How about a list for Friday? I had several small things to share that wouldn’t otherwise make it into their very own post!
1. So my house looked like this when I got home last night. A hot mess. Did I mention that we’re having a slumber party tonight to celebrate Ella’s 8th birthday? Yeah, that. I had been trying to get everything clean and organized since the weekend, but with crazy meal prep, school and dance activities it never seemed to happen. On Tuesday, a friend even asked me why I wasn’t stressed out about Ella’s birthday yet. Well, there is nothing like burning the midnight oil and stress or no stress, I managed to pull it together about 1:30 this morning.
2. A slumber party made for very little decoration and planning, since our main event is pizza and roller skating. We did make a pretty cute place for all of the girls to sleep and here is a sneak peek at the breakfast table for tomorrow morning.
3. When I snapped this picture I STILL hadn’t gotten my new Life Planner in the mail yet. As much as I love my planner, that shipping kills me every time. The sad part is my calendar from last year goes through the end of the month, so I’m not sure why I am being so impatient! I’ve been using an EC planner since 2011, but just this year do I feel like I finally get everything out of it that I can. After borrowing Jennifer’s pen at Bible study last week I promptly ordered a pack for myself! Sorry to be a copycat, but they are that good. I had been color coding my month at a glance using the enclosed stickers for quite sometime, but with so many pens to choose from I decided to try color coding the weekly view and see how I liked it. I use the very bottom of each day for blog post planning and notes and I almost always have a sticky note with reminders somewhere on every page. One thing that I’ve been doing for about a month that I love, is re-purposing the Morning/Day/Evening parts of the planner. I’ve heard lots of complaints about how that is unnecessary and even though I don’t mind it, I find that I don’t really need three sections. I started using washi tape or making my own stickers (this month they say Whole30) to cover up the label on the top section for meal planning and tracking. I’m left with sections for Day and Evening which work perfectly for how I use these spaces!
I even put Google and Etsy to good use with looking for pre-made stickers and y’all. Have you done that?! You would be amazed at the accessories people make and the YouTube “tours” of personalized planners that people are making and decorating. I didn’t even know decorating your planner was a thing. I can barely remember to write down my appointments!!
4. You might have noticed that things look a little different around here this week. I made a few very minor blog tweaks, but I hope it’s easier to read and that the category links in the sidebar help you find what you are looking for. You might also notice the ads, which I’m still getting used to. I never intended (and still don’t) for this blog to be a business and my only real motivation has ever only been to share about life as we know it. I had been participating in BlogHer’s influencer program for a very short time when they invited me to join the Publishing Network instead. I’m still working on the kinks after advertising was installed, so please don’t hesitate to leave me feedback. I don’t want anything to be intrusive or distracting, but I’m excited about the possibilities that this might bring.
5. I have a super fun blog to share with you in the coming weeks. It will have lots of beautiful photography, party ideas and styling tips. I just finished the logo for a couple of really sweet girls and the blog and website will be up and running soon.
6. Who wants Christmas cards? I’m hoping to restock the Etsy shop between now and mid-October with lots of fun holiday cards and I hope to have some other fun and free printables for you to download very soon. I’m hoping to have all orders taken and shipped by December 1st, so if you are interested in custom cards, please click the contact button in the sidebar as soon as you can!
7. This girl right here is a handful.
I wish I could walk around with a voice recorder all the time, because I can’t remember half of the funny things she says every day. She has been so excited about Ella’s birthday party and we’re crossing our fingers that throwing a four year old into the mix won’t be completely disastrous. On Sunday afternoon I asked her to get her socks and shoes on before we headed out the door to church. What I meant was white socks and tennis shoes, like she wears every day. What I got was this…
8. It has been too long since Josh and I went to a concert, but we’re about to remedy that. I took Ella to John Mayer for her birthday last year, but that is the last show I got to see! There is a week in October where we’re getting to see The Head and the Heart AND Jamestown Revival in the span of four days. How fun does that sound?!
Well, I hate to leave you shy of ten things in a list, but that’s all I’ve got. I’m off to show off my mad roller skating skills and try to avoid pizza and birthday cake at all costs. I’ll be back next week with a party post and lots of birthday details. Here’s to the weekend!!
