Slow Start Saturday

Our big house work day got off to a bit of a slow start.

The bed was just too cozy, pajamas just too soft, Sesame Street just too enthralling to get out of bed right away. No worries, all those cleaning projects will still be there when we get up.




Happy Saturday
Arian : )

Free Weekly Planner : )

Here's a little somethin' somethin' I've been working on this week to help get more organized. I'm using it to keep track of work and housekeeping goals each week. Somehow having goals written down on a cute little chart makes them seem more attainable. It helps me just take one little corner of the house, (one...ahem.. still not unpacked moving box), one art project at a time.

I thought I'd share it with you guys to help you in your organizational ventures as well. Use it for for to-do lists, meal planning, keeping track of your social obligations. Pass it on to friends (but please link back here). Just don't try to sell it : ) Click on the image above for the larger version then drag or right click to save to your computer. And don't forget these free charts as well!


Like my first attempt at a little terrarium!? Our brave winter hikers brought back a big bag of moss while out at Papa's house. I gasped, ran down to Papa's basement to snatch an old canning jar, rummaged around til I found a suitable little inhabitant and TADA! One step closer to creating a cozy indoor terrarium garden--a little eye candy to satiate my sudden hunger for spring weather. The challenge is finding terrarium-appropriate miniatures around the our house. Somehow matchbox cars and Spiderman figures just don't cut it.



Cold temperatures have us spending a lot of time indoors these days. This weekend will be warmer, though, and I'm pumped to finally get outside for a walk downtown or perhaps a mini photo shoot.

Have a good one!
Arian : )

New Traditions

Last night marked the beginning of a new family tradition--Sunday night sleepovers at Tye and Andrea's new house. We make dinner together, play, then put the boys to bed and have grown up hang out time. Last night's was wine and a movie (that movie was hilarious and wrong, the kind I'd recommend to friends but with lots of disclaimers).

I'm so looking forward to seeing this tradition evolve as the seasons change and the kids get older (and more kids are added to the mix!)--- cookouts, card games, board games, football in the back yard, pancakes, trying new recipes and drinks together, getting to have uninterrupted conversations with other grown ups late into the night.


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Another tradition-- taking advantage of new year sales with the Mr.

Instead of getting Christmas presents for each other, we get a sitter and make a date night out of shopping for new clothes together.

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I'm a sucker for cute, feminine, vintage-y skirts and dresses--- cool and breezy in the summer. Then add cute tights, a cardigan, and some cozy cold-weather accessories in the winter and there ya go! Here are some of my favorite pics from my online style research : )

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Hope your week is off to a good start! Kinda feels like I'm getting a bit of a shaky start-- like the starting gun went off, startled me, and I tripped a little as I tried to get up off the starting line. Just one of those Mondays. Hopefully I'll catch up soon : )

Resolutions

I don't really make concrete New Years resolutions. But like most of you, I'm taking these first few weeks of the New Year to regroup, reorganize, re-evaluate, and several other re's. After December's busy schedule, late nights, and less than ideal food choices literally made me sick, I'm setting work boundaries and making good health a priority again. Yay for sleep, yay for fun veggie recipes, yay for getting to watch HGTV while working out!

Today has been all about cleaning, reorganizing, and researching raw/vegan food recipes. I don't intend to go fully raw or vegan, but I LOVE finding new ways to prepare vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, etc. And the more processed or animal-based foods we can replace with vegetables, the better!!

So here's a little raw food inspiration! (Many are from the lovely Sara)

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Take care of yourselves! Have fun! Rest well! And fuel your body with good food!

Arian : )

Christmas in Kentucky

And finally a few pics from our Kentucky Christmas. Something about it seemed extra magical this year....maybe the snow, maybe the quiet, maybe my sudden love for bird watching and the birds who obliged ...maybe the fireplace, the golden glow of all the indoor photos...probably all of it combined.


(The treasure our little junior deep forest explorers discovered....it's now a prized possession on top Hudson's bookshelf. "No, Hudson, you may not sleep with the deer skull tonight. Why? 'Cause mommy says")
Now that us grandkids are grown up we've started to establishing some new family Christmas traditions. Andrea channels her former Starbucks barista self and brews up amazing coffee. Danielle brings some fabulous homemade desserts and breads. Mom does the turkey or ham. And the rest of us work together in the kitchen trying out new veggie recipes. It's pretty much awesome.

We do a lot of impromptu harmonizing...yep, we're geeks like that.
And we laugh and play with the great-grandchildren, enjoying the blessings of four generations under one roof.
More later : )

Arian

Note Regarding "Awaited" Print

Quite a few people have asked if this print will be available in my Etsy shop. I'm so glad people like it! However, I was commissioned to do it as a special gift for the cast and crew of Awaited so it won't be available anywhere else.

But do keep me in mind next time you're in the market for a special gift! I do take commissions as long as I have time! Feel free to shoot me an email at arianarmstrong@yahoo.com if you have any questions!

I WILL be adding some new prints to the shop soon though and I've got a couple paintings in the works that I am REALLY excited about! I had one of those "A-HA!" moments yesterday at Crossroads while they were talking about International Justice Mission and the need for more after care houses for rescued sex slaves in India and left there knowing what I needed to do about it! And it involves you guys! More later!

arian : )

Christmas in the Carolinas

So many great photos from all our Christmas travels with family!! This is just a start. I'll hopefully be slowly adding them to flickr over the week or two.

We spent several days in North and South Carolina with my dad, step-mom, most of my step-sisters, their handsome significant others, a new baby, and one on the way!
Sooo cute : )






Warm smiles, baby giggles, sweet smells, Christmas lights, ocean waves, hooded sweatshirts and sandy footprints, driving through the mountains of West Virginia, a 15-passenger van, grits, fluffy white hotel beds, games, a farris wheel, roasting marshmallows outdoors...a blended family that blends quite beautifully---it was a Merry Christmas.

Christmas in Kentucky pics still to come...

arian : )