Out on a Limb

5.12.2012

Happy Mother's Day

my Mom and me, circa 1977

Becoming a mother has taught me just how blessed I am to have a wide circle of mothers in my life beginning with my very own mom. Although I know she worries about the kind of job she did raising my brother and me, it was she who taught us, by example, the most important lessons I carry with me: kindness, compassion, generosity, faith, understanding, good manners and gratitude. She has always taken note of the beauty in the simplest things around her from the shape of a cloud, to the color of the sky. I see my own two kiddos noticing the very same things. I know I don't say it enough, but thank you, Mom. I love you.

Motherhood reminds me just how much

I am grateful for

the memories and legacies of my grandmothers

and my Aunt Terry who loved me in a way that only grandmothers can

and who all left far too soon.

I am blessed to have my three Conaty aunts,
who are not mothers themselves but have the hearts of one.
They have loved me like their own my whole life.

I am grateful for women like Mrs. G. who had four children of her own

but somehow always found room to take on a fifth. Me.

I am lucky to have a mother-in-law who not only raised a remarkable son for me to marry,
but loves me, treats me, and encourages me like a daughter.

I am so fortunate to have friends and family to share this experience with:

ones who understand the ins and outs of my days, my worries, my bedlam.

They are my sanity and laughter.

They've sat with me in the E.R., run to the supermarket for me when I've been sick

and listened to me only the way a girlfriend can.

It seems it takes a village not only to raise a child, but to raise a mom, too.

Happy Mother's Day to all of these women and to you!

Erin

5.04.2012

Nesting

Six years ago today, I was nesting in a big way. Neve was scheduled to arrive via c-section early the next morning and I was insistent upon scrubbing and polishing my hardwood floors. I do believe that may have been the last time those floors have seen such attention. In my very pregnant mind, it made total sense and one event could not happen without the other.

Needless to say, the moment she arrived into this world heinie first, our lives and hearts grew and changed immeasurably. In six short years she has taught us so much.

Happy almost Birthday to our sweet, sensitive, generous, silly, smart, determined and

beautiful Neve girl. You have blessed our lives more than you will ever know.

We love you more than anything.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Erin

5.01.2012

Done and done...

While the laundry piles up around me and the dishwasher and dust bunnies call my name, I have to take a minute to share a little giddiness. I've checked two big ticket items off my to-do list today.

1. I've booked our week-long summer vacation house.

Virginia's Eastern Shore

I know, not earth-shattering, but it's a little thing that I look so forward to all year: no schedules, sunshine (I hope), a new destination and as much relaxation as a 4 and 6 year old will allow. I can almost feel the sand in my toes and the mosquitoes biting. Time to start gathering my reading list.

2. I just sent in my deposit for design school.

My stomach flipped when I typed this. Yup. I'm going back to school and I am ecstatic. I found the Metropolitan Institute of Design here on Long Island 11 years ago while plotting my way out of a desperately unfulfilling corporate job. Back then, I was young and just a little bit chicken. Design school was where my gut wanted to take me, but my head led me to graduate school and a teaching career. I knew I could be a good teacher. It was safe and practical and I have no regrets whatsoever. Teaching has given me incredible skills and experiences, a lifelong friend in my "Junior Deb partner in crime" Lauren, and 7 years worth of students who regularly taught me something and brightened my day. In a backwards way, my teaching career gave me the opportunity to follow my heart.

When I extended my unpaid childcare leave after having Eamon, (a wonderful opportunity teaching

provided me) I realized that being home full-time with my kiddos was feasible. Four years later, my little ones are slightly bigger and full-time school for two is just around the corner. This forced me to think about my future. Somehow I just couldn't envision myself back in the classroom. I think time and distance from the job and support from my husband gave me the perspective and the push I needed to pursue this goal. The blog was my first step. School is the the next. I am going out on a limb in a big way and it's pretty exciting.

So, I will enjoy this summer's vacation thoroughly and rest up because come September, life will be a little busier around here and I can't wait.

Have a great day.

Erin

4.27.2012

Catching up and thanks...

