School Pictures - Presidential Style

Calder has never been one to phone it in when it comes to his attire. He dresses up for church, eating lunch at dad's office and of course for kindergarten school pictures. I was pleasantly surprised that the  photography company took school pictures outside and provided 14-20 different poses for parents to choose from. This is my favorite pose of Calder's set. I just can't get over how nice the pictures are. School pictures have definitely come a long way since I was a kid. 

Home Tour - Colette's Room

 Our home has four bedrooms. Three of them are upstairs and one is downstairs and we use it as an office. The smallest bedroom is Colette's room. It is really small. I think it measures 8 feet by 10 feet. Although it is small it offers tons of storage and fits everything she needs. 

Before we moved in the floors in Colette's bedroom and the hallway outside the bedrooms needed refinishing. It looked as if the floors had been covered by carpet when the other bedrooms got refinished. Thankfully we had a few weeks from the time we bought the house to the time we moved in. Our flooring guys were awesome and I love the way the floors look. 

 This is a fabulous little built in storage unit. This section of her bedroom is right over the stairs and so the bottom of the cabinet is sloped upwards. It is the perfect way to hid a funny floor and add storage at the same time. The shelves were here when we moved in. 

 This amazing quilt on Colette's bed was made by her Grandma Kate. I love it. The colors and fabrics are amazing. 

This is the cutest little dresser. It is perfect for a sweet little girl. I found it on Craigslist when I was pregnant with Colette. I love the mid century lines and the white mixed with wood. I have noticed wooden influences are making their way back in to many interior design elements. I love them. 

So, that's Colette's room. I love it. It holds everything she needs and has tons of storage she hasn't even utilized yet. We didn't paint or do too much decorating because I want to wait until she is older and can choose what she wants. So, I'm sure there will be many more updates to this room as she gets older. It's perfect for now though. 

Stitch Fix #3

I just got my third box from StitchFix this last week. I am so excited about this one! My second box was a little less than stellar and I somehow deleted the pictures from my phone, so we are just going to skip that one. I ended up keeping one shirt, that I will show you down below. I have read that the third fix is when they really hone in on your style and can magically get it to work. That certainly seems to be the case for me. If it wouldn't have been for a few minor details I would have kept the whole box! Here's what I got:

 This June Polka Dot Skirt by Pixley is totally my favorite thing from the box. I love pencil skirts and this one had a hint of stretch, making it easier to chase kids. This bag was also something I kept and love.

 The top I'm wearing above is the shirt I kept from my second fix. It is from 41Hawthorn. I love that it has details like petal sleeves that hit at the elbow and pockets and button details. It is longer in the front and back and shorter on the sides. Frequently these types of tops don't work for me but for some reason this one does. And the red pants were in my third fix. They are the Duboce Strait Leg Jean by Margaret M. I love them and kept them. They look awesome with boots for the fall/winter. 

 I totally swooned over this bag. It is the Clarita Messenger Bag by Emperia. I have the hardest time finding bags that have a zipper to close them in stead of just a magnet. Or, if I do find a zipper one they seem pretty heavy on their own. This one is just perfect. It has the perfect number of pockets and I love the messenger design. It is definitely a keep!

 It was already put to good use and fit everything we needed for church. TOTAL WIN!

 I desperately wanted to love this dress. It has everything I asked for and should have been great but the pleating at the hips just didn't work well. Jason even liked it except for the hip pleats. The polka dots are cute and the colors are great for fall. The length is awesome. It is the Jace Dot Print Fit & Flare Dress by 41Hawthorn. I didn't keep this one. 

 And the last thing in my box is this cute blazer by Market and Spruce. They call it the Benson 3/4 Ruched Sleeve Blazer. It fits like a glove and has the cutest striped lining. I love the length and the one button design. I don't love the outer fabric though. The color is great but the sheen on the fabric makes it seem like polyester. I really wanted to love this one too because it had so much going for it, but alas, it went back too. 

