Hi all!  Bridget here.  From time to time, I'll get asked if I have a Boston guide being that I live near the city and, well, I don't.  There are things I love to do in the city time and time again, but a tried and true guide would be so much more fitting coming from my good friend Rachael who lives IN the city.  Beacon Hill to be exact.  Her daughter Lux is less than half a month older than Parker, and we've been doing playdates since they were a few months old.  New moms, surviving one playdate at a time!  You could say we bonded.  

Also, Rachael is a seriously beautiful writer.  Check out her blog, Erstwhile dear, for more of their sweet life in and around Boston.  (Bonus: she's got a Nantucket guide too!)

Without further ado, here's her little family.

And, here's her guide!

Welcome to Boston! Ditch your car, meet the MBTA and get yourself a T pass to ride around the city. Get ready to ignore the crosswalk signs, Bostonians walk everywhere and consequently view cars as competitors for the road. Like seafood? I hope so! Dollar oysters are this city's version of a happy hour. It's tough telling folks what to do here--there are sooo many things. But here a few of my favorites:

Kendall Square, Cambridge

Do the letters MIT make you say "ooo la la"? The university is based along this neighborhood on the Red Line and there is loads of great stuff to eat around here. Voltage Cafe has the city's best lattes. Across the street, Tatte Bakery is possibly the loveliest coffee shop you will ever vist. Area Four has a pizza oven that chefs all over Boston envy, plus a chic little coffeeshop during the day. Hungry Mother is the restaurant you'll read about in national magazines: it's the best of hipsterism--beautiful wallpaper, creative light fixtures, amazing unique drinks, incredible crafted food. I recommend reservations, though for a seat at the bar it is usually a short wait.

And, random: I think Central Bottle is the best wine store in the city. They always have great events so check the website. I love their Thursday night wine tasting parties. 

Harvard Square, Cambridge

I still remember visiting Boston for the first time and driving past the towering brick walls of Harvard University. I was in love---there it was! The most famous Ivy League of all time. I couldn't believe we could just wonder through the campus, lounging on benches and peering up at the beautiful libraries. (Of course, you can't go in the libraries, oh no no, that would be too much.) 

Any visit to Boston is worth a quick trip on the Red Line to Harvard Square. Get a slice of pizza at the tiny Otto's shop. Order the darkest hot chocolate from Burdick's and sip slowly. I love to visit Harvard's wonderfully dated Museum of Natural History. It's a old museum with a million interesting things to look at. And.....shop at Oona's! This incredible vintage store will welcome you as soon as you step inside. Just the warmest, coziest space, with perfectly seasonal and curated items. Also! You can bring the boyfriend--the men's section might be more fun than the ladies. 

Beacon Hill, Boston

Beacon Hill is essentially Charles Street, with the sprawling brick neighborhood on either side. It is framed by the Esplanade along the Charles River, and Common and Garden on the other side. Bridget adores Paramount for all meals--if it's nice out or you've got kiddos, take it to go. I love Beacon Hill Bistro for an quiet elegant breakfast where you can count a coffee refill and real cream. 75 Chestnut is frequently voted the neighborhood favorite. The food isn't stunning but the ambiance is friendly and cozy, and the bartenders are kind. 

Step into our neighborhood market Savenors to get cheese and crackers for the park or buy a Bequet salted caramel (the yummiest). Take the footbridge over to the river and watch the sailboats. Just off Charles Street, turn left at Philips St. and go up a block to see the gorgeous flower shop Rouvalis. If you need a break from the heat, or just a spot to sit awhile, step into the lobby of Liberty Hotel. 

Traveling with kids alert: Myrtle Street playground, at the corner of Myrtle Street and Irving is the neighborhood's favorite. 

North End, Boston

Boston's Little Italy, the North End, is a wonderful neighborhood that begins along the Greenway (a fantastic park that cuts through Boston following the old highway line). If it's nice out, get sandwiches to-go at Volle Nolle (featured recently in Martha Stewart) and a bottle of wine at the Wine Bottega (you gotta be sneaky about drinking in public in Boston. Use normal paper cups and keep the bottle in a paper bag) and sit along the Greenway watching the children frolic. My favorite restaurant there (and perhaps in all of Boston) is Neptune Oyster. You'll spot the lemons lined up at the window, the fresh oysters peaking behind, and the gilded mirrors of menus beyond that. If you have an flexibility in your schedule, go here at an odd hour. The wait can be crazy. 

If you do have to wait, walk up the street two shops to Acquire one of the loveliest and most unique shops in Boston. Everything here, as they say, is wonderful.

