currently...

hi there... just a quick round up of what's currently going on around here... i've seen similar lists on a few of my favorite blogs lately {whatever & natalie creates}... my line-up is a little different but i thought i'd join in...

working on...

handful of heart garlands

wishing for...

this new book by amy from nana company... she makes the cutest things...

sweetly stiched handmades

reading...

where'd you go Bernadette

 trying...
to be better at meal planning
i've seen this recipe floating around on pinterest and i'm really wanting to give it a go... yum!

this appetizer doesn't look too shabby either...

 

{still} dreaming about...

florida


obsessing over...
 this whole look... by evy's tree... is that not the coziest, cutest hoodie ever?

listening to:

ed sheeran: thinking out loud... it's dreamy!

 

eating...
chips {i could go years without em'... then i get on a real kick and buy them nonstop for a while... these are my current fave... super healthy, i know!}

 

drinking...
 coke... since i just shared my super healthy snack above, i may as well let you know a little secret... i drink WAY too much coke... like, even right after i wake up in the morning... i so need to bring H2O back in a big way!!!
 

 

loving...
my new eos lip balm from marina... indian summer orange blossom is where it's at... {and... am i the only one who didn't know that eos stands for evolution of smooth? ya learn something new every day!}


smelling...
a little christmas gift i got for myself... the butterscotch toffee candle from bath and body works...

 

inspired by...
natalie and her favorite organizational tools post... i love putting pen to paper so a lot of her tips seemed doable to me... also, i think i need a receipt organizer in my life... my purse would thank me for it...

thinking a lot about...
how to work smarter, not harder when it comes to oopsie maizie... so happy and thankful for the progress i've made so far, but i still have so much to learn...

what does your "currently" look like?


xo
angie



an honorable mention...

hooray!

 

maizie recently brought home a paper stating that she was going to receive an honorable mention award for a piece of artwork that she had done in art class...

title:  the flu

 

the NEO scholastic art awards ceremony took place on saturday at our local university...

it was so nice that maizie was able to be a part of it... i was worried that she would have trouble getting up on stage with the crutches but she did just fine...

the works will be on display through january 29th {in bliss hall if your local}...

 

so many talented kiddos...

there were some really amazing pieces...

 

it definitely made me so proud to watch her receive this honor...

 

xo

angie

 

 

kitchen inspiration...

welp, i did some searching... i'm torn... i've seen some cabinets with doors removed that i really like...

there's these...

{flea market Trixie}

and these...

{pretty handy girl}

and these...

{skies of parchment}

this seems like the more doable option for us right now because i'm not quite sure what's lurking behind the monstrous cabinet that's currently hanging... or what shape that wall is even in...

BUT...

if i had my choice... i would love the slatted walls and open shelving that my friend jen has created in her kitchen...

she always gets it right... such an eye for color and a real knack for placing her beautiful things just so...these views top my list...

swoon-worthy...

{the cottage nest}

wish us luck in this venture...

for now, i'm off to search for a new set of dishes... {an early birthday gift from my mom...}

have a great weekend!
xo
angie

open faced cabinets or shelving...

when i tell you that my kitchen is the size of a cubicle, i'm not kidding...

 

i can have one hand on the stove and one hand in the sink and the two are across the room from one another...

 

when we bought our house in 2000, i remember john and my mom both bringing up the fact that the kitchen was pretty small... and i remember myself saying "but it's such a cute, little kitchen!" you know when you really want something badly enough, sometimes the better judgment jumps out the window... my judgment on this kitchen being my case in point...

 

no matter how many people we have over, or how i try to corral guests to another room, inevitably we all end up gathered around, elbow to elbow, in this tiny space...

 

it's in need of an entire overhaul... new cabinetry... some pretty countertops would be nice... a farm house sink has forever been on my wish list... dare i say let's add a dishwasher? {you read that right folks, too squishy in there for a dishwasher... unless that washer of dishes is me...} i also didn't think that through very well before we purchased... ask me now and i'll tell ya i should have taken that into consideration...

 

i've been toying around with the idea of taking the cupboard doors off of our main cabinets... {they're wonky... one of them is a little melted from a votive candle incident {which could have ended up so much worse}... and they no longer stay latched {which entails us slamming them and holding them in place, until we gently pull our hands away, hoping they stay put... and sometimes they stay hanging open a bit because i've just about had enough of them...}

 

are ya still with me? i'm feeling a little long-winded in my description here...

 

anyways, on the way home from dropping the kiddos off at school this morning, i tossed it out there to john... what about open shelving in the kitchen?

 

we were no sooner home... and the screw driver was coming out... crooked, wonky doors be gone!

