Currently Clicking #20

Pardon the language, but this is perfect. 

Each and every week, I gather links of all of the places I have been perusing in the great, grand internet. There are plenty of people out there doing big things and small things. Some of these are practical, some are inspiring. This week I am delving into the world of Paleo, realizing how important good real estate photography is, wanting to not sleep as much as do, hoping that I am a good mother that feels good about who I am, daydreaming about another garage sale, and drooling over the new IKEA catalog. 

1. I am slowly trying to remove dairy/grains/legumes from my diet in an attempt to get my skin to calm down after pregnancy and to fit back into my old jeans again. I have been experimenting with Paleo meals and approaches. I want to try these breakfast muffins and these apple cinnamon muffins. I love these Paleo Lunchbox ideas. I want to make cauliflower rice. Also, if anyone needs another birthday idea....I could use one of these.
2. I am a real estate photographer on the side. I am always amazed at the photographs some people place on the internet of their home in order to sell it or not sell it. Here are some absolutely terrible real estate photos.  So many wrongs. 
3. Back in my college days, which are further away from me than I realize at times, I didn't sleep very much. Now I try to sleep as much as possible with a 5 month old baby in the room next to us. Did you know though that intelligent people have one thing in common? They sleep less than the rest of us. Interesting read. It makes me want to stay up later and get stuff done like I used to. 
4. Nowadays, the simple thought of getting into a bathing suit is pretty terrifying after having a baby. Everything has shifted. Everything. Sometimes we lose sight of what really matters. A Mom's Kids Exposed What She 'Really' Looks Like, And Her Reaction Is PERFECT.
5. I've been on a kick lately again of getting rid of a lot of our stuff. We just accumulate so much stuff. Here are some tips of getting the most out a garage sale, not annoying your neighbors in the process, and getting rid of your stuff. 
6. IKEA just released their 2015 catalog. Per usual, I could buy the whole store. But on the other side of things, anything you buy from IKEA usually needs to be assembled. Here are the (humorous, yet truthful) emotional stages of IKEA furniture assembly. 

Currently Clicking: Week #18

Each and every week, I gather links of all of the places I have been perusing in the great, grand internet. There are plenty of people out there doing big things and small things. Some of these are practical, some are inspiring. This week, my FITBIT obsession continues, house tours and before & after photos have me pinning way too much on pinterest, Tiny Houses still are grabbing my interest, a good face scrub is something I need in my life, photographs of motherhood make me realize that the journey I'm on as a mother is awesome, and grilled pizza, because why not? 

1. These are a tad out of my price range, obviously, but I'm not the biggest fan of the rubber FITBIT wrist band that comes with the FITBIT. Something more stylist would be so awesome! Check out Tony Birch for FITBIT. 
2. This house tour. I realized that I kept pinning images on Pinterest of this house. I love it. 
3. To continue on with my Tiny House obsession, here is some Eye Candy of Small Spaces. I think what resonates for me is the idea of having so much less stuff. We have too much stuff. I need to take a few weeks off and just clean out my house. With a baby in tow. Which sounds so realistic. (add sarcasm here.) 
4. I am always looking for more natural ways to take care of my skin. It is technically the biggest organ on your body. I'm not always as nice to it as I should be. Try this Coconut Nut Oil and Sea Salt Scrub. Add some essential oils and I think this would be wonderful. 
5. I love a good before and after photo, no matter what it is for: weightless, home design. Here are 20 Crazy Before & Afters To Make Your Jaw Drop. These make me want to rip out a few walls and break out the paint cans. 
6. This has been floating all over the internet lately but I think it's so powerful. Long lost photos show how motherhood hasn't changed that much in the last 50 years. These photos are so powerful. 
7. It's no secret that we are serious pizza lovers in our home. I do believe we would eat it every day if we could and if our waist lines would allow. Keep dreaming ton that one. But, this Corn Tomato Shisito Pepper Pizza looks great and you grill it! We need to try this whole grilling pizza thing. 

Goals for May

How is it even possible that we are already in the month of May? I feel like I begin every new month with that very same question. April flew by so fast that I barely feel that I got to take it all in. I almost completed all of my goals for April, though. That is a triumph in itself. The only one I failed to do was to take some Outfit Posts for this little blog. They are planned out but it's just a matter of taking the dang photos. Being stuck in an office all day doesn't all give me the best light once I exit those doors. 

