find your look

I've been reading a couple chapters of Tina Fey's autobiography Bossypants when I get in bed at night. I end up giggling to myself, by the light of my booklight, like a crazy person. Sounds a little creepy I know. But just let me just give you a tiny taste and you'll understand.

"It can't be said enough. Don't concern yourself with fashion; stick to simple pieces that flatter your body type. 
By 19, I had found my look. Oversize T-shirts, bike shorts, and wrestling shoes. To prevent the silhouette from being too baggy, I would cinch it at the waist with my fanny pack. I was pretty sure I would wear this look forever. The shirts allowed me to express myself with cool sayings like 'There's No Crying in Baseball' and 'Universtat Heidelberg', the bike shorts showed off my muscular calves, and the fanny pack held all my trolley tokens. I was nailing it on a daily basis. Find something like this for yourself as soon as possible." 

Do you see the type of invaluable information this book has to offer? Love it. That Tina Fey and I share our sense of fashion. However, when I went through that phase I was only about 8 years old. (Though I must say, thanks to the cycle of fashion, today's trends are not too far off the mark).

work is so much more fun when it's cute

Since I've started freelancing, I've discovered the need to have a desk back (I moved ours into storage when I turned our 2nd bedroom into the nursery). It just not optimal conditions to do all my research/writing on the couch, in front of the TV, with the laptop on my lap. Especially when Jared is watching something and does his signature high volume laugh, and tells me "watch this" every ten minutes. lol.
So I began scouring KSL for a tiny table/desk that would be appropriately sized for our little apartment, and possibly function as a decor piece as well. I was looking for little secretary desks, roll tops, "entry" type tables, brainstorming different options.

One morning I saw a new post for this:

I know it doesn't look all that amazing, but I saw potential in it! The size was just right. Plus I thought outside the box and figured with a cute mirror hung above it, and a little stool it was perfect to be used as a bedroom vanity as well! I have always wanted a vanity, but haven't come across one at the right price.

I loved that I wouldn't have to just throw it out when we have a bigger place someday, it will just get repurposed into my bedroom vanity! Of course it needed a makeover badly.

So off I went to Lowe's in search of supplies.

24 hours later, my $10 find looked like this:

Goodbye wooden knobs, hello victorian glass!

Here's a close up of the glaze

Of course the inside had to be cute as well

Can't you just envision it someday filled with makeup, my curling iron and blowdryer, and topped with bottles of perfume? And a big oval mirror will hang over it :-)

But in the meantime.... it makes me excited to do some work! And the BEST part? It's the exact dimensions of Emmett's changing table and the color matches his Dr. Seuss room! So out goes the changing table, and in comes the desk!

Now I have a place to go to when I need peace and quiet (well as much as our little shoebox offers anyway!)  

there's something in the air

I LOVE Fall. I have already equipped the house with a citrus spice plug-in and candle, and purchased a new palette of fall nail colors. I adore fall fashion. Layers and layers, chunky knits, warm boots. The air is charged with energy in autumn, and you can feel it stir your spirits when you walk outside. The wind smells like leaves and bonfires and begs you to come venturing up the canyons...

...And I can't refuse

Head on up the mountains and take in the beautiful world of colors before it's covered in snow!

growing like a weed

{18 months}

This miniature GQ model has just been growing up so fast lately. He is becoming so smart and independent (which sometimes can be a problem - he's VERY headstrong!!). He just does his own thing a lot of times.

He LOVES LOVES Elmo right now, but even when we're home he prefers to watch his dvds on our little travel dvd player rather than the TV. It makes him feel important - and I think he feels like it's his laptop.

He's also obsessed with ballons and balls. We can literally be like 50 yards away from a balloon and he'll start saying "boon....boon" and pointing. Sometimes Jared and I doubt him and are like, "sorry buddy, i dont see any balloons." But the joke's always on us. A few seconds later we'll realize there is a balloon in some obscure location only Emmett could spot.

Everything round is a "ball" and he wants to throw it or bounce it. Watch out.

He will now point to his body parts as you ask him to, which is adorable. He's got nose, eyes, teeth, belly button, hair, and toes down pat. Lips are a little confusing to him, and ears are a new addition. Jared keeps thinking it's funny to teach him where his "bum bum" is, but I always put the kabash on that. haha.

Its seems like he just decided one day he wanted to start talking, because he pretty much started saying all these words in a matter of days:

• dog (woof woof)
• tee tee (cat)
• bird (tweet tweet)
• roll
• snacks
• bebe (baby)
• more
• boon (balloon)
• ball
• what-what (we dont know exactly what this one means as he's used it in various contexts. Whatever it is he sure likes saying it though!)
• Mom, Dad, and Ba ba of course
• ha (hat but said without the t)
• NO - he's been really good at that one for a long time
• Hmmmm! (elephant noise) haha
• "Jake" and "Kenji" have both been said once (Jared's bro and my sister Kendall)

He's ridiculously into his shoes, and has certain ones that are his favorites. He picks out the pair he wants each morning and brings them to me, whining for me to put them on.

I have so much more I could say about this little munchkin, but I'll stop there for now and just leave you with this picture. It says it all.