lunch break

...everyone likes a bandwagon

...and I'm no different.

Last month, I jumped on the Stitch Fix bandwagon. (My coworker Erin cannot remember the name of the site and refers to it as, "Stitch Bi**h.")

I didn't take any pictures or modeling shots of that shipment, but I ended up keeping two out of the five pieces. (One of the three I sent back was a horizontal striped sweater dress...my rear end looked like the size of Texas. The other I sent back was jersey fabric. Which I made really clear in my reviews,"NO MORE JERSEY FABRIC." I'm pretty sure you have to be a size 2 or have industrial-strength spanx to pull that off).

This month's box arrived yesterday and I tell you, opening it is the closest to Christmas morning you can come as an adult. I think it's the idea that we are all so busy caring about other people, doing our jobs, cooking, picking up crumbs, taking care of poop, that it's nice to think there's someone out there thinking about us. My stylist. Ha.

I was a little leary when I first opened the box because the first thing was this purse. Which actually wouldn't be bad (especially if I wasn't wearing my "day at home" hooded sweatshirt) but it's a little clunky, and not big enough for sippies, wipes, diapers, binkies, lovies, and toys. I also don't have the strap long enough but I didn't care enough to fix it.

But then I saw this top and things started to look up. I said no animal prints, but I guess birds don't count:

These are quite possibly the worst pictures I have ever taken.

I am keeping the bird top. I can wear it to work with a blazer or around here with jeans.

Next was this little green number:

I liked it, but at $48 for a woven tank, it just didn't seem worth it and I wasn't sure if I would wear it outside of work. I'm sending it back.

I almost didn't try this shirt on because I was like, "1980 called and wants it's top back." I thought it might have shoulder pads. But this is proof that you should try everything on in your box:

I actually really liked the way it looked. It had detail along the bottom you couldn't see just pulling it out of the box, and buttons on the 3/4 length sleeves. I'm still deciding about this one. I'm not sure if I'll wear it to work (my criteria to keep things is that they have to be able to be worn both at home and at work). My friend said this looked like a good boho-chic staple. Ha.

The scarf is from my last box. I love it.

Last thing was this odd cardigan/wrap/I knew it wasn't right when I first saw it:

Meh. I'm sending it back.

For $20, if you are considering doing Stitch Fix, I would say give it a try.

So that's it. If you would like to help me with my future purchases, please feel free to sign up using my link here.

...the new gig

...going well. Lots to do. My co-workers have discovered my blog and the fact that I scrapbook (or "Life Art," as they do not feel scrapbooking is an accurate term for what I do). I usually save the fact that I scrapbook until at least my third or fourth year of employment.

So much for that.

This is my intern. He joins me around 3 p.m. when he's decided he's had enough with school. He's still learning how to file and I've caught him more than once on YouTube.

...catching up

...friendship is an amazing thing. I have lost track of the comments here, the e-mails in my inbox, the texts on my phone, the notes in my mailbox that have made me realize how lucky I am when it comes to you.

Thank you.

--

I've been so absent over the last few months. Here and in person, I'm sure. There are so many things that just literally happened, big or small, that I never even bothered to talk about.

Clara and I went to Chicago to visit Carron. I flew on a plane with a child by myself! I know, I know, this is nothing to those of you who are much better mothers than me.

Ken and I went to Seattle for work.

I haven't been there in four years, when I went there with the Fontwerks group back before a lot of things. That was then:

This is now (it felt like a serious accomplishment when I found these chairs again):

Ken and I went to the Dave Matthews Band concert in Baltimore.

The last concert I went to was back in 2006, you know, when I was young. The concert was good, but I spent some percentage of my time being annoyed at these people:

I do not understand why people stand up at concerts. I didn't pay a lot of money to see you sway to the beat and make out. Thanks. The best part, by far, was The Lumineers opening for DMB. For some reason, the people in front of us restrained from the swaying/making out during that. The second best part was Ken coming back from the bathroom and telling me about some "kid smoking dope" in the stall next to him.

We finally got a proper shot of the kids with their aunties:

My friends from college and awholelottakids three and under came to visit:

Hm. This shot is probably a little more realistic:

Carron and kiddos came to visit. There was a large amount of bribery involved in this and not one child is even smiling. Should take back the bribes:

And then this morning, we woke up, and it had snowed. And if this picture doesn't make you laugh, well, then I have no hope for you:

...peer pressure

...there’s a lot of pressure at Christmas-time for paper people. If you see me around and I have huge bags under my eyes and look as sleep-deprived as the mother of a newborn, it’s not that I’ve been up all night with a teething Clara, but I’ve been up all night perusing pinterest, etsy, and google for the.perfect.christmas.card

The thing that’s frustrating for me, usually, is that I find these cards that are super-expensive (but won’t be when I win that sweet Powerball tomorrow night! That will completely change this post). Anyway, I find these cards that are super-expensive and I think, “I could make that.” If only I had A) Time (maybe my time would be better spent learning letterpress than watching Grey’s…thoughts?) and B) Resources.

