Logan Wolfram

Enjoying Life for Dessert

Ultimate Blog Party prize winner!

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this post is gonna be short and sweet people….and probably completely visually uninteresting because i’m typing it on my phone. and i’m in texas right now, and it’s The Hubs’ birthday today too.

i wanted to tell you the winner from the comments on my UBP post was Ashlee!  The pretty earrings that I can’t show since I dont know how to do that from my phone are yours!  (as soon as i get back from Texas, and you email me your snail mail address to Loganberry7 at hotmail dot com.)

Congratulations Ashlee!  But to those of you who didn’t win….don’t fret.  I made those earrings and I can certainly make some more and have more giveaways!  Hopefully you will all keep coming back to find out!

thanks for stopping by!

– Logan

1950’s Fun for an afternoon!

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So…I’m in the process of thinking how I want to customize my blog a little more…starting soon with a new header.  And when my friend and photographer extraordinaire, Kim Deloach, said she was going to set up an old timey lemonade stand to do some shoots, well, you know I was all about it!  What says “Life for Dessert” more than old timey fun?!

Um…nothing.

The shoot was really set up for kids, but I asked her if it’d be ok if I hopped in a few for fun, and she was kind enough to oblige.  Of course I didn’t want to disappoint, and I wanted the whole thing to really feel like vintage pictures, so I found an old outfit that belonged to my now 28 year-old brother and put it on Hudson, and Walker (Tid Bit’s real name) was so pumped about picking out some red suspenders to hold up his pants “like in the olden days!”  I called my friend Laura, who is more creative than I am even fully aware of, to ask for some advice about how to dress myself for this shoot.  She came up with a gorgeous dress from Anthropologie, that I SO wished I had the time and money to have bought, as inspiration. It was really just fun chatting through some ideas with someone I knew would get as excited about it as I was.  She’s the one who got me started on wanting to do a throwback picture with THIS amazing picture of her family below.

Seriously, are they not the cutest family?!  I’m insanely envious of Laura’s incredible hair…I could pay $600 for extensions and still not have that sort of gorgeousness!  Best part about her…insides are just as pretty as the outsides!

So, next family photo shoot we do…well, something about it will be a nod to days of old.

But I just had to give you a sneak peak of our session yesterday.  It was the MOST fun!  My kids loved it, I loved it, and I think Kim at the very least got a kick out of my silliness to drive through McDonalds and get my kids dinner dressed like I was…1950’s ruby red lipstick and all!  Next time I’ll remember to get her a Diet Coke though too!

I’m telling you, it was a blast.  Every session with her is actually really fun, but this one was particularly awesome.  And a sticky mess too!  Walker poured probably 4lbs of sugar into the lemonade until it really resembled a confectionery glaze more than a drinkable liquid.  Even Hudson got in on the stirring action.  Fun I tell you.

Just. Plain. Fun!

I busted out a pair of super fun green shoes for the occasion too!  Any occasion to wear green shoes is definitely one worth celebrating!

I’m also pleased to note that the 2 day unshaven stubble on my legs isn’t even noticeable!  Whew…that’s a relief!

I am about to give myself an ulcer from the excitement I have about seeing the rest of this session!  I just could NOT wait to show you a sneak peak though!

And I have to give a massive shout out to Kim here again.  If you live in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, or Tennessee….well, you need to get yourself on the phone with her and make your plans to figure out how to have her do a shoot of your family.  She’s some of the best money I spend all year…no kidding!  A fantastic person, a creative eye, and a true professional!

I’m headed on a plane tomorrow, so I have to pack now and get geared up for over 5 hours with a “lap child!”  Oh have mercy on everyone riding our planes!

My Heart’s All A-flutter… Butterfly Chair Revealed!

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I’ve been telling you about this chair for ages.  Probably because I bought the chair frame last summer and the fabric last fall.  And, pretty much since then have been alternating between chomping at the bit to finish this and procrastinating refinishing it til I had the cash to have it upholstered.

