Family Edition: Summer Reads

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I can easily get lost in a book for hours at a time. I have been that way since I was child. Nancy Drew and the Saddleback Club traveled everywhere I did. It's a place to get lost and transport to another place and time. My kiddos aren't quite that way, but I still hope as they grow older they will hold onto the value of the written word. This summer we decided to limit screen time during the week and build in time to simply read. We love our local library and tend to get most of our books from there. Every once in awhile we find ourselves so in love with a series that we will purchase it especially if it's one that both Ellie and Kellen Jr will read. I love to buy books that strengthen my spirit and ones that I may want to gift. The light fun reads I tend to reserve at the library. The Mr likes a good book that he can learn from. He gifts many of them out. The two he suggests are perfect for those growing a business and who tend to like to go a bit against the grain. He is a creative director after all so he's constantly thinking outside the box and wanting to grow. This I admire greatly. Have any favorite reads for yourself or your tweens? What are your favorite genres? I tend to love a good mystery and books that help me look beyond and within myself.

A few our favorites from our summer list...

Ellie:

The Secret Series {she loves it so much she is reading them all again}

Kellen Jr:

The Nocturnal series {He's reading the chapter books, but saw they had a few for beginner readers too!}

Paula:

for the soul - Girl Wash your Face |  La La Lovely |  Chasing Slow {have read it 3 times so far!}

quick and  fun mysteries - Camino Island  | The Woman in the Window

Kellen:

Originals by Adam Grant

Linchpin by Seth Godin 

Hello Again

photo by kellen jr | age 11

photo by kellen jr | age 11

Almost a year ago I stopped blogging. The reason was simple, I was tired. The reason I was tired though was complex.

The known reasons made sense. I had a fabulous job working school hours in interior design working for Katrina Porter. I then picked up the kiddos and swim lessons, homework, lacrosse, etc ensued. My body was still healing from pretty much shutting down a few years back. I simply could not fit in hours upon hours of blogging at least not to my desired content quality any longer. Simple, right?

Now for the unknown reasons that started to eat me up internally. I became insecure in this world of blogging. I felt like I no longer had the hustle or the confidence that is needed to put myself out there in this world wide web. I was no longer the cute little mother with adorable toddlers. I was the mother that's aging and my kiddos wanted less of a presence on here. I couldn't blame them. I wanted my face to be on here less too. Secondly, I went through a shift that made me wanting less, be more minimal and more intentional with our finances. Sounds great, but within the walls of this blog that I created that made it hard. I felt a duty to myself and my readers to not promote things I did not need or necessarily even want. To stop purchasing things just so I could create content. The internal struggle was real. Can I tell you how hard it is to make content without wanting to push things or myself anymore? I get it, this was my doing completely. That box was caving in and I had no idea how to pivot out of it. I think over the prior years I somehow fell into the comparing game and I wasn't living up to what I thought I needed or should be. 

Now fast forward to this new beginning. After spending the year being more intentional with my family, aka not needing a camera everywhere we went because good content could be missed. I found myself leaving my job this past January, for God given reason that I will share later. Spending way less money by fully adopting the uniform way of life and finally realizing this house wanted to be more minimal. I slowly shed the box that I put myself in, this blog in. I accepted there is a place for not only the cute young mothers, but also a place for the one's who can relate more to hot flashes. I accepted there is not only room for the folks who can renovate at lighting speeds, but also there is a place for those that renovate at a snails pace. I accepted that some folks are made to go to every conference and host every event and it is okay that I am not one of them. I am most happy having quite nights in or folks over sharing a good meal. I finally accepted I am enough just as I am. It is freeing really. To fully accept that I will forever be a quite soul within the walls of this busy world. 

To be honest "the new beginnings" post I had written a week before finally posting. I knew I wanted to start back for some time now, but I was second guessing. I swear my second guessing gene was made extra big. I remember being in my teens, then 20's, then early thirties thinking surely by "this age" I would be a pillar of confidence. I then heard a church service at the most perfect moment and the message was just the push I needed. The push to get over myself and all my doubt. I came home and hit publish. Now I encourage you at what ever stage of life you are in, if you have a passion then get to it. There will never be a perfect moment. It really just takes doing it, scared and all. So here I am a blogger once again. Not necessarily because I love the idea of blogging, but because I have a God given passion to write and this is the perfect platform for me at this time. Now what steps can you take to make your dreams a reality? I would love to hear what stirs your soul.    

*You can listen the message here if you too need a little push.

Art: A few of my favorite pieces

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Our art tends to lean towards how we have decorated our home, neutral & rather simple. I'm not sure if it was a conscious decision, but rather one that has happened organically over the years. Of course our oversized piece from our family New York trip will always be a favorite. We also framed an image {image 3} from our 10 year anniversary trip to Miami and have it hanging in our guest room. Something about hanging photos from our trips that evokes a certain feeling and memories that we want to forever treasure. I have another piece from our California trip a couple years back currently in the works. I'll share once I have it up. If you have been around Two Ellie for any sort of time you will recall I have a love for all things Cecily Lowe. Image 2 & 4 are both by her and I have another in our main living room. Too much? Maybe, but she is a local artist that I can't seem to get enough of. Her work simply speaks to me. The 4th image is actually a print of hers from Minted and I love how the modern touch makes our vintage bathroom feel a bit more like me. The last image is from another local artist, Mckenzie Dove . Her use of texture is astounding. This piece currently sits among a few of my favorite things in our bedroom, but may shift as we finish off other spaces in our home. It's almost too pretty to be hidden away in the back of the house. The top image was a piece I did. I couldn't quite find a piece that was large enough for this wall that I adored and could afford so I gave it a go. I used my go to palette of whites, creams, and browns. The three rectangular pieces are actually handmade paper that my papa brought me from Colombia years ago that I had hidden away. Now it sits prominently in our front room and brings joy to me daily. Have any pieces of your own that speak to you? I love that art is truly for the eye of the beholder.