Feeling festive

 Well, I'm pretty sure this is everyone's favorite time of year. Am I right!? Holidays and sweaters and all things pumpkin! It's been some time since working on any crafts for my home, so I whipped up this wreath to greet the first days of fall and I LOVE it! I've never made one before and to be honest I always thought wreaths were a little "old lady-ish"  but seriously, I'm a changed woman! I can't wait to make one for winter too. I didn't want to go too crazy with Halloween decoration but I love our spider garland and Miles had fun putting the bats on the windows. Holiday's are so much better with kiddos! I can't wait to celebrate Halloween with him this year. Last year he was just on the verge of walking and even though he had the coolest strong man outfit, he was still just too little to enjoy the holiday fun but this year is going to be so much better with my big boy!

Happy Fourth of July!

  Drink beer and bbq, cheers with friends and family, fireworks and sparklers, American flags and red, white and blue, country music and sunny weather! Sounds about right!

Everyone have a spectacular day celebrating our fine country. Be safe and have lots of fun!

Father's Day gift idea

 I saw this cute idea on Design Sponge a few years ago and thought I'd give it a try for an impromptu Father's Day gift. I followed these steps to emptying the bulb which was way harder then I thought it would be. If I try this out again I'll have to remember to clean the bulb out better and use a smaller block but either way Steve loved his new "trophy"!

My Mother's Day

Papa took the day off so we hung around the house, walked to the park, took fun photo booth pictures, drank wine and ate pizza. Sometimes it's the little things that make the most impact. I woke up wanting to be swooped off me feet with flowers and an extra special breakfast... and quickly learned that it wasn't going to happen today. Steve has been in a funky whirlwind with working so much and our money has been really tight right now for an upcoming road trip AND not to mention that Steve isn't so great in the gift giving department SO I pretty much knew nothing fancy would happen like that. I was pretty bummed this morning feeling neglected but I really had to stand back and tell myself to snap the hell out of it! My awesome husband took the day off to be with us and we had the whole day to do whatever we wanted with the number one person who made us parents and that's pretty damn cool if you ask me. So with a little attitude change and a sweet family, my day ended up being pretty freaking awesome!

But you better believe I want breakfast made for me next weekend :)

Mama

My mom is my hero and I am forever grateful to have such a strong, beautiful woman as my mother. My whole life she has instilled tools in me to become a better person and even though I'm still on my journey I can honestly say that I am a strong and beautiful woman because of her. 

We love you so much, mama! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Mom's rule!

If you want a fun, unique way to share your photos and memories with the mamas in your life then check out what I made my mom and sister for last year's Mother's Day. Because I'm a little busier then usual right now I decided to keep my gifts simple and enlist the help of my little pal to make cards for four very important woman in our lives. Miles had so much fun painting a large sheet of paper that I later traced his hand print on, cut out and wrote a little message of love on the back. P.S. this was Miles' very first time painting so it made the project extra awesome! Have any special plans for your family this Mother's Day?

Happy Easter!

The weather has been D R E A M Y lately! A Springy 76 yesterday! Steve's working his tush off making me new display fixtures for my larger space so it's just going to be my little pal and me for most of the day. I don't have any real big Easter plans for us so we might just soak up the sun, eat strawberry shortcake and bug dad in his work shop till her plays outside with us!

Last minute Valentines!

Well hi, hello! I wanted to share Miles' Valentines that we sent to our families this year. I found this ADORABLE diy on The Paper Mama's blog and couldn't resist making our very own. If you're looking for a great last minute Valentine for your family or friends I would totally suggest this one. Very easy instructions and was almost under $10! So cute right!?
On a side note, tonight is our last night at my moms. So sad but SO ready to go home to my husband and kitties! Three weeks is a long time to be away from home let alone with a little guy in tow. Thankful for my time with my wonder family and friends but can't wait to see papa!

YAHOO!!!

See ya later 2 0 1 2!