So for a recap, I kept three things from the box and was tempted by the other two. So, what would you have kept, if anything? And, if you've tried StitchFix, what are your thoughts? If you haven't tried it and want to, feel free to use my referral code, I get a kickback and I'll love you forever.

Stitch Fix #1

I recently discovered Stitch Fix and am totally crushing on this company. I received my first fix about a week ago and was totally impressed. The premise is they have stylists that choose five clothing items for you based on information you give them about your style preferences. They ask a few simple questions and then ask you to share a link to your style board on Pinterest or if you have a blog you can share that too. This gives them a lot more information about what type of clothes you like and what your overall style is. They also have a note section where you can tell them exactly what your looking for. 

For my first fix I told them I wanted more skirts and dresses that I could wear during the week. I love skirts and dresses but have a hard time finding just the right style or fit to run around with the kids. And this is what they sent me.

 This first skirt is a black maxi skirt with a really cool detail on the front. It has a cool twisted knot and a cool drape in the front along the bottom.

 It's really hard to see but I am loving the way it fits. It feels a little sexy without being over the top and I can totally wear it while the kids and I are running around. Unfortunately I don't need more maxi skirts. Jason totally hates them and I have a few already. So I didn't keep it but I do think it was a great thing for them to send me based on the information I provided. 

Item #2 is this cute top. It has cherry blossoms on it and is really comfortable top. Jason loved this one. I am not crazy about the pattern. I decided I am only keeping things I absolutely LOVE. So this went back too.

 Item #3 is amazing and perfect in every way! This top has the fun detail I was looking for, in a brilliant color with a perfect fit. Jason and I both love this one and of the five things they sent this is the one I kept. 

 Item #4 is this delicate infinity bracelet. It was sweet and cute and simple, all the things I tend to go for. And because of that I already have quite a few dainty gold bracelets. This one went back but it was a hard decision. I think the stylist did such a good job choosing that she chose something I already basically had. So kudos to her. 

 And item #5 is this cute dress. It came with a black slip and was a great length but didn't have sleeves. This isn't normally a big deal to me because I'm happy to layer over my dresses but I felt like for the price I would rather just throw it on and not think about adding a sweater to it. Plus I felt like it wasn't quite worth the price. So it went back too. 

 Along with the five items they include pictures of sample outfits to go with the items they sent so you know how to wear them. This is really fun and I found a few ideas on this card. Plus there is a personalized note from your stylist. I was totally impressed with my first Fix and am really looking forward to the next one. 

You do pay a $20 stylist fee but if you keep anything from the fix you can apply the fee to that item. So if you keep anything the styling is free. And if you keep all five items you get 25% off everything. After you decide what you want to keep, you just put the ones you are sending back in to the bag they provide and drop it in a mailbox. They pay for shipping. 

Also, there's no commitment. You decide how often you want to receive a fix. It's perfect if you don't have a lot of time to shop without kids. And I had a lot of fun trying things on for Jason without having to drag him to the store with me. I think he would agree it was a total win/win. 

If you want to try Stitch Fix just click here. 

Darby Smart

I just ordered from the cutest company! It is called Darby Smart. It is this awesome concept where you order a crafting kit and it comes with everything you need to complete the project. It is perfect for those of us who want to do something with our hands but the idea of going to the craft store is overwhelming. Or for when you want to experiment with a new craft but don't want to buy the full size of everything you need. The projects are totally on trend. I wanted almost all of them! They are so sweet and you still have creative leeway on how you want it to look.

This cute little ring dish is the kit I ordered. It hasn't actually arrived yet, but I'll tell you all about it when it does.

I'm not getting any sort of kick back from them. I just thought it was a really cute concept and the projects are amazing and wanted to share. I'm really hoping it is awesome and then I may place a few orders for Christmas presents. My sister would love a little kit.

You can use the code "howdydarby" to get $10 off your order! That would make some of these adorable kits just $9 and I believe if you sign in to their website you get free shipping for a year. It's really a great deal.