Pizzeria Regina's original location is here, a classic pizza joint where they practically throw the pizzas at you, black and white photographs line the wall, and the booths are tiny enough to hear your neighbor's conversation. It's now a chain with 10+ locations, but many swear that the pizza from this original location is the best. 

On the way to the North End, if you're walking from Boston, you'll probably pass Saus. You must stop at this amazing french fry and Belgian waffle spot. Yup, that right's---the two most amazing food groups, in one location. They also have fantastic Belgian beers and unique lunch-y food. 

To Stay

There are several hostels in Boston but I love that 40Berkeley is located in the South End. This is such a great neighborhood to be based in for your visit---delicious restaurants everywhere! 

Try the John Jefferies House which is cheaper than Holiday Inn and a great Beacon Hill location. The rooms are a little old fashioned, but in a semi-charming way. 

The Women's College Club, a great charmingly-chintzy spot in Back Bay, a good deal if it's available.

This b&b, Harding House, is in Cambridge, but right next to the red line, thus easily accessible to everywhere. Um hello, charming. The breakfast looks amazing! 

The Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro, one of my favorite spots ever can be comparable to cheaper spots, if they have a full bed open. Delicious breakfast included! 

It's always good to check airbnb when in new cities. Unfortunately very few people in Boston have any extra space, so the listings are pretty measly. They might get better though!

---

Bridget again.  There's some seriously good info here, so if you're planning a trip to Boston (Come, come!  New England in the fall cannot be beat!), you should bookmark this!  Or, are you a Boston-local yourself?  Anything to add?

And thank you Rachael!

if you're on twitter, you probably know this... who am i kidding, you definitely know this... i've developed a bit of a devotion to this show.  steve and i made our way through it on netflix since the beginning of the summer and we finished it a few days ago.  i teared up.  so did he.

blast, season endings!  blast you!

to say i really wish the characters were real people whose stories i could continue following and checking in on from time to time would be an understatement.  i really wish!  the show became soooo top of mind.  i saw a big suv, i thought, "hey!  there's buddy garrity!"  i totally drive towards all the fast food stops and every time think, "um, where'd alamo freeze go?  it used to be right here, of this i am certain."  i wait for the panthers (or lions... wherever coach t is) to go zooming down the main street in the school bus, complete with a police escort and cheering, and, well, main street remains empty.  it's always such a letdown.  i mean, i even bring pompoms, lyla garrity style.  and, finally, i'm pretty sure tim riggins is supposed to be on my driveway living in an airstream.  but, tim?  where are you?

for real.  i loved this show.  i loved the characters.  i loved the way it portrays relationships and a sort of middle america hum-dee-dum.  i looooved explosions in the sky's soundtrack throughout, and finally, i loved the way coach taylor's eyes look like little crescent moons every time he smiles.

thanks for everyone who suggested i watch it last june.  i owe ya one.

clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.

(and we're still tv-free but we do tap into the netflix for movie night and/or a tv series for steve and i to motor through once the kids are asleep.  a nightcap, if you will.)

if you knew me, you'd know i don't go too far down the decorating-for-the-holidays path.  honestly, i wish i did.  i have the fondest memories of my childhood home decorated with garland up the stairwells at christmas time, nativity sets out (including a precious moments one that i would play with for hours) for their once-a-year unveiling, otherwise hidden away in boxes amongst their newspaper cushioning for most of the year.  decorating lends itself to excitement and fanfare about the whole holiday, right?  it's worth doing.  but sometimes, the whole thing stresses me out and if it doesn't end up looking like the front page of cottage living, i'm all, "why bother?"  plus, doing it right costs money.  duh.  i mean, i always get a few mums, two or three pumpkins, and some gourds, maybe a glittery skull, but that's about where the path ends for me.

i'm going to try to do better (starting this year!  evidence above!).  i seriously enjoy it, the kids are so excited to see it (and help do it too), and when the house is quiet at night and i look around at the trinkets and such that help ring in the celebration, it makes me happy.

i remember when i first discovered jamali garden, it blew my mind.  so many awesome supplies, good aesthetic, and great prices in one place.  i bought three huge glass vases and some small silver bud vases.  they're awesome.  everything there is.  i never shared it when i first discovered it, but thought of it the other day as i was decorating for fall and checked it out again.  still awesome, duh.  so, i am sharing it with you in case you're in need of candle holders, baskets, vases, urns, pitchers, sea glass, stones, fabric, pillows, garden supplies, raffia, branches, fake birds (you didn't know, but yes!  you need a fake bird!)... you get the idea.  it's like container store but better (loose connection there).  i'm pretty sure some of your heads are gonna explode when you click over.  

note: i am writing this because i really like this site.  i'm not getting paid and i'm not affiliated with them.  so there!

