Let Me Take a Moment Here ....

 There are so many moments, when the world slows down outside our fluffy white windows, and I'm laying sprawled about on the floor with my children. When all that's whirling around outside our warm home is sort of meaningless. It's when I stare into their little faces, the same that have been with me now for 6 & 3 & 1 year, that I'm completely taken, so incredibly astonished and in undeniable awe. They are each so very perfect to me (yet not without their difficulties, but this is for me to gush now). It's just, I feel so often that I want to pull back on the reins a bit, hit the pause button, cause life is flying by waaay too fast.

I want my 1 year old to always be warm, soft and squishy, with a nose that crinkles up when he smiles and with an adoring lifeline to me, the person he simply cannot live without. I want my 3 year old to always have that sweet and wacky sense of humor and the adventurous spirit that goes along with it, to find it of utmost importance that I watch and approve his every move (pweese!), and to be so tiny and fragile (yet so unbelievably strong) and perfect in my arms. And I want my 6 year old to always have those bright-shiny eyes, excited for each new day and the simplest of pleasures, a shy side that surprises me with bold creativity, heaps of real heart warming love, and the occasional jump into my lap for a good squeeze. 

Ah ... I've said this before but I just can't believe how fast this is all going and I can't help but get all teary eyed about it. I love raising boys and have loved these baby - kindergarden years. Perhaps it's the promise of all day, every day education looming ahead, from now until he's out of the house. The days with mom at his side 24-7 are over. And while these days were at times fiercely difficult and packed full of guilty tears, I think our little tribe has managed through them just fine, leaving me now to watch them grow up as gracefully as I can. Hah. Doesn't sound like it right now, does it? 

Well, after all of that, here's my Sunday outfit. Bit of a shift. :) I just had to brighten these colorless winter days with some spring-y color. Not that this snow isn't gorgeous, cause it really is. But the clothing is all too gloomy. Blacks, greys, browns ... the fun colors rarely come out to play in January. Hopefully they'll make an appearance again when the love bug starts biting everyone in February. A bit of an explosion of pink and red in our near future perhaps? Certainly at my house!

 {sweater, belt & tights - Gap, skirt - Forever 21, boots - T J Maxx}

Stolen Hearts {and button downs}

The huz will soon have to contemplate a lock and key for his side of the closet cause I am on a mad hunt now and having much, much fun stealing his clothes. 

{head band - (super old) unsure of origin, shirt - (husband's from) H&M, necklace - Target, vest - Azure boutique, jeans - Forever 21, boots - Goodwill}

 Monty and I chilled together yesterday and worked on our best rockstar poses for the camera.

 {yes, his zip is down :)}

 My house looks as disheveled as he does!

{shirt - Sweetpeas}

 Elliot sporting some comfy circus-patterned clothes. 

 We finally bought a dining set last weekend at World Market and it's fantastic. The boys say that the dining room is now their favorite place to be. Let's hope we can keep it looking this pretty. 

{table top goodies : mini cake stand - T J Maxx,  amber glass and candelabra - Goodwill, decorative silver dish (have no idea what it's actually for) & runner - huz's grandmother}

 A stunning light that I found at a garage sale ages ago but have never actually hung. Still want to though. Pink embellished textile is also from my husband's grandmother, passed down to us (so lucky, as it's really beautiful). We were told it was made in Turkey, his grandfather's home. 

 Yesterday I worked on a little table cloth for the sad kitchen table (could really use a sand and stain). I cut out a rectangle from leftover muslin fabric (from the boy's bed tent) and I stitched this crocheted heart onto the center. I'm so looking forward to Valentine's day and plan to start celebrating from now until then! Haha. Godiva chocolate truffles, macaroons, and red velvet cupcakes are all on my sweet list for this next month ... and the huz has been informed. Hop to it. 

What sorts of sweets are your favorite Valentine must have? Do share! If there's something I've not tried yet, I must!

