Joseph - 12 months old

1. Joseph has survived his second cold and is all better. He’s pretty much walking everywhere now – no more crawling! He’s also off of all bottles and just having his meals, snacks, and sippy cups of milk and water. I feel like he’s grown up so much in the last three weeks!

2. My husband finished Joseph’s book shelf and we got it set up in his room this week! I still have other things I want to add to it (piggy bank, some figurines, etc.) and finalize how it’s organized, but it has already made his room so much cozier. I love it!

EDIT: Due to the large number of comments below, I wanted to confirm that the bookcase IS anchored to the wall :)

bookshelf-2-2

3. I’m about halfway through The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying-Up and cannot wait to tackle my clothes. When I think about all the pieces of clothing that I routinely gloss past because I know I won’t wear them, it’s crazy that they’re still even in my closet! Not to mention all of the pants in a plastic bin that haven’t fit me since TWO YEARS before I even got pregnant. The likelihood of me wearing those anytime in the remotely near future? Nearly zero. (Side note: There is now a follow-book, Spark Joy, that includes tons of diagrams on the best ways to fold your clothes and organize all of the spaces. I got it but passed it on to my mom so I haven’t taken a look at it yet!)

4. I can’t believe that Easter is so early this year and that Ash Wednesday was already this week! Do you give anything up for Lent? I haven’t in a few years, but I really enjoyed reading Pope Francis’ guide to Lent and the true meaning of fasting and sacrifice.

5. Do you have a spiralizer? Do you love it? My mom and my sister each have one and they love it. I’m still trying to LOVE vegetables and am wondering if a spiralizer would give me another vehicle to do something new and different with them? I really wasn’t even thinking about getting one until I saw Jessica’s curly sweet potato fries and, oh my gosh, I LOVE curly fries.

6. How do you clean your makeup brushes? I’ve read so many different tips about using shampoo, about using dish soap, specialty cleaners (ugh), and I have an awful habit of not cleaning them as often as I should. What do you use and how often do you clean them?

7. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to respond to the reader survey that I posted yesterday. It’s incredibly helpful to know what you like and don’t like so I can help to make this site the best it can be for all of you!

8. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Super Bowl on Sunday since I wasn’t actively rooting for or against either team… it made it super enjoyable! I’m happy that Peyton Manning won since it’s likely that he’s going to retire.

9. What are you watching nowadays? We started watching the OJ Simpson story on FX last week (talk about star-studded cast!) and really enjoyed it. Other than that, I’m anxiously awaiting the return of The Americans and House of Cards, and of course the Netflix release of Fuller House!

10. TGIF! These buddies wish you a wonderful weekend!

Joseph and Einstein - bosom buddies :)

Joseph and Einstein – bosom buddies :)