Category: five things

five things · joy

Five Things

nicole2 Comments

Hello! Happy Friday!

Thanks for all of your encouraging comments this week here and on Facebook. I’ve appreciated hearing suggestions for other books as I work on my One Little Word for 2018.

Here are a few things on my mind this week:

1. New Things. In preparation for the new year, I read several articles on resolutions and goal setting. I came across the idea of a New Things List here, and then, last Friday, I went to a champagne-tasting party where my friend talked about her list of new things for 2018 (including finding her favorite champagne and learning to make sushi). I love this idea, so I made my own. Here are a few things from my list:

2. This book. I’ve been moving through it very slowly – about a chapter a night. It took about a hundred pages to get into it, but I’m really enjoying it. It feels like a great winter book – I look forward to climbing into my cozy bed to read a little bit more each night about Count Rostov and the goings-on at the Metropol. I close the book, turn out my light, and smile as I drift off to sleep. Feels like JOY to me.

3. This quote.

IMG_3189-0024. Road to Recovery. This was beautiful, moving, heartbreaking, and inspiring.

5. Snow scene. My Facebook feed is full of photos of friends in Tennessee, enjoying the snow. We’ve had fog this week, which is as close as we’ll ever get. Then I found this. It’s like the Yule Log – it’s kind of hilarious, surprisingly relaxing, and addictive. And it turns out there are tons of these on YouTube. (Husband and I spent an inordinate amount of time critiquing them to determine the best. We think it’s this one.)

What are you up to this weekend? Last weekend was super busy, so we’re looking forward to a weekend without any plans. I’m hoping to finish my book, go for a long walk in the fog, and start a furniture makeover that I’ve been wanting to do for months. Hope your weekend is full of new things, good books, and quiet moments. Thanks for reading!

five things

Five Things

nicoleLeave a comment

Hello! Happy Friday!

First up, thanks for being here. I haven’t been around here much lately, but this week, I posted more than I have in a couple of months, and it was fun. I really miss blogging. I love planning posts, editing photos, writing out my thoughts and my stories. I have long had a theory about input and output – consuming and producing – and I feel more balance when I’m doing a healthy portion of both.

It’s also fun to read comments and messages from you on Facebook. My One Little Word this year has been CONNECT – and connecting with you is what I love most about this.

So I’m planning to be back in this space more regularly. To share ideas, to connect, and to have a way to keep me accountable to MAKE THINGS. Because I am a much happier human being when I am producing and not just consuming.

Here are some things on my mind this week:

candlelight

1.This Pandora Station. I haven’t switched over to my favorite Pandora Christmas station yet. I’ve been waiting until December 1st (Today! Happy December!) to start decking the halls. But the mornings have been dark and cold, so I’ve been turning to this station for a quiet, relaxing way to start my morning.

2. This house tour. It’s a manufactured home that has gotten a real hands-on, DIY treatment. You know I love a good makeover project, and this one is filled with inspiration and so many details to love: the pantry! the lockers! the ruler-clad bar in the kitchen! So many good ideas. Enjoy!

3. Clueyness. I loved this. And I got teary no less than 3 times while reading this. (Note: language!)

4.This book. I finished it last week on the plane (after I watched this movie, which I loved). It was this month’s selection for book club, and it prompted lots of good discussion. It took a bit for me to get into it, but there were some good takeaways. Here’s one:

dreamers and doers shonda rhimes

5. This made me laugh. And I don’t even consider myself a wine connoisseur.

What are you up to this weekend? Besides “decking the halls”, I have a fun Trivia Night fundraiser to attend, and that’s about it. Looking forward to Family Movie Night by the twinkle of Christmas lights, lighting candles, and just relaxing with Husband and the kids. Hope your weekend is full of warm, peaceful, cozy, inspiring, funny moments with those you love. It’s the most wonderful time of the year….

 

five things · quotes · Tennessee

Five Things

nicole2 Comments

Hello! Happy Friday! Long time no post, eh? When the kids were little, if you had told me that having big kids actually meant LESS free time, I would never have believed you. But somehow, I used to actually have time to write. Right here on this blog. Multiple times a week. (And sometimes, in October, EVERY SINGLE DAY.) Amazing.

Confession: This Five Things was supposed to be last week, but everything just got crazy, plus Husband has been out of town the last two weeks AND school started Wednesday. I ALMOST had this ready last Friday, but it just didn’t happen. So here, for your reading pleasure, are some things that were on my mind last week. Ha!

Smoky Mountains1.Tennessee. At the end of summer, we spent two weeks in and around my hometown in East Tennessee. Family dinners, catching up, a trip to the Smoky Mountains, and even my high school reunion! It was a fun trip that felt long in all the best ways. I love living in California – it is truly home to me now – but being back there always makes me think about what it would be like to live there – the beautiful hills, being so close to family, and the people. They are truly the friendliest of all the places I’ve ever been. Leaving Tennessee is always bittersweet.

(Photo is the view from the deck of the cabin where we stayed in the Smoky Mountains. Breathtaking!)

2. Vacation vs. Trip. I read this while I was on my “trip” to Tennessee. I laughed so hard, I couldn’t breathe.

Greek sandals from Etsy3. I have found the perfect sandals. I realize that many of you do not know the depths of my obsession about things. I have been searching for a perfect pair of sandals for YEARS. Two summers ago, I found a cute, cheap pair at Old Navy that I wore almost every day. Their “leather” (fake, of course) was the perfect shade of tan – not too dark, not too brown, just right. Obviously they got worn out by the end of summer, and I have searched for something similar to replace them, even creating a Pinterest board highlighting the details I wanted (ankle straps, no elastic for the buckle, very light shade of tan, simple design), creating my own “perfect shoe” in my mind. Nothing was ever quite right. I started looking into shoe repair shops to see if they could MAKE what I wanted. I pondered, “Could I become a cobbler and design the perfect shoe?” See? OBSESSED. (At least I was aware of it.)

But then, one late night in June, after scouring Zappos and Amazon and Nordstrom, I found them on Etsy. My perfect sandal.  They are from Greece. They are handmade. They took 6 weeks to arrive. They are absolutely worth it. They were comfortable from the moment I put them on, and I have worn them almost every day since. They go with everything. They are perfect.

And now I don’t have to become a cobbler in my spare time!speak to your children as if4. This quote.

morning coffee5. And also this one. A friend texted me at 6:15 on Tuesday to let me know that she had left a wetsuit on her porch for my son. (She told him about it when we ran into her at karate. Had he ever mentioned wanting a wetsuit? NO! Does he ever swim in the ocean? NO! Did he talk about anything else in the 14 hour span between hearing about said wetsuit and picking it up? NO!!!!) A few texts back and forth in, my friend said, “Wait, why are you awake right now?” This quote is the reason. Now, sometimes I DO wake up and workout before the kids are up, but the REASON I wake up every morning before the kids is so that I wake up every morning BEFORE THE KIDS.

What are you up to this weekend? Husband gets back from his trip today, so we’re planning Family Movie Night for Finger Food Friday. Also planning to FINALLY get a new sewing machine this weekend! Woohoo! Hope your weekend is full of laughter, good coffee, and the little things that bring you joy. Thanks for reading!