The Lego Movie... Genius

For fear of spoiling the genius behind the Lego Movie, let me just stick to the reasons why you should GO See It! I won't bore you with the obvious, "it's funny" "it's clever" "your littles will love it" answers.  Y'all I was so pleasantly surprised. It wasn't at all what I expected. This movie teaches team work, creativity out the yang, thinking outside the box (which can be hard for me sometimes) and the importance of being a kid. The bonus... when my boys and their friends came home from the movie we had a mega epic Lego build. Everyone's ideas were valued. No idea was a bad idea. And, they worked together to create something amazing. 

Now, Lego's weren't officially dead in our house, but they weren't in my boys' top 10 play list either. And they love Legos. I'm so grateful that this movie has given them Lego fever again. When they are building and playing with Legos, I get a glimpse into them. How their brains work when there is complete freedom; no one watching, no one judging, no rules. I love that and it's so telling about who they are; their unique personalities and the many facets of each. Watching them, seeing what they've created and how they play with it... really really good stuff right there. Some might say, and they should, priceless.

If you haven't taken your littles to see this movie, like the rest of the entire country - it seems, you definitely should. It is so worth the overpriced seat and overpriced popcorn that has entirely too much fake butter dripping off every kernel. And you thought I was going to talk about Valentine's again today huh? xo

Around the House: Advent

Every Christmas I try to come up with a fun new way to create our advent calendar. This year I decided to use several ideas together: up-cycled kleenex boxes, felt trees, felt mountains, sticks and empty matchboxes. I have to say, I like the contrast the colored "buildings" bring to the mountains...

I also try to come up with a few new family activities each year and this year I landed on a doozie. (uh-huh, I just said "doozie" and I don't even care; that's how good it is/was.) We had a red and green dinner (spaghetti with spinach marinara sauce) by candlelight while listening to Christmas music. Y'all! It was awesome! My sweet Liam said it was his favorite advent activity so far. I think the low lights and music created an environment that caused us to linger at the table just a little bit longer. We chatted, laughed and just plain learned more about one another as a family. 

I think it's my favorite now too. Do you have a "favorite" advent activity? xo

Nesting in DFW Child

The sweet folks over at DFW Child ran a little nesting feature on my family in this month's Dallas issue. Chances are you'll run across it if you find yourself in any Dallas doctor's office this month. If not, and you want a peek, you can find the story online here.

I can't say "thank you" enough to Christine Visneau (editor; who is, by the way, one seriously stylish and creative mama) and her team. They were all so very kind. xo

PS - my oldest looks WAY too old here. If you have any tips or magic potions that prevent littles from getting big so fast, send it my way pronto!

PSS - why does he have his shoes on the bed?

Thanksgiving Tables

Food. Family. Friends. Thankful Hearts. It's my favorite holiday. Oddly, I never do table decor for Thanksgiving. But that's only because my sister hosts it every year. At first I was a little bitter, because afterall, it is my favorite holiday. But I have come to love this tradition - my sweet sister packs her home with every single friend, neighbor and coworker that is without family. Everyone brings a dish, or in her friend Jodi's case - 7+ homemade pies, and we dine. We spend the entire day together laughing and telling silly stories. The kids do Christmas crafts and wish lists from all the black friday ads my sister has collected. Oh, and we also give my sister and her pie-loving friend Jodi a very hard time for their die-hard tradition of a 4:00 am Black Friday shopping spree complete with mani-pedis in the afternoon.

This year, when I saw the above Shanna Murray plate at West Elm (no longer available sadly), I couldn't help but day dream a little about what my place settings would look like if I were to host this grand meal.  And wouldn't you know it, I got stuck at placemats. With all the amazing choices, how can you not get stuck?

It all starts here - the brown kraft paper (found at your local Dollar Tree) with simple pen and ink:

Then I found these amazing gold dotted placemats at Paper Source:

Then I thought, what if you just bought sheets of wrapping paper and cut them in half? That's when the world of opportunity opened wide:

Or go for a bit more color and a splash of whimsy:

Add to those paper placemats a Thanksgiving Stamp and some lines for thankful lists and it's a win!

Someone please tell me I'm not the only one that daydreams of this stuff. Please? It's just over a week away; are you ready? xo

Around the House: Temporary Solutions

Before my Dad passed, my sister and I promised him that we would take care of our Mom.  It was his biggest concern in passing away and the easiest promise to make. I mean, she's our Mom. The lady that cared for us when we were sick, shuttled us around town, cooked for us and loved us unconditionally - even when we were being selfish turds. We kind of owe her a lot! Both my sister and I would love to have her come live with either of us, but she isn't ready for that yet.  So we have convinced her to come and stay with us over long weekends or longer if she would like. This, along with my attempt to re-open my etsy shop soon, has led to some rearranging in our guest room.

