This is me clearing out my brain. Some of it is business, some just random thoughts. Enjoy.
If you purchased the new art print assortment and your name is:
Lisa Baum . Vickie Baccaglio . Jenna Allen . Lynda Ford . Ashley Cole
you just received yours for free! I will refund your payment and send your prints to you shortly.
If you missed purchasing the collection, have no fear. It is still available and can be purchased {HERE}
I have now updated the tutorial page with all of the projects I’ve shown on the blog.
If you are looking for a past project, this is a great place to find it {you can click the ‘tutorials’ menu item to be taken to the page}
Have you seen this darling children’s clothing line?
I was shopping at the Bellevue Square Nordstrom and came across the most adorable {and soft!} clothing for kids. I wanted one of everything, but left with only a t-shirt for my oldest.
Speaking of clothing for my oldest : poor kid has a mom who strongly resists most graphic t’s {especially ones with cartoon and video game characters}. I’m not sure at what point I should just let go, but I’m still holding firmly to my desire for him to wear preppy polos and surfer t-shirts. Am I a terrible mom for enforcing my baby {okay, fine, he’s 7} to wear what I want him to?
And as for clothes for me : I’ve been shopping twice in the past three days and I have found nothing for myself. I think I’m in a clothes rut. What is a girl to wear on these unpredictable spring days? What is stylish? What is practical? I need Stacy & Clinton to do a little consultation with me.
I really love this song
For those who have asked : here is how I do my hair:
I’m not sure why I look so angry/terrified while I’m curling. My curling iron is from the beauty supply store and gets really hot {it has a 1 1/2″Ā barrel}. I generally wash and style my hair every three to four days and it stays looking okay on the non-shower days {actually, my hair always looks best on the second or third day}. I have naturally fluffy and somewhat wavy hair {see image 2} and it holds curl well. It does not, however, look good when let dry naturally.
The May giveaway winner will be announced on Monday. Be sure to sign up!
My baby is a girl after my own heart. She loves necklaces and licking the cookie dough off of the mixer paddle.
Okay, one last thing. The other day I thought it would be very fun and nice mommy-ish of me to pour a bunch of uncooked oatmeal into a bin and let the kids and their cousins play with it {you know, like they do at the sensory table at preschool}.
They did have fun, but they did not keep the oatmeal in the bin.
How was that for random? Have a great day!
Lets talk curls…. :)
Your hair is beautiful.. Lets talk curls! Have you tried the AirCurler??? It is very cool!
Random is fun! You covered shopping, fashion, beauty, a tutorial (which btw, my hair is the same way..best on the 3rd day or at it’s dirtiest!!) and a mom-ent!
I love following your blog, Emily! So many fabulous ideas! Just got 2 more of my girlfriends to start following you. :) Keep up the fabulous work!
{Monika}
Blessings to you and your family!
love the family pics! LOVE your hair… I am trying your tricks! thanks!
so glad you told me to click on the tutorials thingy… I never knew to do that! I always just clicked on the pics.
fun stuff, emily!
– {darlene}
fieldstonehilldesign.com
I actually like this post…maybe it fits in with my ADD:) Random question…what does WOW stand for in step 2? Krista
Girl, my oldest is 7 also and I am like you, all about dressing them. My oldest is actually the one who enjoys wearing the linen button up with sweater vest and beach pants so I don’t feel to0 bad. :) It is my other 2 casual boys who really really want to wear their superman shirt out of the house. I remind them they are lucky to own a superman shirt and please wear so and so for Mommy. :) They are boys and really don’t mind us dressing them anyway is what I tell myself. lol Now if we can just keep our baby girls doing the same. Mine is 2 &1/2 and lets me dress her so far. Love the clothing line at Nordy’s and I will be checking it out. Reminds me of “Tea Collection” a bit. thanks for sharing and loved your post so much I even read it at 12:30 am.. and I should so be in bed. :)
I can do random…I am a special education kinder teacher and my kiddos love sensory bins. If you use pinto or lima beans, it gives them more sensory input and it is easier to clean up. :)
I have four children the youngest is now 15. When the kids were old enough to voice opinions about their clothing I would select 3 or so different items that I felt were ok. Then I gave them the opportunity to pick which one they liked best. It gives them an opportunity to make selections while still making sure they dressed appropriately. It’s not easy when some parents allow their children to dress like little adults.
That was a very fun post. I love random. Thanks for sharing all your tutorials and working so hard at that.
