LADDventure

Five Minute Friday - Bare

These shelves are bare, and it's exciting.  I've been wanting this shelf for our office for quite some time.  It's a Swedish blank slate of organized opportunity.  The needs of this room are different now. The office no longer needs to hold art supplies for teacher projects, stickers, and binder upon binder. It is now the office (well half of it) of a writer and the shelves should be full of words and books and inspiration.  I feel like the office is growing up today, and I get the chance to arrange the bare shelves, like a blank piece of paper, into a story I can be proud of.

I wrote for 5 minutes on one word, hit publish, and linked up over here.  

Do you have 5 minutes today?

2012 - The Year of New

I'm back! I think the teacher in me is still used to a long Christmas break of doing nothing particularly productive.  So, I've been absent from writing  (among other things like laundry or anything else that didn't sound festive).

But, I wished for presence this holiday season, and I got it. I was present on a 12 day trip back to Wisconsin for an early Christmas with my family; present in a quiet Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in our house for the first time at home in Arizona, just the two of us! Can you tell I thought it lovely?  Then I was present playing hostess to Jeremiah's family right after that for our Christmas with them.

So now that the cookies are gone (mercifully), the guest beds are empty, and the world is returning to normal...I am left to linger in 2012 for one last day and reflect. It can be all too easy when the tree needles are falling and the house is quiet again to jump into resolutions, and what you need to get done or be better at.  While I love the opportunity for a fresh start and improvement after cleaning up the tinsel (Does anyone still decorate with tinsel?), I don't want to miss the chance to ponder all that has happened this year.  Resolutions without reflection on where you are and how you got there seem kind of pointless to me.

So, I have dubbed this past year, 2012, the Year Of New for the following reasons...

New Career

This was by far the biggest of the new things that happened this year.  After a very difficult 2011-2012 school year, I needed a change, not just a job change or school change, but a chance to work at something new; a chance to pour all that energy into other pursuits, myself, and my family.  So we decided that I would not sign a contract for the following year and that I would take an indefinite break from teaching to pursue writing full time.  It was not an easy decision, and it has been an adjustment, but I can honestly say I have not regretted that decision once, and feel so incredibly lucky to do what I do every day.


New Health

With the career change, came major changes in my health.  I started seeing a chiropractor back around the time I decided to quit teaching.  She helped me realize that I needed adjustments in more areas than one, and just how much stress was contributing to very poor habits and poor overall health.  I now have very few migraines, get 8-9 hours of sleep a night, and literally have not been sick one time since I started going to the chiropractor back in March.  While there is much room for improvement and other health goals, I am happy about taking control of my stress and finding some peace and balance in 2012.


New Adventures

We invested in our new favorite hobby, modifying our Jeep to turn it into a bit of an off-road beast.  So, we hit the Rubicon Trail in California for our summer vacation this year.  We got really dirty, climbed huge boulders, almost got eaten by a bear, and it was awesome.

I went to my first blogging conference, BlogHer '12, in New York City for the first time by myself.  Still processing everything I learned about blogging and myself on that trip.

I got my first tattoo with my sister on her visit out to AZ in February.

New Friends

We are getting to the point where we are really getting to know the many acquaintances we first met when we moved here, and growing some friendships.  I'm looking at you bloggy buddy and next door neighbor :-)


New House Stuff

With extra time for creativity, the interior of our house that we've now lived in for 3 years is finally starting to shape up.  What was a glorified hallway of a front room is now full and inviting, and finishing touches like rugs and curtains are falling into place in the rest of the house.


New Niece News

Aidee Asuncion Luis was born on November 6th this year and I got to spend some snuggly newborn time with her.

Also, 3 of our other nieces started kindergarten this fall, and this former kindergarten teacher of an aunt can't get enough of their first day of school pictures and school stories.  I know full well how magical that year is for learning.


New Focus

We have begun really focusing on starting a family this year.  We're not sure exactly what that will look like just yet, but we know we both want a loud holiday table of our own someday filled with kids and grandkids, uncles, aunts, and cousins. Stay tuned.

Tomorrow I'll be back with some goals for 2013, but tonight we are celebrating the end of a great year with great friends.  There will be homemade pizza, pajamas, and champagne.  

