Ok, well it is Saturday morning, not Friday. IT IS SWAP DAY!!! YAY!!! I can not wait to see everyone, and hang out, and swap, and eat and did I already mention see everyone? So excited.

Do you live near your siblings? I don’t. My sister and her husband live in Canada, and my other sister lives in Rochester. I do not get to see them very often. I have been missing them a lot more than normal this week. Sniff, sniff. Last night, I was wondering what it would be like to actually live near them. Since the day I left for college, I have not lived near my sisters. Maybe one day…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4742704688/

Carrie (the youngest), Amy (the Middile), and I (oldest and very pregnant)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4128098558/

Amy

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4148378437/

Carrie and I being all matchy, matchy.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone! Here are some favorites from around the internet and sponsors this week. Enjoy!

1. The yellow peeping out at the bottom of this dress has me swooning. So cute!

2. I cannot say enough about this little video. To have a studio like this would be a dream come true. Book binding is one of my favorite things to do. ever.

3. These little fox dolls are beyond the coolest thing I have ever seen.

4. A minty handbag. The prettiest color out there.

5. I am so doing this! A Surprise ball that you keep unwrapping to reveal gifts?!?! Now that is an ingenious idea.

6. A Pinterest Challenge? Count me in!

7. Kind of dying over this necklace! Oooh the colors!

8. For a little beach bum baby.

9. Love this Orla Kiely Lookbook Video!

10. This app. is now downloaded and iphone + instagram photos are on their way to my house!

We have the cutest bike path by our house. It is perfect for after work strolls when Kev gets home. The tunnels are covered with graffiti. Kev and I, like to read all the teen drama kids write on there. I do not miss being a teen that is for sure. Everything seems life or death. Poor Rowan. As a former High School art teacher, I don’t look forward to the high school years. haha

This dress from Romwe was a perfect “stroll” dress. Breezey and comfortable. I love the knitted overlay on the front. Very cute. Do have any afterwork traditions to relax yourself? A walk? A glass of wine?

Outfit Details:
Floral Knitting Mosaic Black Tank Dress: c/o Romwe
Sandals: Chinese Laundry
Belt: Thrifted
Necklace: gift

I have been kind of dying lately over all the sales over on Gilt. They serisouly have the cutest items for the kiddos. I can’t help but snatch up things for Rowan. See, how could you say no…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/5981302787/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/5981302855/in/photostream/

Don’t worry, they have plenty to choose from for the ladies too. I am drooling over the Pour la Victoire sale going on now.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/5981302697/in/photostream/

Are you on Gilt? Here is an invite code if you want one. Also, have you checked out there new taste section? Hello!

Hey Boston Friends! (or friends anywhere within driving distance!)

“Join The Swapaholics, Boston’s favorite clothing swap hostesses, for a celebration of summer and sustainable style with vitaminwater® and special guest Jessica Quirk, author of What I Wore, who will be on hand to sign copies of her freshly published book.

Quench your thirst before the swap madness begins at the vitaminwater® hydration bars, and cool down with sweet free samples of Swirly Goodness from Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt. Everything left over at the end of the swap goes to support our friends at Goodwill Boston.”

GET TICKETS

Kev, Rowan and I will all be there swapping up a storm. Hope to see you there!!

I will admit, I have a slight obsession with pinterest. I love it. I even have the app. on my phone, which makes it even easier to look at pretty pictures where ever you are. I found this recipe the other week and pinned it right away. I knew it would be delicious. And guess what? IT WAS!!! So easy to make as well.

Nectarine Pizza with Fresh Basil and Reduced Balsamic

Ingredients:
pizza dough (I just got some from our local market)
olive oil
fresh ricotta
buffalo mozzarella
1 nectarine, sliced
fresh Parmigianno Reggiano (shaved)
fresh basil
Arugula

1. Preheat oven to 500 Degrees
2. Grease a baking pan or pizza stone. Toss/ stretch dough to size.
3. Drizzle with olive oil
4. Spread out riccota and mozzarella
5. Top with sliced necterines.
6. Sprinkle with Parmigianno Reggiano

Bake for 10 mins.

