ten thoughts on a wednesday |19|

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one.
this post is a little break from all the faroe islands photos i want to share! (i still have two more faroese posts planned … sheesh i still can’t get over that place.) but today i just wanted to share these two pictures that my brother took with his drone of the airbnb we stayed at during our first night on the islands. aren’t they so, so cool? i’ve added them to my post about our time on vagar island, but also wanted to show them off here! eli is working on compiling all the drone footage he got and i can’t wait to see what he creates.

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two.
general conference is here – hooray! last sunday i got to gather with all the sisters in our congregation to watch the general women’s session (which actually happened on saturday, but because of the time difference, the live broadcast was in the middle of the night for us here across the pond!). the messages were inspiring and uplifting, and got me pumped up for the four more sessions of general conference happening this coming weekend. anyone on planet earth can watch these worldwide meetings via the internet, and genuinely, you might want to check it out. even if you are just a little bit curious about mormonism, or just want to consume a good pick-me-up ted-talk-type message or two. i love general conference – for lots of reasons.

three.
after spending a week in europe, my parents came back to london for a few days before heading home to the usa (they were also here for a couple days before their time in europe). all three of us (ian, moses and myself) had, as always, an awesome time with grammie and grandfather around. some highlights were:
another daddy-daughter afternoon of biking the parks in brilliant autumn weather
a delightful brunch at fortnum & mason
sitting/laying on the bed (since moses was napping in the living room) sharing stories of recent adventures
enjoying stimulating dinner conversation one night with our dear family friends amy & rob
and a double date to see the musical annie (we bought cheap-o nosebleed tickets but somehow got upgraded to the fourth row!).
i was really bad about taking pictures, but stole a few from my parents’ phones…

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^^ trying on grandfather’s new shoes (that he found in a cool shop in covent garden) ^^
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^^ an evening at the theatre … love seeing shows with these two show-lovers. ^^
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^^ grandfather brought a gift from hamley’s toy store to moses at brunch. i wish we would have caught mo’s “caught with gleeful surprise” face when he first saw this stuffed horse. he immedately gave it kisses :) ^^

four.
my sisters and mom and i have the most epic email thread going. inspired by a podcast last october, my sister saydi challenged us each to write just three lines each night – just describing life and experiences and thoughts from that day lived on earth – and email them to each other. over time, we’ve all gotten behind and lumped our lines from several days into the same email, and some of us have adapted the idea into just a general update every week or so. regardless, the thread (which we’ve had to break up by month) has been really awesome for many reasons. it’s a great, quick life-chronicaling technique, a fantastic way to stay up to date on each other’s lives and try to support each other from afar (we live so far apart from each other!) and a therapeutic act of simple journaling.
i was thrilled when ian told me he wanted to start the same ritual with his dad and brothers, and i was surprised when may of them took the bait and started sending three lines in response to ian’s! ian is really diligent about writing his lines every night and i just like that both of us have this concise little record of our life going.

five.
moses is a bonefide walker! this has been such a fun phase to watch him grow into and through. moses loves to hold my hand and is always reaching for it, which melts my heart.

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six.
i hate shopping for clothes. truly, i despise it. i loathe it! i am in dire need of some new clothes (i’m sooo sick of what i have, much of which is super worn out). i love having new clothes, but i just hate the process of searching, trying on, weighing costs, regretting or wishing or returning – ugh. i’m trying to figure out a way to update my wardrobe without drudgery or stress. who has tips for me?! ;)

seven.
our flat search has really heated up lately, and it is e x h a u s t i n g. the past few days i have been running between flat viewings and then furiously sending videos and impressions to ian at work. sometimes, in the london rental world, if you really like a place you have to decide to make an offer on it within hours … and it’s so hard to decide if you should settle or keep looking or up your budget or ditch some preferences or try for something better etc. etc. i’m confident we will find just the right place when the time is right – but i hope that’s soon! sooo many pros and cons to juggle. can’t wait for it to be over :)

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eight.
moses has transitioned from two naps to one nap, and i’m really digging our new schedule. now, i try to leave the flat with ian most mornings before 9am (whereas before, mo was just getting ready for his first nap around then). getting out and about first thing has really done wonders for my well-being and my productivity.

nine.
last weekend we became annual pass holders to the london zoo! pretty exciting. moses is obsessed with animals of all kinds and he was completely mesmerized/transfixed during his first visit to a zoo. i’m excited to bring him back lots of times over the next year.

ten.
i’m getting quite sad about leaving our flat – our tiny london home – soon. these 450 square feet are sacred ground to us now. where we started our life in london, where we brought home our baby, where we’ve learned and grown and laughed and cried. i love this space. when we first moved in, i thought there were things about it that were really less than ideal, but now i think it’s perfect. i’m trying to keep that perspective change in mind as we are looking for our next little london home :)

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happy wednesday! life is beautiful!

