More is Better... This Time

It has been so chilly and wonderful in eastern NC! I love it. I waited for the crisp weather and toasty fire for so long, and although I know it won't last for too many months, I'm going to thoroughly enjoy it while I can. I'm a cold weather girl! I love the layers, the hot chocolate and cider, my fireplace, Christmas music, snuggles and movies... I love it all. And if clothes are one of my favorite things, the more I get to wear at a time, the better.

 tribal poncho: Karlie, tunic: Chalet, jeans: Charlotte Russe, boots: Soda, scarf: self made

Sadie is becoming quite the little blogtographer. Mad props to the preschooler in the house. She does a heck of a lot better with my phone than I do with the timer on my digital camera. If you have kids, tell me one thing that they do way better than you. Mine do lots of things better than me (like give grace and forgiveness in an instant). But today, I'll use the fact that Sadie is a way better photographer than I am. Go, girl. 

And tell me what you're enjoying about the holiday season!!! I'm so psyched!

To My Brother on His Birthday

Dear Ryan,

Today is your 23rd birthday. I can hardly even believe that 23 years ago, I was sitting in our neighbor's room, playing with kittens, waiting to go to the hospital to meet my baby brother. I remember where I was sitting, what I was wearing, and exactly how I felt. I wanted to take care of you, hold you, feed you, and treat you like my own little live baby doll. Since then, we've had ups and downs, just like any brother-sister duo might. But, we've always loved each other and taken care of each other. Know what my favorite thing about you always has been and always will be? You're there. You're always, always, always there. See that picture on my sofa? You were there. See the one when Sadie had a question at our cousin's graduation party? Who was there to answer it? You were. See that one on the beach? The time when Sadie HAD to go see the ocean and build a sand castle in the rain? You were there. And the one with you kicking a ball to Clarke at the pumpkin patch? Because we promised little girls we'd take them. You were there. And the one with you tickling a post-trick-or-treating chicken? Yep, you were there, too. And when you were there to hold Norah when she was born and take care of Sadie while we stayed in the hospital? You were there. And that one of you and me? Because you're always there for me. Always. 

I love you so much and I'm proud and blessed that you're my little brother and my best friend. Happy 23rd, Ry. May this year bring you more love and joy than any so far and less than all of the following ones.

So Thankful

I wish I had a photo montage of all the things that I'm thankful for. No one likes a blog post without pictures. The truth is, this year, I'm thankful for simply everything. I couldn't break down and do the month of thankfulness, posting one thing for which I'm thankful, to facebook, each day. I wake up in the morning, groggy and exhausted, and my feet hit the floor. From that moment, forward, I am literally busting at the seams with gratitude. I have a family that extends so much grace and forgiveness to me, children that think I'm pretty much the coolest thing since sliced bread, even when I'm struggling to get so much as a sandwich on the table by dinner time some nights. I have a husband, whom, despite weight gain, exhaustion, and sometimes sheer laziness to impress on my behalf, still thinks I'm beautiful and worthy of his love and affection. I have a home, a closet brimming with clothes (even when I think I have nothing to wear), enough laundry to go three or more weeks without having to wash for the whole family (I've tested this theory), friends who would literally drop everything they were doing to come to my rescue. I have a job that is truly my calling, where I am happy to go and share my love and talents, and where Monday never seems dreadful. I have a boss and coworker who literally Light.Up.My.Life. I mean, the list goes on. There's nothing to be ungrateful for. 

Most of all, I am thankful for God's never ending, unconditional, great big love. His Grace, His expectations of me, His answers, His voice. He is the reason for everything in the first paragraph and the reason I wake up every morning with a huge, goofy smile on my face. He's the reason I call my mom to wish her "Happy Monday" or "Happy Friday" or "Happy week!" He is everything in the whole universe and He is my number one. Without Him, I'd have nothing. So, with Him, I truly have everything. There's no photo montage for that. Open your eyes and look around you. It's all from Him.

Happy Thanksgiving, sweet friends and family.

