sunday thoughts: five things

My, oh my. There is so much happening around here. To kick off the week, here are five things on my mind: 

(1) As I mentioned last week, I've officially started a new job. It's going great so far, and I still feel confident in the change it's bringing my way. After a week full of training, overview meetings and wrapping my brain around all the moving parts associated with my new position, I hope to hit the ground running tomorrow by owning my tasks and getting sh*t done! Bring it on, Monday.

(2) Speaking of new jobs, Sam starts his new job tomorrow. Yeah, we planned this well, didn't we?! After a few years in the corporate world, he's venturing into real estate - something I think he'll be happier doing and also crazy good at. Sending good vibes and all my love this week (and every week)! 

(3) I think I've found another love in my life: YOGA. For a few months, I've gone every Saturday morning I can to free classes hosted at the Fashion Mall's lululemon store. It's been great for learning postures and really getting a good feel for this kind of workout. And, after months of putting it off, I finally tried The Yoga Studio, which offers hot yoga classes. Like 90+ degrees hot. Because I don't love being hot, I figured it wouldn't be "my thing," but I was SO wrong. I'd go as far as saying I almost crave it now... and it's only been a week! Namaste.

(3) Budgets are my enemy... or are they? Because of said job changes, we're having to set and stick to a budget. Real estate doesn't bring in guaranteed money, so our goal is to live off of my salary. It isn't going to be easy, but I already can feel myself stepping off from various things that used to cost money - eating out and impulse shopping, particularly.

(4) With budgets came meal planning. Today I feel like I've been cooking like crazy - ribs, potatoes, banana bread... this kitchen smells delicious. I've also be successful packing lunches every day and planning grocery trips accordingly to ensure we have food we want and that we'll eat without making that "ugh" face. It's working. Bravo!

(5) This weather is lighting up my life. Seriously. Every year summer winds down and all I want is fall weather, and it's finally here! I'm already thinking of all the fall outfit combinations I want to bust out. Scarves! Boots! Leggings! Chambray shirts! Sweaters! AH!

That brain dump felt good. Happy Sunday! 

finding the happy every day

The other day I spent nearly an hour browsing Barnes & Noble between plans. I forgot how calming and refreshing it was to be surrounded by so many books - the written word - and enjoy the environment of a book store/coffee shop. 

Amidst the browsing, I came across this journal sporting the quote, "Do more of what makes you happy." I had to snatch it up as it was a perfect fit for me right now. This month and the few to come are ones of change. Both Sam and I have taken on new roles professionally; jobs that also give us some room for various lifestyle changes as well. 

This journal felt just right when I thought about everything changing for us. With the new change in my day-to-day routine, I've found a renewed sense of energy - both mentally and physically - that has given me opportunity to really pursue the things I've wanted to do for so long: more yoga, more DIY projects, more writing, more reading and so on. 

Said simply: I want to do more of the things that make me happy. Pursue the things that bring me alive. and bring things that felt lost in translation back to the forefront. With some recent inspiration, I've found ways to push them back into my routine, and there's no slowing down from here on out.

In a season of becoming, it's important to feel empowered and happy. And with this little notebook, I'll keep doing just that.

recipe: easy, healthy energy bites

I've been looking for some easy snack ideas that would travel well to work and came across these little guys, otherwise known as "energy bites." Using ingredients I already had at home, these were easy to whip up quickly and "for free!"

Ingredients: 

2 tsp Vanilla

1-1.5 C Peanut Butter

2 C Oats

1 C Flaxseed

1-1.5 C Chocolate Chips (I used Dark)

2 tbsp Honey

All you do is mix it together, roll it into one-inch balls and let them sit in the refrigerator overnight. After trying one, I am pretty positive these will be more regular snacks at this house. They are a great snacks to curb hunger and also fulfill sweet cravings! I got about 24 in one batch.

Happy eating!

kitchen knobs makeover

We all know that a little paint goes a long way, and since I can't replace the counters on my own yet - those REALLY need to go - I decided to do something more simple to get the makeover underway again. 

The house came with brushed nickel knobs on all the cabinets. They look great, but I wanted to spruce them up a bit. I've seen some great photos of white cabinetry with shiny black knobs, which is why I decided it would be a great look in our kitchen. Nevermind the navy, laminate counters - again, those need to go. I felt the black was good for the long term.

So, I unscrewed the nearly 25 knobs/handles and got started by cleaning them off a bit. And the drawers... ew.

Anyway, I used Hammered Black spray paint by Rustoleum. It has a cool texture too it, which brings it to another level of sleek.

Like it? Because I do. 

Here's what the cabinets look like now with the freshly painted knobs:

Ah, another project checked off. Feels good... again. And now, I'm already starting more kitchen projects that weren't on my list this week (like painting the pantry doors and picking out wall colors) ... it's like a disease! 

hangin' around: the gallery wall is UP

Finally. The gallery wall is up! 

Over the last several weeks (or even months) I've collected miscellaneous items to include in the gallery wall for our re-done living room. Before the living room's transformation, the "gallery" was mostly full of pictures and random hanging items we had accumulated. However, I wanted it to be full of more "art" than photos this time around. 

To hang them all accurately, it took some measuring, pre-planning and a little toothpaste. Yes, toothpaste. I first measured the area. Apparently, you shouldn't hang items more than seven feet from the ground. Who knew? So, that's what I went with. It ended up being perfect height given the window's height. 

Once I measured the height and width (to go just beyond the buffet's width), I taped it off in the floor and started placing. After a few trial and error placements, I decided on my plan.

And then I went to work. The toothpaste came in when I needed to figure out just where to hammer the nails. I put just a dab of it on the back of each frame/item before pressing it onto the wall where it was meant to go. Nail, wipe then hang. It's easy and pretty error proof. 

So, with some old and new mixed together... here you have it (top to bottom rows). 

(1) A sign I bought at Dottie Couture Boutique, one of my favorite places to shop. Who doesn't love a good Beatles quote?

(2) This is an extra frame we had lying around that was waiting for it's place. A year or so ago we had a subscription to Papirmasse, which sends various artist's prints each month. This was one of my faves.

(3) This is the pillow to art DIY project I did a few weeks ago.

(4) Found on Pinterest, I made this framed map and key art awhile back. It was featured on our previous gallery wall, too.

(5) My mom sent me this little notecard earlier this year, which features a drawing of our cabin on the front. Since that's one of our happy places, I thought it was the perfect addition. 

(6) There are no words for this one. While it is a photo, it's also art. The Sample Gates at Indiana University are as beautiful as it gets!

(7) Each time we visit my Grandma's in Wisconsin, we always look through the things she has saved around the house. We found this print - of a church in Boston - and snagged it right away knowing it'd be perfect for the wall. 

(8) The cutting board to art DIY project here is the perfect item to mix up all the squares and rectangles up here. (Note: I'm still deciding how I want to hang this one so that it's less angled or completely straight!)

(9) My favorite quote - "The biggest victories in life are the small ones." - says it all on this piece. I made this canvas last year. It also had a home in our gallery before.

(9) This is a postcard I gave Sam earlier this year. It has a penguin on it, which is one of my favorite animals. And a cute little phrase at the bottom: "I will never waddle away from you."

(10) Thanks to my Grandma (again), we have this artwork to add in. It is a set up five, but we only hung up one. The others will eventually all be split between the kids. Vintage and very awesome.

Productivity feels so good. So do house to home projects.