Category: see

we have returned to the midwest, and a much higher percentage of humidity (thank goodness!), after a great trip to breckenridge.  my fam-damily met for 4 fabulous days in the mountains.  the short guy was a pretty great traveler, considering he was strapped into a car seat for 10+ hours on each travel day, and no one got eaten by a bear.  yay!  we stayed in a pretty incredible house, and we busied ourselves with activity and nothingness all at once.  the break was just what we needed, and i feel so refreshed.

{there was fishing…}

{…and lounging}

{…and game playing}

{…and breck-walking}

{…and baby-wearing}

{…and hiking}

…and more that i’ll bore you with later.  have a great weekend!

sorry for the dead airspace, people.  i have been highly distracted this week.  we have big weekend plans (more on that next week) for which i’ve been organizing, we’re having the exterior of our house painted, and i’ve just generally been in a bit of la-la land.  it’s hot hot hot here today, and we’re staying pretty close to home…and the air conditioning.  our poor painter must have lost 10 pounds in sweat today, and i can’t even offer him a glass of ice water because our refrigerator is dead at the moment.  the fix-it guy was here earlier, and sorry, he’ll have to order that part and will come back at the convenient time of next thursday between 1 and 5.  thanks for that.  thankfully, we have a fridge in the basement that was left with the house, which can’t be a day younger than 30…and still works perfectly i might add.

{all i want is ice!}

i probably won’t check in tomorrow, so let me bid you a very happy 4th of july weekend.  hope you’re spending it close to a pool if you’re around here.  please don’t shoot bottle rockets at each other, and leave the big bang kinda stuff up to the professionals.

the idea of living ‘off the grid’ is a bit appealing to me – with solar power to provide the energy we need, a gigantic garden in the backyard, and maybe some chickens – wait, who am i kidding?  i’m not going near a chicken coop.  in the meantime, i do what i can to be ‘green’.  i’m kind of a crazy recycler and have been known to pull recyclable items out of the trash (did i really just tell you that?).  we are going strong with cloth diapering – SO much easier than i thought it would be..really.  and i don’t go anywhere without my reusable shopping bags.  here are a few of my favorite things that help me to be a little more friendly to mother earth.  i’d like to keep her around for a while.

{my fave reusable bags}

{glass water bottles}

{cloth napkins}

{cloth diapers}

{microfiber cloths for cleaning}

well, it’s not my idea, but i sure wish i could claim it.  check out this so clever fabric envelope that emily over at jones design company whipped up.  are you giving cash or a gift card to a recent grad, bride and groom, or maybe dad this weekend?  this would be a way-cute way to zhush it up – talk about great presentation.  if you’re doing one for a dude, maybe use a metal button or little piece of wood instead.  here are a few fabric ideas for your envelope.  i found all of these at joann’s – in case you need to do this in a hurry.  this is a great little starter sewing project, which is right up my alley.

{dwell studio’s square lattice}

{plaid suiting}

{prairie floral}

{pkaufman cross}

we spent this past weekend at the cabin, and it was great.  granny was on a roll with her stories of growing up in windyville and provided a lot of laughter.  miller was spoiled with walks and playing in the creek, and beckett was spoiled with attention.  he was fascinated with the knots in the pine floor and kept us all entertained with his many sounds.  my parents got b his very own carhartt shirt, of which i failed to get a picture, but it was pretty darn cute.  we enjoyed meals al fresco and we may have put a little bailey’s in our coffee each morning…hey, we were on vacation!  i love living in kansas city, but i also love getting out in the country, breathing that air, and not seeing a highway or a target for just a few days.  it’s like a deep breath for my soul.

my parents got a new toy, so we took it for a spin both days.  

we met this fella on our way.

beckett is going to get such a kick out of the animals down there when he gets a little older.  this guy was crossing the road.

these butterflies were everywhere this weekend.  also everywhere were the cicadas!  they were so loud at some times that it was a relief to go inside and get a break from their ‘singing’.  apparently, it’s a big year for these guys.  yay.

{our storyteller and the short guy}

{our always fabulous hosts.  i adore them.}

if only i could get myself to do this every day….

{via}

it actually sounds pretty darn manageable.  maybe i’ll try…tomorrow.  happy weekend!

better weather brings on my urge to clean, purge, and pare down to the essentials.  i mean, who wants to dust extra stuff…or dust at all?  (seriously, where does all that dust come from!?!)  whether or not that urge actually translates into action is another story.  anyway, when i got the latest issue of house beautiful, i was instantly drawn to this home for its clean lines with just enough organic touches and surprising pops of color.  i’m usually drawn to more color, but something about this house is really inviting.  it’s a beautiful home that looks airy and comfortable.  think they’ll let me move in?

{i want to live in this room.  i think it’s the fig tree that seals the deal.}

{YES PLEASE!!!}

{who doesn’t love a red door!?!}

{love the juxtaposition of the ornate headboard against the pinstriped wallpaper}

{don’t miss the chandelier!}

feeling a little uninspired lately, and i’m blaming it on the weather.  it’s nearly june, and it feels like the the sun has been in hiding for weeks!  i’m so ready to be out walking in our hood, planting flowers, and getting a little sun on my skin.  instead, i’m still wearing jeans, hanging out inside (in the basement today, with tornado warnings!), and watching buckets of water falling from the sky.  so today, i’m looking at a few pictures from my inspiration file – the things i’m dreaming about for someday – in hopes to get my brain moving again…

k

thinking of the thousands of people in joplin, devastated by a tornado, who are dealing with lost loved ones, homes, and possessions this morning.  in addition to the terrible destruction from last night, they are now dealing with more significant weather this morning.  we are very thankful that our family there is safe, but so many have lost everything.  if you are looking for ways to help, they are looking for healthcare professionals through show-me response and the red cross will providing aid as well.  send joplin a prayer today.

we are lucky to have a good sized backyard and a couple of really big trees that fill out and give us lots of shade in the summertime.  one of these trees has been asking for a swing, and recently, my parents gave one to beckett.  i hung it today, and we had to take it for a spin when daddy-o got home tonight.

{uh, guys – i’m not so sure about this}

{well, if miller thinks it’s ok…}

{you’re right – this is fun!}