h54f!!

it's friday! and what a GOOD friday, it is! i'm so excited for this weekend and to spend time with my dear family and remembering the ultimate price that jesus paid for ME! what a blessing! i'm linking up with lauren at from my grey desk to give you my top 5 favs of this past week! feel free to link up!!!

5. there have been all sorts of stuff floating around facebook and twitter regarding same sex marriage. so, when i see something like this that just brings light to all the arguing and opinionated posts, i find it SO funny!!! i mean... try and tell me this isn't funny!

4. holden is still having rough nights. it isn't necessarily EVERY night like it was a week ago, but it's about every other night. grant has been amazing and will get up with him if i need him to (like at 7am this morning when i think i had slept a total of maybe 3 hours. oy). parenthood is not for the faint of heart, my friends! i do, however, love that he is becoming SO interactive. his memory is out of this world and he is recognizing all sorts of things. seems like he has new syllables flying out of his mouth each day, too. being a mama is by far the best job i've ever had!

3. in case you've been living under a rock, justin timberlake released a new album a week or two ago. i didn't realize it was on spotify until just recently and have been jammin nonstop. he is so, so, so talented. lovin 'mirrors' at the moment!

2. i have a whole section of my heart devoted to fresh flowers. and i'm so not kidding!!! i was at the grocery store yesterday and picked up a couple bushels of fresh tulips! and they were only $2.99! woohoo! one of my fav places to keep fresh flowers is in a bathroom... especially if the bathroom doesn't have a window! seriously-try it! it brightens up what could seem to be a boring and dull room. 

1. holden's fav thing these days is giving hugs. to everything. it's ridiculously adorable. here he's hugging the blanket. so far, i think 17 mos is my fav age... and i feel anxious putting that out there!!! it really is just an awesome stage and he's my number 1 right now (well, and always... but especially this week!)!

if you don't already, you should link up with lauren & i to share the top moments of your week! it really has helped me find good even in a sleepless night-filled week! :)

the dreaded hair rut.

we've all been there. trying to grow our hair out, you get sick of growing your hair out, you contemplate cutting it, resist the urge, finally hair is grown out and then you're sick of it. that's where I'm at. I've been growing my hair out for well over 2 years. it's still not long long, but it's longish. only problem is I've got really thin hair and long hair isn't really the best style for me. totally lame since I love curling my hair or throwing it up in a pony or messy bun. yes... you can still do that with, say, shoulder length hair, but then you have to worry about the whole 'hair hits shoulders and flips out' ordeal. and lord knows ain't nobody got time for that! ha

so... i had a hair appt scheduled for this week and rescheduled it because the time no longer worked, BUT... I was secretly so unsure what I wanted to do and needed more time to think about it.

do I chop it off and rock a summer bob?
do I get a good, hefty trim and go crazy w the highlights?
do I bring back some sort of bangs (even though I've been growing those babies out, too)?

so many options. I've been perusing my trusty pinterest for some inspiration and ideas. there's one thing that's for certain... I'm over ombré like I'm over my baby not sleeping through the night. I have never understood the appeal of coloring your hair to make it look like you can't afford to color your hair. I digress...

here's some cuts/colors that have caught my eye:

I'm always a big fan of reese's hair. I feel like this could totally work w my grown out bangs. I would probably keep a little more length, but not a ton.

this is a fun way to spice up color without getting too crazy. obviously, my hair isn't near as dark as this girls, but it'd be fun to do a little brighter of a blonde just in the front!

i pinned this just a couple days ago because i love just having all one length and the whispy long bangs. i don't foresee ever getting straight across bangs again because my face is a little too... err... round. haha. i think she totally rocks them, though!

anybody out there have feedback??? i go in a couple weeks, so i've got some time to decide, but i know i'll put it off til the last minute. here's to hoping i surprise my procrastinating self!

things i'm lovin: episode one!

i love trying new things. new nail polish, new hair product, new starbucks drinks, etc. so, i thought it'd be fun to share a few of my latest favs!

first up, the voice. i watched last season and was kinda into it, kinda not. this season, cee lo and christina are taking a break, so shakira and usher took their places. i could give or take shakira, but usher adds such a fun vibe to the show and he's obviously been successful with his own career, too. grant and i watched the premier last night and were laughing out loud through much of it! good stuff!

second, it is no secret that i am ob.sessed with nail polish. it used to be unheard of that i wouldn't have fresh nails, however, my sweet lil holden buddy makes that routine a lil tricky. wet nails + one year old = disaster! :) two of my favs right now are essie's off the shoulder & e-nuf is e-nuf!