When I bought the chair frame it was raw wood…not a stitch of paint, or poly or anything on it.  Of course I didn’t think to take a picture of it back then because I wasn’t blogging and I knew what the before looked like.  And I didn’t take a picture after the first coat of very bright aqua oops paint from my neighbor either.  But lucky for you, I did take a picture after the second coat of teal-ish paint that I put over the bright aqua.  (Mind you, I liked the aqua…but i wanted a layered effect.)

So here’s what it looked like 2 coats of paint in…

I have the can of paint downstairs somewhere…and if you want to know the exact color I can tell you, but for right now that’d require me getting my tired tookis out of the bed and that’s just not happening.

I still love you all though.

So after 1 coat of crazy bright aqua, and 1 coat of delightful teal-ish, I grabbed another lighter can of paint I had (Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue) and dry brushed over all of the higher areas to get just some color variation going again.

After that it looked something like this. ——>

Sorry that the color variation is looking kinda wacked out between these 2 pictures.  Take that as a lesson in what happens with different lighting during different times of day in different spaces.  Just fyi, the picture on the right looks a bit more accurate as far as the darker teal-ish color under the drybrushing goes.

After that step, I took a sanding sponge to the thing to rough it up.

<—– So then it looked like this.

Do you see how it left some of the Wythe Blue color, but then also exposed some of the crazy aqua under the teal-ish as well as some raw wood beneath?  Woo Hoo.  That’s what I wanted.

And I’ll tell you a little tip of what NOT to do.  Don’t ever rub a candle on the piece to keep paint from adhering to certain areas.  This was one of the pieces I thought I’d try some different techniques on and I’d read a few things that said to rub a candle on before you paint to get a weathered effect.

Don’t do that.  It’s awful and messy and hard to get off of the raw wood (which means it made it harder for the wood to absorb the gorgeous walnut stain later too.  Just trust me on this one…it’s a bad idea.

So that being said…the next step was rubbing walnut stain over all of this.  I wanted it to dull the color (which is also why I used brighter colors to begin with)  I painted the stain on in very small areas and wiped it most of the way off almost immediately.  I used a paintbrush to apply the stain in this instance because this chair as you can see has a lot of relief areas and I wanted to make sure the stain would seep into the grooves.  So then it looked something like this. (in some seriously yellow afternoon light!) ——>

And after I finally finished all of that…which I didn’t do until I had the money to have it upholstered, I sent it off to a professional.  The reasons being for sending it off were…

1. I wanted it to have springs in it so it’d sit comfortably and I don’t know how to do that since it was just the empty frame.

2. I spent way too much money on fabric and didn’t want to crap it up.

3. I’d also spent way too much time aligning and taping off exactly as I wanted it to be on the chair.  Yes, I did tape giant circles on the fabric with painter’s tape to make sure the upholsterer got it right.  I marked each part and labeled them so my vision would be perfect in the completed product.


And it was.

Even the arm fabric is perfectly aligned!

Ps. The color of the frame in these pictures is pretty exact to what it looks like.  Oh yeah, I had it piped in lime green linen.

And now….the whole thing.

SWOON!

I absolutely adore it!  Now on with the rest of that room since this was my inspiration for it all!
Happy hump day to you!

I’m grounded….

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Dear friends,

Today I’m grounded from blogging until I get the following under control….

Yes that is my bedroom.

Yes those are pretty much all clean clothes strewn across the floor and in the THREE laundry baskets that you see.

I do hope you understand.

I’d much rather be showing you the butterfly chair in all it’s glory…but it seems today my life is showing itself in more shades of grit than glory.

Once I’m dug out from underneath piles of housework, I’ll write about something….anything but laundry.

Obviously, I did not follow my own advice.  I’m going nuts here!

Talk soon when I emerge from this self imposed restriction!

