February Feature: Jewelrymaker | Falling Whale Designs

A gal from my church makes fun Disney inspired necklaces. They remind me of these minimalist posters because it's a bit of a test on if you know the movie well enough.

 I love the creativity and nostalgia of her pieces! Here's what she says on her site: Perfect for subtly displaying your Disney side! Wear it at the office or while you are exploring the Parks. Let it accessorize you Disneybound or accent your stay-at-home outfit. Whatever you pair it with it will be sure to add a little magic to your day!

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Mary Poppins Returns

Sleeping Beauty

Moana

Robin Hood

The Little Mermaid

Zootopia

Aladdin

Beauty and the Beast

Alice in Wonderland

Peter Pan

Willy Wonka

Have you heard about this remake and this one too!

Makes me want to break out those VHS tapes,

-SJW

February Feature: Illustrator | Owen Davey

Sometimes children's books will lead me on a rabbit trail, bouncing from one author to illustrator to another author to illustrator and so on. This month Owen Davey stood out front and center with his nonfiction About Animals series. The content is informative and well-written, but his illustrations are the real selling point. Reminds me of a cross between Charley Harper and this designer I featured last year. I looked up some of Davey's other work and shared various images I liked below.

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Be on the look out for Fanatical about Frogs, released next month!

-SJW

February Features: Ceramicist | Atelier Petit

My annual February Features series is back, showcasing friends, artists, and entrepreneurs. We're kicking things off with pottery from Atelier Petit, a friend of my sister-in-law. I own two of her handmade pieces, a berry bowl and a bunchy pinch pot planter that I use at my desk to hold office supplies. I love the simplicity, colors, and shapes - each one is unique! Best of all, her prices are reasonable, perfect as a thoughtful gift.

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For plant lovers, tea drinkers, and fire starters :) 

-SJW

Life Wright Now | Winter 2019

It's been an interesting start to 2019! One of the major highways by our house was closed for three weeks, everyone's been swept up in the konmari method movement, the government shut down for far too long, and we've had a magical Seattle snowstorm this week - with more in the forecast! I've hit a good stride of weekly rhythms that include two half days in the office, a "no plans"down day, PEPS Tuesdays, and library Thursdays. Otherwise, days have been filled with walks with friends, various hangouts - over drinks, coffee, ice cream, and brunch - plus some local theater, and baby smiles :)

WATCHING | Tidying Up
I love her emphasis on gratitude and organizing things in a visually appealing way, where you can actually see everything in a drawer. I reorganized our house and storage this summer, but want to revisit our bathroom in particular - sorting things not only categorically but by frequency of use!

EATING | I went to Columbia City Bakery for the first time and fully enjoyed a slice of their Whiskey Cake with espresso glaze. Delicious! I started tackling my cooking list and enjoyed several recipes from A Couple Cooks cookbook, most noticeably, Smashed White Bean Salad Sandwiches (let me know if you want the recipe.) I also learned the important lesson that homemade granola is better than everything.

READING | A Man Called Ove
We're reading this charming novel for Book Club and I enjoyed it more than I was expecting to. It's heart-warming and touches on a variety of topics that will make for good discussion. I teared up several times - which I can't recall doing in a book in quite some time.

LISTENING | Our theme song for life with a babe has been "Try Everything" - because that's often what it takes when trying to reason with calm down NLW :) Plus it's upbeat and catchy, so that's helpful, and who doesn't want to see Shakira as a gazelle?

As long as this snowstorm doesn't interfere with my flight, I'm headed to The Woodlands this Thursday to hang out with family! It will be one year to the day when we called to let them know we were pregnant. Sweet to have it come full circle with a visit from NLW. 

Throwing snowballs,

- SJW

Three Month Triple Threat

We've made it through the infamous "fourth trimester" and have a little three-month old to show for it :) One of my friends called this the "potted plant" phase - set him down and he won't wander off - and another called it the "hot glue gun" phase - feed him from one end while he's pooping out the other!

Regardless of the names, terms, or milestones, it's been a blast. From baths to books, and bouncers to bedtime, this boy is a bundle of fun. His smiles, coos, and laughter make him a triple threat in our house and more than make up for the fussy times...because he definitely has those too!

We love you, Normanite. No matter your mood :) 

- SJW

Year of the Pig Plans

In addition to the books I want to read, the things I want to cook, and the goals I want to reach, here are some of the plans I'm tinkering with for the year:

- Cousin's wedding in San Diego (May)
- College Reunion with friends in ATX (June)
- The Queen Anne Fun Run (July)
- Balloon Fiesta trip to Albuquerque (October)
- Another trip to Hawaii since Mr. Fleece has a work conference there (November)
- Getting into a routine with NLW and going on mid-week adventures together
- Continuing our Peps Group
- Family visiting
- Game nights
- Upping my garden game
- NLW turning 1 and all the developmental milestones that come before then
- Celebrating my 30th birthday...which also happens to be my golden birthday : )

Cheers to the Year of the Pig!

- SJW

New Year's Chef-olutions

In 2019 I'd like to spend more time cooking with and for friends. Dinner parties, potlucks, plain-Jane weeknight cooking, weekend batch meals. All of it! I'm excited to dig into the world of Ina Garten and her stockpile of recipes and plan to visit Book Larder, a community cookbook store in Seattle. Here are some of the specific things on my list for this year that I've never tackled before:

- poach an egg (March, April, May)
- make Brussels sprout slaw (January)
- bake a cake from scratch (March)
- bake homemade bread
- cook with eggplant (February)
- cook with figs
- make a lentil stew (January, March)
- make stuffed bell peppers
- make tabbouleh
- make granola (January, March)

I'd also like to establish four go-to salads, eat more fish, and amp up my use of beets, cabbage, radishes, leeks, squash, artichokes, and mushrooms.

Let me know if you want to join the fun :)

- SJW