Mug-Pick-Me-Up

Wow...that was a doozy!  Did you hear about the storms that hit the southeast?  Yeah, Chattanooga got a piece of that.  Wednesday our little town and counties surrounding it were hit with four rounds of storms.  Lots and LOTS of damage was done.  My facebook home page is filled with video and pictures of the devastation that surrounds us.  It's pretty awful.

As much as I don't like to blog about other blog-giveaways (because it ruins my chances), I'm going to let you know of a supa-cute giveaway.  At this point, all my chicas who are hurt or are hurting for others could use 8 new mugs from Anthropologie!

Aren't they adorable?!?  I think I need 26, one for each letter.  And because I can't seem to pick my favorite color combo.  And because I'm not above drinking out of and "q" or an "s" even though none of those letters are in my name.  

To find out more, go to French Larkspur for details.  If you win, please give me one or four.

The Dream Game

Sometimes I like to play this game I like to call Dream.
Sometimes with myself.  Sometimes with John.

It's where I come up with a dream and imagine what it would be like.

When I was in college, I think that I had a dream of living right on the water on some Spanish speaking island.  I would live there with my husband and children and we would walk around barefoot and hang out with the natives.  Very dreamy. 

With John, we used to play dream "what it would like to have a baby."  This was pre-Burl.
Sometimes I make him dream up vacations.  Actual ones and neva-gonna-happen ones.

{I found the picture here, then found the story here.}

I saw this picture and it reminded me of another dream that I used to play.  It was called, "John, if we had a shop, what would we sell?"  That was a lot of fun!

When I see this picture with:
a cute name

a little bird

an adorable basket

plants

and a cute little interior

I remember what fun it is to dream.  For me, coming up with the dreams is just as fun as pursuing them.  In reality, I am living in a pretty *dreamy* life! 

For Fun I Had A Breakthrough

After I had Burl, something changed in me.  I don't know what happened.  Maybe it was being freed of 9 months of having a pregnant brain...you know the one that is a bit jumbled....or maybe it was becoming a stay-at-home mom that changed me...I'm not sure.  But one thing was for sure:

I had a river of creativity and excitement and energy flowing out of me.

I learned how to sew.  I sewed and sewed and sewed.  Including this ruffle shirt and this ruffle shirt.  I couldn't get enough adventures.  At home adventures and outside adventures.
I had a new camera, so I couldn't stop taking pictures of the Burly boy.

Then, just for fun, I started a blog.  Not to make money with ads.  Not to become known to the masses.  Just for fun.  Forfun.forfun.forfun.

And I had fun.  Until I got pregnant again.  Until I desired popularity.  Until I was threatened by all those cool blogs out there.  I forgot what I was doing.  I tried to copy people.  I tried to be like the cool ones.  I tried.  And it wasn't fun anymore.  

Then, a friend asked me to help makes some onesies as baby shower decorations.  Something clicked:  Hey, I like doing this stuff.  I like having fun.  I like my little blog just the way it is.  Some professionals call this a "breakthrough."  

I call it a good reminder:

Keep it real.  Keep it fun.  Things will go much smoother.  

This Week's Menu

Every Sunday I post my not-so-special, things-don't-change-they-just-rotate, menu.
Let's hope things start to evolve soon!

Bean and Sausage Soup

Fettucine Alfredo with Broccoli and Mushrooms

Roasted Chicken, Brown Rice, Asparagus

Our 1st Ever Homemade Pizza (made by John.  Delish!!!)
Brown Butter Tortellini with Wilted Spinach

Burl's First Easter Basket

I wonder how much plastic is wasted every year on Easter eggs?  I payed $1.97 for a pack of 2 million-give or take.

What makes them so enticing?  The colors?  The shapes?
The fact that they are basically free entertainment for Burl and us was enough to suck me right into the purchase.

After breakfast Saturday morning, John and I presented Burl with his Easter basket:
a silver mixing bowl with more eggs than one kid can hold.

He was thrilled.  

He pulled 'em out.

He dumped 'em out.

He put 'em back in.

He threw 'em.

He was wild with them!

I have to say that it was totally worth it.

Hoppy Easter!

A Tree-ish House

Sometimes I like to be different.  Decorate out of the box.  Repurpose things.  Do stuff that "no one else has done before."  {Well, that's kind of hard when I don't have one original idea, and all I do is copy the cool people...but I digress.} 

Here's a family that is really doing something different.  What a cool house.  Don't worry about the logistics of bugs, insulation, blah, blah, blah.

