Seeing Green

Saint Patrick's Day is is a wonderful day for me. Every year, my dear friend texts me and says, "Amber, aren't  you so happy everyone is wearing your favorite color today?" Except for this year because she is serving a mission for our church.

But the answer is yes. Yes it makes me SO happy to see people everywhere sporting various shades of green.

On Saint Patrick's Day, Seth and I went to an adorable party at Hayley's house. Then, the next night, we had my family over for our traditional Saint Patrick's Day dinner. Corned beef with cabbage, potatoes, onions, carrots and parsnips. I made the dinner for the first time this year because my mom's kitchen is under renovation. So I served the meal with a horseradish/mayo garnish, pickles, and bottles of root beer.

About an hour before my family arrived, the house was smelling amazing from the food in the slow cooker, and I decided I needed some decor. I scavenged around my house and this is what I came up with.

In the center, I put an arrangement of items I had on hand.

The craft moss and river rocks reminded me of the lushness of Ireland. I paired those with one of my favorite vases. It looks old and worn and reminded me of ancient castle ruins on Irish hills. Then two little white birds with Celtic-looking interlace on their wings landed to add a bit of fun.

In the vase, I put white hydrangeas and tree blossoms.

For the place settings, I used gold chargers and white dishes. Super simple.

At each setting, I placed napkins folded in the shape of shamrocks. I modified a classic flower folding technique, and I think they look a bit like four leaf clovers. What do you think? I anchored each napkin with another river stone.

Overall, I'm happy with how it turned out, and the food was delicious. I used this recipe and modified it a bit. It tasted just like what my mom makes every year!

For a tasty green dessert, I made mint Oreo ice cream balls. I made them for Seth's birthday two three years ago (way back in my very first blog post!) and they were a hit. So this time I rolled half of the ice cream in Oreos and half in Oreos AND chocolate with green sparkles.

I definitely need to make these more often!

I hope you all had a great Saint Patty's Day Even though it was almost two weeks ago...

And thank you so much to everyone who offered up advice or words of encouragement about my last post. I definitely need all I can get, but it's amazing to know there are people who have similar experiences and we can learn from each other.

*amber*

Balance

Wow, it has been such a long time since I have posted anything! And that's not because things haven't been happening. My life has been exploding with opportunities lately, and I've just been struggling with how to handle everything. This post may get a little personal, but I know some of you have probably been through similar things, so I would love your feedback in the comments section.

I'm taking more credits than I ever have before. I'm working at an awesome internship 20 hours a week. I'm managing a team to pull off the PR and advertising campaign for a cool new TV show. I'm doing some volunteer writing for a local art museum. I'm trying to keep up on all the millions of projects and ideas that constantly fill my head. And finally, I'm preparing to move to New York City in less than a month for a Summer internship!

My life has never been this full, so I'm wondering where all of this came from. It started sometime last year when I decided I was sick of coasting through school and wanted more from myself. I saw opportunities arise, like the chance to go to New York, and did what I'd always done. Told myself I couldn't do it. Then something changed and I decided to start going for things. So I applied for New York. I applied for my current internship. I was more driven in school and got more involved. I was shocked when things started working out that I never thought I could do.

I feel so blessed and thankful for all these new things that are adding richness to my life. The only problem is, I'm having a really hard time finding the balance. I don't have nearly enough time to keep our house as clean as I'd like. I don't feel like I'm as supportive and loving to Seth as I should be. I rarely have time to cook or shop so we're eating healthy. I feel like my creativity has become stifled. One good example is my complete neglect of this blog. And I've been starting to have some health issues that I'm pretty positive are resulting from the extra stress.

Every night, I come home and literally collapse onto my bed. That's about all I can do One of the biggest problems I've noticed is that I constantly feel drained and fatigued. I need as much energy as I can get to keep going the way I am, but it's just not there emotionally or physically. I have struggled and worked through depression for many years, but somehow, this feels like something different. 

{via}

So here's the point. I NEED BALANCE. If I were that pair of feet, I would be hanging by one little pinky toe. 

Last night, I went to one my professor's (and idol's) home for dinner and a panel discussion on work/life balance. It couldn't have come at a better time when this is what I desperately need. I got some good tips, but still feel completely overwhelmed. 

So I want to know, how do YOU do it? I'm sure all the full-time working, resourceful, renaissance women and moms out there are rolling their eyes thinking, "she has no idea how much harder things will get." But that's the thing. I don't, and right now, I'm struggling to take things as they come, step by step. It is to all you wonder women (and men) that I am crying out. Any advice would be incredibly appreciated as I try to balance my new ambitions with my personal life.

*amber*