according to – kim

3b1

we bundled up and left the house sunday morning with two objectives: find a christmas tree and attempt to shoot our little elf for our holiday card. we accomplished both, although it wasn’t easy (wink). this babe is none stop and asking her to sit still is nearly impossible. regardless, we had a wonderful wintery adventure amongst a sea of trees. i’ve said it once and i’ll say it again, this really is the most wonderful time of year and logan adds a whole new level of magic to our days.

a

^ if only our ceilings were that much taller ^

b

^ enamored by the concept of the snow-globe ^

c

^ my north pole ^

d

^ we played tug-of-war and had a meltdown over putting this broom back in the general store. grandmom to the rescue. ^

e

^ wreaths for days ^

f

^ documenting this wild child has become a blur ^

g

^ if i had the room i would have taken them all home ^

h

^ we sealed our date with a cider doughnut of course ^

currently – black

2013.12.02 - December

currently thankful: for family + close friends, which i was reminded of late last week surrounded by loud noise and full bellies. but most recently with the love affair between logan and her little cuz ‘druebies’. once lo realized sweet quiet drue isn’t a threat to her sacred toy stash, lo’s become obsessed with mauling her baby friend and smothering her with kisses and hellos. it’s absolutely adorable, warms my heart and makes me anxious for these little girls to grow up together.

currently decking: the halls! it’s that magical time of year, and while i have a hard time layering on the kitsch, i’m trying my best for the sake of the toddler who calls our house home. however i must confess i tend to lean on the more natural side with a few homemade goodies sprinkled here and there. but all’s good, as we’ve got a grandmom with an entire snowman village and two trees.

currently shopping: for the prefect christmas gifts from my sofa surrounded by pine smelling cozy, cause you know i’m staying far from that scary place they call the mall. with black friday + cyber monday currently upon us, i’m in full swing checking off my list and can’t wait to set up shop and wrap late into the night.

currently scheming: our holiday card. let me tell you, it’s one hard task to get a wild toddler to sit still long enough to capture her saying cheese. there’s been many attempts, several meltdowns, and loads of jpegs to filter through. the pressure is on.

currently anticipating: a jam packed eventful december. we’ve got a light show, a visit with santa and a ride on the polar express just to name a few for lo. and an impromptu getaway to the big apple next week for adults only. this one’s got me super excited, as it’s been years since we’ve made the trip during the holiday season…the most wonderful time of year!

off topic – step inside

i’m starting off with a disclaimer…ignore the crap photography you’re about to witness. after five years, i still haven’t found the proper setting to shoot our interior in. receiving little to no natural light, i’m stumped and have given up on that one. and with a sick baby clinging to our every move this past weekend, this mama had to do what i had to do. fifteen minutes with my iphone to the rescue (wink). so anyway, this week we’re stepping inside. as i mentioned, we bought this home five years ago. our first investment as newlyweds. and what an investment its been! although it’s quaint and compact, we’ve resurfaced every square foot making this space our home with our own blood, sweat + tears. and while i whine about the lack of sunlight, i must confess this place is down right cozy on the coldest of winter days. here are just a few of my most favorite corners…

living

the living room: as our only living space, this is where we spend most of our time as three. and since the arrival of logan, this space has become pretty wide open and tactile. perfect for spilled toys and wrestle matches.

kitchen 2

the kitchen: this is where it all goes down. that is, paulie feeds us and i clean up. all while a certain small human barks orders from her thrown centered right there in the middle of it all.

dining

the dining area: backed up to the kitchen peninsula creating one large space, this is where a crowd forms. always. we’ve packed more people around this table and on the window seat than i ever imagined possible. definitely the heart of our home.

afterlight

the upstairs landing: the top of our center stair makes for the perfect gallery space and this particular photo just happens to be my jam.

office

the office: this little dormed corner belongs only to me. it’s where i try to stay organized + creative way past my bedtime. and most currently shoo little hands away from those dangerously filled craft drawers.

logan

logan’s nursery: layered + cluttered with color, pattern and toddler chaos, this spot is hands down my most favorite and sentimental. paulie better have a box of tissues on hand when we start rearranging come the new year.

monthly mini – logan

photo A

photo B

photo C

photo D

photo E

photo F

photo G

photo H

52 project – a portrait of logan, once a week, every week, in 2013

not much to report on this nineteen month old baby, turned toddler. while i’ve heard rumors of the independent monsters eighteen month olds transform into, i can say more often than not logan’s still her sweet and chubby short-haired self. however that’s not to say this girl isn’t sassy and hasn’t taken a major precedence over our clan of three these days. she knows what she wants and does a good job expressing it. sense my sarcasim?! the scary part is reminding her who’s in charge around these parts. the hard part is not letting her get away with murder. it’s hard not to cave on every request this adorable little human demands. with ease and patience we’re trying to set boundaries while teaching lo there’s other ways to get her point across aside from full blown melt downs. it’s turning out to be a learning experience for us all.

guide to – giving thanks

Untitled-3

dinnerware / glassware / flatware / linen
linen / flatware / dinnerware / glassware
glassware / linen / dinnerware / flatware

i must confess, thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday for so many reasons: the crisp chill in the air and colorful leaves on the ground, the livelihood of the macy’s day parade and santa coming to town, a crowded house filled with family both old + young, holiday music completing with football fan cheers, warm fires, the obnoxious amount of yummy food to chow on, the delicious smell of warm desserts, giving thanks, pollyanna pickings and the anticipation of christmas madness in full effect come morning…to say the least, thanksgiving totally warms my heart! in our house, there’s too many people to seat around one table, so buffet style it is. grab a plate, snag a seat wherever you can squeeze in and fill your belly as many times as you wish. just the way i like it! and just like our dinner party antics, why not mix + match your wares for a casual yet beautiful cornucopia of color + material + texture. can’t wait!

