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?!

And Yes….it does say…

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

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!)

I’m gonna try to be a little strategic here to throw out ideas I have for upcoming seasonal stuff in time that you could actually implement them for THIS current season.  But… I have to be completely honest and tell you that I didn’t do a darn thing for St. Patricks Day save wearing green and making my children do it too.  Sorry.

I guess now would also be the time to confess to you that I don’t change the wreath on my front door for each Hallmark inspired holiday, I don’t do a new mantle for each of the 4 seasons, and I don’t celebrate Halloween either.  So if you’re disappointed and don’t ever want to come back….well, that’s your choice, but I do hope you’ll stick around despite my choices and shortcomings.

Easter though…well that’s just something worth celebrating in my book.  Christmas is my favorite, but if Jesus wasn’t born first, then he couldn’t have died, and then the raising from the dead wouldn’t be happening either.  And well, resurrection is a big deal in my book…especially when the dying was done for me (and you.)

So celebrate Easter I will.  And it’s one I like to make a big deal out of.

Three years ago we moved into our current house which is surrounded by over an acre of yard. It’s really part of what we loved about this place.  House in town, pool in neighborhood, great school in walking distance, and big ol dirty yard for boys!  At the time we only had Tid Bit (Hudson was a more recent addition,) but I knew even then that a little boy needs a yard and dirt and sticks and freedom to play.

A big yard to me screams fun for parties too!  So that’s just what we do around here…we have parties!

The Easter Egg Hunt and Brunch started the first Easter we were here and this year will be the third annual!  It might just be my favorite party of all.  I think this year I sent an evite to a couple hundred people….yes I did say a couple hundred.  I just love a good party with loads of people! (this stuff on the left, well that’s not from my party, but I think I just might copy some of it this year. SO CUTE!)

Everyone comes at about 10am and brings a brunch item.  Yes…this party is a pot luck.  I like for pot luck to be a little more inspired though, so the requirement for this one is that it be a brunch item…think homemade cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit, egg casseroles, yummy salads, muffins.  Glory glory I love breakfast foods!  So everyone brings something yummy first of all.  Also, for each child participating in the egg hunt, they must bring 12 pre-filled eggs.  My kiddo has severe peanut allergies, so I request no peanut products inside.  Hey…it’s my party, I can specify if I want to!

Then usually around 11am we send all the men-folk outside to hide the eggs around our yard.  Remember Shannon from a post awhile back?  Well, she lives next door, and the past couple of years she’s let the egg hunt bleed into her big old yard too!  (I’m hoping she’ll let us do it again this year!)  We’ve learned that part of making an egg hunt successful is dividing up the kids in age groups and sectoring off the hunting areas.  It’s just not fun for an 18 month old to hunt beside a 10 year-old, so we split them up.  Usually kids who are 3 and under hunt in the most obvious area close to the house, then kids 4-6 hunt in another area, and 7 and up we send over to Shannon’s yard for some trickier egg placement.

Now, the inside of my house isn’t big enough to hold 200 people either, and I don’t really want that many people (and their kids) eating all over my house at once, so I suggest on the invite that people bring picnic blankets to spread all around.  I’ve also found that it can be helpful to have drink stations both inside and outside to minimize repeat traffic through the house just to get drink refills.  And if you can get your hands on some, buy giant drink dispensers.  Then you can make tons of lemonade, tea or water and not have to be refilling pitchers like a crazy person the whole time!

I set up the dining room for all of the main food, plates, cups, utensils, etc.  Oh yeah, we provide all of that stuff.  The only thing people have to bring is a dish to share and eggs to hunt.  Drinks and all the particulars, we take care of providing.

Now, I should warn you about having an Easter Egg Hunt at your house.  If you are particular about cleanliness, this may not be the party for you, as all the in and out of the house leaves some clean-up at the end.  But I’ll tell you a little Secret of a Great Illusionist…before a party like this, don’t you dare think about mopping your floors!  Give a swift vacuum to look tidy and save the heavy scrubbing for afterwards….because that’s when you’ll need it!

