Beautiful nature.

We've already gone on a couple of nature walks this week. Early that is because things are getting mighty toasty by the noon hour.  Ok so it's only 90 degrees but I'm already hot.  You should see the things we collected along the way.  Some of the things I've never even noticed before on the very same path that we frequent until the girls pointed them out.  Oh to see things through a child's eyes.

I wasn't even planning on taking their pictures on our little walks but the girls insisted that we should. One of them said, "Nature is very important and we never want to forget it."

A few hopes for my girls:
1) I hope you always remember the great Creator of all this beautiful nature.
2) I hope you always stop and take time to enjoy nature....you know stop & smell the roses.

3)  I hope you tell Dad that I would enjoy a bushel of poppies like in the above picture or my own private patio preserve like in the below picture.  Either one.  

*Be happy little ones and always know how beautiful you & your little spirits are.

Image via Country Living

Twin bed envy.

So I do have to admit when my sweet little one comes to bid me goodnight some of her best thoughts come out as she is trying to stall the bed.  Usually she starts out by saying, "Mom I just want to tell you that I really, really love you", followed by, "You are my favorite Mom".  I even heard her tell Daddy that he was not only the nicest but the cutest Dad ever.  She's four years old, which means she's quickly learned what stalling technique works best as she tries to manipulate the situation a bit.  It used to be that her legs hurt and that she needed a heating pad, or that she was hungry and thirsty.  Oh & heaven forbid if we forgot to brush her teeth because that one suddenly got red flagged as the most urgent matter of the day. Well she obviously figured out that the best reaction has come from fluffing us with her little brown nose, which  currently leaves us now with a child who is no dummy and parents who still will let the child linger longer with all of her endearing comments.  I'll admit it we are totally suckers.  Ok maybe not suckers but worse because we know exactly what she is doing & still let it happen.

Tonight she came in and she said, "Mom, I've been thinking", followed by a pause.  She continued on by saying, "Do you ever wish you had your own bed like me and Dad had his own bed like sissy?"  Before I could answer she continued on by saying, "You guys have to share and I just thought maybe you would want your very own bed like me."  I just laughed & gave her a big hug because she likes it when I do that.  I mean who wouldn't want somebody to think they were cute and funny combined with hugs.

Well I kind of do have double twin bed envy but since I kind of have a thing for hubs as well we probably won't be going Lucy-Ricky style anytime soon.  Just to prove how much I love 2 twin beds I dove into my saved file and had to post them in honor of my twin #2.  

To twin #2:  I love you darling and you can have your very own bed for as long as you live with me.  I promise.

Image 1 - via Little Green Notebook Image 2 - John Minshaw Designs via Brabourne Farm Image 3 - Vallone Design via Brabourne Farm Image 4-  via Design Sponge Image 5 & 10 - House Beautiful Image 6 - Imge 7, 8 & 9 - Domino Image 11 - via Little Green Notebook Image 12 - House Beautiful Image 13, 14 & 15  - Leta Austin Foster & Associates Inc. - House Beautiful Image 17 - via Alkemie Image 18 - unknown Image 19 - House Beautiful Image 20 - Domino mag Image 21 - Amy Lau Design 22- via Elements of Style

My partner in crime.

11 years ago we stood in this very same backyard posing until perma grin kicked in after smiling so much. I seriously had to massage my smile off my face because it was stuck and my little facial muscles were so sore.  This is us trying to see if we could still do the prom pose.  Tender & original....I know.

Oh there's almost a smile.  Admit it, I'm not that bad to hang out with.

Then because the weather is so nice when you get married on April 25th, we had to borrow Mom's convertible to help us remember.  That was the highlight as Mr. Charming (it was the charm I may add that sealed the deal anyway) whisked me off for a fun filled night starting out with shrimp tacos...Yum.

Finally some things never change, at least those sunglasses I mean.  Even though you still sport those 90's shades you still are as studalicious as the day we wed except better.  Thanks for making our partnership in crime official way back when.  

