I'm stuck. 1,000 was a big number. And we've got lots going on in our lives at the moment. Thus, I'm stuck. Trying to step out in a big way, but settling instead for a random assortment.
As usual.
Yesterday I hosted a Matilda Jane trunk show. It was a beautiful sunny day. Their product line is amazing. I kind of wish that I could live out some combination of Matilda Jane/Pottery Barn/Garnet Hill photo-shoot. As my real life. Sadly, because it was such a beautiful day? A lot of my expected guests didn't make it to the show. Which was no biggie for me. (Hey, I ate that leftover salad for dinner. And lunch today!) But I felt bad for my "trunk -keeper", Keri, who drove down from Redding and spent most of her afternoon here. She said it was fine, and I ordered a few things to try and make up for her slower afternoon!
( I bought the green/teal stuff for our upcoming photoshoot with Blue Lily. I bought the purple dress for Halle because she loved it. Surprise!)
We also got to see our beloved Lauren and Bobby yesterday evening. It was an hour of talking, laughing and lots of doggie antics. Yeah! Crazy-love! I even got to sneak out to see Lauren this morning. I miss her. A lot. A really, awfully lot. Apparently, Halle really misses Prince Bobby. (Who is wearing a Matilda Jane headband. Because he can.)
My handsome boy got his braces off. He is even cuter than before. Which is saying something.
I started and finished Bloom over this last week. As a follower of her blog, it certainly seemed familiar. But it was more of a comfortable familiar versus a boring kind of familiar. I knew enough about her story and had read enough of her blog to feel at ease with the book. It felt good. It felt like growth. It made me set the book down several times to go connect with my kiddos. It made me feel like I was in the right place at the right time. My patio. My quilt. My kids playing in the background. My feet on my table. My home. It was a feel-good, grow-well, LOL and simultaneously dry-your-tears-kinda-book. That's a book review from a Mama heart, yes?
I planted even more stuff in my yard. I'm committed. We are not moving for at least two years. (According to me.) Also, according to me, I'm going to successfully grow a hydrangea this year. So help me! (My Mom bought me another one. We named her Henrietta. We prayed over her. Multiple times. Halle asked God to "not let her Mama kill Henrietta, like she's killed her brothers and sisters before." Yikes. Even my four-year-old knows that I'm a hydrangea killer!) I also trimmed (hacked) my gardenia bush. After hacking it? My mother informed me that it was totally the wrong time of year to do it. Yep. Oh well! I also planted a couple of more containers. That really seems to be my thing. I'm good at it! Maybe my entire yard should consist of containers?
My Mom and I went out and did some looking around for birthday ideas. Everything I told her that I would love was stuff for our yard. Today? I did a 180! I told her I wanted some girlie cowgirl boots. Random, yes? But way better than yet another market umbrella! Speaking of my birthday? I am having a potluck to celebrate. Seriously! I am christening this summer as the Year of the Potluck. I felt strongly that we had let the social pressure and some ridiculous expectations get to us. My standards for entertaining got so high (expensive) that we just stopped having people over. So I am bringing back a new reality. Perfection is out. Potluck is in. Get on board, peeps! Bring a covered dish and come on over!
Speaking of the yard, my birthday and family? I asked my Dad to design and build me a custom/reclaimed/recycled/made-of-pallet outdoor sofa-ish creation. I want it to be u-shaped AND be moveable so as to be able to turn it into a . . . Big. Family. Bed. (It's not as creepy as it sounds. I swear.) I want this summer to not only be the Summer of the Poluck? But also, the Summer of the Backyard Campout. I'm inspired by all sorts of Google images and of course, the almighty Pinterest, but have yet to find an example of what I actually want. Thus, my father, the engineer to the rescue!
I worked at church on Sunday. It made me miss our small-group (RLG, to my Bidwell peeps). We simply cannot do it, right now, because of our crazy schedules. But I really miss that miss-mash group of people coming together in our living room every week.
The kids and I took our first spring bike ride on Saturday. I'm actually very surprised that my legs didn't fall off. Halle is still riding in the bike seat behind me. Let's just say that will come to an end very soon. Holy cats! Who knew that an extra 35 pounds in the rear could be so hard to pull along!
This week is looming large. As is next week. I look at Cozi and see lots of holes. Lots of notes that say, "childcare needed". Not sure what to do about those holes just yet! But I'm committed to taking it one day at a time. Kids. Husband. School (x 3). Work (x 2). Stress (x 1,000). Laundry (x never-ending). Faith (x hopeitsenoughtogetusthroughthenextsixweeks). Or something like that!
Bring on the potluck. Bring on the birthday wish-list. Bring on a walk or two or twelve with good friends in the park. Bring on the weekend. Please (please, please!) let's ignore the fact that it's only Monday.