7. Wait till crust is slightly brown
8. Remove from oven and top with freshly chopped basil and arugula
9. Drizzle with Balsamic Glaze
10. Eat the whole thing!

How to Reduce balsamic:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1. Pour balsamic in a pan. Turn heat to medium high. Let simmer until reduced and it has become much thicker. How have to be very careful not to burn it. Stir frequently.

Do you follow me on pinterest?

We are taking a little trip backwards here. I have a few more posts from our trip to Paris to share. When I got this sequined eagle print dress, I knew I had to bring it to Paris. We got dressed up one night and headed over to the Eiffel Tower for a late night picnic. We didn’t do anything fancy but it was so fun to get dressed up and celebrate.

Outfit Details:
Eagle print cocktail dress: c/o Foley and Corinna
Necklace: LOFT (gift)
Heels: c/o Lulu’s

One of my favorite things we did in Paris was rent bikes at Versailles. We didn’t go in Versailles (I’ve been there 2 times before and it’s just not Kev’s thing). I knew the Gardens there were just beautiful, so we took the train out for the day. We rented bikes and off we went. There is so much to explore. You feel like you are in the Secret Garden. There are little paths and roads at every turn. I would highly recommend riding bikes around to anyone. So fun!

and everyone needs to eat Macarons in Paris…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/5974956726/in/photostream

If you are interested, email me at jenloveskev(at)gmail.com for current stats and rates.

Yay! Here is your chance to win $30 bucks to spend on anything you want! And believe me, there will be lots that you want. haha. Chloe Loves Charlie has such a great selection!!

To enter all you have to do is…
1. Visit Chloe Loves Charlie, pick your favorite item, and then let us know what it is in a comment below.

2. Extra entries for each “liking” them on facebook and/or following them on twitter. Leave a comment for each.

Giveaway runs from now until Sunday night, when winner will be randomly chosen by random.org and contacted by email. Good luck!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/5966094296/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/5965559509/

I wanted to share a few things with you all. Lately, I have been missing more of a creative outlet. I miss painting, I miss cooking fancier meals, I miss creating things. I miss it a lot. When we brought Rowan home, that side of me just got pushed to the side. There is just not enough time in the day. Now that she is a little older, I think I would like to make some time in our day to be creative. I want to share more of that on here. I want to get back into the habit of posting Last Night’s Dinner posts, more DIY and more thoughtful motherhood post etc… There will always be outfit posts. I love doing those but I would like there to be a better balance.

I hope you won’t mind!

I painted these 2 paintings about 3 years ago. I had a solo art show in East Hampton, and was showing a series that including these two. They are some of my most favorite pieces. Here are 2 posts from way back of some of my artowrk, remember this one, or this one?

Here are my favorites from this week…

1. Hello Mustache Baking Pan! I want to make a cake right this instant.

2. I know everyone and their mother loves this little family, but it makes me so happy to see them growing together each day.

3. Love this pretty geode necklace. Such a cool shape and color.

4. Welcome to the Delightful Dozen Katy! I am totally loving this outfit of hers.

5. Yes, once again Ruche has put out a blow your socks off, amazing lookbook. Like seriously, you should check it out…

6. Love these super cute prints. They are perfect for the kitchen. So fun!

7. I LOVE smoothies. Especially when they are healthy for you. Who said being healthy couldn’t taste good. Try this Chocolate, peanut butter Smoothie.

8. This Romper is so darling, I can hardly stand it.

9. This ring is seriously killing me. So awesome.

10. And last but not least. To get everyone a little inspired an Abstract Art DIY. Very awesome.

Do you like Disney Movies? I LOVE them. I think I can sing every word, to every Disney song. Do you have a favorite? I love all the old classic like, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmations, and Beauty and the Beast, but my favorite is Hercules. Gospel Muses? Come on, now that is pure perfection. Such good music. The reason I ask is because, when I put on this dress I totally felt like Cinderella. I know it really isn’t like her dress, but something about it made me feel like I was in a Disney movie. I wish I had little mice, and sweet birds to come help me tidy up my house. Ok, back to the dress. I just love it. So romantic feeling and such a pretty pale blue color. I may not have been wearing glass slippers, but I was wearing something like it around my neck. Best necklace ever.

oh yeah. I am a total sucker for Newsies. Now that movie I can sing ever word too.