Teachy Tunic

All I want for Christmas is to go shopping for teacher clothes. And no, I don't mean pencil skirts, cardigans, chinos, dress pants, and button-ups. I mean comfy, casual, easy to move in, easy to get up and down in, easy to dust, mop, and clean bathrooms in, easy to change diapers in, and easy to look cute in clothes. Like this tunic, for instance, which is not done any justice when I have my hands in its big ol' pockets. It can be worn with a belt, with skinny jeans, with leggings, with scarves, with chunky necklaces, with wide legs, with flats, with boots, layered under a vest, over a long sleeved shirt. For real, y'all, if I just had one of these in every color, I'd probably be set. Not the most interesting outfit for my first time wearing my lovely tunic, but I promise to do more! More, more, more!!!

And, yes, I just realized the knot in my scarf is all wonky doodle over my shoulder. Cute, scarf. Reeeaaally cute.

 tunic: Iridium, scarf & leggings: Old Navy, jellies: c/o Happy Scarf

What style of an item (cardigan, tank, tunic, LBD, trouser jeans, etc) would you wear every single day, if you could?

I hope everyone has a really nice Thanksgiving! We are heading to Virginia to be with Hubs' family for the holiday. Have a safe, happy holiday and don't get too stuffed!

Sugarplum Fairy

Let's be honest. My kid is made of rainbows and fairytales. 

And mulch, sand, dirt, and attitude.

But, back to the rainbows and fairytales... Sadie is so girly and adores choosing her own clothes. On Friday, I said, "It's going to be nice outside! You can choose a long sleeved dress. You don't need tights or leggings." She came back with this dress, white ditsy print Mary Janes and this polka dotted bow. I was so pleased with her pattern mixing and would've let her keep the whole ensemble, but the shoes were too big and would've caused chaos on the playground. When I asked her to take my outfit photo (yep, she's my photographer!), she said, "Okay, but me, first." Sure thing, Sugarplum. Sure thing.

I also do not, in any way, prompt her poses. She's a style blogger in the making, I tell you.

 dress: gifted, shoes: Target, bow: local artist

And, for my own record, if I hadn't told you she's also made of those other things, wouldn't you just think, by looking at these pictures, that she really was just a sweet, innocent little flower child? Mmm. LOVE. This. KID.

Bow-verboard {Funday Monday Link-Up}

Bow-vereboard. Hah. See how I did that? Okay, enough of me. How about my bows? I've gotten a bit obsessed with making them and now, well, I have a stock. I was planning to make them for custom orders, but I got carried away and Holiday (and miscellaneous) Bowstravaganza 2013 has taken over my crafting space (ahem, dining room). I started by making a few for Sadie because the cheapies that I bought were ragged. Then, my MIL asked if I'd send some to a craft show with her. Those were lame ones that didn't sell. Discouraged, I decided to get creative. Here's what's in stock right now. If you have a little girl and are interested in Christmas bows or really anything, please let me know! I will continue working through my blog email and using Paypal for invoicing and mailing. I'd love to be your bow supplier!

Some close-ups:

To order, please email me at alittlebitofthisblog{at}gmail{dot}com. You can place an order from this stock (I can make duplicates) or place custom orders. In your email, please specify:

- Size: 3", 4", 5"

- Center style: Knotted boutique (like light pink in last photo), Simple ribbon (like hot pink polka dots with white center), fancy (like hot pink with green center - specify two ribbon colors), or embellished (specify embellishment)

- Clip: French barrett or alligator clip

Thanks so much! Hope you enjoyed checking my bows out as much as I love making them!

Unconditional Love

I have a favorite tree. I fell in love with it when its leaves started changing in early October. I took a picture of it at its peak of beautiful color (top) and then one after most of the leaves had fallen off. When we round the bend that leads to my tree in the morning, Sadie now says, "Oh no, Mommy! Look at your tree! It's naked. You need a new favorite tree." And I took that as the perfect opportunity to share a little story about unconditional love. I said, "Baby, I will not change my favorite tree just because its leaves fell off. That would be like me changing my favorite family if their hair got grey or they got a bruise on their faces. That is still my favorite tree and I will love it as it changes through the seasons. It's still a beautiful tree. God painted it oranges and yellows for the fall and now he is getting it ready for the cold winter months. In the spring, God will put beautiful, bright green leaves on that same tree and it will stay green and lush through the summer. We don't change what we love because what we love changes." It was so surreal when she replied, "Okay, Mommy. I will always love you, even if you get a hair cut." I mean, it was such a small understanding of such a big thing, but I think she may have gotten my point. All because of my favorite, beautiful tree.