Happy New Year everyone!

Wishing for Presence

I am like a busy squirrel this time of year, tangled in tinsel while I busily prepare my nest for winter.  I hunker down and furiously prepare for the holidays, and find that I have not written nearly enough.  So here's an update...

Thanksgiving flew by, along with the rest of November.  The fall decorations were put away, replaced by twinkling lights and trees. I ate numerous turkey sandwiches and reheated mashed potatoes while immediately decking the halls.  Guest beds have been made and then remade and relatives have come and gone.

The past few weeks have been full...

First, there was a bonus trip back to Wisconsin to meet this little lady...

Then, there was hanging out in green rooms with these guys when they were in Phoenix...

 

This room was literally green.  Bonus.

It was my brother Ben's first visit since we moved here, and it was so nice to hang out and show him our new home.  I absolutely loved the four days of tagging along for sound checks, watching them sign autographs, meet fans, and generally rock.  They have to be humble about it, but I don't!

They sounded amazing, and I am so excited for all that is happening for Citizen Way.  They will be down in Nashville recording the second half of the album the week before Christmas, then touring lots in the first part of the year.  The album is due out this spring!

Then, we hosted a very low key Thanksgiving with Jeremiah's brothers here at our place, which always includes grilling the turkey...

and watching this video multiple times...

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy-Y3HJNU_s]

 (If you haven't seen it, you're welcome.)


But sometimes in the midst of full houses, full plates, and full hearts, an emptiness is also highlighted.  This time of year there seems to be a lot of wanting and wishing mixed up with being painfully grateful for what you have at that moment.  Missing your family who lives too far away at this time of year, at the same moment that you are visiting with them.  Sighing over memories as you pull out old ornaments while wishing you had more red ones for the very same tree.  Shopping for others while adding items to your own wish list for Santa.  Resolutions and improvement sit next to reflection and contentment.

For the first time ever, we will not be in Wisconsin on Christmas day.  We are going back around the middle of December to have an early Christmas with my family.  Then, Mr. Ladd's family will be out to Arizona right after Christmas to celebrate. This means more quality time with family and friends overall, and that we'll get to be at our own house for Christmas Eve and Day with some time for ourselves.  But, it also means that things needed to be done earlier than usual and presents bought and shipped strategically.

I am so easily caught up in the holiday business, and I truly love nothing more than making Christmas magic.  However, I inevitably wake up one morning, like today, feeling more than a bit frazzled, with laundry piled up and packing for Wisconsin left to do.  I think of what's left to do, what I'm missing, and what isn't quite right.  The truth is, I need to stop scurrying and decking halls and snapping at Mr. Ladd, and start focusing on what I have and being present where I am before I wish for anything else. 

Done Working

It was lovely to wake up to a completely quiet house this morning.  Most of the time, Mr. Ladd works from home, and can be heard on a conference call or plinking away on the keyboard,  but there is now an office space in Phoenix that he can work from whenever he wants.  So 2-3 times a week he conducts business from there.

While I generally love the time spent together and flexibility of him working from home, it's nice to have our own domains a few times a week too.  And, at the risk of sounding like a 50's housewife once again, I have missed the whole "Honey, I'm home!" aspect of him working from an office. Even when I was teaching back in Wisconsin, and he was commuting to and from Chicago he was always home after me, and it's nice to have a definitive end to the workday and sit down for some dinner together.  Since we weren't both in the same house all day, we tended to have more to talk about.  It's kind of weird asking someone how their day was when you saw them all day and heard half of their work conversations by proxy.

With both of us now working from home, the separation between work and home can be hard.  Don't get me wrong, there are definitely more pros than cons to working from home in my opinion, but sometimes it's hard to be "done working" for the day when you never "left work."

I think our culture in general has a hard time being done working, especially with the rise in mobile technologies that keep us connected to our work at all times.  While many of us do it, I don't know anyone that feels particularly good about staying late every night or working through the weekend.   So much of our self-worth seems tied up in our careers.  Feeling guilty about relaxing and time spent with friends and family really shouldn't be the norm in my opinion, but it's hard with financial pressures and demands on our time constantly increasing.  There has been a lot in the media lately about this whole work/home balancing act, but I'm wondering what you are thinking.  How do you draw the line between work and home?  What do you do to "turn it off" at the end of the day? 

