I love Online Christmas Shopping

I couldn't make it to the shops this weekend, but NO BIG DEAL!

So, my current favorite etsy shops are: irenesuchocki

(photo from irenesuchocki's etsy shoppe)

and heatherberry

It's hard not to make my Christmas list longer and longer. But I just keep chanting, "remember the reason for the season, remember the reason for the season..." and keep shopping away.

I've also visited and purchased from Land of Nod and Boden.

"Many things will catch your eye, only a few will catch your heart, pursue those."

Family Pics

Thanks mac, for such great family photos. I love them. Here are my first couple faves!

Hmmm...what to do for Christmas cards this year....

P.S. Do ya'll like my red hair? It's my first "Frenchie" experiment. :)

Boo!

Happy Halloween. No homeade costumes this year, just a little dress up from the dress up bin, and a fall festival. I'm not much of a Halloween mom. Sorry, kids. But obviously we did carve pumpkins.

Fredricksburg

Lost in a time warp when we go to Fredricksburg. It's so just fun.
There is usually some shopping time,
some time at the "five and dime",
some river time,

and inspiration overload. I love this little Texas town. It's the perfect weekend getaway!

Aveda Here I Come

Here's me on my first day of school. Here goes nothing...

The Wheels On the Bus

Doesn't seem that long ago I was posting about my oldest first day of Kindergarten, and now I'm posting about my youngest first day of Kindergarten. Man, how time flies. Whoever said, "The days are long, but the years are short." was so correct. Each year seems to get faster and faster.

The weeks preceding school, I was flooded with thoughts of the girls when they were still babies and every day was a haze of diaper changes, getting dressed & groomed battles, and muggy mosquito trips to the park (which inevitably led to sandy bed sheet naps). I can't believe these little talking, walking, eye rolling, decision making, front door of elementary entering kiddos are mine. I can't believe I'm the same person or this is the same life. I'm not sad, really, I'm mostly excited, but I am overwhelmed with how fast I suspect their childhood will fly by. {The upside is I'm not quite as crazy or frumpy as I was in the baby haze days!}

Without further adieu, on their first day of school:

My Fair Lady

I helped my sweetest friend, Katie, alter her dress. We should have taken a before and after, but we didn't and now it's too late because it's "after".

Super cute dress, super short. So we added a band of pink around the bottom for length and a pink sash to tie it all together. No pun intended. So cute. Super fun.

What I want to be when I grow up...

With my youngest heading off to kindergarten, and me being faced with the prospect of a big empty house all day, I began to panic. I had always dreamt about this day. How I'd pay my dues for eight years, and then just live it up at the coffee shop every morning, and then head to the gym. Enjoy leisurely trips to the grocery store no rowdy, whiny kids in tow. Do chores around the house, paint and create. Then finish the day, of course, by preparing delicious organic meals from scratch for my family to enjoy every evening. But as the day drew neigh, I felt panic. Yet equally, I feel free. Free to be and do anything I want to do. And in this moment, I feel like I need to do something outside the house to keep myself from becoming stagnant. To avoid the bon-bon jokes. Anything but the bon-bon jokes. (FYI anyone who makes bon-bon jokes has NEVER, I repeat NEVER, stayed home rearing small children, can I get an Amen from my “stay-at-home sistas?) I’m ready to turn the page and begin a new chapter for me.
After weeks of reading and contemplating, I have made a "life plan". I put goals on paper, goals

that are specifically important to me. I examined how I want my life to look like, how much time I want to be able to spend with my family, and I truly assessed what I enjoy doing, and now I think I know what I want to be when I grow up. Actually, that isn't true. I know what I want to be for this season of my life.

Are you ready? Aveda here I come. I’m so excited. I’m going to go back to school for one year to get my cosmetology license and become a hairstylist. For those of you who know me well. You will automatically think this is a match because of my freakish fetish with hair. I have been known to stop complete strangers in the grocery store to tell them how cute their hair is and ask if I may check out their layers or highlights. For those of you who know how well I talk, you might possibly think, “How perfect”. She will get to flap her gums all day. Fresh ears every couple hours, just keep those clients cycling through. For those of you who know how I have “tell me your problems” stamped across my forehead you will think, what a match. Kind of like bartenders stylist get told everything. In an honest fashion, not like the putting on appearances done for counselors and pastors. Don’t we ladies, we tell our stylist everything? There will be some quality time for building relationships, shedding wisdom into real life circumstances, and hopefully making a client feel more beautiful inside and out. I also appreciate the creative outlet with my hands part, and the flexible schedule part. I’m really excited about having somewhere to be, outside of the house, everyday.

(photo from Aveda website)