{October happenings}

Hello friends!

How is your October going so far? 

We've been squeezing in all sorts of fun fall activities at our house. The boys are on fall break this week and I've been soaking up being able to enjoy every minute with them (OK..maybe not EVERY minute because 8 year olds are a but nuts, especially after 8 pm 😜 😂). But seriously I'm not taking this time with them for granted, and honestly getting a bit weepy about the fact that I go back to work in two weeks. It will be bittersweet for sure. 

In art news, I've also been working on new illustrations and patterns! I've found that anymore I can't let a day go by without creating something new.

So here are a few peeks into our past week through my Instagram photos...

Morning walk through the park...so lovely. 

Working on some happy fall signs for an upcoming show! Gold sharpies are one of my new favorite things.

Orchard! They still humor me with a photo, even if tongues need to be stuck out.

Outdoor office = sabbatical life.

This needs no explanation, right?

I've been stocking up on cute new dresses and cardigans in anticipation of going back to work on November 1st. (Easing the sting a little, you know?)

The above is an Old Navy dress and TJ Maxx cardigan, and the cardigan below is from my favorite local boutique, Luxe Lizzies!

We are lucky to live super close to an arboretum that has beautiful nature trails. We definitely need to take advantage of it more! This nature walk has been the highlight of my month with them for sure.

Random happy fall doodles

Another sign I'm working on for that upcoming show. These chalkboards are double-sided so I'm thinking about fun double quote concepts. 

A new happy illustration...I have missed doing daily quotes.

And brush lettering! A fun new thing to practice. I'm using Sakura Koi brush markers here. 

Perfect fall break morning (you can grab the mug here)

Pottery painting! It had been awhile since I took the boys to do this, and I was excited to see how much their dexterity and creativity has grown. 

And new patterns!

I can thank my Pattern Camp group for the creation of these. Jessica (our fearless leader) gives us a weekly challenge, and these were acorns and ghosts. So fun!

Here were my original sketches for the ghost pattern...

With my favorite fall treat in hand of course! I ate WAY too much candy corn + peanuts yesterday. Addictive I tell ya!

So whew...that was a lot of photos but a fun recap I think! Hope your October is going along fabulously as well!

XO,

{Because life.}

I haven't been blogging much these days, but this morning I have the itch. 

Thinking about decorating for the holidays, and thankfulness, and anxiety.

I pulled out my box of Christmas decorations over the weekend. It is an old plastic tote that was probably passed down to me from my Mom when Dan and I got our own place. And after years of adding to our stash of tinsel and cardboard sparkly houses and garlands it was overflowing when I put it away last year. But I pushed the lid on as well as I could until I heard the sides pop, and put it away in the downstairs closet to wait another year for attention. 

When I opened it Saturday, and started to pull out our "Santa stops here" sign and my hand knitted garland, I saw it.  Mold. Apparently leaving everything in a musty basement closet in a box with a not so tight lid wasn't the best idea I've had in my lifetime. 

I cleaned what I could, threw away what I couldn't, and without a tear went to TJ Maxx to replenish what had to go in the trash. 

A few years ago I would have cried over that mold. I would have let it ruin my day and been sour grapes for at least 2-3 hours. I've never been so good with change...with molding. 

The past few years have molded me into an entirely new person. That molding was painful, and still is some days. Becoming a mother...every day becoming a mother. Struggling with a painful split in my family that seems like it will never heal, but has taught me so much about myself. Learning how to be a better wife to Dan through lots of mistakes and, thankfully, forgiveness. 

Holidays give us the time to look at what we've molded ourselves and our life into...and reflecting on what we've created.

The Christmas decorations are just icing on the cake, really. They don't define the holiday. They are the backdrop for the really good stuff we are placed on this earth to enjoy. 

The conversations with my boys about what they want Santa to bring them, and what they want to
buy for each other. Sitting in a comfy chair next to the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree, enjoying a mug of coffee with whipped cream. A shopping trip to Wal-mart with my Mom to pick out Legos for the boys and happily peruse the Christmas decorations. Picking out happies for my Grandmother so I can send her a Christmas care package full of things to make her smile. Shopping for two teenage girls who's mother needs a bit of extra help this year... lip gloss and journals and candy. Watching my husband, who is not a fan of photos, snap picture after picture of the boys decorating the tree. Remembering to take a selfie with both of my parents after a day spent with them and the boys, making Christmas cookies, decorating their tree and enjoying pizza.

All of that up there has me feeling SO blessed this year.

