my baby owl

Happy Halloween from the Mooshkin!

morning stuff

The sun may not be out, but this has already been a great day. Hubs got to sleep in a bit and hang around with Mimers and me instead of rushing off before the sun is up. I indulged myself a bit. Put makeup on & sprayed my new fancy hair product around my head. The hair salon totally sold me on it and I'm in love.

Oribe Texturizing Spray

Then it was out the door and here I am at Starbucks with a pumpkin spice latte. I couldn't help myself. I'm meeting friends for lunch and came downtown early to get a few things done first. Of course I got a bit distracted and ended up looking at baby stuff. Durn this internet thing. Wouldn't Mimers be just adorable in these though?! I never thought I'd be much into bows and such on babies, but never say never because here I am wanting to pull the trigger on these. Really badly. 

headband by sprinkles on top

baby clips by giddy giddy

And then it's packing time this afternoon. We're heading home for Fall Break this weekend and I can't wait. Hopefully the Tennessee hills will greet us with some sunshine and good times! 

mums

Mimers and I were visiting Whole Foods today when I spotted it. Big orange mums just begging to come home with us. The colors just ooze Fall to me. So after making our way down the aisles, and picking up more than we'd come in for, we then rolled on home with one in the back. She looks perfect on the porch and just made my day. That, and the fact that miss babycakes was being an angel. I have no idea why, but she's been oh so good the last couple days. It's funny, because Charlie has been giving cousin Lauren a run for her money. I say… it's about time! Just kidding, but they do seem to alternate good and bad. Must be in the their genes!

4 months

Yippee… Miriam is 4 months old today.

Oh my little nugget, you've already blessed my life more than I can believe. Some days are you are easy peasy and some days you run me ragged, but at the end of day I thank God for you baby girl. I can't imagine not kissin' those chubba cheeks every night before bed. And now that you're a big girl can we start sleeping through the night? Pretty please?

{four months of iphone pics}

momma visit part 2

Continuing with my momma's visit… We layered up the mooshkin for the cooler temps last Saturday and headed to Furman University for a hike around. We had the best time catching up and showing Miriam the beauty of Fall. It's a great campus for walking and one of the trails even continues all the way to downtown Greenville.



Feeling ready for a girls night out, we got all dressed up and went to Stellar, a wine bar I'd been wanting to try. We even went early so the baby wasn't up past her bedtime. Plus she's always perfect when we take her out. Glasses of bubbles were ordered and food was on the way. All was going rather smashingly right up until Miss Miriam decided she did NOT like this place. Did not want to be held, did not want to be in her car seat, did not want a bottle, and most certainly did not want to be quiet. Even the sacred pacifier wouldn't calm this child. Squirming and fussing and finally screaming. Ummm… check please! We got the food to go and headed home. A warm bath, pajamas, and lights out for the nugget. Maybe there's a reason people don't bring their babies to wine bars. Darn. But how can you stay mad at that face?! Simply impossible. Momma and I stayed up talking and watching bad reality tv so it was all good.

{ little crotched hat is from tweed in nashville }

We stayed home the next night as well so moms friends Salli & Tom could come for a visit. I set up a platter of every nibble in my pantry, but the star were the dried veggie chips from Whole Foods. I don't know how healthy they are, but they're seriously addictive. And you must have them with a Son of a Peach.

We were sad to see you go Momma! Please come 'round that mountain again soon.

miss barrymore

Last week I said I wanted to look like this. Now I'm obsessed with this outfit. Really chic.

And maybe it's due to my current state of hair (long, messy, and in need of a good highlight), but I'm really digging Drew Barrymore's look these days. She's gotten better with age. It doesn't hurt that she gets to twirl around in Oscar & Ralph & Catherine Malandrino, but still. I'd be happy to play dress up in any of these looks.

momma visit part 1

She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes… Woo-hoo, Momma came to town. And what did I do when she rolled in? Hand over the baby and zip out the door for a girls dinner. So bad, but I didn't want to cancel and she was happy to hang out and chat with the nanny. And I'm glad I went because it was a ball. Good company and good wine! With six ladies chatting it up & telling stories, the noise level rose and I found myself laughing an awful lot. Too much fun.

The next morning we headed over to the Greenville County Museum of Art for a lecture by Victoria Wyeth. The museum has a fantastic exhibit of Andrew Wyeth's work and she was the guest speaker for this years Antique Show. Let me just say, this was not your typical art history lecture where by the end you're kind of zoned out. No mam. Victoria was a spitfire. Kind of like she'd had a couple-a double espressos right in a row. Loved her. She told such heartwarming stories about her grandfather and shared very personal insight into his work. If you ever get the chance to hear her speak it's such a treat.

Then we headed upstairs to check out the antique show. Momma's dear friend Salli was one of the dealers with a booth and I fell in love with pretty much all her stuff. Her partner, Tom, created these dresses out of paper for their display. Umm… I want the little bitty one for Miriam's room! They were quite a hit.

The theme of the show was "all things South Carolina" so they had okra plants + burlap table cloths with tie-dyed indigo borders. Wouldn't those be fabulous at a party?! I want to steal that idea. It makes the burlap feel a bit more tailored.

