4/22/11

double blooms

i love it when my daffodils bloom.  
they make me feel like i'm not such a lame-o when it comes to gardening.




and then they die and that feeling instantly vanishes.
(aren't those double blooms magnificent?)

4/18/11

adventures in thrifting: kid's shoes

i do believe it's high time for another installment of A.I.T.
 if you were to ask me what my all time favorite thrifted piece is i would have to say this pair of little girl's red leather dress shoes.  i don't know why except they just make me happy.  i got them when whitney was a baby and devan now wears them, and she wears them well.  they're just so classic and well made and fabulous.




so, now that we're on the subject of kid's shoes, let's see what else i've come up with on my little escapades at the thrift shops.
let me just say, before we move on, that i am fully aware that i have a shoe problem.  too many.  they just call to me and i can't ignore them.  this is a VERY narrowed down selection of what i have and i'm not embarrassed to say so. 
i really prefer the vintage shoes.  one, because they are just so cute.  two, because they are often made of real, sturdy leather so they wear and last so much better and longer.  three, the soles are often stitched to the body of the shoe as opposed to being glued which means, again, they wear and last better.
plus they're cute.  did i already say that?



these aren't vintage, but just look at those sweet little cut-outs.  can you imagine these with a little springy easter dress?  these are actually kind of ridiculous, since they're so small and most babies are not walking when their feet are this size, but they are darling.  and who doesn't love patent leather?  


these are my favorite sandals for little kids.  i have four or five other pairs, all thrifted.  why anyone would donate a perfectly good pair of salt water sandals on purpose is beyond me, but i'm not complaining, since i'm the one benefiting here.


these little ranch boots are really cute with a knee length dress, some opaque tights and a winter dress coat.


always a classic.


more dress shoes, although all of the "dress" shoes get worn with jeans, short, skirts and pajamas during the week too.


these are awesome.  i have another pair for nikki.  can't you see these with a bright pair of matchstick cords tucked in?
as an aside: i make it sound as if my kids are fashionably dressed at all times, when in reality they could pass as homeless more often than not.  


these belonged to max when he was a baby.  i loved them.  a couple of my girls also wore them.  they're a total throw-back.


these were also worn by max... then nik, then whit, now devan, gwen next.  i love love love these.  and they're hardly any more worn out than when i found them nine years ago at my good ol' louisville, kentucky goodwill.  very crew cuts-ish.   


aaaaaww!
(i know, i did that bottom strap wrong, but gwen was tired of being used as a prop so i decided not to push it.)
i better stop and be done, but aren't shoes fun?
none of my kids have developed any kind of foot fungus thus far, so i guess i'll just keep perusing the shoe aisles as normal, fingers crossed.

4/15/11

packing lunch

this week nikki has lost three, count them, three lunch boxes.
hmmmmm.
that's why today, instead of packing her lunch in the paper lunch sacks that sit on the shelf in my pantry, 
i packed her lunch in an empty cracker box.
maybe that will motivate her to search the lost and found good and hard today for those three abandoned lunch boxes with her name on them.

4/13/11

bedtime stories

tonight the little girls wanted me to tell them a bedtime story.  this is how that went as i lay next to devan on her bed.

whit: mom, tell us a story about how you and dad met.
me: well, once upon a time, when i was a little girl, i used to dream about meeting the perfect boy...
devan: (interrupting) was is ken?  cuz' ken is number one.
me: what? like barbie? no. i used to dream...
whit: mom, i know what ipad starts with. i!
me: yes, whitney.  that's true.  anyway.  when i was a...
devan: (pointing to my cleavage laughing) mom, is that a butt crack?  
me: oh my gosh.  you are so rude. so, when i...
whit: mom, i know what ipad starts with. i!
me: the end. good night girls.
girls: good night!

maybe i should stick to books at bedtime.

4/12/11

grey is not glum

i'm slightly obsessed with grey (or gray) as of late.  i have this urge to paint everything  in my house a shade of the color.  i won't, but i might come close.


found this coffee table at (where else) the goodwill last week and attacked it with my paint brush.  SO much better than that big leather ottoman i had i there.  it was a sea of leather.  now for the couches... probably can't paint those.


this made its way to my house while wade was out of town.  it also took a beating from me and my brush.
i've got BIG plans for this wall.


before.  blech.
see?  grey is superior in every way


recently painted my piano room a creamy shade of grey.  
actually, ms sharkey grey, to be exact.  
it's the prettiest in the morning light.
i wish my whole house was this color.


nope.  still haven't finished my curtains.



i love the dark graphite of the armoire here.

source unknown

these cupboards are almost white they're so light, 
but they're definitely grey, and so sophisticated.
also, i freaked out over the wall of plates when i first saw this.


mmmmmmmm.



another lovely shade of grey.
this is at the top of my wish list.
right at the top... wade.



4/8/11

8 months, and then some

i'm a little late on these.  still no crawling (hooray!), although she seems like she's getting closer to thinking about it.  
no rush.  a string of drool and a slobbery shirt are her constant companions nowadays.


this girl LOVES her food.  
her favorites: beets and butternut squash.
she goes a little crazy when she sees it coming.
it looks a little bit like she got ahold of a kitchen knife when she's done with her beets.








gwen says "mamama" when she wants something and "dadada" when she's happy and entertained.
pretty genius, i know.





oooooh, that face.  love it.  love her.


4/5/11

yeah, i fixed it.


repair man? we don't need no stinkin' repair man.
p.s. i make house calls.