 Have a fabulous weekend friends ... and wear something pretty!

Home Bodies

Ah ... I'm going a little moggy with this weather. Felt completely uninspired with every piece of clothing I tried on yesterday morning and stayed cooped up all day long. The upside? Got to spend some quality time with little E, who seemed to love hibernating at home. Love you E.

It's All Fair {Fashion} Game

 I love button up shirts, especially those in preppy plaids & cute gingham checks. I have only one of my own while the other is borrowed from my sister, the realization of which had me rummaging through my husband's side of the closet, just to see what I might find. You see, he has oodles of prepster button downs (my own doing I'm sure), and in every color under the sun. This is the shirt that I found in it's depths, an old one that's now too short on him (probably due to many washings). Yay for me! I thought it fit just perfectly, in that loosely boyish kinda way, and was perfect "as is" for lounging about the house. But on this occasion I decided to add a vest to define the waist a bit and top it off with an ultra girly necklace.
Wish he had more in my size! (might need to put the washer on the shrink cycle - got a great J. Crew check for Christmas)

{shirt - (Old Navy from) husband's closet, vest & necklace - Forever 21, jeans - Gap, ring - Florida, shoes - (Sam Edelman from) Piperlime}

A chic little lady in Florence, photographed by The Sartorialist, seems to have swiped her man's clothes too (adding pink socks!) And a side note, thank goodness for people like him, who allow us a glimpse of  fashion on the streets all over the world. I used to ask my BFF all the time, "So what are they wearing this season in SA?" Now I can see what people are wearing in NY, Milan, and Paris, in the blink of an eye. So cool!

Inspiration is Everywhere

 

A few favorite looks and spaces from the web. Would die for a floor sweeping emerald stunner like that - a statement chair in teal - cocktail dress by 3.1 Phillip Lim - tufted headboard & fur throw - peaches paired with grey - a dramatic crocheted coverlet - elegantly rock 'n roll vignette!

{Lonny, You are my fave, Coco+Kelley}

Fancy Pants

 Morning friends. Hope you're feeling fresh and sprightly after your weekend. I'm not much of a football fan but ... the Packers are going to the Superbowl! Pretty stinking fantastic.

Let's see. This weekend I ... 

~ froze my hiney off, though I spent no time outside except in passing from one mandatory spot to another. So it was short and not too awful. But everyone else complained of the cold! My little men went sledding in it, supremely bundled, and never really wanted to come in when they were called. We made them take a hot cocoa break every fifteen minutes - not such a bad deal, I think. Daena and I watched with our noses pressed to the windows (every 5 minutes ... as our nails dried ... and we licked the donut creme off of our lips).

~ went to a surprise party. My first. It was a little nerve wrecking waiting not-so-quietly in the dark and hoping to goodness it was pulled off splendidly. She seemed surprised if not slightly scared to see figures lurking in the dark. And once the trembles wore off, very excited to celebrate. Sweet lady. Whew. Happy birthday Lisa!

~ was scolded for my outfit choice. Ha. I wore my denim cutoffs with a pair of thick polka dot tights. Let me assure you that my legs felt nice and toasty, quite possibly more so than if hidden under my skinnies (the other bottom option). But this is Green Bay, my friends, and there are understood and expressly followed rules for dressing in winter. No shorts allowed! Ugh ... I could go on and on, but I won't (I've already erased a bunch so as not to bore you). Let me instead draw attention to the fancy PANTS I frolicked (not in the snow) in yesterday. But most importantly, the clogs! I've wanted a (leather/appropriately-high-but-not-uncomfy/swedish-inspired/sweetly detailed) pair for some time now and finally took the plunge when a gorgeous + well reviewed pair went on sale at Urban. Can't wait to play with them more (dresses & shorts?). Yippee!

