intangible goodness.

transitioning.

2014-02-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

well faithful followers, i'm transitioning my blogging just a bit. i just felt like i needed a bit of fresh start and i wanted to simplify things just a bit.

you can still read my ramblings over at life abundant {{ jordynkerrphotography.blogspot.com }} & follow all of my simple, fun, and downright nutty adventures.

of course, this blog won't be deleted. it is my personal online scrapbook, afterall! but it will become private in just a few weeks. so re-mark your bookmarks & follow along with your favorite blog reader (mine is bloglovin', what's yours?)

thanks for all the love & support!

decorating for november.

2013-11-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

just wanted to drop in and share some fall-ish updates around the house.

you know how ecstatic i am about this time of year!

i love changing my paper source calendar out each month. i mean, i don't always remember at the beginning of the month, but when i finally get around to realizing that the month has changed it's pretty refreshing to get that new calendar up. also, the november design is just too pretty -- love it.

i also bought rifle paper co. banner for some upcoming photography sessions (yay, tax deductible and the fact that i now know what that means!). it's pretty neat, you just change out the letters and spell whatever you want. i don't know how happy i am with "blessed" -- i think "be thankful" might look better but i'm letting this grow on me a bit. or maybe i'm too lazy to take it down and change it.

i did a quick porch redo for thanksgiving time. my redo consisted of throwing out the mums that i let die and writing a cutesy chalkboard quote.

also, i'm still just so giddy about having hay bales and pumpkins on my porch. i look forward to these kinds of things all year. no kidding.

isn't it so easy to count your blessings this time of year?

happy fall, yall!

our anniversary weekend.

2013-11-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

oh, fall!

there's a chill in the air and the leaves are just now turning all kinds of pretty. i get so giddy this time of year!

we spent the beautiful weekend celebrating our anniversary. it's hard to believe that we've been married for three years {well, technically 2 years and 364 days but who's counting?}.

for the past two years we had made a little weekend trip for our anniversary but this year we decided to do it up classy right here in atlanta.

we headed out saturday morning and hit up one of our favorite breakfast joints, first watch. they always have really fun seasonal specials and the best fresh squeezed orange juice. we're just a bit partial to breakfast if you didn't already know that.

then, we explored atlanta without a schedule or agenda. we stopped by thrift stores and saturday farmer's markets. anthropologie and ben's favorite record store. it was so fun just cruising around with ben, sunroof open and tunes going.

{we braved the cold for some king of pops -- these were chocolate peppermint & pumpkin pie}

we checked into the embassy suites in the late afternoon and even though i'm typically a groupon getaway girl, i am so glad we went with embassy suites this trip. talk about vip treatment! happy hour {with free drinks & snacks!}, a shuttle service to and from nearby restaurants, a giftcard {and pass to get to the front of the line} for said restaurants, plus, a full "cook to order" breakfast in the morning. they really make you feel like a rockstar.

we headed home sunday morning, after eating a feast of a breakfast. we planned on stopping by a park just to walk around when we stumbled upon the chastain park arts festival. i was, obviously, delighted -- i love arts festivals!

{loved this beautiful hand built pottery!}

we took in the arts festival, ate some food truck lunch, and headed home.

{ben's favorite toy}

it wasn't anything big or fancy, just a nice weekend. i sure do love hanging with this dude.

the one where i landed my dream job.

2013-10-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

over the years, especially my married years, i've learned that i'm not a verbal processor.

i don't talk things through as i'm trying to process them in my brain. in fact, i'm the kind of person that likes to let things sift through my mind a few times before i share with others. even with my husband. ben laughs at me because i'll tell him about big things that happen at work a week or two after the fact. it's just how i am.

which partially explains my blogging hiatus. big things, big changes {good changes, mind you} have happened since i last blogged and i feel like i've just now been able to wrap my mind around it.

i have a new job, you guys. i have my dream job. and i still can't even believe its real.

it all started in may. i had a little stir in my heart that maybe it was time to find a new job. a job in the public school system. and possibly, hopefully, fingers-crossed an art teaching position. logically, i knew that it made perfectly good sense to stay exactly where i was. i wasn't unhappy. i had just been given a raise and i was soon moving up from a pre-k position to a kindergarten position. it was exactly what i wanted when i first started working there. i also knew that jobs in the school system, in this economy, were few and far between and art positions -- even more rare.

