Sunday, March 24, 2013

kitchen purge.

What items do you find totally essential to your kitchen?  I'm starting the kitchen purge, but can't decide if I'll ever use the hand-me-down paella pan or the cute asparagus serving plate.  We have yet to use either in the two years we've had them.  So do we think that someday I'll be a fancy cook and use these things?  How many pots does one really need?  Cookie sheets?  Baking pans?  Cutting boards?  The list goes on...

Any advice on "kitchen essentials" would be awesome!

And here are some Instagram pictures for those of you under a rock that have not discovered the awesomeness of Instagram!  You can follow me @thecaos

Happy Sunday!


















Friday, March 15, 2013

i don't tell him enough.

i love that you are passionate and commit 110% to every project you take on.

i love that, usually when you're not even trying, you are hilarious.  like, pee-my-pants funny.

i love how you talk to my parents.  (sidenote:  NEVER date a guy that doesn't even TRY to have conversations or engage your folks.  i don't care how you personally feel about your parents, your boyfriend/husband/lover should work hard for their respect).

i want to thank you for your commitment to eating healthfully, staying fit and taking care of your body.  and flossing!  it didn't hit me until recently how important this is, and will be, for the rest of our lives together.

i love how you are constantly dreaming up creative projects for our family.  before you, i never sent my little brother music videos for his birthday or recorded songs for my dad....or made an annual holiday video :)  your creativity is contagious.

i love your patience with me, my forgetfulness and my anger.  usually, you know i'm wrong way before i do, but never use it as an opportunity to degrade or belittle me.

thank you for taking your responsibility of dishes and recycling seriously.  i hate that shit.

i think you are possibly the best dad on the planet.  i knew you would be.  that's why i married you and not ryan gosling.













Tuesday, March 12, 2013

purge. day two.

wow.  we have so much stuff.  what a great way to make me feel incredibly blessed and incredibly excessive at once!  here are some pics from the great purge: day two.

so many books...

 shoes, books, bags and belts!

 ...she's so good at entertaining herself while mama cleans

look at all that stuff!!!

Monday, March 11, 2013

high fashion and sand castles.

 blue steel.
 diggin'.
 "does this yellow measuring tape go with my ensemble?"
 hi!
 showin' mama the sand.
pretty, happy baby.


The great purge - day two - is under way.  Cleaning out shoes, belts, bags and books today (pictures to come)!  Took a short break to post these pics of Beetle from the weekend.  It was my birthday on Saturday (!!!!) and we had some unusually nice weather, so we spent the morning reading books with the windows open and the afternoon in Inwood Hill Park, playing in the sand.  It was a pretty low-key and lovely birthday, if I do say so myself.  Thanks to everyone who called and sent messages and posted on the Facebook :)  I love you all so!

Happy Monday.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

purge. day one.

Well, here is what I'm getting rid of from one - yes, one - dresser. 


I still have so much to go through, but I'm feeling great about where this is heading!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

spring cleaning.








Every few months I go through Lua's clothes and pack into storage all of the tiny clothes that my big girl can no longer squeeze her butt into ;)  This time, she decided she wanted to "help" and started to  go through all the drawers and baskets in the house!  After about 30 minutes of trying on hats, throwing around pots and pans and trying on every pair of mama's jeans (and quite a bit of laughing), our small one-bedroom apartment could've easily passed on an episode of Hoarders (maybe not, but we were well on our way!). 

It was incredibly eye opening, as I really have never drug out ALL of our stuff and took a good look at it.  And we have a lot of stuff.  Too much stuff.  I should tell you now that I've been reading this blog.  Not only is this woman a great writer (in my opinion), but she and her man are living a life that I so admire.  For its simplicity, pragmatism and, of course, its proximity to chickens (and cows and donkeys and dogs and cats and sheeeeeep).  It reminds me that a simpler life is possible.  That you don't need 8 pairs of shoes to really live.  That you can actually survive with one or two good pots.

See, New York City has had far too much of an influence in some ways.  It is far too easy to get swept up in this fast-paced, fashion-based life of THINGS.  I'm sure it gets like this most everywhere if you let it, but in the city it is just magnified.

Buy this.  Eat here.  These are the cool utensils.  Look at this shop!  It's selling cheap/cool/fashionable shirts for 10 dollars. You know?  And it's not like I'm surrounded by people that are totally into farming and bee-keeping and simple living, right? 

I've been saying to myself since I moved here:  Just wait.  Someday, you'll move out of the city and your life (Sophie's life) can begin.  Well, that all changed as I was re-packing the hall closet yesterday - trying to stealthily remove my hand and slam the door before the golf clubs and vacuum and random tube that-I-still-have-no-idea-what-it-goes-to flew out at me.  I decided to not wait.  I'm going to be 30 in a couple days and I'm tired of waiting.  I also kind of (stupidly) realized that I'm the only one who was asking me to wait.  I CAN live the life I had imagined...just re-imagined with a different background.

So, I'm going to spend the next few months purging.  If it is not a necessity, it will be sold/donated/recycled/thrown away.  I'll keep you updated on my journey because I'm already asking myself, "what do I do with, like, footballs? and Christmas ornaments? and tire pumps? and serving plates?" and wondering what, oh what, is my husband going to think of all this?