Month: October 2012

  • We WERE in the home stretch.

    Painting. the trim. the walls. the hallway.
    That was all that needed to happen to complete this one-week-turned-four-project.

    A new window hangs in our dining room. A little bit of trim underneath needed to be taken off the wall.

    The dad said “Take off the trim under the window.”
    The son heard “Take the trim off around the whole entire dining room.”

    The dad went outside to the garage to do a little work. The son worked very hard in the dining room.
    a little while later when the dad came back inside…..well, you can just imagine. a big shock for both.
    {and for the mom who loved her trim!}

    Thankfully we have a live-in carpenter and a garage full of material. :)

    and so…….the project continues.

    I can’t wait for it all to be finished. I’m excited.

    To those on the east coast…we’ve been praying for you and your families.
    What a mess to deal with. I feel guilty that I complained about my house being out of order this morning…at least I have one!
    So much to be thankful for.

    Happy Tuesday to you.

  • Over the weekend we had….

    a chilly morning.
    a fall festival.
    a singing engagement with my sisters.
    a pan of lasagna for Sunday afternoon.
    a batch or two of cookies baked.
    a Friday night bonfire.
    a new pair of mittens.
    a whole lot of visiting.
    a cup of coffee.

    ….a lovely, lovely weekend.

    Happy new week to you.

  • Fashion Tip Friday ~

    A Mirror fast.

    I read it about it on two different blogs a couple months ago
    and have been thinking about it ever since.

    One girl gave up mirrors for a month.
    {with the exception of a 2in. by 2in. mirror for applying make-up each morning}

    She said it was so freeing not worrying about what she looked like. 
    She said she was more focused on her day and thought more clearly.

    I suppose it would help to take the focus off of ourselves. 
    I don’t know if I could do it though. What if a piece of hair was sticking way up? 
    and I could never trust my husband’s answer with his love blinders on if I were to ask “Do I look okay?”
    …could any woman really? ;)

    So what do you think?
    Could you do it? Could you go a while without looking into mirror?

    Some instagrams from the past week.

    Enjoy your weekend.
    We have a bonfire with our homeschool group tonight. The kids are so excited.
    My sisters and I are singing tomorrow at a fall festival.

    Happy Friday.

  • The many purposes….

    ….of our dining room.

    It’s a rainy day. Lots of thunder.
    I love homeschooling my kids. I’m glad Jeff is home today.
    Sam baked us bread for lunch all by himself. 
    I have a piano lesson to teach in a few minutes. 

    Happy Tuesday.

  • Fashion Tip Friday ~

    Fashion Tip Friday is back.

    Today….Colored Pants.
    could you? should you? will you?

    Are you wondering about age? Do you feel too old to pull them off.
    {not literally…. unless you have a bad knee or something, then maybe you won’t be able to pull them off,
    but that’s not what I meant. Ha!}

    Well, here’s my opinion about the whole ordeal. 

    Women. Yes, yes you can no matter your age.
    Just make sure you get the right cut. If you’re a lady, don’t shop in the junior section!
    Save them for the 16 year olds.
    *This does not mean to buy stretchy, puffy pants..it just means to find a pair that fits you nicely.

    Young Girls. Absolutely, they look adorable.

    Men. It depends. It really, really depends. 
    Although according to my husband there is no “it depends”.
    To him the answer is a very loud and clear NO.
    I think a dark color with the right shirt is okay.

    So I was shopping with my son and jokingly said…How about this outfit?

    We laughed and wondered who on earth!?

    Two days later while in the city….

    Couldn’t believe my eyes. I don’t think I ever grabbed my phone faster.
    {Completely off subject, but look at those golden beets. not the red, but the golden!
    Oh how I will miss them all winter long. Know if I find them in a store I will buy!}

    So what do you think?
    Colored pants? Yes. No.

    Happy Weekend.

  • Haute Chocolate.

    Perfect weather for a cup of hot…water?
    This is what my girls have been drinking for two days. I think it’s gross.
    they claim it’s delicious, tastes just like hot tea. not sure which tea they’ve been drinking. Ha!

