A few recent happenings

This may be the first family photo we have had taken since Oliver was born.  I swear I will get some real ones done someday... This was a special occasion though - the day Tyson was baptized.  The memories feel too sacred to me to recount here, though I am happy to share them one on one.  They are kept in my journal.  Suffice it to say that it was incredibly sweet and memorable and that I am very honored be the mother of these four wonderful boys.

On my last birthday, we went as a family to Chattanooga to the Tennessee Aquarium.  We purchased the family membership thinking we would come at least once more to get our money's worth out of it.  So that's what we did on MLK day.  Such a great place!  

And a few cute pics of the latest snow day (before the thrifting expedition.  I should have added that to Zach's list...)

Thrifting score of the day

Did you know I have always been pretty obsessed with thrifting?  I really do love the hunt through the random junk until I find that one special thing at an amazing price.  Such was the case for me today.

Snow day.  AGAIN.  Roads looked clear enough so I tossed the kids in the minivan and headed for the Goodwill.  We made quite the entertaining/dorky game of saying "good" and "will" as many times as possible.  Will held the door for me.  We all said "Good, Will!!"  Hehehe

To the point:  check out this amazing mirror I found!  I adore it!  It is two feet across and very heavy and I have been trolling craigslist for something similar.  It was $40 and I honestly balked at paying that much, not because I didn't think it was worth it, I am just a cheapskate.  It wasn't until I got it into the car that I saw the label on the back: Williams Sonoma Home.  Fancy, huh!!  Similar mirrors on their site are, uh, a lot more than $40.

I even found it online on somebody's blog...

Let me know if you ever want to hit a thrift store with me!  I would love it.  :)

Budget friendly Valentine's gift ideas

{Simplesong Design}

Its that time of year when everyone pretends that Valentine's Day is super lame and they care nothing about it but we all know better...  DUDES.  GET SOMETHING FOR YOUR WOMAN.  Small and thoughtful counts, yes, even homemade. (At least in my book.)

And yes, V-Day is pretty cheesy.  Embrace the cheesiness.  Its fun.

This year, my man promised to run the half-marathon with me at my speed which I think is pretty nice and loving of him.  So I thought it would be fun to get this little item for him.  Its a splitter.  You plug it in to your MP3 device and then you can run two sets of headphones from it.  Jared and I will be running side by side to the same tunes this year and to me, that is love.  :) - $14

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Next is an old standby that I remember hearing about in my college days.  Behold, the appropriately named "Smitten":

That's right, you can now hold hands with your love in the same mitten!  *awww!*  Make your own here or buy it here. - $10.95

Now, if you still searching for that special someone, maybe you could give others a subtle hint but donning this ring.  I can't imagine something that says "looking for love" any better (and cooler) than this. - $10

And you must check out Simplesong Design, one of my all time favorites on the web.  

{card - $5}

{pencils - $8}

Now if you are able to get a little more fancy (AKA spend more), check out Simplesong for some awesome customizable note card sets.  And make it even better with a custom stamp from Paperwink.  Like this one that I bought...

What are your favorite (budget or not budget) Valentine's gift ideas?

  

If you know what this means...

...then I would like to give you a high five and have you over to watch some re-runs.

{failblog.org}

When technology and creativity meet

Did you see this over at Design Sponge?  This is so cool!  It is an interactive window display.  I would bet it was well worth all the marketing dollars... look how EVERYONE who happens by stops and checks it out!


Interactive Display Window from Marcus Wallander on Vimeo.

Modest Couture A-Plenty at the Golden Globes, 2011

Modesty made itself known in stylish circles this year!  Well, sorta.   I think these are great but I would have still made a few adjustments to pretty much all of them.  But its so fun to look at these...

And I had to include this one, though strapless, because I love how it looks like she took a dive through the cosmos to acquire this dress.  Its amazing!  And also because I love her 'do.

Which is your fave?  I love the last one but I would choose the peach short sleeved one for myself. {second pic}

Maybe I am a mother

Are there any words for the love of a mother?  How can I show my boys how my love for them is woven through each fiber in the tapestry of my heart?  Their similarities, their differences.  The things about them that make me laugh and also the things that make me mad sometimes.  I love them all.

Did you know my boys laugh with me daily?  Did you know its hard for me to refrain from trying to crack them up during church?

Will is mellow and reliable. Will would drop ANYTHING and instantly at that to obey or help out.  He will even do it over and over.  Will is a magnet for kids and babies.  He knows it too.  It kinda freaks him out but also touches his heart.  He is a serious fan of the best music.  He likes it all but he would choose Handel over all the rest.  He says he loves how he feels when he listens to it.  He will be in MIDDLE FREAKING SCHOOL in September!  @#*&@#)($&#)@($*#@(!!!!!!!!

Tyson is deep and sensitive.  I am good at hiding my feelings from EVERYONE in this whole world except for this amazing 8 year old.  He is always right on with gauging my feelings.  There is nothing Tyson can't do.  He really believes that and so do I.  He can cook.  He can build things.   He can make the baby laugh like a wild hyena.  He has an extraordinary aptitude for spatial design and I think he would be a great architect.  He wants to be a pro golfer.

Where did Zach come from??  He is wild and adorable.  Every night he gets crazier minute by minute, until we finally make him get into bed.  He then says he can't sleep then starts snoring within seconds.  He is 6, ridiculously gifted in music and also in art.  He says he wants to be a graphic designer.  To others I think he comes across as a rough and tumble kind of boy.  He is really more like a teddy bear on crack.  :)  But since you shouldn't relate illegal drugs to children, suffice it to say that he has a lot of boundless energy and simultaneously, boundless sweetness and tenderness.  And drama.

