Once again I appear to be without 3 things that are actually . . . cohesive. I do have three things on my mind, however, and I’m ready to share them with you.

1. The first is that I have started using an app called Moment. It tracks the time I spend on my phone and which apps I use the most. Now, plenty of things I do on my phone are useful and valuable. I check my calendar, I listen to podcasts, I use a habit app to track things I want to do daily. I use my phone to meditate and track my expenses and my time at work. I use the camera and 1SE and Spotify and Sonos and more. I also use it for Instagram and Facebook. A lot. And, while I don’t use my phone as much as the average person (at least according to studies I’ve read), I am using it for about 2 hours every day (sometimes more) and that amounts to 15% of my waking hours.
2. In light of that, I have taken a tiny step back from Facebook. I’m still sharing my Instagram posts and blog posts and the stuff I’ve read on Good Reads but I’m trying to limit the time I spend looking at the news feed.  I honestly believe Facebook is a great tool – it helped me immensely with my campaign last spring – and it can be lots of fun. But sometimes, oh sometimes it’s just . . . annoying and overwhelming. People complaining. People pontificating. People being unkind. Despite that, I still find myself scrolling mindlessly through the news feed. I think I read something somewhere about how it’s designed to make us do that and it can be really hard to put it down. So, I’ve taken a couple of proactive steps to reduce the time I waste on Facebook. I’ve moved the app from the main screen on my iPhone to the second screen. (out of sight, out of mind) and I’ve also eliminated it from the tabs I have open in Google. These are baby steps but they are making a difference, I think.
3. I’m hoping that the time I have freed up will result in more knitting projects! Next week I’ll be sharing my (finally!) finished True Colors! I also knit a hat (as a palate cleanser) and now I’m moving on to Thea Colman’s Appleseed Mitts.

If you wrote a post for today I hope you’ll include a link! Thanks for joining in on Three Things Thursday.

Ooof, what a week, eh? I’m feeling a little random (and cranky and edgy) so today I’ll just share 3 things that are on my mind right now.

My high school yearbook entry. Without getting all political (but y’all know me well enough to know where I stand) I want to just say that I don’t have a problem being judged (hahaha) by what I put in my high school yearbook. Well, I should clarify that and said go ahead and judge me for that hairdo but my words? We’re good with those. I mean, Yearbook staff, French Club, Wheaton College and “strawberries forever”? Hard to translate that into something that’s going to bite me in the ass when I apply for a job 35 years later.

White Flower Farm Amaryllis. I sent an email to Bonny and Kym last week saying that I was ready to pull the trigger and order amaryllis bulbs from WFF. They both responded with enthusiasm (damn enablers) and recommendations and I ordered . . . 3. One arrived on Saturday and should be in bloom for Christmas. The others will come later and will brighten the days after Christmas which, frankly, is when I’ll really be seeking something alive and lovely. Should you wish to order something lovely for your ownself, I’d love it if you used my link. You get a coupon for $10 off and I get $10 credit and we all get awesome flowers.

Jackie is ONE TODAY! It’s a cliché to ask where the time goes but, as is often the case, it’s a cliché because it’s true. It’s just hard to believe that one year ago he was this tiny little baby and now he’s this big chunky baby who has completely stolen my heart. And everyone else’s, too. He has brought so much joy to our family and I can’t even remember what it was like before him.

And that’s all I have for this week! If you wrote a post for today please include your link below and thanks for participating.

Hand’s down, the number one thing people say when I see them around town is how envious they are of our Friday Night Snacks™. And I generally reply, really? It’s just cheese and crackers. But I know, despite my self-deprecating, that’s it’s more special than that and today I’m going to share 3 ideas for making your snack plates a little more special, too.

