Goodbye summer...

Just dropping in to say hello. And goodbye. To summer that is.  

Just after my last post last month, this was the view from my front steps for a week:

A blissful stretch of the Chesapeake. 

All to ourselves.

More or less.

 

We cheated on Cedric with Jesper the Black Lab,

 

nabbed the best table at dinner,

relaxed, 

explored,

 

learned to swim,

 and  soaked up lots of local beauty on the bay.

 It's safe to say that we fell in love with the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Beyond the obvious, I also fell in love with my forced breakup with technology: no wifi, cell phone service, and little t.v. for us that week. It was hard to come back to the land of blogs and Facebook and email, so for the most part, I decided to give myself the rest of the summer off.

And it was heavenly.

Next week the school clothes come out, early mornings and longer days return and our routine will be restored to order. In the meantime, enjoy the last unofficial days of summer.  I hope yours was happy and full of relaxing moments. I look forward to catching up with you all next week.

See ya Summer!

 Erin

Summer time and the living is easy...

One of the things I love most about summer is how much slower the pace of our usual day-to-day seems. I know I am fortunate to be home with my kids right now and if I was working full-time, I might feel differently, but I do believe the ease of summer is a state of mind.

Something in my head shifts when the weather gets warmer and really, when school ends.  Maybe it's the teacher in me (or the kid), but I flip a switch in my head and get into summer mode. Now that my kids are a little bigger, I really look forward to this shift and relaxed routine.

This mindset seems to  foster a lot more time to catch up with friends, to head out to the backyard daily and throw super last minute get-togethers with friends, family or neighbors.  This July 4th we did just that. We had no plans until the last minute and as I'm learning, these impromptu gatherings are just as fun (maybe even more) as the well-planned ones.

I literally pulled this together a half-an-hour before our friends arrived using knick-knacks from the basement, Eamon's Rarebits Easter basket, a runner from my kitchen and the Christmas linens I forgot to put away. It's nothing fancy, elaborate or stunning, but an example of going with the flow. When my brain is in summer mode, the filter that usually makes me over think lots of things kind of falls to the wayside.

I really love what summer does to me. Towards the end of August you might be reading a very different post, but I really hope I can tap into this summer brain a little more throughout the year.

Do you look forward to slowing down in the summer or do you prefer adventure seeking or finishing off winter's to-do list?

Whatever your pleasure, have a great day.

Erin

Linking up today's post to:

The Taylor House

Happy 4th!

via The Quillcards blog

There are many ways to celebrate the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

via history.com

 

via Pinterest and fromme-toyou.tumblr.com

 Whether it's with a big crowd 

Boston Pops July 4th concert

or in your own backyard,

via Skip to My Lou

I hope you get to enjoy the very simple pleasures that quietly bind all Americans 

as we celebrate our freedom.

via Pinterest (could not reach original source)

via examiner.com

Happy 4th of July!

Erin

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

Monday daydreaming...

I've mentioned before that I am a procrastinator daydreamer. I think Mondays are for daydreaming. As much as I do crave routine and structure, I'm usually not quite ready for it come Monday morning.  Most of my daydreams involve beautiful spaces of some kind, not the unfinished projects and blank walls of indecision that are my reality.

Here's some eye candy for your Monday morning so maybe you can put reality off a little longer too. All images are via Pinterest unless otherwise noted.

I imagine myself living in, or at the very least, vacationing in this bright and sunny Edward Hopper painting, Corn Hill.  I picture the ocean not far beyond the foreground. I can practically smell it.

lisaportercollection.blogspot.com

I'll spend some time just hanging out on my imaginary sailboat, in this outfit.  In reality, anytime I've been on a boat, I've hardly looked like this.

Usually I look like this:

a funny face, because I'm squinting from the sun, baseball cap and sloppy shirt that's my husband's because I'm trying not to get sun poisoning and a clear lack of makeup.

Of course I am always daydreaming about a beach house,

or two. I'm not picky.

It has beautiful features and comfortable spaces,

and loads of charm.

And then I'm jolted back to reality.

My kids will be up in ten minutes.
Lunches to make.
Errands to run.
There's a big void to fill where the Christmas tree used to be.

Back to reality. 

What daydreams get you through a Monday morning?

Have a great week.
Erin

Linking up with Kathleen's Pinterest Party at Silly Simple Life

Slacker

I've been slacking.  It's been weeks since my last post. In all honesty, I haven't really had it in me. Once the calendar flips to August, I start to cringe on the inside just the tiniest bit, knowing that the end of summer is not too far off. In an effort to completely deny that fact (as well as the fact that my daughter starts kindergarten in just a few short weeks), and soak up some more of summer's offerings, here's a glimpse of what we've been up to these days:

 picking beautiful flowers with our vegetables at our CSA

out on my brother in-law's boat...

Mind the horrible expression on my face, below. It's not low tide that's making me frown.  It's my first time driving a boat and I squint while concentrating. I loved every minute of this. Really.

Enjoying sweet, simple fun at Sesame Place. This mini-vacation was a home run. I secretly hope my kids never stop watching Sesame Street.

And finally, tonight, we'll be capping the last few lazy weeks of summer off with Mr. Summer Himself, sans children. Cross your fingers that the thunder and lightning holds off until after the outdoor concert.

Jimmy Buffett

 I hope you're enjoying these dog days of summer as much as I am.

Have a great weekend...

Erin

Linking today's post to:
 Home is Where My Story Begins
the hollie rogue
living in yellow

Back to Reality

Last week, this view was how I started each morning.  It was pretty amazing to start each day off with sound-machine-like peacefulness.  

We enforced a pretty strict no television policy (wish I could stick to that at home), except for movie nights, so the kiddos found other ways to amuse themselves...

I even read two books (a huge accomplishment these days) with minimal interruption. If you're looking for a light summer read I highly recommend Tina Fey's Bossypants. It was hysterical. I think I read half the book aloud to my husband.

And now, it's back to reality. Cooking, cleaning, no stream in the backyard, everyday kind of life. At least it's still summer. 

Have any of you gotten a chance to escape for a bit this summer?

Erin