Beauty in Blue Ridge…Day at Biltmore Estate

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I don’t have too many words today because all that I saw spoke for itself.
I live a little over an hour from Asheville, NC which is home to the Biltmore Estate.  If you’re not from around here, you may not have heard of it…but now that you have in this moment, you really must mark it down in your list of places to visit in the US.  You can thank me later.  It exceeds “lovliness” in so many ways.
Right now is the beginning of the “Festival of Flowers” at the Estate.  And since we decided to spring for a year-long pass back around Christmas time, you can bet that we’ll be getting our money’s worth this year.
Welcome to an amazing view of the Blue Ridge Mountains my friends….ahhh…home!

 

 Today we spent all of our time touring a few of the gardens and the farm.  

I cannot tell you how beautiful it was!  I think we’re going to head back in another month or so when everything is in full bloom.  Imagine that walkway covered over with flowering vines and the azaleas in full bloom!

Here I am with my little men in the walled garden… and, the Hubs with them in front of the Conservatory.

I absolutely love that they planted an old suitcase full of flowers!  I really might just have to copy this sometime now…adorable!

And all the flowers below….breathtaking!

Makes me wish that I had a green thumb…even just a light green one.  But….I don’t.

Bummer.

 
 We finished off the day at the farm on the Estate.  Hudson just loves being outside checking everything out.  And Tid Bit got to hold a couple of baby chicks as well as pet some sheep, goats, a horse, and a bunny.  He was so proud!  I’d say he makes a pretty cute little farmer, wouldn’t you?! 

It was a fantastic day!  And after The Hubs has been working so much lately, well, it was just a much needed day of some good old fashioned togetherness!

I am absolutely blessed beyond measure and reminded of God’s goodness today as we took in the sheer gorgeousness of creation!

I have the MOST exciting home creation to share with you soon too!  If I wasn’t so giddy over my fun day today, I wouldn’t even be able to wait any longer to tell you…and show you.  You are going to flip…the butterfly chair is finally finished!  Pictures soon!  I promise!

The Ultimate Blog Party 2011

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Ultimate Blog Party 2011Hi to all of the new people popping by today for The Ultimate Blog Party!  I’m so glad you’re stopping by!

Oh my words…I’ve written and re-written this line trying to figure out how in the heck to introduce myself to all you fun, new people stopping by today.  And, I’m just gonna go with the confession that I have no freaking clue how to successfully capture you all in a witty way to make you want to come back and visit day after day after day.

So…let’s go with basics.  My name is Logan Wolfram and this is my blog!

But for real, I started this blog after some prodding from too many friends and I’d say that around these parts, I write about a little bit of everything.  I’m a Spanish-major… turned radio ad exec…turned jewelry designer…turned decorator… turned stay-at-home-mom to 2 boys (ages 4 and 1) who keeps life interesting by keeping it varied and keeping it REAL.

I’ve found that my overt friendliness lends itself to a propensity for public verbal diarrhea, often making for a good laugh and some awkward social moments….which of course, I share with you when they happen.

I am no stranger to the evils of human nature, and often share about what I like to call “Tales of a Lesser Woman.”  You will find me posting sometimes about things like my grown-up Temper Tantrum, or the time I mortifyingly pooted during a dinner party, or sometimes when I’m a jerk and have to serve myself up a slice of Humble Pie.

Cooking has been big on my list of favorite things since the days of my Suzy bake oven, and after spending some time in the kitchen of a fantastic restaurant out of college, I learned some helpful things there too.  So I share tips and recipes that I think are worth repeating.  And you can always know that even though I’m not too vain to share my escapades into the mortifyingly embarrassing, I am much too vain to share a recipe that won’t knock your socks off and keep you coming back for more.  Yummies like Fig and Sausage Pizza, Southern Shrimp and Grits, the best Banana Bread EVER, and Chocolate Whoppers to name a few.

And then there are always some musings on fabulous finds or just the utterly ridiculous…things like horrible fashion trends, a little Hanky Panky, and Bon Bons that aren’t what you think, but will change your life.

