August 9, 2017

Creating a Homework Station

Yesterday, I spent an hour Creating a Homework Station for Cooper so we can get ahead of the school year. I know he’s going to have a lot more homework this year so we might as well be prepared to tackle it, right??

What goes in our homework station? Let’s make a list:

Homework stations start with a caddy.

Here’s ours:

This is what our homework station looked like after last year. Time to clean it out!

A lot of random things end up in there if we aren’t diligent….

Dump it out and SORT. That’s my favorite part!

I decided that we should use some labels. If I make it fun to look at, I’ll want to use it, right?

Perhaps it will make us more likely to put things back where they belong?

Whatever it takes!

(tape / favorite pen / other favorite pen)

And this is what it looks like inside now.

As you can see, I used mason jars to separate the crayons/pencils/pens.

On the other side, I actually used small beakers for the erasers and paperclips.

I think this will be the key to us keeping the caddy nice and neat.

I slipped some index cards in there because we could always use some!

I added the labels on the caddy and then put packing tape on top to make sure the label stays on longer.

We’re ready for the school year now.

Creating a Homework Station will help you corral all of your office supplies.

I hope this inspires you to come up with a good solution for your homework needs!

If you’re also an office supply lover, you might love:

LISTS

August 7, 2017

Intentions for the Week

Happy Monday! We have two weeks left of Summer here before we head back to school! I’ve been glancing over my Bucket List, trying to figure out some things to knock out before we’re into full on school schedule. I’m hoping to take Cooper to an art museum this week.

The GAME PLAN on my fridge looks like this week:

(You can get the magnetic whiteboard here)

Intentions this week:

LAUNDRY
prep for One Potato photoshoot
trip to the library
DMV appointment
doctor’s appointment
hike/yoga (at least once!)
finish cleaning schedule spreadsheets
finish handwriting workbook
write letters to pen pals
put together water-coloring post
do an art project with Cooper
make 2 recipes for the blog
wash car
catch up on social media
go through notes on computer and delete
delete at least 2000 photos on phone
sort through paper work on desk
back to school supply/clothes shopping
create a homework station
make kombucha
trip to salvation army
catch up on bookkeeping work
make Thai Basil Beef
work on summer book
maybe figure out a fall capsule wardrobe (I only did winter, spring & summer!)
continue reading Cheaper by the Dozen
enjoy the last two weeks of SUMMER!!!!!!

Last Week’s Intentions:

~~start my new bullet journal!!!~~
~~check when DMV appointment is~~ (it’s this week!)
yoga x 2 + hike (didn’t get to do it and really suffered)
~~LAUNDRY~~
work on timeline for Etsy launch (before or after trip?) (AFTER)
~~straighten up makeup drawer~~
take pictures of vignettes around the house (working on it)
~~grocery shop~~/meal prep
trip ~~to the post office~~/write letters (getting behind!)
finish spreadsheet of master house cleaning list/chart (almost done)
order some clothes for school online/find a backpack for Cooper (this week)
~~finish Currently post for July~~ (you can read it here)
trip ~~to the library- return books~~
go over school shopping supply list (this week)
~~give~~ myself ~~a pedicure~~
~~do a face mask~~
~~get haircut~~
~~take some classes at night on~~ skillshare– I’ve got my eye on this one.
work on books (and upload photos for a new summer book) (in progress)
~~plan blog posts for the next few weeks~~
~~talk to CPA~~
enjoy the few last weeks of Summer (working on it!)
read more of Cheaper by the Dozen (really digging it so far)

What about you? What are you up to this week?

Leave your intentions in the comments!

my everyday life, Photography

August 6, 2017

My Everyday Life: Week 31

Here’s what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life: Week 31

Impromptu trip to the Russian River for a dip.

Not too shabby!

Dip!

Stalking flowers on my deck.

Afternoon light.

Just right.

This week I crossed something off on the summer bucket list!

LISTS

August 4, 2017

I LOVE LISTS

Welcome to I LOVE LISTS! It’s Friday, here’s a list for you!

If you have some extra yarn to use up.
Bullet Journal for your mental health.
I don’t like being on the phone….
Looking over last year’s Summer Capsule wardrobe. Still wearing most of it.
What happens in Vegas….changed the way people travel
If you have kids or watch them, you should be aware of this
People are so talented.
Mark Duplass is one of my heroes.
How much legroom you get on each airplane carrier.
Office Life.
Nobody wants your stuff
What a fun series
Super cute pen cases: one / two / three / four
One of my favorite dishes at The Slanted Door
All of these lego kits are sooo rad!
Social media warps a lot of things.
Questions about Dying
Long exposure carnival ride photos are so cool.
I don’t really remember the Embarcadero Freeway… I just remember watching it on TV after the earthquake.
One of my favorite places to shop for pantry stuff + snacks online= Thrive Market
If you have too many zucchini, make cake or fritters!
Dali does Alice in Wonderland. Wow!

around the home, Inspiration

August 3, 2017

How to Make a Gratitude Journal

Life can be hard at times, but if you focus on positive things and remember what you’ve got to be thankful for, it makes life much lighter and happier. Today I’m going to show you a little project Cooper and I worked on yesterday at #campshutterbean.

