City Mornings

If I could make a wish and have my wildest dream fulfilled, it would definitely have something to do with the arts. I don't know that I have the soul of an artist but I have the desire to have the soul of an artist! LOL! And, I love that we live in a city that makes it easy to pass my appreciation of it to my kids. 

With that in mind, I bundled up Rowan and we headed downtown to enjoy a morning at Contemporary Art Center. The top floor of the space is the UnMuseum for kids. Everything is kid friendly and they are encouraged to become part of the installations by interacting with them. On Thursday mornings, the CAC offers Art Play. There's a specific craft or art activity followed up with kid-friendly yoga!

It's nice to hang out in a museum where you don't have to worry that your curious toddler is climbing on and destroying a priceless work of art!

Rowan found a new favorite! There's an area that is dark with a light installation on the ceiling. The kids are encouraged to use the flashlights to interact with the lights and music. That little space was so cozy and peaceful despite the dozen or so kiddos running around having the time of their lives! 

After all of the fun upstairs we headed to the lobby for people watching, street car spotting and of course the perfect latte to end our morning.

hello, december!

My last post was almost a month ago and I feel like life and everything I thought about the world has completely changed! First, came the shock, followed by anger and then grief. There are those that will claim those of us on "the losing side" are cry babies and need to get over it. I don't know if I ever will. This time a spark has been lit and there is no place for apathy or complacency. And so, as I continue to work and harness my anguish into something productive, life continues. 

And here we are! December. The end of the year and the beginning of the holiday season. There are several things I'm looking forward to this month- some holiday get-togethers, experiencing all of sights and sounds of the season through the lens of a two-year-old and lots of family time. There are also a few goals I have this month- documenting our favorite things and blogging more consistently-are the two that I'm really going to focus on as the year ends. 

sweet october {family adventures}

Sometimes being a slacker pays off. We'd been planning on taking Rowan to the pumpkin patch for weeks but for one reason or another, it never happened. Last week we promised to go come hell or high water and wouldn't you know it we were treated to an absolutely gorgeous fall day!

Not only was the weather perfect but because we went during the week there was hardly anyone there! It was almost like we had the farm to ourselves! 

Afterwards, we took a seat on the patio of a sweet little cafe and watched the rest of the afternoon slowly unwind. 

Thanks for the memories, October!

worn {day date}

I know I'm not alone when I say that along with sleep, a mess free house and the ability to shower without an audience another casualty of parenting little ones is being able to spend quality time with your partner. The quiet afternoons sipping coffee and doing crosswords or snuggling on the couch to binge watch a favorite show are few and far between. And, date nights are, at this point, nonexistent. Which is why I was thrilled when my hubby suggested we go to the ballet! We couldn't pull together arrangements to make the Friday evening performance so we made a day of it on Saturday! 

It finally felt like fall this weekend but I wasn't going to pass up the chance to get fancy!

 

 

We saw The Cincinnati Ballet production of Coppélia. It was adorable and lighthearted. And of course, the sets and the dancing were amazing!

 

Also, if you ever have the chance to have your picture taken with a ballerina or two, go for it! 

fall centerpiece DIY {heart and home}

Fall is my favorite season for lots of reasons- boots, pie, all pumpkin spice everything- but it is the most glorious season for flowers!! There are so many gorgeous blooms at your fingertips in September, October and even into November. 

I made a simple and pretty centerpiece out of a few leftovers. I'm still working out the kinks of filming these tutorials but I love the way this little arrangement turned out! 

Happy Monday!

all hallows eve{diy wreath}

I'm slowly trying to add a little Halloween to the house. As I've mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of Halloween, especially the scary and gory aspects! But, there's got to be a way to add a spooky twist with the things I like!

We all know that it all starts with the front door! Why should wreaths be saved for the holiday season?  With that in mind, I headed to Michael's to trick(pun intended!) out my front door.

It goes without saying that fake flowers are my least favorite thing to use in design and decor. But, it's Ohio in October so using anything living is not possible or cost effective. I was really surprised at the options available! My favorite thing to use in any arrangement I design is texture. It's difficult to find things that aren't real that have the texture of the real deal! Not only was able to get my beloved textural elements, I also found some pretty close to the real deal greenery and flowers.

This is the first time I've attempted to make a wreath with faux flowers and I'm thrilled with the results! 