*e-nuf is e-nuf*

*off the shoulder*

if you haven't heard, BB creams are all. the. rage. right now. i was a little skeptical because i am a lazy makeup person and didn't want to add one more thing to the routine. however, i had a coupon for this and thought i'd give it a try and it really is great! for me, i have fairly clear skin, but since having holden, my skin tone is often uneven or blotchy. i'm a bare essentuals girl through & through for foundation, but the bb cream gives a nice base before my powder. i've only been using this for a couple days, so i may be able to cut out the powder altogether. we shall see...

lastly, with spring right around the corner, i am all about freshness in the home. i want fresh colors, fresh flowers and fresh scents. i have a couple of the bath & body works plug-ins throughout our home and i just picked up a few of the caribbean escape oil pods. for me, it's a great spring, fruity scent without being too fruity. 

are y'all lovin anything for spring?? i'm always up for trying new things (except food... but we won't talk about that! eek)! 

slow monday.

monday's are probably the most hated weekday among the people. around here, though, we love mondays! it means that the week is new, all the working people that were crowding stores all day saturday and sunday are back to work & i can shop in peace, and we can just take it easy. 

last night, we got pounded with around 10 inches of snow! i'm in heaven! so... even though we normally take it slow and easy on monday mornings, we don't really have a choice today. i'm snowed in! :)

so, i'm enjoying my slow morning with some coffee in one of my fav mugs, a cozy blanket & the today show. bliss.

a very late h54f!

each week, i am trying to link up with lauren & give the top 5 highlights of my week! yes... i am aware that it's saturday, but yesterday was a crazy lil day and i was all ready to share these, so here they are... just a little late! :)

5. i am in the midst of what i believe is the '18 month sleep regression' and it is ruining my life!!!! i have always thought i could function on a few hours of sleep, but the past couple of weeks have reminded me that i surely cannot. holden has been fighting all naps, boycotting bedtime and waking multiple times at night. ridic. so... on a number of the past mornings after a long night, i have treated myself to choc chip pancakes. with toppings of fresh strawberries, butter, syrup and whipped cream. whatev. no sleep = a yummy breakfast. my house, my rules!!!

4. speaking of sleep. or lack thereof. my sweet buddy in his sleep-boycotting routine has fallen asleep in my arms a number of times. this has probably been the sole saving grace to this whole phase right now. he's a natural cuddlebug, but not when he is sleeping. there have actually been several nights that i've pulled him into bed with me and he's fallen asleep. a rare treat.

3. grant's grandma turned 89 this past week! wowza! almost all of the grandchildren made the trip to lafayette to join in the festivities! so much fun! loved spending time with our long lost cousin in arizona, tessa! family really is what it's all about and i can't wait to grow old with these people! we had a surprise bday party at a cute place downtown, the buttery shelf. unique experience, but fun nonetheless!

2. finally!!!!! i think i have finally found and decided on curtains for the living area! i've had such a hard time figuring out what i want because the living room, dining area and kitchen all run together in a very open concept. therefore, i didn't want to pick too crazy of a pattern or specific color and be locked into it. one of my fav purses is a navy blue coach purse. i never really thought of navy as a neutral, but that purse goes with seriously everything! so... the curtains i picked are a navy (not a super deep navy, though). they go fab with the decor we already have and break up all the neutrals going on (couch, pain, rug, etc).

1. my number one this week is my lil niecey, roslyn! normally, she's too on the go to sit with me or has an agenda that is more interesting than her auntie. so, this week, when she climbed up in my lap and was being SO sweet, i HAD to document. the girl is so full of zeal and i have no doubt will do great things in her life. and she's pretty darn cute, too.

so, there ya have it! my week in review. hoping next week i can post all about how much sleep i'm getting! fingers crossed!!!!

holden's first bday party!

my sweet holden crew turned one back in november. such a fun day to think back to exactly 365 days prior and where i was, what i was doing and the craziness that changed my life that day. november 7th will always be one of my best memories. the day i met my sweet boy.

i scoured pinterest for months gathering ideas and then i got my diy on. i didn't go crazy and certainly don't think my party was the best of the best, but i had fun getting everything ready. having our closest friends and fam all in one room to celebrate the most important lil guy in my life was overwhelmingly fab.

ok, on to the fun stuff!

