1. The 100 Day Project
I loved watching everyone participate in this last year and was so sad that I didn’t know about it in time to jump in myself. In case you aren’t familiar, The 100 Day Project is the brainchild of Ella Luna and a challenge to choose a creative endeavor to repeat for 100 consecutive days. I was (am) skeptical that this is even something I can complete, but I decided to give it a try and see how things go. I picked up a 100 page sketch pad earlier in the week and I’m filling one page per day for the next 100 days. My pages will likely be floral heavy — I’m very into flowers these days and in the middle of a web-based floral drawing class — but I’m not limiting myself to any particular theme. The idea is just to put pen to paper once a day until the book is full. I love that since the sketch pad has the exact number of pages I’ll need, I can’t start over or get caught up in perfection. I’ll admit that the first two days aren’t my favorite, but I love yesterday’s and today’s is even cooler. You can stalk me on Instagram to check out daily posts and I’ll be sharing a recap in July when we’re all finished.
2. The Birthday Girl
Holy moly, how is Sophie really six!? We celebrated her birthday over the weekend and it was so much fun. Josh picked up an inflatable on Friday morning and since her party wasn’t until Sunday afternoon, the girls were able to bounce the entire weekend. Josh & I got lots of yard work done (hello, pretty red mulch and a new herb garden) while they played outside. The weather was perfect and she loved being surrounded by her friends and family.
3. Shop LuluBelle’s
My sweet friend, Amy, opened a new internet clothing boutique last week and the inventory is adorable! She wanted to sell clothes that are sized appropriately for actual women who have had children and wear something other than an extra small! She’s still building inventory, so be sure to check back frequently, but I already love the things I’ve ordered. I have this red dress (I wore it to Sophie’s birthday party) and it is so adorable on. I was skeptical of the tassel fringe to begin with, but it is so cute in person. I’ve also ordered this top and I can’t wait to report back. You can follow them on Instagram or join the Facebook group for realtime updates.
4. Concert Season
It’s that time of year when we’re catching as many live bands as possible and this girl couldn’t be happier. I try not to feel ridiculous when surrounded by college students in the general admission section, but I love music so much and dancing to your favorite songs is just the best thing ever. Am I right?! I bought tickets to see Mumford & Sons back before Christmas and we’ve been patiently awaiting their arrival. Josh wasn’t thrilled because he doesn’t love their latest album, but he was such a trooper and ended up having a fantastic time. We were on the floor and after waiting in line for about three hours (we watched the Master’s via iPhone and I read half of a book), we were rewarded with a spot on the third row (if you can count rows when it’s standing room only).
Can we talk about how close I am to Marcus right here? These photos are iPhone snaps and not zoomed in at all, we were really that close. The last time we saw them live, we were near the back of the venue, so this was such a happy surprise. They sang a great mix of old and new and covered a Bruce Springsteen song, so there was really nothing at all to complain about.
On the off-chance you need to live vicariously through me, here is my favorite Mumford song ever, which I managed to time perfectly.
Also, can we talk about how adorable my husband is? This is my very favorite thing he ever wears so I was kind of happy as a clam. After the show, we watched all the kiddos fight it out for setlists and guitar picks and water bottles and whatever the roadies could find to toss into the crowd. I have a growing collection of lists that I want to frame for a quirky gallery wall, so I was a little disappointed at the mayhem. It’s always easier to snag at a small show, but I was still bummed. We ran into some friends and were casually chatting when Josh walked back up near the stage. Once most of the crowd has dispersed, a roadie grabbed a leftover setlist from the side stage and walked it out to us. It was so cool that he made sure to put it directly into his hands since ten minutes earlier he was sailing things into the crowd. I happily skipped to the car with this little number in my hand!
Next weekend we’ll be headed to Nashville AND Memphis to see our favorite band play (twice!), along with a few others we love. I can’t wait to spend a few days listening to music and eating french toast with the boyfriend.
5. Podcasts
Do you love podcasts as much as I do? I might be a huge music fan, but I love listening to podcasts and audiobooks during my daily commute. A few months ago, I was only listening to Serial-related topics, but I’ve certainly branched out over the last several weeks.
- Amber introduced me to Embedded last week and I’m already hooked. These short episodes focus on a current news story and dive a little deeper. I’m only three episodes in and they are all so interesting! Don’t expect a resolution every week — I’ve already been left hanging a few times.
- The Great Debates is hilarious and I’m not sure how else to describe it. There were already so many episodes, so I’ve subscribed and I download two or three old episodes each week and plan to listen until I catch up. The moderator offers a few random topics and has two co-hosts debate them with zero preparation. Sometimes they end up debating both sides and occasionally have guests hosts which kick it up a notch (both John Mayer episodes are excellent). I just finished listening to an episode about why the nickel is the worst U.S. coin and I laughed the entire way through. It’s a great way to keep up with current events and random information that you didn’t know you needed to know!
- I’ve been reading Anne’s blog for awhile, but I’m a recent listener of her podcast. In case you aren’t familiar, on What Should I Read Next, Anne interviews a writer and discusses three books they love, one book they hate and what they are currently reading. She uses that information to make several suggestions about what they should read next. While I don’t identify with every guest and I’ll likely never read every suggestion, I have certainly added to my “to read” list and I love hearing the backstory behind so many great novels!
- Tumble Science is a bit of a diversion, but a necessary one since I have little girls! It’s a great kid-friendly podcast that answers burning questions submitted by young listeners. I love having short things we can listen to as a family and the girls have loved these. “Why Do Bats Hang Upside Down?” was a hit with everyone in our family.
Am I missing anything critical? Let me know if there are podcosts you love that I’m not currently listening to. I spend too many hours in the car each week and it’s nice to have a little variety when trying to find something to listen to!
