Happy New Year!

tonight our family is going to lay really low, we have had such a busy busy Christmas week and most of us are feeling under the weather. the perfect reason to stay bundled up together watching movies and ringing in the new year as a family! I think Mr. Gough and I might enjoy a special drink after the kids go to bed - this season we have been enjoying a yummy hot buttered rum on occassion - the best batter recipe in my opinion, found here!

I am so looking forward to what 2011 holds, may you have a blessed and safe evening celebrating in whatever way you enjoy..see you in the New Year!

resolutions and such

2011 is upon us and although my long list of resolutions includes things like: loose these thirty pounds of baby weight, and become and amazing chef that seamlessly puts together incredible menus on a dime (is it just me who has the most lofty of goals and intentions on the first of each year?) there are things on my list that are deeply important to me that I hope to accomplish in some way in 2011.


Simplicity tops my list this year. It seems to be a popular idea these days with countless books and blogs and tons of ideas on how to pare down and simplify your life. I admit that I love reading these but often times feel very overwhelmed by how much I have to learn in the area of simplicity. It is however after Christmas that I look around our home and am frustrated by how much "stuff" we have accumulated and how I want to take a huge garbage sack and throw it all away and start over.

Doesn't seem like the right method to change my habits though. So this year I hope to take one tiny baby step towards the practice of simplicity each week. Setting attainable goals to clean out while also enjoying being creative without spending tons of money. For me I think it most important to define what simplicity means to me so that there is room to not be perfect but more importantly intentional about what comes into our home and how we spend our time.

I spend so much of my time cleaning and picking up with this house full of little ones. I told Mr. Gough the other day that I am fed up with cleaning up our "stuff" and if we had less of it than possibly I would have more time for the things most important to me. Time to sit on the floor with my babes working a puzzle or playing a game or making a batch of homemade bread. I think out of all the reasons to simplify my life the one most important to me is the idea of finding time to do the things that are truly important without having that nagging feeling that the "things" around me need my attention.

So first goal is to begin uncluttering our home. Getting out the garbage bags and deciding what stays and what goes. And only allowing new things to enter our home if we really need it or it has a purpose that meets my goal of simplifying.Seems easy enough but I am already getting stressed out writing this down. I admit that I like my "things" even though they drive me nuts.

After college I lived with my best friend, Claire for several years. Claire is my biggest inspiration with simplicity by far. She literally owns nothing that doesn't have extreme importance or value. Her home is gorgeous and simple, modern with just enough touches to be interesting but not overwhelming - clean and simple. When we lived together often she would go through her stuff paring down which would encourage me to do the same. I would put a bunch of stuff in a huge sack that I intended to get rid of and set it outside my bedroom door...it would sit and sit and I had such a hard time getting rid of it because there would be those items in the bag that although I never used or needed I just couldn't part with. Claire would wait a few weeks and then without asking just take it out to donate. She knew I needed help with that part. And funny thing once it was gone it was hard to even remember what was in the bag in the first place.

So bear with me as I begin working on simplifying my life. I think I might occasionally blog about my process or frustrations. Please feel free to share any tips or ideas you might have that could help me on my pursuit.

So what about you,what resolutions top your list for 2011?

Ruche :: Holiday Look Book

I am crushing on all of the adorable and affordable styles and pieces in this seasons look book from Ruche. I have a couple of their things from seasons past and if I had anywhere to go on New Year's Eve or my pre-pregnancy body was even anywhere close to being back (which it is not, hello goals for 2011) than I would be seriously tempted to purchase something.

I will have to be satisfied with window shopping this year - I can't actually remember the last time we went out for the big countdown. I remember the year I lived in Chicago and went to a huge party at a hotel dressed in a sequins skirt and blouse and four inch heels. Danced the night away in the windy city, to be twenty again! But I think I am most satisfied being tucked in at home with my kiddos and sweet husband to ring in the new year. I am a true home body at heart!

on another note. has anyone else noticed that red head models are cropping up every where this year? being a red head myself I told my husband that I have waited for thirty years to be considered "in" - maybe 2011 is my year!

make something monday :: doily prints

last week when I was wrapping Christmas gifts I decided to try to make something fun and handmade with supplies I had around the house. I grabbed the roll of white craft paper we use most days for coloring and painting, some doilies that were sitting on my desk, a handful of acrylic paints and a sponge brush.

My idea was to use the doilies as a stencil thinking it would make a cute snowflake pattern and started playing around with it. But I only finished enough paper for one present before I decided to divert my attention to printing doilies onto some of Josie's white onesies. I just loved how sweet and delicate the pattern looked - feminine and perfect for an easy design.

Then it occurred to me that the prints looked more like a wreath than a snowflake. I got out my favorite glue went to town decorating the green one with a pink velvet bow and rhinestones, things I already had sitting around my studio.
Josie wore it to the Christmas Eve service at church with a matching bow in her hair. It looked so cute for the five minutes that it wasn't covered in baby spit up!