according to – kim

a

b

photo(10)

photo 1

c

d2

e

f

our halloween was catastic! we had the genius idea of prepping lo plenty in advance by casually laying the furry suite around the house and playing with it all october long. needless to say, us big kids ended up with that hood on our heads more than the kid herself. the same shenanigans began halloween night and I figured we’d chalk this year up as a lost cause. that was until a spooky cloak clad neighbor stopped lo dead in her tracks, long enough to swipe her kitty hood on and snap a few pics. scared shitless, i took advantage of what I could get and we moved on with our night uninterrupted.

thank you scary boy for saving this cats halloween!

currently – black

2013.11.04 - November

currently 32: as of this past saturday. celebrated quietly, just how i like it. i’ve never been one to dwell over the number, but for some reason this particular one stings a bit. i kind of envision myself as 27 forever and always. years are flying by and my sentimental self is finding it hard to grasp.

currently anticipating: some down time. i often say ‘yes’ to more than i can handle and find myself scrambling to breath at the end of the day. i hit the point last week where i had to be reminded that i don’t have to live up to those wonder woman ways. here’s to a few days of piece of quiet

currently enjoying: a day off, courtesy of my boss man, who graciously sends you home for your birthday. while i had full intensions of spending the day recharging entirely alone, plans changed and i’ve got my small side kick with me. things could be worse (wink)… she is cute and makes for a pretty entertaining lunch date.

currently pinning: gift ideas! one of my favorite things is shopping for the perfect gift for each particular person. i put a ton of thought into it every year and with the holidays quickly approaching, my mind has already begun to tag some intriging finds.

currently snacking: on all the spicy treats fall has to offer. apple cider doughnuts, carmel apples, pumpkin ice-cream + spiced latte’s are currently warming my heart. it’ll be a sad day when these favorites are swiped off the shelves.

off topic – style sense

f

on kim: anthropologie scoopneck + urban outfitters button down + esley jacket + zara skinnies + asics
on logan: old navy terry dress + zara jacket (similar) + target leggings + converse chuck taylors

‘style sense’…ha! there’s a reason i don’t discuss style and stick to babes. as you can tell, i’m a bare bones kind of girl. i like to think of it as ‘less is more’ (wink). on a good day i can be up and out the door in fifteen minutes. case in point, this very morning! i’m my own worst enemy if left with any time to spare, standing in front of the closet distraught over white, gray or black. so it’s a good thing a toddler keeps me on my toes, rising ready to roll. these days my decisions are quite simple and comfort takes the win. most weekends you can catch me in something as basic as what you see. with a quick wave of the wand, lots of layers, stretch skinnies and sneaks, I’m ready to take on a weekend of exploring…dirt. if only I could get away with striped leggings and leopard print kicks.

monthly mini – logan

photoA

photoB

photoC

photoD

photoE

photoF

photoG

photoH

52 project – a portrait of logan, once a week, every week, in 2013

this parenting gig keeps getting better and better. i’ve always loved kids and envisioned having a whole slew of my own, but then the whole baby thing intimidated the crap out of me and scared me off. don’t get me wrong, i cherished every moment of babyhood, but a year and a half is definitely where its at. we’ve got ourselves a mini play pal and life currently couldn’t be any sweeter. so with that, eighteen months of logan, calls for eighteen facts about this little spit fire.

  1. lo loves shoes and will specifically point them out and won’t stop until you recognize their beauty.
  2. if you ask lo how old she is she’ll shoot you a smile, hold up her index finger and say ‘two’.
  3. lo now collects my fallen postpartum hairs and delivers them back to me saying ‘hair mama’.
  4. always been a book monster. lo can sit and turn pages for a long toddler while and most recently likes to run her fingers over the words and recite the ‘abc’s’.
  5. lo has started feeding all of her animals + babies. she takes food to their mouth, makes eating noises and then says ‘mmmmmmm’. cutest thing ever!
  6. kid loves cake. so much so that I can’t display my prettiness on the counter anymore. otherwise cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
  7. if you sneeze, lo will ‘bless you’. and if she sneezes and you’re slacking off, lo will bless herself.
  8. lo can’t get her teeth clean enough…constantly asking to ‘brushy teeth’. I’d say she’s obsessed.
  9. lo’s eyes are as black as night and sometimes they seriously stare so deep into you it’s spooky.
  10. my favorite is to tickle her thighs or chomp on her neck and be consumed by her adorable giggles.
  11. lo asks to be held and rest her head on your shoulder when she’s sleepy now. best part is when she requests you to ‘pat’ her back.
  12. sharing is most definitely not lo’s favorite. we’re working on it.
  13. my heart skipped a beat this month when lo asked for a ‘hair bow’.
  14. lo is a hoarder. we’ll give it some time before we intervene.
  15. maybe we should have held off on introducing tv a bit longer, cause lo is always requesting a ‘show’ these days.
  16. lo is serious about arts + crafts. a girl after my own heart.
  17. daddy is still lo’s favorite. can’t blame her, as he’s my favorite too.
  18. dinner time is still the death of us.

guide to – seasonal style

2013.10.14 Fall Style

mama: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8
mini: 9 / 10 / 11

i live for layering. and since i’m a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl, fall is definitely my season for style. bring on the sweaters, scarves + hats and let’s not forget about accessorizing the parts that don’t need covering up just yet. i say the more the merrier! and while i’m at it, i prefer to stay true to the season and stand by a muted palette. the monochromatic loves above include a few things i wouldn’t mind layering on myself and of course a few little things for my mini.