update on the nursery

you guys? if you saw the nursery right now, you'd laugh. like, yeah right you're going to have an infant in there in three months (gah! three months!). for real. the crib is in pieces. the closet organization system is put together, but in the floor – not in the closet. mostly because the closet is being touched up where we ripped out the old "system" and still needs to be painted. we HAVE painted the walls though. and curtains are hung. so we have started. but until i have real progress photos, i thought i'd share where we're going with it.

we got this chair for super cheap at overstock. and while we'd both love to have the real version, we couldn't justify spending that amount. so yes, it's a knockoff, but one we're both really happy with and can't wait to see in the room.

the top color block is the wall color, while the lime-ish color block is our accent color – the curtains are this color, the crib skirt will be this color and other little knick-knacks that we find to accessorize the room will be this color. the pattern on the far right? crib sheets! the moment i saw that fabric (in both the blue and pink versions), i knew that's what we'd use in the nursery. and when we found out we were having another boy, ta-da! fabric purchased. (and of course it sits and waits for me to turn it into crib sheets. soon. very soon.)

so yay for a small update, right? i do hope to have photos to show of the progress soon. and you know, our goal is just to have it done before the kiddo arrives. so we're kind of off to a good start, right?

bubbles & rain boots

what is it with kids and rain boots? cayden got his first ever pair of rain boots on saturday and has pretty much had them on non-stop. he even wore them to school today (we took a pair of back-ups just in case). they are pretty cute on him. add in the newest fascination with bubbles and we've got one happy and adorable toddler on our hands.

another new product: large totes/diaper bags

hey friends! today has been quite the day and it almost slipped my mind to share these lovely totes with you that i listed in the shop last night.

aren't they cute? the pink & green fabric combo reminds me of my strawberry shortcake collection in the 80s. anyone else? anyway, these totes are a perfect size to throw everything into. they could even be used as a great one-of-a-kind diaper bag. and with spring now in full swing, these fabrics are so light and airy that i can't help but smile!

{wordless wednesday} enjoying the country

new product reveal: small clutches

it's here, it's here! new product reveal day. you guys saw a little tease yesterday, but today? today i'm here to show you the entire product – small clutches! and there are several options to choose from (with a few more to come later in the week). awesome, right?

these small clutches are great for a night out, or a quick run to the store. really, they're perfect for anything! they hold all the essentials that you need. and if you want to carry a larger purse, just drop one of these in to keep things organized. (or maybe you don't need organization help? maybe you just need something ultra-cute to drop into your larger bags? but i digress...)

you may also notice that i've got a new backdrop set-up going on. i'll be honest, i got tired of the white. sure, it's nice and clean, but i was looking for something a little more dynamic. while we were at jeremy's grandparents house, we went across the street to the original homestead. i'm talking built in the 1800s type of old here. in one of the old barns, we found this awesome old door. and voila! a new backdrop was found. when paired with our gray walls, i think it helps give the photos a little depth while still not taking away from the actual products. so expect to see a lot more of this door in the future!

these are my confessions...

(and if you're a glee fan, you ::might:: have a certain mash-up stuck in your head now. you're welcome!)

but for real, i have some confessions.

new product tease

this first one? kind of a big one. but here goes. i don't like big cartel. i know, it's like some form of blasphemy, right? but i don't. i tried and tried to like it, but i just couldn't get into the groove over there. sure, it's pretty, but i miss the marketplace of etsy. a lot. so i'm going back. that's right! you can find my shop active in etsy again. a hugs & kisses relaunch, if you will. wahoo! so i'm really, really excited about it all. i even have some new products coming your way (this week and maybe next week too).

my new love interest & another peek at new products

ok, now that the big one is out of the way. here's another. up until about two months ago, i was ironing with a $15 black & decker iron. the stupid thing would automatically turn off every five minutes and the only way to restart it was by unplugging it and plugging it back in. i finally got with the program (and with the help of twitter!) and bought myself a rowenta. it's probably the cheapest one you can buy, but omg, i'm in love. this thing glides over my fabric like butter. and wrinkles? they no longer stand a chance.

a weird confession? when i get nervous/anxious/excited about something, my butt sweats. i know, it's gross. another random confession? i haven't had my hair cut is SIX MONTHS. and one can definitely tell. must put that on my list of things to schedule very soon.

ok, ok, this post is mostly just a light-hearted confessions post. i don't really have anything super heavy to confess. we're getting anxious about having a two year old and infant (cue butt sweat), but mostly, we're taking each day at a time and loving it. and we couldn't be more excited to see how our two boys grow to love each other and become best of friends.

mostly though friends? if you have my shop bookmarked, please update it to the new shop. and stay tuned this week for two new products. you guys are awesome!

