TO EVERY PERFECT MOM

I've seen a lot of posts today about very powerful women. Stories of endurance & reserve, teeming with gratitude & a lot of love. In them you tell me, "I have the best mother in the world."  & you know what? I believe you. That makes a lot of sense to me.

Mothers create us. Literally. But I'm thinking more about "us." The tiny details that make me who I am. & make you who you are. & make us different from each other. The tiny details that make a person.

For example: Sometimes in the middle of a normal, perfect, hectic moment, I find myself humming. Not to anyone, not to anything. Just humming. 

Sometimes I answer, "Yes, I'll be just another second!" .... as I'm only just starting my makeup. 

I've operated for nearly 24 years under the belief that it's the size of a container that determines the calories. So, then, a normal-sized dessert in a very-small container has very-small calories. 

I have my own language. It features terms like, "You know, the thing in the thing," & "Yes, underneath." 

& I know that, "Could you please put on the hot water?" means that I'm about to have a warm conversation over a hot cup of tea. At any moment of the day. & often at many of them. 

These things I learned from my mother.

You see, moms have this opportunity to teach a tiny human what should be important. They teach us how to survive. They show us how to live. They build us up. Then they let us go. 

It makes sense that you have the best mother in the world. I do too. She made me. She is perfect for me. She is my most important role model. Happy Mother's Day, to every perfect mom. 

But especially to mine.

AT HOME: IN COLUMBIA TUSCULUM

I didn't tell you all, but I moved! In May of 2013 (back when Magical Simplicity was under repair), my roommates and I moved from the house on Tusculum to a house just around the corner... & up one extremely steep, steep hill.

You may know Columbia Tusculum is the oldest neighborhood in Cincinnati. What you may not know is that it's also one of the highest. This winter was one major challenge for my little civic. I've showed you one of my favorite corners  of the house already. But my roomies have just finished their grad program at UC (hizzah!) & our future is yet again unclear. So I thought I better show off the rest of our little house - in case I'm running out of time!

Welcome to our home!

There is a kitchen & living room, obv.. but I don't spend as much time in those.. (one of these days!) What I love most about this place is the back deck. It's perfect for bonfires & picnics. & those woods belong to the beautiful Alms Park. Yes, sometimes we get stray hikers. & a ton of deer.

I live in the attic, lovingly referred to as the cocoon.  I'd say the ceiling hits 6 ft at its highest, & slopes to two feet at its lowest. It's perfectly Annie-Sized.

Best part? I have a bathroom. & the shower head comes straight out of the ceiling. Also, there is a skylight above the toilet. So that's fun.

I had to do a lot of thrifting to get furniture up here that fit - like a floor desk (how amazing is that butcher block? I rested it upon an old cupboard from my mom's basement, final height: perfect for crossed legs). 

& the dresser, tucked away at a vintage furniture store in Loveland. Just waiting for me.

We've loved every second in this house & in our first Painted Lady, too. I don't think we could have even imagined a better neighborhood to ease into adult life. Columbia Tusculum: you will always, always  hold a place in my heart.

HOW TO: GALLERY WALL

My drafting table is my prized possession. So, naturally, I feel it deserves only the best kind of decor. Like a magical little corner of perfection. Whether from thrifting, or from my sister calendar (post coming soon :D), or the ones my friends have made (how cool is that Flowering Tree print?!?), or my little sister, or sometimes the one's I've even done myself... I've somehow gathered a lot of art over the years. Any who, today I'm going to show you how it all came together to give my drafting table the wall it deserves.

I grew up wanting to become a  professional collage maker.  I'm serious. I thought I could create a market for myself. (You know, collages are at such  a high demand!) While I found myself a different profession, my collage-making skills came in very handy for this project. It started here (& stayed here for almost a year). 

Then, I found this post about Building a Standing Desk & this one on 20 Easy Wall Hanging Ideas byA Beautiful Mess. Suddenly, I knew my drafting table deserved so much more! So I pulled my extra frames out from under the bed, & ripped a few months out of my sister calendar. For a few weeks we had this:

Still, I was stalling, hoping for the perfect centerpiece. & I found it! 