Outfit Details:
Jack by BB Dakota Lynette Dress: c/o Tilly Boutique
Belt: Target
Necklace: c/o Lulu’s
Wedges: c/o Banana Republic
Bracelets: Forever 21, Target, Gift

This is the last round of the styleathon. I can not express my gratitude for being asked to be a part of this. I have learned so much, and have enjoyed being completely surrounded by such lovely, and inspiring women. What a blessing. I have grown more in love with baby wearing and will continue to wear Rowan as long as I can.

We were asked to create a video for the 3rd round. I wanted to make something that was straight from the heart. Trying to share a gimplise of how I’ve felt about these past 10 months as a Mom. I could go on and on about this round, but I will let the video speak for itself…

Outfit Details:

Sweater: Vintage
Skirt: Swapped
Hat: Thrifted
Shoes: Vintage
Belt: Thrifted
Silk Sling: c/o Sakura Bloom

Rowan:
Vintage dress: c/o Little Reader Vintage

Again, a BIG, HUGE, THANK YOU to Leigh from Marvelous Kiddo for putting this all together, and thank you to the wonderful Sponsors as well, Sakura Bloom, Lilla P, Marla Cielo, and Selima Optique.

Spotted Moth has so many lovely things to choose from. Here is your chance to win some of that stuff for free!! Yay!

All you need to do is visit Spotted Moth and pick out your most favorite item and let us know in a comment below.

Giveaway is open from now until Sunday evening. Winner will be randomly chosen and notified on Monday by email.

Good Luck!

Whew! What a weekend. I headed out last Thursday night to spend a couple nights up in Silver Bay, NY on Lake George. Boy, Oh Boy is it beautiful up there. So many mountains and it’s such a beautiful part of the lake. I am a total lake girl. I think it is the Ontario girl in me, but I would choose lake over ocean any day. The smell, the air, the breeze, the sounds, Ahhh so refreshing to your soul.

After church on Sunday we headed over to the “Pig Out” in Troy. haha. Just what this vegetarian girl loves, a bbq competition. There was pulled pork as far as the eye could see. We didn’t get anything other than a smoothie, but I will admit it did smell good. This is the outfit I had on as we walked around. People just loved this dress yesterday. I can’t blame them. I am in love with it as well. I had like 6 people tell me how pretty the dress was. I added a vintage slip under it so a little bit of the pleated lace would show through. It’s the right mix and nautical, feminine and comfort all rolled into one dress.






Outfit Details:
Battenberg Lace Dress: c/o Spotted Moth
Belt: Thrifted
Vintage Slip: Thrifted
Bracelets: ModCloth, Target, Forever 21
Sandals: T.J Maxx

Stay tuned later this afternoon for a giveaway from Spotted Moth!

I’ve been sitting here this morning, trying to figure out how I can actually put in to words how we feel about Rowan. This past month has been the most fun of my entire life. She is such a joy, our beam of light. She is all personality, all the time. She wakes up moving and doesn’t stop till it’s time for bed. There are things to see and to explore, and she wants to find them. Her expressions just kill me. Her little finger points all the time at things, followed by her pursed lip “oooooh.”


She is all Daddy’s girl. Her reaction in that video is pretty much the same, every time he comes home. She sits on the floor in front of our picture wall, points to all his pictures and says “dada,” when he is gone. She misses him when he goes to work. We go for visits a lot though.