22 months!

i'm so glad i get baby center e-mail updates because otherwise? i'd never remember these things. i checked my e-mail earlier today and was like "oh yeah. hey jeremy! cayden's another month older today!" so yay for another month day, sweet babe.

you had an awesome day. we started it out at cracker barrel where you inhaled some pancakes and eggs. mama and daddy wanted to run by home depot to get a closet system for sawyer's nursery. on the way there, daddy remembered that there was a fun little park that has a playground. so we swung by there and let you play for a bit. you're still a little intimidated by some things, but when helped, you're all about it. you fell asleep on the way home from the store and slept an entire 20 minutes. and decided that'd be your nap for the day.

thankfully, you remained tantrum free even with that short nap time.

so we went back outside to play. it's gorgeous weather here in alabama. daddy decided to wash mama's car (which she appreciated SO much). we put last year's swim trunks on you, lathered you in sunscreen and let you go at it. um, little guy? your swim trunks are 12m. they were a little snug, but seriously, you're about to be 2. i think we'll size you up to 18m trunks for this summer; a 2T would swallow you for sure.

it seems as though you've had a vocabulary explosion over the weekend. i kept hearing about these explosions happening and wondered if we'd have one, and sure enough, it's here. you've probably learned at least 20-30 new words just this weekend. and it's so awesome. and the words you know are starting to be formed into sentences. watching you learn still blows our minds in the best way possible.

after we put you to bed (at six tonight!), we just smiled to ourselves. we continue to fall in love with the new toddler version of you more and more each day.

jump, jump!

as i may have mentioned before, this kiddo would rather jump than walk these days, so we thought it'd be fun to try and capture the sequence on film. well, i mean, digital film, cause who uses a real film camera anymore? (tangent much?) but anyway, it turned out to be really cute. and we only caught his head in the first and last photo, but the faces he makes while jumping are pretty funny; they must aid in the jumping process somehow. ah, toddlers. they're just so much fun!

big boy bed

over the weekend, we had some time to assemble the lower part of a bunk bed set for cayden's room. (so yes, we decided on the twin size bed. and seeing him in it, i'm so glad we did. he still looks so tiny! but i'm getting ahead of myself.) cayden was a huge help. but the poor kiddo. when i took his sheets off his crib mattress and we started taking it apart, he was so confused. he just walked around with the crib sheet trying to put it back in the crib. too cute.

but back to the big boy bed. he helped in every way he could think of. and duh, one must always lay on their side to get the best angle. plus? the foot in the air? it's all about balance. jeremy finally got the drill out after we realized it would take 548 minutes to screw the bolts in with the allen wrench provided. drill = much faster outcome. and cayden loved helping push the button.

on sunday afternoon, we swung by our local sam's and picked up a twin mattress (there will be more photos of a finished toddler room coming soon). sunday night, we weren't really sure what we should expect in terms of sleeping. but when we told our little guy that it was time to go "night, night," he climbed up into his big boy bed, scooted all the way to the headboard where the pillow was and fell asleep. he stayed asleep for 12 hours. and last night? 11.5 hours. not that he's ever been a poor sleeper, but i'm thinking he might kind of love this new bed. (naptime this weekend might be an entirely different story, but we'll see.)

oh, and cute? for sure. i heard him playing in his room last night before dinner. when dinner was ready, i went to get him. he was sitting in his bed, at the headboard "reading" a book. (adorable, much?) when i asked if he was ready to eat, he leaned over, put his book back on his nightstand, scooted out of the bed and went running towards the kitchen. yeah, i think he's in love.

new {diaper clutches} in the shop

finally, a shop update! there are currently four new {diaper clutches} available in the shop. and call me crazy, but there just might be another shop update later this week. (ok, there will be another update. bib & burpcloth sets will be back!)

after spaghetti & part of a cupcake...

{wordless wednesday} 32 years in the making

p.s. all {diaper clutches} are currently being offered for $10 in the shop. today only!