Archive for December, 2011

one little word

December 30th | blog friends, inspiration

Can you believe it’s almost 2012?! Wow!

Which means it’s that time again. We are teaming up with the amazing Ali Edwards to inspire you and to finding meaning every day in 2012! You can read more about Ali’s one little word online class here! It’s going to be amazing.

My word this year is ‘cherish’. I want to soak up the moment I am IN and slow down a bit. I want to take more pictures and snuggle longer. I want to enjoy my family and let go of my to do list.

Check out our new word of the year necklace here. It’s the perfect piece to keep around your necklace to remind you about what’s important. Use coupon onelittleword for 15% off! Hurry, coupon expires Monday, January 2nd at midnight PST.

Are you choosing a new word for 2012? Share your word with us and tell us why it’s meaningful!

looking back on 2011

December 29th | events

January.

In January we kicked off a new year by visiting Legoland for the first time. Matthias loves legos and he was in lego heaven! And much of lego land is geared toward smaller kiddos–so David loved it too!

February.

Adoption was our theme for February and my twin sister shared her adoption story. It’s a truly beautiful story of how God worked to bring my amazing nieces into our family. You can read all four chapters here.

March.

In March we launched our home decor line. I was incredibly excited to expand our line in this new way–and you all have been so supportive and excited alongside. Thank you!

April.

in April, Matthias learned to ride a bike. you can watch the seriously hilarious video here.

May.

In May I reflected on four things my mother taught me, some beautiful things. You can read the post here.

June.

Steve and I flew to Seattle because I was speaking at a conference. And it turned out to be a magical, much needed getaway for us. Mmmm, I hope we can go back soon!

July.

We borrowed an adorable trailer went camping with a big group of friends and had a blast! The kids were filthy dirty all weekend and we ate tons of delicious camping food. Good times.

 August.

This was big–we flew across the pond to visit cousins in England. It was such a sweet time of bonding and exploring a new place. The boys did great and we fell in love with our family over there. I miss them every day.

Septemeber.

Steve and I had the incredible opportunity to attend the movie premiere of Machine Gun Preacher in LA with Gerard Butler. We created a necklace to raise money for orphans in the Sudan. We were thrilled to be involved in this project.

October.

Photos photos and more photos! We spent days shooting all new photos in preparation for the launch of our new website. The whole project was so much work–involving some very talented and creative people. And i love the new website. Our team rocks!

November.

This month felt so good and so hard. David made some huge strides developmentally {climbing stairs, climbing onto tables} which made my heart sing and my mind race. I wore myself out trying to keep him safe all the time and worrying about what he would do next. We’ve been adjusting our home to make it more David-safe. I’m also trying to relax and let him try new things. And here and there making time to sneak away with my sister and recharge. Time with her feeds my soul. So good.

December.

December brought the sweetest time of the year and time to reflect on our Savior’s birth. We celebrated with family in Omaha and enjoyed the chilly weather and lazy days. It also brings one pretty amazing year to a close.

Wow, looking back it’s been a HUGE year filled with so many blessings. And I can’t believe how much my boys have grown. It makes me feel nostalgic and even a little sad. Time goes to quickly! I want to remember to be present in each moment and to take lots of pictures.

What were a couple of your highlights from 2011? Please share!

 

what i wore wednesday

December 28th | what i wore wednesdays

I’m linking up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy for some fashion inspiration.  Since it’s the end of the year {and I didn’t take any pics this week} I thought it would be fun to recap some of my favorite outfits from the last year. I can see how my style has changed a bit–even over the last year. And since I’ve lost a few pounds I am a little more comfortable in my own skin.

sweater, wedges, both target. jeans, anthropologie. tunic, tjmaxx.

dress, sundance. cardigan, gift. boots, anthropologie. necklace, allora handmade.

dress, wedges, both target. jeans, anthropolgie.

dress, sundance. cardi, tights, both target. boots, anthropologie. scarf, world market.

sweater, target. black top, banana republic. jeans, gap. boots, jessica simpson. jewelry, my shop.

this outfit was purchased in england this summer. boots, anthropologie. flower brooch, gilded life.

scarf, jacket, both target. jeans, gap. vintage boots, ruby rose.

ruffle dress, boots, both anthropologe. cardi, target. necklace, allora handmade.

dress, skinny jeans, both target. sandals, old navy. belt, anthropologie.

dress, old navy. jeans, anthropologie. necklace, allora handmade, shoes, ambiance.

vest, shoes, both target. white shirt, jeans, both anthropologie.

Apparently I love to mix high-end {anthropologie} with low-end {target} and add in some handmade and vintage. I love accessorizing and I love layering. I love dresses and boots. And I’ve worn those anthropologie jeans {AG stevie} so much they are about to fall apart. It might be time to invest in a new pair.

This year I want to wear lots of dresses, boots and lots of color! Do you have any fresh fashion ideas for 2012?

fall in love

December 27th | inspiration

Remember the fall in love workshop I told you about a while back? It was such a sweet, magical time to get to know some amazing women and get inspired. The workshop was created by Cameron Ingalls and I was thrilled to be involved and do the styling for a couple inspirational photo shoots.

You can see images from the shoots here and here. Seriously incredible.

Want to get inspired? Watch this video by Joel Vanz…

Cameron Ingalls – Fall in Love Workshop from Joel VanZ on Vimeo.

