red, white & blue summertime

"Summertime, and the livin' is easy..." penned Gershwin of this magical time of year with weather that makes me feel happy, alive, free.

Lately I've been feeling creative...

I created this simple bunting with thin cardboard, ribbon, paint, fabric scraps and markers.

I love using simple household items like empty boxes or old t-shirts to fashion whimsical decorations for our home. 

Last week, I found a beautiful pair of jeans while digging through a pile of clothes. They cost me just $0.25 and were in perfect condition except for being hemmed a little too short for my legs. I brought them home and used this tutorial to make this brilliant pair of skinnies.

Oliver & I have been enjoying the sunshine from our backyard, and also being patriotic with a little extra red and white and blue.

Happy Independence Day, 

& happy summer!

♥

Mommyhood..

Oliver enjoyed his first Easter this weekend & also turned 11 months old.

Oliver watched Nicholas & I color eggs with his cousin Hailey. He also got to hunt for brightly colored eggs filled with teddy grahams & cheese-its at Nana and Grandpa's house. 

These days, Oliver spends his time playing with his stuffed animals Rufus & Steggie. He loves watching his dog from the dining room windows. He points at everything and loves electronics. He allows loves books. I think he likes how they taste just as much as he likes to show me the pictures inside their pages. Oliver got new shoes with velcro straps this month. These shoes actually stay on his feet and he does not mind them too much. Mostly because when he wears his shoes, he is allowed to play outside. The other day, he actually carried his shoes to me and patiently waited for me to put them on his feet. He is such a good little boy when he chooses to be. But whether he is driving me crazy or being sweet & lovable matters not because I am his mommy and he is my baby and we our completely obsessed with each other. :)

There is a single month remaining until my little Munchkin turns 1 year old. 

I can hardly believe it. 

♥ Bethany

A Lot of L-O-V-E love

I love LOVE L-O-V-E Valentine's Day.

I try to dress in as much red as possible. 

This box arrived on my doorstep on Valentine's Day, a gift from my darling husband. 

It was filled with these...

look familiar? they are from Georgetown Cupcakes, aka the cupcake shop on tlc's DC Cupcakes. And they were amazing!

I decided to make my own decorations this year. That involved sewing lots of felt hearts and hanging them around our home with bits of rustic twine.

I also took some photos of Oliver and made Valentine's Day photo-cards for our family. 

Oliver liked to shake the hearts and throw them on the ground so it took a few tries before I captured the perfect v-day snapshots.

For Oliver's first Valentine's day, Nicholas & I bought him a special edition of Mr. Potato Head. He is called "sweetheart spud".  Oliver spotted it while we were grocery shopping and loved it. I wrapped it up and let him open it on Tuesday before Nick & I left for a romantic date at Romano's Macaroni Grill, my favorite restaurant. I think he enjoyed the gift wrapping paper more than the toy, though. 

Notice the gift bow Oliver is wearing like a hat? 

How did you spend your Valentine's Day this year?

Piglet: "How do you spell 'love'?

Pooh: "You don't spell it, you feel it."