Parker-love.

While I do tend to be of the please-make-time-stop mindset when it comes to Parker and my overwhelming desire to keep him sweet and small and rockable and nurseable and smooshable and cuddleable... well, there are benefits to him getting older.  Namely this: he can actually show you love.  Because he wants to!  And folks, it's downright scrumptious.

We're sort of, loosely (very loosely... too loosely?  Whatever.), sleep training over here.  Trying to cut out some of the middle of the night nursings and extend time spent in his own crib.  It's baby steps.  I'm not sure who's less ready to quit the co-sleeping, me or Parker?  (Might be me.)  Who's most ready?  Probably Steve.  But, he's really nice and patient about it and we love him for it.  

Where was I?  So, he can show you love because he wants to show you love and gosh, does it feel good.  The other night I brought him into bed.  It was probably 3 am or so when he woke up.  He settled right back down, wrapped his soft little arm around my neck, and went right back to sleep.  Did you read that?  He wrapped his arm around my neck!  

I died and went to heaven right there on the spot.

Well, now I've gone and done it.  A series!  Volume 1 implies there's more volumes to come!  It's true.  (I hope you're not rolling your eyes right now.  Are you??).  Bear with me!  I know some of you love the homeopathy stuff while others of you could probably care less.  It won't be a weekly thing or even a monthly thing.  It'll be more of a "whenever there's information good enough to share" sort of thing.  This stuff won't be specifically directed towards kids' health but it will certainly be useful there, as well as for the adults.  

Why am I doing this?  Firstly, it's something I'm crazy passionate about.  Secondly, I think there's just not enough information out there about alternative ways to treat things.  Ways that are good for you, just as good (and sometimes better) than the standard practices, and ways without some unrelated damage being inflicted (i.e. yeast infections coming after rounds of antibiotics!).  Thirdly (and lastly!), I don't want to wait UNTIL illness strikes to run out to the various stores collecting supplies.  Parker got his first ear infection while we were up at the lake  (and I didn't realize it!  For shame!).  He also had a pretty high temperature and I couldn't decide whether teething was the woeful source, whether he caught some other bug, whether the lake gave him a disease (naturally!), or... you get the point.  (I think roseola was the culprit, but that's beside the point.)  I was helpless.  I knew fevers were the body's way of fighting things and that there is good in letting them run their course, but yet the number freaked me out and I wanted, of course, to pump him full of Children's Tylenol to bring it down and fast.  Maybe if I had done more of my research, had other things on hand... I'd have felt more confident in a decision, any decision, in getting him well.

You get what I'm saying?

So, that's where this idea came about.  And a really, really important note: I am not a doctor.  I know this, you know this.  I don't claim to be.  I'm just a woman, a Mom, a wife who's interested in alternative healthcare.  With that said, there is a place (this bears repeating: there is a place!) for your normal Western medicine.  I am not attempting to do away with it, but just suggest that perhaps we use it too flippantly when something else might be better.

That's it.  Won't you come along?

volume 1.

An onion.  

Most likely, you have these on hand.  When Parker got an ear infection, he was crazy clingy, not himself, and pretty miserable.  There is a lot of evidence that both garlic and onion can work well, and fast, at getting rid of ear infections.  Once I knew he had one, I started on it immediately and it was gone in two days.  I don't know how far into the ear infection we already were, though, so I can't tell you if it was nearing its end with or without the onion, but nevertheless, it seemed to work.  My friend Rita (hi Rita!) swears by them for her kids and it totally seemed to work with Parker.  

Remove the skin, cut the onion, and chop it very fine or put it in a food processor (that's what I did).

Put a few tablespoons the pulp into a pan and warm it on the stove (not the microwave!) on low.  Get it just to lukewarm, put some of the onion juice in a dropper, and put a few drops in infected ear.  Massage the ear on the outside.  Repeat a few times a day until it goes away.  Enjoy the fact that your child (or you?) smells like a sub shop.

And there you have it.  An alternative to antibiotics (and seriously consider tapping into some of the research on antibiotics... it gets ugly!  Use 'em when you have to -- otherwise, skip it!).

So, there's volume 1.  Mostly painless?

