The Suede Sofa Blog

Live-It List Lesson

Last year at this time The Suede Sofa began talking about the “Live-It List” – which is sort of like a bucket list, but with the emphasis on living rather than on dying. Well, 2012 is coming to a close and I’ve been working on my “Live-It List” all year long. In January, I started out with a lengthy list of things that I thought were important. Although it felt great to get those items checked off my list, the one thing that my “Live-It List” revealed to me was what is important and worth pursuing and what things are really, well, just a distraction. My list contained “good” things be sure, but good things can steal your focus from the best things. So in 2013 I am going to do things different from what I have ever done before and just pick one. The best one.

Are you focused and going after only the best, or are you like I was in 2012 – all over the place and although accomplishing a lot of things, not really accomplishing anything really significant? This may come as a relief to know that you can streamline your life and eliminate activities that don’t serve your best interests.

What is your purpose? What deserves your focus and attention? Could 2013 be your year to “Pick One”?

:) Robynn

Saved By The Bell

Growing up with all sisters, I never knew what it was like to grow up around boys. When we were bLesSeD with a baby boy over 2 years ago, our world changed forever. I immediately learned how different (but good) life would be with a boy!

One of the main differences between Garrett and sister, Leanne, is that Garrett has little to no fear. When that kid decides he wants something, he heads that diRecTion and never looks back. Because we live in the country, with plenty of land to run around on, you can see how this poses a major problem. The second we would turn around our little boy would be off eXploRinG, leaving us in a panic not knowing where to look.

Due to a few of these scares we took away his freedom when he went outside. His FaVoRitE thing to do is to play outdoors, so you can only imagine the tantrums this created when he wanted to go and we didn’t have the time to take him.

My father-in-law happened to pick up a small cow bell at an auction. We joked about how we should attach it to Garrett since he always runs off. One morning, after another 2-year-old meltdown, I was desperate for him to have an atTitUde change. I grabbed the bell, tied it to his pants, opened the windows and let him loose to play in the front yard.

Let me tell you….that bell changed EVERYTHING!

Garrett gets to play in the dirt as much as he wants, and I am always an earshot away. I can get work done in the house and this gives him a break from me, in a way that I can know where he is at. We’ve been doing this for several weeks now and Garrett’s temperament has changed drastically. Now that he is able to release his eNerGy by playing outside, he is much happier and less likely to throw tantrums. It is really cute too…every time he grabs his shoes, he always grabs his bell! He knows he can’t go outside without it!

Who would have thought we’d be saved by a bell? If you are at at the end of your rope, I encourage you to talk to as many other people as you can AND exhaust all options. It may be as sImpLe as getting a cow bell…

Ring-a-ling! :)

Lara

Halloween Decorations

This Halloween my son gave me a challenge. Instead of my usual cute Halloween decorations he wanted spooky and scary decorations for our home. I searched Pinterest and found some ideas, but decided to give them a twist of my own!

This skeleton wreath was made with items bought at local dollar stores and Target. First I covered a styrofoam wreath with Halloween ribbon. The next step was to hot glue the plastic skeletons to the wreath. It was SuPeR easy to make and my son was ThRiLlEd with the results!

For the light up ghosts I turned metal tomato cages upside down and wrapped them in Christmas lights. Next I covered them in a twin sized sheet cut in half and glued felt pieces for the eyes. I made two ghosts since I have two children, but you can make an entire ghost family with such an EaSy project!

Happy Haunting!

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

Love It! {Farmyard Tales}

Looking for a good children’s book? This is currently one of my favorites. I first heard of it when Lara and her family stayed with my family during their move. (Click here to read about her moving her house!) Each night Lara would read it to her kids and mine. After their move, Lara gave us this book as a thank-you gift and now my kids love having me read it to them. So if you have children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews check it out!

:) Robynn~

Love Letters

I’ve been married for almost 7 years. When I ReMemBer my dating days with Doug, I cherish all of the little notes and letters we gave one another. Call me old fashioned, but there is just something special about seeing how the other person feels on paper. Who doesn’t like a heartfelt love letter?!

