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Jun 20

A Father’s Day Gift…

We spent Father’s Day in Ogunquit, ME (one of our favorite places) this year. We took a little weekend trip to celebrate our wedding anniversary (more on that later) and Father’s Day. We had a lovely time all together. I really can’t say enough how much I love going on adventures all together. It just makes me so happy! Kev and I have always made gifts for each other for special occasions. We aren’t ones for physical gifts. I would take going somewhere fun and a handmade gift over any “thing” someone could buy. For Father’s Day I wanted to make something special for Kev that Rowan could be a part of too. Since we think he is pretty “super” we decided to make him a Super Hero version of himself. I drew out the pattern, sewed it up and Rowan hand painted some fabric that I used for the D on the costume and for the cape. She was so excited to give it to him.

I think this video is a pretty special keepsake.

I could not be more proud of the Dad Kev has become. I mean from day one he was a fantastic Dad but boy, oh boy we are 3 lucky girls. He works so hard for this family. He has the biggest heart and the most fun loving spirit. He loves these little girls like no other. I could not think of 2 more appropriate special occasions to celebrate on the same day than our wedding anniversary and Father’s Day. I got to marry my very best friend 7 years ago and seeing him become a Dad over these last 3 has made me love him in more ways than I ever thought I could.

Two super short vine videos of Rowan painting…

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Jun 17

Weekly Parenting Ups & Downs

Jun 17 | Weekly Ups & Downs

Remember these posts? Ha. It’s been a while. I really liked writing them each week and hope to post them more often. I write about my parenting ups & downs not to focus on the negative aspects, but to share how even in down moments of life there are always ups! The high times almost always over power the low moments. Together we can find solidarity in each others struggles and triumphs!

MY WEEKLY UPS:
1. Rowan is out of control funny lately. She is just constantly talking about things! The funny things she comes up with crack me up. I love hearing her little mannerisms emerge and how she says words. For example she calls a “bee” a “buzz buzz”, too funny right? She was making me laugh the other night when I tied a swaddle blanket around her neck and “Super Rowan” emerged.

2. The relationship between Rowan and Finley really is amazing. It kind of makes me want to have a million more kids. Rowan is so sweet to Finley, I truly think she loves her. Rowan is pretty much the only one that can consistently make Finley laugh (like a laugh out loud giggle)- holy cow that makes my heart melt.

3. I am not going to lie, hearing people say that Finley is a Mommy’s girl is pretty much the best thing ever. Not only does she look just like me, but she is pretty obsessed with me too. I love it. I love that no matter who is holding her, she always scans the room for me. Ha! Is that selfish? Rowan was always a Daddy’s girl, so I am going to enjoy this mommy love.

MY WEEKLY DOWNS:
1. Rowan has always been a good sleeper. We have had our struggles for sure, but nothing that a night or two of sleep training couldn’t fix. Finley has been an awesome sleeper too. I think we have taken it for granted because for the last month each one of them has on average been up a minimum of 2 times a night. I swear we sleep no longer than an hour at a time before someone else wakes up. I am pretty sure we are slowly going crazy. If it’s not one of them than its the other. I wake up like a zombie every morning. I know it’s just a stage and this too will pass but good golly I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.

2. The foot stomp. Oh Rowan. What you think you are accomplishing with that little foot stomp is beyond me. But you sure like to show you are mad with it. We are trying to work on expressing our feelings in a different way. We don’t tolerate being rude around here.

3. Teething. Why, oh why can’t it last one day and be done? Poor sweet Finley just got her first 2 teeth. They popped through one night and we finally realized why we weren’t allowed to put her down for the past week.

Jun 12

House Tour | Family Room + Kitchen

Jun 12 | Home Tours

Last week I had the honor of sharing these pictures over on A Beautiful Mess (Love those girls!) but wanted to share here as well! Other than Rowan’s room, the family room is the only other space in our house that is completely finished. We’ve been able to get most of the house to where it feels done just not finished yet. I am now working slowly to finishing off each room. I don’t want 5 years to pass and still feel like we are moving in. It’s so rewarding to walk into a finished room and feel at home. I want the rest of the house to feel like that too.

The kitchen is a work in progress, but I am happy with it at the moment. Hopefully this summer we are going to paint all the cabinets. I just need to get my hands on a spray gun first. What attracted us to the house in the first place was the big open floor plan. The downstairs all flows in a big circle. I love being able to see everyone no matter where you are downstairs. Like I mentioned over on A Beautiful Mess, I know that everyone gathers in the kitchen during parties and gatherings. Since the family room is attached to the kitchen, I wanted it to be an inviting and welcoming area. I didn’t want it to be where we had the tv. We spend a lot of time in there as a family and I wanted toys, books and the idea being creative to be the focus of the room.

I created a little nook for Rowan to read, draw and hang her artwork. We have baskets for toys and the dresser is filled with puzzles and games for her to play with. I am proud of this room because for a long time I struggled with how to decorate the way I liked, but also making it kid friendly. I feel like we found a good balance. I have accepted that for the next little bit I will not have a bar cart with fancy glasses and vintage bottles. I am ok with that. I would much rather have a well loved home with little kiddos running around.

