Tag: home

new life.

well friends, it’s been a while. *checks calendar*

yep, almost a year! I’m sitting in a new apartment, and hey, if you’re keeping track, this is our fifteenth move since 2009! this one, though, is finally starting to feel like home. we overlook the lake and a bunch of green–the effect of which cannot be underestimated.

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as an added bonus, every night we get a sunset show

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b r e a t h t a k i n g 

we’ve done a lot of downsizing, purging of things along the way (remember we lived in our car for a year) so over the past two years, we’ve been slowly adding things, with the thought that eventually we may be living a back on the road in a van or an RV. (a girl can dream) so, with that in mind our choices have been focused on function and design; less impulse buys.

living with less is generally a great way to exist anyway (Marie Kondo I was on to this way before your cute little netflix gig) the absense of clutter helps me focus; there’s less to clean, it’s brighter!

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I’ll be doing a full post on the design / things I made or bought for the apartment within the next few weeks. 

oh i almost forgot!  we have a new family member:

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introducing grace ff hopper, her name in honor of the first female pioneer of computer programming and a legend. our hopper enjoys naps, chasing her favorite crumpled up target receipt around the living room and chirping at the birds that land on our balcony railing. she has her own instagram account that she’s not very good at updating, and has recently been trained to walk on a leash and sleep in a crate overnight (!!) I’m obsessed and my entire camera roll is now cat photos. be prepared.

well. ok.

if it’s sunshine-y where you are, get out and enjoy it; and here’s a smoothie recipe I just whipped up this morning:

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maple banana walnut smoothie:

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8 ounces unsweetened coconut milk (I use SoDelicious)

1/8 cup unsweetened greek yogurt

1/2 cup frozen organic pineapple

1/4 cup organic walnuts

1 tsp. real maple syrup (my syrup of choice is Crown Maple)

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

starting with coconut milk, add all ingredients, in order, to blender or nutribullet and blend until smooth.

 

xo, j

 

 

All images © 2013-2019 Jeannie M. Starks / two daisies life

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obsessions.

first off, maybe you’ve noticed I’ve made some changes around here. I’m not entirely convinced that I love it yet, still tweaking the edges, but it was time for a new look so I picked a new theme and well, here we are. let me know what you think! (or not, you know I’m not one to order people around… and ok, if you really know me, then you know that’s a bold faced lie right there.)

on to my latest obsessions which all revolve around design and decorating. specifically light, airy, modern items like this dining room:

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or this bedroom, with a bed I could imagine spending the whole day in:

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I’m researching every possible sofa in internet sofa land: currently landing on this one from article as a favorite with a strict no coffee drinking rule applied to all who sit!sectional

the reason for all my obsessing over household items (you should see my pinterest) is we are going to be settling down again, taking a break from the nomadic life we’ve been living these past few years. Mr. X is going to be getting a coding certification and we’ll be staying put in our old hometown at least for a few years as he gets his foothold in a career.

I imagine we’ll hit the road again in the future (we still have so much more to see!)

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but, for now I look forward to organizing my laundry room and watering plants, figuring out where to put my baking sheets and things of other high importance. it will be good to have a place to call home, again.

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unless otherwise credited, All images © 2013-2017 Jeannie M. Starks / two daisies life

home is where you make it.

When I was about seven, we moved from the tiny brick bungalow, and the only home I’d known, into a shiny, new, yellow aluminum sided four bedroom colonial. It was nestled on a the end of a cul de sac in a neighborhood that was full of strange kids who would become my walk to school friends, kick the can buddies and all around partners in crime….and  I was excited. I love change.

In the past five years since getting divorced, however, I’ve moved seven times. Change at that rate gets a little old. Kick the can games fewer and far between.

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kitchen kitsch

My latest stop has me renting a condo, which means the month that you decide to go “off lease” and rent month to month is exactly the time the landlord calls and tells you he has someone interested in buying that condo. Change? It seems to like me more than I like it at this point.

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map wall

But, on the other hand, maybe it’s a good thing.

I’m also turning (a BIG number birthday…like a really big one…halfway to being mentioned by Williard Scott and being sponsored by Smucker’s big) this week and have always dreamt of seeing this amazing country of ours.

We (my current partner in crime and myself) have been slowly planning, plotting, budgeting…a way to travel around to the National Parks — seeing everything I’ve / we’ve / never gotten to see. Hence the big map on our wall.

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After all, home can be anywhere…..in a big, shiny, yellow aluminum house on a cul de sac, or in the front seat next to your best pal driving across the country…..

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stay tuned.

 

 

All images © 2013-2016 Jeannie M. Starks / two daisies life