Comments

  1. I would love to know where you bought that blue couch!! It's exactly what I've been looking for!!

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  2. Have you ever heard of "Stitch Fix" as a way to find new clothing? I've been interested in it for a while, but have yet to try it. I think it is essentially a subscription service where you get sent a box of clothing based on your preferences (you can even link to Pinterest clothing boards to give your assigned stylist some inspiration) and you get to choose what to keep and what to return. I've seen some darling clothes picks sent out from that service! Seems like a good possibility for someone who wants/needs new clothing, but doesn't enjoy the shopping process. Also good for a busy mom!

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    1. I have actually bought 2 items from Stitch Fix and have loved them. They were a brand I knew (Coldwater Creek) so I knew they would fit. One had never been worn. For a dressy blouse and a dress and postage, I was out $31!!

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    2. i have heard great things about stitch fix and totally want to do it! but i am pretty sure they only deliver to the usa :(

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  3. What a beautiful boy your Mo is! Enjoy! One consolidated afternoon nap will change your life for the better, I'm sure. Hope he sleeps for a good couple of hours so you get time to rest, read, etc.

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    1. usually it is furiously getting things done without a little darling friend holding onto my legs or getting into everything :)

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  4. I think if you stay to pretty classical style clothing you will be able to wear it for the long haul and interchange the styles too but I always shop the sales and often times companies give back to their frequent shoppers like Talbots for example. Here are some of my favorite clothing companies; Lands End, Talbots, Anne Taylor, and Boden which is actually a UK company.

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  5. I hear you on the clothes shopping thing. I'm eagerly awaiting anyone else's tips, but in general, I just order my clothes online, and buy t-shirts at target. Once you find a favorite online store you get to know your size there pretty well and can shop without having to cart the little ones around. I like jane.com and piperandscoot, but i have no idea if they ship internationally. I've also found some amazing things on amazon. Moses is darling. He's at one of the best and sweetest ages. My littlest is 9 months and I just love how much more they start interacting and playing and being generally excited about life.

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    1. i am thinking about doing a lot more online shopping but it really intimidates me! i need to just go for it :)

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  6. Would you mind sharing what podcast inspired the three lines a day?

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    1. it was a podcast on poetry, i will have to dig it up/ask my sister because i can't remember exactly what it was!

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  7. I LOVE Stitch Fix. I've been using it for years, as I feel similarly to you. Give it a try!

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    1. i wish i could! maybe there is some kind of uk equivalent...

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  8. So fun to see! That child is astonishing AND so much fun! Thanks for taking such good care of us Great memories! As much as I love Moses, I have to say the best part was being with you! You are just incredible! LOVE

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  9. As for the clothes, I don't like to shop either, but I have been able to make MUCH better purchases the last few years of things that I really, really like using a simple rule--dynamite.

    When you buy something, it has to meet these 3 criteria. 1) fits exactly how you like it the day you buy it. If it wrinkles a little where you don't want it to, or bunches up, or if you need to lose that extra pound... Nope. Can't buy it.
    2) it must add to your wardrobe. If you have 5 black shirts, you don't need another black shirt... You get the idea. 3) it has to be DYNAMITE! Meaning, you absolutely 100% have to love it. If you don't LOVE it, don't buy it. Even if it's a good deal, even if you mostly like it. Don't buy it!

    I end up buying a lot less, but I really do like everything in my closet. Plus, it helps me put cost into perspective. If I find a blouse for $50 (which for my budget is a lot) but I really love it and I know I'll wear it, it's worth it to me.

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    1. this is my philosophy too. but i still hate the process of finding the dynamite pieces!

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  10. I have four kids of my own... so I probably shouldn't say this. But your Moses is, hands down, the most beautiful child I have ever seen. He is just adorable and handsome and cute and precious, and all the words that describe beauty.

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    1. i can't tell you how much ian and i loved this comment ;)

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  11. Islington! We lived on Highbury Corner for six years and loved everything about it. We liked it so much, we squeezed into a furnished two bedroom flat with three children for as long as we could bear it... If you're in the area again, take a walk around Highbury Fields and stop at the Oasis Cafe by the tennis courts. It's only a shack on the lawn, but they've got tons of big plastic ride on toys that toddlers love and you could never ever keep in a London flat. Dora

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