 

here's what i'm looking at right now... she's not a real looker just yet... and i'm not going to show you my pile of mismatched dishes that are bogging down my breakfast nook...

we're going to start with a fresh coat of paint and then go from there...

 

i'm feeling a little nervous about the whole thing... kind of a spur of the moment upheaval... but my fingers are crossed that this hopefully will be an improvement... 

 

i've been perusing pinterest for some inspiration... i'll be back tomorrow to let you know what i find...

what are your thoughts on this? do you like open faced cabinets or shelving versus traditional cupboards?

xo
angie



dreaming of florida..

it's been so cold... and windy... and icy... did i mention cold?

i've been dreaming of florida...
we were so thankful to be able to take a trip to the beach this summer...

the last time we visited the ocean was when maizie was 3 1/2... she's now 13..

there's just something about the ocean that calms me... the waves, the smells, the sounds... so, so relaxing and good for my soul...

we stayed on treasure island beach at the thunderbird beach resort which is on the gulf side of florida...

 i had never been to the gulf side and i've always heard that the sand is white and powdery and the ocean is warmer... true and true...

looking at all of these photos makes me feel so happy!

so many memories!

 

praying as we drove through the mountains in a blinding rain storm...

 

eating lunch {and dinner} at britt's pizza...

 our air conditioning not working and getting an ocean front suite because of it...

 visiting with my aunt dee and uncle dean... seeing their house for the first time... swimming in their pool... cooking out...

 hanging out with my cousin laurie, her husband ramon and their little boy diego {my girls just love him!}...

john driving a little over an hour out of our way to find the silver dolphin alex and ani bracelet that maizie really wanted...

dinner with the family overlooking the ocean and walking along the beach watching the sunset {what a gift!}...

sand castles... shell collecting... early morning walks before everyone else was awake... toes in the sand... {so rejuvenating}...

lunch at bubba gump shrimp company on the patio... watching the dolphins jump up out of the water as we ate...

eating chocolate covered bacon for the first time... {it tasted like a crunchy candy bar}...

driving towards st. pete's beach and having john pull off of the side of the road so that i could take marina's picture by a marina sign...

i remember the afternoon that my mom, aunt and uncle met us at our hotel pool... my mom walked down to the ocean with me to see it all... she said "so this is what you love..." and i said "yes"... {she's not a fan of the ocean... finds it a bit scary...} if i was brave enough to move somewhere warmer, by the beach, i know i would love it {if i could only convince my parents to move as well!}...

trips are amazing... they're moments that no one can ever take away from you... memories that will last a lifetime...

i'm hoping to make it back there again...

i feel better just typing this post... it's almost as if the sun is jumping from the screen warming me right up and i can almost hear the waves crashing in and back out again...

what are some of your favorite vacation memories?

xo
angie

today was...

today was the first full day that both of my girls were back in school since before christmas break... it started off a little rocky... a bit of drama in the clothing department from my little one led to her missing the bus... i had a very icy windshield and back window when we were getting ready to leave... but once i did the drop offs the day was mine...

 

first stop: panera for a frozen caramel... the newest one that was built by us has a drive-thru... so convenient! {maybe a little too convenient, if i'm being honest!}

second stop: back home...

i turned on the laptop... tuned into parenthood from last week {i may have had several good, ugly cries} and sewed away...

{seriously, why does this have to be their last season... i feel like i came in a little late to the party... like, i need to find season one and start from scratch... love, love, love this show!}

 

then i got all caught up on downton abbey... umm... tony gillingham, i'm a fan!

 

as for the sewing... it went pretty fast...

 

patterns...

textures...

colors...

it all makes me happy... especially when i can just spend the day doing my thing without a zillion and one interruptions... being productive is such a great feeling!

 

done...

and...

done...

 

how was your day?

 

xo

angie

 





a day to celebrate maizie...

ahh... that sweet little face... i'd give anything to go back to that time... maizie was about 11 months old in this picture...

{my goodness... i can't even begin to tell you how much i loved to dress that girl!}

fast forward...

today she turns thirteen...

happy birthday sweet girl!

time just continues with no regard to how i feel about it forging on... and it's forging fast, might i add...

 

and while i can't believe that i'm the mom of a teenager, i am so proud of the young lady that she's becoming...

 

she's just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside... such a smart and caring girl... i'm so lucky to call her my daughter...

 

today was her first day back to school after her surgery... when she came home, we celebrated her!

 

bw3 for dinner {it's her fave}... a little happy birthday singing along with the dessert of her choice, handel's ice cream... and presents...

 

i know her 2015 is off to a rocky start with the crutches and all, but my wish is that she has a wonderful year, full of happy memories with family and friends... these are the best times and i want her to enjoy every minute of them...

