Revisiting Resolutions

Since we’ve just about reached mid year, I thought I’d take a look back at some of the goals I set for myself this year and see how I’m doing on accomplishing them. Here’s the list I shared with you way back in January:

• Start exercising regularly (hello muffin top, it’s time you find someone else’s midsection to cling to)
• Reopen my jewelry shop (for real this time!)
• Style a photoshoot
• Organize more fundraising/volunteer work (because honestly, nothing feels better than knowing you’ve helped someone when they’re down)
• Go on a vacation (my husband and I have never been on a vacation together (!). I want to pack up the kids and do something fun for a couple of days–even if we don’t even cross state lines!)
• Finish the projects I start (I’m talking to you, to-do list!)

. . . . . .

OK, so I haven’t tackled many of these (which probably automatically  means I’m not doing so good on that last one, huh?).

I absolutely have not exercised regularly. Or much at all, to be honest. Maybe oogling some pretty workout clothes will fix that?

1 Old Navy :: 2 Athleta :: 3 Old Navy :: 4 Athleta :: 5 Puma

I have not reopened my jewelry shop, although I did make a few pieces for our Bijou shoot, which ignited a little bit of a flame under my butt. I even discussed photo sessions with my fab business partner and photographer friend. Still, I have not made a single new piece for said photo session. I did make these headpieces though!

photos by Jackie Pfeffer

Pretty much the only thing I did do on this list is styling photo shoots. We had a few for Bijou that  I haven’t shared photos from yet. Here are two screenshots from pages in the first issue:

I haven’t organized any fundraising/volunteer work, but that is definitely staying on my list. I’ll have to brainstorm this weekend.

The vacation thing needs some more brainstorming too. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I’m hoping to have that ticked off my list by the end of July!

How have you done with your resolutions?

PS I finally launched a FACEBOOK PAGE! Come on over and like me!

My Week(s) Through Instagram

I’ve been a little absent the last few weeks, but with good reason. My partner Jackie and I have (literally) been working night and day to finish the first issue of  our bridal magazine, Bijou. We’ve gotten an absolutely incredible outpouring of positivity since its release. We’re so grateful for all of the support from friends and family (and absolute strangers!). It has been truly amazing.

Here’s a little look at what I’ve been up to while we were finishing things up.

At the beginning of our most labor intensive week (we had FOUR shoots that week, including an all-day extravaganza) I sprained my ankle. I wish there was a fantastic story behind it, but the truth is that I’m completely uncoordinated.

I was rushing out of the house, trying to get my girls to story hour on time and I fell down my front steps (seriously). I was holding the baby at the time, so I was twisting and trying to make sure she wouldn’t hit her head on the concrete and voila!: ankle sprain.

I always add in the baby part when telling the story but honestly I’m such a klutz I could just as easily have done it without a baby on my hip.

I’ve been doing a lot of working while Ellie crawls all over the place exploring what new things she can reach and get into. She has discovered that she likes climbing into small spaces. While I was taking a super quick shower the other morning, I corralled her in my room. Halfway through the shower she started yelling “Maaamaaaaa!” I jumped out to find her stuck in a Rubbermaid box that was on the floor. She thought it was hysterical.

This picture here is one of her favorite new spaces: underneath the TV in our bedroom.

Samantha (who is anti photo lately) is a Daisy this year. She absolutely looooves Girl Scouts! Here she is outside of a local supermarket collecting donations for a local food pantry. She’s been learning about the community in school so she was beyond excited when she connected the dots and realized that she was doing something to help her community. She’s such a sweetie.

Until recently, Samantha has completely refused to feed her sister. We always thought she’d love to because she’s so maternal, but her sensitive sense of smell and extreme pickiness when it comes to food has sent her running from the room more often than not when she sees what her sister is eating.

The other day Sam got really excited when she saw Ellie was about to have some yogurt. She decided she absolutely had to feed her sister. They both loved it. Sam was so patient and started making airplane noises and everything. I love watching these two together.

I made a few of the accessories for our photo shoots. With so much else going on, it was always at the last possible minute. This is my mess of supplies while I tried to make headpieces the morning of our fashion shoot. Good thing I work well under pressure!

Ellie has some molars coming in and has been a little cranky lately so when I have to bring her along to meetings, we’ve been trying just about anything to make her happy while we work. This is a shot of her wearing one of the Click Pictures photo booth props. In the end, she was happiest holding my keys and a water bottle, pretending she was leaving while staring out the studio door at the passersby.

Last but not least, we had a play date this weekend with our buddies. We were seriously a traveling circus. My friend Meg and I took our kids (my two and her three) to the diner for brunch and then to a delicious ice cream place that has a nice little area overlooking the river where the kids could run around like wild things. They had lots of fun digging in the dirt and pretending to climb trees. They also got to watch a couple of dogs jump into the water for a swim and giggled like crazy when the dogs came back out and got them all wet. This picture is of the babies checking each other out while the big kids played hide and seek. Can’t wait until these two can really play together!

What did you do this week?