On Bohemianism...

To take the world as one finds it, the bad with the good, making the best of the present moment—to laugh at Fortune alike whether she be generous or unkind—to spend freely when one has money, and to hope gaily when one has none—to fleet the time carelessly, living for love and art—this is the temper and spirit of the modern Bohemian in his outward and visible aspect. It is a light and graceful philosophy, but it is the Gospel of the Moment, this exoteric phase of the Bohemian religion; and if, in some noble natures, it rises to a bold simplicity and naturalness, it may also lend its butterfly precepts to some very pretty vices and lovable faults, for in Bohemia one may find almost every sin save that of Hypocrisy. ...

His faults are more commonly those of self-indulgence, thoughtlessness, vanity and procrastination, and these usually go hand-in-hand with generosity, love and charity; for it is not enough to be one’s self in Bohemia, one must allow others to be themselves, as well. ...

What, then, is it that makes this mystical empire of Bohemia unique, and what is the charm of its mental fairyland? It is this: there are no roads in all Bohemia! One must choose and find one’s own path, be one’s own self, live one’s own life.

-Gelett Burgess

In Lieu of Favorite Stuff Friday

What up, Friday?!? It's been a couple of weeks since I did my Favorite Stuff Friday. And, while I like doing them, I've been trying to cut back my spending which severely limits my potential to try out new beauty products and review them online for your enjoyment. I know, I know. You're heartbroken.

Speaking of heartbroken. Those fabulous Target jeans that I spoke so highly of in my very first Favorite Stuff Friday were murdered  last week!!! Murdered! I have been in mourning for almost four days. I haven't been eating (chocolate) or drinking (alcohol). I just don't know how to move forward without them. What happened to them, you ask? Well, my friends, my penny-pinching husband decided to do a load of my laundry with some cleaning rags. Total carelessness, I tell you. And at first, he was all "Oh man, that sucks. I don't know how that could have happened" and then (after I tried to figure out for hours-yes, hours!- how it happened), he was all "So, I may or may not have washed those jeans in the same load as the cleaning rags". Can you believe that!?!? So, looks like next Friday I will be doing a review of my new favorite jeans (which have yet to be purchased, btw).

For now though, I am doing a High Five For Friday link up with Lauren @ FMGD. They are, as follows:

1)My nose is looking better! Yay!

2) Tonight, I'm going to LA with the cousins: Karyn, Kristi and Heather.

3) My vacation starts in an hour and a half. I'll be here on Monday:

4) My BFF comes home Saturday!!! Sadly, I don't have a picture of her to share with you, but you've seen her here before :)

5) I snagged these at Target. Oh, and that watch too.(don't judge me and my spending habits!)

Have a great weekend! 

Public Service Announcement!

Let this picture serve as a reminder to you young parents, soon to be parents, or people contemplating ever becoming parents. NEVER. (all caps, because I mean it!) ever, let your two year old do a live stage production of The Lord of The Rings:The Two Towers, playing the part of Aragorn, while you play the part of an Ork-with actual weapons. Oh, and while we're discussing weapons-please note- that your boys will inevitably want to get a  ninja,knight, army soldier, cowboy...etc costume for Halloween because of the cool weaponry that comes attached to said costume (not because the costume itself is cool). They will then proceed to leave said weaponry scattered about the house for their younger siblings to pick up and subsequently beat their mother's nose in with said weapon of impending doom!

Longing for Christmas

Last year, Charlie was 20 months at Christmas time. He didn't "get it", really. Oh sure, he was crazy excited about the gazillion new toys spread out over the entire bottom floor of the house, but he didn't understand the concept of Santa. And, he surely didn't get that this was Jesus' birthday we were celebrating with these massive amounts of toys. I am confident he would get both concepts now. He has grown up so much in the last six months, it amazes me at just how much he changes on a daily basis. He is learning and growing every.single.day. He understands way more than we even give him credit for.

And so, with Charlie being able to understand  and take in so much more this year, I am really longing for Christmas today. 

When you're an adult, the magic that is Christmas  kind of fades a little. You  don't stay up wondering what surprises tomorrow will hold and you no longer jump out of bed at the crack of dawn, eager to start the marathon of present un-wrapping. Oh, but you do when  you're a parent of three small children! It is the best day of the year for me. I don't mind getting woken up at dawn - because, truth be told- I never really went to sleep to begin with. I am that excited to see the joy on my kid's faces.

I say this every year, but this time I mean it-This year is going to be the best Christmas EVER!

And, it's fat free!

I discovered this gem about two years ago, when I found myself poor enough to think that the tub o' frosting  at the grocery store was too expensive, but not broke enough to make it from scratch. It costs around $2.00 and you could easily frost two small cakes, 48 cupcakes, or one medium sized 2yr old. (just kidding- I have never frosted Charlie. The darn kid wouldn't sit still long enough for me to finish!)

