Smile And Wave

Mother's Day

I'm so thankful we got to spend Mother's Day as a family this year. It didn't go as expected (at all) but we managed to stay flexible and make the best of a piano moving mess, cold and rainy weather, and a handful of other little inconveniences that got in the way of plans. All day Brett and I would stop and look at each other knowingly as if to encourage the other one that things could be worse.

My piano not fitting into our house because of 1/4" thickness, children not napping until the last minute, my sewing machine giving out during nap time when all I wanted was to finish my projects, the DVD we'd rented being almost too scratched to watch through the rest of nap time, needing to cook two meals because the piano fiasco ate up the rest of our entertainment budget on the last day before pay day, reassuring the kids we'd reschedule their cheap theater movie date, feeling too grubby and cranky to attempt any sort of Mother's Day family photo, and staring at a mountain of laundry at the end of the day because laundry doesn't give you a day off - all of that was disappointing.

However, I have a husband that made plans for me to have a relaxing day because he loves and appreciates me, a son that woke me up at the crack of dawn to kiss me and wish me a Happy Mother's Day, a daughter that picked out the perfect musical card, beautiful flowers and a thoughtful gift at the start of my day (with two more on the way), patience from everyone during the piano hassle, an extra long nap time that helped make up for not getting any alone time, two lovely meals shared together at home without whining or fighting, a finished sewing project, phone calls to both of our moms in other states, and a hot shower at the end of the day. It wasn't what any of us expected but we managed to still have a good time as a family and remain thankful for what it was.

I don't always enjoy motherhood but I'm so thankful I'm a mom. There's no way I'd trade it for something else.

How was your Mother's Day?

-Rachel

 

Easter

Does anyone else still have dyed fingernail beds? The kids had a great time dying Easter eggs this year since they could both take part. We dyed them the day before and talked about what colors mixed to make a new color, how to dye them in lighter colors before darker colors, and what colors make brown (all of them together!). 

We took it easy on Easter Sunday after a 6:30 a.m. wake up call from both kids. They loved their baskets and Sunday (our dog) loved snatching up the stray jelly beans. After a hot breakfast, coffee, pumpkin muffins, and a few rounds of dinosaur card games we got dressed and had an Easter egg hunt at the park near our house.

Can you spot the snow covered mountain? It's breathtaking almost every single day.

Sebastian found the most eggs and was quite proud of himself.

Ruby deemed his unoccupied Easter basket fair game as far as collecting was concerned and while he was enjoying the swings, she was evening up the score.

An afternoon at the park isn't complete without a game of catch! I challenged Brett to see who could throw an egg the furthest and soon we were out of eggs. The squirrels had a feast.

We called it a day and headed home for lunch and naps. It was restful and celebratory, although a little bit sad to be away from the rest of our families. We're thankful we got to spend it together, though, as next year we'll be down one. I found myself behind a camera most of the weekend wanting to capture these important memories for myself and the kids.

Practing gratitude for what we have, the opportunities we've been given, the sacrifices that have been made - pretty fitting for an Easter weekend, I think.

-Rachel

Green is my Favorite Color

Our family celebrated St. Patrick's day with a late breakfast of green pancakes, green coffee, and green milk, complete with green straws, green flowers, green in our clothing, and U2 on the record player. Then the kids watched cartoons on our green velvet couch while we cleaned up. It was a wonderfully relaxing Saturday morning.

Ruby's milk ended up looking like boba tea for all the blueberries she dropped in it. Sebastian downed his pancakes in record time. Sunday was patient while Ruby tried to dance with her. 

I ran errands and then came home and spent the afternoon cleaning and painting Ruby's new twin sized bed. It's one of the two big scores from our road trip to Colorado Springs that I managed to fit in our car because I was a determined mama. It just needs some slats and a mattress now and we'll be in business!

The kids entertained each other in between arguments over whose turn it was to play with the basketball and Brett made the smart decision to dump everything out of the boxes in the kids rooms onto their beds so that we'd be forced to unpack and organize it before their bedtime. It worked.

It was one of those nights where life just feels so good. The sound of my kids chasing each other through the house with fake swords and squealing when their daddy catches them off guard, the unexpected kisses, the room to sit back and watch instead of corral and hover - the memory of it all has imprinted itself deeply inside for me to recall during the next restless afternoon.

Things are starting to settle again. I'm finally feeling like I can relax a bit. We've all needed this.

I hope your St. Patrick's day was lovely, too.

-Rachel

Ringing In 2012: A Family Party

So close to catching up! Do you even remember what you did on New Year's Eve? We did the obvious thing to do when you have little ones - throw our own family party! We took a cue from the Bratcher family and turned it into a fun dance party a few years ago because we like to dance and we want our kids to grow up knowing how to let loose and celebrate. They get better at it every year!

I had a big bag of silver pipe cleaners so I made stars and taped them to the wall for our decorations and had Brett move the furniture against the walls in the living room so that we had plenty of dance floor. We had pigs in the blankets, brownies, sparkling cider, and lots of Lady Gaga. Then it was time for an early countdown so we could get the kids to bed before we settled in for a good movie and a midnight kiss.