Baby Oliver.  The oldest baby ever.  He is a little man.  It feels like I have known him forever.  He likes his hands touched and will randomly give giant, open mouth kisses.  I hope this is a phase.  ;)  I am so thrilled to be able to be home with him.  He has expanded my heart to new depths.

Today I practiced singing lullabies while the kids were at school.  I imagined singing to them and rocking them to sleep, one by one.  Maybe I am crazy.  Maybe I am a mother.

{Zach, asleep under the piano, sometime in the middle of a Christmas party}

Excuses I Tell Myself

Here are some of the many excuses that go through my head everyday for not wanting to get out and train for the Half-Marathon...

1.  I can feel my baby-belly fat moving when I run.  

2.  Mother once told me that too much running could make your uterus fall out.  

3.  Someone will see my gimpy running gait.  

4.  I just ate and I don't wanna puke.  

5.  I stayed up too late last night watching Netflix movies.  

6.  Its too hard to arrange for the kids to be cared for while I run.    

7.  I used to think I might have asthma.  

8.  If I do run the Half, I will get into shape and then I will no longer have an excuse not to buy the Imogene and Willie jeans I want.  I will have to spend MONEY.

9.  I HATE "fitness" music.  

10. I fear crazy drivers, stray dogs, and magpies.  

11. I always forget sunscreen and my dermatologist told me pasty-whites like me will wrinkle earlier without it.

12. I will wear out my cute new shoes.

13. I am not a runner!  I hate running and I can't run!  I will fall down!  I am a MUSICIAN!

blah blah blah BLAH

Honestly... thanks, Jared, for encouraging me to take a run this morning.  It was supremely refreshing and beautiful outside!  

Poll Results Revealed!

Okay, you 6 people you!  Drumroll please!!!

How many outgrown, stained or just plain ugly T-shirts did I remove from my kids' drawers?

 The answer is 37!!  2 of you guessed correctly.  

How many pairs of jeans with holes in the knee did I remove from my older three boys' drawers?

The answer is 7!!  And I think there may be 7 more now after 4 snow days in a row!! 1 person was right.  

Your prize is... knowing you guessed correctly.  Way to go.

My favorite Nashville shop

Imogene and Willie



I cannot get enough of this place.  This is the real deal... artisan craftsmanship right here in our town.  The vibe of it, the ideals and of course, the style are simply sublime.

Here is what I am saving for...

I am always looking for anyone who wants to pay a visit with me... let me know if you do!  Its a short walk away from Las Paletas, the fabulous popsicle place!  They have amazing flavors and some crazy sounding ones too.  I hear avocado is delish.  I tried the coconut one and I NEED another.

Look for an Imogene and Willie collaboration with J. Crew soon...

Choosing Simplicity

Isn't the idea of simplifying so complex??  To me it is.  But still, it seems like when life gets too busy and crazy that somehow I let go of the extra stuff instinctively.  I just wish I would not take so much on in the first place.  I am learning though...

{from here}

Ever heard this wonderful poem?

To live content with small means; 
to seek elegance rather than luxury, 
and refinement rather than fashion; 
to be worthy, not respectable, 
and wealthy, not, rich; 
to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; 
to think quietly, act frankly, 
talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; 
in a word, 
to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common--
this is my symphony.

WILLIAM HENRY CHANNING

Love love love that poem!

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

For me this is not as much flattery but a personal obsession: SNOWBOARDING and 90's looking PLAID.  Yesssssss....

Remember this??

Well, look what I found!

Close enough!  What's that you ask?  Am I going to buy it?  No.  I already did.  Its in my closet now.   {From AE.com}

I've always loved the mountains

...just not mountains of old clothes.

Ok this pic did not come from my house but it really looks like it may as well have.

I love the New Year and what it inspires.  I have, like so many others, felt the urge to get rid of all the unneeded excess we stash around here.  I was rather taken aback at the quantity so I thought it would be interesting to see your guesses as to how much clothing waste was actually lurking in my older three boys' drawers and closets.

Place your vote to the right and I will check back in later to see how close your guesses are.

Happy cleaning!

Our family then and now

Me & my Love - -

THEN

{I apparently was flaunting my neck tendons and baggy jeans.  JB looks hot.  And 12.}

NOW

{I cannot believe we have no recent pictures together!  I will need to remedy that shortly.  I am thinking me & the JB look like we have seen a few things and travelled a few miles since the first pic, no?}

Will - - 

THEN

NOW

{Well, sorta now.  This was September with a much shorter 'do but I had to go with the S'mores theme.}

Tyson - - 

THEN

NOW

{CUTE!  And little ladies, he has the world's most kissable cheeks.}

Zach - - 

THEN

NOW

{Ahhh this pic just captures the essence of Zachy!}

Oliver - -

THEN

NOW

{Now now.  As in, while I'm blogging now.}

Very Helpful: T-Shirts and Pomegranates

AMAZING tips for folding t-shirts and for getting the seeds out of a pomegranate.  By my standards at least.  :)  Watch and be amazed...



(Sorry you're going to have to follow this link for the next one!)

I'm dreaming of a home office re-do

Check out some of these lovely Etsy items I found...

From Paperdoll Woodshop--

Local shop, Vintage Obscura--

From lacklusterco--

Reclaimed wood desk caddy from  PegandAwl--

Martha is amazing of course, but I seriously envy that giant roll of brown paper.

Vintage New Year's Greetings

My son Will always asks why I love "old" things.  Well, Will, I am not sure.  But I really do.  Take these images for example...

I wish you all a Happy New Year!  May the "old" influence and inspire us as we create, live, and love anew.