 And then, we have these sweet, sweet munchkins...

I thought I knew what unconditional love was. Then, I had children and I really learned what it means to unconditionally love someone. I will always love my parents, my brother, my husband. I just will. I know that. I will be angry and hurt and sad, but I will always love them. The love for your children is so impenetrable, though. Imagine yourself in your brand new suit, driving your brand new car, and your toddler just has to give you a running leap of a hug to say, "goodbye," for the day. And that gorgeous, loving child is covered in chocolate chip pancakes, butter, and maple syrup, while you're holding an opened travel mug of piping hot coffee, just ready to take a sip. Yes, when you are burned, possibly in the second degree, covered in coffee and pancake mess, your car and suit are stained, and you are absolutely late for work, you love that little one more than your heart can even comprehend. It's just amazing. I'm so blessed to know what it feels like to be unconditionally loved by God and I can only hope that I can teach and show my children that love and how to give it.

All the Things, Lately

Lots of things have happened over the past few weeks. We traveled to Virginia to visit my family and the girls thoroughly enjoyed their time jumping in huge leaf piles. Outfits have been worn and forgotten. Noses have been bitten by bitter chills and beads of sweat have rolled off of our hot, hot foreheads. Fall has brought all sorts of weather, fun, and memories. It also brought pneumonia for me, which I'm finally just starting to get over. So, while I gather my thoughts, photos, and posts for the upcoming week, here are some things I've missed sharing with you.

My brother spent tons of time blowing leaves into a huge pile for the girls to play in. They had such a blast and I was glad to capture some sweet photos. Sadie especially enjoyed taking running leaps into the leaf mound and you can see the sheer joy on her face!

 On the way home from Virginia, the girls got really restless. We stopped at a big gas station/food store that had a few surrounding fields and I let them run some energy off before making the rest of the trip.

 At some point over the last two weeks, I ransacked WalMart's kids' sweats collection and got 3 matching outfits for the girls. I'll continue to do forced matching while they think it's awesome.

I'll spare you photos of myself, but then... the pneumonia came. Soup and tea, soup and tea, soup and tea.

 Movies and popcorn for the kiddos.

 Snuggling up in my bed for Christmas classics. <3

 And when I emerged from the depths of my bed, Sadie decided it was a good time to show Norah our wedding album. I cried. This was absolutely precious.

 And, though I'm always an early Christmas decorator, I've not completely bounced back. So, at least we have Sadie's bedroom tree up and decorated. Thank Heaven we'll be doing the big tree, tomorrow, as a whole family.

I have more to share! Stay tuned. And as always, thanks for sticking around while I'm so sporadic. :)

Casual Friday

I've said, before, that I love this flannel shirt. I plan on wearing it pretty much once a week. It's gauzy, warm, and has the perfect colors for fall and winter. After a rough week, I wanted to spend Friday in something deliciously comfortable, so this outfit was born. Love the cuffed jeans and the short sleeved sweatshirt layered over the flannel. Everything screams warmth. And, "Don't mess with me." That's how I felt. Warm and like I was gettin' it done!

Your girl wasn't even wasting time with getting hair in her face. Ain't nobody got time fo' dat.

Snakeskin

There's a first time for everything. First hair cut, first loose tooth, first bike ride... I'm 29 years old and this tunic is my first snakeskin print. Want to know another fun fact? I had a mauve one in my hand and Sadie said, "I like that one better," pointing at the snakeskin. Unsure of how I could pull it off and how it'd be work appropriate, I reluctantly threw it in the car (with the mauve one, just in case I lost my guts). I loved styling it up with skinnies, boots, and layering a long sleeved top underneath. You all know I'm big on layering, especially because I teach preschool and need to always be comfortable, appropriate, and set a good example. I'd love some ideas on other ways to style this cute tunic because I love it, but it's still a bit out of my comfort zone!

 tunic: Target, jeans: Charlotte Russe, tee and boots: Old Navy

Do you step out of your comfort zone with clothing prints and styles? And if/when you do, do you have trouble styling those pieces? I'm worried that I'll only be able to wear this tunic one way!