Catching Up

I'm back after a little bit of  a blogging break. I've been trying to treasure the moments of summer, so that means less screen time at night for blogging or reading blogs. In the evenings after work I've been taking walks with Sweet P in the stroller and enjoying time on our patio (photos to come) when it's not too hot, humid and buggy to be sitting outside. What else has been happening around here?

Track Time
Grammie and Pop-Pop, Sweet P, and I went to Saratoga to play the ponies! Actually, we all came home winners because we didn't bet a single race! P's head was spinning with all of the things to look at-- food and drink vendors, people, bands, betting booths. She didn't quite get the concept of watching the horses at first, but it wasn't long before she was pointing and smiling as they paraded by on their way to and from the paddocks.

Get Crafty
We stopped at the Markets at Round Lake last weekend.  Set in a Victorian village, the Market featured indie crafts, artisinal foods and a huge used and rare book sale to benefit the village library.

I picked up some coconut lime verbena soap from Wind Song Acres that smells absolutely heavenly. The citrus is bright and awakens the senses first thing in the morning, and the coconut makes me feel like I'm on a tropical escape. 

I pinned some pretty shaped soaps and molds with DIY links earlier this summer/last spring with the intention of giving soap making a try...But after reading about saponification, I decided it's one more time and labor intensive hobby that is best to remain on the "someday-but-not-today" list of things to do.

Wahttamelon

Sweet P turns one in a week! I've been busy planning her birthday bash, and I was pretty excited about the watermelon theme I selected. Perfect for summer and so many cute decorations... 

Yep, I did a practice run trying to re-create this cake...and promptly called to order Sweet P a cake from our favorite bakery. #bakemeacakeasfastasyoucan

Then I saw this Notorious BIG one year old party. I don't usually feel like my momming doesn't measure up, but this is crazy creative...

Balance? 

                                               

After spending nearly a year trying to achieve "balance," I'm starting to accept that it's a moving target. I finally got around to reading Lean In and have spent a lot of time considering what having it all means to me. Finding balance and identifying what makes me the happiest and best version of me has forced me to look at the why behind many of my actions and beliefs. 

The Science Behind Yoga

Watch: As if you didn't already know the benefits of yoga... This made me realize I need to make time to get back to my practice.