Okay at the risk of sounding like a silly infomercial, you should try the aircurler! It is AMAZING! Danielle just got it and I ordered mine. Her hair looks PERFECTLY curled everyday and all she has to do is dry it. http://www.aircurler.com You’ll laugh when you see the demo, but seriously, Danielle’s hair convinced me.
The AirCurler is going to be the next big thing.. you should really try it.
It is so easy and it gives you soft bouncy curls… I Love it!!!
I have a question. My hair is very similar to yours, but it gets dry at the ends. My hairdresser told me to sleep with it in a tight bun to prevent more breakage while I sleep. But then I need to do touch-up curls. How do you sleep with your hair? What does it look like when you wake up 2nd or 3rd day? (I need more friends with long hair. I can’t believe I’m asking a stranger!)
Holy Oatmeal. I hope that you have a good vacuum, I swear by the Dyson!!!
Thanks for the fun post! Here is a great basic and classy clothing line. You’ll love it! http://downeastbasics.com/
Also, http://www.shabbyapple.com/
has some fun styles too!
We allow underpants with characters and some special pjs.. but no tshirts.. I cringe. I won’t spend my money on them.. We will get them as gifts.. and I’ll be honest.. the kids play in them.. relagated right to the playclothes drawer.. if it is really bad.. right to the charity box.. My Stepson recieved some horrific shirts and accessories from his bio-mom from a band called insane clown posse.. basically horror metal band.. the shirts were scary… I threw them out. :/
I don’t know if you have ever heard of the clothing site called Free People. They have some cute different clothes. I haven’t ordered yet but it is on my list.
I have a 7 year old boy and I’m clothes-picky. I detest character apparel. Anyway, I’ve had great success with miniboden and Tea and then he’s completely happy to dress himself because he gets to choose out of what’s available. Just make sure all the “availables” – you like!!! hahahaha (And never take him shopping w/ you!)
Also, that last photo reminded me of this: http://www.pleasepassthesalt.net/2008/03/19/another-note-to-self/
BEEN THERE.
i would love to know what kind of styling products you use! your favorite hair/make-up items. things you can’t do without!
I never comment, but loved this post! Those kids clothes are super cute. Thanks for the hair tutorial, maybe some day I’ll get it down….my husband loves when on the off chance it happens to work out. And the oatmeal! I was dying laughing from this. I’ve found that things I might have taught/done at pre-school sometimes don’t transfer home well with my nieces/nephews.
Don’t forget the plastic light up cartoon character shoes….hell to the no! (sorry for language:D) Bellevue Nords is my home away from home! Today I broke down and hit Forever 21. Found a DARLING gray cardi with mini Eiffel towers on it. Stupid Pacific NW weather!
That was so sweet to do the oatmeal thing. It’s not always easy to let your children make a mess but I think it is good for them and makes for good memories, so way to go Mom.
Ok so first it was crazy that you put that song! I love that song too as it was played at my cousins funeral last year. It was crazy because I had heard it on the radio today too and was playing it at home!
Second – I used to teach preschool and they don’t keep it in the sensory table there either so don’t feel bad! :)
Hey Emily….
I feel the exact same way about tshirts with corny cartoon characters, trucks etc but I LOVE the vintage looking T’s that have old school MR PIB, CRUSH, SUPERMAN etc. Target has them for the big boys but not sure about the little ones….
ALso I think you should do your hair in #2WOW
If you like Gungor, check out Sons and Daughters. They are the worship leaders at my church in Nashville and are the start of an incredible movement in worship! Please watch this video and others of theirs on Relevant’s site! Would love to know what you think!
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/media/rtv/music-videos/watch/905/all-the-poor-and-powerless
Ha ha I always look confused when I do my hair, wrinkled forehead and all. You have gorgeous hair so the faces are worth it!
Once when my mom and I were baking a cake, she spilled the flour all over the kitchen floor. Instead of getting aggravated, as I expected her to do, she dumped the remaining sack of flour on the floor and taught me how to do the Twist. It is one of my most favorite memories. The oatmeal bin will be one of their’s!
I have a rule against character shoes. I took my son shoe shopping yesterday and all the ones with Lightning McQueen or other Disney characters were his favorites. We finally settled on a pair of plain Nikes, I just can’t do characters or wheels!!