for the front door, i wanted people to get an idea of the theme right off the bat! i made a little life preserver wreath from a tutorial i found online. i hung it with a navy blue ribbon since it was a beefy wreath and wouldn't fit on the hanger. simple balloons, the O N E letters are from michael's (spray painted them white) and the framed anchor is just a couple pieces of scrapbook paper. i used a cricut for all of the shapes & letters!

the food spread! i wanted to keep everything festive with red, white & blue! i found the sailboat fabric at wal mart & just threw it down (rough edges & all - who cares?!)! 

i loved the idea of having a personalized fancy smash cake for holden and then i thought about spending serious cash on something like that & decided it was craze. opted for a giant homemade funfetti cupcake instead! borrowed the cupcake pan from a friend & went to town! i also made the regular cupcakes in the back (funfetti & red velvet). i ordered the cupcakes picks online & they made it so fun! i also made some simple white choc covered pretzels & threw on some fun sprinkles!

these brownies were such a hit! found the recipe on pinterest, but it's a betty crocker (old faithful). they were so yummy and even better leftover (kept them in the fridge). have this recipe saved in my 'pinned & tried' board for quick reference! :)

i thought it'd be fun to have a newborn pic and a recent pic of holden since many friends of ours didn't meet holden til he was a couple months old. got the frames at faithful target - nate berkus, my fav!! the crate that the one pic is sitting on is from michael's. was just raw wood and i spray painted it. wouldn't recommend this project cause it was a pain in the butt!!!!

the 'holden is one' banner is one of my fav details! it took some time, but the cricut made it SO easy. i found a tutorial online & searched high and low for good scrapbook paper. if i ever make a banner in the future, i plan on buying the paper online. WAY more options!! it's all hanging on a navy blue ribbon. how perf that my MIL's kitchen was red, huh? 

the OCD part of me hated that his high chair didn't match the theme, but i slapped a lil banner on it and it was fine! thought this would be cute for all his smash pics!!

like a week before the party, i was racking my brain on what i wanted holden to wear. one night, we stopped at a restaurant by the mall for dinner. there was like a 45 min wait, so we ran over to h & m and then this shirt called my name! :) it was the only one and it was just his size. said 'above board' on the back and had anchors on the front. i was in love!

up until this point, holden really hadn't had much sugar. no cookies, ice cream, nothin! i don't think he knew what to think of it! ps-can you see just how big that cupcake is! it's like the size of his head! also... hello, thighs!!!!!

here's holden, his bff ben & his future wifey emersyn! 3 pees in a pod! also, this pic shows their personalities to a T!!!!

i'll end with one of my fav pics! my parents drove the 9 hours to come be here for his party and they brought all sorts of goodies, including this trike! holden was IN LOVE with this thing! i'm hoping his legs will be long enough for him to ride it this summer!

holden's party was such a day of blessings. standing in a room with people that i love and that love my baby... what more could i ask for? 

celebrating life.

my dear friend, caitlin, posted a blog following her recent miscarriage. i think we can ALL learn something from her honesty, grace and trust in the lord.

check it out!!

http://turnuptruth.blogspot.com/2013/03/celebrate-life-without-fear.html

h54f

i've been such a sporatic blogger here lately. guess i'll blame it on moving, unpacking, being deathly sick for 36 hrs and having my parents in town! this week has been great! i've had some really easy days with my lil guy and i feel like i'm finally getting a handle on our house! here's my top 5's from the week! link up with lauren if you want to share your top 5's!!

5. the weather here has been divine. lots of days in the 40's and 50's with the sun shining! i am a sucker for pleasant weather. view from our backyard!

4. took holden to the mall yesterday for the first time since he's really been walking. he LOVED being able to get down and just go! there was an easter bunny there that he checked out every time we passed. oh, and he discovered the joy of mall toys. germs galore. i just redirected him cause i am not about to introduce him this young!!!

3. i got around to hanging a little art this week. this canvas was a gift to holden for his dedication and i am obsessed. it's not my typical style, but it is from my parents to their first and only grandbaby and that makes it so special. it says 'twinkle twinkle little star, do you know how loved you are?' and his full name and DOB. presh.

2. i ordered holden's easter bow tie this morning!! eeek i can't wait! his cuteness is through the roof when he has a little BT on and he can have whatever. he. wants!!! i think this etsy shop will be my new fav!!