 

xo

angie

fingers crossed...

we had a snow day yesterday and we were pretty happy about it... i was relieved that maizie wasn't missing more work than she already has due to her ankle... and marina is always more than thrilled when there's a snow day because she loves to relax at home...

 

as i tucked marina in last night, she said "fingers crossed" for no school tomorrow... when i went back up to check on her this is what i saw...

i love that girl... so full of hope!

 

 when i woke up this morning at 6:00 we were sitting at a 2 hour delay... marina tip toed into our room and asked right before 8:00 if school was closed? i told her there was a delay and she said... "well, my fingers crossed at least got that... better than nothing"... soon after, an email notification came across my phone saying that we were closed... cue happiness!

 

this is the scene outside... it's pretty but i'm glad to not have to venture out in it...

today will be for relaxing, movie watching, and sewing... sounds perfect to me!

 

wherever you are, i hope that you're enjoying your friday, too!

 

xo

angie

surgery...

ugh!
 

on january 2nd, maizie went ice skating at the ice zone with a group of friends... at around 8:30 i received a phone call saying that she had fallen and hurt her ankle...

 

such a sinking feeling... we ended up in the emergency room of the children's hospital that night... she was x-ray'd, told she had a sprain, was splinted and sent home on crutches... we were told to follow up with her family doctor...

 

i followed up with him on monday, the 5th, and was told to get in touch with an orthopedic doctor... she had an appointment with him on tuesday, the 6th... a ct scan was ordered and we found out that she had a tillaux fracture... it required surgery...

 

double ugh!

we found ourselves back in the er that evening... this time we went downtown to the er where john works... it was nice to see him in his element and maizie was treated so nicely by the staff there...

 her surgery was yesterday morning... a screw was inserted into the fractured part of her growth plate...
she had an amazing surgeon with a great bedside manner who helped ease her mind and ours... she was a real trooper about the whole thing...

it all went well... i was so thankful for that because there's nothing worse than seeing your child hurting...
 

she now has crutches and this snazzy orange cast ready for signing... we have a follow-up in 4 weeks...

marina was happy to see maizie and was the first to sign...

she stayed at my parents house while we were at the hospital... while she was there she made maizie the cutest bouquet of flowers and surprised her with them...

i'm so thankful that they have each other...

we really appreciated all of the prayers and well wishes that came through from so many of you... they really meant a lot to us!

xo
angie



garland... a handful of hearts

with the ending of each season, my mind begins to spin with ideas for new garlands... i knew for valentines day, hearts would be the most expected...

 but i knew that i didn't want to use felt like i did with the trees... the pumpkins had such cute detailing with their stems and green, twirly vines... the posies have unique button centers...

 

i wanted to create something that had some dimension... years ago, i made a series of valentine's day t-shirts for one of maizie's sweet, pre-school teachers... each shirt featured a bunchy, ruffly heart in different pinks and reds... i had forgotten about them, until my mom mentioned that maybe that design would make a cute heart garland...

 

i gave it a try and love how they're turning out...

i've started a production line...

so many fun patterns and designs...

i found a few more fabrics to incorporate during my late night trip to the fabric store on monday evening...

these will be keeping me busy over the next few weeks... for that i am thankful...

 

how do you decorate for valentine's day?

 

xo

angie

 



back in the studio...



as christmas break was winding down, i started pulling out my fabrics again... i was missing the brighter colors of spring...

i've been working on several pocketful of posie garlands...

they're still my favorite of all... maybe it's because they were the first ones that i made... or maybe because of all of the fun fabrics that i get to mix together for them...

going through all of my buttons and finding the perfect center for each flower makes me happy...

i'm off to finish up 3 of these before moving onto the handful of heart garlands that i showed on instagram for valentine's day... i'll share those with you tomorrow...

 

what do you have planned for today?

 

xo

angie

 

milo

if you follow me on instagram, you'll know that we added a new addition to the reese house about 4 weeks ago... his name is milo... and we love him so!

our girls have been wanting a kitten... they've been asking for years...  i'd been stalling for the sake of our 14 year old cat, maddie...

 

on black friday, john and i were out and about doing some shopping and i happened to check facebook from my phone... our friend amy, who helps run close to home animal rescue, posted this pic to their facebook page...

this little guy was looking for his forever home!

 

i couldn't get over the sweetness in his little face... showed john in the parking lot of barnes and noble... he told me to send amy a message to see if he was still available... i did... he still was... and the rest was history...

 

we surprised the girls... they had no idea and were so, so happy! 

milo has made himself at home from day one...

 

snuggling...

bonding with maddie... haha!

climbing...

 

{it was a year without ornaments}

 

he runs around like a nut, climbs pant legs like a boss, taunts his big sister like a pro, but we couldn't imagine our life without him... 

xo
angie