the emperor has some new clothes

i started this blog in 2006 {in blogging years, i’m practically your grandmother}, as a hobby, a way to offer the creativity that was banging on the doors of my brain a chance at freedom.

and maybe to prove that, for me, keeping a journal {of sorts} wasn’t impossible.

i kind of did that, but since then it hasn’t really evolved much, and i’m hoping for a fresh start, a chance at something new and different.

it’ll be the same{ish} content, but with a fresh perspective.

a chance to further challenge {and discover} the more creative side of myself.

here goes nothin’.

*this means that i won’t be blogging here anymore. so follow my “new” blog on bloglovin’, update your feed, or whatever it is you kids are doing these days.”

ethan “the rockstar”

{via}

this is ethan.

last wednesday evening, he suffered from a low-grade fever that led to seizures and cardiac arrest.  at the hospital, he was revived and remained in a coma for the next several days. there was no history of this. it came out of the middle of nowhere.

ethan passed away the other day – he’s with Jesus now, but his parents are left with an emptiness i can’t comprehend. and i hope i never do. this has rocked my mommy heart to its very core. i am just so unbelievably heart-broken for this family. i’ve never met them, but i feel like i need to do something.

so i’m asking you to give to this family. if you can. they’ve been left with some medical expenses in the wake of this tragedy, and it would be great if we could all band together to take care of this for them so that it’s something they don’t even have to think about.

but also.

please pray for them. they need prayer right now more than anything. for God to sustain them and fill the hole in their heart. as only He can do.

fashion friday: road trippin’

luke, the nugget and i will be leaving later this afternoon to head back down to georgia – this time for vacation, on tybee island.

we’ve got another long drive ahead of us, but at this point, we’re road trip professionals.

what? that’s a thing.

so here’s a look at what i like to wear on long treks down winding roads.

1/2/3/4/5/6/7

any kind of stretchy, flowy, cotton, comfy, jersey dress or skirt. this should require no explanation, but i will tell you that i wore the striped version of number 4 on our way home from georgia a couple of weeks ago and it felt like i was in my jammies. except i didn’t look like i was. that, 2 consecutive rounds of the alphabet game, and lots of great conversation {and music} got me through.

1/2/3/4/5

of course, you could always go the way of the tee and jeans.

the great thing about the recent-ish trend of colored pants is that the old tee and jeans gets a bit of a makeover. why not pair these {in red} with number one for a bit of a color shock? or these {in pink} with number 4? or these {swoon} with number 5?

the possibilities are endless!

do you have a standard but stylish uniform for the road? do share!

remember

{via}

marcus is only 8 months old and i think about this all the time.

every new thing he does.

every milestone he achieves.

they’re reminders that we’re leaving behind precious moments that i can never get back.

days that pass slowly, or when i’m frustrated with this, that, or the other thing – it’s when i need this reminder the most.

God willing, we have so much ahead of us.

but i don’t ever want to forget where we’ve been.

and i certainly don’t want to rush through where we are.

yellow

{H&M top –similar  and scarf –similar, crops, wedges}

i feel like i’m not tan enough to wear yellow yet, but it’s just so pretty, i have a hard time caring.

i love how cheery it is. how feminine it is. how summery it is.

yes, yellow is a good color to wear.

even without a tan.

shrimp pesto pizza

i love pizza.

i love the stringy cheese, the sweet and savory sauce and the chewy crust.

it’s spectacular.

i was browsing on pinterest the other day {i’m not sure if it actually was the other day – it’s a phrase i use to describe “some time in the past” it could have been months ago for all i know.} when i came across shrimp and pesto pizza with goat cheese. it looked spectacular, and i wanted it, so i did my own little spin on it.

what you’ll need:
pizza dough {i made my own using this recipe – minus the cheese and sauce and stuff, of course}
4 oz. of basil pesto {it’s about half of this jar. if you make your own, you’re a rock star!}
1/2 – 1 cup of shredded mozzarella {this just depends on your taste}
2 oz. of feta cheese, crumbled or cubed {i used this}
1 cup of medium shrimp, deveined and tails removed
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic

make it:
preheat your oven to 400 degrees. start by making your pizza dough according to the directions that i linked to, or whatever pizza dough directions you find. put it on your pizza stone and set aside. saute the shrimp on medium heat with the garlic and olive oil until slightly under-done about 2-3 minutes – remember, they’ll be baking in the oven too. you can add a smidge of salt and pepper while you’re sauteing if you’d like. it’s not necessary, but it’s just habit for me. take your pesto and spread it on the dough leaving about an inch around the edge. add the crumbled/cubed feta. and the shrimp. and then top it with the mozzarella. pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes or until it’s all melty and bubbly and delicious. enjoy.

{faux} hawk

and that’s really all there is to say, about that.

how was your weekend?

a different kind of love

this little boy made me a mama almost nine months ago.

my life has changed so much since then and in only the best ways.

just after he was born and everyone was fussing with him, my own mama came over to me with the biggest smile on her face and said “it’s like a completely different kind of love, isn’t it?”

it was such a beautiful moment because i knew exactly what she meant, but also because i got to see a glimpse of my own mother, as a 23-year-old woman, experiencing that feeling for the first time in her life. i got to watch her re-live one of the most moving experiences she’s had.

this weekend i will celebrate being a mama, and i will celebrate my mama with a kinship we’ve never had before. i know now. and i appreciate her so much more.

so to all the mamas, new and not-so-new. to the soon-to-be-mamas who don’t quite know of the love i’m referring to:

happy mother’s day. you mean so much to someone.

things i love: boxes

one of my favorite things in the whole wide world is getting mail.

i feel like a little kid – the anticipation of getting something special is reminiscent of the night before christmas.

now mostly, i just get bills and other such un-fun things. but once a month i can count on getting something special in the mail thanks to birchbox and bluum. {i guess technically, it would count as twice a month.}

in a nutshell, they are wonderful little companies that send you samples every month. birchbox is for any woman- they send samples of beauty-related products every month. bluum is for mamas. they send samples of things for mamasandbabies. anything from beauty products to floor cleaner to rattles.

the best part? the price – you can get a birchbox for just $10/month or a bluum box for just $12/month. with both companies you can earn points if you review the products {for other birchbox or bluum members} you receive and the points can go toward purchasing products or getting a free box.

the added bonus is finding a product that you fall in love with and will use for all eternity.

even if you don’t want to undulge for yourself, they make great gifts. what woman do you know who wouldn’t love to get beauty product samples every month from birchbox? and what about the new mama in your life? i think you other mamas would all agree that a little treat like a bluum box would be a real pick-me-up in the midst of a newly-sagging tummy, sore nipples, and a special place that doesn’t feel so special.

plus if nothing else, it feels great to have your name on something that isn’t the electric bill.

the best waffles ever

i’m a breakfast food kinda girl.

because luke’s schedule isn’t that of a normal 9 to 5, i really get to have fun planning different meals and making breakfast a bigger deal than just cereal, or grabbing something quick from the kitchen.

i got a waffle recipe from my sister-in-law after we first got married, and i’ve tweaked it some, and it’s just spectacular.

you know, if i do say so myself.

ingredients:
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick of butter melted and slightly cooled
3 eggs {i use extra large, but use what you have}
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract

in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a medium-size bowl, beat the eggs, and whisk in the cooled butter {make sure it’s cool, you don’t want scrambled eggs!}, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients being careful not to over-mix. the batter will be lumpy. spoon the batter  onto your preheated waffle iron {the amount will depend on your waffle iron – mine takes a 1/2 cup} and after the waffle irons stops steaming, you’ll have some incredibly tasty waffles for breakfast. yum!