Ready to Parrrrtay!

Mico and Buddy all ready for the Halloween party as a dragon and a knight!  They were both a little less than impressed with the whole thing.

For the second year in a row, we hosted a big Halloween party at the house this past weekend, and I just adore throwing a good party - especially a holiday one.  I have learned a few things about hosting parties, some that I need to constantly remind myself as I'm running around like a madwoman the day before and my husband is seriously rethinking the idea in the first place.  So I thought I'd share my top 10 tips to make hosting a party more enjoyable for you and your guests:

1.  Do as much ahead of time as possible. That way when it's party time, you can just put everything out and then mingle with your guests and not worry about it.  Cut veggies, make dips, and cook things that can just be reheated well before the party.  Baking can be done days ahead of time.  This spreads out your workload so you are not completely stressed the night before or day of, and it allows you time with your guests.  It is no fun to spend the entire night stuck in the kitchen.

2.  More is more.   I think it is better to put out a spread and have extra leftover than to run out.  I think I'm secretly part Italian.  Nothing kills a party faster than running out of food, beer, or ice too soon. 

3.  Clean up a little bit as you go. But, don't make guests feel like they are messing up your house, or that it's time to go by clearing everything away too soon.

4.  Lighting makes a big difference.  Think candles and lamps instead of bright overhead lights.  Adding twinkly strands of lights are also festive and create a much more inviting atmosphere.

5.  Create gathering areas.  You don't want everyone sitting in a big circle around the outside of the room, staring at each other like they're at a sixth grade dance.  Spread the food out and have plenty of places for guests to perch in smaller groups and set down a drink as they mingle.

6.  Everything doesn't have to be spotless.  For pre-party cleaning, focus on areas guests are going to be in the most like the bathrooms, kitchen, and main living areas.  Don't worry about vacuuming the guest bedroom and cleaning the garage.  I promise no one will notice the basket of unfolded laundry in your bedroom closet.  Don't wear yourself out. 

7.  Music matters. - Silence is awkward, but blaring music makes conversation difficult.  Create a playlist or Pandora station that fits the mood, and pay attention to the noise level.

8.  Provide options at the bar. - I like to set up our side counter in the kitchen as the bar, with some sort of specialty cocktail like a sangria or witch's brew (like this past weekend) already made.  Then I usually stick to a dark and light liquor option with mixers and sodas out in a 'serve yourself' fashion. Beer is usually stocked in both the outside and inside fridges.  I like to try to make the first couple of guests that arrive their first drink, and then encourage everyone to help themselves after that with ice, glasses, and straws all at the ready.  Don't forget non-alcoholic options and water bottles for guests to grab. 

9.  Be selective about asking guests to bring things. - Generally if I am hosting a party, I don't ask guests to bring anything.  I try to let them know up front what the plan is -  for example, drinks, appetizers, and dessert will be served.  That way nobody feels obligated to bring anything.  If you are having a more casual party or want people to help out by bringing something, I would be specific about one thing they can bring and have it kind of fit the theme...for example if you are having a wine and pizza night, ask them to bring their favorite bottle of wine to share, or for a potluck bbq maybe ask them to bring an appetizer to share.  But never ask them to bring more than one thing.  In my opinion,  asking guests to bring an appetizer, a dessert, and whatever they want to drink makes people wonder why you are hosting the party if they have to provide everything for themselves.  Remember they are your guests, and hospitality goes a long way.

10.  You set the tone.  A piece of advice our wedding D.J. gave us before our wedding was to remember that the bride and groom set the tone.  If you are out dancing and having a good time, everyone else will be too.  The same applies for parties.  If you are nervous and uptight or dull and tired, your guests will be too.  If you are welcoming and friendly, introducing people and having a good time, your guests will follow suit.

The Front Room

Growing up, my Grandma always referred to the living room (usually at the front of the house) as the front room.  Only she said it quickly so it sounded more like "fronchroom."  Well in our house now we actually have a fronchroom, and that's what I've taken to calling it, smiling and thinking of Grandma every time.