Marriage is not a CRIME!  

That just made me think about those stickers that said, "Skateboarding is not a CRIME?"  Does that mean I'm kind of oldish?  

Here's to many more adventures!  Don't worry we will still backpack Europe someday.  

A special thanks and shout out to the below FOXY couple for letting us share their anniversary.  Mom...Dad....you little rascals.

The Thrift Shopper

Some people have asked how to find a good thrift store or where I go.  I'm really not the expert & to be quite honest, at first I didn't know where the good places were.  I simply just started to visit some of the places listed on the the Thrift Shopper.com.  All you have to do is place your zip code in the thrift finder search engine and then it pulls up many of your local stores and the nice thing is some have even been rated by other users. If you love finding treasures as much as I do then give Thrift Shopper a try.

 

Happy Earth Day!

Here are some of my Earth Day contributions (besides helping to bring kids to live on this Earth).  Which don't we all get that Earth Day moment when we are born, I'm just sayin'.  Just don't tell the Earth day committee people that I said that though because they may accuse me of not being "Earth Friendly" by helping to over-populate the Earth.  Well hopefully I'll make up for that with some of my other ventures. 

How appropriate that I just picked up this vintage earth globe yesterday just for the occasion.  Ok not really for the occasion but it will be perfect in my boys room.

Isn't it Earth Day worthy to mention the below recent thrift store purchases?  I am recycling, right?

Nice vintage chair for hubbies office....so comfy. 

Finally got my prized vintage artichoke print framed.  With a little help from Dad (again)  & my trusty thrift stores we pulled this job off for a fraction of what the cost would normally be.  Seriously that frame is almost 4 ft. long.

This is how I use my dish soap.  Don't asked me why it is so Earth friendly except I saw something similar on Martha Stewart's 25 eco-chic ideas for your home found here.  

Finally my favorite way to celebrate Earth Day is to pick up some blooming branches.  I love these and they make me happy to live on Earth!

If this is what Earth Day really was all about, then I love it & would be perfectly fine with hosting Earth Day everyday.  Perhaps I'll do something bigger and much more serious next year for the big Earth celebration.  Hey at least I've already switched out all of my light bulbs to the more efficient ones.

 On a not so earthy side note, I finally started painting my laundry room.  I can't wait until it's all done.  Hopefully it will be real Priddy.

Ok and Martha, Martha, Martha if I really had my stuff together I would love to make your Earth Day craft you made on Monday.  

Seriously look how cute this cardbox stove/oven is.

Have a great Earth Day!!

Uncle!!

We've been swingin' from the chandeliers @ our house lately......

Perhaps that means this is a cause to RAISE THE ROOFS.....{literally} so nobody can reach the chandelier.

Although come to think of it we should raise the roof the other way too because if you can't beat 'em just have a party instead.

I used to think I was so smart by moving the chairs away from kitchen table so no little gremlins could climb up on top. I've finally been out-smarted. UNCLE!!

Everything is ok though because look at this beautiful art that I just printed for free.  Found via Creature Comforts. 

Bring the swim cap back.

Immediately after I saw the above swim cap, the picture of the girl on that pink tufted couch flashed through my mind. Look how cute she is with her swim caps


Then I thought about another image with another girl standing on a tufted sofa. This image brought everything together for me because she was reaching for a book and combined with the other image I envisioned reading a book on the beach in the 40's or 50's. Pure heaven. Why is the swim cap no longer a fashion statement rather than just function? Well no more I'm putting a stop to that. 

Apparently I was born in the wrong generation.  These women just ooze glamour and class.

{photos found both via Millie Motts & myvintagevogue's photo streams on flikr}

Then reality set in & I thought about the fact that I have no time to read books by the water with a swim cap on because I've got to get all 5 of mine enrolled in swim lessons TODAY, I don't know how this is going to work and the thought of getting all 5 little ones through the summer lessons kind of scares me so I will just go back to my daydream now.  Oh minor details.