{love list}

Happy Thursday friends! Today is my Friday so consider that my unofficial #1 on today's love list.

Here are the things that are officially sending me over the moon today...

1. Sharing Kodak moments...



Wouldn't you just love to leave this for a stranger to find? Or better yet, be that stranger? (click here for the full story on this fun pay it forward project.)

2. Silhouette jewelry...



This would be so sweet with my boys' silhouettes.

3. Fall festivals!

This weekend is one of our town's annual fall festivals, and I can't wait to go. Booths with antiques, handmade items (and some random junk for good measure), elephant ears, hot chocolate, and of course pumpkins!


Photo from a past year at our fair...don't you love the brick sidewalks?!

Makes me want to plop myself down in the fall scenes from my favorite movie, You've Got Mail...you know the part when Tom Hanks takes his aunt and brother (crazy family) to a fall festival, and then to the Shop around the Corner for storytime?



Bouquets of sharpened pencils....

What a happy movie. :)

4. Squirrelpearl's home...

First of all, this squirrel lover can't help but love her name (also the name of her fun Etsy shop). But her home makes me love her even more. You can see lots more before and after images here.

5. This fun crocheted cuff project...

I reallllly need to learn how to make one of these.

So that's this week's list folks. Care to share what you're coveting this week?

{imperfection}

That word has come to have such a negative connotation, hasn't it?

Pretty much since I can remember, I have worked SO hard to be perfect.

Don't rock the boat.

Don't upset the apple cart.

I think you get where I'm going, right?

It is EXHAUSTING. The constant wondering if you are saying the right things, making the right moves, looking attractive enough etc.

All too often I find myself apologizing for being me.

Someone compliments me and instead of saying "thank you!" and leaving it at that, I have to add a disclaimer to the end. Kind of like the micro-machine guy talking at the end of a car advertisement, but I say it at a normal pace and leave the conversation with this negative cloud hanging over both my head and the compliment giver.

For example (this actually happened), someone told me a few weeks ago that I have beautiful eyes. She might have actually used the word stunning (or maybe I'm making that part up). Did I just say "thank you!" and move on? Nooo. I had to add something like "I just wish I didn't have to hide them behind these glasses" or something to that effect.



Now that I think about it, isn't that kind of like turning down the compliment? How rude of me! (See...this striving for perfection thing can actually backfire on us!)

Sometimes I try so hard to be humble that I can't even accept praise.

And becoming a mother has only magnified this quest for perfection x 1,000,000. Seriously - how all-consuming is momma guilt? Some days it covers me like a cold, wet blanket.

So I've made a decision friends. Enough with this perfection stuff. Because you know what? It is impossible to attain! And you want to know another thing I've recently realized?

Imperfection can be so beautiful.



Being authentic is delightful.

Figuring out who you are and only doing things that add to that identity is freeing.

Truly.



Don't those words just put a big smile on your face?

I know I still have a lot of work to do in order to embrace my imperfections (and those of others), so I've decided to give this book a whirl...



It sounds like just what I need to keep this imperfection train going.

Care to join me? You can purchase it for $9.98 with free shipping here. (I'm a sucker for free shipping.)

If you decide to join me in reading it, let me know and we can support each other in our less than perfect-ness. :)

{shop}

I recently discovered Linkel Designs on Etsy and I want to take home 2 or 10 of their gorgeous (and super affordable!) jewelry pieces.

These earrings are the perfect autumn accessory...

Peridot is my birthstone and my favorite color so this necklace is calling my name...

Simply gorgeous earrings...

Love a bold statement piece like this...

The color and quilted look of this ring make it one of my favorites...

A really sweet piece and the key adds a great touch of whimsy...

Check out their shop for even more lovely pieces! Happy shopping friends!

{creative thinkers}

Apparently Landon likes to create challenges for himself. Here he is at our Great Aunt and Uncle's house yesterday finding an alternative route onto their front porch...

I'm tempted to make a "wide load" joke right about now. Well I guess I just did, didn't I?

He might actually make it!

Well hello there handsome...

And while that feat was being accomplished, Ben was meticulously cleaning their light post with a baby wipe.

We really should contract him out for this type of labor.

{winner!}

Sorry I'm a tad late in announcing the winner of my 5-OH! giveaway. This girl's weekend was filled with work (boo!) and time with family (yay!).

I won't make you wait in suspense so here we go! The winner is....

Allison!

I can't think of someone more deserving. Congratulations Allison! Your fun package will be on its way soon!

{work it}

I had a fun little photoshoot today with my friend Katie and her adorable 2 month old son Mason.

He knows how to work a hat...

This modeling stuff is tiring!



All of these styles are available in the shop!

{love list}

You all ready for some first day of fall love?

Here we go...

1. Giveaways! Enter mine!

You know you want these cute goodies!

2. This book...

I don't even know what kinds of crazy crafts are in this book, but the title owns me, since I am 1. crafty, and 2. by definition, poor.

And she's making pom poms with yarn on the cover. Enough said.

3. This new online magazine...

Rue rocks. That's all that really needs to be said.

4. Talking toddlers...



Gosh darnit I just love my boys! And no worries...Ben was not hurt at the end.

