pearliepink

president's day

2012-02-21T20:05:00.000-08:00

we can be the best and worst at celebrating over here.. i`m not going to lie. we can skip entire birthdays but somehow manage to honor holidays like groundhog day and presidents day and even find time to blog about them. backwards and crazy is just how we do and there's no way around it. for example-- i bought myself a SUV, and don't have a license to drive it. and worse, we have a kitchen in this house when i don't even know how to cook!

it just never ends.

my friends and family-- they accept these things. god bless them. they laugh at me and encourage me and congratulate me on grown up things like carrying a purse and combing my hair (the lack of pictures of me on this blog is quite purposeful). and somehow, they still find it in their hearts to love me when i forget their birthdays or send them valentine's in march. oh, what would i do without them.

so anyway...
that kitchen of ours came in handy today! because today was president's day.... at our house. last night while haley was watching the 4th of july rerun of jon & kate plus eight, she declared she wanted to bake a strawberry and blueberry flag cake like "the kids" and so our belated president's celebration was born!

we made log cabins out of popsicle sticks for honest abe, learned bits of "you're a grand old flag" and recited the "pledge of allegiance" and played little games with coins to help us learn some of the key presidential figures in american history (or maybe i just liked the way cameron calls every president george washington and how cute haley is saying "abe-wa-ham win-con")

in true rakes' timing/fashion--

i would like to dedicate this slice of strawberry presidents day flag cake to my friend Tasha Horsley in honor of her dreamy new fabric line that she announced last week. it is every bit as sweet and lovely and charming as she is and the colorways are every girly girl's dream!

and who else but her to remind me that i should learn to sew!?
i did make nick buy me that sewing machine...

backwards, i tell you...
<3

sea of snow...

2012-02-20T17:03:00.003-08:00

ohhh, our first true snow day! we've had such a time and an even bigger time after that... and being snowed in and snowed out together has been the best of days. catching snowflakes on our tongues, donuts (for breakfast and lunch), sledding, snow angel making, singing christmas carols when christmas is long gone, buying the ugliest new socks for the occassion, trying to fit little fingers into gloves that swallow a whole arm and dressing little bodies in at least 3 layers of clothing for lack of adequate snow gear. oh boy!

and while i do love the magic of a good snow day or two, i am still more than ready for spring and for my toilet bowl seat to stop being completely frozen in the morning!

flower children

2011-06-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

haley has gotten accustomed to attending story time at the library every wednesday, but since it's summer and they are on a little break, we started off the morning with a few stories underneath the shade of the tent and one of haley's favorite parts about story time... cheese doodles! i normally wouldn't count that as an acceptable meal for breakfast, but since summer is all about breaking the rules (even if you're only 3), i figured why not. we added go-gurt to the mix and had a real big mess on our hands. good thing tie-dyed apparel has an uncanny way of hiding stains!

this is just a small preview of the tent (it is unfinished- i`ve got some major hemming to do), but i`ll be sure to post more pictures of it and all the kids when it is given to the birthday boy this sunday! we used the a-frame tent tutorial and spent less than 15.00 on the whole deal. it would have been even cheaper had we skipped the whole tie-dying thing, but my girl whitney (ryder's mama) loves her some tie-dye and i couldn`t think of a better way to personalize it for their family and make a fun day for my girls.

(haley tie-dyed the shirt that is on cameron and i tie-dyed the dress that is on haley... not too shabby!)

i plan on fixing a girly version for my two little ladies at some point over the summer, but until then...

the hunt for the perfect vintage sheet is on.

...well, after we're done licking our fingers clean!

happy wednesday!

there's nothing like the view from the cheap seats...

2011-06-07T19:37:00.000-07:00

speaking of summer traditions, another new one for us is monday night softball games at rotary field. our nicky bobby is playing on a team, "the country boys," which i've informally renamed "the D.I.L.Bs." he plays with some of the prettiest men in the county and even if they lose the season and a little bit of their pride in the process, at least they`ll have their looks (and their beautiful, supportive lady figures) to fall back on

i think nick has the cutest butt out of the bunch, although i may be a bit biased and this is definitely my favorite look for him! he thinks he's just so cool with his sweatpants rolled up like that. what really gets me; however, is his prized lowe's kobalt hat... mmmmm hmmmm! i hope you sense my partial sarcasm here, though i wouldn't be surprised if i ended up pregnant by the season's end. there really is something sexy about it all, beer guts included.

my other favorite part of ball games (you know, aside from drooling over nick) is the cute little mob of moms i see each week. we just set around on our cute assortment of quilts and talk mom talk, regulate on our children stealing each other's snacks and toys, and occasionally look over to ooh and ahh at our men doing big things. we have yet to successfully keep up with the score throughout an entire game.

i`ll leave you with a few other sweet/funny captures from this past monday in case you are nauseous over all the little sentiments i made about my husband:

p.s- it just occurred to me that those of you that don't really know us might think my husband's name is actually "nicky bobby." sleep easy, keep me on your reading list... it's just plain ole nick. i`m just a jerk that gives awful nicknames as a sign of adoration.

a new summer tradition

2011-06-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

if one thing's for sure, it's that i thrive on tradition and familiarity. there is comfort in the joys each season brings and in checking these things off my list. when my girls look back on their childhood, i want them to remember the events that made up the soundtrack to each season. just a few on our summer playlist include: backyard camp-outs, fishing, homemade freezer popsicles, ball games, growing vegetables, and TIE-DYING!

i suppose i associate tie-dying as a summer activity because the first time i ever tie-dyed was at girl scout camp in first grade and the last time i tie-dyed was with my best girlfriends the summer before i headed off to college. we made pillowcases so we'd be the last things on each other's minds before we laid our heads to rest (or maybe it was just cheaper to do pillowcases, haha, the details escape me now). either way, these memories are etched in my brain, and that has got to count for something.

haley really enjoyed the whole process and became quite good at it, while cameron was just content to sit around and mix the bowls of dye for us. and that's okay too.... maybe next year! we spent at least 3 hours in the summer heat banding and dipping and ringing out and speed-drying things on the hot black pavement. we learned that blue and yellow make green, and that wal-mart needs to restock their red dye to this can double as an educational project too.

our big project was a tie-dyed a-frame tent for our little friend Ryder who has his 2nd birthday party this Sunday. i think the results are every little hippie boys dream. for the girls, we made shirts to wear to daddy's ball game that night, capes, blankets, and even a pretty dress out of one of my old tank tops. i`ll be sure to share our results with yall later.

by the end of it all, each bowl of water seemed to have turned a murky greenish-blueish-grey color and my cuticles were rubbed raw from rubber-banding so many different things. i think my fingernails are stained a permanent shade of green, but my heart.... it must be tie-dyed. i had myself a ball!

busy bees

2011-06-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

remember the sweet rustic clubhouse we bought cameron for her birthday? well, i figured i might as well give y`all a small peep at the progress we've made since there's no telling when we'll get around finishing it up. we`ve still got a few more details to add ::: the chimney isn't painted and neither is the inside, the potted plants are missing, i have yet to find the perfect little mailbox to replace the wooden white one (though i may just settle for painting what's there red), and a house without an address is like a pizza without cheese... so fingers crossed i can bring my address plate vision to life. there are also plans to homey up the inside a bit, too. although it sure won't be anything as jaw-dropping as this or this (we've only got a 4x4 space to work with), i know it will be loved just as much and that's the most important thing.

how do y`all like color scheme we settled on?! SUPRISE!! we originally painted the whole thing red and white and it was just WAY TOO WHITE (even for me), so i grabbed some leftover paint and went to town on painting all the outer support planks in a wanna-be shade of haint blue because only the kindest of spirits are allowed to gather here. my favorite addition to the whole thing is the little chalkboard sign hanging above the window on the right. we took one of my old country signs and gave it a coat of chalkboard paint and now this little shack of love also rotates between being a general store, a lemonade stand, and a flower shop. such fun!

this is my first wedding-free weekend in quite some time so i am looking forward to just sitting around and soakin' up a saturday at home... what are y`all up to? anything good?

happy weekend, friends! <3

lookin' out my back door...

2011-06-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

today wasn't too shabby for a thursday... we checked most everything off our checklist and have the bug bites and blueberry remains on our clothes to prove it! and even with all that we accomplished, it really feels like we did a whole bunch of nothing and that's probably the best part about it all if ya ask me. woolwine definitely has a different pace to it than the rest of the world... the days are slow, the moments are easy, and it's just a good place to catch your breath and rest your soul awhile. oh, and enjoy a meal on the grill with watermelon for dessert... mema haden is just that good to us!

we spent a good chunk of our day down the river- my favorite spot of all. it provides the perfect amount of solitude and a little bit of action if you're up for it! this time, swimming and fishing were mandatory events for my girl haley, queen of the smith river. nick and i tallied 3 fish each and our gal caught one too! i gotta hand it to her, she caught the only trout in the bunch and the biggest fish of all. and little did i know that she would shed her princess clothing for the afternoon and try and bait a hook herself or touch the fish we caught with her bare hands! that girl, she's a brave one! and she just may have a little bit of her mama in her... finding so much peace and happiness down by the river.

on a different note,
i know no better river music than creedence clearwater revival.
it seems to bring out out the old soul in me...

poor cameron, she didn't get to join us on our big excursion. the heat had her tuckered out quite quickly and she napped in the comfort of the a/c. she did have great timing though... waking herself up just in time for juicy watermelon and kissing mommy and daddy goodbye!

tomorrow, i get the day all to myself... but sadly, have to spend it editing pictures and doing house chores. maybe i`ll take a cue from haley and do it in my underwear... cause lord it is hot and this heat is no. friend. of. mine!

wishing you all a happy friday!
<3

sprinkles

2011-06-01T22:47:00.000-07:00

happy first day of june, loves!

isn't it a wonder how a change in season and a brand new month seem to grant a fresh start, whether you deserve it or not? life can be sweet and forgiving like that, so i`m running with it and marking today as our official unofficial first day of summer. when you have a blog you neglect for two weeks, you're still allowed to do that right?

whatever, it's good to be back!
i`ve missed you all.

we broke in the season by slip-sliddin' around and cleanin' our clocks a good time or two! ...but still getting right back up to do it all over again. okay, so that was the story for nick and haley atleast... heat makes people do funny things, that's for sure. cameron sat safely on the sidelines with her curdling milk and sunchips while i saved the whole town from nightmares by keeping out of my swimsuit. a good time was had by all and tomorrow makes day two of our official unofficial summer kick off!

on the agenda:
sleeping in (something i always looked forward to as a kid when summer rolled around)
fishing and romping around the river
lots of hugging and kissing... in between the fish and worm guts!

blueberry picking and subsequent blueberry eating (mmmm!)
grilling steaks and outdoor dining

catching lightning bugs and callin' it a night

hey summer...

ready, set..... go!!!

short and sweet

2011-05-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

i seem to be fumbling over words lately and this is the first time i have written in this space in nearly a week. i sat down this morning and wrote for nearly an hour. it felt good, it took away some of the heaviness that has been weighing down my heart, and helped put some things into perspective.

then, in a moment of temporary insanity... or absolute certainty perhaps...
i deleted the whole thing. haha. i`m a real tease, i know.

i decided the only part of it that needed to be shared was at the end of the first sentence....

i`ll try my best today.

( ....and i hope you will too <3 )

sway me like the sea

2011-05-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

this past saturday i got to attend my dear friend amber's wedding ceremony. it was any country gal's dream wedding- with hay bails for seats, a classy old truck for transportation, and the prettiest assortment of icecream colored bridesmaid dresses that you ever did see... paired with cowboy boots, ofcourse. and though i never would have thought of it myself, i am almost convinced that every spring wedding should have the same color scheme and round daisy bouquets. the whole thing just made my heart flutter and kinda has me achey for a double scoop of ice cream.

though we don't talk much anymore, i still love her the same. she was present 4 years ago when nick and i had our super shot-gunned wedding and if it weren't for her i wouldn't have had a bouquet, wedding cake, or any of the other trappings. oh, she spoiled me so... what a friend to have! my wedding day was not anything i was proud of or anything for show, and i get pretty ate up over it every now and again because i think every girl deserves a wedding where she feels like a princess... but seeing her all gussied up and walking that aisle with tears in her eyes... well, it just does this heart some good. she got her dream wedding and it was all that she deserved and more.

as for me, i`ll get my vow renewal one day... and maybe a proper proposal too. atleast nick has promised me so. and ya know, since nick and i are saving our own pennies for our own plot of land... i think it'll really be something else... to stand there looking in eachother's eyes with all the love in the world and seeing just how far we've come. from the ugliest wedding on the coldest day of the year... to my own little intimate dream brought to life... on our own land, in front of the house we built, with all the little babies we've made, and the sweetest of friends that were there from the beginning and will be there til the end.

this gal loves a good wedding!

congratulations mr. and mrs. dustin gregory!
<3

oh, and because i`m feeling nostalgic on a tuesday night...
and because i didn't get a shot of us two together (someone kick me!)
here is a throwback picture of us from my wedding day:

the blushing rose, it will climb...