 

I was glad that I was able to make a little something special for her first Christmas and think I will try my hand at painting onesies again in the very near future, so instantly gratifying! 

What about you, did you make anything for your little ones to wear this year? Next up I want to try an easy skirt pattern that is running around in my head - I love having a little girl to dress, sooo much fun!!

*for this project I first slid a piece of card stock in between the layers of fabric and then simply laid a doily onto the spot desired. I carefully dabbed some fabric (I used acrylic) paint over the doily with a sponge brush. I found that a lighter hand made a prettier print. Let the paint dry for several hours and then turn the shirt inside out and heat set by ironing several times over the printed area. Turn the shirt right side out and embellish with whatever fun things you have - I could totally see embroidery on these too! 

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

may your holiday be full of joy and love!
xo,
Rebekah

brought to you by

little miss Josie who likes to keep her mama up late. {Josie these bags under mommies eyes are getting pretty bad}

now I do enjoy our little mother/daughter late night chats but lady I need to teach you a bit about beauty sleep...I know you are cute enough without it but hon I am not as young as I use to be..I need some.

and I know you are only two months old but all these midnight snacks are wearing me out.

PS. you snore..and it's super cute, I love you little lady now go to bed!

Orange Thyme

first I would like to preface this post by saying that I am not the kind of girl who likes to hand out makeup advice. ever. there is a back story and most friends who have known me long enough know that I am pretty much clueless when it comes to the makeup department. I usually use a bit of under eye concealer (a must with a new baby and sleepless nights) some brown mascara and maybe a clear gloss.

so that is why this post is kind of a big deal to me. because I am going to tell you about an amazing lip stain I purchased a few weeks ago and I love it so much that I feel the need to tell someone. Orange Thyme - a featured Etsy seller this past summer in fact, has a ton of amazing vegan beauty products with incredible prices. I couldn't help myself but order something to make me feel a little special in my yoga pants and all I can say is - wow! I am in love with the lip stains. I ordered the blackberry and the cherry and they are both such perfect colors. The texture of these are super soft and smooth. the perfect hint of color almost like you just ate a handful of fresh berries or a cherry popsicle! A very subtle berry scent and long lasting to boot. and these babies have all of four ingredients!!

I am hooked and will be ordering more and can't wait to try out some of the other yummy looking products in the line! now if only I could get some of my other beauty rituals worked out. I am horrible about taking care of my skin and really would love to find a few more fun products to spice up my dull makeup bag. If you have any suggestions please do share!!

peppermint + chocolate

 

I absolutely die for anything peppermint and chocolate! Each year I have to force myself to wait until the day after thanksgiving before ordering my all time favorite holiday classic, the peppermint mocha at Starbucks. It just instantly makes me feel christmasy, I could drink them all day everyday for the entire season. Another holiday must for me is the candy cane frango at Macy's. Seriously if you have never tried one you must they are so good and so addicting. I usually buy myself my own box each year and really don't like to share - ha! They are only available at Christmas and I look forward to them with great anticipation.

I confess though that I didn't get around to making my all time favorite peppermint bark this year - I have made it for the past four Christmases and looove it but it is a bit more involved than I was up for today. 

Instead I used what we had in the house. A bag of semi sweet and a bag of white chocolate chips. For the first layer I melted the semi sweet chips and spread them out on parchment paper laid on top of a cookie sheet. I put it in the freezer for about a half hour and then melted the white chocolate chips and stirred in a bit of smooshed candy canes. I spread that layer on top of the first and sprinkled the rest of the candy cane on top and popped the whole thing back in the freezer to cool. Broke it apart and slipped some into glassine bags, wrapped them with bakers twine and added a cute gift tag. I think I am going to hand them out to a few neighbors this week. 

If I had more time and energy I would be giving these amazing peppermint patty and peppermint brownie recipes a try, but I think I will bookmark them for next year. I can't believe that Christmas is this coming Saturday. I honestly don't even really know what to do with myself to prepare. Tomorrow I hope to do some last minute Christmas shopping and fun with my bestie and the kiddos...we shall see how much we actually get accomplished. I do however know that the peppermint mocha will be on the menu, tis the season!

{cute gift tag download from black apple a few years ago, they continue to be a favorite!}

make something monday :: sequins paper chain necklace

this is a super easy and festive way to spice up any outfit for the season. I could also see these strung on the tree, which I might actually have to do one year. An easy gift as well - they are fairly addicting once you get started.

you will need:

sequin's tape
scissors
fabric glue - {I like fabri-tac}
ribbon

cut the sequins tape into 4.5" pieces, carefully glue each link together using fabric glue, sew ribbon on the ends, throw on your cutest party dress and new necklace - enjoy!

