photos {like father, like son}

 like father...

like son...

photos taken: april 2011

celebrate {coleman - may 2011}

:: you (finally) went for your two-year-old check-up. you weigh 29.4 pounds and are 35.75 inches tall. this means you will probably grow to be around 6 feet tall. your skin continues to be awful and the doctor finally referred to it as excema. we've had to stop giving you bubble baths completely, which doesn't make you happy.

:: your baseball skills continue to impress everyone that sees you in action. you kick up your leg like a real pitcher (just like bubba!). you have a great arm with amazing accuracy. you are still not able to catch very well, but you love to "play catch" more than anything else. you spend lots of free time in the garage throwing by yourself.

:: your vocabulary is growing so fast!!! some of your favorite sayings are "oh nice" and "wow". you say "it tickles" a lot...usually a way to say something feels funny, even if it doesn't actually tickle. one of your most commonly asked questions is "what happened?". and since you are so independent, we hear "i do it" many times a day!

:: sometimes you will watch your big brother play baseball video games as if it's a real game. it's quite funny.

:: despite my best efforts, you really have very little interest in art. whether it's drawing, coloring, painting, whatever...it just doesn't grab your attention the way i would like! i wonder if you will grow into it, or forever be bored with my crafty ideas???

:: amazingly enough, toy story movies have completely replaced your obsession with monster's inc. and mickey mouse clubhouse. we have all three of them dvr'd and you are constantly asking for "movie". you will watch them as many times each day as we will allow! your daddy bought you a big buzz lightyear toy and you already have two mr. potato heads (one of which is a toy story version). it makes me wonder how long this will last before the next thing comes along...

all photos were taken in march 2011

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this post is part of a series highlighting the life and growth of our boys each month. spencer will be featured on the 15th of every month, and coleman on the 24th.

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celebrate {spencer - may 2011}

:: you and your dad were able to spend some quality time together fishing...just you two. though you've never admitted it, i'm sure it's tough to have to share your daddy with a demanding toddler. we try to make sure y'all are able to get plenty of time on your own.

:: you spend an enormous amount of time playing ball with coleman. i often wonder if you tire of it. do you do it because you love it or because you love him? either way...it's sweet and admirable. i have a feeling it's a combination of both. it is because of you that he is such an impressive athlete at only two.

:: since baseball season began last month, you seem to be a little less interested in girls, facebook, texting, etc. maybe i'm just paying enough attention. you do have a girlfriend, but it's not the same level of attention (aka - obsession) as it was earlier in the school year.

:: you've been getting a little more pitching time with your travel baseball team, X1 Carolina Twins

:: you have become picky about clothing brands since entering middle school. like most of your peers, you prefer aeropostale, abercrombie and american eagle. you still love athletic clothing and under armour is always a favorite, of course.

all photos were taken in march 2011


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this post is part of a series highlighting the life and growth of our boys each month. spencer will be featured on the 15th of every month, and coleman on the 24th.

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music monday {montgomery gentry}

it's been a while since i've shared a music monday post, but this is definitely worth documenting! i never really fancied myself a huge montgomery gentry fan, but i definitely like them a lot more now than i did a week ago!

let's rewind a bit...

a while back, it was confirmed that they would be performing at a local event my company was sponsoring. since i'm a lover of the country music, i was excited. i even created a MG pandora station the week or two leading up to the event.

image source

fast forward to last thursday night...

while working on some things outside of the venue, i was able to sneak inside for a glimpse of MG doing their warm-up...that was pretty nifty! then during the VIP section, a coworker and I hopped back inside long enough to get our photo taken with them. (for those of you that might be nascar fans, you will probably recognize jimmie johnson, also. the guy on the far right was the opening act, randy montana).

after a few more hours of working outside the venue, i made it inside a few minutes before the show began. most of my co-workers don't have an appreciation of good story-telling music laced with a southern twang. luckily, two folks were willing to join me in the quest for an amazing concert experience.

we scooted our way down to the floor of this private event...politely elbowing our way to the center (about 10-12 rows of people back from the stage). remaining photos taken with my iphone, so i apologize for the quality.

i knew they would put on a good show. their music is loud and fun and perfect for a live event. i had no idea they'd put on an awesome show. and equally exciting is that, over time, we ended up just TWO people back from the stage. it was unbelievable.

p.s. troy gentry is a hottie.

of course, it wouldn't be a true music monday without some actual music. this is one of my favorite MG songs...and it's the perfect concert song!

career mama {lazy weekend}

last weekend, i had a lazy one. it wasn't planned that way. it just happened.

monday morning when folks ask "how was your weekend?", i responded "oh, it was nice. i didn't really do much. sometimes it's nice to have a lazy weekend."

for two days...

