Reflections On Renew

Snapshots Into My Life

What I am seeing through my lens this week - NYC Edition.

Last week I traveled to NYC for work. Instead of working from home like I normally do, I was flying for my Monday morning commute. Unfortunately, my commute was not smooth sailing - delayed flights, missed connections, luggage at the wrong airport. It was quite the trip.

I participated in 2 days of department meetings outside of the office. The building where they took place was across from Radio City Music Hall.

Since there were several out-of-towners, we walked through Times Square to get to dinner. And I walked by the studios of my beloved GMA.

This was the view from my co-worker's hotel room. My view wasn't as nice. I literally looked right into the office building next door.

On Friday morning, I walked to the 911 Memorial. It is quite unimaginable to think what happened in that space. Quite sobering.

Friday's commute home was much smoother. My flights were on time and my luggage arrived at the right airport. I was very excited to get home and sleep in my own bed!

Reflections on Renew

Snapshots Into My Life

What I am seeing through my lens this week.

I forgot to add this picture last week. My mom graciously brought me a Shorty's chopped salad and soup. I LOVE this salad! It was a good way to end the week.

It was really cold last week. Thankfully, the temps have started to rise a bit. It isn't a good sign when 20 degrees feels warm.

I am proud Ohio State Buckeyes fan! This was a fun little treat to have during the game. True confession - I couldn't stay awake to see the whole thing.

Yes, that is an entire stick of butter on my pot roast. You must try this Mississippi Pot Roast! It is so yummy and super easy!

I went to the gym 3 times this week - twice bright and early in the morning. It has been good to start getting active!

One Mess At A Time - The Pantry

I wish I had a before picture of my pantry. It was a disaster. To be honest, I thought my little pantry was not nearly enough space for the things that I had. It is about 18 inches wide, but it is really deep. The depth was making it quite easy for things to disappear into the back, never to be seen again.

So, like any good organization project, the first step is clearing everything out. In mind, I had already designated this top area to be my extra stock of whatever is in the below section.

This is the main section of the pantry. It is a decent size, but not huge by any means.

The top row became "can goods central". Everything is lined up and I can see what I have. Whatever extra that didn't fit, went up to the top cabinet.

Nice and high and out of the way. A good place for things that I might not need right away.

The farther I got into my project, the more space I had. It is amazing what happens when you throw things out and put things away in an orderly fashion.

One thing I was desperately needing was a place to put my onions and potatoes. They were hanging out on the counter and were really starting to annoy me. On a shopping to trip to Costco, I came across these nice baskets. I didn't think I was going to have space to stack them, but I had enough clearance. But they also fit nicely if I wasn't able to stack them. I was so happy about this find.

This project ended up being bigger than I had originally thought because I rearranged some other cabinets to better organize my kitchen. That included my baking center, which gained some more space. I will share that soon.

Reflections on Renew

Snapshots Into My Life

What I am seeing through my lens this week.

We had some significant snowfall this week, so it was my first time shoveling my driveway. I even got to experience it twice! :)

I will try to get more veggies into my diet, but I am not very good about it. I do like putting them in my sandwiches - spinach, carrots and cucumber.

With the snow came frigid temps. This is a sign that I desperately need new windows. Ice was creeping up my bedroom windows.

These two....Luna really wanted Libby to get up and play, but Libby just wasn't having it.

Slow and Steady

Have you made a resolution to be healthy? I make that resolution almost every year, and nothing ever happens. I always have good intentions, but intentions don't help me lose weight.

I am taking a different approach to being healthy this year. I am focusing on small areas that will (hopefully) lead to bigger changes. This week, I am focusing on sleep and water.

I like to go to bed early and I can usually get right out of bed and start moving. But the last few months, I have been going to bed later, which means that I am more tired when I wake up, but I still stay up late and then i am more tired the next day. It was a vicious cycle. So this week to help balance my sleep out, I have been trying to have lights out at 10. It hasn't worked out this way every night, but I am making an effort. I have also stopped using my iPad at 9, which I think helps wind me down after the day. I have been waking up more refreshed, so this is definitely a habit I want to keep working at.

I like water. I can drink it just as it is without any issue. I have not been drinking enough of it. Instead of buying individual water bottles, I bought gallon jugs. Then I can fill up my own glass or water bottle. I have noticed that I am drinking a lot more water, which is better for my health all around. Yesterday, I started adding a few drops of lemon essential oil into my water. It is a nice little addition!

Next week, I want to start going to the gym. I have been paying for a membership for almost a year. I think it is time to start using it. :)

Have you made any health resolutions?

Feathering My Nest 2015

A new year and so many projects I want to complete. I have been making mental notes about what I would like to do in my house this year. Some projects are bigger than others and some cost more money than others.

I would really like to make the entry way a little prettier. I even wrote about this area back in October.  I have found a few tables that are the perfect size, but I haven't found one that I just have to have. So the search continues.

Growing up, my parents always had a picture wall. Now with the help of Pinterest, picture walls themselves have become a piece of art. This is the future home of my picture wall. It is in the hallway that leads to my kitchen, so it is one that I pass all the time. We had family pictures done in December, so I have plenty to choose from. But it is another project I want to check off my list.

It isn't just the picture wall that I want to complete, I have one thing hanging in my house. One thing. I have a lot of walls to fill. This spot is in my family room and I want to use some pictures that my dad took to fill this space.

I love these built-ins, but they are looking pretty bare at the moment. They need a little love to look more put together.

My dining room table and chairs came from an estate sale. One of the chairs is in really bad shape, so they need to be recovered. I know exactly what fabric I want, which is half the battle. But like most projects, it is a matter of time and money.

My upstairs bathroom has a bright future even without a major renovation. My cousin is coming in a few weeks and is hopefully going to paint my vanity. I am super excited about this. I need to get the peeling wallpaper down and paint, but this bathroom can be a keeper for a long time to come. I am even thinking about a new countertop. This would really put some life into this small space.

I know these aren't the only things that I want checked off my list, but they are some of the major ones. I am looking forward to accomplishing a lot to make my house feel more like home. Do you have lots of home updates planned?

Reflections On Renew

Snapshots Into My Life

What I am seeing through my lens this week.

Oh, how I love this girl! My mom and I drove up to spend some time with my brother and his family for Christmas. And we got to spend lots of quality time with my niece. She is so much fun!

On the way back, we stopped at Mars Cheese Castle. Not only do they have tons of cheese, but they have a bakery. I may have gotten a kringle. Yum!

For Christmas, I got some puzzles. They have been fun to work on. I finished 2 100-piece puzzles. Now I am working on a 300-piece one. It a relaxing way to finish the day.

No more Christmas decorations. While I was sad to see the festiveness go, I was happy to have my house back in order. Now on to the cleaning!

Welcome 2015

Happy New Year!!

Last year, I will still pretty new to the blogging world and not really aware of blogging trends. I noticed that many bloggers picked a word that helped to set the tone for the year. I tried thinking of a word, but since I didn't have time to reflect, I was coming up short.

This year was a little different. I have had time to reflect on what I want this year to look like or feel like for me. I realized toward the end of the year how I was constantly looking toward the next thing. At the end of the summer, I was looking ahead toward fall. When the weather turned cold, I was looking toward Christmas. Before December, I was already waiting for January. And before I knew it, all those things I had been looking toward were gone.

I was there for it all, but I didn't take the time to slow down and enjoy the season I was in. So this year, I want to BREATHE. Life moves way to fast to not take advantage of the present moment. It will be a learning process, but one I am looking forward to tackling.

I hope you take the time to enjoy your moments.

Have a happy new year!