7/52

A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2014.

Amelia: When did you grow up so much? Quit it! You are becoming more toddler-like by the minute and I can hardly stand it. We sat watching the Olympics (men's cross country ski relay, I believe) and you were quite content to sit and munch on Cheerios and banana puffs, if only for ten minutes. It was a sweet moment that I'll cherish forever.

Spring Green Houseplants

Let's face it. Spring is nowhere near the midwest and I think it's going to stay that way until June, probably. Last week we had some warmer days (48 degrees!) and sunshine... my spirits were lifted and all was right in the world. Today? Snow. Tomorrow? Snow. Fat fluffy flakes and a single-digit forecast to follow. I need some sort of boost, and I've got spring green plants on the brain.

Now that Chris and I have a house of our own, I've been wanting to incorporate some houseplants into our decor. I've honestly never been much of a indoor plant person, mostly because I'm pretty clueless on how to keep them alive. In fact, I killed a mint plant a few weeks ago. Too much water? Not enough sun? Who knows. But thanks to this list of hard-to-kill house plants plants I discovered last week, I've found a few hardy plants that just might work and have just the boost of green I need to get through these gray days.

1. A "Donkey Tail" might not sound like a pretty plant, but this succulent is the cutest thing with trailing stems that flower the summer. This plant requires a lot of light and minimal watering, so hang it from a window or on a sunny shelf and you're golden.
2, 3. Moonshine Sansiveria and Snakeskin Sansiveria seem like the best bet for our home. They are hardy plants that don't need a lot of sun or water, and I love those spikey tendrils. Plus they're excellent air purifiers, and have even been known to filter out toxins like formaldehyde.
4. I have been wanting a fiddle leaf fig for ages but didn't know what they were called until I read this post by Emily Henderson. Oh man those trees are beautiful. According to Emily, a sizable tree can cost upward of $500, but this ten inch guy is only $12.99 at IKEA. I'll take it.
5. Lest we forget the blogworld's mascot, the succulent. Ikea's assorted succulent mix are adorable, pre-potted and super affordable. At $2.50 a pop you can buy one (or more) for every room in your home.

I'd also love to own a potted citrus tree someday, but considering that I can't keep a simple garden herb alive indoors, I'm going to stick to hard-to-kill vegetation for now. You can most of the above plants online, but I bet you could find most of these plants at your local nursery, too. I've even seen the sansiveria at my grocery store. Slap any of these guys in a white ceramic pot (or perhaps copper?) and you have instant Spring -- just what I need.

4/52, 5/52, 6/52

I'm playing a little catchup on my posts for the 52 Project. Surprisingly, I haven't fallen behind in taking these photos, just sharing them. I know I'm hardly two months into the project, but I am loving these weekly portraits of my daughter. Best resolution ever.

A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2014. 

Amelia: I am loving your post-naptime greetings lately. As soon as you see me, your face lights up with that gummy grin of yours and you babble on and on, presumably telling me all about what you were dreaming of (my guess is milk and carpet fuzzies.) Even with a snotty nose, you are as cute as can be. 

Amelia: I think you are going through another growth spurt. Normally awake by 7:30 or sooner, you have slept in well past 8 every day this week. I can't ever bring myself to wake you, dreaming so peacefully, and I admit... I've enjoyed the extra quite time in the mornings with a hot cup of coffee and a book.

Amelia: Little stinker. You have been perfecting your crawling skills lately, and you are fast - faster than I can focus the camera lens as you come at me.

Those Winter Blues

Lately, I feel like I've been lacking balance in life: as a mother, as a twenty-something, as a so-called "creative." Even as a blogger - I have half a dozen posts that have been abandoned because I end up staring at blinking cursor more often than not. I'm chalking it up to the winter blues, and they're freezing out all aspects of life as I know it.

Creativity. Maybe it's the lack of sleep that comes with a baby, but I have never felt so uninspired. My design work feels stale, we have the same 5 meals for dinner every week. The only thing that feels remotely creative to me is The 52 Project, and I'm even falling behind in that. Deep down, I have this innate desire to make things - for my baby, for my home, for others - but for some reason I just can't find a way to move them beyond the idea phase.

Home ownership. After looking at dozens of houses over the course of what felt like an eternity, we finally bought a house! It was crazy town for a while - we put our offer on it the week of my due date and closed on it three weeks after Amelia was born - but it has been great having a place to call home. That said, the first-time homebuyer glow has worn off and I'm overwhelmed with all the to-do items on our list: hang artwork and curtains, organize the piles of stuff sitting in the office, finish the basement, build a privacy fence, landscape, buy patio furniture, get rid of all the hideous 90s brass fixtures, update kitchen and bathrooms. That said, I'd much rather ignore that list and curl up under a blanket and watch a few episodes of Parks and Rec, thank you very much.

Motherhood. Can I blame winter on everything? Because I'm going to. I have to admit, even after eight months, I'm still struggling to find a way to fit into my new role as a mom. It's not that I struggle with motherhood itself (man do I love it, ups and downs alike!) but sometimes I do feel like I've lost a part of the "old Katherine." Maybe I just need to change my mindset; I haven't really lost myself but instead added a new part of myself to the mix. I realize that a shift in priorities is normal when it comes to parenthood, but I wish poop-related thoughts occupied less of my brain space. I really do. And I have yet to find a fool-proof way to take a shower every morning...

After a full day's work, coming home to a cluttered space and a baby who missed her afternoon nap is exhausting. I'm left tired and off-kilter, with a mountain of to-dos that are overwhelming. Any tips on finding balance and maintaining it? I need some sort of magical reset button, or, you know... spring.