I wasn’t planning to write a post about this weekend’s festivities, but it was such fun to bring y’all along on Instagram Stories that I figured I’d record this little slice of everyday magic here, too! (If you’d like to catch up on Stories, you can do that in this highlight!)
For those just joining in, Friday was the premier of an Octonauts Netflix special – Octonauts and the Cave of Sac Actun. Since Netflix’s algorithm can surely tell that our family has a predilection toward Octonauts viewing, they let us know it was “coming soon” a few weeks ago. We mentioned it to June, and started talking about how we were going to watch it together as a family – a movie premier party!
Buoyed by her excitement, things quickly ballooned from there, ha! The timing lined up perfectly with the kids’ last weekend before the first day of preschool, and we figured it would be a fun way to close out this particular season of our lives (especially in a year when a lot of fun has been canceled).
So, I added two boxes of blue jello and a bag of Swedish fish to my grocery list and picked up a blue plastic tablecloth, green streamers, and shell plates at Target. (June was SO EXCITED about the blue jello that she pulled it out of our pantry to show our babysitters every day last week.)
I had already planned to take Friday off as a last summer hurrah, so June and I had plenty of time that afternoon to prep the jello, make some Octonauts place cards (after I explained to her what place cards are, she agreed that every fancy dinner party needs them), and set the table with our “kelp forest” and plenty of sea creatures.
John’s contribution? Fishza: takeout pizza cut into the shape of a fish :) We rounded it out with cut veggies and dip and “ocean water” (blueberry lemonade). After dinner by candlelight, baths, and jams, we dug into the jello back at the table (verdict: after a few hours in the fridge, the Swedish fish are more for looks than taste, ha!).
And then, of course, it was time to snuggle up and watch the main event!
Except, of course, I probably don’t need to tell you that the main event had already happened… though the movie was just fine, the real magic was in the excitement and lead-up to the big day. I’m telling you, June literally couldn’t have been more excited if we had been going to Disney World – the perfect reminder that sometimes it’s just really fun to indulge your children’s quirky interests (truly one of the best parts of parenting, I think!) and that “going big” can mean a few dollars of Target party supplies and – most importantly – a few hours of quality time with mama and daddy. It was kind of painfully adorable how the whole family setting aside time to celebrate one of her favorite activities was just thrilling to her little heart.
Friends, I hope this encourages you to indulge in some at-home, everyday magic this fall! And if you’ve ever had an experience like ours, I’d love to hear about it! :)
In a year when so much has changed, when we find ourselves doing things, thinking things, and acting in ways we couldn’t have imagined a few months ago — what a gift to return to familiar ground. The Island has always been my “still point in a turning world,” but I was perhaps never so grateful to alight to it than I was this year – beautiful, peaceful, set-apart.
Of course, not even a little remote island in Maine, reached only by boat, is immune to the coronavirus. As of this writing, it actually is free of the virus itself, but has been affected as everywhere else by stringent new rules, familiar faces missing, and the low-grade worry that attends any mixing of non-family members. Within our own cottage and family, we took a number of precautions before coming together – something we’d never given any thought to in the past.
So yes, things were different this year – but most of the things we love and treasure were the same: the beautiful forests and fields and views, the slow pace, the time to be together, the time to deepen relationships with the ones we love, the time to read :)
Longtime readers will be familiar with many of these views and faces, but it’s important to me to record them for my own memories. I hope they whisk you away for a bit of refreshment like they do for me! :)
Hard to believe these photos were taken 10 minutes apart!
Missing the napping member of the family!
Sweet Shep took a digger on the sidewalk early in the week… as my Dad says, “that’s the price you pay for an active childhood.” :)
Not every day you see a complete rainbow! So beautiful!
Those views never get old. Thank you, as always, for indulging me, friends!
Friends! You’ve accompanied me on my two-year journey of photo organization with such patience and good cheer. Your encouragement along the way, especially in the trenches of iPhone photo organization, kept me going. With thanks, I’ve finally put together the steps I took over the last few years to get my photo house in order – and today I’m sharing the first installment!
Sometimes I’ve felt a little awkward talking about this project so much – after all, it’s not like I’m solving nuclear physics over here. But the overwhelm created by having an amazing camera ever-present with no physical storage constraints, a houseful of cute kiddos, and the desire for simplicity is real.
Before I began this project, I also had no back-up solution (meaning I lived with a constant low-grade fear of losing all of my precious photos) and no good way to enjoy our favorite images. What I did have was the nagging feeling that for every photo gem captured on my camera roll, there was a surrounding sea of 18 almost-identical-but-not-quite-as-sparkling versions.
And so, slowly but surely, I waded into the mess step-by-step. Starting with this post, I’m so happy to lay out those steps for you. They’re not rocket science, but I hope they’ll make the path a little clearer and easier for you if you’re hoping to follow along behind.
Two shout-outs before we begin:
— I purchased Nancy’s photo organization digital guide a few years ago, and it was just the kick in the pants I needed to get this project underway! I diverged from her process at different points and made it my own, but I’d definitely recommend her course if you’re looking for an even more comprehensive guide than I’ll be sharing here. Note: I purchased the $29 option, which is no longer available, but you can see current options here!
— This was a long and tedious project, and without the process of breaking it down and the accountability of mini goals to check off month after month, I’m not sure I ever would have gotten to where I am now. Couldn’t have done it without you, PowerSheets! :) All of the steps below are perfect to add to your Tending List!