{blazer - American Eagle, blouse - (Cynthia Rowley from) T J Maxx, necklaces - (vintage) Somewhere in Time & Loft, ring - vintage, belt - grandmother, pants - Express, clogs - (Seychelles from) Urban Outfitters}

My little dudes had to get in on the action. Such fun!

I even persuaded my biggie to give me an eskimo kiss. 

Rock it boys! 

Monty will ONLY wear mismatched socks ... and I let him. I also let him wear his Transformers shirt 3 days in a row (plus nights) if it tickles his fancy. I do wash it when I can. Not gonna "stunt" this kid's style. Whatevs buddy, let's make it happen. 

 Ah huh.  

{On boys}

{P: shirt - overseas (London), jeans - Gap

M: shirt - overseas (London), jeans - Old Navy

E: onesie - overseas (South Africa), vest - Gap, pants - (Knucklehead from) Sweet Peas, boots - Robeez}

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things ...

Some of the clothes and accessories in my closet, making me happiest this month -

~ boots in caramel leather (with perfectly tiny wedge and gold buckle)

~ a nude chiffon blouse with delicately crocheted neck line

~ pretty bows that accent any outfit

~ comfy hats (for gotta-run hair)

~ navy stripes (thick and thin)
~ sassy specs (needed or not)

~ little pops of bright color

~ hippie flares

And a vintage moment -
~ Gucci bag
~ a wedding shawl

I received several gift cards for Christmas and recently made a trip to T J Maxx to see if there was anything I could spend it on. Thankfully, their shoe selection was sparse. Whew! I was so close to settling on a great pair of Steve Madden sun glasses for $9.99 (toyed with a pair of cat eye Fossil sunglasses but eventually decided I just wasn't as hip as those LA/NY girls). And then I passed by this Cynthia Rowley blouse and it hung there so beautifully that I looked no further. And just $19.99!

{hat (ribbon on hat - Hobby Lobby), blouse & boots - T J Maxx, cardi - Gap, necklaces - Anthropologie & Loft, bracelets - grandmother, jeans - Forever 21}

Outfit #2 - gift card #2

I really should hold on to these gift cards for a while longer, but it's just too exciting to wait! I used my Express card to grab this sweater, a really loose fit in the torso but with slimmer sleeves and a pretty V neckline. It's a great, comfy fit that will work well into spring and they had it in loads of gorgeous colors. And on sale for $20. 

 {sweater - Express, jeans - Gap, booties - Michael Kors at T J Maxx, necklace - Goodwill, bracelets - American Eagle}

 As I rummaged through a few boxes in our basement, I pulled out a pile of items to send to Goodwill and then a couple of lovelies I thought I'd share with you. I found this Gucci purse at an antique store about 6 years ago. It was about $25 and though I do not know if it's truly a Gucci (I know it's pretty easy to come across a fake), I have a good feeling it is. I knew at the time that I couldn't just leave it there at that price, though I'll be honest, I've never worn it out. I've never loved those designer bags boasting their names all over their entirety, but ... I saw a fancy lady at the grocery store last week, with a Louis Vuitton slung across her fur lined shoulder, and it was really stunning. (Very rare to see designer bags in these parts, which is quite nice, I think. Nothing worse than everyone walking around with the same stuff. Don't you agree?)

 And I finally found this faux fur shrug/shawl/cover up. I've been trying to for a while now to use for this very purpose (in photo below). It was made for me to wear over my wedding dress ... at the reception. We were married in February, but in Tulsa so it was not too cold, though enough to need a little something to protect my strapless shoulders from the chill. The bridesmaids had a bit of fur to match, lining the collars of their little sweaters (worn with a floor length ball gown skirt - in a Valentine-sy wine color). Still really think they looked so lovely, even 11 years later. Lots of other wedding yucks though (had my makeup done at the Mac counter cause I was terrible at doing my own, but in my pictures I look white as a ghost!)

{chair - Goodwill,  pillow - Liberty of London for Target}

 Have a splendid weekend everyone!