HaHa! Love the random post! Very entertaining! I like the fact that you don’t mind being in front (and behind) your own camera and posting yourself. By instinct, I tend to hide. I have thick wavy hair that I keep in long layers and everytime I go get my hair cut and styled, they try to straighten it! Drives me batty! I super-love wavy curly hair! I shall refrain from commenting on logo clothing and kids playing in oatmeal as I hath no kids and my cat… well she just isn’t crazy about either one. :)
Thanks for the hair pictures. I have semi-curly hair and have to straighten it but have never tried curling it. How do you keep the curl looking good the next couple days? What do you put in it or how do you touch it up in the morning? And after curling it do you run your hands through it or just leave it? Thanks for challenging me to try something new! And I LOVE the Gungor song! We sang it at church a couple months ago and when it gets in your head it’s hard to get out! But it’s a very powerful song and I could listen to them sing forever. Enjoy your blog…thanks!
Very. Favorite. Song. right now…
I love random posts like this – it’s real life!
You have the most GORGEOUS hair! Wow! I’m totally jealous. First I wondered how in the world do you have time to do your hair with 4 kiddos? I only have 1 toddler and mine ends up air-dried and in a bun almost every day. But then when I read you only have to wash it every 4 days I realized that makes it much less time consuming! I SO wish I could do that. Mine would be so greasy. Yuck!
Oh and my suggestion for clothes in Anthro. I can always find something I love there!
love random! and i too have hair like yours… on days when i don’t have a lot of time, while my hair is still hot from the blow dryer, i twist the length, which is long like yours. then i pin it to the back of my head with a claw like clipĆ¢ā¬āĆ¢ā¬āand when it cools off (about 15-20 min) i let it out and my natural waviness gives me loose manageable curls… ;) probably not as polished as yours, but works in a pinch!
We have been singing the Gungor song in church. My daughter recently saw them in concert, and said it was amazing.
What a fun post!
OK…funny thing about OATMEAL…we are mid-move and hotel hopping until we get to our final destination. I have been hauling a big grocery bag into each hotel that has some food basics so we don’t have to go shopping at every stop for the girls. I happen to have one of those large quaker oats containers full of oats…well I DID have one – that is until my girls snagged it out of the bag, figured out how to open it, and proceeded to scatter oats all over the hotel room floor. Funny, but somehow not so funny after a long day on the road:-) Your picture reminded me of that!
Thank you SO much for posting all the tutorials, Emily! I played the beautiful song while I looked at them. I love the fact that the babies “think outside the box!!” Nothing was going to restrain them!
xox
Karen
LOVED all of it!!! I’m completely random so this was right up my alley, ha! And, I am the momma who tears Dora or any Disney princess shirts out of my daughter’s hands while in the store, even if she’s begging with all her cuteness. I feel bad, but I can’t stand them! And, you are one heck of a momma for doing the whole oatmeal thing – had it been me I would have been rocking myself in a corner saying, “it’ll be ok, it’ll be ok” :D
My little man is 3, and I’m the same way with character shirts Ć¢ā¬āĆĀ with the exception of the retro looking ones from old navy and gap. Although, he says they are messed up (with the vintage/grundge look of the graphics) but he proudly wears them anyway!
Oh my! So much great stuff in one post. How do you do it? I love the tutorial section. I wish I had time to try all of them. Thanks for keeping us busy!
loved this post.
I LOVE your hair! The color, the curls the everything! Ok so mostly the not having to wash it every day. I have a realy problem with jealousy for girls like you! :)
Also, I appreciate that you monitor what your kids are wearing. I’m a marketing manager at a children’s boutique in Alabama and we love to make sure our kids dress like kids. So many parents allow their children in that 7-13 age range to dress like adults….sometimes scantily clad adults. No sense in growing up too soon. There is plenty of time to deal with those issues later!
I love, love, love, love that Gungor song!
I am a mean mommy that does NOT let her boys wear Super Mario tees. They can have whatever they want on their underwear and jammies, but that’s where I draw the line. I’m going to have to check out that Nordstrom stuff. Is it only in the little kids’ section?
Apparently the Peek stuff is only carried at boutiques and the Bellevue Nordstrom. The sales lady told me that it is a company based out of Santa Monica, CA {hence the cute surfer-y look} and that Nordstrom just bought in to it. Hopefully they will start carrying it in other stores because it is just so darn cute. Semi-spendy, but cute.
I’ve chosen all my son’s clothing (6) until recently, and always tended towards polos and adorable little man jackets, but have had the hardest time controlling the outside influences like Grandma and soccer camp!! Not matter how many neutral, preppy clothes I buy, he loves his bright mustard yellow soccer tee and red Lego shirt. Death of me. I’ve found that I have to let it go a little, but pull rank on making sure he matches (most days) and looks good for special occasions. The rest of the time…happy tee shirt day to my busy little man!