5. Yummy fall food...



I really want to try this simple recipe. I'm all about chili, stew and hearty soups when the temps start to dip. (disregarding the fact that it is going to be in the 90's here today...shameful.)

6. This space...

Gray. Yellow. Turquoise. Velvet. Modern. Industrial.

Oh and there's an owl! On the side table...see it?!

Love.

What's on your love list today friends?

{mini-me}

I can't help but make an Austin Powers reference when I look at our boys. They are really miniature versions of Dan and I in so many ways.

I may be a brunette now but back in the day I was sporting lighter locks, just like Ben's. And check out our matching profiles....

The minute Landon was born I immediately knew he looked like Dan. They both have this cute under the eye puffy thing going on, and not in a tired way....just like their cheeks decided to work their way up a little farther than most. Does that make any sense?

Oh well...you can see for yourself here...

Ben has recently adopted a love for rocks, just like his Momma had when she was his age.

Here I am at 3 years old, noticeably proud of the collection in front of me. And here is Ben a few weeks ago with just about every rock he could find in his Gigi's yard.

(He doesn't look happy, but believe me, he was having lots of fun with those BIIIIIIG rocks).

It is so rewarding and inspiring to see their personalities start to come through, and how similar they are to their mom and dad. I like to think they will be their own people with all the best parts of us mixed in.

{5-OH! and a giveaway!}

I love blogging, and I love to hear from my readers who find enjoyment in reading This Girl's Life. And this may sound silly to those super bloggers out there, but I was extremely excited yesterday when I noticed that I had reached the big 5-0 in followers!

(Now 51 if you look over there! --->)

Soooooo...in honor of this humble milestone, I figured it was time for a giveaway. What do you think?

I have a fun little prize package just waiting for a new home.

Care to see what's in it?

The lucky winner will get a great wristlet keyfob from ModDiva and two handmade items from lovesquirrels, including a felt gadget cozy and a sunshine button brooch.

I'm also going to throw in a fun CD of my favorite feel-good songs.



This guy will definitely be included...his songs always put a smile on my face.

Oh, and what fall package would be complete without some acorns?

Hand-picked just for you from my own yard. (we are blessed, or as my husband would say, cursed, with acorns this year!)

How can you win?

Well, first of all, you must be a follower of This Girl's Life. (Maybe you all can help me reach 100?!)

Then leave a separate comment for one or all of the following...

1. Leave me a comment telling me you are a follower (1 entry)
2. Become a follower of my other blog, Design Brew (1 entry)
3. Become a fan of Design Brew on Facebook (1 entry)
4. Become a fan of lovesquirrels on Facebook (1 entry)
5. Make a purchase from lovesquirrels (3 entries!)
6. Blog about this giveaway (2 entries!)
7. Share the link to the giveaway on your facebook (1 entry)

I will pick a winner on Friday, September 24th (entries will be accepted until 12:00 EST).

Good luck friends and thank you for supporting my little blog that could!

{helping}

Helping their Daddy shave last night (and showing off the backs of their new, very handsome, haircuts).

{first impressions}

I have a problem friends.

My entryway is in a sad state.

I'm sure at some point in the last year I posted this photo of our "welcome to our home" space.

It was oh so lovely.

Now...

Not so much. And don't even think you're getting a photo. It is THAT bad.

You see...I'm working on phasing out our cottage style and moving toward a more mid-century modern vibe (much to my husband's delight) and that entryway definitely screamed...

"Bonjour! Bienvenue a ma maison mes amis!"

(I sure hope I got that right, or if I totally butchered the French language, that Mr. Hopkins, my high school French teacher, isn't reading this.)

The green table has been ushered into the garage for our yard sale and for now has been temporarily replaced by our black desk which is a great piece, but too large of a scale for the space.

So enter my dilemma. I need a cool new mid-century-ish danish-inspired piece to fill this space.

Here are a few photos I found while browsing flickr that have me inspired. Of course Rachel's home offers me constant eye candy...

This photo of Mandi's home seems to be everywhere, and for good reason! This little number would be adorable as an entryway piece...



This is such a calming vignette...

And I love the simplicity of these clip boards for display and organization...

This piece would be too big for our entryway but I couldn't help but include this gorgeous corner. Love the bold colors and the pop of turquoise in the vintage lamp...

I am stalking Craigslist hoping for our next perfect find. Stay tuned for more of our adventures in our cottage turned modern home!

{shop}

So I've decided to add another weekly feature to my blog. The {love list} has been a big hit, and since I'm a HUGE fan of Etsy (OK...more like a full-on addict), I thought it would be fun to feature an Etsy shop every week that has caught my eye.

For my inaugural {shop} post, let me introduce you to erstwhile vintage...

Hello cozy!



Definition of fall.

This bag screams sophisticated career girl meets ladies who lunch.

Such a fun dress that could go from summer to the cooler months. (Add above sweater and voila! Perfect autumn ensemble.)

This bag makes macrame super cool.

I want to take home each of these pieces...and then some.

I'm excited to bring this new feature to my readers and share the Etsy love! If you have suggestions for Etsy shops I should feature in {shop} let me know!