one. mom's feelings.

being the mother to this little man has been the most rewarding experience.
i can not believe it has been a year.
i have my hands in a lot of buckets right now, trying to manage many ventures.
i have found that my greatest happiness and joy has come from my sweet connection with this little one.
he has been such a huge blessing in our lives.
blake and i were really nervous about having a baby so early in our marriage.
that surprise took nine months to be accepted.
as soon as he came, things changed.
for our own relationship and the relationship we have with God.
He knew that we needed this special soul.

i understand how every mother in the world can think their own child is the best.
it is because they get to spend moments with them that no one else does.
i love looking threw my rear view mirror and seeing his legs bouncing to the beat of good music.
i love that he laughs when i dance crazy during lunch or when we just lay in bed playing "tickle tickle".
he is smart.
he knows when dad is home because he can hear the MINI pull up the driveway.
he makes animal noises that are cool like elephant, tiger, and peacock.
i laugh that he is now tall enough to reach for things he used to not even try for.
he used to barely peer over his toy box and now half his body disappears into the toys.
he bounces every time music comes on.
i love that.
i love all sixteen pounds of him.
even though he is little, he is big.
bigger than i think we realize.
i am lucky to be his mom.

we asked him, "who is the cutest boy?"
he raised both hands.
a couple college chicks were watching.
they fell in love.

we got to spend the weekend in st. george, utah with some of our best friends.

it was much needed time away.

beautiful time away.

Pictures taken by The White Antler at The Saint George Temple.

love letters

dearest handsome,

remember how we have a one year old?
we were so scared to be his parents.
remember when we started tearing up when he started using his walker to walk?
he was wobbly, but boy can cruise.
remember how stressed out i get about our future?
i still feel stressed about it. i won't in february when we know.
remember how fun this song was to listen to?
this one was good too,

remember how Christmas lights on our bed make us feel like we are in a different place?
maybe it's just me.
remember how i was on my phone instead of helping pull carpet?
well, do you blame me?
remember how we are going to St. George tonight?
that will be fantastic.

always,
your darling.

I AM SHER LOCKED

For the last couple of nights you could find Blake and I, in bed, wide eyed, not breathing, watching BBC's Sherlock. 

HOLY. 

COW.

So much suspense.

One thing you should know about me, I do drama and suspense very well.

Totally my thing.

Check it out here.

Plus, another fun photo just for kicks.
The project is coming right along.
I will give more when I get it.

How do you say I love you?

The rule at our house is that each holiday gets to be celebrated without getting interrupted by the next holiday. For example, we decorate for Thanksgiving all the way up until Black Friday. While all of you are racing through the malls to get the best deals, I am at home taking down the browns and creams and getting ready for some good old fashioned Christmas decorating. Once the holiday passes, it's free game. Now that Nikson's birthday has been given adequate attention, we can start thinking about Valentine's Day.
As most of you may know, I married someone that thinks Valentine's Day is a total joke. Aren't I lucky?! He really hates anything that has been commercialized. If I want Valentine's Day we will have to move to the Amazon where there is no access to the world. Bon Voyage! I did have a nice childhood though, my mom was really great about teaching us the importance of showing love to each other and I am determined to help my children see the beauty in showing love to those that come into their lives. Little notes are fun and can mean the world to family and friends. Mr. Bishop will soften up. You should see him with Nikson. Slowly melting. As for me and my lack of, I have resorted  to others to show the love...not like that sillies, like really cute cards and printables!

TinyPrints is no exception. They have every holiday covered, even Valentine's Day with the absolute sweetest designs and brightest colors. I loved celebrating Valentine's Day at school because it was the only time you could get away with giving the cutest boy the cutest valentine and him not really get it.

Ooh secrets secrets.



What is your favorite Valentine's Day tradition?

Check out Tiny Prints new Valentine's line here and here.
You should also follow them. They are on twitter, facebook, and pinterest.
You won't miss them wherever your networking heart lies.
I love their pinterest boards. They have some great ideas.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Baby's First Birthday

Is it really true?
Do we really have a one year old?

This past weekend we celebrated Nikson's first birthday in style.
Thanks to some very sweet friends who talked mama into having a party.
Blake and I kept laughing because we didn't really know what to do.
You feel a little silly throwing a party for someone who can't even tell you what they want!
But it turned out quite lovely.

Nikson had his very own gluten free, vegan cake and cupcakes compliments of the very best City Cakes and Cafe
Their food is fabulous and totally Nikson friendly.
It also happens to be a hop, skip, and a jump down the street form us so that is great.
Especially since we got hammered with snow.

I used newspaper for our theme because I saw this party on Project Nursery.
It was super inexpensive aka free and really gave this treat table some class.

"I don't know how I feel about this."
"What is on my head?"
"Hello?"

"You guys are making me nervous."
"All this singing is giving me stage fright."

"Mom do I have to in front of all these people?"

"Maybe just a little bit."

That'a boy.
It was a really great night.
We feel really blessed to have people in our lives that love the little as much as we do.
Well, maybe not as much, but pretty darn close!

Recipes we have LOVED!

Pinterest has provided me with quite the array of great recipes to save.
Here are some of the household favs!

Guacamole Grilled Cheese

Starlit Spicy Lemon Chicken Wraps

Sweet Potato Cakes with Sour Cream

  

 Herbed Turkey Burger

Check out all of my recipe pins here.

