two little projects.

what does one do with a perfectly good frame for which the glass is missing?


Take these things

add a bit of glue, and spend a little time happily arranging buttons when you should be cleaning up your kitchen after dinner....

and this is what you get:


I just love buttons. And now I can have them hanging on my wall!


Since I pretty much LOVE that amy butler paper (seriously, I love it so much I even bought the whole pad of it at FULL PRICE. It was a breakthrough) I knew I wanted to find as many ways to use it as possible. So I took an old frame I had, painted and stressed it, and then filled it with this bit of "artwork":

I love the colors and the textures, and how it's so simple and almost child-like. It was such a fun thing to work on (again, when I should have been cleaning up the kitchen. Point being: I'd rather craft than clean. Wouldn't anyone?) The only issue I have with it is that line on the left side. No matter what I did I couldn't get that to disappear and lay completely flat. Oh well. The good thing is that it's not nearly as noticeable when it's hanging on the wall.

The tree trunks are made out of garden twine, which I bought rolls and rolls of at Target for $1. I love garden twine! It's so versatile!


I also love the little bird, which was actually added as an afterthought. Birds are just so lovely, and I might be a bit obssessed with them.


These trees now hang behind our couch. I couldn't get a good picture of it on the wall with the lighting in our living room, but here is what it looks like against our yellow walls:


Give me some pretty paper, some glue, and an idea, and I'm a very happy girl.

And, I am pleased to report that yes, my kitchen did eventually get cleaned.

A very pumpkin-y sort of post.

The delights of a pumpkin patch in the fall are something of which everyone should partake. (especially when it's an ADORABLE pumpkin patch, with rustic old wagons loaded to the brim with gourds of every size and shape, a little wooden bridge over a pond, fall leaves everywhere, and twinkly lights galore.)

So, this past Friday (aka One of the Most Perfect Days Ever), Jeremy and I and the three girls made our way to the pumpkin patch-- which, by the way, is all of 5 minutes from our house. That's right, folks, we live 5 minutes away from The Cutest Pumpkin Patch. Not bad.

We went after the kids woke up from naps, and it happened to be perfect timing. Still light enough to squeeze in pictures, but late enough that as we were there dusk fell and the twinkly lights came on in all their charming glory. Don't laugh at me (or do. whatever.), but sometimes I get a pleasant little ache when certain surroundings are just so homey and delightful that they make me all nostalgic and happy inside. And that's how I felt about our pumpkin patch visit. It just felt like FALL. And I was there with my family. What more could a girl want?

The girls, of course, loved every moment and came away with the perfect little pumpkins after many such exclamations of "ooh, look at that one! And that one!" Pumpkins are delightful.

The only downside is that there wasn't quite the chill in the air that I was hoping for... but I pretended anyway, as I dressed us all in our jean jackets and wore my new yellow hat. We may have been a bit warm, but it was worth it. One simply cannot visit a pumpkin patch at dusk while wearing a tank top. I refuse.

Accquring pumpkins aside, our REAL reason for going to the pumpkin patch was, of course, to take pictures. And take pictures we did! (or, more accurately, my sweet hubby took pictures... thanks for putting up with me and my whims, babe)

I didn't even realize I had dressed Emma and Annabelle to match until they sat down for this shot. True story.

It's cliche'.... but I have to say it.... my three pumpkins. AW. (so glad I got that out of the way)







Be warned, your heart may melt when you see this...













Love this one...

Little sidenote: when we were looking through these pictures together at home, Jeremy told me that I reminded him of Kate Winslet in this one. I wanted to make out with him a little bit. (because hello, she's GORGEOUS. I don't really agree with him, but way to score some points, honey :)) Anyway. Moving on. Look at my cute children!!!

This series of pictures makes me smile. Have at it, Rosalie!







I love my dear little family. And I love pumpkins. The end. :)

morning snapshots

lessed be the Lord who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!
~Psalm 68:19




He doesn't just toss us a little bit of blessing every now and then.
He LOADS us with benefits.
Daily.
Blessed be the Lord.

How wonderful to think that there are good and beautiful things in every single day, no matter what.
I hope you can find, and enjoy, many of them today.

good morning, dear ones!!

mighty pleased.

today, amidst the swirling dust filling our Bakersfield air (ew), we made our way to the mall, my three girls and I. After a brief stop in See's candy to get our free samples (yum), we got down to the business of the day: shopping for fall clothes. You see, with our cooler temperatures finally here, Emma has been wearing jeans that are starting to show her ankles. And Rosalie has been wearing long socks and onesies to bed since she has no warmer pj's. This simply will not do.

Well, I most happy to report that our expedition was a smashing success. After only two stores --The Children's Place and Old Navy, many clearance racks, and lots of strangers telling me how cute my baby is in her leg warmers (it's true, she is), we came away with all of this:



That right there is
3 pairs of matching pj's (how fun is that?)
10 shirts
4 dresses
2 incredibly cute plaid hats
2 pairs of shoes
1 pair of knee-high socks
4 pairs of leggings
3 pairs of pants
2 baby rompers (I think that's what they're called?)
and 3 skirts.

