spark into a flame

I threw a good party and I have time off. Those two things are leading to my brain being maxed out on inspiration and creativity. The party made me cook so that got me thinking about kitchens and recipes and the time off has me reading magazines and since Thanksgiving cooking is around the corner I'm feeling like spending some time in the kitchen again. And wishing my kitchen were this pretty. Also decided I want inset cabinets and I'm SUPER over farmhouse. Sorry Jo, I think I want something a little more classic and timeless than shiplap.

The cooking made me fantasize about a fall picnic. Gosh doesn't that sound dreamy? Even better if everything looked this cute right?

Halloween decorating ideas are still on my mind. I don't do orange, it's just not a color I do. We do black and white. And my Halloween style is more Victorian Gothic so lots of "The Raven" with bits of like apothecary and mad scientist lab. No demons or devils or jack o lanterns. Skulls. 

The Good Housekeeping issue for Thanksgiving is So. Good. One side of the issue has the most incredible looking recipes and I plan on making everything on one particular page and the other side of the issue has this great fall fashion spread that is making me want some new heels and a pleated skirt. Though a pleated skirt is a year-long thing. I love a good pleat. Also: fall florals. Can't get enough! I love them I love them I love them. Blush pink with grey and white and black. YES.

Okay it's almost 1am so I better get to bed. It's just so nice and quiet right now and my brain is craving pretty things. Just a few more web hits and then I'll go to bed.

halloween time on the farm 2017

It's that time of the year! Yikes, unbelievable that it's going by as quickly as it is. I think babies accelerate time, it's science. After summer of course we went full on Halloween Time and Alice loves it. She's been enjoying Halloween things and is really into "The Nightmare Before Christmas" which pleases her father to no end. The decor around the house had a few additions. 

This little cameo hangy thing. Really goes with my "gothic fall" thing. 

We got yet another small white pumpkin. Honestly I'd buy a billion of these plastic pumpkins and put them around the house, that's just me.

The entry looks like this:

We got this as a gift last year, Alice is kinda obsessed with it.

And for our anniversary Matt got me flowers and as they died and dried they looked even better than when they were alive. 

I finally wrapped our latest big job and have nothing lined up at the moment so I'll enjoy a few days, hopefully a week of home life and then hit it hard to make money for the holidays. 

ten

On September 22, Matthew and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. A decade together and I don't know anyone I'd rather spend more time with doing fancy dinners and then hitting batting cages together. I'm not sick of him and I love him more now than when we first got married.

We got hits. Those softball pitches are real confidence boosters.

You're my favorite person to hang out with my dear friend. Let's keep this party going.

who takes care of you?

So I started therapy again. How's that for an opener? I went a few years ago to start dealing with my mom stuff but stopped due to laziness then children and after all that's been going on I decided probably good idea to go back. I went once but already I can see an overarching theme to the things going on and that is: who takes care of me?

I'm that person that takes care of people. I'm that person that naturally defaults to leadership. I have a tendency to be a mentor. I am a supervisor at work. I'm the big sister. Etc. All my life I've been that way and that has left me neglecting one person: me. Not taking care of my personal time. Not taking care of my body. Not taking care of my spirit. Not taking care of my mental health. I am low priority. And I mean, why does it matter? Who cares if I don't get time to take a bath or a massage or whatever except... that because I have three people depending on me. I have a mortgage and tenants. I have two kids and a husband. If I am not healthy, if I am not well, I am of no good to anyone. If I fall down the whole cookie crumbles. So while I may give a lot of myself to the good of everyone, I gotta learn to be good to me.

She says while pumping and staying up 'til midnight finishing up her work from the day since she didn't have time to finish and then only pumped once the whole day and ate lunch at 2pm and didn't have dinner and didn't drink enough water. Obviously, I have a lot of work to do.