fresh. for. fall.

It's here! It's here! It's finally here!

A few months ago Ellen proposed I join her for a little open studio at her home, selling our wares and showing our friends what we had up our sleeves. I was so incredibly honored. My new friend, who is SO talented, thought my little prints were worthy of selling alongside her.

And the past few months and the past few days of intense work have finally culminated in, hooray! It's the day!

If you're anywhere in the area, PLEASE come out, we'd love to see you! 

Here's your official invite. 

Ellen will be selling her incredibly beautiful things, I'll have prints and previews (christmas cards, what!what!) and I'll also be opening up custom orders too! For that majority of you who don't live in or around Columbia, SC - I'll tell you alllll about it on Friday and maybe show you some of the new prints & things I've got coming out soon. 

I'm so thankful for what the Lord is doing in and through the etsy shop. 

It is such a huge, huge, huge honor to be a part of more scripture in more peoples homes. 

So thankful for how supportive ya'll have been. 

And one more note of import. 

Since we're thinking about FRESH FOR FALL, the talented Kristin hooked me up with some freshness for fall. Like, six inches off of freshness and some freshened up ombre color!

WOO-HOO. 

This is my favorite hair I've ever had. literally. 

I feel like a woman. And a little glamorous. 

Here's a before and after. 

And if you're thinking, "oh man - I wish I could see like ten more pics of that ombre", I'm here for you. Because here are WAY too many pics of the same hair. 

I'm not that obsessed with myself, just obsessed with Kristin's skills. 

And how a dark root and a red lip changes my whole life a little. 

So yes. That's what I got today. 

i'm feeling fresh for fall. 

3 percent worth of 1% changes

No frills, no fuss! Let's get into it. 
the bottom line: we're sharing 1% changes that lead to a healthier life and I want YOU to join. 
I'm feeling vulnerable so I'm going to give you three 1% changes that I'm trying super hard to make right now! They're not all totally food/exercise related, but they're making a difference for me this week and they're WEIGHTY and SMALL all at once. 


1. get back on the wagon. 
I'm not proud of this, but it happened. Nick was preaching at a church in small town in South Carolina on Sunday night, so we made a datenight out of it. I planned to just eat when we got home, but I didn't think it through and found myself in a small town at 8pm on a Sunday night, quite hungry. McDonalds happened. 

Immediately my stomach started rumbling and gurgling and my body rebelled and began to reject it. I don't totally regret it, but I do regret what happened the next day. And the next. And the next. It seems stupid to work out with unnatural nasty beef still sweating out your pores and gluten clogging up your intestines, so now it's two days later - I haven't eaten as bad, but not as good as normal. I haven't given exercise my all and I've just sort of lulled. 


So, tomorrow. I'm jumping back on the wagon. Not for weight loss or vanity reasons, just to regain my focus on eating as healthfully and living as healthfully as possibly. Miss a workout? Eat too much ice cream? Never so much as walk around the block? Make a 1% change and jump back on the wagon, or maybe climb on for the first time. 


2. bless 'em when you want to curse 'em. 
For your spiritual/emotional/mental health. Imagine the most hectic part of your day. Getting cut off in traffic, toddler throwing a tantrum, husband waking up late, babysitter canceling, boss being a pain, baby crying it's head off in the middle of the night. Maybe you don't actually want to CURSE them, but you do want to at least think about how it affects you, how it's hard on you. Here is my challenge: when the hard moments come, choose to actually, REALLY bless the people in your life rather that count how much they cost you. I don't mean fake it, I mean, dig down deep, remember why you should love others - and bless them. Shake your head till you see how handsome and wonderful that husband really is and give him a kiss on the lips. Go cuddle your toddler in the middle of her tantrum and show her how to lighten up. Pray for the stranger in the car and buy your boss some coffee or a latte or something. 

From the bottom of your heart, 

as much as you can muster - bless em'. 

3. go get your hair did, girl. 
Ok, ok. I know everyone can't go get their hair done like, today. Lord knows I waited long enough. It's been OVER A YEAR since my last legit haircut. I've debated with the bangs, but really - I've had my eyes on the ombre (ombre is a coloring technique that sort of play off the look of "roots" - I know not everyone loves it. I do!). And I finally did it. I went to the best stylist in a 100 mile radius, got a few inches cut off, got it all shaped up and thinned out and smoothed down. My hair-stylist-miracle-worker-sweet-friend Kristin worked the ombre magic, extended my nasty looking roots with some beautiful deep lavender toned browns and lightened my ends from their shabby existence. I feel fresh and better and even if you can't go get a haircut THIS MINUTE, I've got some tips for you. 