And please!  If you've got a resource or have written about this stuff on your own blog, share it in the comments.  I'd love to take a look.

If our bedroom was to show up in the archives of Design Sponge or Apartment Therapy, it'd definitely fall into the "Before" category.  Problem is I have nearly zero motivation to get us to the "After."  There's nothing so problematic about it.  The bed is really beautiful.  It's an awesome sleigh-bed with a leather headboard.  It was here when I came along and I have no dreams of doing away with it.  The furniture is well-made but old and not totally my taste.  I purchased the bedding and I really love it (but still would love to swap it out for other beddings that catch my eye...  what is that about bedding?).  And I have nothing, like nothing, hanging on the walls.  I have so many pictures, two pieces of gallery wrapped canvases already done, frames, and ideas galore but yet I don't put anything up.  I lack the skill, courage, gumption (or something?) that it takes to hammer those nails to the wall.  I don't want to commit.  What if I change my mind?  Spackle, sanding, primer, paint. That's a lot of steps to fix my errors!  So, the bedroom remains, well, boring (the decorating anyway.  Yes, I did just get cheeky there.).  Here's a few pictures, though, that have me inspired and make me think that it's not too many steps to making the bedroom a bit more inviting.  Some more pillows.  Some nightstand organization.  Lowlight.  Flowers.  Pictures on the wall.  

I think I can do it?

{ image credit: 1 // 2 // 3 }

I know it's not Friday.  I'm referring to the TGIF of our youth.  You know, the one that consisted of Family Matters, Step by Step, Full House... and, well, it seems I can't place which the fourth was.  But, the line-up was always changing, wasn't it?  Second Noah was there for a time (which, I loved.  Do you remember that show?  With a young James Marsden!).  Hanging with Mr. Cooper, am I right?  Sabrina the Teenage Witch (eh, I was never entirely impressed with Melissa Joan Hart) and I'm pretty sure even Dinosaurs made the cut for a little while.  

I was born in '84.  So, by the early to mid 90's, I was allowed to watch a few TV shows.  I remember looking forward all week long to TGIF.  And from, 8-10 was it?, you could be sure to find me in front of the TV.  Laura and Urkel (or URK-el if he'd gone through his "cool machine"), Cody who lived in the trailer on the driveway in Step by Step, Stephanie and DJ and how every, EVERY, episode of Full House always ended with some sweet resolution and a cheesy, dubbed in, "Awwww!"  

Four shows!  Back to back!  It was an event!  An event of grandeur, I tell you!  Call up any of my friends between 8 and 10 o'clock and they'd have been doing the same thing.  Everyone watched TGIF.    TV doesn't seem to be an event anymore.  Or at least, not an event that parents and kids alike can enjoy (Cosby Show, anyone??  I tell you what... nobody doesn't like Cosby Show.  Is there an equivalent today?  No.).  And it didn't stop there.  How about, my very favorite, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.  Sully might as well have been a god.  I was in love.  Little Bridget only had eyes for Sully (that crush was matched when my Leo one began!)  And I was certain that Jane Seymour was the most beautiful woman to have ever lived.

After Dr. Quinn came Chuck Norris Walker Texas Ranger.  (In case you're wondering, I'm linking ya'll straaaaaight to those show intros.  You are welcome.)  Did you watch that one too?  Man.  Memory lane!  It's something else!  Chuck Norris was the man.  Shootin' people, kickin' them down in one foul swoop.  Like a Western Jackie Chan!  

Well, I could go on.  Alf!  Early Edition (Coach Taylor, what what!)!  The one with the girl who's a robot who's name escapes me at the moment!  Under the Umbrella Tree!  Baywatch!  Fraggle Rock!  Which ones am I missing?  Shout 'em out!  Memory lane, let's go!

But I won't go on (anymore, anyway).  I will say, however, like so many things of our youth, TV was better then too, wasn't it?  Oooor I had very little discretion.  Either way, I miss some of those shows.  

Can we get a Dr. Quinn reunion show going?  Where are those people anyway?

 

Steve has been dying to have another go at the lake this season (and even though I say 'last hurrah,' we're really hoping for one... or two more.  As long as there's no "Iceberg, right ahead!" moments, we're good.).  The warm weather has been quickly escaping us.  We decided to go this past Sunday when sun was forecasted, despite the chilly temperatures (high of 65).  When on the water, it felt even chillier, but we arrived prepped with hats, sweaters, and tons of blankets.  Show us what you got, lake.