nevertheless, my heart stirred. which i firmly believed was God.

i talked to my sweet husband about how i felt and we decided to dip our toes into the waters of change and see what God could do. i have always believed so strongly in God's faithfulness and provision. i knew that if it was in his will for me to have a new position, that he would open doors for it to happen. we joked around that it would literally be a miracle if i was to be hired on with the school system and so we might as well leave it up to God.

and we did.

don't get me wrong, we did our part. i "networked" with the best of them and applied for as many positions as i could. i prayed. and it was hard. it was a roller coaster of opportunities and let downs. by the middle of july i was convinced that i wasn't going anywhere for the next school year because let's face it, the next school year was only a week away.

my current job became increasingly harder, more political, and a lot less fun -- thats saying a lot from someone who genuinely loved her job. one day i came home, exhausted, fed up and down right angry with how ridiculous things had been at work. it was by far one of the worst days i'd had in my two years there.

it was that evening, that i received a very important phone call. a phone call from an assistant principal asking me to interview for an art teaching position at their school. not to sound cliche, but God truly works in mysterious ways. you see, i already knew the principal, i'd just happen to meet her only a few months earlier when i was randomly asked to fill in for a sick sunday school teacher. better yet, she knew me.

that week, i interviewed for the job on monday and was offered the position on tuesday. and wednesday was my first day of work.

it was quite amazing and overwhelming. and awesome. and i still can't even believe it all happened.

so in case you were wondering, i'm now a middle school art teacher. i have always wanted to be an art teacher and have only recently realized how much i love middle school.

she's back.

2013-10-28T19:26:00.003-04:00

there came a point where i realized how much i missed documenting my life story.

somewhere between getting my dream job and learning how to delete emails from my phone, i began thinking that all kinds of things are happening that i don't want to just forget some day.

if you see me back around the blog, sharing trivial stories, you'll know why.

in other words, i'm back!

pajama + books shower: part 2

2013-07-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

remember these invitations? here's a little sneak at our party.

i love hosting parties. especially small parties with enough friends & family to fill up my little living room. it's just fun. the creative process, the food planning, making invitations, decorating, and finally getting to celebrate with good company.

i've found that pinterest has made party planning really easy and really hard. you pretty much find any grand idea that you "never thought of before!" to go with every party theme you could come up with. at first, it's exhilarating. but if you're not careful, it easily becomes overwhelming.

i love using pinterest as a spring board for my ideas. when i'm just brainstorming, i pin away like a madwoman. knowing that all of those decorations and appetizers aren't feasible. i even like to pin things that are simply inspiration and catch the feel of my theme {like color swatches and funny pictures} but could never really be recreated or bought. things that get my creative gears rolling.

then, i like to take a step back, walk around my house and see what i can come up with on my own.

when i don't spend hours looking at pinterest parties, i don't feel like my house has to be decorated top to bottom in every corner. and every piece of food doesn't have to be a stressful, intricate piece of art. and that people are just fine if their mason jar doesn't have a piece of red twine around it {of course, there's nothing wrong overusing a little red twine}.

i do however, like to do fun projects that make a big impact. like these super easy {and cheap} paper bag flowers. or buntings out of old book pages that i already had.

ben made the paper airplanes for me and i taped them on a string. the other bunting i cut myself & sewed in a line on my sewing machine.

paper straws are just so cute, it's hard to pass them up. when you buy a big box like this one, you get a much better deal. i've been working on one box for over a year {perks of small parties i suppose}. and that fancy drink? oh its just a jug of publix lemonade with some lemon slices and a bag of frozen berries dumped in.

i used an quilt for a table cloth and put an old suitcase underneath it to give my food display some height {a fancy trick i learned from my sister-in-law who is the best party-thrower}. a carafe of billy balls on a stack of books {all of which i already had} made an adorable yet simple centerpiece.

i put together a simple cookie & milk bar using three different types of cookies {one that my friend anna brought}. i'm not a baker, so bought a pack of oreos and some chocolate chip break-n-bakes.

i had a few snacks out on trays and plates but the majority of party food was packaged into brown bags, picnic style. i stuck a chicken salad sandwich, jar of chopped fruit and a baggie of chips in each bag.

throw in some good gifts and good friends and you have a perfectly "not perfect" party.

a few resources for you:

striped straws , carafe {although i usually find them at thrift stores}, fun napkins for decor, red twine

happy independence day!

