green moon rising

slice of life

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:05:00 +0000

(a much overdue) slice of life

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 17:00:00 +0000

holiday at cheekwood

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 16:50:00 +0000

Cheekwood Botantical Garden is a Nashville treasure. Voted one of the Top Ten Best Public Gardens by USA Today, it has always been one of my favorite spots in Nashville. In fact, I've posted about Cheekwood before here.

November 28-December 31 is Holiday at Cheekwood, and there is a slew of activities planned. Live reindeer, decorated trees, cookie decorating, and a music series are just some of the festive happenings.

My family was lucky enough to be invited to the dress rehearsal of portraits of Santa in his workshop on the day after Thanksgiving. When we arrived, we headed straight to the reindeer.

We checked out Santa's sleigh. (Ziggy is going through that weird smile phase.) We went to Santa's workshop, and had our photo taken. I'm not posting those photos, because I want them to be a surprise for family members, but the Cheekwood Santa is excellent.

We walked around, saw a remaining train from the former train exhibit, and posed for pictures.

We ran...

and ran some more.

We were contemplative.

We were a bit goofy.

We explored...

and posed on stone steps.

We were distracted.

We walked on winding paths (and found a walking stick).

We played in a tree house from a former exhibit.

We had so much fun (and wore ourselves out), and we didn't even do everything that Cheekwood has to offer. You should consider making Cheekwood part of your holiday celebration!

I received free admission to Cheekwood Botanical Garden, but that in no way influenced my opinions in this post. I love Cheekwood Botanical Garden whether I get in free or not!

tuesday's ten (plus one): lil bit's first year

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 14:30:00 +0000

slice of life

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 14:30:00 +0000

simple pleasures

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Sat, 08 Nov 2014 18:44:00 +0000

Hide and Seek is alive and well at our house. Four out of five members of our family can play, and it's so much fun!

tuesday's ten: ziggy & goldie

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 20:45:00 +0000

I was looking back through photos and feeling nostalgic, because Lil Bit turns one on Saturday. Here's some older photos of Ziggy and Goldie. Lil Bit can have her own Tuesday's Ten next week. (Also, Ziggy's Parent Teacher conference was today, and I was looking through the pics thinking about who he is, who he really, really is as a person and at his core. More on that later.)

(Photo by Beth Seiters)

Here's a bonus pic, because today is Election Day, and this pic is Goldie tuckered out from the Presidential Election coverage in 2012.

slice of life

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 14:45:00 +0000

happy halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 17:05:00 +0000

I've been super busy with the PTO's Fall Festival at Ziggy's school. Super. Busy. It was last night, and a huge success, so I'm hoping to get back to posting a bit more regularly.

Mushroom/toadstool, Steff from Pretty in Pink, Octopus, Zombie Wolverine, El Luchador...I can't pick a favorite!

What costumes have been some of the favorites at your house?

tuesday's ten: etsy love

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 12:45:00 +0000

Etsy Store: LucyHaus

Etsy Store: SelvedgeShop

Etsy Store: PlayHaven

Etsy Store: leathermadenice

Etsy Store: LadyJaneLongstitches

Etsy Store: thewheatfield

Etsy Store: goosedesigns

Etsy Store: CrunchyFarmBaby

Etsy Store: TweetToys

Etsy Store: ArtDexi

slice of life

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 12:45:00 +0000

some days

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 14:37:00 +0000

As I start to write this it's not even 9 a.m. and if I have to clean up one more pile of poop, hear one more whine, or get one more snack/drink/thing, I think I will scream. It's some days, not every day, and I know it comes with the territory, and it will pass. I know that.

So, I look in my phone and find this,

and this,

and I think, "You can do this."

Plus, I'm going to An Evening of Truth-Telling & Hope Spreading with Glennon Doyle Melton tonight and that's something. Momastery, y'all, Momastery.

