guest post @ The Letter 4

I'm sharing a little tutorial over at The Letter 4 today. Stop over and find out how to make these cute, quick, EASY lace cuffs. TGIF!

a midweek giveaway

Let the giveaways roll!  Sweet Carlotta is hosting a Poppy Chain giveaway over at her inspiring blog.  I'm giving away a shop credit and a discount during the giveaway!  Go enter!

a day at the farm

As I mentioned previously, Ryan, the kids, and I went to a children's discovery farm this past weekend. We went last fall (when I was hugely pregnant... I look back and don't even recognize myself) and loved it, so there was no doubt that we would go again this year. Brynlee loved feeding and snuggling the animals, and Mac just took it all in. I concluded that we need a pet baby goat and chickens. Always a country girl at heart, right here.

Pictures can tell a story better than I can!

giveaway day at The Letter 4!

Looooove this blog! The Letter 4 sisters are so cute and inspirational. And they are featuring my Etsy shop today... head on over to see how you can win an item from my shop!

amazing change

We went to a fun farm/petting zoo place (they call it a "children's discovery farm") today and the kids had a blast. Before we left, I remembered a few pictures that I had taken last year before we went to the same place. I wanted to recreate the shots to see the differences the year had made, and I am just floored by what I see. Life and growth is such a miracle. Let me never take that for granted.

52 in 1: WEEK 18 - library book tote

I've been feeling a little uninspired lately, crafty/sew-y wise. Not sure why. I have a bunch of sewing books that I've been wanting to dig into, but no time (as in, a stretch of time) to really get into an unfamiliar project. I took the kids to the library for the first time the other day and was blah-ed out by the plastic bags they put the checked out books in. And, a la Raechel, I decided to make a cute bag to carry our library books in. I knew I had a pattern for a sturdy tote bag in one of my books, so I thumbed through them (hello, inspiration, we meet again) and found the perfect tote in this book. I hit my favorite place to drool over buy fabric, and stocked up.

The bag was truly a labor of love... I wanted to throw in the towel many times (and had to use my seam ripper more times than I care to share) but I had promised Brynlee a pretty bag for her library books, so I sewed, ripped, and sewed some more until I triumphed. And until 3 am. I think it looks pretty stinkin good, especially for how impatient I get with long projects like this.

Don't be fooled by the extra-credit fabric strips around the top of the handles... they are a pretty mistake coverup. Fooled you!

And my pretty model showing off our new bag.

Can't help myself... she just melts me.

Sister's library book of choice? Anything Max and Ruby. She loves to laugh at Max's antics, and perhaps she can identify just a bit with Ruby's older sister bossiness? :)

52 in 1: WEEK 17 - burlap fall wreath

I am so ready for fall. The air is nice and cool and I've been burning pumpkin candles for a few days. While visiting for my birthday, my mom jokingly remarked how I still had a (spring) forsythia wreath on my front door. I had figured I could stretch it through the summer, but for fall it was a no-go.

(Please excuse the icky country blue door... one of the downfalls of renting!)

I had been wanting to make a wreath like this for awhile now. I thought a fall wreath using burlap would be perfect! I love the ruffles.

Special note: If you have any anxiety about cleanliness and/or psychology-major-self-diagnosed OCD, don't use burlap.  Use another kind of fabric.  Just trust me.  Or just have the vacuum very close to you at all times.

I was so excited to find that I had a whole box of fall picks from last year that I had completely forgotten about.

Love it! Happy {almost} fall!

Linking up at I heart naptime, six sister's stuff, today's creative blog, and tatertots and jello

28

I turned 28 yesterday... oh my, that sounds old.  I had a day of nothing planned.  I had cleaned all day Wednesday so I wouldn't feel like I had to on my birthday, plus there is just something so relaxing (to me) about having a spotless house.  I chilled in my pjs with the kids all morning, sipping coffee and watching Super Why with Brynlee.  At 11:30, I heard my doorbell ring a few times.  I figured it was UPS or something, so when I opened the front door I got a surprise: my mom and cousin Mary has driven 3 1/2 hours just to spend my birthday with me!  My mom had driven to Mary's the night before (which is halfway between my parents' house and our house) and lied to me that morning, saying she was "in the car on the way to the hardware store to get stain for the potting shed".  Sneaky!!!  They brought me a beautiful cake, took me and the kids to Chick fil a, which is 45 minutes from us (and so worth it!), and really boosted my spirits.  You see, I am a weirdo and always tend to get a little emotional and down on my birthday (especially since living away from home).  Not sure why, but I've been like that for a long time.  Ryan and I went out to dinner to our favorite place while my sister watched the kids.  It was perfect!

My beautiful cake, which was decorated with vintage birds, of course!

reasons to smile this morning.

fresh hydrangea

this face

my little artist's work

new books

 

the KLOVE app

baby boy napping peacefully

Happy Monday!

Monday giveaway

Megan from Homemade Ginger is hosting a Poppy Chain Boutique giveaway over at her LOVELY blog today. I'm giving away an item of the winner's choice and offering a discount too. The giveaway ends Wednesday, so hurry over and enter!

a Saturday 5K

I figured with the St. Jude Half Marathon coming up in less than 3 months, I had better do a couple of races this fall to get into the groove.  This morning, I participated in a 5K to benefit our town's Special Olympics.