2013-07-04T12:49:00.002-04:00

happy fourth, everyone!

meet olive.

2013-06-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

olive is the newest member of our family.

she's got the sweetest story. a stray mama cat had baby kittens at my grandparents house and unfortunately mama cat was hit by a car. the babies were left all alone and so tiny. my papa, being the sweet man that he is, adopted the babies as his own and began bottle feeding them.

ben and i had dinner at the grandparent's house last week and instantly fell in love with the baby kittens. and the baby kittens needed a home. we knew what we had to do. {ben loves cats by the way, but i'm slightly allergic}

we picked olive {ollie for short} up after returning from the beach and she's made herself at home ever since.

ollie likes: running from room to room really fast, sitting on the windowsill behind our couch, chasing yarn balls, eating out of her dainty food dishes & laying right up next to you on the couch while purring really loud.

she's just a lot of fun. and so very cute.

a style post: beachin' it.

2013-06-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

so this was officially my first time wearing white shorts. it's a brave move if you ask me. especially when good seafood like crab legs dipped in butter is involved. fortunately, the shorts survived. i had faith. and a good napkin in my lap.

that's all for style today. if you can count these three pieces as "style."

top & bandeau: jcpennys // shorts: urban outfitters // shoes: target

vacation 2013

2013-06-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

vacations are the best, right? we're so bummed to be back from the beach but so thankful to have had such a nice, relaxing week-long getaway. that's what summer is for, you know?

we visited stayed on tybee island and spent our days laying on the beach, swimming in the pool, cruising on our bikes and, most importantly, playing with our sweet niece.

it's not too bad being back home though. if only there wasn't all that laundry to do...

pajama + books baby shower: part one

2013-06-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

we’ve officially reached that point in life where are friends are slowly starting to dip into parenthood.

how exciting!!! i can’t wait to pass around all of their babies! and eventually have our own {i actually can wait on that last sentence}.

i’m throwing my first ~~baby~~ babies shower this weekend for my friend kayla & her twinsies. twinsies, yall!!

just thought i’d share some pretty sweet invites that i made for her “pajamas & books” themed shower.

i’m especially proud of myself for making these using only craft supplies i had on hand. that’s either really impressive & thrifty or really sad that i have so much junk on hand that i could make these. you be the judge.

i used plain ol’ microsoft word & some fun fonts from {dafont.com} to make the invite. i downloaded a free library card template {check here} and printed those of creamy manila paper. i ripped out old book pages to make the paper airplanes & tied it up with some twine {you can buy here for a good price}. the envelopes i had on hand {but you can buy here for pretty cheap}.

i’ll definitely share more pictures from the party real soon!

style post: birthday style

2013-06-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

like i said before, we were traveling on my birthday. i wanted to dress fun but still comfy. this was perfectly comfortable but still happy enough for a breakfast date, a few hours on the road and dinner with my grandparents.

top: old navy // shorts: urban outfitters {got them for $5 on sale last fall!} // shoes: target

sweet & simple.

birthday spoils.

2013-06-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

i was so spoiled on my birthday, you guys.

i woke up super early, because we were traveling and had a pile of beautiful things set before me. ben takes requests for my birthday, because i don’t so much love surprise. it doesn’t make it any less special though.

i must have walked past this table every time we went to target and said “i really like that table.” i wasn’t trying to hint or anything, i just say what i think. last time we were at target, i just said “yep, i want that for my birthday.”

this mug from starbucks caught my eye a few months ago and ben got it for my birthday. i totally forgot about it. aren’t the colors awesome? way better than the old city mugs.

he bought me this set of bowls that i’ve been wanting from anthro ever since we got married!

don’t they fit in just perfect?

of course, i bought a few other things for myself since you get an anthropologie birthday discount. like this ceramic berry basket.

and these two spotty-dotty towels.

i’m so thankful that ben doesn’t fuss about girly colors in the house. he actually really really likes that blue color {fist pump}.

also, he bought me this sweet colander. colanders are a weird weakness of mine.

see how many i have? weird. but i love them.

especially for holding fruit on the table. especially, when you have more than two apples.

oh, and did i mention birthday breakfast? two words: french toast. {or belgian waffle, if you're ben}

now i’ve really got to plan out how to spoil this man on his birthday next month.

