banner red bed

i mentioned earlier this week that we had finally transitioned til to a twin bed. i've heard so many horror stories from friends and customers about taking their babies from their cribs to toddler/twin beds. my mom told me to wait as long as i could! i have to say that i think waiting until matilda was older was a good move, granted she never tried to climb out of her crib which would be an entirely different story. this weekend we picked up the iron bed i slept on until i was 13! it was white when i was tiny and then once i hit middle school i begged my mom to paint it black which it stayed until we painted it banner red for matilda. i have such an affinity for red. it just makes me happy. back to the bed, my mom told me that it originally belonged to the candler family and was being stored by my great grandfather and they let him keep it. it still has the orginal clay feet. i love it.

we had the bed all set up and ready to go and then at 6:30 sunday night (bedtime is at 7) and then we panicked and sam ran out to get a guardrail. it's been three nights and i still panic she'll fall out. sam ended up grabbing this guardrail from babysrus (didn't see it online). it's wooden and technically to be used to convert a crib to a toddler bed but it still works with a twin. not quite as hideous as those mesh things but we will fo sho be craigslisting this bad boy when she's done with it.

sweet dreams so far and no getting out of bed just yet. knock.on.wood.

how was your experience when your little person went to the big kid bed? did you jump right to a twin/ full or stick with a toddler bed?
matilda was definitely concerned about her crib and where it went and tears might have welled up in my eyes when sam broke it down and took it out of her room.

sources: the sheets were an amazing score at a garage sale way before matilda was even in the picture (secretly hoping for a little girl to sleep on them), the green pillows are "vintage" anthropologie, the monogrammed pillow is from pottery barn, the duvet is from target, the bedskirt is shabby chic for target, and the adorable dolls are blabla.

ps you can find me over here today!

moments...

our pumpkins perched proudly on our front porch.
matilda in her new orange sweater (thanks kim and alan!) laying on a twin bed.
beautiful roses from mama's garden with my favorite wine in the background.
my first of a limited edition batch of tiny aprons for seed factory.

we spent the weekend doing little and big projects. it's amazing how happy a new $13 doorbell can make me (it lights up!). sam also put in a peephole in our front door which i really enjoy. the big project was working on transitioning matilda into her new bed. pictures coming soon!

two signs of fall

sunday we drove up into north georgia to visit burt's pumpkin farm for the first time. the drive was stunning: gray skies + orange leaves, winding roads, farm after farm. there was no one in sight and then we got to the farm. where did all of those people come from? matilda was beyond excited to help pick out heirloom varieties of pumpkins (the uglier the better in my opinion and they better have a long curly stem). there were rows and rows of pumpkins and gourds and people. if you know me, i'm not really big on crowds but it was so festive and it just felt like fall. it was jacket and boot weather, y'all. we were sad we didn't get to take a hayride but i think 2012 will be our year. we DID however manage to fit a super long corn stalk in the back on my car. my porch will scream fall soon enough.
when we got home from the farm i warmed up the quart of soup i was lucky enough to snag from staplehouse. did you hear they're introducing soups to their ever-growing fan base? once the email goes out announcing the soup of the week, first come first serve will get their very own brown-bagged soup. letmetellyou there might have been some moaning happening in my house as it was being consumed. we are huge fans of jen and ryan's and are beyond thrilled that we got to take a little piece of staplehouse home. sign up for their email list at staplehouse.com for more info.

and the winner of the giveaway is:

thanks to everyone who participated!

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.

gratitudes

because i have a major case of the mondays... i'm going to list things i am grateful for in no particular order:

i am grateful:

that i managed to finish this little flower girl dress.

for my adorable matilda. she got her first busted lip last night and was over it in less than a minute. tough.

for dinner with great friends.

for a date with my sister on wednesday to see one of my heroes from the sixth row!!! thanks daddy!

that we're pre-gaming here.

that i was sent pictures of two of my favorite little people with green mustaches after they drank this.

that i had such an awesome mail day (replacement part to my trash can-don't judge, september's whole living and this print)!

that it's my oldest friend's birthday. send her some love!

for phone calls with my big hearted brother.

for a husband that has dinner and wine waiting for me when i get home from a long day. he really is the best.

that i'm feeling better already.

ps the bachelor pad is total trash and i watched it. shameful. with that said... team ames.

