Success.

Let it be known among all nations that although the day is only half-through, I have already deemed it a success.

1. I ate breakfast this morning with my husband.  This only happens about half of the time...or maybe even less.  Every morning once he is showered and dressed, he gently wakes me up to see if I'd like to join him for the most important meal of the day.  Some  Most days I whisper "no" and immediately fall back into dream-land.  But then I get woken up by a hungry baby and have to nurse before I've eaten, the whole time hearing from my stomach who is cursing my earlier laziness.  So today I dined with the hubs before 7am. And I'm not really sure we said more than two sentences the whole time, but time spent together in silence is better than no time at all, right?

2. Silas woke up smiling like he'd won the lottery and about 45 minutes before he was due to eat.  So I hurried and dressed us both, threw him in the stroller, and walked into the sunrise...ok, you know it wasn't that early, but I was so impressed with myself when we walked up the driveway at 7:50am.  And I was a girl on a mission because we walked to my absolute favorite coffee place and I got myself a latte, and the special none the less: Almond Amaretto.  Yes, it was indeed as good as it sounds. (and yes, I did happen to spill it all over my phone and the stroller and a baby blanket as I was trying to one-handedly push the stroller while sipping my latte.  But it was worth it, dang-it!)

3. Baby Boy was hungry by the time we got home, but only politely fussed while I pulled the weeds in front of our house, which probably haven't been pulled at all this whole summer.  And when you own a weed-eater but it doesn't want to stay running for more than 2 minutes, they probably should've been pulled 2 months ago.  So I felt pretty proud of myself for knocking that off of the to-do list.

4. Silas was kind enough to allow me to saunter around Hobby Lobby with little more than one squeak.  I was able to adequately interpret said squeak to mean, "Excuse me mom, but I'd like my pacifier so that I can take a little nap while you wander around and look at things you don't need for the next half hour."  He then graciously gave me permission to run to the mall to do a bit of gift-buying for a certain Bachelorette party this weekend, so I strapped him in the Ergo carrier (boy, do I love that thing) and off we went!

5. I have consumed lunch and have plans to make dinner, and they don't include 5-minute boiled ravioli and spaghetti sauce from a jar (my husband will be pleased!)  Actually, I'm going to make Creamy White Chicken and Artichoke Lasagna.  If you asked Brandon he'd probably want to say, "It's about time because we bought the ingredients over 2 weeks ago," but he wouldn't say that because he's really patient and nice to me.

So, yes. Today is a success.  And maybe I should reward myself with a nap.  I wouldn't want to set the bar too high for tomorrow.

~Danielle

(I'm writing everyday this week thanks to encouragement from Jen. Check out her page to see others who are taking up the challenge!)

Done deal.

Yes, it's been eons since I've logged into my blog to update on the project I finished about a month ago (you can read about the project's process in my previous post)...I've been busy being social and enjoying summer (and, let's be real: basking in laziness.) 


But, here it is, the final look at our painted dresser.  An upcoming project on the list is decorating our bedroom. Right now there is a total of one decoration in the entire room. Unbelievable. Why do I prefer all of my lovely decor sitting in boxes in our office? We may never know.

Of the two photos, this is most definitely the truer color for the wall and the dresser.

My favorite part is the stenciling because it's so understated, like the dresser has a secret.

Oh! And here's a little peek at the wedding gift my husband and I made for his sister and her hubby! My hubs made this from wood in the old Millwork District that is currently being converted into loft apartments.  This wood is old and beautiful with tons of character and it was really fun to work with! He did all the hard stuff while I flitted in and out, holding random tools and boards and things--at least until it was finished structurally.  Then I was the sanding and staining and varnishing queen. 

Good thing this was a gift, what an awkward place for a table.

We're hoping there will be "more where that came from" and we'll be starting up a few more projects soon!  There's really something about working with your hands that is just good for the soul.  Maybe it's being able to tangibly see a project progress steadily: the work I put in comes out in a thing, looking fabulous, sometimes where nothing but a pile of wood (or beads, or yarn, or paper) stood before.  It has been quite refreshing to remember how much I like that feeling of tangible progress. Onward to the next crafty DIY adventure!

In Joy,

Danielle

Productivity on a Tuesday

Being productive is seriously one of the best feelings in the world, yet it's also so hard to be motivated enough to attain it.  Since we moved into our house on March 3rd, I have found a whole new level of motivation to get things done at home that I hadn't experienced in quite a while!

Last night I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to get my gift-buying for the April month out of the way.  Three printed registries, 25 minutes at the check-out register, and 7 beautifully purple-wrapped gifts later, I am ready to give beautiful gifts to some of the loveliest women I know...and their grooms, of course.  

After bridal shopping extravaganza, I headed next door to DressBarn...where not one of the seven dresses I tried on fit.  The woes of being tall.

At home the hubby had bought wood to start our (his...? my list of...?) woodworking projects.  It's from a nearby area that used to be factories and is being renovated to be the Millwork District.  It's old and thick  and has tons of character...perfect for a "farmhouse" kitchen table and bench he's planning for.  Upon getting home I loaded a rice cake with natural peanut butter for dinner, poured a glass of red wine, and set my mind to getting a few small organization projects completed.

Formal dresses moved to empty closet: check.

Shoes arranged on rack in closet by color and style: check. 

Old shoes moved to attic: check.

Spring jackets moved to kitchen closet: check.

2 1/2 loads of laundry: check. (I had to dry the last load overnight...)

Dishwasher loaded and run: check.

Once Upon a Time episode from Sunday: CHECK!  (Warning, tangent ahead: This show is seriously so good...thank you brilliant writers for developing an incredible plot based on stories we're all familiar with and making the show scandel-less!  Three cheers for good ol' clean television.)

Ahh...So glad that I was able to accomplish so much as I look towards being out of town for work all weekend.

Lovin' life, 

Danielle