Ban.do

I'm not sure there will ever be a need for me to wear a big bow around my neck, or even better, a big ruffley bow, but I sort of really want to. You can find these and other not-so-practical-but-oh-so-pretty accessories (including some amazing flower corsages) right here.

Waste Not, Want Not

Last week I made this skirt out of a bed sheet. (You'll notice the bottom hem is the top part of the sheet that you normally fold down.) I had been wanting to make a few things out of chambray and just hadn't made it to fabric store. I opened the linen closet and had an epiphany! The fitted sheet from the set was nearly worn to shreds but the flat sheet still looked great and was just the type/color of chambray I had been wanting to buy. I used a pattern I bought a couple of years ago (New Look #6594 , if you're interested.) with just a few modifications. Since the sheet is king size, I still have quite a bit of fabric leftover so I'm thinking a sun dress or a tunic top might be next on my list.

(P.S. I got the cute yellow sandals at Wal-mart! Only $10 and they have them in every fun color under the sun- hot pink, orange, lime green, metallic...)

A Tribute to My Grandmother

In addition to my class reunion, I also had the opportunity to attend a memorial service for my Grandma who passed away about a month ago. She was in her eighties and had been battling cancer for quite some time. My uncle Bill made this lovely tribute video for her which I just love. I am not a very deep person but seeing my Grandma and Grandpa so young and happy makes me think a lot about life, it's richness, beauty and the people that come and go that make it that way. You can watch the tribute below if you feel so inclined.

Party Like It's 1999

Over the weekend I attended my 10 year high school class reunion. DJ "Star Traxx" (pictured below) kept the party kicking while I had fun catching up with all my good friends from high school (most of them actually go all the way back to preschool!) I also had fun catching up with the people I haven't kept in contact with. Like the guy who took me to my sophomore homecoming-who, I should also mention, had no idea who I was. Seriously. He acted like I was the 300 pound girl in high school who had lost 200 pounds. Come on. Really? I don't look that much different. Anyway, I had mixed feelings about going but I'm glad I did. Has it really been ten years since me and these punks graduated from high school? Humor me a quick walk down memory lane.

The gang THEN:
L to R: Rachelle, Travis, Rachel, Seth, Me, Kayne, Nicolette

The gang NOW:

L to R: (Front) Rachelle, Nicolette, Rachel, Me
(Back) Travis, Kayne


My date to the reunion- my younger brother Carl and I.
(Jared couldn't make it due to his rigorous study schedule. Carl is only two years younger than I am so he knows most of the people I went to school with.)

DJ Star Traxx:

(Random, I know. But this guy cracked me up.)

My senior prom date (Travis) and I THEN:

NOW:

The End.

Summer

Porch swings, popsicles, bare feet, lightning bugs, the warm smell of rain, strawberries, sprinklers, long days, backyard BBQs, flip flops, fireworks, picnics, stargazing, sunshine, bike rides, night swimming, corn on the cob, first kisses, thunderstorms, watermelon, outdoor concerts, hammocks, drive-in movies, flash light tag, road trips and festivals.

Well hello there summer. So good to see you again.

(What are your favorite things about summer?)

Salt Water Sandals

It makes me happy to see Salt Water sandals making a comeback. (Maybe they never disappeared and I've just rediscovered them?) As a kid, I loved getting a new pair each year and wearing them until the soles were holey. These are a little pricey for my budget but if I had a little girl I'd probably be all over that darling red pair. Find them here.

Portrait

I don't normally like pictures of myself, especially when Jared is behind the camera. (He takes a bunch of shots in rapid succession, like a sports or fashion photographer, and it makes me feel really dumb and awkward.) Anyway, he took this one of me around Mother's Day and I really like it. It was very windy (hence the crazy hair) and I was trying to avoid the whole picture-taking blitz so I was surprised that one actually turned out. (FYI: The other 40 or so shots were of me giving him dirty looks and swatting at the camera.)

Jared and Aubrey: Sneak Peek

I think I have tried to execute this shot at almost every wedding I have photographed with mediocre results. Who knew the key to success was a bride with ultra cute, hot pink shoes!?

(May was a busy month for me so I'm in the midst of editing two weddings and a couple of families. I should have a lot more images to share in the next few weeks!)

First Drawing

This is Mitchell's first recognizable drawing from 6 months or so ago. (I have been meaning to scan it for awhile and luckily it just resurfaced after our move.) An abstract piece which he aptly titled "Clothes in the Dryer." We may have a little Picasso on our hands. :)

I Have No Business Being on the Road

As I mentioned in my previous post, I hit a parked car going about 30-40 mph on Thursday night. I'm not sure what happened. I was in full auto pilot, watching the green light ahead of me, but NOT paying attention to the four cars in front of it that weren't moving. (Oops!) Everyone involved was physically okay, the only damage to me was to my ego. (Who hits a parked car in broad day light? I wasn't even talking on the phone. Just driving along and BOOM!) However, since I hit the girl in front of me going so fast, she hit the car in front of her, who then hit the car in front of him, who then hit the car in front of him! It was a complete domino and in the end there were three other cars involved. It was a mess and I'm glad it's over. The funny thing is, this is the first car I've ever owned that has been manufactured in the current decade and I've had to file not one but TWO insurance claims within the past month. I'm thinking I should stink to vehicles from the late 80s to mid-90s...I have had much better luck with those.