2011-05-13T23:01:00.000-07:00

just like that... another week has flown by, and i have no real evidence of its productivity except for a bunch of pinning on my part. whoops. i am among the thousands of people that has made pinterest their new addiction (well, that and words with friends) and i think i am speaking for everyone when i say i wish i was the brilliance behind this wonderful, too good to be true cataloging system. i am finding that i am a bit of a lost cause though-- if i could only spent half as much time working on the projects i've pinned rather than finding new projects to pin, my time would be much better spent. anyone else have this problem?

i have been pinning with good reason though. nature can be a real stink sometimes... keeping you rained on and confined just long enough to get your work done, yet providing no promises of a sunny day to greet you at the finish line. and if all this time in my office has shown me anything, it's that i definitley need to get to work on fixing myself a more productive, efficient, and organized work space. one that has me begging for yet another yuck day so i can sit around, pin, drink tea, edit pictures, and find redemption in my tom waits record and the sound of raindrops. oh yes... hello office pinboard.

speaking of work... i spent a good chunk of time thumbing through old photoshoots today.
i thought i`d share some of them with you. this is only a small lot of them and they are in no particular order ... but i hope they take you on a bit of an adventure. i am so blessed to play a small part in capturing these people's stories, and whether they know it or not, so blessed to have them woven into mine. photography is such a powerful thing, to be able to capture a moment in time and freeze it forever... and i pray that i never take this gift of sight for granted. i may not have invented pinterest, but to me, this is the next best thing.
<3

if you'd like to see more of my work, you can visit me on facebook.

cameron at two...

2011-05-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

oh my little camma, you are two and living up to all the "terrible" hype. you are terribly loud, terribly troublesome, terribly fiesty, and terribly cute to boot! despite your extreme behaviors, it's tough to stay upset with you... those sparkly blue eyes and gumball stuffed cheeks are your ticket out of trouble and the admission to the very center of my heart. you are much like your mama and don't see the point in shoes, but i sure do hope you start to hold on a little tighter to your britches, you are one bare-bottomed little booger as of late! you love singing songs and clapping at the end of each one. photographing you is no easy task, but when you do smile for me... it's with your whole entire face and i eat it all up. you've never met a fruit you didn't like, but can't seem to friend a hairbrush for the life of you. you are constantly learning new phrases from your big sister "hay-de", and daddy and i are so proud of how well you can communicate at your age. at the same time, we hang our head in shame at the fact that you won't give up your bottle. ugh! your favorite phrases are "catch me" and "i don't know" and you answer "yes" and "no" questions with such a calmless and maturity about you that i am starting to think that you hold the secrets of the universe in your big round belly. you must be storing something good in there... you eat like a bird. after a long day of chasing you around and fighting with you and your hard head there is nothing like hearing you at the top of the steps yelling "mommmmy! mommmmmmmmmy! mommmmmmmy???". this is my cue that you are ready for bed and have forgiven me for my impatience with you throughout the day. one broken glass, three crayons in your belly, and two bite marks in haley's arm later... you're ready to call it a day, rest your heavy head on my right arm, and press that warm chubby body up to mine to fall asleep. you are my sweetest of dreams and i love you, do!

a trip for me, a trip for them

2011-05-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

nick and the gals took me window shopping at black dog salvage for mother's day. i went with a single mission: to find a small metal mailbox for cameron's clubhouse and left with visions of a claw foot tub full of daisies for the yard, grand ambitions of gathering hundreds of colored yard sticks to cover one part of my office wall (though this gym floor board wall is so much more dreamy), and a rather awkward desire to start my own salt and pepper shaker collection (my tea cup collection will suffice... for now). i suppose we all have our quirks and i`ll just sit here grateful mine doesn't happen to be of the cat lady variety.

this was my first visit to a salvage yard and i imagined it being quite close to my heaven.... chippy old shutters, colorful garden chairs covered with rust, and old store signage around every corner! while all these things could be found, the selection was a bit weak and on top of that, their pricing was a bit too inflated for this lady on a budget... and just in general. ugh. i was a bit disappointed. atleast i have an otis redding compilation to take away the sting and ease my mailbox-less soul and new hydrangeas for the garden. yay for mothers day!

we rewarded the girls for their great behavior with a trip to the mill mountain zoo and icecream at maggiemoo's. it isn't the biggest zoo in the world, but it has several beautiful overlooks, a good selection of animals, and since it's mostly shaded there were no meltdowns over the heat. there is also a little train that runs around the zoo... which was haley's most favorite attraction of all. however, she did feel the need to voice her concerns over the conductor being a lady without a conductor's hat or a whistle. three times.

oh my, that child!

on cameron: vintage dress from frecklewonder. vintage ruffled bloomers from etsy. shoes, gifted from lindsay.
on haley: vintage dress from eadie's elephants on etsy. shoes, hand-me-downs. handmade bow.

this won't be the last time you see that cute red, white, and yellow plaid dress! we are "taking it out on a date" next week and then stacy over at hart+sew will be taking it out the following week. more details soon, but it just may need to come spend the day with you and your little one too! <3

Picnik: The Poor Man's Photoshop -- Lesson 2

2011-05-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

first things first,
happy mother's day to all you mama's out there!
consider this my little gift to you...

i have created another picnik tutorial! the steps are quite similar to my last one... where you ended up with a soft and dreamy pearlie pink image... but this one has much bolder and brighter results and can be used on boys quite shamelessly too!

so if you want something that packs a little more punch, this tutorial is perfect for you.
and if you want something really soft and timeless and dreamy, skip on back to lesson one.

==============================================

1. open up picnik.com in your web browser

2. under the home tab, click "upload" and choose one of your most favorite images for editing

i probably could have chose a more interesting photo for this tutorial, but i just love this picture of cameron and it didn't make it on my strawberry pickin' post. i've also found that those everyday/mom-shots can transform into something canvas-worthy with just a little picnik lovin!

3. once your photo upload is complete, your picture will pop up under the "edit" tab. This is where the fun begins!

4. under the edit tab, click on the "exposure" option

5. bump your exposure up accordingly. bumping up your exposure reduces the contrast of the image, giving it a more soft and dreamy look. for this particular picture, since their was so much natural light coming in from the car windows, i only had to bump it up a bit. i bumped it up to 17, but use your best judgement.

6. hit the okay button

7. now click on the create tab on the top navigation bar

8. you will see a toolbar that has several options (featured, effects, tects, stickers, etc.). Click on the effects tab

9. scroll down to the "cross process" option and click on it.

this will turn your picture into a vintagey-yellow mess. this is called "over-processing" your image. NEVER accept the picnik settings as they are, LESS is MORE. you want your picture to look slightly-processed and more natural.

10. use the "fade" option to lessen the impact of this action. i set my fade to 60%. you still want a good amount of yellow to your image... the yellow gives it the vintage undertones we are going for.

11. hit the "apply" button

12. we're almost there! scroll back up and look for the "tint" option and click on it. your image will turn completely blue, but you are still on the right track :)

13. for the tint color choose the pinkish-red tint on the far left, bottom corner. this will change your tint from vibrant blues to vibrant reds, but the effect will still be much too strong.

14. use the fade option to soften the reds. i've set my fade to 75 percent, giving the image a slightly pink tone to it.

you can set it to even less, so your image isn't quite as pink... it just depends on your preferences. the point is to balance out some of the yellows and blues in the image to give it a sweeter, pastel look.

15. hit the apply button and you are now left with a beautiful and perfectly processed image

16. click on the save & share option in the top navigation bar and explore your options from there. you can save to your computer, to facebook, to flickr, and numerous other places.

You went from this:

to this:

isn't it wonderful how a few simple steps can turn a regular image into something with a little more character? i didn't even use a fancy picture with a beautiful landscape this time.... yet somehow, the pink tones alone make me want to stare at it a little longer. but that's just me. and maybe you too? :)

if you try this little tutorial, i'd love for you to leave me a link or tag me in an image on facebook so i can what you've done.

if this post gets a lot of good feedback, there will be a lesson 3!

==============================================

Today is the last day to place a vote for pearlie pink on the Circle of Mom's Top 25 Kids Style List! Please click here and give us one final vote by clicking the "thumbs up" button. We are grateful from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who has voted for us and kept us in the running! I remember thinking we wouldn't even break 100 votes but because of readers... and friends... and readers turned friends... and friends turned readers, we now have over 600 votes!!

i don't know how we'll celebrate this small victory, we are far too broke to go shopping haha...
but I believe God is pushing my heart in new directions and sewing is going to become a fine fine friend of mine.
I mean, just have a peep at my pinterest kid's clothing board.
sweetly dressed girls are one thing, but sweethearts in mama-made clothing are the icing on the cake

<3

virginia grown

2011-05-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

our little town recently completed a big construction project where they added a beautiful wooden pavilion and ampitheater to host the weekly farmers market and various festivals throughout the year.

the girls and i got an early start on the day, counted up our quarters, and followed the sound of the string band pickin' away down the street for live music, vegetable plants, and a few flowers for the clubhouse.

it's so nice to have such a great venue right down the street from us and i must say, 5.00 is a small price to pay for grow-your-own happiness and a special rendition of "there ain't no bugs on me" for your girls to dance along to. the girls had a blast stompin' around and running up and down the aisles. cameron, who felt right at home, ended up kicking her shoes off.

we have yet to get baths, eat breakfast, or accomplish any cleaning (today's big task)... but atleast we have the prettiest organic lettuce to accompany our tacos for our belated cinco de mayo fiesta tonight.

i hope everyone has a lovely weekend and a mother's day filled with lots of x's and o's.
if you're in the same boat as me and feel as if you have a mile long list with no time to complete it, try throwing a little hank into the mix. he's good for a smile and slowing things down <3

ps: i've learned how to add music... y`all are in real trouble now!

you know you're gold...

2011-05-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

this morning we made the early trip for strawberry pickin' at mabe's and had ourselves a real fine time. the girls loved running up and down the fields together and picking the biggest red strawberries they could find. we also gathered a few baby ones. how could we resist? baby strawberries are much too cute. i believe i will have to photograph our family in "strawberry form", though something tells me "cameron" and "haley" have already been put away in someone's belly!

and there's an idea:

next time you're at the strawberry patch,

try to find a strawberry that you feel resembles each member of your family. haha.

haley pranced around telling everyone she was strawberry shortcake in her gingham dress while cameron acted like a real punk and would NOT let me fix her hair. she's lucky though, messy hair and strawberry remains all over her face and white dress just works on her. i sure was smitten!

ps- strawberries for breakfast are divine.

small style:

on haley: vintage dress from salvage house. shoes- nike sandals (haha, totally didn't match but it was MUDDY!)
on cameron: shoes- hand-me-down puddle jumpers from haley. vintage dress from etsy.

ps- i appreciate everyone who has spared a second and placed a vote for us.
you guys are wonderful, and because of you, we are actually hangin' in there!
i am thrilled and thankful and excited to have another "excuse" to give Nick for all my random dress purchases... fingers crossed we can hold onto this position for the next 4 days!

white daisy passing

2011-05-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

today has been a wednesday for the books! i painted for 5 hours straight and it was nothing short of the most intense labor of love i've ever committed. unforetunately, i am not one of those "painting-is-therapeutic-to-me" types. i am one of those, "goodness-gracious-i'd-rather-give-birth-to-quadruplets-than-be-painting-this-nonsense-lets-pay-someone-else-to-do-this-oh-wait-we-need-to-eat-this-week" types. and suprisingly, when i say 5 hours straight, i mean it... there were no blogging/fooding/bathrooming breaks and i am a procrastinator by nature.

i am sitting here full bladder, empty stomach, and no tan to show for today's efforts, but completely content with the progresses on the front yard. Cameron's 2nd birthday present, the clubhouse, is coming right along and we are hoping to have her a little house-warming/birthday celebration next monday. (pending i don't squeeze in too many blog reading/fooding/bathrooming breaks between now and then)

i can't wait to show you how our rather rustic cedar slice of heaven has transformed into the daintiest little cottage on the block. all it needs is an old metal mailbox, some flowers, and a chalkboard sign and we'll have the exterior complete.

as for the interior?
i believe the mexican restaurant has a bahama mama with my name on it waiting for me tomorrow.

happy cinco de mayo, friends!

