{ today is... }

gonna be a good day :)

*all via pinterest

Am I the only grown-up who still gets ridiculously excited when my birthday rolls around?

{ 10 things - la la lovely lighting }

In my opinion, there are few things that can be more transformative to a space than stunning overhead lighting. There are about a bajillion tempting options out there, but I'm really fixated on these 10 right now.

1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  10

I swear, I need more rooms to support my lust for lighting! 
 Do you feel the same way? ;)

{ i spy a diy- fun fabric flower }

One day last week there were some insane thunderstorms during the boys' naptime. You know, the kind of weather where the skies look really dark gray and kinda frightening?  I was a tad nervous about the weather, and needed some distraction.  It felt like the perfect time to stitch up a little sunshine-y flower pin.


*Joel Dewberry Lodge Lattice Fabric in Vintage Yellow

 I used this tutorial over at Joyfolie for the outer petals and this tutorial from Positively Splendid for the center felt bloom. I'm excited to attach this little beauty to the strap, or pehaps the belt of this dress (which, admittedly, is still hanging in my closet with the tags attached!).



*Anthropologie In an Instant dress

 Have you made anything pretty lately?

{ friday focus - four poster beds }

There is just something absolutely majestic about the four poster bed. They have such a rich and grand history. For centuries, these beds were considered a sign of great wealth- the richer the nobleman, the better the bed.  But these days, even a pauper can afford to sleep like a king ;)
I'm a fan of the massive height of these beds. It creates drama, and makes such a statement. 

Apartment Therapy

Apartment Therapy

Apartment Therapy

Apartment Therapy

Decorpad



Ballard Designs

Would you consider a four-poster bed as your spot to be carried off to dreamland?

h a p p y   w e e k e n d !

{ a pinning fool }

by polkadots and puppies

Are you down with Pinterest?  I first heard about it in January, and resisted signing up, because I figured that I most certainly didn't need something else online to occupy my time. I finally gave in and checked it out a few months ago and-my God!  It is completely and totally addicting, not to mention an epic timesuck. 
But boy, is it fun!

 Pinterest is a big online cork board of sorts, where you can “pin” various photos from sites you visit around the web.  You can then categorize all the loveliness into different topic areas, or pin boards.. I find it to be an amazing source of inspiration for me and a way to go back and remember where I saw something, etc.  You can also repin images that others have pinned, follow friends, and so forth. I just love referring back to my pin boards when I'm in the mood for a plethora of eye candy.  If you do decide to check out Pinterest for yourself, you might want to do yourself a favor, and have a timer handy for your pinning sessions ;)  Whenever I fail to do this, I've found that all of a sudden two hours have gone by in the blink of an eye.

Happy Pinning!

{ happily ever afters }

ELLE magazine

lollipop workshop

 Ask most girls under age ten what "happily ever after" means and they're likely to respond with ideas about kissing frogs, princes, and riding off into the sunset. During my time working in the children's room at a library, I helped countless little ladies who were eager to get their hands on the perfect princess story (which most likely involved the helpless princess being rescued by a handsome suitor, aka the knight in shining armour). Bless their little hearts. I've never been a fan of fairy tales (or pretty much anything produced by Disney, for that matter) because it's my belief that such things give children, and girls in particular, a wildly unrealistic view of relationships, and our world in general.  But that's a topic for a whole other Oprah-oh, wait!...does that saying even apply anymore?!  Anyway, I've been thinking about happily ever afters lately.  What does that phrase mean exactly?  To me, it means finding bliss in my everyday life.  My happily ever after is CRAZY imperfect, but I wouldn't change it for the world.  It looks a little something like this:

Notice how no one gives a lick that mama has her heart set on the perfect family portrait?!  Nope. Our happily ever after is uncooperative and dirty and silly and messy and sleepy and funny and unbelievably LOUD.  But it's altogether wonderful, because it's ours.  Isn't that the great thing about life?  We're in charge, darnit,  and we get to write our own  happy endings!  So get crackin' on yours already, will ya?!  I read this quote recently, and I just adore it.  It's a great reminder to love your life 

I took a few minutes to create a version of this print that's been floating around the internet. And, because my mama taught me to share, I thought I'd pass it along to anyone who might like one too.
Download your own free {5X7} here



 Oh, and these are wise words too.






Download your free {5X7} print here

Speaking of happy...I can't tell you how much I enjoyed my blog break last week. We had a wonderfully relaxed, slow-paced week around here, and I even got some fun projects done. It's amazing how much one can accomplish when one stops blogging about doing things, and actual spends time doing them instead! I'm taking a new approach to this little blog of mine: I've decided to spend 20 minutes per day (during nap time) devoted to posting, and I'll stop when that 20 minutes is up, or whenever it stops being fun-whichever comes first. This will most definitely results in fewer posts. But you guys are all beyond awesome, so I know you'll be okay with that. ;) 

{ summer blog break }

I've decided to take a break from blogging for a bit.  I'm feeling a tad disenchanted with blog writing, reading blogs, and my time online, in general.  I need to re-focus on some things in the real world.  So please excuse my absence. I'll be back soon...at least, I think I will.
  I hope you enjoy your week :)

{ real recipe - peanut noodles w/ chicken }

I don't know about you, but I often find myself scrambling to come up with healthy, delicious dinners that will please my whole family.  So when I hit on a winner, I tend to get overly excited, and I always feel the need to share! We're HUGE fans of Thai, Indian and Asian-inspired dishes at our house, and so it's no surprise that this little diddy has been in heavy rotation around here lately. 

 I hope you like it too :) 

*add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce for a little kick

Happy cooking {and eating}!

  h a p p y  w e e k e n d  t o o !

{ wednesday wrap session }

Sometimes you just gotta go all girly and sparkley, ya know?
This gift was to welcome a darling little lady bean to the world.



Papyrus has some of the most beautiful papers and gift toppers right now.  I went a little crazy there recently.

{ giggly grocery morning }

Who lets a morning filled with tons of boring grown-up errands, including grocery shopping prevent them from some hilariously goofy dress-up fun?

             Not my boys :P

via kimberly wagner photography

You would not believe the huge grins, giggles and high fives we received this morning.

Let's hear it for injecting a little (or a LOT of) silliness into mundane, humdrum tasks!  Don't you just LOVE the way little ones are so good at having FUN no matter what they're doing?  Hope you've got a big smile on your face as you get back to real life after the long holiday weekend.

{ happy 235th birthday, america! }

I swear she doesn't look a day older than 210..... maybe 215, tops! ;)
Here's hoping your holiday weekend looks a lot like this!

h a p p y {independence day} w e e k e n d !

Have fun and stay safe.