::boots::

Morgan got a new pair of rain boots today. 

Sure the boots are super adorable, 

but they mostly just enhance his own natural cuteness, right? 

I say so, and everyone knows Mama knows best ( :

This photo up above makes my heart swell. 

When I started clicking through the photos after uploading them on my computer, my eyes immediately welled up with tears when I came across this one. 

Such sweetness. 

Such innocence. 

Words cannot describe how much I love this little angel. 

On Mama's lap.

Goin' shoppin'.

Matching? It's overrated.

xoxo,

Ashley

chocolate for breakfast

The other morning as I was pulling out the soy milk from the fridge for the pancakes I was making, a certain little man snuck in around me and snatched up my stash of chocolate chips. 

You can imagine the meltdown that ensued when I took them away from him because chocolate is not for breakfast, right? 

And then I thought to myself, who says? And I dumped what was left of my stash into the batter. Chocolate chip pancakes it was! 

I turned that frown into a smile rather quickly as evidenced below. Try and look at these pictures without smiling, go ahead and try. 

 Isn't that joy infectious? 

Go ahead, eat chocolate for breakfast,

All the cool kids are doing it.

xoxo,

Ashley

thrifty finds 4-26

The best thrifting tip I can offer you? Go often. I think I went 3 times this past week. One day I found nothing, and that's okay. You don't want to buy something just because it's a good deal if you don't absolutely love it or envision it in your home. So go often, but don't be afraid to leave empty handed either. 

Onto my goodies scored this week:

There was a whole box of these old pant hangers at the thrift store this week. I was absolutely giddy with excitement when I peeked into the box and saw them. I used some restraint and only scooped up four. If you come across these, remember they are always perfect for hanging pictures or art like I did in Morgan's room { and I switched out my new Walmart ones with these for a more vintage look}.

 

 See?

I've been eyeing this plate stand for a couple of weeks. I decided after it was there a few weeks in a row, it was probably a sign that it wanted to come home with me. So it did. It's perfect for parties or every day use, if that's how you roll.

In use. In my lived in kitchen. Don't judge.

This "lap robe" is pretty small, and not too useful for keeping warm, but I loved the colors and the scalloped edges and it looked like it had never even been used. After a quick wash with detergent and vinegar I felt comfortable bringing it into my home.

How excited was I to find this Anthro mug? Again, giddy. These mugs are a cult favorite and I'm so happy to now be  amongst the happy owners of my very own monogrammed Anthro mug.

This black metal shelf was only $3.99! I see these at hobby lobby all the time for $20 +, what a score! I think I might hang it above this chair. 

The "map" obsession continues with this wood cut out of Wisconsin. And, I couldn't pass up this cute little tray/bin for $0.99. 

Happy Thrifting!

xoxo,

Ashley

...
 
Linking up with:

love notes

The frame before, with the pictures.

I pulled these "love notes" from our wedding out when I shopped my garage a couple of weeks ago.

Initially I didn't know what I could do with them. Then, I thought I could frame them and hang them up somewhere - perhaps our bedroom. But, I had a hard time getting them to fit nicely in a frame.

So they sat there for awhile, collecting dust until a couple of days ago when I decided to replace the photos on my chicken wire frame in the kitchen with the love notes.

Not only do I love the way it looks, they put a smile on my face when I read them.

Practical advice.

"A happy wife is a happy life"

xoxo,

Ashley

our weekend

This weekend we headed down to visit my grandma in Indiana again. 

We took the scenic route through Chicago.

Some of us drank lots of coffee {it's empty, folks}.

And came home with new coffee mugs from Grandma:

Played dress up. Ok, this one was taken for the sole purpose of fattening up the black mail file. No shame here (:

And some of us napped in the car a lot {well, one of us}.

 

We hit up IKEA! My loot: a mustard yellow metal trash can with lid, an apron {!!}, a little white stool for Morgan's bathroom, chocolate {naturally}, etc...

 

And finally, hit up Trader Joe's in Milwaukee on the way back to stock up on the essentials like this yummy {vegan} "orange chicken"...

And Jo-Joes {aka Trader Joes oreos}

It was a good, but sleepless weekend. 

I'm so looking forward to climbing into bed tonight. 

xoxo,

Ashley

insta life

here i sit on a thursday night wide awake, having slept all day. fatal mistake. 

i usually never do that following my last work night so that i don't have trouble sleeping at night, but i was just so. freaking. tired. today. 

so i just did a scrapbook page for our date night scrapbook. and i took a picture of it with instagram {love that app}. 

and now because i'm bored, i'm sharing my other instagram photos as of late {which is basically code for a bunch of pics of my kid}.

 chocolate chia pudding is so good for you.

and so tasty.

this is how i get my protein.

 neighborhood watch.

he likes perching up on this chair and looking out the window.

 daddy likes dressing him in too small pants that now double as fashionable capri pants.

sometimes he rides his toys wearing nothing but a diaper while eating pickles. sometimes.

 i painted my nails mint green yesterday. 

they're already chipped.

i'm reminded why i never bother painting my nails.

we had pizza for dinner tonight. you haven't lived until you've stuck your finger through it and twirled it around. apparently (:

scrap page. i know i lack skills. 

oh well. memories preserved none the less.

"fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. it means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it". 

this movie is great and has a powerful message once you get past the bad acting.

xoxo,

Ashley

Saturday

Saturday was a beautiful day out. So warm and sunny.

It was a day perfect for...

a nice, long walk.

corn dog muffins for lunch {veganized}.

dinner out with friends at Hu hot.

yummy, homemade {spiked} fruity punch. my those glasses are large.

and a night out on the town.

The only thing that could have made it better? A fortune cookie {inside joke}.

xoxo,

Ashley

thrifty finds

Every since I busted out the paint for the red bed, I haven't been able to stop painting. This little tea pot {$1.99} is my latest victim.

These plates were picked up at the thrift store for $1 to $1.50 each. Aren't they beautiful? I wouldn't mind a full set of the top pink and gold one, but sadly it was the only of it's kind there. 

And their home. 

I kept going back in forth over where to place these on the wall. In the end, I decided to actually take Frank's advice on the placement {write that down} and put them in the dining area. 

 

I found this old school desk for $15!

I love the character and history of old pieces like this. The top was all marked up by students past, and there was even an old tic tac toe game etched in. So cool.

This small, wooden box is the perfect little storage box for small toys like Morgan's little collection of matchbox cars.

xoxo,

Ashley