My January Cure

It's hard to believe it's been 10 days since I last wrote in this space.  The days have been flying by.

My world lately

I'm 20 days into my January Cure and it feels so good.  My goal project for the month was to give a little love to a dead corner in my living room, which houses the mammoth red hutch we've had since we got married.  To that end, I've purged and reorganized the cabinets & shelves and turned it into a proper bar, complete with all of our glassware, booze & Italian ice bucket that Jill gave me for Xmas.  I've also added a small rug & removed the huge painting that Steve was never a fan of (however, it now resides in our bedroom?!) and have plans to hang some new art on the wall nearest the hutch.

I've also done the daily assignments of the January Cure and made lists (oh, how I love a list), did a major kitchen purge & cleaning, decluttered books (hard!) and media, performed a closet overhaul for myself and will tackle my dreaded jewelry hutch today.

1.  Newly sanded & oiled counter tops
2.  Anna Erickson's new mobile chicken coop
3.  Living room BEFORE photo
4.  My nightstand on-deck stack
5.  New corner in my bedroom (art moved from living room + new lampshade)

I even got Steve in on the action and he sanded and oiled our kitchen counter tops.  They look beautiful!  He also retrofitted our kitchen credenza, so that now I could keep larger items in a more convenient and accessible spot behind on the newly created shelves that live behind the little doors.  Oh, it feels so good to walk into our home right now.  Light and airy, clean, organized and calm.

My illness took hold last week and I had a small relapse.  I think I was pushing myself too hard and decided to clear my calendar as much as possible for the week.  It helped.  Rest and the cancellation of night meetings also did my psyche some good.  As in the past, all I really want to do in January is stay home, nest, cook, read and take care of my guys.

4th grade basketball buddies + Valentine card production

We jumped in and started working on our Valentine project and G completed (ahead of schedule, even) his class Valentine cards.  They turned out super cute.

Last week, a Montana artist asked me to sit for her and she drew my portrait for a future show.  She has also asked to draw Grady and I can't wait to see it all come together.  I had the giggles while she painted me, as it was a bit odd to have someone staring at you and know that they are interpreting your face and mannerisms.  It will be a fun show and I'll update the progress here.  Here's a link to her work.  She lives here during the winters and is best friends with my farmer friend, Anna.  They built this amazing mobile chicken coop (pictured at the top of the blog).  Those girls can do anything.

I went 18 days without drinking and feel really good about it.  I have been waking up early every morning and getting a lot of work done around the house and on my consulting gigs.  Evening tea has replaced my evening cocktail and I've been in bed most nights by 9 pm.  This body and mind needed refueling.

I've been witness to so many sunrises this month.  Every time I witness a sunrise, I think it's the most beautiful.  Pictures never do it justice, but I keep trying.

January shadows & silhouettes

The light in January is my favorite.  In the late afternoon it spills into my kitchen and is a honey-colored gold.  It casts these amazing shadows throughout the day and I can't help but take lots of photos of our silhouettes.

"Their King" by Grady Salas Hecht, age 9-3/4

Last week was the Fisherman's Festival Art Contest.  Grady entered an amazing watercolor and had his heart set on winning.  It was not to be.  He did end up as a finalist out of 38 entries and I'm just so proud of him.  It was an emotional defeat to my little man, but a really good teaching moment about hard word, perseverance and pushing forward with his art.  We took him out Friday night to get this piece of art professionally framed to hang in our home.  I can't wait to display it and give it a place of honor in our living room.

These glasses have been a great source of humor with our family this week

The days of January have been good to Grady.

• Basketball practice & games (they are winning!)
• Birthday parties and trips to the beach.
• Father-son dates to the bowling alley.  The park.  Honeymoon frozen yogurt.  The car wash.  Yes, the car wash.  Steve let him roll down the window and stick his head out.  He thought it was the coolest thing ever.
• G's been reading what I like to call comfort books.  BFG by Roald Dahl, poetry by Shel Silverstein, Calvin & Hobbes and Harry Potter.
• He's working on a future art show with Scott Vancleemput wherein he will interpret Scott's photography into watercolor paintings.  He's gathered the images and will begin lessons in earnest next week with his teacher.

Returning our Gifts from the Sea at Doran Beach

The beach called our name today and we answered it.  With all the purging and organizing I've been doing, I rounded up a few jars of rocks, sea glass and the like and decided it was time to return it to Mother Nature.  There's something so magical about going to the beach.  Time kind of stops and you can sit, stare at the horizon and think.  Or not.  We hadn't been since New Year's Day and it was warm and gorgeous.  G quickly shed his boots & sock and rolled up his pants.  He played pickle with the ocean and tried to outrun the crashing tides.  The waves were huge today and our treasures quickly found their way back to their rightful home.

Peace Out + Mom

On the way back to our car G told me "Mom, going to the beach is WAY better than playing video games."  

Yes, yes it is.