best face in January

i heart faces- best face of January

this is our sweet girl.   she also been known as our little 18 month old "sassafras".  She is sweet....and sassy.  
it is difficult to catch a shot of her these days.  She is far too busy tearing the house apart in her tornado like fashion.    But here I cornered her between the window and the armoire door....she had nothing else to do but look into my lens and show us her ultra cuteness....and crumbs on her shirt. 




And while I am at it....this is going in to "Project 64" robin egg blue photo contest too....can't resist with that pop of robin's egg blue in Tessa's bow!

dreaming of green

Dreaming of green.....sprouting fiddleheads, dew on the grass and twinkling in the morning sun.

Winter has me c...o..o..p..e..d- up.   This time of year is just really hard for me.  

It doesn't help that the boys' favorite pass time seems to be wrestling.  

Someone always ends up yelling and crying.  

I long for the days of being able to soak up rays and seeing the boys happily romping outside for hours.

Thus, I am still in obsessive decorating mode.  

It could be that I am on the verge of discovering a new DSM diagnosis...

"enviro-mania" characterized by a hyper-sensitivity and reactivity 

to lack of color in outdoor environment.   

At the same time this condition means that I am just getting all sorts of tasks accomplished 

and the result is a decor fabulosity. (post to come as they are complete!)

Best treatment seems to be simply adding color inside, changing one's environment when it is just stinking colorless and unchanging outside.   

My Mom passed on her vanity to me.  

Here it is before.... (I need to take this photo before I get started!)

And after.....fabulosity!   I love the way it turned out.   

Steps:  primed (2 coats), then painted a county white, sanded edges to distress it, then rubbed an "ebony"(black) stain very lightly and sparingly.  If it got too heavy I would rub off or sand it lightly.  Sanding is our friend in distressing!   Then some new pewter knobs (from ACE hardware).....

and voila! the vanity has a mini face lift.

So, "enviro-mania" continues....the chalkboard was bothering me a little.  I couldn't see the awesome carved details enough on it.  So, I white washed it with watered down country white paint.  Then wiped the excess off the top so that the white accented the details a little more.  love.

before the white wash-

After....see those awesome details in the wood popping now!?  Love it.  

So does JackJack.

And guess what....in one week Andy and I will have a major environmental change for the weekend.  This will definitely help with "enviro-mania".   In one week we are cheering on the Packers at the Super Bowl.  Yep, that's right.  I am not worthy....but that is another post!  For now it is all about dreaming of green!

decor rehab

It is this time of year that I have the uncontrollable urge to decorate, move pictures and furniture around, add color, change up window treatments.  You get the picture.  Right now my art studio is the focus of my obsession.  It is a new space that we built a little over a year ago above our new garage.   It is the kind of space an artist dreams of....and I am incredibly grateful for it.  My own little haven of creativity.  When I walk in I want to feel inspired, at peace, and creative.  I want it to reflect me, my ideas, my passions!

With the current state of the art studio I feel disorganized, cluttered, frustrated and uninspired.

Time to change things up!

I have window treatments on the brain.  I am rearranging furniture.  The pieces of furniture that have been waiting to be rehab'd are finally being completed!  yahoo!  These 2 pieces have been painted, distressed and just made into pure awesomeness and storage.  love.

this piece was found at a garage sale.  $10.  Very 60's, old chipped veneer has been covered with wallpaper, as is the back of the shelves.  The wood primed and then painted with a light teal color....then heavily distressed with sand paper.  It has a real beachy feel.  I just have to get the perfect knobs.

This piece is an old dresser given to me by a friend.  The marble on the top lead the color.  The undercoat is white and then painted over it with a beautiful warm gray....and then distressed to expose that white and show its lines.  loving this piece!

And then here is the mirror that went on top of the antique dresser....it wasn't very stable.  

So, I decided to create this chalk board message center for my kitchen!

(used the same paint technique as the dresser)

The mirror even has little ledges for the chalk, that back in the day held candles!   

Rehabing my environment and old pieces is just plain good for my soul during these winter days....I feel alive when I can create.   In a life that often feels like I am running in circles, being able to complete a project and make something pretty just feels so good!

i heart faces- innocent wonder

Innocent Wonder.....

is the first time our sweet girl saw the beautiful glow of the Christmas pyramid while Drew tells her about how the angels fly around as the bells ring softly.  It was beautiful to see her experience this family tradition with her own innocence and wonder.

photo challenge Sunday

1.  Memories

A scheduled naptime is all but a memory for Jack Jack.  Instead we often resort to the "so exhausted that Jack falls asleep on the couch" approach.  Sock puppet was in hand (not staged!) to snuggle him and make it a classic memory.

This is the only photo from the past week....luckily I have a great archive!

2.  Silouette

4th of July in Minnesota

My sweet boy 

3.  Doorway

Our daughter's homeland....

Hosanna, Ethiopia

I love how the doorway to this traditional home pulls your eye in.  

 And a doorway to another reality.

4.  Reflection

Tessa experiencing the glow of the Christmas pyramid for the first time.  

I loved my countertops already, and now I love them for their reflections!

5.  Silver

As I was going through my Ethiopia photos I was surprised to see this "silver" shot.  

I remembered seeing these at a market while we drove by on a bus.   I love the gradation of the silver around the pots, the way they are neatly stacked....I wondered what they would be used for in Ethiopia....and what I would use them for in the US.

friends...

