{the one with the evolving vacation}

Gone are the days of family vacations with lazy mornings, afternoons spent reading, and late-night movies. Instead, Laing family vacations now operate on a different time-table: toddler-time. Our schedule revolves around eight adorable munchkins and their nap times, play times, meal times, rest times, bath times, pool times, and of course...tackle-Uncle Jesse-times. As the only child (adult? original Laing?) in my family without a kid - you would think this could be a little overwhelming. And well, you would be right. It is overwhelming to be around sooo many children when you are used to...zero. But, it is also the best kind of overwhelming. I love how my eight nieces and nephews have reshaped my family. They have turned 10 would-be boring adults into big kids who will do anything (and I mean anything) to make one of them laugh. They keep us on our toes with their questions and keep us laughing with their malapropisms. They remind us to find joy in the little things and to be totally and completely silly when at all possible. But I also love that they help us to savor the moments when it's just us. We didn't turn on a movie one time when they were sleeping (a family vacation first). Instead, we caught up on the many stories we missed while apart,  laughed at the same stories we'd all heard a thousand times, and just enjoyed being together. And by the time they woke up and things were out of control once more - I really didn't mind. 

I still love my memories of peace and quiet on vacation - but I wouldn't trade the noise and chaos of those crazy kids for anything. Quiet will just have to wait:) 

You might be wondering if I was the rebellious one who did the dress code backwards...I was. Rebel without a cause. 

Happy Friday from our crazy family!

xoxo

A+J

photos by AG Pixs and Portraits

{pattern me polka}

Well, I did it: I boldly braved the wild world of patterned pants. And I have to say, it went much better than  anticipated. As a girl who is not....shall I say, pint-sized...on the bottom half of her frame, I was a little skeptical of the whole trend. But what I found is that if they fit right (and these fit surprisingly well!), then who cares?! Bring on the patterns, people! Patterns for everyone!

I decided to pair them with a basic top and let the pant-belt combo be the main event. All in all, I'm really excited to keep these in my summer rotation.

Another reason to love them:
a) they were on sale for $13!
b) they came with that orange belt (that I have since become obsessed with)
c) they forced me to wear heels - which I never do.
d) J picked them out. He was quite proud of himself.

Pants and belt: Target
Top: Old Navy (old)
Wedges: Consignment

the one with the old windows

Well the upcycling continues in the Ghoman household this week! I should definitely update you on all of our summer trips and excursions...so consider this a prelude to a longer post. But I also promised tell you more about our apartment decorations - so here ya go! 

When we got married last summer, we suspended several old windows behind the "altar" in the barn. It was really beautiful and one of my favorite details from the day. Ever since, I've been wanting to incorporate the windows into our home decor. So - we decided to convert one of them into a chalkboard piece for the kitchen. Chalkboards are pretty much the trendiest thing out there right now and I feel like quite the bandwagon decorator for doing something with it in our house. But, who cares! They're cute...and it's far too exhausting to try to be cool and cutting edge all the time:) 

Here's how we did it: 

1. First, we painted the frame in a bright color (we used the same blue from our previous dresser endeavor). It took about one coat plus edge work.

2. Next, we used chalkboard paint to fill the panes. This took about three coats to really cover it which surprised me. Definitely make sure you mix the paint REALLY well until it's thick. It was much too streaky on the first pane. Also, you the instructions for preparing the chalkboard for use afterwards is very specific - it makes a big difference in how the board turns out. 

3.  Finally, we hung it up using wiring, screws and a special hook hanger. 

Overall, I really like the way it turned out! It adds a much needed color pop for the kitchen and will be useful for grocery lists and some fun chalk art in the future. The one down side? It made us realize that our oven isn't centered on the wall...awesome. I love it when projects prompt additional projects. 

Price break down: 

Window - found on the side of the road

Paint - reused (a $3 sample would have been more than enough)

Chalkboard paint - $10 Home Depot 

Screws and hanging supplies - $3 hardware store 

Total Cost for us: $13! 

Hooray for cheap projects:)