Well, I've been way out of the loop for the past week. I was busy planning, prepping, celebrating and recovering from my husband's 40th birthday, nursing a cold and just trying to regroup this week and get my bearings. In the midst of this happy chaos, Elizabeth from the Little Black Door surprised me with the Liebster blog Award which is given to a blog on the rise. It is a great way to shine a light on those who are making their way in the blog world, and I am beyond flattered for the nod.

If you haven't visited Elizabeth's blog, you should definitely take a look. I stumbled upon it when Emily A. Clark featured this gorgeous corner of Elizabeth's house.

She has incredible taste and talent and always makes me laugh to boot.

Her blog is a daily read for me (when I'm not off the grid like last week), so I'm really honored that she thought of me and my little old blog.

Now it's my turn to pass along the same admiration to five of my favorite blogs:

Kathleen of Simple Silly Life

Erin of Skoots and Cuddles

Holly of West Pear Avenue

Joanne of Homestyling 101

Lisa of A Room With a View

Lisa of Trapped in North Jersey

Fellow bloggers, if you'd like, feel free to continue the tradition and:

1. Link back to the person who gave it to you.
2. Post the award on your blog for all to see!
3.Give the award to 5 of your favorite bloggers (ideally with approximately 200 followers or less).
4.Leave a comment on your chosen 5 blogs to let them know that they have been given the Liebster award.

Thanks Elizabeth and to all of my blog friends and supporters!

Have a great weekend!

Erin

4.19.2012

40...

My husband turns 40 today.

A big deal.

I wanted to write this post a week ago.

I wanted it to be well-planned and thoughtful and poignant.

Somehow, once again, life got in the way of my plans.

Actually my refrigerator did, but that's a story for another post.

Sometimes the simplest and most subtle messages convey what I want to say even better though.

Happy 40th Birthday

to my friend and partner:

the one who makes me laugh like nobody else can,

the man who makes me think more critically about things that matter,

or should matter,

my safety net and touchstone on this adventure,

and one of the strongest, most loyal people I know.

Happy Birthday to an amazing father whose strength and love

guide our two kiddos in innumerable ways.

The sun rises and sets with him each day.

Happy Birthday to a man who is talented and passionate,

determined,

and knows how to live life to fullest with everything that he's got.

Happy 40th Birthday to the man I look forward to celebrating the next 40 and beyond with.

Happy Birthday Todd,

with all my love,

Erin

4.08.2012

Happy Easter

Wishing you and your families a Happy Easter, a Happy Passover and a spring filled with the feeling of rejeuvenation and renewal.

Erin

4.06.2012

Risk Taking: Pimiento and Pumpkin

Don't worry. That's not a recipe of any kind.

A couple of months ago I blogged here about risk taking. Some days, as a stay-at-home mom, big risks are not really on the horizon. My everyday is often a harried, yet predictable routine, that's not really worth messing with.

The riskiest moves I've made lately have been paint choices. I know. Living on the edge. But really, it's so easy to get comfortable with the predictable. I personally have had a habit of hemming and hawing and obsessing over paint swatches.

I'm trying to move beyond that and make quicker decisions. It's just paint after all. I read once that Sarah Richardson painted her living room or house something like six times in eight years. While every experiment might not always end in success, even for a pro like Sarah, it's a lesson. You can't learn without doing.

Here are two examples of risks that really didn't hurt so badly.

The pumpkin: Back in October I painted our very generic white door Benjamin Moore's Jack-O-Lantern.

I'm honestly still on the fence about the end result, but I'm glad I took the risk. If nothing else it looks better than the plain white. When we eventually paint or whitewash the brick, I think I'll achieve the look I'm after.

The pimiento: Before. A pretty, perfectly fine off-white mirror I picked up for our bathroom at Marshalls. It was a $20 mirror. There was really nothing wrong with the color, but I thought it wouldn't do all that much for the space, as is.

I thought about playing it safe and spray painting it black,but then I thought about pulling the pretty reddish-orange from this Covington fabric I chose to make curtains with.