Have a great weekend!

Blake wants a dog.

I, on the other hand, do not.
Puppies are cute.
Dogs are fine.
But I am a no pet fur/hair/fuzz person.
I particularly don't love their smell, way of communication, or desire to be in my bed.

So I told Blake if he wants a pet, we can have a fox.
He will live outside.
I will make him a cozy bed to sleep in when he would like to.
Maybe an old wine barrel with a thick flannel blanket.
And I will leave our scrapes for him to munch.
We will keep our distance, but know there is mutual respect.

 Also- saw a similar picture on pinterest and thought it would be fun to have.
It has been the bearer of all sorts of love notes.
Once Blake wrote, "I love you because you're clumsy." And then drew the girl falling off the swing.
So endearing.

A Teaser

This past weekend I was able to collaborate on a new project for a local photographer and design store.
I was given permission to give you a little teaser. 
It was amazing.
The venue.
The stylist.
The photographer.
So fun.

Daily Inspiration

I am a blog-loving lady.
I  have made blogging a part of my daily routine.
I love checking in on long distance friends and I swoon over design blogs.
I ADORE design blogs!
Some may consider it an addiction. (hmm, Blake?)
I say if that is my addiction then I am doing alright.
Blake likes blogs too, you know.
He pretends like he doesn't check them, but I know he does.
Oh yes, I know he does.

Here are some of our favorites.

1. little blue deer 2. The Yvestown Blog 3. French By Design 4. 6th street design school
5. birch and bird 6. emmas designblogg

1. design shack 2. zen habits 3. uncrate 4. lifehacker

Happy Blogging

The Beginning...

Have a good weekend!

Our little man is going to be one soon.
I haven't quite gotten used to the idea yet.
He is growing up so fast I can hardly keep up with him.
He learned this little trick by watching his mama do it with some cousins.

I didn't even know he was paying attention.
It scares me how much babies know what is going on.
He also picked this one up and surprised us both.
Don't you just love family documentation?

Small disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I am a proud mama so if my voice in the videos drives you half as crazy as it does me, my sincere apologies. 

An Organized Office

Part of my Colorado trip was back to a client's home to start on their office.
Each trip we organize room by room.
And each trip I need to get better about documenting. Sorry for the iPhone shots again.
This trip was really nice because Nikson got to play with his cousins while I got to work.
Everyone's a winner!
One thing that I specifically love about my job is being able to teach people how to store their important goods, while getting rid of a lot of bulk and trash.
This sweet family has three darling girls that love crafts, kits, and school supplies so we had to really determine how many crayons and markers were enough to survive!
We compromised and found a system that worked great for them.

Matching bins in IKEA's Expedit Storage System really turned the chaotic office into a well-oiled machine.
Instead of hiding everything like the father wanted, we made it easily accessible, but well sorted for mom. 
Artwork was hung instead of hidden in bins.
Each daughter had her own bin of supplies.
Empty picture frames were filled and displayed.

The closet was turned into a massive storage unit where the kids and parents had access to everything that was previously just floating around the office.
Pictures were already put into bins and the girl's art kits were consolidated into specific spots.
We got rid of bookcases, tables, bins, and shelves, replacing everything with the Expedit units.
I left feeling quite satisfied and ready to take on another project.

Wednesday is Pinterest Day

One thing that has kept my relationship with my oh so charming honey from perfect is our inability to focus when given some sort of electronic device that connects us to the www. Most nights you will find us perusing the information highway rather than communicating. It may seem sad to some of you, but I am almost willing to bet that some of you are feeling me.
Blake's drink of choice is a mixture of games, tech blogs, and nerdy comics. I am more of a design blogs, Amazon, and Pinterest girl. (oh, and Instagram.) (oh, and Facebook.) But that is it! I swear.

The dilemma is this...why are we not as exciting as what we see on our phones?
Riddle me that.

You may ask, "Will the defendant plead her cause?"
Most certainly.
I want to be creative! but I just don't have the brain power to make it up on my own.
I do, on the other hand, have the ability to re-create what someone else has made up.
Copy cat.
Copy and paste.
Copy that, Sargent.
I find a lot of joy in recreating spaces, products, and ideas.
Sometimes I add a touch of "me" in there, but let's be honest, I am 100% made up of thousands of other people's ideas.
Thank you world wide web for opening up my ability to "DO."

My evidence?
Homemade Laundry Detergent = $19.37/9-12 months

1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent isle

1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking isle

1  box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent isle

3 bars of Fels-naptha soap, found in the detergent isle.

(Microwave each bar separately for two minutes. They will look like this. Let cool completely and then crumble into mixture. Microwaving it allows for the flakes to dissolve easier when in load.) 

2 small containers of oxyclean or store brand oxyclean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) found in the detergent isle. (Use the scoop for your loads.)

I found all of this side by side at Walmart.

Mix in a garbage bag and then place in a two gallon container of your choice.

I will have to let you know when I actually run out of the miracle suds, BUT for $20 you can't go wrong. It smells great and so far, my first loads are really clean and fresh smelling.

Questions you may have?

• This mix can be used front loaders. Just put a scoop directly in the bin.

• Nikson has sensitive skin, and it hasn't irritated him. Very mild.

So you see members of the jury, although I am not spending adequate time communicating with my husband. His clothes are remarkably clean and his bank account still has money in it.
I rest my case.

Have a great day!