open cabinets = new dinnerware

i should be packing because we move into our new house in 6 DAYS (!!!!), but in classic me fashion i am doing what is more fun... making an inspiration board!

you may remember when i first revealed that we were buying a house that i mentioned i wanted open cabinets in the kitchen. i would love to paint the inside a bold color and have beautiful white dishes saying hello to me every day. alas, i do not have white dishes. 

when my husband and i registered for our wedding we were SUPER young. i was 21 and he was 23. babies. babies i tell you. which meant all our friends were babies. we didn't get any of the pretty dinnerware we registered for and i think i only got 1 place setting of the utensils. hahaha! i'm not complaining about it, i mean, i totally remember being young and broke (shoot, i'm still young-ish and broke!). and the dishes i have now i have totally loved FOREVER, but they are bold. black and white damask. i wanted them sooooo badly for my birthday four years ago. but some days i just wish i had clean, plain white dishes that i could interchange with different colors, for different occasions. i think every home should have a set of white dishes. something classic you will never get sick of.

and with my 30th birthday just around the corner, and a new house... i can't help but think of what my wishlist would look like. so here is my little list of favorite white dishes. ... and an extensive comparison...

No. 1} a few weeks ago at church i ran into my friend Cambria, who just got married, and she was holding this glorious coffee mug. all the sudden the heavens parted and i totally forgot what i was talking about. all i needed to know what where she got that beautiful piece of dinnerware from. she said Macy's. i instantly went home and looked it up. *SWOON* it's their Hotel Collection Bone China. and not only is the mug awesome, so is the bowl! so important. i judge a good set of dinnerware harshly based on the mug and bowl. for a set of 12 place settings it would be $232.00. yikes. i'm a cheapskate. 

No. 2} since the hotel collection is out of my budget i scoured the internet for similar dinnerware. The Cellar Whiteware Rim is pretty darn close. the bowl is massive, and the mug is descent, but the rim on the plates is not as defined as i would prefer. but at a measly $126.67 for a set of 8 place settings, it's looking better every second!

No. 3} my 3rd fav is the Gorham Brekinridge Bone China set. it has almost all my favorite features, but the mug is leaving more to be desired. it does however come with an extra tiny plate for under the mug, for only $10 more than The Cellar. i guess that's cool. for a 40 piece set it is $136.49.

No. 4} i have always loved the Aspen Dinnerware set from Crate & Barrel (i always say it in a strong Scottish accent, just for kicks) and i love it even more now that it is on sale. for a set of 8 place settings it's $125.00. not bad. but... i'm not in love with the mug. i love another mug. i'm having an affair with another mug. crate & barrel does offer this place setting set with the other mug, but it has a different BOWL. wha!? so i would have to spend an extra $40.00 just for 8 sets of mugs. that's a total of $165.00.

No. 5} i also have always loved the NeoBaroque Dinnerware set from West Elm, but i think it would end up just like my black and white damask set... not timeless enough. plus, the dinner plates aren't even available anymore. *tear.

whew. i never knew i was so opinionated about plates. 

so... what is less awkward? asking for gift certificates for my birthday, or creating a gift registry? i mean... they have gift registries for a reason, right? have you ever made one? and... what about a house warming party!!!??? haha, do people even have those still? and what is etiquette for gifts for THAT?! haha. (hey, come to my house and buy me stuff.... i'll have hor dourve's.)

welp. now it's out there. i would be happy with any one of these as a gift for any occasion. if i never get it as a gift i will just save my pennies. either way is fine!

awkward... 

t

what we wore...thursday

i'm doing what we wore Thursday instead of Wednesday because my outfit today is wayyyyy cuter. promise. i didn't like what i was wearing yesterday so much that i changed 3 or 4 times i think. tomorrow is laundry day... so that explains my lack of good options. 

a while back i got paid for several invitation suites i designed and am saving most of that money for a drive down to San Diego later this month. i have the honor of being a bridesmaid in one of my sweetest friend's weddings, and i can't wait to be a part of her big day! i did, however, use a pinch of that money to snag a couple things from Target when they were having a sweet 75% off clearance rack. i may or may not have been hiding said items in a bag, in a secret spot, slowly bringing them out at the most opportune time, depending whether or not you are my husband reading this. wink. 

