Category: Blogging

Today I’m linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy and a bunch of other bloggers, sharing a list of things that are saving my life right now. Winter in Wisconsin is long, bitter cold, and pretty dreary. When I heard about this link up challenge earlier in the week I knew I definitely wanted to participate with my own list.

So in no particular order,  here are all the random little things that are saving my life right now!

1. My Cozy Reading Corner

As you can tell from a huge portion of my instagram pictures, I’m obsessed with this beautiful space in my house. I selfishly created it entirely for myself. It’s the one nook of the house that is almost always clean and tidy. It’s welcoming, it’s comfortable, it’s decorated in my favorite colors with lots of candles and twinkle lights. It’s my favorite place to read and chill out when I need some self care.

2. My Space Heater

It’s been COLD this winter. And it costs a lot to truly heat an old house. And we were without a working furnace for two and a half days in subzero temps a few weeks ago. My space heater that I literally carry with me from room to room has been a lifesaver!

3. Books

Books are the love of my life. 🙂 I love to actually read, obviously. But I also love to read ABOUT books. I love Tuesdays when I can check out all the newly released books. I love listening to podcasts about books. I love going to bookstores and just browsing through them. I love collecting the huge amount of book emails I get, saving them for a day when I know I need a break from life and can just hunt through each email, adding more and more books to my To Be Read lists. Books are the best.

4. Annie

She’s about the best companion a girl could ask for! I love having her present with me all day long. It warms my heart when I realize she’s in the same room as me about 99% of the time. She’s not super needy, she’s not super cuddly, but she wants to be near me at all times and it makes me happy. It’s because of her that I also spend WAY more time outside and enjoying fresh air more than I ever have before.

5. Nap Time

I’m only slightly ashamed to admit that I take a nap probably six out of seven days a week. To be fair, I usually wake up around 4:30 and often start working at 5am. By noon my brain is pretty much shot. I thought that becoming a coffee drinker would eliminate this problem, but I still find myself pretty tired. By evening when I need to be my best self for my family, I’m often a nightmare to live with. So I’m starting to view my naps as a blessing and essential part of my life if I want to be happy and whole. My cats LOVE their daily cuddle time with me and it forces me to actually take a break from everything every afternoon.

6. Bullet Journaling

I promise not to become one of those insane bullet journalers that only want to talk about bullet journaling. But it’s so exciting to me to finally find a system that legitimately works for me. I’ve tried so many planners over the years, trying to find some sort of balance between paper and digital. Bullet journaling has become my answer. It’s also become an awesome little creative outlet that I spend 5-10 minutes working on every morning and night. It’s given me a way to journal again, without spending too much time on it and hurting my hand. It’s also given me an excuse to buy stickers for the first time in 25 years. 🙂

7. Chapstick, Lip Balms, and More

I’ve been obsessed with chapsticks for as long as I can remember. I’m ALWAYS on the lookout for new brands and flavors. I seriously check out the lip balm section of every store I go into, always. I have seven different kinds on my computer desk right now. I have five different kinds on my writing desk. I have two in my purse. I have an entire drawer full in my bedroom. They’re useful and effective, but they’re also a fun little splurge of beauty goodness  that rarely costs more than a few dollars. I couldn’t live without them.

8. Weekly Date Night

We’re very fortunate that our kids have all their grandparents living within 20 minutes of us. Greg’s parents take the boys for an evening almost every single week. More often than not, Greg and I just stay home, eat together, and then split to do our own things or watch tv together. It’s usually not terribly exciting, but it’s something I count on and look forward to every week. A night to make something for dinner that I know nobody is going to complain about. A night to actually talk to Greg and not be interrupted a million times. And sometimes an actual date out of the house on a weekday for no reason at all. It’s fantastic and something that I know not many people are fortunate enough to have.

9. Podcasts

Podcasts make every mundane task SO much more bearable. Laundry, cooking, dishes, showers, walking, long drives, sitting at the sewing machine. I had no idea what I was missing out on until I joined the podcasting world a year and a half ago. Now I really don’t know what I’d do without that form of entertainment.

10. Self Care

I am all about the self care movement right now. I firmly believe that if I take better care of myself I am going to be much more equipped to take care of those around me. I love looking at self care from a mental perspective, but in the last few weeks I’ve been experimenting with some physical things too. 30 straight days of yoga, new skincare routines, an evening bath, etc. It’s FUN to take care of yourself. And it’s not selfish or self indulgent. It’s essential and completely worthwhile.