I was so nervous!  I haven't run a race in four years, and I was so jittery beforehand.  I am NOT a morning runner, nor do I run well in heat/bright sunshine.  This morning's race included all of those things.  Yikes! 


Beforehand, feeling jittery but rather cocky and confident.  I was put in my place very quickly!

I started off pretty fast, with my first mile time clocking in at 9:16.  I am so convinced that running is like 75% mental and 25% physical.  I wish I could just turn my brain OFF when I run.  I try hard to get lost in thought about projects or something else I love, instead of yearning for the miles to go by faster or thinking about how hot and dizzy and tired I am feeling.  I started to focus on how many people were passing me and how slow I seemed to be compared to them, and I slowed down even more.  Then the couple taking turns pushing a disabled boy (actually he was probably closer to teen-age, so he must have been pretty heavy) in a stroller passed me and my ego deflated completely.  Then, at about mile 1.5, a huge hill loomed ahead of me.  I pushed up the hill and turned the corner at the top.  The stretch ahead looked pretty flat, so I just kept going, even though I so badly wanted to stop.  The last half mile or so was almost completely downhill, which I was so grateful for.  Ahhh.


I loved seeing Ryan and the kids waiting for me at the finish line.  I slowed down for the last 20 yards or so, so Brynlee could run with me.  She LOVED being able to run in the race and cross the finish line!  I gotta say, it was adorable.

I finished at 32:09, with a 10:21 mile pace.  I wanted to top at around 30:00, but keeping in mind all the factors that were against me, I'm okay with my time.  I did finish 4th in my age group, but there were (ahem) only six women in my age group, so I'm not sure how proud of that ranking I should be.  Haha. 


Sweaty, tired, and so glad to be finished and holding my babies again. And that is Brynlee's "cheese" face, lovely.
 

I'm hoping to do a few more races before the big one.  It really does feel amazing to cross the finish line, even after a measly 3 miles.  A few of my Finding My Feet team members ran a 10K last weekend (you HAVE to read Keight's post... hilarious and so touching!) and I can't even imagine racing double what I ran this morning.  Plus I have 6.5 to pound out tomorrow to keep up with our training regimen.  At least it helps me not feel so guilty about the huge Chipotle burrito I had for dinner tonight or the yummy Trader Joe's coffee ice cream I just finished off. :)

52 in 1: WEEK 16 - ruffle camera strap cover

When visiting us last weekend, my sweet parents-in-law requested ideas for a birthday present for me.  I hadn't thought too extensively about what I wanted to ask for (my birthday isn't until next week) but I did know I had wanted a camera bag for a long time, specifically this one.  I told my MIL, and she quickly ordered it, and it showed up on my doorstep today.  It's roomy, smells good, doesn't look like a typical camera bag, protects my (meager) camera equipment, and the color is more beautiful in real life than any picture can depict.  Oh, and it sports a rosette.  Perfection.  I'm in LOVE.

I've been wanting to try Raechel's camera strap cover tutorial for a long time now, and I thought such a pretty bag deserved a pretty camera strap as an accessory.

Wow, it's hard to take a picture of a camera strap cover while you're wearing the cover on the strap with the camera attached... this was take 27, I believe.


I used an old shirt for the blue knit ruffle, and a Kate Spain fabric that I've been hoarding for a few months for the body.  Ruffling is the bomb!  So fun.  Love the little lens cap pocket.  Don't look too closely at my crooked stitches.

Running a 5K in the morning... I'm wayyy more nervous in than I should be!  Goodnight!

10 months

My baby boy is TEN months old today. How is it that one year ago right now I was hugely (and I mean HUGELY) pregnant? I had no idea how this little boy would change my life. And now he's almost ONE. Make it slow down!!!

Mac is now cruising all over, standing alone, and has taken one or two steps at a time, but usually just sits right down and crawls instead. He has two teeth (in the front on top) but that's it so far. He dances when I sing or tell him to dance, and gives high fives. He thinks just about anything is hilarious and is a total momma's boy. The bond between Mac and Brynlee is now becoming more pronounced and I LOVE when they laugh at each other in the backseat of the car. He loves to seek out a laundry basket full of freshly folded clothes and pull every last item out. I left him overnight at my inlaws' for the first time the night of Meghan's wedding (they took Brynlee and Mac home with them so we could party hearty... I have Ryan's dance moves on video!). I felt so bad being away from him, especially since he had a fever from teething. He's getting tall and skinny and still won't hold still for a diaper change. He loves his daddy so much and reaches out to someone when he wants them to pick him up. He's starting to like to read, and will sit still for just a bit longer to be read to. He also loves to stick his finger directly up my nose, pry my mouth open and drag his nails across my gums, and attempt to rip my earrings out of my ears while I feed him. All boy, I tell you.

I am daily still in awe of the blessing this little boy is to me. He's everything I didn't know I needed. When I hold him at bedtime and pray for him I am just overwhelmed with gratitude. God knew how badly I needed him, even when I shamefully cried at my 20 week ultrasound, disappointed that I wasn't having another girl. I've never been so glad to be disappointed.