But can I be honest? At the same time I am sad. And scared. And anxious. 

Because life. 

I used to beat myself up over feeling those above things...because life is good and I have everything I need and blah, blah, blah. But not anymore. Because life is complex and hard and the biggest contradiction we'll ever face. To quote one of my favorites, Momastery, life is "brutiful". 

I don't know if this post has made any sense at all, but I just want you to know that if you feel happy, blessed, scared, sad, anxious, overjoyed...all at the same time...you're not alone. I truly think, at our most true selves, that's the way God intended us to feel. A big old ball of emotions. Thankful and anxious. Noticing the blessings and the hardships. 

Because life. 


XO,

{happy mother's day}

Searching for a quote to doodle this morning, this Mary Oliver one stuck out to me as a symbol of what motherhood has been for me. Pretty much every second of being a mother has been made up of the unimaginable. 

I couldn't have planned for how it would feel, how it would change me. 

And each season of their lives brings new joys and anxieties. Right now we're in the losing teeth and learning about how their actions effect others season. Learning geometry and deciding what they want to be when they grow up season. But they still like to cuddle with their momma, and they ask me to sing them songs at bedtime. 

I hope this season stays awhile longer. 

Wishing a happy day to all who mother and do this unimaginably wonderful thing for another human being. 

XO,

{movie night memories + essentials}

This is a sponsored post by Pop Secret but all opinions are 100% mine.

Head over to the Pop Secret Facebook page for a $1 off coupon!

For about four years now, we've had movie night with the boys every Friday night. It is one of our favorite traditions and kicks off the weekend in such a fun way. For the first few years we took them to the movie rental store and they each took turns picking out what we would watch. These days it has turned into a Redbox or Netflix movie, but still just as fun. And bonus points if the boys agree on the same movie!

In addition to the movie, here are the essential ingredients for our movie nights:

1. comfy pj's
2. movie theater style boxes of candy
3. popcorn

It doesn't feel like a proper movie night if we aren't wearing our fleece pajamas, curled up on the couch with a box of hot tamales or Mike & Ikes and a big bowl of salty, buttery popcorn. 

This week we amped movie night up a few notches and built a fort for the boys! They were so excited when I surprised them with that fun addition.

I pulled out their faux firepit, some battery operated candles and their softest blankets and pillows. You could say they were happy campers. <<< See what I did there?

And of course we had candy and yummy Pop Secret popcorn to enjoy.

And it wouldn't be movie night without some silliness from my Benny... {If you can't tell by the above photos...Landon was tired with a capital T!}

I already can't wait for this Friday. Although now I think the boys will be expecting a fancy fort every week!

Do you have family movie nights? What are your essentials?

If you want some fun fort ideas and a coupon, head over to the Pop Secret Facebook page!

XO,

{making your own magic}

Did you know I can open and shut car windows with my mind?

OK...so I really can't, but I had the boys believing I was magic today, and that in itself made me feel like supermom.

We were driving home from my office, and Landon rolled his window down. It took Ben by surprise, and Landon tried to convince him that it was magic. I decided to take that and roll with it, so I told them I could open and shut the windows with a simple command.

For the rest of our 15 minute commute, they yelled out requests.

"Mom's window down!"

"Mom's window up!"

"Landon's window down!"

"Landon's window up!"

Man I had fun with it. I would roll one down halfway, then slowly roll it back up in short spurts. They were laughing and freaking out and oohing and aahing.

It was fabulous and so magical even though all it involved was a sneaky press or pull of a lever.

We were making our own magic.

Isn't that what life is all about?

Finding magic in something so ordinary and boring and sometimes frustrating as a drive home from work. There is magic everywhere if we look for it.

And if there is none to be found, we can create it. Kind of like a super power, if you will.

Where could your life use a bit more magic?

XO,

{Christmas 2014}

Whew!

Christmas 2014 has come and gone, and it was so full of good things for our family. It was a bit crazy too, but anything good comes with a bit of crazy, right?

We exchanged gifts and hugs, enjoyed slow mornings, made cookies, watched tons of Christmas shows, snuggled up in new pj's, built lots of Lego sets, tripped over Nerf darts, consumed all sorts of yummy food and sweets, played silly games, and did a lot of reminiscing.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the past week...

For some reason I was even more sentimental this year...seeing the boys with my parents especially got me. We're so lucky to be so close to them. And watching the boys completely enveloped in the magic of the holiday was so special. Feeling very blessed and happy.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas friends!

XO,