What my Haley-do wore to storytime at the library today:

dress: vintage cotton dress with smocking from etsy.
shoes: l'amour navy blue t-straps from little monkey toes

doll: trade with sweet tweets on etsy! i made her etsy banner for her many moons ago.

little bow: handmade. learn how to make your own.

for more cute stylish kids, visit little vintage style.

take me back down where cool water flow...

2011-05-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

i betcha didn't know i was a master gardener? did ya?

not really, i have a ways to go-- including buying a legitimate baby shovel... or trowel, as us "regular" gardeners say. although i must admit the plastic set Cameron got for her birthday is working quite well and i bet you`ve never seen a grown woman more excited about a child's play set than this lady right here.

i also think i want to start a watering can collection... it's all about looking the part, right?
that also means a floppy sun hat, multiple sets of gardening gloves, and a chippy potting bench too.
lucky for me, mother's day is right around the corner (nudge, nudge)

in other gardening news:

i transplanted my first set of irises.
they have seen better days and are falling in every which direction, but i feel for them. it's hard being the new guys in town, especially after leaving your beautiful home and all your friends down on the river bank. i'd be a little depressed too.

all in all, i am enjoying this new little landscaping adventure of ours.
so much so, that i skipped breakfast and showers yesterday and dragged the girls outside with me for breakfast in the courtyard and digging in the dirt.

the real fun begins when we plant our vegetable garden! tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, zuchinni, and plenty of peppers. i foresee a whole lot of homemade pizzas this summer. might as well put in a outdoor brick oven while and purchase a cow we're at it
<3

dream a little dream

2011-05-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

i've been tip-toeing around my sweethearts on this early sunday morning, careful not to wake them up. i've got the windows down, a gentle breeze is pushing its way through the curtains, and the birds are singing me little spring songs. although i don't see early mornings like this very often, they are a real treat and i always find myself wondering why i dont go to bed a couple hours earlier so i can take in this brief and beautiful slot of time every morning.

i can hear the sound of baby's breath and see little chests rising and falling and not missing a beat, the sun just peeped its head over the mountains to say "good morning, you have the whole day in front of you, do something wonderful!", and the warm crimson sky and the brush-stroke clouds have me inspired to do exactly that.

...and to fill this day with beauty and gratitude and love for the things that make up this little world of mine.
particularly for a sweet little girl, Cameron, who turns two today!

We are not celebrating her birthday until Wednesday or Thursday when Nick is off work (fingers crossed we can have her clubhouse atleast painted by then)... but Mema has planned a little cook-out tonight complete with hamburgers and hot dogs, a few presents, and "BIR-DAY CAKE!" (which was actually one of cameron's first words... ha!)

The birthday girl spent all of yesterday running around the yard, getting dirt between her toes, and practicing her candle blowing skills. She stripped herself down for bath time but when I returned to check on her, she was already passed out on the couch. haha. Birthday preparation is tiresome when you are two!

And speaking of birthday prep, I've got some sewing to do!!

Have a blessed Sunday, friends!
<3

for more sunday sweetness,
head over to the simple things.

curb appeal

2011-04-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

my nicky bobby had the day off from work so we spent the day outside fixing up the exterior of our house. we pulled weeds, planted day lillies and purple and yellow butterfly plants (which i hope the deer don't eat), and hung some ferns up. we still need to add a few more potted plants for character, mulch, refinish the path to the courtyard, and repaint the porch... but its amazing what a big difference a few simple additions and some tidying up can make.

our little cottage style house seems to be having a bit of an identity crisis though-- we've got retro-style children's chairs, a french-inspired bistro set and a country porch rocker. haha. oh my, thank goodness yard sale season is upon us and we can hopefully declutter a bit!

with all that said, i am starting to fall back in love with our house and that's a good feeling. i regularly peep in at young house love (VA! represent!) to see the daily progresses john and sherry make on their home, and it has me motivated to try and do one [small] thing a day to improve on our own. i`ll be sure to bring y`all along on the journey as i am sure it will be a nice refrain from the daily pictures i post of my offspring. (i am just too in love and can't help it!)

while nick slaved over pressure-washing the house, the girls and i made good friends with the hole in our hose. if there's one thing i really love about kids, its their disregard for things like being cold and wet, getting dirty, and supper time. who can be bothered with such things when there is fun to be had?

it was a fine kick-off to our weekend,
have an extra good and productive one, friends!
<3

making up

2011-04-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

everyone meet betty! she is my $88 singer simple sewing machine i got a few years ago. ironically, there is nothing "simple" about her except for her color scheme: a beautiful and crisp red white and baby blue i just couldn't say no to. other than that, she is quite high maintenence. she and i have been on bad terms ever since she decided to eat a whole spool of thread with her bobbin and i had to spend three hours disassembling her insides and then another eight trying to piece them back together.

anyway, with the weather being all crazy, i was feeling a little crazy too and decided that me and homegirl needed to put the past in the past and have some serious girl time.

our project:
martha stewart stuffed menswear bunnies.

my first attempt

considering i free-handed the whole pattern (my printer and i are also on bad terms and i am a TERRIBLE artist) i am suprised that it looks this good. although the ears may be two different shapes, one arm may be higher and longer than the other, and i kinda decided to quit while i was ahead and didn't add legs or a face... let's not be upset over such details right now and just rejoice in the fact that this actually resembles a bunny!

peter cotton-fail?

i think not!

one more (fingers crossed) attempt and i think my girls will have cute little bunnies to tote around...

and i can stop using bad puns.

speechless

2011-04-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

oh my! i am about to tell you a story. a love story of sorts. about my girl dog and my boy dog. don't be mislead by the photos above, this post has nothing to do with me and my cute husband with the ugly shoes. you may not want to read ahead. it is a bit explicit. a bit personal. a bit... i think i am scarred for life, but atleast i can "laugh" about it now. or, atleast i am trying to get to that point.

(actually, do yourself a favor and just scroll down to the giveaway winners or JUST look at the pictures. the next part is mostly for me-- part of the healing process)

my little dog plumlee finally came back home. she was missing for a good week and i was all sorts of tangled up and teary about it. nick, on the other hand, was real dad-like about the whole thing and kept saying, "she's gonna come home... knocked up." i enjoy his optimism. while we don't know the details of her adventures (maybe that is a good thing), she definitley returned to us in heat. oh joy!

this evening, i heard a few whimpers from plumlee and rushed out back to see what was going on. to me, it appeared that our dogs were "stuck together". i called nick over immediately and we tried to figure out what the heck was going on.

our hypothesis' included a wide range of things (that i won't even embarass myself with), the last being... my cheffy-boy was getting him a piece. i was one google-search away from calling the vet and typing in "dogs stuck together" to see what was up. i've googled crazier things in my time. ask my friend diana. google is the foundation of our friendship.

oh. my. word.

i don't think i`ll ever come back from this.

i wish i would have taken a picture.

well, wait, no i don't. that's gross.

but seriously, these dogs did not look like they were "doin' the deed". there was nothing "doggy style" about this whole scene. i didn't even see how this was dog-ly possible. and well.. you should have seen them... they just looked a bit confused. funny. awkwardly calm. and yes, STUCK.

i finally decided to call my sister in law, in panic (and denial, somewhere deep down inside i knew the truth of the matter), and she explained the birds and the bees, in dog form, to me. my dogs were "making babies" and i watched it all go down with a blank look on my face.

and just like that, my blog went from a sweet, g-rated family blog to a... pet education blog.
haha, but really... i hope this helps someone out there. i was certainly misinformed.

after all that action (or lack thereof), i decided we needed to hit the road and try to erase such visions. we went up to lovers leap and smooched a little, took "artsy" picutres (mostly in an attempt to camoflauge nick's ugly ugly shoes), and watched the clouds.

and yea.... that giveaway?

well... i don't just "give-away" anything do i?

first i make you sit through a horrible story that you can't un-hear.

giveaway winners:

1) erica

2) brooke leigh

3) maren mccoy kyle

please email me your addresses.

mackenziemaephotography [at] gmail [dot] com

and stay tuned for my next giveaway:
puppies! ;)

pillowcase puddle jumpers

2011-04-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

(one of my favorite pictures ever of my little ladies)

april teased us with a good 5 minute down pour today.
anyone else think she's a bit moody?

in that time, i frantically ran around the house trying to find the girls' pillowcase dresses in hopes of recreating last year's photoshoot that was lost when my hard-drive crashed. *sad face, mad arms* it was carefree and sweet and sisterly, and everything a rainy day photoshoot should be... minus the rain boots and umbrellas.

lucky for me, spring is just starting to find its rainy day groove and it's supposed to be wet and ugly out for the next few days.

lucky for the girls, we live on a hill and recieve a curbside splash-party invitation every time it pours.
and this mama doesn`t stick on dresses for no good reason.

===================================

if i can't stick my girls in a vintage dress, repurposed vintage linens seem to be the next best thing!

on haley: vintage pillowcase dress with sweet embroidery.
on cameron: vintage pillowcase dress from a family thing.
(i hope she reopens shop soon! she had some real gems in her shop)

pillowcase dresses made out of old vintage fabrics you may adore:
one. two. three. four.

to make your own:
simple pillowcase dress tutorial

for more sweet children in vintage outfits visit:
little style over at hart + sew.
small style over at mama loves papa.

easter sunday

2011-04-25T12:56:00.000-07:00

dear easter sunday,
how i adore you to the tips of my toes!

you were bright, colorful, and as sweet as sugar and sprinkles...
gentle, beautiful reminders of Your goodness were found all over the place.

from the undeniable beauty that surrounded us...
fields of buttercups, the bluest cloud coated sky, and the most perfect weather we could ask for.

to the little things that spoke directly to my heart...
pots and pots of macaroni (the girls' favorite) made with love, the way a big brother looks at his little sister, and the precious bond between a great grandpa and his baby dolls.

you were timeless and cherished like an old black and white photo...
that bridge, it's been crossed a million times...
that big leafy shade tree, it holds the conversations of several easter's past.
that hill, it is the staple of the loveliest of family traditions...
a sunday evening of flying kites <3

you make my heart soar,
as high as all those pearlie pink balloons we sent flying towards the heavens...
you truly do!

all my love,
kim

trial and error and mostly error

2011-04-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

i checked another item off my easter basket checklist! well sorta. i've had a bunch of clothespins laying about, with every intention of painting them, but continually managed to forget to grab a set of paint brushes (not of the crayola variety) while we were in town.

being the practical and resourceful gal i am, i opted for a q-tip and bobby pin approach today. though they didn't come out exactly as i had in mind, i have a good idea about how i`ll approach this whole project again tomorrow, paint brush in hand.

tomorrow when i add scallops! and suspenders! and aprons! and a boyfriend set! (...after i re-do our girlfriend set)
i am a bit excited, can ya tell? painting these really was a lot of fun and i would reccomend this project to everyone.

and really, these aren't all that bad at all, especially for the tricky tools i used. i've just been a bit down in the dumps after viewing these... and the cute tote you can carry them in. just brilliant. i also love how easy peasy that tutorial makes it look-- though i am seriously doubting my abilities after today's complications. notice how i didn't mention adding faces? this was originally a set of 6.

if my paint brushes fail me, or rather... if i fail with my paint brushes...
atleast the easter bunny will be taking the heat for this one...

ps-- if you have a minute and enjoy this blog- please head over to "circle of moms" and give our blog a thumbs up. you can vote once a day until may 9th. i would be thrilled and thankful to make a top 25, especially since it's a kid's style top 25. that's just one more reason to shop and design for my little ones and one less reason for nick to roll his eyes at me when i do so ;)

be sure to also take a peep at some of the other blogs on the list and pay them a thumbs up too!
Smile and Wave is one of my personal favorites, and BloesemKids is a new favorite.
there are so many great resources on that list that kinda makes me feel out of place,
but also extremely delighted to be amongst such good company!

sugar, swiss dots, and my sweethearts

2011-04-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

today we put on our easter best and headed to the annual story-time egg hunt at the library. it was good practice for sunday's big hunt and the girls came home all sugared up and smiley and with chocolate stains in awkward places that had me wishing their daddy was home to laugh and joke about with me. i don`t allow too many sweets in my house, but i never want my children to feel like they were deprived of some of the fun things that holidays bring about-- pastel m&m's sure are pretty and easter eggs filled with playdoh are a brilliant idea, you can't convince me otherwise. though i am a bit of a momzilla and don't include any candy in their easter baskets (they get enough when we go and visit relatives) and i don't neccessarily agree with how commercialized certain holidays have become, its good to let the kids indulge every now and again... especially after sitting through a couple good easter stories and songs.