etsy favorites :: a vintage christmas

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve

deep breaths

 

this Christmas season I have been totally struggling with squeezing in all that I want to while balancing our full house with a new baby on board to boot. There seems to be something constantly vi-ing for my attention at all times. Piles of dishes and laundry. Yesterday morning my boys took every.last.stitch of clothing out of their dresser AND all their books AND all the games and made a giant pile in between their beds so that when they tried to leap one side to the other side, if they fell they wouldn't hurt themselves. Made complete sense to them and they were even calling it a "party" and not letting me and the mr. in. Chris and I were having our own little discussion of sorts, some might call it a fight - and truth be told I was sweating so it probably was sort of a fight but we were trying to keep it low so as not to alarm the children. We let them do whatever they were doing in there room for a bit while we used the time to work out our disagreement. When we finally got around to checking on them the damage was done. 

and boy was it

it literally took us two and a half hours as a family to put the entire thing back together. Lots of tears were had, toys thrown away and their dresser reorganize which I suppose was a silver lining but not the way I had planned to tackle that job. It was super frustrating and woven throughout the morning were long stretches of baby bawling and begging Josie to take her pacifier so that we could finish up. When it was over and Chris was loading the kids into the car to do some errands it was already after two. He leaned down and gave me a kiss but it was a reserved kiss and he mumbled something about how he hadn't brushed his teeth yet. I totally started laughing and confessed that neither had I.

This is such a full season with our family that I desperately want to bottle up and save. It just goes so fast, so fast and the constant expectations that I have layered on top for myself are making it so hard to relax and savor. I am bustling around, literally shedding tears over how stressful it is to do Christmas shopping with three. Longing for a long nap because the sleepless nights are starting to really take there toll. 

I know I need to slow down, but I don't want to. I want to be super mom, I should be super mom. Other mom's are doing it all, perfect decorations, clean kitchens, plates of Christmas cookies..I can't even find anything to wear except for an over sized sweatshirt with spit up all over it...

but then somehow in that one tiny stolen moment of peace that I find, Jesus reaches down and touches my heart. He reminds me of his love for me and how he came to earth so softly, gently and quietly in a stable that was not perfectly decorated with lavish gifts to welcome him, no just the love of a mother and father. That is all I want to give to my children this year. If that is all I can muster than I will give them my quiet, patient presence and love. thank you Jesus for giving that to me.

this is my favorite new song of the season, I could listen to Audrey Assad all day long sing this gorgeous lullaby - it resets me and reminds me of the reason for Christmas.

Christmas Card Photo Shoot 2010

Every year one of my favorite traditions is the classic family photo shoot for the Christmas card. Sometimes we are lucky enough to have a professional take the pictures. My friend Barbie Hull took our photos this year and I love what she captured. But they aren't always professional shots that make it onto the card. Last year I chose a silly series I snapped of my boys goofing around in the back yard and they ended up being some of my favorites of them ever!

Christmas card photos 2009

I also just adore opening my mailbox everyday during the holiday season and finding cards from friends and family,  seeing how their families have grown and displaying them around our home. It fills the house with such life and joy, it makes me feel connected to loved ones who live far away - I love the cheesy Christmas cards I will admit it. 

So how do you choose your cards? Do you always put a picture on your card? Is it a fun tradition or do you think that cards just add stress to the holidays? 

All I know is that no matter how cheesy or silly our cards may be it is a joy to look at cards past and see just how much our family has grown and changed and how blessed we are to even do things like cheesy photo shoots together. For me it makes the season that much more about family, making memories and savoring the sweet moments we have been given!

what's in a name :: why I chose this title

 

when I was a little girl I had a stuffed swan that was my very very favorite, a gift from my dear Grandmother. she wore a little straw hat and when you wound her crank she hummed the tune to you are my sunshine. she was always by my side. unfortunately something happened to my little swan and I haven't seen her in many years but that song, you are my sunshine, became a sort of theme song in my mind. I would sing it constantly - I just adore that song. now that I have kids of my own we love to sing that song together,  and it perfectly describes how I feel about my family. they are my sunshine's, my very favorites. we live in Seattle which is often grey and rainy and so this blog is dedicated to all the things that like the song says: make me happy even when skies are grey. my kids, my craft, photography, decorating, daydreams...pretty things that inspire a bit of sunshine.

christmas crafting

I finally found five minutes to myself and an idea for that pile of vintage doilies that has taken over my studio lately. I whipped this bunting together in about an hour and hung it in our dining room, the perfect spot to clip all those christmas cards too for display instead of collecting in a pile on the kitchen counter. I also love how this easy bunting will transition into winter and can stay up after christmas. now to work on stockings and christmas cookies!
what are some christmas crafts you are working on these days?

Ten on Ten :: December 2010

a project I started about three years ago with the purpose of documenting a day by taking a photo an hour for ten consecutive hours on the tenth of each month. it has been an amazing way to document our growing family the past years I just love it!
if you would like to learn more check out my other blog Ten on Ten and consider joining me in the new year.

a wish

that in this new little space I would be able document all the comings and going of our growing family and be able to share little glimpses of things that inspire me through my days, here's to a fresh new start!