"The Den of the Brav Boys" = friends.

My boys have those neighborhood friends that feel like an extension of their brotherhood (not all of them pictured). A couple years ago they made this sign to put out by their "fort", aka an area under a group of pine trees.  It is perfectly secluded and secret.  I was not to enter.  The sign is still there.

The Paper Mama

its hardest being the oldest

"Mom, it's hard being the oldest", said Judson (our oldest of 4) as he leaned in for a hug.

me,  "I know", giving him a big squeeze.
I was the oldest too....and I remember the frustrations of it well.

simple and true.
I wish I could make being the oldest easier.  I try.  I wish I was able to give you all my attention and not be so distracted.

Tonight we are heading into the art studio to have some alone time together.  I hope that will help.
I love you, my sweet (oldest) boy.

twisted sister

For any little girl, it feels like having your "hair done" for the first time is a rite of passage.  And as an African American girl this may come a lot younger than say for me as a little girl, based simply on our different hair needs.   As a white Mom, I have been working so  very hard everyday to make sure I am doing Tessa's hair justice.  I have researched and tried a myriad (aka. drawer full) of hair products.  Our current favorite is "Carol's Daughter".   I have been making sure that each day I get through the curls and get out knots with hair milk and my fingers.  We deep condition regularly...conditioning seems to be key.  And then the fun part that I love is putting her hair into little bows and puffs.  But that is where my expertise ends. 

One little brag to share:  I did receive an amazing compliment from my African-American OB/GYN.  It was the first time I had ever seen her last month and I had to bring Tessa with me.  The first thing she said to me was "You are doing a great job with her hair".   Not, how are you feeling or what brings you in today?  It was "you are doing  great job with her hair".   Case in point- Hair is very important in the black community, white people don't know about black hair needs and don't get it until they need to. 

I felt so happy that a black woman noticed and validated my efforts.  It was huge for me to know I was on the right track.

O.K.  So,  this past weekend everyone sat in the "hair chair" weekend while my sister, Krissy, was visiting.  This is where I had my own rite of passage.  Krissy was able to give me a lesson on twisting Tessa's hair into adorable twists!

Here, Krissy looks a little "twisted" herself as she is getting through Tessa's hair.

Tessa's hair in full fro state.  Notice the tear stained cheek.  ahh...

 Lollipops make having your hair done a much more pleasant experience.  2 lollipops are best.

I think I have the hair twist down.  It is a little tricky.  

Sectioning the hair off is important to make it nice and neat.  

Krissy gave me a great hands on lesson.

Here Tessa sees her hair in twists for the first time.  

I am loving these twists!  

Thanks to my twisted sister!  I love you!

i heart faces- winter wonderland

We live in a winter wonderland....otherwise known as Wisconsin.

This is one of my favorite shots of my bright eyed boy.  He is full of life,  he is sensitive,  he is incredibly loving and nurturing.  And just look at those blue eyes and freckles....

In a white winter wonderland he is a burst of life and color!

Check out all the amazing entries at i heart faces!

photo challenge Sunday

1. A Different View:

"A Different View":  Paper Mama photo challenge

"People":  Pastor's Girl's Pondering photo challenge

How I absolutely love this mirror shot of our sweet girl.  

I love the way she is looking at me in the mirror....how you can see her from a different view.

Not a new photo this week...but it is a keeper!

Paper Mama

 

2. Looking up:

I look up and there is my bright eyed boy with....underwear on his head.  Albeit, clean underwear!

\

3. Abstract:

From a special chandelier I found in Germany that now hangs in our dining room.

I love the way these shapes come together with the pops of color-  

4. Hair:   

Tessa looking in the mirror (again) at her pretty self with her hair in "twists" for the very first time!

5.   Half:   This shot was taken with half of it looking through the glass of an apothecary jar.

last sign of babyhood...gone

 My baby Jack, isn't a baby anymore.  He is 4.  And whenever I call him "baby" he will promptly tell me, "Mama, I not a baby!".   O.K.  O.K.
So, this weekend while my sister was visiting she gave everyone a haircut.  Juddy didn't want a haircut as he is "growing" his hair out to look cool.  But he did get a trim.  Drew enjoys having a "do" and got a "mohawk", aka spiky hair.  

Jack was after Drew.  I thought for sure I would have to wrestle him to get his hair trimmed.  TRIMMED.  I love it so long, curly and have always resisted getting the boys hair cut because they immediately look years older.  I can't help it.  When Jack ran in and said "I want a Mohawk like Drew!"  I said, "What?" in a sad, dismayed voice.  Andy and Krissy were all for it and with good reason.  He looked like a mop-head most the time and wouldn't let me comb it.   But despite good reason, I was hesitating, "Jack, are you sure?"    But really I was feeling like I wasn't sure.   But he was absolutely certain.  My heart hurt....my baby's hair.  It was the last sign of his babyhood!

So here is the progression of Jack's entry into being a BIG BOY forever. 

sniff, sniff.

Jack loves his "mohawk".  HE LOVES IT!  

He is touching it and making sure it is standing up on top.

He loves being a big boy and having hair that is big boy hair.   The new hair cut fits him in every way.

And of course, I saved a lock of hair, that last sign of babyhood.