On Cameron: vintage pink swiss dot dress- etsy, shoes- puddle jumpers, sweater- baby Gap

On Haley: 1960's vintage turquoise swiss dot dress - etsy. shoes - hand me downs (thanks Shannon!)

A couple swiss dot dresses you may enjoy:
peach swiss dot dress -- the lace on this dress is divine and unique
baby blue swiss dot dress -- simple and sweet and perfect for spring

and because i think every mom deserves an apron on easter, if only for display purposes--
swiss dot floral apron

To see more kiddos in cute attire visit:
Small Style and Little Vintage Style

bows bows bows

2011-04-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

it's no secret, i am a bit of a bow fanatic. actually, i take that back- i am a total bow snob. i can`t help it. i`m the kinda gal that knows what she wants... and simple and classic is the way i roll. i can't do the big flowered headbands, grosgrain ribbon bows just rub me the wrong way for reasons i can't explain (maybe one day i`ll post the picture of 6 year old me in the cat dress and y`all can draw your own conclusions), and anything that looks like it may cut off the circulation to my child's brain is offlimits too.

for the past couple of years, handmade fabric bows have been a staple in our easter baskets. yet, every year i have resorted to Etsy to take care of such things for me. this year, i realized i had all the skills and tools i needed under my belt and i am tackling the job myself. i found this fantastic tutorial over at a beautiful mess and have been a bow making machine for the past couple of nights.

i've weeded through all the girls old dresses and cut wrecklessly around pen-markings and spaghetti stains. it is a wonderful thing to be able to reclaim some of the fabrics from their old clothing and give them a new life. i love that haley and cameron's bow collection now also holds memories from their baby days and its so special to me to be able to put something in their easter basket that was made with scraps from their great grandmother's fabric collection.

i am offering three lucky readers a chance at winning a set of our handmade bows in celebration of easter!
they aren't perfect-- but they are hand stitched with love and are made from little pieces of our family's history.
the winners will recieve a set of 3 wrapped in one of the vintage hankies from our collection because if there's two things i believe this world needs to see more of it is:
1) fabric hairbows
2) floral hankies

oh you agree? well good!

to enter all you need to do is leave a comment and tell me about an article of clothing from your childhood that remains with you (or maybe just in your heart). whether it be your prized signed n*sync shirt... or a hideous rainbow cat dress (ahem!)... or maybe even the pair of rainboots you'd bathe in, sleep in, and track mud through the house in... i want to hear about it!

Giveaway will be closed on April 25.
<3

holy suspsenders...

2011-04-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

easter is right around the bend! and per tradition, i have thought about it all april long yet haven't managed to coordinate anything but the girls easter outfits. or so i thought. when the final piece of cameron's ensemble arrived in the mail today... it just wasn't very flattering to her short, round stature and she was a bit reminiscent of georgie porgie on babes in toyland. i just couldn't do it to the girl.

haley has been a trooper about the whole thing and isn't giving me too much sass about not being able to wear a twirly dress on the big day. and that flat skinny thing we call her butt... the thing that can't hold up a pair of jeans to save it's life (hi suspenders! i am your new biggest fan)... was just achin' for a pair of vintage plaid britches! who knew?

Other toddler suspenders that may be of interest to you mama's who have also caught a bad case of suspender fever:
* plaid wool shorts in the dreamiest blue and purple combo... would be perfect for fall. collared shirt, t-straps and tights (if you're a lady)
* primary color sweet suspenders. oh my! i can already picture a little one running around with these, teddy bear in hand.
* and this last pair, well, i am showing a lot of will power by not purchasing them!
they even come with a matching bow! i love vintage sailor-themed clothing.
*these aren't exactly suspenders, but i guess they could be added. i just thought i'd throw them in while on the topic of vintage sailor clothing because someone needs to scoop them up... the little buttons are too good to be true.

on my easter (would like) to-do list:

1) washi-tape easter eggs - take two.

2) painted clothespin dolls (easter basket)

3) homemade kite -- if only for picture purposes.
we fly kites at the farm every easter and i have been wanting to do this for sometime,
though googled kite tutorials make it seem 10x trickier than i imagined. boo.

4) upcycled hairbows from girls old clothing (easter basket)

5) easter bunny plush (easter basket)
6) find something for cameron to wear! ack!
7) family photoshoot. though i am sure it will just end up being the girls because i am grossly unphotogenic these days.

i`ll probably be scarce here as i try to pull this all off before sunday...

so have a wonderful week and don't forget to share the real easter story with your family
(even if you're busy getting a bit caught up in all the extra like me... as moms we are entitled to such foolishness, right?)

today we are all hokies...

2011-04-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

"I ask each of you to take the time to be a Hokie this week. Appreciate life a little more, take in every moment around you, count your blessings, tell the people around you that you love them, slow down, remember what's truly important in life. And live for those 32 that do not have that chance anymore."

4-16-2007

♥ VT ♥

2011-04-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

nick ran over a dead deer laying in the road on the way to work today. he is okay, but the bottom of his car has seen better days.

the weather is quite possibly the only thing from saving me from having a complete breakdown at this point.
so atleast there's that... and the weeds. not just a lonesome dandelion, but a whole patch for me to wish the day away.

sittin on top of the world...

2011-04-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

on our way back from DC this monday, we made an unexpected detour to visit the roanoke star. I have romanticized a trip here for almost a decade now and finally got around to it... only to find out that my camera battery was dying after shooting this weekend's beautiful wedding in Richmond, the star needed to be pushed back a good 1000 feet for anyone to get a decent picture with it, and the $500 i threw down on a fancy new speedlight i don't know how to use (my old and simple one conked out the day before the wedding as my luck would have it) did not do me very well in this poorly lit situation.

Petty things, I know.. but after rushing home from your vacation after finding out that your sweet baby-dog has gone missing you feel like the universe would show you a bit of sympathy and give you perfect family pictures in front of the snazzy red white and blue star you've been dreaming about most of your adult life, right?

stay with me, darlins'... i'm really not here to complain.

turns out, this big ole star illuminated a little more than i expected...

my husband would do anything for me. granted roanoke was a bit out of the way, and he had been driving for the past 4 hours with a ripped contact in his eye (ouchie!), he knew this was important to me and made the trip anyhow. sweet pea, apple of my eye.... for certain. it was a sweet gesture and i ate it all up.
+++
have you ever stood in front of the ocean? do you remember feeling so small in comparison? i have always cherished that feeling... it has been my constant reminder that God is bigger than all my problems and there is so much more to this life than the little things I sometimes find myself hung up on. I had that same feeling standing at that overlook gazing at the city. between all those twinkling lights and the soft and warm breeze that hit my face... time seemed to stand still for a minute and all my worries seemed to be gently blown away with the wind. it was exhilarating and intoxicating and I could use a few more nights of being on top of the world like that.
+++
family picture or not, Haley thought this mountain-top retreat was the greatest thing ever. as soon as she saw the big city lights she exclaimed the most priceless expression, "it's like disneyworld, mommy!" the funny thing is-- she has never been to disneyworld, but you could tell that every bone in her body was ready to jump for joy. we had a rocky-top dance party instead, where everyone rooted my spinning princesses along. it was the most perfect and joyous celebration my little 3 year old could imagine... even without a princess crown or fireworks.

although these past 5 days have been filled with a huge heaping of heartbreak (most of which i am just not really ready to talk about)... life has a way of tenderly showing us some sweetness in between the cracks of our watering eyes (ripped contacts and all) and assuring us that all these bumps in the road are purposeful and for our own good.

my little dough girl...

2011-04-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

for lack of much else to say after such an exhausing trip,
(we've been cruisin' through virginia for the past 5 days)
it feels so lovely to be back home...

and there's nothing like cameron spilling a bunch of flour on the floor
to break us back into our routine!
<3

putting the hard in hard boiled....

2011-04-06T00:58:00.000-07:00

as i was thumbing through some of the magazines mema passed along to me, i spotted the sweetest set of decorated easter eggs that ever existed (thank you family circle, i am now a reader for life)! ofcourse this was waaaay back in december... so as you can imagine, i was one emergency flight to japan and several wood cut-outs away from creating my very own washi-tape snowflakes.

well, that didn't really happen and april is finally here,
so today was my day of reckoning!

you'll have to excuse me, i know i am a bit behind with the trends and i know everyone discovered washi-tape like 5 years ago... but i believe washi-tape was not brought into my life for very specific reasons. or rather, hard boiled eggs and i have a love-hate relationship... and washi-tape just happened to get stuck in the middle of things.
either way, we are off to a rocky start.

i am pretty bummed that i did not end up with a cute washi-tape project to share with all you sweet people in this space today (see here, here and here) and even more bummed a good couple feet of my forever-coveted happy tape ended up in the trash can with a bunch of cracked eggs. having said that, here are some tips if you plan on making some of these fabulous eggs with your little ones:

+ you'd think this would be a no brainer, but obviously there are people (read: the always brilliant kim rakes) out there that take such risks... avoid using hard boiled eggs at all costs. they stink. they aren't the safest in the hands of children under 3. and maybe i am special, but i started with 8 and ended up with 4. my boiling skills need some work.
+ use wood or paper mache eggs so you can keep them forever. we live in small town usa, where both were lacking, so that's why i took the plunge and used the fresh from the farm stuff.
+ pre-cut all the pieces of washi tape beforehand and make sure you cut a lot! stick the pieces to something (like a plate) for easy access by little fingers.
+ dress your kids in sweet easter attire because a project like this is a good time for picture taking: the concentration, the little fingers at work, and the colors... oh my!
+ oh, and should you have no other option but to use the real deal, avoid telling your kids NOT to crack them. it will put crazy ideas in their head and they will do exactly that.

although i am already at work at painting some plastic eggs for our next attempt, i will say some good did come from this incomplete project:

+ i could probably write a book on creative ways to take pictures of washi tape and easter eggs
(though i will spare you the other 20 pictures i took)
+ the girls had a good time putting tape on the eggs... but had a lot more fun cracking them
+ and last but not least.... this picture:

cameron is a sneaky cyclops and haley is a zombie!
who needs a picture with the easter bunny anyway?

<3

it's a jungle out there...

2011-04-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

our yard needs serious mowing.
though i am sure you wouldn't have even noticed had i not said anything.
even with that subliminal toy lawn mower in the photo.

i've found that the sweetness of these two squished together like peanut butter and jelly can distract one from everything else going on in this photo.... and quite possibly in life.

or that`s my reasoning if this tuesday doesn't end up quite as productive as i would have hoped.

have a lovely one, friends! <3

decisions... decisions...

2011-04-04T06:29:00.000-07:00

the weather was particularly flirty yesterday and we found ourselves out in the front yard making green leaf soup, playing store and hot dog stand, and taking in the enhanting smell of cedar wood.

have you ever smelt cedar? it is heavenly... even our cheap stuff will put you at risk for splinters in your nose. i am considering finding myself a lumberjack boyfriend... between his woodsy scent and the plaid shirts, i think there would be no room for arguments. and if for some reason, you find yourself googling cedar scented perfumes (haha really? you too?), i`d just keep that to yourself but know you are not alone.

in other clubhouse related news...

the brown and green is growing on me a bit, but i still had to fight the urge to whip out the white paint and attack. i am debating between painting the whole thing white with red accents or red with white accents. and i am not sure what color to paint the roof either-- red, white, or a blackish grey?

i would leave it up to the girls but haley just wants everything to be pink... and although that'll help her daddy rest easy (no boys allowed!) it will just make me nauseous.

i am leaning toward white with red accents and a gray roof, so it matches our house.

but i've always wanted my very own barn, so the red is tempting.

what do you think?

cotton dress, make it early spring...

2011-04-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

i`ve had my eye on this clubhouse since Haley's 2nd birthday. she is a farm girl at heart, so we opted for one of those fancy green john deere ride-on tractors instead... but with Cameron's 2nd birthday quickly approaching, I knew this would be the perfect gift.

we snagged it for less than half of it's original price tag and already assembled (yay for displays!), so i am pretty much the happiest lady on the block... with the exception of haley and cameron, who know the undeniable joys of home-ownership at 1 and 3 and don't even have to worry about mopping or a mortgage.

we have plans to give it a fresh cottage-style paint job (i just can't seem to get into that whole rustic thing as much as i try) that compliments the rest of our set-up and landscape our "yard". i also see curtains, a pretty bunting, artwork on the inside, potted plants, and a snazzy "204" house plate addition in the near future.

a big part of me also wants to add a deck and stick it on stilts like this fancy european edition... but i can already see everyone rolling their eyes at me as if i were planning on adding a small kitchen, plumbing and electrical too.

i`m a bit much sometimes, it's true.
3 different paint jobs for our kitchen within a week's span much.
but atleast i mean well...

countdown to cameron's 2nd birthday: 30 days!
let the fun begin...