Love the song. And your hair too!! They have the super cute tees for kids on the blog Fly Through Our Window. Super cute for girls and boys. Go check it out,and you can support small business at the same time.
Oh I love her tees! I have never purchased one, but she has a new crab one that is really cute and I’ve had my eye on it. I think i’ll go buy one now.
i just bought the crab one. my little girl also has the pink fish. soo cute. she sells out really fast!!
Had to laugh about the clothes. I have a “no character” rule also…not even on underpants… ;)
Totally with you on the whole clothing thing. I don’t take my kids clothing shopping, I do it all. My 9 year old is just now starting to pick out her own clothes but they have to be mom approved first. When they start buying their own clothes, then they can have a say, LOL!!
YES! thank you for the hair tutorial!! we have very similar hair so i am looking forward to doing that!!! thanks!!!!
Yay for random! I really like the post.
I must say, I loved your “Week of Flowers” and I’ve been making several different kinds. So pretty and delightful!
Here’s a bit of randomness back:
1. LOVE your hair. I wish I only had to wash mine every 3 or 4 days…1 day, and I’m a grease pit. {ew, sorry for the visual}
2. I stayed up till midnight last night dreaming of what project {from your tutorials} I was going to tackle next. They are so addicting.
3. I was going to give my baby boy the left over batter from the cupcakes I made yesterday, but remembered he was allergic to eggs, THEN remembered I completely forgot to put in the eggs. :/
4. The oatmeal pic made me chuckle! What a good mom to at least try it! I used to be a preschool teacher before becoming a mommy and I’m still debating how we will do sensory stuff at home. {when he gets to that age} Another fun thing is to let them play with birdseed {outside} and then if they spill, the birds pick it up for you. Also, Starbucks gives away their used coffee grounds, which are great for sensory play! {and it’s a good excuse to go to Starbucks}
I never would have thought of coffee grounds! I always see those bags at my starbucks, and now one of these days I’ll grab a bag and let the boys go crazy with it {this time in the back yard}. Thanks for the tip!
You’re welcome! Have fun and post pics when you do!
I’m not a fan of Disney Princess or Hanna Montanna, but I believe in “picking my battles.” If my kids want to wear a character shirt and it makes them happy, it’s not a big deal to me. They are kids and they should dress like kids!
YAY!!! I won! I am SOOOO excited. I’ve had my fingers crossed for days.
Oh I LOVE that you let them make such a huge mess- it looks like it must have been awful to clean up, but those are the best childhood memories being made right there! :)
I’m not a fan of Disney Princess or Hanna Montanna…but I believe in “picking my battles.” If my kids want to wear a character shirt and it makes them happy, I don’t seet the harm. They are kids…they should dress like kids!
I am the SAME way with the boys’ tees (I also have 2) — but I have given up. They want Mario t’s and Batman and you name it. I pick out their clothes on some days and other days I let it go. Same goes for their bedrooms. I have a new rule that when they turn 7 (my oldest turned 7 last week) they get to pick their theme. I put star wars clings on his walls and took down the vintage train from its shelf. My heart broke a little but to see his smiling face when I surprised him with his new room was worth it. He is happy, and honestly, as I know you can relate, that is all that matters.
I also will not allow my twins near Disney princesses, Spongebob, Hannah Montana, etc.
love it…
i still try to dress my college age boys in preppy polos and topsiders..there does come a point where i need to let go.
Fun post! I love the randomness and your hair is gorgeous! I have the same type of poofy/semi-wavy/looks horrible when let dry naturally hair — however, I wash and straighten daily… ugh! I need to try this routine. I could use a break and so could my poor hair! What kind of hair spray and shampoo do you use?
How fun! Your hair is gorgeous! Mine is naturally curly and I’m thinking I might try styling it like yours- thanks for the how to!
Haha, I have the same look when I curl my hair…and put on my makeup. It’s intense, you gotta really concentrate to get it right. That’s what I tell my husband anyway!
I have a hard time talking while putting on my makeup… that’s how intense I am during the process! My husband always makes fun of me. :)
I can totally relate to the “no characters” rule for childrens clothing. I get a lot of grief for enforcing that rule but plan to stick to it as long as I can! I have two girls ages 3 and 1, we’ll see how long my rule will last. I always say they’ll thank me later :) Love your blog!
Only having to wash your hair every three or four days explains how you seem to get so much done and look so cute! I am a every day hair washer…I have a nice natural haircolor but have thought of getting it highlighted/colored just so it would not need daily washing!
