Seque

This weekend, I'm doing some much needed distraction: that is, I'm obsessing over small things that don't truly matter rather than thinking about bigger issues. I used to joke with people that I needed time to just sit and stare at the wall - (um, kind of like mediation) - but now, I don't really stare at the wall, so much as take photos of stuff with my phone. It is still very zen-like.

This is one of those origami (Moravian) stars sitting on a copper tray that used to belong to Fritz's grandmother. Something about the way the paper and metal were contrasting each other was fascinating. Also - both materials look soft and hard at the same time. Neat.

In contrast to that image - the image below is all the same material. This is a wavy dimensional tile just installed in one of my work projects. It's all white - so the pattern you are seeing below is actually from shadows. There's a chipped bit in there - that's why I was taking the photo. But overall, I was struck by just how graphic and contrast-y it is - considering that the tile is one single color.

These are the one single shoe that I could wear all the time. My parents got this particular pair for me for Christmas. But it is the third time that they have bought (almost the exact) same shoe for me. I started wearing a shoe like this around 2002, and I haven't stopped. Every three years (or so) I stick them my Christmas list. The good news is that I will truly squeeze every penny of value out of these shoes.

At our house, we are hoping to optimize value by expanding upon Noah's cooking repertoire. This is a meal that NOAH made. That's right, the 11 year old made this. Can you believe it? It's a Jamie Oliver chicken recipe. Noah had to stuff herbs and butter under the skin of the chicken (Ew) and when he finished doing that, he still wanted to make the homemade pasta on the left of the photo. AMAZING.

Our refinished dining table is holding up pretty well, but our not-refinished dining chairs were falling apart. Since I can't seem to squeeze refinishing into my schedule (for 6 years now), we sucked it up bought these Ikea chairs. I was very much liking these chairs back in 2013, but couldn't bring myself to buy them (or their even nicer cousin, the Mantis Chair). And guess what? The Ikea ones were discontinued, so then I really couldn't buy them. Until one day I luckily found SIX on Craigslist and could then justify the (second-hand) cost.

Rather than going second-hand, we got a new rug in the living room.  Well, actually, my brother got it for me. (Thank you!) Worried a bit that it was too matchy-matchy with my mother-in-law's artwork hanging on the wall, but I think it's good. Our living room gets a lot of kid-play, so I'm hoping it will hide the kid's dirt as well.

It's probably time for me to stop ignoring the mess and do something a little more productive. Here's to a perfect balance or productivity and distraction on your weekend.