self portrait

I was enjoying the lovely sweet southern air in my backyard awhile back and snapped this little picture with my phone. The sun flare caught perfectly and I have to say this might be one of my favorite self portraits. Not just because of the pretty sun, but at that moment in my life I was content in my backyard enjoying time with myself.

I believe time with yourself is important. Not just time when you are in a room alone with 10 electronic devices working to distract you, but time where you are with you. Where you unplug and think about things that make you happy and what you need to do for yourself. Don't ever forget how important you are!!

*cheers*

Flower tower

In my backyard we have this crazy big tower thing that stacks on top of itself. Each year we pack it full of as many flower pots as it will hold. This is a shot of it's current state this year. I just love all the colors against the brick wall. Just another little shot of my backyard to go along with this post.

I would also just like to add the only reason these things will survive this summer is due to the husband. I pretty much kill all plants I pot myself. I can't figure it out I swear I water and give them all the love I can come up with. I even talk to those bastards and they just die off....JERKS!

XO

Kids

I have a confession to make. I have been thinking about having kids for awhile now. It is something that I think about pretty often lately. I am not sure what triggered this feeling, maybe my biological clock that everyone talks about has finally started. I still don't think we are ready, but I think about it.

As I look up at these pictures and think...well I have kids those little furry creatures are my babies I think there has to be something more. As I think about my life and where it has gone in the last year or so I think about what I want in life and what would fulfill me. I also think am I ready to change my life and never look back. My mom always reminds me not to romanticize children. They are work and not always fun and cute. I know all these things so I have to ask myself am I ready?? I don't know, I suppose that answers it for me doesn't it.

All seriousness aside, our current kids would not be happy to have some smelly crying thing crawling around I can just picture the death glares from Moby now.

Happy Hump day

Sometimes I sew

The other day I decided I do the same shit everyday. I work my ass off for 10 hours in front of a computer, only to turn it off and turn on the television. This is just stupid. There are so many other things that I used to love to do. Crafty type things. So I decided screw TV I am going to make something. I had been wanting to try my hand at these little guys so I did just that. 

After taking a good 30 minutes to remember how in the hell to thread my sewing machine, I got to work making my own little fox pillow. Okay so the fabric I chose is a little tripy but try not to stare too long. Isn't he cute?!?! We (by we I mean me and the cat) have named him Marvin and he is hanging out in the guest room ready to welcome whoever comes to visit.

*cheers*

Travels: OBX

So this past memorial day weekend the mister and I were lucky little bitches. We had the opportunity of a free place to stay with some family in the outer banks. On top of that free place to stay which was beyond sweet. It just so happened that our bestest of friends from home would be in the same place at the same time. I mean I don't think we could make that work out again if we tried. Which in this instance....we didn't try. So here are some photos from the incredible outer banks of North Carolina.  

 My dear friend Kristy's little son Oliver with his grandaddy, and the ladies playing.

  

The handsome boys. My mister on the right pretending he has muscle, but really just looking like a puffed up fish... love him!

 

My incredible and beautiful friends! I love them so much, this photo is finding its way into a frame!

 

 

Boys will always want to play in the sand no matter their age!

 

The outer banks are an incredible place. It's a strip of land that has the ocean on 1 side and a sound on the other. It's a small strip where you are water locked. It was truly beautiful!

 

Brothers! That my folks is my mister on the right and his mini me Evan on the left. He is only 17 and almost as tall as Andrew. Hard to believe. 

Me enjoying the last moments of our long weekend. It was truly a lovely weekend. An escape that was much needed. I unplugged to best of my ability and only checked my work blackberry twice, for me that's a big deal. I will be making trips to the outer banks again that is for sure, maybe if the stars align correctly again I can get their with my amazing friends! Did you do anything awesome sauce over the long weekend. Drunken stupors count as awesome in case you can't remember your long weekend.

XO!

Let summer begin

I know I am a crappy blogger. I want to give you some good reason as to why I have been so flaky as a blogger but truth is I don't have one. So no excuses, but here is a my most recent doodle on our chalkboard fridge. Since memorial day was Monday and that is the unofficial start of summer. Our fridge got pretty excited! Hope you had a lovely holiday last weekend and have some rad plans for this weekend.

*cheers*

Home tour: my backyard

Okay so I know my home tour has been all over the place, but whatevs. My blog, my home tour this is how you get it. So I just wanted to share my new favorite place in the entire world. This is my backyard. My little corner of heaven in the city. That blue thing is my husbands studio and those twinkly lights.... AWESOME!

