3 Things I’m Enjoying This Week 4.12

Hello Sunshines.  Is it starting to feel like Spring near you?  It is finally feeling spring-like in Indy.  Weather today is sunny with low 60’s temperatures.  Perfection.

Good thing as both boys are starting spring sports.  Bring on the soccer and baseball games.  Our schedule will be full.

Last week was brutal.  Everyone was sick at this house and we are just kicking it.  So many tissues were used to combat the runny noses and watery eyes.  I’m glad we are healthier and back on track.  They only thing I was enjoying last week was naps.

You Can’t Be Serious

I’m not the best at sitting down to read a book and it’s never been my style.  Now, an audiobook I get behind.  Especially with a great narrator.  On a recent autobiography kick I came across Kel Penn’s book.  You Can’t Be Serious walks you through is childhood, college days, breaking into Hollywood, his political work, and ever so briefly touches on his dating life.

How are we still treating people like he was in the 2000’s?  Luckily he notes, it’s gotten better and newer generations are benefiting from his work.

What I enjoyed the most was Kel recounting his work with the Obama campaign and his time in the White House.  He talks about election night and all the emotions he felt when Obama won.  As someone who’s a sucker for sentimental moments, I got teary-eyed listening to it.  No, it wasn’t me being sick, but I recall that night so well.  It was historic and glad I was able to witness it.

Grab a copy or listen.  It would be a great easy read for a pool or beach.

Swanson Fabrics

We used to have these wonderful craft upcycling stores in Indy.  I loved to go in and grab something especially if I didn’t want to go all in as a hobby.  I just wanted to dabble.  Also great if I was looking for a unique fabric or trim and I wanted to keep costs low.  This is where I went for homemade holiday decor too.  I could get everything I needed at a fraction of the big store costs.  Porter’s Slimer costume was all sourced from one of these stores.

homemade slimer costume, irvington halloween festival

They have unfortunately closed their doors.

Enter TikTok.  I’m on there and have found some really great creators I had not found on Instagram.  Enter Lexi.  She is a creator that was sharing an entire series on buying fabric second hand online.  She mentioned Swason Fabrics and I went to check it out.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdQ9JTGM/

This week you can read more about Swanson Fabrics on the Craft Alliance site.  Yeah for second-hand options, yeah for online options, and yeah for promoting this.

Quiet on Social Media

I have intentionally taken a step back from posting as much on Social Media.  It has been a nice break to not feel pressure to create.  Instead, I have been quietly working away on a few things.  Look for a quilt show soon as there is a stack slowly forming in my studio.

There have been so many conversations around comparing yourself to others or that FOMO feeling from social media.  My Instagram following is curated around creators in sewing, quilting, DIY, and those that inspire me.  I want it to be a fun experience if I take the time to get on there.

At one point I thought I would pursue being a creator more and in all transparency, I just don’t think it’s my thing.  I love sharing the behind the scenes of a project.  I love talking about a project, but I don’t love that inner feeling that comes from feeling like I HAVE to.

I make and create because I love to and want to.  I share because I think it’s good for people to see that not just old ladies make quilts.

That’s mostly why I started this series on the blog.  Sharing what I found this week, what I’m loving, and maybe something that inspires me in hopes that it can inspire others.

 

 

3 Things I’m Enjoying This Week 3.28

Hello Sunshines.  The last month has been head down on work and taken a lot of time away from the things I typically enjoy.  That’s the ebbs and flows of being at a startup.

Shop Small

It is no secret that I love supporting small businesses.  One thing really irks me about others when they see a small business making something and/or their pricing.

“I can make that for less” or “I can buy it for less at X store”

Go right on ahead.  Will the item be unique?  Do you have all of the supplies to make this and make it well?  Or will it end in disaster and supplies just crowding a closet?  Are you really gonna make it?  Would it really be “cheaper”?

Not everyone appreciates a small business and just want the best price.  That’s okay.  BUT…keep the comment to yourself!  That vendor is gonna hear it tons of times that day.  You should praise their work, putting themselves out there, and the artristy they have.

