Favorite from October

There are so many things I love about this photo that I am not sure where to begin.  

I am pretty sure by this point you all have met Stanlee, our super sweet little boston terrier that I can't get enough of.  Stanlee is "the baby" of our family.  We adopted him when he was just over a year old and he is the youngest of our two kids dogs.  It took a lot of adjusting to him and visa versa but through it all he has turned into an amazing dog that is extremely loyal and loving toward our family.  If you want to learn more about stanlee, you can read his story here.

This photo was taken Halloween weekend when we were playing in the park at our apartment complex after all the trick or treaters were gone.  My husband had our camera and was trying to take pictures of this dog dressed up as a lobster running around the park and rolling around in mud.  This pup he was trying to photograph was our other boston MileyJo.  {We are such proud parents of her -wink}  While Miley was being her hyper, miss independent self, Stanlee sat right next to me.  We were just hangin out.  I said to Justin, you should get pictures of Stanlee instead.  Out of all the photos from the park, this is my favorite.  This picture explains Stanlee perfectly.

What I love:

• The way Stanlee is looking at me
• His sweater paired with his handmade collar and bow-tie from his momma
• My blue tights
• New boots
• The casualness of the photo

Sometimes you have a photo that you could look at several times a day and every time you smile.  This is that photo for me.

{Inspiration Workshop} - Anthropologie Love

I am linking up with Gussy again for another week of her inspiration workshop.  Today's topic is your favorite store.

This was kind of hard for me.  There are a lot of stores I like, and it is hard to narrow it down to one.  Do I pick the one I shop at the most? Maybe, but that doesn't mean it is my favorite, that just means I can afford it and I like it!  Since this is an inspiration workshop, I chose my favorite store that never fails to inspire me.

{anthropologie}

Anthropologie is unlike any other store!  First off, every location is very different from the rest.  They do not have rules from corporate to count exactly 50 stars in their window displays and place this specific color scheme and dresses in the main window.  They are unique.  Their store design team pushes themselves to create amazing displays out of the most simple everyday items.  I saw an awesome lamp shade this past weekend and when I looked closer, it was made from dyed coffee filters.  I have seen safari animals made out of book pages and flowers made from ripped cardboard.  I have even seen waterfalls, vintage bicycles and live plants throughout their stores.  I can't help but to be inspired when I walk into an Anthropologie!

photo credit

Not only am I amazed by the store layout and design, but I love their clothing, accessories and home decor items.  I don't think I can sum up their style into one word, but I would say they combine very feminine, vintage, and romantic labels in their store.  I have worn few items from them, but when I am clothed in Anthro, I feel soft, feminine and lovely!

   

If you have an Anthropologie in your area, I recommend taking a walk through it and let yourself be completely inspired.  Depending on your budget, you might not be able to afford much (or any if you are like me) but they will leave you feeling inspired and refreshed!

{Inspiration Workshop} - Favorite Color

All of my friends and family can tell you without hesitation that my favorite color is yellow.  Over the past couple years, I gravitate to anything yellow; clothing, fabric, accessories...

So this week I am teaming up with gussy sews to share with you pretty images of all things yellow :)

Source: balancingthedream.blogspot.com via Michelle on Pinterest

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{Inspiration Workshop} - Front Porch Sitting

This week I am linking up again with gussy sews for her inspiration workshop week #12.  This weeks topic: front porches

Source: gardenmama.typepad.com via Michelle on Pinterest

Front porch sitting; something I am really looking forward to now that the crazy hot temperatures are cooling it a little here in Ohio.  Now that we have a patio, I am excited to sit outside with the dogs, eat lunch, craft and play scrabble with the Mr.

However, when I sit outside our patio now, this is my view:
This summer we tried growing our own herbs for the first time and as you can see, I killed our plants :(

So I think it is safe to say I didn't water the herbs and flowers enough for the really hot temperatures, and I even tried plant food which also failed.  

On the positive side, Miley loves her outdoor cushion and watching neighbors walk by.  

And we purchased a mosaic elephant outdoor dining table from World Market which is lovely {no chairs yet, so we just bring out our dining room chairs}

I am thankful we now have a patio, but when I sit here I try to imagine the photo above.  Wood floors, fabric bunting, yellow bench, red door, lots of space for everyone and of course, lots of live plants...

...Someday ;)

My daily routine {or lack thereof}

Ok, I will be honest with you, I struggle with establishing a daily "routine".  I have tried a few different patterns and schedules this year and nothing seems to stick.