============================
p.s-
if i wasn't feeling so budget-conscious and patience permitted (surely i would have nailed my fingers together trying to assemble this bad boy), i would have scooped up the bayberry house from toys 'r us. it is much more aesthetically pleasing (hello sweet window boxes and rooster top!) and the price is the best i've seen on the web as far as small playhouses are concerned.

just thought i'd throw that out there for those of you that are letting spring get the best of you too and are now in the market for a playhouse. but please, keep it to yourself if you do purchase it... my heart might not be able to take it. i`m just kidding, please have us over for tea and cookies.

p.p.s-
the reproduction retro children's table and chairs are from lowe's.
go see nick in the garden center.
bring him sour patch kids and tell him i sent you ;)

week's end

2011-04-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

today has all the trappings for a great day under its belt.
clubhouse construction, a visit to see trevor bayne, and a minute to spend with far-away friends over mexican cheese dip and chips.

the fact that it started out with fresh flowers from my nicky bobby and a little bit of lovin' from thurston harris as well just makes it that much better.

have a good weekend, friends!

and happy first day of april, too.

a chance to soar...

2011-03-30T12:02:00.000-07:00

this friday nick goes in for a really big interview.
he`ll be interviewing for an assistant store manager position at Lowe's.

it's been a long and rocky one, this path we've been on...

with many sacrifices, a tight budget, and a lot of tail busting;
but i am hoping this interview, no matter the outcome,
will bring about some paving and refining and a side of redemption too.

i pray that if nick gets this job,

that all the glory goes to God and not his own efforts.

nick and i are always treading on shallow water when it comes to such things.

i want him to be a man of God, not just a hardworking person and a good person.
i am not sure if he knows the difference.
ever since his mama passed away, i think that he holds a bit of a grudge,
but my heart hopes that one day soon, he'll see that God has been holding our hand this entire way.

i pray that if nick gets this job,
we are able to give more because we will have more.
i pray that we don't become foolish with money just because we are not used to having any extra.
i pray that his great strides for our family will encourage me to become a harder worker and better business woman because he is quite the example of how hard work pays off.

and lastly, i pray that if nick doesn't get this job,
he will still trust God and in God's plan for him.
that it will be a humbling experience for him rather than a bitter one.
that the hole in his heart doesn't grow any deeper and his work habits will not suffer.
i pray that another opportunity will make its way to him and that he remembers
that no matter what happens, he has a family that loves and supports him
and is so grateful for all his hard work and provisions.

we've been waiting a long time for this opportunity...
and i've been praying for this opporunity to present itself in a location close to home
ever since Nick completed his training a year and a half ago.
my whole heart says he deserves this, but it isn't up to me.

please keep us in your thoughts.

How can I pray for you??
<3

our dog blue...

2011-03-24T19:57:00.000-07:00

when life hands you a hailstorm, grab one of your best girlfriends and break out a bottle of wine!
and if you're like me and think wine is a sign of sophistication you're not quite ready for...

drink it out of a mason jar.

you'll guzzle it down twice as fast and every bit of class you have will fly right out the window.

we're sipping on our dog blue by our local winery, chateau morrisette.
i am not much of a wine drinker, but this stuff really does make ya say woof! woof! by the end of the night...
especially if you chase it down with a 32 ounce beer.

i blame it on wednesday.

some days all I do is watch the sky...

2011-03-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

today has been a nice and slow wednesday... it had more of a sunday kinda pace to it which was much appreciated. i usually find myself wondering what good is a wednesday, anyway? its a bit of a tease if you ask me. not quite the weekend... and usually that point in the week where everyone's facebook statuses reveal how they're just about over life and ready to hang themselves. anyone else notice this trend? or spend wednesday reading facebook statuses for lack of anything better to do? haha.
i'm much more of a thursday-sunday kinda girl... though i'd be completely content living through a whole month of sundays... or even with replacing wednesdays with sundays.

anyway... sorry for that whole paragraph about nothing...
it's wednesday... bear with me.

i spent a good chunk of my afternoon outside laying on my back and taking in the sky. the clouds were perfect and fluffy and the flowered branches sitting next to me looked as if they were trying to grab a slice of heaven and bring it back down to earth for me. it was quite sweet. it was also perfect book reading weather, so i did a bit of that too. I am not quite sure why I chose Mark Twain. He is never a light read. I haven't snuck in a good book in quite some time... and the word "puffin" followed by "classics" was just all too tempting i suppose. Plus, Tom and Huck are totally the sons I never had ;)

although this wednesday wasn't too terribly painful,
i am going to go wash it down with a bottle of wine and my friend Lacey anyway.
Yep, Wednesday's are good for that...
<3

week one

2011-03-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

i've spent a good chunk of the last 4 years of my life PREGNANT. and while there were certain aspects of my pregnancies that I embraced (like feeling the baby kick and the boobs!), the last thing I wanted was to be captured on camera. My face was too round. My chin was pregnant with quadruplets instead of the twins it normally totes around. My toes were sausages. My rear-end looked the saddest it's ever looked and is still in recovery. Just typical pregnant lady things that I never wore quite well. Not like these pregnant ladies I photograph atleast... I feel like they could all be pregnancy cover girls!

i am trying to get back to the point where i feel comfortable in front of a camera because i already feel a lot of regret for not having these photos of myself to look back on. i am starting small, with a picture of myself and my handsome nicky bobby and not even of our faces... and hope to get atleast one photo with myself in it a week.

considering my other self-challenge is to get down with tony horton once a day, this should be quite managable. which one is more painful is still a toss-up...though i feel trying to explain aperature and shutterspeed and framing a shot to nick may be the biggest challenge of all! ack!

wish us luck
<3

name above all names...

2011-03-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

I took the week off, as far as blogging goes. And not exactly by choice either. You see, I try and write in this space most every day because i've found that time is so fleeting... and my memory even-more-so. Plus, this little blog here is a bit of an escape for me each day-- my own quiet time to reflect on the day's gifts, put a bit of a story to our photos, and mostly... to just sort myself out.

this past week has been one beautiful day stringed after the next and weeks like this can be hard to come by-- where the weather is perfect and you spend a good chunk out of each day soaking up the sunshine, where you are given an excuse to have drinks with your girlfriends and not feel guilty about it (hello st. patrick's day), and where your social calendar seems the fullest its ever been and so does your heart. who wouldn't want to share such things? it's good to have nothing to complain about, to be in such a good place.

but the words just never came to me.

i'd sit down at my old desk, go through the days' pictures, and my mind would just draw a blank...
5 days went by where not a`one bit of my happiness was shared in this space.

for 5 days i felt defeated by something...

this something that took all the words out of my mouth.

this something that wouldn't let me write our story down.

this something that i kinda mistook for a pain in my butt.

so finally, we arrived at Saturday. On the agenda: a trip to Claytor lake for picnicing, kite flying, and an engagement photo shoot with my old suitemate from college Alison and her fiance, Brian. I had made up my mind that I was going to blog about this -one- day if it was the last thing I did. And not only was I going to blog about it, but the most stunning and beautiful pictures of me and my family on the lake were going to accompany it because that's what kinda entry was due after a whole week of silence.

Boy was I wrong.

You see, halfway up the mountain my entry was written for me...

When this song came on and all the words I was missing made their way to my lips:

The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice, all the earth rejoice
He wraps himself in light, and darkness tries to hide
it trembles at his voice, trembles at his voice

How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, How great is our God

And age to age He stands, and time is in His Hands
Beginning and the End, Beginning and the End
The Godhead, three in one
Father, Spirit, Son
the Lion and the Lamb, the Lion and the Lamb

How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, How great is our God

Name above all names
Worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
how great is our God....

this song might not strike a chord with everyone, but for me... it brings me back to a time where my life was really full. and really full in a different way than it is now. i wasn't a mother or a wife or a photographer or any of the things that i use to define myself now. i was simply a little christian girl who found herself wrapped up in Christ's abounding love... who felt all too much surrounded by her congregation pouring their hearts out to God with this song... who found all the peace and truth in the world at 5 simple words--- how great is our God.

as I said earlier, I get a little bit more frazzled than most and this is my space to sort myself out.
But this weekend, driving up that mountain, I remembered that this life really is not mine to sort out.
I stuck my heart, my mind, and my life back in His hands.
Not that they ever really left completely..
but I found myself wanting to be defined as a Christian above all else.

Yes, Saturday was a beautiful day...
and I was going to blog about it if it was the last thing I did...
and although I don't have any noteworthy pictures to accompany this entry,
I think God has his reasons for everything.

For taking the words away from me to remind me what a full life really consists of,
For putting that song on the radio when He did and having it trigger the memories it does,
For bringing you to this picture-less entry and giving you the will to read through it,
For giving us these 5 simple words to carry along every where we go...

How Great is Our God
<3

school daze

2011-03-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

I have a sweet spot for vintage toddler dresses, it's true. And I must warn you, my vintage dress posts may come a little more rampantly now that the weather is warming up and Haley, who believes herself to be a true princess, doesn't really care to wear much else (though she choses to be naked as a jaybird, first and foremost, haha).

This little number I am sharing with you is Haley's "first day of school dress." Could it be any more fitting? The colors, the plaid, the peter pan collar, the two little pockets in the front that are perfect for stashing erasers, crayon shavings, and other school miscellanies... or for sticking her hands in when she gets nervous and overwhelmed at all the new faces. Ohh, I am completely in love...with everything down to the "love" brand tag.

I think Nick is starting to roll his eyes at my explanations for purchasing certain dresses. I mean, i've ordered sensible things like easter dresses and christmas dresses... but when I tell him things like "this is Haley's baking dress," well, i must confess that somewhere down in my heart even i know that is quite the stretch in justifying a purchase... but really, who could refuse such a fine dress to mark the start of our daughter's education?
Even if it's 6 months away

Not me.

You'll be seeing this little pretty again...
along with an apple, bag lunch, an oversized backpack, and first day of school cheese faces!
And to me, such things are priceless.

===============================

Here are some other vintage pretties that I would love to add to my collection if money were no issue and I had a better reason than "this is Cameron's sunshine dress":

http://www.etsy.com/listing/69204813/vintage-50s60s-yellow-lace-dress-2t
http://www.etsy.com/listing/67336916/girls-vintage-smocked-dress
http://www.etsy.com/listing/56256329/vintage-1960s-autumn-flowers-ruffle
http://www.etsy.com/listing/69818414/vintage-60s-easter-best-smocked-baby

Maybe one of you can find a spot in your closet for them.
(or purchase them before Nick has a reason to smack my hands)
Feel free to tell your husband it's a "sunshine dress"
;)

sweet and slow and sunday

2011-03-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

sunshine on a sunday afternoon sets the stage for spending the afternoon dipping your feet in the cold creek, fishing with willow tree branches for magical golden fish, and ditching the long sleeves and putting on your happiest spring attire.

speaking of spring outfits:
cameron pranced around in a hand-me-down tee and a mama-made skirt and the cutest golden sandals from lindsay. i have a whole pile of old blouses and shirts that are just a'waitin to be transformed into little skirts for my girls because i can't seem to figure out how to make anything else. hmpf. me and betty (my machine) just aren't tight like that yet... but hopefully with this change in weather.... a change in heart (on both of our parts) is coming too.

after today, i am thinking sundays should be 48 hours long.
i believe our souls could always use a little more rest and personally,
its days like this where i am reminded that i already have everything i`ll ever need just by looking at those sweet faces.

a little funshine...

2011-03-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

this saturday brought an afternoon at the park where the universe sent me a hug and a kiss and yet another hug, a tunnel provided a little humor courtesy of static mohawks and the chubbiest peek-a-boo faces, Haley found out that she can jet down the slide on her belly and told me she was a rocketship, and the excitement of it all put Cameron to sleep in a swing...

there's something sweet about the sunshine...
<3

instant gratification

2011-03-10T18:58:00.000-08:00

it's been raining like a cow peein' on a flat rock for the past couple of days,
but despite the ugly weather, i've felt my absolute loveliest.

and although the little flower friend tucked behind my ear is only partially responsible for
these good vibrations, i must make a reccomendation for all of you that have been
feelin' a little blue in the midst of all this rain and mud and yuck:
pin a flower in your hair

its some kind of wonderful. an instant source of happiness.
soaring gas price depression repellent.
sunshine on a rainy day... for real.

and this is coming from a girl that doesn't like to draw attention to her elephant ears
so really, just take my word for it...

shifting mindsets...