I always have SOME creative project going at my house too, so you can pretty much count on postings of ideas for crafts to do with kids, tips for creating dreamy decor (complete with stunning guest posts occasionally,) and projects like how to turn an antique headboard into a bench.

And once in awhile…I write about things that really do matter too.  About faith, and family, and just living and loving in this world that doesn’t always return the favor.

I never knew when I started this “blogging thing” that I’d find a voice that I didn’t know I had.  Or that I’d meet people that I didn’t realize I needed.  Or that I’d have fun in ways I never imagined….but I have…all of those things.  And I’m glad you’re here.  And I hope you’ll come back… and that we can be friends… and all that jazz!

Because I think that this Life is a whole lot like Dessert….sweet enough to eat by the mouthful, big and full enough to share, and on occasion because you took in too much…leaving you with a bit of indigestion!

Thanks for stopping by!

Make sure to leave a comment here and a random winner will be chosen at the end of the Party to win these earrings! (I’ll announce April 9th, and yes, I did make them.  One day I’ll teach you how to make some too!) Don’t forget to click on the button below to link up to the Ultimate Blog Party!

Ultimate Blog Party 2011

Style or Vile?! J. Crew has done it again!!!

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You may remember a post I did a few weeks ago with some smashing pictures out of a recent J. Crew catalogue.  If not, you really should check it out HERE. 

And I hoped with all my little heart that it was a mistake, a fluke.  That the J. Crew I’ve known and loved for years just had a “whoops” moment.

Alas, I fear not.

Dear J. Crew,
It’s simple.
You. Are. Losing. Me!

Someone please enlighten me….What is with the socks?! 

 Orange socks with sandals last catalogue, now this?!

I’m sorry also because this whole Saggy Baggy Elephant look….it doesn’t even flatter these toothpick models! —->
<—–Ummm….not buying it!  Don’t think this works even on 
S A T
U R D
A Y S.
<—- I imagine this guy saying something to the women on the right like “Excuse me Miss, I noticed your skirt seemed a bit loose.  Perhaps you’d like to cinch the waist a little tighter with my… necktie?!”
<—- “Ahh, just another lazy day at the beach.  Gonna bring out the cashmere cardi and tuck my shirt into my polka dot… 
bikini bottoms?!”
“And later I’m gonna run home, borrow my boyfriend’s boxer shorts and tuck my silk blouse into those.  It’s the new ghetto chic! *girly laugh and hair toss*  I’m totally SO down!” —>

<—-And last but not least.  
I just thought this guy needed a button. So I gave him one.

And Yes….it does say…

Looks like this might be a very unfashionable season for me if this is what’s in style.

To write or not to write….tips on Thank You Notes

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I think I heard a saying once that went something like…

“Southern born and Southern bred, and when I die I’ll be Southern dead.”



And any good Southerner, well “bless our hearts,” we know how to mind our manners.

My mom enrolled me in cotillion when I was in middle school to learn etiquette.  Things like which fork to use at dinner if there are 5 of them, how to foxtrot (which has been ever so helpful in child-rearing), how to write a proper acceptance letter to a wedding (because at 12 I was hot on the wedding circuit,) and more!  And I’m not even as prim and proper as some, but when it comes to questions on etiquette, you can bet that if I don’t already know it, I’ll find out.  

And noone knows what’s proper better than Emily Post.

Last night I went to a baby shower of a dear friend.  I just love baby showers and I LOVE giving gifts!  But after writing almost 450 Thank You notes surrounding the occasion of my own nuptials, I really don’t love writing Thank You notes anymore.  I still do them, and there are times when I really enjoy writing a note (particularly when I have received something unexpected, or from someone far away) but I often feel like after a shower for a person, she is left with a pile of notes that have to get written to thank someone she was actually able to hug and gush over a gift with in person.


