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We don't watch tv. We had cable for several years, but rarely used it. We watched Orioles games and The Daily Show on occasion, but that wasn't enough to justify the high cost of cable. Additionally, we had nightmarish issues with our cable provider that made the service even less appealing. Finally, we cut the cord and went cable-less and have been that way for quite some time.

When I say we cut the cord, I don't mean that we swapped cable for Netflix or Hulu. Rather, we bought an HD antenna for the rare occasion in which we would want to watch tv, and we stopped watching any tv altogether. The only exception we make is one hour every Sunday evening to watch one episode of The Wire on dvd. That's it. And sometimes, we don't even remember to do that.

Recently, we've realized that we are few and far between. When we hang out with friends, usually at one point in the day the conversation often goes like this:

"Have you been watching such and such show? It's so good!"
"No, we don't really watch tv."
"And you know such and such character? I couldn't believe what happened this past episode! Could you?"
"I'm not sure. We don't watch tv."
"Oh. Well, in the last episode x, y, and z happened to such and such character. And it was soooo good!"

At this point in the conversation, the friends tend to ramble on about the show for a while and try to explain something we've never watched and know nothing about, and we tend to zone out because it's just not applicable to us. After hanging out with the friends is over, as we are driving home or when we get home, Andrew and I inevitably go back to the same conversation. We often try to figure out if we are the only people that exist on this planet that have no clue about tv. We wonder if we're the only ones who don't have any interest in sitting in front of a tv for the few hours that we have free in the evenings. We see that the majority of our neighbors have the tv flickering through the window with no other lights on in the house most nights. And we are completely baffled.

So what do we do instead of watching tv? A lot! We usually end our days feeling tired, but full of energy from the day-- a good tired. We don't get bored, and we still have plenty to do to fill the time that could otherwise be spent watching tv. And it's more fun! Here's a look at a few things that we do instead.

We have conversation. I know, how novel, right?! In fact, many of the activities we engage in instead of tv go hand in hand with conversation. Sometimes, we'll just sit in our living room and talk. We'll sit on our stoop with a beer and talk. We'll relax on our roof deck and talk. We'll sit in our patio and talk. You get the point. When was the last time that you had several hours of conversation with your significant other and did absolutely nothing else? Most people have told me that they rarely do that.

We play an instrument. Most recently, this has been the piano. Practicing a musical instrument has so many benefits such as increased memory function, better coordination, and improved concentration, and it even promotes happiness. I'd rather reap the benefits associated with practicing music instead of sitting on the couch staring at the tv.

We organize, clean, and declutter. In the past few months, we've gotten rid of over 100 things in our house. We've rearranged furniture and made our home more appealing to live in. It has been easier for us to stay on top of cleaning and organizing because we spend more time throughout the week doing this even when it could be easier to sit on the couch to watch tv.

We explore local parks and get active. We found out that the tennis courts in a different park in the city are always free unlike the park around the corner from our house, so we've been playing tennis once a week. We also found new hiking trails within city parks that we never knew existed, and as an added bonus, they are dog friendly so we usually enjoy our hikes and walks with Lilah in tow. A couple weeks ago, on one of our hikes, we even spotted deer! In a city park! Surrounded by highways and houses! Awesome.

We make things and work on home improvement projects. Last night we baked muffins for our breakfasts this week. Sunday evening I baked bread, prepped cold brew for the week, and made hummus and pita chips. Last week Andrew installed new bathroom hardware, and last month we swapped out a bunch of light fixtures and faucets. Many people say they don't have the time to do these sorts of things. We used to not have the time when we watched a small amount of tv, but now we do.

We play board games. Maybe that sounds super dorky and nerdy, but it's ridiculously fun. It makes your brain think in different ways as you strategize a way to win. This is definitely quality time that we really enjoy.

We read. Andrew tends to stick to architectural and news magazines or reads up on the latest home improvement project he's working on. I've been checking books out from the library, both in digital and hard copy form. One of our library branches is just a two block walk from our house, so there's really no reason not to go to the library.