The day was perfect.  I mean, perfect.  We brought lunch and drinks and enjoyed them in a quiet spot between two islands.  Parker fell asleep on me while docked and stayed that way for over an hour.  The sun didn't stop shining the whole day.  We stopped in Meredith for a bite to eat in the evening before returning home.

The day got me straight out of that funk I mentioned yesterday.  You can't stay depressed when you're on the lake, looking at blue and green rolling on for days.  While the water moves about around you, the trees begin to change in the distance, the sun moves across the sky, all reminding you that you're not so big.  Funk, be gone.   

(And how would ya'll feel about me linking to my clothes from time to time?  That is, if they're currently on the shelves, anyway.  And, disclaimer on that here!)  

What I'm wearing: sweater // shoes 

this weekend i was in a funk.
this weekend we went to the beach early one morning.
this weekend i didn't get out of my pajamas for the entire saturday.
this weekend steve made french toast.  (it was good.  i'll keep him.)
this weekend steve and i got in some stupid tiffs.  (we're fine now.)
this weekend i did no laundry, but needed to.
this weekend i got bummed that there's no future fun planned.  know what i mean?
this weekend i was desperate for parker to sleep through the night without nursing.  (i know.)
this weekend i started reading this and really like it so far.  (anyone else read it?)
this weekend i backed up my photos (and it took forreeverrr).
this weekend it felt even more like fall and for the first time i was thinking, "wait, summer.  not so fast!"

this weekend i laughed out loud at the comment thread that accompanied this photo.
this weekend the lake got me out of my funk.  (i'll love you forever, lake winnipesaukee.)

this weekend when we drove to the beach i took the picture above and thought, "it's pretty here."

how was your weekend?

it's just so good.
but ask me to sing along to it?
cannot be done.

I don't want to rush it along.  He's not 14 months yet.  But we're approaching it, and quickly too.  This time of year seems to fly by.  Summer is escorted out so quickly by us bloggers, isn't it?  Pumpkin bread and pumpkin lattes and fall fashion posts, boom.  It happens fast even though the days are still delivering 80-something degree temperatures at times.  Changing of seasons.  It's exciting.  It's new.  I get it.

Nevertheless, he's almost 14 months.  13 and a half.  Which is crazy.  You're hard-pressed to find any suitable onesie, besides pajamas, that still fits these babies-not-yet-toddlers (But, I did.  And it's here.  You're welcome.).  And, what better to remind you that they're still so little and new than sticking them in a onesie?  You can't place them anywhere, turn around, and expect that they'll still be there kicking their legs wildly in the air when you turn back around.  You can't put them down for a diaper change without pinning them as they arch their soft little backs, contort their mouths, and let out a wicked scream.  (But Parker, we do this every day, multiple times a day.  Will you ever just go with it?  The answer: probably not.)  You can't leave a room unsuspectingly anymore.  They know.  And they're mad about it too.

No, you can't do those things.  But you can laugh with them.  And it's the purest sweetness.  It's monkey see, monkey do around these parts.  He sticks out his tongue and shakes his head, I stick out my tongue and shake my head.  And we laugh.  I stamp my feet, and he stamps his feet.  We laugh some more.  You can hold their hands and walk places while they wear the proudest of smiles on their face.  "On two feet!  Just like you guys!"  You can read stories together and, you can be pretty sure, they understand a lot of it.  You can share food and watch as they discover what's in their mouths with such concentration.  You can watch the baby chub disappear, seemingly overnight, as they move about, never stopping, until sleep.  This one, I so wish, would slow down.  I'm going to miss those rubberband-like wrists when they depart for good.

They are changing all the time.  As Mom to one of these little people, the change is so expected that it's a constant.  Naps change, moods change (thanks teething!), appetites change.  In one fluid motion, they're bigger and stronger, funnier and faster.  It's happening all the time.

I'm trying to soak in every last bit.

weather's getting cooler and i find myself spending more time in the kitchen making cozy meals and getting excited to light cranberry spice candles come nighttime.  

the change of season is upon us and it feels nice.

a trip to the park earlier this week before school began...

swings and slides and bouncy bridges and such...

thank goodness for nearby parks, amen?

Steve and I were talking this weekend about how it's harder to raise kids these days than it used to be.  We imagine it is, anyway, since we can't speak first hand to it.  I'm fairly certain my Mom would attest to this too--that it sure seems harder these days as she watches her four daughters do it.  I could come up with a variety of reasons why this is so, but the one I'm mainly talking about is fear.

Fear.