I found this pretty dress at Funtiques that afternoon and decided with a little altering it'd make a good party dress. I took off about six inches, added darts to the back to give it a bit more shape, and slimmed the arms a bit to keep it from swallowing me whole. Ruby wore her Misha Lulu for Hello, Kitty dress for the first time because she's finally grown into it! She loved twirling her kitty around and wouldn't take her Krispie Kreme hat for anything. I like her style.

I used up almost two packs of Instax wide (210) film but special occasions call for it. I love that I captured Sebastian playing both DJ and mid-Gaga dance move and caught Ruby giving Sunday one of her famous head lock, bear hugs. I got one of my love and I that isn't cutting our heads off and one of me in those fabulous, sparkly pipe cleaner glasses. I love instant film!

We were so thankful to ring in the new year as a whole family. It felt like a strong start to what is going to be a year full of new adventures!

xo,

Rachel

December Rewind: A Bed Fort

Note: Christmas feels like a long time ago but I spent my time over the holidays enjoying Brett being home instead of keeping up with things in this space. This is me catching up!

It was on the Advent activity calendar to build a bed fort (like the one we fashioned last year) and spend some time reading our favorite books but it was the end of a long day and my battle cries of 'stop arguing with your sister' were being drowned out by the shouts from my son. Instead we settled on the classic Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer and hunkered down with popcorn for everyone.

They were enthralled by the twinkle lights and I soaked in forty-five minutes of mostly quiet time with my kids. It was just what we all needed to turn our evening around and make a great memory.

Forts are pretty great, aren't they. Especially when they're made out of vintage sheets.

xo,

Rachel

December Rewind: Part One

Note: Christmas feels like a long time ago but I spent my time over the holidays enjoying Brett being home instead of keeping up with things in this space. This is me catching up!

One of our Advent activities was to paint ornaments that I let the kids pick out at a local hobby store. Ruby picked out an owl because she knew what sound they made and Sebastian picked out a princess because he wanted to paint her all red like she had blood all over her. And yes, I did ask him if he was sure about his choice, and yes, he reiterated why he wanted to get that one in front of another customer who giggled at our conversation and gave me a knowing look. Princess ornament it was.

We set some old cardboard boxes up to paint on and made sure we had the color red on our palette. The kids had a good time and I'll always remember this year because of that red princess.

Another Advent activity was making gingerbread houses. The holidays really aren't complete without trying to make a gingerbread house but failing miserably while reminding yourself it's really for the kids and that candy is so much fun even when it scatters across the living room floor because the dog will get it and as long as you get pictures of the finished product they'll remember it as a happy time instead of the time mommy cracked the front of the house and her efforts to reinforce it with LOTS more frosting were futile.

I ended up using the leftover gingerbread house frosting on a batch of pumpkin muffins. That really salvaged the whole experience for me.

xo,

Rachel

What We Wore: Christmas Afternoon

Note: Christmas feels like a long time ago but I spent my time over the holidays enjoying Brett being home instead of keeping up with things in this space. I'm going to make up for that with wild abandon this week. You've been warned.

Here's how this went. I had the bright idea that we needed a family photo taken while Brett was home for Christmas as a benchmark of what our family looked liked at the end of 2011. My grandmother made sure we did this every year with my family when we'd go to their house for Christmas break and even though I hated it some years (hello, jr. high) I really appreciate that she made it a priority every time. Also, that she put up with cranky grandkids.

Usually it's a bit of a chore getting everyone ready for a family photo but I'm always thankful for the end result. This day, however, it was kind of like pulling teeth to even get myself and Ruby ready. I wasn't willing to put up the fight or cause anyone else to have a meltdown so Brett and I decided to just take photos of us girls and then let them bundle up in play clothes and go jump on the neighbor's trampoline instead.
Ruby's wearing: Vintage dress, can't remember where. Tights, Old Navy. Mocs, eBay.

I had a little assistance in getting Ruby to stay still long enough to get a photo of the front of this adorable dress. I love this look she's giving Brett.

Since I didn't have kids to arm wrestle I busted out the faux fur vintage coat I rarely get to wear and decided this would be my next date night outfit. I may take it with me when I fly out to see Brett graduate from BOLC in a few weeks.

What I wore: Vintage coat, thrifted. Vintage dress, thrifted from a pop up shop while in Chicago for Renegade. Belt, thrifted. Tights, H&M. T-strap shoes c/o ModCloth.

We didn't get our family photo this year but we did have a great time as a family. I'll never forget this Christmas. So thankful.

And for the record, the tree is officially down! High five!

xo,

Rachel

Vintage Findings: Part One

The last two Christmases I've used some of my Christmas cash to hit up the best little secret thrift spot in Southern Missouri. It's where we found our current blue, floral couch, our coffee table, our kitchenette table, and our brown tweed chair. There is always something I can't believe I've stumbled upon for about 1/10 of what you'd expect to pay for it in a curated flea market or on craigslist.