Just look at the pictures and think, "how cool."  And maybe dream up what your {tree}house would look like if you got to design one similar.

To read the whole story and see more details, click HERE for their website.  Don't miss the OTHER IMAGES page!  It's all quite dreamy!

Spring Break

This week my mom is on her spring break from work.  Which means that I am on spring break this week as well.  Appointments booked, jury duty, luncheons, craft time with friends, it's all covered because I have a babysitter at my beck and call.  

Come in early, stay late, call at the last minute.  Yep, my mom is here and ready to hang with Burl.

Today, after being gone for a few hours, I returned home.  

"What are you going home so early?!?"

"It's one.  I said I would be back around one."

"Well, don't have you something to do or somewhere to go?  I'm not ready to leave."

Those are like magic words to me (and probably most moms out there).

I finally decided that I would take a nap.  My mom packed Burl in the car and took him while I had the house to my house to nap.  

House.to.myself.  That is my absolute favorite thing in the world.  It's so rare these days.  

When it happens, I usually crank up the music, dance, and clean.  It's wild.  I'm talkin' WIIILLDD!

Today was a little different.  I missed Burl.  After she left, I stumbled around the house for a little bit.  Finally, I grabbed my book and headed to nap.  All I really did was look at pictures of Burl on my phone.  Eventually I feel asleep.

I missed him.  Bad.  I missed the noise and the action and the playing and the funny faces that Burl makes.  And I remember what someone told me.  She's older than me and her boys are out of the house for good.  

She used to love and crave time by herself.  The house to herself.  Just a little bit of quiet to herself.  And now, with the realization that her boys will probably never live in the same house as her again, she misses the noise and the action and she isn't too found of the quiet.  

I remind myself once again to live in the moment.  Enjoy the moment.  It's too great not to.

Cute Letter Writing

For a while, I've have several letters that I've been wanting to write.  Thank you's, congrats, and general catching up.  Last week, the planets aligned and I was able to get them written.  I grabbed my favorite writing tools, if you want to call them that, and I know that you do..  Then, I went to my current writing and reading spot.

Stationary

My favorite shabby chic book

Some good pens
Giddy Up

It all felt very cute and romantic.  {Romantic as in dreamy, not as in kissy-face.}  And that's how I like to write letters.  In a cute place.  With cute stuff.  And maybe a cute pink ruffle shirt I bought at Old Navy for $4.

{Let me say that I think it's kind of silly that I took a picture of myself for this post.  

Oh well.  I was feeling giddy.}  

All this cute stuff makes letter writing even better for me.  And it might be silly sounding right now, but just let it sink in for a minute.  Us girls like to do things cute.  Whatever your poison {letter writing, reading, frosting a cake, shopping, cleaning, mani's and pedi's}, I know there is something out there that we each like to do *cute*. 

If letter writing sounds like a chore that is done while leaning on the kitchen counter, then what would happen if it became cuter?  Just throwing it out there...

Also, I would love to know what your poison is?  What do you like to do cute?  

This Week's Menu

Just for fun.

As a reminder.

Just 'cause.

My menu for this week.

Black Bean Quesadilla Bake Thing {I found somewhere on the internet}

Lasagna Style Baked Ziti {out with the beef, in with some shrooms}

Split Pea Soup

Sausage, Basil and Tiny Tomato Linguine

Your Saturday Morning Funny

My brother called with a funny story from one of his coworkers.

This coworker has a friend who goes to Brown University, where Emma Watson goes.

You know, Hermione, from HP.

One day in class the professor asked a question, which Hermione, excuse me, Emma answered correctly. 

Someone in the back row yelled, "10 points Gryffinor!"

Classy, I know!

Oolala...!

Have you ever been invited to something that you really want to go to?  Then the thought of fitting yet another thing into your life took the fun away?  That's how I was feeling a Cooking Club.  



Key word here: was.  I wasn't fully committed until I went to the first meeting.  Listening to the other 7 gals in the club inspired me to stay committed.  

We all have different styles of cooking.  

We all like to cook.

We all like to eat.

We all talk about food.

Where to get it.

What to do with it.

In a fun way.

Not in a competitive way. 

Thank goodness.

Mama don't like the competitive thing.

Unless it's an actual competition.

Here we are at our first themed dinner night.  Casual, easy, French food.  

