ITS TIME TO VOTE!!!!!

YO YO YO

I need your help!

Please vote for me!!!!!! 

A few posts back, I mentioned I entered my bedroom in Mandi of Vintage Revival's Epic Makeover contest.  But the only way I can win if if YOU vote for me!!!! 

So please, go to Vintage Revivals and vote for me.  I am #12!
Voting starts at MIDNIGHT tonight (Saturday...or, I guess that means Sunday?)

Hi ho, hi ho. Its off to scrap I go!

Do you scrap?
I started scrapping after Aidan was born.  I will say "scrap" in the loosest of terms.  Over the years, I learned more and found my little niche.
I really enjoy scrapping. Its a creative outlet for me and the kids just love looking at their albums.  I certainly don't scrap every photo. Or every occasion. I try to focus on photos that really speak to me.
I certainly don't scrap as much as I'd like, either. Its always been a goal to do it more often. I am not a digital gal. I enjoy the different textures of the real stuff too much.

Tomorrow I leave for my annual scrapbook retreat in Illinois with a group of moms that I've known for 10 years now. Its a great weekend getaway filled with intense laughter and snorting, being silly, not enough sleep, creativity, and too much food and a bit of libations.

Au revoir!

Wordless Wednesday

 

Fashion, as defined by my 7 year old

Easter Saturday

In our house, holidays are all 2 days long, due to the fact that we have to spend it with my family one day and hubs family the next.  They don't live close enough for us to do it all in one day. And besides...mixing families doesn't always bode well.

I picked out these 4 coordinating Joel Dewberry fabrics from the Modern Meadow line.  I bought quite a bit of fabric to play with and I had in mind a cute, full twirly skirt with lots of panels. But my Gracie Girl had a different idea. And that girl has a mind of her own and I knew if I didn't make what she wanted, she would never wear it again.

{sigh}

So I made a simple 4 panel LONG skirt. No fun ribbon on the bottom. No flowers adorning the lower side panel (I made them. She wouldn't let me pin them on).  Wassup with the length?  Its so... modest.  And add the leggings to that. That's her new thing. Its so she doesn't have to sit like a lady. Or worry about those pesky undie sightings on the monkey bars.

I made a coordinating necklace top with the fabrics.
Which, of course, did not turn out as planned. Perhaps because I could only find vneck shirts at Old Navy. Or maybe it was because I was doing this 20 minutes before we left on Saturday. 

At least my boys don't groan when I dress them alike!

We had a very delightful Easter weekend, despite a few hiccups. Lots of egg hunts, food up to our eyeballs, too much candy (can one OD on malted milk balls?), and family, family, family.

i SPY: Around My Home

Ashley from Little Miss Momma is continuing her weekly i Spy series with Favorite Things Around Your Home.  I will be linking up with her.
So without further ado, I bring you my favorite things as interpreted by my mood on my walk through my house this afternoon.

i spy dinner {soup} already cooking on the stove on this cold, rainy afternoon.

{i hate that pot, btw}

i Spy coffee. the nectar of the gods

and another type...

{if you are a red drinker, Apothic is one of my $10ish favorites. so good}

i spy fancy(ier) soap. 

little things like this make me happy.

i spy Happy{the dawg}, chillin'

i spy my children...

...peacefully reading...

...tickling the ivories...

...and following the rules

{i spy my lone little lefty!}

i spy grand works of art on display

 

and my current state of being. 

{not a fave, but it helps me live}

 

i spy my favorite wedding photo. and my love i married 10 years ago.

i spy our old glass doorknobs and skeleton key holes

i spy leaded glass windows. so charming. but so leaky in the cold winter.

i spy my newest sewing mess. 

and part of my happy milk glass obsession.

 

i spy a sign that i have children who are growing up {typed reports done on a laptop. that they know how to hook up to the printer. ack.}, but then again, children who are still young enough who adore an annoying as all get-out singing easter bunny from their great grandma.

i spy a reminder of a time when my babies were still babies.

sigh.

and finally...

i spy a stack of old, original Nancy Drew mysteries. 

my mom read these. my aunt did, too. as did i...many, many times.

and hopefully, someday my daughter will, too.

 

i spy a home that's lived in and loved in.

What about you? 

EPIC MAKEOVER!!!!!