We get out of the house. The other night, we decided to walk twenty minutes to an adjacent neighborhood to get gelato at 10pm. Not only did we get to participate in a fun activity (going out for gelato), but we also got exercise. It was definitely an hour of time well spent. We dedicate one night a week to a happy hour drink before heading home to walk the dog and cook dinner. And we do as many free activities in the city that we can-- music events, art shows, you name it.

While we're not anti-tv, we just simply don't have a need for it. We understand that there is a place and role for really good quality film and tv, and we still enjoy that once in a while. However, we're often asked what we do instead of watching tv as if there aren't enough things to fill time. And honestly, that seems a bit strange to me. Every day we are given opportunities to choose all sorts of activities to fill our day or pass time, yet so many times I hear people say that they are bored or have nothing to do. There are so many things to do. It just depends on whether or not you want to take action to do them.

Did you give up tv like us? What are your favorite things to do instead of watching tv? Have you considered giving up tv, but are worried you won't have anything to do? I'm curious to know if there are other people like us out there somewhere!

Technically, I am a millennial. Perhaps the countless bad stereotypes of millennials make me want to stray from that generation of people. Andrew and I discussed this last night. We'd rather be Generation X-- hard working, educated, happy and balanced, non-materialistic. And for the most part, we agreed, we tend to fit into that category.

Yesterday, I happened upon this hilarious graphic illustrated by Gemma Correll, and I couldn't help but laugh as I read through the reasons why millennials are crying. Then I got to the second to last box. One phrase. Crushing student loan debts. And suddenly, I was nodding my head in agreement and no longer laughing. Yup. That's why this millennial is crying.

We are both still in the process of paying off thousands of dollars in student loan debt. We often joke that Syracuse, perhaps not the most ideal place to attend college if you aren't independently wealthy or don't want debt, was like an expensive dating service. Sure, there are other positives that came out of our experiences there-- I studied in Australia, Andrew studied in Florence, we made lifelong friends, learned new things, broadened our horizons, and (more so Andrew than I) left with degrees that were useful for our day to day lives.

As we near the ten year mark of our graduation (one year away for me, and two for Andrew as his architecture program was five years long), those student loans begin to make their weight felt more often than not. Maybe it's the realization that we've been paying the debt for so long. Or the fact that we've reached an age where we imagined we'd be able to travel more, try new restaurants, and live a bit more comfortably. Instead, we're still saving every penny we can to pay off our student loans as quickly as possible. Crushing, in all senses of the word, is pretty accurate.

On Saturday, we went to Target with one item on our list-- a $10 iced tea dispenser that I wanted to use to make sun tea. The weather was gorgeous, and iced tea sounded pretty damn good. I'd never made sun tea, and Andrew grew up with his mom making it regularly. We thought it would be something fun to do on a budget, but we didn't have the proper glass container. We bought the dispenser with the last $10 that we had budgeted for the month in our already slim category dedicated to fun.

When we got home, I carefully began washing the glass dispenser with soapy water. As I turned the dispenser in the sink to rinse off the soap, I ever so slightly bumped the bottom of the jar against the edge of the granite counter top. Instantly, a small crack appeared, running around a quarter of the circular bottom of the jar. I stared in disbelief as I realized what I had done. "Maybe the crack isn't the whole way through and it will still hold water," Andrew quickly said as he saw the smile leave my face. But alas, there was a leak as we filled the jar with water. At the realization, I lost it. "Fuck student loans! Fuck not having enough money because of student loans! And fuck the fact that I ruin things even when I try to have fun anyway!" And suddenly, I was the crying millennial.

I raced up to our bedroom, flopped on my bed, and had a good cry-- the kind where you cry so hard that you fall asleep in exhaustion. An hour later, I awoke to our cat Finley curled up in the crook of my knee. I washed my face and went downstairs to find Andrew weeding our garden. I grumpily plopped myself down on our patio steps and sat silently, collecting myself after my self-admittedly childish tantrum. Andrew looked up from his weeding. "I exchanged it," he stated quietly. "Exchanged what?" I asked. "The sun tea dispenser. It had a crack. I took it back to Target while you were sleeping, and I exchanged it because it had a crack," he replied, holding back a smirk. Instantly, we were buckled over in laughter. "You did not!" I squealed. "Well, it had a crack!" he exclaimed emphatically. And we fell into a fit of laughter yet again.

