Tuesday, May 22, 2012

the classic

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. 

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. 

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. 

For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. 

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. 

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and 

redeemed; never throw out anyone.. 

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. 

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and 

the other for helping others. 

- Audrey Hepburn -

Monday, May 21, 2012

the cutest lil bakers rack


I absolutely love my cute lil bakers rack!

I found this piece of furniture at a Goodwill for $30.
I sanded it, stained it to give it some vibrancy 
and spray-painted the hardware. 
I removed the original backing, 
which was thin and worn-out looking,
replaced it with a lighter striped piece 
to give it some contrast. 
I bought this cute little contemporary padded stool 
from Bed Bath and Beyond. 
It has a removable lid which offers a great place 
for additional storage. 
I keep my extra tablecloths folded 
and tucked away it there.  :) 


This is a perfectly comfortable place to sit 
and flip through my cookbooks, 
open and sift through my mail, 
a place to brainstorm and create my to-do list, 
or jot down a quick grocery list.


Friday, May 11, 2012

the great outdoors

You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt.  
Author Unknown


Sometimes the best way to rediscover your spouse involves a shovel. 
We spent the day outside soaking up some sun and doing some 
well needed grooming to our yard. 
A brand new home still needs some TLC. 

We let the yard grow out of control over the winter because we predicted that it would be covered in feet of snow, but boy were we wrong! It ended up being one of the warmest winters ever and the yard started to look like a jungle. We waited for the spring to purchase a lawn mower, edge trimmer, and gardening tools to tame our front and back. So we picked a sunny day to step outside and get our hands dirty. 

Oh, then the shirts came off! Mine too! Woo it was a hot one!
I was wearing a sports bra, no need to freak out! And my sweet boy is the only eye candy I need.

With lots of sweat and laughter we made great progress. We were so proud of our accomplishment and the grand improvement of our greenery. 

Still we are nowhere near finished with our vision. 
But we are taking small strides and checking off one 'to-do' at a time. 

It feels so good to work together. To step back and look at what you've done, together. 
It makes you really feel like a grown-up when you are doing yard work for your own house. It's no longer a chore forced on by your parents - when you threaten to call Child Services because you are convinced this kind of work falls under some child labor law.....haha! ;) 

It takes on a whole new meaning and sense of accomplishment when it's your home. 

And it feels really nice when you come inside from a long day, exhausted from the sun, and you fall on the couch together. Take a deep breath and stay there awhile.