{yes, I will.}

Source: etsy.com via Mandy on Pinterest

{swoon}

I never thought I would be that mom. The one that wears pictures of her children.

But yes, I am, and I'm absolutely swooning over my new necklace from my friend Laura's Etsy shop, The Purple Attic....

 

Isn't it lovely? I chose two of my favorite photos of the boys in two different pendant shapes, and the acorn charm because it reminds me of this past fall with them, collecting acorns in our yard. This is a piece I will wear often and cherish forever.

She has lots of fun options for charms and photo pendants...

 

Love this charm and photo combination...

Check out her shop to create a custom necklace of your very own!

{Mr. and Mrs. Lovely}

We have a new couple in the house...

First up is Miss Lucy.

Isn't she beautiful? Don't ask me why I chose Lucy...just fits for some reason. I love her clean lines and how she looks like she is almost floating above the floor, thanks to the legs being inset quite a bit. She also looks very at home with our already owned pillows and my DIY Orla-inspired artwork.

Here is a better full shot including a toddler, some tennis shoes, and the cup from the boys' potty {no worries...that thing hasn't been christened yet...for now it is just a toy like everything else in the house}

She really does look like she is floating, right?

And now meet her much more grounded side-kick...

Hello there handsome.

Name is still up in the air on this one. But it is definitely a he, don't you think? I especially love his back...

It would be a crime to put that against a wall, right? The hubby said it took all of three minutes to put him together and minus really crappy packaging, it is a home run from Urban Outfitters, especially for the price.

Our house looks like a furniture warehouse right now, with two sofas in the family room and our recliner that is yet to be sold sharing space with Mr. Sexy Back in the office area. But we'll get it all re-arranged soon enough. No matter where they sit, they both look darn good! It is so exciting to see our modern furniture collection coming together.

Stay tuned for a post about side tables to go with these lovelies, one we already own and hopefully a DIY project to create a one-of-a-kind {and toddler friendly!} table with lots of storage and vintage style.

{Sunday morning}

Hanging out in our pj's...

Eating animal crackers...

 

Taking pictures of each other...

 

And giving Mom the stinker face...

{a change will do you good}

I was thinking this morning about some very recent changes that are going on around both our house and with me, and this Sheryl Crow song immediately popped into my head.

I've never been a fan of change.

Keep things the same! 

It makes life SO much easier!

True. But is easy always what is desirable when we think about our future, our goals? We never get anywhere by doing things the same over and over again, do we? Unless we started out doing things perfectly from day 1, but how many times does that happen? Probably never.

So with that in mind here is a list of the changes going on around the Ford house. All of them are positive and are helping my husband, the boys and myself get out of some ruts we've been in...


1. We bought a Roku and canceled our Direct TV.

I know I've shared this before, but we are on a very tight household budget. When we first purchased Direct TV we got a package deal through our phone/internet provider that made it very affordable. That ended a few months back and the price more than tripled. After thinking about it...and thinking about it some more...we finally broke down and bought a Roku player, which is a cute little box that lets you stream Netflix, Hulu, etc. onto your TV...

We are on day three without our DTV and honestly I'm not missing it at all like I thought I would. I'm embarrassed to admit that I did shed a tear when I canceled it - I love my comforts and once again, hate change. But I love the extra $100 in our checking account every month even more!

I have also already noticed that it is keeping me from mindlessly watching TV. I have to be more intentional about finding something to watch, and I've already found myself choosing a different activity, like reading before I go to sleep, over surfing the channels.

2. We bit the bullet and purchased new furniture. 

I know - this one probably sounds a little counter-productive to #1. Yes, we are on a tight budget. But we are also bargain shoppers and we got a great deal on both the sofa {which arrived yesterday! Woot!}and this lovely chair from Urban Outfitters... {which is on sale WITH free shipping right now people!}

And once we sell some of the furniture we are replacing to family/friends/random Craigslist hunters, we'll have recouped most of the cost.

Here are the boys breaking in the sofa...

Better pics to come - promise!

I'm pinching myself over the fact that we will actually have furniture that fits the mid-century modern vibe that we are going for in the house. SO excited. The chair is supposed to arrive today so this weekend will be filled with furniture rearranging {and lots of staring by me - I love to sit and admire pretty new things.}

The next two on the list are totally me related and super recent...like as of yesterday...

3. Washing my face at night.

This one is a no-brainer, right? Well, since I had the boys I've gotten bad about my nightly routine. As in...I don't have one... other than brushing and flossing my teeth. But I've noticed lately that my skin isn't looking as good as it used to, and I'm sure I owe some of that to the fact that I've been sleeping with my makeup on. Sooo, last night on our trip to Target, I bought some of these...

