Insta-Update + a Birthday Message

Here’s a little of what we’ve been up to for the past week {via Instagram}...

1. Adrian requested that he and Danny wear match shirts for our date with him.
2. Wyatt’s first day of pre-K.
3. Picking out a special book at Barnes and Noble.
4. The super awesome chandelier we found last weekend.
5. Daddy’s home!
6. Fall/Halloween décor is out at the stores!
7. Wyatt reading with Grandma.
8. Waiting in front of the line at school pickup for Adrian.
9. Wyatt comforting Sophie at the vet.
10. Before our date with Adrian.
11. Simon after lots of catnip.
12. It’s official : fall décor is out at my house.
13. Another date night photo.
14. Band of Horses: ♥
15. Wyatt with his teacher.
16. I have a love/hate relationship with my treadmill.
17. Getting ready to make a wish.

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To my wonderful Dad -

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You’re the coolest 71 year-old I know. We love you! ♥

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sincerely,

Boys Dresser Redo + Wyatt’s First Day of Pre-K

Hello everyone! It’s been a whirlwind of activity around here as we’ve acclimated to a new school year. Getting back into a strict schedule of early mornings, homework and rushing around makes for a slightly stressful adjustment period for everyone.

Amidst all the crazy, I worked on a dresser for the boys room. It was a leftover Refreshed Décor piece that just happened to be the perfect size for their tiny room. 

I liked the sweet original pulls, so I decided to paint them along with the rest of the piece. I used some leftover ASCP Louis Blue and did a little distressing (I figure the boys can take care of any additional distressing!) followed by some clear and dark waxes. I had to add more dark wax than I originally intended due to some stubborn bleed-through, but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.
 

{please excuse the poor lighting} 

Here’s the before:

I think it turned out pretty cute and fitting for two little boys.

Now, if I can just finish the rest of their room...

{Details: ASCP Louis Blue + ASCP clear/dark wax}

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Yesterday was Wyatt’s first day of pre-K. He has Adrian’s old teacher and several friends in the class, so he’s very excited about school this year!

 

{Wyatt with his cousin Alex and some crazy sun flares}

 

Sincerely,

Sharing at:

 

Insta-Friday

Hey guys! It’s Friday and boy, am I glad! It’s been a long week.

I have been just terrible about taking pictures with my “real” camera lately, but thank goodness for my iPhone. At least I’ve managed to document a few of our adventures!

Next week, Wyatt starts preschool and for the first time in almost 7 years, I’ll have time to myself 3 mornings a week. I’ll probably spend the mornings crying for the first week, but after that I plan to get lots of projects completed around here!

Sincerely,

Movie Night

dinner in front of the TV.
nobody fighting.
cats eating popcorn.
lots of cuddling.
everyone relaxed.
happy boys.
happy parents.

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This weekend, our excessive heat warning continues. So naturally, we’ll be completing a few furniture projects and going out on a date, while trying not to melt. (Thanks for watching the boys, Mom!)

Is it weird that I’m already contemplating putting out a few fall decorations to counteract the heat?

Sincerely,

1st grade

I've been a jumble of emotions these past few weeks as I tried to prepare myself for sending Adrian off to school for 7 1/2 hours each day. Seriously, guys, this is hard. I told myself it would be fine – after all, this is part of a natural progression. First preschool a few mornings a week, then morning kindergarten and now full-day 1st grade. And he’s ready for it.

But me? Oh man, I was sad yesterday as I left his classroom. And today. And probably for awhile as I adjust to the quiet house. One little boy by himself doesn’t make nearly as much noise as two little boys together, and Wyatt is really good at entertaining himself. The house has been peaceful, but definitely empty. We’ve been acutely aware of Adrian’s absence – this afternoon before we left to pick up Adrian, Wyatt asked, “Mommy, why is it so quiet?”

Knowing Adrian loves school and being with his friends helps to lessen the string of his absence at home. Both days he’s been in school, he’s come home with stories of frightened little(r) ones he’s helped to find their class and new friends he’s made as a result of his attempts to make scared new classmates feel more at ease. I love my little guy’s kind heart.

I may be a sad mama, but at least I’m a proud mama.

Sincerely,

Friday

It’s almost the weekend! Tonight is “Indiana Jones” for movie night and tomorrow we've got a garage that needs to be cleaned and organized and an office that needs to be reorganized (anybody want to come help?).  I’m itching to paint something, but haven’t yet decided what to work on – if I can overcome my indecisiveness, I’ll be sure to share next week!

Insta-update

(@kaceyelias on Instagram)

Happy weekend!

Sincerely,

Around The house

Scrabble

Compared to the usual nightly catching up on DVR’d shows, a game of Scrabble seems so much more civilized. Put on a little classical music and I can pretend we’re actually very cerebral and aristocratic , preferring to challenge our brains rather than rest them come 7:30 each night. Until I stare at the Scrabble board for five minutes straight, blinking away the sleepy haze that’s been slowly creeping over me, and arrange my letters to spell my super-slick, last ditch-effort word: F-U-N. It should come as no surprise that Danny usually wins.

Happy sofas

We saw this awesome sofa at a thrift store on Saturday. By Monday, I had convinced Danny it was meant for our house. It makes me happy just looking at it. Danny thinks it’s terribly ugly. Crossing my fingers that he’ll change his mind.

* As you can see, we haven’t quite finished painting. We’ll get to that one of these days!

Pretty flowers

The boys and I found this sweet little pot of African violets at Trader Joe’s last week. My grandma loved African violets and I’ve managed to keep one of her plants alive, but it stopped blooming a few years ago. I’m hoping to be able to keep this one producing blooms!

Simple + cute organizing solutions

I found this wall-mounted organizer at Home Goods a few months ago, intending to use it to corral school papers and homework (and my notebooks and planner). I had been trying to figure out a solution for all the artwork the kids produce each day and had a light bulb moment the other day – the handy-dandy organizer can serve multiple purposes! Each day since, I’ve added their artwork to their slot as they present it to me. I’ll sort through it at the end of every week and put the museum-quality pieces up on the wall. Maybe I’ll even get around to making proper labels.

Good smells

I saw this pin on Pinterest and finally got around to trying it today. Lemons, rosemary, vanilla and water simmering on the stove – smells wonderful and I’m happy to have found a way to make our house smell nice without chemical-y, potentially toxic scent warmers!

Summer workbooks

With school starting again in a few weeks (August 8 for Adrian and two weeks later for Wyatt), I pulled out the workbooks. They were both excited to work on them and spent a good hour happily working side by side. It was a very peaceful hour!

Sincerely,