Because I like sassy pictures, I asked for sassy subjects.  Sass is what I got.  Thankyouverymuch.

Here is what we ate:

Beef cooked with carrots, onions and plums

Sole Meuniere (from the Julie and Julia movie!)

Potatoes Anna

Salad with cherry tomatoes, thyme, and a balsamic reduction

Toasted baguette with chevre

Petit Pot du Chocolat

And I can't remember the name of mine.  It was the appetizer.  It's the top picture-avocado and smoked salmon...yes please.

 

I'm going to do it.  I'm going to pick my favorite.  That salad.  It had a balsamic reduction.  I didn't even know that balsamic could be reduced or that it would taste so good!  

Do yourself a favor and simmer one cup of balsamic vinegar for about 20 minutes.  You'll be left with 1/4 cup of pure heaven.  Just try not to put your face down in it and slurp it like a dog.  You'll get looks.  Trust me.

You're welcome.  Mmmm...time for a midmorning snack or balsamic reduction.

Brownies

I just figured out how to get video off of my little phone.  (Thank you, Patty!)  I'm really excited about it.  Here is one of my favorite videos.  Feel free to watch it over and over.  

It's called Burl verses the Brownie.

Did you hear that squeal of delight when he gets hold of the brownie?  Too funny!

Painted Wallpaper

Our house is old.
Our house isn't perfect.
Our house has *character* out the wazoo.
Our house has a room just off the living room.
It used to be a covered porch.  {Who gets rid of a covered porch!?!}

And our house is our home.  I love it.  I try to find ways to make it pretty.

When I saw the painted wall paper at Jones Design Company, I was blown away.  All that time.  All that energy.  All that cuteness.
How did she do that with four children running around?
Did she send them away for a month?

Oh how I loved that painted wall paper!
I wanted it.

If she could do it with four children, well dang it, I could do it with one!



One very inspired, audacious, brave day, I decided that I was going to do it.
It only made sense to do it.  I had a good list of reasons why:

1.  It would beat my winter blues.  January and February were stencil time.

2.  I would do it slowly in little spurts of time-aka, nap time.

3.  If I didn't like it, I could always paint over it.

4.  If I liked it, then that would be awesome.

For several weeks, I spent little bits of time in my craft room.  Here were my companions:

my stencil
a pencil
pencil sharpener
paint brush
glass jar {with lid} of white paint

{Side story:  this used to be the tool room, until I took it over.
Now it's the craft room and soon to be the craft/computer room.}

If you are crazy and are thinking about doing this, then here is what I would like to tell you:

1. Painted wall paper on plaster walls is a bit more difficult.  I'm currently working on stencil coat #2 because the paint goes on thin on plaster.

2.  Next time, I would use a WHITE PENCIL to trace with.  The pencil marks are bad.  

3. I would get a better pencil sharpener.

4.  It is 100% worth the effort!  

I really love it!  John really loves it!  Without the stencil, my living room felt like one big room with a partial wall in the middle.  Now, it feels like a separate nook just off of the living room.  The blues are the same, so the rooms still flow.

I would do it all over again.  

If you want to see other crazy people with too much time on their hands, click on the link below:

This Week's Menu

This week I'm going to my first cooking club.  When I was invited, I was a little hesitant to add one more thing to my life, but my mind was quickly changed.  


We met together to talk about what this cooking club was.  We talked about our favorite things to cook, favorite kitchen tools, must-haves in our cooking pantry.  It was all very inspiring.  Everyone cooks very differently.  Everyone is great and wonderful at cooking.
I am so eager to learn more, cook better, and feed off of those gals wonderful food {literal and figurative}!

It might be the swift kick in the apron that I need to add some new stuff to my cooking rotation!



Black Beans and Rice

Cooking Club
Salmon and Sauteed Spinach on Grits

Flank Steak, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans

Bean and Bacon Soup

Oh So Beautiful Paper

Last night I had a dream that I was at a big box office supply store.  I was looking for the perfect color combo of dry-erase markers.  All they had were black and primary colors.  Yuck.  I had seen them there before and couldn't find them now.  There were a ton of boxes to look through and no one would help me and I couldn't lift them because I was 8 1/2 months pregnant. 

I woke up sweating.  It was intense.

To say that I like all things stationary is an understatement.
Especially paper and especially stationary.

When I came across Oh So Beautiful Paper, I was H.O.O.K.E.D. 

All the images are from her website.  Head over there and look and look and look.