...and I love them! I scrubbed my face and went to bed feeling so much better about myself. And the fact that when I got up in the morning I would have one less thing to do made me very happy...and gave me more time for this...

4. Morning journaling.

I came across this post yesterday about "morning pages", which is basically journaling every morning before you begin your daily routine. It spoke to me right away like this is something you should be doing. Here is an excerpt that I found especially powerful:

"...morning pages give you permission to be who you are. They are a radical form of self-acceptance. By being true to yourself and fully expressing all of yourself without judgment, you honor the truth of who you are."

I'm not a morning person. I'm like the antithesis of a morning person. And when I wake up on work mornings I'm usually feeling groggy, grumpy and anxious about starting the day. So last night I bought a cute notebook {complete with owl on the cover} at Target, and this morning I got up 10 minutes early {GASP}, sat on our new couch {ahhhhh} and journaled for 10 minutes. And you know what? It really did help me get out of that early morning funk.

So there you have it. Some big and some very simple changes that have been taking place in and around my life these days. The more changes I go through the more I am realizing they are doing me a lot of good.

What changes have you been going through lately friends? I would love to hear about them.

{Buddha Ben}

Last night it was my turn to put Benny to bed. We have this little ritual of letting the boys watch a few short videos on our phones before they go to sleep. {we read to them too so don't judge me ;)}

As he was laying in his bed watching Tow Mater, I just sat and took in the view. His precious face...the way he moves his mouth when he smiles and talks...the sparkle in his blue eyes. And then he did something that took me back to when he was a baby. He clasped his hands near his face like he was praying. Like this...

He sat like this a lot...so cute...

I have a difficult time seeing the baby in Benny these days, but for those few seconds I was right back there. Cue the teary eyes and overcoming feeling of a grateful heart. And thoughts of where did the time go?!

He may be sporting a serious big boy face {complete with yogurt smear}and lots more blond hair these days...

But he will always be my little Buddha Ben.

{He totally looked like Buddha, don't you think?}

{hop on!}

It was a nice day for a tandem trike ride yesterday...

Ben is lucky he is the light-weight...

 

Hold on tight!...

How ya doin' back there?...

Before we know it they will be upgrading to training wheels!

{today}

I think you should watch this...



and also have a great weekend!

{swoon}

I love to feature fun Etsy shops so when I came across this bag from Ashley Carter Designs...

I had to share it with my friends. Gorgeous, right?

And it comes with a matching ruffled cosmetic bag... {swoon x 2}

 

I need a bib right now from all of the drool running down my chin. Which is appropriate because it is listed as a diaper bag. But it would be an amazing every day bag as well.

She also has adorable hair accessories...

 

 

So check out her shop!

{hello love, part 2}

I have another new love...

{and yes...I took this photo in the restroom at work}

My new spring jacket!

I've been in desperate need for one of these, so when I came across this lovely on sale at Kohl's {with 30% off coupon in hand!}, I couldn't resist. I know it is going to be my go to jacket for the next few years.

I also picked up a few fun and bright spring tops...

And I liked this one so much I got it in two colors...it is perfect for work and also casual and comfy enough for home...

Come on spring! I'm ready for you!

{hello love}

Meet the newest addition to our mid-century modern furniture collection...

We found a set of four of these lovelies on Craigslist. The hubby fell in love with them instantly and is excited to refinish them. The side view is the best part...so much fun detail...

We're also on the hunt for the perfect fabric to cover the seats. Medieval tapestry just doesn't seem to fit the bill. Something like this...

Or this...

Or maybe we'll go with a solid. It will be fun to see what we finally decide on!

The same seller also has a pretty fabulous dining table in a similar style so we are deciding on whether we should go back to get it or not. The asking price is $75 (same as the chairs!) so it seems crazy to pass it up. We are excited to see our mid-century modern collection growing!

{love list}

TGIF! Is everyone as glad as I am that it is almost the weekend?! Seriously. So let's get the fun started a bit early with a love list, shall we?

1. This wall art from Urban Outfitters...

LOVE! My only problem would be deciding where to hang it.

2. This genius idea...

 

Who would have thought to use locks as key holders? Kara Paslay, that's who! Such a simple idea but so genius!

Kara has a super inspiring blog so check it out!

3. Minion cupcakes...

The boys are going to have a Despicable Me themed 3rd birthday party {yes...they will be 3 in less than 3 months...sigh} and these are SO perfect and I think I can DIY them.

4. Tree stump side tables...

I really, really want one. This post from The Nester shows lots of lovely ideas.

5. This room...

Relaxing, right? I want to sit down in it with a cup of coffee and a magazine. 

6. "I can do better"...

A simple, yet mind-changing revelation.

And with that I say Happy Weekend friends!!