I hate that I'm even admitting this (mostly I hate that it's true) but, though I try my best to appear all laid back and fun loving, I let fear take its grip on me way too often.  I've mentioned this before in my post on babies and germs, but I didn't go into as much detail as I could have.  I didn't talk about how when I think about flying across the country, I picture myself on that plane, Parker on my lap, and wonder: How many germs will there be?  And will he catch something serious?  Could I wipe down the things he'll touch before he touches them?  I didn't talk about how when I see instagrams of young kids riding the subways of NYC, I wonder: Could I?  Are those Moms crazy like me and do they make their kids wash their hands right after getting off?  When I read an article about Triple E being discovered nearby, I make a mental note: Go inside before dusk.  When I come across an article about the hazards of pesticides on apples, I remember: Buy organic apples only.  When Parker has a rash, I study it carefully: Is it serious?  Or is it just from sunscreen or sweat?  I tell myself to stay off Google.  I mostly fail at this.

It sucks.  Living like there's some teetering anvil over your head is just no way to live.  I wasn't raised in a bubble.  How'd I get this way?  I didn't wash my hands incessantly, I wasn't told, "Don't eat that!"  "Careful that the bee doesn't sting you in case you are allergic!"  "We can't go to the beach in case of THE RIP TIDE!"  I just lived.  Disease and mosquitoes and junk food existed then too.  I'm sure I got colds and sore throats but I came out of them alive.  So, I ask again, how'd I get this way?

We're all living in this world of so much sharing.  The media tells us every time a child is kidnapped or a person dies of West Nile.  Headlines warn us of sharks off the Cape.  Facebook statuses share stories of an illness in the family with a request for prayer.  Emails deliver the news of a young, healthy mother, given months to live.  Terrorism, flu shots, transplants, MRSA, meningitis, drunk driving (or, worse yet: texting while driving!), miscarriages, shootings (even at movie theatres!  Is there no place safe?).

It's all too much.  There is a beauty in the sharing, yes.  Finding refuge in another's story is sacred.  Discovering common ground.  The same sharing that can create the fear allows for that too.  And don't get me wrong, there is so much good in that.  So much good in the support system that can be built through our ability to quickly and efficiently share information these days.  But it seems to have made me a worrier.  Such a worrier that, I'm afraid, it robs my joy at times.  Surely all of these things (or most, anyway) have existed for years.  There've been sharks off the Cape before, yes?  And kidnappings before, right?  And some other God-forsaken mosquito-spread illness, correct?  We just know everything now.  Nothing bad ever goes unreported.  And I'm sick of letting it handicap me.

I'm just not entirely sure of how to make it stop.  For now, I'm praying.

Any of you struggle with the same things?

1. bdg slim straight jean 2. four corners cardigan 3. notch over me sweater 4. cumin right up dress 5. all a-boot style boot ($50, people!) 6. spotted flat 7. plaid flannel shirt (i just got one in blue!) 8. bow blouse 9. black knee high boots (only $59!) 10. messenger bag 11. f21 dolman shirt 12. crochet panels dress

i know, i know, i know!  summer's saying: i ain't over yet so stop trying to usher me out the door!  and it's true.  we've got a few weeks left of summer, but truth is, it's feeling downright fallish around here.  at night, it's chilly!  while a sheet sufficed for the last few months,  now i find myself pulling our comforter up to my chin and cozyin' up to steve.  so, with that in mind, here are some fallish items i'm eyeing around the web.  i think numbers 4 and 5 especially wanna be in my closet.

ps. steve and i did some major cleaning this weekend.  i'm selling some stuff over here and will be adding more within the next few days... even a few baby items!  u.s. shipping only and flat rate of $5.

we've been soaking up the last summer bits over here.  i know there's still some time left... but with kids strapping backpacks on, tying the laces of new shoes, and going off to school, it sure feels like it's ending.  we've been celebrating with popsicles and burgers on the grill, bike rides and walks through town.  i got to see dear old friends who i haven't seen in awhile.  friends that have become moms in the interim!  ahnika and ashley and their babes svea and cadence respectively.  parker was quite the ladies man... flanked by those pretty ladies in red!  

psst!  my red shades are thanks to the sunglasses shop.  not gonna lie, they make me feel a little foxy.  i'm digging their cat-eye shape and the red frames give them an extra something special.  they're nice, real nice.  a little fancy, a little casual (yes!  both!)... they do mine eyes good.  i'm ringin' in the last days of summer with them on my face.  thanks sunglasses shop!

it's been a good one.  hurrah for summer 2012.

and happy labor day!  do nothing, eat well, and be merry!