 

I spotted a blue, velvet, mid-century couch there on my last trip and went back to see if it was still there last week. We checked it out but it had an unfortunate water stain and possible mold underneath. There was another gold quilted couch one but it had rolly wheels and was too squishy. I'd prepared myself to leave without a cool couch so I was okay when we were heading back to the van with only some little stuff in hand when all of the sudden we spotted something on the back side of a building in front of piles of boxes.

This pretty little thing had just been unloaded the night before and hadn't yet made it to the warehouse. We checked it for damage and other than two buttons missing in the same tufted row it was in mint condition. I might use the arm covers to replace some buttons and remove the front skirt to show off the silhouette a bit. It's got nice legs!

I need another fantastic vintage couch like I need a hole in the head but I couldn't leave it there for what they were asking. I plan on bringing it with us when we move next month because I'm pretty sure we'll have room for it in the house we haven't found yet. Right? Right. I'm totally willing to part with a chair or two. Or maybe loan them out.

I found a few other fun things like these vintage Better Homes & Gardens magazines (so fun!) and this chair cushion that I may even cut up to use as fabric because it's pretty great. It's in the same vein as the fabric I used for the basis of my shoulder piece.

Oh, and when I went back a third time to pick up the couch, we found a box of vintage Christmas bulbs. Yep. Snagged all of those up there. Merry Christmas to me!!

Have you been enjoying your Christmas gifts in the new year?

xo,

Rachel

 

Living Room Tour: Christmas Edition

Like many bloggers, I got the tree out a few days before Thanksgiving because I just couldn't wait any longer! Pulling out the boxes of vintage Shiny Brites and bottle brush trees was just what I needed a few weeks into Brett being gone to give me something to look forward to. The boxes covered the dining room table and spilled over onto both sides and sadly stayed there for weeks. I'd get some corner fixed up and then get stuck again. I didn't want to waste any great opportunity to do something creative but with little time and energy left over at the end of the day, my efforts were stalled and my enthusiasm wained.

I finally got the last of the boxes cleared away the day after Brett flew home for Christmas so we could eat together as a family on Christmas Eve. It was our first Christmas at home as a family this year and I didn't want to forget a thing about how it looked since we'll be in another house next year! I spent most of Ruby's nap on Christmas day picking up and photographing the living room. It only looked like this for about two more hours but it is still leaps and bounds better than it has been the last few weeks!

My MIL found our white tree at a garage sale for $5 and gave it to me for my birthday a few years back. I've never missed having a real tree but Sebastian asked me why ours was white this year. We may get a small one for the kids to decorate next year. I did thrift another 4 ft. white tree about two weeks ago that I decorated with gold and silver bulbs for our bedroom. I feel really lucky to have two!

I finished sewing the Christmas stockings a few days ago and then added one for Sunday after Sebastian decided she needed one, too. My vote was to put a lump of coal in it for those three instances in the back of the Volvo (shudder).

Next year, I'll be tackling the DIY I had planned for our little nutcracker collection but this year the time just wasn't there. This was Ruby's favorite vignette. She'd climb up on the chair and sit on the edge of the desk to play with them. One morning I found a blackberry in the big one's mouth. His beard is purple-ish grey now. The nutcrackers were either thrifted or found at the $$ section of Target.

I made the stockings from coordinating new and vintage fabrics I had in my studio. I used a standard stocking size as a template for their shape and then added a large bow to each of ours and a small bow to Sunday's. I used my favorite floral fabric on mine! It's from Melody Miller's line Ruby Star Rising and I used a different fabric from the same collection for Brett's. You can read more about the vignette on top of the locker here.

Most things in our home were found at flea markets/garage sales/thrift stores. Other than electronics and a few random decor accents, everything is vintage or handmade. It's been collected over the last few years and I've switched things out as our needs/spaces have changed.

And just so you don't go wondering how we keep things so clean with two kids and a puppy running around...

This feels more like it these days.

We call them the Glimmer Twins because they're trouble when they get together. They're either leaving a trail of toys, chewing on something that doesn't belong to them, or creating little emergencies. If you're a mama or a puppy owner, you know the routine.

We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend these last few days together again as a family. Brett has been taking the reins with housework and entertaining the kids so I can spend some time catching up on things that make me feel balanced and refreshed. He's pretty fantastic!

More Christmas photos to come as well as a little recap from the last few weeks. I hope you had a special Christmas this year. Do you keep your tree up through New Year's or is it already down?

xo,

Rachel

See my Cafe Mom Holiday Home Tour from 2008 here.

A Christmas Giveaway: Photo Wreath

I just so happened to find another one of these wreaths at a local thrift store recently and knew right away I needed to find it a good home. I'd love to send this to one of my readers to use to showcase their Christmas cards or favorite instant photos throughout the year!

To enter to win, leave a comment below sharing your favorite holiday movie. I'll choose one winner on Monday and send it out ASAP!

I spray painted mine to match our home decor and use it throughout the year. It's a fun way to display my Instax photos and and I can easily change them out whenever I want.

It's nice to share pretty things!

xo,

Rachel