It really does best describe it, because we have a sunken living room at the back of the house where we do our t.v. watching, lounging, etc., but then at the front of the house when you first walk in, we have this huge semi-problematic room , which we had been calling the dining room. It's actually the loveliest room in the house with towering vaulted ceilings and archways, but we've discovered it's really too big to be just a dining room.  Plus we aren't the kind of people to have a huge formal dining room that never gets used.

This front room has been troubling me since we moved in.  I've been quite stuck about what exactly to do with it.  There's a light in a strange spot, big windows, and wood laminate floors that add to the echo of the high ceilings.  Up until recently it just contained a big 8-seater dining room table and an oversized armchair in an opposite corner.  There has been no rugs, no curtains, and no good use of space, so it was really just a huge hallway to the rest of the house that we never used and only liked at Christmastime when the giant tree filled up the space.

It really seemed like it should contain two seperate areas, one for dining, and one for conversation, so that's what we finally did. The inspiration for the room really came 2 summers ago when my brother and now sister-in-law came to visit.  She is an interior designer and helped me pick out some art work and accessories to lend a color scheme and some general direction.  The blank walls were making me crazy, and it felt better to get started, but it's been a slow work in progress until now.

So, since it's been a while since I've done a house update, here are some before and after pics of the now lovely and usable front room, including fall decorations of course.

Our front room when we bought the house.  Note the very high ceilings and light very close to the wall.  I think they must've had a small, round table there at some point

That same spot now!

The light is still in an awkward spot, so it's on our short list of things we still need to do to get a better light fixture, something more dramatic, and have it moved so it's centered above the table.  It's a much better use of that space though, and I think we'll get a floor lamp for the corner by the window so that end of the table is not too dark in the meantime.

Entryway into rest of the house before

Same spot now!

Front window area before

The same area now, complete with a Buddy photo bomb!

We really liked the ottoman, but then it made a coffee table difficult in the space so we centered it under the window, and we actually really like it.  It is a great place to set snacks or put down a drink if you're sitting in the chair or the chaise.  I still want to add straw baskets underneath the table for storage and to bring in a natural element.  This is such a cozy spot now, and we actually just sat and talked and played a game on the floor the other night.  It's so nice to be using the room finally.

Now these guys are probably my favorite part.  The upholstered chairs help bridge the gap between the dining and the sitting areas, but also help to define the two separate spots along with 2 rugs.  The best part is they can be added to the ends of the table to seat eight.  They were on sale at World Market, and I just adore them and the little $24.99 table I got at Home Goods for a drink perch between them.

They even have nailhead trim on the back to match the nailhead trim on the ottoman.

Buddy was clearly not going to be left out of this reveal.

So here's the whole room from the stairs to give you an idea of the two separate areas.  A few other things left on the to do list are a bookcase or buffet on that empty wall between the two areas with photographs and accessories, a floor lamp for the corner by the chaise. an aqua pillow for the chaise for a pop of coordinating color, and photographs for added personality (confession: the frame on the coffee table still has the generic Pier1 photo that came with it - ridiculous).

As you know I am Christmas crazy, and one of the first things I loved about this house was the fact that I could put up a gigantic Christmas tree in this room.  So don't you worry, I've thought it all out.  The 12 foot tree, or as my husband refers to it, overkill, usually goes in the corner where the chaise is. When that time comes, the upholstered chairs will be at the table, and the chaise will be moved where they are now, angled to face the tree.  You better believe I plan many a design decision in my house around the holidays. I got it from my mama.

Since I have also inherited my mother's need to tell you what major deals I scored, here's a rundown:

• Wool chevron rug, jute rug, and chaise from Overstock.com at seriously 70% off original prices and delivery is $2.95 no matter what you order. What?!?
• Upholstered dining chairs at World Market that just happened to be 30% off the day I walked in.  Meant to be.
• All for good prices at various times along the way at Home Goods:  Ottoman, both side tables, art work, vases, acorns, and table runner on dining table - If I could marry Home Goods, I would.
• Aqua chevron lamp - $30 at Steinmart
• Aqua curtains - $15 a panel at World Market
• Blue/Gray curtains - $12 a panel at Target!
• Curtain rods - $50 total at Garden Ridge - a recent addition to our town, in which I could wander for hours.  
• The dining table and 6 chairs are from Potato Barn a while back, a local place full of eclectic furniture. I don't remember how much exactly, but I know it was reasonable.
• The big chair in the corner I've had since we lived in WI.  As you can see, it is one of the dogs' favorite places, so it was looking a little sad.  I restuffed the back cushion and cleaned it really well using this pinterest tip.  Voila!  We were going to get rid of it, but I'm so glad I tried this first cause it's like a whole new chair.
• The coffee table used to be in the living room, but I spilled nail polish remover all over the top.  So for now a cute stack of books covers that spot, but soon I would like to paint just the top a bright aqua.

