyone watch Game of Thrones? The hubs and I are obsessed. (And looking forward to Season 4 this spring!) It's pretty much the only reason I thought of the title for this post (and not because we would even dare think to let Aliyah see any part of that show. Adults only for that one...ha.)

But back to the real cutie. Aliyah. This past year, Aliyah has just started to show her "girly" side. It doesn't come out very often, but when it does it sure is cute. Most days she'd rather be playing with her horse toys (obsessed with horses right now), or with her trains or tractors or out riding bike or kicking the soccer ball. This is completely different from what I used to do when I was younger. I could have played house and with my dolls all day, every day. Had it not been for my older brother who loved sports, I'm not sure I would have ever known I could be athletic.

So when Aliyah put on her crown and asked me to clip on her blanket as a dress, I was all in. She is at the perfect age right now when her imagination is completely free and uninhibited. She's not yet embarrassed to go in full make-believe mode, and the sky is the limit for what she decides to be. This day it was a princess. Yesterday is was a super hero who found missing things around the house.

Yep...the year three is full of some hard days (think: tantrums, whining...all that good stuff), but it's also filled to the brim with some pretty sweet things as well, like imagination, witty conversations and lots of hugs and kisses. Can't say it enough. Love this little girl with all my heart and soul.