(honey, i love you. please forgive me for being dishonest.)

i would never condone hiding purchases from your spouse or keeping secrets of any kind. i feel really guilty. 

but i look really cute. 

i haven't washed my hair in like 6 days so i am forced to wear it in a headband and pony. to give it a little volume i worked in a little bump in the back. not too bad for nasty hair, eh?

this little fellow is loving superman today. can you tell? 

and sissy girl did NOT want to participate. shocker. but she did it, with a non-smile on her face. 

this week has actually been so much better than last week. last week (if you are my friend on Facebook you would know this) i almost lost it. this sweet baby girl dug her heels in and decided she did not want to go to sleep, 4 nights in a row. two of those nights my husband worked late and i was all alone with her crazy. and my crazy. it was not a good mix. but we overcame. and i have realized a few things: No.1} i need to be in the Word more. my heart is not in a right place and i need to get it back there above all else. i CANNOT be a good mommy unless i take care of myself spiritually, first. 

No.2} i need to remember her age. instead of saying, "she's  is THREE years old!!!!" i need to be saying, "she's only three.". i think my expectations for her are too high.

No.3} her disobedience has nothing to do with me.

this week i feel more patient and full of grace. don't get me wrong, she's not getting away with anything new. but i am slower to anger and more compassionate. my mind and my heart feel stronger. there are still battles, and i suspect there always will be. but i am resting on this right now: ‎"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock." Isaiah 26:3-4

she let me fix her hair up real pretty. i call it heidi hair. 

and yesterday we had a wonderful day trying on big tall sparkly stripper shoes together at TJMaxx before settling on something more sensible.

i love my babies. 

snuggles,

t.

autumn bunting

i made something that i will just have to pack up in like a week or so. i had to. the burlap and the felt and the Pinterest made me. 

i also unpacked something from the holiday bins just so this new something wouldn't be lonely. 

i have issues.

i'm glad i made it though. we're kind of in an in-between phase with the new house right now. something is going on with the seller and the previous owner and the title. our close date was supposed to be the 14th, but now we're not sure when that is. so the packing has stopped. we have no pictures on the walls, or books on the book shelves. this one little bunting and wreath look measly, but it's something to tide me over til i can decorate the new house. 

i recently read something that said, "if you're depressed you're living in the past, if you're anxious you're living in the future, if you have peace you are living in the present". i definitely have a touch of anxiety. just waiting to find out when our new move date is, and dreaming up plans for the new house. i feel it, rising up and giving me a little lump in my throat. but i desire peace. we're not promised tomorrow and if this house is not meant to be then i don't want to find myself lost in it. so i make things when i shouldn't because they bring me peace.

i love all the textures; burlap, velvet, wool felt, glitter, gold rick rack, acorns. 

it's little crafty moments when it all comes together, while the kids are napping and i have a chai latte in my hand, and some Civil Wars playing, that bring me joy. 

what is bringing you joy lately?

xoxo,

t 

Vanilla Bean Pumpkin Cupcakes

last night was Big A's school's Country Fair and all the parents were asked to bake a treat for the cake walk. OF COURSE i took my job super seriously and was going to make THE BEST fall-themed treat there ever was. i'd been seeing this pumpkin cake floating around Pinterest and happened to have a canister of Vanilla Bean Cake mix in my pantry and some pumpkin puree so i thought i'd give it a go. i made a few alterations to the recipe and thought i'd share!

easy breezy!

i got my mix from Fresh & Easy, but i'm pretty sure Trader Joe's has a very similar mix. 

mix, spices, and butter.

add pumpkin puree. this smells sooooo good!

Cherish is always giving me a hard time about never eating cookie dough or batter. the whole raw egg things totally freaks me out. i snapped this pic JUST for her!! (eggless batter!!!) love you Cher-bear! after little a and i finished licking our paddles she had batter all over her face and i really wanted to snag a cute shot. so i summoned her over and and asked her to smile. "Sister! come here and give me your best Princess smile!... smile really big!!... say cheese!!!!!!!... please.... please smile for mommy.... please.... "

can you see it? that look of CRAZY SASS in her eyes!?!?! ugh. i love her. and her sassy ways. 

i used squares of parchment paper for cupcake papers and put a little leaf flag on each cupcake to give it more of an autumnal feel. i also topped each cupcake with Cream Cheese frosting. this recipe is sooooo tasty!

and since we had to put it in some sort of hideous covered disposable tray, instead of using one of my pretty cake pedestals, i threw in a piece of orange tissue paper, just because i couldn't handle looking at my pretty cupcakes against foil and plastic. *shudder*

i sampled one just to make sure they were tasty and they definitely were!!! although, i think i will take a break on all the pumpkin treats. i don't want to get sick of them before Thanksgiving even gets here! maybe i'll start making stuff with apples and pears. i'm already dreaming of a Pear Berry Crumble. mmmm. 

what yummy fall treats have you been making lately?

happy Saturday!,

tara

what we wore wednesday

BOOTS!