(The photo of Ziggy needs some explaining. Here's what I put with it on Instagram, "Ziggy thinks this frozen glove experiment he came up with is so impressive that y'all will share this photo and he will become famous. #kidsoftodayproblems #99problemsbutagloveaintone)

closet prep

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 13:00:00 +0000

I am loving The Ultimate Preppy College Reading List that Town & Country put together. One of the books has been a favorite of mine for over twenty years, one book is my ABSOLUTE MOST FAVORITE book of all time, and one is the book I am reading right now (and just might happen to be based on the book shop at my alma mater).

Can you guess which title is which?

tuesday's ten: books from my (evergrowing & everloving) reading list

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 14:00:00 +0000

1. Yes Please by Amy Poehler

2. Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life by Crystal Paine

3. City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin

4. Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned" by Lena Dunham

5. Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters! by Rachel Macy Stafford

6. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

7. The Artist's Daughter: A Memoir by Alexandra Kuykendall

8. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shephard

9. Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris

10. Nightmares! by Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller

If I were a good little blogger, I would have Amazon affiliate links for all these books...but I don't.

slice of life

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 14:29:00 +0000

sunday confessional: brand rep obsession (desperation?)

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Sun, 05 Oct 2014 17:14:00 +0000

I discovered that there's this thing on Instagram where indie businesses will run brand rep competitions, and I am obsessed. Most of the ones I've found are for children's clothing lines. Basically you tag the business in some of your photos and if they like what they see, and select you to be a brand rep, they send you free merchandise, and you take a crap load of pictures with said merchandise.

I really, really, really want to be someone's brand rep. Really.

It's not about the free stuff (though that is pretty cool), and it's not about the validation of my kids' cuteness (I know they are super adorable), it's about...and here's the confession...the validation of my photography skills. I would be over the moon to know that some small business owner thinks my pictures are good enough to represent their brand.

So, if you need me and you can't find me, I'm on Instagram. Fingers crossed.

foodie friday: stuff from the internet

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 11:58:00 +0000

Stick of Butter Rice. You had me at "stick of butter".

Pepperoni Pizza Cake. I repeat, Pepperoni. Pizza. Cake.

Yorkshire Pudding. It's waaaaaaaay different than blood pudding.

Great Depression Meals. Want to do a Great Depression cooking challenge with me?

The Science Behind Baking the Most Delicious Cookie Ever. Cookies, cookies, cookies.

A little sushi I posted on Instagram.

taking care of business

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 00:20:00 +0000

Be sure to get the complete Green Moon Rising experience by following me on Facebook and Instagram.

Also, stay tuned for some exciting giveaways that are in the works!

tuesday's ten: things i sent to myself to read later

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 15:29:00 +0000

1. 10 Rules for Kids Who Eat Healthy, Whole Foods

2. Science for Kids: Crystal Suncatcher Craft

3. How to Be a Nonconformist: 22 Irreverent Illustrated Steps to Counterculture Cred from 1968

4. 17 Awesome Money Saving Apps

5. Valentine's Day Art: Shaken Painted Hearts

6. Yarn Bowl Craft

7. The 50 Best Garage Rock Songs of All Time

8. These Magical Worlds Are Even Better Than 'Harry Potter'

9. 3 Reasons Kids Don't Need Toilet Training (And What To Do Instead)

10. Crayon Drip Art Pumpkin Tutorial

slice of life

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 15:46:00 +0000

rainbow craft sticks & rainbow rice

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 14:19:00 +0000

Check out my posts on Rainbow Craft Sticks and Rainbow Rice over at Nashville Moms Blog.

fun with water beads

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Sun, 14 Sep 2014 20:20:00 +0000

Check out my post about water beads over at Nashville Moms Blog. It's the first post in a series about kids' activities on a dollar store budget.

when the kids aren't here

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Sat, 22 Feb 2014 17:26:00 +0000

Poor Finn.

i know things aren't supposed to make you happy, but...

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 18:58:00 +0000

the origin of a rapper?

noreply@blogger.com (Elissa Pugh) — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 00:36:00 +0000

While running laps around the coffee table, Ziggy said, "I'm going to keep going until my heart is going the speed of liberty (beat) telepathic delivery."