Any projects going on at your house or great finds you'd like to share?  

Fallification

I have a seasonal disorder.  Not the kind that makes you all depressy if you don't get enough sun and vitamin D in the winter, but the kind that means I am kind of  crazy about my seasons.  I decorate my house by them, choose nail polish and lotion by them, cook by them, even listen to music by them.  I am kind of militant about fully participating in the change of seasons.

Now I will admit, the lack of traditional seasons is one very stupid thing about living in a desert. I say we have two seasons really:  
     1.  Hot as Hell season for 4 months from June to September
     2.  Perfect Weather Season the rest of the year when it gradually gets chilly from October -
         January, and then gradually warms up from February to May

Don't get me wrong, Arizona has more traditional seasons, especially in the mountains.  But alas, I live in the valley.  So if I want the leaves, brisk air, and hoodies I need to wait until December (when it actually feels like fall here) or head to the mountains this time of year. Those mountains are a short drive in any direction, and believe me this year we plan to be out in the Jeep every weekend in search of some autumn.

However, in the meantime, the process begins to create a synthetic autumn oasis inside, despite triple digit temperatures outside. I call it fallification, and it usually starts with a serious trip to Bath and Body Works.  (I promise this is not an advertisement for them, although if they want to pay me for the plug in Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin scented anything I would be fine with that.)  Smells are so important for me in creating that seasonal vibe, and Labor Day always feels like it should be the start of fall, so I start to stock up.

This coming weekend we are heading back to Wisconsin for the wedding of some good friends of ours.  I can't wait to celebrate with them and soak up some 70 degree weather.  I always get a bit homesick this time of year, because it is truly the best time to be in the Midwest as it starts to show off with its cool nights and football. 

I took the beautiful changing seasons for granted back there, how nature just does all kinds of decorating for us.  In a way, I actually appreciate the seasons more now.  They are more intentional.  We have to work to create them here, which forces us to stop and pay attention to the passing time.  They seem worth embracing and celebrating.

When we get back it will be time for more fallification - baking with apples, pumpkin decorations, and Halloween party planning.But for now, it is 90 degrees at 11:40 p.m., and I am happily typing away on my laptop with the air conditioning on, a fan blowing on me, and my Autumn candle burning in the background smelling like apples, leaves, and firewood.  Bring on fake fall!

Random Reading - Labor Day List

Happy Labor Day everyone!  Loving a 3 day weekend with the husband.  He has been super busy with work lately, so it's been great to see him out of our office for more than 15 minutes at a time.  Our weekend has been full of fantasy football drafts and doing some "why haven't we already done this?" projects around the house, like finally getting this full length mirror.  ($39.99 at Stein Mart people!)  Good thing too, because we had discussed the fact that if we couldn't get our collective act together enough to obtain a full length mirror after living here for 3 years, then we should probably just call it quits and get divorced.  Whew!  Broken home averted.  We now have the ability to see our shoes at the same time as our shirt without perilously perching on any furniture or doing high kicks in the bathroom mirror.

Since most of us have the day off, I thought I would link up to the best things I've found online lately for your clicking pleasure:

School-Homing (The Onion)
In light of back to school season, a little teacher humor

Best Time to Blog (Jason Keith for Social Fresh)
Learning lots about blogging and blogging strategy.  It's fascinating to me, and I'm going to try to start following some of these tips, like making sure to have a blog post ready first thing in the morning.  So come back tomorrow and have some coffee with me!

Needy Here vs. Needy There (Joy in the Journey)
I followed a group of bloggers as they traveled to Sri Lanka with World Vision, and this post on poverty and perspective was fabulous.