Everything all together cost less than $150. Now, in case you didn't do the math, that is an average of a little over $4 per item.

Booyah.

As a reward for my diligent bargain-hunting, I got myself a few things too... of course. :) These adorable flats literally fell into my hands as I was rummaging through other things. The fact that they were children's shoes didn't stop me from purchasing them. (what. I have small feet.)

I had to laugh at my $2 shirt because really, it's just so true for us right now. And in all honesty it will probably be worn as a pj shirt-- while we watch TV and cuddle and be the homebodies that we are. Very appropriate indeed.

So, yes, I am quite pleased-- and grateful-- with the results of our afternoon's endeavors, and very excited to dress my girls in their fun new things.



I think they're pretty excited too. New clothes are always a cause for glee, wouldn't you agree?

And the winners are....!!

First of all...wowza!! 118 comments!! For some people and their blogs that might not seem like a big deal... but for little ol' me, it really is. I was so thrilled and happy to see the response to my Autumn Etsy give-away. It was my hope that lots of people would enter, since the point is for people to get involved and to get those beautiful Etsy shops as much recognition as possible, so when I saw how many people stopped by and took the time to enter.... well, let's just say I was doing a happy dance of my own. Thank you, everyone who commented!! You made it amazing. It was so lovely and such fun to read all about your favorite fall things and hear how you enjoy this beautiful season. And hopefully I will be able to get around and visit all the blogs of those of you who were unfamiliar to me... it's always fun making new bloggy friends. I hope many of you will come back and visit from time to time. :)

and now, let's get to the good stuff: the winners! I shall keep you in suspense no longer. Random.org did the number-choosing for me, since it seemed like the old-fashioned names-in-a-bowl might not be as efficient.

Let's start with our big winner, the girl who gets all those Etsy goodies. Ooh, I'm so excited!! I was given #8, and that just so happens to be...
Sarah, from Sensibly Sassy! Hooray, Sarah, I am so, so happy for you! I've been reading Sarah's blog for a while now, and she is so fun and sweet. And now she gets to enjoy receiving all those lovely Etsy packages in the mail. Yay!!

That was so much fun, I'm ready to do it again. Let's give away that Starbucks card! Next up is #62-- B, from Sweet Pea Sprinkles!! I don't know you (yet) B, but I'm excited for you. Also, your blog name is pretty much adorable and makes me think of cupcakes.

Now, in case you didn't read my last post, we actually have a THIRD winner. This winner will be receiving a beautiful pair of earrings, from the brand-spankin'-new Etsy shop Jessica Jones and Co. This shop just opened up, and I was so thrilled when Jessica wanted to contribute a pair of earrings for my giveaway. The more winners, the merrier, am I right? Also, I couldn't wait to introduce her and her shop to you all. Jessica is my sister-in-law, and just so happens to be my neighbor as well (we live down the street from each other). What else can I say about Jessica? She's the Diana to my Anne, the Lucy to my Ethel, my best friend. I love her dearly, and want her little shop with its beautiful jewelry to do so well. I can honestly tell you that if you choose to purchase something from her you will be supporting one of the dearest, sweetest, and hardest-working stay-at-home moms I know. So, go on over and take a peek at her handiwork!

Our third winner is #89, Sofia from Smiling at Every Sunrise!! Congratulations, Sofia, you will be receiving these:

aren't they pretty? I'm thrilled for you! Thank you for your sweet comment.

And that, my friends, is that. Thanks again for participating... I really do wish I could have had prizes for everyone! But, since I couldn't, well, that simply means I'll just have to have another giveaway... someday. I do love a good giveaway. (and this one, thanks to my crafty Etsy friends, was pretty much amazing.)

Don't forget!

hello, lovely people! Today is the very last chance you have to enter my giveaway and win a wonderful bounty of Etsy goodies (or a Starbucks card, which isn't half bad either). I have some rather exciting news as well: there is a THIRD prize available to win! I know, right?? YAY! I'm really happy about this one, it's something from a brand-new Etsy shop that literally just opened. Details to come tomorrow on Friday, when I reveal the winners-- all THREE of them.

so, if you haven't already left a comment, well, you know what you need to do. Go! Go! :)

ps. It's not too late for that second entry either... and if you've already blogged about this giveaway PLEASE be sure you came back and left me a comment with the link, or I won't know to include you twice. And that would be sad, don't you think?

just because she's so stinkin' cute

and because that smile of hers melts my heart every time I see it.

just like those big brown eyes and little button nose of hers do.


Oh, and did I mention?

Look out, folks...

because Miss Rosalie is ready...

to take off on all fours and conquer the world!!

Or, at the very least, the living room.


It's a whole new ballgame now, people. My baby is crawling!! On the move. Getting into everything. Making mischief and messes. Lord help me.

But really, who can resist that adorable lil' face peeking around the corner with anticipation and excitement?

Not me.

Hmmm. methinks I'm going to have to mop my floors more often.