Joyfully Weary

The wedding last Saturday was wonderful!  The location was beautiful, the bride stunning.  It was so much fun seeing family and old friends. The road trip was also a huge blessing - it gave husbandie and I over 10 hours of uninterrupted time to talk!  There was only one negative of the trip, we forgot our camera!  We bought some photo apps and tried taking pictures with our ipad and iphone but didn't have much success.  Husbandie did get some pictures of my outfit, which I was all excited about it until I noticed that the grandmother of the bride was wearing a very, VERY similar dress.  Wish we would of had a camera just so I could of gotten a picture with her. Saturday Earrings: Borrowed, Dress: Florentine, Bracelets: Target, Purse: Gift, Shoes: Frock Swap Monday Earrings: F21, Shirt: Florentine, Pants: Gap, Bracelets: Target, Shoes: Aldo Tuesday  Sunglasses: Charming Charlies, Shirt #1: Target, Shirt #2: VS, Scarf: Thrifted, Skirt: Target...

So a couple weeks ago I pinned this picture on to one of my Pinterest boards.  If you don't know what Pinterest is you should, and you can learn all it about here . original photo link This isn't really that surprising. I have a big fascination with pixie cuts.  I look them up on line, cut them out of magazines, and frequently elbow husbandie when I see them on the street. What is surprising is that yesterday I did this... I've been saying for almost a decade now that I was going to get a pixie cut and I have come close several times.  It usually ends up with me having a short-but-not-quite-short-enough cut. This time I was determined not to chicken out, to cut it all off.  Husbandie actually thinks I could of gone a little shorter, but I feel successful.  It's going to take some getting use to and I am thinking that I might be mistaken for my four year old son. But mostly, I'm really pleased and glad I can finally say I had the courage.   

It doesn't take most people long to notice that I thoroughly enjoy coffee & chocolate & sugar & cream.  Frappucinos are perfect blend of all these things and with the heat, I've been craving them more than usual. Sadly, $5 beverages aren't in our budget. In desperation (spending above 95 degree days with three young children gets you to this point fast) I looked around our kitchen to see if I could create my own version. Ingredients 2 C strong coffee (chilled), 8 Ice Cubes, 2 scoops vanilla ice cream, 1/8 C chocolate syrup, 1/8 C Heath Bits,   Throw it all in blender for 10 seconds Drink. Enjoy. Be Happy. It turned out pretty well.  Maybe too well - my morning green smoothie has been replaced by mock frappucinos. It's summer, so ice cream with your breakfast is totally acceptable...right?

It's been hot, seriously hot, so our messy project this last week called for frozen paint. It also gave my boys a chance to use their tongs, which for some odd reason are their favorite toys. Sorry Toys R Us ,  you just cannot compete with dollar store kitchen supplies. Here's what we used: 1-   tongs, washable tempera paint, paper, water, a cup, a spoon, & a silicone ice cube tray 2- mix 1 part water with 2 parts paint 3- Pour paint in to tray 4- Put tray in freezer over night And now for the fun... They enjoyed this activity a lot and set up was super easy so we did it a couple times. It's a great activity for building their fine motor skills. Josiah also picked up on the "science" of color mixing and that little pieces melt much faster than big pieces. His favorite part, however, was dropping the pieces from up high. Micah's favorite part... Getting messy of course!  At least he only tasted the paint once - I thought for sure he'd thi...

It's early, before six on a Saturday early.  We are driving to a wedding in Minnesota and I'm not getting "dressed" until we get to our hotel so you'll have to see today's outfit next week.  In the mean time, here's what I wore the rest of the week. Sunday Glasses: Charming Charlies, Shirt: Gap, Skirt: Gap, Shoes: Rome Monday Scarf: ?, Earrings: Target, Shirt: Old Navy, Skirt: Gap, Shoes: Payless Tuesday Glasses: ?, Earrings: Target,  Shirt #1: Target, Shirt #2: F21, Skirt: Thrifted, Shoes: TJ Maxx Wednesday/Thursday Earrings: Target, Dress: Anthropologie, Belt: Thrifted, Shoes: Payless Friday: Earrings: ?, Shirt #1: H&M, Shirt #2: Thrifted, Shorts: Anthropologie, Shoes: Macy's It's not a typo - I wore the same dress both Wednesday and Thursday.  It was REALLY hot here so I spent most of both days in a swimsuit and athletic shorts (pictures of which I will not be posting) and only put the dress on in the evenings when I'd be...

One of my favorite things - Bad Diner Book Club, a group of us who meet once month at "bad diners" to discuss a book.  This month we met at Ray's Family Restaurant. It definitely had the diner aesthetic but was surprisingly busy and had above average food - real(!) pineapple on the sundaes. The book up for discussion was Bittersweet by Shauna Niequest.  We all agreed that there were chapters in the book that we loved; they were beautifully written and spoke to us on a deep level.  We found ourselves either relating to her experiences or yearning for them. The book is particularly filled with stories of intimate, healing friendships.  It left us desiring to be better friends, to go deeper, and to speak with more vulnerability.  There were other chapters, however, that I struggled through.  The writing seemed forced, the thoughts unclear, more rambling journal entry than poetic prose.  My friend Bethany (you can read her review here ) made a good...

