welcome september - back to school, back to routine

I love the freedom that comes with summer - the unplanned days and the spur of the moment trips, but after two months of little structure, something in me starts to feel unsettled. I start to find myself longing for more routine. To return again to the familiar comfort of a well-planned week and a steady, slow rhythm to my day.

This year our summer, while lovely, has been particularly unplanned, and to be honest, I noticed I was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. I think Ryan picked up on it, and decided to take the boys out over the weekend for back to school haircuts and a matinee. That time was so important to me.

I put on the kettle, found a calm Autumn playlist, lit some candles and spread out all of my lists. I filled out my month's calendar, then the upcoming week in detail, with to-do lists. 

Then I made a grocery list and filled out my prayer journal for September.

I'm quite particular about the products that I use to keep myself organized. I like them to be simple and of good quality. It's important that the aesthetic appeals to me, as well, because I have them out on my desk, and in the case of the weekly tablet, displayed on my fridge for my family. (The one and only thing on my fridge, though on the side of it, where it's mainly out of sight!) I know a few of you will message looking for sources, so I'll link them at the end.

Maybe it's from having four babies, or maybe it's just that our life seems to get a lot busier as the boys get older, but I need all the help I can get to stay on top of it all - physically, in front of me, not on an app. I need to see it laid out before more. I enjoy seeing it laid out in front of me.

A mini Pumpkin Spice cupcake went perfectly with my cup of tea, too.

Cupcakes are also therapeutic.

(Don't worry, I'll post the recipe soon!)

- sources -

Notes Notebook in Navy - Target

Monthly Day Planner - Rifle Paper Co.

Grocery and Weekly Tablets - Everyday Occasions

Yearly Prayer Journal - Val Marie Paper (I pre-ordered it in French Blue for 2020!)

And also, because someone will ask, the napkins are the Washed Cotton Napkins in Chambray from Pottery Barn, and right now they're on sale for $11.99 for a set of 4 (reg $20).

christmas in the living room

I spent most of last week hurrying about, trying to get the house in order for this year's Holiday Home Tour, a charity event here in town. It was a lot of work - my favourite kind of work - but a lot, nevertheless. We cut down and decorated four trees, I made garland for the stairs, set the table, wrapped gifts, arranged flowers and tried my best to keep everything tidy. Saturday saw 250 people come through the homes, and the event was a huge success. I loved meeting some of you who came out, and George stole the show. He entertained all the ladies walking past from his bassinet, all smiles and wide eyes. We even made the local papers!

On one hand, it was nice to know that come December, everything would be finished so I could enjoy the month. But on the other hand, I kind of missed taking my time transforming the house. Though nothing is stopping me from adding bit of Christmas here and there still.

Anyway, here are quite a few photos of the room. It looks similar to previous years, mostly because this is what I'm drawn to. I did, however, add a few hints of blue and green to mix!

Our trees are all cut in the wild on a neighboring farm near my grandparents' farm. We can go in and select trees to help space out others, which helps prevent overcrowding. They are never perfect, but I love the look of them.

It's a fairly sparse tree, so I keep it simple with white lights and my favourite ornaments. The mercury glass feels so traditional, and sparkles beautifully from the twinkle lights.

I keep the rest of the room quite simple, with just some fresh greens here and there.

I love that you can see the wreaths from the windows outside. We have them on all the windows around the original stone house. (I'll post a photo.) I also love that you can see the tree from outside, as it's in front of the window.

I always love the hints of blue in the Cedar Berry and Juniper. The ribbon picks up the blues and green from these boughs perfectly.

And an assortment of blue pots planted with bulbs on the coffee table, another inspiration for the hints of blue.

I loved this pretty dusty blue ribbon.

And I love the classic navy and moss green velvet ribbon. The pretty tags and wrapping paper are from Everyday Occasions. I will post in more detail on those later, as it's one of my favourite parts of the season, as well as the other rooms.

gingerbread recipe

I spent more time today than I care to admit making Gingerbread. That being said, they're the prettiest Gingerbread I've ever made, so I thought I would share them here.

The recipe I used for the Gingerbread was for Gingerbread Snowflakes by Martha Stewart Living, and I used Jenny Steffens' Royal Icing recipe for the decorating.

*note - I added an extra 1/4 cup of icing sugar to the Royal Icing recipe, just so it was firm enough to hold a nice line, but soft enough to pipe easily.

They were a little time consuming, but actually fairly easy. Just don't skimp out on the chilling!

Happy baking.

Ps. Follow along on Instagram if you aren't already!

@growersdaughter

Fresh Starts

Well, hello there. It's been too long.

I hope you've all been well. We have been. And while I would love to catch you up on these past months in great detail - Christmas holidays, the starting of a New Year and all that's in between, let's just skip that, and start fresh. Isn't that what Spring is all about anyway?

Starting fresh.

The calender says that there are merely 9 more days until Spring arrives, however the sudden plummet in temperature and the rooftops covered in snow seem to be saying something entirely different. I mean we've barely had a Winter! What's the point in starting now? Bring on Spring!

Either way, if it feels like it has arrived next Monday or not, Spring is indeed coming, and ready for it we will be.

One of the things I anticipate most about this season, and I'm sure that most of you feel the same way, is the opportunity to spend time refreshing my home. After months of being closed up tight, I look forward to opening the windows and airing the house out. I look forward to doing a much needed, deep clean. I look forward to going through closets and cabinets and drawers and ridding the house of the unneccessary. 

Starting fresh.

I decided to order a few tools to help me begin this process and I thought I would share them with you. I'm sure many of you knew Jenny Steffens Hobick and her lovely shop Everyday Occasions.

I've had my eye on these items for quite some time, and finally decided to purchase them. I'm so glad I did.

I purchased two sets of her clear cleaning bottles. One set for the bathroom, to hold shampoo etc. I purchase the largest bottles of my favourite shampoo and conditioner as it's more cost effective and less waste, but I don't love the giant bottles. This way I have smaller, more manageable bottles on the shelves that can be refilled as needed.

I will do the same thing with cleaning supplies. I purchased a set of basic cleaning bottles - glass cleaner, floor cleaner and a disinfectant spray.

And while organizing my home is important, a big part of that is also being more intentional with my time. I love her tablets! Clean and simple. This weekly organizer will not only help me, but it will help my husband know what's upcoming as well.

Then there are two of her other tablets - a grocery list and a daily goals list. One of the ways I would love to be more intentional with my time, is by creating a plan for my day. Writing down specific goals is proven to help you achieve those goals.

And finally, her set of canvas bags. Perfect for the market, or errands, and perfectly simple.

I was thankful for the excuse to head over the river to pick up my package at my US post box. She does ship to Canada, but it's quite a bit more expensive. While there I picked out a couple new accessories for Spring from J Crew.

And I visited Target! Oh how I've missed having Target in Canada.

I couldn't resist all these dollar items in that front section... you know the one by the entrance? I will use them on our kids table at Easter.

And as another reminder that Spring is on it's way, my Lilac branches I'm forcing are in bloom! Delicate little white blooms. I can't wait! I've never forced them before.

So, to fresh starts! I'm looking forward to sharing more with you soon. In the meantime, follow along on Instagram: @growersdaughter.

Have a lovely weekend, 

Maria