10 Things That I'm Loving Right Now

Fall. It refuels me. It's like I've been road-trippin' it, and with all the weather-worn effects of having been someplace good and miles of pavement touched by the humming of the wheels, a trunk full of souvenirs and lingering scents of places I love still in the cabin, that red light's been a blinking now for a few miles. It's time to fill the tank. That part of me that likes to turn my feelings into words, that likes to weave them into some sort of tapestry while making sense of them has been running on an obnoxious red E.

Oh but Fall. The chill in the air brings out a side of me, kind of a spring-cleaning vibe but without the spring. As much as I love picking our way through thicks of Johnny Apple trees with my knit-clad clan and navigating twisty roads lined with the rich reds and oranges of a Michigan autumn, I crave the comfort of home, the simplicity of routine and earlier nightfalls, the re-organizing of our normal, the clearing out of clutter. And though my creativity isn't something that can be sorted and sifted, it seems that when I make space in my home for the beauty of the new season, a leave room in my mind for creativity to flow.

So today, as the sorting and sifting has been commenced, a run off of ten things that we've been loving lately will be left in this space here... in no particular order, because sometimes the simplicity of dropping all the road trip stuff right at the front door... and sorting that later... is beautiful.


Our Favorite Summer Place in Fall
The beach sings a completely different tune come the end of September, and it's hum draws us in for a quick visit to frolic these familiar waters, only this time wearing a little more than our summer worthy swimsuits.








Succumbing To His Sister's Adornment
I guess all younger siblings are submitted to some kind of torture. For my little boy... it's being dressed up at the hand of his overly excited sister. This was after Aliyah ran into my room declaring, "Mommy, look at what I did to Brayden!"

Yes, internet, this is my son.



Fall Color
It moves me... and I can feel the tank filling.





Dancing On The Beach
And by dancing on the beach, I mean my little's spritely body moving and twirling in the sunlight when asked to show off her ballet moves.






The Fair
And the enjoyment of a walk through the magic of the fair with friends, good food, excited littles and crisp air. Learning to take risks and what it means to be doing nothing and something all at the same time.




The Return of Cozy, Nubby Knits
If I could love one thing about Fall, it would be knits... gorgeous, soft, nubby little knits for my little 'cubby' cheeks to live in.





Yes, filling up indeed. And we're sipping up every last little droplet of September from our cups, as October is getting ready to pour us a fresh new cup. I look forward to digging in a little deeper to our cozy, happy place.


My Little Willow and Our Big Willow
Oh my little Tarzania, how I love you. And thanks, Gerri, for that sweet name.

My Little Willow and Our Willow from tabitha blue on Vimeo.


Her Enthusiasm
I never tire of hearing her ask to help, pour, mix and stir. When I need a little creative boost, baking is something that brings me back to that place and awakens my senses. Add to that a little helper that gets so excited about EVERYTHING. We need to add butter...YAY BUTTER! Time to roll the dough... OHHHHH, CAN I ROLL?! It's how I want to live EVERY SINGLE DAY.






The Way They Love
They love with all the windows of their heart open. They teach me how to love, and more than that every day, and I love their little open hearts and souls.



And for the record, Brayden has been giving hugs.  As in, I'll hug him and he'll stretch his chubby little arms around my neck and squeeze.  It's the most adorable thing. Ever.



They refuel me in every way. And as we begin to dip our toes into October, we're dusting off the boxes marked "Fall" and bringing out the pumpkin things, the orange things, the spicy things, the oh-so-very-Autumn things. Perhaps soon there will be pie. And homemade bread. Just maybe another pot of chili.

But one thing is for certain, the little things, the fall things, the family things... we'll be loving those.

Oh, and tomorrow's Friday, and that's always a good thing. Celebrate life and the things you love this weekend. There is so much!

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Sneak Peak:: Katelyn - Class of 2011 Senior Portraits

This girl rocked out a shoot in the freezing cold.  We'd stand off to the side with her jacket and a blanket ready as soon as the camera stopped shooting. With a strong exhale she'd stop the teeth chattering long enough to strike a few poses and we'd click that shutter as fast as we could. Katelyn, you were great! And here's to an amazing senior year!