2011-03-08T16:17:00.000-08:00

feeling thankful...
for a hard working little miss and her desire to pick me a beautiful bouquet of daffodils
for a chubby baby and the little fountain spouting from the top of her head
for my husband who works outside every day to provide for our family
(and the chill in the air that makes me even more so)
for a moment to breathe in the fresh air while my children explore nature
for baby buds and sprouts and other tiny hints of spring
for the color yellow and the sunshine it brings in 60 degree weather
for my complete denial of the season, even while wearing layers and a wool peacoat
for little red noses and big sneezes that bring me back to my senses

for finding some color in a week that seemed so comfortable in black and white...

what are you thankful for today?

<3

dress me up, buttercup

2011-03-06T10:24:00.000-08:00

Without the rain, There would be no rainbow....

Happiness.
It's something that's been on my mind a lot lately.
Some days it just seems to find me and other days, I have to reach for it.
I mean really really reach for it.
(i used bold and italics here people, i hope you understand the great lengths of my reaching, haha)
I don't like that happiness has become more of a task than a general state of being as of late,
but I suppose in being mom to a 1 year old and a 3 year old, I am pre-destined to go through little bouts of "this".
This being ::: those frustrating, terrible two, can't find a matching sock, no food in the cupboard, daughter spills a bucket of paint and breaks a hazardous CFL light and shampoos her hair with half a bottle of dish soap on the living room floor all in the same day, kind of days.
(yesterday was exactly that)

Today, though particularly gloomy and wet outside, was one of those unexpectedly wonderful days where happiness just seemed to find me-- in the sound of rain, in a peach tea snapple, in a walk down memory lane by way of our sweet vintage dress collection.

Nearly all these little dresses of ours come with a story and memory.... or are a starting point for happy days to come (i've already got the girls fourth of July dresses picked out for this year, if that tells you anything... and finding something to wear always seems to be half the battle if you're a girl, right?)

This little dress took me back to Jed and Haley's sweet photo session and made me want to kiss my husband. Cameron can't fit in it yet, but the idea of Haley wearing something one year and Cameron being able to wear it the next always delights me.

This dress will probably be Cameron's easter dress this year and is also the dress Haley wore to the elementary school when we went to help judge the talent show. The day Haley tried to get on a school bus with the big kids and finally showed a bit of interest in school (or atleast it's fancy big yellow commute).

This is Haley's most favorite dress of all. Her "Cinderella" dress. I can't tell you how many hours she has spent in this dress- twirling around, curtseying, marrying princes and tending to other royal businesses.

And these two little numbers... two of my most favorite of all, were worn for Thanksgiving dinner and graced the front of our christmas card.

Yes, today is one of those days where happiness has just shown up on my front door step all on its own.
Wrapped up in flutter sleeves, polka dots, smocking, ruffles, and gingham...
Be still my heart.

<3

a cubed sugar affair

2011-03-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

today has been an exciting day.
because what could be more exciting than recieving an instant collection of 42 vintage hankies in the mail?
not too many things... if you're me.
haley expressed her wishes for a "tea party" bedroom, so i am setting out to give her just that.
well... maybe after i untie all 42 of these bad boys.
they have yet to be washed or ironed and that's kinda gross when you think about it.
(...they are hankerchiefs)
but, i tend to get carried away when i`m excited...
and excuse things like vintage snot remains and wrinkles.

the next time you're having a bad day (or week in my case)....
i highly suggest fixing yourself a hanky banner.
the colors, the patterns, and the ease of it all is sure to give your heart the mending it needs

<3

yesterday and today...

2011-03-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

on most days, i embrace this very important role of mine-- mama. homemaker. teacher. boo boo kisser.

i've come to love all its demands: hair brushing, story telling, dress up, the abcs and the 123s. i've even found purpose or humor in the not so fun things: potty training, cooking (oh, don't get me started on cooking!) and cleaning, sibling rivalry, rebellious super princesses who refuse to take their naps, and chubby baby hands that get into the cupboard and make a powdery mess of bisquick all over the kitchen floor.

yesterday was not one of those days.

yesterday i found myself wanting to send my kids away and be selfish- get my hair done and make a trip to the tanning bed, go on a long bike ride, have a fling with a random stranger who wasn't home sick on the couch with the flu and shivering his brains out. (haha sorry nick, i love you completely, but your illnesses were not helping my mood)

yesterday, i was so mean to my children. i refused all their requests for chocolate milk, i verbally told cameron that she was a pain in my butt (with different verbiage, if you catch my drift) and the most difficult child i had ever known, and i may have even thrown food across the room out of anger, frustration, and desperation.

no, it wasn't a pretty day in the rakes household. i blamed myself for a lot of things, but that was after taking out all my frustrations on my kids. i felt so much resentment. i felt tired. i felt my absolute ugliest, inside and out. by the end of the day, i felt as if my kids were going to be taken from me because i didn't deserve them and they didn't deserve such an awful mother.

that night, i prayed to God to help me be a better mommy, to be more understanding and patient, to take away some of these horrible and selfish thoughts that were clouding my brain. i prayed for a change in heart.

today, when i woke up, i found Haley sleeping at the end of our bed. she sleeps in her own room and cameron still sleeps with us, but this morning, despite my ugliness toward her yesterday, she still made it into my bed to find rest and comfort at her mommy's feet.

what a gracious gift from God.

what a sweet sight.

what a way to be reminded of my purpose.

but God was not done reminding me of my purpose just yet.
He has quite a way of teaching me a lesson sometimes...
or maybe he was just testing me.

as Haley woke up, sleepy little eyes and the wildest but cutest bed head, she also let out a couple gagging noises and then... yep. out it came. just like that. all over my bed. yellow toddler vomit. happy first day of march, mommy!

and what did i do?

i didn't yell. i didn't cry. i didn't scream.
i held her, i pulled her hair back for her, and i told her it's okay.

i took her downstairs, put water in the tub, and treated her to the warmest most bubbly of baths.

i washed her hair, dried her with a fluffy towel, and stuck her in her favorite color: pink.

i told myself i wasn't going to be selfish.

when mema showed up with chicken noodle soup, crackers, and ginger ale and offered to take the girls off my hands for the day, i told her "no". not because i don't need a personal day, but because today... today especially... my girls needed me, and i needed them too.

we've spent the day loving up on eachother and making up for yesterday's tensions... celebrating the first day of a new month with sidewalk chalk, breakfast in front of the tv, and unlimited tater tots and chocolate milk.

yesterday is history, but it taught me a couple things that i am keeping in my treasure box:

for every super princess that doesn't get their nap in that afternoon, there is a toddler that goes to sleep a few hours early and gives you a couple hours for yourself that night.

for every bisquick mess made on the kitchen floor, there are sweet little powered footprints scattered about and equally sweet handprints on your walls and couch.
(and clean-up really isn't so bad)

for every mother that has an "off" day, there is hope for a better one tomorrow...

Picnik: The Poor Man's Photoshop

2011-02-28T07:54:00.000-08:00

For the past month, I have been using Picnik to edit my pictures as the upgrade to my photoshop software hasn't quite made its way into my hands. And while it doesn't have all the flexibility of photoshop, it really is a powerful and wonderful tool when used correctly.

A lot of people have written and asked about how I process my images, so I decided to create a simple tutorial for those of you that are looking to get the soft, dreamy and slightly pink look (the signature pearlie pink style) to your photos. After you do it once and see how simple it is, you'll want to do it to all your photos... and might just have to check yourself into picniker's rehab.

1. open up picnik.com in your web browser

2. under the home tab, click "Upload" and choose one of your most favorite images for editing.

3. once your upload is complete, your picture will pop up under the edit tab. This is where you will start to work your magic.

4. under the edit tab, click on the "exposure" option

5. bump your exposure up accordingly. i bumped mine up to 38 because i like my photos really soft, but bump yours up to your preference

6. hit the "okay" button

7. you're nearly half way there... now click on the create tab on the top navigation bar

8. you will see a toolbar that has several options (featured, effects, tects, stickers, etc.). Click on the effects tab

9. scroll down to the "tint" option and click on it. clicking this option will turn your entire image completely blue! no worries, we are still on the right track

10. for the tint color choose the pinkish-red tint on the far left, bottom corner

11. this will change your tint from vibrant blues to reds and pinks- but the effect will still be too strong.

12. use the fade option under the "tint" effect to soften the reds and pinks. i've set my fade to 80 percent

13. click the "apply" button

14. you are now left with a beautiful and soft, timeless image

15. click on the save & share option in the top navigation bar and explore your options from there. you can save to your computer, to facebook, to flickr, and numerous other places.

You went from this:

to this:

Pretty magical, huh? And it didn't even cost you a dime...
The best things in life are free, indeed!

Happy Picnikin'!
=========================

If you've enjoyed this tutorial and found it useful, please let me know and pass it along to others. I may offer a few more picnik tutorials in the future if there is enough interest. Also... if you give this a try, please share your results with me by providing a link or tagging me on facebook. I would love to see your lovely new pearlie pink images! :)

a trip to cody creek

2011-02-27T14:25:00.000-08:00

today we field-tripped to dobson, north carolina to eat at one of the area's finest little country haunts, the depot.

it's a special kind of place where the kindest of folks gather after church to help themselves to the most mouth-watering baby back ribs this world's ever known and then continue to wash down the week with a double scoop of icecream at the old general store. and it's quite a sight to behold... old ladies in their sunday best with icecream dripping from their chins. oh, we tried to blend in the best we could... but between my horrible roots and cameron's fascination with the stuffed bears and bobcats that greet you on your way to lunch (how appetizing), we may have left a bit of an impression.

But really, i'll say it again... it's a special kind of place. A place that invites you to take a step back in time and slow down a little, a place where the river runs though and dares you to kick off your shoes and dip your feet in for a bit, a place where people find a smile unexpectedly and you know all the love in the world just by sitting in a gazebo as your kids run laps around an old fountain. A place that makes you appreciate good company, your grandparents (afterall, they are the gracious people that treated you to this lunch), and the magnetic forces of an old mill that have you stopping to kiss your sneeze-y, cough-y, perhaps flu-y husband who will still kiss you, despite your horrible (so horrible you had to mention it twice) roots.

Oh Sunday, if you keep this up, you just may become my most favorite day of the week.

Change...

2011-02-26T11:30:00.000-08:00

It's been one of those mornings. A morning where change is felt in the air and you find yourself letting it in with open windows and tied up curtains. A morning where your bones finally start to feel renewed after a winter of hibernation and layers and doubling up your socks. A morning where little toddler wheels are turning and telling you of their aspirations of a brand new pink bed to sleep in and matching pink walls... an overload of pink you are not quite sure you are ready for, but the fresh air blowing in the window seems to give you a gentle push, "go ahead". A morning where mama's brain seems to have taken the day off so finding joy and comfort in life's everday tasks... the familiar things... is a must. Laundry. Check. Dishes. Check. Vaccuuming. Check. Dusting. Check.

Once upon a time, my Haley-do had the cutest little room. It wasn't entirely perfect and looking back on it there are several things I would have done differently today, but the undeniable truth of it all is... you couldn't help but feel happy while you were in it. The sun always hit it just right and it was the perfect place for playing, dreaming, and being tucked away with a good book. Her old room is in the process of being transformed into my home photography studio and office and we are moving the girls into our old bedroom, the largest room in the house. It'll be a good lesson in sharing and will hopefully reclaim our living room/family room from the toys, blocks, dolls, and dress up clothes that have taken over.

My guiltiest pleasure is spending way too much time browsing home renovation blogs like Young House Love, The Lettered Cottage and Door Sixteen. But who can't resist a good before and after!? Above is the very sad before... so desolate, so green, so promising... and y'all will have to stay tuned for the afters and in-betweens. There's a new chandelier to be added, art to be hung, beds to be made, furniture to be reclaimed... it is going to be a true labor of love.

First on our checklist:
A new paint scheme and a date with the rug doctor!

big girl

2011-02-22T19:40:00.000-08:00

Cameron was taking a nap on the couch, I was in my office working on some pictures and Haley was upstairs bumbling around in her room. When she finally came down, she flashed her freshly polished right hand with the biggest smile on her face. "I did it all by myself!", she exclaimed. Yes puddin pop, you certainly did, you are growing up right before my eyes and it makes me want to hold you tight in my arms and pray that time slows down a little bit. But instead, I will sit you in my lap and help you paint your left hand, grateful that little ladies always need their mommies, at 3 and even still at 25...

for lack of a top hat...

2011-02-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

we're still trying to get better over here. sore throats and stuffy noses all around. we did manage a walk around the block today with a little stop for some soothing flintstone's ice cream and to sit and wave and scream at all the cars and trucks passing by. we were met with some happy waves, weird looks, and the occasional heart-shattering (to a 3 year old) ignore. i don't think my two kids have ever known such excitement! or maybe we've just been cooped up in the house for too long.

that may or may not also be the reason for a picture such as the one above!