Have any of you had any experience with Darby Smart?

June

 I love having Calder home for the summer. It took him a week or two to adjust to staying home and not seeing his school friends Monday - Thursday. Thankfully we've had lots of play dates with them so we don't miss them quite so much.

 I've tried to do some really fun activities since Calder is out of school. We have been doing some art projects. The kids love it. I don't tend to get the art supplies out as much as I should. It gets messy quickly and takes a long time to get set up and clean up but I'm trying to do it more.

 This happens a lot. Colette thinks the doll stroller is her own personal seat. She really loves to have Calder push her around but she is still quite happy just to be sitting in it. If she's not in it she is pushing it around with one or two babies in it.

 We've been hitting up 'kids eat free' day at Ikea. It's a fun outing and Calder loves to play in the Smaland area.

 And we went strawberry picking. The farm we go to has goats, dogs, chickens, alpacas and sheep.

 I think Colette ate her weight in strawberries. She wouldn't eat them for a few weeks after this, but she's willing to again.

 This is our haul. We made delicious sugar free jam.

 The farm has two very sweet, very docile dogs. When asked what kind of dog Calder wants he will tell you a farm dog. This is totally based on temperament. He doesn't care too much about size and color and type. He wants them to be lazy dogs.

 Red eating a snack with Colette.

 Our sweet friends the McAllisters just moved from Virginia to Texas. We love them and hope to cross paths again soon. We went out to visit them right before they left. And we played in their swamp back yard. The kids were in heaven and both required a change of clothes.

 Colette prefers to swing over anything else at the park. I think she could swing for hours.

 I love this picture because I feel like it really shows what our life is like. We walk most places. This day we went to the fountain in downtown Silver Spring to play. Then we stopped by Whole Foods on the way home to grab milk and a few other things. That stroller is a work horse and carries so much stuff. I love the board Calder rides on so his legs get tired. Seriously the best investment we've made in a while. And I love that Calder wanted to wear his helmet and rain boots to the grocery store. Which is totally him.

 This is what it looks like when the kids get a box from their grandparents. Permagrins all the way.

 We got Jason a grill for Father's Day. Due to overwhelming demand they didn't have any assembled and I got the last one they had. Thankfully it wasn't too awful to assemble in the basement with the help of the kids. It works too.

 Calder is such a good woodworking helper. We've made a few projects so far and I love doing it with him. Our first project was a bookshelf. I'll have to find a picture, but we love it. Calder helped me measure each piece and held it steady while I drilled it in. Our second project was a laundry sorter as seen below.

 When we went to get Jason's grill from Home Depot we borrowed our friend's truck. Calder got to have his booster seat in the front seat of the truck. (The airbag was turned off) He thought he was being so risky. He didn't want me to take a picture because he didn't want anybody to know he sat in the front seat before he was 12.

And that was June. It was awesome and fun and just perfect in every way.

Colette's Birthday

 Colette had a perfect and fun first birthday. She was so happy and excited to get so many fun gifts. Calder was thrilled to choose a baby doll for Colette. He named her Red. Red and Calder's baby Isabelle go everywhere with us. They went to church today.

 We did a low key family party. We initially wanted to have friends over but most of them were out of town for Memorial Day. It all turned out just fine though. Colette was happy.

I can't believe how fast the last year has gone. I love this girl even more every day. She is so fun and happy. She loves to run and chase her brother. Her doll is her most prized posession and she loves to give her pats and kisses. Today she asked me to put a dress of hers onto her doll Red. It is so fun to have such a girly girl.

She just recently started eating more and nursing less. Although she still won't drink milk. She likes yogurt and cheese, so she gets dairy, just not milk. I've tried skim, whole and chocolate. She won't have any of it. Jason and I aren't that crazy about milk either, but I wish she would at least drink it a little. She does love eating fruit, broccoli, pasta and grilled cheese sandwiches. Oh and she would live off popsicles if I would let her. That is one of her favorite words and will run to the freezer if I mention them.