my music diary :: personal story

today, i have something very special to share with you. have you ever created your musical diary? this was immensely fun for me. listening to these songs and artists completely transformed me to another time, surrounded by people of the moment, who will always hold a place in my heart. i can literally see friends' faces as the music plays. it's very joyful & surreal to walk down memory lane sometimes!  the list below isn't a complete compilation of all that i have loved over the years, but more so, the songs/artists that stick out as life-shaping.  so with no further adieu...

1986: cydi lauper. i remember playing her cassette tape over and over in my childhood living room while my brother complained.

1986 - 1989: new kids on the block & dirty dancing soundtrack.  new kids is a no brainer, right?  wasn't everybody listening to them at this time?  now, dirty dancing... my cousin and i took this to an entirely different level.  we danced, sang and performed to this soundtrack every minute of every day.  it was seriously out of control.  if i was our parents, i would have 'accidentally' broke the tape.

1989 - 1991: the cure.  i think we can all agree that my musical taste approved drastically during these years.

1992 - 1993: "red, red wine" & "brown eyed girl".  these two songs were played at every junior high pool party that existed.  we would all sing along, flashing our colored-band braces when we smiled.  i can literally smell coppertone sun tan oil when i hear them.

1994: counting crows.  the summer before high school will forever go down as the best summer of my life.

1995: "the dance" by garth brooks. this was the theme song of my first love and first devastating break-up.  i would play it on repeat and just lie in my bedroom and cry for hours.

1996 - 1997: natalie merchant, 10,000 maniacs, rusted root & dmb.  these artists made up my mixed cd's as i drove around in my red little mario-cart of a car conquering the world of a teenage girl.

1998: phish. senior year i surrounded myself with amazing, inspiring people that liked to smoke a lot of pot and go to concerts.  this is what i did and i loved every minute of it.  i put on my hippy skirt and danced on a lot of hills with a lot of fun-loving people.

1998 - 2000: phish, phish and more phish, with a splash of bare naked ladies. i can remember sitting in my best friends dorm room, freshman year of college, thinking how life, really, couldn't get any better.

2000 - 2002: "run" by george strait. another heart-breaking break-up. apparently, when i'm sad, i like to listen to even sadder country music.

2002 - 2004: norah jones & madeleine pereux. these two lovely ladies got me through very late nights of working towards my masters. i would sit for hours in our city sunroom... in front of my computer, drinking coffee and smoking cigs while creating and learning.

2004 - 2006: coldplay.  i still to this day, feel that x&y could be the very best cd of all time. there was a very special person around this time that taught me to enjoy the present and not fret about the future.  i am so grateful for that friend.

2006 - 2008: ryan adams. a true mess of a man with a lovely voice that transports me to the time of equal sadness & happiness as my son was born and i navigated life as a single mother.

2008 - 2009: ingrid michaelson & regina spektor. i will forever by the lileth fair type of girl.

2009 - 2013: too close to tell... i'll let you know if in few years.

xoxo

t-shirt redo :: diy fashion

this t-shirt re-do took me 5 minutes.  how awesome is that?  i love peek-a-book shoulders... i think it's a classy way to show some skin.  i also love feeling comfortable and sexy, which it seems, most of the time, is an oxymoron.  but! here you have it:

cotton shirt + scissors + a little creativity = comfortable + sexy

if you can't tell by the pictures, i used the cut-out portion of the fabric to tie around the bottom of the sleeve. this shapes up to a cute bow (which are fashionably in right now).  whoot!

p.s.  thanks to my beautiful friend jammie for modeling.  she's the most photogenic person i know... i've never seen a bad photo of her.  envy!

table runner :: diy

we're gearing up for the fall season here at the shop.  fall, to me, is a time of get-togethers.  sometimes, more than the actual holidays, because everyone is so busy then.  during the fall season, things are still slow and relaxed... there aren't any gift exchanges and big dinners to prepare for.  the most prep we seem to do is buy hot dogs and marshmallows.  we use hay bails to sit on and the bonfire is our entertainment.

with that in mind, i wanted to share a simple diy for those who may be entertaining soon.  this table runner would look lovely displayed on a table full of crockpots (again, little prep).  with this kind of style, you can fool everyone into thinking that you are the kinda gal/guy that somehow manages to relax and have an amazing party full of small details.  sneaky, sneaky...

so here's the details friends:

