He wears me out.

I am having fantasies of being back in the office...those days where you are not chasing a toddler around!

Sam has been learning so much. Talking, running, and finding his way. He challenges me all the time! He wants what he wants when he wants it. Such is the life.

Whenever I face challenges with being a mom I tell myself, "You are not the first and only one going through this. Other moms have done it and survived. Some are surviving worse!" That's my pep talk. Patience, patience!

I am trying to savor the days we spend together because I know they won't last forever. He is awesome and challenges or not, at the end of the day I love this guy!

In other home projects...

Here's pictures of the other pillows that I did for the couches downstairs. The fabric is from the ghetto fabric superstore in Chicago, but I am sure you can find it in other places too. :)

Again, I used the envelope pillow instructions in Amy Butler's Midwest Modern book.

Happy Monday! Do I post more than once a week? Hmm. I will check the record on that one.

Rachel and I

Hi all!
I spent this last weekend visiting my friend and college roommate, Rachel. Do you notice the distinction? I said friend AND college roommate. Yup - she endured living with me for 3 years and remains my friend to this day. We didn't know each other before we were paired by the housing coordinators at Taylor University. Pretty neat to have an enduring friendship that started back in the day - 1996 to be exact. :)

Rachel lives in the Washington, D.C. area and we were able to enjoy shopping and a bit of sight-seeing in the couple of days while I was there. Throw in some good talk time and awesome food and you have an excellent weekend to remember!

One more thing...I was able to listen to The Memory Keeper's Daughter on the way down and back. Good read, heavy stuff. Really interesting to see how a single choice can affect the rest of your life and the lives of others around you. If you are ready for deep stuff I recommend it.

Happy day,
ariana

Favorite Thing

I have to tell you about this new favorite thing...I have been testing it since the beginning of the year. It's wet n wild bronzer.

You see, I do try to buy quality when it matters and usually for makeup it just depends on the item. For example - I always go to the counters for my foundation. It's important to get a good match.

For a while I used Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick compact for a little glow. But when I ran out and had a moment of thriftiness I thought about what could substitute for this $38 item...

And that is where wet n wild comes in. It works pretty much the same for me (please note that it may not work for everyone who uses the Bobbi Brown compact) and at $3.99 it was worth the try.

You may want to try it too.

Happy Day,
ariana

A Day in the Life

Me and My Baby

Sam and I have had a great time so far this summer and he has the tan to prove it. No doubt that boy is Puerto Rican. It's not just his attitude - he's turning brown!

Happy Monday to you.

Rmember the shorts?

After a long time sitting on my project table I realized that these shorts will not fit Sam forever! At the rate I was going they were never going to be worn.

So when I went to Target the other day I saw the perfect t-shirt to match his shorts and I just cut out a star shaped scrap to sew onto the shirt. I did it in orange thread and left the edges to fray because I wanted to steer away from the preppy seersucker look.

Now I just need to get going with those plaid shorts...stay tuned!