The shelves were a major labor of love. Let me just say the older gentleman that work at Home Depot during the day thought I was crazy. I was hell bent on getting them done before Finley was born. I was 9 month pregnant, pushing a cart with a toddler in it and getting pipes cut (and then recut) and threaded everyday for like 2 weeks. It was a lot harder than I thought getting all the measurements right for this stupid custom shelf. It paid off in the end. I love it, but for a good long while I thought it was never going to work.

Chaise Lounge Chairs: Ikea
Owl Pillow: Modcloth
Magenta Bolster Pillow: Target
Gold Table: Target
White Desk Chair: CB2
Dresser: Thrifted from Goodwill
White Table Lamp: Homegoods
Rowans Vintage Desk: Thrifted
Shelves: Handmade
Bruins Cat: Handmade
Rowans Chalk board: Handmade (Tutorial Here)
Hanging Planters: Habitat Restore
Floor Poof: Target
Deer Painting: Handmade
Baskets: Homegoods

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home tour

Jun 11

My Everyday Style | June 11th

Jun 11 | My Everyday Style

I like when the weather warms up because I can wear wedges more often. They are much easier to wear with kids around than heels. Granted I am not wearing them to the playground, but I can handle a few errands with them on. Now these ones aren’t Kork-Ease sandals but boy, oh boy do I love those wedges. I saw some at Marshalls the other day and just about jumped up and down right there in the store. Hands down the most comfortable wedges/shoes out there!! Although, I have been thinking I need a pair of the gold Swedish Hasbeens.

Do you have a favorite summer shoe?
and can someone please make it stop raining? my frizzy hair would appreciate it!

OUTFIT DETAILS:
Striped Dress: Modcloth
Vest: Similar
Wedges: Similar
Scarf: Similar

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Jun 10

A Big Imagination…

Jun 10 | Motherhood

It’s funny how as you grow up you forget about how wonderful an imagination is. As an adult it’s almost painful to play dress up or make believe- it stretches you. An imagination is a magical thing though. Over the past few months Rowan’s imagination has grown leaps and bounds. It is amazing to me to watch and listen to her. She is constantly talking to herself these days. Making up stories and scenarios in her head. She doesn’t even need toys half the time! Kev and I secretly listened to her for like 10 mins yesterday as she just sat spinning in his work chair talking about all sorts of things. It’s cute because she tends to make up stories based on things that have happened to her that day (of course with a princess twist). She loves playing dress up. Most of our errands are done these days with her wearing a princess crown. Any kind of raised platform instantly becomes a stage to her. She loves putting on shows! Especially ballet shows. She will twirl, leap, and walk on tippy toes pretending to be a real ballerina on stage.

I am pretty obsessed with this quote…

so true, right? I love seeing Rowan’s imagination grow. As her parent, it’s something I want to help foster in our home. I hope that as she grows up it evolves to seeing things in a creative way. And that doesn’t mean just towards art like her parents. Whatever her passions will be, I hope that she can think outside of the box. That she wont limit herself to what she can achieve. I want so badly for her to know the sky is the limit.

But for now, I will let this almost 3yr old little girl dress up in her princess costume and run around making up stories about adventures with a purple dragon.

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Jun 06

Nail & Yarn Wall Art pt. 2

Jun 06 | DIY Tutorials

Remember the mural I made in our old apartment? I decided to make an updated version in our new house. I picked a new saying & jumped right in. Hammer. Hammer. Hammer. I picked a font and traced the letters off my computer (yeah, we don’t have a printer). Then I used our projector to enlarge the letters on the wall. I didn’t trace exactly but used it as a guide. I did use a level to make sure everything was lined up right and did make some adjustments. You could also free hand the letters if you wanted too. That is how I made the first version at the apartment.

Then the fun part! You nail about a million nails in the wall. I kept having to go to Home Depot to get more nails. I severely underestimated how many nails you need. There is no right or wrong as to where you nail. Especially if you are just going to be wrapping the yarn all over the place instead of in a particular pattern. The more nails you use the more options you’ll have to create patterns with the yarn.

I love picking all the yarn colors. The sky is the limit. I went with brighter colors to add some pop to our family room. All in all I would say it took me about 4-5 hours to do.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/8970882134/ ^^just the nails. It’s a tad bit hard to take photos of nails in a wall

Have fun!

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Jun 05

DIY Chalkboard Wall Calendar

Jun 05 | DIY Tutorials

I have always been a huge fan of this Ferm Living wallsticker, although I was never a fan of the price. With this summer filling up fast with events, bbqs and weekend trips, keeping track of everything was getting tough. It dawned on me that I could create our own chalkboard wall calendar with some painters tape, a level and chalkboard paint. It turned out awesome!! It almost creates a piece of artwork on the wall. I love having a large family planning center in the kitchen that we can keep track of everything. You could create it any size you wanted to depending on what size space you have to work with. I painted ours rather large so there was plenty of space to write in. I hand painted “This Month…” on top, but you could just as easily add a block to write which month it was too. Half the fun is planning out how you want it to look and function.

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The Chronological Archive

A Father’s Day Gift…

Tagged

Weekly Parenting Ups & Downs

House Tour | Family Room + Kitchen

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My Everyday Style | June 11th

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A Big Imagination…

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Nail & Yarn Wall Art pt. 2

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DIY Chalkboard Wall Calendar

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Hi, I'm Jen!