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david and chad playing guitar.

sunshine and a very cold breeze at the park.

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starbucks break

reading stories on the top bunk

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the most beautiful sandcake i’ve ever seen

shoes and toys and lots of laughing

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the kids had sooo much fun running and playing and pretending.  they didn’t want to say goodbye.  the adults had lots of time to catch up and talk and dream together.  sarah and chad shared their story on sunday and it was real and honest and beautiful.

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i was a little worried about making our guests comfortable.  our house is small and i didn’t have a lot of time to clean as well as i would have liked.  then i remembered our guests are also our dear friends, and they don’t mind a mattress on the floor or a stack of papers near the phone.  i doubt they would notice if i dusted my bookshelves or cleaned out my fridge.  and because i didn’t spend a lot of time cleaning and tidying, i didn’t worry about the toys strewn all over the house or the sand and leaves the kids tracked inside.  i think our friends were more comfortable in an imperfect home with relaxed hosts.  do you enjoy having overnight guests?  how do you make friends feel welcome?

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and tomorrow i’ve got a new design to show you!!

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with this amazing couple.  playing guitar, building sandcakes, eating burgers, running into the incredible hulk while shopping downtown and generally just soaking up this time together.

are you enjoying your weekend?

i’m really soaking up fall BUT…i’m really ready to put up my christmas tree.

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does that make me a bad person??

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do you see the bumblebee in that first pic?  what luck!

and even more good luck with this new {to me} typewriter.

we’ve been having so much fun with it.  $15 at my favorite thrift store.

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looking for inspiration?  sarah and her husband chad will be speaking at our church on sunday.  their story is an amazing one.  you’ll be inspired by their love for each other, their journey of forgiveness and most of all their firsthand experience of God’s grace. haven’t read her story?  you can find it here.

*Join us*

Sunday, November 14, 2009

Grace Church, San Luis Obispo, CA

10:45am in the ministry center

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pretty pics, a fabulous find and a super fun new design coming soon.

i’m buzzing with inspiration today!  are you??

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i love letterpress.  the thick paper, the texture, the muted colors, the amazingly creative designs.

i  get seriously inspired by vintage letterpress.

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my friend becky and her husband, troy, bought a vintage letterpress machine and they crank out the most. amazing. art.  they gave me a demonstartion of how to letterpress a while back and i was drooling.  the creative process is labor intensive and beautiful.  the product is definitely something unique and special.  they make our business cards.  they make beautiful holdiday cards.

oh, and they make the most delicious wedding invitations…

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here’s becky with her daughter emma.  aren’t they darling?  there is so much waiting and grace and abundant blessing behind this picture.  you’ll have to go over to becky’s blog to learn more.

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now, go get inspired at her website and her blog.

i recently brought home this dress from melanie renee.  i love this dress.  i mean, i seriously fell in love with it.  i met melanie at a local show and was so impressed with her craft.  at $148 it’s just a bit more than i would usually pay, but, i’m pretty sure i can justify the cost (hehe).  it’s a versatile dress so i put together two outfits.  i’ll be wearing this beauty to more than one holiday gathering.

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the first way…

this is exactly how i thought of the dress when i first saw it.  the perfect brown leather boots and layered with a sweater.  the scarf and silk flower dress it up a bit more.

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this outfit is so comfortable.  it really feels like ‘me’.  love it.

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i’ve been wearing these boots pretty much every day.  this outfit is casual and fun enough for lunch with girlfriends, but i’d also wear it to a casual holiday party.

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okay, the second way.  i had to think outside of my box for this outfit, but i ended up loving it.

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i added grey tights and t-strap mary janes.  over the top a black cardigan and deep red scarf.  i thought the red in the scarf made the whole outfit feel more ‘holiday’.  i think this version is a bit more dressed up.

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this outfit is so comfortable, too.  and tights really flatter the dress.

which outfit do you like better? aqua with boots or red scarf with t-straps?

looking for a holiday dress?

you’ll find this one here.

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other sources…

brown leather boots, frye

aqua cardigan, old navy

cream knit scarf, kelly mccaleb

pink silk flower pin, darlybird

grey tights, anthropologie

black t-straps, aldo

black cardigan, target

deep red scarf, target

black flower clip, salon luxe

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hello new week

hello fresh start

hello hot coffee

hello school

hello errands

hello thrifting with my mom

hello emails

hello grocery shopping

hello plumber (ugh!)

hello afternoon cartoons

hello monday

we’ve got lots to do!

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what’s waiting for you on this monday??

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i can’t wrap my mind around the fact that it’s november 6th.  it seems like yesterday it was august.  but the boys are adjusted to their new classrooms and we have a good morning routine before school established.  i don’t want to startle you, but thanksgiving is less than three weeks away.  I KNOW, crazy.  and we won’t talk about how fast christmas is coming.

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thank you, THANK you for sharing your inspiration and your hearts with me.  You’re all so encouraging.

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our winner for the aqua goodies is MELANIE!! melanie, send me your customization for the petite crest and your shipping address!!

weekend delights…crunching leaves, hot coffee, family photo (christmas card time!), maybe a movie?  what does your weekend hold?

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I was sharing with a friend yesterday how broken i was when david was born.  i remember sobbing with steve in my hospital room.  life was over, and i would never experience joy again.  i looked out the window of my hospital room and noticed a huge oak tree.  we had driven by that oak tree every time we went to lamaze classes, every time we had a doctor visit and the day i was admitted to the hospital.  it seemed so strange to see that oak tree standing there.  the world had crumbled around me–how could that oak tree still be standing there?  grief enveloped us.  i couldn’t pretend to be okay.  i existed in a state of numbness and pain.  nothing made sense anymore.  a minute lasted an hour and a week felt like a year.

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looking back, it’s amazing how different i feel today.  david has brought us so much joy.  he fills my heart with love and gratitude.  during that time, no one could tell me “it will be okay, you’ll find joy”.  i had to walk through the sorrow.  i had to heal in my own time.  i had to fall in love with david and learn that, sometimes,  joy comes from the unexpected.  there are moments, days, where i still grieve david’s missing fingers or medical issues.  there are days i wish he could run and play like his brother.  but reflecting back, i can confidently say, the joy far outweighs the pain.