The Non-Event (Day 2)

What was predicted to be a rainy Sunday turned out to be a glorious Non-Event day.  With temps climbing to near 90 degrees, we decided our main outing would be spent beating the heat at a community pool.  And thanks to our new near-downtown Charlottesville location, the watering hole just around the corner is pretty fantastic.

So here is the documentation of the last 24 hours of our Non-Event weekend:

Saturday Night: Over cold drinks on the patio at Red Pump, my gal pal and I lingered for almost three hours.  I love gabbing with a good girlfriend, and this one is on my favorites list.

 

Sunday Morning: Graham got up early to make pancakes for the crew and then our "characters" entertained us for a while until it was time to go to church.

 Sunday Afternoon: After a solid nap, we ventured to Onesty Family Aquatic Center for a final August day of fun in the sun.  After two solid hours of splash time, we came home tired and happy.  

Sunday evening: To celebrate our Non-Event weekend, Maddox and I found a recipe for a delicious banana cake.  Turns out, today also marks one month in our new home.  Seems like both are good reasons for a celebratory cake!  (As if there needed to be one anyway).  Can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

The Non-Event (Day 1)

For weeks now, my family has been talking about what we would like to do on Labor Day weekend.  We have dreamed of grand plans, walks on the beach, visits with cousins, and glorious sunset photo opps.  But in the busyness of the move, my new job, and start of school, procrastination got the better of me and we never solidified those plans.  We were disappointed.  We thought the kids would be upset.  We felt guilty for not having a Labor Day "event".  But somewhere between the squeals of excitement upon treating the kids to fro yo last night and the quiet and not-so-quiet playtime that followed at home, Graham and I began to realize that the Labor Day Non-Event could be just as special.  So for the next three days, the camera is at the ready for me to document what exactly a non-event looks like in the Crouch house.  Somehow I don't think anyone is going to feel slighted.

Friday night: The men enjoyed a wrestling match in the office while Maddox pulled out her American Girl dolls for Harper and allowed her to play with them for the first time. 

 

 

Saturday morning:  While Graham and the twins grabbed doughnuts, Maddox crawled into bed with me for a few more winks of sleep.  Then it was up for our traditional Saturday morning treat.

Saturday Afternoon: We left around 11 for Natural Bridge, VA where we got to walk under a phenomenon that Thomas Jefferson called, "the most sublime of nature's works".  The kids enjoyed the hike and the Native American demonstrations within the park.

Tonight, Graham is whipping up a delicious caribbean-spiced pork tenderloin for dinner and then I am meeting a friend for drinks on the Downtown Mall.  Tomorrow's Non-Event may consist of going to a friend's house in Crozet to harvest hops, a flavoring agent in beer.  If the rain holds off, we may find ourselves at the pool.  Or we could catch a movie.  Truth is, we don't really know what we'll do.  But isn't that the beauty of a Non-Event, after all?

Three Parts of Decor

We are almost three weeks into our new house in Charlottesville, and between working a full-time job, taking my children to pre-school, camps, and babysitters, and coordinating with my husband's crazy travel schedule, I have been finding (a few scarce) moments of joy decorating our new space.  I've been told I have inherited my love of decor from my grandmothers.  My mother says that my Grandma Winnie was always moving furniture around the house.  She grew up during the Depression and there wasn't much left over with nine mouths to feed, so Mom would often see her mother scooting things around to freshen up a room that she couldn't otherwise afford to change.  Grandma Winnie, however, did stand her ground when it came to buying new vs. old pieces.  Her philosophy was that she spent most of her life forced to buy used things, so if given a choice, she'd purchase all new.  Much of today's refurbished design trends that I love so much would appall my German grandmother.

Grandma Sanna also loved to decorate.  I am certain that my love of color has been passed down from her.  Her design sense was eclectic, drawing from many influences.  Though an Iowa native, she was inspired by the southwest, and much of the artwork in her home reflected that.  Her space was always polished but never stuffy.  There were too many grandchildren running around, after all, to make it anything but completely liveable.

So these last few weeks, as I sit down at night to online shop and occasionally make my way to a home store, I am reminded to go slow and enjoy the process of filling my home with meaningful things that bring life and beauty into our space.  And I tell myself that although I may be inspired by a beautiful collection, I am capable of looking around to see if I can re-create the look I love a bit more economically.

Such was the case when I wound up in the Pottery Barn bath department a few weeks ago.  I completely fell in love with these apothecary jars for our master bathroom:

But at a price tag of $160 for the jars alone, I knew I could do better.  So, off to Marshalls and Home Goods I went, and by the time I was done, I had this:

 

Jars- 31.99 for 3

Bath salts- 9.99 for 32 oz.

Sponges- $2 a piece

Cotton Balls- $1.89 for 200

__________________

$51.89 total

In my mind, decorating is 1/3 inspiration, 1/3 boldness, and 1/3 bargain hunting.  And Grandma Winnie would tell you to learn how to arrange your furniture properly.