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a slice of life
a slice of life

French Inspiration

Last week, I shared that I was heading to France and Italy in September.  In fact, it’s just under two weeks away now and I am positively giddy about it.  I find it hard to even focus on the things I need to work on now, because my mind keeps drifting to my upcoming trip and how much I want to soak it all in.  Instead of fighting the daydreaming, I’ve been allowing it in moderation and I will even admit to feeding it with books and Instagram feeds.  So, I thought I would share some of the inspiration I’ve found as well as some more details about my preparations and plans for the trip. We will be spending the bulk of our time in Italy, but that is the “work” (if it can seriously even be called that) portion of the trip and we’re a part of a group

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August 28, 2018 102 Comments
a slice of life

Summer 2018 Favorites

This week is back to school week and that means I can have my work day back!  Don’t get me wrong.  I have enjoyed the lazy mornings, trips to visit family, movie matinees with the boys, the warmer weather for gardening and house projects, and watching the boys enjoy the freedom of summer.  We had lots of playdates, sleepovers, bike rides, afternoons at the pool, and evenings at the park.  They did drama camp and sports camp and Marshall did his first week-long away-from-home camp.  We’ve had a great time, but it will be nice to get back to a rhythm that gives me a quiet house for a few hours each day. Other than the obvious things, like visiting our families and special time spent with the boys, I thought I would share my summer 2018 favorites… Alone Jeff started watching this reality show first and I sort of

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August 27, 2018 39 Comments
a slice of life

Packing for Paris & Lucca

A few nights ago, I woke up in a panic.  I had a very vivid dream that I was leaving for Paris that morning and I only had 15 minutes to pack!  I have been excited about the trip, but it always seemed like something that was happening in the distant future.  It was now three weeks away and that dream was the jolt I needed to start seriously getting ready for it.  I’m not actually packing the suitcase, yet, but I am starting to try on outfits, make lists, firm up the trip details, buy sight-seeing tickets, and make some final purchases. I thought I would share some of the things I’m packing, since that’s been consuming my time the past couple of days.  First off, in case you missed it, I am going to the province of Lucca in Italy for a creative retreat, so everything for that

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August 22, 2018 107 Comments
a slice of life

annoying project day

I’m sure I am not alone with it comes to not quite finishing some of the more annoying and easily overlooked parts of a DIY project.  When I am really focused and disciplined, I’ll pin myself down and force myself to finish that last bit of painting or put in that final piece of shoe molding.  But there are other times that I want to move onto to something higher impact than installing a small piece of quarter-round that’s hidden behind a door or painting the 1 1/2″ strip of trim around the screen door. There are a couple of larger, alluring projects I’m excited to start working on, so I decided to use those as an incentive to finish some of the annoying things that have been languishing on my to-do list.  I can’t start something new until I completely finish those projects.  I called it my “annoying project

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July 31, 2018 34 Comments
a slice of life

one year ago today…

…we moved into our home in Rochester, MN! Moving into the new house was like standing at the top of a summit after a long, hard climb and an even longer time of preparation, planning, waiting, and praying.  After months of uncertainty, we had arrived at our destination – a new job in a new town in a new part of the country.  Everything ahead of us was new and exciting, but also daunting.  There was so much to do!  Not just in the house, but there was the entire process of settling a family into a new area, which isn’t done easily or quickly! After a full year, though, we feel almost completely entrenched.  There are still a few lingering loose ends and to-dos, but overall, we are Minnesotans and are embracing it. The obvious thing for me to focus on in this post is the transformation of the

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July 24, 2018 86 Comments
a slice of life

cherry picking

I hope you had a lovely fourth of July!  We invited some friends over from our church and then watched fireworks from a vantage point near our house.  It was low key, but everything July 4th should be…burgers, corn on the cob, macaroni salad, sparklers, and friends. Other than that, I’ve been doing some projects around the house, like finishing the front garden, helping Jeff with organizing the garage (he’s building shelves and then I organize), trying to fix/install a new doorbell (which has been more challenging than one would have thought), making multiple trips to Home Depot for materials and supplies, and working on an unexpected, totally not-fun project that popped up on July 3. If you follow me on Instagram Stories, you know I had a funky smell in my van and came to learn it was emanating from a dead mouse.  I know!  I absolutely could not

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July 6, 2018 52 Comments
a slice of life

tuning into what’s real

A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to go to a private island located in Rainy Lake in Canada.  It’s a island owned by our pastor’s family and he invited us and another family to spend a few days there.  I was looking forward to the fellowship, enjoying nature, watching the boys experience something more wild than suburbia, and, maybe most of all, I was looking forward to unplugging.  I didn’t even pack my computer and that may be the first time that’s happened since I started my business, which is a little sad, admittedly. This island had minimal electricity, though, so a computer was pretty pointless.  I didn’t even know if I’d have cell service, so I thought I might be completely off the grid, but I did end up having decent reception.  Despite that fact, I stayed off my phone and gave my full attention to

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June 28, 2018 37 Comments
a slice of life

making ourselves at home

Before I get into today’s post, I want to encourage you to visit one of my friend’s websites.  Laura Dreyer is a talented artist and creative business owner (she is the creator of Little Clay Land), but is also a long-time friend and the designer of my logo and lot of the branding that became the cornerstone of my professional look.  She is publishing a series of interviews by creative entrepreneurs and mine is posted today. As a part of the series, she is including hand-drawn lettering of the creative’s business.  Here is the one she did for me… Anyway, just a little light reading, if you’re interested! A part of what makes me feel not-at-home somewhere that isn’t my home is that I don’t have a place for everything.  That might sound like a stupid and obvious statement, but hang in here with me.  I end up being a

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June 26, 2018 37 Comments

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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