friday senses// 2

seeing - little cuties at the fourth annual lovebugs shoot with our labor of love this weekend. this photo is from the shoot a year and a half ago. matilda has changed so much!
hearing - the new bon iver. dreamy.
tasting - leftovers from these two recipes from oh she glows: detox salad and creamy roasted tomato, onion, and garlic coconut soup. amazing.
touching - new fabric. i adore screen printed fabric!
smelling - spicy tea and roasted vegetables (my new favorite cooking technique - roasted garlic).
reading - this book by n.t. wright.

see other friday senses here.

would love to hear yours...
have a particularly fabulous weekend.

sugar challenge

image found here.

in honor of breast cancer awareness month and my dear friends who are fighting cancer, i will be giving up sugar for the month of october. in case you didn't know, the over fermentation of sugar in the body is the largest known cause of cancer. read more here and here. it's not an easy thing for me to give up treats (fruit will still be on the menu) for a whole month, but making a stand against a cancer is well worth my small sacrifice. instead of picking up pink m&ms for the cause, ditch the culprit and help make a real difference. show others the importance of what we eat and how it affects our bodies. would you like to join me? if so, leave a comment and we can encourage each other. i promise not to post anything sweet + delicious until the challenge is over. the fun part is the challenge ends on halloween, so you can reward yourself with some dark chocolate!

*randomly, i had two people this week tell me that they had tried the detox plan. i didn't even know they read my blog so that was really cool.

get productive

this week i've been sort of fixated on time management and i wanted to share some things that help me stay focused. i find that these ten tips help me accomplish a lot more than i normally would if i just stuck to my lazy coffee mornings with regis and kelly playing in the background. i'm gonna miss regis.

my top tips for getting things done:

1. make to-do lists. i am loving remember the milk. super user-friendly and syncs with ipad, iphone, etc. you can even tweet yourself to-dos! honestly, what is better than checking things off a list?
2. set a timer and try and see how much you can get done in 30 min, an hour, etc i am amazed by how much i can get done when i'm not distracted.
3. give yourself fun things to do in between so that you feel re-charged. my favorites: yoga, walking, tickling matilda, watching felicity, etc
4. stay away from internet candy: pinterest, facebook, twitter, etc
5. cut out wine (alcohol) during the week. if i have a glass i am calling it a night.
6. make your bed! i feel ten times more organized when my bed is made.
7. put on your clothes right when you get out of bed. if i linger in my cozies, it's a lot slower of a morning (not to say you shouldn't indulge in this once in a while).
8. good jams! when i'm sewing/ crafting if i have fun music i enjoy it more and get more done. quick story: matilda is obsessed with "good jams." matilda: "mama, who is this?" me: "madonna." matilda: "turn madonna up. that's a good jam."
9. turn off notifications and hide your phone. i have to MAKE myself do this, otherwise i'm just checkin' out my instagram stats. lame.
10. wake up 30 minutes earlier. even 15 extra minutes will help your day run a little smoother if you're prepared. you won't be running late and you'll have a moment to be inspired. read something uplifting, watch the sunrise, breathe deeply in meditation.

so spill it. what are your tips for being productive?

image matchbook magazine

time, time, TIME

kinda want this.

i've been thinking a lot about time management lately. ever feel like me, that you don't have any time to yourself and that there's an endless to-do list? perfect. it's my goal to figure out a system that helps me accomplish the things that HAVE to get done, leaving plenty of room for the things i WANT to get done. also, keeping in mind the unexpected things that come up (celebrations, an extra day at work, a sick child, an unplanned act of service, etc).

1. when it comes to meals, planning them can take a little time but with a few extra steps you'll actually save time for the week ahead. oh she glows (a great healthy tasty blog found through my friend katie) has a great series on make ahead lunches. check it. also, whole living did a great piece on time-saving prep in this month's issue. my main trick with meal planning is making a menu (sticking to it) and shopping on sunday for all the necessities. i also find that i spend less money at work on snacks when i pack my lunch the night before - making sure i have a well rounded meal.

2. squeezing in exercise...ok, i admit, this is one area that needs serious help in my life. i want to know how YOU make it a priority: do you schedule it in? use the adage just do it? what works for you? my favorite way to get exercise is to have my family in tow, that way we're spending quality time together while we sweat (i'm a multi-tasker). favorite joint activities: walking trails, walking to the square and back, hiking kennesaw mountain, etc.