Fast forward to the present and we are lucky if we can squeeze an “I love you” in a ConVersaTion without being interrupted by kids or hectic schedules. We do well at thanking one another for little stuff throughout the week (taking out the trash, paying bills) but it is rare to have moments that we stop and verbally express the deeper love we have for one another.

So….this week I decided to write a love letter. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t on fancy paper sprayed with perfume and sealed with a waxed stamp. It wasn’t even hand written! It was a simple email that I typed up while I was waiting for my letter blocks to dry (romantic, huh?). And to be hOnEst, it felt a little weird at first. I mean, I’ve known Doug for what seems like forever, but to write things that have more meaning than your typical daily conversation brought back butterflies as if I was awaiting my first date with him. So a good “weird” I guess!

Like many things that are slightly uncomfortable in life, you have little to no regret once it is over. It felt G O O D to share how I felt and usually that is all it takes to help nurture a relationship.

By the end of the day I challenge you to send your loved one a thoughtful text, email or voicemail (or hand written letter if you feel froggy!). They may be shocked to receive it because it is so out-of-the ordinary, but you never know what good things may come of it!

Yours Truly,

Lara :)

Random Acts Around Us

Last night I decided on a whim to take my kids out to dinner to a restaurant that gives out balloons to every kid when they enter the restaurant. My kids LoVe this and discuss what color balloon they are going to choose the entire car ride there. As parents it is not such a great perk because we spend most of our meal reminding the kids not to let the balloons touch the ceiling because they can pop, not to let the balloons get caught in the ceiling fans, begging the kids to let us tie the balloons to their chairs, and the list goes on and on and on! As many of you know my son Nicholas just loves to push the envelope every chance he gets and last night this little game of taunting Mommy with the green balloon was really pushing my last button. I always tell my kids that they only get ONE balloon at the restaurant whether they lose theirs or if they pop theirs…ONE and that’s it, the rest are for the other kids who come to eat with their families. When we walked outside to get into our car I decided that I wanted to take a picture of Nicholas and Abby with their balloons. The sun was in the perfect spot to cast a shadow of their little bodies holding their balloons and I wanted to save that moment.

Not two seconds after I snapped the picture…Nicholas let go of his balloon. He has never lost a balloon before, but knowing Nicholas I knew his reaction was not going to be good. He starting crying and begging for me to go inside the restaurant to get him a new one. I knew I could quickly stop the scene by running in and getting him a new balloon, but then I would be going back on my one balloon rule so that was out of the question. As my mind raced to somehow make this situation better out of nowhere appeared a little girl no older than 10 years old. She saw how upset Nicholas was as he was pointing and yelling at his green balloon in the sky and she handed him a blue balloon that she had received from the restaurant. As she walked away I stopped her and told her what a wonderful thing she had just done and how happy she had just made my son.

It is NeVeR too early to start teaching kids that kindness counts.

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

{S C A R Y!!!}

Have you ever seen the glass bridge suspended over the Grand Canyon? All I can say is… S C A R Y!!! Even though I wouldn’t consider myself to have a fear of heights I do have a healthy respect for them. When my girls start moving towards the edge of some high object whether it be a cliff, a bridge, or a tower, my heart starts pounding and I quickly whisk them away from danger and a fall.
Well, in life, whether or not we want to admit it, we all have some “cliff” (or more) that’s end result is disaster. It’s different for all of us, maybe for you it’s shopping or gambling or alcohol or overeating. The funny thing about this “cliff” is that instead of being afraid of getting even remotely near the edge we do the exact opposite – get as close to it as possible. Even with the knowledge that getting close will result in a free fall.

How can you avoid falling off the “cliff”? Learn a lesson from people who have a fear of heights – avoid these kinds of places at all costs. If your issue is alcohol then stay away from places where you will be presented with it, or even around it for that matter. This may also mean you will need to break ties with certain people, but how much are you willing to sacrifice? This is your life we are talking about! The only one you get!!

If you find it difficult to overcome a character flaw, it may even be necessary to seek help from another person. It may be a family member, a friend, a priest/pastor, or a professional, because getting help from someone is always the best way to get out of a hole you just can’t seem to crawl out of.

