It started with the closet...

Like so many, I was incredibly inspired when my friend, Denaye, emptied her closet and built a wardrobe capsule from 37 pieces of clothing. Until I saw her (viral) post demonstrating how a few pieces can turn into so many outfits, I thought it was a little crazy. After seeing her photographic evidence, however, I thought that this might be just the change I need.

Over the past three or four months, this idea of the freedom of having less has changed several aspects of my life, starting with my closet. Let's start with a look at the before, where my closet held a (large) collection of lingering maternity clothes, cheap clothes purchased between pregnancies, some impulse buys that I thought would cheer me up after having Elliott, and some aspirational pieces kept from before getting pregnant with Madeleine. Oh, and let's not forget the gifts, sentimental, and too-expensive-to-ever-discard items.

BEFORE

I didn't follow the Kondo rules outlined in this article; rather, I started with a slow purge. Each time I walked into my closet, I would take out an item or two that I knew I wouldn't wear. You see, despite having all those clothes hanging in my closet, I wouldn't even consider wearing most of them. Over a few weeks and very little effort, I removed the visual clutter, leaving me with a manageable amount for the actual purge. When evaluating what would go back into my closet, I kept definite spring/summer "keep" clothes, boxed up "keep" clothes that were better suited for fall or winter, and set aside clothes that I felt deserved one more wear to make the final decision...and then I wore those clothes and only kept the winners. I ended up with maybe a dozen pieces of clothing, which were joined by some terrific pieces picked out with the help of a personal shopper (I know it sounds luxurious, but it's free and exceptionally efficient).

Throughout the process, I did not fixate on a particular number of items but rather chose clothes that (1) feel great on me, (2) make me feel great, and (3) are appropriate for me right now - in this season of the year and of my life. Nothing more. Nothing less. I really took Caroline's approach to heart, and sticking with these principles rather than hard and fast rules gave me control over the process and caused me to continually reflect on why I wanted to do this.

I lived with my nearly empty closet for a few weeks before completely reconfiguring it. My closet now has plenty of space for my clothes and shoes, some inspirational art, space for displaying my accessories, storage space, and some blank space. Do you see that empty floor?!

AFTER

AFTER

AFTER

In the end, I chose just shy of 40 pieces of everyday clothes, 10 pairs of shoes (plus business shoes saved for a future return to the office), a small stack of PJs, a stack of workout clothes, a few favorite special occasion little black dresses spanning four sizes, and a small stack of multi-purpose tank tops. I'll share a closer look at my summer capsule in a future post. At the outset, this smaller wardrobe was largely expected; I didn't expect many of its other effects.

I smile every time I walk into my closet. No joke. I love that my days now start and end in this peaceful place rather than the disorganized, overwhelming hole my closet used to be.

While a wardrobe capsule can make getting dressed a no-brainer, I find that I am more deliberate about what I wear. Most evenings, I pick out an outfit, accessories, and shoes for the next day. Because they are all in view and in one spot, it's simple to do and results in a much more put together look than what I was previously sporting. Because all of the clothes in my closet are ones I love, I don't have to wait for any particular occasion to wear something special.

My laundry has plummeted. Do I have your attention? I often give things a second wear before a washing, and I generally have fewer items of clothes. So, less laundry. Less folding. It's beautiful. This is perhaps my biggest motivating factor in planning to do kid wardrobe capsules in the future.

This project spread like wildfire through the rest of my house. I sorted through outerwear, outgrown kids' clothes, linens, toiletries, you name it. Fortunately, George was on board with this purge and even sorted out bags worth of his own clothes. We're also fortunate to have a local reputable charity that will come and pick up large donations.

Beyond our house, I've been inspired to clear out other parts of my life, like my inbox. I'm still not great at responding to email, but now it's easy to see how many unanswered messages I have from among the 50 or 75 in my inbox rather than the 5000 I had just a month or two ago. I finally went through my promotions inbox and unsubscribed to (almost) all of those pesky marketing emails.

While I am a work in progress, this single change has had a bigger and more profound impact on my ability to feel in control of my life than anything I've done in my adult life. Thank you for the inspiration, Denaye! 

New Year...

At the end of most years (2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009), I sit down and reflect upon the year and set goals for the coming new year. As you can see, I didn't exactly get to this project in a timely fashion this year! And, frankly, this post is more about me and the process of writing it than for you lovely readers. :-)

I must admit that my aspirations for 2015 aren't too far off of my aspirations for 2014. Time is our most precious commodity, and I continue to struggle with exactly how to spend it. This feels even more real to me now as I watch Elliott grow at an unprecedented rate and Madeleine blossom into a little girl.