Let’s start with physical photo organization!
Step 1 | Gather all printed photos. First, I gathered every loose printed photo in our home and brought them together in one spot. I gathered the printed photos that were still at my parents’ home and brought them to NC. I also had several old photo albums, and except in one instance, I disassembled them and added the loose photos to the growing pile.
Step 2 | Sort printed photos into loose categories. My categories were childhood, middle school, high school, college, newlyweds, and family life. In process, this looked like big piles of photos arranged in a circle around me on the floor of our loft, ha! Nothing fancy. Though much of our history is already combined, I did not separate out my childhood photos from John’s – they’re all in one pile!
Step 3 | Cull printed photos. With the photos in loose categories, it was easier to sort through each one. I touched every photo and discarded duplicates, photos with bad lighting, and photos with events or people I no longer really cared about (harsh but true, ha!). I know this can be hard for some, and I have a few more tips for sorting through childhood itemshere. My best tip is to take the long view – will you really care about that photo in 20 years? – and to challenge yourself to keep the photos that truly bring joy and tell your story, not the ones you “think you should keep.”
Step 4 | Sort printed photos into a box or boxes. I only have a few hundred printed photos, and they all fit in one photo box at this point. They’re divided into categories by little homemade dividers – again, nothing fancy :) If you have lots of printed photos, multiple boxes might be helpful!
Step 5 | Refresh photos around home. Flipping through all of our printed photos helped me rediscover a few gems. I purchased a few new frames and added photos to our bedrooms, mantel, refrigerator, and living room gallery wall, among other spots. In some cases, these were heavy-hitters – wedding and newborn photos – but in others, they were teeny little moments, like June on the boat with her aunt or John and June laughing at our favorite pizza place.
That’s it! We’ll talk about printed photo albums in part three of this series, but in the meantime, you might find this post that touches on printed Instagram photos interesting.
I’d love to hear: do you have printed photos in your home? Are they organized? If so, how? Back with more soon! :)
As you’ll soon see, July was not the most illustrious month for my goals — BUT. But but but but but. While I did not complete many of the goals I set out to do, I did make MAJOR progress on a 2020 goal that was dead in the water up until a week ago. Drumroll, please…
YES! I MADE THOSE! While we were in Connecticut, I completed five whole ornaments from my Advent calendar kit (2020 goal no. 6!). You may remember that I opened the box early in the year, looked at the instructions, and quickly closed it back up, wildly intimidated. With some very kind encouragement from reader Carly (who is working on the same kit!) and a few tutorials from my wonderful mother-in-law, I was quickly sewing up a storm at nap times and in the evenings while on vacation. I’m still kind of in shock, but here we are! Just goes to show that goal progress doesn’t have to happen like you think it will to be really wonderful :)
On my calendar this month: — Both kids head back to preschool. I have lots of thoughts about this, obviously, but I’m excited to make it a great transition for everyone. — Otherwise, it should be a quiet month after lots of travel! Looking forward to digging into a few projects, catching up with friends, and getting back into some good rhythms.
What I’m loving right now: — I hesitated to recommend this podcast episode, because at the end of the two hours, the conversation does not tie up neatly in a bow. But if you are newer to these voices and curious about nuanced solutions to the current racial crisis, I think it’s worth a listen. Plus, these are just some really smart, interesting black intellectuals and academics to have on your radar. — We completed these DIY keychain kits on Team Cultivate in honor of our new office keys, and they were so fun! They’d make a great gift, and I love supporting another small business. — I’m not usually your girl for makeup tips, but this under eye brightener is MAGIC! Turns out it’s the key missing ingredient in my very minimal summer/COVID makeup routine. I use it in place of under eye concealer and it is perfect – brightens, doesn’t crease, doesn’t make you choose from an array of 20+ colors (I always choose wrong). Highly, highly recommend!
As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!
What I read in July: — Eligible | I picked this up while we were in Maine and it was an ideal vacation read! Funny, well-paced, and with very short chapters that made it perfect for picking up and putting back down :) The story is based on Pride & Prejudice, but because it’s been years since I read P&P, it had to stand on its own for me, and it did. — Bet on Talent | Almost done with this work-related pick from my 2020 reading list. It’s interesting (always love hearing more about CFA), but I’m not sure I’ve read anything really Earth-shattering in it yet!
Revisiting my July goals: Because I completed SO few of my July goals and many will be moving to my August list, here’s the quick update: I sold my chairs (yay!), had a walking date with my new neighbor friend (yay!), chose a song for June in June (yay!), and have part one of my photo organization guide ready to go up later this week! (YAY!)
August goals: — Begin reading Mark with John — Book our camping trip for this fall — Sort through my SCC secretary responsibilities and make an easy-to-follow yearly checklist — Watch Just Mercy with John now that I’ve finished the book — Buy a new handbag — Edit June in June, Volume 5 — Complete four more Advent ornaments — Post all three parts of my photo organization guide — Clean out downstairs craft supplies once kids go back to preschool — Do something fun with at least one friend couple — Mock up a design board for our upstairs bathroom — Ride our stationary bike Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (trying something new to get me back in a good rhythm!)
Taken all together this list looks a little intimidating, especially given the month I just had (ha), but I’m hopeful that the lack of travel and the return to routines will give me a fighting chance!