25 things i'm glad i did before turning 25.

2013-06-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

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isn't free birthday starbucks the best?

i turned 25 on saturday!

i missed the memo on making a “25 before you’re 25” list. i don’t know when you’re supposed to do one of those, maybe when you turn 16 or 20? i like the idea though. since it’s too late, i thought i’d do my own version of the list.

25 things i’m glad i did before turning 25.

1. learned to tie my shoes. because we all know how obnoxious velcro shoes are. oh, is that just a teacher pet peeve? nonetheless, i like being able to tie shoes.

2. tried curry, sushi, calamari, poached eggs and all the other foods that are really delicious but sound really freaky when you’re 10.

3. rode the really scary, tall roller coasters at six flags. i think there was a short window in my life where i wasn’t too scared to ride those rides, and i rode them. pretty sure that window is now closed, so i’m glad i got that out of my system.

4. got married. i’ve found that a lot of people think 22 is too young to get married, but i’m sure glad to have found benjamin when i did. i really love this young & married, childless stage of life and wouldn’t trade it for a lifetime supply of m&ms.

5. learned how to eat, cook, and live healthy. i’ve learned to love fruits and vegetables that i used to hate. i’ve learned to enjoy having an active lifestyle and to be conscious of how i'm taking care of my body.

6. developed a sense of style that’s my own in the way i dress, decorate, and live. its way easier than trying to keep up with everyone else’s expectations. plus, i love color.

7. read lots of books. loved lots of books. i have my mom to thank for that.

8. traveled. in the country & out of the country. you learn all kinds of new and amazing things just by getting out, seeing and experiencing. its invaluable.

9. lived with roommates. i loved living with roommates in college and wouldn’t change that experience for anything.

10. had pets. lots of different kinds of pets: dogs, cats, fish, hamsters, pony, goats, ducks, bunnies. pets teach the best life lessons when you’re a kid.

11. took dance classes, gymnastic classes, did cheerleading, girl scouts, played clarinet in the band, played volleyball and more. i learned what i was good at and, equally as important, what i’m not good at.

12. learned how to curl my hair. it’s the small things sometimes.

13. went to public school, ate school lunches, and rode the bus. all those “horrific” things that parents don’t want their kids to experience anymore.

14. found a church that feels like home with people that feel like family.

15. challenged myself to turn my hobbies into a business. big step out of my comfort zone.

16. learned to love coffee. i really thought it would never happen. and then i met ben kerr.

17. geeked out about things like harry potter, blogging, and lost. it’s good to be geeky sometimes, it teaches you to get over yourself and just enjoy life.

18. accepted my pale skin for what it is and stopped trying to be tan. freckles are cool, you know?

19. had braces, twice. you’re glad too.

20. learned how to navigate around downtown Atlanta.

21. valued my own hard work and started to see my worth as an artist and as a teacher.

22. laughed a lot. and kept my panties out of a knot.

23. took classes that i loved and classes that i hated in high school and college. it taught me a lot about who i am, what i enjoy, how i learn, how i relate and how i want to teach others.

24. became an aunt jordy to the coolest niece ever.

25. lived to celebrate another year of life with the man i love beside me while counting my blessing one by one.

our baby bird friends.

2013-06-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

remember this picture? when i told you about the bird living in my hanging basket?

you may have already guessed, because you surely have great deductive reasoning skills & you learned all about animal life cycles in second grade, but our bird friend is a mama! she's built the cutest little sideways nest {so her babies don't get wet when i water the plant -- smart mama!} and she's filled it with the tiniest, sweetest fluffy baby birds. they make my heart so happy!

everyday when i get home from work, i scoot our little porch chair to the very edge of the porch to stand on. it's kind of dangerous and i look like a fool to anyone driving by, but i just have to check on those cute little birds. sometimes they're asleep and sometimes they look at me and sometimes they do that little open mouth baby bird thing. i just can't even describe how adorable it is.

i try really hard to get good pictures of them, without actually getting all in their area and disturbing them. you can barely make out too little birdies in the picture, but i promise they're there. and lots more too!

even as i type this, i'm laying on my couch looking out the window and i can see mama bird flying back and forth to and from the nest. its so cool, you guys.

it's the little things in life.

weekend at granny's.