Our bathroom is not quite finished.  We started remodeling last summer and still have some undone areas as well as more decorating to do. Door Frame 7/11 Heating Vent 7/11 This can be a problem for someone like me.  Someone who loves the feeling of crossing a task off a list and the sense of accomplishment, peace, and control that follows. Unfinished and I just don't get along. He's annoying and exhausting.  Instead of focusing on Unfinished though, I've taken to looking at these... View from Hall 9/09 Bathtub 9/09 Or these... View from back wall 8/10 View from doorway 8/10 Suddenly Unfinished doesn't seem quite so bad. View from doorway 7/11 View from back wall 7/11 I'm actually quite fond of him .

Saturday Kayleia and I had a lot of fun attending our towns annual frock swap . The week before the swap you bring in cloths you no longer wear and trade them for points. You then buy a $10 ticket for the swap (proceeds go to a local women's shelter) where you can exchange your points for "new to you" clothing.   I traded in: 1: Bridesmaid Dress 2: Express Pants 3: Gap Jacket, 4: Anthropologie Shirt 5: Target Sweater, 6: Abercormbie Jeans I went home with: 1: Vintage Dress 2: Boden T-shirt 3: Gift Bag 4: ? Shoes 5: ? Belt 6: Nine West Shoes 7: Banana Republic Shirt I also participated last year where I got this  skirt.  It's proven to be a low cost way to add different things to my closet - such as a pink shirt or snake skin flats, which are unusual picks for me. The red dress was an amazing find, vintage 100% silk. Once it's hemmed it's going to be a ton of fun to wear. On top of all that it is an easy way to support my community.  

Several years working in daycares and after school programs makes you a lover of crafts. It something tangible & concrete, a pretty visual of all your hard work hanging on the wall for everyone to see, to stop and 'ahhh' over. I pictured my days as a stay-home mom filled with hours of orderly crafting, dozens of cute kid creation decorating my walls.  Too bad my boys don't do orderly, or cute...they are masters of messy. Last week we had a lot of messy fun, sending trucks covered in paint down a ramp.                  Supplies: ramp (or a slide), trucks, paint, paint tray, tape, paper, & children ready to get messy   As you can see the boys really enjoyed themselves.  I had no intention of it being a learning activity, just messy, but Josiah initiated a conversation about the different sizes of tire tracks and why some trucks went faster then others.  The ultimate success, however, was Micah waiting until...

I'm no fashion expert, but I really, REALLY enjoy clothes. I can be quiet and reserved when I first meet people and clothes give me a "safe" way of expressing myself. They also remind me that I am more than just a mom. Getting dressed can change my outlook on a day...even the most boring tedious tasks are fun in a twirl skirt.  This passion for clothes has caused a slight addiction to outfit posting blogs:  Kendi Everyday and The Daybook are my favorites. They make me smile and the pictures inspire me to keep being creative with my clothes and not settle for the mundane.  Here's a look at the fun I had this week. SUNDAY Shirt: Anthropologie, Belt: H&M, Skirt: Frock Swap, Shoes: Thrifted, Earrings: Borrowed, Bracelet: Targe t TUESDAY Shirt: Banana Republic, Belt & Shorts: Thrifted, Shoes: Florence, Bracelet & Earrings: Target WEDNESDAY Shirt: Old Navy, Pants: Germany, Shoes: Florence, Earrings: Target FRIDAY Dress: Anthropologie, Vest: Ch...

The last Harry Potter movie is bittersweet. Not only have I enjoyed Harry's story but he's become a part of mine.  Harry and I have history. The summer after a bad break up his first five books provided a much needed distraction. I also met my husband that summer and it was our common love for Potter that finally got him to speak to me in full sentences. Since then our relationship has been peppered with Potter events: midnight movie premieres, long road trips listening to audiobooks, a "Trust Snape" sticker on our first car, and evenings spent searching for the perfect Butter Beer recipe. My favorite memory though is the seventh book release party we attended; hosted by Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, it was touted as the largest release party in America. I was VERY pregnant, Josiah made his debut less than a month later.  It was crazy and we loved every minute.  We met up with some friends and watched the pottermania. Then around midnight we found our spot i...

With two children I felt like I had system, a schedule, a little bit of control. Then we had Kayleia and the system broke. Even when Jeremy is home we are out numbered & when he's at work, I don't stand a chance. Our days are filled with chaos. There are times when everything feels frantic...and then she smiles. All of a sudden the world stops spinning... I can't help but stop, take a breath, and smile back. All my children have amazing smiles but there is something extra sweet about hers.  Something that makes it even more entrancing.  Maybe it's because she a girl... Or maybe it's because I think she looks like her daddy & his smile has also been known to stop me in my tracks.  c/o  www.RyanAndHeidi.com Whatever the reason, I love it & wouldn't trade it for a million calm controlled days.