Monday, October 3, 2011

here i come alexandria!



via black eiffel i found a beautiful paper store. paper, stationary, tissue, ribbon, journals etc are LIKE my FAV!!! i think i might be able to make an especial trip across the river for this beauty!

Friday, June 17, 2011

paper airplanes




inspired by elisabeth irwin's airplane birthday invitations, i decided (prompted by my almost 3 year old) to learn how to fold a good airplane. being a girl, i never learned this skill, although i think just about every dad knows how to! (elisabeth's husband jim did all the folding for her!) here is a great how-to site for the "basic dart" airplane. male craft demystified! ps this photo is of a blue angel - the navy fighter jet. my boys loves these!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

found::domestic serenity



i found this beautiful blog this morning and i just had to share with you'll. i think this woman has an amazing gift of sharing her life and the way of the beautiful in the everyday. please enjoy!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

nikki mcclure: my new fav!

Nikki McClure by Dicky Dahl from PatCastaldo on Vimeo.



nikki mcclure has become one of my new favorite illustrators. her medium is paper cutting. i have a set of her "treasure" stationary and i am planning on buying the newest children's book: to market, to market. i hope that you are inspired by her life and art. i know that she is getting at something fundamental to what it means to be human. i think we are nature, created by an infinite God, who loves us, who loves his creations and is intimately involved in his creation. any thoughts?

today's treasure

i have been having fun discovering more blogs/storefronts of my friends from younger years! today's treasure is elisabeth irwin's my growing home. check it out!! she has some amazing little tutorials -- she writes of her everyday moments with her precious little boys. i think you will enjoy this site!



Friday, June 10, 2011

at home













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while i celebrated an amazing reunion in town, my folks took the kids for us. they had a blast on the farm. it was the first time that i really "relaxed" down here. i think the kids are really getting to the age where i don't have to be following them every step. the farm is a wonderful adventurous place for little ones. full of chickens, new kids (baby goats), dogs, cats, birds, mud, flowers, gardens, lambs. its just so full of possibility. here are a few pictures from my view of their weekend. enjoy!

ps i want to thank both of my folks for keeping the kids safe, busy and in bed at the end of their days. i know its not easy to do that -- four little kids are a handful -- but mama and dad -- you were amazing! thank you so much!! and also a shout out to graham, my husband! thank you for making the sacrifice to come to my reunion - it meant so much to me to have you there - to share you with some very important friends. i love you!

Monday, June 6, 2011

reunions









i am back!! school is officially out for the summer and we are enjoying every moment of our free time! the whole family went down to virginia to visit my folks and to attend my 15th high school reunion! what a special time for all of us '96ers. it was bittersweet as we came together to honor and pay tribute to a very special english teacher.


reunions are a time to reflect, regroup and come together again. it certainly was that for me. i came back to a place of familiarity and also new freedom with my classmates. i wasn't as intimidated (ie awkward high school insecurities) to talk with them. i guess i had found me, in those years after graduation. the Lord has been so good to give me all the desires of my heart: a husband, beautiful children, and a home. no my body is not perfect, my clothes had some mysterious stainage going on, and our car broke down; but i have a life that is beautiful and full.

oh by the way i want you to check out my friend logan's blog -- life as dessert! its hilarious. she and i were friends and classmates at our high school. i think she has a give away planned this week!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

spring is coming ...

the robins were out yesterday and now we have snow! but spring is coming. i know this fact, because the hubs and i successfully took two carloads (not completely full due to car seats and boosters) to the goodwill. i also attempted to take a car load of toys/kids items to once upon a child over the weekend, but got there right before it closed and was advised to come at opening of the next business day. ugggh so i just lugged all of that junk out to the car, drove the 20 minutes to the shop, drove back, then lugged it all back in to the garage. the junk heap is waiting for its day (i wonder how much money i can get for it?) it was one of those tasks that is not easily completed, a nagging, on-going task.

decluttering tasks yet to be completed:

1. garage
2. master bedroom
3. office
4. take more to goodwill
5. take load to kids' consignment shop for resale

projects to figure out:

1. office paper junk
2. children's school paper pile up
3. proper use of office for tasks, rather then pile ups being in other parts of the house
5. buy a paper shredder

Ye Old College Try: I wish I could take credit for this

Ye Old College Try: I wish I could take credit for this: "After getting rid of so much stuff during the month of January and my 5 things challenge, my apartment sometimes feels cold and barren. Pic..."

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

spring

today it is in the fifties and sunny. i am fairly jumping up and down! i picked up kyrie from school and brought everyone home for a quick snack. now they are all outside playing in or around the dogwood tree out back. i am in the sunroom about to get my 15 minutes of vitamin D. i know that i have much to do - as always - but i want to enjoy the last of my coffee and steal away the few moments of peace.

did anyone get some sunshine therapy today?

Thursday, February 3, 2011

the happiness project

yesterday i sat down to edit and organize my pile of recipes in to ONE binder! i decided a few months ago that this NEEDED to be done. (after reading about said project in small notebook) but i just put it on a list for another day's doing and low and behold TODAY arrived. i think my momentum is rolling along. you see, this whole simplify what you have, cull down to what you love and keep it, take care of it, use it -- its been building in me, all this year after we moved AGAIN! now we are settling in. we'll be here at least three years (in this one house!) and i can get to my project list. the momentum grew even more as i have been reading the happiness project. basically this project is a set of resolutions that i am making (daily) and collecting in a notebook, of which i ACTUALLY, in small bits and pieces, fulfill or work on. so as i have been working on the house, i got to a point today (never mind my laundry has gotten rather behind) where my office was nearly finished becoming the creative space i have been dreaming about. so i started working on those recipes. what freedom. what lovliness. ditch the extra and keep the wonderful!! i am making a list of (did i mention i love lists!) dinners to go to in a pinch. i want to have the makings for these dinners on hand at all times (if possible) and i also want to have (one of these days this project will be started!) a year's worth of food in case of emergencies. if you look at my book list on amazon you would see a stack on survival, self-sufficiency, handwork, gardening, living-off-the-land. SO the point of this blog post is that i am being creative!!!! the office is my creative space now!! i even made birthday invitations for my daughter's birthday party (which is in three weeks!) good things are happening around here. it also helps that i got a decent night's sleep (getting to bed by 9:30pm). its a must around here if mama is to be on her game in the morning.

now if i can just get to cleaning the floors, dusting, washing sheets, everyday laundry, exercise, eating better and drinking my water!! Oh Lord Jesus Have Mercy!!

** please go to the happiness project blog b/c i am not giving it a full explaination. i think there are parts to it that will really resonate with you heart and your soul. ultimately i know that my joy the FULL JOY is found in my relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit & i know that this liturgy i am longing to live out will fill my abundantly over and over. he gives me choices every day to pick those fruits of the Spirit and to eat of them: love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness self-control. this project is about making those fruit choices. its feeding my soul.