June Garden

Summer is flying by and my garden is starting to produce some lovely things!  I figured it was time for a peek at what I'm growing this year and what's proving to be successful so far.


The strawberries I planted last year have quadrupled in size.  I'm guessing in the next year or two I'll have an entire box of strawberries.  I went ahead and bought netting to keep the birds from nibbling our berries and that's been successful.  The ants (or whatever else) I have under the netting are still getting their fill of ripe strawberries, though.  Boo.

I have 5 tomato plants that have lots of green guys but haven't quite ripened yet.  I am excited for them... it's almost salsa season!

The brussels sprouts came back this year but I'm not holding my breath on those.  I ended up with very tall stalks and baby brussels last year, but nothing ever really happened past that.  We'll see how this season goes.

My squash has blossoms like crazy and I've planted more flowers and a bee balm plant near them, so hopefully I will actually get some squash this year.  I tried hand pollination last year but I'm hoping the bees and wind will go ahead and do that job for me!


My cilantro, rhubarb, and peas are doing great!  I planted onions and a green bean bush (?) for the first time, so we'll see how those do.  My peppers are flowering but I'm still waiting on buds.

Anywho, this is the first exciting stage of the year for me when it comes to gardening.  Most fruits and veggies are either green or flowering, and I get to sit by and see what works and what I will need to change next year.  Also, if you know of any other ways to utilize rhubarb besides pie, please let me know.  I have no idea how else to use it but have a TON!

Kittens!

Mooni had her kittens a few weeks ago, so I thought I'd give a proper update on how it's going. Firstly, this is all new to us.  I have spent many hours Googling info about teeny tiny kittens because I really didn't know the first thing about them.  So far, their mama does all the work and we get to play with little mewing babies.  The kittens can't go to the bathroom on their own yet, so we'll see how having 9 cats in the house goes here in a couple of weeks when we start litter box training them.  It makes me kind of anxious to think about, so right now I'm just pushing that out of my mind.  😉


It really has been so fun to have them around so far.  Having a bad day?  Go in and see the kittens and see how you feel.  Having a great day?  Go in and see the kittens and see how you feel.

The girls are smitten with our one stripy baby, but I've gotten attached to a fluffy black one with white toes.  Moonstone will be going in to get spayed as soon as the vet says she's ready.  That's another thing I've learned-- females can get pregnant SO YOUNG.

Anyway, if you want to see them in action you can follow my IG stories.  I try to post an update everyday.  Happy Wednesday, friends!

Weekly Wears: Confidence, Girl

(photos by Elise Abigail Photography)

I went through a period this winter/early spring where I just kinda lost my confidence.  I was over analyzing EVERYTHING and felt insecure about decisions I was making.  That typically happens for me when I'm having a creative block.  (My therapist keeps reminding me that my creativity, or lack thereof, does not define who I am as a person, but that's a post for a different day.)  I've posted many times about letting go of self-inflicted pressure and allowing self-forgiveness, but I'm also no stranger to allowing myself to feel overwhelmed or down.  Those are the ups and downs of life, I suppose. Anyway, I'm happy to report that I'm making my way back to self love and understanding.  Oh yeah, and that confidence is returning!  Hooray for that.

Dress: F21;  Socks: Tabbisocks;  Choker: DIY on ABM;  Shoes: Seychelles;  Purse: Bali Elf;  Hair pom: keychain turned hair accessory

I guess that was a bit of word vomit, but hey-- whatever.  I don't think there's anything wrong with talking about where you are at any given point.  We all struggle and if you're there right now, I feel you, friend.  Go easy on yourself.  💛

Poesy's Bedroom Makeover

So, after probably too many IG spoilers, I'm ready to share Poesy's bedroom makeover.  I listed my reasons for redoing her bedroom a few times in the year and a half that we've lived here in the "Before" post.  My biggest reasons were organization and opening her room up a little more.  Also, now that she's reading, I wanted to set up a space to encourage lots and lots of that!