3. email, social media, pinterest etc.- these to me are the biggest time suck. seriously, like you don't know that hours can go by while you're pinning away. so to keep myself disciplined i give myself thirty minutes in the morning and at night to "maintain." other helpful things are hootsuite for scheduling tweets and facebook posts. works like a charm. do you use an app to manage your social media?

4. blogging - something that i take full advantage of in blogger is the scheduling setting. scheduling posts ahead of time helps me build a calendar and allows me to blog in bulk and then spread out the posts. have you tried it? this post brought to you by scheduling.

5. balancing friends and family into the mix. this can be tricky, but we make it a priority to spend time with family 3 or more times a month. working downtown allows me to visit with friends after work when matilda's sleeping, so that's helpful. we're still mastering this one...

6. running a house. i've talked about this before. i think the best trick is to do a little every day instead of just letting everything pile up and spending a whole day putting the messes from the week away. this is particularly difficult with a toddler. every night i have a basket that i fill with matilda's things. i corral them and then put them away the following morning.

other notes: to-do lists make me feel productive. i really like paper. do you use an app or jot things down? also, know when to say no. this one is a hard one for me. i had to turn down an opportunity to bless others this week. i just literally could not make it happen. also, the importance of making time for solitude. being alone and taking time to breathe makes you a better person. i truly believe this.

*tomorrow - my top tips for getting things done!

sunday + new hair

is new hair worthy of being in the title? yes. i have not had bangs nor changed my overall look (other than parting my hair down the middle) in YEARS. in fact, i haven't had bangs since i was a small child. inspired by this picture, i drove myself over to dada to see jessica (she's amazing) on friday and just went for it. i think part of the reason i never change my hair is that i don't love the attention. if someone doesn't say anything they must hate it and if they do say something i turn red.






brunch photos taken here. the last two pictures are handcrafted gifts by yours truly.

we spent sunday with some best laid plans...plans don't always come to fruition do they? on sundays when i work on saturdays i always feel the need to jam-pack the day with as much fun as possible. no naps, late sleepers, and long waits kept apple-picking, church, and a walk from happening. however, we celebrated birthdays all day long! we're in a season of birth. makes me happy to celebrate my favorite people.

*psst. tomorrow i'm talkin' bout time management.

make a birthday corsage!

one of the things i heard on the survey over and over is that you would like to see more crafts. you ask and you receive! here is a tutorial on how to make a birthday corsage. this particular corsage was intended to be worn on matilda's dress i made her for her party. she wasn't feeling it, but i think it turned out really cute. i almost want to just add a zero on the end and wear it myself. it's a super easy project that took me no longer than 15 minutes to make.

you will need: felt or fabric, cardboard, hot glue gun, embroidery thread, and pin

1. cut a circle of cardboard out. this will be the backbone of the corsage.
2. cut two 2"x12" strips of felt or fabric.
3. begin to make pleats out of the material, hot glueing each fold to the cardboard until you've made a a half circle.
4. start over with second piece of fabric until you've completed the circle.
5. cut a circle of felt larger than the cardboard and then hot glue on top to cover it.
6. glue pin to the top middle of the back of the corsage.
7. freehand cut the ribbons and glue them to the front of the corsage, covering any cardboard in the middle.
8. using a fabric pen, draw the number you want to embroider onto a circle of felt. thread embroidery floss and use a straight stitch to stitch the number.
9. voila!

have a great weekend!

books we love: little owl lost

little owl lost is matilda's newest book. i picked it up for her at the shop for her birthday. i snagged the only copy but i have a feeling they'll order more. chris haughton's take on the classic, "are you my mother?" follows poor little owl after he falls out of his nest and can't find his mama. don't worry his friend squirrel helps him out.this rascally squirrel leads little owl astray, but don't worry it all works out in the end! are you as obsessed with the color palette as i am? kinda want to do a whole room around those colors...

*also thanks to everyone that filled out the survey! it has been so interesting to get your feedback. i've read each entry and much to my surprise... there have been quite a few. woohoo. thank you for the encouragement and for being honest. i've been sort of baffled by two very different groups of people who read my blog and how to make everyone happy. not possible, obviously. i'll be brainstorming ways to creatively keep a good mix while staying true to myself...