the weather forecast had been boasting rain for several days, but i wasn't going to get my hopes up. as i laid in bed early Wednesday morning, after the sound of the trash trucks slowly died out, i heard it. rain. i laid there and listened to the sweet sound of the rain tapping on my window, plinking on the gutters, and drumming on the roof. it was a glorious sound. if it hadn't been trash day it would have been the best awakening all week. 

i'm a southern California girl, so waking up to rain is still an unusual occurrence and my world. i love the dark, slow rainy mornings that have made their own song on my kitchen window. i even caught little a bobbing her head to the drumming sound. 

another reason i love the rain is that it means i get to bust out my cool weather clothes and my BOOTS! i love my boots and i have been patiently waiting for the heat to subside so i wrap them around my feet.

the picture is a bit blurry because i had our little neighbor boy take it for me. he and Big A are in kindergarten together and i take him to school on Wednesday mornings, which means he just acquired the job as our personal photographer! ha! i'm wearing a white tee with gray stripes, and a navy wrap cardi from Target, jeans from Old Navy, and my glorious Bandolino boots were a gift from my lovely mother-in-law. Big A is wearing a fleece shirt from Target, Levi's and Converse from Nordstrom's Rack, and a hand me down red windbreaker. little a is wearing a dress (without leggings, not my choice), rain boots, and rain coat all from Target.

i am including this sweet pic of Big A and i just because. he has early release on Wednesday's and gets home while little a is still napping so we seize the opportunity for some snuggle time. he's really turning into a bit of a mommy's boy, and i am loving every second. 

what's the weather like where you are? have you had a chance to snuggle up in a cozy sweater or traipse around town in lovely boots yet? i hope so!

love,

tara

pack it up, pack it in!

yesterday marked the one year anniversary of my little family stepping out in faith, leaving our beloved family and lifelong friends to move to Fresno. we resisted at first (and even had a running joke that FresNO turned into FresYES... and we ran that joke to the ground...) but this year has really opened my eyes to the blessing it is to be here. 

yesterday also marked the day that we officially started packing. buying a house is a delicate dance of being careful to have all your ducks in a row so you don't end up homeless. we have been careful not to get too far ahead of ourselves and to guard our hearts, "just in case". but with each step the doors continue to be open, so we are walking through them. and in thirteen days we'll be moving into our very first home. something i didn't really believe would ever happen, but always dreamed of. 

and in typical "Me-Fashion", i had to make it crafty somehow. since we've saved our moving boxes with each move (this is the 10th move in 8 years of marriage!!!) they are pretty well worn. there are multiple move dates and room locations strewn across all sides. we've even loaned them out a few times so there are other people descriptions on them! what tough little boxes! 

to make this move a little more streamlined i decided to make moving labels. they are color coordinated with super cute colors, by room, with an area for date and description. they make me happy. 

i think i will also make signs to tape on the doors so anyone who might be helping will be able to find exactly where they belong.

what's that? it goes in Tara's bathroom? down stairs closet? NO! FAMILY ROOM!!!! yay.

are you moving? you can use my labels too! here are the links below:

moving label - living room

moving label - family room

moving label - kitchen

moving label - dining room

moving label - master bedroom

moving label - bedroom #1

moving label - bedroom #2

moving label - bathroom #1

moving label - bathroom #2

moving label - bathroom #3

moving label - laundry

moving label - garage

i printed them onto Avery #5265 full sheet labels. you can find them at any office supply store. 

i also always use the Real Simple moving checklist before each move to make sure i don't forget anything important. tonight i will be spending my time cleaning a year's worth of dust off all the decorations, wrapping them in paper, and packing them in small boxes (and praying i don't get any paper cuts... or the dreadful CARDBOARD CUT! i can't even tell you how many of those i've had and how badly they hurt!). we've already taken town all our frames, and packed all our books and movies. i'll be heading to the library for the kids tomorrow to borrow books and movies until the move.

i hope you find my labels useful! 

xoxo,

tara

what we wore wednesday

today was one of the worst days with my daughter. i almost cussed. 

this will be short.

everything i wore from head to toe, except my shoes, is from Target. the sweater dress is not as flattering as i thought it was according to my bathroom mirror. it accentuated my negative boobs. ugh. my shoes are JCREW purchased from Buffalo Exchange several years ago. my daughter was in the middle of her 3rd out of 56686435476 fits of the day so the picture is bad. 

here's the lovely lady, NOT obeying. she's also wearing all Target sans the Old Navy flippies. 

Big A had early release day so he went in earlier and did not make the photo shoot. he cried for me tonight, as i cried about little a screaming in her room. i love him.

some days i wonder if having a third child will be the solution. i've heard second children, or strong willed children, often stop having so many issues when they discover they aren't the center of the universe. 

eh. i'm not willing to risk it. 

done. and done.

tara