As a parent, I'm not in the business of entertaining, but I don't want to be so wrapped up in the day-to-day that we don't take a chance to stop and really play on occasion. Our summer bucket list was so successful at keeping me inspired to do new and exciting (to toddler) things that I may try more seasonal lists this year. I don't want to be busy just for the sake of being busy, but I do want to get out of the house a little more (tough when kiddos' naps overlap very little) and have a few more memories to show for my days at home. The same goes for our family time at the weekends: I aspire to get a good mix of "doing nothing" at home with going out and exploring. It's easy to plan things around our (adorable) squeaky wheel, but I also want to honor Elliott's development and plan activities around him, too.

This week marks my post-partum return to work, and I feel good about it. In the past, my part-time schedule has allowed me several days at home with the kids mixed with a couple of days at the office, which gives me professional satisfaction, adult interaction, and sets the example I want to show for my kids. I know that it will be harder with two, but I really hope that we can make this work.

George and I do a pretty good job of putting our relationship at the top of our priorities. We have every intention of continuing our standing date nights as well as taking our first weekend away. In some ways, we do a great job of turning the mundane into quality time (hanging out and chatting during long bedtime nursing sessions, for example), but we can definitely improve on how technology gets in the way of spending our evenings together. I also want to do a better job of making sure that George knows exactly how much I love an appreciate him. He's such a fantastic husband, father, and life partner!

Like pretty much every year, fitness and smaller waistlines are on the radar. We're going to schedule workout time into our new weekly routine to keep/put it in our lives. This is particularly a struggle with my return to work because I have typically worked out on the days when I would otherwise be working. I've met a lovely personal trainer through the mother's nursing/pumping room at our gym, so I'm hoping she can help! I'm also planning to rely heavily on our rowing machine, which I have enjoyed using so far in my post-partum journey. Finally, I have fantasies of returning to distance running though, if I'm being honest, I suspect this is more likely to happen once I'm done nursing because it is seriously high impact and uncomfortable unless I've just finished nursing/pumping.

I want this to be the year that I figure out how to make technology work for me and ditch what doesn't. A new phone should be arriving for me any day (goodbye, cracked screen!), and I've already decided that I am not going to put shortcuts to social media on my home screen. I want to limit my time on social media to primarily times when I am sitting down at a (personal) computer, which is lucky to happen once a day. Hopefully eliminating all of those three-minute "breaks" will add up to more truly usable time. I want to continue blogging with the motto of less obligation and more desire. I feel drawn to blog more about parenting, so stick around to see how that plays out. And this has to be the year that I figure out how to get ahold of my email; it is out of control, and I hate it.

Basically, I'm saying that I want our time to be spent meaningfully and with purpose. I don't want to be busy for the sake of being busy, but I also don't want us to be idle. I want to find the right balance of working toward long term goals and dealing with immediate needs. A friend and I were recently discussing the myth of doing it all, and I hope that this year I can come closer to deciding which things I want to do and letting go of the others.

Oh, the hope that comes with a new year!

Friday I'm in Love

This was both a fast and a slow week for me but, either way, it's Friday again! It's a bit of a clothing week here, and don't forget to check out what Misha, Kendra, and Mary Beth are loving this week, too.

ONE: Boden Rainy Day Mac

I semi-stalked someone who I saw wearing this jacket so that I'd know where to get one of my own. Although I didn't end up picking the same pattern as she had, I'm so glad that I splurged on this beauty. Not only is it cute, cute, cute, but it is fleece lined and complete with a hood. As a Pacific Northwesterner, this is an incredibly practical three-season coat! Love it? Oh, yes! (30% off right now too!)

TWO: Bobeau Asymmetrical Fleece Wrap Cardigan

This fall, I'm a big fan of this fleece cardigan. It's warm, comfy, nursing-friendly, and creates a put together look without any effort. Think sweatshirt on the inside, cashmere on the outside. Ok, maybe it's not that extreme, but you get the idea. I own a couple of these, and I'm considering yet another at the next markdown.

THREE: Love to Dream Swaddle Up

We had one of these for Madeleine and used it as a back-up. Mr. I-Hate-Swaddle-Blankets has slept almost every night and every nap in his "bat suit" since he came home from the hospital. We're trying to break him of the habit, but it's going to be a battle. This afternoon, he went from grumpy to grin as soon as I started zipping him into his suit. They used to be hard to acquire outside of Australia and New Zealand, so I'm happy to see that they're now available on Amazon.

And with that, I'm going to go mourn the fact that my baby is turning three months old this weekend. Have a good one!