You know when you are a kid and you see those house in movies where they always have these pretty lights and set ups in their backyard... yeah that's what I got folks. It's one of those dreamy things that comes with home ownership. After you realize that you pay your mortgage payment of $$$$ and only about 36$ goes to the actually cost of your home.... yeah, so when I sit in my backyard and enjoy these lights I realize I do love my home and am lucky to be able to own it...or at least pay the bank that owns it.

Now and Then

Oh hi! How have you been. Me? I have been busy as hell. That is an understatement. As I mentioned a few weeks ago I got a promotion at work and it has been 60 hour weeks over here for this girl. So the idea of looking at a computer when I don't have to.... not fun. Also I haven't taken any pictures of well anything really. So nothing to share with you!

However, I am here to share a little something awesome sauce with you. Because let's all be honest who doesn't love a little choreographed you tube action. Can anyone say America's best dance crew...woot woot?!?!



Found via Rockstar Diaries

I hope you enjoyed that! Have any plans for the weekend? The mister and I are grilling out tonight and making smore's I can't wait. Also taking a little hike tomorrow and having a picnic. It's the perfect time of year for outdoor activities. So go get out of the house this weekend, that's an order. Have a great one.

P.S. - For those of that do blog or don't blog but read them. I am directing you to this post. Just a reminder that although the blogosphere shells out nothing but puppy and rainbow feelings. It's not always real life. 

*Cheers*

Time

I am the absolute worst daydreamer. More specifically I am the worst day dreamer about how I am going to lose weight and be skinny again. Isn't that the worst thing to day dream about? Why can't I day dream about Paris in the springtime, Ryan Gosling shirtless,  or the millions of dollars I will have one day. No I have to fill my spare brain time with thinking about losing weight. Want to know the worst thing about these daydreams.... I NEVER DO IT! I think about it, I come up with a game plan and then nothing. I never follow through. So I am going to try to think about the above and make some changes. Because I am wasting a lot of time and energy wishing I would lose weight without actually doing it.

XOXO
~ E

Peonies

Well while I sit awake at the ungodly hour of 3:31 A.M. I am reminded that I have not blogged in oh I don't know... over a week. This weekend I had full intentions to take a bunch of house tour photos, but then I got a bug in my ass and painted my office instead. So although my house tour is still clearly not happening I do have a pretty new lavender office.

Also I would like to note that my peonies are finally in bloom and I could not be more excited. I adore my little bushes and the prettiness the produce. Happy Tuesday

*Cheers*

Outfit >Tights

Since I work from home, I have a tendency to sit around in my pajamas for way to long or sometimes not get dressed at all. Then there are the days when I feel like I need to pull it together.  when I get all dolled up for myself. Like this day where I put on some fun tights and a cute dress just to sit in my office upstairs and not see a soul. Lame...maybe, but I figure if you can't dress up for yourself no point in dressing up for anyone else.

*cheers*

home tour: stair well

Okay I know I know, I have totally let my home tour fall off the radar. I fully intend to share an actual room with you all soon. This does however count as part of the home tour. This is my stair way or the top half anyway. I have little bits of art all over the wall going up the stairs, but these 3 are my favorites.

The little deer is one of those velvet paintings from the 70s, the etching on the left I won in a giveaway on Freckled Nest, and the cat is a card that is the spitting image of my old kitty cat Stinky. All in all it's a nice little collection. Wouldn't you agree!

Now onto some more personal news....okay so showing my home is personal but this pertains to my life as a whole. As some of you may know if you follow me on twitter I have been waiting to hear about a promotion at work. Well folks.... I heard this week, I got it!!! Now, I don't talk about work on here in specifics and I am still not going to go there. However,  I did get something that I feel I deserved and I am super proud of myself. So raise a glass tonight to me and my awesome sauce accomplishment won't you. Thanks!!!! XOXO

*cheers*

Owl love

Forever and day ago I wandered into Second Debut which is an break out of good will here in Richmond. Low and behold there sat this adorable little set of owls. Now I know owls are all the rage and have been for awhile now, but.... I collect owl items for a very special reason. My fabulous grandmother used to collect them and every time I find one I swear it's a moment with my grandmother so I snatch them up. Especially if they are old or vintagey. Am I crazy, maybe but what fun would life be without a little crazy!

XOXO

Spring fever

I recently started cross stitching again. I tend to pick it up and then put it back down for awhile. I started creating this pretty little flower. With the weather being as lovely as it's been lately, I just couldn't resist working on something spring like. Now it's taken me far too long to complete this thing, but I think it will look pretty in my new orange bathroom.