How to Make a Gratitude Journal.

I am hoping to create a new habit of writing down something we’re thankful for each day in our new gratitude journals.

I know, I could have just bought little notebooks, but what fun would that be??

August 1, 2017

Currently: July 2017

Currently: July 2017

Even though it’s August (my birthday month!) today, let’s wrap up July, shall we?

Things of note:

Went to Carmel for my friend Amanda’s birthday weekend. Celebrated my Dad’s birthday. Went to a few blogger events. Cooper had a pretty bad case of poison oak that left us grounded for a few days. I got my first bee sting as an adult on the top of my head and acted like it wasn’t a big deal and ended up going to the doctor with swollen lymph nodes because AHHHH. Cooper went to the dentist, I made doctor’s appointments! Cooper went to baseball camp and football camp. I had dinner above the Marin Headlands with friends.

Around the house, Casey worked on building a wine cellar in our garage. I straightened up/organized my prop closet, the garage and Cooper’s closet. These were projects I finally got around to doing and I’m so relieved they’re done. We’re in maintenance mode and I’m hoping it will stick for awhile so I don’t have to overhaul things and clean them out anytime soon.

Our budget has been tight this summer and as stressful as it’s been at times, I am always reminded that:

We’ve definitely been appreciating what we have while working hard for what we need.

And through the process, it’s easier to see what we need and don’t need during this season of our life!

Inspired By:

Making zines! I learned how to make one on Skillshare earlier in the month and got hooked. I’ll share more about it soon, but I now carry paper in my purse so I can make little “books” while I’m waiting to do things (like sitting in the doctor’s office or at the DMV). It’s a great creative challenge if you want to do something with your hands (while waiting!) that doesn’t involve a phone.

Our trip to the Color Factory was pretty awesome.

COLOR!!

I’ve been working on this zine (which will be in my Etsy shop soon!), so it was awesome to see so many colors and understand the psychology behind them. It definitely added to my experience.

Making zines (like this one above) reintroduced me to one of my favorite tools- THE COPY MACHINE. I love the smell of them…and the sound they make and I love how some of them make double sided copies! Don’t get me started! The copy machine was my basically my photoshop when I was a kid…sitting in my dad’s office messing around with them and making fun things.

While I was standing at Kinko’s listening to some dude go on forever about politics on a phone call, I remembered how I brought a photo of me into this particular Kinko’s at age 16 to BE SCANNED ON A FLOPPY DISK SO I COULD PUT IT ON AOL and send to boys. Crazy, huh? I am thankful that I didn’t have a cellphone when I was in high school.

Watching:

Glow– Casey and I watched the series on Netflix and REALLY enjoyed it. Did you watch Glow (Glamorous Ladies of Wrestling) when you were younger? I remember parts of it from my childhood. The writing on the show is hilarious and I loooove seeing some of the 80s fashions. It takes me back!

Kedi – We watched this last week for our family movie night. We’re cat lovers and if you are too, you’ll love this movie.

Ozark– We are on episode 4 and we’re HOOKED. I adore Jason Bateman. I love how deadpan he is (is he always???) and this show totally caught my attention on the first episode.

Given– A very beautiful film (on Netflix) about a surfer/nomad family. The cinematography is pretty amazing. I loved how the story is from the perspective of the son. I dreamt about water and the ocean for days after watching it. If you’re looking for something to relax you, I recommend it.

Fight Club– watched this one with my niece (who didn’t get it!). Boy, did it bring back a lot of memories! It’s one of my favorite movies of allllllllllllll time.

Masterminds– watch it if you love Zach Galifianakis + Kristen Wiig. Definitely silly!

Cooper and I have been enjoying some documentaries together this Summer. We watched a few animal documentaries and one about the Titanic. I love how he absorbs information.

Reading:

Cheaper by the Dozen – love reading about the efficiency of this family of 12!

Active Dreaming – trying to control my dream life/learn more about it

Hot Dog Taste Test – her illustrations and use of color inspire me- plus she’s hilarious.

I have a total of 25 books checked out from the library… So….I HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO.

Thinking About:

Vacation trip to Tahoe with family. Very excited about that.

My birthday is coming up. I didn’t remember that until I bought a gallon of milk that expires on my birthday and had to do the math to see how long it would last. Funny how your birthdays change over time, huh?

School back up at the end of this month! At times the summer has felt super short and then LOOOONG. I am very much looking forward being back into the routine, although I am going to miss not rushing off to school in the morning. We really savored our mornings together this Summer.