And since my wedding, I learned something pretty interesting about Thank You Note etiquette…

“The rule of thumb is that you should send a written note any time you receive a gift (even a ‘thank you’ gift) and the giver wasn’t there to thank in person.” – Emily Post

That’s what her book said when I got married.  But I wanted to double check again in case something had changed, so I went to none other than EmilyPost.com to find the answer.  And I did come across something interesting that I thought I’d share with regards to note writing.


And here’s what Emily herself says about it:


It’s never wrong to send a written thank-you—and—people always appreciate getting “thanks” in writing. Why? Handwritten notes are warmer and more special than other forms of thank-yous. The rule of thumb is that you should send a written note any time you receive a gift (even a ‘thank you’ gift) and the giver wasn’t there to thank in person. But notes are not always necessary. If, for example, the gift is from a close friend or relative (and it’s not a wedding gift) you can email or call instead if you prefer. Below are some other note-writing guidelines:

Shower gifts:  Even though the gift giver attended the shower in your honor and you had a chance to say thanks for her gift, you should still send a written note.

Wedding gifts:  Each wedding gift should be acknowledged with a written note within three months of receipt of the gift. It’s best to write the notes as soon as possible after gifts arrive, however. Write a note even if you have thanked the giver in person.
Congratulatory gifts or cards:  Anyone who sends a present, or a card with a personally written message, should receive a note in return.
Gifts received when sick:  Thank-you notes should be written as soon as the patient feels well enough—or a friend or relative can write the notes. It’s okay to call close friends rather than write.
Condolence notes or gifts:  Everyone who has sent a personal note, flowers or a donation should get a written thank-you. A close friend or relative can write the notes on the recipient’s behalf.
So to my friend the baby shower was for… Turns out that I was wrong.  It appears that mannerly speaking, for a shower gift, you still have to write a note even though you thanked us all and hugged us all last night.  I will say however, DO NOT write one to me…still.  I know you liked the gift.
So according to Ms. Post, I’m not sure that there is an occasion to not write a note after all.  Dinner invitation maybe?  But I have a list of rules that I’ll share with you for dealing with me.
If I give you a gift and you open it in front of me, give me a hug and thank me then.  Instead of writing me a note later, just do something nice for yourself…like take a bath, or have a glass of wine!
If I bring a gift to your wedding, I do want a note…not so much that you can gush over the thing that I picked out for you that wasn’t on your registry, but mostly so that I can know you got it and it wasn’t broken.  Same things goes for if I mail you something.  And, for me, you can call me, or shoot me an email to let me know.  Mostly, I want something letting me know that you actually received what I took the time to get for you.
But I will say this… despite all the rules and etiquette surrounding Thank You notes, there really is something to be said for leafing through bills and magazines by the mailbox and seeing an envelope with a handwritten name on it that is shaped like a piece of stationary.  It’s a good feeling.  And in an age where everything is geared towards electronics, and being quick and efficient, pretty much anyone I know gets a warm fuzzy feeling when reading a handwritten note.  I’ll say though that my favorite ones are unexpected…the ones just to say “thanks for being a friend”, “hope your week gets better,” “I’m praying for you just because I love you,” or “just thinking of you.”
So if I’ve ever forgotten to write you a note, then I’m sorry.  If you’ve ever forgotten to write me one, no sweat.  It seems to me that ol’ Emily defined what’s truly mannerly though when she said:
“Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.”

And I’m thinking that if THAT statement is your rule of thumb… to write or not to write will be less of a question.

PS. For Thank You notes from kids, HERE are some good ideas on how to get those done. (This is also something that with me personally…you don’t have to do!)

Chronic Conversational Colitis…I said something stupid…again

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I’m a really friendly person.  Like the kind of friendly who talks to random strangers in the grocery store, or in line at Lowes, or wherever I am really.  My husband says I’m a “social butterfly,” and I guess that’s pretty much true.  But there is a downside to overt friendliness for me.  I’ve shared about this problem before.

