snow day ... shop darling clementine

we just came inside from playing in the snow. when i opened my eyes and looked outside this morning, i knew eleanor would be asking immediately, "mama! mama! can we play outside?!" ... and that she did. so we bundled up and headed out. i sipped on some cocoa and took about a billion photos, naturally ... it was so fun. some of my happiest memories from childhood were snow days. there is something so magical about snow. 

 anyway, the real reason i am here is because this month, i curated for darling clementine, my friend lindsay's shop. i chose some of my favorite items (so hard!) and you can find them on the side bar of her site. she has also offered my readers a 15% discount off site wide for the entire month of january! all you have to do is enter the code "oldjoy" at check out. everything in her shop is wonderful and she sells some of my favorite baby items, like the solly baby wrap and natursutten pacifier ... in these photos, rufus is wearing some new mittens from her shop and they crack me up ...  they are the kind that are attached by a string and go through the coat. ive always wanted a pair like that for one of my babes and i am absolutely smitten with them. he could hardly move being all bundled up like that, but he was as happy as a clam to be out there with big sis and brother ...

now i am off to make these kiddos some snow ice cream and spend the rest of our day watching movies in our pjs. 

 ... happy sunday!

yesterday

i have been feeling a bit "in it" lately. when i was little, if my brothers and i were being quiet or off, my dad would ask us what we are working out in our heads ... and i guess that's been me lately. 

it really began on friday at eleanor's school christmas program. i sat in the middle of what seemed like a million folding chairs in the gymnasium. it was dark and all you could hear between songs were whispering parents and the squeaking sound a tennis shoe makes against the floor when a little kid changes sitting positions ... i sat there alone, scanning the room for eleanor. i knew she was in there, but as soon as i locked eyes with her and she gave me a big, smilely wave, it was only then that my heart began to beat a bit slower ... she was safe. the fifth graders began to play carol of the bells on their xylophones and my head went somewhere. suddenly i knew exactly who i am and who i have always been ... and i missed everyone i had ever known ... my nostalgia slowly flooded that room. i was a little kid again. it's amazing how much we lose of ourselves once becoming parents ... maybe i shouldn't say lost - but forgotten ... so then i caught myself scanning the room again, only searching for the seven year old version of myself. i wanted to walk up to her, tap her on the shoulder and scoop her up and hug her until we became one again. because i miss her ... her innocence and curiosity. her patience and hope. 

yesterday morning, i woke up still yearning for myself. my bedroom was always such an important and safe place for me growing up. i spent most of my days sitting on the floor of my bedroom, looking at my things and listening to music or just sitting there ... 

i hadn't officially made this room in our new house mine yet. sure it has my things in it, but gosh i hadn't even put a stereo or a record player in it yet. the record player along with all of my favorite records are sitting on top of some boxes in our basement ... and i hadn't gotten around to painting yet either. the color was like a blueish gray and yea it's okay, but on a dark, rainy day, it is sort of fluorescent in color and i just wasn't feeling it ... so yesterday, i began the process of adding kristen to my bedroom. i painted the walls a soft white and ordered a new bed frame. the record player will be moving up soon ... and my days during quiet time hours will be all about me ... im gonna worry less about what needs done around the house during those hours and just focus on who i am and what i need .. it will be good. 

here are some photos that i took throughout the day. we stayed home all day and it was so nice. my favorite kind of day. 

*paint for bedroom is du jour by valspar and you can see my new bed frame here  ... also, ru's adorable bunny ears came in the mail yesterday and it had us all "awwwwing" you can find that hat here

p.s. i want to thank my readers for following along here. i haven't been feeling very confident lately on social media and often times worry too much about what i post on instagram, but i never feel that way about this space. it feels so safe to me. it feels like me. and i love that. xo

p.s.s. below are some photos of the seven year old me

trimming the tree

every year, on the day after thanksgiving, my little family and i cut down a christmas tree. it is one of my favorite days ever and i may even like it more than thanksgiving. the kids can run wild and my husband and i look on at them with smiles. eleanor hops from tree to tree until she finds the perfect one for us. it's so funny because we can show her a hundred more trees, but when she has her mind set on one ... forget about it. 

afterwards, we go to brunch and talk about how excited we are to get home and decorate the tree. with wolfgang being a bit more mature this year, it was fun for him to help hang the ornaments ... although he mostly just threw them at the tree ... of course that made us laugh, big time. 

so now our house is sparkly and cozy and smells of nature. we have been watching christmas movies everyday and haven't really gotten out of our pjs or off the couch ... it has been perfect and i look forward to spending the rest of our winter days doing the very same. 

last year, on our way home from the tree farm, we made a stop at the store because we needed a new tree stand. arick dropped me off in front of the store and i ran in ... while i was in there, i grabbed a pregnancy test because i just had that feeling, ya know? i was little more emotional than usual and and crampy ... once we were home and while everyone was distracted by the tree, i sneaked upstairs and took the test. the line was faint, but it was positive ... i remember so vividly feeling so happy and nervous and scared. we hadn't planned on having another baby and i wasn't sure how my husband would react ... so i didn't tell him that day. and as i helped my family of four decorate the tree, i fought tears and held a smile in my heart ... i was pregnant with my third baby and knew that next christmas, we would be a family of five. there would be another baby at the tree farm and in my arms ... and it was true. now we have a beautiful, little rufus.  and we are a family of five.  

salt dough ornaments

our christmas spirit is off the charts right now. last year i hosted thanksgiving, so i was focused on turkey recipes and how to set a pretty table ... but this year, i am not hosting, so i dove head first into christmas ... 

eleanor has already made her list and asks me everyday if i remember what she wants. goodness, i loved the holidays as a kid, but i love it even more as a mommy. 

anyway, the day after thanksgiving we will make our annual trip to the tree farm to pick a tree. we will bring it home and hang our candlestick lights and just a few ornaments on the tree ... usually something we have made together. all of the other ornaments that have been passed down and gifted to us will hang on our smaller tree upstairs. it's all so very fun and exciting. so much magic in this season. 

this year for our main tree we are making cranberry garland and salt dough ornaments. super easy and super fun for our little ones ... and the best part is we can put on holiday music, drink hot cocoa and spend time with one another ... making memories. 

salt dough ornaments ;

1. mix together 1 cup all purpose flour and 1/4 cup salt. blend well. 
2. while mixing, slowly add water until a dough forms (about 1/2 cup). careful not to make it too wet!
3. wrap dough in plastic and let it chill in the fridge for about twenty minutes.
4. roll out dough on floured surface and cut shapes. 
5. poke holes using a toothpick. 
6. bake in a 300 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes. check often ... you want them to harden, not turn brown. 
7. lastly attach strings and decorate if you like ... one idea is using tacky glue and small beads! or just leave plain. im sure there are other ways to decorate and im sure you can find those ideas on pinterest!

side note: that wooden rolling pin belonged to my grandma who passed this summer. this morning as we rolled out the salt dough, i thought of her. there were a lot of grand children on my mom's side of the family and my grandma lived in an old schoolhouse. (very tiny) ... on christmas day when we walked into her house, there were presents stacked so high, almost to the ceiling! and they nearly covered her entire living room ... so much magic and memories during this time of year and i just love it so much. xo.

wolfgang turns two

balloons and toys and a trip to the movies. fun with family and pizza hut pizza. chocolate cake and farm animal sugar cookies. a messy face and a happy heart. we love you, sweet boy. oh, do we ever. can't wait to see what this next year will bring ...