2013-05-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

we spent the weekend hanging out at my grandparent's house. we laid by the pool, ate a bunch of food, did a little shopping, ate more good food, spent quality time with the grands and basically, just relaxed.

here's a few pictures from our weekend. i love their yard so i ran around barefoot taking lots of fun pictures.

the last pictures may seem out of place but we like having an evening snack tray by the pool when we stay with the grandparents in the summer. it's just one of my favorite new traditions.

my front porch.

2013-05-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

i think it takes a long time to settle into your home. we've slowly chipped away at little projects here and there when we have time but as the weather warmed up we knew we had to tackle some outside projects.

ben has taken on the lawn like a pro. there was a long standoff between ben and the lawn mower but with the help of our neighbor {who just so happens to like buying crap lawnmowers, fixing them & reselling them} the lawn mower was fixed and our grass is happily cut.

the front porch was my own personal project. it needed to be relaxing -- because i like to sit on the front porch and watch all of our little critters in the evenings. it also had to be practical -- low maintenance plants that i'm not going to kill if i forget about them for a day or two. and i wanted it to be a space that just makes me happy when i'm coming or going.

i wrote here about how i spray painted some plain ol' wicker chairs bright yellow. i put both chairs on the front porch and knew it needed something more. the white table may be a temporary front porch piece {because it looks so cute in another room in our house} but for now i like it. i threw together some quick pillows with this great fabric that my mil picked up at the flea market.

i decided to start small with plants and just picked up a few at home depot that i thought i could keep alive {remember this post? yeah, those plants} . i like the cluster of green by the door. the added bonus is that i keep them watered pretty well because i walk past them every day.

i added this wreath {that never sold at my craft show but happens to fit perfectly with my decor}.

and my mother-in-law brought us a few hanging baskets that finish off the look really well. ben and i aren't the only ones enjoying the hanging baskets, it seems that a little birdy has made a nest in one! how sweet! i mean, it's sweet now, since i've recovered from the near heart attack that i had when little birdy flew out near my head when i was watering my plant. such is life.

i'm really happy with our little porch. i know i'll keep changing it as the seasons change and as i change my mind about things but for now it's a nice, little relaxing space for having a drink with my husband or editing pictures or writing blog posts or sketching designs.

why we go to church.

2013-05-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

i'm hesitant to write a post like this. i'm not writing this to convince anyone out there to go to a church. i also don't believe that you have to go to church to be a follower of christ. i know people have been hurt or offended by the "church" and christians. i also know that people see church-goers as hypocritical, judgmental, arrogant, and annoying little no-fun rule-followers. honestly, if you told me your story i'd understand why you don't want to step foot in place like that. no judgement here.

on the other hand, this is my blog and my story. a place where i get to tell you about my life, the things i like to do, and how God is moving in my life. this is my space on the web to tell you why i go to that "archaic, hypocritical, judgemental" place multiple times a week.

1. we go to church for the people.

relationships are important to God. relationships are hard and messy. they require us to realize that we're not perfect and other people aren't perfect either. they require us to practice forgiveness and communication. they help us to realize that God has been graceful and merciful to us even when we really suck.

on the other hand, relationships are great. i love having friends. i love the people that i have met and grown close to because of my involvement in my church. i have people in my life that i can rely on to pray for me and to encourage me when i'm feeling down. people that are willing to drop what they're doing and go out of their way to help me. people that genuinely restore your faith in this messed up world. that's a pretty strong statement, but it's true. i go to church because of the people.

2. we go to church because it stretches us.

it stretches us to step out and do things that we normally wouldn't do. it's easy to sit and home, think about all the things you have to do and to stress over all the time that is quickly slipping away while you're not getting things done. getting involved and volunteering for various ministries in our church has taught me so quickly that i have more time than i even realize and that people who are exponentially busier than me are volunteering their time to help others {hello mothers!}

and even though God owes me nothing for serving him, he seems to pour out blessings on the small sacrifice i make. i met great people through church ministries. i've had a lot of fun. i've learned so many life lessons. most importantly, i've learned that God only needs my willingness to create something amazing -- not my talent, or expertise.