You can get a sneak peak of Katelyn's indoor session here, and a little more of this shoot here.

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To The Victor...

We found a recipe. We fried. We conquered. And then we ate... fried oreos. Nuff' said.

Visit Wordless Wednesday and 5 Minutes for Mom for more Wordless Wednesday.

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My Wonderful Girl and Her Wonderland Party

It was supposed to rain. In fact it had been a very wet week. The ominous clouds loomed over the green grass, their haunting presence a reminder of the cold downpour that was sure to come. Then, something beautiful happened. The sun's gorgeous rays began burrowing holes through those dark clouds just in time to warm the wet earth beneath our feet.



And I cried. Happy tears because it was perfect. Because even the sky participated in the celebration of my fabulous firstborn, my girl. Because our yard quickly filled with littles and bright happy faces. Because her face lit up with a crooked smile knowing that this was all in celebration of her, of her life... and there's nothing bigger to celebrate than life. Than birth. And we celebrate big.

This overly sappy mama could wax on about the beauty of life and love, how mine has taken on completely new meaning with my sweet girl in my life. How she's stretched me and taught me so much in the last four years, things I never knew about myself. With eyes full of welled tears I think about the day she made me a mama, how her tiny little body was placed in my arms and my heart found a whole new rhythm. But I've gone that route before, and this post is all about something that I look forward to planning every year, because I just like to throw parties, I thrive on it. And what offers up a better reason to party than birth? So... here is her party.



This time with our backyard being transported to Wonderland and full of sweet things, of pink things, of bouncy things, of sticky cotton candy things, of cute little bunnies and a visit from Alice who just happens to love to paint little faces.










Oh, how I loved watching the littles arrive, the girls diving into the piles of hats and bows and tutus waiting to adorn their little bodies... and their smiles. Once they'd pranced in and out of outfits until they arrived at the perfect combination, they would find their way through the doors to this magical place and make their way straight to the bunnies.









The birthday girl herself became a wonderful hostess, welcoming her friends and searching out each one that brought a gift to offer a Thank You and a hug, shy smiling Alice, announcing whose key had been drawn from the treasure box and making sure they chose a great gift from the treasure chest.







We had a tea party, Alice in Wonderland style, with paper lanterns and colorful tissue flowers sprinkling the sky above and fun little tea pots peppered across a flowery table of pink.



Nana outdid herself as she scoured every nearby resale and antique store to help find enough gorgeous tea cups for each little girl to use and take home with her.




And as the littles scrambled to find their seats marked by the personalized sack lunches, us mamas and daddies smiled big smiles as we read Eat Me and Drink Me over and over again to curious little minds.









And there's something amazing about answering a phone call the night before the party and hearing I've found something that we should do!  Then having a couple of friends show up at the door with stacks of ribbon in hand and we rifle through my stash of lace, fabric and flowers to stay up late into the night and come up with this amazing transformation for a plain, overwhealmingly yellow, school chair.




We are so blessed and honored to know all these sweet souls and have them be a part of our lives and this very special day. They made it special.

I was aching from smiles just watching Aliyah demurely stroll from station to station and friend to friend, taking it all in. She knew they were here for her and her big heart wanted to give back, to make sure each one was having the time of their life and in doing so, she was having the time of her life. Each time I watched her my sentimental heart just caved at the beauty of her and her day.




And at the end of the day... when the last bit of pink was cleared to reveal yet again the green of our grass, the rain drops fell. Like it was cued perfectly by God himself, a perfect ending to a perfect day. And it was all so immensely worth it. Every trip to the antique store, every burn from the hot glue gun (thanks mama for bearing most of those), every time there was another chair to decorate, every month spent planning, everything fell into place more beautifully than I could have imagined, and I was overcome with joy for my girl.



It was wonderland, I say... and heaven.



For the details on how to plan a DIY Wonderland party, click HERE!!

{A look at the past... Year Three Party, Year Two Party, Year One Party}

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