Listening To:

There are two songs that I got hooked on this summer:

The beat is really good on this one. Cooper and I call it the “armpit fart” song.

A very catchy song.

This one could be the soundtrack of my Summer:

If you need to chill out and relax, this is what I listen to while I’m working lately:

Also re-listening to Madonna’s Ray of Light album. It brings me back to my early 20s and now listening to it 10 years later is such a trip. I’m pretty close to Madonna’s age when she made the album, so it resonates on more of spiritual level. Also, it makes me remember how depressed and confused I was in my 20s, and I am so happy I am not in that particular headspace anymore. I wonder who I will listen to 10 years from now and what I’ll think of my late 30s…

Dream Life:

Don’t remember that much about my dream life. I know that a lot of it has taken place at a beach- probably because I watched that movie Given. I’ve been getting a LOT of deja vu lately and I wonder if it has anything to do with what I’ve been dreaming lately.

Eating/Drinking:

We have a little bit of frozen mocha mousse left in our freezer right now. I think we’ll finish it off tonight!

Definitely enjoyed this pizza cookie situation.

Made this Epic Cheeseboard for my parent’s 4th of July Party. It was a hit!

Casey and I enjoyed a few Salmon dishes. I wish Cooper did too!

Eating a lot of frozen fruits. It’s one of my Healthy Habits instead of eating ice cream at night!

July self-portrait:

We have reached ponytail status. This is me standing on my parent’s balcony…trying not to look down.

How about you? How was your July?

What are you looking forward to in August??

LISTS

July 31, 2017

Intentions for the Week

Happy Monday! Did you have a good weekend? Ours was pretty good! We had a nice adventure day at the Russian River yesterday, so I wasn’t able to do my normal Sunday Meal Prep. OH WELL!

I’m writing this late Sunday night…trying to get my head in the game for this coming week. Some of my plans last week were derailed because I wasn’t feeling 100%. I got a bee sting on my scalp that made all my lymph nodes in my head and neck swell up. I went to the doctor and found out that there’s not much I can do… it’s been quite annoying and uncomfortable so if anyone knows what to do about swollen lymph nodes, HELP. My doctor just said take Advil and it will go away eventually. Apparently I am supposed to get extra rest, but I’m having a hard time doing that.

Cooper is at camp this week, so I hope to accomplish a bunch of things that I didn’t get around to. I was able to use some of my time last week and clean up our garage and it made such an impact on my mental health. This week I am going to try to find another spot that’s a source of stress and clean it up. Maybe I just need to wash the outside of my car? It is SOOOOOOO dusty/dirty right now. We’ll see. Here are my Intentions for the Week:

Intentions for the Week:

start my new bullet journal!!! YAY
check when DMV appointment is
yoga x 2 + hike
LAUNDRY
work on timeline for Etsy launch (before or after trip?)
straighten up makeup drawer
take pictures of vignettes around the house
grocery shop/meal prep
trip to the post office/write letters
finish spreadsheet of master house cleaning list/chart
order some clothes for school online/find a backpack for Cooper
finish Currently post for July
trip to the library- return books
go over school shopping supply list
give myself a pedicure
do a face mask
get haircut
take some classes at night on skillshare- I’ve got my eye on this one.
work on books (and upload photos for a new summer book)
plan blog posts for the next few weeks (anything you’d like to see???)
talk to CPA
enjoy the few last weeks of Summer
read more of Cheaper by the Dozen (really digging it so far)

Last Week’s Intentions:

~~LAUNDRY~~ (worked on most of it)
yoga + hike (went for a walk- wahhh)
~~clean out~~ fridge (it’s looking pretty bare!)
~~go through pantry/sort/organize~~ (did a preliminary sort)
straighten up makeup drawer (didn’t have time)
~~work on recipes for the blog~~ (tested out a smoothie recipe)
figure out what organizing projects to blog about (I have no idea)
~~deep clean bathrooms – wash shower curtain~~ (deep cleaned 1 bathroom)
return library books (renewed/filled up with more books going this week)
empty out car/wash it (cleaned the inside/vacuumed- outside needs cleaning now)
~~work on a few art classes with Cooper~~ (we did 1!)
trip ~~into the city for an adventure with Cooper~~ (went into SF for the Color Factory show)
~~delete photos from phone to clear off space~~ (deleted a bunch of old movies)
~~transfer photos to~~ hard ~~drive~~
tackle inbox (worked on it!)
be mindful about eating (was very good with the Thistle meal delivery)
~~drink more water~~
go through Cooper’s closet + donate clothes he’s outgrown (he made a pile of clothes)
~~eat dinner outside as much as possible~~ (had two meals outside–not enough)
start forming post about succulents (still thinking about it)
work on zines/Esty shop stuff (finished a zine)
~~write letters to pen pals~~ (wrote a few/sent them out)
work on Currently post for July (finishing up this week)
KEEP HOUSE CLEAN (I tried/failed)