So friends, there’s still time for you to send an evite and do one of these this year too!  Easter is April 24th, so you have plenty of time to get a party together!  And when you come up with fun ideas, let me know!  One of these days I’m gonna learn how to do a linky party…this would be the PERFECT post for that!

<—-For now, look at these chocolate covered strawberries that my blogger friend Beth made….I’m SO gonna copy her and have these at our party!!!  Click HERE to learn how to copy her too!

Anyhow.  Hope I’ve inspired you to have a party of your own!  I’ll be posting more about this as I iron out details and start working on decorations!  I even bought astroturf the other day to use as tablecloths….oh, I’m just so excited!

More to come!

Good gravy…I just learned how to do a linky party!  Thanks Beth!!

So, pretty much Little Bit is about to have his name revealed when I show you pictures from his nursery.  I figured that it’s high time I show you a picture of something in my house that is actually finished.

EXACTLY how I want it to be….

I go into this room and feel happy, calm, inspired, loved….it’s just a good good room.  And it’s my most favorite nursery that I’ve ever designed.  One day though I really hope I have a girl because I have the best idea for a girly nursery ever….I’m not telling that though because for now it’s this super fun dream just swirling around in my head.  So cross your fingers that the next time we have a baby (no idea when that is…just sayin’) it’ll be a girl…just so I can do this fun project.  But…shocker…I digress.

So…here it is.  My favorite room in our house.  Little Bit (ahem…Hudson’s) nursery.  Hope you enjoy!

My very talented sister painted that most gorgeous tree on the wall as a gift. I wanted it to look painterly and soft… like something Beatrix Potter might have done.  I do have little bunnies in this room, and while I take some inspiration from a theme sometimes, I will NEVER go all out with one.  I think there should be hints of ideas around, not look like a particular idea vomited all over a room and took it over.

Oh, and because I’m sure you all want to know what the paint color is…it’s Sherwin Williams North Star.  (Which you might like to know looks very gray on the swatch…it does in fact translate on the wall to the most perfect soft blue.)

The reverse side of this bumper pad is like that blue tattersall stripe that you see on the monogrammed panel, except that it’s green.  I wish I could take credit for all the amazing sewing work done here, but alas, I cannot.  My dear dear friend Mary is an amazing seamstress and she did all this fabulous stitchery!  I designed what I wanted and she executed it.  In fact, she’s very very talented and just came up with all these fun pillows and the awesome trim on the window treatments and that bolster pillow (she folded the fabric over and cut it in 1/2 inch sections…leaving it a little stringy and frayed which I just LOVE for trim in a boy’s room!)

This little harlequin chest was one The Hubs and I found on a weekend away a few months before Hudson was born.  I LOVE it and will always always find somewhere fabulous to put it!  I think it adds just the right amount of drama to what could suddenly become an otherwise super soft looking room. (Not that there’s anything wrong with super soft, I just like to add a little flair somewhere in every room!)

There’s a different lamp in the room now…but I can’t take a picture just this minute because Hudson is napping and I’m surrounded by mounds of laundry that I let get away from me lately.  I should really follow my own advice about laundry!

This darling little chandelier below was $70.  I bought the shades for just $3 each and painted stripes on them and hot glued the trim on.  I love it!

I should also add that there are in fact books on the shelves of that great primitive bookshelf that I found while antiquing.  And the chair and ottoman are actually covered in that fabric…I took these awhile back.  One of my favorite things in the room are the antique french shutters that are on the outsides of the windows.  The hubs gave them to me for my birthday and again…they’re another thing I’ll always find something fabulous to do with them!

