Jul 30, 2017

The Closest I'll Get to Monochromatic {My Sunday Best}

I've often admired bloggers who have posed in entirely pink/ white/ denim/ what-have-you outfits and have made it look effortless but every time I've thought I could possibly make a monochromatic outfit work, I lose my nerve and end up changing before I leave the house looking like a flamingo.

Don't mind the horrible mess!
I don't wear this skirt as much as I'd like since I don't have a red or olive top that matches and the background is cream. A few weeks ago I found this cardigan at a thrift store and decided I could be sartorially gutsy by putting this outfit together. ;)

We went out for a short hike and playground time today at a new to us park- the weather is so beautiful and much welcome after a few rainy days. It was so nice to have some family time- the weekends seem to fill up with so many "need-to-dos" and just fly by!

Linking up with Rosie. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Jul 28, 2017

Stuff & Nonsense {7QT}

Linking up this day with Kelly (who has taken care of all your homeschool fashion needs)!

1.
The calendar is about to be flipped to August which means...it is still SUMMER! (CAPS-ING for you, retail people!)
I read something by Shauna Niequist the other day in which she shared her absolute love for summer and I completely concur. Give me all the hot weather and sun for as long as possible please and thank you! (Especially when I think of how much blessedly easier it is to leave the house when kids don't need to wear layers upon layers and things like a sock on each foot.)


2.
It's been a good summer so far- not too busy or too lackadaisical- but I have to mention that Tim went out of town twice for multiple days each time, and I think I'm still recovering from both.
I am not good at solo parenting.


3.
Also, I came across this in our front yard as I was about to pull some weeds:
Harmless, but not my most favorite part of the summer, either!

4.
That aside, here's some things we've been enjoying lately:

>>Baking<<
I know I've mentioned this recipe before but it is just so delicious! The crumb topping perfectly offsets the zesty-tart base, and for me it's the perfect summer dessert. :) It calls for ramekins but I've used an 8x8 pan for it and it turned out fine.

I love how dense and not overly sweet this turns out. Also, you definitely need to add the drizzle on top!


5.
>>Reading<<
I just finished Jenny Rosenstrach's How to Celebrate Everything and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a library loan, so I'm hoping she has a lot of the recipes on her blog!

I also completed Big Little Lies recently (after having to return it and go back on the wait list for several weeks) and liked it! I think What Alice Forgot is my favorite of Liane Moriarty's, but this was definitely a page turner.

I started My Lady Jane but didn't get too far before I decided to return it to the library. I think historical-fantasy-fiction just isn't my thing! (But it does have loads of high ratings and I wholeheartedly appreciated the dedication: "For everyone who knows there was enough room for Leonardo DiCaprio on that door."😂)

Evie loved Prairie Girl and the (first?) two Noisy Village books. She's also been holing herself up with some of the Boxcar Children titles.

I just finished reading aloud All of a Kind Family and The Children of Noisy Village to Audrey and we both really liked them. They both give such fun and distinct accounts of different time periods and cultures, which I loved!


6.
>>Watching<<

I wouldn't recommend all of the episodes, but The Royals was both an interesting and entertaining documentary. Good for the interim until (if?!) The Crown comes back on Netflix.

Also, Tim and I have been enjoying Madam Secretary, per Jenny's blog recommendation. (You tell them how it is, Téa.)

7.
For all the fans of The Sound of Music- how about this shirt?!

Have a great weekend!

Jul 11, 2017

And then she was one.

Almost a month ago we celebrated Cora's 1st birthday!
Time is such a funny thing- to be honest, I was really looking forward to her becoming one. Not that I wanted to wish her babyhood away, but the previous six months had been rough and I was more than ready to hit an "older" milestone. Between night wakings (that were increasing instead of decreasing!), so much teething, and several rounds of  respiratory sickness, I felt continually exhausted and just couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. She is no longer nursing and is now sleeping through the night- Hallelujah!

Over the last couple of months she has started standing on her own and cruising, babbles a lot, and her personality has become so big- it's amazing how fast babies change! I feel like overnight she switched to almost-toddler mode and now everything is moving so quickly.
(For example: she hadn't been able to scale the second stair of our sunken family room until one day a week or so ago. A few days after that she scaled the entire flight of stairs to the second floor while I was busy with the older three- God is so good to give us Guardian Angels!!!)


She really has been such a jolly and sweet little babe. She loves her pacifier and being sung to. When Tim comes home after being gone at work she fusses if he doesn't immediately pick her up. For (what felt like) the longest time she wasn't interested in solids until one day she was! Same thing with her bath- she wasn't a fan for the first several months but it was like a switch flipped and now when she hears the bath water she makes a beeline for the tub. She is our first to seek out open toilets and splash away (oh child, if only you knew how gross). She has a penchant for reaching for everything on my dresser and nightstand- and promptly tossing it on the floor. When she smiles really big she has the toothiest grin and I can hardly handle it! She loves diving into soft things and giggling while being tickled and "caught".  Her eight-year-old cousin M loves to hold her and it so sweet to see that bond spanning the age gap. If she's getting into something she shouldn't and Tim or I use an admonishing tone she starts fussing and sometimes bursts into tears- all I can say is: temperaments!

On her actual birthday we opened presents, and I went all out with store bought cupcakes. ;) And I inadvertently picked up a gluten-free pack.
But she loved it!

We had some family over for a little party the next day. Evie and Audrey were occupied all morning not cleaning their room, so Heidi got to be my cake decorator helper. :)

It was so precious- when cake and singing time came she suddenly became shy and clung to my sister, wanting to be held.
We love you, Cora Juliette, and hope you had the happiest of first years!
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...