chairs in the bedroom.

I'm all about aesthetics. I like everything to look pretty and desirable and when it doesn't, I want to do something about it. However, I've become increasingly aware that less is more when it comes to home decor and that functionality is key. If I can buy one thing that serves three purposes, rather than purchasing three things to serve three purposes (or sometimes no purpose at all but to sit and look pretty) I go with the all-in-one item.

Perhaps it's a product of needing to be frugal these days, but when perusing images of perfectly put together homes, I find myself looking at their set up with new eyes. Take this bedroom, for example:

At first glance I can't help falling in love with the soothing color palette and the classic yet comfortable furniture. But then I'm immediately annoyed.

By the chairs.

And the footstool.

Now I know the designer's husband requested a place to sit, but I've never known anyone to actually make use of chairs in their bedroom* (and I mean enough use that it's worth the purchase) unless it's to watch television. They seem much more like props than objects of purpose. I think that's why I get annoyed - because many of the "design on a dime" blogs I follow (like the one this image came from) are misleading like this. People who are truly on a tight budget can't afford to furnish their bedrooms with two chairs and a footstool on top of the essentials (like a bed). Nor can they afford a $400 area rug, like the one pictured.

Don't get me wrong - the space is beautiful and I'm not trying to be critical (maybe the designers's husband uses those chairs all the time). To each, his own. But for me, it's a lesson in what's essential. One of the hardest things to do in decorating a space is to kill the "keeping up with the Joneses'" mentality, even if the Joneses took the cheaper, DIY route. I'm in the process of learning where to draw the line between what's attractive and functional versus what's attractive and completely frivolous. Of course, there's plenty of perfectly wonderful things that could fall into the latter category. Fresh flowers in a vase or pictures on the wall serve no other purpose than to look nice, but can make all the difference in brightening up a room. Which is why modeling my home around the words of William Morris is so helpful:

"Have nothing in your house you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful"

It makes room for fresh flowers without going overboard. Now, I can't claim to be guilt free of buying plenty of non-essentials for our home (case in point - the $20 pillow I bought that is not meant for head-resting, but to compliment the bench it sits on.) But that's exactly what those chairs represent for me: a reminder that I don't need to buy things that lack true function, simply to create a perfect space (the pillow was a weak moment). As the saying goes... "You can't take it with you." So I'm trying my best to keep things simple, beautiful and above all, useful.

* if you have a chair in your bedroom, feel free to prove me wrong on this point.

Cookies and Crock Pots

So the verdict is in on those "Outrageous" Chocolate Chip Cookies I made, though the jury (of one: me) is still a bit hung. A backwards analogy at best, as I think if a jury is hung then the verdict isn't in. But anyways, here's the deal: the cookies were good, but not that good (and certainly not outrageous). I wasn't blown away by the first bite which left them unworthy to be included in the recipes list. If our friend Cameron were here, he'd say "they're nothing to write home about." However, with each passing day they seemed to taste better and better, as if they knew their reputation was on the line. By Day 3 (today) there is only one cookie left*, which leads me to believe I liked them more than I'm willing to let on. We'll see how that last cookie tastes later today (or tomorrow, if I can show some self restraint).

My next culinary pursuit is to find a winning crock pot recipe. I find that slow cookers tend to lend themselves mostly to carnivores and rarely to the vegetarian (which I was for five years, before getting pregnant). While I love a good meat-laden dish just as much as the next person, just like the Hungry Caterpillar, every now and then I just want to eat a nice green leaf. The true motivation behind my search is all in the method: it's much easier, says the lazy housewife, to throw everything into a big pot and let it cook itself for 6 hours than it is to "slave" over a hot stove. But we'll commence the expedition in the name of innovative cookery, to save face.

* let's not be led astray here with assuming I ate a whole batch of cookies in less than 48 hours. To begin with, the recipe only made about 20 cookies and about 3/4 of them were consumed when I brought them to dinner at my sister's house (who has four cookie-loving children). So really, I've eaten about 4, maybe 5, cookies since. All in all, not completely shameful.

a perfect Saturday.

Tim rarely has a whole Saturday off, so I didn't want to waste the day* (see footnote) by not having a few special things planned. And nothing starts a day off better than some bacon and eggs. Am I right or am I right? Not only did we have a great breakfast, but Jack somehow managed to happily amuse himself in his crib until 9:30 which I don't think has ever happened (he normally cries for us at 8). I'll take any sleep-in opportunities I can, especially since there'll be nary a restful night once his brother arrives.

Since the weather was clear and sunny, I felt a visit to the Rainforest was in order. The logic here is off, since it's an indoor exhibit but it had the "outdoorsy" spirit to it. The admission rates were discounted, so I felt alright spending the money, and Jack's at that age now where, even though he has no idea what exactly he's looking at, if it's moving and alive he thinks it's interesting. The only unfortunate part was that right before we left (1) the baby decided to change positions and hit a nerve or (2) some bone shifting was going on, as does happen when your body is preparing to shoot out a human. Either way, it was painful to walk and the pregnant waddle was unavoidable.