3. we go to church because it's important to God.

ben and i rely on the fact that God is faithful to us. he orders our steps and prepares our path. to look back on my life and to see God's hand and the doors that he opened for me is really awe inspiring. too many things have come together in a smooth, miraculous way that only point to a divine intervention. {like the way i met ben at exactly the time in his life when he needed to meet a girl like me. like how we prayed for God to show us whether or not to move to atlanta for ben's graduate studies and i was called back and hired by the first job i applied for.}

even though church isn't always easy or fun. even though we're offended by hypocrites and arrogant people in the church, we know that worshiping with others is important to the God who is provisional and faithful in our lives. that makes it important to us.

i write this post, because i don't think some people really know why christians choose to go to church. often, i think it's assumed that people go to worship or to hear a compelling, thought-provoking message. although, those are great things about church, i can get both of those things without ever stepping foot in a church. some assume that church is supposed to "keep you out of trouble" but i don't really buy into that either. if anything church has gotten me into more trouble, but that's a story for another day.

i would love to know why you go to church or even why you don't go to church.

the white tank {three ways}: part three

2013-05-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

when i put this outfit on i had no intentions of using it for my "white tank: three ways" series. it just so happened to be one of the few clean things i had in my closet. that's how it goes when you're not a real fashion blogger. a real fashion blogger would have probably thrown together a much better outfit too. it's good to be a fake fashion blogger.

in fact, the only really unique or special thing about this outfit is my hippie style headband. but you know what, i felt really cute in this little ensemble and that justified a mini-photoshoot with my favorite photographer.

the thing is, i hope that you can find a little bit of inspiration from my average joe outfits. i don't buy any super expensive or crazy "out there" trendy pieces. i use what i have and buy a few fun things here and there to spice it up. i'm not a fashion blogger, i'm just a regular twenty-something like some of you, staring at my closet with the words "i. have. nothing. to. wear." floating through my head.

if i can make it work. so can you.

cardigan: target // top: forever 21 // jeans: gap // shoes: target // headband: here

backyard mini sessions + the end it movement

2013-05-14T20:08:00.001-04:00

sometimes i get to do really fun things

like take pictures of families in my own backyard.

i did two backyard mini-sessions this weekend. it was just an idea that i had been sitting on for quite a while now and i decided to go for it.

and i'm glad i did.

the best part about these shoots is that they're helping to fight modern day slavery just by showing up and letting me take their pictures. it all started with a little idea that my friend anna contrived: spend it to end it. it's a campaign to fight back against human trafficking -- she plans to raise enough funds to free a slave {which is about $5,000}. anna sells mary kay {remember this post?} and she's using her profits from the month of may to go toward the cause. she's donating the money locally to a charity that works with women trying to find a way out of human slavery. i was so impressed with her initiative that i decided to join with her and donate my photography profits from the month of may as well. my profits and her profits alone would be hardly a drop in the bucket in the fight against human trafficking but God is good, you guys. she's already had several other mary kay directors and other small local businesses ask to team up with her for the campaign! how awesome is that!

just wanted to give a little plug about my friend & update you on what's going on in our life!

to read more about the end it movement:

www.enditmovement.com

to purchase any items from anna:

www.marykay.com/annawilhelm

date night: backyard cookout.

2013-05-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

we are pretty excited about having a backporch + backyard this summer. granted, they both need a little tlc -- but we'll get to each project in due time. last friday, we decided to have a little cookout on the patio. we knew that lots of yucky weather was headed our way, so we took advantage of clear {well, cloudy but not rainy} skies and had our dinner outside.

i bought a ton of veggies & some turkey sausage at the grocery store to throw on the grill. in my world, grilling in the man's job. so, i let ben take this one over. it's so nice to let your man do the cooking.

we ate lots of yummy food. i especially love grilled food. its something about those crunchy, chargrilled marks on the veggies or maybe it's because i grew up eating grilled food all summer, every summer -- my dad loves cooking on the grill. whatever, the reason i'm a big fan.

the white tank {three ways}: part two

2013-05-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

i went a little crazy making skirts this spring. its too hard to pick just one yard of fabric. so, i've got a few too many skirts in my closet. is it even possible to have too many skirts? of course not. especially since i plan on making a few more before the summer is over.

loud, colorful skirts are perfect paired with a simple white tank top or tee. it's not super match-y and it lets the skirt shine in all its brightness. i've even cheated and folded down a strapless, elastic smocked dress and worn it as a skirt over a white tank top. see, you've got to have a white tank top on hand. how else are you going to turn a strapless dress into two outfits?

tank: forever 21 // skirt: made by me // belt: target // cardigan: forever 21

i wore this out to lunch with my nana & then i put it on for church last sunday. i then, changed into some jeans after taking these pictures because i definitely didn't realize how cold it was. you win some you lose some.

diy: hat makeover.

