Amazing To Behold

I had a pretty smooth day with my boys today. 

The best parts featured a tickle fest with this boy:

Quick grocery date with this boy. 

They are each so special in such unique ways. It is amazing to behold. I love being their mommy.

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "7 Happy Things: Jumping In Puddles"

Two years ago today: "First Hive Visit {and 8 lessons learned}"

And three years ago today: "The Return Of The Hourly Night Grunts"

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Birthday Building

Today was David's birthday!  He decided to take the day off. The boys went to play at my sister's house while David and I had a breakfast date.  We went to a local bakery and it was very enjoyable. 

When we got home we parted ways. David went out to the house to build and the boys and I went to the grocery. While the boys napped I prepped a birthday apple pie for my man and then we headed to the studio.

Here is the porch progress that they made today:

Before today's progress.

We went out for a late dinner at our favorite spot. 

When we got home I put the pie in the oven and we ate some of it after the boys went to bed.  Happy birthday to David!  I am one lucky wifey and I love celebrating the day he was born into the world.

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "15 Birthdays"

Two years ago today: "Breakfast For Dinner"

And three years ago today: "Happy Birthday To Daddy"

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Free Birds

We got some chick netting so the chicks had a MUCH bigger pen today.

Free(er) bird spreading her little wings!

I still left their small pen opened up inside for shelter and the funny part is that they still stayed all huddled together under it for most of the day.

Silly birds.

I'm sure they just need to get comfortable first.

The boys and I tried out the preschool age story time today.  I have a baby and a preschooler so the toddler one still kind of works well but this one is later and will work better with our schedule until the chicks are officially outside 24/7.  As of right now every morning I strap Logan to my back while Ayden and I take them out, and then I (or sometimes David will) bring them in again each evening.  We have a system now but it is still extra work and makes us run late for most of our usual 10am activities.  I goofed when I ordered the chick netting.  We needed two and I only ordered one.  As soon as the second one comes we are incorporating the chicks in with our existing flock and things will be much easier.

By the time we left the library it was lunch time so we picked up some food from a local cafe and took it to the park for a picnic.  Logan slept in the Ergo the whole time so Ayden and I had some quality time together.  

We also went to a flea mall later in the afternoon where we found the light fixture for our bathroom.  I plan to get a can of Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint and it'll match the rest of our fixtures, faucets and door knobs in no time!

Ayden looks thrilled.  Haha.  

I am excited that it is time to start finding cabinets, fixtures and other items for the new house!  I plan to find most of them at thrift stores and garage sales and then sprucing them up to match the decor style we have chosen.  What did people do before Pinterest??

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "2 Days Towards Weaning"

Two years ago today: "Sarah's Feel Better Tea"

And three years ago today: "Party Time"

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Getting The Hang Of It

We hosted playgroup today!

We grilled out for dinner and ate alfresco. Afterward we went over to the farm. I planted the rest of the perineals that my play group mommy friend gave me and the boys played in the dirt. 

"These nails are for our porch to stay up."

My mom stopped by and brought me a couple of hasta starts so I planted those as well and showed her the progress that's been made on the electric and porch. 

We watered both the veggie and flower gardens before we left and It seems as though Ayden is getting the hang of it!  Each time we tend the garden he becomes a little more focused and is grasping the purpose. It has been a really neat process to observe. 

The weather has been on the cooler side but our schedule is definitely feeling Summer like. When I went out to do the evening chicken chores I noticed that the sky was clear and the stars were shining so brightly. I took a moment to admire them and soak in the tranquility. One major advantages to country life is having such a clear, beautiful view of the stars.

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today : "Steady Progress"

Two years ago today : "A New Direction"

And three years ago today: "Busy Busy Friday"

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Me Day

Happy 31st birthday to me!

When I woke up this morning my boys wished me a happy birthday and then David told me the whole day was all about me. First on my agenda was a long, uninterrupted shower. When I got out I found this:

A beautiful hyacinth, a homemade card and a gift card for a 1 hr massage. Logan went down for his morning nap and I got myself ready while David made us breakfast.

My massage appointment was at 11 and it was glorious. 

Next up was lunch. I had never eaten at Tom + Chee and there just happened to be one right next door so that is what I picked. 

After lunch, this happened:

Then we did a little shopping for my capsule wardrobe. On our way home we swung by the home of the folks that makes my all time favorite cookies. They sold at the farmer's market last year and it was such a special treat!  They had a baby 6 weeks ago and he is super fussy so they had lots of questions.  David just asked to buy the frozen dough but they took the time to bake them and wrap them in a pretty box.  We have met so many amazing people at the farmer's market!

When we finally made it home it was around 4:00. Ayden went down for a nap and I left these two so I could go do beehive inspections. 

There's a bee on it's way into the world toward the center of this photo!

I stopped by my parents' house on my way home and my mom had a gift for me. My niece was with her and she had made me a card too. We woke Ayden up around 6:45 so that he'd go to bed at some point this evening.  My sister stopped by to drop off a gift and give me a hug while David was making dinner. The last time they saw the chicks they were just a few days old so we took them out to the chicken yard to see them and they were amazed!  One of her kids was looking right at them and asked where the baby chicks were. Haha!  

We ate dinner, Logan went to bed and the rest of us enjoyed a cookie treat. 

