Love Letters

I love Valentine's Day! Even before I had an official Valentine to share it with, it was a day to exchange cute cards and chocolate with friends or buy myself something pretty) ; )  So here is some Valentine's Day cuteness I made for you guys!

Click on the image below then right click or drag to your desktop to save it. Print as many as you'd like and start writing some love letters! I've got more Valentine's goodies for you coming soon!  So check back!

We spent the weekend on a couples retreat with a bunch of great friends. It was so refreshing to get away and spend some time with Daniel and other adults sans children. I feel blessed to have so many couples/families/individuals in our life who love us and build into our family regularly. It's very good for my heart : )

Arian

Those Eyes

 I'm finally coming out of the cloud of sickness that had me down for awhile. It's cute to see your kids go into parent mode when you're sick---getting you drinks of water, recommending their own home remedy ideas, lovingly patting your face with their sweaty, sticky hands : )

 Jude and I spent the afternoon catching up and reacquainting ourselves with the outside world. It was sweet.

 He's a perfect gentlemen of a lunch date, offering me bits of his damp cookie and sips from his cookie crumble water.

 His entertaining tales of good robots and bad robots and his plans for the future ("When I'm free (3) years old, I can have gum! And when I'm a grown up, I can drink coffee!" ) are good company.

 Plus he has nice eyes : )

Well, lots to catch up on! More soon : )

Arian

Out for the Count

So last weekend's illness persevered all week and resulted in a trip to the ER last night for a shot of antibiotics (strep throat = difficulty breathing = no fun). Hopefully I'll be up and at it after a weekend of rest. Hope you guys are staying healthy!

At least my boys are having fun! A heavy snow canceled school for 2 days and Hudson wasted no time getting out there and building a snowman and a snow fort.

Btw, here's a link the the Pic-A-Day blog I'm going to be sharing with my sister while she and her husband are working in South Africa for the next 6 months. And you can follow her blog for some amazing stories.

Alright, time to crawl back in bed.  Enjoy your weekend!

Arian : )

Pic of the Day

Despite trading illnesses with my little boys, we had a great weekend with family, celebrating and sending Tye and Andrea off to South Africa for 6 months. It's not like it's the first time we've live far away from each other. I spent 2 1/2 years in Japan right after college and 3 1/2 years in Boston after that. But over the past two years, we've become quite accustomed to being close.....spontaneous coffee dates, thrifting sprees, brunches with mom, family sleep overs, road trips.... plus hearing her on stage every week at Crossroads.

(click photo to enlarge)

So while she's gone, we've decided to share a "pic of the day" blog...one pic of something beautiful or emotional or fun that captures a moment from our day on opposite sides of the globe. I'll have a link for when it's up but here are the first ones from yesterday. I'm excited about it!

Hope your week is off to a good start!

Arian : )

New Prints!

 I just added two new prints to the shop! This Good Knight print I just finished today. Any knight can defeat his enemy with a sword. But only a good knight can win over a dragon with love.

(Cuddling with my little boys and working on the drawing last night....good times.)

And this one is available now too!

The weekend is almost here! Hope you have some lovely plans. Andrea and Tye leave for 6 months in South Africa this weekend so we'll be spending as much time with them as possible before they hop on  plane!

Gonna miss these guys!!

Have a great weekend!
Arian

Hibernation Mode

The holidays are over, snow is covering the ground, a chill has set into the bones of this old house, and I am officially in hibernation mode. I am gathering my arsenal of space heaters, thick socks, warm beverages, blankets, and my beautifully melancholy "winter music mix" (i.e. Rosie Thomas, Ray Lamontagne, Josh Garrels....) and focusing on our nest. I'm making it cleaner, more organized, more cozy, and making sure there are plenty of snuggle stations tucked in each room.

It's becoming the perfect environment for crafting and sketching! We've got a new sewing machine, a newly-organized craft supplies pantry (thanks, mom!), lots of yarn, and a stash of vintage fabrics ready and waiting to be crafted into beautiful things for our nest. I need to get crackin! (right after I sip a cup of tea, take a hot bath, and nap) ; )

In the meantime, here's a handful of beautiful, crafty photos (some of my recent flickr faves) for your inspiration!

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Arian : )

The Real World

We hit the ground running when we came home from vacation so I'm just now getting around to unloading photos from the camera. Here are a few more of my favorite photos from Christmas and New Years!

Our tree. Loved it.

The BIG Armstrong family Christmas in Ohio.

CHILLING. OUT. in North Carolina. Thankfully, lots of lounging around took place over the break : )

The beach!! New Years Day. Wilmington, NC. 68 degrees. Yessss.

It was wonderful. It's hard to come back from a vacation like that. But, alas, the real world is back : )

Happy New Year!

Arian