I know this is hard to hear, but if we really want the best life possible, we have to set up boundaries that will serve to protect us. Yes, even from ourselves.

Is this optional. No. But when you consider what’s at stake and all you have to lose is there any other option?

Robynn~

BTW, I have not yet been to the Grand Canyon, but hope to visit someday. Will I be able to walk on this bridge? That remains to be seen!!

When Someone Won’t Forgive You…

…what do you do? Whether it was a friend from 2^nd grade, a boyfriend, or family member, we can all remember of a time that we hurt someone. If you were lucky, they forgave you. If not, you may still be seeking forgiveness.

I’ve really struggled with this question over the years. It is upsetting when you do everything you can to mAke iT riGhT—apologizes, phone calls, a kind demeanor, or even space away from you—to result in nothing more than a cold shoulder years later. This is frustrating and can often tempt you to be angry at the person. It’s this vicious cycle of you wanting forgiveness, them staying resentful, and then you being mad at them for still holding a grudge!

There comes a time when YOU just have to LeT Go. Let Go of the fact that they may never forgive you. If you have exhausted all options, you have done the best that you can. You can’t live the rest of your life in misery because of something you’ve already tried to fix. When you see them, continue to be friendly but don’t put your life on hold because you may never get the answer you are wanting.

And if you are the one that is still holding a grudge…re-read this post and put yourself in their shoes. Realize how much you are missing out simply because you won’t give one of the biggest gifts you can give…FORGIVENESS.

~Lara

Cupcake Crazed!

Not only do I LoVe eating cupcakes, but I also LoVe baking them! Sometimes I think one of the reasons I wanted to be a mom so badly was so that I could make cupcakes for my kids to bring in to school on holidays! When I taught 1st grade I found any and every excuse to bake cupcakes for my kiddies including cupcakes with blue icing and little baseball gloves on them to tell the class I was having a baby boy when I was pregnant with Nicholas! With all this cupcake baking comes quite a HUGE collection of cupcake liners. I’m starting to think that buying cupcake liners is somewhat of a mini-obsession for me. Especially after doing this post. I have now come to the realization that I can throw a baby shower, baptism, Superbowl bash, dinosaur dig, princess tea, and that doesn’t include your general calendar holidays! My cabinet was overflowing and I couldn’t figure out a good system for storing the many, many, MaNy liners that I had, but I knew that something had to give or the next time I went to bake cupcakes they were all going to come crashing down and I was going to have a big mess to clean up. I looked around for containers at the dollar stores, but there really wasn’t anything that I thought would work so I went through things I had at home. While drinking Seltzer the other night it occurred to me that the bottle was the exact size to hold the liners and it was the perfect height to fit in my cabinet. We drink Seltzer by the case in our house so all I had to do was take a few out of recycling and soak off the labels. Now I have the perfect system for organizing and storing my cupcake liners, tons of new-found cabinet space, and it didn’t cost me a dime!

Remove labels and cut off tops of bottles

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

{Get A Head Start On The Holidays}

For the past few years I have scrambled to get my ChRiStMaS cards out before DeCeMeBeR 24th. My problem wasn’t that I had the cards sitting around the house and just didn’t get around to it, but rather it was racing to get pictures taken and then have the cards made. Last year I only received my cards 2-3 days before Christmas. After spending hours addressing them the eve of December 23rd, I decided that was it. Then and there I resolved that I would get Christmas pictures taken in June and create my Christmas card in July. I was tired of self-imposing stress on myself during what should be a JoYoUs HoLiDaY. And that is what I did.

This year I’m getting my cards at Tinyprints. I haven’t ordered them yet, but I plan on ordering them by the 18th of this month because if I do I will get a 25% discount, (yet another benefit of ordering early!!) Now that I have Christmas cards checked off my list I’m thinking of Christmas planning, shopping, etc. that I can take care of now so that when the joyous holidays do come I can enjoy every minute of it.

Is there something you can do now that will free up your time and energy for the holidays? They will be here before we know it!!

Robynn~