you work so hard for us. every day you're pushing yourself harder and harder to support us, your little family. i know that sometimes it can be really tough out there doing it on your own, and i just want to say: thank you. thank you for being you. thank you for being as hard working, intelligent and amazing as you are. yesterday...

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it's been a while since i shared one of these lists, and truth me told i probably could have listed twenty more. that, my friends, is the thrill of motherhood! everyone and their sister has an opinion about how you should be raising your child. my rule of thumb? i have 3 mothers whose opinions i trust and whom i admire who i...

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i'm not quite sure when it began, this fight for space in bed. one night I realized I was hugging the edge of the mattress another night I was elbowed in the side of the head and yet another night he was the one teetering on the edge of the mattress shivering because I was hogging all the covers somewhere along the line...

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this week was so challenging, but i was able to dig through it all and see (and capture) a lot of the goodness of our days. as such, i ended up with a lot of photos, and so this week is two full spreads and an insert! These first pages are some of my favorites that i've ever put together. ...

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i am always capturing: my first cup of coffee in the morning simcoe, stretched out in the streaming sun the light dancing through the front doors the books i'm reading dj interacting with anyone, everyone what i'm cooking, or snacking on my husband, working around the house. the mess spread across the family room floor the crumbs left under dj's high chair after...

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"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week in 2014"i'm wanting, more and more, to capture the moments where we can see your personality shining through, where we are granted a tiny glimpse of the young boy you will soon be.  ...

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today was tough in an intrinsic kind of way meaning: i brought it all on myself. this habit i have of being consumed by my thoughts is so, so bad for me in so many ways. i used to love fridays before becoming a mother. now, especially being a stay at home mom, all the days just blend together. friday has lost its luster....

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i have this thing for men in their forties. rob lowe, patrick dempsey, robert downey jr. i tell dom: "heck, it bodes well for you." i'm not sure what it is, though. maybe: the sexy salt and pepper hair that they're experienced that they have their sh*t together their confidence and a few (hundred) other things dom is thirty-eight and looking better than he...

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engagement photo by tamara kate, 2010 i just can't shake the feeling that i'm meant to live somewhere with open, green fields and dark, chipped wood under my feet. open cupboards and mismatched clay coffee cups stacked on the counter next to a day old pot of coffee. a place where wooded trails are just around the corner and you know all of...

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i have less than three weeks left in my twenties. and, confession? i'm terrified. when i voice this concern out loud i am ninety nine percent of the time greeted with the words "oh you're still so young," or "thirty is nothing," and as right as that may be, it's how i feel. (and why, i wonder, does society have such a way...

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this week, unlike so many others, came together so easily. i just loved the mix of greens, blues and browns. and hello again design e. i've missed you.  ...

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"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week in 2014"i'm learning that i have to wake up every day with no expectations, otherwise, i'm setting myself up for disappointment. this photo doesn't accurately portray our pool adventure in the least. dom managed to snap two photos before dj began screaming. he wasn't interested in the pool, wasn't even interested in being...

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i never really understood the importance of a good 'about' page until going through a beautiful mess blog life e-course. over the span of a few days i got to work and ended up with something i'm really happy with. for my photo, i knew i wanted something fun rather than just a headshot (not that there is anything wrong with that), so...

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a couple weeks ago i wrote about some of the small, very inexpensive changes i was making to our house. i wanted to share another installment today, one that i am absolutely in love with. my office space. for comparison sake, here's what it looked like before. ...

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this week i had too many great photos, but didn't want to include an insert because i think i've been including too many lately! instead, i picked through and chose my favorites. week 19. i spent the majority of the week frustrated by this spread, and i think i have nailed down the reason: i'm not a fan of design P on the...

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"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week in 2014"the family that wears converse together, stays together. ...

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i am sitting outside writing this. the sun is warm, but not yet hot: that will come soon enough. there is a slight breeze that comes through every few moments, pushing loose strands of hair away from my face, tickling my ears and neck. it is a beautiful day, and as i watch my son run around chasing leaves, my watering can always...

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dj decided to help me take my photos this week. and before you say it, i know, i know: i switched back to weekly spreads.  ...

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growing up, whenever i thought about having children, i knew one thing was true: i wanted two boys. and then when i got pregnant, i couldn't get my mind off of having a girl. i would give her the name i had loved for years on end, i would braid her hair and when she was old enough, paint her little nails. we...

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"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week in 2014"these days i look at him and i can't help but see how "boy" he is. rough and tumble, climbing over anything and everything, rediscovering his screaming voice and now, more than ever, trucks. trucks trucks trucks. every surface that he can push them on, he will. it's the cutest thing ever....

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