Models, Megan and Mason

Hair and makeup, The Queen Bees

Flowers, Adornments

Hair piece, La Boheme

Venue, Flying Caballos Ranch

Props and Styling, Lisa Leonard Designs and Ruby Rose

hello merry {link up}

December 26th | adventures, family, hello monday

 We’ve had such a relaxing time with family in Omaha. We’ve done a good amount of lying around, watching movies, playing video games and eating delicious food. We also made it out to the Omaha zoo–which was fabulous!

hello trees ready to bud {you’re going to have to wait a few months}

hello brothers checking out the turtles

hello family and cousins that are getting so old {the oldest even babysits!}

hello sunny skies and no snow in the forecast. but we did find a snowy patch of ground and had fun!

hello shadows holding hands

hello lazy leopard. we’ve been lazy just like you.

hello christmas morning with lots of gifts and a wrapping paper explosion

hello monday! i’ve completely lost track of time since we are away–but i’m pretty sure it’s the beginning of a new week! and almost the beginning of a new year.

what are you saying hello to today? link up in the comments section and let us know!

Merry Christmas!

December 23rd | family

Our friends Cameron and Anna Ingalls shot family pictures for us a couple months ago. We met at Flying Caballos and spent a half hour together–they make picture taking easy and fun. We love you Cameron and Anna {and Asher too!}

Things will be a little quiet around here for the next few days while we relax with family and enjoy Christmas.

We wish you peace, joy and lots of love.  Merry Christmas, from the Leonards

what i wore wednesday

December 21st | what i wore wednesdays

It’s Wednesday and I’m linking up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy for some fashion inspiration!

David has been my shadow lately. If I’m not holding him, I’m probably about to trip over him. He’s not sick, he’s just extra snuggly–and I don’t mind at all. Above, dress, target. Boots, Anthropologie. Denim Jacket, Old Navy. Scarf, World Market. Bracelet, my shop.This seriously has to be one of the most comfortable outfits ever. The flowy top and drapey sweater over it were both found on clearance at Target last week. I bought the flowy top in an extra large since I knew i wanted to pair them together. Wedges, also Target. Jeans, AG jeans from Anthropologie. Scarf, local boutique.

Christmas is only 4 days away! Are you ready?

so exciting–press!

December 20th | found here & there

 We had some super press lately–and I want to share it with you. Every time I see our products in print, it’s surreal and so fun.

Pregnancy and Newborn Magazine featured our pennant banner with the word PEACE in their December issue. I love this magazine. I read it every month when my kids were babies.

Daily Candy Kids featured our whimisical bubble wand in their gift guide–we are so honored!

Elisabetta Canalis was photographed wearing our tiny twig necklace. She is best known for her role on Dancing with the Stars and her relationship with George Clooney.

Georgia Family Magazine featured our itty bitty hearts necklace in their holiday shopping guide. They chose some fabulous gifts–and we were thrilled to be included!

Dallas Christian Family featured our grateful tags in their November issue.  The issue was focused on adoption–something we are very passionate about!

Wedding Essentials Magazine featured our two hearts become one cake topper. This is a gorgeous magazine filled with creative ideas.

Canadian Family Magazine featured our pewter fairy wand in an adorable spread with lots of fun toys. See that little cutie on the right?

And Baby Couture Magazine featured a huge, full page feature of our pewter fairy wand. I love this magazine–it super hip and fun.

Phew-crazy! We are so honored by all this press. But the best press? When you wear our jewelry and chat about us with friends or the person next to you in line at the grocery store. Word of mouth is far and away our best press–and we are grateful. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

hello monday {link up!}

December 19th | hello monday

Hello time with cousins!

Hello early Christmas celebration and getting to open gifts

Hello Universal Studios and playing all day

Hello Spongebob who sneaked up behind Matthias and surprised him. So funny!

Hello being back home and our big push to get the last orders in the mail

Hello winter break and lazy mornings {for the kiddos}

Hello laundry and tidying the house before we leave for Omaha {can’t wait!!}

Hello more gifts to wrap

Hello packing lots of warm clothes

Hello Monday! It’s Christmas week–and we are so excited!

What are you saying hello to on this brand new December morning? Link up in the comments section and let us know!

friday love {instagram}

December 16th | instagram

i’m linking up with jeannett from life rearranged to share phone pics from the week. join us!

This week Steve and I hung out in Matthias’ classroom. He read ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ and then we painted clay ornaments I had made. Steve is a really good reader. When I read to the boys they say, ‘you’re not doing it right’.  So I leave the reading to Steve. We had a great time in the classroom and the kids loved it.

I loved the kids’ creativity and how they took the ornaments from plaint to spectacular!

We’ve had some rain this week which means we can pull out our boots. I die over David’s new boots. So tiny and cute!

I love the rain, especially when I’m inside with a cozy blanket and fire.

Getting ready for our LLD Christmas party. It was so fun!

To get my iphone to take a blurry pic, my friend Christan {also our business manager} held up his hand in the foreground and I focused on it. Then he moved his hand right before I snapped the pic.

Our neighbor’s home is completely covered in lights. Seriously this picture doesn’t even do it justice. It’s like a gingerbread house–crazy gingerbread!

These chips are so good. Thank you Chad for introducing me to them. Wait, no thank you–because I can’t stop! I blame you, Chad!

Last night’s twilight was magical. It rained on and off yesterday and there was such a beautiful yellow glow.

This weekend we head to Southern California to see family and celebrate and early Christmas! We can’t wait! What are your weekend plans?