Wednesday, August 28, 2013

.quiet + busy.

I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.
- Lucy Maud Montgomery

I have been busy with the busyness of a quiet life.
Boys need tending. Laundry needs folding. Dinners need cooking.
Water needs splashing.

The weather is perfect, finally!

So we have been making sweet memories as a little family.



I have been working on lots of projects I can't wait to share with you!

Monday, August 26, 2013

.decor + bedroom.

I don't know about you, but my bedroom is the most neglected room in my home.
I am trying to change that...slowly and within my budget.
I found this gorgeous fabric as color inspiration.

Did you know Lowe's carries Pantone paint colors?


Gorgeous!
I don't know what I am going to paint yet, but I'll find something!
I'm also going to bring these paint chips when I'm shopping so I can be sure to get the right colors. 


An embroidery project is also on my list of things to do. 


I had a little help sorting thread from my big boy. 

Thursday, August 22, 2013

.birthday + memories.


One year ago today we met our baby boy...

We couldn't imagine a day without him.


Happy birthday, Twinkle Toes! 
I love you!

Sunday, August 18, 2013

.helping + boys.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:3,4

My biggest boy, who just turned two, loves to help. 
He has loved to help ever since he was little, well, little-er than two. 
I call him my boy with the helping heart.
If you have much experience with toddlers, then you know a little boy helping means tasks take exponentially longer. 
So while my boy is learning to serve others, I am learning patience. I am learning how to appreciate my children for who they are. I am learning how to nurture hearts to suit their strengths. 
It's hard sometimes. There are days when I just want to unload the dishwasher myself and move on with my day. So I have to give myself a timeout. Guiding my little boy into a servant leader is much more important and eternal than seeing how quickly I can sort the silverware to move onto the laundry pile that seems to grow overnight.
I thank God every day for my babies. And I am so grateful for this sweet way to learn patience. 
Now I have to find the niche for my boy with the affectionate heart....that might be more challenging. 

A Godly leader finds strength by realizing his weaknesses, finds authority by being under authority, finds direction by laying down his own plans, finds vision by seeing the needs of others, finds credibility be being an example, finds honor by being faithful, finds greatness by being a servant.
- Roy Lessin

Thursday, August 15, 2013

.giveaway + winners.

A sincere thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway. 

There were only four of you lovely readers who left comments. 
I didn't want to leave anyone out! 
So everyone who entered, expect a package from me sometime soon!

If you left the comment:
"Your amazing Laura....ooh and I love Lavender...do I win???!!!!!!"

Could you please email me your address at j.and.w.blog@gmail.com?

I'll do another giveaway soon!

Saturday, August 10, 2013

.decor + giveaway.

Yay! Welcome to my first giveaway!

In conjunction with my previous post about not  having a dresser, found here, I also wanted to share one special little extra that I love - sachets. I love to have my clothes smell softly like lavender, and my canvas bins are filled with homemade lavender sachets. 


To celebrate some exciting new things coming up for j+w, I would like to host my first giveaway!


Two readers will win a set of 4 homemade lavender sachets - in beautiful blue and green batiks!

There are three ways to be entered into the contest:
leave a comment on the blog
like j+w on facebook, here, and leave an additional comment saying you liked us
share this giveaway on facebook and leave an additional comment saying you shared

Two winners will be announced on Wednesday, August 14th! Check back with us to see if you won!

.decor + clothes.

I have so much I want to share, it's going to take two posts today!

One way to save space, money, and be easy to move is to not have a dresser. 
It sounds weird, I know.
But, there are no clothes' dressers in my house. 

For my clothes (and my husband's!), I use these large canvas bins. 


They're large and perfect and have held up beautifully (these are around five years old). We have had them in closets on wire shelving, and currently have them in our master bath. 
You can find these and other similar bins here, at The Container Store.

My boys don't have dressers either, and I keep their clothes in a similar setup. I just feel better knowing there are no large pieces of furniture in their bedrooms or closets to become a jungle gym. 

None of us have a ton of clothes, so it works great for our family!

Thursday, August 8, 2013

.sisters + home.

Missing home today.


Missing weather under 95*. Missing family. Missing mountains.


Not really missing being in jr. high, but love these throwback thursday photos!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

.decor + kitchens.

It is not, in fact, cookery books that we need half so much as cooks really trained to a knowledge of their duties.
-Eliza Acton, 1845

Doesn't that quote just crack you up? I definitely wouldn't need cookbooks and recipes if I had a cook...but since I am the cook around my home, I thought I'd share with you how I organize my recipes.

I am not a big fan of cookbooks. They are usually large, heavy, and filled with recipes I don't make except for that one dish I make every week. So I decided I wouldn't move any cookbooks. I never know what size kitchen I'll be getting and I don't want to worry about space for a dozen dictionary-sized tomes. 

My solution is recipe cards I can type up on my computer, laminate, hole punch, and organize however I want! Link to template here.

 

I love this way of doing things for several reasons:
No bulky cookbooks taking up space I might not have
My recipes are easy to wipe off if I get a little overzealous with the mixer
I pull these out when making my grocery list and have all my recipes right there
I only have the recipes I use
Everything matches!


I keep all my recipes in a little caddy, available here, and keep it in a little corner of a cupboard
My mama and brother also have their recipes like this, so whenever I find a good recipe, I share it with them! 
I have found that with the internet, extra cookbooks are not really necessary; if I need a recipe for something, I can just look it up!

My helper who refused to nap today. Look at those baby chubs!!

.decor + hurdles.

He is the happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

I love decorating my home. I love arranging, rearranging, finding that perfect piece,picking out paint colors....pretty much any aspect! (Except hanging pictures - My sweet husband helps with that!)
A decorated home with finishing touches takes any space from a place that's just functional to a place that is home.
With our military lifestyle, I will have the opportunity to decorate new spaces fairly often. That will definitely keep my busy, and right now I am working on dealing with several common decorating hurdles specific to a 'move-often' life. 
Please join me for a semi-sporadic series on decorating on a budget for a space that's not permanent!

It's going to be a huge challenge, especially considering this is what my sons to consider to be the epitomy of decorating. 


 

Friday, August 2, 2013

.friends + fridays.

But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life; and thanks to a benevolent arrangement of things, the greater part of life is sunshine.
- Thomas Jefferson

My favorite part of this life as a military family is the community. The friendships. The amount of real life lived among dear friends. 
Living over two thousand miles away from my hometown has given me a unique opportunity to pour my time into making new friends...and what a sweet task to give time to. 
What a cherished gift to have friends close by. 
For as many tears as I have cried missing home, there has been threefold giggles, smiles, and peals of laughter that come from friendships here. 
My life is not a big production for a grand stage, but a simple story for fireside chat. And that is what our friends here have given me: a community to add character and richness and laughter and sweet memories to that simple story.
My first duty station has been a hard adjustment, but is so sweet to belong. 

A Friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of Nature.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thursday, August 1, 2013

.ice cream + little boys.

I only have one photo that's a throwback, and two that are current...but they just crack me up!

This is my big boy last summer...


...and this is my big boy this summer....


...and my little boy this summer...


...I guess there is only one way to eat ice cream in this family.