One thing I tried earlier this year was waking up in the morning with Justin and making my schedule the same as his.  I thought this was perfect, we will wake up together, gain an extra 30 minutes or so to spend together in the mornings, work the same hours and then at night we will go to bed at the same time.  That sounds wonderful, but let me say this, for 26 years I have never been a morning person. ever.  Waking up between 5-6 am {sometimes earlier} did not enhance my mood, motivation or inspiration.  Yes it was nice to see my hubby in the morning before he went in to work, but was that really the best schedule for me?  I gained an extra 30 minutes with him every morning but my days were spent tired, uninspired, dragging and not as productive.  So, I switched over to my somewhat sort-of schedule I currently have.  It's crazy and unorganized, but oddly I think it is working for me.  I still have family time with Justin when he gets home from work and on the weekends, but I stay up late and accomplish much more in the night time than early morning hours.  Sometimes I get a little carried away and find myself still sewing or writing until 1-2 am.

Some of my favorite daily things:

Miley loves hanging out the window!

Ice cream sundae.  Deeeeeelish!

• My kiss bye from Justin every morning

• Seeing Stanlee when I wake up.  I don't think anyone has ever been as excited to see me as much as Stanlee is every single morning <3

• Taking the dogs for a drive, usually we are running to the post office.

• Hearing Justin come through the door after work.  This is a very exciting time for everyone.  I smile, Stanlee barks and Miley jumps as high as she can.

• Time spent with my sewing machine

• Eating something sweet, preferably ice cream or chocolate.  Yes, this is a daily thing that I need...

One thing Maggie from Gussy Sews mentioned in her prompt was how amazing it is to see people's different lifestyles, personalities, relationships, careers.  What do you include in your everyday?  Do you have a specific routine that works great for you?  I am still discovering mine!

{Inspiration Workshop #9} - The Beach, Hawaii Day Dreaming

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This weeks inspiration topic from Gussy Sews: 

The Beach


There is something about Hawaii that I long for.  Something about the rocky shores, crystal clear water, white sand, colorful sunsets, waterfalls, volcanos, and outdoor adventure is calling my name.
When I see these photos, I feel relaxed, inspired and in awe of God's beautiful earth....and I can't imagine the feeling of seeing this in person.  Someday :)

{Inspiration Workshop #8} - My Inspiration: Color

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Citrus etsy treasury

Recently I have felt Inspired by color.   Yellow, dirty lime green and orange are some of my current favorites.  Today I did a little fabric shopping for new pillows and found some beautiful printed fabrics that incorporated at least one of these citrus colors.  This week I also created a treasury on etsy showcasing some items in this color scheme.  Aren't these colors just lovely!?

Sponsor Love and Giveaway at Lollipops TODAY!!

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You have several chances to enter!  Good Luck!

Quality Time

Justin and I had a really great weekend!

We slept in
Went on a 2 1/2 hour bike ride through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Hung out at the pool
Did taco night for dinner on Saturday
Made strawberry cupcakes from scratch with real strawberries (I was surprised how long it took us to find a recipe that used actual strawberries) recipe: asouthernfairytale.com
Watched the Womens World Cup at The Winking Lizard (northeast ohio restaurant similar to BW3's but has a massive pet lizard in each restaurant)
Played wii and overall,
Spent a lot of quality time together!

This week we have a lot going on!  I am sticking to my to-do lists and hoping to accomplish everything I want to in the next few days!  When Thursday rolls around, we will be proud new owners of a couch that will be delivered just in time for my parents to come spend a few days with us!

cupcakes with pieces of real strawberries and strawberry cream cheese icing.

all smiles after our nightly walks.

our wii characters are what Miley and Stanlee would look like if they were human.  yes we are those dog people...

Meet Marley, the very large lizard at the restaurant The Winking Lizard in Fairlawn, OH.  Don't worry she is caged :)

{Inspiration Linky Party #7} - Sunshine

Some of my favorite memories involve summer months playing outside in the sunshine.  When I think about summer and sunshine, I think about spending lots of time with family, playing with our dogs, vacations, our wedding anniversary, swimming and Sharkey family cookouts.   

Taking my brother, mom, dad and stanlee kayaking for their first time!

 Miley loves it and is a little adventurous....

 Poor Stanlee did not enjoy his first time kayaking.

 One of my favorite photos. ever.  Jumping into the pool with Justin, some of his siblings and his dad!

On vacation with my momma in St. Petersburg, FL

Dolphins swimming beside our boat!

I was so nervous to feed them!  Can you see the fish in mid air!?

Our dogs love the sun!  Miley (on the right) would spend every minute outside if she could and if they are inside, the like to sunbath by the sliding doors.