It's on the smaller end of bedrooms, but I'm convinced it can do double duty for now. My boys will love waking her up with stinky boy breath and loads of morning cuddles. She will love getting sugars daily and waking up to my husband's amazing coffee each morning. I'm beyond blessed that we have a home to provide for her for however long or short her stay.

Do you have any rooms that serve multiple purposes?  xo

Gem-tastic

I'm a girl. I like sparkly things. Lucky for me, my oldest loves crystals. He collects any quartz he happens to stumble upon while playing outside. This made gem mining, while in Boone, North Carolina a no brainer. I didn't hold high hopes. I mean, you pay this store $10 for a small bucket of dirt or $20 for a large and then you belly up to a mote like trough of water and sift through scoops of dirt. I was quite sure that I was paying $10 per child for the experience. But lo and behold, my oldest uncovered 2 rubies (1.5 to 3 carats) that mind you, look like ugly dirty rocks until cut and polished, a few fools gold pieces and some other beauties. My youngest scored beautiful amethyst, smokey quartz, topaz and more.  Even better than their treasures... they had so much fun and now I get to see the sunlight stream through the sparkly gems every time I do dishes (I moved them to the kitchen window after taking these pics). And I am reminded - beauty from ashes. 

Reminding myself of that truth found in Isaiah is worth more than all the rubies in the world. xo

gem illustration above via tumblr

Happy Labor Day

Ahh, Labor Day weekend. The holiday that ushers in the promise of Fall and cooler temps. Yeah, I'll roll with that! 

Weekends at the Fish house are becoming all about family fun and home DIYs. This weekend, roller skating and karaoke.  What did you do over the weekend? xo

*image above taken by Fish Fotography: my SIL in her rad rental skates.

Going Home

Sorry for the crickets around here lately. My family and I just returned from a trip to North Carolina to bury my Dad's remains and celebrate his life with family...

The first part of our stay was at this amazing old farmhouse that sits on 200+ acres of land, which just happened to have the most peaceful pond in back. I went there to spend some time with the Lord and my Dad upon arriving. There were even two little ducks swimming in the pond and fish splashing about. A perfect place to remember my Dad. (He loved duck hunting and fishing.)

After the funeral, we made our way to Boone to spend some time in the Blue Ridge Mountains. If you've ever wondered where the ombre trend got it's start, I believe it could quite possibly have been in those very mountains. I have never seen more majestic shades of blues and greens roll into one another. It was truly breath-taking. 

Being back home stirred up all kinds of emotions and I am constantly reminded of God's love and grace. Seeing family that I haven't seen in almost 20 years was so good for my soul. Just to give them a hug and be reminded of love that isn't squelched by time or distance did wonders for me. Family is a true gift and I am grateful for each treasure and memory made.

*I realize this post has zero eloquence and is pretty poorly written. I'm kind of emotionally drained. I just wanted to share the beauty of North Carolina with you all. If you ever get the chance to go, I highly recommend it. xo

Longing...

Missing my Dad right now. Deeply. This isn't his old boat, but he had one similar. love.  My Dad was just like this boat; beat up by the day to day toll life takes, but full of stories and character. xo

image source

Around the House: Thrifted Treasure

From most, myself included, a set of four vintage plates with a stellar design is a total score. Especially when all four plates totalled $4.00. However, with a slight change in perspective I find myself viewing these four plates as much much more. A thrifted treasure...

Having a need for plates means that I am blessed with food. Four plates mean that I have family or friends to share meals with. Even with just two plates, I have someone to share my thoughts with - or a date night with my husband. And with one I have a message board to remind myself and/or others of truth and love. 

At every angle, these four thrifted plates are a blessing as long as I view them as more than just a good deal. And that friends, is the best deal. xo

Around the House: Weekend Getaway In Austin

If Eden were still around, I'm pretty sure it would look something like this. For the last four days, this has been my view while drinking coffee, lounging in the pool, DIYing, eating, laughing and playing. My second family (thru my college bestie) lives in Austin and every now and then I take the boys for a weekend getaway. 

I think this trip was one of my absolute favorite times there. We swam and swam and swam (even in the midst of a downpour) and went to see the Commerce Street Bridge bats, followed by Amy's Ice Cream.

We returned to Dallas with our hearts full, our souls refreshed and our bodies completely wiped out. Until next time Austin... we love ya. 

What's your favorite weekend getaway? xo