    This is our 30 cent thrift store find. it’s a hot item in our house.
    placed on a fiesta saucer…it wobbled and made me nervous around our school books.
    It never spilled. :)

    I love rainy days in the fall. when I get to stay home.
    we usually bake. wish I could make cupcakes that look like Haute Chocolate’s.

    If you live in or near West Reading, GO!
    Our cousin Heidi introduced me when we were out in PA. 

    The cupcakes are so adorable. and they come in a pretty brown box which makes them feel even more special.
    and the people are so nice there….(even when you are picky about which sprinkle cupcake you want. :)

    No cupcakes here today. Sam baked bread and I, oatmeal cookies. 
    For as long as I can remember Sammy has wanted to be a chef when he grows up.
    Today he told me he’s going to open a night time restaurant, not one that serves breakfast and lunch.
    He wants to know how old he has to be. :)

    This is still going on….

    ….a much bigger project than we planned. 
    Get this…Coke really does get rust off! and very nicely I might add.

    I am so excited for our house to be put back together, it’s been a bit messy for the past two weeks.
    I don’t mind so much when good changes are being made though.

    See you tomorrow for Fashion Tip Friday.
    Happy Evening.

  • Only one day a month the conservatory is…

    ….FREE. and not very often that Jeff is home to come along on our little outings.
    of course we took advantage.

    It’s a cozy, rainy evening here. we just made some frozen pizzas.
    my family is playing life and I’m off to join them.

    Happy Wednesday to you.

  • Just a few more.

    Life is returning to normal.
    our trip out east is over. market season is over. our garden is over.
    school is back in session at the dining room table. (despite Jeff building us a school room ;)

    My baby loving girls were in heaven. we offered to take him home with us but…..his mom said no. 
     

    and the beach. oh Atlantic, we miss you so.


    and Ocean City. such fun to be had.
    the boardwalk. the pizza. the crab cakes. the cotton candy.

    Hope your week was off to a good start.
    Happy Monday. 

    {love this shot through a window of a lighthouse… photo courtesy of Jeff}

  • {in lieu of} Fashion Tip Friday ~

    Since I’m still waiting on my computer.
    Since I can’t for the life of me figure out how to get my photos from my camera to Jeff’s computer.
    Since my carpenter husband is working on a construction project in our home
    and I don’t want to interrupt….
    I’ll just share a couple instagrams from the past week.

    Stickygrams.
    Love them on my fridge.

    Bittersweet from Rachel’s house.

     
      
    Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
    We’re going to be busy around our house.
    Jeff tore out a wall yesterday and we are putting in a (new to us) really old wood stove. I can’t wait!

    Happy Friday.

  • Three weeks later.

    We are home.

    After three weeks of being gone, Wow! is there a lot of catching up to do in life.
    Starting with a trip to the grocery store and
    putting a pumpkin on my front porch…(priorities folks! :)

    our stack of mail…sheesh!

    and while everyone else is posting cozy fall….I’ll post the beach.
    (But know that from here on out….
    it’s pumpkins and colored leaves and baking and scarves and all that good stuff! ;)


    Normally if the temperature is 56 degrees,
    I do not let my children play outside without a sweater or coat on.
    Why we felt justified to let them swim in early morning breezes??? That salty air must have gotten to us.

    It was our kids first time at the ocean. they were in LOVE…just like their mom always is.
    So hard to say goodbye to those pretty waves.

    We spent most of our time away in pretty, pretty Pennsylvania.
    Our family was visiting Jeff’s cousin, and he did some work on her new house.

    Now we’re back into our little routine. school. laundry. cleaning.
    It feels good to be organized…but we are missing everyone we just left. :(
    Wish we didn’t live so far apart.

    I also don’t like that my husband has to leave and work again.
    I like when he’s around. I miss him today.

    He grabbed me, kissed me, took the picture and made it all fancy before I even asked.
    I love him so much.


    Hope your week is going well.
    Happy Tuesday.

    *Disclaimer* ~ all except the picture of Sophia were taken by Jeff on his iphone.
    just in case he reads this, I don’t want to steal his credit. ;)