Hi Friends! I apologize for the radio silence over here. I've been working on some super fun stuff away from the blog, and am finally prepared enough to share it with you!

I've shared some pictures of my sewing projects before, and have been dusting off my skills for the past week or so. Seriously, it had been about 12 years since I last did any major sewing. But, I'm back in the groove, and have some awesome projects in the works.

Within the next week (hopefully) I'll have my very own Etsy shop up and running! My current focus is on Halloween and Christmas. The shop will have goodies for boys and girls, so nobody is left out!

If you follow me on Instagram you can find more regular updates on my shop. I will take custom orders (if you're inspired by anything you see that's not in the shop) so please email me at mallorysilverman@gmail.com if you are.

I'll see you at the shop when our doors are open!

P.S. All of the headbands in this post I have made. They all won't be immediately available, I'm starting with Fall (think, your favorite team colors) and Halloween! If you see something you like that's not up, let me know and I'll accommodate a special order.

"Be yourself: No one can ever tell you you're doing it wrong."

James Leo Herlihy

"Until you make peace with who  you are,

you'll never be content with what you have."

Doris Mortman

"Don't aim for success if you want it;

just do what you love and believe in,

and it will come naturally."

David Frost

Hi Friends! I hope you had a great holiday, and I can't wait to share with you all of the fun from Noelle's first Fourth of July! It was a great day and (finally) we had beautiful weather in Chicago.

For now though, I will leave you with some inspiration in case you (like me) are in need of a mid-day pick-me-up.

"The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do.

The hard part is doing it."

Norman Schwarzkopf

Talk to you soon!

"Don't let yesterday use up too much of today."

Will Rogers

You made it half way through the week! See you soon with a thairapy update, and a new Italian sausage pasta recipe.

"When nothing is sure, everything is possible."

Margaret Drabble

"And, the trouble is, if you don't risk anything,

you risk even more."

Erica Jong

The hubs and I were talking the other day, and I told him that I felt the last month was probably one of the hardest throughout our entire relationship. Risks were taken, decisions were made, and things are working out. Even if things weren't working out (yet), and the risks were challenging us still, we'd continue to put one foot in front of the other until they did. 

Take risks, and make the hard choices.

Choose to be happy with the decisions you've made and "carry on."

Life is good, ya'll. Happy Wednesday!

"The only justification we have for looking down on someone 

is that we're going to stop and pick them up."

Jesse Jackson

We're half way there, friends. Have a great rest of the week!

How was everyone's (hopefully) long holiday weekend? Ours was fantastic, and getting into the spirit of regular posting again, I'll have an overview for you all soon! We had a fantastic time and got to see lots of friends and family back in Michigan.

As I've eluded to before, the past (almost) month has been particularly chaotic and stressful. We're closing doors on those issues though, and looking ahead. I came across this quote recently, and it totally clicked with me in light of the recent happenings.

"Always remember that the future comes one day at a time."

Dean Acheson

Life has been crazy lately, friends. So, today I needed to take a step back.

Today I left the office at lunch (a rarity), soaked in the sunshine, and view of Lake Michigan. It was much needed to restore my optimism.

"For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else."

Winston Churchill

Needing some inspiration lately ...

"Man is born to live, not to prepare for life."

Boris Pasternak

Tomorrow is Friday. Is everyone as excited as I am?

Lately, the husband has been working on some DIY projects around the house. Checking things off of that honey-do list. Isn't he great? Anyways, all of this creativity in the atmosphere got me to thinking of other things that I'd like for our home, that he might be able to whip up for me.

We have some photos that since we moved in, in August, have just been propped on the ledge in our bedroom. While it doesn't look too bad, I'd love to either hang them or give them a shelf of their own! And then it came to me, we need a picture ledge for the wall! These are ever so popular lately, but I just can't resist some decoration in our bedroom that we haven't really done anything with since moving in.

I found these pictures for inspiration, and sent them to Dave for his opinion, since he's going to be the one crafting this project.

First I thought a floating ledge was what I wanted. Like this:

West Elm

Then, I saw this larger ledge that could hold some nick-nacks too.

Young House Love

And, then, I found these great brackets.

Restoration Hardware

As you can see, I'm a bit scattered in my vision. How will it turn out? You'll have to check back to see!