1. burlap is one of the least expensive fabrics at the store!  go shopping.
2. simply cut to desired length and width for your runner.  no need to sew edges, the more frayed, the more rustic, the more fitting to the season! 
3. find a plastic (or paper) cup and dip into paint (color of your choice).  for empty circles, use the top of cup, for full circles, use bottom of cup.
4. place onto fabric in desired pattern
5. repeat, repeat, repeat!
6. let dry and lie out on table.  you are fabulous.

this painting technique can be used on anything... shirts, canvas, walls, etc.  fun, right?!

something big :: shop news

i have a great idea... i can't wait to share. stay tuned friends.

my mother :: personal story

today is my mother's birthday.  i could write an entire book about how special she is to me and all that she does for our family and my children.  but... we don't have that kind of time here.

instead, i'm just going to share with you one of my favorite pictures of her.  she is with "bump".  they love to swing in the hammock in her yard.  when "the monster" was younger they would lie there for hours too.  just swinging and talking...

i think that's what i most look forward to as i age... simple conversations in a simple way.  no plans, no points, no rush.

happy birthday mom.

illinois state fair :: central illinois photography

the illinois state fair. a tradition each summer that leaves us exhausted, sweaty, dirty and smiling...

'birthday' the bunny! :: personal story

friends! i have the most exciting news - "ol' sparkly" got me a bunny for my birthday!  isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen?

her official name is 'birthday beth ostermeier the bunny', which i personally believe is a much more creative choice than 'prince george'.  she is getting used to her new home and we are getting used to her.  the boys loooove her.  i have to watch them closely so they don't squeeze her too tight. seriously.  we got her a little leash/vest that works great for walking with "the monster" down to the bus everyday.

daisy dog leaves her alone (for the most part) when birthday is in her cage.  unfortunately, though, these two aren't ready to be outside at the same time yet.  one of them tries to eat the other, but i'm not naming any names.  i'm convinced they can work out their differences one of these days though.

anyway, eek! i can't take how adorable she is.  i literally want to kiss my computer screen as i type this.  have you ever had a bunny as a pet?  if so, comment below!  xoxo

summer club :: central illinois photography

school started yesterday for "the monster".  summer is coming to an end (sniff, sniff)... goodbye late night swims, dinners on the patio, sunsets and sailboats.  at least for this year.

xoxo

blinds to roman shades :: diy

for the past year, we've had simple white blinds in our bedroom.   how very college dorm of us.  what made it worse, was that the blinds were damaged in one window due to an excited dog and wrestling children.  so, after going on a cleaning rampage, it became easy to notice just how awful these blinds looked (especially when not distracted by an overflowing laundry basket).

these fresh roman shades took me a mere couple hours to complete from start to finish.  i looooove them.  i also love the price - around $20 (total) for the fabric.  i'm ashamed to admit that i have spent nearly $100 for one roman shade in the past.  man, i was dumb.

but!  now, i'm giddy.  i've found myself wandering into our bedroom just to admire them.  i show them off to everyone that comes over.  whoot!

have questions on the diy details?  comment below!

the pumpkin bridge :: personal story

on the other side of our creek, across our new bridge that hubby built, we are growing pumpkins.  each evening, we water the plants then add a little spray paint to our graffiti art project.  the bridge will be bright and beautiful one day - and the kids are creating memories for a lifetime.

xoxo

chicken littles are big :: personal story

our chicken littles are big!  they are around 16 - 18 weeks old now and a couple have started laying eggs for us regularly.  they roam around the yard everyday eating bugs and looking at themselves in the front bumper of our truck (they looooove to look at themselves).  each night they tuck themselves into their coop and all we have to do is shut the door. we bought nesting boxes off craig's list for them and they snuggle in for the night.  each morning, the boys run to the coop to let them out and collect the eggs.  it's worked out really well!

we ended up with 13 hens and 5 roosters.  the roosters do a very good job of protecting the hens - especially from daisy dog.  at first, she was a little aggressive with them, but after being pecked a few times, everyone is living happily together.

i am allergic to eggs, so i unfortunately, haven't had the pleasure of trying them... but hubby seems to like them.  they are perfectly white and slightly small.  the white hens are the ones laying, so it will be interesting to see what the other breeds produce.  i've heard some chickens can even lay purple eggs!

have a good weekend friends - if you are in town and would like a dozen eggs, give us a holler!  xoxo