to my amazing momma

I don't tell you this often enough:

Momma, you are my hero.

 

You are the strongest woman I know, 

and I am continually wowed by 

your loyalty, bravery & kind heart.

I'm so grateful for your love,

and for all you have done to make

me the woman I am today.

Happy Mother's Day.

I love you!

 

*Mother's Day printables

 

life lately (according to instagram)

Spring is here, and it feels like life is picking up...

like we're coming out of hibernation!

 

We've had lots of chances to hang out

with the hubs' family lately, which is a treat.

We've had some silly fun...playtime with our little niece

and a very relaxed night with our small group.

The longer we look for a house, the more I want 

to get a dog...which is a little dangerous.  :)

Lots of little joys lately too...like pretty fresh flowers 

& frivolous magazines about princesses.  (thanks, babe!)

Life's not perfect, but we certainly have 

plenty to be thankful for!

*instagram

finding fun

 

 Sometimes life as a grown up isn't fun.

I know there are lots of good things

to be thankful for, and certainly plenty

of little joys and delights...but sometimes 

I find myself not having much fun.

 This week I was reminded that there's

 a simple solution to that problem:

go to a playground with a toddler.

 Swinging is like flying - so exciting!

Going down the slide is so cool that 

it's worth doing at least 20 times!

(bonus: we always giggle!) 

Climbing rope ladders is dangerous

and thrilling...living on the edge!

And when all is said and done,

we're a little tired, and totally ready

to go home for a cookie.  :)

*image: Chris Kay

weekend getaway

Tonight we're heading north 

for a weekend with my family.

 

I'm looking forward to spoiling my 

Momma on her birthday, catching up 

with sister, and lots of Daddy hugs.   

 

Happy weekend!

*image

life lately (according to instagram)

(L: lots of driving, C: gala night, R: fancy date with the hubs)

(L: hubs helped out, C: more driving, R: tired gallery girls)

Our gallery snagged a last minute booth at BIFAS,

so we had a whirlwind weekend in Boston...

(L: madlibs with grammy, R: thanksgiving family feast)

(L: hometown memories, R: where momma grew up)

(driving pictures...Maine is beautiful!)

We went to Maine to celebrate 

Thanksgiving with my family...

(house hunting pictures)

(L: recent work project, R: my first chicken pot pie!)

And house hunting, work, and life continue!

*follow me, or see more here

evidence free

Labor day weekend was pretty perfect:

full of friends & family, plenty of fun little

 adventures, and so long and luxurious!

But here's the deal...since our trusty
camera is a little sick, we have no pictures
to show for our fun.  Total bummer.  :( 

So instead, here's a recap in words...
just so we have some evidence: 

{ Birthday }

I felt so loved all day on Friday -
calls, texts, dinner & ice cream
 with the hubs - and it was great! 

{ Mini-Mountain }

We took on a local "peak"
on Saturday morning, and enjoyed
pushing ourselves up as quickly
as possible.  (yay cardio!) 

{ Campus & Coffee } 

Our cousin just started at my
alma mater, so we hung out there
on Saturday afternoon.  We also got
delish coffee & wandered through
a random car show that we
happened upon.  Fun!

{ Fair }

We continued our annual tradition
and went to the Hopkington Fair,
which was as good as ever...plenty
of yummy food & lots to see!

{ BBQ }

Sunday afternoon we hung
out with friends and acted like
it's still summer...yard games, lots
of food on the grill, and a bonfire!

{ Hike #2 }

Monday morning we went to
check out another local spot,
and enjoyed a lazy little hike.
No cardio, but still pretty!

{ Apple Picking }

Hubs was craving fresh apples,
so we stopped and picked some
crisp macs and jonamacs on
Monday afternoon.  Very fall!

{ Family }
We wrapped up the weekend
with a relaxed family dinner.  It was
fun visiting with the hubs' parents!

*image

birthdays

One of my favorite Julia quotes

in celebration of her birthday!

 

And even more importantly,

today we celebrate two

 very special birthdays...

my Daddy & the hub's

lovely Momma!

If you see either of them,

make sure to pass along 

wishes for a happy day!

*image

take me out to the ballgame

 

Yesterday afternoon we enjoyed a fun, 

sunshiney graduation party with the

 hubs' family...at a baseball game!

 

I'd never been to see our local team

(shame on me), so it was neat to

check out one of the attractions

right in our backyard.

 

This little lady totally stole the show.  

She had us completely amused for the 

afternoon with her antics, funny 

faces, and love for ice cream.

And as proof that it was a 

good summer afternoon, I came

home with a nice toasty sunburn!

*image

last saturday...

 Last weekend we enjoyed a perfect day

on the Maine coast with my folks.  We visited

some of my favorite places, soaked up plenty 

of sunshine, and devoured lots of good food!

 

We walked the entire length of the breakwater

 in Rockland, which has been a summer tradition 

for my family for as long as I can remember...  

 

 

 ...then visited the always gorgeous

Children's Chapel, another family favorite!

It is the most peaceful little retreat, 

with stunning plants & trees everywhere.

 

Thanks, parentals, for treating us

 to such a wonderful weekend. 

Let's do it again soon!