i did five loads of laundry and emptied the dishwasher a few times. 

i emptied all the trash throughout the house and hung out with my energetic toddler. 

i clipped coupons, filed them in my binder, researched my shopping list, grocery shopped (with toddler in tow), unloaded and put them all away. 

i played in the yard. 

i moved some stuff around in the garage, set up our new fridge and reorganized our food & drink storage. 

i had coleman bathed and supper ready when matt got home from work.

i went through each and every toy that coleman owns, organizing, purging. 

i loaded the car up with donations to be dropped off. 

i spent time in my "scrapbook" studio tidying up and organizing some incomplete projects.

yes, i had a lazy weekend and it felt good.

right now {5 things}

five things i'm totally loving right now...

:: edamame. even though it's a vegetable, i'm not sure that it's OK to eat this much of anything. i love that coleman knows how to eat it in the pod and one of my favorite things is for the two of us to cuddle up in the recliner with a bowl of edamame to share. 

:: garage fridge. for years i have wanted a refrigerator in the garage. the main reason we didn't have one is because it was always too messy. after our last cleanup a few weeks ago, we decided it was time. we got lucky and found a great yard sale deal. yesterday i loaded it up with all of our drinks - just in time for summer. i'm giddy!

:: coleman's vocabulary. it is adorable and so much fun to watch coleman learn new words and phrases. it keeps me smiling everyday!

:: pinterest. if you haven't signed up for pinterest yet, you have to go now. it's just the coolest thing ever. my boards are still growing, but you can find me here. oh, and they have a new app now too. 

:: the weather. it's warm (ok, sometimes it's hot). but it's not miserable yet. the evenings and mornings are quite pleasant. lots of outdoor time with my favorite little person. 

organization {dresser drawers}

in our bedroom, we only have one dresser. it's old. it's ugly. i have no idea why we haven't replaced it. we have looked at new furniture. but we never buy. i think we might have some commitment issues we need to work through or something... so, there is a lot of stuff crammed into our one little dresser. and it was time for some purging and tidying.

it was a pretty easy project that i was able to work through gradually - one drawer and a time. but ultimately, it is small projects like this that make daily life so much more bearable. the pictures don't really do the drawers justice. just trust me! i actually completed this project several months ago and i'm happy to report that all drawers are still neat & tidy!

here are before and after photos, starting with my underwear drawer. i can't believe i'm actually posting photos of my underwear drawer! anyway, the left side is mine and was a jumbled mess. now everything is folded and tidy, stacked by style. the right half is the "junk" half which is mostly my husband's stuff. got rid of lots of junk!

and then there's the sock drawer. which also contains bathing suits. and coverups. and miscellaneous undergarments. i honestly could not believe how much stuff was in this drawer. the photos don't really look that different, but there was a lot of purging for sure!

and then my tank tops...i had purged/organized this not too long ago so this didn't require as much maintenance. the left two stacks are more casual, ribbed styles. the right stacks are more camisole styles. i've kept them separated this way for a while and it works for me. i have a ton of tank tops, but i wear them all the time, year round. i wear them under things, to sleep and around the house. i probably wear 2-3 different ones a day.

my winter drawer. at the beginning of the winter, i tidied this drawer, so it wasn't too bad. it containers all of my hats, scarves and some gloves (most of my gloves are kept in the matching coat pockets). my husband's winter gear is in here too but he doesn't have that much. i was able to purge several things that i don't really wear and tidied up some more. as you can see, coleman enjoyed helping.

{photo freedom}

stacy julian's library of memories class is now being called finding photo freedom and begins in june. she is offering this for free to anyone that has taken the LOM class, as i did two years ago. i pretended to take it again last year but honestly did nothing with it.

i'm super excited that the course is getting fresh updates. i think it's amazingly wonderful that stacy is allowing all alumni to participate at no cost. but most of all, i'm tickled that this is good timing for me. why is it good timing?

:: may will be over. it's a long story but basically...may has been CRAZY from a professional standpoint. april was pretty crazy personally and that has carried somewhat into may. if i can survive this month, i should be able to take a deep breath.

:: i am determined that i have to figure out a way to get creativity and memory keeping back into my everyday life!!! (the key there is *everyday*, not just occassionally). i will always be busy...that's not going to change. it's time to make this part of my life a priority.

so, i'm ready...ready to jump in when june comes. and i'm hoping to spend a little time over the next few weeks (if possible) doing some of the class prep work. wish me luck.

if you are participating in the class, leave me a comment and let me know!

web wednesday {5.4}

***organization + menu planning***

i love this menu board tutorial from ucreate foods. it's a little involved and not something i plan to tackle in the near future. but i do think it's super cool!!!