Below you can see the changing table which was actually my childhood dresser .  It was sort of a honey oak color that I didn’t love, so when Tid Bit (my other son who’s 4) came along, we stripped it and stained it with Minwax Walnut stain. Then the Hubs built a box to hold the changing pad to keep it from slipping around with a wriggly baby! (there is a panel along the backside that’s screwed into the back of the dresser)  So this piece, the corner green shelf you can see, the crib, and the rocker (recovered) were all used in Tid Bit’s nursery.  I’ll show you pictures of that one another time.

This birdcage was something I’d used as a centerpiece from some baby showers I helped throw.  I wired the little birds into it to look like they are perched and put moss in the bottom.  I just LOVE it hung in the corner here!

The picture frames actually have real pictures in them now as well…but I do appreciate that Hobby Lobby carried such cute frames!

I bid on these prints on Ebay and got all four of them for $3.26!  Check out 99centprints.com for more great finds!  Then I waited til Hobby Lobby had openback ready-made frames on sale 50% off and had them all matted and framed.  So the grand total for all 4 pictures was a hair over $80.  I’m sure some of you amazing women out there could have done it for cheaper, but I’m still pleased with the result!

You can see the tree and shutter a little better here.  I specifically asked my sister to paint a few leaves extending onto the crown moulding so that it would feel more whimsical and less confined.  I love the effect!

And finally, a canvas that I painted for Hudson…I did one for Tid Bit when he was born, and I guess I’ll reveal that when I show you his room sometime too! (Then you’ll learn his name as well!)

One trick to when I painted this canvas…to get the lettering of the name done really clearly, I printed it like I wanted it to be on a piece of paper, taped it to the back of the canvas and traced it in front of a window so the light would shine through.  This way was much easier than freehanding the one for Tidbit which took forever!!!

Well, thanks for stopping by today!  Hope you enjoy the pictures of our nursery as much as I enjoyed creating and now being in it!

– Logan

I was all set to write today about how much I love making new friends.  I’ve very recently made a new one and I am so excited about her…just one of those people you feel instantly comfortable with.  Like the kind that would spill water on you by accident and laugh hysterically….I LOVE that.  You know…just real people being real.

But now I’m not going to write any more about that than what I just said because something else has been brought to my attention that I think I just need to share about.  This topic will only apply to a small few of you, but chances are decent that you know someone that the following information could help.  If you do, then pass this post along…pass my name along.  I am ALWAYS open to help people when it comes to the following area…


Food Allergies.

For most of you this isn’t a reality that you deal with in your daily life, and I’m just gonna go ahead and throw out a “Praise the Lord” on behalf of you.  It’s a scary thing for those of us who do deal with it, but I do want to say, it is totally manageable.

My friend Emily from college just sent me a message because she’s worried her 3 month old may have food allergies.  You may ask how she’d know that if he’s nursing, but the fact is that everything a nursing mother ingests affects her baby.  So if baby is allergic to dairy and mommy is eating handfulls of M&M’s every day…clearly not gonna help baby too much.  Or if like me with Tid Bit, baby is allergic to peanuts and Mommy was surviving on peanut butter graham crackers every day….obviously not doing much to help baby there either.

So here’s what I want you to know about food allergies first and foremost.
 
They are manageable…and you and your child will still have a VERY full life.

Tid Bit was originally diagnosed with allergies to dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish at 4 months old.  We found out because he first had terrible eczema that we couldn’t get to go away, and then he began having blood in his diaper.  Clearly, blood anywhere other that just staying inside your body can cause reason for concern.  So our amazing pediatricians recommended that we see an allergist.  They ran tests for what they called the “big 8″… milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, seafood, shellfish, soy, and wheat.  Tid Bit came back allergic to several.  So since I was nursing, the options were to either switch him to formula (and find one that wouldn’t be problematic) or cut all the stuff out of my diet.  So I cut it all out.  Which wasn’t as bad as you think.

If you find yourself in this place, first let me say, don’t be overwhelmed.  You can do this and I’m more than happy to come alongside you and help you get started.  I just got off the phone with Emily and am happy to do the same for you or anyone else you know dealing with this.  It is totally doable!