- If you're in a 100 mile radius, book an appointment with Kristin. From now on, she'll be a sponsor on my blog and I'm gonna keep on talking about her. You can find her at Cline's in Columbia and she is THE BEST. 

- If you're too far away to go to Kristin and it's not feasible for you to come stay at my house and get your hair done while you're on vacay in Columbia, book a haircut. A trim. A freshener. Spring is coming. Lighten up, shake it up, get excited! 

- If a haircut is out of the question, just start browsing. It took me a year of looking at ombre pictures on google to feel sure about a new style and even then it took Kristin just telling me "Today, we're going to enhance the natural ombre you've started!". Start picking a look for your next cut and saving your pennies to fly and get sweet K to do your doo. It's worth it, I promise. 
You'll feel better already.


Ok, a little different from roasted carrots. 
But fun nonetheless. And now! I'm ready! Let's hear yours! 

(I won't do the link up till we get more people joined on, 

but post your link in the comments!)

One percent changes worldwide, ya'll. 

help my forehead, part 2.

I can't believe we're here again. 

I'm not sure what's more discouraging - that my forehead needs help again, or that I'm blogging about it again. But, ugh... here we go. I need bang help. 


Last February, I first asked for your help here. 
This was the resolution.
But you know what I did? 
A) I didn't get drastic enough bangs cut. 
B) I let those jokers grow out. 
C) I emptied the world of almost all bobby pins known to man for about six months. 
I'm right back where I started, overuse-of-bobby-pin-syndrome. 

bobby pin. benja belly.

bobby pin.

should've had a bobby pin, floppy hair in face

bobby pinning it up. even at weddings. 

So, listen. I get it. This is about the least important thing in America. 

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter in the slightest. 

But I still need your help. 

And I promise I'll hit you up with lots of good deep & intellectual and highly spiritual thoughts for the rest of the week to make up for this frivolity. Hmmm... maybe. 

Would you please vote for which bang I should go with it. 

It's gotta be good and dramatic so I'll stick with it. 

I found this pic one of the 8,237 times I googled, "long hair with bangs". This is option A. 

this was one of my options back in Feb. and also my favorite. and also my husband's least favorite.
Let's call this Option B. 

this is my bff lauren. Also known around these parts as Larlar.
I really like Baby Winnie's bangs, but I feel like Lars would good on me too.
Let's call this Option C. 

Lastly, Option D. Nick's favorite. A thick, long sweepy bang. 

There's more important things happening in the world today I PROMISE, but if you need to feel a little light hearted or as if you're in control - vote on my bangs please. 
Fore more hair talk, have you read Hairdresser on Fire? 
It is the cutest place on the whole internet, except for maybe Reagan's main blog. Both I highly recommend since you're already have a whimsical, frivolous, fun Monday morning. 

For the sake of American's bobby pin 

endangerment situation, I beg of you. Vote. 

I must be actually insane.

A few things:

a) I cannot believe I'm doing this.

b) I don't think my hair is beautiful or tutorial-worthy, but enough people have asked how I do it and so I will pass along the info. I did spend many a night googling hair youtube videos with Lauren to finally get something that worked for me, so hopefully this is helpful.

c) in these tutorial photos, I have on no makeup. So... yeah - here is full disclosure.

d) enough warnings.

So. To begin, you should know - I LIKE sort of nappy hair.

Smooth, silky hair is not really my thing. My logic is...

nappy, voluminous hair makes your face look smaller.

If I'm wrong, don't bust up my theory, I'm comfortable with it.

So to get big waves, my first step is nappy. I get my hair as gross as possible. I want as much volume as possible and also, the more coarse your hair is - the better it holds heat. To get my hair coarse is um... not hard. But I do it like this. Wash it at night, dry my bangs, put a little bit of relaxer in it and then sleep on it. The next morning, I begin this process.

Hold on to your hats. I wish I had one.

(I only braid it in the morning b/c I can't stand to look at it - that isn't part of the process)

you should have coffee available.

there she is, in all her glory. nappy wave.