***fashion fun***

as most people know, i'm a serious scarf lover. when i saw the above graphic on elsie's blog, i think i may have jumped for joy! i have already printed it out and will hang it in my closet near my scarves!!!



***organization***

i discovered a cute office supply website via stacy julian's blog: sorting with style 

my favorite thing is this adorable iphone notepad!!

***writing***

marta writes is one of my favorite blogs. and this is one of my favorite recent posts of hers. i adore the photo above which she included (and the others in the post are awesome as well). this is the first paragraph of the post...totally had to share in case you don't click over to her blog (which you should):

what is a blog for if not a modern diary for the details of your days, the thoughts in your mind, the dreams in your heart, the goals you have set, the photos that illustrate who you are, the person you inspire to be, the documentation of the right now.

***yummy food***

i haven't tried it yet, but this turkey penne pasta salad from mckmama looks delicious. i need to convince my husband that it would actually be tasty.

***free download***

a great free download from simple crafter. i miss the art of the handwritten letter.

***for the kiddos***

love this super easy idea of making your own sidewalk *paint* instead of chalk.

seen at the idea room

speaking of kids and cool art stuff... enjoyed this interview with Christie of Childhood 101 over at The Artful Parent. she has authored an e-book (pictured above) that might an interesting read!

***free word art***

super cute free easter/spring word art from ali edwards.

***free polaroid templates***

if you use photoshop, these are some cool templates to get the look of a Polaroid or Instax camera.

***teacher appreciation***

i'm infactuated with subway art right now and eighteen25 always has cool free ones for every holiday, season, etc. the newest is this teacher appreciation version. love it.

***dr. seuss party***

i love dr. seuss. i love parties. this is the most adorable combination of the two.

found at hostess with the mostess

celebrate {march}

no, that's not a typo...i'm just that far behind...


celebrate {big moments}

• saint patrick's day --- my favorite holiday
• bo (my nephew) signed his commitment to the citadel (to run cross-country)
• spencer's first travel ball tournament

celebrate {little moments}

• dinner out with coworkers
• coleman celebrated dr. suess's birthday at daycare

celebrate {struggles}

• i discovered i had allergies
• a coworker went to work for another company; and my workload quadrupled

celebrate {family}

• fun outing to concord mills
• lots of time outdoors together, enjoying the warmer weather

celebrate {friends}

• impromptu mardi gras singstar dance party with friends & neighbors
• cassidy came over for a visit
• lots of outdoor time with neighbors

celebrate {words}

• read 1 corinthians, 2 corinthians, galatians, ephesians, phillippians, colossians, 1 thessalonians
• gave up on a book that was not very good
• began reading fresh disasters by stuart woods
• continued reading one thousands gifts by ann voskamp 

today...

:: today i couldn't be more proud to be an american

:: today it didn't "click" when i first heard the news. 

:: today, on the way to work, it "clicked". 

:: today i said an awkward prayer, not knowing if it was ok to thank Him for taking a life

:: today i thought of all the lives lost because of the evil and wondered what He thinks of it

:: today a twelve-old told me it was 'not cool' that everyone was celebrating a death

:: today i agreed with him and was glad that we had a moment chatting about why it felt good, even though it shouldn't. 

:: today i am so thankful for the courageous military that made this justice possible. 

:: today i am even more thankful that no american or innocent citizen lives were lost. 

:: today i hope that families and loved ones of the lost are able to shed one more tear, this time laced with just a tiny bit of closure.

:: today was full of mixed emotions...but ultimately, relief.

God bless the U.S.A.

career mama {changes @ home}

we talked about the difference in a working mama versus a career mama. and we looked at changes you could make at work to become more of a career mama. now, let's take a look at changes that can be made at home...

|1|  find a way to transition from work to home. the woman that walked out of your “office”, should not be the same woman that walks through your front door.

|2|  leave your work at work (where it belongs). this is particularly difficult in our smart phone society.

|3|  greet your family with a smile and hugs and kisses. let them know you are happy to be there with them.

|4|  when you first get home, focus on the people not on the tasks waiting for you.

|5|  find a way to treat yourself nightly. think simple, but satisfying. maybe a cold beer or hot tea. a bubble bath or 10 minutes of a good book before bed. a favorite tv show.

|6|  ask for help. whether it's your spouse, a friend, family member...if you need help, ask.

|7|  prepare. find your stress triggers and plan ahead to relieve the pressure. if mornings are rushed for you, prepare as much as possible the night before.

|8|  be organized. an organized home runs more smoothly.

|9|  write it down. dates on calendars. lists of to-dos. whatever. writing things down gets them out of your head and that's a good thing.

|10|  pray.

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this post is part of a new focus here at the chronicles:

the career mama

balancing work & home, while loving it all.

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