Layered Living: styling, meal planning, + painting

Hello friends! Welcome to my weekly update of all the things happening over here. It’s been a hot one. And by hot, I mean weather. Ugh, the one time the Farmer’s Almanac prediction was right for the season. Are we done yet with this heat? Cause I am.

Anyway, let’s get rolling with what exciting things happened here this week that can hopefully inspire you…

This week marks the 43rd anniversary of the first time I laid eyes on my hubby, meaning ‘the day we met’. It was the evening before my brother’s wedding, and I was the last one to arrive home.

I was welcomed with hugs from the family, and then I turned, and there he was. It wasn’t “love at first site” as much as it felt like “oh, there you are”. My soul knew.

He was a friend of my brother’s and was to be the groomsmen match to my bridesmaid duties in the wedding party. We were married four months later. That was almost 43 years ago.

It’s weird to think of how quickly we made that decision, sort of terrifying actually. Obvi, it was the right one, but I am pretty sure there have been times that I have obsessed about a wallpaper choice longer. What actually makes anything we do “the right decision”?

I have seen some funny memes on Instagram that say, “Trust my gut? You mean the one that can’t even handle milk?” hahaha. But seriously, how can we ever know the things that we say “we love now” will last? Referring more to wallpaper or home decor rather than spouses.

For me, the key is to stay true to YOU. Buy what you really love, rather than what is ‘on trend’. Choose the colors that look good to YOUR EYE, not what anyone else has. Of course, we often see something, and then WE KNOW what it is we want. YES! That’s it!

I heard many moons ago that ‘jealousy’ might help you pinpoint what you want in your life. When I first heard that, I thought “what a terrible way to look at it”. And since I tend to not be a jealous person at all, it seemed like useless advice. However, I have thought about that many times over. What if you can tweak it to how your brain works, and ask:

• what is really speaking to me? (the ol’ gut telling ya something)
• what do you feel passionate about?
• what do I know I really need in my life?
• what brings MEANING to me and allows me to live better?
• how do I want to FEEL in my home/in my life/in my head?
• what can bring me peace? (in any aspect of your living)

All these questions answered can help us really know what we want to do next. Obvi, action is required, and REACTION needs to be thoughtful. But I feel like whatever we are seeking, and even if we are NOT seeking, the right things could come to us when we least expect it.

They certainly did to me, that August day. And I am still grateful (but can you please put your laundry away?)

Styling

My favorite part of any project is when you get to the styling part. You know, all the tools have been put away, paint brushes are washed, and the stuff you shoved in the corner while doing your project can come back out. That’s when it feels good.

The little guest bathroom is almost complete after the cabinet redo and the mirror enhancement. When you have a small space, the little details make a difference.

One of the things I changed in my makeover was the lighting. Not sure why someone ever hung lighting in the mirror?? It was that way in our primary bathroom too before I changed it. Using the same method, which means I left the existing mirror and covered it with shiplap via construction glue. Like, why you gotta have mirror to the ceiling line? Who is that tall to see all the way up there?

Meal Planning

Why is being an adult always about having to plan the next meal? Especially when you live with other people. How many times have you heard, “what’s for dinner”? Frankly, I frequently ask myself that too.

When we are up north at the cottage, the minute I get there, I do the meal plan. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, for all the days that we are there with a crowd. Make my grocery list, go to the store once, and then come home and enjoy everyone and the time on the lake for days.

Why don’t I do that at home? Good question. But the truth is, I don’t. Probably because it’s just us, and half the time, we’ll just go out.

But those aren’t always the BEST decisions, as much as the CONVENIENT ones. So now I finally decided to focus on making better meal choices for everyday. I’m basically Santa, cause I’m making a list and checking it twice.

This is what my meal plan sample sheet looks like:

If you’d like to meal plan too, you can download this FREE printable here. Go ahead and put it on the refrigerator after, so no one has to ask you “what’s for dinner?”.

Painting

I painted a small bench for the guest bathroom that I had been hoarding in my warehouse for some time. I’m normally a neat painter, so I popped it right up on the work table in my home studio and painted it, using the Bungalow 47 Furniture Paint.

I let it dry over the weekend, since we headed up north.

Coming back to it, I used a sanding block to sand the surface and the edges. I like to have a bit of a soft, worn edge. Have you ever painted using a mineral based paint like ours? It’s very forgiving and easy to do.

If you have something you have been wanting to paint, stop procrastinating! YOU CAN DO IT! It’s time to make it what you want!

Okay, back to our new word of the month, REPLENISH.

Replenish means to “fill something up again”. If it once was full, got depleted, it now needs to be filled once more. This could apply in many so ways for us. Not only mentally, spiritually, physically, or literally (as in tangible items) there are many reasons we feel the need to replenish something in our lives.

• Is most of your sanity gone after a long, hot summer with everyone in the house? What activities do you need to replenish yourself? Take a walk? Schedule a massage?
• Is it time to order your favorite mascara, or moisturizer, before you run out?
• Is it time to stop by the local library, and check out a few books? Getting lost in a story for a few days might help replenish your imagination.
• When was the last time to dove into an activity to feed your soul? Listened to a symphony? Read the Bible? Find what centers you, what allows you to be calm, and then go there.

Make a small plan, and do a few things this week to REPLENISH you! You deserve it.

Until next week

Thanks for spending some time with me this week. Drop a comment below and tell me how things are going for you. What has been worthy of your time lately?