Can you make that item exactly?  Probably not.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by annabailey (@annabaileyart)

 

In other words, don’t be a jerk, just move along.

Are we ready for a dog?

We are not ready for a dog yet.  We recently dog sat for my in laws.  It was wonderful having a dog in the house.  It’s a long term commitment I’m not ready for yet.

Lulu was fun.  She loved sleeping on Porter’s bed.  She could see everything happening in the neighborhood.

So, we will continue to be a family without a dog.

We are ready for Spring

We woke up on Saturday to snow.  What in the world?  Our family is ready for the warm weather that spring brings to Indiana.

Warmer weather means flowers to me.  My mom gave us a ton of seeds in 2020 for a flower garden.  With the moves we opted not to plant them.  On one of the nice days recently we freshened up the little garden bed out front.  All of those seeds were dumped into this bed.

Let’s see what grows.

We may get nothing or this could bloom into something wonderful.  Now we wait.

3 Things I’m Enjoying This Week 2.20

Well hello, sunshines.  Can you believe February has 8 days left?  That means we have a birthday coming up at our house and someone is excited.

This week’s favorites are more personal.  So let’s jump in.

My mom’s peach cobbler

Today I was visiting my parents and my mom made her peach cobbler.  I brought some home and will probably have it for breakfast.  It’s one of those things that I haven’t tried to make because I just like my moms.  So when I do have it, it feels special.

I do know her recipe just in case.

Excuse the poor lighting, I needed a picture before it was all destroyed.

We were discussing the best ways to eat the cobbler.  She likes it with ice cream.  I like it with some milk.  Similar I guess.  Is there really a wrong way to eat cobbler?

More rock climbing

Buckle up shoulders, we have more climbing in our future.  I took Porter rock climbing this week to use up the last of our Groupon deal and he loved it.  (Reach out if you’re in Indy and want the details) He did not stop and just kept going.

He had no fear.

He’s ready to go back ASAP.  Deal kid.

Closet Purge

While looking for my items to round out my spring wardrobe I decided it was necessary to evaluate what I had.  Since I have worked from home long before the pandemic, my wardrobe is really lacking.  I’ve been rocking the hobo chic look for a while because I could live in tights.

Those days are coming to an end and going back to the office occasionally is in the future.  I collected quite the bag of stuff that I’m not totally in love with.  When doing a closet purge, I let the bag sit for a few days.  If I go to look for that item in the next few days, then I still have.  However, most of these pieces, I haven’t worn in a bit.  Time to make space for something new.

Do you clean out your closet with the change of seasons?

3 Things I’m Enjoying This Week 2.13

Hello Sunshines!!  How has your week been?  I hope something amazing happened for you.  Even the little things can be amazing.

Let’s dig into my 3 things from this week.

Sport Bras

Yes, I’m bringing up bras again.  You need to get fitted because it’s a game changer.  But what about Sport Bras?  Well, they do come in your bra size.  You need to know what works the best for you and your activities.

I would love to wear one of those strappy cute ones.  They offer little support and rarely does everything stay put in those for me.  If you can wear them, amazing.

Kelly K Roberts noted that Adidas came out with 43 new sport bras.  Check out her reel and her thoughts.

Let me tell you about my recent favorite….Glamorise Wonderwire Sport Bra.  

Nothing moved in this one and it was comfortable.  Shopping for sport bras is almost worst than bra shopping.  You have to think about how you’re going to be active in that bra, if it rubs you wrong, and does it provide support.

Try lots of options and find the right one for you. I’m excited to try this new one on a long run.

Here is that resource guide I mentioned last week.

Spring Wardrobe

I have been planning the items I want to add to my spring wardrobe for this year.  The goal is to be intentional with what I’m purchasing and selecting the right thing.  Starting to look now gives me some time.

Here are my items:

  • emerald pleated skirt
  • lace sleeveless top
  • gray linen dress
  • embroidered shirt
  • black pants
  • lilac or periwinkle dress
  • something floral

I have a few items purchased from Poshmark that should be here this week.  Should I share those next week?