I should also add that David also took care of the chick chores today (carting them out in the mornings and in again in the evenings is getting tiring) which was also a gift in and of itself.  He also cleaned out the brooder for me. 

It was such an amazing birthday and all of my tanks are full!  I feel so loved with all of the texts, phone calls, Facebook birthday wishes and pampering I got today. Being the queen of this household is pretty good stuff! :)

~Sarah 

Flashback! Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Well Hello, 30"

Two years ago today: "Hap-bee Birthday To Me!"

And three years ago today: "Happy Birthday To Mommy"

Thank you for stopping by Life With the Ladniers!

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KonMari: Clothing

When I look at the big picture of the stuff in our home alongside the end result that I'm striving for, I get overwhelmed. Compared to some homes I have been in, it's really not that bad but even so, I am ready for the end result NOW.  But... everything did not walk in on its own over night. I am the one who brought most of the stuff in over the years (David is pretty minimal by nature) and it's not all going to take care of itself.  I made the mess and now that my life's desires have changed, I have to take the time to clean it up.  Many sources say that the best place to start in a shared space is with your own personal belongings.  Once I get me taken care of I'll move onto the kids and then I'll help David do his belongings if he so chooses.  At this point he is interested but doesn't exactly have any free time.  This book and method for purging are giving me a decluttering curriculum of sorts and a place to start. I printed out a handy checklist that I found on Pinterest and got my first category taken care of. 

{get it here!}

My plan of action for this challenge is to do my weekly maintanence cleaning during the day on Wednesdays, make my pile and sort on Thursdays, then put everything I choose to keep back on Fridays. This week was already thrown off a little since playgroup was moved to Friday and I decided to go but I didn't have plans for today it all ended up working out. 

Now let's clean out my closet!

The first step is to take EVERYTHING out and put it in a pile.  The next step is to step back and become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of your belongings in any given category.

When it's all hanging in a closet and folded into drawers it doesn't seem like so much.  Put it all into a pile in the middle of your living room and you can gain perspective pretty quickly!  This Marie Kondu is a genius...  Then you hold each and every item in your hands and feel whether or not it brings you joy or inspires you in some way.  If the answer is yes, it goes in the keep pile.  If it doesn't, it goes in the discard pile.

My keep pile is on right.  I got rid of OVER HALF of my clothing.

The sorting was pretty easy overall. I did what the book suggests and held each item. I went with my first feeling and tried not to think or rationalize any past that as far as the no pile was concerned. I was a little strict about items that I kept.  There were a few tricky items where my initial reaction was to keep them because I still liked them very much but then I asked myself questions like, have I worn it in the past year?  If no, why?

The peasant top on the left wrinkles really easily and always needs to be ironed.
Mama ain't got time for that so I never wore it.
The two tops on the right required strapless bras.
I am not a fan of strapless bras. They are so uncomfortable to me so again, never wore them.

I did also ask why they sparked joy even though I never wore them and really it was their detailing.  I really love crochet and embroidered details.  I already knew this but it confirmed it even more.

I like when I see belted outfits on Pinterest but they just don't fit well with my body type.
I never felt comfortable or confident in these belts so out they go.

This is the dress I wore to our luau themed rehearsal dinner.
It technically does fit into my capsule wardrobe "rules" but again, strapless.
I am pretty sure I haven't worn it since the year we got married...
I have photos of me wearing it and that is good enough for me now.
On to someone else and hopefully it will bring spark joy for them!

I am in an awkward phase of life at the moment. I have been either pregnant/postpartum or nursing for the past 4 years. This does make purging clothes a bit complicated. I did keep some items that sparked joy but don't currently fit. Instead of putting them back into my closet, though, they are going into their own box up on the shelf. If they don't fit by Logan's first birthday I'm donating the box. Being able to walk to my closet and see only possibilities rather than reminders of not being a certain size or reminders past seasons of my life that have already been lived feels good. Clothing is replaceable (which is why it is the first category of your belongings that Marie Kondu recommends starting with). If for some reason I regret getting rid of something, chances are that I'd be able to go out and find an equivalent that may fit my current body/life style even better. So if there was any uncertainty, to the no pile it went. 

And now for the before and after photos:

Hanging tems are hung heaviest to lightest. 

I did not take a before photo of inside these bins but I used the KonMari folding method and they are looking really nice now. 

I am still working towards building a 333 capsule wardrobe and not everything that I kept fits into my "rules" for that but I plan to invest in nice pieces which will take time. In the meantime I just followed the KonMari rules and kept anything that sparked joy and made me feel good.

Category #1 is complete and I am excited to tackle the next!  

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Me"

Two years ago today: "Little Man"

And three years ago today: "Field Trip"

Thank you for stopping by Life With the Ladniers!

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Peaceful

I wanted to share my KonMari clothing purge today but my after photos aren't ready!  Here are some photos from our day in the meantime...  

Play group fun!

SO peaceful.
This one had a rough start to his day but the end was GREAT!

He's going to try and climb these any day now...

Ayden has cycled back to his audio books, much to my delight!

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Late Long Nap"
Two years ago today: "How To: Paint A Happy Little Bee Hive"
And three years ago today: "No Coincidence"

Thank you for stopping by Life With the Ladniers!

Please take a second to:

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