2010 Motto: Finally!

Okay, so we're over halfway through the year, but I finally found my motto for 2010! It's about time, eh?! I've been on the hunt all year for a set of words to live by. Last year it was a quote my sister shared with me. This year, I'm keeping that quote and adding on this one:

Right when I read them (on this wonderful photography blog), I knew my 2010 motto had been found. It's okay that it's already nearly August, because they couldn't be more perfect for my life right now. I'm going to keep these words tucked in my pocket and will be striving to use them to steer my daily frame of mind.

Any particular quotes/verses/sayings resonating loudly with you as of late?

Vacation Tidbits

A few things I learned on vacation:

• Make sure the kids get enough sleep. Naps beget joy, for everyone.
• Sand will get everywhere. Just accept it and move on.
• Canopy tents are brilliant contraptions. (Thanks to my sister for lending us theirs.)
• If you see a jellyfish on the shore, don't swim. Chances are someone will get stung.
• A family vacation is wonderful bonding time. We should (and will) do it more often.
• Family vacations are not really a vacation for the mom and dad.
• I love to eat out! (Okay, I already knew that one, but it's so nice to get to a lot!)
• My daughter can put down some popcorn shrimp.
• Walking on the beach is my favorite beach activity.
• The kids favorite activity is picking out souvenirs.
• I could live at the beach.
• Coming home to a clean house makes me so very happy. (Note to self: always leave it tidy before vacating.)

It's good to be home, but I'm already looking forward to the next getaway. Not sure when or where it will be as of yet, but we'll make it happen.

Summer To Do's: Progress?

I am amazed at how our summer is speeding by! It's been so nice thus far, even though we really haven't done a whole lot. Maybe that's part of the beauty of it. That being said, we've got a lot of things left to try to get checked off of our Summer Fun List! This is what it looks like at the moment:

We're working on checking off go-to-the-beach as we speak! Yay! What do you have left to "accomplish" before fall is upon us? And it's not to late to make a to-do list... Last year we compiled ours to try to get the most out of the last weeks of summer.

Quote Cards Download: Take 3

I compiled the quotes from the past few months into a download for you. Just click on this link to open. Then print onto heavy paper or cardstock and cut out. You can use them as daily inspiration on a bulletin board, rotate them in a little business card holder or use them as card drops. (If you haven't downloaded the past two versions, here they are: quote page 1 and quote page 2. There are some other downloadable goodies, so definitely check out the button over there on the right.) Enjoy!

Words To Inspire

Seems simple...

So why must I continually have to remind myself?

Weekly Meal Plan

Alert the press: I planned our meals this week! I know, I know. This used to be my gig, but I have severely been dropping the ball so far this summer. I didn't even go to the grocery store for a week and a half straight. The hubby has been subtly dropping hints here and there about loving a good home cooked meal and wanting to eat more clean and no restaurants are really sounding very good. Okay, okay. I'll cook a proper meal (or two) this week for my love. Here's my plan, although I'm leaving the days off as to the nature of things coming up in the summertime.

pasta/green/fruit salad trio

Mexican Lasagna

black bean and cheese quesadillas

spaghetti

out to try a new burger joint!

Okay, so the last meal on there isn't home-cooked or all that "clean", but I think it'll be received well. What's on the menu at your place?

Drumroll Please...

The winner is...

Sarah from Sarah Flourish Design + Style is the lucky gal who will have a potty-trained toddler in her house in the about 3 days from now. Don't be sad if you didn't win... Just head over to 3 Day Potty Training and get yourself the e-book. It's a great deal and Lora's giving 10% of you enter "perfect" as the coupon code. Go. Seriously, it's a solid plan. Thanks to all who entered and thank you to Lora for offering this deal to PS readers!

Reality Check

Thanks to a dear friend who shared this quote with me. It's always good to do a little self-check to keep things in prospective. Perfect timing for me. Thank you Jen.

{Be sure to enter the 3-Day Potty Training giveaway. I'll announce the winner tomorrow. Things are still going quite smoothly with our little potty-trained dude... Crazy thankful over here, with a smaller grocery bill!}

Dirty Little Secret(s)

I've heard of the 7 year itch, but I think I have the 10.75 year itch. I'm just feeling unsatisfied with my home. I know that sounds so ungrateful, but I'm just feeling the need for some change/renewal in our living space. What I'm really aching for is a bit more square footage, but since that's not happening, we had a garage sale last week and moved a bunch of stuff. The whole clearing out process got my redecorating engines going... So in this time of my unrest, I'm tearing things apart. Case and point:

Repainting the family room and dining/office (with sites on the whole house)... Doesn't everyone have a wall full of paint swatches? Don't look too close or you'll also see where we took off some shutter doors between the two rooms and still need to do some patch work...

Reorganizing the garage... The garage sale earnings are earmarked for some shelving, paint, etc for this area. Here's a during picture... It always looks worse before better... Right??

Refinishing this piece of furniture. It might be ugly now, but it's quite nice in my head... And all that storage is pretty heavenly to me...

Oh, and this one too... I know I said I was d-o-n-e with my daughter's room, but I couldn't pass up on this vanity at an estate sale down the street (It was only $15!). It just needs a few coats of white paint to match the rest of the room...

Not to mention my grand plans to turn my dining room into a proper office... Dining room table anyone?

Oh, and there's that dang kitchen that wants/needs/might-never-get to be finished... Seriously, who in their right mind starts so many projects at once?! I need to stop and focus. If I do, there might just be lots of glorious "after" pictures to be shared. In the meantime, remind me to finish one project before making a new mess. My family will thank you.

Do you have any projects you are working on at the moment?

Happy 4th!

Have an awesome Independence Day weekend! Looking forward to enjoying the festivities and so thankful for this place I call home.

Oh, and my kitchen floors are hanging out over at Cassity's awesome blog. If you have some time this weekend go over to Remodelaholic to give me a shout out and definitely peruse her plethora of inspiring projects.