because of love.

This weekend was full of all kinds of love. It was empowering, to say the least. 

Annnnnd I'm not just talking "royal wedding" love...

During a funeral mass on Friday, Father spoke of the strength and bonds of marriage during good and bad times. 

How these moments help us grow as a couple and build a deeper strength within our marriage. 

And how, even with all of the pomp and circumstance, reporters, media frenzy, followers, 4am TV watchers and the hat wearing guests....nothing can change the fact that this famous couple took a vow to honor the sacrament of marriage, to love and honor each other until the end of time. 

The same vow I took when I married my husband. 

His message continued on and stuck with me for the rest of the weekend. 

Yes, Kate is beautiful and yes, they're royalty, but the love they have for each other and for their marriage is no more better or more important than the love I have for my own husband and our marriage.

Until he brought it to my attention that morning, I don't think I had even thought about what the meaning of the event really was....I mean, other than to see Kate's wedding dress. :)

This weekend made me realize how much I appreciate the man I married and the love we have for each other! It's special and ours, with or without all of the pomp and circumstance. 

Annnnnd those are my thoughts. 

Husband, if you're reading this.....I love you! 

:) 

a lovely week

this week was lovely because

- i got to spend time outside in the sun and even prepped my garden for veggies! 

- of funnel fries and chocolate milkshakes

-i'm getting ready for a craft fair this weekend (excited)

- my friend Charlotte and I bonded over our love of Barbies.

- my husband sincerely complimented my homemade/made up dinner

-i had lunch with a friend, twice

- took my sweet little SIL shopping for her birthday

- flowers are blooming everywhere

-i wore a skirt without tights and loved every second of it

Hope your weeks were also lovely!!  Here's to the weekend *woot*!

Ill be at Crafty Mart all day tomorrow so if you're an Akronite please stop by and say hello!!! :)

Its gonna be fuunnnnn!!!!!

a little kandinsky

On the third Friday of each month, since September, I've been teaching art to my SIL's homeschooling friends' kids...
Two Fridays ago we talked about Kandinsky's Circles, the use of color, the feelings certain colors give us and expressing our feelings in the art we create. 

Totally fun. Totally my favorite thing about art in general.
I couldn't not share these photos, how amazing is each drawing? I love watching kids explore new concepts and grow as artists in the process.
So amazing.  

the best kept secret around...

is a little paper store about half an hour from me, called Hollos.

A store full of paper and envelopes you say? 

And crazy random items from the past? And aisles full of pens and pencils?!!! 

Every crafty girls dream!!! 

My friend Nikki and I made a little trip there Monday to scout out some things for her invites. I always walk out of that store with a grocery bag full of paper and multi colored envelopes that I just KNOW I'm gonna need. Its so hard to resist! 

When I got married, I bought all of my paper for my invites, programs, table cards and seating cards there. I think it cost me around one hundred dollars. Can't beat that can you? 

Anyhoo, just wanted to share my secret and let you drool over all those stacks of paper. 

Im off to teach art today and run a few errands (including groceries...helloooooo empty refrigerator). And maybe a stop at the thrift store if I have a moment! Or an hour. :) 

Have a fabulous Thursday!!!! 

the travel bug.

There are really only five things you need to know about me. 

Here's number three. 

Just thinking about going somewhere new gives me butterflies and makes me want to sell all of my stuff to go right that moment. 

There are just SO many beautiful places in this world. I want to see them all! 

I have dreams of traveling and filling my passport with stamps and sharing all of these adventures with my grandchildren someday. 

My husband and I take turns picking our vacations. The next turn is mine and I'm all excited! 

 Luckily he is a good sport, so when I come up with a place he's not surprised that it involves passports and lots of saving. 

:) 

Sooooooo I shared all that to share this. 

These amAZEing videos for EF: Live the Language. 

Which if I wasn't married and had a cart full of responsibilities, I'd get my booty on a plane ASAP to do. 

Ahhhhh! I want to go somewhere!! 

EF - Live The Language - Paris from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

EF - Live The Language - Beijing from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

EF - Live The Language - Barcelona from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

Thank you Renée from The Blonde Muse for sharing! 

Happy Wednesday! 

i fell in love with a guy named Tom...

Or I suppose I should say a "shoe" named TOMs. 

LOVE. 

And these little babies? Just a mere $1.50 at Goodwill. 

That's right friends. 

Tags, inserts and errrthang. 

I'm not sharing to make jealous enemies, I'm sharing to promote thrift store shopping!!! 

If we're tweeting friends, you already know alllll about this, so just smile and nod:) 

Hap hap happy Tuesday! 

xoxo, Renée

P.S. Checks me out at the lovely Sister 4 Say More is More blog! They love my shoes, oh yes they do! And I love their blog oh yes I do! So check them out. :) 

lookbook: springtime flowers

Dress: LOFT, Cardigan: TARGET, Pin: NY&Co, Shoes: GAP

My Easter dress this year is probably my favorite dress in my closet. 

Other than my wedding dress of course. 

The pale pink with the edging on the front and that sash and BUTTONS! 

Ah. I die. 

I couldn't resist pairing it with my ever favorite mustard cardigan and that awesome bright pink flower! 

Maybe Ill just wear this all week, I might, I might. 

Happy Monday to my friends! 

Here's to a week full of happiness! 

xoxo

happy easter measter!

Was anyone else surprised by how fast Easter came around this year?! Geeze oh man, it felt like it just was Valentines Day!!! Why oh why does time fly so fast?!? Ahhh I digress. 