On my way to work today, there was a girl who was on my train, then in front of me when we both arrived at Starbucks. The path she took, and the path that I took however, were very different. When we exited the train she was in front of me on the escalator.  She tried rushing to pass a woman into the turnstile, and ran into her instead getting an annoyed "say excuse me, please." She was quickly out of my sight after she, for the second time, ran into another woman turning the corner on the street. I arrived at Starbucks, and there she was, in front of me in line.

It got me to thinking, why is she in such a hurry to wait in line? Whatever the reason, it gave me inspiration for Wednesday wisdom.

"If you're always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you're in?"

~Unknown

And, because I have such an awesome nanny, some great pictures of Noelle to help you get through the middle of the week!

While doing my daily news reading I came across this article about Elizabeth Vargas' interview with Sheryl Sandberg. Sheryl is the COO at Facebook, a director at the Walt Disney Company, and  author of the book 'Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead.' I haven't read it yet, but might will be buying it on my Nook tonight!

It got me to thinking about the best advice I've received over the years about career, and life. While it may not have been advice received, actions speak louder than words, and I was very observant!

My mom was a working mom, my grandma was a working mom, and they both set a great example for me. When my mom was a girl, and my grandma worked they lived with family. There was always someone to help watch and tote mom to and from activities and school while grandma was at work. When I was little, we went to a sitter, and our Great Aunt pitched in during the week when mom and dad had to work too. I learned a lot from both of them (and still do) about being a working mom. It takes a village. Really. Being a working mom is not easy, and all I want to do is be home, but right now it can't be that way. Maybe one day it will.

This taught me that it's ok to lean on others. It's ok to ask people for help. We have been lucky enough to find a nanny for Noelle that we are so happy and comfortable with as our caregiver while we are working.

When my sister and I were little my mom said we would say "we love Linda" (our sitter), and they would then say something along the lines of "doesn't that bother you?" My mom would reply with "No, I'm glad they love her. I leave them with her every day." I'm sure it was hard for my mom to hear us say that, and be away from us every day, but she's very strong, did what she had to, and made it work. Being a kid with working parents I learned to be independent, and I'm very happy for this experience. My mom set a great example for me, and I admire her very much for it.

My favorite piece of advice in this article comes from Elizabeth Vargas. "Slow and steady wins the race." In today's world, it is very hard to not want more, and wish that you had what your colleagues and peers have. It's very easy to get caught up in the race, but her story is one that I'm going to try to remember. And, you can ask David, sometimes I do not have much patience, I get "excited" easily, but I'm working on it.

To get more information on the Lean In movement you can check out their blog or follow them on Facebook.

This week has been exhausting in our house. Mostly for dad, I will admit. With the cold temperatures a lot of his staff is sick, and as the GM it's his job to pick up the slack. So, Noelle and I have had two nights of mommy baby time, lots of snuggles, but tons of missing daddy too. This week's Wednesday wisdom is for him.

"Just because we cannot do everything for everyone, does not mean we should do nothing for anyone." Bill Clinton

This time of the year, when we're all sluggish, not wanting to get out of bed and head into the real, cold world, I think this little saying will go a long way. Hang in there, help out your friends and coworkers when you are able to. It will come back to you.

Happy end of Wednesday - two more days in the work week!

Stay warm out there, friends.

Family has recently (well since October) taken on a whole new meaning to me since the birth of Noelle. Our family is pretty small, so my friends have always been an extension, and much like family to me. When I saw this quote, I just had to share it.

"Family is one of nature's masterpieces." George Santayana

The (Chicago)  Silverman have made it half way through mom's first week back to work without a hitch! Yesterday was our first day with the nanny, and we came home to a clean, fed and happy baby. I guess that's all we can ask for until she can talk!

Happy Wednesday, all.

So, I came across this post at the Thought Catalog today, and thought it was perfect as we approach the New Year. I'm not so much for resolutions, and this blog seemed perfect for anyone out there who is like me.

25 Ways To Make Your Life Better Immediately

I can think of a time in my life for almost each of these points, and had I known, or had the courage to just fix it, or change, I certainly would have been "better" immediately!

On this chilly morning, as I prepare to go into the office for the first time in eight weeks (although it is only for two hours), I couldn't have said it better myself!