In other news... I am clearly a crappy blogger, but you love me anyway. You will continue to read my posts even thought they are spotty because they are awesome! Right!!! Yeah that wasn't a question so I expect you to show up. Thanks *cheers*

The Right Stuff: lighting

We are throwing a little get together in a few weeks to celebrate Spring and the completion of my husbands studio out back. It will be a fun day and I think we need some of these fabulous lantern like things to hang from our big holly tree. It would make for a fab setting and a little mood lighting. Gotta get the ladies in the right mood to gossip.

Have any gatherings coming up?

Spring has Sprung

Well although it has felt like spring for oh I don't know like a month now here in Richmond. It has only just begun as of Tuesday. So I thought in honor of the arrival of such a great season I would share one of my favorite things in my backyard. Our amazing weeping cherry tree. This beauty blooms first and only lasts for a few weeks, then the blooms fall and it turns into a giant green bush. So let's all admire it's loveliness for the short time it's here!!

Other things we are enjoying in this beautiful spring weather....car rides with the windows down and radio turned up. Cold drinks on the patio with a warm breeze. Working with the windows open,  and well just about anything with the windows open. Have you done anything to enjoy this amazing weather?

*Cheers*

It's a cat tee pee

Oh yeah it's a true story, that is a cat in a cardboard tee pee, and it is awesome!! I know the photos are somewhat craptacular, but it was hard to catch a photo of him in that thing.

I was hoping that it would be love at first sight between Moby and the tee pee, but alas he doesn't seem to think it is as awesome as I do. I don't care though, if he sleeps in it sometimes that's good enough for me. Considering it's made of cardboard and didn't cost much at all. For those of you out there thinking my little fur ball would love that thing you can get one at modcloth.

In other news, my new venture at work has been exhausting and crazy so I know it has been quiet around here I hope to fix that soon. Thanks for reading.

XXOO

Flops & Tops

Just a few moments from my life lately to give you a laugh!! XOXO

The Flops:

• Offering to be a good colleague and take the cart back up the second floor only to have the elevator doors shut on you and the cart and screaming like a banshee because you thought the elevator was going to eat you.
• A flop for the mister - watching some horrible beat your wife movie on lifetime movie network. The mister comes over and sits down looks at the logo and goes what is this the Latin American network. I just stared at him mouth open..... how he got that from LMN.... guess American is said Merican these days.
• Getting things together for a crock pot meal. Some flank steak burrito thingys (technical terms on this blog of course). I cut the meat and place it in the pot... shit, wait I need to give it a rub first, place back in pot....wait I need to spray the pot.....spray and place back in pot.....wait the onions go underneath. Okay so you get the idea. I did eventually get it all in there, but clearly with a hell of a lot more trouble than it should have taken.

*side note anyone interested in posts about recipes that are winners?

The Tops:

• Going to the grocery store and seeing it covered in cadbury cream eggs (the greatest things ever invented) and all things spring. So ready for it to arrive.
• Working at home sitting at the dining room table with the windows open and a 75 degree breeze blowing through the windows. I mean I could tell you some other awesome things that happened lately, but really does anything get better than that!?!?!
• Okay, just one more... getting a Valentine's card from your dad (the foobs) that says how proud he is of you and how much he loves you. I mean when it comes to dads.... mine is the total TOPS!! - I know this one is old, but still so good!

JA love

Dear readers, I'm still here. Thanks for asking.....wait you didn't. Jerks!! Either way I am still blogging. There have just been some crazy developments in my life lately. Work has gotten a little crazy, and then there is the book series that has currently sucked me in. It is by far the best smut novel I have ever read. Yes smut people, but I am not even sure that is the right category.  So maybe I will call it slightly trashy romance. Maybe you have heard of it.... Fifty Shades of Grey. 

With all that said, it brings to light my love for Jonathan Adler, since that purple thing in the picture above is my nook and my chubby fingered hands have been wrapped around that thing constantly since discovering this book series. I will just say this, I am here but busy. More fun posts to come next week.

*Cheers* XX

Tune Tuesday: Amie Miriello

Image via Google Search

 

Hi loves, today's Tune Tuesday is a song that I have been kind of obsessed with by Amie Miriello. It starts out slow, but I love what it says. As it picks up I always find myself getting out of my seat and shaking my little tooshie around the living room. Hope you enjoy it too. Any new music you have been listening to lately? Would love to hear about them. 

*Cheers*