And that, my friends, is why the millennial is now laughing. Drinking her iced tea, not her cold brew coffee, and laughing.

I realized that I've been so absent from this space that I forgot to share a small shop update. While I vastly expanded my Mother's Day card line last year, I've remained really happy with that set of designs and decided to add only a few more this year.

The first of three in the new batch, is one that many of you requested. It's a redesign of this Father's Day card. Apparently weird text messaging doesn't discriminate and is both a dad AND mom thing. So for those who asked, you're welcome!

The other two cards that I designed this year are true for my own mother. I was once told by a complete stranger that she knew I was my mother's daughter as soon as she heard me laugh. And of course, there's always those life lessons of not taking anything too seriously.

The last of the three is a new letterpress card printed in two different colors-- dark teal and salmon pink. I love how this one turned out, and I may just give this one to my mom. I seem to remember telling her that she danced weird, had witch fingers, and said crazy phrases. And I may or may not possess all of those qualities now, which obviously makes us both awesome. Just sayin'.

All of these new cards are now available here on my website or in my Etsy shop. As for Mother's Day weekend, I'm planning on spending it at the beach since unfortunately I live quite a distance from my own mother. Any big plans for you for Mother's Day weekend?

I've been MIA for over a month on this blog. It's been so long that I actually had to check to see when and what I had written last. I've been wrapped up in trying to check a lot of things off of my goals list, and it has left me a little uninspired.

Truthfully, this March was tough. It's the slowest month for me of the year, so there's a lot of down time. Normally, I use this time to prepare for Mother's Day, update listings, write blog posts, and be productive in ways that I can't always be during other times of the year. Instead, I found myself hunting for studio spaces, trying to make local connections, and feeling so drained by the aforementioned items that I had little creative energy left.

Essentially, I became so focused on achieving those two goals of mine, that I let it become an overwhelming and exhausting task. While I've been looking for studio space for over a year now, I learned quite a bit in the past month-- studio space is hard to find. Affordable studio space is even harder to find. During the past month, I've found that I'm stuck somewhere in between cheap and shitty or expensive and nice. There is no in between.

After pricing out a few studios and retail locations, we also started thinking about how we could make an expensive studio affordable. Could we sell our house and get a fixer upper in our neighborhood? Could we sell our house and buy a larger one that had a retail option on the first floor?

Five years ago, we bought our row house in an "up and coming" neighborhood. We got an amazing short sale deal, a process that turned out to be worth the ten month wait of lost paper work and other frustrations. And now, as five years have passed and our neighborhood has transitioned from "up and coming" to "hot and new," we are priced out. Not even the instant and increased equity we've earned on our home would be enough to go the fixer upper or first floor retail options we'd discussed.

Frustrations of our realization led me to new searches. What standards are considered affordable to most people? Where is the most affordable place to live in the US? Where could we move that would also mean checking off as many boxes on our list, including an affordable studio or retail space and architectural jobs for Andrew?

The reality is that we don't want to move. We love our house and we continue to make improvements and upgrades on our row house that makes us want to stay even longer. We love our neighborhood-- the park, the people, the quirky mix of old and new Baltimore. We love Baltimore-- the water, the climate, baseball games, the quirk and charm, the restaurants, festivals and events. And we love living in a city where we can bike and walk to just about anything our heart desires and take in offerings that you won't find in suburban areas.

And so here we are, at a standstill. A standstill that took most of the month of March for me to arrive at before finally giving up. And now, I'm moving on, or at least trying to. I'm trying to put all of this on the back burner and focus my energy somewhere else. It's hard to do when I have dreams and plans for what I'd like to accomplish in my life, but maybe patience is a better option at the moment.

Do you ever feel stuck in your current phase of life? Have you ever had to move in order to make other dreams and goals a reality?