  That's right, gurl.Because no one needs it like I do, that's fo shiz. Why?This is my bedroom. Its a constant work in progress, but its never a haven like it should be.  

We bought this furniture when we were first married. It is too big for this room and its too matchy-matchy. Our bedroom is a teeny tiny box...the sacrifice we make in order to have the kids on the 2nd floor together.  We want to get rid of the furniture, we need some kind of floor covering for the HWFs to warm it up (something we've never had). We need the walls painted.  Oh, and we have no closet doors. Did ya notice that? Yeah. We're ready for a big overhaul. The only thing I want to keep is my Dwell Studio comforter I just bought. Why you, Mandi?Because you're friggin' awesome.Starting with those anthro acid mirrors, to the tree that can be decorated {love that!}, to the fact that you sewed a rug. And HELLO! You were on NATE BERKUS!  I have that red desk you have. But mine's not red. Mine's a boring black. You have the imagination that I lack.  I can only copy other people and lack the vision it takes to put other's awesome finished products together.
We have some cool pieces throughout our house that I think, combined with thrifting, you could make something awesome from (given what I've seen you do).Because I am done. done. done. with having a bedroom that looks like crap!So, YO! YO!Come to my house and give me an epic makeover!{please?}Besides, when else will you get a chance to go to Wisconsin? And blog readers...I need your help! When the polls open on April 30th, I will need you to vote for me. Please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?

Monday's Musings

Giving up.

You know that point where you acknowledge that your house needs to be cleaned?

Badly.

VERY badly.

But you just don't have it in you.

Because you just don't know where to start. 

Its overwhelming.

Maybe not in the grand scheme of life.

But in my life, I can't function effectively if my house is a disaster.   Essentially, I see it as a sign to bury my head and be a sloth.

This weekend, my husband and two of our awesome friends installed the electrical and mounted our TV. Holla!

That process? 

Woah. 

Holy Big. Fat. Mess.

On Sunday, I woke up with some renewed energy after a few days in bed with sinus and ear infections.  I started going at it.  But with crap literally everywhere (discarded entertainment unit. tape measures. CDs, photo frames, wires - lots of them, electronic components just tossed on the shelves hither and fro), I just gave up.

And so it sat.

And when I say "gave up", I mean it literally. I let the vacuum sit here all day, as I laid on the couch watching back-to-back-to-back episodes of House Hunters and other HGTV shows.

In other musings, I spent tonight watching one of the best movies ever, Reality Bites, since there's nothing good on TV and in my typical ADD fashion, I have 3 half-done sewing projects sitting on the dining table that I don't feel like finishing until tomorrow. Or the next day.

As I was watching, I was perusing Pinterest. My new crack.

I came across this photo

via

Beautiful girl. But damn...that outfit? I had that outfit. 1993 (pre-Reality Bites). I distinctly remember wearing it on a blind date! Black Esprit leggings, men's denim shirt from Eddie Bauer.  Unlisted boots.

Its come full circle, people.

Granted, this is a bit more chic and I was a bit more grunge, but hey.

I still listen to my Reality Bites CD. I'd listen to my Singles soundtrack, but my husband threw away my tapes.

I totally aged myself, huh?

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

Awesome
My 7 year old daughter creating math homework for her 9 year old brother, complete with an 'ickzapo' {example} and then the problems with a, "Now you do it!"

Being able to take my dog on a walk and wear a tank top. You can't imagine how happy this makes me.

Seeing Heather push her stroller o' kids somewhere, flipflops on feet.  Heather + flops = Winter is gone. Its official, yo.

Awkward
Having to hold the PTA meeting tonight with this cold that I caught. I am so not a fan of blowing my nose in public. But I won't make it.  And I sound icky.

Maxi dresses. I do love. Target especially has some awesome ones. But when did did this name get slapped onto this fashion? Because I recall wearing dresses of this length in the late 70's. And several different styles scattered throughout the 90's, and they were just "dresses".  Yes, I am that old.  And I don't like the word "maxi". Sorry. It reminds me of feminine hygiene products.

I SPY: Neighborhood

If you have not yet met Ashley from Little Miss Momma, you should. She's cute, she's funny, and she's real.  

And she started this 'I SPY' series. Fun, no? I think so.  Something a little different.

