“Crusading for the Pure and Genuine”
To Cut or Not to Cut?
No I am not talking about my hair….we know the answer to that one…NO WAY!
Being blessed with two boys requires a decision to be made; to circumcise or not. Even before Ian was ever conceived, Jake and I were asked what we would do and without consulting each other, we both immediately replied, “Circumcise.” Ian’s right of passage was performed in the hospital with a neat and easy ring placed in just the right spot. It wasn’t traumatic for him or for us. However, due to Clayton’s early arrival, the luxury of having the procedure done at the hospital did not exist. We opted to have his removal done in the doctor’s office, which to my dismay did not offer the “ring” style method. We debated whether to proceed with this option, had doubts, but in the end decided to give it a whirl. Can you say mistake!!! Despite Clayton not shedding one tear during the procedure and really not complaining much since, the aftermath for us is intense. If I ever conceive a boy again, I will not make the same decision.
It is so hard to look at this sweet face and know that I caused him pain!!! Hopefully some day, he will thank me!
The Dresses
Did y’all watch the Golden Globes last night? I mostly watched the red carpet, and I have to say, I don’t understand the thought process behind many of the dresses. There were some, though, that I adored!
Michelle Dockery
Pretty lady and pretty dress!
Kate Hudson
Classy and sophisticated and I loved her hair and makeup.
Lucy Lui
This had mixed reviews, but I liked it. I probably would have liked it more with less of a floral pattern, but I thought the blue color was pretty on her and a nice shape ballgown looked fun to wear!
Amy Adams
I don’t like the photos I’m seeing as much as the live video last night, but she looked really pretty!
Julianne Hough
This looks like a lot of fun! I love the gold touches.
Adele
Her hair looks fab!
Claire Danes
She is such a cute lady, especially with her huzz.
I’m on the fence about…
Anne Hathaway
I like her and LOVED her in Les Mis. Her pixie cut looks much better and the dress wasn’t bad, but she still looks way too thin.
And some I didn’t prefer…
What were your favorites?
Houzz
Traditional Living Room design by Philadelphia Interior Designer Meadowbank Designs
Are any of you on Houzz? I’m kind of obsessed. I just started really getting into it last week, and I keep finding myself going back to it. This stage in my life as a homeowner is pretty fun and makes home magazines, blogs, websites, etc. much more entertaining. The site has a good variety of design photos for ideas and inspiration, but I do wish it had more of an advanced search feature so you can really narrow down what you’re looking for. Other than that, it’s a great place to let my mind wander through these beautiful homes.
Kate’s Christmas!
Love and joy abounded this holiday season at our house. I mean it usually does, but especially this holiday season. I was able to look into the eyes of my two miracles, hold the hand of my love, and know how blessed I truly am. Being on maternity leave over the holidays is amazing! Our time was spent soaking in the meaning of the season and enjoying being with our friends and family.
Here is how most of our time was spent:
And for anyone keeping tabs….all of our Christmas decorations were down on, drum roll please, January 5th!
The Big 10
This week, the dance studio will once again be filled with girls tying their pointe shoe ribbons, fixing their buns and reconnecting with friends they’ve missed over the holidays.
For me, it’s my 10th semester teaching at the Harris Y. Wow!
It’s hard to believe I’ve had that many sets of students, and at the same time, I’m so proud to see girls I taught my first few semesters to now be en pointe and auditioning for professional summer intensive programs in other states.
The Spring semester is always a little more challenging, as each of my classes will perform two dances in the June recital. They’ll have about four months to not only learn new exercises and improve their technique, but to also learn and perform two dances. That’s a lot in four months! As a choreographer, I always want more time to perfect the dances, and as a teacher, I want more time to teach them new steps and how to get better in exercises they struggle with. But, it’s always as a battle against the clock. This semester, my goal is to start early choreographing dances with steps that I can begin to teach them in class in the first few weeks, so that when I introduce them to their recital music and steps, it won’t be as huge of a challenge.
With that being said, do you have any suggestions for ballet recital music? I typically do a classical piece and a “fun” piece for each class. The fun pieces are songs you’d hear on the radio, or just songs that can be danced to, but not necessarily classical pieces written for ballets. I’d love to hear your ideas!
