a letter to my girl...


penny, 

i can't believe we are here at your 11 month update. you are becoming quite a ham in your old age, and we're loving every minute of it. you have so many little tricks that you know will always get a laugh out of us, and i love what a kick you get out of yourself. you've recently come up with a fake laugh, and you use it fairly often these days. it's a deep, from the belly kinda laugh and it never fails to bring out a real one from your mama. you give the best and biggest slobbery kissed, and somehow those little arms of yours give the greatest hugs in the whole world. you're a great eater, a mediocre sleeper, and your dance moves are coming along quite nicely. you love to help me clean up and put away laundry, which often makes these tasks take twice as long, but your help is always welcome little one. books seem to be your favorite toy of choice, though the iphone could certainly be a close second!

it  amazes me just how much you've taught me in your small amount of time here. i thought i understood all there was to know about things like patience and unconditional love before i knew you, but i was sadly mistaken. each day i think i couldn't possibly love something more, and then another day comes along and somehow my heart finds the ability to squish just a little bit more love for you in there. it's wonderful, and intense, and i'm grateful every day for it!

i love you penny... 

love, your mama

a little evening adventure...


the other night penny and i loaded ourselves, along with some cozy sweaters, into the car and drove about an hour away to my favorite cast iron hunting spot. it was an oddly warm night for the end of november so after i was done picking up some things for the shop, we walked around, looked at all the amazing treasures, and enjoyed one heck of a sunset!

best of buds...

these two ladies right here are a handful, but they're also the sweetest of little friends! jenn pierce, charlotte nc photographer jenn pierce, charlotte nc photographer jenn pierce, charlotte nc photographer jenn pierce, charlotte nc photographer that last one there is my favorite! mirabelle was bored of this whole affair and gave me a big ol' goofy pitbull yawn. gotta love her!

bits & pieces...


breakfast with weirdo / packing holiday orders / studio shelf / embroidery for a new little man / post nap reading / kitty bath / watching the mailman / sweetest little leg hugger! / making penny food / playing with blocks / our only festive decor so far / chinese takeout for dinner, made classy with wine.

bits & pieces idea credit goes to bleubird!



9 months


my how the time does fly! 9 months is proving to be a lot of fun with this one. we've finally got her falling asleep all on her own, which is making a world of difference in our day to day. she's still just a 40 minute napper for the most part, which means this mama pretty much gets nothing done at all. hence me not being around here since her last monthly update. between keeping up with her, running my shop, and attempting to keep a clean house, there isn't much time left in the day for things like blog updates. but i've now found myself with a spare 15 minutes, so here i am!

we went down to atlanta this past weekend to spend a few days with my parents. for some reason i always get really home sick when the cooler weather rolls in. since having penny, it's been really hard with how much i wish i had some of my own family here. thankfully we have lots of evan's family here, but sometimes you just want your mom around! so off we went to georgia for the weekend. evan and i got spoiled with yummy food, and penny got spoiled with a little shopping spree with her grandma. i think they both rather enjoyed it! we're back home now though, getting our routine going again, and really enjoying that it's fall now. there are crunchy leaves on the ground, a pumpkin candle on our table, and i've got a hankering for soup all day every day. oh autumn, you made coming home so much more bearable!