So on this beautiful 60 degree day, I grabbed my iPhone and took a 3 mile stroll around town with my pooch, trying not to look like a creepy person whilst snapping phone pix.

Shadows

Kids on the playground (my kids school)

Mama goose who made a nest and laid eggs in the gardens on said playground!

My favorite house in our immediate n'hood. Just adore that architecture.

 

Spring is here! The fountain is alive and outdoor seating is available at the cafe in the village!

 

 Peeking in at La Reve...the French Patisserie in the village (yum).

 

My favorite stretch of North Avenue (except for the place whose striped awning is sticking out). It houses a yummy Italian restaurant, my favorite consignment boutique, and our regular donut/pizza joint.

Yes, they are weeds. But they sure are pretty weeds.

I hope you enjoyed the little jaunt through our charming old village! You'd never guess I am 2 blocks outside of the 28th most populated city in the US, would you?  I love that we're quite urban, but that its got a small town charm to it.

And this is controversial, why?

Source: sfgate.com via Suzette on Pinterest

I interrupt today's episode of WIWW with this breaking news....

The Pink Toenail Controversy

{also, I didn't take any photos this week. But I did get dressed}

This morning, on the Today Show, the newscasters talked about this ad and whether or not it was anything to get our undies in a bunch over.

Seriously?

A 5 year old is getting his toes painted pink by his mom.

What's the big deal?

People are saying this will scar him for life. 

He'll be made fun of.

His mom is creating a "gender confused" boy.

Or even worse...society celebrates and pushes the gender confused boy who wants to "act like a girl."

Wait. Let's back up here for a moment, ok?

This child is 5. FIVE.  FIVE YEARS OLD, people!!

Would it be an issue if it were a girl in that ad, posed in boyish rubber boots with a dump truck and mud on her body?

I am willing to bet money on it that the answer is a big, fat "NO".

Its so sad that people get all up in arms.

These are children. They learn through exploring.  They learn through play.  They learn from society's reactions, too.

As you can see from these 2 (of many over the years) photos, we have no issue with our boys dressing up.

We also have no qualms with our daughter dressing up in her brother's clothes (son: left. daughter: right)

Am I worried that by allowing them to play as they wish, I will foster "gender confused" children?

Heck no.

But if, somehow, my children do end up being gay, I will love them just as I do now.

{WOOT!} Spring Has Sprung!

Today we had glorious, beautiful spring weather! 

The kind that comes out just to tease you. To get you out of hibernation. To encourage you to clean up your yard from the 'yuck' that winter leaves behind. And to keep you from bolting, reminding you that summer will be here soon enough!

Sure signs of spring in Wisconsin:

the spinach is planted in the garden beds

the seeds are started

spring flowers are blooming

windows are opened to get some fresh air

{what? your windows don't look like that? its 2011, you say?}

children are bathed after a long day of playing outside and getting filthy, especially their feet!

and summer jams come out of hiding.

And to wrap up the day in typical Wisconsin spring fashion, we have to end the day with tornado warnings and storms. Because it wouldn't be spring without it.

Happy Sunday!

Saturday Shout Out!

Dude (otherwise known in some circles as "mom")...how awesome is this idea?

Its the Mom I'm Bored Jar from HomeSpun Threads

I can't speak for anyone else, but I certainly can't be the only mom on earth whose kids have a ton of crap, yet still pull the "Mama, I have nuffin' to doooo." or "Mommy, I am bored. Can I play 'lectronics?"

I think I found a solution.

You say it, you pick one, you do it.

Period.

Sounds good to me!

And Aimee of HomeSpun Threads even has a printable download that makes it super-duper easy.  So you can use it to embellish your jar and for your 'to dos'!

{She also has a ton of other downloads, too.}

My other plug is this site I recently found just last month

Holiday Snob

How can you *not* love it, if not for the name alone!!

Dot and Gitta's site is relatively new, but they are quickly adding a ton of holiday snobbery to it.  I just adore this most recent Easter one:

An Anthro Easter

Um, ok. So I may not put forth the effort to make these cookies right now whilst I have small children, because, let's face it, they are totally blissful with a bunny shape that has some colored icing slapped haphazardly onto it. But perhaps if I have an adult occasion? A tea party? We shall see.

Happy Saturday!