How’s It All Going? A Letter From Me, From Home… And All The Small House Projects I’m Tackling Right Now

How are you guys doing? On Friday we left LA, drove up to the mountain house in the pouring rain to self-quarantine. We stopped at a store on the way in to grab last provisions and it was fully stocked, with no more people than usual. I asked the clerk if they were busier and she said, “not really, people up here are survivalists anyway so they have what they need already”. I guess the other store in the area was busier but I just found that comforting (and a good lesson). My team is working from home, and boy am I so incredibly grateful that this is even an option.

So over the weekend, I did everything I could to block out the general panic and just tried to enjoy my time with my family (another thing I am lucky/grateful for). I organized with the kids, did a ton of scrapbooking and cooking, but now it’s kinda all settling in now. We have to halt all design projects (except any at my house – but up here there is so little to do) and a lot of partnerships that were confirmed are now up in the air. Traffic is down which I get because who cares about the right size rug during times like these. So we are figuring out how to proceed, and asking ourselves what do we want to read about on a lifestyle blog that is uplifting and sparks creativity and joy, while we are all at home feeling like we are (worried, anxious, cabin-fever-y and maybe even lonely).

Brian is homeschooling the kids (today, at least, we will likely take turns or do it together) and the kids are thankfully psyched. We are working out our system and if we come up with anything genius I’ll post about it. Meanwhile, I’m just staring at the laptop, at our numbers, and at our future with a “what should we do” question all over my face. Small businesses will be so hurt, I’m not alone, and sadly it’s not the right time to design and produce a “support your local lifestyle blogger” bumper sticker since people shouldn’t be driving anyway.

But I can’t keep still in between writing sessions so I have some projects I can tackle on my own. First – as you well know I love a scrapbook but I don’t think you understand how bad I am at it. My scrapbook philosophy – wow, that was quite possibly the dorkiest thing I’ve ever written – is this: DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT. You see when I first started doing these I would get overwhelmed with my perfectionism, knowing that the scrapbook could be so much better if next to their first Disney ticket was a polaroid of them at Disney and a brochure of whatever Disney event was going on that night. I wanted things in chronological order – ultrasound next to maternity photo next to birth next to the printed out birth plan, etc., but you will NEVER get it done (unless you are a real scrapbooker) if you try to make them perfect. It doesn’t matter. It’s more about keeping what makes us happy and preserving in a place that they can look at when they are older. THAT’S IT.

I also let the kids do it with me and if you think I’m bad at scrapbooking, I can tell you that they are TERRIBLE. But doing it with them and involving them in the process brings me more joy than almost anything in the world. They love to relive things with a lot of “mama remember this!!!!!” shouts. Just do it, make them ugly – it doesn’t matter. It’s time-consuming regardless, so not being careful about it will speed it up drastically.

If you really want to know my favorite scrapbooks I’ll tell you (that should probably be in my tinder profile, right?) I like this one and this one because I like a “sleeve” that can house open cards, packets, or bulky things. Half of the fun of scrapbooking is the act of doing it, the other half is interacting with it later. I think when it’s all perfectly placed on a sticky page and immovable you don’t get to really dive into the tactile experience which I think is great for your memory. Just flipping pages isn’t nearly as fun as pulling things out and looking at them.

I’m also going to dye that quilt I made when I was little. I bought all the supplies a few weeks ago (highly recommended from a professional) and have been waiting for a day with the kids to do it – and BOY DO WE HAVE DAYS WITH THE KIDS. I made it when I was 8 or 9, and I LOVE the energy it has but would love to incorporate it into the design of literally any room. Once it’s a pretty blue I think it will do the trick and actually be appreciated. Stay tuned for the post on that.

I’m also going to either paint or dye this insane lampshade – I think that when styled right this lady can look edgy and cool and weird.

Brian and I are going to be creating content together which is kinda fun. He went back to LA to grab our camera and gear along with more stuff for me to DIY. We may even build a deck for our future hot tub up here in the next few weeks. As much as I’m nervous about everything, which I am, I’m just trying to focus on these kids, that man, and how lucky we are to be with them right now with a ton of trees around us. I’m normally so good at seeing the positive (sometimes only seeing the positive and driving everyone nuts) and creating activities and projects that are really fun for the whole family. But this has been more challenging, which for me is frustrating but I guess understandable.

But I know I can do it. I need to stick to what I know and love – styling, DIY, cardio and soup. You bet I have a sewing machine ordered and it’s on its way. My kids have no idea how much quilting they are about to be forced into…

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