A little break

As I get older I am realizing that one of my strengths is I know how to say no. I can prioritize and make pro and con lists, and I try very hard not to over extend myself. I want to live a balanced life, so that means saying no to something, so I can say yes to other things.

I'll be taking a little break from blogging for at least May and June. And because so many of you out there I've gotten to know, I do want to share why I'm taking a little break.

1. My daughter. She's 17 months old and is just getting to be more of a handful to watch. I find I dont even get to read my favorite blogs regularly anymore. I also want to make more time to go on playdates with her. I tried to write less, and while it helps, I think I need a break.

 2. I got a part time job for 2 months. I'll be working in NYC Friday nights (until the very early hours) and Sunday like 1pm-midnight. I'll be making good money, and I like the job, but obviously its a lot less down time for me personally. With less me time, its harder to spend that time on my blog.



3. I have some big design projects coming up. One for my house, but I've also started doing other peoples homes. I have 3 clients so far that I'll be working on this summer, and I am excited to share with you everything that we are doing.



and 4. My camera broke. So annoying. Not sure what I am going to do at this point, so between the job that just happened and the camera it seems like the right time to step away for a little while.



Thank you so much for reading, it really means the world to me.

-Jen

Guest Post at Stardust-Decor & Style

Hi Everyone join me today over at stardust-decor & style where I am sharing some before and after pics of our house. Hope you enjoy!

Wednesday Wishes

Happy Wednesday!  It's Cassie again here from Primitive and Proper with my "Wednesday Wishes"!  I have just spent time this past week making some plans for my kids for the summer.... art camp for both, soccer camp for Sawyer, and gymnastics camp for Emmy.  That only covers a couple of weeks, so the kids and I have been making a list of ideas we have collected for the summer- things we want to do and make.  I thought I would share some of those ideas with you.

I have seen all sorts of fairy gardens and terrariums popping up out there.  Here are some that have caught my eye! (click on the image or the "via" to take you to the source)

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I found an antique terrarium this past weekend at a yard sale, and also found some cute vintage frog figurines at another yard sale a few weeks ago, so we are well on our way to the makings of something cute and fun!

I don't know about you, but I love hummingbirds.  They are tiny, pretty, and flutter like no other!  When I saw this idea from Shabby Beach Nest that used a recycled soda bottle to create a hummingbird feeder, I immediately pinned it!  I saw a hummingbird in my yard just the other day, so I know they will come!  This is a fun craft I can do with my kids that will teach them to care about critters, as well as caring about our Earth.

I also found this awesome idea from Infarrantly Creative that is "for the birds".  Har dee har har.  It's a birdseed wreath that is simple enough to make with kids!

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We have so many trees in our yard that making a tent with some sheets sounds like fun!  We can hang out in there and read stories, make up stories, take an afternoon snooze....

And just how cute and easy are these rock monsters?  Paint- check.  Googly eyes- check. Glue- Check.  Rocks- Check.  Silly Fun- CHECK!

We have lots of other items on our summer "to do" list, like go to the beach, catch fireflies, paint birdhouses, make ice cream, but these were some of the more out of the box ideas I wanted to share.  

My kids have less than a month left of school.  Summer will be here before you know it!  What will you be doing with your kids?

What to do before vacation

These are the things I like to do, these arent fast and true rules, more just tips that I thought I should share.

1. Tidy up the house before you leave. When you have a great vacation coming back to reality is a drag, when you walk back into your house and its a mess, you ruin your vacation buzz. Spend an hour on light housework, you'll be so happy when you come home to a clean and tidy home.

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2. Run the dishwasher the night before, you'll be thankful things are clean and useable when you get home.

3. Do laundry, fold it and put it away. When you get home you are going to have a lot of dirty laundry, no point coming home to tons of dirty laundry too.

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4. Go through the refrigerator throw out any perishables. Check expiration dates to see if the item will go bad while you are away. Throw out your fruit, leftovers, and then put the garbage outside so your house wont smell.

5. Stop your mail from coming to your house, its an easy call to the post office, but it wont give any signals to the bad guys that you aren't home. Its a good idea to just let the next door neighbors know you will be gone too, they'll keep an eye on the house if they know you aren't there.

6. Dont order anything a week before you leave, there's no sense in a ups package sitting on your doorstep. So before you go away, just think about when you are ordering. You can also pay for rush delivery, or let a neighbor know and ask them to bring it into their house until you return.

7. Water your flowers right before you go, especially depending on the weather and time of year. But there is no point spending all that money on potted flowers to have them die when you go on vacation.

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8. Have a list of last minute items that go into the suitcase, read it right before you go to make sure everything is in your there.

9. Keep some lights on. Its a good idea to keep some lights on in the house while you are away. I like to try to keep one on in the front of the house, and one on in the back. If you have automatic timed lights, even better!

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10. Stock your refrigerator and cabinets up with things you'll need when you get home, but that wont perish. For our family that's things like cereal bars, soda, water, fruit cups, soup. The last thing you'll want to do is go grocery shopping as soon as you get home.

I'm sure there are many more tips, but I thought these were a great place to start. Hope its helpful, and if you have any other helpful tips, I'd love to hear about it in the comment section!

Organizing- Don't do it all

If you are trying to get organized some people think that means their whole life needs to be organized. So they purge, donate, clean, organize and then pass out from exhaustion.

Usually either not finishing or not having the energy to keep up with the maintenance and the actual every day enjoyment of an organized system.

If you've got a messy underwear drawer, that's OK. Good organization doesn't mean that all your panties are folded, ironed and in color order. Believe me mine aren't, and I still consider myself organized.


Ask yourself does this system work? If you can reach in and find what you are looking for and get dressed in the morning, then you are good. Don't fix something that isn't broken. A messy underwear drawer that functions effectively means you are still organized.

It seems easy enough I know, but I think too many people try to do too much, and end up doing nothing because it seems too hard.

If you feel unorganized start with the thing that annoys you the MOST.

This pantry from Shelly @ House of Smiths needs no introduction, it is heaven. 

 Ask questions like:

Why doesn't this sytstem/area work?
Why is it so messy/cluttered?
Why cant I ever find what I'm looking for?

When coming up with a system to make an area work better I think about the simplest version of that process. The easier it is, the easier it is for everyone to get on board (including yourself)

My second tip to being organized is don't stress the small stuff. Work on the area or areas that need the most help. Once you've figured out the problem area, think about the easiest solution.

Good Luck!

If you have something you'd specifically like me to write about, click on the contact button and email me with the subject Organization Series. I'd love to hear from you.

Wednesday Wishes

Wednesday Wishes


Hi guys, so today I am going to be filling in for Cassie. If you know Cassie at all you know how busy she is, so I offered to fill in for a week. So here are the things I'm wishing for this week. Some are decor related, others are not, enjoy!

1. Succulents

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You can buy these here = )

2. Painted rugs

The House of Smiths is amazing, I linked you straight to the DIY projects page, enjoy!

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3. Fashion I'm excited by

$55 Banana Republic


$50 Banana Republic


$40 Ring Banana Republic


Jcrew


Love the colors


love this look and blazer

I'm really into the idea of having some basic pieces and then mixing them and matching them to have a really fun style. I wish I was more organized and took pictures of my outfits so dressing would be as easy as picking an already perfectly styled outfit. Maybe something to think about for a future project?




So what do you think are you crushing on any of these things too?