in real life: this past weekend

-we brunched here. i get the omelette and delicately drench it with the supplied melted butter.-we met justin and karen's darling amelia. full head of spikey hair. favorite.-we had christy and erik over for kabobs (summer must include kabobs) and frozen pink cheesecake.
fourth of july weekend will be here before we know it. got any plans?we have a baby "party" (see above) and will probably do something that involves a grill.

in real life: the crib

my girl. these images will help calm and nurture me through the abundance of FREAK OUTs we've been experiencing with our little 2.75 year old.

i had intended on leaving this post as just this simple: "here are two pictures of my adorable child" post. just couldn't do it i guess. i have been struggling. quarter-life crisis? wait, i may be too old for that now. crap. i mentioned on twitter that i was having a "what color is your parachute?" type of day yesterday. i just feel so worthless sometimes. like i'm not really great at anything. not looking for pity or flattery, just keeping it real. why can't i just be satisfied to be a part-time working mama? whenever i can feel myself striving this happens. a big wake up call from God telling me i can't do everything on my own. totally not living in the now. being challenged in that area BIG time.

sometimes i can't wait to have some me time (aka naptime) and then once it comes i feel so. lonely. is this normal? also, been wondering why i put so much energy in to this blog. sometimes it just seems silly. that's all, but then i get an awesome email from someone telling me they want to change their lifestyle and that makes me happy.

sorry for the rambling/complaining.

in real life: the playground

we were able to squeeze in some park time before sam's show on friday. matilda was especially excited about "playing soccer." please don't judge us that we have an almost 3 year old drinking out of a bottle. her cups were dirty. ok?

overheard on the playground by an 8 year old to a 6 year old:

8: "did you tap that?"

6: "yea. i did a little tap tap and a squeeze sqeeze."

8: "did you see nicole in her bikini?! i was like doiiing!"

i'm terrified.

vacation detox

after eating things like red velvet donuts, gelato every day, best bbq nachos on earth, and stuffing my face with sushi and this beer i knew i'd have to whip my butt in shape when we got home. nothing like wearing next to nothing to also motivate!

five day plan:

tuesday-

breakfast:

sprouted grain english muffin with peanut butter and strawberry preserves

lunch:

veggie 6" sub from subway (only because we were traveling, i wouldn't normally do bread twice in one day)

dinner:

amazing salmon patties from whole foods with grilled veggie kabobs over spinach

started my couch to 5k program with this app plus abs

finished under my calorie goal thanks to my fitness pal.

wednesday-

breakfast:

plain cabot greek yogurt (there are 18g of protein per serving!) with strawberries and blackberry preserves, sprinkled with cinnamon

lunch:

leftover salmon patties and veggies over spinach with a cup of butternut squash soup (thanks katie!)

dinner:

deli meat and chesire cheese with rasberries

restorative yoga with my mama. got the schedule mixed up and we ended up at a meditation class. no yoga, great story.

light yoga plus abs

thursday-

breakfast:

yogurt breakfast again

lunch:

romaine hearts filled with deli meat, sliced raw cheese, spicy mustard

snack:

raw cashews

dinner:

taco salad

2nd day c25k

friday-

breakfast:

fried egg and turkey bacon

lunch:

one romaine+turkey "sandwich" and mixed greens with mushrooms and cherry tomatoes (i like soy ginger dressing)

dinner:

bbq chicken with broccoli and mixed greens

yoga after dark

saturday-

breakfast:

scrambled eggs with turkey bacon and english muffin with raw butter

lunch:

leftover grilled chicken over greens

dinner:

veggie plate

3rd day c25k

snacks usually consist of nuts (raw) with the occasional cacao bar broken into quarters.

after eating well for the past 10 months, with detox my body is now able to re-rev its metabolism. pretty dang cool.

rest

when it comes to taking it easy... i suck at it. honestly, resting at all is just not my forte. my brain is constantly going a million miles an hour. however, lately i've been more and more aware of how fleeting our time is on this earth and how fast matilda is growing up. look how big she looks lying down with sam! be still my heart. my attention keeps perking up at the idea of rest. in fact, the sermon on sunday focused on the topic of sabbatical. we are called to take a mini sabbatical every day with sunday being the sabbath (1. a day of religious observance and abstinence from work).

recently i watched a TED talk with one of my favorite yogis eoin finn on hammock enlightment. you should have a listen too. eoin discusses the importance of having nature and quiet be a part of each day. quiet contemplation to hear what your heart is saying.