Rowan currently has 6 teeth. 2 on the bottom and 4 on the top. Haha. As I am writing this my mom just saw another one coming in on the bottom. She has become a little bit of a picky eater. One day she will love something, the next she will hate it, and then the next she will love it again. It leaves me with my head spinning, not knowing what to give her. We are trying to get her to eat more solid (whole) food, but it is a hard transition for me. I am so nervous about choking. Every time I hear that little cough my heart stops. aawk. She loves to feed herself though. It’s funny to see her pick up individual pieces of brown rice to shove in her mouth.

On her 10 month birthday (it was on Tuesday), she decided she would officially start walking. She has been scaling the walls, chairs, and you name it for a long time, but she finally lets go now. She just goes for it. She seems fearless. Rowan can walk about 10 feet without holding on to anything. She definitely won’t let you hold both her hands to walk around. You can hold one of her hands, while the other one is furiously waving at everything. The couch, the tv, anything. If there are actual people around, forget it, she goes nuts. She loves being around others, especially kids. She gets so excited, running and waving at everyone. It melts my heart. It is so sweet.

oh gosh. I love her so much!

Yesterday, we drove down to Kinderhook to visit a little petting zoo at the library. One of my favorite things about blogging, has been making such wonderful friends. I realized the other day that most of my closest friends have been made thru this blog. That just blows my mind. Anyway, we met Don and Rachel thru this blog and I couldn’t be happier. They are an amazing couple and an even cuter family. Their daughter Adeline is beautiful. Rowan and Addy are becoming fast friends. We love our family playdates with them.

* Rowan is wearing the most beautiful vintage dress c/o The Kissing Tree Vintage!

If you wouldn’t mind. Could you please send a vote our way today on Topbabyblogs. Thanks!

What is it with summer and weird rain showers? One minute it is grey and raining and then the next second it is blue sky, sun and still raining? It was raining when I started taking these pictures, and then the sun came out. I put the umbrella away, then it started raining again. I ended up with a weird mix of half sun, half umbrella, differently lit photos. Oh well. I still liked them a lot.

Rowan and I got all dressed up the other day, to go have lunch with Kev. We love to surprise him during the day for lunch dates. I am head over heels for this dress. It has an adorable cut out back, and a skirt you could twirl for days in. I have been wearing it a lot lately. I also have been inseparable with these flats. THEY GO WITH EVERYTHING!!

Lucca Couture Decal Daisy Dress: c/o Messes of Dresses
Bracelets: Forever 21 + Target
Umbrella: Target
Siloh Flats: c/o Blowfish Shoes

I have been asked a few times lately what I am doing for exercise now that the marathon is over. If you follow me on twitter you may have noticed that I have been talking a lot about Insanity. Have you heard of it before? It’s like this crazy P90x, but without hand weights. There are A LOT of jumping, squats, push ups and sweating. I have never taken a bootcamp class before, but from what I hear it sounds sort of similar.

The program is 60 days long. You follow a calendar and do certain work outs on certain days. I will be honest and say it is not a beginner work out. We first started it during the last few weeks of my marathon training, and even then they totally kicked my butt. I would have to stop and rest a lot. I think anyone can do them. You just have to adjust the tempo to your abilities. So far, I really like it. It is super hard, but I am waiting for the awesome results it promises. We have been doing it for 2 straight weeks now, and I am starting to notice a difference in myself.

Here are a few tips for sticking with a work out routine that have worked for me.
1. Try to work out at the same time everyday. Making it a routine makes it way easier stick with it. For Kev & I, we get up at 6:30 every morning to work out. We know Rowan will still be sleeping and we have nothing else to do. We tried at night, but being tried and everything else always got in the way.

2. Stay well rested. Being tired is the easiest way to skip a work out. Since we started working out in the morning, I try really hard to go to bed before 11. It doesn’t always work but I try.

3. Work out with someone. I am the first one to make excuses. Kev keeps me accountable. If he is getting up to do it, then I can’t really stay in bed and let him work out without me. Workout buddies keep it fun!

4. Try to have the right mind set. It is easy for me to drag myself out of bed, and halfass the work out because I am grumpy about having to get up. One day Kev said “I might as well work hard at the workout because otherwise it is a waste to get up so early.” Good point! Since then I try to remember if I am getting up this early, I better make it worth it.

