Wednesday Photo Recap??

Is it Tuesday?  Thursday?  I'm not even sure.  My goodness life is crazy at the moment.  I feel like my head is spinning.  Good news is, we're scheduled to close on our house today!  Once we've keys in hand we can officially get the many reno projects under way, finish packing and selling half our furniture, and begin the settling in process over the next few months.  (among a million other things not house related)

*deep breath*

So much to do, but I'm happy to report that we are definitely enjoying the process.  It comes with loads of sweet anticipation.  Certainly the fun of newness stirs the pot, but it's more than that, too.  You know that feeling?  The one where you can almost tangibly feel the pages of your life turn?  That's what this is.  We've been in Dallas for 8 years now, and the page is finally turning... as... we... speak.

It's like that quite hum just before the kettle screams.

That intense simmer on the cusp of boil.

That roll of treetops moments before the downpour.

I can feel it in the atmosphere, smell it in the air.  And it.  Is good.

SOooo much to share on all of this later... but for the moment I'm off to check a thousand more to-do's off the list!  And since my days are all sorts of mixed up, I'm posting my Friday photo recap today... Thursday or Monday or whatever today is. ;-)

What day is it in your week??

Friday Photo Recap

A week in photos.  

Sometimes it's so much easier to show rather than tell!  Particularly when you're in the middle of the zillion logistics that come with buying a house, packing, moving, tending to the dozens of home projects that have to be completed prior to move-in, and let's not forget tending to a darling tiny girl every moment of the day...  But hey, you guys tend to prefer photos anyway, right?? ;-)

That said, here are a few glimpses of our week:

What did your week look like??

30 {A Recap}

Sleepin' late with my girl.  Yummy brunch.  Cuddled up in bed reading book after book together while she kicked and cooed and smiled.  A gorgeous arrangement of hydrangeas from a sweet friend.  Calls and texts and birthday wishes the day long.  Sunset patio dinner with my love, our tiny sleeping girl nearby.

A perfect day.

If 29 was about restoration and healing, the process...

... then 30 is about redemption, experiencing it in full.

Long awaited dreams fulfilled.  Visions come to fruition.  The time is now, it's here.

Sweet anticipation is tangible.  

On the one hand I'm savoring every moment, and on the other, let's do this.

Weekend Bliss

Our weekend couldn't have been more perfect in my book.  It was so restful and lovely, full of beautiful moments cherished with my little family.  

We started the day bright and early at the McKinney Farmer's Market.  Have to say, of all the farmer's markets we've been to over this years this one may very well be the most darling.  It sets up every Saturday morning at Chestnut Square Historic Village.  Meandering pathways, loads of gorgeous foliage and greenery, it's absolutely charming.

Those three little guys chomping on peaches made my day.  Sweet juices dripping from their little chins, they could not have been happier.

We picked up several pounds of grass-fed beef and organic, hand-picked blueberries.  We chatted up the farmers, sampled delicious pecan toffee, and answered the "Ohhh, how old is your baby??" question about a dozen times.  

We had intended to spend the rest of the morning and afternoon browsing the flea market a couple of miles away, but we decided it was a bit too hot and opted to check out main street instead.  

The historic downtown square is a destination all it's own, lined with delightful shops and cafes that beckon for your attention.  We spent over 3 hours on one street alone!

Patina Green is a dream.  Stunning in every way.  The food, the decor, the ambiance.  It's a cross between Anthropologie, Restoration Hardware, and an antique shop, but with the addition of a decadent coffee bar and coolers full of local, organic fare.

Stunning, I tell you.

It took me a bit to drag myself away, but Josh happily promised to bring us back soon.  He's a sucker for their coffee and treats.

We stopped in at an adorable baby boutique, an old fashion candy and popcorn store (I have a bit of an on-going love affair with salt water taffy), and a number of antique stores along the way.

Did we find any treasures??  You know we did!  But I'll have to share those in another post.

We rounded out our weekend with sharing Everyn's birth story with fellow Bradley students, an impromptu visit with a dear friend over delicious Sunday brunch, and news that the seller had finally accepted our offer on the gorgeous little cottage we've been eyeing.  Yay!

A lovely weekend indeed.

So how was your weekend??  Anything fun planned for Memorial Day?

Finding Inspiration {Chihuly, Cold Brewed Tea, Tiny Cottage}

A few bits of the beautiful and the inspiring from my week...

How's this for cottage inspiration?  So darling.  I found it tucked away in a quiet corner at the Arboretum recently.

It even has an adorable little bridge and lily pad covered pond.

Cold-brewed tea.  A new warm weather favorite.  I'm loving it.  So easy, so nice to have on hand, so yummy.

Why have I never tried this before?   You literally put tea bags and water in a container and stick it in the fridge.  The next day: perfectly smooth, ice-cold tea.  It's like magic.  Easy magic.  The kind even a toddler could do.  Add a splash of almond or coconut milk, a little cinnamon and stevia, YUM.  It's like dessert.  (You can do the same with coffee for a silky cup of joe.  Josh is obsessed with iced coffee lately.  He says this method makes it super smooth.)

Art.  From my sweet god babies, Tyler and Abby.  Definitely inspiring.  I look forward to many more years or refrigerator exhibits, opening the first day my sweet baby girl can hold a crayon. 

And speaking of exhibits...

The Chihuly Exhibit is currently going on at the Dallas Arboretum, and it's stunning.

So brilliantly vibrant on their own, but apparently each blown-glass sculpture lights up at night for an even more vivid display.

I can't even imagine the work that went into one of them, and they were everywhere!

So fun, right?

Some of them are several stories high.  Unbelievable.

So there's my inspiration for the week.  What's yours??

Finding Inspiration {Magazines, Dimples, Old Man Shoes}

Inspired to write, to blog, to create, to build, to plan, to dream...  In the precious, limited moments I find to do so lately, I'm finding inspiration everywhere!

Herb gardens, backyard chicken coops, open kitchen shelving, picket fences, adirondack chairs... any and everything cottage-inspired.  So apparently we're buying a house?  It kind of crept up on me.  Didn't seem real until we'd made our first offer.  But it's oh-so-darling.  Can't wait to show you loads of pictures and drag you with me thru the many projects and endless flea market excursions surely dotting the horizon!  Can't you just imagine the treasure hunting adventures?!  (I've already penciled in every local flea market from now thru the first of December.  Not kidding.  There's one falling almost every weekend, occasionally two.  Thrilling!)

The pendant from my birth box.  It's just pretty.  Pretty things inspire.

Stacks of books.  They're everywhere at the moment, stacks and stacks and stacks.  Endless inspiration.

This wall of gorgeous-ness at Anthro.  Oh man, I could sit and stare at it for hours just dreaming up meals and kitchens and celebrations galore!

Nothin' about em is pretty, but they charm me every time I catch a glimpse.  My husband's beloved 'old man' shoes.  A constant reminder that through it all we will grow old together, a constant inspiration to serve him well, this man God has so richly blessed me with.

This face.  These dimples.  Yep... the ultimate inspiration.  All the rest really pales in comparison. ;-)

Where are you finding inspiration lately??