Our Life Lately

My Crosby. My sweet sweet little Crosby.  He has brought out emotions in me that I didn't even know existed.  Our lives have changed dramatically for the better.  I remember the nights right before he arrived...his daddy and I would stay up late and talk about what it would be like to have him here. It is so much more than I ever imagined.  I love everything about being his mama.   Admittedly so, I don't put him down much and my favorite time with him is during his late night feedings.  It melts my heart to hear his little coos and to look down and see his eyes lock with mine.  I really do stare at him in awe that my husband and I created someone so perfect.  I have plans to share his birth story soon as it was an experience that was both beautiful and exhausting all together.  My time has been limited and I haven't been able to get much done. I'm actually pretty proud of myself for getting pictures uploaded and posted.   Right now though, this time belongs to my son. I want to cherish every single second with him as he's already growing and changing so much.  Crosby and I also have a date with my camera to do his newborn pictures. :) 

Thank you to all of you for the well wishes, the e-mails, phone calls, and beautiful gifts you've sent. We are all so lucky.  

More soon. 

xo 

The Nursery (So Far)

We are almost finished with the nursery.  I actually have some artwork that needs to be framed and hung and a few more small pieces of furniture to be brought in. BUT, it certainly won't get done before he gets here so this is what it currently looks like.  I'm really happy with the way it turned out.  I wanted a calm and soothing space for our baby boy.  Originally, I wanted aqua walls, but the hubs wasn't going for it so we settled on a soft gray which I ended up loving.  

We live in an old building that was built in the early 1900's.  I have a love/hate relationship with this building.  The character is what sold me and is why I love living here. However, small things like lack of electrical outlets and lack of storage can be tricky.  We've had to get clever with bedroom configurations and storage. Still, the white crown molding, old windows, and glass door handles cannot be surpassed. 

Our nursery really is an eclectic mix of so many things that I've been picking up along the way.  I bought the wrought iron bed from my friend's mother when I was in college.  I adore this bed and am so happy it fit in the nursery. His crib is a Jenny Lind crib from Rachel Ashwell in Santa Monica.  The linens are from all over the place. I don't really like sets so I ended up mixing and matching various linens from Serena and Lily, Land of Nod, Pottery Barn Kids, Ikea, and West Elm.  The rocker is one of my favorite things in the room.  We had originally wanted a white rocker, but when it went to back order, we settled for the blue and I'm so glad we did. It adds a soft punch of color and looks perfect with all of the white.  The white side table is a family heirloom that I painted. It used to belong to my great-great grandmother.  The dresser is also vintage. I found it at a shop in my hometown and just switched out the knobs with white porcelain knobs Brady found at Anthropologie for $2.95 - score!  

The little trinkets in his room are from all over - gifts from friends, vintage shops, Etsy....and a few handmade things from his mama.  I also found his mobile on Etsy - the feathers sold me. 

So, there you have it for now. I'll post more pictures when it's completely finished.  Next time you'll see our baby boy in the pictures though. :)

xo

Happy New Year Inspiration

Source: Pinterest  Last image: Babiekins Magazine. Styled by Heather Rome.

I will be living vicariously through Pinterest this year for New Years Eve seeing as I will be 40 weeks pregnant.  This baby boy has no intention of coming early so no champagne toasting and glitter tossing for this girl. Then again, maybe I'll be ringing in the New Year with a new little man in my life. We'll see!! 

Happy Holidays to you and yours! 

xo

Bonbons of the Oreo Kind.

Ahhh...it is that time of year for consuming extra calories and not feeling guilty about it because it's the holidays.  My brother and sister-in-law actually gave large quantities of these tasties to us a couple years ago for Christmas. I both loved them and hated them at the same time for doing it.  Oreo bonbons are one of those things where you tell yourself they're tiny so just ooonnneee more can't hurt.  If you're looking for some healthy and low cal to hand out for treats this year....these aren't the answer.  BUT if your'e looking for something quick, simple and tasty, read away. 

Oreo Bonbons (SO easy and no baking required) 

You'll need:

1 package of Oreos (I use Double Stuff)

1 package of 8 ounce cream cheese (you can use the reduced fat if you'd like, but really why at this point?)  Let the cream cheese sit out and soften for awhile. 

1 package of white chocolate almond bark (You can use the milk chocolate kind too, but I like the white chocolate better)

Take your Oreo cookies out of the package and place in a food processor or mixer until they are in tiny pieces - almost a fine dust.  If you don't have a food processor or a mixer, there's always the good ole fashion way. Throw them in a large zip lock bag, let all the air out, take a frying pan and mash away. I kid you not...this is how I had to make them the first time and it worked just fine! 

Pour mashed up Oreos into a mixing bowl and add your 8 ounce package of (soft) cream cheese.  Mix together.  Let this mixture sit in the refrigerator for a few hours until it hardens. 