1. took a stroll downtown on one of our pretty days! holden loved holding my hand and i loved holding his. i can't even think about him growing up and not wanting to hold my hand...

i'll try to be a more faithful blogger now that we're getting into a routine!!! ps- comment if you blog so i can check it out! :)

new pieces for new house.

since we moved into our house (which, by the way, is about 600 sq ft smaller than our last place), we have purchased some new furniture accents. i have been totally lovin what target has these days and target.com is my go-to. here are a few things we snagged off their website and they just so happened to be on clearance, too! woo hoo!

this desk has been a lifesaver! since we are self-employed, desks are a necessity! we have two full size desks in storage that we LOVE, but our house just doesn't allow for full size desks. we were not willing to give up having at least one workspace, though, so this was the perf solution! $50 and about 2 hours to put it together. love the storage up top and the main desk part is plenty big for what we need!

we also snagged this fab brown ottoman. love the tufted detail on top, the nailhead on the bottom and the fab storage. everything that i buy these days seem to have at least one of those 3! this ottoman isn't too big, but it sits in front of our loveseat and it's perfect. we have laminate floors in the main living area and a big floor rug in the living room. it was important to me to not buy an oversized ottoman/ coffee table so that holden's carpet play space is maximized! mission accomplished!

i bought this mirror last week after having my eye on it for maybe a month or so. i have about 3 different options of where i want to hang it, but haven't gotten around to it!

we've bought several other things (lamps, mirrors, etc), but since they were on clearance, i can't find them on the website anymore! 

is target inspiring you these days, too? loving their colors and textures lately!! xoxo

my harvest.

bad attitude.

rainy day.

tired from a teething baby.

just said goodbye to my parents.

house a mess.

i am the seed that decides the harvest around me.
and i am going to be intentional from here on out to have a cheerful, giving, pleasant harvest.

keep breathing.

i wish i could sometimes take a snapshot of my life. more than what a little instagram pic can show. more of a glimpse of all that is going on in my life.

for instance, right now... i wish i could capture the fact that half of my house is unpacked, there's currently a plumbing guy in the house working on something (which means there's no water), my babe is taking his morning nap (which is typically when i take my shower, but that ain't happenin... no water!), my hub left for a business trip this morning and will be gone til friday, i still have several boxes to pack at my in-laws and the cherry on top is that my parents are coming to stay on thursday. i'm functioning solely on coffee at the moment. my parents aren't expecting a perfectly organized and decorated house and plan to help, but i just want to hang out more than do house projects while they're here!!! oh, and also... curse you, teehing pains!!!

i've been an ingrid michaelson fan for years now. i've seen her in concert a couple times and besides being a great artist, she's hilarious. i just know we'd be friends. one of my fav songs by her is 'keep breathing'. the concept isn't anything out of this world amazing, but the lyrics with the composition make it amazing!

all i know is i'm breathing
all i can do is keep breathing
all we can do is keep breathing
now

i have a feeling that this week of unpacking, husband-less, getting ready for my parents to come will be a 'keep breahting' kind of week. sometimes, all of the boxes in the corner screaming at you and laundry in the washer that never made it to the dryer last night, just have to wait. feeling like i'm sort of just trying to stay above water at the moment. hoping for hours added to my days this week and supernatural energy as i single mom it up for the next few days!!

imperfectly perfect.

our new house has the most perfect morning light. our house is facing the north, so the kitchen and living room get all of that glorious light. i hadn't noticed until today because indiana is a little gloom & doom. we moved in a week ago tomorrow and haven't had a sunny day here yet. insane.

as a working lady with no kiddos, sunday mornings used to be only other day besides saturday that i got to sleep in. i would wake up, grab some coffee, make breakfast and chill until it was time for church. that is, if i got up with extra time to chill. sometimes, i would sleep til the last possible second and then head out for church and grab dunkin on the way. life was so simple.

as i sit here half asleep, since holden decided he wanted to have a party at midnight and then again at 5:30, i realize how my life truly is not my own. i love it. but it is so not my own.

so, since we have been up so early (i'm blaming this on teeth, btw. i see about 5 new ones popping through.), we have had breakfast, watched pioneer woman, watched sprout (my new fav for h), holden got a bath and i took a shower. and it's not even 10. i haven't had coffee yet... which is next on my to-do list.

motherhood changes things, though. it's like even though i would've appreciated a couple extra hours of sleep or for no breakdown when he wanted raspberries not blueberries... it's imperfectly perfect and i'm ok with that.