I Want

Marseilles Dress SHABBY APPLE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I don't normally do the whole giveaway thing but I really like this dress and I'm a big fan of Kathleen's blog, Grosgrain. Also, I wrecked my car yesterday (more on that later) so I'm looking for a serious pick me up.

PICK ME! PICK ME! PICK ME!

Family Photos

This is my cute cousin Christy and her darling family. I took their pictures over Memorial Day weekend in Lakeside where they own a summer cottage. Anyway, this was one of my favorite shots. I love the color scheme she chose!

Tuscora Park

Over Memorial Day weekend we had a chance to take the boys to Tuscora Park. It's a small scale amusement park with various rides including a ferris wheel, a small train and an antique carousel with hand carved, solid-wood horses. It is really close to where I grew up so I made many happy memories there as a child and it was fun to go back as an adult with my own children. The boys absolutely loved it and I crossed number 23 off the list!

Peonies

My favorite thing about our new place? Big, pink, floppy peonies. And lots of them. I'm thinking a peony party may be in order at my house next year.

Painted Piano

I just spotted this project on Design Mom and I love it! I am so going to paint my old piano a fun color at the earliest possible convienience.

Crazy with a Capital "C"

(This post might get sort of long. If you have a short attention span, here is the abreviated version: we moved, I've basically been driving all over the state of Ohio while simulteaneously negotiating a real estate contract and it's making me grumpy. If you want to stop here, you've got the main idea.)

The move went well. I actually really liked the surprise element: no big build up, no long goodbyes and no time to worry about how in the world I was going to pack up all our belongings. It was nice. We just put our stuff on the truck and left. We arrived in Marietta at about midnight Wednesday and crashed on the floor of the home we are now renting. I spent Thursday unpacking with Spencer, while Jared and Mitch drove the moving truck back to Columbus. Here is the rundown of the past week. Stay with me if you can, this gets a little crazy:
Wednesday: We packed up the house in Columbus and drove to Marietta
Thursday and Friday were both spent in Marietta
Friday night: I drove back to Columbus
Saturday: I spent the entire day shooting a wedding in Columbus
Saturday night: I drove back to Marietta
Sunday: I went to church and took a much needed nap
Monday: I woke up at 2:00 AM to drive to Cincinnati for a dental seminar (note: Cincinnati is 4 hours away and you have to drive through Columbus to get to it.)
Monday night: Drove back from Cincinnati, through Columbus, arrived in Marietta and had a minor nervous breakdown.
It didn't help that all during this time, we were trying to negotiate the sale of our house with no internet access or fax machine- very tricky. But the good news is our house is finally in contract and today I didn't have to drive anywhere! I'm enjoying a little break from my driving tour of the state of Ohio but don't worry, it starts up again this weekend when we head up to Lake Erie to visit my family for Memorial Day! More on our house and our new town in another post...

Surprise!

We're moving. Today. We're moving, like, right now. Consider yourselves in the know because even I didn't know we were moving until about 30 minutes ago when Jared said he was leaving to go pick up the moving truck. We have both been working in Marietta (our new city) for several weeks, sleeping at the home of family members who already live there and driving back and forth. Although we found a house to rent and it will be nice to have one home base instead of two, I'm still feeling anxious about the spontaneity of the decision. Aren't moving days supposed to be more methodical or at the very least, planned? Oh well, no time to think about that now. I have to go start throwing stuff in boxes or something. Ready or not Marietta, here we come!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone is enjoying their day and giving their moms lots of love!

(PS I love this picture because I also love aprons. I think every gal (mother or not) ought to have one that makes them feel cute and domestic. Purchase the one pictured above right here.)

Just in Time for Mother's Day

I'm a big fan of cards with boxes you can check off. This clever Mother's Day card (for Dads) is no exception. Download it for FREE right here.

(compliments of Ambrosia Girl.)

Wall.E

When Jared recently came home with a fancy, high-tech dryer that looked remarkably similar to the character Eve in Disney's latest Pixar hit Wall.E, I decided I had no choice but to paint my old washer yellow to match. Mitchell, a HUGE Wall.E fan who has shown minimal interest in the laundry up until this point, is now enthralled with it and, although I'm not big on promoting characters in general, I now find myself strangely amused each time I throw in a load.