I did find the perfect card. Here were some of the front-runners.

Merry & Bright by Cheeky Cards

Happy Holidays by HollyWouldPress

Joy to the World by Icing on the Paper

Merry and Bright by Lindsay Letters (this was only an option if I won the Powerball. Maybe I will have her design by Powerball-winning announcement).

Wreath of Hope by My Little Buffalo

Woodland Noel by Minted

Love and Joy by The Valley Designs

Wishing you Joy from Minted

I was thinking a design-on-the-front, photo-on-the-back look. And the perfect card ended up being a variation of one of the cards above. I’ll share it once my family and friends have gotten it. Since I’m going to try to do my fancy font on each envelope, that might be by Christmas 2013. The thought is what counts, right?

...around here

...spent the past week furiously, madly decorating in anticipation of Maria's arrival.

Then I spent the three hours before her arrival not allowing anyone to touch anything or eat anything. NOTHING.

Maria's camera is just a little bit nicer than my iPhone, so better pictures to come.

Working. So, I didn't say what my new jobs are because the truth is that I've been hired as a top-secret government agent. And this is my office:

Me and my honey working remotely tonight.

No, really, my new jobs are: 1) Doing PR/Communications work for a non-profit near here and 2) Working for a web-development company and 3) Top secret government agent. But I have to kill you if you tell anyone.

Today marks one year since we closed on the lot where we built our house.

Sometimes it takes my breath away to think about all that has happened in a year, mostly about my mom. I am constantly thinking about how life has changed. Still mostly stuck on how it isn't fair. How sometimes it seems just so not fair.

Scrapbooking. A lot. Trying to find at least an hour or two a night. Wrapping up the kids day-to-day pages and will dive in to getting caught up on the real scrapbook pages after that.  Will share. Eventually.

I'm here, just quiet.

...starbucks in rural america

...I do not miss much about city life. But I miss a Starbucks every half mile. I need a 12-step program.

I make it work. When I find a Starbucks, I order the largest chai possible (sometimes even getting two) and I reheat them. If one of the presidential candidates would promise a Starbucks every half mile in America, I'd vote for him. It's an issue I'm passionate about.

...that's a wrap

...I haven't had much time to scrapbook, but there are always presents to wrap.

(This one is almost an exact copy of a baby gift I got from my friend Brooke Starnes. When I get gifts from fellow scrapbookers, I'm almost as excited about seeing the card as I am the gift).

...hello 2012, I missed you

...do you remember this?

My family has been on the internet since Al Gore invented it. My first AOL screename was "FriendL" (and I probably could have gotten, "Friend," or "Laura," if I wanted it, we were that early in the game).

For the last five months, I have been living in the internet of the early 1990s. We live in the middle of the woods and not a whole lot of providers come back here. That video you sent me of your kid laughing as the kitten licked her face? Yeah, I never watched it. Sorry.

But last week? The internet gods arrived and I am back to 2012. Monday, when Charlie was at school and Clara was napping, I sat out on the porch and browsed and opened 4,793 windows at the same time, listened to Pandora, downloaded from iTunes, and sent multiple 40mb files. It's good to be back.

--

Speaking of back, my mom is home. Thank you for your thoughts...But please keep them coming as this is just the beginning.

...world's laziest etsy shop owner

...that would be me. Another thing to engrave on my tombstone.

I went to add a new item to my shop and realized I hadn't paid my bill in oh, who knows how long. Ha. So the shop had gone dormant. Guess I should read those e-mails.

I've retaught myself cursive, paid my debts, and added that new item:

If you know anyone getting married, moving, giving birth, or wanting to send out fancy-schmancy bills, send them my way!

...what we've been up to

...peek a BOO (and a little sneak peak of our kitchen. And the dead hydrangea on our coffee table):

...giggling in the dark (Charlie is now tall enough to reach the light switch. Joy. And here's your sneak peak of Clara's, um, video monitor?):

...spying on my own child at Summer Camp (I guess this is better than spying on someone else's child at Summer Camp?)

...Attempted to take some pictures of the front porch to share, but Clara was insistent on being in the shot and this, friends, was the best I got:

...Scrapbooking, a lot, with Studio Calico's Elmwood Park: