The View from Where I Sit | Our Summer "Break"

I'm sorry I've been gone for a little while - almost two weeks now.  In reality, I haven't been far.  I've just taken a little break.  We haven't been on a lavish vacation (unless you count vacation bible school...?), and we haven't been doing that much.  And it has been perfect.  Emma's been on school break for the last couple of weeks, with a couple of more to go.  While we've been in a sort of "summer" mode for most of summer (pool, early walks, donut breakfasts, golf, tennis, lounging, etc.) there has still been work and we haven't had a real break until now.



When Emma was just two(ish) months old, I did a post about "The View from Where I Sit"- it was just a snapshot of what a normal day looked like to us at that point in our life.  A newborn baby, puppy and cozy house.  It was beautiful - snuggle moments, our bulletin board of cards and photos, Emma taking a nap, Darcy taking a nap...  The only way it would've been better is if I were actually taking a nap, too ;)   For the last two weeks I've taken a nap almost every day.  You really do learn more about being a Mom as time goes by.



Documenting these "everydays" was something I was going to try to do more often for the blog, because I love taking a moment to stop and appreciate the everyday, the beautiful pauses between the big moments that make up a "normal" day.  It probably comes to no surprise given the name of this blog, that I love "normal" days - everydays

Her favorite spot in the kitchen.

I love routine, being at home, keeping a home and the rhythms of everyday.  I think it is just as important to document those times in our lives as I do the big moments.  After all, it is these normal, everyday moments that actually make up our lives. 

Just like most (all?) of you, I have my everyday moments of frustrations, too.  Sometimes I think if I have to pick up one more puzzle, clean crumbs out of my sheets again or sweep up another spilled bowl of dog food I might go bonkers.  Taking a second to browse around the house with my camera and document these moments of "messes" adds perspective and beauty to these un-produced moments that make up our everydays. 

Welcome to our home any given day of the week.

If you've lived with a toddler, you know that floors are rarely tidy, and laundry is rarely put away.

 Watercolors on the mantle... hopefully to be framed for Emma's room this week.

Has been on my list all summer, of course.  I sort of like them here, though, for now.  Little easy displays like this are good reminders not to take our home, our things or our "displays" too seriously.

 

Test burning a new custom candle scent for the store.  I'm obsessed - you'll love it.

New backpack and lunch box ready for school!

 

By the time I get up the stairs...

Layers of frames and loose snapshots. 

We've never really officially settled in here, with the impending construction starting next month, so nothing really has a place that has been contemplated - mostly just where everything ends up it stays.  The silhouette?  Also to be framed this week. 

I stumbled upon some Pixie Dust in the guest room...

Smiling Emma is enjoying crumbing my bed : )

Our evening reading materials.

Sweet little summer shoes.

 Did I mention we're potty training? 

Around Our House | Lilacs & Emma

Here's a little sneak peak to a project I've been working on...

 

Everyday | Living Well Everyday | Mr. Darcy

If you are a regular follower or you've read the "About" section of this blog, then you know that I write about Occasions- more specifically, Everyday Occasions. 

What does exactly does this mean?



It means not waiting for 'special occasions' to celebrate life.   Everyday we have the opportunity to live well.



It means not waiting for the next period in your life to live thoughtfully and purposefully.  It means enjoying and recognizing little moments on a daily and sometimes hourly basis. 

It means that instead of sleeping in, getting up early for a sunrise walk.  Or instead of getting up early, sleeping in and stopping for an extra large latte and scone and not feeling guilty about it. 

It means opening a bottle of wine on a weeknight and staying up past your (self-instated) bedtime to chat like you used to when you were dating.  It means using real vanilla beans in your morning coffee or in the whipped cream on the apple crostada you whipped up on a Wednesday night. 



It means whipping up an apple crostada on a Wednesday night.  It means folding your towels just right so they fit in the linen closet neatly. 



Sometimes living well takes extra effort. 

 Sometimes it takes less effort.



It means making the bed not because it will make your room look tidy, but because it will feel good to get into that night.



It means having seasonal flowers planted in pots on your front steps and a wreath on your front door that makes the house look cheery when you come home from the grocery store everyday. 



It means putting a single flower on your bedside table (or beside the rocking chair in the nursery) so you can smell it when you wake up.



I believe the art of living well is found in between the big moments- those little opportunities we have to make life special.

The View From Where I Sit | Staying in on a Saturday Night | Homemade Pizza for Two

This is a little peak into our house on a Saturday night when we decided to stay in.  Mike and Emma played in the living room while I spent some time in the kitchen preparing a pizza and a salad for us to share.



While I was fixing dinner, I snapped a couple of secret photos during their storytime.  The book is "Guess How Much I Love You" - so sweet.  Keep reading...

The View from Where I Sit | My Home is Where They Are

Jcrew sale on my comp...

The View from Where I Sit is pretty good.  I spend most mornings perched on a stool at our kitchen island equipped with coffee, my computer, phone and camera.  

As I sit here in our New England home, 1,500 miles away from 'real' home (or where we had always known home to be), I might not feel completely at home, but I am definitely at peace being surrounded by all of my loves.

emma's mini crib right by my stool... literally what i see from where i sit just inches away

In the Barefoot Contessa's "At Home" cookbook she says, "My home is wherever Jeffery is."  When we decided to make the move to Massachusetts I felt the same way - and hoped I would still feel that way when we got here.

the mr. in one of his many spots...

And I do.  For the most part.  Sure, I miss a lot of things from "home" (our cozy Fairway home, being close to family, our best friends, our favorite restaurants, our neighborhood, an affordable lifestyle...), but we've managed created our little version of home here.

I hope to look back on our time in Massachusetts as a shared adventure between Mike and I - the two of us out on our own.  We were itching for a change and jumped at it the minute the opportunity became available to us.  I hope we're always able to do that - wherever we are in life. 

i was sitting on the floor in emma's room and mike was rocking/walking her to sleep in our room

Little did we know that a big change in the form of a baby was headed our way!

I'm not talking just about constantly relocating to a new place, but in all types of opportunities.  I hope we're always able to be open to and embrace change... even with the potential slight discomfort it might cause.  
 



While I'll never regret our decision to move here - it already has brought me clarity in so many ways - sometimes I think about how it would be different if we welcomed Emma into our Fairway home - would our experience with her be somehow different?  Easier because we had the convenience (and help) from our families?  Maybe.  Easier because of the contentment and comfort we felt in our old home and our own life?  Perhaps.

The only regret I'll have about our time here is if we don't live it to its fullest.  While it can be tempting to look forward to moving back home to the comfort of familiar territory (whenever that might be...), I'm determined to "do it right" while we're here.  With Baby Emma in tow, we're going to continue to travel and explore - to new places, new experiences and new friends.