So today was Easter. And my SIL's 17th birthday, go figure! 

 It has been a trying, emotional weekend for our family and having a reason to be together today was definitely appreciated and much needed. Family is so important and the husband and I talked a lot about how much each of our family members mean to us on our way home this evening. We're so lucky to live close enough that we can visit both his and mine on holidays without too much driving or trouble.

Helping in the kitchen, yummy food, candy!, Easter egg hunts for the kiddos, birthday cake, orange marshmallow jello, pretty decorations and cheesy pictures.... all in a day of Easter fun! 

Hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend as well! Hugs! Renée

oh lordy have mercy, I could use some gelato...

i'm in love. 

all over again. 

 

anthropologie, you get me every time. 

sisters and rainy days

This is my sister, Natalie. These are her yellow rain boots. 

How awesome is she? I mean seriously. 

I didn't always love having a little sister (Hello, who wants someone getting in their stuff all the time, eavesdropping on telephone conversations and following them around?!!) 

BUT I sure do like having one now....so glad I figured it out when I did!

****** 

I love love love with big shiny hearts this little sister of mine! 

Even if every once in a while, she still makes fun of me (and my outfit poses). 

Love you Nat! 

xoxo

she read my mind.

here

lookbook: patterns.stripes

 

Ohhhhhh hello my lovely friends...what a dreary week this has been so far! 

This rain better a) go away fast fast fast and b) there had better be some beauuuutiful flowers come May. Am I right?! It's totally cramping my Spring style, if anything. :) 

Today I had a little shopping date with my momma (groceries, nothing too exciting...though grocery shopping with a buddy is always more fun than by yourself) and then a nice Italian lunch with my best friend to catch up. Love. I'm teaching art again at the library this evening and am hoping I can end the night with the rest of that chocolate fondue from Saturday. It's been eyeing me up ever since...

Also, I'd like to say hello *waving hi* to my new friends who found me over at Savannah's blog, MaieDae. Annnnd if you haven't done so yet, check out the giveaway I'm taking part in, along side a few other gorgeous bloggers! Fun fun fun! 

Have a swonderful Wednesday! 

xoxo, R. 

dreaming of summer, sand and sun

so I'm shopping for swimsuits. 

With a vacation to Cancun on the horizon and a whole summer to plan (aka shop the summer sales racks since we won't be leaving until October) I thought I'd make this rainy day brighter and start dreaming! 

My sweet friend Megan sent me this image and I about died! Basically sums up what I'm looking for. 

here

Soooooo, I did a little digging and have found way too many suits to pick from! The retro swimsuit must be back in style, since that's pretttty much all Modcloth has to offer, but I love it! These are my faves so far...

both from Modcloth

from Ruche

from JCrew

Ahhhhh too many decisions! And after I figure THIS out, I need to find myself a good sun hat and pair of sunnies to boot. 

Good thing I started early, right?! 

Have you guys found any good sites for swimwear!?? Share! Please! 

xoxo

thoughtful thoughts....

here

five things on a monday...

Soooooooo Monday has come and gone and I'm a bit wiped out. I spent all day loving on four year old Diego and one year old Adriana while their mom moved some boxes and put a few pieces of furniture together. Their family just moved to Ohio from Spain and are from Italy so there were a lot of language barriers and meltdowns to deal with today. Good thing those kiddos were cute! :) 

I thought I would take a page out of Charlotte's blog (so to speak) and send a little love throughout the blogosphere....I am in desperate need to catch up on emails and blog reading and dinner eating!! 

First off, I got the sweetest email from my blog friend Katherine from Styleidoscope this morning that totally brightened my whole darn day! You must visit her blog and say hello, she's just the sweetest person! Thank you Katherine!!! 

Alsooooo, have you seen Rachel from Adoremore? Another lovely girl who messaged me the other day. I cannot believe how sweet my reader friends are! She totally shared the love today on her blog and it just made me *so so so* happy! Check her blog out, she's got the best style (hello...knitted circle scarf? cute!) 

And I am loving the visual inspiration that Sarah from A Lost Feather posted today. Just on her everyday walk. Beautiful. She has an amazing eye for photography! So glad her little doggie is doing better...

Of course, who wouldn't be inspired by Katie's anniversary picnic?!? I want to have a picnic right this second, just looking at her photos! She's such an inspiration as well as one of the girls whose sense of style I completely admire! Check her out here, at I Go By Katie. 

Stop and say hellow to some of my favorite blogger friends! Happy Monday! 

xoxo, renée

roll call: weekend

Hellloooooooo lovelies! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Can you believe it's Monday already?!? Neither can I.....

Saturday evening the husband and I had a little get together with my book club girls and their respective men, fondue style! It was so much fun coming up with the recipes and getting the table ready for our friends! 
Got to bust out the vintage platters, yes indeedy. 

I asked each couple to bring a dipping item for both the cheese and chocolate fondue. This ended up working out perfectly because then I could focus on the ingredients for the fondue annnnnnd cleaning the house. Not my favorite job....

We all had the best time catching up and munching on the yummy food,  playing a game and even a little spiked fondue! *loves* 

Sunday we spent helping miss Rachel and her hubby finally move out of their condo and into their new duplex! Fun fun! Even though I'm not the one moving, I still got all sorts of butterflies in my tummy for them when loading their things up, finding a new home is just so exciting! 

These kinds of weekends just make me feel so thankful for our good friends. We love them all so much!  

And thank you Nikki for the sweet family photo (minus the cat) xoxo.