taking risks.

Can I just say how refreshing it is not to design and outfit a house based on resale value? Since we knew we would eventually sell our house in Chicago, we always had it in the back of our mind that we needed to keep things neutral and versatile. Pair that with an early 2000's fascination with Pottery Barn, and you've got a lot of beige. A lot of sepia. A lot of black and white. A whole lotta blah. (A short side note. I'm not dissing monochromatic schemes. My friend Amy can pull off an amazing monochromatic room. But she's an interior designer with some seriously great taste and creativity. Need I say more?)

Neutral no more I say! No, I shout. Can't you tell with the exclamation point? Maybe I did stay up too late doing taxes last night. And maybe I have had too much coffee today. Moving on.

Since having little people in our lives, we've naturally had more color instilled in our day-to-day living. I started realizing that I really enjoyed more color in our lives. So I've embraced my inner child, and started using more color. Colors that make me happy.

That is why our kitchen window frame is turquoise. And yes, I do realize that turquoise is SO 2010. But I really don't care. I usually catch onto things when they're heading out of style anyhow.

birthday bunting.

Can I just say how much fun it is to be creative when prepping for birthday parties?

We had a party for the girls' 2nd and 4th birthdays on Sunday, and it was a blast. I've been hoping to make some "permanent" birthday decorations that we can use from year to year and on holidays, and I made some progress using this birthday as my "deadline". I'm sure some folks might call this crazy talk, but the reality is that one of the ways I show love to my family is by creating. Whether food, gifts, a home - I love making things for my girls, my husband, my family, my friends. Ask my poor brothers about my homemade birthday gifts for them while we were growing up. The worst one that immediately comes to mind was a woven dickie turtleneck that I *think* was wool. I'm sure it never got worn. At least I hope not. Sorry Josh!

Hopefully these handcrafted goodies are more useful than some of the ones I made growing up. I do know that they were all made with love though. :)

I was chatting with my mom about how much fun it was to celebrate this special day for our girls in the breezy afternoon with friends at the party. And how much fun it was to make some homemade decorations. And how much we've enjoyed getting to know some new friends over the past year. And she reminded me that these are the things I CAN enjoy more now that I've transitioned from full time to part time work. There's no way I would have had the time to invest in this had I just finished a 40+ hour workweek. I'm so thankful for the change. I'm so thankful for our family. And friends. And God's grace. I'm happy to be alive.

snark.

I found this very amusing. Sam and I were in a bookstore in Lexington a few weeks back, and I happened upon a very very snarky book for new parents. It made me laugh out loud. I need to laugh out loud tonight. Hence, the posting of some snark.




And then this: He started catching on though. Yes, he is weird, wild, and wonderful. And I love him for it.




How does this relate to the fact we're not in Chicago anymore? Well. We had to go to Lexington to go to a bookstore. Not counting Amazon, of course. Yep. But it sure is a great excuse to visit Bella Notte.

it's just around the corner.

Or maybe it's here.
Our magnolias are blossoming, our grass is planted, and our girls are loving rolling down the driveway in their little cars. They fly down to the white line on the driveway. Then pick up the cars, run back up to the top. Repeat. Occasionally run into the ditch on the side and splash in the water. This is what our morning looked like today.

weight or cups?

So is there anyone out there who cooks by weight? I am considering making the big jump and getting a kitchen scale.

I eat gluten free, and bake gluten free. I think that I've accepted that baking is one of my more practical hobbies at this point in life, and I really enjoy it.
And it seems that the best way to bake the best gluten free breads, cookies, etc., is by weight. Ratios, to be more exact, and it's much easier to cook by ratio by weight than by cups, since different flours have different weights. I do use pamela's mixes for most of my bread and pancake type of recipes, but for when I want to make something taste exactly like the real deal that might be a little trickier - say, bagels or english muffins...

Have any of you made that jump? Especially anyone who bakes GF?

Love,
Curious

shooting fun.

No, I'm not a member of the NRA yet.

I needed to get out of the house for a bit today, so during the kiddos naps, I headed out with my camera.

After a multi-week stretch of beautiful days in the 50s and 60s, we've had torrential rain for the past two days. Overnight it turned to snow, and we woke up to this: green in the valleys, and snow on the peaks. Beautiful.

Further exploring took me up to the Frontier Nursing School campus. I love this place! It's so nicely cared for, and the buildings have a ton of character, something you don't find much where we live. In the back of my head, I remembered that there was a chapel at the school that I really wanted to check out.

Lucky for me, it was open, and I felt like I was tucked inside a primitive cathedral in an alley in Florence.

Check out this place. I left feeling so peaceful and contemplative.

Irony.

So I had this booklet laying around, and apparently Lydia got a hold of it and decorated it.

Considering the subject of the booklet, it seriously cracked us up.

This rated just as high on the irony scale as finding my "top 10 ways to be organized" book in my box of leftover paperwork that I've been toting around since leaving my FT job over a year ago.

Nice.