5. Find something you like doing. Workout videos aren’t for everyone. Maybe running is, or yoga or spin class. Try different things until you find something you enjoy. Don’t settle thinking you have to hate exercising.

Let’s all say a big huge Happy Birthday to Ruche! hehe. Ruche is celebrating their birthday this week and they have giveaways galore over on their blog. Yay!

I wore this lovely Ruche dress to the Farmers Market on Saturday. It was super hot out but this dress kept me feeling quite cool. I felt pretty cute too. I love the hemline and the eyelet details. I added some wedges and a leopard belt and I was good to go. I also love my Swap.com tote bag. Perfect for all my new veggies from the market. And guess what? Kev designed them! There is a DC swap this weekend. Are you going?






Outfit Details:
Slow on Sunday morning bustier eyelet dress: c/o Ruche
Leopard Belt: Thrifted
Swap Bag: Swap.com
Dolce Vita Wedges: c/o Lucky
Club Master Sunglasses:Ray-Ban
Franklin “Be Thankful” necklace: c/o Jess LC

Celebrate Ruche’s birthday in style with this ONE DAY discount code.
Go buy yourself something pretty!
(The picture below is a sneak peak of their new summer lookbook coming out!- Can’t wait!!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/5928893620/in/photostream

I have typed today’s date like 4 times already this morning and every time it makes me think of slurpees. I just added find a 7eleven to my to do list today. haha. Ok back on track. Did you have a nice weekend? We had a lovely weekend. It was so beautiful out! We went to the farmers market. We had lunch at a little outside cafe with friends, had same friends over for dinner and even went to 2 open houses.

I got to wear the cutest vintage dress from Kissing Tree Vintage over the weekend. It was perfect for our little family outings. My mom is coming to visit tomorrow and I am super excited. We have a list of sewing projects that need to get finished. Top on the list is making a mobile for Rowans room. Then hopefully I can share some nursery pics.

Well, Have a great Monday everyone!

Outfit Details:
Vintage Dress: c/o Kissing Tree Vintage (such a huge selection of dresses!!)
Sunglasses: H&M
Belt: Thrifted
Necklace: gift
Darla Sandals: c/o Wanted

La Posh Style is giving one lucky reader a chance to win any dress they would like from there shop. Yay! Who doesn’t love a free dress? Especially when they have so many cute ones. I would chose this Sunny Sweetheart Dress or this Summer Striped Dress.

What would you choose?

To enter:
1. Visit La Posh Style and pick the dress you would like to win and let us know in a comment below.
2. Bonus entry for liking La Posh Style on Facebook.

Contest goes from now until Sunday night. Winner will be randomly chosen from random.org and then notified by email. Good luck!

Daddys Home from Jen Lula on Vimeo.

 

Haha. I have watched this video like a hundred times since we took it yesterday. Seeing Rowan’s reaction to Kev coming in the door from work, is always one of my favorite moments of the day. She is such a Daddy’s girl. She sits around and yells out “dada” all day long. I love that she waves so hard and fast when he opens the door. You also get to see her hands in the air, “I’m not holding on to anything” walk. Love it!

I have lots of new lovely sponsors this month. Make sure you check them out if you haven’t heard of them before!

Here are my favorites from sponsors and around the internet this week…

1. Probably the cutest baby onesies out there!

2. Could you please vote for us this weekend? We would love to make it up to number 3 on TopBabyBlogs!

3. I love Erin! How adorable is this outfit?

4. I want these shoes so badly! I love the red and the bow and well, everything about them!

5. Have you checked out my July Wish list from Modcloth? Ad to the left.

6. Pretty Cross stitch. I am all about embroidery lately.

7. Have you checked out Kissing Tree Vintage Before? They are one of the Stellar Sellers in the Vintage Coalition from Market Publique.

8. Mmmm Fresh Homemade Mint Ice Cream.

9. This is the most adorable belt ever. How cute would it be around a pretty dress?

10. I want to build Rowan a playhouse like this when she is older!

Happy Weekend Friends.
Are we friends on Pinterest? Tumblr? Twitter? or Facebook? Let’s be friends!

