whatever

contest!!!!

i keep forgetting to tell you something really cool.
Laura Windslow is having a Wall Art Love Contest and i get to be a judge!

YOU can submit your photos of your wall art in your home or studio to be entered.
but since i forgot to tell you....you only have till AUGUST 2 to enter?!!

i am so sorry i gave such short notice.

check out the rest of the judges: 

pretty lovely company if i do say so myself.
:)

 

ok....GO to Laura's blog....READ the details of the contest....and ENTER the contest.

TODAY!!!

because did you see the prizes?!
the prize list went ON and ON and on. 

how awesome is laura??

i can't wait to show you all the choices to vote on!

 

grasshoppers and HOPE.

we have big bugs out here in the country.







big grasshoppers, big locusts, wasps, bees and dragonflies too.
it's to the point where i don't flinch when they come around anymore.
the kids are getting better too.
before we were all afraid when wasps came around.
but it's getting much better.  
and when we can catch them and observe them for awhile...even better.



country living is pretty great.  
i am so glad we are here.

 

........................................................

i am a little late in blogging about it but it's never too late to do good.
friends of mine Jessica and Kim are part of BIG project to help the people of Sudan.
you can read all about it HERE

it cost $0.06 per serving to feed the 200,000 people in Sudan, Africa who are currently dying of starvation.
six pennies?
oh my.
i think we can all pitch in.
it's a big faith move to ask that enough is provided to be able to mobilize food to this region.
we can help!
we all have excess.
even when we don't think we do... WE DO! 
you can donate directly on that site.

go read about their project.
and if you want to help julie and her fundraising...for their fundraiser :) 
you can go to her printables shop
and get some really fabulous prints with the Hope project's theme verse.

how about we make a difference today?
what a great way to start your Monday!
let's be the hands and feet of jesus.
let's help feed His sheep.

literally.

 

 

new clothes.

annie is one lucky girl.
she got new clothes from Tea.  
and they are the softest things she owns.....i love them! 

she wanted to pose in front of our garden.
since this picture a few days ago we have been infested with green lady bugs...not their real name i know.
and our sunflowers leaves have been devoured.  
not cool nature!


she sat down and this red lady bug flew right onto her leg.

i love the stripey capris.


the marker fingers make me so happy.
i love to see that on kids...it means they MADE something!


rompers.
i couldn't believe they came back in style but oh my goodness they sure are cute!
and so comfy!
this one ties at the shoulder so it can be adjusted too...excellent!





annie picked this one because of the butterflies.
and i picked it because it was adorable.
she looks like a sweet picture of summer to me.
thank you Tea for annie's new digs.... she loves them.





and rompers also work great for jumping on the trampoline!

all of these outfits are on sale over at Tea right now!

and their back to school collection is SUPER cute.

 

 

decorating.

so...i have a been a mom kind of a long-ish time now.
17 years is long enough to have gained a bit of experience i would say.

i have learned that at about 10 years old (4 of mine have done this...) kids want their rooms the way THEY want.
no matter how perfectly decorated you want it...they always want their own flavor to their room.
and by now...17 years in... i am all for it.

talby and annie share a room.  
they were upstairs quite awhile the other night and then came down so happy to say "we cleaned our room...COME SEE!!!"

it was SOoooo clean.
i said "let's take pictures in the morning."
they were so proud.


                                     (name pillow made by the fabulous chrissie grace)

i thought i would share these with you because when this first happened with lauren 7 years ago i kind of freaked out.
i didn't want her covering her very cute room that i had designed with magazine pictures.
not at all.
i let her but i didn't like it.
and i probably commented every time i was in her room about it not looking nice anymore.
cringe.
then my son did it and then my next son did it and i realized something...
OHhhhhh...they are growing up and want THEIR style.
not mine.

and now i get it.
i am completely on board with my kids decorating their own rooms.






if they want to hang up more posters of justin bieber... i help them find the tape.





because really....it is their room.
why should i be trying to decorate it for them?
they know what they like.
they enjoy the freedom to change it, choose what they like and make decisions on their own.




 
if the piano bench looks better to them covered in a blue cheetah blanket...GREAT!

so i guess i am saying today.... i know that better homes & gardens isn't going to come knocking on my door to photograph my kids awesome bedrooms.
and i don't care.
perfect bedrooms for my kids don't work.
pottery barn kids is not happening here.

and it's not a battle worth fighting to me.

why would i want to stiffle creativity?

as long as they clean it up on saturday mornings...
they are free to decide on their wall art & what is on their shelves.

 
and just outside their door i have my giant jesus picture from my mom.
i really love that giant jesus.

:)

 

happy friday peeps!