Game on!

What's one of the hardest games in humanity? The waiting game. For someone who plans everything and tries to constantly be fully prepared, it is excruciatingly difficult to wait for an event over which I have no real control and which will profoundly affect my life. In case you're wondering why the blog has been so quiet, it's because I've been playing this game.

While I don't have cute newborn photos to show you (yet!), I will give you a fun little little comparison in one of my favorite maternity dresses...both taken as pregnancies coast through the middle of week 39 and approach their official due dates. Madeleine was born on her due date, and I've sworn that this baby would be early through virtually the entire pregnancy.

Last time:

This time: 

Barefoot and pregnant. Waiting and waiting and over analyzing everything. That's what I'm doing these days. I am so lucky to have such good company (Denaye and Nico in addition to George and Madeleine) as I go through this time.

Stay tuned for cuter content in the days (??) and weeks ahead. 

Madeleine's Bus Adventure

One of the more ambitious items on the summer bucket list is taking Madeleine on a bus downtown. Here's why: we live about 30 miles from downtown with limited public transportation; it's been a hot summer; and I keep getting more pregnant by the day. But, Madeleine loves various forms of transportation (and vehicles in general), so I was bound and determined to make this happen. 

Enough stars aligned last Thursday that we did it. Come along for a look at our adventure! 

Waiting for the bus: 

An hour later, and we were finally downtown. Madeleine was totally mesmerized by all of the vehicles, people, buildings, you name it. I thought she might be a bit shy, but she was actually really excited to say "hi" and wave to anyone who would make eye contact with her and wanted to explore as much as I'd let her. 

We decided to have a morning snack (sugar and cinnamon pretzel treat for our special adventure) while we watched the Monorail.  

On our way out of the shopping center, we stopped to browse and ended up buying a new Pete and Larry book, one of Madeleine's favorite series right now. 

Then we headed back down a bunch of escalators to catch our bus home in the bus tunnel. 

We were definitely approaching nap time by the time we headed home, and I was so grateful that we had two seats for the two (and a half) of us...unlike our ride into town. 

It was the Thursday before Seafair weekend, which means Blue Angels practice and lots of vehicular and marine traffic. The weather was beautiful, and it was fun to catch a glimpse of the Blue Angels as we crossed the 520. Madeleine was rather taken with the "special planes" and quite pleased that they made an appearance over our house this weekend, too. 

Madeleine loved riding on the bus, seeing the other vehicles on the road with us, and telling me when people were getting on and off the bus. 

Clearly, her urban adventure made an impression. 

After well over an hour and a half on our bus, we were let off at the last stop...which is when I learned that the very same route number that we took into town would not take us back to the park and ride where we'd left the car. Thankfully George was able to swing by and shuttle us back to our car, but it wouldn't have been an authentic experience without getting stranded by Seattle's screwy public transportation system. 

I had so much fun with my little girl, and I loved seeing her react to new surroundings. Any inconvenience it caused was totally worth it! 

What adventures are you taking this summer? Are they all going as expected?

Family Photos

We decided it was once again time to hire the fabulous Aaron and Meg of Evantide Photography to capture our family as Madeleine turns two, the bump is making his presence known, and our days as a family of three are limited. As always, they captured us in this very moment perfectly, and I am so excited to share some of my favorites with you.

I am getting more excited by the day to meet our little boy...especially as he outgrows his living quarters.

Meanwhile, we are enjoying every precious moment of this exuberant little girl. She is so full of life and energy and spunk!

Can you read her lips? Hint: this spot overlooks train tracks.

Let's hope that she is as enthusiastic about kissing her brother after he arrives as she is right now. Right now, she loves patting, kissing, and cuddling her brother. She has even started bringing me books that he "needs" and suggesting he needs his diaper changed.

And I leave you with my favorite...

Which is your favorite?

The Big Oh Five

Ahhh, five year wedding anniversary.

It all started with a gorgeous Seattle summer day in which we vowed our love to each other before an intimate gathering of close friends and family from around the world at Gas Works Park and celebrated into the evening and wee hours of the morning at the incredibly special Canlis.

Photo Credit: Evantide Photography

Photo Credit: Evantide Photography

Over the last five years, we have traveled to some terrific destinations across the globe, shared wonderful (and some not-so-wonderful) bottles of wine at a handful of wine regions, visited and gotten more acquainted with each other's families, survived the last year of law school and bar exam, shared in each other's professional joys and frustrations, completed a lot of renovations on our first home together, welcomed our sweet little girl into the world, found the house of our dreams and started making it our own, made it through the challenging times of early parenthood, shared our passions with our little girl, learned to see the world and each other through her eyes, established family traditions that we hope to continue for many years to come, and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the fourth member of our family.