One last 4th of July post. This is what I wore to the BBQ on Monday. Nothing says summer more than a white dress and a straw hat to me. I am always on the look out for a good white dress. I found this pretty one at Shop Kempt. It is simple yet has super cute details in the bodice. I am also a sucker for a sweet heart neckline. White dresses are like a blank canvas. You can wear them styled so many different ways.

I am excited it is the weekend again. Aren’t 4 day weeks the best? I am glad to have Kev home with us. I love hanging out as a family. I think we are going to try, going to the drive in with Rowan this weekend. Wish us luck that she sleeps all the way through. I also hope we get to go swimming with these lovely folks this weekend too!

What are your plans for the weekend?






Snow White Sweetheart Dress: c/o Shop Kempt
Belt: Forever 21
Denim Vest: Silver Jeans
Shiloh Flats: c/o Blowfish (MOST COMFORTABLE SHOES EVER!!) Remember to use code JEN15 for 15% off
Hat: Thrifted
Bracelets: Forever 21
and my favorite picture from the whole weekend…

Since we live in a loft apt. we have some very large windows, with very large windowsills. I never figured out what I wanted to put on them till a few weeks ago. I decided since I loved my little Jade plant our friends gave us so much, I would give it some new friends. I didn’t want to plant everything in normal little pots, so off to the thriftstore I went. I found some super cute/different shaped dishes I could use. I am pretty happy with how it came out. It is a work in progress though. I still want to find more succulents to fill in some gaps.

What do you think?

1. Find some glass from the thriftstore.

2. Get some craft paint and think about what clear glass you would like to paint.

3. Paint the inside of the glass to create a unique plant holder. I love the textured glass on the outside with the color underneath.


4. Plant. Plant. Plant. I bought plants from different places (home depot, nursery, etc…) and some cactus soil. I added some little figurines just for fun. Everyone needs a mini cat right?

5. I also added these little ceramic flowers I have from my great grandma. I am not really sure what they were from, but I love them.

Super fun! Try it yourself.

One of the very first nights I hung out with Kev, we drove to the beach (2 hours away) at midnight just to sit on the sand and listen to the waves crash on the shore. We have always been known as the “adventurous couple”. We love exploring new places and just being out and about in general; we never want to waste any moment. The 6 years we spent together before Rowan was born were filled with exploring, road trips, and silly adventures. We did our best to make everything fun and exciting.

When I was pregnant we hoped for a baby who would love to come along with us on these adventures – haha – we laugh now because we ended up with just that! Rowan does not sit still for even a minute. She is always on the go. From the time she wakes up to the time she goes to bed, she’s constantly exploring. That’s why babywearing has become such a big part of our life. It allows Rowan to experience all of our adventures just as we do. We become one as we head out. Kev and I hand in hand, Rowan tucked close to my heart. Even the day to day tasks become an adventure to the new little being who is experienceing them for the first time. Her little “ooohs” when she sees something new just melt my heart. I want her to grow and experience as much of life as she can. I want to instil a huge passion in her to live each moment to the fullest. I want to show her so much of this life. These beautiful slings from Sakura Bloom really help with that. Whether Kev is wearing her around at a local art night, or I am running down the airport terminal with her, on our way to see my best friend in Georgia. Wearing her in a sling puts her right in the middle of our adventures and I wouldn’t want it any other way!

I have always been the tomboy who wore dresses. Haha, does that even make sense? I love beautiful floral dresses with fuller skirts! I will also be the first to climb a tree, scale some rocks or be up for any other sort of adventure in that beautiful dress. Dresses allow me to move around comfortably while still feeling super cute.
Outfit Deatils:
Dress: c/o ModCloth
SImple Silk Sling: c/o Sakura Bloom
Darla Sandals: c/o Wanted
Bracelets: Forever 21
Watch: c/o Kenneth Cole Umm hello coolest watch I have ever owned!
Sunglasses: c/o Selima Optique
Phone Purse: c/o Marla Cielo

This was my entry for Round Two in the Sakura Bloom Styleathon. Be sure to head over to Marvelous Kiddo to check out more information on all the challenges and for giveaways!