How to Stay Organized in the Kitchen (Tracy Benjamin)
Tracy writes a weekly column at HomeFries, and I just love her blog, shutterbean.  I love to cook, but hate to clean up the colossal mess I always seem to create in the kitchen.  The tip about the cookie sheet is genius!

Our Veganish Diet (rising shining)
I loved my neighbor Kelsey's explanation of what vegan means to them and how it looks on a day to day basis.  Her blog is great about transparent, practical insight into everyday life.  I'm learning tons from her, and love that we have a birthday, a street, and a blog in common.

Meet Glennon (Momastery)
Came across this gem of a blog, because one of my faves Kelle Hampton was meeting her for coffee in real life after meeting online.  She instagrammed about it, which prompted me to check out Glennon's blog, and to remember that the internet can be a wonderful place.  Just reading her "about" page led me to spend a crazy amount of time on her blog, but it was not wasted.  She is honest, loving, raw and everything I love in a writer.  Go check it out, you will be glad and teary-eyed.


Hope you are having a great weekend. See you tomorrow, bright and early!

Home Again

Wow, it has been a crazy exciting couple of weeks.  My travels have ranged from the Hilton in midtown Manhattan one weekend, to a tent in the Sierra Nevada Mountains the next.  From the BlogHer '12 conference in New York City to the Rubicon Trail in the Jeep in Northern California. Coast to coast baby, without much time in between to unpack and repack bags.  And although the trips were not without their hiccups, like spending the night in the Chicago Midway airport and a bear sniffing at my tent in the middle of the night, it has been an amazing two weeks!

During both trips I met a lot of new people and the natural question that always came up was, "where are you from?"  I sometimes hesitate awkwardly at this question as I grew up and spent many years in Wisconsin, but now live in Arizona.  I don't feel like I've lived in Arizona long enough to claim to be "from here."  And although I love all kinds of things about living here,  I still miss the green and the autumn and the people in Wisconsin so much it hurts at times.  So, given this inner turmoil, when asked I usually go into a too long explanation of being from Wisconsin originally but moving to Arizona 3 years ago, and by that time the person has stopped listening.


Yesterday afternoon as we were on the 11th hour of our road trip back from California, we were remarking how our desert was prettier than the California desert.  We have saguaro cacti and bigger mountains.  Our skies are bluer and our clouds are puffier, and our rain has that smell.  While we had an amazing time on our trip, we were tired and dirty and so excited to be back to our dogs, our pool, our home.  It hit me that 3 years almost exactly since moving here, this has truly become home, and I can now answer that question more confidently.

After being without internet the last few days, I am catching up on writing, and there will be many more detailed blog posts later this week about recent adventures.  I am excited to tell some stories and share tons of pictures.   But for now I am unloading duffel bags, shaking off the dust, and doing umpteen loads of laundry.  Home is where you unpack, and there's nothing like being home.

Planning

 

One of my favorite sayings is "proper planning prevents poor performance."  Lest you be fooled, it is not my favorite because I faithfully live by that motto, it is my favorite because I constantly need to be reminded of that fact, and because I love alliteration.  Last week I felt scattered and haphazard about things, and it showed in both my weight loss and what I got accomplished for the week.

In order to remedy that situation, today was planning day.  I missed a chiropractor appointment this morning thinking it was scheduled for a different day, even though I was looking right at the appointment in my Google calendar. I have decided I am just not an electronic calendar kind of girl.  I am a paper/pencil type and need a paper planner to stay organized.  So today, I sought and found a big ol' planner to physically write down every tidbit of information.  I've decided I will also still be putting appointments into my Google calendar so it's accessible on the go even if I don't have my planner with me, but am happy with the switch.

I always used to get a new planner at the beginning of the school year.  A cheap August-August academic year calendar from Barnes and Noble was my favorite.  August will always be the start of a new season for me no matter how removed from school or teaching I am.  August smells like sharp pencils and new beginnings even this year! There was a spot to keep dates and to-do's straight in one place.  In college I used it religiously, because I loved having everything in one place, so I was looking for something similar.  I found one even better at Target.  So now I am happily cracking this spiral bound beauty open and filling in dates while inhaling that new planner smell.

 

Look it even has a menu planning spot for the week!

It's the little things.