Happy President's Day!

ribbit ribbit...

2011-02-15T13:30:00.000-08:00

our super sugary and sweet valentine's day plans have been pushed back until saturday. i woke up with the meanest little frog in my throat that had me coughing up my guts all night and wanting to stay wrapped up, warm, and catching up on my zzz's all day. i was the worst most croakiest valentine ever. i`m afraid that any arrows cupid sent in my direction were broken in two.

i did manage to sneak out for a little bit of vitamin D and wagon pulling and tricycle riding around the block with nick and the girls. we returned to a little package greeting us at our front door. inside: a green floral vintage dress for my girls. i told Haley it was from the royal palace and that Cinderella had sent it to her and wanted her to take good care of it. she was so excited and stripped down immediately to put it on and spin around in it.

today i have found a bit of comfort in puffy sleeves, princess twirls, and the most cheery shade of green.
i hope everyone had the loveliest of days with their sweethearts!
xoxo

soft and sweet, let me hold it close and keep it here with me...

2011-02-13T14:35:00.000-08:00

today gave us the loveliest of weather. it had my heart skipping right to spring and i found myself humming "aeroplane over the sea" on several occassions. that song always brings me a lot of joy-- it surrounds me with thoughts of some of life's best {warm weathered} things: sunkissed cheeks, glass soda pop bottles, tomato sandwiches, laying in the tall grass, whispering secrets to the wind, picking wildflowers and love... in it's sweetest most innocent form. there aren't many songs out there that bring me such peace and contentment. it was the perfect prelude to valentine's day and the finest theme song i could pick for a day spent in sweats (please join me for a bonfire this summer where i liberate myself from such atrocious attire!), munching on girl scout cookies, and soaking up my little ones and a weekend full of friends and happy visits!

What a beautiful face
I have found in this place
That is circling all around the sun
What a beautiful dream
That could flash on the screen
In a blink of an eye and be gone from me
Soft and sweet
Let me hold it close and keep it here with me

And one day we will die
And our ashes will fly
From the aeroplane over the sea
But for now we are young
Let us lay in the sun
And count every beautiful thing we can see
Love to be
In the arms of all I'm keeping here with me

What a curious life
We have found here tonight
There is music that sounds from the street
There are lights in the clouds
Anna's ghost all around
Hear her voice as it's rolling and ringing through me
Soft and sweet
How the notes all bend and reach above the trees

Now, how I remember you
How I would push my fingers through your mouth
To make those muscles move
That made your voice so smooth and sweet
And now we keep where we don't know
All secrets sleep in winter clothes
With one you loved so long ago
Now he don't even know his name

What a beautiful face
I have found in this place
That is circling all around the sun
And when we meet on a cloud
I'll be laughing out loud
I'll be laughing with everyone I see
Can't believe
How strange it is to be anything at all

silver linings...

2011-02-09T16:31:00.000-08:00

It's been one of those weeks when
...you don't get your nap in 2 days in a row because company shows up
...you dress your kids up in the most perfect pink and red ensembles for the valentine's day story-time celebration at the library, but find out that the whole shebang is happening next week
...you get a serious hankering for some apple chips but don't have any parchment paper
...you frantically clean your house because you've got company staying for the weekend and don't want to be too embarrassed
....you make sad faces out of fruit and sigh at the fact that it's come to this

Then you remember to smile because...

...you have friends that love you and want to come see you and their company is a treat
...your kids looked their absolute cutest and everyone enjoyed those heart shaped cookies you brought a week early
...when you slice apples all thin and fancy, they have starry little centers (a treasure you had somehow forgotten about)
...your best friend doesn't really care whether or not your house is perfect and accepts you for the slob you are

...food is amazingly photogenic and cooperative. unlike your kids, who have yet to be photographed in their sweet vintage valentine dresses

piggies in pajamas

2011-02-08T06:49:00.000-08:00

My two little pigs packed up and moved out... to a house made of cardboard! We spent superbowl sunday playing the three little pigs and the big bad wolf, jumping out of windows and opening up doors. The only thing that was missing was my personal super bowl favorite: pigs in a blanket. We're all about keeping with themes over here.

It's definitely the most special of gifts because I was just lamenting over the loss of their old play tent nick and i made them after accidently catching a glimpse of it here. Thank you Kelly and Brandon for making my kids so happy and giving me back a little piece of my heart ;)

Haley loved it so much she decided to camp out in it. I think she woke up feeling completely renewed and a bit grown up.. yet still disappointed at the lack of a campfire. haha. such a silly girl.

my very own pippi....

2011-02-07T06:08:00.000-08:00

this little snot came home to me full of sniffles and smiles and sporting a snazzy new hairdo.
i`m afraid french braids are way over my head... a rite of passage i have yet to pick up on my journey through motherhood. or maybe just womanhood. regardless, i have decided i will not send my girls out into the world without the ability to french braid.

after all, you know what they say...
you never know who's falling in love with your pigtails ;)

squeaky clean

2011-02-06T08:03:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite times with my girls is our after bath time routine. It is a (mostly) every day ritual... Wrapping my girls up in a fluffy towel. Smothering them with baby lotion that smells of lavender. Spraying their hair down with detangler and working through all the little knots and snags. Throwing on a clean set of clothes and kissing their soft cheeks, only to send them off to get all dirty again.

In this little window of time, I am always reminded of what a special gift my children are and what a treasure motherhood truly is! I already savor the chance at getting a whiff of lavender in my older age and being taken back to these very sweet mother/daughter moments just as the scent of honey suckle always brings me back to my childhood days and exploring my big backyard. Such memories! ♥

my little haley-tron

2011-02-04T18:31:00.000-08:00

It's been a friday night full of wii-bowling for the rakes family and i've fallen a bit head over heels for Haley's mii-character! Check out that pink hawaiian bowling tee, matching shoes, and pearlie pink bowling ball and try to tell me you aren't a bit weak in the knees. Nothing gets me quite as much as the slight side pony though. It is so her. In like 14 years of course.

As much as i've swooned over computer-generated haley tonight, computer-generated haley does not do a little victory spin after each and every roll whether she hits any pins or not. Bite-size, real-life, huggable Haley does... and boy does it melt my heart!

PS- what are some good toddler wii games?
anyone know?

guts and glory....

2011-02-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

Today, Haley and I headed to the elementary school to help judge their annual talent show. Who could pass up the opportunity to reward cute kids with red, white, and blue ribbons or watch them stand shakey-kneed in front of the whole school? Not us! They were judged on performance, creativity, props/costume, showmanship, and audience appeal. I got to leave little comments like, "You are a shooting star, keep singing your heart out!" and "You have the best smile!" ...My kinda job! The constructive criticism part kinda threw me though... I think my most constructive comment was, "great outfit... but I think you'd look even snazzier with a bowtie!" and they kinda just went downhill from there if that's possible.

It was quite the show, indeed! By the end of it, all were awarded blue ribbons- the highest you could recieve. I wish I had a picture of something more exciting than my visitors pass, but imagine this if you will: not one, but TWO explosive performances of the song "Dynamite" (one with gymnastics, one with a kid in glasses), a quiet but sweet rendition of selena gomez's "a year without rain", a fancy flag twirlin' routine and some of the loveliest of church hymns sung by the bravest and tallest elementary schoolers I have ever seen. Today definitley reminded me that I am a shrimp! When we left, Haley informed me that the performance that took her breath away was "twinkle twinkle little star" on the recorder. haha.

It's days like this where I can't wait for my little wildcat to start school
and feel particularly grateful for this little county we live in <3

bite size love

2011-02-03T15:08:00.000-08:00

My friend Shannon and I got our two little ones together for a mini love day shoot. They are quite the pair-- complete silence when they are together, but random professions of their love for each other to their mamas while they are apart. Haley must have told me 4x before they got to the house that her prince, Jed, was coming to marry her. And a week or so ago, Jed confessed to his mama that he wasn't just going to kiss Haley on the cheek! Oh my!

We had a bunch of cute things on the agenda: tin can phone calls, sharing a drink: one bottle, two straws, and plastic flower exchanging. After all, when a boy gives you flowers that will never die as a token of his love, you know he means forever.

Although Haley and Jed weren't much for it... we did get a few cute shots of the two.
Let me know if any clever captions or sweet quotes come to mind for these, please!

Love and Marriage:

"If falling in love is anything like learning how to spell, I don't want to do it. It takes too long." -- Glenn, age 7

"Love is like an avalanche where you have to run for your life." -- John, age 9

"Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too." -- Greg, age 8

"One of the people has freckles, and so he finds somebody else who has freckles too." -- Andrew, age 6

"One of you should know how to write a check. Because, even if you have tons of love, there is still going to be a lot of bills." -- Ava, age 8

"A man and a woman promise to go through sickness and illness and diseases together." -- Marlon, age 10

"Love will find you, even if you are trying to hide from it. I been trying to hide from it since I was five, but the girls keep finding me." -- Dave, age 8

Good Advice About Love:

"Spend most of your time loving instead of going to work." -- Dick, age 7

"Tell your wife that she looks pretty even if she looks like a truck!" -- Ricky, age 7

"Don't forget your wife's name. That will mess up the love." -- Erin, age 8

"Sensitivity don't hurt." -- Robbie, age 8

"Be a good kisser. It might make your wife forget that you never take out the trash." -- Erin, age 8

"Don't say you love somebody and then change your mind. Love isn't like picking what movie you want to watch." -- Natalie, age 9

Titles of Love Ballads You Can Sing To Your Loved One:

"'I Love Hamburgers, I Like You!'" -- Eddie, age 6

"'You Are My Darling Even Though You Also Know My Sister.'" -- Larry, age 8

"'I Am In Love With You Most of the Time, But Don't Bother Me When I'm With My Friends.'" -- Bob, age 9

"'How Do I Love Thee When You're Always Picking Your Nose?'" -- Arnold, age 10

"'Honey, I Got Your Curly Hair and Your Nintendo On My Mind.'" -- Sharon, age 9

"'Hey, Baby, I Don't Like Girls, But I'm Willing To Forget You Are One!'" -- Will, age 7

my punxsutawney punx

2011-02-02T14:09:00.000-08:00

happy groundhog day!

in celebration of an early spring, and because i don't know the first thing about paper groundhog construction, the little ladies and i opted for a simpler project and made some pretty flowers out of scrap paper. we also pranced around in fluttery spring dresses and our signature bows and didn't bother with socks. such spring chickens, we are!

we headed outside with hopes of doodling up a sidewalk chalk storm, but were reminded that it is still winter when we were met with 9234802 mph winds blowing our skirts up. (hello cute baby bloomers on screaming toddler, you give me such smiles!) i think we'll be okay though... while sidewalk chalk is fun, it is unmatched by the thrill of peeling dried up glue off your fingers.

a couple of our other little projects are floating around the web. check them out here, here, and here and enjoy all the other sweet valentine crafts.

doe a deer...

2011-02-01T15:03:00.000-08:00

our often scarce, somewhat munchy neighbors came out for a bit today...
i suppose they have taken a bit of a fancy to february already, too.

for haley and cameron, there is nothing quite as magical as "reindeer" watching.

60 minutes with miss priss...

2011-02-01T09:12:00.000-08:00

haley is off at her weekly story time gathering so I thought i'd share what an hour in the life of cameron mae includes:

a grand bubble bath fit for a princess and her toy horses and a tub all to yourself, an orange polka dotted hair bow paired with a striped pillowcase dress because when you're this cute it's allowed, a matching orange popsicle to tie your outfit together and kick away these rainy day blues, three trips to the potty (two false alarms), a couple temper tantrums for good measure (one over oatmeal, of all things!), coloring at your mommy's desk and pushing all the buttons on the computer because breaking something is your daily (perhaps hourly) destiny, one shoe on and one shoe off and a barebutt underneath it all cause that's how you roll, and last but not least, a tea cup full of goldfish for a touch of class...

hello february, you are off to a fine start!
...although i did send haley to story time without a bath. whoops.

a smoochy sun-day...

2011-01-30T20:28:00.000-08:00

today's 60 degree weather had us all in the kissiest of moods.

we headed to north carolina to seize the sunshine and the quaint historic district of old salem. i had an engagement session with a sweet and smoochy couple and the girls had a date with their daddy at the children's museum.

i hated that i couldn't be with my little polka-dotted bandits on their great adventure, but since the girls stay home with me every day, quality time out with their daddy is key. plus, i can't tell you how wonderful it is to chat with people that can pronounce their r's and k's... or how good it is to be back in the company of those who can't after an afternoon apart.

i've spent my night editing pictures and having a good laugh and a good cry with my sister in law. if i had the energy, the perfect ending to this smoochy sunday would be a good makeout session with my husband.

realistically, a heavy duty face plant into my pillow is about all i have left in me.
i hope your sunday was just as sweet...
good night <3

be mine...