We celebrated the 4th all over the place this weekend. We went boating on a beautiful lake by my parents, we hung out with friends on a private beach in Plymouth and we took photobooth pictures like only the 6 of us can at Adam’s. It was a fun filled, packed to the max, shared with lots of friends, awesome weekend. I always love the 4th of July.












Getting to hang out with Punky, Adam, Chris and Julie is always a highlight to any weekend!

What did you guys do this weekend?

*Thanks to Adam for all the wonderful pictures!

Morning Everyone! I have lots of photos to share from the 4th of July, but first I want to share these outfit photos. When I got an email from Lucky asking if I wanted to partake in a DIY statement piece challenge with Michael’s Craft Store, I couldn’t say “YES!” fast enough. I LOVE crafts!! I went to Michaels a handful of times before I decided what I wanted to do. I decided on an embroidered bib type necklace. I picked out some really fun colors and got right too it. I am really happy with how it came out. I think the flaws and imperfections in the sewing (I am not the greatest) give it some character.

I am kind of in love with this outfit. I love the colors and the necklace compliments it so well! It was an outfit I just felt really happy in. Don’t you love those kind of outfits?

Outfit Details:
Tank Top: Gap
Skirt: J.Crew
Belt: I’ve had this since like 10th grade
Wedges: c/o Ruche
Bracelets: Forever 21 + Gift from Punky
Necklace: Self Made c/o Michaels + Lucky

The start of the project…

Create your own statement piece from Michaels by downloading this 25% off coupon!! Yay!!

I always miss my family a lot today.
Enjoy the day Canadian friends!!!!

p.s. a little inside joke.
Dear Uncle Adam:
This is http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/5890825971/ when you make fun of Mommy for being from Canada…

I am sitting on the couch right now after finding out some really terrible news about some dear friends of ours. Their little boy, who is only a month older than Rowan has been diagnosed with something very serious. I feel paralyzed thinking about how precious life is. How unfair things can feel and how, in an instant everything can change. My hair is a mess, I haven’t really gotten dressed yet and everything I was so worried about getting done today seems so trivial.

I just put Rowan down for her nap. I didn’t bring my phone in with me today. I usually am mulit-tasking to try to catch up on everything as I feed her. Today, I wanted to be there with her in the moment. I rocked her to sleep and just cried and prayed for so many things. I sat there cuddling her, loving her and thinking about all the things we take for granted.

I made a list in my head of some of my most loved things about Rowan. I wanted to share them so I will always remember them. Life gets very busy and sometimes the small things slip thru the cracks. I really want to be able to focus on the small things. To focus on love, to encourage others and to make the most out of each day.

1. I love that Rowan is starting to have long enough hair, that she has little curls growing at the back.

2. I love the smile she gives when she is kinda confused or unsure. It’s this scrunched up face, showing off all her teeth.

3. I love the way she yells Dada when Kev walks in the door.

4. I love how excited she gets when looking at photographs of family.

5. I love the ear piecing, high pitched squeal she does.

6. I love her Beavis and Butthead laugh she has.

7. I love how you can tell she loves new adventures. New places, new faces, this little girl just loves being out and about.

8. I love that when she falls asleep on you and she tucks her arms up underneath her.

9. I love that she tries to get from one object to the next without holding on. She can’t walk yet, but she gets her legs going and hopes she can make it to the next object before she fall down.

10. I love how she points and says, “oooooh” at everything. Her little pointer finger cracks me up. We are always joking that she is saying, “just one thing guys.”

11. I love when she waves right at the right time.

12. I love her extra cubby little baby feet, that don’t fit into any baby shoes.

13. I love listening to her entertain herself in the car.

14. I love the open mouth, slobbery kisses that she gives.

15. and finally I love how much she is going to be a little daddy’s girl.