If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't change a thing. I love you, George, and I am incredibly fortunate and grateful that I get to have you by my side in this journey of life. 

Any predictions on where we'll be (figuratively and literally) in five years?

Summer Bucket List

Summer officially arrives this weekend, and, in celebration, I thought I'd share my bucket list for our summer.

• Go to the zoo
• Check out the Kids Discovery Museum on Bainbridge Island
• Spend a rainy day bouncing at our local trampoline park
• Help Madeleine master counting 0-10
• Celebrate five years of marriage
• Do a photoshoot of Madeleine at our local lavender farm during its peak
• Walk our local trail farther than we have in the past
• Camp out with Madeleine in our backyard (maybe this night)
• Take a refreshing night away to re-charge before the next chapter of our family's life begins
• Bake a peach pie (and probably a peach-berry pie for my love)
• Have a baby
• Finish the baby's nursery (hopefully before the baby arrives)
• Stock our freezer full of food (again, hopefully before the baby arrives)
• Take Madeleine downtown on the bus
• Arrange for Madeleine to meet a horse up close
• Have at least one weekend without any plans
• Visit at least three different farmers markets (and hopefully lots more)

As you might imagine, some of these are already in the works and others are merely aspirational. I'll try to keep you posted on how I do at accomplishing them because - you know - I need a few more things to add to my to-do list. 

What's on your summer bucket list? 

No Stress Sundae Bar

I'm quickly learning that hosting parties is way more fun if you can take care of the labor in advance. It was this motivation that led me to my latest discovery: pre-scooped ice cream.

The week of the party, I simply washed and dried a bunch of canning Mason jars...in adult and toddler sizes, of course. Then, I scooped some vanilla ice cream into them, and sealed the jars for freezing. Mason jars come in such fun shapes and sizes these days! 

The day of the party, the jars went into a cooler of ice, where they stayed frozen until it was time to dig in. Each guest could pull out a jar, take off the lid, and top as desired. 

When it's all said and done, the jars go into the dishwasher to be used again. Eco-friendly. No stress. Delicious. {Psst - this could also work well for root beer floats.} 

What's not to love?

Throw Back Thursday

For once, I thought I'd participate in #tbt with some photos taken at our engagement session FIVE YEARS ago. Time flies...

Photo Credit: Evantide Photography

Photo Credit: Evantide Photography

Friday I'm in Love - I

Today (and periodically going forward), I'm joining Misha's and Kendra's weekly Friday I'm in Love series, highlighting a few things that have caught my eye and made my heart go pitter-patter. Check out my selections and be sure to pay Misha and Kendra a visit, too!


ONE: Prenatal Yoga
I did prenatal yoga in my pregnancy with Madeleine right up to the end (and even a few poses during labor - talk about empowering), and I'm so happy to be back at it again. It was basically my only form of activity last time, but this time it's supplementing my weekly pre-pregnancy circuit training class, walking with bursts of running, and swimming. Even so, it's good to know that as I'm unable to continue with more aggressive activity and grow out of my bathing suits, I'll be able to keep going to yoga. Namaste.

TWO: Signs of Spring
I'm hearing birds singing daily, our trees are blooming, and about half of the bulbs I planted throughout the fall are poking above ground. Yes, spring is on its way!

THREE: Gobble's Sue's Midnight Fridge Raider Sandwich
Two weeks ago, I had the Sue's Midnight Fridge Raider at Gobble, and I haven't stopped thinking about it ever since. The sandwich features freshly sliced turkey breast, stuffing, cranberries, and mayo on sourdough. What's not to love? Now I just have to find a way to go more than two weeks between my fixes.

What are you loving this week?

Snowy Morning

Yesterday morning, we woke up to a few inches of snow on the ground. As you do in the Pacific Northwest, we dashed outside as soon as possible to get in a little play time before rain moved in to melt it away.

Madeleine, once again, showed her love for sledding and lasted about an hour. We were lucky to be joined by the girls next door, who did a great job helping me build a snowman and sledding with Miss M. It was a really fun morning, and we're happy to have temperatures back in the 40s today!

Winter Green

I know: it's been a while. A bunch of things have kept me from this space, chiefly a lack of inspiration and taking a big step back to realize that this should be a fun and happy place rather than something that makes me feel obligated. I'm thankful for the nudge a few friends gave me to get back here and show some love.

To ease back in, I thought I'd share a glimpse at one of my favorite parts of winter in the Pacific Northwest: moss.

