Joyfully Weary

These three outfit are from the last couple of weeks. I missed posting last week because Jeremy and I were out of town; you can see pictures from our trip to NYC here . I had plans to write up and schedule posts while we were away but life got a bit too busy - major props to all the bloggers who can plan ahead. necklaces: gift/f21, shirt: old navy , pants: gap , shoes: old This is the only outfit picture I got while in NYC , we attended a friends wedding. I planned on taking pictures of the rest of my travel outfits as well but it rained a lot while were there and truthfully even on the sunny days taking pictures just didn't cross my mind.  dress: anthropologie , earrings: nashville souvenir , bracelets: target /diy, shoes: dsw And just because I think he's hot, here is what my date my wore dress : old navy , belt: thrift, bracelet: target , shoes: florence souvenir   Want more? Check out these link parties to see lots of ...

This past week was a great one. It started off with Jeremy and I in New York City, where we got to attend a beautiful wedding and celebrate our own anniversary - 8 years! There were lots of fun moments in the middle and then it ended with a freshly painted living room. To top it off, we got to spend today relaxing and celebrate some truly amazing dads - Jeremy and my father-in-law, Larry.  jeremy and i 8 years ago. my love for him has only grown...i am very blessed bride!  celebrating in nyc! you can see more photos here while we were in nyc big buddy had a scary asthmatic episode. it was a horrible couple hours but i'm incredibly grateful for his grandparents who took great  care of him, wonderful health care, & a sweet friend who was quick to offer support. big buddy thinks it was quite a grand adventure.  little lady has taken to wearing the flower girl dress from our wedding around the house remnants of nyc - macaroons...

Mini Man loves to get dirty. Alway has. With him there seems to be some magnetic pull towards messes. Even activities that are normally "clean" for other children some how leave him sticky or filthy - he just dives in to everything 100%. As a kid I enjoyed a good mess. After it rained I loved to splash through the ditches of our small town. I'd spent countless summer hours popping the tar bubbles that formed on the road outside our house. Catching worms, frogs, and snakes brought me great joy. As I've gotten older though I've developed a bit of an aversion to messes - the clean up is so much work! I want my children to feel free to explore though, to experience nature first hand. So even though my first instinct is to say no, I let Mini Man dig in the dirt for worms and other creepy crawlies. I've allowed the mixing of mud potions and have even provided some non-precious containers to enhance the fun. A couple evenings ago when a warm rain moved in my firs...

Jeremy and I just recently returned from a long weekend trip to NYC. We went for a wedding - it was stunning! And then stayed for a few extra days to celebrate our own anniversary - 8 years!  It was my first time visiting the city and I was very much impressed. One of the memories we'll probably hold most dear is walking through Central Park in the rain - twice, it rained a lot on our trip. We did visit on a sunny day too so I can attest to the fact that it's beautiful all the time, but there was something magical about being in a massive city and strolling through an empty-quiet-green paradise. If you are ever in NYC on a rainy day, head to Central Park - it's like being in your very own fairy tale.  scenes from a deserted central park  We also visited two of the city's museums, the Met and MOMA. I personally preferred the Met. While busy, it didn't feel over crowded like MOMA (we went on Monday too). I also think I may just not be creative eno...

I think in the future we will most likely take a break from school in the summer but since Big Buddy is so young and he is working on mastering so many new skills we've to decided this year to just work straight through. Things, however, will be a little looser with the main focus on retaining and strengthening skills. All my children are currently infatuated with insects and arachnids so as well as practicing our reading and math we'll be studying them in depth overt the next couple months. walked in on big buddy this week trying to scare a box elder bug with our plastic praying mantids; "he's going to tell all his friends there are giant predators!  We will probably add a few new activities as we learn more but for now the activities below are what I plan to rotate through our schoolroom. Language -  beginning sound spider webs (stick the bugs in the correct beginning sound web: br/bl, soft g/hard g,  soft c/hard c, sk/st) - i've made the pdf...

I picked up this vintage dress at Boston's Garment District. I like that both the fit and colors are a bit  different from what I normally wear. The dress and shoes are both very comfortable and I do enjoy wearing them, but I also feel a bit like I'm playing dress-up.  dress: thrift, shoes: dsw , bracelet: old  This is an outfit, on the other hand, that is very traditionally "me": a little bit of whimsy, a fuller skirt, bolder colors, flats, and very little jewelry. There are days when I find outfits like this to be far more comfortable and easier to put together than the standard jeans and a tee.  shirt: h&m, dress worn as a skirt: gift/ francesca's , shoes: charming charlie I grew up doing my three little sisters hair but I never became very skilled at doing my own - I'm just not naturally that coordinated. My hair also has very little natural texture (super straight and slippery) so I've always found it frustrat...