Inspiration HERE (seriously love these) - but I recreated to fit my light + airy theme & feature my fave Cincy neighborhoods :D. Funny story, I accidentally made this 5ftx7ft tall! Luckily, Staples in Hyde Park was able to shrink down to the size I wanted. & then it was time to put my collage skills to use :D

GALLERY WALL | YOU WILL NEED

• Art & Frames
• Phone Books & Paper Grocery Bags (or maybe wrapping paper?)
• Scissors (I kind of want to spray paint mine gold...)
• Marker
• Tape
• (Bright Pink) Hammer
• Nails that will support your Art

No need to eyeball the sizes anymore, you can trace!

Even better: mark the nail hole so that after you tape everything into order, you can just nail through the paper. 

Nail. Remove paper. Hang frame. Repeat. 

& soon you'll have a gallery wall :)

Easy Peasey, right? I adjusted mine a tiny bit at the end.. decided to go for a non symmetrical look (Top Photo). What do you think guys??

WHAT I LEARNED AT DERBY

Hi everyone! I mentioned over the weekend that I was heading to my first Kentucky Derby. It was an absolute blast. But, I did make a few rookie mistakes that I wanted to get down here for all of you:

First of all, it's called Derby. THE Derby is the race. The amazing festival in a parking lot with a million young people & delicious drinks that happens from sunup to sundown... thats Derby.

Next: there is an amazing festival in a parking lot with a million young people & delicious drinks that happens from sunup to sundown. It's so much fun. Everyone is friendly. There's cutoff shorts, rolled up searsucker, men in sport coats, women in crazy hats, vineyard vines, crop tops, sandals, heels, & swag juice.

Head into the infield with your friends & hold on to them! You have to go through this tunnel, & there's a lot of people. Like a lot. 

Bring hand sanitizer. Trust me on that one. DO get a mint julep. It's the official drink of Derby. & while apparently they cost $1,000 in Millionaire Row... down in the infield they're only about $13 :D

Bring a lot of cash. More than you think you'll need. The ATM line will always take you an hour. (But you can make a lot of friends while you're there!)

Sunscreen. I have a red hot burn on the back of my knees to prove you need it. 

Maybe do a little research before you place your $2 bet... also, double check that its for the right race...

We actually never even saw a single horse... but its okay! There are huge screens everywhere that show you every intoxicating second of the two minute race.

Fashion: there are hats. SO MANY HATS! I wore mine with a crop top & jean shorts. But no matter what you wear, you'll fit in. 

Lastly, be happy that you get to spend a day with your best friends. Relive your glory days & love every second of it. CincinNatalie organized the whole thing for our group. She has a recap for you too.

Long Live Derby.

FIRST SATURDAYS.

Hey y'all! Getting ready for our second First Saturday Brunch - en route to Derby! But before I tell ya about that, I thought I should tell ya about our first...

Saturday is my favorite day of the week, hands down. French press coffee, no work, no obligations, no commitments, no working out, no alarms &, now, First Saturday Brunches. Yes! I'm trying to convince  CincinNatalie to hold monthly brunches with me on the first Saturday of every month! Here's my thought process: 1 | Everyone loves breakfast, especially me; 2 | But there are no alarms on Saturday - so we have to make it brunch!; 3 | Now that our blogs are in full swing we have lots of fun new recipes to try; 4 | It's an amazing kick-off to the weekend; 5 | We love our friends. You're all invited :)

We hosted our first one on April 5th at Natalie's new apartment (Note* you can see posts about Natalie's cute little gem of an apartment HERE). I woke up around seven to make Berry Baked Oatmeal. Inspiration by 10 Spring Brunch Ideas at The Glitter Guide. Oh my God, you guys. I can't even explain how great my house smells.

BAKED OATMEAL | YOU WILL NEED: 

Panel 1 | Old fashioned oats, Cinnamon, Salt, Baking Powder
Panel 2 | Maple Syrup, Honey, Almond Milk, Eggs, Vanilla Extract, Butter
Panel 3-6 | Fresh, fresh, fresh fruit :)

Preheat the oven to 375.

Stir two cups of oats,  1&half teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder in bowl to set aside.

Whisk 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup honey, 2 cups almond milk, 2 eggs (beaten), 4 tablespoons melted butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Grease a 2 quart baking dish and line with fresh fruit. Pour oat mixture over top. Evenly pour honey/syrup mixture over oats. Sprinkle with more fresh fruit. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

We each brought a dish & obviously accessorized with mimosas.. & Summer Sigh paint, for Natalie's accidental highlights. 

It was so much fun, guys. Can't wait to bring you May 3rd's First Saturday from a school bus - en route to the Kentucky Derby!