1. Get yourself some pretty serving plates. I pick them up at all kinds of places, from Christmas Tree Shop to Home Goods to yard sales. I love ones with words on them like Celebrate, I love plane white ones, and I love special seasonal ones. It’s nice to have a variety because you can rotate them to make things more fun but you can also tailor your plate to match (or not clash) with your food. Going along with those serving plates, get yourself some fun cocktail napkins. I have an entire drawer of cocktail napkins to choose from. Some are seasonal, some are snarky, some are generic and some are just plain. Like the plates, I pick them up in lots of places and I’m always on the look out for them. Cocktail napkins make great souvenirs, too!
2. Serve a variety of snacks. My go-to is cheese, crackers & olives. I also like to add some salami and hardboiled or pickled eggs when I have them. I like to have a couple of different types/flavors of cheese, too. I’m a big fan of stinky cheese but a nice cheese spread is always welcome as is a good aged cheddar, smoked gouda, pepperjack and more. If cheese isn’t your thing (well, if cheese isn’t your thing I don’t know if we can be friends, honestly) then go for something else like vegetables and dip or snack mix. The idea is to have something that’s easy to pull together that’s easy to eat. When I’m feeling fancier I do other things like hummus or stuffed mushrooms, baked dips or homemade calzones. I have a whole Pinterest board of appetizers and I just recently started one called Friday Night Snacks.
3. Establish a ritual. Regular commenter Robby is the one who pointed out to me that the big draw of our Friday Night Snacks is the ritual of it all and I think she’s 100% right. The thing that makes this time special is about more than the pretty plates and funny cocktail napkins. It’s more than having really expensive cheese from Vermont. It’s about the time we spend together, it’s about making the extra effort to set this time aside. And for us what works is Friday nights. Maybe for you it’s Saturday afternoon or Wednesdays after work, it doesn’t matter when you set apart the time for something special, what matters is that you do it.

Those are my thoughts on how you can incorporate a special routine into your week. I can’t wait to hear if you try this out!

And don’t forget to leave a link to your blog if you wrote a Thursday post for this week!

September is, according to Gretchen Rubin, the Other New Year. I couldn’t agree more, I always feel like September is a great time for starting new routines, getting back on track with things you let slide over the summer, and just feeling excited about new projects. Here are three things I’m doing right now to celebrate the start of the Other New Year.

1. On the getting back on track front, I’m recommitted to bringing my lunch to work every day. I started this habit last year and I’ve been pretty good about it, cooking extra of meals and making sure there’s stuff at home to bring. I got a little lazy about it over the summer since I don’t cook as much but I’ve got a cute new lunch box and I’m inspired to bring healthy meals from home.
2. I’m starting something new by committing to learning about chakras. I’m taking an online class that’s offered by a friend of mine and, while I am a complete beginner to the study, it makes sense and feels right for me to learn about in this moment. You know that feeling when something keeps coming up over and over and you finally decide to pay attention to your intuition about it? That’s me and chakras right now.
3. I’m feeling excited about a few things right now, actually. I’m excited that my run as secretary of my Kiwanis club ends in a few weeks. It’s been fun but I’m ready for a break from the extra work it involves. I’m excited about a new online watercolor class I’m taking. And I’m excited about having Jackie on Friday afternoons again now that Jessica is back to working on Fridays.

Do you feel like September is a great time for a fresh start? Or to try something new? Tell me about it in the comments!

And don’t forget to link to your post if you wrote one for this week.

As so many people have been pointing out lately, the days of summer are waning. Now, on the one hand I find it really annoying that this keeps coming up because there are still 37 days until September 22nd. But! On the other hand I’m sort of glad it has come up because it has made me think about what things I want to accomplish before summer is over. I’m sure you won’t be surprised to know that I’ve thought of three.

1. Go on vacation to Cape Cod. This will be happening come Saturday and I’m really looking forward to a week away with the kids. Not all the kids will be with us all of the week and some not at all but most of the week will include most of them and this year we have the added fun of Jackie! Cross your fingers for good weather for us, won’t you? I’m hoping for plenty of beach time along with bike riding and swimming, hanging out and reading, eating lobster and drinking rosé!
2. Have ice cream from Polar Cave. I only get to this ice cream parlor when we’re on vacation and I look forward to it all year. Those fresh made (warm!!) waffle cones are such a treat and the ice cream flavors are truly fabulous. It’s a treat and a half every time we go.
3. Finish the pergola and have a dinner party to celebrate. Really, we’re about done except for getting the curtains up and Dale was working on that yesterday so perhaps by the time you’re reading this he’s done. Once it’s all finished I want to have a few friends over to light the candles and eat delicious food and enjoy an evening under this summer’s big project.

What do you want to do before summer is over?

Don’t forget to add your link if you wrote a post for today!