I separate it & grab a thick chunk.

curl it like a ringlet, but start up high.

it's like curling ringlets, but you don't start at the bottom of the strand, start up near the top.

do all of the bottom & let the crazy top down.

mix in the top & bottom strands to make it cohesive, smile at benja in the background.

keep going, all around the top. Starting at the top & leaving a small little tail.

sip of coffee, you're almost done.

mess it up, swing it around, go a little nutty.

if you don't mess it all up, the curls will sort of meld together like a 1998 promdo.

brush it all out to make soft waves and smile using your teeth - you're done!

Now, that is a massive process.

But I do it twice a week and touch it up in the mornings.

And I promise never to do that again!

and..... the winner is.

Maybe a mix between A and B?

A little more refined than I'd hoped, but I think that's only because my stylist dried it silky smooth. Tomorrow I'm going to throw some product in there and it will be all good and frizzy and hopefully, a little more edgy.

Call it choice A, call it two squirrels playing with photo booth, call it what you want.

I call it a hair solution!

I might just need a few days of this to figure it out....

help my forehead.

A few months ago, I tried to grow my bangs out because, well - I just needed a haircut and didn't know what to do with them.

Now that they're pretty grown out, I still don't know what to do with that flop of hair so it just lives in a bobby pin all the time.

(also, excuse the crazy eyes)

So, bangs need to come again.

But WHAT KIND? There are so many varieties.

please vote, ok? I'll actually care what you say - promise.

Choice A: semi safe, thinner, with a definitive part.

Choice B: messy and thick, maybe a little too edgy?

Choice C: what I would do if I was really brave.

But what do you do when you workout?

Choice D: supersafe & what I had for most of college.

Choice E: because I couldn't help myself.

Hurry, my forehead needs you! Dress her! And, I'm running out of bobby pins.

A new profession?

I have several dream professions. I think I'd make an awesome hair stylist, I'd love to be a personal stylist & I always think I want to do wedding planning on the side. I can't wait till I'm a stay at home mom one day, knowing all the fun places to go and spending tons of time with my babes. I ALSO fantasize about being a baker - the only difference between that profession and my other imaginary jobs is.... I cannot bake or cook to save my life.

I really want to, I have grand intentions & more creativity than the kitchen can handle. However, my food is almost borderline lethal. Literally. A few weeks ago I made a delicious (in my mind) carrot cake that actually had little razor sharp bits of ceramic in it that almost sliced Donald's esophagus open. (don't ask) The very next day I tried to redeem myself with some cookies that were so inedible, Nick left them on the counter for a few days just for comic relief. He really used to be encouraging but now he just asks me to stay out of the kitchen.

Tonight I tried my hand at homemade baby food for Elias. VERY SIMPLE.
peas. blended. in. water. How can you mess that up?
Every bite was like torture for him, until I switched back to jarred peas that looked and tasted the exact same as the ones I made.

I'm not totally sure I can take their two faces looking at me so grossed out by what I put on their plates for the rest of my life. I need cooking lessons, pronto.


On a positive note - the talented JB cut my hairs today. Very nice, pictures to come.

so... that was an experience

One of my favorite websites is Babycenter.com and I always look there for fun baby advice & progress that Elias should be making. Tonight I ventured into strange waters. Somehow I stumbled on a C.section video and even though I didn't feel really excited about it, I knew I needed to watch it. Since I had to have a section with E, and probably will with subsequent children... I felt like it would be good to see what my body went through.

My first reaction was yuck. My second reaction was, thanks God, for giving someone the insight to do that. Without it, Elias may have had a broken collar bone or I may not have been able to have more babies. If you need to watch it - go here, http://www.babycenter.com/videos/view/?vid=1286554

Also - on another baby development note: we realized Elias had some tricks up his sleeve that we didn't know about. Staci had to do a development test on a baby and of course, she naturally picked her favorite. One thing I had no clue about.... Elias knows how to put objects into container like objects. Stace had a wooden cube container and a ball and after she showed Elias how to do it, he was supposed to repeat after her. Instead each time she handed it to him for his turn... he threw the ball down and put his passy in. Cute.

On another note... I need a new fresh haircut. Any ideas? This is what I'm thinking... because we all know I look just like Jessica Simpson, just hotter.