Catching Up

I've made it through the first month of my 30s. So far, so good. I meant to post before we left on our vacation, but time just slipped away from me. Vacation is always wonderful, but at this point in my life I truly believe that the prep work to go and the catching up when coming back cancels out all the rest and relaxation. We are travelers, though. We love to go places, try new things, eat new foods, etc. This was a trip to Cabo San Lucas for just Ben and me. Ben turned 30 on June 12, and this was our big celebration for both our birthdays. This was our second trip to Cabo, and we love it there. The beach is beautiful, the weather is perfect, and the restaurants are great. When we went a few years ago, we said we would definitely go back. This is one of the million reasons I love Ben so much- a lot of people would say they're going back someday to a place that they love, but he makes sure that it really happens. I love you, Ben, and happy birthday!

I will post vacation pictures on Facebook soon. I haven't gotten them uploaded yet. I did make some progress on my book list on the trip, though. I finished three books, and I'll write reviews for them soon. 3 down, 117 to go.

I will also reveal one more thing on my 30 in my 30s list since it is somewhat related to the subject of travel and has become a joke amongst our family and friends. We have never gotten bedroom furniture since we've been married. That's right, for the past 6.5 years, our bedroom has consisted of a mattress/box spring on the floor and a few college odds and ends to put a lamp or an alarm clock on. No bed frame, no dressers, no nightstands, nothing. My closet is a constant mess because I have no drawers. Every time we have the extra money to buy furniture, we take a trip instead. So when I look at our empty room, I think of Cabo, or New York City, or Croatia, or Spain. We've both been fine with this for a long time, but I suppose now that I am 30, it's time to grow up and stop living in a dorm room. Therefore, Buy bedroom furniture is officially added to the list. Who knows when this will happen...probably not this year...maybe not next...but definitely before we're 40. Unless we take that trip to Amsterdam...

Bennett's Library

This is not a 30 in my 30s-related post. Surprisingly (to me, anyway), there is nothing on my list related to decorating or household projects. This is something I have kind of learned to let go, especially since having Bennett. I don't have enough time to keep my house as clean as I'd like to (goodbye, strict weekly bathroom-scrubbing schedule), let alone worry about that ever-present "to-do" list of extras hanging over my head- install hardware on the kitchen cabinets, find something to fill in that blank spot on the wall, redecorate the guest room, etc. That list will always exist in my head, and getting little projects done is definitely fulfilling, but at this point in my life, having a house that is still standing and a path that I can walk through it without breaking my neck is good enough for me.

Having said that, I finished a little project in the loft and thought I would post some pictures of Bennett's "library." Her room isn't big enough for a bookshelf, so her stuff has to fit into one little spot in the loft, between the bathroom door and the closet door. I started with a cheap black bookshelf from Wal-Mart or Target. It was super ugly so I papered the back of it with scrapbook paper:

I didn't bother trying to make it look even or trying to line up the edges of the paper with the edges of the shelves. I did no cutting whatsoever and spent less than 5 minutes on it. I love the result of having a more girly and less boring background for all her books. So with that done, I had to decide what to do with the wall space over it:

This was a clearance find at TJ Maxx a couple weeks ago ($10). I debated buying it, but now I'm glad I did:

By the way, Bennett really enjoyed having all her books on the floor:

The top of the shelf was still ugly, so I covered it with this (crocheted?) fabric that my great-aunt had made for my dad's nursery when he was born:

Another personal touch- this pencil drawing of me that my grandma made when I was a couple years old. It is on the back of a piece of scrap paper (as I believe many of the best things in life are), and my brother had it framed for me a few years ago. It has just been sitting in a closet because I wasn't sure what to do with it. I decided it would be perfect for Bennett's little nook because there is a slight chance she resembles the photo just a little bit, too:

A couple small finishing touches, and I was happy with the final result! A super cute, super cheap little library for most of Bennett's books (I mean, not including her downstairs books, of course!):

 

I briefly considered lining up all the books in height order for the sake of this picture and then decided that would be ridiculous. The majority of them were promptly re-scattered immediately following naptime. But like I said, I don't care.