2013-05-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

i love straw fedoras. i never thought i'd say that but i bought one last spring and ended up buying three more before the summer was over. they're the best cover up for bad hair, the keep the sun from burning your face, and they're just so darn cute.

i'm determined to not buy any more this summer {but i can't make any promises}. however, i did scheme up a way to make one of my favorite hats go with almost any outfit.

i started with a hat from h&m. it was super cheap, i'm thinking less than $10. and it looked like this:

cute, right? but i wanted more options. so i very carefully snipped some threads on the band and peeled the fabric away from the hat. it was stuck on with some cheap glue, so it wasn't very hard. if you plan on doing this project, inspect your hat really well at the store to see if you'll be able to separate the band & the hat without any damage. luckily, the hat and the band remained in good condition!

then, i went searching. i looked around my house for headband, ribbon, lace -- anything i could stick around the hat! by the time i finished looking, i had about ten different options for a band around my hat! how easy is that?

{top row, left to right: original band, lace tied in a knot, headband from oh sweet joy!, middle row: forever 21 headband, headband made my me, another oh sweet joy! headband, bottom row: all from oh sweet joy!}

what do you have lying around that you could use to makeover a hat?

date night: frolfing

2013-05-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

you may remember from this post, that we are apparently getting into frisbee golf. and when i said "we" i really didn't think that included me. boy, was i wrong.

ben was pretty determined that i needed to hop on the frisbee golf bandwagon. he even went out and bought me some discs. pretty romantic in his own special, twist-your-arm kind of way, right? i'm kidding, there was actually no arm twisting involved, literally or figuratively.

sometimes i can be a little sporty. sometimes. meaning, hardly ever. but something about this pretty spring weather and that green, green grass convinced me to change my ways.

so i gave it a shot and you know what, i liked it. it was a lot of fun. it's almost like hiking, because you're walking a whole lot, combined with throwing a frisbee. i'm not saying i was good or anything, because i wasn't, but it's one of those sports where you don't have to actually be good at it to have fun.

we headed to a nearby course & played a few rounds one night last week. i packed some sandwiches & we had an impromptu picnic, as well. it was such a fun cheap date. we liked it so much that we went back again with some friends a few nights later.

if you want a cheap sport or hobby to do with your spouse, we totally recommend frolfing. google it, find a course where you live, & go buy some discs. you won't regret it!

date night: gardening.

2013-04-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

as the weather warms up {and then goes cold for a few days and then warms up again}, it gets way easier to plan fun dates on small budget! anything fun you can do outside = a great date with your spouse.

ben and i decided to do a little gardening last weekend -- nothing big, although we definitely need to do some big projects around the yard, but just enough yard work to make it fun. we plan to chip away at all those projects throughout the spring & summer.

we grabbed some subs at firehouse & then headed to the home depot. there's always a home depot vs. lowes conversation in our house, currently, we're on team home deopot, but it could always change. which do you prefer? anyways, we picked up a variety of little herbs and plants, a few seeds, and some pots. its kind of intimidating to stand in front of all those little sprouts at the store and pick just a few. i think they should divide them into "beginner" "intermediate" and "expert" green thumb levels but that's just me.

we came home with just a few to try and we began clearing out little patches to plant our seeds -- zinnia seeds, because my mom always grew them when i was growing up and she's plant-challenged just like me. our little flower beds were very neglected but it felt really good to clear them out and put some new life into it.

it was a really simple, fun way to spend some time with ben in the fresh air and sunshine, doing something that i normally wouldn't do {yeah, i'm not really a yard work kind of girl, just being honest}. plus, i'll be so happy to pick my own herbs and flowers in summer! even if you don't have a yard, there are some great ideas for small container gardens all over pinterest -- have some fun planting with your spouse this spring!

{and if you're wondering why ben's not in any of these pictures, it's because my hands looked like this & i wasn't about to touch my camera...}