A New Bed for Izzy and A Lot of Reading

Was it just me or did the weekend zoom past???? Happy Monday, everyone!

This weekend we sent the kids off to a play-date and together, my husband and I, put together an IKEA loft bed for Isabella.

It’s funny how the smallest changes make the biggest difference. We changed out her bed (one half of a bunk bed that could be built separate from each other or kept as one piece), and put in a loft bed. Izzy doesn’t play with a ton of toys anymore. She has her favourites and they fit in a couple small bins. Her real passion is writing, drawing and crafting. Her current space had a tiny square table in the corner, acting as a craft area, and a bed taking up most of her rectangular room. She would take the craft stuff off and put it on the floor to craft with, then get frustrated because she had nowhere to store her half finished treasures. Cleaning her room was a nightmare. When I designed her room, almost 3 years ago or longer, I designed it for a little girl who loved playing imaginary games with stuffed animals, dolls and plastic animals. Now, she wants a space to create that can be left untouched while she waits for a chance to finish her inspired pieces or pen-pal letters. I wanted to give that to her.

A sale at IKEA seemed like the perfect time to buy her loft bed and surprise her. It is a very early birthday present for her, and she is okay with that. We built it on Saturday and it gave her a bunk bed to sleep on (“like a wild cat in a tree”, she says) and a HUGE desk underneath to write letters and make little treasures. I used her existing furniture underneath the desk to store her craft things and colouring books. All of Saturday was taken up by redesigning her living space, as well as giving Hunter the bunk bed back. He also got her tiny blue side table to create on, and, for now at least, it is the perfect size for him (especially since 90% of what he likes to do is just sit and cut up paper). Josh and I were exhausted, but the kids completely pleased. Izzy has a place for everything, Hunter’s room is more cozy and we are all happier for it. I feel that we have accepted it is going to take awhile to get a house down-payment and to pay down our debts, so we are nesting. Really settling here. Our rented space feels more and more like OUR home, even if it isn’t technically ours to own. I was even inspired to do more work on my upper balcony garden space. I will have a salad garden and a bunch of flowers. Bring it on, summer. We are nearly ready!

 

Sunday zoomed by in a blur. I slept in, we ate and the kids hung out in their rooms. I sewed a little and did a few house fix up things. The kids went to a local park to play catch with Daddy while I did some creative writing and some painting. It was a good day- sunny and partially lazy and pretty wonderful. I feel as if I made headway on my little story I am writing for my own enjoyment, and maybe soon I will figure out an ending so I can move on to the next creative project. Maybe the kid’s book I want to finish for my kids(going on two years planning it on and off, maybe it will never be realized)- Izzy will have to illustrate it for me if I ever finish it!!

Books

I started reading a couple of new books.

I just finished Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Other Stories by Truman Capote. Wow. His talent is shimmery, glittering, perfect. I am in awe of that man. First I have actually read by him ( I know, I am ashamed of myself too), and I was blown away- and be aware that my expectations were extremely high to begin with. On the same caliber as his short stories in this anthology: On The Road by Jack Kerouac, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, White Oleander by Janet Fitch, Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas by Tom Robbins, and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. They all make me extremely inspired to write…but also make me feel extremely intimidated to attempt writing. Just incredible talent. I could think of more but I will stop there for today. Haha.

It’s hard to follow the wonderful, crisp, vivid storytelling in that novel, but I am finished reading those stories and have moved on to reading “The Girl on The Train” by Paula Hawkins (my daytime read) and “The Signature of All Things” by Elizabeth Gilbert (my bedtime read). So far, I am really enjoying both novels, but I haven’t read very far in either one. I am also reading Wally Lamb’s newest, “We Are Water”, but it is on my Kobo so it is my bath time or traveling book. So far it is classic Lamb and I am loving that one as well. I will write a full review once I am finished reading, if you are interested.

cute panda on tree

 

 

 

 

 

A busy week ahead, so this week should zoom by. I feel like I am always frantically busy lately but not getting ahead of my to-do list. I feel like a Buster Keaton movie; a haphazard chain of events punctuated by “don’t shake that”or “don’t lick that” (sentences I aim at my son frequently, lately). Any other moms feel this way at the end of every school year? Everything is wrapping up and I feel like I should be wrapped up too – in a straight-jacket in a nice comfy padded room. HAHAHAHA. I am so funny. The end of the school year zooms towards us, regardless, and I can’t wait for sunny summer days of gardening, star gazing, biking,  and movie watching. Mondays are always such a good time to dream. I hope you are having a great day and have a wonderful week ahead.

x

 

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