11. Chipotle Bowls

So once a week I have a big errand day in Madison. I try to do all of my out of town shopping in one day so I’m not wasting time multiple times a week. But going to store after store takes a lot of time and energy. I’m usually STARVING and fell into the habit of getting fast food that I’d scarf down on my drive home every week. But then I discovered just how good Chipotle Bowls are (versus hard shell tacos, which I’ve always gotten in the past, but clearly do not travel well!). I’m not sure I could argue a bowl from Chipotle is any healthier than fast food, but it feels like it is! It also teaches me a little discipline to shop as quickly as possible (sticking to my list!!) and then wait until I actually get home and put groceries away before I can sit down and truly enjoy and appreciate a well earned lunch.

I’d love to hear what’s saving your life right now!

My mind has been a total mess lately. I constantly feel filled to the brim with words and emotions that are desperate to get out. Instead they are trapped inside making me feel crazy and overwhelmed and oftentimes very alone. I’ve been mulling over the idea of getting back into blogging for about a month now. It seemed an easy decision to make, but I couldn’t get around the logistics. The Everyday Crumbs was a big part of my creative process in years past, but with such a big gap since my last post perhaps it made more sense to start anew? In the end, urgency won over the mild desire to start with a fresh page. I need to write. And it seems like such a waste to just let go of all my previous posts on here. It’s a lot of my history, a lot of my struggles and joys as a young mom. I want to hold on to that, and leave it up here in case anybody else can learn something from the battles I’ve fought. Or maybe just look at all the pictures of my adorable kids. ☺

A Reintroduction

With that being said, I feel like I should reintroduce myself. Who I am now versus who I was a few years ago. So, my name is Amy. ☺I turned 32 last month, a birthday that didn’t really phase me the way 30 and 31 did. I’m good with getting slightly older. I’m married to Greg. We celebrated our 10th anniversary this past May with a cross country trip to Charleston. We’ll be celebrating 17 years as a couple this January! We have two kids that keep us constantly, shall we say…challenged. Caden turned 8 in September and is in second grade. He’s a very active kid, a good big brother, a total homebody, and he loves video games and reading. It’s been a joy watching him grow in recent years, but we still have many, many struggles. More on that another day! Shepard is 5 and in kindergarten. He continues to light up our lives and give our rather serious little family a lot of much needed laughter. But he can also be the absolute most stubborn little person in the world. Shepard loves to do just about everything, especially when he can jump in and help with projects the people around him are working on. We also have two kitties, Jack and Rory, who have been part of our family for 11 years now.

This fall has begun a weird and hard to define chapter in my life. I’m still a “stay at home mom,” though both of my kids are in school full time. I have a business sewing primitive dolls, bears, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I’ve been doing this for over three years and have been anxiously waiting to start working on it full time once the boys were in school. The past few months have showed me that working at home full time is a lot more challenging than I ever expected! I’m easily distracted and can never stop thinking about everything else that needs to be done around the house. But I’m working on it! I love what I do and that I found this creative passion that allows me to continue to stay home for when my kids need me, but still bring in a little extra money.

My other hobbies and interests include reading, baking, walking, listening to podcasts, and setting up our house. We bought our first house in six years this past May and it’s been amazing living in a permanent location that I can decorate and rearrange to perfection. I love, love, LOVE to read. I read in all my spare time and whenever I allow myself a break from cleaning and sewing. Baking has always been a source of immense joy, though I try to keep it to a minimum because while everybody enjoys a good treat, their waistlines don’t and they’re not afraid to tell me that! And finally my newest obsessions – walking and podcasts, always simultaneously. Since moving into town I’ve been taking 2-5 mile walks almost every day and I absolutely love it. And podcasts have opened up this whole new world of information and entertainment that I seriously cannot get enough of. I listen to them all day long and it’s awesome. 

I’m hoping this blog will turn into the creative outlet I really need to clear my mind, get my head on a page, and move forward with my life in a positive direction. I want to continue to share pictures from my family life and celebrations throughout the year. I also want to write in greater depth the things I struggle with on a regular basis. I’d like to occasionally post about awesome recipes I find. And I’d love to share more about my sewing, the books I’ve been reading, and the best podcasts I’ve been listening to. I have a lot to say and not a lot of opportunity to say things out loud. Even if nobody reads this, at least it’s out of my head and that’s all that matters. Enjoy!