Works in Progress

Posted on 30 April 2013 by jenniestevens

Only a few more weeks before Frederick gets here, and there’s still a lot to be done. I’ve been hoping that I’d get bitten by the nesting bug, but I can’t really justify waiting around much longer. So slowly but surely, I’ve been making my way through my to-do list. Though…remind me again why I thought the 3rd trimester would be a great time to get several DIY furniture projects even though I’ve never done anything like it before? I’m just that awesome, I guess. So intermixed with all the hypnobirthing, practicing surge breathing, and reading up on breastfeeding, I’m also learning about sandpaper grits, low-VOC paint, and sealants. There’s also decorating the nursery, installing the car seat, and finding somewhere to put all. those. books. I could keep going, but then my blog would just look like my to-do list.

All in all though, things are going very well. We have a healthy baby who is putting on the pounds (yeah, it’s definitely him…), and once he gets here, he won’t care if his DIY tree branch drapes are up or if we’ve finished staining the nightstand; he’ll just want to eat and be loved. And we can definitely do that. And let’s be honest, he’s the most important work in progress of all.

Just Let It Be

Posted on 22 April 2013 by jenniestevens

About a week ago, my sister-in-law and I were watching her children play in their living room. The 3-year-old put the 1-year-old in a plastic bin and started pushing her around the coffee table to the delight of both. My sister-in-law mentioned that whenever she sees her kids playing, she instantly thinks about what could make it better. “We could get some of those cars so they can push each other in them.” Or when they play with dolls, “Wouldn’t it be great if they had a proper doll crib?”

But then she said something that was totally awesome: “I have to remind myself that they don’t really need that stuff. They have great imaginations. I have to just let them be.”

Kids are so resourceful and imaginative that they can turn one simple thing (like a plastic bin) into a myriad of different things (like a car or a baby crib). If we were to buy both of those things individually, then the child can only use them for that one thing. In Simplicity Parenting, the author calls these “fixed” toys, because they have a single purpose.

This is even more true in the adult world. So many of the things we buy only have one purpose. But you don’t need a banana slicer if you have a knife (though you should totally read the Amazon reviews, because they are hilarious). You don’t need 50 different facial masks if you have a good bar of soap. And you don’t need 500 single-use toys if you let your child use their imagination.

This boils down to the heart of simplicity: don’t buy into the hype of more. Find the few things that work for you, and get rid of the rest. Whenever I find myself “lacking” because I don’t have some convenience or another, I need to remind myself that I’m honestly fine with what I have. I just need to let it be.

Simply Life: Snapshots

Posted on 10 April 2013 by jenniestevens

I don’t want to say much; I just want to share some recent photos with you. We’ve been doing a lot of living: Easter egg hunts, spending time with family, spending time with each other, celebrating with friends, saying goodbye to friends. My life feels very full. Here are some snapshots from the last few weeks.

Forced Simplicity

Posted on 6 April 2013 by jenniestevens

Last night was interesting. We got home from running errands to find our power was off. Turns out, there was an electrical pole fire just up the street, and our whole area was without power for the night. I’m not the biggest fan of power outages (probably because I’m terrified of the dark), and it didn’t help that soon our phones and computer died. We didn’t even have a way to check the time, until we remembered the alarm clock buried in a box in our bedroom.

However, we made the best of it. We got out the candles and talked most of the night. It was peaceful, sitting in the candlelight, with the window open to the cool night air. We got ready for bed by candlelight—my genius husband making a candlestick out of a mug—and the power came on sometime during the night.

After getting over my initial it’s-probably-the-zombie-apocalypse fear, I gave a lot of thought to simplicity, something that hasn’t been on my mind as much as it should. Normally, like now, night finds me staring at a computer screen, unable to look away. But sitting in the dark, knowing I couldn’t turn on a machine even if I wanted to, reminded me that I shouldn’t always want to!

Sometimes silence is the best thing you can do for yourself. I wish I didn’t need to be forced to remember that, but hopefully, I’ll remember it better from now on.

Also, random apartment update. Remember this:Well, now it looks like this:So much better, right!? I love having things up on my wall. And I have big plans for that cabinet, too.

Preparing for Baby

Posted on 22 March 2013 by jenniestevens

This has been an interesting month—settling in to a new apartment, adjusting to a new schedule, and preparing for a baby that is seeming more imminent by the day. I’m officially in the third trimester and things are moving so quickly.

I’ve needed a lot of reminders to remain focused on simplicity. Between the boxes that still litter the apartment and what feels like near constant shopping for baby things, it’s hard to remember that my life isn’t about stuff. But as I mine through registry lists and etsy shops, I force myself to remember how little babies actually need—a place to sleep, food to eat (which, if you’re breastfeeding, is free), a carseat, and clothes to wear (mostly diapers). Everything else is extra.

Don’t get me wrong, the extra is nice. There are plenty of extras that would be a pain to live without. However, I think too often we convince ourselves that convenience equals necessity, and that just isn’t true. I’m absolutely, positively guilty of this, but I’m trying to be better at reminding myself of what is essential and what is convenient, and most importantly, what is the middle ground between the two.

I’m not planning on having a stark nursery and an empty diaper bag. I don’t need extravagance, but I also don’t need deprivation. So I’ve got a lot of plans for a beautiful, frugal, and simple nursery. Once it’s finished, which will hopefully be within the next 10 weeks (since that’s all the time I have left. Yikes!), I’ll post after pictures. For now, here are some before pictures:We still need to get some shelves for our large collection of books, get rid of that entertainment center and the lovely 7-foot pink tree, set up the crib and rocking chair, paint the pink chair, put up all the decorations, etc, etc. The list goes on for a while. But it’s coming together and I’m not stressed. Frederick will love us whether or not he has a Pinterest-worthy nursery.

In the meantime, we’ve got to do something about this:My logic is if I show you this now, you’ll be that much more impressed when everything is clean. That’s how it works, right?

Anyway, all the temporal details aside, there is a lot that goes into adding another person into our lives. We’re taking it one day at a time, which is really all you can do. A baby is a big adjustment, but it’s also a huge blessing—one that we are eagerly looking forward to.

What best helped you prepare for a baby?

Around the Town: Trolley Square

Posted on 1 March 2013 by jenniestevens

I’m still very much in love with Salt Lake City, and I especially love that we’ve moved to a new area to explore. Last weekend, we decided to go on a little walk to what I foresee becoming one of my new favorite haunts: Trolley Square.It has some great shops including a Whole Foods, Pottery Barn, several independent stores, and my favorite, Sam Wellers, now Weller Book Works. I’m going to have a great time this summer mining through their selection with baby Frederick strapped to my chest. Sleeping baby in a sling, perhaps a nice cold lemonade, surrounded by thousands of cheap used books? Sounds like heaven!

Most of the stores in Trolley Square are vastly out of our price range, but sometimes it’s so fun to look! There is a great specialty store that mainly sells expensive pens and stationary, and (though I got in trouble for snapping photos) I got a few pictures of some of their fancy merchandise.I can’t forget to mention the delicious salt water taffy, for which Salt Lake is famous. The store was closed, unfortunately, as we went by, but I was able to get a snapshot of the taffy puller.The ambiance of Trolley Square is especially interesting because it was originally a train depot. All of the original architecture and brick is intact, and it’s just a beautiful place to be.And, to top it all off, I got a great picture of Travis (with his eyes open and everything)!If you’re in the Salt Lake area, I would definitely recommend checking out Trolley Square. You won’t regret it!