 
Like the time I met Joe McIntyre (from New Kids on the Block)
 
…total verbal diarrhea.

 Instead of saying something clever or smooth or normal, I had what I call an “I carried a watermelon” moment.  (From Dirty Dancing…when that’s all Baby can think to say about why she’s at the staff dance party….awkward verbal moments…you know what I’m talking about.)  Anyways, I met Joe McIntyre when I was working at a Top 40 radio station several years back and he was interviewing on the air.  The morning show was over, I went upstairs to check the advertising logs (I sold advertising) and Joe walked back in to take a picture with the morning show guys.  And there I was.  So when introduced, it went something like this….

Morning show guys: “Hey Logan, have you met Joe?  This is Joe.”

Me: “No, I haven’t.  Hey.  When I was a kid I totally painted your name on my Keds in puff paint.”

The end.

I totally carried a watermelon!  What the crap?!….Puff Paint?!?!  (Don’t worry Rebecca Kirkland…I didn’t take you down with me, even though you were my accomplice in the puff paint shenanigans.)

So today, I had another verbal and social moronic moment. 

We went to Arbys to meet a friend for lunch after she’d invited Tid Bit to one of those inflatable jumping places this morning.  When I walked in (holding Hudson mind you,) the manager was sort of hilariously trying to scratch his back on the wall.  Clearly one of those hard to reach middle-of-the-back itches. He kinda laughed and said “I can’t get it!”  SO without thinking much about it I was like “turn around…I’ll scratch it for you!”

So I scratched the random manager’s back at Arbys.  To which he then says “Well hey.  So, what are you up to later…tonight…or another time?”

I was completely mortified and awkwardly waved my left hand in the air laughing and saying “I’m so sorry…I’m totally married….totally married….totally married!”

Um….awkward.  Especially when I realized that I wasn’t even wearing my wedding band!  Thankfully I didn’t launch into the reason I wasn’t wearing it….got eczema after I had my first child, it gets worse when I take a shower, forgot to put it back on, now waving my hand around like a moron as if I’m sporting it anyways.

Oh have mercy.  Then he offered to carry my tray since I was holding the baby and I said “oh…I see…I scratch your back, you scratch mine?!” trying to lighten the already awkward cloud in the air that I’d caused.

Yeah….didn’t help.

One day perhaps I’ll find a remedy for my chronic conversational colitis.  (yeah, that’s just another clever way I came up with to say verbal diarrhea.)  Til then maybe I can just  on occasion try to….

Hope today you eat more of your own food than words!

Who are you?…in 4 words or less.

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Women are a lot of things.

And for some reason today I got to thinking about all that I am as a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, and all the other titles that could easily apply to me.  And then I started wondering if I had to put into words all of that, but somehow a compilation spanning beyond each individual thing….what would I say?

So I did what anyone would do and I posted the question on facebook!  With a twist…4 words or less.


If you had to sum up your role as wife, mom, friend, daughter, etc in 4 words or less (but one cohesive thought)…what would you say?
 And so far…I’m loving the responses.  Some gals are writing things like:
Work of Heart
Exhausted but Worth It
Hard Work that’s Rewarding
Earthly Warrior for Jesus
Loving Those I Love
Serving My Divine Purpose
Frustrated with Joy
From Bows to Screwdrivers
And I can’t quite decide myself what I’d say…but I keep thinking of things like “Two Hands Holding Many, More than Just Mom, One Life Changing Many”….but I can’t pin it down just yet.
So from facebook to blogroll….Who are you in 4 words or less? (This has to be one cohesive thought…not just 4 words.)
Get the comments rolling.  I think this one will be fun!

 
 
Ps. I know you’ve all seen the picture above of “Rosie the Riveter” which was made popular during WWII.  I put her up there because she’s become quite the symbol of all that women can do.  To learn more about the interesting history of Rosie and that picture, click HERE.  Pretty interesting stuff. Thanks Wikipedia!