And they set up these killer bottle trees. Bottle trees are a low-country tradition, often called "poor man's stained glass." The legend says that evil spirits are lured into the bottle and trapped until morning light can destroy them. Now I know just what to do with all those empty wine bottles.

Nearby we discovered a really beautiful christening gown. We walked around with it a bit, but I hesitated thinking it might be too small by January. Well would you believe it was scooped up by someone else by the time we walked back by?! Bummer. When ya see a good thing you should go for it. No hesitation. Lesson learned, darn it. I don't know though… Mimers neck rolls might have had a real hard time squishing into it in a few months. Now I am on the hunt!

on the shelf

I'm in L.O.V.E… love with these illustrations I saw on cup-of-jo. The artist, Jane Mount, paints peoples book shelves with their a selection of their favorites. Hmm… what would you pick?


I think a children's shelf would be adorable in the mooshkin's nursery. Blueberries for Sal, Make Way for Ducklings, Goodnight Moon, Eloise, Big Rabbit's Bad Mood, Corduroy, The Giving Tree… I could go on and on.

photos via ideal bookshelf

whole hog

My friend Nic B asked us to design some party invitations. She said, think laid-back, bbq, and booze with a nod to the family brick business. Twist our arms why don't ya? This was too fun. Next time we want to be invited.

take a gander on oh so beautiful paper

fall for greenville

This is one cool town I tell ya. Fall for Greenville was this weekend and the weather totally cooperated. So we got a babysitter and hit Main St. to sample some food and do some tasting at the "beer garden". Oh, how I love some ice cold brew and music on a warm night. Jason Isbel & Deer Tick played and we jammed right along with the crowd. I was feeling mighty fine, maybe a little too fine actually after the beer garden. I don't get out much! So we hit the hay early, but of course Mimers decided she didn't want me to sleep. Nope, it was not in the cards. She got up at eleven… and then one… and then three o'clock. Please child

ah-mazing short rib - crispy wonton tacos from the greenroom

And on Sunday I decided it was dress up day. There's a fancy little pink dress that's been hanging in the nursery, just begging to be worn. It's stiff cotton with delicate lace details and a slip underneath. We had no where to go, but the backyard seemed like a good enough spot for pictures. Too bad the mooshkin was too busy putting one hand in her mouth and the other tugging on her dress to cooperate. Silly baby.

The cool mountain air rolled in last night and made this morning really gorgeous. It made getting up at the crack of dawn not quite as bad. Mimers woke up twice last night. Urgh. Just the other night she slept from nine to seven so who the heck knows. I picked her up in her burrito like swaddle, and we settled into the rocker to nurse. I tucked some blankets around her and my chilly toes and closed my eyes. Nursing while sleeping is easier than it sounds! Then I put her back down and crawled back to the bed. It's the best feeling to get back under the warm covers next to hubs who's snoozing away. But it was back up at 6 am which was not as enjoyable. Silly thing was all smiles and kicking those legs like crazy. When I unwrap her arms, she pauses like she's not sure what to do and then her arms shoot straight up in the air over her head… very dramatic little lady.

This was my breakfast…
Blueberry Oatmeal {serves one}
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 quaker oats
a few drizzles of honey
blueberries

bring the milk + water to a boil. add the oats and turn down the heat to medium low, stirring occasionally for about 6 minutes (it starts to get thick and absorb the liquid a bit).
Add the honey and blueberries and cook another minute. Break up the berries a bit to turn the oatmeal a nice purple hue. Eat up!


And now, while she's back down for a morning napper, I'm up drinking some yummy coffee and thinking of all the things I need to do today. Of course one of those is to make pumpkin bread from blueprint bliss. Yes please. The other things on the list aren't nearly as yummy. Billing, vacuum the house, change my sheets, laundry… I think I'll read some blogs instead.

a nanny

So my big news is I hired a nanny. Whoa. That sounds very grown up and a little scary. But it feels really good. I don't have any family here and only a couple of friends so I need this help something serious. Today I worked at Coffee Underground downtown. I ordered a big latte and found a comfy spot to zone out in the corner. I sipped it nice & slow and enjoyed my time alone. The work I had was nothing exciting, but it felt good. Like a little piece of the old me. I feel a bit guilty even saying that, but it's true. Everybody needs a break I think. And she's in good hands. Miriam is going to be spoiled and I feel totally at ease. Thank goodness for good timing at the grocery. I mean, what are the chances of meeting your nanny at the grocery?! Umm, pretty low I'd imagine and I wouldn't recommend it, but this is too perfect.

It's funny, because it's not like I was even gone that long today, but I was so ready to squeeze the moosh (Miriam) when I got home. Kiss those chubba cheeks and hold that baby girl. She was sportin' these cute bloomers from my friend MB. Just irresistible! They're from pink chicken so of course I luv 'em. And she smiled when I got home. A big toothless grin and giggle. What a good day.

waiting for friends

This is how I want to look today. Crisp, but sassy. Waiting on some friends before we zip off to a fabulous ladies lunch over bloodies and burgers. A girl can dream.

via here