living room/dining room.

we don't have a house.
but, today i'm wanting to decorate one...
so if we did have a house (and def. more expendable cash than normal!) this is what i'd do:
(wow... this turned into a reallyyyyy long post. sorry!)

eames replica madeira dining chairs- in walnut [4] @ $280 each. to around danish dining table.



rectangle hanging capiz pendent for over the dining room table $295 west elm


side table. $130 urban outfitters topped with a lamp like this



side table perfect for a record player like this one.

modern sectional (i'm dying for a chaise) $3100 paired with a red & pillow from etsy shoP: alexandraferguson


a beautiful mid century arm chair. and mustard would be so nice.


wooden coffee table like this handmade one for $349 from etsy seller: michaelarras


danish sideboard. perfect for storage of all the not-so-pretty things you need to have in a living room. and a perfect resting spot for a TV.


one wall of exposed brick


a low and long fireplace, surrounded by glass tile. (like what was used here for a kitchen backsplash)


a yellow gaudy chandelier for the living room


an original andy warhol.


an ero saarinen womb chair in red (i like to wear red shoes.. this is kind of like a living room's way of wearing red shoes)

a chevron patterned area rug (but i'd rather have it gray and light gray.. less contrast then this one)
zebra wood floors (droooool)
wall color:
ralph lauren's weathered stone
ohhhhh i want a house to call our own right now. soon, let's hope!

everyday daphne #4

some days you just feel like dressing up a bit. other days, you don't feel like it all but all your jeans are wet in the washer- so too bad.
(daph's is the latter) [nic's artistic direction to daph: say hi mom. so she did :) ]

dyed gerber onsie (shocker) golden yellow (but a very short dye time... hence the light color) hoodie- old navy $4. (i love when old navy's baby clearance is 50% off. nic's friend works there and tells us when we should come in. i think most of the time nic doesn't mention it to me)
skirt- gift from the Long girls. (thanks! I love it)
cable knit tights: old navy $5
converse

totally rad family trees.

ahhhhhh
you have to check this out!
go HERE


i'm obsessed.

the bright side.

i love the site:
bright side project

daily give-aways of super cute things.
things like evapaul wedding invitations later on this week!

we got to pick a "thought provoking question" for the readers to comment about.
what's really cool is that nic and i get to read every comment and pick our favorite! so it's not just some random person- it will be whoever has the most awesome comment.. our question is:
if you had a $100 of free money today (not to be spent on bills or something you need) how would you spend it?
I'm hopping people will link to rad clothes that i can steal and buy!


they give something away everyday, so add it to your blog roll and comment daily!

everyday daphne day 3

aunt ashley missed daphne.

i love daphne in leggings. her chubby little thighs just look so adorable in leggings. so, she has 4 pairs and wears them often. these ones are circo from target. i love circo stuff. $5 for long-lasting cuteness. she has these in brown (what she's wearing) and also black.


shirt is thrifted. def one of our all-time favorite pieces for daphne. i love all the detail. a sweet little pattern and trim on the neck. so dainty. shoes are gap and i wish i could find them in the next size up because i'll cry when they don't fit. red shoes are so cute on toddlers and adults alike. i dress pretty plain so i like to wear a red shoe. i got these at a used baby store. does that seem gross/weird to you? get over it! :) those stores are goldmines. think about it- how often does a baby wear clothes and shoes? some of daph's stuff only got worn a couple of times before she grew out of it or it somehow got lost at the back of her dresser drawer. so, i find it even less weird than buying adult clothes (which i also have absolutely no problem with) these shoes were $2. what a steal!

entire outfit- shoes included for under $10. pretty, pretty good.
(don't mind our baby "cleaning the floor" by eating cereal off it. as soon as she gets down from her high chair (where she acts like she is completely done eating) and before i can go get the mini broom to clean up, she's stuffing her hands and face. it's so funny- she doesn't want them while she's in the high chair... but off the floor- they are so much more yummy)

ohhhhhh it is dangerous to look!

i got my $60 registration deposit back from BYUI today. my first thought: this is FREE money (i'm sure my parents paid that deposit 8 years ago when i started at byui) so... what can i buy with it? i think this maybe it....


but, i'm also REALLY into saddle shoes right now. here are some of my favs.

decisions are the worst.

what is your score?

something that is important to nic and i as we search for apartments in our future home (denver- we're coming to you dec/jan!!!) is their walk score.
www.walkscore.com is SO awesome!

you type in your address and it lets you know everything that is nearby and exactly how far away it is. Then, it gives your address a score out of 100 of how walkable it is. Can you walk to the grocery store? to take your kids to the park? to mass transit? to the library? out to eat?

My parent's house in the suburbs scored a 42 which makes it car dependent.

but... we found our IDEAL apartment (and can't wait to check it out when we go in April!) and it scored an 88! it's totally walkable, and we love that.