So let me give a few tips here, and then if you have further questions you can email me at Loganberry7 at hotmail dot com.  Sorry for writing it like that, my Hubs said that if I just put my email address readily clickable on here that I’ll get spam out the wazoo.  Just put in the subject line “food allergy advice” or something like that so I’ll get it out of my junkmail if it ends up there.

First, a few things I’ve done that make all the difference in cooking.  Find some good substitutes and then when you read a recipe you’ll just use your substitute and not worry about it.  So here are a few that I have found that apply to the list of Tid Bit’s allergies above.  Thankfully we haven’t had to deal with allergies to wheat or soy, but there are still things out there that are great for those of you who do deal with those allergies.

Here are my favorite substitutes:

• Butter – Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, and Fleishmans Unsalted Margarine (the earth balance have a more sturdy texture, but the fleishmans taste better. In baking, I recommend using a combination.
• Sour Cream – Tofutti brand Better than Sour Cream
• Cream Cheese – Tofutti brand Better than Cream Cheese
• Milk – Ricemilk (I personally think it tastes better) or soymilk (I avoided things like almond milk because Tid Bit was allergic to nuts. So my personal recommendation if you’re cutting out something like dairy would be to be cautious when introducing another of the potential “big 8.”)
• cream of anything soups – there’s a brand at Whole Foods (although I can’t remember the name…I’ll get back to you on it) that makes something called “Creamy Chicken Soup” that doesn’t have dairy…it’s a bit runnier, but it tastes alright if you’re dying to make a casserole with cream of something soup.
• chocolate chips – Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips don’t contain dairy….glory hallelujah!
• Yogurt – Silk brand makes yogurt, as does a brand called Whole Soy and Company that I really like.  you can also get “yogurt” made with coconut milk that is pretty stinking tasty too.
• Cheese – I’m sorry to say that if you’re a cheese fanatic like me, you will be very sad to realize that there’s just not a good fake thing to even compare to the real thing.  But if you’re absolutely desperate there is a brand called VeganrellaDaiya cheddar shreds that I think taste a good deal better.  Tid Bit likes them both, but he’s never had the real deal, so he doesn’t know what he’s missing.
• Peanut butter – Sunbutter is my personal choice. I think soybutter has a weird aftertaste and while the Sunbutter does taste like ground up sunflower seeds (because it is) I think it’s yummier.  You can still even make that yummy snack mix (most people I know call it “puppy chow” or “white trash” …with the crispix or chex,chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar) with sunbutter and ghiradelli chips and it’s so good!  I’d still personally advise staying away from things like almond butter because often there is cross contamination among nuts in general.
• egg substitute – you CANNOT use things like egg beaters if you have an egg allergic individual on your hands.  It’s still eggs and just has more whites to yolk ratio.  So go ahead and forget about making custard, omelets, etc….no can do.  But for baking I always really liked an egg substitute by Bob’s Red Mill brand.  I substituted up to 5 eggs worth in a cake and it was fine…beyond that you’re probably just going to crap up a recipe.
• a few other things that don’t contain dairy, eggs, peanuts, treenuts, fish or shellfish that you might be surprised to learn…
• Oreos (brand name ones, the generics often contain dairy,) Ritz Crackers (the reduced fat ones), graham crackers, Teddy Grahams, Pita chips, tortilla chips (barring cheese flavors of course,) fruit Sorbets (sherbets still have dairy), popsicles, Pop Tarts, Girl Scout lemon shortbread cookies, pasta, rice,  my recipe for sugar cookies,…I’ll think of more later and let you know.

Also, remember you can have loads of fruits, vegetables, whole grains (rice, oats, quinoa, barley, etc.)  Sometimes people ask me things like “So, if he’s allergic to dairy then can he have goldfish crackers?.”  The answer would be no.  But then hilariously I often get a follow-up like “ok, then can he have strawberries?”  The answer there would be yes. “Ok good, so can he have pineapple?”  Yes again.  “Can he have Cheetos?”  Again…cheese….no.  “How about pretzels?”  Yes.

