It has been ages since I've posted, and I wanted to take a bit of a different angle than usual in what I hope to be my comeback post.

Firstly--full disclosure--it has been awhile since I have lived up to my own Clementine values. I have been busying myself with project after project for the new house, constantly working and reworking rooms to prepare for the moment when I could celebrate having the house. Until this month, I hadn't really celebrated anything. I have been working myself ragged towards the goal of ridding the house of the energy and impressions left by the previous owners, trying as hard as possible to leave my mark in every room. After years of rentals (bad and good), I wanted so badly to feel at home that I thought painting and obsessing over light fixtures for six months would lead eventually to my being able to sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

It wasn't until the Mister and I hosted our first Thanksgiving together that the ridiculous mission I was on came to an end. It wasn't the energy of the previous owners keeping my house from feeling homey, it was the lack of energy of my friends and family that was stifling its potential. Once I realized that my ginromous family could comfortably sit around the beautiful table the Mister built for our faux-dining room, and that nothing about the house interfered with the ability to host a charming and successful family gathering, I was able to forgive the parts of the house that weren't to my taste or as functional as I might like and just enjoy it. High gloss taupe hallways: I forgive you. Fifties' bathroom tileboard: I forgive you. Unfinished kitchen paint job (totally my bad): I forgive you.

I realize this is not a home blog, and I have no intention of digressing in that direction as a rule, but the overthinking that goes into the creation of "home" is something that I think carries over easily into the world of celebrations. Both homes and celebrations are planned and executed with a similar desire to make memories and get the most out of life or an occasion. Something that I have lost touch with is how simple it can be, and how to take care of yourself in the process. How to simplify. Don't get me wrong-- I am still an advocate for going way too far with an idea just because you can. Sometimes that extra attention to detail and freestyle approach makes things special, like an over-the-top theme gift or a three hour craft project that could have been a $3 store purchase. But when it gets to the point where going too far for the heck of it becomes an unenjoyable bad habit, it's about time to stop and think.


There's a fine line between being happy-go-luckily detail oriented and being a frantic overachiever. The line is loosely identified by whether or not what you're doing is still fun.

Clementine is about to see a new era of celebrations. This time around, I am taking the "if it's not fun, don't do it" approach. I'm going to celebrate life in 3D.