You guys, 2012 was my most favorite year yet! I became a wife and a mother this year. We have had ups and downs but thankfully more ups to even count. Financially, we haven't had the greatest year and in fact at times it was down right shitty but it honestly made me stronger and forced me to stay optimistic for my family. I learned to take care of a home and be a wonderful partner to my husband. This year we fell madly in love with our baby boy and became awesome parents together and grew a lot as a team. Miles and I took a ton of trips to visit my family in Southern California and my sister in Las Vegas. We even went to Mexico! After three years, I married my sweet fella on a gorgeous summer day in our backyard where our families celebrated with us. That was such a special day! 2012 is filled with so many cool memories. We welcome 2013 with a few exciting goals and hope that it is as good to us as the last. Thank you so much to our friends and family who have made our year AWESOME!! Cheers!

CHRISTMAS!

 So long Christmas, you sure were sweet to us this year! 

Last Christmas we spent the day in the ER with a week old baby with a bad eye infection so this year we were really happy to be home with our healthy boy. Miles had such a fun time opening his gifts, tearing the wrapping paper and playing with his new toys. Every time he opened a present her would say "Ooooh" with excitement! The rest of our day was spent watching Christmas movies, napping and cooking. I'd say we had a pretty terrific holiday! We definitely missed our families out of state but caught up with everyone over the phone and Skype. Hopefully next year we can celebrate with my sister and her family so that all of our kids can be together.

 Grandma and Grandpa spoiled him with really cool, fun gifts. One of the presents they got him was a light-up toy cell phone that he absolutely loves! All morning he walked around the house with the phone up to his ear saying "HHHHHiii" in the sweetest voice imaginable! Aww man, it was the cutest thing EVER!!

 Papa really loved this one!

 Miles got a ton of shoes!

My in-laws surprised me with these awesome Sam Edleman boots that I had been coveting over but couldn't afford. When I opened the box I literally screamed with excitement! These babies are such a treat for me! My sister also sent us an awesome package that we opened a few days before Christmas. She gave Miles the coolest alphabet bocks and nesting element cave along with other neat goodies. She sent Steve and I beautiful new bedding that I had been eying for months too! My mom bought our plane tickets for our trip next month to Southern California which was crazy nice of her and my dad got Miles a new stroller! Also, Miles scored a few Target gifts cards from Steve's sister and our friends which we had no problem spending on fun toys and clothes for him :)We were spoiled and blessed to have such a rich holiday with love and thoughtfulness and we hope that yours was just as fulfilling and special!

Happy Holidays Y'all!

Wishing you the very best day with the folks you love!

Miles and Santa

 Oh, my sweet little doe eyed boy! Papa, babe and I headed downtown last night to visit Santa at Macy's but by the time we got there it was already 8:30 and Miles had fallen asleep from the car ride. We woke him up, braved the cold and walked a few blocks to see our guy. Luckily, because it was so late there was only one family ahead of us so we were able to dodge the hour long lines we had heard about. Miles was a good boy, still a little sleepy but good nonetheless! There was a really cool train set and a small caboose the kiddos could hang in. We then walked around downtown for a bit and saw the big Christmas tree at Pioneer Square. Because Steve works so much we sort of miss out on family outings so this was a special thing we shared together and got to take home a few silly photos of our boy and his new pal.

Greetings!

This is the first year we sent out Christmas cards to our family since last year we were a little preoccupied with a week old baby Miles. I found Ashley Ryan's Etsy shop while looking for customized holiday cards and couldn't be happier with how fast and easy it was to make them. I sent her an idea of the writing I wanted and in a matter of hours she sent over this fun design. A big thank you to Ashley for taking good care of us! You can find her on Pinterest too!

Goals and earrings

First off, Happy December! It's pretty hard to be a grump during the holiday season and lucky for me I have two wonderful celebrations this month, my boys birthday and of course Christmas! This mama is busting her chops trying to get birthday/holiday presents, party planning, holiday photos and festivities and lots of post office trips in before the month is over. Considering that I'm pretty non-stop at the moment, I thought it would be a wise idea to set a few solid goals for myself to help keep me on track.

1. Start getting more involved in playgroups/ kiddo activities for Miles. Sometimes I get really wrapped up in daily errands and house chores and neglect the fact that Miles does need interaction with other children close to his age and other stimulation then hanging at home with his ma. And you know what? I could really use some time with other mamas as well, so this is something that is really top on my list.

2. Finish planning his party! As much as I love crafting and going to Michaels art store a few times a week, I still am pretty ready to wrap it up. 