I love this frosting. It's pretty basic- Add 1/2 cup of boiling water, set your kitchen-aide mixer to low for 30 seconds, and then  switch that bad boy to high for seven minutes. Go make yourself a margarita, and upon your return you will have awesome fluffy frosting.  

It's that easy. I think it tastes a lot better than the tub o' frosting. And, if that isn't enough to sell you on this great stuff- everyone (even your mother-in-law!) will compliment you on how amazing your frosting looks. "Wow, you should frost cupcakes for a living!" they might say. Or,  "I've never seen such an amazingly frosted cake!" they might gush. Well, no- they probably won't be as enthused about it as I am-  but honestly, I do get compliments every time I use this frosting. Once you let it sit, it turns shiny and smooth, and it really does make your baked goods look like you're not just wearing that apron because you got it on sale at Anthropologie.

Here is what Katie and I did with this frosting for Ollie's birthday. 

We used the Betty Crocker frosting, one Color Mate frosting tube for the black out-lining, and food coloring to give SpongeBob here some color.

Young Love

Brothers

Sometimes, being a brother 

is even better than being a superhero.  ~Marc Brown

photography by J. Schilreff. 

Sometimes...

screaming just makes you feel better!

photography by J. Schilreff

When we met

"Come with me to a friends house" he said. I went because I had nothing better to do. I was fifteen on Halloween. Too old for trick or treating, too young for a club.I don't know what I was expecting. A house party? A small gathering of upper classmen who would crack jokes at my expense and make me feel small and stupid. Maybe this would be the first time I'd try alcohol? I hoped someone I knew would be there. There is nothing worse than feeling alone at a party. 

 Turned out, I didn't need to worry. It definitely wasn't a party. It was just our small group. My boyfriend, two of his friends, his brother and myself. I felt awkward and I was ready to go the instant I got there. Two little girls -I assumed they lived there- had just got back from trick or treating around the block. The younger one opened her bag and peeked inside. The older one stood in the middle of the room, dumping hers all over the carpet. "I'm looking for Sugar Babies. Those are my favorite", she said. So I got down on my knees and  helped her look for the Sugar Babies. I didn't want to, but I stayed; waiting for my boyfriend's friend to get of work so we could "hang out". 

 About the time we all started thinking perhaps somebody else knows of something we could do on Halloween besides watch school kids fight over candy, he walked in. And suddenly, time was moving in slow motion. All at once I noticed his freckles, his smile, his close set eyes, and his bright blue work shirt. He was wearing a bolo tie and holding a Styrofoam cup. He smelled like smoke and buttered popcorn and he had a smile that was genuine and beautiful. I can't tell you why, but I knew from the moment I saw him that he was one I was supposed to be with. And, suddenly, it felt awkward to be at this person's house with the guy I was dating.

 "I have to go" I said to no one in particular. "Where are you going?" My boyfriend asked. "I'm not sure". But I was sure. I was sure I was about to start a future with the stranger that just walled through the door.

What's up?

If you like songs that make you just want to get up and dance-this is what's up.

Favorite Stuff Friday

I cut back on blogging because my sister in law Katie was getting married, and I was working very hard to help her complete all the little tasks that would  make the biggest day in her life go smoothly and look beautiful. Now that that's over (insert content sigh here) I can get back to my normal routine, like blogging and watching episodes of Real Housewives. You know, the important stuff. So, how about another Favorite Stuff Friday?

1) This is where I leave you-Jonathan Tropper. 

Judd's finds out that his wife and boss have been having a year long affair, his father just died and his last wish was that his (semi-dysfunctional) family sit shiva, and his soon to be ex-wife just informed him that he's about to become a father. This book is so well written, I found myself laughing out loud, on the verge of tears and shocked enough to go back and re-read sentences- all in the same page. It's a pretty quick read, so if you're looking for something to read while sunbathing this weekend, go pick this up. Costco has it on sale for $9.97 this week.

2) Nectar Clothing

This fantastic little boutique is a place I cannot frequent enough. It has everything- shoes, jewelry, tops, skirts, pants, hats...and most items are under $30.00! I never have a problem finding something here, whether its for work or play. I would warn, that it's probably not the best shop for anyone bigger than a size 12, because their items tend to run small, and a good portion of their clothing is obviously meant for the under 30 crowd, but even if you're not into bandeau tops and booty shorts (or shorts at all for that matter), you can still find something adorable for any occasion. The girls in the shop are amazing and always so happy to help you find whatever you need, even if you're really too old to be wearing sunglasses with tiny mustaches affixed to them.

3) The Dollar Tree.

2 packages of Silly Straws, 6 poster board, 4 plastic table cloths, gift bags, bouncy balls, army men, napkins, cups, water balloons, dessert plates, pie tins, bubbles, candy, candy, candy, more candy, and streamers all for $38.00!!!! The majority of the boys party supplies came for the Dollar Tree, and I am so glad (this once!) that I didn't just go to Target :)