*photo editing

hey, maine.

We're celebrating the long weekend 

with a trip to Maine, which will be

 a nice little get-away.

We're planning to spend lots of time 

relaxing with my folks and are 

contemplating an inaugural trip to 

the coast as a little welcome to 

summer.  I'm excited!

What are your plans?  

I hope you enjoy the weekend!

*image

family dinner

 

Last night we got to hang out with the hubs' 

parents, and not only did they treat us to chinese 

food, but got us the cutest little cheesecake

 wishing us a happy one year anniversary!

 

One of the best parts of the whole evening was

getting to watch old home videos...lots of super 

cute footage of the hubs & his siblings! 

 

Thanks for a fun night, guys.

We love you!

 

family time

My parentals are visiting for the weekend,

so we're looking forward to lots of catching up

and hanging out.  (We haven't seen them since

Christmas, which is crazy!)  The weather is 

nice and sunny here, so I think we'll try to 

enjoy plenty of our visit outside.

What are you up to this weekend?  

*photo by Matthew Lomanno Photography

visiting

The hubs and I had the opportunity 

to host my grandparents last night, 

and we had a wonderful time catching

up and chatting about all sorts of things.  

Since most of my family lives several

hours away, it's such a luxury to enjoy a

meal and evening together in our home.

Hurray for sweet family!

christmas

 

My first Christmas as a married lady was lovely!

We spent a couple of wonderfully low-key days

up in Maine with my family, and did plenty of 

laughing, eating, and relaxing. So happy!  :)

Oh, and we took about a million pictures...

...of everything!  

I hope your Christmas was equally wonderful!

things to be happy about

1.  My husband.

He's handsome, makes me laugh 

with his silly faces, and this year we 

get to enjoy Christmas together!

2.  Today's wedding.

This sweet girl get to marry her best 

friend today, and we get to celebrate 

with them! Congratulations, we love you.

(And welcome to the married club!)

3.  Family time.

We head to ME this afternoon for

a couple days with my sweet family.

I'm looking forward to lots of relaxing 

& yummy Christmas food!

4.  Wise words.

I've been spending time in the verses

from this post, and am grateful that

the Word is so applicable to my life.

5.  We're planning a get-away.

And it will be warm and glorious.

(more details soon!)

6.  Christmas!!!

Wishing you and yours a most

wonderful day full of family,

love & faith!

celebrations

We spent the weekend celebrating Christmas with

all sorts of family, and it was wonderful.  One of the

coolest things about being married is having double

the family...and double the family gatherings!  

Despite all of the Christmas parties & dinners 

in the last couple of weeks, I'm still having a hard 

time believing that Christmas is SO close.  It seems

like it's come so quickly this year!  

 

How about you?

Are you ready?  Excited?

some family love

We had a great Thanksgiving.  Getting to see both

of our families was amazing, and we had a completely

jam-packed weekend of friends and fun stuff.  

Sister just put this picture up, and I thought it was

too happy not to share.  Hurray for cute family!

Happy Monday, friends.

*stolen from sister

thanksgiving...times two!

Sorry for being so absent this last week, friends.  

Work has gotten wonderfully busy, and my head has been

jammed full of spaces and inspiration for my clients. 

(Just ask the hubs - if I get quiet lately, he knows that

I've probably started walking through plans in my head 

and am mentally writing up proposals or brainstorming 

solutions for some tricky space or needy client.)

 But no work can compare to the excitement of this 

weekend, as we will celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow

up in Maine with my family, and then we get to have a

second Thanksgiving on Friday with hubs' family!

Yippie for double the family fun :)

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I've been loving these 

sweet gratitude posts (I & II), and want to encourage 

you to take a few minutes and list some of the 

things you're grateful for this year.  We live such

blessed lives, and have so much to say thanks for.

Hope your Thanksgiving is filled with love, 

joy, gratitude and lots of pie!  

*image

happy things

Because it's Friday and the sun is shining,

a happy list seems appropriate...

1. Apple Streusel French Toast.

Oh my lands, this stuff was good! 

Thank you, Cracker Barrel for clogging

my arteries & making my morning.

2. New Friendships.

I've been enjoying getting to know some

pretty fabulous ladies over these last few

months.  New friends are the best!

3.  Dark Nails.

I'm loving dramatic dark tones for 

fall nails...right now, a luscious purple.

(Or how about this lovely deep red?)

4. Maine + Family = Happiness.

We're heading home to visit my family

for the weekend, which is always lovely.

I love relaxing and catching up on all

the good stuff happening at home!

*image

memories

I did an unexpected grocery run this morning 

before work, and in a sentimental moment, 

stopped at the bakery to grab one of these 

decadent double-chocolate muffins.

I was blessed to grow up eating the most

delicious homemade goodies.  Between 

Momma and Grammy, we always ate really

well - and it was always fresh and from scratch.

But every once in a while, Grammy would

pick up one of these chocolatey muffins 

from the local grocery store and we would 

share it over a steaming hot cup of coffee.  

Some of our best chats and laughs happened

over coffee and a muffin, and to this day

I can't bite into one of these without 

missing those sweet times together. 

 

*recipe