May already is dear to my heart this year. Many changes are coming about, some things are remaining the same. It's raining outside as I write this post, which warms my very heart. I love rain. It could do this for days and I wouldn't feel sad about it at all. I would though just want to stay indoors, organize our lives, drink too much coffee, and sit down with a novel or two. One can dream. It's the beginning of yet another busy, work-filled week. 

Goals for this month....

Continue the Great Garage Sale preparation. I've only made a small dent in a big, stuff-we-don't-really-need-anymore world. 

Go to the Farmer's Market. 

Schedule a massage. Even for next month. I need it. 

Plan a getaway for our anniversary in June. 

Do an outfit post!! No more procrastination. 

Lists for Clarity

Don't get stuck. Move, travel, take a class, take a risk. Walk away, try something new. There is a season for wilderness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This is a season about becoming. Don't lose yourself at happy hour, but don't lose yourself on the corporate ladder either. 

 Stop every once in a while and go out to coffee or climb in bed with your journal. Ask yourself some good questions like, Am I proud of the life I'm living? What have I tried this month? What have I learned about God this year? What parts of my childhood faith am I leaving behind, and what parts am I choosing to keep with me for this leg of the journey? Do the people I'm spending time with give me life, or make me feel small? Is there any brokenness in my life that's keeping me from moving forward?

From Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way 

Shauna Neiquist 

write a book. buy some house plants. have a massive garage sale. go to a farmer's market. walk to the grocery store. use natural cleaning products. revisit 26 things list. learn to mow the lawn. shop at thrift stores more often. cook dinner more. paint some walls. make curtains. bake bread. hang out with more women. plant garden. plants for porch. get out of debt. art and music room. actually follow my business dreams. new diet/gym 3 times a week. christmas cards this year. write more music. make jewelry. crockpot meals. work through sewing classes. create a business plan. etc. etc. etc. 

On this road trip, my mind was full of details. Lists. Dreams. As simple or as complicated as some of these are, putting them to paper brought so much clarity. There is much to do. 

What Does a Career Look Like, Anyway?

I get up nearly every morning (sometimes not on the weekends) and journal out my thoughts and goals for the day. I write my lists, I vent my annoyances regarding some of the things life can throw ones way, and I dream of the day when I can rid myself of the office life forever. Don't get me wrong, the job I currently hold has taught me many things, I get to work with some pretty awesome people, and it pays our bills as much as it's able to. But, there's many things missing. I work with numbers, spreadsheets, and time off requests all day. I find small triumphs in finishing a HR project or being able to balance the money for the day. Little things, baby steps. 

But, that's not what I was made to do. Have I learned a lot? Of course. Do I understand far more how a business is supposed to run and have witnessed the behind the scenes operations of the day to day? Of course. But, I've come to realize that if I don't come home and do something creative (ie write a song, take a picture, decorate my house, even bake a cake) I will surely lose my mind. Numbers and spreadsheets don't cause my heart to skip a beat. 

There's just so much more that I haven't embarked upon. 2012 seems already to be a time for me to prepare; for what, I'm not entirely certain, but what I do know is that I will not be tied to a cubicle for the rest of my life. 

My dreams are big. I can envision the very shop I would want to curate and get my hands dirty in. The displays, the products, the music, the location, the people, the community. Would it be easy? Of course not. With the condition of the economy currently, much is at stake. But, still I dream, still I hope, still I plan. 

Everyday I am making an effort to work towards my dream. I am studying like crazy, talking to people who have been there and done that, found a mentor that knows business better than anyone I've ever known, and immersing myself in the life of being a small business owner. All of this is still being done while I work away in my little office at my current place of employment. If I don't plan and research now, I won't be able to live into the dream later. Granted that may be a few years down the road, but at least I'm taking baby steps. 

My friend gave this to me the other day and it really makes me think. People hear me speak of my dreams, they understand them, and want to help me meet some of them. So encouraging. So now, I plan. I dream. I hope. 

November's Goals

Bake this bread recipe. 

Finish one sewing project. 

Deep clean my house. 

Go thrifting. 

Go for more walks. 

Finish reading through this and this.