Indoor Rock Climbing

I haven’t climbed in a couple of years thanks to Rona.  Yesterday we decided to meet up with some friends and climb.  No regrets, but my arms and shoulders are SORE today.

Before we went, I did box in the morning.  That probably doesn’t help with the soreness.

I’m not a great climber but it was a great change of pace for a workout.  I made it up a few times and tried some more challenging stuff.  Not quite like some people that were with us.

It’s on the list to do again very soon.  Plus it’s a great way to support a local business.

 

 

3 Things I’m Enjoying This Week 2.6

We are dug out from our snowstorm this week.  The boys have been enjoying the giant mountain of snow that gets built up in our yard from the plows.  This week has been lots of time at home and reading.

I should clarify something from my post last week on Quilt Clothes.  I don’t care what you do with a quilt that is yours.  It’s become apparent to me that I truly don’t like quilted clothes.  After posting my thoughts I did some digging to learn from others.  Someone had the best comment that really hit me, “Does she walk around flea markets and cry at all the furniture that has been painted or repurposed?”

There are pieces in my home that I want to repurpose and guess what?  I can do that because I own them and it’s okay.  So do want you want with quilts, I’ll be over here side eyeing you.  Here’s to learning and changing your perspective.

Here is my list of 3 things from this week.

Concerts

Many of my favorite bands have announced upcoming shows.  Black Keys, Decemberists, and Head & The Heart.  Scott purchased Rage Against the Machine tickets for us this summer.  Bring on concerts and being outside.

 

Good Fitting Bras

If you have not been fitted recently to get your correct bra size, please do so.  It’s a game-changer.  In December I was measured for the first time in forever.  It’s inconvenient that sizing isn’t more inclusive at big retailers, but there are lots of great small businesses that would love your business to buy your bras.

We went to REI and I was interested in this sports bra, but I will need to check Brooks site to see if they have my size.

Brooks sports bra tag at REI

I will work on a list of stores for the coming weeks that you can shop from and get a better range of sizes.  There are some good tik toks that list them too.  I just need to find them again.

Duolingo

In mid-2021 I transitioned jobs to work more in linguistics.  I work with translators and get documents translated/localized into 20+ languages.  Since we are wanting to travel to Europe in the coming years, I thought it was time to learn a language.  I chose German to start learning.  My family is part German and well why not.

Over the last 88 days, I’ve been learning and practicing German.  It’s nice that it just takes 5 minutes per day.

Have you tried Duolingo before?  If so, what language are you learning?

 

 

3 Things I’m Enjoying This Week 1.30

Hello Sunshines,

We are in the middle of a cold spell in Indiana.  It was around -10 the other morning.  That’s cold.

With cold spells comes my signature hobo chic look.  Messy bun, tights or joggers, shirt, and a big boyfriend style sweater.  I complete the look with Uggs or slippers.  It’s a hot mess, but works for this season.

I’m working on a post with some goals for 2022 that I hope to have out soon.  What are your goals for 2022?

I want to be consistent with posting this year.  So, I will be sharing 3 things I enjoy in the week.  They could be anything.

Without further ado….

Traveling On

This song came up in my YouTube possible likes and they were right.  Over the course of the week, I’ve probably listened to this 40 times.

<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/2DaXgga0KXE” title=”YouTube video player” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen></iframe>

Not a Happy Family

Audiobooks are my jam.  Sitting down with a book to read, I will fall asleep.  It’s a bad habit that I don’t see myself breaking.  I found Shari Lapena thanks to a recommendation.  You should check out her Not A Happy Family if you like true crime.  It’s a story with an interesting plot twist.

Mary Fons

The quilt coat trend isn’t new and I haven’t publicly picked a side.  You guys, I hate quilt coats.  You just spent all this time on your quilt and now it’s a jacket.  Well Mary Fons has a few thoughts and digs deeper.

I didn’t realize designers were buying antique coats to “upcycle” them.  This seems very wrong and I’m glad someone is speaking up.

You can find the post here.

Thanks for reading and come back next week for this week’s favorites.