 

NYC....last one

people have asked me about the apartment we rented.
craft weekend alum Karen lives IN new york city and gave us SO MUCH help with ideas of where to stay and what to do and where to eat!
she rocked.
she shared this blog post with me and that is how we ended up with vrbo.com.
we stayed on stanton st.
it was nice enough and safe enough.
it wasn't fancy.
but it worked great for us to have some space and room to sit around and talk.
 i am a bit of a hotel snob and missed my bed being made for me.
but other than that it was perfect.
memories were made with our friends....lots of nervous laughter when we arrived.
using vrbo you are never 100% sure of what you are going to get.
but it's always worked out great for us. 

we rode all over new york on those double decker tourist buses.
it was cheaper than cabs and we learned as we rode.
one tour guide had the best thick new york accent that it felt like he was faking it....but it was REAL.
also i got MUCH less motion sick on the top of the bus too.
bonus.
the first day was so hot i thought i might die...but after that day it was fine.
:)
and i am still alive.



that is cool and artsy....but also....very weird.
she looks like the costume lady on the incredibles.... (oh you've gotten fat!) 

dave convinced me it would be cool to rent bikes and ride through central park.
once we got out of traffic it was fun.
i always visualize bad headlines like "mother of 5 killed by a tour bus while riding a rented bicycle in NYC"
i was very worried at first...but it turned out to be great!
thankful it was only two hours though because i had a very tiny bike seat for my not very tiny real seat.

on instagram i said "name every movie with this fountain"
there were a lot of comments.
this is one very famous fountain.

 






the dude in the spandex was doing yoga...alone in central park.
i can promise you that is something you will NEVER see me doing.
yoga alone in a public park in spandex.
nope.



we headed over to 30 Rock because Dave had scored tickets to Jimmy Fallon!!
jimmy fallon and letterman tickets are through an email process that happens months before the show.
dave worked hard for this trip.


it was AWESOME.
we are BIG jimmy fallon fans.
his guests were matt lauer and mike tyson!!
i thought this hour was the best part of our trip.
and... jimmy touched my hand.
i haven't showered since.
ha.
it was SO MUCH FUN!


practically twins.
but mine is way cuter.
when i cut craig's hair he always says "just give me the matt lauer" 

jenny dressed to match our NBC studio day!

i kept my eyes open for liz lemon all day long... i saw nothing.
blerg! 

we went to the top of the Rock.
amazing isn't it?
all week i felt like i was walking around in a movie set.



our last day was filled with more rain....bleck.
but we were troopers.
girls shoes just aren't good for rain.
especially if you are trying to look cute.




we hugged goodbye at Penn Station and went to different airports home to our kids.

 

i spotted corbin bersen across from me at the airport and texted jenny every thing he was doing.
he's eating soup.
he put on glasses.
he is on his laptop.
now he is having a lollipop.

poor corbs.

at least i didn't go bug him to his face right?

but now that i see this....i really wish i had gone over and said "hey man...we were LITERALLY just talking about you over breakfast this morning!"

because we were!!

how bizarre and random is that?
we talked about all the shows we watched growing up...starting with brady bunch all the way out to dallas, falcon crest and then later in life... LA LAW.
and there he is!
crazy.

but...i stalked him instead.
what a dweeb i am.

new york was good.
it was overwhelming.
it is a busy, loud, full, crowded place but it's also a LOT of fun.
i never get enough time with jenny now matter if it's a week or a weekend.
i love spending time with them no matter where we are.

but i loved getting back to my kids too.
i really did miss them.
and my VERY quiet little farm.

so... have you been to NYC?
do you want to go?
where are you headed next... where is your next trip?

 

 

NYC...continued

i am not planner....i don't like to be the one who makes the schedules.
i don't like to be the one who decides what everyone will be doing.
on trips or in groups i tend to just go with the flow.
or at least i try.
so the only thing i think i said besides "i want starbucks" when deciding where to go
was "i would love to see Fishs Eddy in real life.

i got my wish. 

i was in love at first sight.



major hot burning passionate love.

i loved EVERYTHING in here.




this picture is overexposed but those mugs look like notebook paper!!!
(if only they weren't 12 oz. mugs...i need a big mug)


for reals...vintage linens just like at the barn in kansas!
i prefer my barn prices to fishs eddy.  
:)




a million milk glass cake stands.


sour apple green hutch?
fabulous.

i loved every detail in this store.
every display piece.
every hand painted sign.
every dish and cup and tea towel.


i could have easily spent another hour here.
EASILY!
but of the four of us....i was the only one freaking out on the inside about how
completely amazing and REDONKULOUS this store was so i bought a t-shirt and we left.

i did not want to.

also i said "i'm going into anthro..." when i found it.






we don't have many fire escapes in kansas....















 we walked to the 9/11 Memorial.



it was very quiet in here....right in the middle of the city.
the waterfalls and pools are so big.

i can't imagine what it was like for people in New York City on 9/11.
i looked around and was trying to comprehend it....
all i could think was "i hate that day"
i was far away from new york and i hate that day for me.
i was so scared for my children and my husband.
so i just can't imagine how the people of new york feel.
the people who saw it with their own eyes...who lost family and friends....
i hate that day.



the memorial is beautiful.
it is a lovely place to honor the people who lost their lives.
but it's sickening that it has to be there at all.
evil.
evil in this fallen world.
but i was thankful for that beautiful quiet place.

we took a ferry boat to the statue of liberty.



she's lovely... just like i thought.



storms were rolling in.


after the statue of liberty we also took a tour of Ellis Island. 
and it poured rain outside.
POURED.

i did not stay dry.

and i didn't stay very chipper about it either.....

i am a girl.

i don't like to get rained on. 

we ate dinner in Little Italy.
it was so weird...they hassle you to get you to come eat at their restaurant?!
begging you to come in...try THEIR food....whadda ya lookin' for tonight folks?
with heavy new york accents.
 we chose the ONE place that didn't do that.
and it was yummy. 

one more new york post tomorrow.

:)