Hopefully I'll return to a more regular posting schedule in the near(ish) future.

Reflections: 2013 Edition

At the end of each year, I try to sit down and reflect upon the last year while looking forward to the next. I don't write too many personal posts these days, but this one is both personal and rather long. If you're up for it, come along with me.

This was a good year. Of course, there were ups and downs, but I think that we achieved a good balance in many areas of our lives.

I felt the itch to do something beyond parenting, and I was lucky enough to find an opportunity to work part-time in my favorite area of law. As it's on a contract basis, I can only hope that the opportunity will continue into 2014. I've picked up a tiny pro bono commitment this year, and I really think that it's one of the best ways that I spend my time. I like to think that feeling more professionally satisfied makes me a better wife and mother, too.

George finished a very busy and demanding year at work, and he sets a stellar example of how to work hard but then leave the work at work. He did a little bit of travel this year, but otherwise, he kept his work pretty well confined to working hours. I feel extraordinarily lucky to not have to sacrifice much personal time with George in favor of his professional endeavors; I hear the stories of my friends, and I recognize how incredibly fortunate I am. Of course, I also see how lucky I am when I see George with Madeleine.

As a couple, we've made our relationship a priority, and getting a standing babysitter is one of the best decisions we made this year. It's so nice to know that we have those established dates when we can either cozy up in the corner of a restaurant somewhere or spend an evening catching up with friends without Madeleine's company.

Speaking of Madeleine, raising Madeleine just gets more and more fun! When we rang in 2013 in Wellington, she was very much a baby. Today, she is very much a toddler. Madeleine runs and walks, stomps and marches, climbs and slides. Her vocabulary is going to outpace mine soon, and she is starting to have an opinion (watch out, world!). Words can't describe the joy I feel in watching Madeleine explore and test her world, develop relationships with people, and learn new things. I have gone back and forth, trying to find the right balance of structured and unstructured activities for us during our days together, a struggle that will continue into 2014. I can't believe that even though she isn't even two years old yet, I already worry about whether she'll turn out okay if she's not enrolled in music or dance class. #firstworldproblems

In 2014, I'd like to see both George and me find time for our hobbies. I'm lucky enough to get time when Madeleine naps and after she goes to bed, but I need to make support for George's hobby time a priority, too.

On my hobby front, I have a feeling that things are going be be shifting in the new year. I'll still be crafting, but I imagine the pace slowing as our house is filling up and my interests are starting to change. I hope to continue sewing, and I have two quilting goals: make the first quilt (of several, probably) for Madeleine out of her weekly photo fabric and make a quilt for our house. While my basic machine has taken me a long way, I'm jonesing for an upgrade, so we'll see if that happens. Speaking of learning machines, I'd like to teach myself some photography beyond point-and-shoot, which is currently how I use our DSLR. Any suggestions on where to start are greatly appreciated.

I'm not sure where this lil' blog is headed in the new year. It's not disappearing, but this is the second year in a row that I've thought that I should split my personal blogging from crafty/sewing blogging. Saying (or typing, as the case may be) it out loud is the first step. I doubt that I'm going to be keeping up the thrice weekly pace in 2014...but I will still be around.

On a higher level, I am going to make a concerted effort to enjoy more and compare (much, much) less. It is so easy to lose the joy in the things you do/have/etc. by looking at the things others do/have/etc. I also want to make sure that I'm doing the things I'm doing out of the right motivation. I want to create things out of creative desire and necessity, not out of desire to show off the final product.

Fitness continues to be a goal and challenge in our house. While I had a great routine going from about March through late summer, things have really fallen apart since then. While I'd like to have a good gym and fitness routine going, I'm even more interested in finding ways to be more active in general. The older Madeleine gets, the more important it is that we model this behavior.

While I could go on and on about areas of my life that I would like to see get some attention in 2014, I'm going to stop. One of the things I most hope to master (or at least improve) in 2014 is the ability to limit the things that I take on and give myself fully to the things I choose rather than spread myself too thin across far too many things.

If you've made it this far, thanks for coming along on this journey with me. As 2013 comes to a close, what are your reflections on the year? What do you hope to get out of 2014?

Pumpkin Patch 2013

As I mentioned, we visited a local pumpkin patch over the weekend. Madeleine loved many of the farm yard features, especially the pots and pans hanging for clanging, and she had an okay time picking out pumpkins, too.

Here's a look at our fun:

Hay maze

Unsure about the petting zoo. So was Mum.

More cowbell!

Riding the "tractor"

Family

And for a little growth comparison, check out Madeleine at the farm in early May versus early October:

May 2013

October 2013

How are you celebrating the season?