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Early Summer, Things I’m Doing and Thoughts
After Canada I came back with pneumonia (bacterial) I’ve never had it so that was a new experience. It was like 100 different ways to feel terrible all at once and how I got it will be the strangest story. So on our way to Victoria I injured myself by pulling a muscle from carrying a super heavy shoulder tote on board. It was some muscle that wrapped around my lung and felt like it was being crushed and I couldn’t sit or lay down in any way that didn’t hurt or help me breathe. I could only take shallow breaths it was like I had broken a rib cage!
It was so scary and I took a Tylenol Extra Strength which helped and I was back to normal but I had to take a lot of them just to function over the weekend. I developed a cough just from what I thought was injury and came back with the cough and it got worse! So I went to urgent care, had to take X-rays and I have pneumonia just on that injured lung. Isn’t that bizarre? There have been other issues with having pneumonia – like breaking out in hives and being told it was something around me I’m allergic to only to find my dear friend Lie Shia (the castle wedding bride) told me she broke out in hives when she had pneumonia so thank God I figured it out and didn’t have to wash my couch! Let me just say I think it’s time I need to move my body more because I think this could’ve been prevented if my body was stronger.
Anyway, how awesome is this sunflower we planted from a seed? One that got away from Benjamin’s stomach when I told him to plant a few sunflowers. Our watering system is terrible so we need to redo that this fall, yay. Lately I’m working on a lot of indoor projects! I thought I’d share a few of them so maybe you can work on them too and take this time to do inside stuff (of course the rest of the country is enjoying their summer outdoors, go you, can I visit?).
- Tailored clothing that didn’t fit – brought out that sewing machine and finally tackled making my clothes fit perfectly on me!
- Organized filing cabinet – Threw out papers.
- Go through drawers – Eliminate all the little things we have too much of – pens, paperclips, folders, cardstock, just put it all in a bin asked alone who home school’s if they need them for projects or a teacher.
- Label it. Love my label maker – I use this one and this one both hook up to my computer and I can use my own fonts and save the label style.
- Listed clothes on Poshmark. My closet: https://poshmark.com/closet/dianaelizabeth I realized what I should let go as a blogger – anything I maybe got for free, I give away or I try to sell it. The things I buy are the genuine things I love so I let go of guilt of holding onto things just because of their value. I can pass them along to people who want them and make room in my tiny closet.
I have had to reflect on some business decisions on where I want to take my blog, but most of all, what I value. Why I’m an entrepreneur, and most importantly, why I blogged to begin with, way before I got sponsored posts. Sometimes big opportunities are great but is it really what you want or have time for or how hard you want to work? I have to think about that…
In really big news that I am finally excited to share, our home expansion is moving – we booked our draftsman and space planner! It will be another living space with a powder room and this will also serve as a guest area. It’s a lot of money to spend but I know the memories we create with those we love and hosting will be worth every penny and future headaches (I know there will be many) as we go through the next few months.
And actually, it has to anyway because I bought a piece of furniture for it already. Pahahahaaaa. You can follow along my idea board on Pinterest here.
I stopped into The French Bee, a longtime favorite store of mine. It’s moved quite a few times since I first discovered it on Indian School and 24th Street but stayed around my neighborhood which I am so glad. I get their emails every week and I finally had to visit their new location which will soon be their old location because they are moving again.
So I walked around the store after I shot a profile shot for Phoenix magazine which was down the street – it was like it was meant to be with the email reminder about the sale so when I popped in I saw this –
I took a photo because it’s gorgeous. Then I took a photo of the insane price tag. I mean insane, $3500. I mean, it’s bone inlay so of course it’s pricey, but what a statement piece! So I continued to walk around the store just admiring things when the sales lady who is the owner’s sister told me the store was pretty much 60% off.
So yep, that dresser is sitting pretty in my photo studio until we expand. I had to call Benjamin to beg and he scoffed still at the $1400 sale price tag and thought I was crazy to even want it at that price still but I begged, and well, he’s the best husband and he said as long as I don’t get tired of it. I do have to say I was super bummed when it arrived some of the bone inlay pieces were missing that I didn’t check when I bought it. I did a search on how to repair it and it says plaster and painting it, so that’s what I’m attempting to do, no one will ever know.
Something else I also did was check out the Pompeii exhibition at the Arizona Science Museum by myself. I went solo for a few reasons, it was in its last weeks and the times the museum is open doesn’t work with Benjamin’s schedule and well, sometimes when you want to just go and not miss out, just go.
I really like being by myself by the way, I mean I love company and I don’t mean that I would rather be by myself but I don’t have a preference. I’m OK with doing things on my own, anywhere and doing anything. I think this has happened as I got older and traveling internationally by myself to meet a friend, or even having a day solo in an unknown country.
I wasn’t the only one who went solo and I was like, yeah, don’t miss out on things you want to do just because timing doesn’t work for someone to go with you. Anyway, these casts of bodies were moving, like I felt like I had a frog in my throat seeing it. I used to be bored at museums but suddenly I love them. Like the day I spent at the Nordic Museum in Stockholm was solo was one of the best days I had.
Traveling changes you, internationally especially. That’s also probably maturity too if I really think about it ;) I am enjoying watching BBC shows and probably because it makes me feel like I’m traveling.
Anyway, thanks for joining me here on the blog. I always appreciate your time. Would love to hear what you have planned for this summer, or if you have a favorite international place you’ve visited so I can get some ideas. Kind of thinking I want to go to Rome now, even though Italy hasn’t been on my radar (really).
Thanks Brittany for taking these pics of me back home!
Carissa
This is so crazy. Exactly what you described with your pulled muscle is what happened to me over the weekend. Except…I was sleeping, in the car, and woke up with something very off. I could barely take a breath or recline. So painful. It’s getting better. Also randomly, I had hives last week. Maybe if I start to feel real crappy I’ll go get checked for pneumonia, my goodness!