mystery.

"and i thought again how mysterious other people's lives are, most of all those you love and are closest to." -this is all, aidan chambers

happy.

i grew these with my dad.

it's the little things lately that have been making me
just
so

happy.

time flies when you've got three kids

cliche, i know, but these.weeks.are.flying.by.

it's completely ridonkulous to me that i'm the mama to three children, the youngest of which now has a real TOOTH and EATS FOOD and ROLLS OVER. this makes me incredibly happy but also so sad that i could weep. how can this be possible? this child of mine is the biggest joy i could ever have wished for. and now that i'm a seasoned mama (do i get to call myself 'seasoned' the third time around?), i'm enjoying it so much more because i don't have any of the anxiety associated with the not-knowingness of going through it the first time. oh, you want that binky off the bathroom floor baby? fair game! (just kidding, but you get my point). lulu freakin' rocks. that's all i'm sayin'. case in point::

and then there are these other two little humans that have been keeping me so busy and immersed in love. that kind of wild love that makes you want to pull your hair out and bawl with happiness all at the same time. i can't believe i made these people. i can't believe they are growing up and becoming such cool individuals.

they were both in a wedding this weekend and were amazing. i thought my head would explode with pride. seeing them walk down the aisle was priceless. and that little suit practically killed me with cuteness overload::

i am adjusting to being a mama of three now that gray is on day #2 of school vacation. since i had lulu at the end of january, i haven't really been home with all three of them because gray was in full day kindergarten and was gone from 8am-4pm every day (not including activities and sports). so only now, at the end of june, am i going through the transition.

and i'll be honest. it's kinda hard. but i'll get through it.

the sibling rivalry between these two is off.the.hook. but i'm going to combat it with
love
love
love
ice cream
pool trips
and fairy stories.

wish me luck. xx
in other news, i'm having a big ole sale in the shoppe. i've lowered prices on most items, just because i love you. thanks in advance for taking a peek.

a reminder

i know i've said it before

but seriously

be you
it's ok

even if YOU
is messy
or a complete trainwreck
and sometimes
you break down
or maybe you do a little toot in public by accident
or just act inappropriately
when everyone else around you seems
to be walking
the straight and narrow
(they aren't, i promise you)

i give you
permission
to smack your fanny
with glee

and embrace
the
youness
of
you.

j.o.y.

this is pummie's painting. and it does in fact bring me JOY. now that i'm moving things out of my studio, i have room for new and sunny things like this to inspire me. his painting has now taken center stage on my inspiration wall.

i've been so loving creating new things and sending them out into the world. i've had a burst of creative energy. i'm riding it while it lasts. record bowls, baby quilts, and burp cloths up.

drop me a line and tell me what's up in your world. what's been stoking your creative fires?

big ole studio-cleanout update!!

click here to see all the new goodies that i just put up in the etsy shop! not only is it a bit of a studio cleanout, but i've also been working on these new "postcard sets" that come with the vintage covers, too! total cuteness.

any order placed within the next couple of hours will be going out this afternoon when i go to the post office. i tried to price stuff really fairly considering the funky economy! i figure we all need a little brightness.

felt pins, postcards, notecards, paintings, collage, and fingerless mitts- oh my!

(the shop isn't going to be up forever- and i promise you won't have to hear about it all the time. xx)

my delicious life

so here's a little summary of my delicious life in a nutshell.

basically lately i've been doing this new hairstyle that is so whacked out that even the baby looks up and laughs at it. this picture is only a very tame version of it. i try to make this huge nest on top of my head, and then i tell the kids that rats and birds live inside my hair. they call me "ice cream cone head" or pretend that i have a big thing of cotton candy sitting on top of my head and they are constantly licking me. it's fun and bizarre and disturbing all at once. but anyone that knows me knows that one of my hugest hangups is that i pull my hair back waaay to tightly and it's this control thing i have so this is my first step in my recovery. getting my head licked by kids.

other things that are good:: dirty dancing to phish songs on the deck while we have family cookouts and eat crackers that taste exactly like gorgonzola cheese while drinking coronas with lime. our neighbors must really hate us. we put clothes on before we took this picture just to be nice.

naked baby feet. rolls. it looks like i've tied elastics all over lulu's body. her rolls collect sweat and dirt and weird grey-colored baby cheese and i would eat this cheese for the rest of my life if i could, and i don't care how disgusting it is to admit this.

lulu is rolling around. and playing with toys. and laughing. and she loves all of us, even when we are putting things on her head and making her eat jarred peas and laughing at her when she poops. she really does love us.

my kids have the bluest eyes on the planet. and the ones with teeth have the exact same space in between their two front teeth. which is the exact same space i had before i had braces. genes are powerful. they are also complete dorks, just like me. gray especially. and this is why i love her and why my heart breaks into a million stinkin' pieces every time i look at her.

ps-

i love summer.

xx

etsy love

mama wants some new art supplies for the kiddies for the upcoming summer vacation, so i'm reopening and relisting some things in my humble etsy shop. i want a tiny amount of cashola in my paypal account so i can buy some delicious things for the kids to create with! if you have the time or the inclination, click on over! and expect a shop update soon, with more notecards, postcards, and hopefully a small quilt or two!

xx

check check check out mccabe's goodness

little girls changing the world from mccabe russell on Vimeo.

and then click here for additional info.

xx