So here’s a tip also…learn to read labels.  The FDA requires manufacturers to label foods these days thanks to a great group called The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network who lobby on behalf of food allergies at the governmental level.  Check out their website HERE.  They have TONS of tips, recipes, pamphlets you can order.  I’m not kidding…they are amazing.  Anyways…I was telling you that to let you know that on food items in the grocery store, the manufacturers are now required by law to list food allergens included in  the ingredients list in simple language…milk, eggs, dairy, peanuts, etc.  They are usually emboldened at the bottom of the list, or may also be in bold letters in the list itself.  So keep an eye out for that and it’ll help you.  And God bless the vegans out there…anything vegan won’t have dairy in it at all, so you can rest assured on that one for dairy and eggs. (They do often contain nuts though.)  Anyways, I’m including link to some practical tips for living with food allergies also HERE.

So, that’s a lot of information for one post, but information is the key in managing food allergies.  I’m thankful we found out with Tid Bit early on because I learned how to cook for the allergies since I was still cooking for myself.  Made a big difference.  And take heart too early mommies dealing with all of this…when you cut out cheese, peanut butter, and ice cream you’ll be amazed to see how fast all that extra baby fat just melts away!

Like I said…any further questions, need for support with all of this…I’m here for you!  Ask away!

– Logan

PS. I should probably write on here somewhere that in no way is this a medical opinion (I’m just a mom with a kid with some allergies.)  Also any specific products that I’ve endorsed above are purely my own opinion as well and I’m sadly not receiving compensation from any of them! Wouldn’t that just be dandy though?!

“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.”- (I don’t know who said this, but it wasn’t me.)

I’m always beyond flattered when people pay a compliment about something creative I’ve done.  Honestly, I think I’m often not sure how to receive the compliment, so I try to figure out how to explain how I did it, or remove some of the credit just given…or something…I just don’t really know how to receive it well.  So when several of you generous compliment givers out there have paid compliments on the bench post I did for today, I have felt a little funny..and wanting to explain how I did it to you.

And here’s what I told a friend who sent me an instant message about it all on facebook today: “I think the only reason I’m able to turn out something good in the end is because I’m not afraid to completely crap it up in the process.”

And that’s the truth.  

My friend Laura, who I’ve told you all about before, did a post today that I didn’t see until just a minute ago (after I was already thinking of writing about this.)  It’s where I got that quote above…the one at the top.  And she posted a whole video of some guy talking about this very thing, and how kids are more creative because they’re not afraid to mess up.

That creativity is lost, not learned.  What a concept huh?

Salvador Dali painted with squid ink a few times.  Did you know that?  He literally stepped his foot on a squid and squished it around to make a painting.  I thought it was kinda weird when I saw it in Spain back in college (still do think it’s weird for that matter), but there was something really beautiful about it too.  Maybe it’s just that often originality is beautiful.  (I should note here that Salvador Dali did some wacky stuff…so he may not be the best example…I just thought of the squid thing to illustrate a point.  But really, think of any famous artist…ground breakers.  They did something new…because they redefined the lines of what was beautiful….what had been perceived to be beautiful up to that point.)

Anywho…I just wanted to tell you… thanks for the compliments, but the Secret to the Great Illusionist here… is just… Don’t be so afraid to fail at something that you never give it a shot!  If you’re not prepared to be wrong or to screw something up, then you’ll never come up with anything original!  So my advice to you is….whatever you’ve been thinking would be neat to try but you haven’t because you’re afraid you’ll mess it up, TRY IT!  And if you mess up, just remember…

I want to see pictures of your next big project when you finish…or little one for that matter!  Some of you might need baby steps, but if you’re like me, just grab hold of something big and have fun possibly ruining it!  I think you’ll surprise yourself at what you can accomplish when you take the pressure off and give yourself license just to have fun trying!

Happy creating friends!

– Logan