self portrait series: february

I tried to do a self portrait where it was truly just myself, but today, on the last day of the month with the sun setting, it just wasn’t going to happen. Having the kids in the photo totally tells the story of February though as I have been in total HERMIT MODE this month. Yea, I have gotten out a couple of times and even went to Muncie to visit my girl Gail, who inspired this very series. However, for the most part I have been laying low this month and just letting the snow serve as a form of insulation between me and the rest of the world. I can feel that the hermit mode is starting to slip away as I’m starting to shed the hermit-ness bit by bit as spring starts to emerge. (Yes, Indiana did see spring there for a day or so wedged in between snow storms.)

So I decided to take the photo in my kitchen because being in hermit mode means there’s a lot of cleaning. I mean, a much lived in house gets VERY dirty and cluttered. However, I seem to spend the majority of my day in the kitchen. I’m like a hamster on a wheel. Make breakfast, clean the dishes. 20 minutes seems to go by and its time to make lunch and then do those freakin dishes. (Oh wait, the dish washer is running, just let ’em pile up in the sink.) Then it’s time to make dinner, but you gotta clear the sink so you can cook….You get the idea here. So I’m always cleaning the dang kitchen but the rest of the house barely gets any lovin. Not to mention that I’m always either feeding the kids, doing crafts with Miles, unloading groceries or rummaging through the cabinets looking for hidden candy.

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So here’s me, in my kitchen, the only place that really gets cleaned by me on a daily basis. The kiddos weren’t about to let me take this photo without them, so I embraced it. Actually, I’ve had many a friend over (when I wasn’t in hermit mode) and this is exactly what having coffee with me looks like. You are sitting at my kitchen table and I’m cleaning in the kitchen with a kiddo on my hip and Miles in some imaginative play in the background. This particular photo was taken at 5:20 PM and in the midst of a caffeine withdrawal headache. (That’s why my face has the expression of someone in an anti-depressant commercial.) However, this isn’t a typical 5:20 look for my kitchen. I would usually be running around with a few boiling pots on the stove, but on this evening we were going to be going to a preschool fundraiser at a fast food restaurant for dinner. (It’s been hours since dinner and I still feel like I had a salt lick for dinner. Blech!)

I tried to get a shot by myself earlier in the day, but this sweet baby girl wasn’t having it. I would rather sit and pose for a pic with her anyway!

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So that’s me in my everyday kitchen-ness. I did throw on a more respectable shirt because truth be told, I really shouldn’t be answering the door for the UPS guy in what I usually wear, let alone take a photo of it. (Let’s just say, you can see wayyyy more nursing bra than what should be shown in my floppy left over maternity tank tops I still wear around the house.) Oh and speaking of tops, I have this really bad habit lately of buying a shirt on the fly without trying it on and then as I’m dressing in a hurry I tear the tags off, throw it on and BAM, it’s too big. (See oversized oxford shirt pictured above.) Dang it! ANOTHER too big shirt in my possession. Blast.

In conclusion, I will say that as much as I’m complaining about cleaning the kitchen all day, it’s my favorite thing to clean (if I was forced to choose a “favorite”) because I can be with my family while I do it. They are right there at the table, in the high chair, John is right there helping me or let’s face it, doing it for me while I sit on the counter chatting. So I guess it’s actually the least hermit-esque chore I can do. How’s that for bringing it all back full circle?

I totally bumped a super cute blog post to get this self portrait in by the end of February, so make sure you keep scrolling to see an actual shoot (of real live people other than my family!) I posted this morning and learn about a really great auction going on to help a photographer who was recently widowed.

Thanks for stopping by! You’ll see me, and whatever shenanigans I have going on, again next month. I can barely wait.

PS Yes, that is Mrs. Meyers Soap on my counter. Lemon Verbena is my favorite scent. It smells wonderful.

PPS Considering I keep doing these self portraits on the last day of the month, I bet I’ll be doing the next one on March 31st, my birthday eve. So there’s a little trivia for ya. Jusssssst in case you had a calendar near by or anything.

PPPS I think I will always have white cupboards in my kitchen. (With much better counter tops, of course.) I never realized it until we had them, but they are just so bright and cheery. THey are kind of like a white car too, even if they are dirty (Which mine so are) you really can’t tell unless you look close up.

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11 comments
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  • YenMarch 1, 2011 - 12:24 am

    i love lemon verbena. we have a bottle under our sink as well. mmm it’s just so refreshing!

  • heidi garciaMarch 1, 2011 - 12:55 am

    I can totally relate to this whole post. Funny how that is. I to am “learning” how to enjoy kitchen everyday productivity 🙂 LOVE the pics

  • richMarch 1, 2011 - 6:46 am

    were doing the same with our kitchen – white everything! Love it – and yeah, it’s always a hamster wheel and we’re not even to number two yet!!

  • Jen OMarch 1, 2011 - 9:07 am

    I LOVE that first pic and that you captured your life as it is right now. 🙂 I too feel like I am constantly cleaning the kitchen! And I totally agree about the white cabinets – so much happier!

  • CassieMarch 1, 2011 - 9:33 am

    Oh, I love this post. So many things made me laugh out loud. Usually by 5:20pm I’m scrounging the house for hidden chocolate, too! 🙂 I think I’m ready to get out of hermit mode, too. The sunshine today helps!

    And I’m lovin the first pic, even with the anti-depressant commercial face! 🙂

  • Jenna UMarch 1, 2011 - 10:31 am

    These are so fun. You really will cherish them forever. I LOVE Mrs. Meyers Lemon Verbana! It is the best! ANd I couldn’t agree more with your assessment of white wood work and cabinets.

  • Liz @ Law MamaMarch 1, 2011 - 2:33 pm

    I love these! And you’re making me wish for a more open plan living/kitchen area… 🙂

  • GailMarch 1, 2011 - 11:38 pm

    Oh girl, my February self-portrait is still in the works. So don’t feel bad about sneaking this one in! (I figure I get a free pass, right?)

    Love these shots. I’m SO happy you’re doing this. That so many of my friends who are mothers are doing this, because y’all need more shots of YOU with your kiddos in them. I actually think that shot of you and Joss is SUPER precious. You look gorgeous!!

  • JaimeMarch 2, 2011 - 9:44 pm

    Love your site…just need to tell you in the comments more often! So, I always love your photos, stories and the heart with which you speak. I feel like I’m looking in the mirror with this one. Kid on hip, cookin’, cleanin’, cozy in my house all winter! It’s just nice to see I’m not alone! 🙂

  • SherryApril 4, 2011 - 11:29 pm

    he he he Jossy has the same expression that you do!

  • StephaniApril 8, 2011 - 4:59 pm

    I just want to say that I SO CAN RELATE to this 🙂 This is my life, too. And it’s so refreshing to know that I am not alone! I always say to my husband “Why does it feel like I spend 95% of my day in the kitchen?! I mean, when I’m not sleeping it feels like I’m always in the KITCHEN. Can’t wait for some warmer weather 🙂