sweetgrass: July 2012

7.31.2012

Rooms I love

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Cute in the very best way.

7.30.2012

image

Hey friends, I missed you this morning!

I wasn't feeling super inspired - not bad, but I just didn't have much to say. Do you ever feel that way?

In the past I would have forced it and posted something anyway. But today I decided not to do that.

Instead I played with Michael a little more. I talked to my mom a little longer.

I watched Michael and Ella play the games they play.

I sipped my coffee and just enjoyed the morning without thinking about anything else.

It turned out to be a great decision. Michael and I had an especially good day together, I think, because I wasn't putting any pressure on myself. (It didn't hurt that he was finally caught up on sleep after the weekend, either.) I thought I was doing a pretty good job of enjoying the little things in life, but after today it's obvious to me that there's room for improvement.

So, I might be doing that a little more often -

playing hooky to enjoy the little things, and treasuring up all the happiness in my heart.

WIshing you a week of happiness, friends! xoxo

(More little things that make me happy here.)

~ linking up with MMM ~

7.27.2012

when we move to a new place, I don't waste any time stocking up on staples

date night in Austin! / my guys - so happy to be together again / small town Texas

blessed quiet on the road to Houston / good times with precious friends / Mikey's new wheels

teeny footprints at the pool / he can't get close enough to Kermit / me and a lizard enjoying a rainstorm on the porch

dip dip dippin' at Freebirds / little stinker stole my phone / you know she's relaxed when her tongue falls out

~linking up with Life Rearranged for Instafriday~

* * * * * * * * *

Those are the highlights of our week according to Instagram.

(I'm mtchristi if you'd like to follow.)

Welcome to the weekend, friends!

7.26.2012

Faves

Good morning, friends! I've got some awesome faves to share with you today:

I'm in love with this little print. So dreamy and perfect for Michael's room.

Drop cloth curtains - they're inexpensive and surprisingly pretty!

I'll be putting this idea to work as soon as we get into our new house!

Free online university courses spotted on little brown pen.

This kind of makes my inner nerd go wild with excitement!

I'd love to renew my vows with Tim someday.

Beautiful inspiration found here, here, and here.

Journey journal spotted on Design Mom.

It would make a really cute moving announcement, wouldn't it?

Have a lovely day! xoxo

~ linking up with lowercase letters, bits of splendor, and covered in grace ~

7.25.2012

Little things

I pinned this almost a year ago with the caption 'note to self'.

At the time I had an infant and I was in the throes of the most disorienting year of my life: no longer working outside the home, missing my friends and colleagues, sleep-deprived, adjusting my expectations about life with a baby, trying to build relationships with other stay-at-home-moms, adjusting to the changes in my relationship with my husband, overwhelmed with love and adoration for my baby, and sleep-deprived, sleep-deprived, sleep-deprived.

Even in that fog where everything was so unfamiliar, I knew this statement was true. And it helped me remember that those baby days would pass. I pinned it to remind myself to stop dwelling on the things I wanted to accomplish, and find joy in the quiet (or not-so-quiet) everyday moments with Michael. The short fuzzy hair right above his forehead. The way he cooed at us in the mornings. How it felt to hold him and nurse him to sleep. The way he grinned when Tim tossed him into the air. How he smelled like soap and baby cereal when we put him to bed at night. Even during all those months when I didn't write a single blog post, I took pictures to remind me of those precious things I wanted to remember. And I still do that, especially when the days are long and my patience runs short.

Today I enjoyed the way he wakes up all warm and snuggly from his nap, calling for Ella. The way he devours his yogurt and dips his crackers in peanut butter. The way he tries not to smile when I take his picture. The way he holds his finger in the air and scolds Ella for barking, and how she waits patiently next to his chair, confident that the food will fall. Our routine of eating and talking, cleaning up, then running off to play again. They are little things, but they're the things I want to remember when these toddler days have passed.

~ linking up with picture me {im}perfectly and monday mom musings~

7.24.2012

Rooms I love

via

This little "Garden Studio" is the perfect guest house.

See more, and the house that goes with it, here.

Story

One of the best things about Michael at this age is how much he's talking. There are lots of adorable little words that are easy to understand, but sometimes he babbles on and on, telling a whole story and it kills me that I can't understand him!
He's got so much to say, and I love it.

I'm linking up with a fun photo challenge today over at The Paper Mama.

Here's my photo - Michael telling a whopper of a story one afternoon in the park.

7.23.2012

We're here! We're here!

Hello out there! I've neglected this little blog lately, but for good reason.

We've been moving, house-hunting, and catching up with precious friends and family.

It's been an intense week, but a very good one.

And when I look at that map I get a little overwhelmed with emotion. So many important parts of my life have happened within that little triangle up there. Six years ago when we left we didn't know when we'd be back.

But God is faithful, and here we are! He's blessed us, again, to be close to our family and loved ones.

I'm just so thankful.

So, we have internet now and life has slowed down a bit, and I'll be here more often.

Happy Monday, friends! I'll be back soon - xoxo