Perhaps it’s the energy of the New Year or the fact that I sleep much better when I’m not doomsday scrolling on my phone before bed but I’ve been tearing through books lately. I finished Verity (holy smokes!) in just over a day, The Heart’s Invisible Furies (wow!), and started The Giver of Stars (finally!) last night. Hoping 2022 brings more and more books into my life. I need them.

Life lately is..

this album.

this sweater.

this podcast.

this nail color.

this candle.

this book.

this show.

and early bedtimes.

Our return to office is approaching… that means the return of my (10+ year old, purple, bedazzled) flat iron is also approaching. I’ve been wearing my hair tied back in a low bun for longer than I can remember. Blame kids. Blame time management. Blame the half-curl, half-frizz combo I’ve inherited but this mop isn’t doing me any favors these days. Perhaps I need to give a beautiful, simple hair pin a try. Adding to my Christmas list.

Somehow I blinked and it had been five weeks since I last visited this little slice of the interweb. Thankfully, that time away has been a sign of all good things off-screen. Things that included a very fun and complete (!!) summer bucket list, a trip to Chicago to cheer on my sister during her second marathon (incredible!), photos of our growing family, a quick trip to Iowa, and lots of Fall prep. This coming weekend is the first weekend in quite some time we’ll all be home and staring at a wide open calendar. Hoping to work on Halloween costumes, make some pumpkin bread, and… sit. What a concept: sitting. Hope you have some sitting on the agenda this weekend too!

These colors. All day. Please and thank you.

I’ve been working (behind the scenes, mostly) with the folks at faucethead since 2009. That makes me two things: very old and very lucky. Pop on over to the faucethead Instagram page and check out a fun giveaway that we’re doing to celebrate TWENTY years of faucethead goodness. And be sure to like/subscribe/all that stuff for the next twenty years, while you’re at it.

Traveling with three kids under the age of four should be an Olympic sport. At least, packing for three kids under the age of four should be! After many days (weeks?) of planning, prepping, packing and only mild panic, we made it up to Door County last week for the annual Braun getaway. Four days of staying up too late, drinking too much wine, eating too much cheese and hanging with so much family we hadn’t seen in a long time was worth all the stress. Here’s hoping that next year the girls decide the water isn’t ‘too cold’ to enjoy!

My co-worker was wearing these overalls the other day and, even over Teams/Zoom/Skype/whatever, they looked reallllly cute. Could my long limbs pull them off? Just might have to give them a try.

If I had a ‘summer vibe’ goal… this would be it. Barefoot, near water (I’m assuming), sun-kissed skin, top flowing in the wind. Sign me up.

We did it! The Red Head left for Fort Jackson Basic Training November 3, crushed Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning and is now back home in Minnesota as of May 28.

What. A. Journey.

This photo, taken a couple weeks ago already, is my current favorite. Is a 24×36 for above the fireplace too much, ha! Welcome home, Red.