Our First Christmas
{Clearly, we are still in holiday mode. While I’ve taken down most decorations, over the weekend I found a wreath hung in my hallway and some “snow” on top of our bar. oops! Though, it’s better than Kate who will keep her Christmas tree up until either Easter. True fact.}
{Also, I still have not written down any New Year’s Resolutions. Until they are written, nothing will happen. So, I am resolving to make resolutions.}
Although this was actually our fifth Christmas, it was our first as a married couple, and our first time being with both families to celebrate, and our first time sharing a Christmas tree in our new home.
All of my ornaments were adorning my parents’ tree, so we used lots of E’s ornaments from over the years, and had a craft night to create some new ones. We also were gifted with a few “1st Christmas” ornaments, one being a heart with a snowflake, and this handmade one our friend sent us in the mail… she took our wedding invitation and the ribbons from our send-off and put them in a glass ball as a wedding ornament. How cute and creative! We will treasure this ornament forever.
Happy New Year
Hello! Long time no chat!
Well, for one thing, my last two weeks of November and first week of December were entirely tied up at the dance studio, having rehearsals for recitals and Nutcracker every night of the week. THEN after the big shows, I got the flu. Then between Christmas shopping, catching up with in-town friends, the holidays, and traveling to see the in-laws, time just got away from me and now here we are in 2013.
Okay, enough excuses. We are back.
Here are a few photos my phone would share with you to explain things I’ve been up to…
{my awesome woodland pixies in the nutcracker}
{last minute shopping. this, unfortunately, did not make the cut.}
{snow in the PA!}
{pretty chairs at an antiques shop}
{amazing dragon-carved bed}
{new years eve mani}
{me and my husband in the first hour of 2013}
Our first Christmas as a married team has come and gone, and it sure was a loving one as we got to spend it with BOTH of our families! Stealing a page from Kate’s book, we spent Christmas Eve and morning here with my family, then hopped on a plane to Pennsylvania to spend Christmas Night and the rest of the week with E’s family. It was splendid and really made Christmas last a lot longer.
2012 was off the charts amazing. We bought our first home. I got a promotion at work. I married my favorite person AND expanded my family by about 2,000%. I don’t think 2013 will be quite as life-changing-eventful, but, I do foresee a Europe trip in our plans, plus sharing the joy of lots of our friends getting engaged, married and having babies!
I would also like to say that I’m pretty excited about E expanding his antiques biz, but more to come on that later!
It has been a while.
I just reread my last post regarding Clayton and all I can say is wow! It has been nearly two months since then and so much has changed. However, as I read my thoughts, I was quickly taken back to those dark days. For those of you that were able to give me the honor of walking this road with me, know that on most occasions I was ok, even good. Several times friends have mentioned that I should journal about my time, but I am still in shock over everything that happened, that I still am not ready. I still haven’t figured out how to put into words what we experienced. So until I am, we will look at the end result.
We waited 63 days to bring our bundle of joy home! Here is Ian seeing Clayton for the first time and a sample picture from his “newborn” aka 2 1/2 month old photo shoot.
New Staff Announcement
We officially have a new member of Kassel and Kate. Here he is on his way home from the hospital! Just look at that little chin! We’re still working on a job title for the wee one, but for now we’re just glad he’s going to a much more snuggly place where his big brother can take care of him.
Hooray, Clayton!
Saturday’s Sales
Saturday I decided to wake up at 5:20am and join Eric and my mom for some good ol’ yard saling adventures. Other than it being freezing, I was not disappointed! Between the three of us, we really racked up, particularily at a sale that was supposed to open at 8am, but they let us start looking around 6:30am. The first ones to look, combined with awesome stuff at great prices was the perfect recipe for success. A few of the items we bought:
A pair of little lamps…
Found some shades and lightbulbs and voila!
A dress form…
Under-the-bed storage containers…
Tassle approved!
A large mirror…
Toile placemats…
A leather-top, drop-leaf coffee table…
A Coach green, leather and suede tote from their Transatlantic Collection… my most exciting purchase…
Catch us out and about!