I found moss, thistle and dusty miller to give the wreath texture.

I was surprised to find pretty real looking kale and hydrangea! 

Start by removing everything form the stems.  I used floral clippers but you can use wire cutters or scissors. I wired the larger blooms to wreath with a thin gauge wire. After wiring I went back in with the hot glue gun to make sure all of the blooms and greens were firmly attached.

And now, the fun stuff! I attached the thistle with wire and glue as well. The skull is styrofoam so I was able to stick on top of a wooden skewer(otherwise known as leftover chopstick!) and secure it with glue. Then I simply slip it into place.  At the last minute I decided the bow I was going to use seem to polished so I opted to use some yarn. I LOVE the result!

Et Voila!!

It's pretty but  dark and a little spooky! It's the perfect mate for our new "welcome" mat!! 

 

Do greet visitors at the front door with a little bit creepy holiday spirit? 

sunflower festival {local love}

there was a crispness in the air on sunday morning. we packed up the kiddo and headed to gorman heritage farm for the annual sunflower festival! 

i love that his gorgeous farm is only 15 minutes from our house and in a regular(and very old)cincinnati neighborhood! we had a great morning exploring the land, wandering through the gardens, chasing chickens and making our way through the sunflower maze!

we got there when it opened at 10 and by the time the crowds and the sun hit at noon we were ready to head home for a family nap.

worn {10.3.16}

it's finally starting feel like fall around here! i celebrated by breaking out my boots!! we headed to a local farm on sunday morning for the annual sunflower festival.

i've been pining for a pair of frye boots for the longest time! i've purchased several non frye pair in my look for less quest. alas, none of them got it quite right. i finally decided to treat myself and i ordered them! as soon as they got here i felt guilty so, i sent them back. can you guess what happened next? i regretted not keeping them! ha! i once again logged on to amazon to order. this is where the story gets good...i looked up my beloved boots and they had one pair in a half size bigger than my normal size BUT they were only $170...and i had a $30 amazon credit!! you guys, i bought a pair of frye boot for a $140!! they fit perfectly too!

they were probably not the best choice for a messy, muddy morning of the farm but hashtag YOLO ;) i came home and let the mud dry. brushed it off and they still look great!

outfit details:

top-bcbg-thrifted similar here
jeans-american eagle-thrifted similar here
bag- coach classic crossbody-thrifted similar here
boots- frye melissa knotted in redwood

october reading #SoGothtober

hello, october! the season of ghosts and ghouls is upon us! here's a small confession-i'm not a fan of horror or halloween. it ranks as one of my least favorite holidays. i may have felt a little relief when my kids outgrew the need for costumes and what not. 

all of my favorite booktubers have started posting their TBRs for the month and i'm finding there are so many great challenges on booktube for october! but, i wanted something that would encourage me to read, especially now that fall tv has occupied lots of my time! so, i decided to create my own challenge for the month!

i'm declaring this month southern gothic october or #SoGothtober. i've always loved books about the south and southern culture and this seemed perfect! southern gothic literature often has supernatural, magical or mystical elements. authors use these elements to shine light on or explore social issues. decay and the grotesque provide a vehicle for writers to reveal the unpleasantness that lies in the underbelly of southern gentility. this challenge is also giving me the opportunity reread some favorites and to read for the first time some of the genre defining classics. 

here's what i'm reading this month!

the classics:
the heart is a lonely hunter by carson mccullers
wise blood by flannery o'conner

favorites that i'm rereading:
to kill a mockingbird by harper lee
the little friend by donna tartt 

new southern gothic:
galveston by nic pizzolatto
my sunshine away by m.o. walsh
miss jane by brad watson

southern gothic true crime:
in cold blood by truman capote
 

slow {motherhood}

sometimes i forget that it's okay to be still. i'm constantly thinking of places to take rowan, things we need to do, classes we should enroll him in. parenthood is a competitive sport these days and it takes an effort to resist the urge to follow the tide.

as he gets older, i'm loving that he's starting to enjoy "slower" activities- storytime in a quiet corner, building lego houses and arts and crafts! 

last week, i broke out the paints and resisted the urge to direct to him. i loved seeing him use his fingers, sponges and brushes to create his own little masterpiece! we had a quiet and creative morning at home. and, it was good.

  

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