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a slice of life

a slice of life

Happy Mail Movement

As I’ve shared on my blog over the past few weeks, I’ve been the recipient of some pretty awesome “happy mail.”  I always love getting mail and packages, whether they are gifts or things that I’ve ordered, but that sentiment has been amplified during this time of isolation.  Every little thing is precious and the connection with the people who made it, sourced it, packed it, shipped it, and delivered it is appreciated even more. Opening each package is like Christmas morning, filled with anticipation and excitement.  And I have found so much joy in finding the perfect spot for all of my new treasures.  Just the act of moving things around to find a home for whatever arrived on my doorstep that day has been a happy distraction from checking the news or feeling overwhelmed at managing the boys’ schooling. Last week, I received some more happy mail… A

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a slice of life

“Can I pull it off?”

Disclosure: This post is a sponsored collaboration with Magnolia Pearl.  We received a great response from our last collaboration, so we decided to work together again!  As always, all opinions and words are my own. I saw a pair of shoes in an e-mail from Magnolia Pearl a few weeks ago and right away, I was smitten.  They look like antique leather baby shoes, but they are shoes for adults!  Oh my…I couldn’t send Red an e-mail fast enough to see if they had them in my size. While I was waiting for the reply, doubt crept in…  “Can I pull them off?”  I’ve been marinating on this question and how I squashed my own excitement for a pair of shoes I was immediately drawn to and excited about wearing.  And I realized I do that to myself all the time.   Can I pull this off?   What is that question

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a slice of life

March’s Books of the Week

Welp, it’s April 23 and we’re just now getting to March’s books of the week.  That’s just how things have been going lately.  I have definitely put too much self-imposed pressure on myself in a variety of areas and it’s starting to compound.  I know other over-achievers will sympathize.  You know you’re doing fine, but every little thing that slips through the cracks or gets done a little later than desired starts makes you feel like you’re not doing enough.  It’s completely unfair to ourselves and completely ignores the numerous things you’re doing right and well, but it’s a cycle that’s hard to break nonetheless.  Especially when busyness is a kind of sanctuary during stressful times. So, I’m typing it out in the hopes that acknowledgment works as a kind of antidote.  And I’m sharing it in the hopes that others who are feeling the same way will find safety

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a slice of life

happy mail

Over the last couple of weeks, I received a few surprises in the mail from a few of my artist/maker friends.  Happy Mail has a whole new meaning now.  Everything that’s delivered is a thread connecting us to someone else…  someone who made something, packed something, delivered something.  When it’s just us at home, everything that comes in seems precious; a bright spot.  I think each of these packages would have felt like that even under the best of times, but in this time of isolation, they made me pause and appreciate thoughtfulness and connection. When I opened my mailbox a few days ago, the scent of lavender wafted out.  Right away, it made me smile.  It’s my favorite scent and I breathed it in deeply before pulling my mail out into a plastic grocery bag to minimize touching it.  When I opened my mail later the next day (we’ve

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a slice of life

online shopping hack

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Wikibuy.  As always, all words and opinions are honest and my own.  This is a free product I use personally and I’m happy to share it with my readers.  This post also contains affiliate links.  Wikibuy compensates me when you get the Wikibuy extension using the links in this post. I remember making one of my first online purchases about 20 years ago.  I don’t remember what I purchased, but I remember experiencing the angst of pressing the buy button.  Was it a scam?  Would my credit card number be stolen?  Would I actually get what I paid for?  It seriously took me about an hour to go through with it.  I would add it to my cart, remove it, add it again, enter my credit card information, delete it, enter it again, walk away, take a deep breath, and finally pressed the buy

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a slice of life

classic white bread recipe & bread-baking tips

There was a time, before kids, before I started a business, when my main focus for two sweet years was being a homemaker. I left my corporate job and supported Jeff as he served full time as a youth pastor. Leaving my job with a demanding schedule and limited time off meant that I could go on all of the youth trips and participate in all of the activities. It also meant that I had a lot of free time during the day, which I used to throw myself into decorating, keeping house, and becoming a better cook and baker. I dove into new territory with recipes like this classic white bread recipe.  I had Food Network shows like Good Eats and Sara’s Secrets running in the background most days and I would jot down notes about searing meat, making the perfect roux, and developing deep flavor in a sauce.

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a slice of life

the best gift

Saturday was my 42 birthday.  It started off with apologies from Jeff and the boys that they couldn’t go out and buy me gifts and couldn’t take me out to a restaurant.  It would be another day hunkering down at home.  The fact that I wasn’t disappointed was surprising to me.  I’ve always been a “big birthday person.”  I love presents and cake and surprises. To plan for the day, I bought the ingredients to make a copycat version of Olive Garden’s lemon cream cake, but there have been bigger things than online shopping for potential birthday presents to occupy my time and thoughts.  We would just unceremoniously move some cash from the gifts line item to my personal spending money in our budget and I could buy something later. It was actually the precautions we’ve been taking to keep our family, particularly our type 1 diabetic son, insulated from

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a slice of life

my silver patterns

I often receive comments about my flatware, even if I am posting about food or styling or something else entirely.  I will admit that I have a thing for flatware and have inherited and collected some beautiful pieces. The pieces I inherited from at least five different women in my family are stunning and hard to ignore, which is the main reason why I started using them as our everyday flatware several years ago.  They are just too pretty to keep in a box 363 days of the year, only making appearances at Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, despite being valuable heirlooms, we use them every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  I doubt my boys remember using anything else and I know they just see them as regular ole forks and spoons. HERE is a post about why I use my silver every day and how I clean and care

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I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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