I've Got the (Winter) Blues

I've been having a rough day (afternoon). I text my husband to tell him how 'blah' I'm feeling, like a mouse stuck on its wheel and he helped turn my mood around by sending people over to tell me how appreciated I am. The fact that he cares so much and took the time to think of a way to let me know that I am appreciated, by someone other than him, put a big smile on my face. I am hoping that I can get motivated to exercise after putting the baby almost two-year-old to bed tonight and that that will help as well. I just feel like it's the same thing day in and day out. Wake up, get son to school, go to work, sit at a desk all day, pick up son from school, commute home, dinner, clean/chores/kill time then bed to only wake up and do the exact same thing again. I need to remember among all the hubbub of every day, even in its monotony and when I'm feeling grey (thanks, Winter!),  I need to have a heart of gratitude for what I do have: a steady job, a loving family, adorable, healthy children, food on my table, a safe home, and a warm bed to crawl into at night. It's so so easy to take life for granted when it's the same thing every day and it all seems to fly by in a blur. Valentine's Day will be in two weeks. There is that to prepare for. And I need to start giving serious thought to little man's 2nd birthday party........Maybe exercise can give me something else to look forward to and strive for right now. Because I am feeling like it's all the same. Come on, Spring!!!!!!!!

Colorful Playrooms and the Common Cold

Last week, I started planning my children's playroom....a corner of the basement I am hoping to make bright and cheery to keep them occupied while I do laundry or work out down there. It would also be great to have a little space that is all their own and where most of the toys can go to find a home. While being very excited to start decorating the space, I was hit with a cold the latter part of Sunday and was really hurting from it yesterday. I am super congested, achy, sneezy, foggy, etc. But thanking my lucky stars it isn't the flu and really hoping my kiddos don't catch it! I could really go for some hot chicken noodle soup, orange juice, and perhaps some Vick's Vapor Rub right now! And a cozy spot on the couch or propped up in my bed with a warm comfy blanket and the TV remote or a good book, hehe. I am trying to get back in the spirit of playroom planning but this sinus pressure and 'blah' feeling has sort of taken precedence in the forefront of my mind. Here's healthy, happy thoughts to you all!

Come in From the Cold!

It is no secret that it has been beyond bitterly cold in the Midwest this week. But I really think, we're just getting our first real taste of winter. And more so this year than any other, I am suffering from the Winter Blues and daydreaming of that first feel of Spring in the air again. I long for warm, pleasant days filled with sunshine and birds chirping. I am ready for renewal and growth and opening up the windows to air out the drawn-up house. I have been trying to paint my nails bright, fun colors and think warm happy thoughts but the temperature gauge quickly sinks the spirit again. I have searched one of my most favorite sites for some sunny inspiration as a momentary escape from the cold. Here you go!:

(From top to bottom: "The Complete Hundreds and Thousands Tray Collection" by jonnasaarinen, "Fused glass coasters-set of four" by SassyGlassStudio, "1950s swimwear original 11x14 art print" by LeighsArt, "From the Garden lumbar pillow cover" by pineapplebaystudio, "Flip Flops, Lemonade, Summer Time Word Stacker" by PunkinSeedProduction) All for sale on etsy.com.

Unorganized Chaos

Not much to comment on today. It's been a quiet, uneventful week which I will happily take. Today is Wednesday and time is absolutely dragging right now. I keep telling myself I am going to run up the street to DD for a treat but it is sooo cold and I just can't motivate myself to go. I don't need the calories anyway. I have been working a lot on my Pinterest account lately, adding pins in hopes of sparking some followers, especially to my "OOAK Obsession" board. I actually saved a lot of pics of OOAK babies to my photobucket 6-7 years ago, way before Pinterest, and I rediscovered my photobucket last week so I am transferring a bunch of them to Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/dreamcandy9). Check it out! As you can tell, I also made quite a few changes to the appearance of this blog. It is a small attempt at HTML and templates but I hope to get better at it, like improving my banner. In 2009, I had another blog which is really the only other attempt I've made at blogging, but there wasn't many words involved. It was a 'treasury' of sorts of themed goodies on Etsy. I'd pick a different theme every post and showcase my most fave items that went along with it. My interests are so vast, as one could see from my Pinterest, that really, I'm an amalgam of things and I'm hoping that one day soon, this blog will find direction. Suggestions welcome!

Push Back the Dark

Just now, driving back from running an errand, I had an epiphany about my blog and life in general. Some people set out to change the world. While this is a heroic endeavor, I don't see that happening for me and I don't aspire to it. What I can do is change one person's world. I wrote in my first post or so about sponsoring families at Christmas and the joy it brings me. On my drive just now, Josh Wilson's "Pushing Back the Dark" came on and I decided right then that it would become my personal anthem of 2015. It's like that store about the hundreds and thousands of starfish washed ashore. While it is beyond one person to save them all, you are making all the difference in the world to the few that you can save. Okay, so if you followed all of that, I have decided that while this blog will likely contain anecdotes of my day to day life, I would hope to use it to touch someone else's. So, I may be only one light in the dark, one light in the world...but I can be a bright light! Happy 2015!