  Poesy is so different than Hope was when she was this age.  Hope would just hole herself up in her room for hours reading book after book.  Poesy is a lot less motivated in that area, so a comfy-cozy swing to curl up in was high on my list.
Poesy has the smallest room in the house, so I opened it up a bit more with a loft bed.  Poe's super into art and math right now (!!!), so a clean art desk and a dry-erase wall were perfect additions under the bed.


The dresser and shelf stayed in the same places, but I freshened up the look with a this lovely rug from Rugs USA and new curtains from Target.  I love that the curtains are blackout curtains so we have complete privacy at night.  (And hopefully encourage her to sleep in a little more!)


(photos by Janae Hardy except a few of the fuzzier ones by me)

I truly love her peaceful new space!  Whenever I need a change of scenery, I plop myself down in her swing and decompress.  I already asked if I could move in with her but she told me it was only okay if we took turns between sleeping in the bed and the swing.

We're only two weeks in, but she's cleaning up after herself like a champ!  As far as extra storage goes, the bookcase you see on the right in the picture above has nine cubbies of storage for all of her little play sets.  Is it just me or do toys keep getting smaller and smaller?  Removing some things from her room and giving her enough storage has made a huge difference in her motivation to tidy her space and take pride in it... which was absolutely the goal!

Anyway, thanks for taking a peep at Poesy's new big-girl bedroom.  She is madly in love with it and so am I!  You can see the different variations of this room here, here, and here.

Sources:
Bed: Wayfair;  Rug: c/o Rugs USA;  Dresser, bookshelf, chandelier, and teal shelf: thrifted;  Hanging chair: Wayfair;  Curtains: Target;  Dry Erase contact roll: Amazon;  Pink furry throw: Amazon; Unicorn lamp: Target

5 Tips For Hosting Your Own Craft Night

I started hosting craft night about a year and a half ago, and it's still one of my favorite things to do with friends.  I know it can feel daunting at first to think about hosting your own gathering-- what to do, who to invite, etc... so I thought I'd share a little bit of what I've learned to help make it the most productive and fun it can be!

1. Choose a simple craft.  Instead of diving head first into something complicated, start simple and build from there.  You may be super crafty, but I guarantee that not all of your friends will be on the same level.

2. Find a teacher.  If you want to teach, go for it.  I only teach about once every 4-5 craft nights.  If you're already hosting, there is no need to take on everything yourself.  Utilize your friends' talents and share this responsibility.

3. Buy extra supplies and encourage others to do the same.  We're all busy and sometimes there isn't time to get to the store before your crafty destination.  Always try to have extra supplies on hand.  People will show up regardless, so why not throw out a helping hand? 

4. If space is limited, keep it small.  You don't need a giant conference room to host a craft night.  Make it work with the space you have.  If you want to invite more people than you have room for, rotate your guest lists week-by-week so you can include as many people as you'd like.

5. Don't stress, friend.  So what if your house isn't spotless or the craft you planned isn't quite what you thought it would be?  The point of the gathering is to ENJOY your company and do something collectively.  Take a deep breath and let go of that pressure.  We're in it for the fun.

Some other things for you to think about, but aren't absolutely necessary:

*Snacks!  Have everyone pitch in and help out with snacks and drinks.  It shouldn't cost you a fortune to host a craft night.  Also, it's nice to make sure you have options for your veggie and vegan friends.
*If you're a group who likes wine (we are!), make sure you also have options for friends who may not drink or may be pregnant.
*If you're doing a more in-depth project, printing out instructions for everyone can be most helpful.  That way, if a project doesn't get finished, everyone has the tools to complete it on their own.

I hope these tips were helpful and will encourage you to build a craft group in your area.  It really is such a wonderful time spent bonding with kindred spirits.  If you have any other questions, feel free to leave them in the comments and I will get back to you!  xo.

(photos by myself and Janae Hardy)