it is so easy to get caught up in busyness. sometimes i feel so overwhelmed by everything that i need to do, but God has been restoring me in my quiet times. i've almost finished a whole book. i know.

back from the woods

we returned home sunday from a weekend spent in one of my favorite places in the world: heflin. we left straight after work on friday and left our stressful lives behind. the weight of life is instantly lifted when you open up the gate to my grandparent's property and head down the gravel driveway to their beautiful home.

there is nothing like it.

we were greeted to a warm, yummy home cooked meal (even though grammy wasn't feeling all that well) and after we filled our bellies and chatted about our days we headed to bed. no noise but the sounds of the wind and the animals. amazing.

some highlights of our weekend included:

matilda's obsession with her new binoculars. see here.

catching the amtrack train within seconds of its arrival much to the delight of everyone.

dinner at garfrerick's cafe. absolutely delicious organic fare and incredible dessert (strawberry white chocolate bread pudding anyone?). a must if you're in oxford.

watching one of lynndaddy's favorite movies: the view from pompey's head.

getting to take in all of the beauty of the weekend and much needed family time.

ok, i need a few things... suggestions on how to introduce prayer to your child (warning: "now i lay me down to sleep" freaked me out as a kid) and book recommendations. i would love something inspirational. thank you in advance!

also, need to make some revisions. set myself up for failure. clearly walking guinness everyday is not going to happen (read: it's rainy and cold and you can't make me).

my mother's day

i think we were looking at squirrels?

i had such an amazing mother's day. i woke up to lots of hugs and kisses and a "valentine" made by sam and matilda. it was such a hilarious card. matilda drew all over it and then sam drew corresponding thought bubbles like, "i love our snuggle time," "you're the best story teller," and "%*&^$#." HA. we've been dealing with expletives around here.

rachel and i took mama out for brunch to one of our favorite places: sun in my belly. the weather was perfect and so was the company. my omelette was divine!

we celebrated grammy's birthday and all of the mothers over a big spread, including my favorite cake: lemon cheese.

then matilda and i took a walk while sam tidied up the garden.

perfect day.

would love to hear how you spent yours...

may 3rd

you can read more details about the dress here.

i realize that today is the fourth, but this was the third in a nutshell. matilda is obsessed with climbing in baskets. she loves the towel basket in our bathroom (as seen here) she love the laundry basket, the toy basket in her room. basically if it resembles a basket... she's in it.

my heart was heavy on may 3rd. i spent moments throughout the day offering up prayers for some really wonderful people going through something that no one should have to. their baby was airlifted to a hospital shortly after he was born with complications. i have not heard if there has been an update because i'm too worried to check. breaks my heart. it also makes me stop and take in how incredibly blessed we are to have a healthy child. it's not a given, but a true deep blessing. thank you God.

i've also felt so strangely about all of the news about the death of one of the biggest enemies that i think we've ever faced as a country. the verminous hatred and dancing in the streets just reminds me of how bad that looks when we see other countries celebrating deaths of americans. hate does not overcome hate.

deep thoughts tonight.

in other news i've been working hard at getting tiny fete up and running. i feel really excited about a fresh start. it feels good. i still have so much to do and told everyone a bit on the early side (hello no business cards), but that's how i roll...

grand central station

matilda talking on the phone with me

my girl loves her some phone time. we talked on my ride home from work for about 20 minutes and sam took pictures of til. i love him for that! she likes to walk and talk. she is becoming quite a little lady. i can't believe everything she can do these days. she loves do do "oga." she pulls out her mat and "mommy's mat." she did down dog yesterday and it was so awesome. speaking of yoga...


my friend abi in tanzania

this is my friend abigail. isn't she lovely? here she is studying abroad in tanzania. she's been living amongst monkeys and really big turtles. she's been spending time with jane goodall. pretty inspiring, huh? anyway when i saw this picture i thought i HAVE to make doing a full back bend part of my 30 before thirty.


my current back bend

kind of a hot mess, but i was just so thrilled i could get up at all. i will be practicing until i get it perfect.

ps. you should enter this giveaway if you live in the atlanta area.

pps. i could cry i'm so excited about the bachelorette finale tonight. will you be here? i have a feeling she chooses neither. i love chris though! i also think roberto will be the next bachelor. thoughts?

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