After mixture hardens take it out and roll into small bite size bonbons.  Place on wax paper lined cookie sheet. The Oreo bonbons will start to soften so I place them back in the fridge for about an hour to harden again.  

Melt your almond bark and dip Oreo bonbons in to cover completely.  Place them back on the tray and throw finished Oreo bonbons back in the fridge until you're ready to package.  

You can drizzle milk chocolate almond bark over the top, add sprinkles, or any other decoration you'd like. I added sprinkles to mine for a little extra sparkle. 

They don't have to be perfect either. The first time I made them, I tried to make them into perfectly round little bonbons - it didn't happen and you will lose your sanity trying! :) 

For packaging, I like to keep mine simple. I take cardboard carry out boxes and line them with wax paper. I fill them to the to top with bonbons and tie with a simple pink bow.  You can also find cheap little vintage plates at Goodwill for around $1 and attach those for a cute little serving plate too.  

** Another tip I would like to add is that you might want to padlock your fridge while they house your bonbons. Husbands, eh hmmm...I won't name any names, have been known to eat said bonbons before they even make it to the gift box. **

xo

Home

A few of my favorite Pretties...

1. An angel from an old building that was torn down...it sits over a picture of my father.

2. My beloved horse ribbon collection

3. Vintage Christmas decorations

4. Vintage pins.  The small gold crown used to belong to an old woman from Paris. She had no family to give her things to so sold them on the street. My mother gave it to me as a gift.  I love this pin. 

5. A book given to me by a good friend. The title is perfect.

6. A cross I picked up at a beautiful shop in Australia.

7. Skating decor.

8. Pretty yarn. 

9. Retro pink phone that sits on my nightstand. ...and it works! 

xo

Baby Christmas

Our little love might decide that he wants to enter this world after Christmas, but that didn't stop me from picking up a few things for him to have under the tree as well.  I really want to make it a tradition to find unique gifts for my children and not solely mass produced toys.  I also want to make it a tradition not to go overboard. Brady and I tend to get carried away with Michael and it just ends up in me donating more unused toys at the end of the year to Goodwill.  We make Michael come with and drop off the toys himself and explain to him that not all kids are fortunate enough to receive toys like he does.  He's finally starting to get it and will go through his drawers himself to tell me which things I can get rid of.

I have all of my Christmas shopping done this year just in case our baby boy does indeed decide to come a little early.  Here are his little goodies.


1. Vintage Fisher Price camera.  How fitting. It'll be a little while before he can use it, but I had to have it.

2. Baby rattle from Lucky Boy Sunday.  So quirky and love that it's knitted too.

3. This little ditty for his room.  So adorable.

4.  My First Nursery Book.  I thought this book was so sweet and love the illustrations

5.  Classic Baby Beads. I'm a sucker for wooden toys and love the colors too.

6. Organic jammies.  Cute and soft and perfect for a newborn.

xo

A Case of the Should Have Beens...

I have never really been a backwards thinker.  I have never understood the need to.  My past was always my past and then I moved right along.  There was never any room for "what should have been" or "what could have been." ...and then in a blink of an eye, a matter of mere milliseconds, there I was staring down my own beliefs.  Saying goodbye to my father without will or want challenged everything I had ever known.  If I wasn't one to look back, then where did he belong?  He was no longer in my present moments. He wouldn't be a part of my future.  For many many many months,  I wandered along in this world, aimlessly, holding on, with white knuckles,  to every single solitary strand that was woven into my past.  ...and when I was forced to come back to the present, I had to be dragged kicking and screaming.  He was in my backwards life and I needed and wanted to be there with him.  It took a long time for me to come to terms with the fact that he wasn't coming back.  I'm not sure how or why or when it happens, but one day something settles and it all becomes a bit more clear.  Most days, the clarity and I dance along.  I understand it. I accept it. I am at peace with the fact that this is our life now. This is our story with chapters of empty pages still waiting to be written.  But then there are other days where, for no rhyme or reason at all, the clarity twists and blurs and I am left staring down the hallow.  At the end there is a deep throbbing ache entangled in missing.  I have learned to just go along with it.  If pushed aside or avoided, it does not go away.  It simply sits there and waits for you until you are ready to acknowledge its presence.  So I do.  ...and I am forced to realize all over again that life truly is a delicate balance of letting people in and letting others go.  It's constant. Revolving. A gentle cycle.  

The past few days, my head has been clouded with thoughts of what should have been.  I can't help but think what this year would have been like had he been here.  The holidays are always hard. I see complete families. I hear my friends talk of outings with their fathers.  ...and the world seems to freeze again.  Before my father left, we had talked many times over about my future, my wedding, my children.  I remember those conversations so vividly and can't help but wish he were here to welcome my son into this world.  As I move forward in this life, I realize that it's up to me to keep him in my present and my future.  For my sake. For my son's sake. He's here every day nestled deeply into my heart and into my thoughts.  

Most days...most days I can accept it...but there are most definitely the other days where I am paralyzed with what should have been...

xo