2011-01-29T12:10:00.000-08:00

i love a good ole dose of cheesey every now and again...

thank goodness valentine's day allows for such behavior!

happy weekend, love bugs!

this little piggy had a poor paint job...

2011-01-27T07:38:00.000-08:00

i hope you are laughing rather than gagging. i know some people have a problem with feet so i debated not posting this entry for that reason (i am the thoughtful type, you see) ...but this set of poorly painted piggies comes with a sweet story.

last night, while haley and i were miserable on the couch, cameron got ahold of the fingernail polish. she came up to me saying "paint paint paint" but i told her i didn't feel well and sent her on her way. she's a very smart girl and knows that when mommy says "no" she can use those cloud-like cheeks and baby blues to sucker in daddy.

while the outcome isn't the prettiest, i can appreciate the gesture and the happiness that followed it. nick sure did try, cameron's wishes were granted and i have another reason to laugh/yell at and (secretly) adore my husband. we're all winners over here.

i do apologize for the lack of thrilling updates as of late: feet, puke, and bare butted toddlers... haha. thanks for hanging around. <3

home sweet couch potatoes

2011-01-26T11:32:00.000-08:00

it never fails... every year around the time american idol comes back on air, my family is struck by the ugliest stomach bug. I won't go into much detail, but I do remember last year this virus was nicknamed, "pants on the ground". If you are an american idol fan true and through, you know exactly what i'm talking about. if you are not... well, neither are we (no cable over here), but i am sure you get the gist of things...

haley is presently camping out on the couch with her gatorade mustache and watching back to back cartoons. i decided to home-y up the place for her by adding the dream catcher she made at storytime yesterday, some valentines, and a picture cameron drew for her... a little wall of happy things to nod off to as she falls asleep. it's the little things that pull us through, right?

not pictured: fancy schmancy puke bowl, endless fruit snacks and wrappers on the floor, piles of crayons and coloring books, miles and miles of mommy magazines scattered about, every toy and piece of clothing we own, a destructive 1 year old tearing up the place and her "scotch tape incident" i hardly have the energy to tackle.

lord help us, it's been a long week and it's only wednesday!

greetings from her porcelain throne...

2011-01-25T08:31:00.000-08:00

toilet scenes should definitley be done in black and white. it adds a touch of class where it might not otherwise exist... and classy is just what my littlest princess is as she waits patiently on number 2 while working on a valentine. okay, maybe not classy... but productive at the least and certainly cute as punch!

next thing to check off our sick list: homemade juice popsicles

hearts on a string...

2011-01-24T10:37:00.000-08:00

my littlest hokie is sick and hurting and feverish. she has an ugly stomach bug that is making her all pukey and sour faced. haley and i, believing in the healing powers of googly-eyes and paper heart doilies, decided to make her some early valentine's in hopes of bringing a smile to her face. they too, have upset tummies... if you can't tell by the faces haley drew on them. haha.

feel better soon, my stinky little girl!

DIY lace-up cards: an unnecessary tutorial

2011-01-23T14:20:00.000-08:00

After seeing these sweet lace-up valentine's by moda fabrics, I was inspired to make my own version. I know you guys are brilliant and could probably figure this little craft out on your own... but since I like any excuse to number things and take pictures that involve hearts, the color red, and accomplished little toddler fingers... please just pardon me.

===========================================================

materials:
- vintage valentines
(i reccomend these stickers over at gigglesparkle. but there are plenty of free images available for print over the internet)
- thick computer paper
- scissors
- hole punch
- string, yarn, or ribbon (gingham if you want to get fancy)

1. pull out your camera, you are going to want to take pictures of these cute vintage valentine's scattered about the floor. these are the good things in life, my friend... embrace them!

2. take a few moments to laugh at the cheesey puns on them and wish you were half as clever.

3. take a few moments to laugh at yourself. you are not 3 years old, but boy are you are super excited about this little project!

3. pick out 3 or 4 valentine's and adhere them to a thick sheet of computer paper. make sure they are spaced apart well for easy cutting.

4. leaving a decent sized border, cut neatly around them

5. turn your freshly plump valentine's over so the graphic doesn't show. i found this easier, you don't worry so much about hole-punching their lights out.

6. punch holes around the perimeter of each valentine

7. ignore the fact that your holes are unevenly spaced and rejoice in the fact that no one was injured during your hole punching extravagazna

8. using yarn, ribbon, or shoe strings, lace those babies up!

9. get your cheese on!! you did it!!!

10. last but not least, stash all your fancy laced up valentine's aside. it is still january, afterall.

===========================================================

additional objectives:

+ following directions. tell your child to skip a hole or two while lacing
+ counting. have your child count how many holes are left every few stitches

Happy Lacing!

xoxo

c is for cookie...

2011-01-20T15:31:00.000-08:00

I swear we do more than bake cookies in this household. Although, these pictures coupled with Cameron's sweet round face may lead you to believe otherwise. We're tricky like that.

This little baking bout was brought on by a craving for funfetti icecream sandwiches that could not be ignored. two of my favorite things combined in one delicacy? bring it on! the sandwiches are currently settling in the freezer and we've been munchin' away on the worm family haley rolled out for us. She told me that there is a daddy worm, mommy worm, "me" (her) worm, and baby worm (cameron, i assume). She thought she was so clever, I couldn't help but laugh.

Sadly, they didn't keep their wormish figures after baking. However, momma worm has curves and a sweet tan, so i'm not complaining.

Clean-up was particularly endearing today. Tippy toes and two sisters, joined at the hip... or at least the pictures make it appear so.

There always seems to be a bit of heartbreak during our baking sessions

...but nothing that can't be fixed with a cup of milk as big as one's head.

Thursday, you were kind to me! Let's carry this onto the weekend, shall we?

sometimes you're the dog...

2011-01-20T07:06:00.000-08:00

sometimes you're the tree...

happy things pulling me through this week:

+ the scent of detangler and brushing my daughters' hair. its such a mother/daughter bonding moment, its meditative, and its a memory and smell i will keep in my back pocket to pull out when i`m 74.

+ a sick husband who needs a good reminder every now and again that he is not invincible

+ lemonade and icecream in the winter time. we are totally boycotting winter over here. it should also be noted: waffle bowls are one fantastic invention.

+ upcoming date with Nick on Friday. just the two of us! (:

+ endless sheet-tent making and sweet sleeping in the big girl bed

+ imaginary fishing off the steps with homemade poles of ribbon and sticks

+ silly talks of the "snow monster" and Haley repeatedly telling me "he can't get us, the heater will melt him" and that he is "too big for this house". haha, her imagination works a mile a minute.

+ Cameron always walking around bare-butted with her blanket in hand. its an attachment Haley never had that I truly cherish about my littlest miss.

+ matching pink toenails for mommy and the girls... with sparkles! i feel 12 again.

i'll be back in the groove of things soon. tax-filing week has me up to my head in receipts, numbers, and other business nonsense thst must be taken care of. this is definitely the less glamorous side of self employment.

love the girl who holds the world in a paper cup...

2011-01-11T15:01:00.000-08:00

nick and i completed our first e-trade this morning! i feel super nerdy and accomplished and might even let out a couple snorts before the day's end. thoughts of digital trading, shares, earnings and investment make me feel somewhat sophisticated and adult-like, but mostly just needy and desperate. maybe i will buy a cute houndstooth briefcase and thick rimmed glasses with some of our loot so i can really play the part, or maybe just settle for those mustache bandages i've been coveting. yea, that sounds more like it, especially since e-trade isn't sending me any goodies for taking such a grown-up chance. the. stock. market! a sticker or magnet would be nice.

the other half of my morning was spent hanging my head in shame after googling ways to fancy up ramen noodles. after we get through this little bump in the road, i am vowing never to buy those college kid noodles ever again.

thank god for old shirley temple movies, capri-sun drinking, bare bottom tricycle riding and the wonders they work on this heavy heart. and thank god for ramen noodles, too... i suppose.

perfectly imperfect

2011-01-10T12:23:00.000-08:00

i've had this batch of gingerbread mix sitting in my cupboard since november. i had hoped to make these way before christmas, but life never handed me a stick of unsalted butter. ugh. stick form butter, you are not my friend. this morning, after watching my daughters play for a good half hour on a train fashioned from a step stool and an old wine crate, i was reminded of a little truth i know in my heart and mind, but don't always let resonate in my life... it's not all about perfection, it's about making a memory. it's not all about perfection, it's about having fun. it's not all about perfection, its about being happy with what you have. okay, that's three truths... it seems these little girls of mine have a record of giving me more than i bargained for. so with that in mind, we gathered at the kitchen table and made the most perfectly imperfect gingerbread cookies that ever were. we used 10-15 fistfuls of flour because there is no such thing as a "light sprinkling" in this house, we melted the tub butter instead of softening it, and we even broke out the heart shaped cookie cutters before valentine's day. and you know what else?? haley and cameron thought they were just DE-LIC-I-OUS!

life may not have graced me with the butter, but i'll happily take a bowl full of the goodness served up in my kitchen this afternoon in exchange...

and maybe a nap too, because after partaking in such rebellious baking and cookie eating, this mama is tired!

Oink Oink

2011-01-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

Our little town is covered by a blanket of snow and things are nice and slow around these parts. The only thing that seems to be missing is the quiet factor, but that is quite alright with me. Its just past noon and we are still sporting bed head and our sleeping clothes (Haley not so much) and have had a morning of sipping warm drinks and checking email and eating out of season fruits and turning eachother into various things with our paintbrush magic wands. I was dorothy, a duck and a pig all within a minute's span. Such active little minds and imaginations my two little ladies have. Cameron can't quite talk but her version of abracadabra ("aaaaaaaaaaahh-dabwa") is so cute and the way she puts her whole body into waving that wand is quite a sight. I'm suprised no one has lost an eye yet!

I love mornings spent like this. Even as a pig.

twinkle twinkle little star...

2011-01-03T19:45:00.000-08:00

Oh Haley, you are three and thriving and I want to bottle up your sunshine and laugh and carry it in my pocket, always. What would I do without you these days? They have been so hard and trying for a multitude of reasons, but atleast they aren't empty. You are pure comic relief in a house where stresses and bills and worries and laundry seem to pile up and take over. You are superhero capes made of scrap fabric, a baby lion's roar in footed pajamas, princess crowns constructed of old headbands, and a sassy model compliments of size 6 heels that even i am not brave enough to wear. You are independent and funny and the best little helper. You are a cup of hot cocoa and a bowl full of macaroni and cheese served with a huge heaping of imagination and a side of chipped nail polish. You are "the wheels on the bus" and "oh, christmas tree" with a whole lot of missing words but a whole lot of heart. You are a bunch of "why's" and a little bit of a tattle tale... but i'll let it slide because you are a still a wonderful big sister.

You are my shooting star (with a food baby)... and i cherish you so! <3

2011-01-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

xoxo,

the rakes family

peace out, 2010

2010-12-29T07:38:00.000-08:00

dear 2010,

i never thought i'd say this, but i am so happy to see you go. you were a year of trials and tests and broken appliances and broken hearts. i know that sometimes God breaks us down so he can build us back up, but sometimes it felt like you gave me a lot more than my little heart could handle and i am still getting over it. i am holding a bit of a grudge, oh yes i am. i entered you wanting to be full of gratitude and i leave you just grateful i survived.

i am determined to leave you and your drama in the past and only bringing with me the things i cherish about you most: oversized high heeled shoes, big hair bows and an array of princess dresses, a dramatic but funny toddler with a arm-chair horse named "princess", days singing and playing in the rain and bums (and a couch) full of play sand, a round bellied one year old who tells her poops "bye bye" and has a pair of cheeks that can turn your whole day around, a chance at a new career and the open arms and encouragement of my best friends and complete strangers, many a front yard picnic breakfast, bird and "reindeer" watching and the peace and quiet contentment they bring, a sweet little puppy to grow with our family, and last but not least, a smelly husband with bad taste in music but a heart so big for his kids and a desire to find faith and love that he didn't know before.

sweet and sticky

2010-12-28T12:57:00.000-08:00

haley, cameron and i made some playdough today. courtesy of this recipe.

in true cameron style, the majority of our project ended up in her hair and on her clothes and face.

in true cameron style, she also illustrated the dual meaning "rubberband wrists."

that girl! ♥

a little pearl

2010-12-27T12:44:00.000-08:00

pink (adj): the color of sweetness. the very best dreams. cotton candy. ballerina tutus. pretty princess crowns. all my heart's wishes... ♥