More blue...

So like I said before, I knew that once I brought some color into the living room, it was going to inspire a few other projects.  Initially, I thought I might paint the kitchen cabinets blue... but that was more elbow grease than I could muster (especially for cabinets that are planned for demolition in the nearish future).  So I got my hands on some oil cloth and found another way to add some color to the kitchen!!  It makes for such a cheerful space... and it was super inexpensive and very quick (plus it hides the cluttered chaos within... major bonus)!!  It is temporary but it has given our old kitchen a much needed face lift until something more permanent can be accomplished.  And it does seem to tie together the two rooms without being too matchy-matchy... so that's pretty darn good in my book!  

Here is the result...

The (end of) August garden...

Unruly, unkempt, wild, and neglected!  I should not be surprised... this always happens ;)  With that said, there have been a few delightful surprises... like a crop of cantaloupe that seems to be doing very well (fingers crossed) and I harvested a huge bunch of basil today and made delicious pesto for dinner tonight.  So I guess all is not lost... plus there are a few peppers and a handful of zinnias finally making themselves known to the world (hurray!!).  Not too shabby for a jungle of vines and utter chaos.  You go little garden!!

Tea time...

I came across a craft book at the thrift store just in time for a long stretch of rainy days (with a few sick days thrown in).  I have never been so grateful for a thrift store find... it was a life saver!!  We made boats out of bark and slippers out of cardboard... and even a yarn critter.  Our most favorite project was making an itty bitty salt dough tea set (baked and then decorated using Sharpies!).  I do love how this little set turned out...

Hello August!

So I still have a little summer break left, but for all intents and purposes, August marks the start of the academic year.  I know it won't be long before I am swamped with work and school and the juggling act that the fall brings.  I feel ready to get back into a schedule, but I really want to start and/or maintain some healthier patterns now.  I figure if I can get on a somewhat strict/rigid program starting today, I'll be more inclined keep it up (at least some of it) into the fall and beyond.  Here is what I'm setting out to do for at least the next 31 days...

1. follow the 20 minutes per day cleaning regime (found here)... I'm really hoping to keep the house a little cleaner this year!
2. wash and dry or fold and put away one load of laundry each day... see above!
3. go to the gym 2 times each week... this should not be very doable!!
4. do the 7 minute workout 3 times per week (found here)... I tried it out today and I really didn't expect it to be so intense (maybe I'm just really out of shape?!).
5. do the intermittent fast 2 times each week (found here)... we do this once a week around here so I just want to see how it goes when I do it twice each week (mostly to help break out of the vacation mode of stuffing my face all the live long day!).

Aden's birthday ninjas are very motivating to me for some reason!