“Let’s start by taking a smallish nap or two…” – Winnie the Pooh

I read something the other day to the effect of we should all be like Winnie the Pooh. He wore a crop top, ate his favorite food all the time, and loved himself fully. I also love that he valued rest. This week Tyler and I were supposed to be on a big family trip that was postponed to the fall, but we took a few days to go to the mountains and rest. And it was good.

1. Reading. But like, doing nothing but reading. I did a lot of that this week while we were away and it was so nice to just sit and read for hours without feeling like I should be doing something else. It reminded me that I need to build that time back into my new routine.
2. Spring skiing. Breckenridge got 4-6 inches of fresh snow when we were up in the mountains, so we popped over there Monday morning to ski for a few hours. The thing with spring skiing (post spring break timing) is…there usually aren’t very long lines so you can get more runs done quickly but the snow is usually wet and heavy so you get tired faster while skiing. This is especially true when you have several inches of fresh snow! So we did four runs in about two hours and called it a day because our legs were screaming! But it was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun!
3. Fake it til you make it. Even though my new job is with a company I used to work for, the stuff I’m working on is pretty new to me. So I’ve been adopting a fake it til you make it attitude to get by. Not in the sense that I’m lying or hiding anything, but more in the sense of having confidence that I will figure it out. I think a big mistake that people make early on in new jobs is sitting quietly and waiting for something to be explained to them because they don’t want to look stupid asking questions. Ask the questions! People are often happy to give an answer if they know it. The good news is that I feel like I’m actually getting things figured out enough to add value!
4. Escape chickens. Part of our fence blew down and when we got it propped back we thought it was enough to keep the chickens in. We were wrong! Tyler looked out the back window and two chickens were out in the field behind us! Luckily it’s a vacant field and the construction that is happening is pretty far away at the moment. So Tyler had to go out there and shoo them back into our yard! Backyard chickens just provide so much entertainment.
5. Kitty snuggles. My boy Buzz has been very snuggly with me recently and I think it’s because I spend more time sitting at my desk during the week. So when I’m on the couch, he is almost always curled up next to me or right behind my on top of the back cushion. I am always so grateful that we brought home this boy and his sister. And that they are so affectionate with us. I mean, they still have their moments of being crazy little monsters, but it’s also so apparent that they love us.

“An understanding of the natural world and what’s in it is a source of not only a great curiosity but great fulfillment.” – David Attenborough

Happy Earth Day! I hope the weather is lovely wherever you may be reading this and that you take time to get outside, even just 5 minutes can be enough to change your outlook on the day.

1. Sleeping in – Most days I’m up by 6:30am, but today when my alarm went off I listened to my body telling me I needed more sleep and I slept until 8:30. I know this is a luxury not afforded to most people, I mean, I couldn’t have slept that late any other day this week. But today I was able to just sleep until I was done and it felt really good to wake up on my own.
2. Plants and propagation – I spotted a little peperomia while I was at Target this week and decided to bring it home. I love bringing new plants into my house because it forces me to take stock of all of my other plants and move things around to fit better. This week that also spurred on some new propagation attempts! Excited to see if I can get some new little plant babies to root in the next couple weeks. It’s been awhile since I had a full propagation station going.
3. Sticky bug traps – Speaking of plants, I’ve been having some issues with fungus gnats. I saw someone on instagram recommend these and decided to try them out. OMG. They have caught so many more little bugs than I thought were there! Highly recommend. I will say if I have to repurchase I will look for them at my local nursery because I am trying to be less reliant on Amazon for things…
4. Upcoming work travel – Once upon a time I had a job where I traveled all the time and it got really old. Then I changed to a job where I had very little travel and it was lovely. Then the pandemic hit and I didn’t get on an airplane for over a year! Anyway, I have some work travel coming up and I’m actually looking forward to it! I also can’t complain about getting some points action with Southwest and Marriott.
5. Baseball game – Tyler and I got to go to a Rockies game last weekend and even though they didn’t play very well, it’s always a fun experience to go to a live sports game! The weather was pretty nice and we ate frozen lemonades, hot dogs, and ice cream! Rockies lost the game, but we had a good time.

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.” – Dale Carnegie

Hello there for the second week in a row! This has been a week of some ups and downs, but I told myself I’d get back on here and I did it! Taking action and hoping that confidence and courage will follow!

1. Lists – I have been making lists for as long as I can remember, but the past few weeks they’ve been my lifeline! I’ve been thinking a lot about the systems I use and realizing that I have a lot of duplication in my processes for tracking things. But, you know what? It’s working for me! At the beginning of the week, usually Sunday afternoon, I plan out everything I want to get done in a weekly planner (this one). This is also when I put together my meal plan for the week and create my grocery list. Then every evening I create a more detailed checklist on my phone. This can include daily tasks too, like walking the dog and meditating. I also list out what I have planned for dinner so I can remember to leave time if I need to cook. This list will also carryover tasks that I didn’t get to the previous day, so it’s more of a living document than my weekly plan. On my work days, I sit down at my desk in the morning and write down in a physical notebook what I need to do for that day. It will include meetings I have to attend, emails I have to send, and other tasks. This gives me a more complete idea of what is going to take up my time vs just looking at my calendar. So…things get repeated or put on multiple lists but again, it works for me so why change it? Also, I know it sounds like a lot but I’d say the weekly plan and meal plan take me…maybe 30-45 minutes at the beginning of the week? My evening list takes 5-10 minutes. And my morning work plan usually the same. So not very much for something that saves me time in the long run by allowing me to better manage my energy and get the important things done.
2. Paved “hiking” trails – I don’t hike in the winter or spring because of the snow and then subsequent muddy season. But we have a few pretty great paved trails nearby that go through open space or even up into the mountains a bit. Now that it’s nicer weather, I’ve been taking the dog for longer walks on these trails and it’s such a lovely way to ease back into hiking season without the mess of a muddy trail.
3. New growth on houseplants – I think I’ve talked about my dieffenbachia before and how it just keeps growing and growing and giving me baby plants. I think it has given me an unrealistic expectation of how quickly houseplants grow! Several months ago I picked up a little rubber ficus at a local store and while it’s been staying alive just fine, it hasn’t really shown any signs of growth. But just this week a new little baby leaf is starting to peek out and I’m so excited about it!
4. Costco – I’ve had a Costco membership for a couple years now and I’ve always been a fan. I used to go maybe once every 4-6 weeks to stock up on the essentials (paper towels, toilet paper, medications, etc…) I’ve recently been going more frequently. I think part of the shift is that as I get better at meal planning/prepping, buying more things in bulk makes sense because I know exactly how and when I’ll use it. Also, don’t sleep on their clothing section! I decided that I wanted to explore wearing skorts this summer and I everything I tried (Target, Athleta, Columbia) either had weird bunching of the skirt at the waist or the undershorts were too short/rode up. But then I saw skorts at Costco for like, $12 each, and bought one to try it out. Perfection! I went back to buy another color. In the past I’ve also gotten a Patagonia down jacket from Costco and cute summer dresses from Columbia. So if you have a membership but have never perused the clothing section, give it a walk through next time you’re there. You might be pleasantly surprised!
5. ZillowGoneWild on Instagram – I stumbled upon this account and now I’m obsessed. If you are someone who loves clicking through houses on Zillow and finding really wild decor, you should totally follow this account. They just repost pics from Zillow and some of the stuff is…truly indescribable. Love it.