We spent this past weekend up in Canada celebrating my Grandpa’s 85th birthday. We picked up my sister in Rochester first and then headed north. It was so fun to be all together with my cousins and aunts and grandparents. My cousins were my best friends growing up and in many ways I still feel like we’re all kids but now all our kids are playing together. It was quite a surreal and awesome day. I kept thinking what it would be like for my Grandparents to be in that house with their 4 daughters and all their husbands, and then all their kids and all their husbands and then all their kids. haha. Kinda amazing, right? What a legacy. Anyway, no trip across the border would be complete without a stop in Niagara. We’ve never brought the girls before so that was exciting to share that with them.
and a cute little idea i’ve seen around called Taking Stock….
Making: i’m currently trying to get back into screen printing a bit more. kev and i used to have a legit 4 color press with oven, and flash and the whole kit and caboodle but i’m just trying to figure out exposing my screens right at the moment. i’m running into major difficultly. it’s such a long process to start and then mess up and have motivation to do it all over again.
Cooking: i’ve been kind of obsessed with curry lately. trying out a whole bunch of different recipes ranging from spicy to sweet.
Drinking: water. i’m pretty boring. except I did put some cut up grapefruit and lime into my water the other day and it kind of rocked my world.
Reading: i am reading a few marriage books at the moment and reading through the she reads truth study on 1+2 peter.
Wanting: i am dying for a new dining room table. i’ve been stalking diys for a big farm table but not sure i have it in me (nor the tools). there are 2 at ikea that i really like (here and here). i won’t even let myself look at west elm, totally not in my budget. i am just tired of the glass it’s so loud, dirty and cold all the time.
Looking: lots of looking for vacations. trying to plan a little getaway for kev and i this summer. we like to try to take 1 small trip a year just the 2 of us. there are just so many possibilities. how do you narrow it down?
Playing: outside! yeah for chalk and bikes and walks and tag!
Wasting: time on the internet (what else is new?)
Sewing: i was sewing a skirt for rowan but i changed my mind about the fabric and haven’t finished it now. Where do you buy cool patterned fabric? I feel like the fabric at joanns is so very “joanns”. does that make sense? looking for something a little cooler.
Wishing: all my family lived closer
Enjoying: going for walks all together as a family in the morning. love that the temperatures have finally started to stay sort of mild.
Waiting: waiting and waiting for calls from our social worker.
Liking: hearing the baby birds chirping outside the windows
Wondering: how i can keep my garden from being dinner from the critters in our yard this year. they leveled it twice last year. i am not sure if it’s bunnies, deer, or gophers. i had a fence up and everything. doh!
Loving: rowan’s new bangs. so dang cute!
Hoping: for a date night- i honestly can’t remember the last time kev and i went out by ourselves.
Needing: sun
Smelling: not much! stupid cold + congestion. ALLERGIES!!!
Wearing: tons of sneakers. always my shoe of choice.
Thinking: about all the summer plans i want to make and do with the girls. i should make a list!
Bookmarking: tons of recipes. i’m feeling in a cooking rut lately. pinning tons of stuff to my whole eating folder.
Opening: a new box of honest goodies.
Giggling: over finley’s bedhead this morning. it was epic.
Feeling: sore. did the lower focus t25 video this morning and my legs are feeling a little bit like jello. which is a clear sign i am not doing it enough. whoops.
Try Spoonflower for fabric. I love it! It’s a bit pricier than Joann’s but the quality and options are so much better. You can choose your fabric type and either pick one of the custom designed prints (hello indie artists!) or design your own.
Love this post! And what a great trip with family.
My boyfriend and I decided last year we wanted to go somewhere tropical (he spent two years in St. Croix growing up, and I’ve never been to a nice beach). But we waited way too late, and the Virgin Islands are super expensive when you’re looking at flying in less than a month. So then, we decided somewhere else tropical, and I went nuts looking at all our options.
I’m a solid “let’s plan for six months” trip kind of a girl, and it just wasn’t working. So instead we are going to take a road trip somewhere else in Texas (wine country) and bring out bikes. I’m so excited now that I have a destination in mind, and I’m so much less stressed trying to plan last minute.
I hope you guys find somewhere fun and great.
Hey Jen! I’m from Durham, NC and we have an awesome web-based cloth/textile company here called Spoonflower (link below). They have really fun prints of all kinds and you can even upload your own design to be printed. It’s pretty cool and while they’re a little pricier than Joann’s, they certainly won’t have the “Joann’s look.”
http://www.spoonflower.com
Try CB2 for tables — I love their blox table. http://www.cb2.com/blox-35×63-dining-table/f6247
Ebay for fabric!
Fabricworm.com for fabric! They have the cutest prints for kids, tons and tons of stuff. Their brick and mortar store is the cutest and the gals who work there are so nice.
Aw yes, loving Rowans bangs so much. Totally adorable!! And how wonderful you were in Canada, hello, I have high hopes you might visit Vancouver one day. Do though, cause you’d love it!! 😉 And… West Elm, we just moved to a new home, and yup, could spend ALL my money there! xo
I feel you pain – also looking for a dining table and the options are depressing
Pulosoho.com is a great online fabric store!!
Etsy has great fabric selections. This is my absolute favorite fabric shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MissMatatabi
Have you tried Hobby Lobby for fabric? They tend to have slightly better prints. Otherwise, I would check Etsy. There are always some REALLY cool fabrics there.
Same with on most of the items on you list! I need a date night w/my husband….bad. Vacation planning is the best! I’m always going back and forth between Europe or the U.S.. I would love to go to Australia (I have friends to stay with….but it’s so dang expensive to fly there and takes soooooo much time).
– Jesse
http://www.jessecoulter.net
I’ve been following you for awhile now, and this morning you crossed my mind as I passed Love Apple Farm on the way to story time with my two kids, remembering your post on the apple picking fail. I feel like we are same paging it right now as I am also just restarting t25 (just had a baby in January) and also dying for a new table. Have you checked our traver street? They are in south glens falls. I just liked their Facebook page and the stuff isn’t 100% what I envision but they do custom work for a decent price. I’m hoping to sell a few things then inquire about a dining room table. I love posts like this! I hope you get that call soon. My sister should have her foster to adopt finalized/ legal in early fall for three children. Those three are one of the biggest blessings in my family and in my life. I hope that so much for you and your family as well.