Repeat

Every now and then a song comes along that fits so perfectly in my ears/body/brain that I listen to it no kidding hundreds of times...til I can no longer stand it. For 12 by Other Lives is that song this fall...I have NO idea what the lyrics mean but it's ok...it's so perfectly dark and gorgeous...and sometimes mysterious lyrics make it even better. Does this song do it for you as well?



 A lovely acoustic version...

Top 10 Master Bedroom Inspiration Pics

The cool weather is here-evidenced by my mania for sprucing and beautifying the house.

I feel like a mad-woman...or a true Gemini-I have about 20 half-started who-knows-when-they-will-ever-get-done home projects...

There are paint swatches painted in the kitchen and living room. I have moved my interior design library off the bookcase where it's waiting to meet it's new home in my half-started upstairs craft room. I have my eyes on pillows for the living room, lamps for Hudson's room, frames for the...ugh-my head is spinning!!!

For whatever reason I have an incredibly hard time focusing on one room at a time which is what needs to be done for my sanity and the sake of our checking account! SO-this is my attempt starting with THE MOST NEGLECTED room in my house and winner of THE ugliest bedroom of all time...our master bedroom.

I was going to post pictures of our bedoom-but the pics were literally scary...eye-vomit! Take it from me, it is hideous.

This room is home to all the abandoned furniture/window panels/accessories/art that we didn't want in the public spaces of our home anymore...so it is an eclectic, mis-matched, nothing makes sense space.

My dream for this space is that it become my book-reading, hubby snuggling, journaling, dreaming haven. I've narrowed down my inspiration pins to 10 faves...and I'd pretty much feel like the luckiest girl ever to have any one of these as my bedroom...which do you like best???? (all pic sources via here)

I'm definitely going with an upholstered headboard...LOVE this fabric

Minty walls and gold accents=swoon-worthy!

Purple and fuzzy pillows-too pretty

Love the gold frame gallery wall

Bohemian

Glass lamp, touch of purple and gold, chandelier...this is eclectic loveliness

Wish our budget allowed wallpaper...love this mix of patterns

THAT headboard screen!!!

Upholstered headboard, mirrored side tables and turquoise lamps...oh my!

Love the chunky sweater blanket, pallet bed, and framed b & w print. mmm.

 

Little Pumpkin

One of the best parts about having a little one is being able to do things we always imagined would be fun but never had an excuse to do when we were child-less. In addition to riding the carousel and visiting Santa at the mall, on the top of that list is an annual visit to the pumpkin patch...always wanted to but never really did it til babe came along.



We bundled up and took Hudson to the ever-gorgeous Greenbluff (a short drive north of Spokane) to the Apple Festival at Harvest House where we sipped apple cider & bought some delish apples.

We grew our own pumpkins this year but we couldn't resist letting him pick one while we joined the hoards of parents snapping pics of their little ones playing in the pumpkin patch.

Mr. Brady says the pumpkins make Herbies skin look darker...haha. When H gets older he's really gonna love that he got my vampish white skin tone instead of his dad's golden brown coloring.  

Hudson's FIRST Happy Birthday!

My boys in McCall on our birthday roadtrip

  Last weekend Alex and I ventured for the first time (post age 14) with the babe to Toys R Us. While walking through the artsy toys aisle, dress-ups, and dolls (and on a regular basis as I am raising Hudson) I kept thinking to myself, "dang I wish I were a kid again!"

Hudson is a constant reminder to me of the innocence, fun, & magic of childhood. And of course one of the biggest perks of kid-dom has got to be the all out anticipation and celebration of birthdays!!! Mr. Brady and I aren't much on celebrating our own but I do love a party, so I was in kid-party-planning-heaven prepping for Hudson's first. I did, however, remind myself that he's a baby and spending a ton of money on decorations is a bit of waste...I felt even better about this choice after I realized I took ZERO pictures of the decorations I did make/purchase.

I guess you'll have to take my word for it that the party was SQUIRREL themed after the birthday boys favorite song from music class. It goes a little something like this:

Squirrel squirrel shake that bushy tail
Squirrel squirrel shake that bushy tail
Wrinkle up your little nose
Put a nut between your toes
Squirrel squirrel shake that bushy tail

How cute is that!!? It makes him smile every time.

We were so lucky to be able to host his party in Boise with all of his family and our very best friends from high school. Nana Nina's house was once again happy, crazy, bustling, and literally bursting full of family and friends...Hudson didn't know what to think when 40+ people surrounded him and started singing Happy Birthday...it was pretty special. Alex and I definitely agree after this trip that we want to move back so we can raise Hudson with the support of his loving family.

On his Boise Birthday Trip, Hudson also visited the zoo for the first time with the 'rents, Nina, Granny and Uncle Alan. We brought the stroller but didn't end up using it as everyone wanted their turn holding H and showing him the animals. The kiddo is weighing in at about 23 lbs soooo he ended up switching family members about every 15 minutes and I was asked repeatedly HOW I do it on a daily basis!!?

And now for the pictures...

Pre-cake-face

Pumpkin spice cupcake yummy-ness

Nom!

Opening pressies with dad-dad

Pirate sock puppet

Checking out the giraffes with Grammy

Half Uncle/Half Zebra

Family love

Feeding the goats with Dad-dad

It really is all happening at the zoo!

Nina and Dad

Sleepy car ride

Swimming at the hotel-Hudson LOVED it!

JOY

Today had its share of joyful moments...making my son laugh reading him his Puppy Playtime book, the flickering sunlight and autumn leaves at the park, a long hot shower, a hug from the hubby, the smell of soup simmering in the crockpot...but my favorite part of today was slow dancing with the baby in the living room before putting him to bed; fuzzy socks on hardwood, sliding, waltzing and spinning to Al Bowlly singing "Close Your Eyes". Hudson laughed each time I spun him and melted into my arms laying his sweet little freshly bathed head on my shoulder. It seemed all the sweet & simple happy moments of the day, "had been narrowed to one perfect point of rose-colored joy". ~ Oscar Wilde

Words to Live By

I love this quote. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people say, "that's how I am, take it or leave it" to excuse their rude or inappropriate behavior. Some women brag about being "bitches" reducing me to the logic of a child, "but why?" We are social creatures and we all have to get along! I too can be rude at times, and have felt more anger towards people recently, which is why I am thankful this reminder came along when it did...

"Personality is not cast in a rigid mold; the whole secret of personality is that it is a process. The nature of a process is that it can be changed. For a time, it is true, the changes you are trying to make will not seem natural. When someone is rude to you, you will still feel a wave of resentment inside. It does not matter; at the outset, it is enough to act kind, to pretend to be kind, to stage a sort of kindness performance.
Gradually, if you put your whole effort behind this transformation, using the tool of meditation, the seething will subside. Then it will not just be a flawless performance, you will actually transform anger into compassion."

- Eknath Easwaran, from "Words to Live By"

Happy Thursday.

wordless wednesday: 358 days