(so why do we own 3 cars?)
by the way... selling our VERSA! want it?

almonds

are so freaking good.
i like the lightly salted kind... but i LOVE these.

surprisingly the same amount of calories as the other ones. such a delicious treat. try them.

everyday daphne day #2

gerber t-shirt (3 for $9) dyed with seafoam RIT dye.
watermelon skinny jeans target $10 (loved them so much that we got them in mustard too but in the next size up)
cream and pink converse all-stars. $11 ebay. summersaults yesterday- today, backbends?

byui graduation

i recently got this letter in the mail.






and this is how i feel about it.

everyday daphne day #1

I got the idea from Nic's cousin Missy who documented her son's outfits for a week. So, I'm going to photograph daphne [probably not] everyday so i can have a record of my favorite outfits on her. In our house, getting dressed is a huge ordeal. Daphne doesn't have a closet anymore but when she did, I would hold her up to her clothes everyday and ask her to pick out her outfit. Most of the time she would pick a dress (usually her brown easter dress) and then I would explain that it wasn't sunday and she could wear a dress a different day (though she often wears dresses on the weekdays too :) I think she could understand the word outfit at about 7 months. You make think I'm crazy, but seriously, she just loves clothes. Now, when you say she looks cute, she'll often start pulling on each part of her outfit. Then, when you say to her "yeah, cute shirt" then she moves on to show you her headband, or pants, or shoes. when I say "new outfit" then she really freaks out! she's lucky to have grandparents, great grandparents and of course us to keep her obsession alive.

But, we don't spend a lot on her clothes (but her grandparents probably do- thank you!)
so, i wanted to show how to thrifty- yet adorable :)
today is a lazy day. daphne and i both have an awful head cold. she probably doesn't know this- but i would be shocked if we get out of the house today :) daph is dressed accordingly. (i on the other hand am unshowered, still wearing my bath robe and slippers :)
gerber t-shirt (3 pack for $9) dyed with RIT dye (RIT is awesome. i use it all the time. It is so cheap (less than $2) and if you get together with some other moms, you can all dye shirts together (the washing machine method is the ONLY way to go!) and then you won't have 7 shirts for your one child in the same color) this shirt is a mix between royal and navy blue dyes with a little black mixed in gray-down the blue a bit.

her leggings were thrifted. fifty cents.

and her chuck taylors are my new favorite wardrobe item of hers.
i got them off ebay for $16. $16 still sounds like a lot- since they were used... but chucks really hold their value i've found! they sell new for more than $25 so it's hard to find them any cheaper. They were very gently worn and completely adorable. I bought them in a size 3 though she is barely in size 2 shoes so they will last for a long time. If she wears the right kind of socks with them (thick and with grippy feet) they stay on all day.
i had to include this picture. this was daphne when a pet smart commercial came on. she FREAKS out (in a good way!) when she says puppies. She asks me multiple times a day to hold her up to see a picture we have of our friend's 2 dogs. So, Blake and Ali- this is also daph's reaction when she looks at Mia and Nacho. It's so funny.

colorado

some days i long to be in colorado so bad it hurts.
there are so many people i want to hang out with on a more permanent basis.
but, today- i'm missing julie especially.



it's hard when you only have one sister and they live a 10-hour drive away.
no one can pluck my gray hairs, commiserate about kid's colds or eat Panera salad with me quite like Julie can. I miss you.

i love the olympics

and while watching them today i designed this new save the date.
i hope you're enjoying and feeling all kinds of national pride (no matter what your nation)

daphne @ 13 months

she has started to give us kisses (though more often she kisses her stuffed animals instead) and we love love love it.

gotta love that cute bum and chunky legs


this is right before she ripped her headband (ok, my headband..) off again and again... like i didn't think that would happen.
i love the look on her face. you know she is thinking she is awesome for standing up on the chair.

weighing in at an itty-bitty (well, just more itty than she was at her one-year appointment) 19.05 pounds and she's just going to be short- that's all- she's 28 inches.

daphne is so incredibly awesome.
she is loving dancing. (she entertained everyone at the post office today)
she is obsessed with clothes and shoes.
she says boo when playing with us.
she runs to the door when we put her coat on.
she is still sleeping 12-14 hours everynight... just like we like it.
she loves the shape sorter (but especially likes the orange circle)
she has 8 lovely teeth and LARGE gap in her 2 front teeth (runs in the fam- sorry daph)
she still loves her binky and a nightly bottle (this won't be fun to change)
she had her first quesadilla and jam sandwich (those are 2 things, not one.. gross) and loved them.
she loves to open drawers and destroy the house. every day.
she is a really good baby and we couldn't ask for more.

we're lucky parents.