full circle

we had our families and friends over last night to celebrate my dad's 70th birthday. it was the first big party we have had in our new home and i will say it was as much fun getting ready as it was hosting it here. pb and i both remarked as we were cleaning up last night...there is something comforting about having our parents and their friends, our sisters, wil and em, and our friends, all in one house for a celebration. we appreciated everyone that came and took part in this special night. we knew when we bought this house, it would be a perfect place for occasions like this. and it's what we like to do.

a few hours before the party started, my dad showed up to hang a swing on our porch. keep in mind that this was supposed to be a surprise party, so coming over to surprise pb and hang a swing was not in our plans for the day. but i am so glad he did. we all took turns sitting on it last night and watching the bats fly around the clocktower. (an intriguing sight.)

i grew up with this swing on our front porch on 4th street. to think about all of the friends that sat on that swing with me. all of the games we played. all the songs we sang. i hope wil and em will get as much out of it as we did. so funny to be grown up and have the same swing again...but on a different porch downtown. there's something comforting about that too.

thanks to everyone for a great evening.

pale and pretty midweek photos

i lovvvvvvve this.

beautiful shoes.

sweet.

another sweet.

true.

this coat.

this baby.

and i've never been here. i want to go.

squeeeeeze.

have a wonderful wednesday!

1 + 1 =1 = 3

this was not my idea. a blog. i will admit that it has been a lot of fun for us so i am thankful to the one that suggested it. but it seems that one blog has now turned into three. each has its own purpose and really can't be combined. this latest blog is job related. this is for the parents of the children i teach and anyone else that is interested in what is going on in our art room on a typical day. since these parents can't come to class with their children, i hope to show them what we are doing and some of the funny antics that make this job what it is for me. you can check it out here.

now, for some mindless weekend stuff...

i am currently on the hunt for this shampoo and conditioner. it is the bumble and bumble knock-off brand. i read a great recommendation on it the other day and would love to try it. walgreens did not have it but kroger or cvs might. if anyone finds it, let me know!

and this is my new favorite drugstore hairspray. great for the heat right now. garnier fructis anti-humidity spray. at walgreens.

this is my favorite salon hairspray. it's really light and smells amazing.

and a little shopping tip: i suggest checking out gap and old navy online pretty regularly right now. it seems like one of them is always offering and extra 30-40% off and you can find some great deals on their sale items. good basics. these are my latest favorite find. they are not a "true denim" material so i can wear them to school.

and here is what we have going on outside today. they are doing pretty well!

happy weekend!

180 days and cupcakes

i had the thought sometime this week...life as i know it, has always centered around the school calendar. i started preschool at age 3. 15 years later i graduated from high school, went to college, started teaching, quit for a while to be home when em was little, then started back when she started preK. even though i was home with em, wil was in school, so my days still revolved around a school schedule.

when i think of a year, i think in terms of the school calendar. when i think of the months in that year, i think in terms of themes...pumpkins, cornucopias, christmas trees, snowflakes, hearts, shamrocks, easter eggs, and mother's day cards. i still think about "back to school" shoes. i've never questioned the fact of a 2 week christmas break, or a spring break, or various holidays in between. i cannot imagine anything different. could i do a year, not on a school schedule??
in the midst of pondering, here are some things we managed to do, make, and enjoy this week.

on monday afternoon, we cleaned out the flower bed in front of our porch. on tuesday afternoon, pb dug 12 holes while i watched.

then we planted 12 azalea bushes. keeping our fingers crossed.

this morning we saw this on honeymoon bakery's facebook page. "like" them here.

we sampled one tonight and i will say it was the best cupcake i have ever had. my favorite cake ever is the cake that kate made for my birthday. blogged about it here. but this wins the cupcake award. the coffee buttercream frosting is to die for. go try one!

photo of the week

enjoy!

all work and no play......nahh

this has been a crazy but exciting week. i am such a dork when it comes to fall and back-to-school stuff. while i can wax and wane all melancholy and nostalgic, i still love the change of season (although we are sans temperature change) and all that it brings.

i have had no time to post anything this week even though a lot has gone on and so many "blog worthy" moments have occurred. i'll save them for later. somehow i have still made time to check in with pinterest every day. i mentioned this here, a few weeks ago, as my latest and greatest addiction and a black hole of time consumption. if you haven't checked it out, here is where my boards are located. and here is a sample of some of the treats i have feasted my eyes upon this week:

how can you not crack up???

this yummy avocado and tomato salad.

this bag!

emily has been helping me in my classroom this week. i found this and copied it. she made fun of it but i think it is perfect.

this eclectic room that i lovvvve.

another great beverage cart and the photo behind it.

these pink pants with this denim shirt.

these planters.

and this stack of vintage pyrex.

and i could work in this space.

happy weekend!

turn that frown upside down

i have a tinge of the back to school blahs. it is always great once we get into the swing of things, but the weekend before is a little sad. so here are a few bits of eye candy to make anyone else feeling the blues, just a little bit brighter...

how can you not smile at this? gymnastics.

shoes.

this idea.

this version.

this hair length.

freshness.

i see melissa, i see billy, i see...

it is raining here today...as in all day. this is a good thing. i love a day inside when it is raining. especially after the heat wave we have been enduring. soooo, i think i have fall on the brain even more now. and boots.

here is something i want for our back porch. for rain boots.

and here are some boots i think are great for fall or now or anytime. fyi...the frye website is a dangerous place. visit it here with much trepidation.

i have these melissa button boots in brown. they are the most comfortable boots. they go with anything. here they are in "vintage brown". a-mazing.

and i love the billy boot. a classic in this...

or this.

andddd...the short billy.

thought these in taupe were very simple and pretty.

and here is a perfect riding boot in a perfect caramel.

frye boots are an investment. but i will say, out of all the boots i own, they are the ones that have lasted, are the most comfortable, and the "go-to" pairs that i choose every time. there is something to be said for a good pair of boots. and a good boot tray by the back door.

just breathe

i heard an old song the other morning when i was walking and can't stop thinking about the lyrics. (i know that is sappy.) but lately, i have been thinking about how fast life and time is moving. i go through the days and then realize weeks have gone by and it was a blur and a flash. (didn't we just decide to move??) time and the things we spend our days doing are memories in an instant. it sounds so trite when i try to put words to it, but it is a concept that i seem to ponder more and more, the older everyone gets. (i'm sure the start of school has something to do with the nostalgia too.)

i find myself wishing i had one day back when wil and em were little. a day when they were home all day and they were on my schedule and i was their world. a day to do nothing but watch them play and listen to their stories. no matter how much chattering they had to do or how clean i thought my house had to be. just one day to absorb every second of what they were doing, saying, laughing about...how their hair smelled and how dirty their feet were. a day to treasure because i didn't realize how priceless it would be to me one day.

you hear that phrase, "youth is wasted on the young". i think the same thing applies to parenting in some ways. i had no idea how fast things would change and how little time they would really be little. i was still growing up myself. i wish i had just one day to really enjoy them as little people, knowing what i know now. knowing what just doesn't matter.

i had a conversation with a good friend of mine yesterday at lunch. we talked about how this is such a good place and time in our lives. we have all grown up and with that comes so much that i would never trade. so much clarity and appreciation for life. but if i could have one day, as i am now, with will and em as little ones. i would take it.

anyway, here are the words...sappy but true.

cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable
and life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
no one can find the rewind button, girl.
so cradle your head in your hands
and breathe... just breathe

photo of the week