I totally get where you’re coming from with the kid clothing…I do NOT like ANYTHING on my kids’ clothes. I am a PLAIN Jane kinda gal, BUT when my oldest fell in love with all things Mario (thanks a lot, Wii….ugh) I learned to compromise. He is now the proud new owner of some pajamas and a FEW t-shirts adorning his favorite character (thanks a lot, Wal-Mart). He knows they are ONLY for sleeping/playing/wearing around the house. Now we are both happy! lol
Very nice randomness. I think you need to try a J. Crew Outlet. If you don’t have one around you can find them online. I always walk out with something I’m thrilled with. And I will dress my kids cute until they leave my house – end of story. :)
Love the hair…mine is poker straight and don’t usually have any luck with holding curl. Super sad. :( As for the oatmeal..well, I guess if the carpet ever gets chicken pox it will already be soothed. Loved the randomness..it was very authentic!
Well, I am a mom who lets my son (4 years old) wear graphics on his shirt. They are typically sports related or dinosaurs. He does have a couple of Spiderman and Star Wars Lego shirts, too. That is about as far as I’ll go with it. My daughter (8 years old) had one Hannah Montana a couple of years ago, but I made it disappear fairly quickly. Thank goodness she loves butterflies and rainbows more than popular characters.
Love the tutorials. I hope to try a few out soon which means in the next year or so.
Thanks!
Love the randomness. I know what your going through with a 7 year olds clothes. When my son was in pre-school, kinder and 1st grade I would always dress him in levis and striped t-shirts. I loved the look-adorable. Well apparently he either hated striped t-shirts from the beginning or I burned him out so badly he is now in 7th grade and won’t go near a striped t-shirt. It’s so sad, I love striped shirts on boys. One thing for sure we get a good laugh when I suggest we buy one. Oh well???
you know what? you just made me feel SO much better about my clothing “pickiness.” i’m do in august with my first {a boy} and it is unbelievably frustrating to try and find clothing that doesn’t have a character or some other fru-fra on it. what’s the deal?
love your hair, thanks for showing us how to do it! i use a flat iron everyday. if i don’t my hair is u-g-l-y. maybe i will give the beachy curls a try!!
how long did it take to clean up the oatmeal?! ugh! looks like fun for them…
Gungor’s song Beautiful Things is one of my favorites right now. :) Although I also love their version of Ancient Sky. They actually sang at a funeral I attended and their voices are just as beautiful in person maybe more so. Also loved your pictures of you doing your hair. :)
Oh the oatmeal…….! However did you get that out of the carpet? That is too funny!
I don’t let my kids wear graphic teas either. My girls are allowed to get one from our VBS program at church in the summer and can wear it on fridays to school. I’ve gone so far as to throw them away after my mother-in-law buys them at garage sale. I just went ahead and thru Hannah Montana in the dumpster. (:
He will have plenty of teenage years to wear them. Great job sparing him while you can, Go Mama!
My kids don’t have that many graphic shirts either, and definitely no video game characters. I say dress them as long as they will let you! You are braver than I with that oatmeal. I don’t think I’d ever let them do it unless they were outside, but then we’d get ants. I need to go shopping for myself too, it’s hard especially when you’re shopping with 3 kids who don’t want to shop. And I love your hair! What kind of shampoo do you use? I can’t go that long without washing my hair I wish I could, I hate having to blow dry it and style it so often. Lucky you!
Meg
That song is great! We had a concert for the youth kids at church and the guy sang that song. It was AWESOME. Thanks for putting it on here!
ps…I love random posts!
Beautiful Things was performed at my church on Good Friday. Ah. Maze. Ing. It’s now on my iPod.
That was MAJOR random – but fun! As far as clothing goes, I did the same thing with my boys when they were young. I will say the graphics at Gap were much better 15 years ago – cute doggies, snowmen, school supplies, etc. It was never a battle with the boys, and neither want any graphics on their clothing today (although I do like the Life is Good stuff). I too am in a shopping rut for me – trying to find something different and different just doesn’t look good on my body. So after 4 trips, I give up and buy the same old things – white tees and “perfect trousers” from Gap and cardigans from Ann Taylor Loft. Wish I could go into clothing design to make something different. There are so many beautiful designer fabrics for drapes, why can’t they make cute skirts or button up the back blouses out of them??
Random, but informative. I have hair very similar to yours and I use the same technique. I want to cut it off about every other week, but have resisted so far. Thanks for the oatmeal tip. Maybe that would be a good thing for the patio.