The rest of the day calls for naps and relaxation and a batch of Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies (I haven't tried this recipe yet). There'll be some football-watching in there too I suppose (side note: if it were up to me, the NFL lock-out would have never lifted. Ever. Though Tim just informed me that it's college football day, so I guess it would have been unavoidable.)

This all makes for a perfect Saturday. Except for the football part (unless you're Tim.)

* In most cases, a day can easily be wasted by too many episodes of Hoarders or too many consecutive games of football. Or too many hour(s) long naps and never leaving the house (or couch).

...and here we go again.

If you've been following my tumblr page (which I intend to maintain) then you'll know the itch has returned. Not to mention I have more time and head space for these sorts of things now that I'm only working a few days a week.

The status of things (since August 22, my last post) is as follows:

• I'm 7 months pregnant, and approximately 2 months + 1 week away from delivering our second son __________ (he has a name, but I'm not ready to share it yet).
• We are about a month or so away from potentially being without medical insurance. This sentence does not fit nicely with the one above.
• That said, we are so grateful for the support we've received from family, friends and my employer. God has revealed His faithfulness through others in so many unexpected and incredible ways. It's humbling to be at the receiving end of such generosity. We're keeping the faith that our situation will improve in the coming weeks, Lord willing.
• I'm totally in nesting mode, even if my lack of a completed children's room and general failure to follow through on inspired household projects says otherwise.
• Both Tim and I are at constant war with our hair. This usually plays out on Tim's headas a shave/no shave scenario (freshly shaved, currently) and mine as a bang/growing-bangs-out fight to the death. Presently, the bangs exist but are not cooperative.
• Jack is a toddler who is discovering the power of the tantrum as well as the kiss (we covet his little shows of affection). He is loving and sensitive and determined and smart. The personality gene pool was a perfect swirl of mother and father the day he was created, it seems. Looks wise however, he's all Tim. Except for the ears, which are tiny and perfectly shaped like mine.

Here is Jack eating a black bean taco. This is monumental not only because he is trying a new food (he likes to reject most things "unknown") but also because he is using utensils as well as eating it as intended (assume taco hold). Of course, this all happened at his Nan's house, a place which generally inspires his ability to tackle new life skills.

Moving to Tumblr.

The time has come because I no longer have the time.

I'm not shutting this site down, but I won't post here regularly anymore - mostly because I fail miserably to post regularly to begin with. I also find blogspot a bit... restricting.

From this day forth, I shall be collecting snapshots of life and thought and dream here on tumblr:

http://www.birdboxink.tumblr.com/

It will be less on everyday life and more on the things of life. You can still see pictures of Jack, if that's why you visit, and you can still get a snapshot of our life from time to time. But I need a place to collect, for lack of a better word.

I hope it inspires you in some way; that's what I'm hoping it will do for me.

Lighter.

It's amazing how a good haircut can make everything seem brighter.

Ok, I don't really mean that - I'm not quite sure why the haircut I got yesterday has lifted my spirits. It's a really good haircut - I think so, anyways. Plus it was free, and free is always a nice word. But I think the more significant part of the evening was seeing Tim's aunt and uncle (who we adore) and the fact that we could hang out sans baby as well as hear about a possible job opportunity at a restaurant near where they live. We even discussed the possibility of moving out their way if Tim actually ended up getting a job there. Of course, it's all here say at the moment. But when you're job hunting, and desperately job hunting at that, any sort of lead on a source of income is a flicker hope; a light at the end of one very dark tunnel to give you the energy to keep going.

And for whatever reason, I woke up this morning feeling more optimistic about things than I have in weeks. I feel as though we're close, that something is about to break through and relieve a bit of the pressure that's been building up.

Maybe it was the haircut and the fact that I have my beloved bangs back that made my outlook rosier.

But I suspect it was sensing God making a way where there is no way. As He's been doing all along.

"Behold, I will do something new,

Now it will spring forth:

Will you not be aware of it?

I will even make a roadway in the wilderness

Rivers in the desert"

Isaiah 43:19

(note: I try not to take verses out of context and apply them to my situation to feel better. However, while I believe this verse is speaking into the coming of Christ, the idea of God carving a path before us is universal)

It's tough being a baby...

I think I update the design of this blog more than I update the blog itself.

Sorry folks - to the few of you that faithfully read this anyways!

Tonight shall be no different in my lack of real information - Jack is getting multiple teeth, he has a cold, is most likely constipated, and it all came to a head tonight while we were having dinner with a couple who we're just getting to know. I think I said, "He's not normally like this" about five times. We almost left in the middle of dinner. It was that bad.

Poor guy. Aside from Tylenol and any sort of laxative (homeopathic or otherwise) there's not much we can do for him :( Listening to your child cry in agony from physical discomfort and knowing there's nothing you can do to help has got to be one of the worst feelings ever.

I can only imagine what its like to be in Jack's tiny little body at the moment, and I'd be crying to if I were him.