I'm finally out of my Valentine's Day card making stupor, doing daily life things again that normal people do, and going to bed before 2am. It feels pretty damn good. Admittedly, I may have lazed around the house once or twice the past couple days, and we did take a quick trip up to my alma mater, Syracuse University, this past weekend. However, despite my admitted breaks, I've worked incredibly hard and most definitely deserved them. During this past month, a few situations arose in which it was clear that some people just didn't get this whole working from home thing. In fact, some may have even assumed that I could drop everything in a matter of seconds because they may have thought I wasn't really working.

After a quick tweet about my frustrations, I knew I wasn't alone. Many of you wrote back to me about your own frustrations. And thus, I thought I'd break down a few myths that some non-work-from-home people may think my daily life is like. Because newsflash-- it's not at all what some may imagine.

1 // You're not really working. Yes, believe it or not, some people have actually said this to me before. Don't mind me, I'm just sitting at a desk filling orders, making cards, and designing shit all day long. And don't forget the customer service I provided, the many emails I got through this morning, and the errands I ran to the post office, bank, and art store. Also, I may have forgotten to eat lunch because I spent that time filing my sales taxes instead. No, I'm not really working.

While I'm being slightly facetious in the previous paragraph, it isn't too far from the truth. My typical day is filled to the brim. Rarely does my to do list get finished. Often I'm still working when Andrew gets home from work at 6. Just because I don't clock in at an office or sit in a cubicle does not mean that I don't work all day.

2 // You can do whatever you want whenever you want. This false notion bothers me the most. I realize that I am mostly on my own schedule. However, I still have to work within the hours of a normal work day because that's the schedule all of my clients are on. And during busy seasons my work extends well into the night. My most recent frustrations come with people assuming that I can attend meetings or events whenever suits them because I must be available since I work from home.

The reality is that just like those who work a 9-5 job, I cannot simply get up and leave my work mid-task. I have deadlines that must be met and vary immensely depending on the season and day. Retail is unpredictable, and because of its unpredictability, it's hard to walk away at times when there are new, unexpected order deadlines constantly popping up.

Additionally, there are some people that have told me that it must be fun to have a schedule that allows me to go shopping or run errands whenever I'd like. Again, this is not the case. Is there some flexibility? Absolutely, but not the kind that allows me to do grocery shopping for an hour instead of doing work. The flexibility is within my work day-- when I can get certain work related tasks done, when I can take my 10 minute break, when I can take my lunch, and when I can use the bathroom.

3 // You sit at a coffee shop drinking coffee all day. Again, false. While I'd love to be able to do this, it just isn't possible. Sometimes, during slower seasons when there is less production going on, I have a blogging heavy day or I need to get a lot of drawing done. Those are the days where I can afford to head to the coffee shop for a few hours and get some work done there. The last time I did that was probably this past September. The reality is that there are too many other tasks that need to be finished that I can't do in a coffee shop. In addition, if I worked from a coffee shop every day, that would become expensive. See my next point.

4 // You must make so much money if you have the freedom to work from home. Recently, I had a neighbor tell me that the only reason why I must be working from home was because I made more than Andrew. When I told him that that simply wasn't true, he stated, "Nah, you just don't want to let on that that's how it is. I get it." The reality? I took a ridiculously HUGE pay cut in order to work from home, and I wouldn't be able to do what I do if it weren't for Andrew also working a full time job. We aren't wealthy, and we've had to make a lot of sacrifices in order to make it work. And yes, part of the feminist in me hates admitting that I depend on my husband so much, but in the end it's all about happiness for us, not money.

5 // You can get all of your household chores done while you work. I learned very quickly that this was an impossibility. The first load of laundry I attempted to wash while I was working from home ended up sitting in the washer for two days before I realized I had never put it in the dryer. Some days I need to start dinner in the crock pot, and don't realize until dinner time that I forgot to make dinner simply because there wasn't enough time in the day. While my brain is thinking about work, it's hard to also focus on what needs to get done around the house. While I may work from home, I have still managed to separate my work from my personal life to some extent. And even thinking about what I need to do in my personal life during the work day is tough. Finding the time to get the personal things done during a work day is even tougher.

Do you work from home? What myths about working from home would you like to bust? If you're not a work from home person, what assumptions do you make about those who work from home? And what myths would you like to bust about working outside of the home?