3. Edit and send out Christmas cards, like soon. Our lovely friend Jenna (who photographed our wedding!) took awesome family photos of us this weekend and from the sneak peek I saw, I think they're going to be absolutely wonderful.

4. Start Christmas shopping. Well, more like present making but I feel a little behind considering I need to ship the majority of my families Christmas gifts. Luckily, I'm pretty good about shopping (mostly thrifting) for Papa and Miles year round, so their pretty much done but I still need to finish up my nieces gifts.

5. Help Steve find more work. His second job just ended so now it's time to pick up the pace of finding more carpentry/welding work for him. It's always a little hard having a one income household but it's even a little more scarier when that one income isn't very high. Fortunately, I have my Etsy shop and antique space to cover the odds and ends when work is a little slow for Steve. Within the next few weeks I really need to focus on helping him network his business and most importantly be a great supporter of his.

6. More "me" time! Gosh, Isn't that everyone's goal!? Really though, this is something I forget about a lot and before you know it I have a meltdown and cry a lot. Haha, it's so true though. It definitely takes a toll on me taking care of people 24/7 without taking care of myself (all you mamas hear me!)  Besides having alone time late at night when everyone's asleep, I really do need to leave Miles with Steve and spend a few hours doing something that makes me happy besides being Miles' mama. I really want to take cooking lessons so that's another goal I want to accomplish. Or even the movies! Dang, going to see a movie alone sounds pretty freaking perfect!

7. Aside from needing me time, I also need friend time. I want to hang out with more moms and I really want to find friends that I share common interests with. I hope that with doing more community activities with Miles that I will meet other cool parents in the city. I think with the combination of that and picking up a new hobby I am bound to meet some pretty awesome people.

______________________________

So maybe a few of these goals will take longer then December to reach but ya know at least there out here to help keep me in check! By the way, I have finally added new jewelry to Midnight Riders. I am really excited about my new pieces and hope you are too! It would be super rad if you helped spread the word of my jewelry by pinning, blogging or gifting to a friend. And because I love you so, enjoy 15% off your purchase!

Use the code MIDNIGHT at checkout for 15% off!

Christmas stuff

 (source)

Oh, Pinterest! You cheeky little devil, you! I could (do) spend hours on there getting lost in a holiday haze, as I'm sure you could. Check out a few of my favorite gift wrapping and home decorating links to get you in the Christmas spirit...as if you need help with that! 

Rachels tree skirts are the coolest!
Awesome directory for diy gift wrap. 

 Two fun advent calenders!

Woodland wrapping! Swoon!

Make your own pom pom ornaments.

Gingerbread ornaments too!

So I'm a little behind...

 I'm a little behind on our Thanksgiving photos but my in-laws have been in town for the past four days so we have been enjoying extra family time around here.

 teeth.chattering.cold!

Just a little ol' baby tree for us this year. I like it a lot though!

 It's a race to see who can knock the tree down faster, the cat or the kid...

tricks and treats

Hi guys, first Halloween was a success! I woke up kind of cranky and didn't really shake the grumps till later in the afternoon and by then Steve started to get in a funk too. I think he was a little let down that we didn't spend Miles' first Halloween with any of his buddies that have children. It wasn't for lack of trying, we just couldn't coordinate with anyone for some reason. Also, I realized that with him having only one day off a week it adds extra pressure to get as much family/errands/projects time in as possible which can drive anyone a little nuts. I need to cool it on the to-do lists and learn to relax a little more. Know what I mean? Anyways, by the time we took Miles around to our closest neighbors we were in much better moods and had fun sharing such a cool holiday memory with our son. You can win em' all and yesterday, fun holiday or not, was just not our best but by the end of the day we sucked it up and ended up having a really awesome time together.

On a side note, Miles said his first real, repetitive word this week, MAMA!! Holy smokes, it's the cutest thing ever. "Mamamama MAMA MAAAM" all day long. So cool! 

And hey, my birthday is in two hours, 25!! I am so thankful for this past year. So many exciting, important things have happened to us. I'm feeling extra blessed.

My strongmans first Halloween!

Have a safe and fun Halloween, friends! 

East Coasters, we are thinking of you so much and sending our love your way!